Hierarch

Hierarch Saint Jonah, Archbishop of Novgorod

архиепископ 1458–1470 — †1470

Saint Jonah of Novgorod — archbishop, founder of almshouses and shelters, defender of Novgorod's ecclesiastical independence.

St. Jonah, Archbishop of Novgorod (birth date unknown; d. November 5, 1470), was a hierarch of the Russian Church who headed the see of Novgorod and Pskov from 1458 to 1470. He was known for founding almshouses and shelters for widows and the poor in Novgorod and for sponsoring the building and adornment of churches.

He is remembered as a zealous advocate for his flock and a defender of Novgorod's ecclesiastical independence during the tense period of relations between Novgorod and Moscow under Ivan III. He reposed on November 5, 1470, and was canonized for church-wide veneration at the Moscow Council of 1549.

He should not be confused with the Old Testament Prophet Jonah (8th century BC, feast September 22/October 5) — the two are entirely separate figures whose data had previously been mistakenly merged on this card.

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