Moscow. August 26. INTERFAX - On Tuesday, August 26, at 94 - years of life, died the oldest hierarch of the ROC MP, vicar of Moscow diocese, Archbishop Nicholas Ramensky (Sayama).
Archbishop Nicholas (Sayama Dayroku) was born on November 22, 1914. In 1941, he graduated from the Tokyo Theological Seminary, and in 1954 entered the St. Vladimir's Theological Seminary in the United States. Here in October 1956, he was consecrated to the diaconate, and in November he was ordained to the priesthood.
Upon completing St. Vladimir's Seminary in 1959, he lived in Athens, and on September 1, 1962 received monastic tonsure in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and was named Nikolai. In 1966, elevated to the rank of Archimandrite. In December 1967, Father Nikolai, was appointed head of the Russian spiritual mission in Japan (together parishes, is directly subordinated to the Russian Orthodox Church at a time when the Japanese Orthodox Church was in the jurisdiction of the American Metropolia. Archimandrite Nicholas' consecration to the episcopate took place at Alexander Nevsky Lavra on December 10, 1967.
In 1970, Japan became an autonomous Orthodox Church, and instead of Russian spiritual mission in Tokyo a representation of the Moscow Patriarchate was established. Bishop Nicholas served as rector of the representation from 1970 to 1986.
In 1984, elevated to the rank of archbishop, and since 1996 - served as Archbishop of Ramensk, vicar of Moscow diocese.
Since 1986, Archbishop Nicholas was at rest and lived in the Japanese Chiba prefecture, bordering Tokyo district.