Brief life of St. Sergius of Radonezh. Venerable Sergei of Radonezh - Russian Holy Land

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 an ordinary 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. Various people 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, at a time when Rus' was still paying tribute to the Tatar-Mongol yoke, Prince Dimitri 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 is truly a national saint, close to every Orthodox person. On the day of remembrance of the great Russian spiritual leader, we remember his 7 exploits.

Victories over demons and taming animals

The Monk Sergius seems to many to be a blessed old man, whose holiness was felt by the wild animals that came to “touch” her. However, in fact, Sergius went into the forest as a young man at the age of about twenty. At first, he constantly struggled with demonic temptations, defeating them with fervent prayer. Demons tried to drive him out of the forest, threatening him with an attack by wild animals and painful death. The saint remained adamant, called on God and thus was saved. He also prayed when wild animals appeared, and therefore they never attacked him. The saint shared every meal with the bear, so often depicted next to Sergius, and sometimes even gave it up to the hungry animal. “Let no one be surprised at this, knowing truly that if God lives in a person and the Holy Spirit rests on him, then all creation submits to him,” says the life of this saint.

Blessing of the monks for war

This event is one of the most famous and most unexpected in the history of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. Everyone knows that monks and weapons, and especially war, are “two incompatible things,” but, like any too broad rule, this rule was once refuted by life. Two monks, later canonized, went to the Battle of Kulikovo with arms in hand with the blessing of St. Sergius. In single combat before the battle, one of them, Alexander Peresvet, defeated the Tatar hero Chelubey, and this determined the victory of the Russian army. Peresvet himself died in the process. The second monk, tonsured Andrei (Oslyabya), according to legend, dressed in the armor of Prince Dmitry, killed in the battle, and so led the army.
It is surprising that Sergius of Radonezh himself “sent” Peresvet and Oslyabya to the great battle to help Prince Dmitry, who asked the saint only for spiritual help. Before the battle, he tonsured the monks into the great schema.

Present participle

The evidence of how St. Sergius of Radonezh received communion was hidden from people until his dormition. This secret was kept by Simon, a disciple of the saint, who had a vision during the communion of St. Sergius of Radonezh at the liturgy. Simon saw fire walking along the holy altar, illuminating the altar and surrounding the Holy Table on all sides. “When the Reverend wanted to take communion, the Divine fire curled up like some kind of shroud and entered the holy chalice, and the Reverend took communion with it. Seeing all this, Simon was filled with horror and trembling and remained silent, marveling at the miracle...” The Reverend understood from the face of his disciple that he was granted a miraculous vision, and Simon confirmed this. Then Sergius of Radonezh asked him not to tell anyone about what he saw until the Lord took him away.

Resurrection of a boy

The Life of Saint Sergius tells that the saint once resurrected a man with his prayers. This was a boy whose father, a devout believer, carried his sick son through the cold so that Saint Sergius would heal him. The man’s faith was strong, and he walked with the thought: “If only I could bring my son alive to the man of God, and there the child will definitely recover.” But due to the severe frost and the long journey, the sick child became completely weak and died on the road. Having reached Saint Sergius, the inconsolable father said: “Woe is me! Ah, man of God! I, with my misfortune and tears, hastened to get to you, believing and hoping to receive consolation, but instead of consolation I only acquired even greater sorrow. It would have been better for me if If only my son had died at home. Woe to me, woe! What could be worse and worse than this? Then he left the cell to prepare a coffin for his child.
Sergius of Radonezh prayed for a long time on his knees with the deceased, and suddenly the child came to life and began to move, his soul returned to his body. The saint told the returning father that the child had not died, but was only exhausted from the frost, and now, in the warmth, he had warmed up. This miracle became known from the words of the saint’s disciple.

Feat of modesty

The Monk Sergius of Radonezh could have become a metropolitan, a bishop, but he refused to even become the abbot of his monastery. He asked Metropolitan Alexy of All Rus' to appoint an abbot to the monastery, and, hearing his name in response, did not agree, saying: “I am not worthy.” Only when the Metropolitan reminded the saint of monastic obedience did he answer: “As the Lord wills, so be it. Blessed be the Lord forever!”
However, when Alexy was dying and offered Sergius to become his successor, he refused. The saint repeated his refusal after the death of the metropolitan, all with the same words: “I am not worthy.”

Bread for Moscow

In besieged Moscow, many Orthodox Christians one day saw a completely gray-haired old man leading twelve carts with bread. No one could understand how this procession made its way through the impregnable guards and many enemy troops. "Tell me, father, where are you from?" - they asked the elder, and he joyfully answered everyone: “We are warriors from the monastery of the Most Holy and Life-Giving Trinity.” This elder, whom some saw and others did not, inspired Muscovites to continue the struggle and assured them of victory. And in the monastery of the wonderworker they said that the appearance of the elders in Moscow with bread was on the day when the Reverend appeared in the monastery to the sexton Irinarch and said: “I sent three of my disciples to Moscow, and their arrival will not go unnoticed in the reigning city.”

The Tossed Tsar

The Grand Duke of All Rus' Ivan Vasilyevich and Grand Duchess Sophia had three daughters, but did not have an heir. Christ-loving Sophia decided to go on a pilgrimage - on foot to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra from Moscow itself to pray for the birth of sons. Near the village of Klementyevo, located not far from the monastery, she met a magnificent priest with a baby in her arms. Sophia immediately understood from the appearance of the wanderer that in front of her was St. Sergius. Further, the life tells: “He approached the Grand Duchess - and suddenly threw the baby into her bosom. And immediately became invisible.” Sophia reached the holy monastery and prayed there for a long time and kissed the relics of the saint. And upon returning home, she conceived in the womb the God-given heir to the royal throne, Grand Duke Vasily, who was born on the Feast of the Annunciation and was baptized in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

July 18 marks the memorable day of the famous, revered saint and wonderworker St. Sergius of Radonezh. He is the founder of monasteries, the founder of the Russian eldership, the collector of the Russian people, an assistant in the unification of Rus' under the reign of Dmitry Donskoy.
The date of birth of the saint is still not precisely known. Different researchers and historians interpret the dates in different ways. Basically, everyone agrees either by May 1314 or by May 1322. An interesting fact is that at birth the saint received the name Bartholomew, and only then, when he took monastic vows, he received the name Sergius. Sergius was born into the family of noble boyars Maria and Kirill, in the village of Varnitsa, near the city of Rostov. He had 2 brothers - Stefan and Peter. When he was seven years old, he was sent to school to study literacy. He went to school with his brothers. Studying was difficult. Parents were unhappy, friends mocked. Sergius did not give up, he tearfully asked the Lord God for help. According to the life of the saint, one day, dejected by his failures, he met an elder and told him about his problems and experiences, told him that he wanted to study and master literacy. The old man read a prayer and ordered to eat a piece of sacred bread - prosphora. The boy invited the Elder home, where he was very well received. After this meeting a miracle happened. The boy began to read, and reading came to him very well and easily. From that moment his life changed dramatically. With great zeal and interest, he began to read prayers, go to all services and join the church. Sergius began to follow a very strict fast. He abstained from food on Wednesday and Friday; on other days he drank water and bread.
In 1328, Sergius's family moved to live in the city of Radonezh. With the death of their parents, Sergius and his brother Stefan decided to found a small cell. A few years later, it became a real monastery. A little later, the Church of the Holy Trinity was built. In the fall of 1337 he became a monk and received a new name - Sergius. The monastery gradually grew, and the church turned into a monastery. 1354 - the year Sergius assumed the abbess. Saint Sergius of Radonezh was on good terms with Moscow Metropolitan Alexy. One day Alexy spoke about inviting Sergius to accept the Russian Metropolis after his death, but remaining devoted to his monastery, he refused.
During the course of his life, the Monk Sergius performed a miracle. He healed the sick, taught with advice, and reconciled those at war. His role was great in the unification of the Russian land and in the great victory on the Kulikovo field. During his life, in addition to the fact that he founded the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, he founded such monasteries as: Holy Annunciation Kirzhach, Rostov Borisoglebsky, Vysotsky, Epiphany Staro-Golutvin and others.
In his declining years, he handed over the abbess, in the event of his death, to his faithful disciple Nikon. He died in the fall of 1392, in his monastery. St. Sergius of Radonezh is still revered to this day and is one of the greatest saints of our time. Until now, people pray to him, ask for help, and in response he continues to work miracles.

The Monk Sergius was born in the Tver land, during the reign of Tver Prince Dmitry, under Metropolitan Peter. The saint's parents were noble and pious people. His father's name was Kirill, and his mother's name was Maria.

An amazing miracle happened even before the saint was born, when he was in his mother’s womb. Maria came to church for the liturgy. During the service, the unborn child cried out loudly three times. The mother cried with fear. People who heard the scream began to look for the child in the church. When they learned that the baby was screaming from his mother’s womb, everyone was amazed and afraid.

Mary, when she was pregnant, fasted and prayed earnestly. She decided that if a boy was born, she would dedicate him to God. The baby was born healthy, but did not want to take the breast when the mother ate meat. On the fortieth day the boy was brought to church, baptized and given the name Bartholomew. The parents told the priest about the baby's three-time cry from the womb. The priest said that the boy would be a servant of the Holy Trinity. After a while, the child did not breastfeed on Wednesday and Friday, and also did not want to feed on the nurse’s milk, but only on his mother.

The boy grew up, and they began to teach him to read and write. Bartholomew had two brothers, Stephen and Peter. They quickly learned to read and write, but Bartholomew could not. He was very sad about this.

One day his father sent Bartholomew to look for horses. In the field under the oak tree the boy saw an old priest. Bartholomew told the priest about his failures in his studies and asked him to pray for him. The elder gave the youth a piece of prosphora and said that from now on Bartholomew would be even better at reading and writing than his brothers and peers. The boy persuaded the priest to visit his parents. First, the elder went to the chapel, began to sing the hours, and ordered Bartholomew to read a psalm. Unexpectedly, the boy began to read well. The elder went into the house, tasted the food and predicted to Cyril and Mary that their son would be great before God and people.

A few years later, Bartholomew began to strictly fast and pray at night. The mother tried to persuade the boy so that he would not destroy his flesh with excessive abstinence, but Bartholomew continued to adhere to his chosen path. He did not play with other children, but often went to church and read holy books.

The saint's father, Cyril, moved from Rostov to Radonezh, because at that time the governor from Moscow Vasily Kocheva was committing outrages in Rostov. He took away property from the Rostovites, and because of this, Kirill became poor.

Kirill settled in Radonezh near the Nativity Church. His sons, Stephen and Peter, got married, while Bartholomew strove for the monastic life. He asked his parents to bless him to become a monk. But Kirill and Maria asked their son to accompany them to the grave, and then fulfill his plan. After some time, both the father and mother of the saint became monks, and each went to his own monastery. A few years later they died. Bartholomew buried his parents and honored their memory with alms and prayers.

Bartholomew gave his father's inheritance to his younger brother Peter, but took nothing for himself. The wife of his elder brother, Stefan, had died by this time, and Stefan became a monk at the Intercession Monastery in Khotkov.

At Bartholomew's request, Stefan went with him to look for a deserted place. They came into the thicket of the forest. There was also water. The brothers built a hut on this site and cut down a small church, which they decided to consecrate in the name of the Holy Trinity. The consecration was performed by Metropolitan Theognostus of Kyiv. Stefan could not stand the hard life in the forest and went to Moscow, where he settled in the Epiphany Monastery. He became abbot and princely confessor.

Bartholomew called the elder abbot Mitrofan to his hermitage, who tonsured him into monasticism and gave him the name Sergius. After being tonsured, Sergius took communion, and the church was filled with fragrance. A few days later he accompanied the abbot, asking for his instructions, blessings and prayers. At this time, Sergius was a little over twenty years old.

The monk lived in the desert, worked and prayed. Hordes of demons tried to frighten him, but could not.

One day, when Sergius was singing matins in church, the wall parted and the devil himself entered with many demons. They ordered the saint to leave the hermitage and threatened him. But the monk drove them out with prayer and the cross. Another time, demons attacked the saint in a hut, but were put to shame by his prayer.

Sometimes wild animals came to the hut of St. Sergius. Among them was one bear, for which the saint left a piece of bread every day. The bear's visits continued for more than a year.

Some monks visited Sergius and wanted to settle with him, but the saint did not accept them, because life in the hermitage was very difficult. But still some insisted, and Sergius did not drive them away. Each of the monks built a cell for themselves, and they began to live, imitating the monk in everything. The monks served the Midnight Office, Matins, and the Hours, and they invited a priest to serve mass, because Sergius, out of humility, did not accept either the priesthood or the abbess.

When twelve monks had gathered, the cells were surrounded by a fence. Sergius served the brethren tirelessly: he carried water, chopped wood, and cooked food. And he spent his nights in prayer.

The hegumen who tonsured Sergius died. The Monk Sergius began to pray that God would give the new monastery an abbot. The brethren began to ask Sergius to become hegumen and priest himself. Many times she approached the monk with this request, and in the end Sergius and other monks went to Pereyaslavl to Bishop Afanasy so that he would give the brethren an abbot. The bishop ordered the saint to become abbot and priest. Sergius agreed.

Returning to the monastery, the monk served the liturgy daily and instructed the brethren. For some time there were only twelve monks in the monastery, and then Simon, Archimandrite of Smolensk, came, and from then on the number of monks began to increase. Simon came, leaving his archimandriteship. And Sergius’s elder brother, Stefan, brought his youngest son Ivan to the monastery. Sergius tonsured the boy under the name Fedor.

The abbot himself baked prosphora, cooked kutya and made candles. Every evening he slowly walked around all the monastic cells. If someone was idle, the abbot knocked on that brother’s window. The next morning he called the offender, talked with him and instructed him.

At first there was not even a good road to the monastery. Much later, people built houses and villages near that place. And at first the monks suffered all sorts of hardships. When there was no food, Sergius did not allow people to leave the monastery and ask for bread, but ordered them to wait for God’s mercy in the monastery. Once Sergius did not eat for three days and on the fourth he went to cut a canopy for Elder Danil behind a sieve of rotten bread. Due to the lack of food, one monk began to grumble, and the abbot began to teach the brethren about patience. At this moment, a lot of food was brought to the monastery. Sergius ordered to first feed those who brought food. They refused and disappeared. It remained unknown who the person who sent the food was. And at mealtime the brethren discovered that the bread sent from afar remained warm.

Hegumen Sergius always wore poor, shabby clothes. Once a peasant came to the monastery to talk with the monk. They pointed out to him Sergius, who was working in the garden in rags. The peasant did not believe that this was the abbot. The monk, having learned from the brethren about the distrustful peasant, spoke kindly to him, but did not convince him that he was Sergius. At this time, the prince arrived at the monastery and, seeing the abbot, bowed to the ground. The prince's bodyguards pushed the astonished peasant aside, but when the prince left, the farmer asked Sergius for forgiveness and received his blessing. A few years later, the peasant became a monk.

The brethren grumbled that there was no water nearby, and through the prayer of Saint Sergius, a source appeared. His water healed the sick.

One pious man came to the monastery with his sick son. But the boy brought to Sergius’ cell died. The father began to cry and went to get the coffin, but left the child’s body in the cell. Sergius' prayer performed a miracle: the boy came to life. The monk ordered the baby's father to remain silent about this miracle, and Sergius' disciple told about it.

On the Volga River there lived a nobleman who was tormented by a demon. The madman was taken by force to the monastery to Sergius. The monk cast out the demon. Since then, many people began to come to the saint for healing.

One late evening, Sergius had a wonderful vision: a bright light in the sky and many beautiful birds. A certain voice said that there would be as many monks in the monastery as these birds.

The Greeks, envoys of the Patriarch of Constantinople, came to the saint. The Patriarch advised Sergius to set up a hostel. The Russian Metropolitan supported this idea. Sergius did just that. He gave each brother special obedience. The monastery gave shelter to beggars and wanderers.

Some brothers resisted Sergius' mentorship. During one of the services, Sergius's brother Stefan uttered several daring words against the monk, challenging his right to lead the monastery. The monk heard this and, slowly leaving the monastery, went to the Kirzhach River, set up a cell there and then built a church. Many people helped him in this matter, a large brethren gathered. The monks of the Trinity Monastery abandoned by Sergius also moved to Kirzhach. And others went to the city to the metropolitan with a request for the return of Sergius. The Metropolitan ordered the monk to return, promising to expel his opponents from the monastery. Sergius obeyed. One of his students, Roman, became abbot in a new monastery on the Kirzhach River. And the saint himself returned to the Holy Trinity Monastery. The brethren greeted him joyfully.

Perm Bishop Stefan loved Sergius very much. Heading to his diocese, he walked past the Trinity Monastery. The road ran far from the monastery, and Stefan simply bowed in its direction. Sergius was sitting at the meal at that moment and, although he could not see Stefan, bowed to him in response.

Sergius's disciple, the Monk Andronicus, had the desire to found a monastery. One day, Metropolitan Alexy visited Sergius, who spoke about his plan to found a monastery in honor of the Savior Not Made by Hands, in memory of deliverance from a storm at sea. Sergius gave the Metropolitan Andronicus as his assistant. Alexy founded a monastery on the Yauza River, and Andronik became its mentor. Sergius visited this place and blessed it. After Andronicus, the Monk Savva became abbot, and after him Alexander. The famous icon painter Andrei was also in this monastery.

Fyodor, the nephew of St. Sergius, son of Stephen, also planned to found a monastery. He found a beautiful place for her - Simonovo, near the Moscow River. With the blessing of Sergius and the bishop, he built a monastery. After Fyodor became bishop of Rostov.

Once, during a service at the Trinity Monastery, the monks saw an amazing man serving the liturgy with Abbot Sergius. This man's clothes shone, and he himself shone. At first Sergius did not want to talk about anything, but then he discovered that it was an angel of God who served with him.

When the Horde prince Mamai moved troops to Rus', Grand Duke Dmitry came to the monastery to Sergius for blessing and advice - should he oppose Mamai? The monk blessed the prince for the battle. When the Russians saw the Tatar army, they stopped in doubt. But at that moment a messenger from Sergius appeared with words of encouragement. Prince Dmitry began the battle and defeated Mamai. And Sergius, being in the monastery, knew about everything that was happening on the battlefield, as if he was nearby. He predicted Dmitry's victory and named the fallen by name. Returning victoriously, Dmitry stopped by Sergius and thanked him. In memory of this battle, the Assumption Monastery was built, where Sergius' student Savva became abbot. At the request of Prince Dmitry, the Epiphany Monastery was built in Golutvino. The monk went there on foot, blessed the place, built a church and left his disciple Gregory there.

And at the request of Prince Dmitry Serpukhovsky, Sergius came to his estate and founded the Conception Monastery “on Vysokoye”. The disciple of the Monk Athanasius remained there.

Metropolitan Alexy, seeing his death approaching, persuaded Sergius to become metropolitan, but he, out of his humility, did not agree. And when Alexy died, Michael became metropolitan, who began to take up arms against Saint Sergius. Mikhail suddenly died on the way to Tsaryrad, which was predicted by Sergius.

One day the Mother of God appeared to the monk with the apostles Peter and John. She said that she would not leave the Trinity Monastery.

A certain bishop from Constantinople came to see Sergius. In fact, he did not believe that Sergius was truly a great “lamp.” Arriving at the monastery, the bishop became blind, but Sergius healed him.

One man was tormented by a serious illness. His relatives brought him to the monk, he sprinkled him with water, prayed for him, the sick man immediately fell asleep and soon recovered.

Prince Vladimir sent food and drinks to the monastery. The servant who carried all this tasted the food and drinks. When the servant came to the monastery, Sergius reproached him, the servant immediately repented and received forgiveness from the saint.

A rich man who lived near the monastery took a hog from a poor neighbor and did not give payment. The offended one complained to Sergius. The abbot reproached the covetous man, and he promised to improve, but then decided not to give the money. When he entered the pantry, he saw that the hog carcass had rotted, although there was severe frost. After this miracle, the covetous man repented and gave the money.

When Saint Sergius once served the Divine Liturgy, his disciple Simon saw how fire walked along the altar and overshadowed the altar. Before communion, divine fire entered the chalice. The abbot forbade Simon to talk about this until he, Sergius, died.

The monk foresaw his death six months in advance and entrusted the abbess to his beloved disciple Nikon. And he himself began to remain silent.

Before his death, Sergius taught the brethren. And on September 25 he died. A fragrance spread from his body, and his face was white as snow. Sergius bequeathed to bury him outside the church, with the other brothers. But Metropolitan Cyprian gave his blessing to place the monk in the church, on the right side. Many people from different cities - princes, boyars, priests, monks - came to see off Saint Sergius.

The influence of St. Sergius led, among other things, to a noticeable revival of the desire for monastic life: from 1240 to 1340, about 30 new monasteries arose, and in the next century, from 1340 to 1440, the generation of the Battle of Kulikovo and its immediate descendants gave the world founders up to 150 new monasteries. The direction of monastic life also changed. Until the middle of the 14th century, “almost all monasteries in Rus' arose in cities or under their walls.” Subsequently, monasteries that arose far from cities, on uncultivated lands, gained a decisive numerical superiority, and the monastic struggle against the spiritual shortcomings of man was combined with a new struggle - “with the inconveniences of external nature,” and “this second goal became a new means to achieve the first.”

However, the monks' flight from the temptations of the world served his immediate needs. Until the middle of the 14th century, the Russian population was locked between the Oka and Upper Volga rivers - in a triangle, the exit from which to the west, south and southeast was blocked by the Tatars and Lithuania. An open path to the north and northeast led beyond the Volga, into a remote, impassable region, here and there inhabited by Finno-Ugric tribes. Russian peasants were afraid to settle in these places. “The desert monk went there as a brave scout.”

From the middle of the 14th century until the end of the 15th century, new monasteries for the most part arose beyond the Volga, among the Kostroma, Yaroslavl and Vologda forests. Russian monasticism peacefully conquered the Finnish pagan Trans-Volga region for the Christian Church and the Russian people. Numerous forest monasteries became strongholds of peasant colonization.