The list of articles tells us that Patriarch Joachim of Antioch, having passed through Galicia and established a church brotherhood there, appeared on the western border of Russia, in Smolensk, and appealed to Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich with a request for permission to visit Moscow. He was the first patriarch to visit Russia, although after the fall of Constantinople there were many Eastern metropolitans, archbishops and other clergymen who came here for alms. It is not surprising that the Moscow government appointed three honorable meetings for Joachim: in Mozhaisk, in the village of Mamonovo near Moscow, and at Dragomilov at the entrance to the capital.

The Patriarch and his retinue were accommodated (as we shall see, not by chance) in the vast house of the boyar F. V. Sheremetev at the Nikolsky Crossroads and abundantly supplied with everything necessary. What is especially noticeable is that the patriarch very quickly received an audience with the sovereign. On June 17, Joachim entered Moscow, and on June 25, the all-powerful ambassadorial clerk Andrei Yakovlevich Shchelkalov was already waiting on the porch of the royal chambers for the metropolitan sleigh that had brought the patriarch to the Kremlin.

Solemnly greeted by the courtiers, Joachim was escorted to the Golden Chamber and appeared before the throne of the Moscow sovereign, surrounded by a brilliant retinue of boyars and okolnichi. Fyodor Ioannovich, in full royal vestments, descended from the throne to meet his guest for a whole fathom [3], received his blessing and asked about his health, then took his credentials on behalf of the Patriarch of Constantinople Theoliptus (which Joachim had prudently stocked upon) and gifts – particles of holy relics. Finally, Fyodor Ioannovich invited his guest to dinner, but first he sent him to the Dormition Cathedral, where Dionysius, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, was going to serve the Liturgy.

The Patriarch entered the cathedral through the southern doors, met by the metropolitan boyar, butler and sacrist. The metropolitan himself stood motionless in the middle of the cathedral in his specially arranged place, surrounded by a magnificent retinue of Russian clergy in robes embroidered with pearls.

The contrast between the luxurious clothes of the Russians and the vestments of the impoverished Greeks was striking. When Joachim venerated the icons and went to the metropolitan's seat, Dionysius came out to meet him by one fathom – no more than the Emperor – and was the first (!) to bless the Patriarch. Joachim "spoke lightly that it was good for the metropolitan to receive a blessing from him in advance, and ceased to talk about it," broken by the obvious inequality of wealth and power between the Moscow primate and the Eastern alms-seeker. Without a murmur, the Patriarch of Antioch took the place of honor allotted to him in the cathedral on the right side, at the rear pillar, and stood there for the entire Liturgy, which was served by Metropolitan Dionysius.

The demonstration of the Russian clergy is interpreted by all historians in the sense that Dionysius and his entourage (either of their own free will, as S. M. Solovyov believes, or "by the permission of the Emperor and his advisers," as Macarius thinks) decided to emphasize the discrepancy between the real and nominal meanings of the Moscow Metropolitan and the Eastern Patriarchs. In turn, Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich immediately had the idea of establishing the Moscow Patriarchate: "thinking" about this with his wife Tsarina Irina, after consulting with the boyars, the Tsar gave a corresponding instruction to Patriarch Joachim.

Researchers have ignored the fact that different sources tell about the demonstration of Metropolitan Dionysius and the proposal of Tsar Fyodor. The list of articles that recorded the incident in the Assumption Cathedral does not mention a word about the desire of the secular authorities to have a patriarch in Moscow. The document only notes that on July 1, Joachim asked the Tsar for permission to visit the Chudov Monastery in the Kremlin (the residence of the Metropolitan) and the Trinity-Sergius Monastery; On July 4 and 8, the Patriarch was received with honor in each of them and received gifts from the monastery authorities.

On July 17, Joachim was honored with a farewell audience with Fyodor Ioannovich, accepted rich gifts and on August 11 left Moscow for Chernigov, and from there abroad. Together with him, generous alms were sent to other patriarchs. The clerk Mikhail Ogarkov, who accompanied this cargo, had with him letters to the Patriarch of Constantinople Theoliptus and Sylvester of Alexandria, the texts of which are given in the article list; they also say nothing about the idea of establishing a Moscow Patriarchate.

In time we will solve this riddle, but for now we will turn to the historical and journalistic legend, which does not mention Metropolitan Dionysius, but colorfully describes the "thought" of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich. This is a very serious official work, the author of which used the documents of the Ambassadorial Order (in particular, the lists of articles) and, most importantly, the support of the authorities (if not Godunov's direct instructions). It is quite possible and even probable that the legend goes back to the office of the first Russian Patriarch Job, for the author provides information and characteristics that are inaccessible and inadmissible for a mere mortal.

According to the legend, Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich told the Boyar Duma the idea that had occurred to him and had already been discussed with Tsarina Irina to arrange a patriarchal throne in Moscow. False delicacy did not allow historians to doubt that a well-developed plan belonged to an imbecile monarch, and to question its true author. However, the mention of the council with Irina Fyodorovna, who was always (and at that time especially) inclined to follow the instructions of her brother Boris Godunov, answers this question quite clearly.

It is quite possible that Fyodor Ioannovich was only required to agree with the main idea, and the report on his behalf in the Boyar Duma was made by a confidant: this happened so often that it became a tradition. This is all the more probable since the "tsar's speech" was remarkably eloquent, which distinguished Godunov to the highest degree and was not at all characteristic of his son-in-law. Of course, the rhetorical beauty could have been introduced by the author of the legend, but the logic of the speech, as we shall see, corresponds to the actual circumstances. Fortunately, we can not only assume that the author of the idea was Boris Godunov, but also prove it.

What did the church hierarchs, boyars, okolnichy, Duma nobles and clerks hear at the meeting of the Duma at the end of June - beginning of July 1586? That originally the Metropolitans of Kiev, Vladimir, Moscow and All Russia were appointed "by the Patriarchs of Constantinople and Ecumenical. Later... Metropolitans began to be appointed in the Muscovite state, by the verdict and election of our forefathers and the entire Holy Council, from the archbishops and bishops of the Russian Kingdom, even to our kingdom.

That is, changes over the centuries have taken place in favor of the independence of the Russian Orthodox Church. Meanwhile, the Eastern Patriarchates were falling into desolation. To this day, "by the will of God, as our punishment, the Eastern patriarchs and other hierarchs bear only the name of hierarchs, while they are deprived of almost all authority; but our country, by the grace of God, is coming to a great expansion."

"Now," continued the orator, "by His great and ineffable mercy, God has granted us to see the coming to Himself of the great Patriarch of Antioch: and for this we send glory to the Lord. And we would also ask Him for mercy, so that he would establish a Russian Patriarch of Moscow in our state, and would consult about this with His Holiness Patriarch Joachim, and order with him to bless the Patriarchate of Moscow to all the patriarchs.