Metropolitan Lazar (Shvets) departs to the Lord

Metropolitan Lazar (Shvets). Photo: t.me/alwian

On the morning of January 17, 2026, in the 87th year of his life, Metropolitan Lazar (Shvets), Metropolitan of Simferopol and Crimea, reposed in the Lord. This was reported by Priest Alvian Tkhelidze on his Telegram channel.

Metropolitan Lazar headed the Simferopol and Crimean see for more than thirty years.

The future hierarch began his church path at the age of fifteen, entering as a novice at the Holy Spirit Skete of Pochaiv Lavra. He carried out obediences at the Zhyrovychi Monastery, graduated from the Minsk and Odessa Theological Seminaries, and then from the Leningrad Theological Academy, earning the degree of Candidate of Theology. He later undertook postgraduate studies at the Moscow Theological Academy and worked in the Department for External Church Relations.

In 1971 he was ordained deacon and priest and served in Kyiv. In 1980 he embraced monasticism at Pochayiv Lavra and was soon consecrated Bishop of Argentina and South America, becoming Patriarchal Exarch for Central and South America. During his years abroad, he was actively engaged in missionary work, church construction, and the unification of the Orthodox diaspora.

In 1989 he was appointed Archbishop of Ternopil and Kremenets, and in 1991 – Archbishop of Odesa and Kherson. From 1992 he headed the Simferopol and Crimean see, where in 2000 he was elevated to the rank of metropolitan.

It is precisely with the name of Metropolitan Lazar that the large-scale revival of church life in Crimea is associated – the number of parishes increased manyfold, dozens of churches and ecclesiastical buildings were returned, monasteries were restored, and the theological seminary resumed its work. With his participation, the Crimean New Martyrs were glorified, as well as Saint Guriy (Karpov), and special veneration was given to Saint Luke (Voyno-Yasenetsky).

Metropolitan Lazar stood at the origins of the Interconfessional Council of Crimea “Peace – the Gift of God,” which played an important role in maintaining interreligious harmony on the peninsula.

On May 8, 2012, he was included among the permanent members of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. On March 20, 2023, he was removed from the list of permanent members of the Synod of the UOC.

As reported by the UOJ, on October 11, 2023, the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church appointed a “new administrator of the Crimean Metropolis” and retired Metropolitan Lazar of Simferopol and Crimea, “expressing gratitude for his archpastoral labors borne over the course of 43 years.”

Read also