ARCHBISHOP TIKHON (Troitsky)
On the 50 th Anniversary of His Repose

Archbishop Tikhon (Troitsky), 1883-1963, was born Alexander Troitsky on April 12, 1883, in Kostroma guberniya to the family of a priest.

In 1905, he was tonsured a monk and ordained as a hierodeacon. In 1908, he was ordained a hieromonk. Later that year he graduated from Kazan Theological Academy with a doctorate in theology. His spiritual father at that time was the schema-archimandrite elder, St Gabriel (Zyrianov). On August 28 of that year, he was appointed Assistant Inspector of Tauride Theological Seminary.

On August 25, 1910, he was appointed Inspector of Volhynia Religious Seminary and elevated to the rank of archimandrite. On December 28, 1916, he was appointed Inspector of Kharkov Theological Seminary. According to his students, he was very strict, in contrast with their lenient Rector, Archimandrite Averky (Kedrov).

In 1919, he emigrated together with Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) to Yugoslavia, where he worked as Inspector of Prizren Seminary. On June 15, 1930, he was consecrated Bishop of San Francisco, Vicar of the North American Diocese, in Belgrade. On July 31, 1933, he was appointed ruling bishop of North America and Canada.

On September 4, 1934, the North American Diocese was divided, and Vladyka Tikhon was appointed Administrator of the Western American Diocese and given the title Archbishop of Western America and San Francisco.

After the reconciliation of the �American Metropolia,� which had Russian roots, and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia in 1935, the diocese was again reorganized. Vladyka Tikhon was given the title Bishop of Western America and Seattle, but his cathedra was still based in San Francisco.

In November, 1946, relations between the �American Metropolia� and the Russian Church Abroad were unilaterally cut by decision of members of the Cleveland Council. Archbishop Tikhon was one of five American archpastors who refused to abandon obedience to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, and was once again appointed Bishop of San Francisco, a title also retained by Metropolitan Theophilus (Pashkovsky) of the American Metropolia, which was again separate.

Archbishop Tikhon later handed over the administration of the San Francisco cathedra to his old friend, Archbishop John of Shanghai, and retired in 1962. He died on March 30, 1963. He was interred under the altar of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville.