Patriarh Aleksius II (Alexey Mikhailovich Ridiger, 1929-2008)

Patriarch Alexy II, real name Алексе́й Миха́йлович Ри́дигер. Born in Estonia, altar boy in Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (1946), studied at Leningrad Theological Seminary then Academy from 1947-1953, patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church from 1990 till his death. His square is in front of the Church of the ‘Quick to Hear’ Icon of the Mother of God. Just in case you thought you could quietly move onto the next entry, Estonian has another quirk: while the genitive of Arabic ordinals requires a period, e.g. 2. for teise, of the 2nd (cf. 1. liin, etc.), the genitive of Roman ordinals (and despite the late present being more of a Russian Cardinal), e.g. II for teise, doesn’t, which explains that sub-psychological tremor you didn’t consciously feel (and will barely recall tomorrow morning after your repugnant nightmares tonight). But this is language. As an aside, there are not enough stars in the sky to count the infinite variety of sounds pronouced by our trivial trillion trilling tongues.