Sergei Radonezhski is a very much known
religious figure, one of the most famous
Russian Saints.
In the middle of the 14th century, the famous Troitze-Sergievski
(Trinity-St. Sergius) monastery was established. Its founder,
venerable father
Sergius
(Bartholomew in the world), was a
son of Rostov boyars Kyril and Maria who moved closer to Moscow
and settled in the village of
Radonezh. At the age of seven,
Bartholomew was sent to school to learn reading and writing.
All of his soul aspired for knowledge, but he had difficulties
learning. Grieving over it, he prayed to God day and night
to enable him to open the doors of book literacy. Once, while
looking for horses gone astray in the fields, he came across
an old monk whom he had never seen before. The monk was praying
under an oak tree. The boy came up to him and told him about
his woe. Having listened to the boy with sympathy the old
man began praying for his enlightenment. Then he produced
a small piece of communion bread, and, blessing the boy with
it, he said, "Take it and eat it, this is given to you as
a sign of God's grace and for understanding of the Scriptures."
And the boy was truly endowed
with God's grace of memory and understanding, and he began
to easily learn literacy.
After that miracle young
Bartholomew's desire to serve only God became still stronger.
He wanted to seclude himself, like the ancient ascetics, but
his love for his parents kept him in the family. Bartholomew
was always modest, quiet and reticent, humble and kind with
everybody. He never got irritable, and obeyed his parents
in everything. His usual food would consist of bread and water,
and he completely abstained from food on fasting days. After
his parents died, Bartholomew gave up his inheritance to his
younger brother Peter, and together with his elder brother
Stephan, settled to live in a wild forest near the Konchora
river 10 miles away from Radonezh. The Brothers cut wood themselves
and built a hut and a little church. The church was blessed
in the name of the Holy Trinity by a priest sent by Metropolitan
Pheognost.
Thus a famous cloister of Saint Sergius was founded.
Soon, Stephan left his brother
to become Father Superior of Bogoyavlenski monastery in Moscow
and a confessor of the great prince. Bartholomew, who was
baptized Sergius when taking the monastic vows, stayed in
the forest alone for about two years. It is hard even to imagine
how many temptations the young monk had to go through during
that time. Whole packs of wolves would pass by his hut, and
bears would come too, but none would cause any harm to him.
Once the holy anchorite gave some bread to a bear who came
to his cell and from that time on the animal began to frequent
Venerable Sergius, who shared his last piece of bread with
him.
Despite all Saint Sergius'
attempts not to attract attention to his life, he became famous,
and other monks come to seek salvation under his guidance.
They asked Sergius to be ordained their priest and Father
Superior. Sergius did not agree for a long time, but then,
taking their insistence as a sign from above, he said, "I
would much rather obey than command, but fearing God's judgment
I give myself into the Lord's hands." It took place in the
year of 1354, when Prelate Alexei became Metropolitan of Moscow.
The life and work of Venerable
Sergius have a special place in the history of Russian monasticism,
as it was his cloister that served as an example of secluded
ascetic life out of town limits and organized as a community.
Starting from scratch, the monastery of the Holy Trinity was
at first in great need of everything: chasubles were hand
painted, sacred chalices were made of wood, they had to burn
splinters instead of candles for light in church; but the
devotees were zealous. Saint Sergius was a model of asceticism,
deepest humbleness and staunch faith in God's help. He was
a true leader in work and services and the monks followed
his example.
Once the monastery was completely
out of bread. Father Superior himself built an entrance-room
in the cell of one of the monks in order to earn some loafs
of bread. But at the times of sheer destitute, through the
prayers of the monks, lavish support was unexpectedly granted
to the cloister. In some years after the monastery was founded,
peasants started coming to settle nearby. As the monastery
was situated not far from a big road to Moscow and further
to the North, it started doing better and better. Following
the example of the Kiev-Pechora monastery, it began giving
alms generously, and provide shelter and support to sick and
traveling people.
Saint Sergius became renowned
as far abroad as Constantinople, and Patriarch Philophius
sent him his blessing and a written endorsement that decreed
the new rules of community cloister life established by the
founder of the Holy Trinity monastery. Metropolitan Alexei
loved Venerable Sergius as a friend, he entrusted him important
tasks like peacemaking between rancorous princes, and was
planning to make him his successor. But Sergius declined this
honorable offer.
One day, Metropolitan Alexei
decided to award Sergius a gold cross for his work and devotion,
but Sergius said, "Since my youth I have never decorating
myself with gold, the more so in my old age, I wish to remain
poor," and he resolutely refused the award.
Great prince Dimitry Ivanovich,
called
DONSKOI
(of the Don river), who revered Venerable Sergius
as his father, asked for his blessing to struggle against
Mamai, a Tatar khan. "Go fearlessly, prince, and believe in
God's help," - said the Holy old man and delegated his two
monks to accompany and help him. They were Peresvet and Oslabia,
who died as heroes in the battle of the Kulikov field.
Even in his lifetime Venerable
Sergius was working wonders and had the blessing of great
revelations. One day he had a vision of Mother of God appearing
to him majestically together with the Apostles Peter and John,
promising to keep his monastery in her benefaction. Another
time he saw a wonderful light and a multitude of birds who
filled the air with beautiful singing , and he had a revelation
that his monastery would host many monks. 30 years after his
blessed repose, his imperishable relics were opened (September
25 1392).
The
Troitze-Sergievski monastery
gave rise to many new
monasteries. It spread the network of
cloisters covering the whole of the northern part of Russia
and linking it to the clerical and administrative centre of
the country - to Moscow. Before St. Sergius' repose, the following
monasteries had been built by him and with his assistance:
Kirzhachski monastery (near the Kirzhack river in the Vladimir
county), Golutvin monastery (in Kolomna), Simon monastery
(in Moscow), Visotski monastery (near Serpukhov), Borisoglebski
monastery (near Rostov), Dubenski monastery (in honor of the
Kulikov battle), Pokrovski monastery (near Borovsk), Avraamiev
monastery (near Chukhloma). After venerable Sergius entered
into rest, his disciples founded some other monasteries, such
as Savvin-Storozhevski monastery (near Zvenigorod), Zheleznoborski
monastery (near Galich), Voskresenski (on the Obnora river
in the north of the Jaroslav county), Pherapontov monastery,
Kirillov-Belozerski and others. Saint Stephan, the elucidator
of the
Perm region, was one of saint Sergius's friends.
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