Bishop Basil Rodzianko

Overview

Bishop Basil was born Vladimir Mikhailovich Rodzianko on May 22, 1915, into a prominent Russian family — he was a grandson of Mikhail Rodzianko, the last chairman of the Imperial State Duma. After the Revolution his family lived in emigration, and he was raised and educated in the Serbian lands.

He was ordained a priest in the Serbian Orthodox Church and served as a parish pastor. Under the communist Yugoslav regime he was imprisoned for his ministry before being released and emigrating. For many years he worked with the BBC's Russian service, broadcasting religious programmes that reached countless listeners across the Soviet Union.

After the death of his wife he was tonsured a monk, and in 1980 he was consecrated a bishop of the Orthodox Church in America, serving as Bishop of Washington until his retirement in 1984. He continued to preach and broadcast, including to a newly opening post-Soviet Russia, until his repose in Washington, D.C., on September 17, 1999.

Life in Brief

1. 1915

   Born into the Rodzianko family

   Vladimir Rodzianko is born on May 22, 1915, a grandson of the chairman of the Imperial State Duma. source ↗

2. 1920s–40s

   Émigré upbringing and ordination

   Raised in emigration in the Serbian lands, he is ordained a priest in the Serbian Orthodox Church and serves a parish. source ↗

3. after 1945

   Imprisonment and emigration

   Under the communist Yugoslav regime he is imprisoned for his pastoral work; after his release he emigrates westward. source ↗

4. 1950s–70s

   BBC Russian-service broadcasts

   He works with the BBC's Russian service, broadcasting religious programmes that reach listeners throughout the Soviet Union. source ↗

5. 1980

   Tonsured monk and consecrated bishop

   After the death of his wife he becomes a monk and is consecrated a bishop of the Orthodox Church in America. source ↗

6. 1980–1984

   Bishop of Washington

   He serves as the OCA Bishop of Washington until his retirement, after which he continues to preach and broadcast. source ↗

7. 1999

   Repose in the Lord

   Bishop Basil reposes in Washington, D.C., on September 17, 1999. source ↗

Works by Bishop Basil

• Radio sermons, talks, and catechetical broadcasts — His BBC and later Russian-language religious programmes; individual recordings and transcripts should be verified before listing.

About Bishop Basil

• OrthodoxWiki / Wikipedia biographical accounts — Encyclopedic accounts of his life and broadcasting ministry.

Historical Significance

Bishop Basil is remembered above all as a voice of the Gospel to the Soviet Union — whose decades of radio preaching reached countless listeners cut off from the Church — and as a gentle pastor in his American years.

Related Figures

• Orthodox Church in America — Diocese of Washington — The jurisdiction in which he served as bishop from 1980 to 1984.
• Mikhail Rodzianko — His grandfather, the last chairman of the Imperial Russian State Duma.