The exact date of birth of the High Hierarch of the land of Turkestan - Archbishop Zephaniah (Sokolsky) has been established

February 19, 2024. Alma-Ata. With the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, the department for the canonization of saints of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District and the teaching corporation of the Alma-Ata Theological Seminary are conducting research on the life and works of Archbishop Zephaniah (Sokolsky) - the first hierarch of the Turkestan diocese, a prominent spiritual educator of the 19th century, apostle of Central Asia.

In the course of research work, the vice-rector for scientific work of the Alma-Ata Theological Seminary, candidate of philosophical sciences A.P. Solovyov managed to establish the exact date of birth of the saint - July 25, 1800 (August 8, new style). The discovery is based on materials from the metric book of the Resurrection Church in the village of Eski, stored in the State Archive of the Tver Region (GATO). The father of the future Bishop Zephaniah, priest Vasily Sokolsky and the hierarch’s mother, Irina Andreevna, came from a hereditary priestly family. It is known that his parents served all their lives in the church in honor of the Resurrection of Christ in the village of Eski.

With the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, a new dating of the birth of Archbishop Zephaniah (Sokolsky) will be included in all reference and scientific publications devoted to the biography of the saint. The relevance of the discovery is due to the preparation of materials for the canonization of the first hierarch of the Turkestan diocese.