Metropolitan Alexander’s Article on the Labors of Archbishop Sophonias (Sokolsky) in Rome Published in the “St. Tikhon’s University Review”

An article by Metropolitan Alexander devoted to the activities of Archbishop Sophonias (Sokolsky) in Rome has been published in the academic journal “St. Tikhon’s University Review”.

The article examines the parish ministry of Archimandrite Sophonias (Sokolsky), rector of St. Nicholas Church of the Russian Imperial Mission in Rome, who later became the first archpastor of the Turkestan Diocese, during the period from 1855 to 1860.

The study undertakes a historical reconstruction of his liturgical, pastoral, and administrative activities in Rome in the context of the objectives facing the Orthodox clergy in the Papal States in the mid-19th century. Analysis of the identified sources makes it possible to clarify and consistently reconstruct the key stages in the biography of Archimandrite Sophonias immediately preceding his appointment to Rome and following the completion of his Roman ministry. The study draws upon archival documents not previously introduced into scholarly circulation, among which an important place is occupied by the parish register of the Orthodox community in Rome covering the period of Archimandrite Sophonias’s ministry. Official correspondence and testimonies of contemporaries are also used. The article reconstructs the sequence of events in Archimandrite Sophonias’s life from the spring of 1853 to the spring of 1861 – from his return from Constantinople and service in the St. Petersburg Consistory to the completion of his ministry in Rome and his subsequent stay in Vienna. It demonstrates that the archimandrite’s Roman experience was not limited to the performance of liturgical duties, but also included active interaction with the parishioners of the church, brief information about whom is provided in the article. The study concludes that this experience played an important role in broadening the outlook of the future first archpastor of Turkestan.

“St. Tikhon’s University Review” is an academic journal intended for the publication of the principal results of dissertation research for the degrees of Doctor and Candidate of Sciences, as well as the results of other research conducted in the academic fields developed at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox University for the Humanities. The journal also publishes original scholarly materials of interest to the social sciences and humanities and possessing theoretical and practical significance.

For citation: Mogilev A. G. (Metropolitan Alexander). “‘I Was in Rome and Saw the Pope’: The Labors of Archimandrite Sophonias (Sokolsky), Rector of St. Nicholas Church of the Russian Imperial Mission in Rome, in 1855–1860.” St. Tikhon’s University Review. Series II: History. History of the Russian Orthodox Church. 2026. Issue 130. Pp. 64–82. DOI: 10.15382/sturII2026130.64-82