Philaret, Vasily Drosdov

Philaret or Filaret, Vasily Drosdov both: vəsēˈlyē drəsdôfˈ fēlərĕtˈ [key], 1782?–1867, Russian prelate, author, and preacher. He became archbishop of Tver and a member of the holy synod in 1819 and metropolitan of Moscow in 1826. He long urged the abolition of serfdom and is generally considered the author of the Edict of Emancipation promulgated by Alexander II in 1861. Philaret also wrote a standard catechism of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches: General Biographies