Feodor Kolychev, better known as St. Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow, is a figure of real consequence in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church. Born in 1507, he rose to become one of the most prominent churchmen of his age, holding the see of Moscow from 1566 to 1569.
He was born into a priest's family, received his education in a monastery, and took monastic vows under the name Philip. As abbot of the Solovetsky Monastery he showed himself a gifted organizer and a spiritual leader of rare stature, devoting himself energetically to the monastery's affairs and its growth.
In 1566 Philip was elected Metropolitan of Moscow. In that office he worked to strengthen the independence of the Church and resisted the encroachment of secular power upon it. This set him on a collision course with Ivan the Terrible: Philip spoke out openly against the cruelty of the tsar's rule, condemning its arbitrariness and violence, and earned the sovereign's wrath.
In 1569, after Philip had denounced Ivan's conduct, he was deposed and sent into exile. In 1570 he was killed on the tsar's orders — a death that made him a martyr. St. Philip was later canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church, which keeps his memory on January 9 by the new calendar and January 22 by the old.