Patriarch Nikon of Moscow

Nikon, born Nikita Minin on 7 May 1605 in the village of Veldemanovo near Nizhny Novgorod, was the seventh Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus of the Russian Orthodox Church, serving officially from 1652 to 1666. He was the son of a Mordvin peasant farmer and became renowned for his eloquence, energy and piety and for his close ties to Tsar Alexis. As patriarch he introduced many reforms, including liturgical reforms that were unpopular among conservatives, and these divisions eventually led to the lasting schism known as the Raskol in the Russian Orthodox Church. For many years he was a dominant political figure, often equaling or even overshadowing the Tsar. In December 1667 a synod of church officials tried him, deprived him of his sacerdotal functions and reduced him to the status of a simple monk, and he died in Tropino on 17 August 1681.