ИСТИНА

Archbishop Nikon (1851-1918) is famed for his clerical work, writings, publishing, as an Archbishop – a Synod and State Council member. Author of the definitive biography of St Sergey of Radonezh, and famed for his dispute at Athos. Nikon took an anti-liberal stand in 1910, and called the Revolution of 1917 'the work of Satan' – bringing him under intense criticism. Nikon undertook various pre-1917 work at the Lavra. After the Revolution his Lavra work continued, and died there in December 1918, being buried in the cemetery. Rival versions of his death circulated – either natural, or that Revolutionaries beat, killed, or beheaded him. Proof remained impossible until recently. Following the Revolution the cemetery was rased and tombstones removed - information about his grave was lost, other than being east of Divinity Church. Improvement works in 2009 enabled archaeological investigation. Archives confirm that Nikon's tomb lies to the west of the Mukhanov family vault, below the fifth window of the (surviving) Predtechinsky monastic cells. The search area for his grave was determined for archaeologists. Stone foundations of the Mukhanov vault were found, with their sarcophagi. Soil slices showed a grave outline – presumably Nikon's. The grave revealed remains of a 60-70-year-old male, which were forensically and anthropologically studied. This age matches that of the archbishop at his date of death. Comparative photo-analysis of surviving pictures of Nikon, along with skull analysis, indicates that the remains unearthed are most likely those of Archbishop Nikon. No sign of beatings or bone-breakages was found – confirming the version of natural death. Grave-based evidence suggests that Nikon's burial took place in secrecy, hurriedly, and in mid-winter.