Brief life of St. Sergius of Radonezh. Venerable Sergius of Radonezh

The name of Sergius of Radonezh is known to every believer. Sergius of Radonezh was a monk; it was he who founded the famous Trinity Monastery. In the Orthodox Church he is canonized as a saint and reverend; he is considered the greatest ascetic of Rus'. During his life, Sergius made a huge contribution to the culture of not only the church, but the state as a whole. He is the person who was able to change the system of monasticism in Rus'.

Childhood of a saint

The place of birth of the saint was the village of Varnitsa, which is located near Rostov. Bartholomew (baptismal name Sergius) was born into a family of wealthy people Cyril and Mary.

As for the date of birth of Sergius, historians still do not have a consensus on this matter. Bartholomew was originally thought to have been born in the spring or summer of 1322. Manuscripts of 18th-century church scholars mentioned the date May 4, 1319. Current researchers suggest that the monk was born in 1314, on May 3. Famous historian Averyanov K. A. says that even now there is no agreement among scientists on this issue. Averyanov himself believes that the saint was born on May 1, 1322. Due to the fact that there are a lot of opinions, and they are all different, the popular writer V. Rasputin claims that the year of Sergius’s birth was lost.

When Bartholomew turned 7 years old, he was taught to read and write. He did not attend church school alone; his brothers Peter and Stefan went with him. The brothers were able to learn quite well, which cannot be said about Bartholomew himself. He was far behind in his studies, which upset his parents and angered his teachers. Bartholomew tried his best, but nothing worked for him.

But one day everything changed. Poverty overwhelmed the family and they had to move. The new location was the city of Radonezh. An event occurred there that changed and predetermined everything future life Bartholomew. One day his father sent Bartholomew into the forest to find horses that were lost. In the process of searching for horses, Bartholomew came across small field, where an old monk sat under a tree and prayed. He approached the old man and asked him to pray for him, for his studies. The old man said a prayer, gave the boy a piece of prosphora and assured him that now he would be the smartest among his peers. Bartholomew was very happy and invited the monk to visit. After meeting the boy’s family, the old monk told his parents: “ He will be great before God».

After this, Bartholomew thought about connecting his life with monasticism. As he got a little older, he finally decided on it. The parents were not against their son's wishes, but asked him to wait for their death before going to the monastery. The fact is that Bartholomew turned out to be the only son who lived with them. Peter and Stefan had their own families and lived far from their parents. A few years later, Bartholomew buried his father and mother, and began to achieve his goal.

Beginning of a monk's life

Soon after his parents died, Bartholomew went to the Khotkovo-Pokrovsky Monastery, where he was brother Stefan, who became a widower. The brothers did not stay in this place for long; Bartholomew persuaded his brother to organize a hermitage in the Radonezh forest. Here they were able to build a church made of wood in the name of the Holy Trinity. Bartholomew was a follower of a very difficult ascetic way of life. His brother could not support Bartholomew for long because the conditions were too difficult. Stefan went to the Epiphany Monastery, becoming abbot there.

Left alone, Bartholomew took monastic vows from the rector of one of the churches, Mitrofan. In addition to the monastic vows, he took a new name - Sergius. On the day he took monastic vows, it was the feast of the martyrs Sergius and Bacchus. At this point in time he turned 23 years old.

Foundation of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. Activities of a monk

After some time, monks began to come to the saint, and as a result a small monastery was formed, called the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, where Sergius was the second abbot, after Mitrofan. Sergius was the personification of hard work and beneficence. He did not allow people to accept alms, he called on his like-minded people to live from their labor. Sergius personally was an example for them. Sergius's fame grew quickly, and soon literally everyone came to him: peasants to princes.

Many began to settle near the monastery and donate their property. Over the course of several years, the small monastery turned into big monastery. They even talked about Sergius in Constantinople: Patriarch Philotheus himself sent a letter of gratitude for the saint’s benefactor and called for the introduction of a regime of strict communal living. With the blessing of Metropolitan Alexei, Sergius established communal living, which became an example for other monasteries. Alexei loved and respected Sergius very much and wanted to make him his successor, but Radonezh refused.

According to the stories of contemporaries, Sergius could in simple words could influence the coarsest hearts, more than once he managed to reconcile warring princes. In addition, Sergius called on everyone to obey the Grand Duke of Moscow. It was largely thanks to him that all the princes were able to gather before the Battle of Kulikovo. They say that one prince, before going to the battlefield, came to Sergius for prayer. Sergius blessed him and predicted triumph. According to one version, Sergius released two Orthodox monks with him: Peresvet and Ooslabya, although according to the laws of the church, ministers should not participate in battles.

They say that Prince Dmitry Ivanovich, approaching the Don, for a long time doubted whether he should move across the river or not. Only when an approving letter arrived from Sergius of Radonezh, which called for the enemy to be attacked soon, did the prince begin to act.

Dmitry Ivanovich greatly respected the abbot, and after the Battle of Kulikovo he began to treat him in a special way. In 1389, he called upon Sergius of Radonezh to seal the spiritual testament, which legitimized the new rules of succession to the throne.

Death of Sergius

The monk lived to a ripe old age. At the end of his life, he chose his disciple Nikon as his successor and made him abbot of the monastery. Just before his death, Sergius called like-minded people and said the words of his will. These lines are known:
« Listen to yourself, brothers, I pray to everyone: first have the fear of God and spiritual purity and unfeigned love; This includes love of strangers, humility with submission, fasting and prayer. Food and drink in moderation; Do not love honor and glory, but above all fear and remember the hour of death and the Second Coming».
The life of Radonezh ended in 1392, on September 25.

As the legend says, Cyril and Maria - the parents of Sergius of Radonezh - lived in a village near Rostov the Great. They lived very simply. They were quiet, calm, believing people.

Even before his birth, Sergius showed himself not to be a common person. When his pregnant mother was in church, he screamed so that those around him heard and were amazed at it. The parents decided to dedicate their child to God. After this, the woman began to fast and pray intensely. On the third of May, Mary gave birth to a son, who was named Bartholomew.

After birth, the baby did not want to take the mother's breast if she ate meat. Mary had to fast further. On the fortieth day after birth, the boy was baptized.

At the age of seven, Bartholomew was sent to school. But studies were not easy for the boy, which made both he and his parents very upset. And then one day the youth met a monk in the forest and told him about his misfortune. The holy man stood up with Bartholomew to pray, gave him a piece of prosphora and said that from God the boy would learn to read and write. From that moment on, Bartholomew began to study well. The adults were amazed at this.

When Bartholomew grew up, he continued to pray and fast intensely, and began to ask his parents for blessings to enter a monastery. But Kirill and Maria asked him to look after them, because they were old and weak and could not run the household themselves. Bartholomew agreed.

After the death of his parents, the young man realized his cherished dream. At twenty-three, he gave his share of the inheritance to his relatives and became a monk under the name Sergius. Then he went to the deep forest, where he built a wooden church. The man's life was hard. He prayed, fasted, worked tirelessly, and often went hungry. A bear began to come to Sergius in the forest, and the monk fed it. Gradually the beast became almost tame. This friendship between man and forest animal lasted for a year.

Rumors about Sergius spread. Different people they began to come and ask to live with him. Gradually, a monastery was built among the forest. Sergius was appointed abbot, even though he was against it. The monks lived poorly and worked hard. They prayed and fasted incessantly.

They cultivated a garden, but there was not always enough food. Sometimes the monks survived only thanks to outside help. Sergius worked equally with everyone else. The monastery grew. New people came who wanted to live away from the light and know God. They built cells and utility rooms, plowed and planted fields. Soon the small monastery turned into the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius. Sergius began to be called Radonezh. He became famous as a great man of prayer and miracle worker.

Once upon a time, at a time when Rus' still paid tribute Tatar-Mongol yoke, Prince Dimitry Donskoy gathered an army for the last battle with Mamai. And for a blessing he visited Sergius of Radonezh, because... I heard about miracles and the saint’s predictions. The prince received a blessing for the battle. Dmitry Donskoy won.

The saint died at the end of the fourteenth century. Feeling that he was already dying, Sergius gathered the brethren around him, prayed and gave his soul to God.

Sergius of Radonezh has been revered in Rus' since ancient times. He lived in the 14th century and became famous for his many miracles. The main one is considered to be assistance in the Battle of Kulikovo. Devoting himself to serving God, Sergius opened churches, helped the poor and punished the greedy.

Life of Sergius of Radonezh, summary which has more than 40 chapters, was compiled in the 15th century by his student, the writer Epiphanius the Wise. He was a monk of the Lavra built by Sergius. In the 20th century, the life of the saint was the work of the historian, candidate of sciences Boris Mikhailovich Kloss. He analyzed about 400 manuscripts mentioning the miraculous abilities of the saint and discovered new facts about his life.

The importance of personality for history

The Life of Sergius of Radonezh Epiphanius the Wise is difficult to read for people far from the church. More than forty chapters of the saint’s biography are written with references to Holy Bible. In each, Epiphanius describes in detail the divine grace that descended on Sergius.

“The Life of our Venerable Father Sergius, Hegumen of Radonezh,” he began to write during the life of the saint, from his words. Faithful helpers Hieromonk Pachomius Logothet and Elder Simon Azaryin became his stewards.

A brief life of Sergius of Radonezh for children is included in school curriculum primary classes(2-4th grade). It is written according to the plan of Epiphanius, but accessible in simple language. The personality of Sergius in the formation of Rus' and Orthodoxy is of great importance.

Boris Zaitsev discovered the personality of St. Sergius of Radonezh for the West. This is the first author to introduce foreigners to the reverend Russian saint at the beginning of the 20th century.

Miracle of birth

The family of Maria and Kirill, living in Rostov, was expecting the birth of their second child. During pregnancy, the mother fasted, attended church services, liturgies, observing all the religious rules of Christianity.

At one of the services on a day off, Maria was very frightened. Her child, while still in the womb, screamed three times. People standing nearby began to look for the baby in the church, and when they found out that he was not born yet , then many left the pregnant woman with unkind glances.

With tears in her eyes, Maria returned home and told her husband about what had happened. At that moment, she decided that she would definitely dedicate the child to the Lord if a boy was born. The baby was born healthy, but wayward.

The baby was baptized with the name Bartholomew on the fortieth day after birth. The parents told the abbot about his screams from the womb during the liturgy. The priest reassured Mary and Cyril, saying that the boy would become a servant of the Holy Trinity and a great man.

Bartholomew fasted from infancy:

1. He did not take his mother's breast after she had eaten meat.
2. He refused the nurse's milk, wanting only his mother's milk.
3. Didn't breastfeed on Wednesday and Friday.

Intractable letter

Bartholomew had an older brother, Stefan, and a younger brother, Peter. When the boys grew up, their parents sent them to learn to read and write. The middle son did not succeed, while his brothers improved their knowledge every day.

One day, Kirill sent his son in search of foals. Bartholomew saw an old man praying under an oak tree, approached him and told him about his pain with a request to pray for his success. The elder listened carefully to the boy, read a prayer, then handed the boy a piece of prosphora.

The elder explained to the boy that from now on he would not have problems with reading and writing; God himself would grant him the ability. Bartholomew persuaded the benefactor to visit his parents' home. Maria and Kirill prepared refreshments, but first the elder and the boy went to the small home chapel.

The elder explained that their child was special, chosen and marked by the Lord to serve the Holy Scriptures. After saying that Bartholomew would be a majestic man and would not betray the faith, the elder left the house. The boy began to test his capabilities and was glad that he could read and understand any text.

Bartholomew did not play with other children, spending free time in church during services. The Holy Scriptures were especially interesting to him.. Maria, concerned about her son’s behavior, asked him not to torture himself.

The family, fleeing ruin, moves to Radonezh. Peter and Stefan started families and left Father's house. Bartholomew asked permission to become a monk, but his parents asked not to leave them alone and to take care of him until death. Maria and Cyril took monastic vows and went to monasteries, where they died some time later. Bartholomew honored them with prayers and gave them their due inheritance younger brother Peter, and he himself went to Stefan, who took monastic vows at the Khotkovo-Pokrovsky Monastery after the death of his wife.

Life in the desert

Bartholomew persuaded Stephen to go in search of a deserted place. They built a hut in the forest and cut down a small church. The elder brother could not bear the weight of seclusion and returned to Moscow, where he chose the Epiphany Monastery for service.

Bartholomew called Abbot Mitrofan to him. On October 7, he tonsured Bartholomew, naming him Sergius in honor of the memory of Saints Sergius and Bacchus. After staying a few more days in the deserted monastery, the abbot went back, giving instructions to the young monk.

Sergius spent a lot of time in prayer. Demons led by the devil tried to drive him out, but were overwhelmed by the prayer texts and the sign of the cross.

Wild animals came to the hut, and throughout the year the monk shared bread with the bear. Many monks came to Sergius’s monastery and asked to stay. He did not allow it, realizing that not each of them would endure the hardships and hardships. Some stayed, Sergius did not drive them away, but warned them about a difficult life.

Each of the monks independently built his own cell. Upon reaching a dozen, the monks' homes were surrounded by a fence. They served matins, evening services, and invited a priest to the afternoon services.

The abbot, who tonsured Sergius as a monk, died. The young monk prayed for the gift of a new spiritual superior of the monastery, refusing the brothers’ request to become abbot and priest. The monk went to Pereslavl to ask the bishop to allocate an abbot for his desert monastery. The bishop fulfilled the work of the brethren of monks and ordered Sergius to accept the rank of abbot and priest.

Hegumen Sergius

Sergei continued his modest and righteous life, reading prayers and liturgies. He taught his brother monks:

• Keeping the commandments.
• Patience and endurance.

Sergius did not tolerate complaints and did not allow his charges to ask for food, believing that everything had to be earned through their own labor. Over time, the number of monks increased. Stefan brought his youngest son Ivan to Sergius. He was tonsured with the name Fedor.

During his service to the Lord, Sergius performed several miracles:

Not all monks liked Sergius's management. One day, his older brother Stefan spoke unflatteringly about his methods. The monk left the Church of the Holy Trinity and went to the Kirzhach River. There he built a new monastery and began to settle in, but the Metropolitan asked to return to his previous place of service.

Sergius did not disobey, and in every monastery he built, the saint’s disciples became abbots and priests. Some later left to build their own churches.

Sergius knew about his death six months in advance and asked not to bury him in the church. But Cyprian ordered the body to be placed at the side of the monastery. Since then, the relics of the saint have been kept in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in Moscow.

Sergius of Radonezh (c. 1314-1392) is revered by the Russian Orthodox Church in the ranks of saints as a reverend and is considered the greatest ascetic of the Russian land. He founded the Trinity-Sergius Lavra near Moscow, which was formerly called the Trinity Monastery. Sergius of Radonezh preached the ideas of hesychasm. He understood these ideas in his own way. In particular, he rejected the idea that only monks would enter the kingdom of God. “All good ones will be saved,” Sergius taught. He became, perhaps, the first Russian spiritual thinker who not only imitated Byzantine thought, but also creatively developed it. The memory of Sergius of Radonezh is especially revered in Russia. It was this ascetic monk who blessed Dmitry of Moscow and his cousin Vladimir Serpukhovsky to fight the Tatars. Through his lips, the Russian Church for the first time called for a fight against the Horde.

We know about the life of St. Sergius from Epiphanius the Wise, a master of “weaving words.” “The Life of Sergius of Radonezh” was written by him in his declining years in 1417-1418. in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. According to his testimony, in 1322, a son, Bartholomew, was born to the Rostov boyar Kirill and his wife Maria. This family was once rich, but then became poor and, fleeing persecution from the servants of Ivan Kalita, around 1328 they were forced to move to Radonezh, a city that belonged to youngest son Grand Duke Andrei Ivanovich. At the age of seven, Bartholomew began to be taught to read and write in church school, teaching was difficult for him. He grew up as a quiet and thoughtful boy, who gradually decided to leave the world and devote his life to God. His parents themselves took monastic vows at the Khotkovsky Monastery. It was there that his elder brother Stefan took the vow of monasticism. Bartholomew, having bequeathed property to his younger brother Peter, went to Khotkovo and began to become a monk under the name of Sergius.

The brothers decided to leave the monastery and set up a cell in the forest, ten miles from it. Together they cut down the church and consecrated it in honor of the Holy Trinity. Around 1335, Stefan could not stand the hardships and went to the Moscow Epiphany Monastery, leaving Sergius alone. A period of difficult trials began for Sergius. His solitude lasted about two years, and then monks began to flock to him. They built twelve cells and surrounded them with a fence. Thus, in 1337, the Trinity-Sergius Monastery was born, and Sergius became its abbot.

He led the monastery, but this leadership had nothing to do with power in the usual, secular sense of the word. As they say in the Life, Sergius was “like a bought slave” for everyone. He cut down cells, carried logs, performed difficult work, fulfilling to the end his vow of monastic poverty and service to his neighbor. One day he ran out of food, and after starving for three days, he went to the monk of his monastery, a certain Daniel. He was going to add a porch to his cell and was waiting for carpenters from the village. And so the abbot invited Daniel to do this work. Daniel was afraid that Sergius would ask a lot from him, but he agreed to work for rotten bread, which was no longer possible to eat. Sergius worked all day, and in the evening Daniel “brought him a sieve of rotten bread.”

Also, according to the Life, he “took every opportunity to establish a monastery where he found it necessary.” According to one contemporary, Sergius “with quiet and meek words” could act on the most hardened and hardened hearts; very often reconciled princes warring among themselves. In 1365 he sent him to Nizhny Novgorod reconcile quarreling princes. Along the way, in passing, Sergius found time to create a wasteland in the wilderness of the Gorokhovets district in a swamp near the Klyazma River and erect a temple of the Holy Trinity. He settled there “elders of the desert hermits, and they ate bast trees and mowed hay in the swamp.” In addition to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, Sergius founded the Annunciation Monastery on Kirzhach, Staro-Golutvin near Kolomna, the Vysotsky Monastery, and the St. George Monastery on Klyazma. He appointed his disciples as abbots in all these monasteries. More than 40 monasteries were founded by his students, for example, Savva (Savvino-Storozhevsky near Zvenigorod), Ferapont (Ferapontov), ​​Kirill (Kirillo-Belozersky), Sylvester (Voskresensky Obnorsky). According to his life, Sergius of Radonezh performed many miracles. People came to him from different cities for healing, and sometimes even just to see him. According to the life, he once resurrected a boy who died in his father’s arms when he was carrying the child to the saint for healing.

Having reached a very old age, Sergius, having foreseen his death within six months, called the brethren to him and blessed a disciple experienced in spiritual life and obedience, the Monk Nikon, to become abbess. Sergius died on September 25, 1392 and was soon canonized. This happened during the lifetime of people who knew him. An incident that was never repeated.

30 years later, on July 5, 1422, his relics were found incorrupt, as evidenced by Pachomius Logofet. Therefore, this day is one of the days of remembrance of the saint. On April 11, 1919, during the campaign to open the relics, the relics of Sergius of Radonezh were opened in the presence of a special commission with the participation of church representatives. The remains of Sergius were found in the form of bones, hair and fragments of the rough monastic robe in which he was buried. Pavel Florensky became aware of the upcoming opening of the relics, and with his participation (in order to protect the relics from the possibility of complete destruction), the head of St. Sergius was secretly separated from the body and replaced with the head of Prince Trubetskoy, who was buried in the Lavra. Until the relics of the Church were returned, the head of St. Sergius was kept separately. In 1920-1946. the relics were in a museum located in the monastery building. On April 20, 1946, the relics of Sergius were returned to the Church. Currently, the relics of St. Sergius are in the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

Sergius of Radonezh embodied the idea of ​​a communal monastery in Rus'. Previously, monks, when they entered the monastery, continued to own property. There were poor and rich monks. Naturally, the poor soon became servants of their wealthier brothers. This, according to Sergius, contradicted the very idea of ​​monastic brotherhood, equality, and striving for God. Therefore, in his Trinity Monastery, founded near Moscow near Radonezh, Sergius of Radonezh forbade the monks to have private property. They had to give their wealth to the monastery, which became, as it were, a collective owner. The monasteries needed property, in particular land, only so that the monks who devoted themselves to prayer had something to eat. As we see, Sergius of Radonezh was guided by the highest thoughts and struggled with monastic wealth. Sergius' disciples became the founders of many monasteries similar type. However, later the communal monasteries became the largest land owners, who, by the way, also possessed great movable wealth - money, precious things received as deposits for the funeral of the soul. The Trinity-Sergius Monastery under Vasily II the Dark received an unprecedented privilege: its peasants did not have the right to move on St. George’s Day - thus, on the scale of one monastic estate, serfdom first appeared in Rus'.

In the first half of the 14th century, the famous Trinity-Sergius Lavra arose. Its founder, Reverend Sergius (in the world Bartholomew) was the son of the Rostov boyars Cyril and Maria, who moved closer to Moscow to the village of Radonezh. At the age of seven, Bartholomew was sent to learn to read and write. He longed for learning with all his soul, but literacy was not given to him. Grieving over this, day and night he prayed to the Lord to open the door of book understanding to him. One day, while looking for missing horses in the field, he saw an unfamiliar old monk under an oak tree. The monk prayed. The youth approached him and told him his grief. Having listened sympathetically to the boy, the elder began to pray for his enlightenment. Then, taking out the reliquary, he took out a small piece of prosphora and, blessing Bartholomew with it, said: “Take, child, and eat: this is given to you as a sign of the grace of God and the understanding of the Holy Scriptures.” This grace really descended on the boy: the Lord gave him memory and understanding, and the boy began to easily assimilate book wisdom.

After this miracle, the desire to serve only God became even stronger in young Bartholomew. He wanted to retire, following the example of the ancient ascetics, but his love for his parents kept him in his family. Bartholomew was modest, quiet and silent, was meek and affectionate with everyone, never got irritated and showed perfect obedience to his parents. Usually he ate only bread and water, and in fast days completely abstained from food. After the death of his parents, Bartholomew provided an inheritance to his younger brother Peter and, together with his older brother Stefan, settled 10 miles from Radonezh, in a deep forest near the Konchyura river. The brothers cut down the forest with their own hands and built a cell and a small church. A priest sent by Metropolitan Theognostos consecrated this church in honor of the Holy Trinity. This is how the famous monastery of St. Sergius arose.

Soon Stefan left his brother and became the abbot of the Epiphany Monastery in Moscow and the confessor of the Grand Duke. Bartholomew, tonsured a monk with the name Sergius, labored alone in the forest for about two years. It is impossible to imagine how many temptations the young monk endured at this time, but patience and prayer overcame all difficulties and devilish misfortunes. Whole flocks of wolves ran past the cell of St. Sergius, and bears also came, but not one of them harmed him. One day the holy hermit gave bread to a bear that came to his cell, and from then on the beast began to constantly visit St. Sergius, who shared his last piece of bread with him.

No matter how hard Saint Sergius tried to hide his exploits, the fame of them spread and attracted other monks to him, who wanted to be saved under his leadership. They began to ask Sergius to accept the rank of priest and abbot. Sergius did not agree for a long time, but seeing in their persistent request a calling from above, he said: “I would rather obey than to rule, but I fear God’s judgment and surrender myself to the will of the Lord.” It was in 1354 when Saint Alexei assumed the see of Moscow metropolitan.

The life and works of St. Sergius in the history of Russian monasticism have special meaning, because he laid the foundation for the life of the hermits by establishing a monastery with communal living outside the city. The monastery of the Holy Trinity, built on new principles, at first suffered extreme poverty in everything; the vestments were made of simple dyeing, the sacred vessels were wooden, in the temple instead of candles there was a torch that shone, but the ascetics burned with zeal. Saint Sergius set an example for the brethren of the strictest abstinence, deepest humility and unshakable trust in God's help. In his labors and exploits, he led the way, and the brethren followed him.

One day the supply of bread in the monastery was completely exhausted. The abbot himself, in order to earn a few pieces of bread, personally built a vestibule in the cell of one brother. But in an hour of extreme need, through the prayers of the brethren, generous help was unexpectedly given to the monastery. A few years after the founding of the monastery, peasants began to settle near it. Not far from her was walking big road to Moscow and to the north, thanks to which the funds of the monastery began to increase, and, following the example of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, it began to generously distribute alms and take into its care the sick and wanderers.

The rumor about Saint Sergius reached Constantinople, and Patriarch Philotheus sent him his blessing and a letter, which approved the new orders of desert community life, established by the founder of the Holy Trinity Monastery. Metropolitan Alexei loved St. Sergius as a friend, instructed him to reconcile the warring princes, entrusted him with important powers and prepared him to be his successor. But Sergius refused this election.

Venerable Sergius Radonezh. Icon with the Life, 1st third of the 16th century. Workshop Feodosia

One day, Metropolitan Alexei wanted to place a golden cross on him as a reward for his labors, but Sergius said: “From my youth I have not worn gold, but in my old age I even more want to remain in poverty” - and decisively rejected this honor.

Grand Duke Dimitri Ivanovich, nicknamed Donskoy, honored St. Sergius as a father, and asked his blessing to fight the Tatar Khan Mamai. “Go, go boldly, prince, and trust in God’s help,” the holy elder told him and gave him two of his monks as companions: Peresvet and Oslyabya, who fell heroes in the Battle of Kulikovo.

Venerable Sergius of Radonezh. Icon, 17th century

Even during his lifetime, Saint Sergius performed miracles and received great revelations. Once the Mother of God appeared to him in wondrous majesty with the apostles Peter and John and promised protection of his monastery. Another time, he saw an extraordinary light and many birds filling the air with euphonious singing, and received a revelation that many monks would gather in his monastery. 30 years after his blessed death (September 25, 1392), his holy relics were discovered.

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Prayer to St. Sergius of Radonezh:

• Prayer to St. Sergius of Radonezh. St. Sergius of Radonezh is one of the most famous Russian saints. Founder of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, teacher and mentor of many dozens of Russian saints. The monk truly became the abbot and intercessor of the entire Russian Land, an example of meekness and humility for monks and laity. They pray to St. Sergius for help in teaching, in monastic work, for overcoming passions, for the growth of faith, for the preservation of the Fatherland from the invasion of foreigners