Anthony of Sourozh (, secular name Andrei Borisovich Bloom, and commonly known as Anthony Bloom; 19 June 1914 – 4 August 2003) was best known as a writer and broadcaster on prayer and the Christian life. He was a monk and bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church. He was founder and for many years bishop - then archbishop, then metropolitan - of the Diocese of Sourozh, the Patriarchate of Moscow's diocese for Great Britain and Ireland (the name 'Sourozh' is that of the historical episcopal see in Sudak in Crimea). As a bishop he became well known as a pastor, preacher, spiritual director and writer on prayer and the Christian life.
Early life
Andrei Bloom was born on 19 June 1914, in Lausanne, Switzerland, to Russian parents Xenia and Boris Edvardovich Bloom. His mother was the half sister of the composer Alexander Scriabin.
He spent his early childhood in Russia and Iran. During the Russian Revolution the family had to leave Iran, and by 1923 they were settled in Paris, where he was educated.
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Career
In 1939, before leaving for the front as a surgeon in the French Army, he secretly professed monastic vows in the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1943 he was tonsured and received the name of Antony. During the occupation of France by Nazi Germany he worked as a doctor, and took part in the French Resistance.
After the war he continued practising as a physician until 1948, when he was ordained to the presbyterate and sent to Britain to serve as Orthodox Christian chaplain of the Fellowship of Saint Alban and Saint Sergius, a society established to foster understanding and friendship between the Russian Orthodox and Anglican churches. In 1950 he was appointed vicar of the Russian Patriarchal parish in London.
In 1957 he was consecrated as bishop, and as archbishop in 1962 in charge of the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Sourozh (for Great Britain and Ireland).
In 1963 he was appointed exarch of the Moscow Patriarchate in Western Europe, and in 1966 was assigned the rank of metropolitan bishop.
In 1974 he protested the expulsion of writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn from Russia and renounced his exarch post during a radio broadcast. He died on 4 August 2003 and was buried in the Brompton Cemetery, London.
Writings
His books were published in English in Britain. His texts were subsequently widely published in Russia as books and in periodicals.
- Note: dates are for British editions.
;Publications
- 1966 – Living Prayer
- 1970 – School for Prayer
- 1970 – Beginning to Pray (re-publishing of School for Prayer)
- 1971 – God and man As of July 2011, the foundation undertakes this by managing the copyrights in his works and by commissioning new selections and approved translations.
The foundation is also establishing the official archive of Bloom's papers and writings, together with related materials such as recordings of talks, broadcasts and sermons.
The foundation is the legal owner of the worldwide copyrights and other intellectual property rights in Bloom's works. Its charity registered number is 1120395.