Silvester (Kulyabka) (1701-1761), Archbishop of St. Petersburg in 1750-1761

Categories / Religion. Church/Personalia
SILVESTER (born Semen Petrovich Kulyabka, 1701, according to other evidence, 1704-61, St. Petersburg), religious figure. After graduating from Kiev Theological Academy (1726), he spent several years teaching there and in 1738 became its director. In 1740, he assumed the post of the President of the Academy. He took monastic vows under the name of Silvester in 1727. Since 1740, he was the Archimandrite of Kiev Bratsky Monastery. In 1744, he was sent to St. Petersburg to congratulate Grand Prince Peter Fedorovich and Grand Princess Ekaterina Alexeevna on their wedding. Empress Elizaveta Petrovna liked the sermons of Silvester, and made him stay in St. Petersburg. In 1745-50, he served as the Bishop of Kostroma. In 1750, he was appointed Archbishop of St. Petersburg and Prior of Alexander Nevsky Monastery. He attributed special significance to educating the clergy of the eparchy. He initiated the building of St. Nicholas’ Naval Cathedral and the Holy Assumption Church (also known as the Church of Our Saviour on Sennaya Square) in St. Petersburg in 1753. He is the author of a number of works in theology. He was buried in the Church of Annunciation of Alexander Nevsky Lavra .

Reference: Историко-статистические сведения о С.-Петербургской епархии. СПб., 1878. Вып. 6. С. 1-72 2-й паг.

A. I. Razdorsky. Ekaterina Alexeevna, Grand Princess (see Catherine II)
Elizaveta Petrovna, Empress
Peter Fedorovich, Grand Prince (see Peter III)
Silvester (Semen Petrovich Kulyabka), Archbishop
Историко-статистические сведения о С.-Петербургской епархии. СПб., 1878 Alexander Nevsky Lavra
St. Nicholas' Naval Cathedral
Holy Assumption Church on Sennaya Square