Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev

Hilarion (secular name Grigory Valerievich Alfeyev) (b. 1966) is a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church and the current metropolitan of Budapest and Hungary. He is also a noted theologian, church historian and composer and has published books on dogmatic theology, patristics and church history as well as numerous compositions for choir and orchestra. During 2009-2022 he was the titular metropolitan of Volokolamsk, the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate and a permanent member of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church and rector of the church-wide postgraduate and doctoral studies named after Saints Cyril and Methodius Equal to the Apostles. In June 2022, following a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, Hilarion was removed from his position as president of the Department of External Church Relations of the Patriarchate of Moscow and dismissed as Metropolitan of Volokolamsk. He was appointed to the Metropolis of Budapest-Hungary. Grigoriy Valerievich Alfeyev was born on 24 July 1966 in Moscow. From 1972 to 1982, he studied violin, piano and composition at the Moscow Gnessins School and from 1983 to 1986 at the Moscow State Conservatoire. From 1984 to 1986, he served in the Soviet military. In January 1987, after serving in the military, he became a monk (see below under Church activity). In 1989 graduated from the Moscow Theological Seminary and in 1991 from the Moscow Theological Academy with the degree of Master of Theology. From 1991 to 1993 he taught homiletics, dogmatic theology, New Testament studies and Byzantine Greek at the Moscow Theological Academy, St Tikhon's Theological Institute and St John the Theologian's Orthodox University. From 1993 to 1995, he studied at the University of Oxford (UK) under the supervision of Bishop Kallistos Ware. In 1995, he completed his doctoral thesis on "St Symeon the New Theologian and Orthodox Tradition" and was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Musical compositions: The Divine Liturgy, The All-Night Vigil (soloists and mixed choir), St Matthew Passion, Christmas Oratorio, Stabat Mater, première under the direction of Vladimir Spivakov.