[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

Fri May 23 05:00:14 CDT 2008

Scripture Readings and Saints for Fri May 23 2008

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Acts 10:44-11:10  (Epistle)
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell
upon all those who heard the word.
45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many
as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been
poured out on the Gentiles also.
46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter
answered,
47 Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have
received the Holy Spirit just as we have?
48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then
they asked him to stay a few days.
1 Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the
Gentiles had also received the word of God.
2 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision
contended with him,
3 saying, "You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!"
4 But Peter explained it to them in order from the beginning, saying:
5 I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision,
an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four
corners; and it came to me.
6 When I observed it intently and considered, I saw four-footed
animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the
air.
7 And I heard a voice saying to me, 'Rise, Peter; kill and eat.'
8 But I said, 'Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any
time entered my mouth.'
9 But the voice answered me again from heaven, 'What God has cleansed
you must not call common.'
10 Now this was done three times, and all were drawn up again into
heaven.
Scripture Reading 1 of 2

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John 8:21-30  (Gospel)
21 Then Jesus said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek
Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come."
22 So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, 'Where I
go you cannot come'?"
23 And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above. You
are of this world; I am not of this world.
24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you
do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.
25 Then they said to Him, "Who are You?" And Jesus said to them, "Just
what I have been saying to you from the beginning.
26 I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who
sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard
from Him.
27 They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.
28 Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you
will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My
Father taught Me, I speak these things.
29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone,
for I always do those things that please Him.
30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.
Scripture Reading 2 of 2

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Venerable Dodo of the St David-Gareji Monastery, Georgia
A companion of St. Davit of Gareji, St. Dodo belonged to the royal
family Andronikashvili. He was tonsured a monk while still an youth,
and was endowed with every virtue.
An admirer of poverty and solitude, he labored as a hermit at
Ninotsminda in Kakheti.
Having heard about the miracles of Davit of Gareji, St. Dodo set off
for the Gareji Wilderness to witness them himself. The venerable
fathers greeted one another warmly and began laboring there together.
After some time, St. Davit became deeply impressed with Dodos devotion
to the Faith, and he proposed that he take with him some of the other
monks and begin to construct cells on the opposite mountain.
The brothers built cells and began to labor there with great ardor.
Before long the number of cells had reached two hundred. St. Dodo
isolated himself in a narrow crevice, where there was barely room for
one man. Day and night, winter and summer, in the heat and the cold,
he prayed with penitent tears for the forgiveness of his sins, the
strengthening of the souls of his brothers, and the bolstering of the
true Faith throughout the country.
Once St. Davit miraculously healed the son of Prince Bubakar of
Rustavi. In return, the grateful prince donated food and other
necessities to the monks of Gareji Monastery. St. Davit took part of
his contributions and sent what remained to St. Dodo. He advised
Bubakar to have St. Dodo baptize him, and St. Dodo joyously baptized
Bubakar, his sons, and all his suite.
St. Dodo labored to an advanced age in the monastery he had founded
and reposed peacefully.
His spiritual sons and companions buried him in the cave where he had
labored, and a church was later built over his grave.
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St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada
Saint Michael the Confessor From his youth he longed for the monastic
life and was sent by Patriarch Tarasius (784-806) to a monastery on
the coast of the Black Sea. St Theophylactus (March 8), the future
Bishop of Nicomedia also entered the monastery together with him.
At the monastery both monks engaged in spiritual struggles and were
soon glorified by gifts from the Lord. Once, during a harvest, when
the people were weakened by thirst, an empty metal vessel was filled
with water by the prayer of the monks.
Patriarch Tarasius consecrated St Michael as bishop of the city of
Synada. Through his holy life and wisdom, St Michael won the love of
believers, and the notice of the emperors Nicephorus I (802-811) and
Michael I Rangabe (811-813). St Michael was present at the Seventh
Ecumenical Council at Nicea in 787.
When the Iconoclast heretic Leo the Armenian (813-820) assumed the
throne, he began to expel Orthodox hierarchs from their Sees,
appointing heretics in their place.
St Michael defended Orthodoxy, bravely opposing the heretics and
denouncing their error. Leo the Armenian brought St Michael to trial,
but not fearing torture he answered resolutely, "I venerate the holy
icons of my Savior Jesus Christ and the All-Pure Virgin, His Mother,
and all the saints, and it is to them I bow down. I shall not obey
your decrees to remove icons from churches."
Leo then banished St Michael to the city of Eudokiada, where the
confessor died about the year 821. The head of St Michael is preserved
in the Great Lavra of St Athanasius on Mount Athos, and part of the
relics are at the Iveron monastery.
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Uncovering of the relics of St Leontius the Bishop and
Wonderworker of Rostov
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
Saint Leontius, Bishop of Rostov, is commemorated today with the other
Rostov saints. He reposed on May 23, 1073, and his holy relics were
uncovered in 1164.
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Synaxis of the Saints of Rostov
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
Archimandrite Abraham the wonderworker (October 29, 1073-1077) Prince
Basil (+ 1238) Metropolitan Demetrius (+ October 28, 1709 and
September 21) Bishop Ignatius (+ May 28, 1288) Monk Irenarchus the
Hermit (+ 1616) Bishop Isaiah, wonderworker (+ May 15, 1090) Blessed
Isidore, Fool-for-Christ (+ 1474) Bishop James (+ November 27, 1391)
Blessed John of the Hair-Shirt (the Merciful), Fool-for-Christ (+
1580) Bishop Leontius (+ May 23, 1073) Peter, Tsarevich of Ordynsk (+
1290) Archbishop Theodore (+ November 28, 1394)
Yaroslav Wonderworkers: Princes Basil (+ 1249), Constantine (+ 1257),
Theodore (+ 1299) and his sons David (+ 1321) and Constantine (XIV)
Pereslavl Wonderworkers: Prince Alexander Nevsky (+ 1263) Prince
Andrew of Smolensk (15th c.) Monk Daniel the Archimandrite (+ 1540)
Monk Nikita the Stylite (+ 1186)
Uglich Wonderworkers: Monk Cassian (+ 1504) Tsarevich Demetrius (+
1591) Monk Ignatius of Lomsk (+ 1591) Monk Paisius (+ 1504) Prince
Roman (+ 1285)
Poshekhonsk Wonderworkers: Hieromartyr Adrian (+ 1550) Monk Gennadius
of Liubimograd and Kostroma (+ 1565) Monk Sebastian (+ 1542) Monk
Sylvester of Obnora (+ 1379)
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St Isaiah the Hierarch and Wonderworker of Rostov
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
St Isaiah is also commemorated on May 15.
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St Leontius the Wonderworker of Murom
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
St Leontius reposed on May 23, 1073.
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St Ignatius the Wonderworker of Murom
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
Saint Ignatius was Bishop of Rostov, and shepherded his flock for
twenty-six years. After his death on May 28, 1288, his body was
brought to the church. Some people saw him leave his coffin, and float
in the air above the church. He blessed the people and the city, then
went back to his coffin.
Many miracles took place at his grave.
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St James the Wonderworker of Murom
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
Saint James, Bishop of Rostov According to a local tradition, he
received monastic tonsure at Kopyrsk monastery on the River Ukhtoma,
80 kilometers from Rostov. For a long time he was igumen of this
monastery, and in the year 1385 he was made Bishop of Rostov when
Pimen was Metropolitan and Demetrius of the Don was Great Prince.
In defending a woman condemned to execution, the saint followed the
example of the Savior, inviting whoever considered himself to be
without sin to cast the first stone at her (John 8:7), and he then
sent the woman forth to repentance. The Prince and the Rostov nobles,
disgruntled over the bishop's judgment, threw St James out of Rostov.
Leaving the city, the saint proceeded to Lake Nero, spread his
bishop's mantiya on the water, and having signed himself with the Sign
of the Cross, he sailed off on it as if on a boat, guided by the grace
of God. Traveling one and a half versts from the city, St James
emerged on shore at the site of his future monastery. The prince and
the people, repenting their actions, besought the saint's forgiveness.
The gentle bishop forgave them, but he did not return again.
On the shore of Lake Nero he made himself a cell and built a small
church in honor of the Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos by
Righteous Anna, marking the beginning of the Conception-St James
monastery. St James died there on November 27, 1392.
There is a story that St James fought against the Iconoclast heresy of
a certain fellow named Markian, who appeared in Rostov toward the end
of the fourteenth century. The more ancient Lives of our saint do not
mention this, and even the great hagiographer St Demetrius of Rostov
was unaware of it. More recent hagiographers were wont to draw
material from the Service to St James of Rostov. But the Service
itself, preserved in copies from the sixteenth-seventeenth centuries,
was compiled by borrowing from the Service to St Bucolus (February 6),
who struggled against the first century heretic Marcian, and from the
Service to St Stephen of Surozh (December 15), who contended against
the emperor Constantine Kopronymos (741-775).
St James is also commemorated on November 27.
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St Theodore the Wonderworker of Murom
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
Saint Theodore, Archbishop of Rostov, in the world John, was the son
of Stephen (brother of St Sergius of Radonezh), who occupied an
important post under Prince Andrew of Radonezh. Left a widower,
Stephen became a monk, and together with his twelve-year-old son, he
went to the monastery to St Sergius, who foreseeing the ascetic life
of the child John, tonsured him with the name Theodore on the Feast of
St Theodore the Hair-Shirt Wearer (April 20).
After Theodore attained an appropriate age, he was given a blessing to
be ordined to the priesthood. With the blessing of St Sergius, St
Theodore built a church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy
Theotokos and founded a monastery on the banks of the River Moskva, at
the place called Simonovo. Soon the monastery began to attract a
throng of people. St Theodore built a cell five versts from the Moscow
Kremlin, and pursued new ascetical labors, and here disciples gathered
around him. St Sergius, visiting this place, blessed the founding of a
monastery, and Metropolitan Alexis blessed the construction of a
church in the name of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos at
Novoe Simonovo, which also had its foundations laid in 1379. The old
Simonov monastery remained the burial place of monks.
Because of his virtuous life and strict asceticism, St Theodore became
known in Moscow. The Metropolitan St Alexis elevated him to the rank
of igumen, and Great Prince Demetrius of the Don chose him as his
father confessor. St Theodore journeyed to Constantinople several
times on church matters for the Russian Metropolitan. On his first
journey in 1384, Patriarch Nilus made him an archimandrite. The
Simonov monastery was put directly under the Patriarch, thus became
stavropegial. In 1387, he was consecrated archbishop and occupied the
See of Rostov.
Being the igumen, and then the archimandrite of the Simonov monastery,
and despite being occupied with churchly matters, St Theodore
stalwartly guided those in the monastic life and counted many great
and famous ascetics among his disciples. Saints Cyril (June 9) and
Therapon (May 27), the future founders of two famous White Lake
monasteries, were tonsured at the Simonov monastery. St Theodore
occupied himself with iconography, and he adorned with icons of his
own painting both the Simonov monastery, and many Moscow churches.
At Rostov, Archbishop Theodore founded the Nativity of the Virgin
monastery.
The blessed death of the saint occurred on November 28, 1394. His
relics are in the Rostov Dormition cathedral.
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St Demetrius the Wonderworker of Murom
No information available.
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St Abraham the Archimandrite
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
St Abraham is also commemorated on October 29.
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Right-believing Prince Peter of Rostov
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
The right-believing Prince Peter is also commemorated on June 30.
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St John the Merciful
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
St John is also commemorated on September 3 and November 12.
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St Irenarchus the Recluse
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
St Irenarchus is also commemorated on January 13.
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Blessed Isidore
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
St Isidore is also commemorated on May 14.
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Right-Believing Prince Basil (Vasilko)
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
Holy Prince Basil of Rostov belonged in lineage to the Suzdal
Monomashichi, famed in Russian history. The saint's great-grandfather
was Yuri Dolgoruky, and his grandfather was Great Prince Vsevolod III
"Big-Nest" (+ 1212), brother to St Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4), who
had been heir to and continuer of St Andrew Bogoliubsky's work. From
Vladimir-on-Klyazma, which became the capital of the old
Rostovo-Suzdal principality, Vsevolod "Big-Nest" single-handedly set
the course of affairs of the whole of Great Rus. The "Lay of Igor's
Campaign" ("Slovo o polku Igoreve") says that he could "splash the
Volga with oars, and bail out the Don with helmets."
St Basil (Basilko) was the oldest child of the "Big Nest". The oldest
grandson of Vsevolod from his oldest son Constantine, St Basil was
born on December 7, 1208 in Rostov, where his father ruled as prince.
He spent his childhood there, and in 1216, when Constantine
Vsevolodovich became Great Prince of Vladimir, Rostov was apportioned
to Basil (he was then eight years old) as his princely appanage to
rule himself.
Military valor, sacred duty of service to country, the sense of
justice and the heeding of one's elders, all these are traditional
features of a Russian princely defender of the land, and all were
present in Basil. The saint's father, Great-prince Constantine, died
on February 2, 1218, when Basil was not yet ten years of age. The
guide of the young Rostov prince then became his uncle, the Great
Prince St Yuri of Vladimir (February 4).
For twenty years Prince Yuri ruled Vladimir, and for all these years
Basil was his closest friend and confidant. The chronicles take note
of the vibrantly handsome figure of Basil, his bright and majestic
glance, his daring in trapping wild game, his beneficence, his mind
and deep studiousness, together with his mildness and good-nature in
relations with the nobles: "Whoever served him, whoever ate his bread
and drank the cup with him, could never be the servant of another
prince."
In the year 1219 Basil participated in a campaign of the
Vladimir-Suzdal forces against the Volga Bulgars, and in 1221 in a
campaign to the mouth of the River Oka. St Yuri was then held hostage
at Nizhni Novgorod.
In 1223 the first Tatars (Mongols) appeared on the southern steppes,
"an unknown people", coming out of Asia. Their first victims were the
Polovetsians allied with Rus. The Russian princes, with the
Polovetsian khans (many of whom had accepted Holy Baptism), decided to
resist the plunderers of the steppes before they reached the Russian
Land. St Basil headed an auxiliary detachment, sent by Great Prince
Yuri to participate in the Russian steppe campaign.
The enemy showed up sooner than they expected. And the centuries-old
division of appenage principalities proved incapable of effective
action in a large scale war. The detachment of Basil was not in time
for the decisive battle, and from Chernigov came the sad news of the
destruction of the Russian forces at the River Kalka on June 16, 1223.
This was a bad omen, and the storm loomed on the east. Basil and his
company returned to Rostov.
In 1227 (or 1228) Basil married, taking Maria, daughter of St Michael
of Chernigov (September 20) as his wife. Basil's uncle, St Yuri, had
previously married St Michael's sister [i.e. Basil's uncle Yuri had
married Maria's aunt]. In 1231 Basil's oldest son Boris was born.
The storm clouds thickened over Russia. On May 3, 1230, "the earth
shook during Liturgy", and famine and pestilence came upon Rus that
year. In 1232 the Tatars made winter camp, having barely reached the
capital of the Volga Bulgars. Life took its course, and Prince Yuri in
1236 married off his sons Vladimir and Mstislav, and Basil rejoiced at
their weddings. All of them, however, had little more than a year to
live, for the Tatars had already taken the Volga-Bulgarian land.
In 1237 the Tatar whirlwind broke upon Rus. In December Ryazan fell
under Batu. Prince Yuri had decided not to send his forces over to
provide assistance, since he was faced with the difficult defense of
Vladimir. The Tatars offered him peace, and he was prepared to
negotiate. But the conditions of the peace, tribute and vassal
servitude under the Khan, were unacceptable. "A glorious fight," said
the prince, "is better than a shameful peace." The first battle with
the Tatars was at Kolomna, and Vsevolod Yurievich commanded the
troops, but they were cut to pieces. The enemy turned then towards
Moscow, which they captured and burned. Yuri's other son, Vladimir,
was captured while leading the defense of Moscow.
St Yuri and his faithful companion St Basil were determined to fight
"for the Orthodox Christian Faith" against the "godlessly vile
Tatars." Having organized his defenses and leaving his sons Vsevolod
and Mstislav at Vladimir, Prince Yuri went beyond the Volga to gather
new troops to replace those annihilated by Batu.
With him were his nephews, St Basil of Rostov and his company, and his
brothers, Vsevolod and Vladimir. The Great Prince awaited the arrival
of his brothers Yaroslav and Svyatoslav and their forces.
On Meatfare Saturday, February 3, 1238, quickly and without hindrance
upon the wintry roads, the Tatar army approached Vladimir. Despite
heroic defense, the fate of the city was sealed. Bishop Metrophanes
for spiritual strength tonsured all the princes and princesses
remaining in the city into the angelic schema. The city fell on
February 7.
The final outpost of the Vladimirites was the Dormition cathedral,
repository of the most holy object in Russia: the wonderworking
Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. The Tatars piled wood and kindling
around the cathedral and made a tremendous fire. Bishop Metrophanes
died in the fire and smoke, together with a thousand defenseless women
and children, and Prince Yuri's entire family: his wife Agathia,
daughter Theodora, daughters-in-law Maria and Christina, and the
infant grandson Demetrius. His sons Vsevolod and Mstislav, together
with the previously captured Vladimir, were subjected to tortures and
then slaughtered "before the eyes of the Khan". (In several of the old
collections of Saints' Lives, all of them are listed as saints).
St Yuri had been with his forces near Yaroslavl. Learning of the
destruction of the capital and the death of those near and dear to
him, "he lamented in a loud voice with tears." He said it would be
better for him to die rather than continue to live in this world,
since he alone survived. St Basil, arriving with the Rostov company,
encouraged him to continue with the military effort.
On March 4, 1238 the decisive battle took place at the River Sita. The
Tatars unexpectedly managed to encircle the Russian army, and a
slaughter ensued. Few Russian warriors remained alive after this
terrible battle, but the enemy paid an expensive price for its
victory. St Yuri was cut down in distinguished combat, and the wounded
Basil was brought to Batu's headquarters.
The Tatars demanded that he "follow their vile customs, be subject to
their will and fight for them." The holy prince angrily refused to
betray his homeland or Holy Orthodoxy. "You cannot take the Christian
Faith from me" said the holy prince, like one of the ancient Christian
confessors. "They tortured him a great deal, and then killed him in
the Shernsk woods." Thus did holy Prince Basil commit his soul to God,
resembling in death the holy Passion-Bearer Boris (July 24), the first
of the Rostov princes, whom he had imitated in life. Like St Boris, St
Basil was not even thirty years of age.
Bishop Cyril of Rostov, going out on the field of carnage, buried the
fallen Orthodox warriors, and he sought the body of holy Prince Yuri
(they did not find his cut-off head in the mass of broken bodies). He
brought his holy relics to Rostov, to the Dormition cathedral. The
body of St Basil was found in the Shernsk woods by a priest's son and
was taken to Rostov. There the prince's wife, his children, Bishop
Cyril and all the inhabitants of Rostov met the body of their beloved
prince with bitter wailing, and they buried him beneath the arches of
the cathedral church.
Describing the burial of Prince Basil, the chronicler said: "The
multitude of Orthodox people wept bitterly, when they saw the departed
father and nourisher of orphans, the great comforter of the sorrowful,
and... the setting of a luminous star.... By his martyr's blood his
transgressions and those of his brethren were washed away."
The people regarded it as a sign of God's mercy that the two princely
comrades-in-arms were buried side by side in the Rostov cathedral
church: "Behold the wonder, in death God has placed their bodies
together." (Later on, the relics of holy Prince Yuri were transferred
to the restored Vladimir Dormition cathedral).
The Church venerates Sts Basil and Yuri as Passion-Bearers, and heroic
defenders of the Russian Land. Their holy example has inspired Russian
soldiers in the fight against hostile invaders. The most detailed
account of the life and deeds of holy Princes Basil and Yuri is
preserved in the Lavrentiev Chronicle, written by the monk Laurence
with the blessing of St Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal, in the year
1377, three years before the Battle of Kulikovo Pole.
The holy martyr Prince Vasilko (Basil) of Rostov is also commemorated
on March 4.
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Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
The holy right-believing Prince Basil is also commemorated on June 8
and July 3.
_________________________________________________________________
St Theodore of Yaroslavl
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
St Theodore is also commemorated on September 19 and March 5.
_________________________________________________________________
St David of Yaroslavl
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
St David is also commemorated on March 5 and September 19.
_________________________________________________________________
St Constantine of Yaroslavl
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
St Constantine is also commemorated on March 5, June 22, and September
19.
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Venerable Nikita the Stylite, Wonderworker of Pereyaslavl
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
St Nikita is also commemorated on May 24.
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St Daniel the Wonderworker of Pereyaslavl
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
St Daniel is also commemorated on April 7, July 28, and December 30.
_________________________________________________________________
Right-believing Prince Andrew
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
St Andrew is also commemorated on November 6.
_________________________________________________________________
Great Prince Alexander Nevsky
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
St Alexander Nevsky is also commemorated on August 30 and November 23.
_________________________________________________________________
Right-believing Tsarvitch Demetrius of Uglich
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
The holy right-believing Tsarevitch Demetrius is also commemorated on
May 15 and June 3.
_________________________________________________________________
St Igantius the Wonderworker of Uglich
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
The holy Prince John of Uglich was a devout and God-fearing Christian
from his youth. He and his brother Demetrius were thrown into prison
by their uncle John, and remained there for thirty-two years.
Before his death, Prince John received monastic tonsure with the name
Ignatius.
St Ignatius the wonderworker is also commemorated on May 19.
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St Cassian the Wonderworker of Uglich
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
St Cassian the Greek is also commemorated on May 21 and October 2.
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St Paisius the Wonderworker of Uglich
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
St Paisius is also commemorated on January 8 and June 6.
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Right-believing Prince Roman
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
The holy right-believing Prince Roman of Uglich is also commemorated
on February 3.
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St Adrian the Wonderworker of Poshekhonye
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
Saint Adrian of Poshekonye was born at Rostov the Great at the end of
the sixteenth century, of pious parents named Gregory and Irene. St
Adrian received monastic tonsure at the monastery of St Cornelius of
Komel (May 19).
Among the brethren gathered around St Cornelius were some capable
builders and iconographers, so the monastery churches were constructed
and adorned by the saints themselves. In the final years of St
Cornelius's life, Kazan Tatars invaded the territory around the
monastery, and he led all the brethren to the River Ukhtoma. But the
Tatars did not touch the monastery, being frightened off by the sight
of the many soldiers defending it, and they soon withdrew from the
Vologda district. St Cornelius returned to the monastery with the
brethren and reposed there on May 19, 1537.
Three years after the death of St Cornelius, St Adrian, then a
hierodeacon, greatly desired to go into a wilderness place and found a
monastery in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Lord helped him
fulfill his intention. A certain unknown Eder of striking appearance
came to the Corniliev monastery. St Adrian asked him his name, and the
Elder referred to himself as "the lowly one."
When St Adrian invited him to his own cell and asked him to say
something beneficial for the soul, the Elder said that he would show
St Adrian the spot where he should build the church and monastery of
the Most Holy Theotokos.
St Adrian immediately went to the Superior, Igumen Laurence, and
sought his blessing to live in the wilderness. Recalling St
Cornelius's order that any monks who wished to withdraw into the
wilderness should be released from the monastery, Igumen Laurence did
not hinder St Adrian but gave him his blessing. He also sent with him
his assistant, Eder Leonid. After they prayed at the grave of St
Cornelius, St Adrian and Elder Leonid went on their way, led by the
mysterious black-robed monk. St Adrian carried with him an icon of the
Dormition of the Mother of God, which he also painted.
On September 13, 1540, the eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the
Cross of the Lord, St Adrian and Elder Leonid arrived in the wild
Poshekonye forest, near the settlements of Belta, Patrabolsha,
Shelshedolsk and Ukhorsk.
They halted at the banks of the River Votkha. There the Elder leading
them suddenly became invisible. The astonished travellers began to
chant the Canon and service of the Feast, with tears of thanks to God.
Indeed this was a portent of the future fame of the monastery, a place
where God would be glorified.
For three years St Adrian and the Elder Leonid survived in the
wilderness solitude, suffering want, overcoming temptations from the
devil and the whisperings of wicked folk, and then they began to
fulfill their intention. Choosing a suitable moment, the ascetics went
to Moscow to ask the blessing of Metropolitan Macarius to establish a
monastery and church in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God on
the Peshekhonye side of the River Votkha.
St Macarius gave his blessing to the ascetics to build the monastery,
and he gave them a written document to that effect. He ordained Adrian
to the priesthood and elevated him to the rank of igumen. In the
document he had given to St Adrian, the hierarch bade "priests,
deacons, monks and laymen to listen to him and obey him in everything,
as befits a pastor and teacher."
At Moscow the Poshekonye ascetics found generous benefactors who gave
the monks abundant offerings to build their church. Returning to their
wilderness spot on May 31, 1543, St Adrian laid the foundations for
the church with a trapeza, in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy
Theotokos.
Having embellished and consecrated the new church, St Adrian began the
construction of the monastery. The strict monastic Rule of St
Cornelius was introduced at the monastery. Having nothing of their
own, a little being sufficient for everyone, the saints devoted a
large portion of their time to prayer, both in church and in their
cells, and no small time was allotted to the reading of Holy
Scripture. This reading was done "not in an elegant voice, nor for
effect, but in a humble and mild voice. One reads, and another speaks
of what is read." They also read in private.
In addition to his duties as igumen, St Adrian also occupied himself
with painting icons. When his holy soul longed for complete silence,
he withdrew into the depths of the forest into the cell and chapel he
had built one verst away from the monastery.
Six years after the founding of the monastery, Elder Leonid reposed.
St Adrian and the brethren buried him with reverence. The number of
the brethren had increased during this time. They built three cells as
dwellings, and a fourth for preparing food and baking bread.
St Adrian began to make plans for the construction of a large stone
church, and he gathered a sum of money for this purpose. One year
after the repose of Elder Leonid, during Great Lent of 1550, on the
eve of the commemoration of the 42 Ammoreian Martyrs (March 6), armed
robbers burst into the monastery and murdered St Adrian after beating
him.
The holy relics of St Martyr Adrian were uncovered on December 17,
1626, solemnly transferred into the monastery church and placed in an
open crypt by the right kliros (choir). Many miracles occurred at the
grave of St Adrian.
St Adrian is also commemorated on March 5 and November 19.
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St Sebastian the Wonderworker of Poshekhonsk
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
St Sebastian is also commemorated on February 26 and December 18.
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St Sylvester of Obnora
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
St Sylvester is also commemorated on April 25.
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St Gennadius
The celebration of the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslav Saints on
May 23 was established by resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis
I (+ 1970) and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, on March
10, 1964.
St Gennadius is also commemorated on January 23 and August 19.
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Venerable Euphrosyne the Abbess of Polotsk
Saint Euphrosyne, Abbess of Polotsk, was named Predslava in the world,
and was the daughter of Prince George Vseslavich. From her childhood
she was noted for her love of prayer and book learning. After turning
down a proposal of marriage, Predslava received monastic tonsure with
the name Euphrosyne. With the blessing of Bishop Elias of Polotsk, she
began to live near the Sophia cathedral, where she occupied herself by
the copying of books.
Around the year 1128 Bishop Elias entrusted the nun with the task of
organizing a women's monastery. Setting out for Seltso, the site of
the future monastery, the ascetic took only her holy books. At the
newly constructed Savior-Transfiguration monastery the saint taught
the girls to copy books, singing, sewing and other handicrafts.
Through her efforts, a cathedral was built in 1161, which survives to
the present day. St Euphrosyne also founded a men's monastery
dedicated to the Mother of God. Patriarch Luke of Constantinople sent
a copy of the wonderworking Ephesus Icon of the Mother of God at her
request. Shortly before her death, St Euphrosyne journeyed on
pilgrimage to the Holy Places with her nephew David and sister
Eupraxia.
After venerating the holy things at Constantinople, she arrived in
Jerusalem, where at the Russian monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos
the Lord granted her a peaceful end on May 24, 1173.
In 1187 the body of the saint was transferred to the Kiev Caves
monastery, and the relics were transferred to Polotsk in 1910 to the
monastery she founded.
St Euphrosyne of Polotsk was glorified in the Russian Church as a
patroness of women's monasticism.
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Venerable Paisius the Abbot of Galich
No information is available at this time.
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Martyr Michael "the Black-Robed" of St Sava' Monastery
Hieromartyr Michael the Black-Robed lived in the ninth century, and
came from the city of Edessa (Mesopotamia) of Christian parents. He
was a zealous disciple of St Theodore of Edessa (July 9). He
distributed to the poor the inheritance left him by his parents, then
went to Jerusalem to venerate the Holy Places.
Jerusalem at the time was under the control of the Mohammedans. St
Michael remained in Palestine and settled in the monastery of St Sava.
Once, he was sent from the monastery to Jerusalem to sell goods for
the monks. At the marketplace, the eunuch of the Mohammedan empress
Seida, seeing that the monastery goods were both fine and well-made,
took him along to the empress.
The young monk caught the fancy of the empress, who tried to lead him
into sin, but her intent proved to be in vain. Then by order of the
enraged Seida they beat the monk with rods, and then accused him of
being an enemy of Islam.
Having interrogated the monk, the emperor began to urge him to accept
the Moslem faith, but St Michael answered, "I implore you, either send
me back to the monastery to my instructor, or be baptized in our
Christian Faith, or cut off my head, and then I shall go to Christ my
God." The emperor gave the saint a cup with deadly poison, which St
Michael drank and remained unharmed. After this the emperor gave
orders to cut off his head.
The death of the martyr occurred in Jerusalem, but the monks of the
monastery of St Sava took the body of the saint to their Lavra and
buried it there with reverence. At the beginning of the twelfth
century the relics of the holy martyr were seen there by Daniel, the
igumen of the Kiev Caves monastery, while on pilgrimage to the Holy
Places.
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St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer
Saint Damiane (in the world King Demetre I) was the son of Holy King
Davit the Restorer.
King Davit proclaimed his son co-ruler of Georgia and crowned him with
his own hands. He declared that his son Demetre, through his wisdom,
chastity, bravery, and handsome appearance, would rule Georgia better
than he himself had. Demetre acquired great glory while his father was
still alive. In 1117 Davit sent him to Shirvan to fight, and the young
commander astonished the people with his deftness in battle. Demetre
seized Kaladzori Castle and returned home with many captives and much
wealth.
King Demetre I struggled tirelessly to protect the inheritance he had
received from his father: he guarded Georgias borders and fought to
enlarge its frontiers. Many regions, including Hereti, Somkhiti,
Tashiri, Javakheti, Artaani and the Tao border, were repopulated
during King Demetres rule. These regions had been largely deserted
after King Davit joined Tbilisi to the region of Heret-Kakheti.
King Demetre was never shaken by the evil intrigues plotted against
him. First his noblemen revolted, demanding that his stepbrother,
Vakhtang (Tsuata), replace him as king. (Ioane of Abuleti was the
leader of this conspiracy.) Then Demetres own son Davit rebelled
against him. Deeply disturbed by the behavior of his first-born son,
the pious king could no longer bear the vanity of the worldhe was
tonsured a monk in the Davit-Gareji Wilderness and given the new name
Damiane. He abdicated to his son, but Davit ruled just six months
before he reposed.
While laboring at Davit-Gareji Monastery, Damiane composed many great
hymns for the Church. His hymn to the Theotokos, Thou Art the
Vineyard, is outstanding among these works. In order to protect the
interests of the Georgian kingdom after his sons death, Damiane was
obliged to leave the monastery. He returned to the throne and
intervened in the affairs of the government. At the same time he named
another of his sons, George, co-ruler.
King Damiane-Demetre completed construction of Gelati Monastery, which
had been started by his father, Holy King Davit the Restorer.
St. Damiane reposed in 1157; he was buried at Gelati Monastery. A
12th-century image of St. Damiane-Demetre was among the frescoes at
the Davit-Gareji Monastery. In the 19th century the Russian traveler
Andrew Muraviev reported seeing the fresco intact, but today only a
narrow upper band of the image remains. A fresco of the pious king and
monk Demetre has been preserved in the church at Matskhvarishi (now
Latali) in the Svaneti region.
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Icon of the Mother of God "You are a Vineyard"
No information available at this time.
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