Hegumen Tikhon (secular name Vladimir Yurievich Sokolovsky) was born on April 3, 1969, in Moscow. In 1994, he was baptized. In 1997, with the blessing of Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov), he entered the Spaso-Prilutsky Dimitriev Monastery in Vologda as a laborer. Six months later, he joined the brethren. In 2002, he was transferred to the monastery’s courtyard, the Holy Trinity Monastery, where he was tonsured into the mantle two years later with the name Tikhon, in honor of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk. He later returned to the Saviour and St. Dimitry Prilutsky Monastery.
In 2014, he entered the Vologda Theological School, which was transformed into a seminary at the end of that year. In 2015, he was ordained a deacon, and in 2016, by Metropolitan Ignaty (Deputatov), he was ordained a hieromonk. In 2019, he graduated from the seminary with a bachelor’s degree.
In the spring of 2024, during the Week of the Akathist, after receiving information about repressions against clergy who refused to read the prayer for Holy Rus’, he delivered his first anti-war sermon, inspired by the explanations of nun Vassa Larin and the videos of Alexander Shtefanov. He delivered another anti-war sermon on 27 April 2024, on Lazarus Saturday, and such sermons became regular. On 4 June 2024, he also served a memorial litia for Alexei Navalny. After several such sermons, Metropolitan Savva (Mikheev) of Vologda and Kirillov forbade Sokolovsky first from posting anti-war messages on social networks, and then from preaching.
Hieromonk Tikhon did not comply and created the Telegram channel «Prayers for Peace» (later renamed «Prayers for those who are hurting»). Then he was forbidden to conduct confession and religious services.
On 19 October 2024, he filed a petition to leave the Russian Orthodox Church, as he believed it had become an ideological mouthpiece for the aggressor state, and left the monastery.
On 27 October 2024, based on a petition filed by Hegumen Tikhon, Archbishop Grigory (Mikhnov-Vaytenko) accepted him into the clergy of the Centralized Religious Organization «Association of Orthodox Communities of the Apostolic Tradition» (APOAT) and appointed him a full-time cleric of the Local Religious Organization «Orthodox Community of the Apostolic Tradition in the name of the Holy Trinity» in St. Petersburg. On 17 November 2024, Archbishop Grigory of Varyazh ordained Hegumen Tikhon to the rank of Hegumen in the church of the Holy Trinity community of the city of St. Petersburg.
On 17 December 2024, the church court of the Vologda diocese decided to defrock Hieromonk Tikhon for «oath-breaking, arbitrary departure from the monastery and diocese, and schism.» On 20 January 2025, Metropolitan Savva of Vologda and Kirillov approved this decision. This decision was made with reference to the 4th rule of the IV Ecumenical Council and the 15th, 25th, and 31st Apostolic Rules. On 11 March 2025, Sokolovsky received notification that his defrocking had been approved by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow.
