«He became the seed of true faith» – on the 90th anniversary of the birth of Filaret, figure of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan, Honorary Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, Hero of Belarus

March 21 marks the 90th anniversary of the birth of Filaret, a figure in the Belarusian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan, Honorary Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, and Hero of Belarus.

The future Metropolitan Filaret (in the worldly realm Kirill Varfolomeevich Vakhromeyev) was born on March 21, 1935 in Moscow. After graduating from high school in 1953, he wanted to connect his life with the study of foreign languages, but was not even admitted to the entrance exams, since he was not a member of the Komsomol. Later, he decided to connect his fate with spiritual life. In 1953, he entered the Moscow Theological Seminary, which he graduated in 1957. In 1957-1961, he studied at the Moscow Theological Academy. During his studies in 1959, he took monastic vows under the name Filaret. On August 4, 1963, in the Assumption Cathedral of the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, he was elevated to the rank of hegumen, and on October 8 of the same year – to the rank of archimandrite. From May 14, 1966 to April 18, 1973, he was Bishop of Dmitrov, vicar of the Moscow diocese and rector of the Moscow Theological Academy. Since 1978, Bishop Filaret’s life has been linked with Belarus – on October 10, 1978, he became Metropolitan of Minsk and Belarus. Since October 16, 1989, in connection with the formation of new dioceses on the territory of the BSSR and the formation of the Belarusian Exarchate of the Moscow Patriarchate, his title began to sound like Metropolitan of Minsk and Grodno, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus. Since February 18, 1992, Bishop Filaret has held the title of Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus.

On the YouTube channel of the Belarusian State Archive of Film, Photo, and Sound Documents, a promotional video for the exhibition «He Became the Grain of True Faith» has been posted for the 90th anniversary of the birth of Metropolitan Filaret.

At present, the funds of the Belarusian State Archive of Film, Photo, and Sound Documents contain more than 460 units of photographic documents from 1981 to 2014, and over 150 units of film documents from 1981 to 2016, related to the activities of Bishop Filaret.

Photo and film documents (stories from the newsreels «Savetskaya Belarus» and «Belarus», the chronicle material «Republican Conference of Peace Supporters», 1981, «Celebration of the 1000th Anniversary of the Baptism of Rus in Minsk», 1988, the films «Theme for Repentance», 1990, «Day of Slavic Literature», 1996, «Zapavet Euphrasinni», 1997, «Peace to All», 2000, «We are Building a Temple», 2003, stories from the TV programs «Frames of Cultural Life», «Isnast», «Blagovest», «Steps of Faith», «Kamerton», «Contours») captured Metropolitan Filaret during services, the consecration of churches, meetings with secular authorities, participation in scientific and theological conferences and much more.

The documentary films «Uladyka» (1993) were made about Bishop Filaret himself, and many programs from the series «Isnast’«, «Blagovest» and «Kamerton» were dedicated to him.

The archive funds contain a recording from the 1980s «Divine Service of Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Belarus on the Feast of All Belarusian Saints».

During the 35-year period of Metropolitan Filaret’s stay at the head of the Belarusian Exarchate, historical and new Orthodox dioceses were revived and new ones were established. 24 women’s and 10 men’s monasteries were opened. In 2006 he was awarded the title – Hero of Belarus. On December 25, 2013, the Holy Synod, taking into account the health condition of Metropolitan Filaret, relieved him of his service, appointing him Honorary Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus. Bishop Filaret retained the right to participate in the work of the Holy Synod and an honorary protocol place at divine services and in official ceremonies.

The Honorary Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus passed away on January 12, 2021.

1. 0-164989. Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Belarus during a service in one of the churches in Minsk 1984, Minsk

2. 0-122208. Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Belarus at a reception with the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the BSSR I.E. Polyakov 1985, Minsk.

3. 1-017033. Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Grodno, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus during a meeting with a delegation of the British-Soviet Friendship Society at the Diocesan Administration in Minsk 1989, Minsk

4. 0-165467. Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus Filaret after the festive liturgy in honor of the 1000th anniversary of the Polotsk diocese on the porch of the Holy Protection Cathedral in Vitebsk July 24, 1992, Vitebsk.

5. 0-141681. Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus Filaret during the solemn ceremony of consecrating a memorial stone laid in honor of the 850th anniversary of Dzerzhinsk June 29, 1996, Minsk region.

6. E019693. Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus Filaret during the liturgy dedicated to the consecration of the restored cross of Euphrosyne of Polotsk, in Polotsk 1997, Vitebsk region.

7. E018919. Prayer service on Assumption Hill during the stay of Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’ Alexy II (right), in honor of the laying of the capsule with the charter in the foundation and the consecration of the first stone of the restored Holy Dormition Cathedral in Vitebsk; 2nd from the left – Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus Filaret September 26, 1998, Vitebsk.

8. E019700. Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus Filaret at the consecration of the bells of the first school of bell ringers in Belarus 1999, Minsk.

9. Е023830. Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus Filaret during the celebration of the 440th anniversary of the Vitebsk Orthodox Diocese November 8, 2003, Vitebsk

10. E002568. Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus Filaret during a speech at the opening of the international exhibition «Joy of Easter» at the Belarusian National Technical University April 2003, Minsk.

11. E017849. Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus Filaret and Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus G.V. Novitsky during the signing of the Agreement on Cooperation between the Republic of Belarus and the Belarusian Orthodox Church June 12, 2003, Minsk.

12. E032102. Speech by Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus Filaret at the presentation of the annual Christmas Prize during the evening dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Faculty of Theology of the European Humanities University; 2nd from the left – Rector of EHU A.A. Mikhailov January 2004, Minsk

13. E028905. Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus Filaret, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Republic of Belarus Dr. Helmut Frick, Bishop of the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia Klaus Wollenweber during the Belarusian-German conference of initiative groups «Initiatives and Partnership in the Common Home Europe» in the Minsk International General Education Center February 20, 2004, Minsk.

14. E002517. Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus Filaret, who arrived for the opening of the Church of St. Sergius Abbot of Radonezh in Lida, during a meeting with the Chairman of the State Committee of Border Troops of the Republic of Belarus, Lieutenant General A.A. Pavlovsky in the Lida border detachment November 2004, Grodno region.

15. E048674. Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk Filaret, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, hands over spiritual literature to the Dean of the Law Faculty of the Belarusian State University (BSU), Professor S.A.Balashenko, on the day of the opening of the faculty’s academic building; in the background: 1st from the left – Chairman of the Supreme Economic Court of the Republic of Belarus V.S. Kamenkov, 2nd from the left – Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus N.V. Petkevich August 31, 2005, Minsk.

16. E048586. Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus Filaret during the divine liturgy in the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of his service as a bishop October 2005, Minsk.

17. E060972. Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus Filaret with participants of the charity event «Christmas Tree» for children from the regions of Belarus affected by the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident, boarding schools and family children’s homes in the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk January 8, 2006, Minsk.

18. E061687. Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus Filaret opens the exhibition «With Faith, Hope and Joy» in the Ilya Repin Museum-Estate «Zdravnevo» in the village of Zdravnevo, Vitebsk District April 7, 2006, Vitebsk Region.

19. E018941. At a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Belarusian Orthodox Church in Vitebsk; on the right is Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus Filaret, to his left: 1 – Archbishop of Vitebsk and Orsha Dmitry (in the world N.G. Drozdov); 2 – Archbishop of Gomel and Zhlobin Aristarchus (in the world A.E. Stankevich); 3 – Archbishop of Novogrudok and Lida Guriy (in the world N.P. Apalko); 4 – Bishop of Turov and Mozyr Stefan (in the world A.V. Neshcheret); 5 – Bishop of Brest and Kobrin John (in the world L.D. Khoma); 6 – Bishop Seraphim of Babruisk and Bykhov (in the world A.D. Belonozhko) November 3, 2007, Vitebsk.

20. E022595. Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus blesses parishioners at the entrance to the Holy Resurrection Church in Kletsk April 9, 2010, Minsk region.

21. E030184. Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus presents a Certificate of Honor to the editor of the Smorgon district newspaper «Svetly Shlyakh» O. Volkova March 2011, Minsk

22. E047416. During a meeting of children living in the areas of Belarus affected by the Chernobyl disaster and undergoing rehabilitation in rehabilitation and health centers, pupils of family children’s homes, boarding schools, Sunday schools with Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus Filaret (in the center) in the Holy Spirit Cathedral of Minsk as part of the Republican charity event. «Christmas Tree – Our Children», organized by the public association «Belarusian Republican Youth Union», the Department for the Elimination of the Consequences of the Catastrophe at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus, the Diocesan Administration of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, with the support of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus January 8, 2013, Minsk.

23. E047782. Opening of the IV European Orthodox-Catholic Forum in the White Hall of the All Saints Memorial Church in Minsk; in the foreground, 3rd from the left – Honorary Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, Metropolitan Filaret; in the foreground, on the right – Metropolitan Pavel of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus June 2, 2014, Minsk.