SHORT LIFE OF THE FATHER OURS BETWEEN THE SAINTS AMBROGIO METROPOLITA OF BELO-KRINITSA AND OF ALL THE ORTHODOX ANTICHI, THE CONFESSORE The present participation is stiff historically to document the truth of the Russian old-believers. It is seemed right to dedicate this space in order to show the existence and the history of this church that reflects, for some aspects, the ancient Russian Christian identity. The article, of cultural cut, absolutely does not involve the adhesion of the editors of the situated present to the message of this church but it wants some to serenely reflect the perspective from its point of view. The Old Believers (Staroveryi) or Old Ritualisti (Staroobrjadtsyi) or, as same they prefer to be calls, Antichi Orthodox (Drevlepravoslavnyi), are those Christians remained faithful to the antichi rituals, dogmas and ecclesiastical structures of the Russian Ortodossia, from when in the seventeenth century were introduced changes for work of the Patriarch of Moscow Nikon. To Nikon various bishops opposed themselves, between which Pavel di Kolomensk, and the Avvakum archpriest. Like result, the Antichi Orthodox endured persecutions, and many were martirizzati, included Pavel Bishop, Avvakum and many priests and monaci. Much Antichi Orthodox escaped in Siberia and in adjacent countries, above all Rumania puts into effect it them. The majority of they never lost or has not refused the sacerdozio, even if they have denied it to some, and they are therefore “asacerdotali” calls (Bespopovtsyi): their reaction to the sacerdozio however is not motivated from the innovations of Nikon, how much from their vision of the imminent reign of the Antichrist. In the course of the time, the Antichi Orthodox sacerdotal founded a center near the cemetary of Rogozh to Moscow, and later on the monastero of Bleat (“Fontana white woman”) in Bucovina, to that time leaves of the Austrian Empire, today in Ucraina. Even if they had been ordered ancient-orthodox bishops from not Russian orthodox presides, nobody of they had left successory, and under the reign of the Tsar Nicholas converted the rigorous laws regulated the reception of from the official Church of state. Austria, where the monastero of Bleat was found, was a place of freedom for the Antichi Orthodox (than they carried the name of Lipoveni there), thanks to the laws emanated in 1783 from Emperor Giuseppe II. To Vienna the Minister of the Insides, Conte Kolovrat, and the Ludwig Archduke prepared the road for the permission, given from the Emperor Ferdinand in 1844, to invite a foreign bishop to establish own center to Bleat in order to serve the Orthodox necessities of the Antichi in the dominions of the Empire. Two monaci, Pavel (Velikodvorski) and Alimpij (Miloradov) they were chosen in order to try an adequate candidate to the supremacy between the not Russian orthodox churches. From generations Orthodox communities of Antichi in European Turkey existed, profughi from the violences in Russia, and were natural that the search of a bishop muovesse between they the first steps. According to the relationships of the Russian government, after the half of the 800 approximately 4.000 Antichi Orthodox lived in the Austrian Empire, the majority in Bucovina, to the border with Russia near the Prut river, and approximately 36.000 they lived in the Ottoman Empire. Of these last ones, the majority lived in the northern Dobrugia, near the delta of the Danube. Others lived to Costantinopoli, in other European territories of the Empire, and in some takeovers in Asia Minor. Monaci the Pavel and Alimpij met the Metropolita Ambrogio, already of Sarajevo in Bosnia, that it was esiliato for political reasons from its center from the Turks. To put the monaci in contact with the metropolita one it was Osip Semenovich Goncharov, ataman of the Nekrasovtsyi. These were Cossak of the Don, escaped from Russia to the time of the Streltsij guided from Ignatij Nekrasov, and carried its name. Many of they were Antichi Orthodox. Ambrogio was a Greek, been born in 1791 in a village near Enos. Its father, George, were a priest of the Greek Church, that he gave to the son the name of Andrea in the Battesimo Saint. In 1811, Andrea married, and little after priest from the Metropolita Matteo was ordered in its turn. In the 1814 lost the wife, than had given a son to it, anch'egli of name George. Three years after to be remained vedovo, it was tonsurato monaco with the monastico name of Ambrogio. In 1817 it was elect Igumeno of the Monastero of the Saintest Trinità on the island of Halki. Patriarch made it Costantino protosincello of the Greek patriarcale Church in 1827. As september 1835 turns out from a dated document 9, Gregorio assisted from four other bishops was ordered to Metropolita di Sarajevo in Bosnia from the Patriarch. He remained in its center for five years, before being removed from the Turks. The 12 september 1840 Patriarch Antimio II, after to have inquired on its removal, it gave a certificate to it of good reputation that concurred to it to hold religious functions to Costantinopoli. A Serb, Costantino Efimovic, were used like interpreter between the Metropolita Ambrogio and the two monaci ancient-orthodox, that they examined its ortodossia, and to which it introduced the aforesaid document of the Greek patriarch. The Metropolita Ambrogio and its son took therefore time in order to inquire on the Russian Orthodox status of the Antichi and the canonicità than it came demanded, before giving to own assent the 15 to it you open them 1846. After a long travel the Danube, the Metropolita Ambrogio and the two monaci arrived to Tulcea, in today's Rumania, where five hundred Nekrasovtsyi, together to the monaci of the monastero of Slav, their Igumeno Makarij and Padre Arkadij Lavrentijevskij introduced to metropolita the traditional bread with know them. Therefore the Metropolita oed to Vienna, and reached Bleat in 12 Bucovina October 1846. The Austrian government demanded and obtained from the Greek patriarchy a favorable relationship on the metropolita one, before dargli the permission to fix its residence in own dominions. After a reunion in order to discuss the procedure about takeover of the metropolita one, 28 October 1846 had place the officio of the Eve in honor of Saint Nicholas the Taumaturgo. The following day, after to have read the customary profession of faith from the rituale in transliterated ecclesiastical slavonico in Greek characters, the metropolita one was received according to Canone 95 of Sixth Conciliates Ecumenico. Ieronim priest-monaco, with the blessing of the first and new Metropolita di Russian Orthodox Bleat and of all the Antichi, began therefore the Divine Liturgy in which the metropolita one concelebrò. Between 1 6 November 1846 and January 1847 the Metropolita Ambrogio celebrated divine offici and ordered clergy of every degree. The Antichi Orthodox Russian hour had all and the three sacramentali degrees that had thus over a long time span wished. The metropolita one read the prayers in its native language, the Greek, but the deacon and the chorus used the slavonico. It was 6 the January 1847 that Kirill (Timofejev) was ordered Bishop of Menos. Because of the lack of others two bishops, were puttinges to their place two archpriests, a procedure already used before in the history of the Church in necessity cases, and described in some screw of saints. Many persons, included the civil civil employees of the Bucovina, participated to the event, and for gratefulness the monaci they offered to a banquet in they honor. In August of the 1847 there was the ordinazione of Arkadij Bishop of Except-Rus, a center of Antichi Orthodox with a monastero near Tulcea, than still he exists in today's Rumania. The Ministry of the Foreign countries Russian threatened of reprisals the roman catholic government of Austria, if this last one had not withdrawn the permission to the Antichi Orthodox to establish own metropolia in the Hasburg Empire. The Sinodo Saint, through which the tsar they since controlled the nikoniana church of state the time of the abolition of the Patriarchy under Peter I, in the same way threatened to cut to every attendance financial institution to the patriarchy of Costantinopoli if it had not made all how much were in its power in order to induce the Metropolita Ambrogio to change own position. The Greek patriarch tried to make it for two times through the Greek metropolita one of Karlowitz. The Metropolita Ambrogio, however, refused. Sure the Antichi Orthodox Russian had convinced it that the system of the Sinodo Saint, created in 1700 from Peter in order to control the church of state to the place of the patriarch, and with which they did not want to have to that making, it was not a canonical institution. For decree of the Tsar Paul I, the Russian monarchs were declared “heads of the Church” and all the bishops of the state church were obliged lend an oath in such sense. As a result of the diplomatic pressures, the authorities Austrians closed the monastero of Bleat 3 March 1848, and the Metropolita Ambrogio was sent in exile to Tzill in Stiria. After the explosion of the revolutionary motions to Vienna, and with the attendance of the Conte Kolovrat, the minister already mentioned, the monastero of Bleat was reopened at the end of 1848, even if the metropolita one had to remain in exile. its vicario, Kirill, ordered therefore to Onufrij like bishop of 3 Braila and January 1849 Sofronij (Zhirov) like bishop of Simbirsk in Russia. The successor of this last one was Antonij (Shutov), that he would have become the first archbishop ancient-orthodox of Moscow. The Metropolita Ambrogio lived fifteen years in exile and the suffering, between people who did not speak not even its language, but that it was disposed to help in their need of a sacerdozio. It saw all this as the will of God in its confronts. 28 primate October 1863 he sent its last official action like of the Antichi Orthodox Russian to Antonij Archbishop and all the bishops under its jurisdiction. The document begins with the words: “For the misericordia of God, the humble Orthodox archbishop and metropolita of all the Antichi, Ambrogio.” The document is signed in Greek with similar words. In the text it declares itself dispiaciuto of being lived thus far away from its flock, and that its health does not allow it to make more, but he takes its time in order to discuss many relative ecclesiastical issues to the people under its spiritual cure. This document clearly refutes those enemies of the Ancient Ortodossia whom they would want to make to believe that the metropolita saint has concluded its days having repudiated its flock. It died 30 October 1863, two days after to have prepared its last letter pastorale. The Metropolita Kirill held its funeral officio to Bleat, but the metropolita one was buried in the Greek orthodox cemetary to Trieste. It had loved its people and was died for they. Its pastorale stick is now to Moscow and has been used in the takeover of Alimpij Archbishop like first Metropolita of Moscow and all Russia. In the 1899 Patriarch of Costantinopoli it instituted a commission in order to study the issue of the Metropolita Ambrogio and its acceptance of the supremacy of Russian the Ancient-Orthodox Church. The commission emanated a decree of acknowledgment of the hierarchy established from the Metropolita Ambrogio, decree that Pobedonostsev worried, the lay proxy of the Sinodo Saint of the Russian church of state. To sinodo a kinsman held to the Monastero di Bleat 150 years after its acceptance of the supremacy, the Metropolita Ambrogio has been canonizzato 11 mondays November 1996, to the presence of both its successory ones, the Metropolita Leontij di Bleat and the Metropolita Alimpij of Moscow and all Russia. The day of its festivity has been assigned 30 to October (12 November, according to the new calendar) of every year. 18/31 May 2000 has had place the esumazione of its reliquie and their translation from Trieste to Braila, in Rumania. SOURCES The present text is based mainly on: - Kratkoe Ambrosial Skazanie or Preosvjashchennom Mitropolite Belokrinitskom Inoka Nila (Short story of the Sacratissimo Ambrogio Metropolita di Bleat, of the Monaco Nilo), reprint of the Russian edition of 1907. The author was an eyewitness of the life of the saint in Austria. - Staroobrjadets, vol. 5, p. 567s., Russian ancient-orthodox review; - Rus' Pravoslavnaja, Not. 6, Dic. 1996; Not. 10, 1997; - F.C. Conybeare, Russian Dissenters, New York 1992; - Paul Call - Vasily L. Kelslev, An Encounter with the Russian Revolutionaries and the Old Believers, 1979.

Italian translation of the Ieromonaco Ambrogio of the Orthodox Community “Saint Massimo, Bishop of Turin” (Patriarchy of Moscow) upon request and for blessing of the Metropolita Leontij di Bleat June 2000