About the book: year / Patriarch Hermogenes (Hermogenes, in the world Ermolai; c. 1530 - February 17 (27), 1612) - second (actually third, counting Ignatius) Patriarch Moscow and All Rus' (1606–1612, in captivity since May 1, 1611), a famous church public figure of the Time of Troubles. Canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. Days of celebration of the Hieromartyr Hermogenes: February 17 (according to the Julian calendar) - repose, and May 12 - glorification as a saint. Reviews from contemporaries testify to Patriarch Hermogenes as a man of outstanding intelligence and erudition: “The sovereign is great in mind and sense and wise in mind,” “wonderful great and many discussions”, “very adorned with wisdom and elegant in book teaching”, “all the books of the Old Law and the New Grace, and the church statutes and legal rules are constantly practiced on Divine words.” Saint Hermogenes worked a lot in monastery libraries, primarily in the rich library of the Moscow Chudov Monastery, where he copied the most valuable historical information from ancient manuscripts, which formed the basis for chronicle records. In the 17th century, the “Resurrection Chronicle” was called the chronicler of His Holiness Patriarch Hermogenes. In the writings of the Primate of the Russian Church and his archpastoral letters there are constantly references to the Holy Scriptures and examples taken from history, which testifies to a deep knowledge of the Word of God and erudition in the church literature of that time. Church activity was characterized by an attentive and strict attitude to worship. On July 3, 1606 in Moscow, the Council of Russian Hierarchs established St. Hermogenes as Patriarch of Moscow. He remained a supporter of Vasily Shuisky, supported him in suppressing the uprising of the southern cities, desperately opposed his overthrow. He was an ardent opponent of the seven-boyars, despite everything, tried to organize the election of a new tsar from the Russian family (he was the first to offer this position to Mikhail Romanov). Reluctantly, he agreed to recognize Vladislav Sigismundovich as Russian Tsar, subject to his Orthodox baptism and the withdrawal of Polish troops from Russia. After the Poles refused to fulfill these conditions, he began to write appeals to the Russian people, calling them to fight. Since December 1610, the Patriarch, while imprisoned, sent letters to cities calling for a fight against the Polish intervention. He blessed both militias called to liberate Moscow from the Poles. Letters sent by the Patriarch to cities and villages excited the Russian people to liberate Moscow from their enemies. Muscovites started an uprising, in response to which the Poles set the city on fire and took refuge in the Kremlin. Together with some traitors from the boyars, they forcibly removed the holy Patriarch Hermogenes from the Patriarchal throne and placed him in custody in the Chudov Monastery. On Easter Monday 1611, the Russian militia approached Moscow and began a siege of the Kremlin that lasted several months. The Poles besieged in the Kremlin more than once sent envoys to the Patriarch demanding that he order the Russian militias to move away from the city, threatening him with the death penalty. The saint answered firmly: “Why are you threatening me? I fear only God. If all of you, Lithuanian people, leave the Moscow state, I will bless the Russian militia to go from Moscow, but if you stay here, I will bless everyone to stand against you and die for the Orthodox faith." Already from prison, Hermogenes addressed his last message to the Russian people, blessing the war of liberation against the conquerors. On February 17, 1612, without waiting for the liberation of Moscow, he died of hunger.