Metropolitan Anastasius (secular name Alexander Alexeyevich Gribanovsky, ; August 6, 1873 – May 22, 1965) was a hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church and the second First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. Life Alexander Gribanovsky was born on August 6, 1873, in village Bratki in the Borisoglebsky Uyezd of Russia's Tambov Governorate (now Ternovsky District, Voronezh Oblast) to the Priest Aleksey Gribanovsky and Anna (née Karmazina). After completing the Tambov theological primary school and then the Tambov theological seminary, Alexander enrolled in the Moscow Theological Academy, then under the rectorship of Archimandrite Anthony (Khrapovitsky), the future Metropolitan of Kiev and founding First Hierarch of the ROCOR. After completing the Academy in April 1898, Alexander was tonsured a monk by Bishop Alexander of Tambov with the name Anastasius after St. Anastasius Sinaita. On April 23, 1898, he was ordained a hierodeacon, and shortly thereafter a hieromonk. In 1900, Hieromonk Anastasy was appointed inspector of the Bethany Theological Seminary near Holy Trinity Lavra. In 1901 he became inspector of the Moscow Theological Seminary, with elevation to the rank of archimandrite. On June 29, 1906, he was ordained Bishop of Serpukhov, vicar of the Moscow diocese. At his ordination, he pronounced a remarkable homily "The True Way of Christ's Pastoral Work", in which he prophesied the upcoming turmoil and persecutions. In the position of vicar of the Moscow diocese, Bishop Anastasy's responsibilities included daily services in the Moscow Kremlin's Dormition Cathedral, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, and other Muscovite churches and monasteries, as well as visitations to parishes, direction of institutions of theological learning, and direction of a committee to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino and the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty. In May 1914, Bishop Anastasy was appointed to the Kholm and Liublin diocese. A month and a half later, the First World War began, and, in addition to his diocesan duties, Bishop Anastasius served soldiers on the front, for which he was decorated with the Order of St Vladimir, and, later, the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky. In 1915, he was forced to evacuate from the front to the interior, and lived in Moscow at the Chudov Monastery. In the end of 1915, he was appointed to the Eparchy of Chişinău and Khotin, and in 1916 he was elevated to the rank of archbishop. With the opening of the Romanian front, Archbishop