Fr. Sebastian Dabovich & the mystery of St. Tikhon’s miter

In 2009, I wrote an article on the miter (crown) which Archbishop Tikhon Bellavin gave to Fr. Sebastian Dabovich at the Dabovich's elevation to archimandrite in 1905, and which Dabovich later auctioned off to raise money for the Serbian war effort in 1912. Today is the anniversary of Dabovich's birth,...

This week in American Orthodox history (June 18-24)

June 21, 1863: Jovan Dabovich was born in San Francisco to Serbian immigrants. He would be baptized by an Orthodox priest aboard a visiting Russian ship, and he later became Fr. Sebastian, one of the most prominent Orthodox clergymen in America. June 18, 1878: Fr. Paul Kedrolivansky, dean of the...

Bogus aristocrats and Orthodox saints

At the very end of the 19th century, a fellow going by the name "Theodor O'Brien MacDonald, Baron de Stuart" appeared in New York City. His second and third names notwithstanding, the "Baron" claimed to be the son of a Russian general. He left Russia, so he said, because he...

This week in American Orthodox history (June 11-17)

June 16, 1889: Deacon Raphael Hawaweeny was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Sylvester, rector of the Kiev Theological Academy. Deacon Raphael had come to the Kiev school a year earlier, and the plan was for him to study there and then return to Syria, where he would become the...

New details on the mysterious “Bulgarian Monk”

Awhile back, I did a podcast on a 19th century figure who called himself "The Bulgarian Monk." This man, also known as Rev. A.N. Experidon, came to America in the 1870s and claimed to be an Orthodox hieromonk. He remained here until his mysterious death in Idaho in the early...

Nicholas Chapman: Was Fr. Samuel Domien a Greek Catholic? Part 3

Editor's note: What follows is the last of three articles by Nicholas Chapman on Fr. Samuel Domien, the first Orthodox priest known to have set foot in the Western Hemisphere. Domien was fascinated with electricity and became friends with Benjamin Franklin, who mentions Domien in his letters. To read Nicholas'...

This week in American Orthodox history (June 4-10)

June 10, 1870: The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church created the Diocese of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska. Previously, Alaska -- or, before its 1867 sale to the United States, "Russian America" -- was part of the Diocese of Kamchatka. Making Alaska its own diocese was part of...

Nicholas Chapman: Was Fr. Samuel Domien a Greek Catholic? Part 2

Editor's note: What follows is the second of three articles by Nicholas Chapman on Fr. Samuel Domien, the first Orthodox priest known to have set foot in the Western Hemisphere. Domien was fascinated with electricity and became friends with Benjamin Franklin, who mentions Domien in his letters. To read Nicholas'...

This week in American Orthodox history (May 28-June 3)

This week's article is embarrassingly short -- so short that I don't think it actually qualifies as an "article." I've just been pulled in all directions lately, and haven't been able to give this site the time I'd like. We've got several fascinating article in the pipeline, though, including pieces...

St. Innocent’s first homily as Metropolitan of Moscow

After the death of St. Philaret Drozdov, St. Innocent, the former missionary to Alaska and Siberia, was chosen to be his replacement as Metropolitan of Moscow. Below is his first pastoral address as Metropolitan, given in Moscow's Dormition (Assumption) Cathedral on May 26, 1868 -- 142 years ago today. The...