Nicholas (Adoratsky) of Orenburg and Ural

His Grace, the Right Reverend Bishop Nicholas (Adoratsky) of Orenburg and Ural was a missionary and writer of theological works during the second half of the nineteenth century. He was noted for his dissertation about the first 200 years of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in China. He was appointed Bishop of Alaska and the Aleutian but was unable to fulfill the appointment due to illness.
==Life==
Peter Stepanovich Adoratsky was born on September 15, 1849 in the city of Kazan the son of the archpriest Stefan Ivanovich Adoratsky. He attended school in Kazan, graduating from the Kazan Theological Academy with a degree of candidate in divinity on June 2, 1874. Also, while attending the academy, the young Peter displayed an aptitude for languages. 
After his graduation Peter received, on December 2, 1874, an appointment as cantor at the Russian embassy church in Vienna, Austria. In Vienna, he also spent time studying in the city's libraries. On June 2, 1876 his wife died. Returning to Russia in 1880 he accepted a posting to the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Beijing, China, arriving there on November 23, 1881. Peter accepted tonsure as a monk with the name Nicholas, on January 10, 1882, followed on January 24 by ordination as a hierodeacon, and, then, on January 28 as a hieromonk.
Upon his return to Russia from Beijing, Fr. Nicholas was appointed head of the Herson Theological School. A year later, on October 16, 1887, he moved to a position as dean of the Stavropol Theological Seminary, where he was raised to the rank of archimandrite. On February 22, 1888, Archimandrite Nicholas was awarded the magisterial degree in Theology after he had presented his thesis on the history of the Russian Orthodox Mission in China at the Kazan Academy on January 7, 1888.
On March 11, 1890, Archimandrite Nicholas was consecrated Bishop of Novomirgorod, a vicar of the Herson Diocese, with the rite of consecration taking place in St. Petersburg, Russia. On June 8, 1891, Bp. Nicholas was appointed Bishop of Alaska and the Aleutians. However, he was not able to fulfill the appointment due to poor health and was appointed instead Bishop of Baltsk, a vicar of Podolie Diocese.
Bp. Nicholas was appointed Bishop of Orenburg and Ural on October 22, 1895 and reposed in 1896. 
 
==Sources==
* Nicholas Adoratsky
* Nicholas Adoratsky
Category:Bishops
Category:Missionaries
Category:Kazan Theological Academy Graduate