Cover Photograph: Hieromartyr Mitrophan, the First Chinese Priest,
Commemorated June 24/June 11.

by the hand of Nana Quparadze

It is said that the Hieromartyr Saint Mitrophan (Chinese name: 楊吉 Yángjí) was born January 17, 1856 in Beijing. He was raised in a family of Orthodox believers who had a close connection with the Russian Orthodox Church's Beijing Mission. Mitrophan's father died while he [Mitrophan] was young and he was raised by his Grandmother and Mother. From the time he was small Mitrophan was quiet and a deeply thoughtful child. He always maintained his calm and even if he was mocked he didn't get angry.

In 1864, Archimandrite Palladius returned to Russia in conjunction with his reappointment as head of the Chinese mission. He told Mitrophan's teachers to raise him to become a priest. As Archimandrite Palladius' replacement, Archimandrite Flavian arrived in 1878. He strongly urged Mitrophan to become a priest. Mitrophan replied "I'm not at all suited to the priesthood." He continued to decline but, at last, agreed to be ordained.

In 1882, as part of the Chinese delegation, he accompanied Archimandrite Flavian to Japan for the All-Japan Council. At that time he met the, then Bishop Nikolai (Equal to the Apostles Nikolai). While he was in Japan, on June 20, he was ordained as a Deacon by Bishop Nikolai and on the 29th of the same month he became the first Chinese to be ordained as a priest. These ordinations were said to have taken place in the Holy Cross Church on the second floor of the Bishop's residence.

For fifteen years after this he aided Archimandrite Flavian's Chinese translation work, and even if he was insulted by his fellow Chinese, he strove to carry out his work as a priest, but at the end he was spiritually tired and spent three years in a suburb of Beijing.

On June 1, 1900 the Boxer Rebellion occurred. It was a revolt to drive foreign power out of China by force of arms. The Beijing Mission was burned and many refugees fled to Mitrophan's residence outside of Beijing. These refugees included many people who had formerly denounced Father Mitrophan but he did not drive them away. At the end the hand of the Boxers reached to Mitrophan's residence. There many Christians met torture and lost their lives. Father Mitrophan's wife, Tatiana, his three children, Isaiah, Father Sergei^[1] and Ioann refused to abandon the Lord and were killed. Father Mitrophan was glorified in heaven. This was on June 11th.

In 1903 Hieromonk Abraham recovered Father Mitrophan's remains, together with those of 222 people who had been killed. The incorrupt remains were placed under the altar in the All Holy Martyrs Memorial Church.