Abbot and bishop Job spent fifteen years in the cloister and finally became its
abbot in 1566 with the help of
Ivan the Terrible, who had made Staritsa his residence during the time of the
Oprichnina. According to Debra A. Coulter, "Job was known as a humble man of impeccable morals, learned for his times, who worked for the good of the church and the promotion of Orthodox Christianity." In 1571, Job was transferred to
Moscow and appointed abbot of the
Simonov Monastery. In 1575, he became the abbot of the
Novospassky Monastery. In 1581, Job was
consecrated as the
bishop of
Kolomna. Though a person of mediocre mental abilities, he nevertheless managed to draw the attention of
Boris Godunov by his talent for reading the longest of prayers by heart in a very expressive manner. During the reign of
Feodor I (whose government was controlled by Boris Godunov), Job was appointed
archbishop of
Rostov and the
metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia in 1587.
Patriarch of Moscow as
Ivan IV's son'', 19th-century painting by Peter Geller Arguing that
ecclesiastic authority in
Russia should be strengthened, Godunov managed to persuade
Jeremias II, the
patriarch of Constantinople, to establish a
patriarchate in Moscow. On , Job was consecrated as the first Russian patriarch with the blessing of Jeremias II. In the decree establishing the
patriarchate, the whole Russian tsardom is called a "third Rome". As Feodor was poorly suited to ruling, the diplomacy was left to Godunov. The residence of the patriarch was established in the
Moscow Kremlin, in a building adjacent to the
Church of the Twelve Apostles with Byzantine features. In 1590, a council held in Constantinople confirmed the new status of Moscow, and three years later, the four other Orthodox patriarchs ratified this at another council with the support of 42 bishops. Job did not approve, however, of Godunov's proposal to open a
university in Moscow staffed with foreign professors because he believed their influence and non-
Orthodox faith would spread
heterodoxy and endanger the purity of the Russian Church. Under Job's supervision, the Russian churchmen corrected books for the
divine services and prepared them for publication. He assisted in the
glorification (canonization) of some of the Russian
saints, ordering the celebration of the memory of
Basil Fool for Christ in 1588, as well as that of
Joseph Volotsky and others. Patriarch Job also favored the construction of new
cathedrals and monasteries and
Christian missionary activities in the recently conquered
Astrakhan Khanate and
Siberia. He also corresponded with
Catholicos Nicholas V of Georgia and exchanged gifts with him. After the mysterious death of Tsarevich
Dmitry Ivanovich in 1591, Job accepted the non-criminal version of his demise, supporting Boris Godunov every step of the way. In 1591, he headed the official enquiry into the death of Tsarevich Dmitry in Uglich. After consulting with the church council and the duma of boyars, the patriarch announced his verdict – the tsarevich had accidentally stabbed himself and not been murdered. In that year he also founded the
Donskoy Monastery in Moscow. ==Civil career==