Among the host of saints of the Russian Orthodox Church, who testified to fidelity to Christ during the most severe persecutions of the 20th century, the bright and majestic figure of Hieromartyr Hilarion (Troitsky), Archbishop of Vereya, stands out. An outstanding theologian, spiritual writer of the patristic direction, professor at the Moscow Theological Academy in the 1910s; an associate of Patriarch Tikhon, a courageous fighter against renovationism, a famous preacher in the early 20s, and finally, a prisoner of Solovki from 1923 to 1929 - these are the main stages in the life of Hieromartyr Hilarion. The saint’s strictly Orthodox theological work, rooted in his own spiritual experience, focused primarily on the problems of ecclesiology, testifies to his deep, organic churchliness and spiritual purity, elevated to perfection by the feat of prayer. The theology of Archbishop Hilarion and all his deeds visible to the world are nothing more than a struggle for the Church, for its holiness and unity in a very difficult historical situation. In extreme circumstances, Vladyka Hilarion remained faithful to his church position, and in the last instance, faithful to Christ. This cost him his freedom and, ultimately, his life. Bishop Hilarion lived only about forty-five years; his saintly works and scientific activities were rudely cut short. But the fact that this high spirit left earthly life so early is seen as the will of an all-good Providence. “God wanted to have this impeccably pure man as a saint and took him to Himself at the right time, leaving him to make further mistakes, sins and crimes to those who were capable of this before,” writes one of the biographers of Bishop Hilarion. The Russian Orthodox Church has now recognized the holiness of Archbishop Hilarion, and at its Local Council in 2000 he was canonized for church-wide veneration. Source: u003d4096865