Makarov N.A. Stone of Anthony the Roman. Holy Venerable Anthony of Rome, Novgorod Wonderworker

Venerable Anthony the Roman (c. 1067 - August 3, 1147) - Russian Orthodox saint, founder of the Novgorod St. Anthony Monastery. According to the life of the saint, compiled in the 16th century, Anthony was born in Rome from “Orthodox parents.” At the age of 18, having become orphaned, he distributed his property to the poor (and put some of it in a barrel and threw it into the sea) and accepted monastic tonsure. Showed diligence in studying Greek, reading Holy Scripture, works of the holy fathers. When the “princes” of the region where the monastery was located and the “Latins” began persecuting Orthodoxy, Anthony left the ruined monastery and devoted himself to prayer on a seaside rock for a year. One day the stone on which Anthony was standing broke off from the rock and fell into the sea.

Bypassing the “warm sea”, the Neva, Ladoga lake and Volkhov, the saint miraculously sailed on a stone to Novgorod, and the journey lasted only three days. This happened, according to the hagiographer, in September 1106, on the eve of Christmas Holy Mother of God. At first, Anthony communicated with the Novgorodians through an interpreter, then, after praying, “that God would open the Russian language to him,” without his help. With the assistance of the Novgorod bishop Nikita, Anthony founded a monastery in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, using the remains of his property, found in a barrel caught by fishermen, to purchase lands and decorate the monastery. In 1117, a stone church was founded in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was consecrated by Bishop John of Novgorod in 1119. In 1131, Saint Niphon of Novgorod installed the Monk Anthony as abbot of the monastery he founded. He ruled the monastery for 16 years, and on the eve of his death he appointed monk Andrei as his successor, to whom the authorship of the life is attributed.

Makarov N.A. Stone of Anthony the Roman // Novgorod historical collection. - L., 1984. Issue. 2(12)

Early 2016 Orthodox world The news spread: the relics of St. Anthony the Roman (August 3/16), which were considered lost, had been found. This looks like a miracle, no less than the life of this saint - an Italian monk, who, according to legend, sailed to Novgorod on a stone.

Throw the inheritance into the sea

We know hundreds of saints in whom God's call to a different, superhuman way of life overcame the temptation of the most prosperous conditions and prospects for life in the world. It was the same with Venerable Anthony.

There are many episodes in the life of this saint that could serve as a model for each of modern Christians. And, perhaps, the first of them is complete devotion to God, which the monk showed at a young age, when he had to dispose of the rich estate of his parents too early...

Anthony was born into a wealthy family in 1067, after the Great Schism, but was raised in Orthodox tradition. As a seventeen-year-old youth, he was left an orphan and devoted himself to the study of Scripture and the patristic Tradition of the Church, and after some time he made a natural decision for himself - to leave the world. His intention was so irrevocable that Anthony “burned his bridges” - most He distributed the considerable inheritance he inherited from his parents to the poor, and kept a small part... for himself? Maybe he put it aside and hid it for a rainy day? Anthony acted very strangely: he put part of the property in a wooden tarred barrel and... threw it into the sea.

It is difficult to imagine a way of disposing of wealth that would place the owner in a position more dependent on the will of God than the one used by the future saint. The Life does not explain why Anthony did this. Perhaps the young man felt attached to these things, perhaps there were too many advisers on how best to use the wealth, perhaps the young man had a presentiment that he should not make decisions from his mind. Be that as it may, Anthony gave part of his estate to the disposal of “He who made heaven and earth, the sea and everything that is in them.” And this childish gullibility, as we will see later, did not shame the saint.

The next period of his life was 20 years of unknown asceticism in a secluded monastery. He probably could have remained an unknown monk or become famous, but in his native lands, if not for trouble. And here is the second lesson that the life of a Roman gives: the Lord turns difficult, sorrowful circumstances into good if a person trusts in Him.

The 11th century is the time of the Great Schism, when the Roman See fell away from the Body of Christ, separating from the Eastern Churches. The process of alienation between Rome and Constantinople, which lasted several centuries, reached the point of no return, when in 1054 the legates of the Pope placed an anathema on the Patriarch of Constantinople on the altar of the Constantinople Church of Hagia Sophia, accusing him of non-existent crimes. Mutual anathema followed - and a few months later the final break occurred.

Confrontation Orthodox Church and the Latins were often of a very harsh nature. Seizures of cathedras and churches began, a struggle for influence, and later even bloodshed. And the Orthodox monastery, where Anthony labored, did not stand aside.

The brethren were forced to disperse because the Latins also occupied this monastery. Saint Anthony wandered and lived for a year on a deserted shore, on a rock. During one of the strongest storms on September 5, 1105, a piece of rock broke off, and the stone on which Anthony prayed ended up in the sea. The life tells that, contrary to the laws of nature, the stone floated, and after a short time the monk found himself in new lands, stopping at the shore near the village of Volkhovskoye, which is on the Volkhov River about 3 kilometers from Novgorod. This happened on the eve of the Feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God - and St. Anthony remembered this day.

These events are mentioned in the Novgorod chronicles.

In Novgorod, the monk met a craftsman who spoke several languages, and he explained to him in which lands he found himself. Some sources say that the Russian speech was given to the saint immediately through his prayers, others say that the saint gradually learned the language from local residents, who began to come to him for blessings, seeing his ascetic lifestyle. The saint told the secret of his arrival in Rus' only to Saint Nikita.

And on next year The incredible happened: fishermen caught a barrel in Volkhov...

Life's work

The same one in which young Anthony concluded the remains of his generous inheritance. He listed the items that were supposed to be in the barrel, and the fishermen, making sure that everything was exactly the same, rightfully gave the contents to the owner. These precious objects, with the blessing of the Novgorod Saint Nikita, were used by the monk to acquire land and build a monastery in the name of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary - on the very place where Anthony landed on his stone-dwelling.

So the Lord showed the monk how to dispose of his wealth. And his other works began: during the day he was busy building a monastery, at night he prayed on his stone. In 1117, under his leadership, a white stone church was erected in the monastery. The Cathedral in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built over 2 years by the famous Novgorod architect Peter. The painting of the cathedral was completed in 1125. And only in 1131 the Italian monk was elevated to the priesthood and was soon elected abbot. His monastery became known for the works of mercy, which Anthony was taught from his youth; during his lifetime he himself became known and revered as an ascetic and a man of great humility.

The cathedral that the Italian monk built has survived to this day, as has the stone (more precisely, a small part of it) on which Anthony arrived in Volkhovskoye - it can be seen in the vestibule of the temple under the image of St. Nikita of Novgorod.

And the monk, having completed his life’s work, departed to the Lord in 1147 as an almost 80-year-old old man. Before his death, he called to him his disciple Hieromonk Andrei, the author of the first life, and confessed to him. Andrei was surprised at the humility of the saint, who asked for the prayers of the brethren: “Can dark princes touch our God-bearing father and the likes of the apostles? The one whom the Lord ruled over the waters on the stone like an incorporeal angel.”

Miracles

The relics of St. Anthony the Roman were found incorrupt, “like one lying alive,” on July 1, 1597, and were placed in the Nativity Cathedral. Even before this event, cases of healing through the prayers of the saint were known: for example, at the tomb of Anthony the Roman, abbot Kirill of the monastery was healed, whose ill-wishers had added poison to his food. Having heard about this miracle, the relatives sent a certain candle-maker Theodore to the monastery, who was drinking and possessed by a demon. The possessed man came on his own and at the stone of St. Anthony he freed himself from the dark forces that tormented him.

After the glorification of the saint, miracles from his relics became known. Thus, the wife of a priest named Irina, who suffered from a serious illness, as a result of which she could not control her body, saw in a dream a gray-haired old man who told her to come to the monastery and venerate the relics of St. Anthony. Having done this, Irina recovered. Having visited the monastery, a child, the only son of a baker from Veliky Novgorod, received his sight. A man named Abraham, unable to walk, was cured: as the author of the life says, “at that same hour he was healed of his illness, jumping and walking around the church as if he had never been sick.”

On icons, Saint Anthony the Roman is sometimes depicted with sedge stems: according to legend, he held this plant in his hands when he sailed to Novgorod. The life does not say whether the monk wanted to return home, whether he missed native language, native monastery. But life speaks precisely of something else: about this person’s decisive renunciation of his will and willingness to entrust his life to God, knowing that this could mean the most unpredictable events. His homeland was the Kingdom of Heaven, which the monk was honored with.

Tragedies in the fate of the monastery

The story of Anthony the Roman does not end with his death or even his glorification.

The fate of his brainchild, the Nativity Monastery, turned out to be tragic. In 1569, the Anthony Monastery became a victim of Tsar Ivan the Terrible’s campaign against Novgorod. During this operation, many people were tortured and killed, including Abbot Gelasius and the monastery brethren. And the liturgical vessels - the legacy of St. Anthony, found by fishermen in a barrel - were taken by Ivan the Terrible to Moscow, to the sacristy of the Moscow Assumption Cathedral.

In connection with these events, all-Russian veneration of the Novgorod monk became possible only in 1597, and from that time it was known procession in honor of the saint: he walked from the St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod to the Anthony Monastery. The monastery was revived, and in early XVIII centuries there was a department of Novgorod suffragan bishops here, in 1740 the Novgorod Theological Seminary was opened, one of the first graduates of which was Tikhon, the future Saint of Zadonsk.

With the Bolsheviks coming to power in 1918, the seminary was closed, and then the monastery, the brainchild of St. Anthony, was abolished. Today there is a museum here. But the majestic ancient Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary reminds of the first builder of the monastery and his amazing fate.

The monk shared the sad fate of his monastery: in 1927, his relics were barbarously removed from the shrine and placed in the museum of atheism, which was set up in the St. Sophia Cathedral of the Novgorod Kremlin. For 80 years they were considered lost... And 20 years ago, work began to study all the relics discovered in the cathedral. By 2016, the historical and anthropological research was completed and the newfound relics of the saint were transferred to Metropolitan Lev of Novgorod and Staraya Russa. And again a miracle! However, the main miracle in the life of St. Anthony the Roman - his humble desire to fulfill God's will for himself, whatever it turned out to be and wherever it led him - is to a small extent accessible to us.

Reverend Our Father Anthony, pray to God for us!

The Monk Anthony the Roman was born in Rome in the year from wealthy parents who adhered to the Orthodox confession of faith, and was raised by them in piety. Deprived of his parents at the age of 17, he began to study the writings of his fathers in Greek. Then he distributed part of the inheritance to the poor and invested the other in wooden barrel and launched her into the sea. He himself took monastic vows in one of the desert monasteries, where he lived for 20 years.

Persecution of the Orthodox by the Latins forced the brethren to disperse. The Monk Anthony wandered, moving from place to place, until he found a large stone on the deserted seashore, on which he lived for a whole year in fasting and prayer. A terrible storm that broke out on September 5 of the year tore off the stone on which the Monk Anthony was standing and carried it into the sea. On the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the stone stopped 3 versts from Novgorod on the banks of the Volkhov River near the village of Volkhovskoye. This event is attested in the Novgorod chronicles. At this place the monk, with the blessing of the Novgorod Saint Nikita, founded a monastery in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos.

The next year, fishermen caught a barrel containing the inheritance of the Monk Anthony, which had been put into the sea many years ago. Having indicated what was in the barrel, the monk took the barrel and bought land for the monastery.

Spiritual asceticism was combined in the monastery with intense labor activity. The Monk Anthony made sure that the monastery's income provided assistance to the poor, orphans and widows. In the year the monk began stone construction in the monastery. The cathedral in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built during the life of the monk in - has survived to this day. famous Novgorod architect Peter, with fresco paintings of the year.

His relics were found incorrupt on July 1, and placed in a silver-bound shrine. From that time on, a religious procession was established in his memory from the St. Sophia Cathedral, on the first Friday after Peter's Day. At the saint's shrine there was a branch of sedge, with which Anthony sailed from Rome, holding it in his hand. This is how he is depicted on icons. Until the 30s of our century, the relics of St. Anthony rested in the cathedral monastery church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the chapel named after him. Their fate is currently unknown.

The Monk Anthony was born in 1067 in Rome into a family of noble and wealthy citizens. From childhood he was raised by his parents in Christian piety. In his youth, the Monk Anthony studied the theology of the Eastern Church and the works of the holy fathers.

Having lost his parents, Saint Anthony decided to become a monk and leave Rome, because... The popes tried in every possible way to convert the Orthodox to Latinism. He was then 17 years old. Having distributed one part of the rich inheritance to the poor, and the other, putting it in a barrel and throwing it into the sea, he completely surrendered himself to the will of God and set off on a journey through the monasteries where Orthodox monks labored.

In one desert monastery he accepted the monastic feat and lived there for twenty years. Persecution of the Orthodox by the Latins forced the brethren to leave the monastery. Saint Anthony wandered, moving from place to place, until he found a large stone on the deserted seashore, on which he lived for a whole year in fasting and prayer.

A terrible storm that broke out on September 5, 1105, tore the stone on which the holy ascetic stood from the shore and carried it far into the depths of the sea. Arriving in deep prayer, the Monk Anthony was not afraid, but completely surrendered himself to God.

The stone miraculously floated across the waters. Having crossed the sea, he entered the mouth of the river and, on the eve of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, stopped on the bank of the Volkhov River near the village of Volkhovskoye, three miles from Novgorod. This event is attested in the Novgorod Chronicles.

In the morning, St. Anthony was discovered by village residents. They looked in amazement at the wonderful stranger, who did not dare to leave his stone, which had become his home and a stronghold, tested in the midst of storms. Not knowing the Russian language, Saint Anthony answered all questions with bows.

For three days the saint prayed on the stone and asked God to reveal to him what country he was in. Then he went to Novgorod, where, by the Providence of God, he met a man from foreign blacksmiths who knew Latin, Greek and Russian. From him the Monk Anthony learned what country he was in. He listened with surprise that in front of him were Veliky Novgorod and St. Sophia, that his stone was not on the waters of the Tiber, but on the Volkhov, which was a half-year journey from ancient Rome, to him this mysterious journey in the abyss seemed like three days.

Together they entered the cathedral, where Saint Nikita (†1108; commemorated January 31, April 30 and May 14) officiated, and the soul of the stranger, persecuted in his homeland for the faith of his ancestors, was filled with unspeakable joy at the sight of the splendor of the Orthodox service, so wretched in the West he left behind. Having been in the temple, Saint Anthony returned to his stone. The surrounding residents began to come to him for blessings. The monk learned the Russian language from them.

After some time, the Monk Anthony went to Novgorod to visit Saint Nikita of Novgorod, to whom he told about his miraculous arrival. Saint Nikita wanted to leave the monk at the see, but Saint Anthony asked him for a blessing to live in the place where the Lord had assigned him. After some time, Saint Nikita himself visited the Monk Anthony, who continued to live on the stone. Having examined the place, the saint blessed the monk to found a monastery here in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. He received a place from the mayors and consecrated the wooden temple that was originally built.

The next year, fishermen fished near the new monastery, but were unsuccessful. At the word of the monk, they cast the net again and caught a lot of fish, and also pulled out the barrel thrown by the Monk Anthony into the sea in their homeland. The saint recognized his barrel, but the fishermen did not want to give it to him. The monk invited them to go to the judges and told them that the barrel contained mainly sacred vessels and icons (obviously from his parents’ home church). Having received the barrel, the Monk Anthony used the money in it to buy land around the monastery, a village and fishing grounds from the Novgorod mayors.

Over the years, the monastery of the monk was improved and decorated. In 1117, a stone church was founded in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was consecrated by Bishop John of Novgorod (1110-1130) in 1119. No later than 1125, this temple was painted. At the same time, a stone refectory was built, at which a temple was later built in honor of the Presentation of the Lord.

In 1131, the Monk Anthony, at the request of the brethren of the monastery, was appointed abbot of the monastery. For sixteen years he ruled the monastery, instructing the brethren in piety and godly living. Before his death, he appointed his disciple Reverend Andrew as his successor. The Monk Anthony reposed peacefully on August 3, 1147 and was buried by Bishop Niphon of Novgorod (1130-1156) in the monastery church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos.

In 1597, under the All-Russian Patriarch Job (1589-1607) and the Novgorod Metropolitan Varlaam (1592-1601), on the first Friday after the day of remembrance of the holy supreme apostles Peter and Paul (June 29), the holy relics of St. Anthony were found. The discovery of the relics was preceded by miraculous healings through the prayers of the saint. For example, at the tomb of the saint, Abbot Kirill (1580-1594) of the monastery was healed of a fatal illness. In gratitude, he built a chapel over the ascetic’s stone.

A certain possessed candle-maker named Theodore came to the monastery and prayed at the stone of the monk, on which at that time the image of the saint was already written. The Monk Anthony appeared to him and said that he would be healed of the demon when he touched the stone. And so it happened. The monks of the monastery were also healed from illness when they turned to the prayerful help of the monk.

One day, the pious monk of the Anthony monastery, Nifont, had a vision in which the will of God was revealed to glorify the Monk Anthony. At the request of Nifont and the former abbot Kirill, who by that time had become the archimandrite of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, His Holiness Patriarch Job ordered that the relics of St. Anthony be transferred to a new tomb and placed in the temple for public worship. Before the opening of the holy relics, Metropolitan Varlaam of Novgorod and the brethren of the monastery established strict fasting and intense prayers to the monk.

The Monk Anthony appeared to Metropolitan Varlaam and gave his blessing to fulfill the command of the Patriarch. On July 1, 1597, when they dismantled the tomb over the grave, they saw the honest relics of the monk, “as if lying alive.” The whole monastery was filled with fragrance. The holy relics were placed in a new tomb next to the place of the previous burial. Miraculous healings of the sick occurred from the holy relics. In the same year, the Monk Anthony was glorified among the saints.

The disciple and successor of the Monk Anthony, Abbot Andrei, compiled the life of the saint, which in 1598 was supplemented by the mentioned monk Nifont. Monk Nifont also compiled a Legend about the discovery of the relics of the saint and word of praise to him. In 1168, the first akathist to the saint was published, compiled by the former abbot of the Anthony Monastery, Archimandrite Macarius.

Since the discovery of the holy relics of St. Anthony, a special celebration was held in his monastery on the first Friday after Peter's Day (in 1597, this day fell on July 1). There was a religious procession from the Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral to the monastery. Many people flocked from all over the Novgorod diocese. On January 17, on the saint’s name day, a local celebration was held in the monastery in honor of Saint Anthony.

The liturgical vessels found in the barrel were taken to Moscow by Ivan the Terrible and kept in the sacristy of the Moscow Assumption Cathedral. The spiritual and purchase documents of St. Anthony, which were published several times, have been preserved. As before, in the Nativity Cathedral of the Anthony Monastery in Novgorod there is a stone on which the Monk Anthony miraculously sailed from Rome.

"Lives of Russian Saints"

1. Dates in the text are given in the old style.

August 3 (16 according to the "new style") 1147. Memory nrp. Anthony the Roman

Venerable Anton the Roman. 1680 PMZ. 31x27 cm. Comes from Nikandrova hermitage in Porkhov district

St. Anthony the Roman, Novgorod Wonderworker († 1147) was born in 1067 in Italy into a wealthy family. At that time, the Western Church had already broken away from Orthodoxy (1054), but pious parents raised the boy in Orthodox faith. In his youth, Saint Anthony, as a result of constant debates about faith and the desire of the Roman popes to convert the Orthodox to Latinism, studied the theology of the Eastern Church and the works of the holy fathers. Having lost his parents, at the age of 17 he decided to become a monk and left Rome. Having distributed part of his rich inheritance to the poor, and putting the other part in a barrel and throwing it into the sea, he completely surrendered himself to the will of God and set off on a journey through the monasteries where Orthodox monks labored. In one desert monastery he took monastic vows and lived there for twenty years, achieving high holiness.

Persecution of the Orthodox by the Latins forced the brethren to leave the monastery. Saint Anthony wandered, moving from place to place, until he found a large stone on the deserted seashore, on which he lived for a whole year in fasting and prayer. A terrible storm that broke out on September 5, 1105, tore the stone on which the holy ascetic stood from the shore. Being in deep prayer, the Monk Anthony was not afraid, but completely surrendered himself to God. The stone miraculously carried across the sea, it reached Russian soil and, on the eve of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, stopped on the banks of the Volkhov River near the village of Volkhovskoye, three miles from Novgorod. This event is attested in the Novgorod Chronicles. In the morning, St. Anthony was discovered by surrounding residents. They looked in amazement at the wonderful stranger, who did not dare to leave his floating stone, which became his home and a stronghold, tested in the midst of storms.

Not knowing Russian, St. Anthony answered all questions with bows. For three days the saint prayed on the stone and asked God to reveal to him what country he was in. Then he went to Novgorod, where he met a man from foreign merchants who knew Latin, Greek and Russian. From him the Monk Anthony learned that he had arrived in Rus'.

He listened with surprise that before him was Veliky Novgorod and St. Sophia, that his stone was not on the waters of the Tiber, but on the Volkhov, where it took many months to get from Rome, but to him this mysterious journey in the abyss seemed like three days. Together they entered the cathedral where Saint Nikita served, and the soul of the stranger, persecuted in his homeland for the faith of his ancestors, was filled with unspeakable joy at the sight of the splendor of the Orthodox service, so emasculated in the West he had left behind. Having been in the temple, Saint Anthony returned to his stone. From the surrounding residents the monk gradually learned the Russian language.

After some time, the Monk Anthony went to Novgorod to visit Saint Nikita of Novgorod (†1108; commemorated January 31/February 13, April 30/May 13 and May 14/27), to whom he told about his miraculous arrival. Saint Nikita wanted to leave the monk at his temple, but Anthony asked him for a blessing to live in the place where the Lord had designated for him on the stone. After some time, Saint Nikita himself visited the Monk Anthony and blessed the monk to found a monastery here in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. He received a place from the mayors and consecrated the wooden temple that was originally built.

The next year, fishermen fished near the new monastery, but were unsuccessful. At the word of the monk, they cast the net again and caught a lot of fish, and also pulled out the barrel thrown by the Monk Anthony into the sea in their homeland. The saint recognized his barrel, but the fishermen did not want to give it to him. The monk invited them to go to the judges and told them that the barrel contained mainly sacred vessels and icons (obviously from his parents’ home church). Having received the barrel, the Monk Anthony used the money in it to buy land around the monastery, a village and fishing grounds from the Novgorod mayors.

Over the years, the monastery of the saint was improved: instead of wooden churches, stone ones were erected. In 1117, a stone church was founded in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which in 1119 was consecrated by Bishop John of Novgorod (1110-1130). No later than 1125, this temple was painted. At the same time, a stone refectory was built, at which a temple was later built in honor of the Presentation of the Lord.

In 1131, the Monk Anthony, at the request of the brethren of the monastery, was made abbot of the monastery. For sixteen years he ruled the monastery, and before his death he appointed his disciple, the Venerable Hieromonk Andrei, as his successor. The Monk Anthony reposed peacefully on August 3, 1147 and was buried by Bishop Niphon of Novgorod (1130-1156) in the monastery Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In 1597, under Patriarch Job (1589-1607) and Novgorod Metropolitan Varlaam (1592-1601), on the first Friday after the day of remembrance of the holy supreme apostles Peter and Paul (June 29), the holy relics of St. Anthony were found. The discovery of the relics was preceded by miraculous healings through the prayers of the saint. For example, at the tomb of the saint, Abbot Kirill (1580-1594) of the monastery was healed of a fatal illness. In gratitude, he built a chapel over the ascetic’s stone. A certain possessed candle-maker named Theodore came to the monastery and prayed at the stone of the monk, on which at that time the image of the saint was already written. The Monk Anthony appeared to him and said that he would be healed of the demon when he touched the stone. And so it happened. The monks of the monastery were also healed from illness when they turned to the prayerful help of the monk.

One day, the pious monk of the Anthony monastery, Nifont, had a vision in which the will of God was revealed to glorify the Monk Anthony. At the request of Nifont and the former abbot of the monastery, Kirill, who by that time had become the archimandrite of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, His Holiness Patriarch Job ordered the relics of St. Anthony to be transferred to a new tomb and placed in the temple for worship. On July 1, 1597, when they dismantled the tomb over the grave, they saw the honest relics of the saint, “as if lying alive.” The whole monastery was filled with fragrance. Miraculous healings of the sick occurred from the holy relics. In the same year, the Monk Anthony was glorified among the saints.

From the time of the discovery of the holy relics of St. Anthony in his monastery, on the first Friday after Peter's Day (in 1597 this day fell on July 1), a religious procession was held from the Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral to the monastery. Many people flocked from all over the Novgorod diocese. St. Anthony the Roman is considered the founder of monasticism in Novgorod.

The liturgical vessels found in the barrel were taken to Moscow by Ivan the Terrible and kept in the sacristy of the Moscow Assumption Cathedral. The spiritual and purchase documents of St. Anthony, which were published several times, have been preserved. The stone on which the Monk Anthony miraculously sailed from Rome is still kept in the Nativity Cathedral of the Anthony Monastery in Novgorod.

Taken from here: http://www.rusidea.org/?a=25081601