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'''Metropolitan Stephen''' (secular name '''Simeon Ivanovich Yavorsky''', {{lang-ru|Симеон Иванович Яворский}}; 1658 – 8 december <small>[OS 27 november]</small> 1722) was a [[metropolitan]] of Ryazan and Murom and statesman in the [[Russian Empire]]. Patriarchal [[locum tenens ]] (1701-1721). One of the ablest coadjutors of [[Peter I of Russia|Peter the Great]] and the first president of the [[Apostolic Governing Synod]].

Born in [[w:Yavoriv|Yavorov]] near [[w:Lviv|Lvov]], Yavorsky was educated at the [[Kiev Theological Academy|Kiev-Mohyla Academy]] and various other schools of the [[w:Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth|Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]]. Becoming a [[monk]], he settled at the Kiev Academy as a preacher and professor, being appointed prefect of the institution and prior of the [[monastery ]] of St. Nicholas. He attracted the attention of Peter I by his funeral oration over the [[boyar]] [[w:Aleksei Shein|Aleksei Shein]], and was made [[archbishop]] of [[w:Ryazan|Ryazan]] in 1700.

In 1700, on the death of [[Adrian of Moscow|Adrian]], the last patriarch of [[Moscow]], Stephen Yavorsky was appointed custodian of the spiritualities of the patriarchal [[see]]. Notwithstanding frequent collisions with Peter, and his partiality for the unfortunate Tsarevich Alexius, Stephen Yavorsky was too valuable a man to be discarded.

In 1721 he was made first president of the newly erected [[Holy Synod]], but died in the following year. After that Stephen's duties were conferred on [[Feofan Theophan (Prokopovich) of Novgorod|Theophan Prokopovich]].

{{start box}}{{succession| before=Avraamy| title=ReferencesMetropolitan of Ryazan| years=1700&mdash;1722| after=Sylverser (Kholmsky)}}* http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Stephen_Yavorsky{{end box}}

==Source==*[http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Stephen_Yavorsky Stephen Yavorsky] [[Category: Bishops]][[Category: Bishops of Ryazan]][[Category:18th-century bishops]]