Archpriest Ioann Lapidus, rector of the parish of St Sergius of Radonezh from 2004 to 2009

Archpriest Ioann Lapidus was born in 1973 in Riga, Latvia.

Graduated from Riga secondary school N 10 in 1990.

In 1991 he entered the Moscow Theological Seminary, from which he graduated in 1995 with a first class degree, and from 1995 to 1999 he studied at the Moscow Theological Academy. In 1999 he was awarded the degree of Candidate of Theology for his dissertation in the Department of Ancient Church History on "St Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, and his struggle against Monothelitism".

In 1999, the Rector of Moscow Theological Schools, Archbishop Evgeny of Vereisky, ordained him to the rank of deacon in the academic Pokrovsky Church.

From 1998 to 2003 he taught New Greek, basic and comparative theology at the Orthodox classical gymnasium in Khovrino (Moscow).

From 1999 to 2000, he served as a deacon in the Church of Christ the Saviour and the Church of the Holy Martyrs Adrian and Natalia.

In 1999 he entered the postgraduate programme at the Moscow Theological Academy under the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, from which he graduated in 2001.

In 2000, His Holiness Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, ordained a priest in the chapel-chapel of the Archistratigus of God Michael at the Borodino Panorama (in Kutuzovskaya Sloboda).

From 2000 to 2004 - cleric of the Church of the Holy Martyr Tatiana at Moscow State University.

From 2001 to 2003 he taught the history of the Ancient Church at the Russian Orthodox University of St John the Theologian.

Since 2002, he has been an employee of the Secretariat for Inter-Christian Relations in the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, specialising in relations with the Roman Catholic Church. As an employee of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, he has participated in numerous conferences, seminars, and working groups on the problems of Orthodox-Catholic relations.

On Tuesday of Holy Week 2004 he was awarded a kamilavka.

In 2004, by the decree of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, he was appointed to serve in the church in the name of St Sergius of Radonezh in Johannesburg (South Africa).

At Easter 2006 he was awarded the right to wear the pectoral cross.

On 5 November 2008, by the decree of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, he was awarded the dignity of archpriest in consideration of his diligent pastoral work and in connection with the 10th anniversary of the foundation of St. Sergius parish and the 5th anniversary of the consecration of the church.

On 10 October 2009 he was appointed rector of the Church of the Resurrection in Zurich, Switzerland.

On 15 March 2012, by decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, he was sent to the order of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in connection with the end of his business trip.

Since 4 September 2012 - full-time cleric at the Church of St. Martyr Tatiana at Moscow State University.

Since 1 September 2013 he has been a lecturer at the Moscow Theological Academy.

Since 1 November 2016, he has been the rector of the church of Saints Equal to the Saints Cyril and Methodius under construction at Lomonosov Moscow State University. Since 1 November 2016, he has been the rector of the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius at Lomonosov Moscow State University.

Married with six children.