Russia has granted the Church many saints who are venerated by believers not only of our state, but also far beyond its borders. The name of St. Sergius of Radonezh is known throughout the world. The great hegumen of the Russian Land - this is the name of this amazing prayer book and ascetic of piety.
Rev. Sergius of Radonezh, called Bartholomew in the world, is the founder of old age, a sociable monastic life (which traces the continuity of such a way of life from the founders of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra Monks Anthony and Theodosius), the founder of the Great Trinity-Sergeeva Lavra and several other monastic about. Rev. Sergius was a follower of the hesychast doctrine, consisting in clever prayer and the desire for personal union with God. That is why the reverend is also called the Great Prayer Book and the sadder of the Russian Land.
The exact date of birth of the saint is unknown. Historians put forward two versions - May 1314 or May 1322. The date of the death of the righteous is September 25th (old style) 1392.
The righteous was born in the Principality of Rostov in the family of saints Cyril and Mary. In baptism he received a name in honor of the holy Apostle Bartholomew - one of the 12 closest disciples of Christ. From infancy, Bartholomew surprisingly showed his will for fasting abstinence - on Wednesdays and Fridays he refused to eat milk.
Bartholomew studied at the schools of the Principality of Rostov, however, unlike his brothers Stefan and Peter, Bartholomew was given a bad diploma. From the life of the saint it is known that the lad prayed a lot to the Lord for the gift of learning ability. Prayers of Bartholomew were heard. Once he met a praying old man, whom he lamented about problems in teaching. The elder gave the lad a prosphora and promised that in the near future the boy would comprehend science without any problems. The prediction came true, from that time Bartholomew with extraordinary ease continued his education in literacy.
Even before reaching the age of twelve, Bartholomew began to fast fasting, on Wednesday and Friday completely refusing food. In the remaining days, the boy ate bread and water. Of particular note is the prayer feat of a still young lad. Bartholomew loved to pray for a long time at night.
After receiving his education in Rostov, Bartholomew and his family moved to Radonezh. The desire for a solitary monastic life has long been settled in the heart of a young man, but Bartholomew could fulfill this desire only after the blessed death of his parents and the burial of the latter in the Khotkovsky monastery.
After the death of his parents, Bartholomew left his hereditary share to his brother Peter, and together with Stefan went in search of a secluded place for prayer feats. Having found a suitable place, the brothers built a temple there in the name of the Holy Trinity. After that, priests came to the brothers with the relics of the martyrs, anti-Leans and other shrines necessary for the consecration of the temple.
Soon after the consecration of the temple, Stephen left his brother. It was after this that Bartholomew took monastic tonsure with the name Sergius. Many heard about the ascetic and ascetic life of the saint, so people began to flock to the monk who wanted monastic solitude and prayer before God. Soon (presumably in 1342), the monastic monastery, now known as the Trinity-Sergey Lavra, was erected by the works of Sergius and his students. However, the reverend was not the first abbot of the monastery. Only in 1354 he received the rank of priest and became a spiritual father and the head of the monastery.
Over the years of his exploits, the monk raised many great saints. His students themselves dispersed throughout Russia in search of solitude, founding numerous monastic sociable communities.
Rev. Sergius is known as the great peacemaker. In times of disagreement between the princes, he tried to reconcile the latter, appealed for unity and a common desire to defend their native land, because historically at that time it was known as the difficult period of the Tatar-Mongol conquest. Rev. Sergius often met with the noble prince Dimitri Donskoy. The great ascetic blessed the prince to the Battle of Kulikovo and gave his monks Peresvet and Oslyabyu to participate in the battle.
The great abbot, during his lifetime, performed many miracles. One of the most amazing is the resurrection of the deceased. From the life of the saint it is known that the Blessed Virgin Mary repeatedly appeared to the ascetic.
The great monastic feat, love for the neighbor and the Motherland, the desire for peacemaking - all this has been embodied in the life of the saint. That is why the cultural ideal of Holy Russia is associated with the name of the saint.
Currently, the saint is resorted to in his prayers for various needs. In the Orthodox tradition, it is customary to especially pray to this ascetic for the gift of the ability to learn to read and write.
