Nicholas of Japan

Description

Saint Nicholas, Equal-to-the-Apostles, Archbishop of Japan, born Ivan Dimitrovich Kasatkin (Russian: Иван Дмитриевич Касаткин; August 13 [O.S. August 1] 1836 – February 16, 1912) was a Russian Orthodox priest, monk, bishop, and saint. He introduced the Eastern Orthodox Church to Japan. The Orthodox cathedral of Tokyo (metropolitan diocese of Japan), Tokyo Resurrection Cathedral, was informally named after him as Nikorai-do, first by the local community, and today nationwide, in remembrance of his work.Nicholas was born in the Smolensk prefecture in the Russian Empire to Dimitry Kasatkin, a Russian Orthodox deacon. His mother died when he was five years old. He grew up in the church hierarchy: in 1857 he entered the Theological Academy in Saint Petersburg. On July 7, 1860 (July 19 in the Gregorian calendar), he became a monk and chose the name of Nicholas. Nicholas was ordained a deacon on July 12 (July 24) in the same year, on the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul. He was ordained a priest the next day, on the feast day of the Holy Apostles, the commemoration day of the Academy’s Chapel of the Holy Apostles.