Sergius of Radonezh is famous. Brief biography of Sergius of Radonezh

Biography of Sergius of Radonezh

Sergius of Radonezh (in the world Bartholomew; “Radonezh” is a toponymic nickname; May 3, 1314 - September 25, 1392) - monk of the Russian Church, founder of the Trinity Monastery near Moscow (now the Trinity-Sergius Lavra), transformer of monasticism in Northern Rus'.

Sergius of Radonezh is revered by the Russian Orthodox Church as a saint and is considered the greatest ascetic of the Russian land.

Birth and childhood

In his story, the first biographer of Sergius of Radonezh, Epiphanius the Wise, reports that the future saint, who received the name Bartholomew at birth, was born in the village of Varnitsa (near Rostov) in the family of boyar Kirill, a servant of the Rostov appanage princes, and his wife Maria.

In the literature there are several different dates for his birth. It was suggested that Sergius was born either in 1315 or 1318. Sergius's birthday was also called either May 9 or August 25, 1322. The date of May 3, 1319 appeared in the writings of the 19th century. This difference of opinion gave rise to famous writer Valentin Rasputin bitterly asserts that “the year of birth of the youth Bartholomew is lost.” The Russian Church traditionally considers his birthday to be May 3, 1314.

At the age of 10, young Bartholomew was sent to learn to read and write in church school together with his brothers: the elder Stefan and the younger Peter. Unlike his academically successful brothers, Bartholomew was significantly behind in his studies. The teacher scolded him, his parents were upset and admonished him, he himself prayed with tears, but his studies did not move forward. And then an event occurred, which is reported in all the biographies of Sergius.

On instructions from his father, Bartholomew went into the field to look for horses. During his search, he went out into a clearing and saw under an oak tree an elder schema-monk, “holy and wonderful, with the rank of presbyter, handsome and like an Angel, who stood in the field under the oak tree and prayed earnestly, with tears.” Seeing him, Bartholomew first bowed humbly, then came up and stood close, waiting for him to finish his prayer. The elder, seeing the boy, turned to him: “What are you looking for and what do you want, child?” Bowing to the ground, with deep emotional emotion, he told him his grief and asked the elder to pray that God would help him overcome the letter. Having prayed, the elder took the reliquary from his bosom and took a piece of prosphora from it, blessed it and ordered it to be eaten, saying: “This is given to you as a sign of God’s grace and understanding of the Holy Scriptures.”<…>about literacy, child, do not grieve: know that from now on the Lord will grant you good knowledge of literacy, greater than that of your brothers and peers.” After this, the elder wanted to leave, but Bartholomew begged him to visit his parents’ house. During the meal, Bartholomew’s parents told the elder many signs that accompanied the birth of their son, and he said: “It will be a sign of the truth of my words for you that after my departure the boy will be well literate and understand holy books. And here is the second sign and prediction for you - the boy will be great before God and people for his virtuous life.” Having said this, the elder got ready to leave and finally said: Your Son will be the abode of the Holy Trinity and will lead many after him to an understanding of the Divine commandments.

Around 1328, Bartholomew's greatly impoverished family was forced to move to the city of Radonezh. After the marriage of the eldest son Stefan, the aged parents accepted the schema into the Khotkovo-Pokrovsky Monastery.

Beginning of monastic life

After the death of his parents, Bartholomew himself went to the Khotkovo-Pokrovsky Monastery, where his widowed brother Stefan had already been monasticized. Striving for “the strictest monasticism”, for living in the wilderness, he did not stay here long and, having convinced Stefan, together with him he founded a hermitage on the banks of the Konchura River, on the Makovets hill in the middle of the remote Radonezh forest, where he built (about 1335) a small wooden church in the name of Holy Trinity, on the site of which now stands a cathedral church also in the name of the Holy Trinity.

Unable to withstand the too harsh and ascetic lifestyle, Stefan soon left for the Moscow Epiphany Monastery, where he later became abbot. Bartholomew, left completely alone, called upon a certain abbot Mitrofan and received tonsure from him under the name Sergius, since on that day the memory of the martyrs Sergius and Bacchus was celebrated.

Formation of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery

After two or three years, monks began to flock to him; a monastery was formed, which in 1345 took shape as the Trinity-Sergius Monastery (later the Trinity-Sergius Lavra) and Sergius was its second abbot (the first was Mitrofan) and presbyter (from 1354), who set an example for everyone with his humility and hard work. Having forbidden accepting alms, Sergius made it a rule that all monks should live from their labor, himself setting an example for them in this. Gradually his fame grew; Everyone began to turn to the monastery, from peasants to princes; many settled next to her and donated their property to her. At first, suffering from the extreme need of everything necessary in the desert, she turned to a rich monastery. The glory of Sergius even reached Constantinople: the Ecumenical Patriarch Philotheus sent him with a special embassy a cross, a paraman, a schema and a letter in which he praised him for his virtuous life and gave advice to introduce kenovia (strict communal living) in the monastery. On this advice and with the blessing of Metropolitan Alexei, Sergius introduced a community life charter in the monastery, which was later adopted in many Russian monasteries. Metropolitan Alexei, who highly respected the Radonezh abbot, before his death, persuaded him to be his successor, but Sergius resolutely refused.

Public ministry of Sergius of Radonezh

According to one contemporary, Sergius “with quiet and meek words” could act on the most hardened and hardened hearts; very often he reconciled princes warring among themselves, persuading them to obey the Grand Duke of Moscow (for example, the Rostov prince in 1356, the Nizhny Novgorod prince in 1365, Oleg of Ryazan, etc.), thanks to which by the time of the Battle of Kulikovo almost all Russian princes recognized the primacy of Dmitry Ioannovich. According to the life version, going to this battle, the latter, accompanied by princes, boyars and governors, went to Sergius to pray with him and receive a blessing from him. Blessing him, Sergius predicted victory and salvation from death for him and sent two of his monks, Peresvet and Oslyabya, on the campaign.

There is also a version (V.A. Kuchkin) according to which the story of the Life of Sergius of Radonezh about Sergius of Radonezh’s blessing of Dmitry Donskoy to fight Mamai does not refer to the Battle of Kulikovo, but to the battle on the Vozha River (1378) and is linked in later texts (“The Tale of the Massacre of Mamayev”) with the Battle of Kulikovo later, as a larger event.

Approaching the Don, Dimitri Ioannovich hesitated whether to cross the river or not, and only after receiving an encouraging letter from Sergius, admonishing him to attack the Tatars as soon as possible, did he begin decisive action.

In 1382, when Tokhtamysh’s army approached Moscow, Sergius abandoned his monastery “and fled from Takhtamyshov to Tfer” under the protection of Prince Mikhail Alexandrovich Tverskoy.

After the Battle of Kulikovo Grand Duke began to treat the Radonezh abbot with even greater reverence and invited him in 1389 to seal a spiritual will legitimizing new order succession to the throne from father to eldest son.

In addition to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, Sergius founded several more monasteries (Blagoveshchenskaya on Kirzhach, Staro-Golutvin near Kolomna, Vysotsky Monastery, St. George's on Klyazma), in all of these monasteries he appointed his students as abbots. More than 40 monasteries were founded by his students: Savva (Savvo-Storozhevsky near Zvenigorod), Ferapont (Ferapontov), ​​Kirill (Kirillo-Belozersky), Sylvester (Voskresensky Obnorsky), etc., as well as his spiritual interlocutors, such as Stefan of Perm.

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 the arms of his father when he was carrying the child to the saint for healing

Old age and death St. Sergius

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. On the eve of his death, St. Sergius called the brethren for the last time and addressed the words of his testament: Pay attention to yourself, brethren. First have the fear of God, spiritual purity and unfeigned love...

On September 25, 1392, Sergius died, and 30 years later, on July 18, 1422, his relics were found incorrupt, as testified by Pachomius Logothet; July 18th is one of the saint's commemoration days. Moreover, in the language of ancient church literature, incorruptible relics are not incorruptible bodies, but preserved and undecayed bones. In 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. 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.

The most famous source of information about him, as well as a remarkable monument of ancient Russian literature, is the legendary Life of Sergius, written in 1417-1418 by his student Epiphanius the Wise, and in the middle of the 15th century significantly revised and supplemented by Pachomius Logothetes

Canonization

The veneration of Sergius of Radonezh arose earlier than the appearance of formal rules canonization of saints (before the Makariev Councils, the Russian Church did not know mandatory conciliar canonization). Therefore, there is no documentary information about when and how his veneration as an Orthodox saint began and by whom it was established. It is possible that Sergius “became an all-Russian saint of his own accord, because of his great glory.”

Maxim the Greek openly expressed direct doubts about the holiness of Sergius. The reason for the doubts was that Sergius, like the Moscow saints, “kept cities, volosts, villages, collected duties and quitrents, and had wealth.” (Here Maxim Grek joins the non-covetous people.)

Church historian E.E. Golubinsky does not give clear messages about the beginning of his veneration. He mentions two princely charters written before 1448, in which Sergius is called reverend elder, but believes that in them he is still listed as a locally revered saint. In his opinion, the fact of canonizing Sergius for general church veneration serves as a letter from Metropolitan Jonah to Dmitry Shemyaka, dating from 1449 or 1450 (the uncertainty of the year is caused by the fact that it is not known exactly when the old March calendar was replaced by the September calendar). In it, the head of the Russian Church calls Sergius a reverend and places him next to other miracle workers and saints, threatening to deprive Shemyaka of the “mercy” of the Moscow saints. Golubinsky believes that the church-wide glorification of Sergius of Radonezh, together with Rev. Kirill Belozersky and Saint Alexy was one of the first acts of Metropolitan Jonah after his elevation to the see.

A number of secular encyclopedias indicate that Sergius was canonized in 1452.

With the approval of the Pope, Sergius of Radonezh is revered only by the Eastern Catholic churches.

Secular historians note that Sergius was canonized for political reasons by the will of Grand Duke Vasily the Dark. The Grand Duke included Sergius among the Moscow saints not by a special act, but on a special occasion, in a contractual document of 1448 with Prince Ivan of Mozhaisky.

The legend of the Florensky family about the preservation of the head of St. Sergius

In the magazine “Science and Religion” (No. 6, June 1998), O. Gazizova published an interview with Pavel Vasilyevich Florensky, a famous scientist and grandson of Pavel Florensky’s father. P.V. Florensky told a family legend about how, on Lazarus Saturday in 1919, Father Pavel Florensky became aware of the authorities preparing an autopsy of the relics of St. Sergius, which was to take place before Easter. The further preservation of the relics was under great threat.

According to P.V. Florensky, soon a secret meeting took place in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, in which Father Pavel Florensky, the Lavra's governor, Father Kronid, Yu. A. Olsufiev, a member of the Commission for the Protection of Historical and Antique Monuments of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, took part; and, probably, members of the Commission, Count V. A. Komarovsky, as well as S. P. Mansurov and M. V. Shik, who later became priests.

The meeting participants secretly entered the Trinity Cathedral, where, after reading a prayer at the shrine containing the relics of the Saint, they used a copy to remove the head of the saint, which was replaced with the head of Prince Trubetskoy, who was buried in the Lavra. The head of St. Sergius of Radonezh was temporarily placed in the sacristy. Soon Count Olsufiev moved the Head into an oak ark and moved it to his home (Sergiev Posad, Valovaya Street). In 1928, Olsufiev, fearing arrest, buried the ark in his garden.

In 1933, after the arrest of Pavel Florensky's father, Count Yu. A. Olsufiev fled to Nizhny Novgorod, where he dedicated Pavel Aleksandrovich Golubtsov (the future Bishop of Novgorod and Starorussky) to this story. P. A. Golubtsov managed to move the ark with the head of St. Sergius from the garden of Count Olsufiev to the vicinity of the Nikolo-Ugreshsky monastery near Moscow, where the ark was located until the end of the Great Patriotic War. Returning from the front, P. A. Golubtsov handed over the ark to Ekaterina Pavlovna Vasilchikova (the adopted daughter of Count Olsufiev), who became the last custodian of the shrine.

In 1946, when the Trinity-Sergius Lavra was reopened and the relics of St. Sergius were returned to the monastery, E. P. Vasilchikova secretly returned the head of Sergius to Patriarch Alexy I, who blessed it to be returned to its place, in the shrine.

According to the Florensky family tradition, Father Pavel made notes in Greek about his participation in this whole story. However, no written evidence was found in his archives.

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, a decisive numerical superiority was gained by the monasteries that arose far from cities, on uncultivated lands, and the monastic struggle against the spiritual shortcomings of man was combined with new struggle- “with inconvenience external nature“, and “this second goal has become 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. Open path to the north and northeast it 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.

On May 3, 1314, a son was born to Cyril and Maria in the Rostov region. The first miracle happened before the boy was born. One day, Mary, being pregnant, went to the temple. During the service, the baby, located in the mother’s belly, screamed three times. Forty days after birth, he was baptized and named Bartholomew. Mother and father told the clergyman about the cry of their son from the womb. To which the confessor replied that in the future the youth would serve the Holy Trinity.

When the boy grew up, he began to learn to read and write, but learning was difficult for him. One day, Bartholomew met a priest and told his confessor about his difficulties with studying and asked for his help. The priest gave him a piece of prosphora and said that now Bartholomew would read well. The priest went to the temple and began to pray, and told Bartholomew to read a chant. Miraculously, he began to read much better than before. After a while, Bartholomew began to fast and read prayers.

After some time, Bartholomew's family moved to the city of Radonezh. The youth expressed a desire to become a monk, but his parents asked him to wait until they died. Kirill and Maria went to monasteries and died there. Bartholomew passed on the inheritance inherited from his father younger brother Peter, and his older brother Stefan became a monk. Bartholomew decided to go into the forest and build a church there and called his brother Stefan with him. They found a deserted place in the thicket, erected a small hut and built a temple there, which was consecrated by the Metropolitan of Kyiv in the name of the Holy Trinity. Hegumen Mitrofan tonsured Bartholomew a monk and named him Sergius. At this time he was about 20 years old.

One day, during prayer, a miracle happened, the walls in the church parted, and Satan himself stepped into it, he ordered Sergius to leave the temple and frightened him. But Sergius drove him out with his prayer. After a while, other monks settled next to Sergius. Everyone built a hut. When there were 12 monks, a fence was built around the huts. When Abbot Mitrofan died, Sergius and the monks went to the bishop for a new mentor. The bishop ordered Sergius himself to be abbot. Sergius gave his consent.

At first there was no good road to the church. After a while, people began to build their own houses nearby, which grew into villages. The monks showed dissatisfaction that there was no water nearby. Saint Sergius prayed for a long time and a spring appeared nearby, the water of which healed. Near the Volga River lived a dignitary who was tormented by a demon. The Monk Sergius drove away the devil. Since then a large number of laymen began to visit the saint. Before the battle with the Horde prince Mamai, Prince Dmitry asked Sergius for a blessing and won. Subsequently, the Assumption Monastery was erected in honor of this.

Saint Sergius predicted his death 6 months in advance and transferred the abbess to his disciple Nikon. Sergius of Radonezh passed away on September 25, 1392, having lived 78 years. Sergius wanted to be buried outside the church, next to the other monks. But Metropolitan Cyprian gave his blessing so that Sergius could be put to death. right side in the church. A huge number of people on the day of the funeral came to say goodbye to Saint Sergius of Radonezh.

Biography and life of Sergius of Radonezh briefly for children in grades 2 and 4

Sergius's parents, Kirill and Maria, were pious people. They lived in Tver. There the future saint was born, approximately in 1314, during the reign of Prince Dmitry. Peter was the Metropolitan of the Russian land.

Mary, carrying a child in her womb, led a righteous life. She strictly observed all fasts and prayed. Even then, she decided that if a boy was born, she would dedicate him to the service of God. And, as an omen of the future child, one day a miracle happened in the temple during Mary’s prayer. The child cried out three times from his mother's womb. The priest interpreted this to mean that he would grow up to be a servant of the Holy Trinity.

After birth, on the fortieth day of birth, the baby was baptized. The name was given to him Bartholomew. He also had two more brothers - Peter and Stefan.

The boy grew up. The time has come for him to learn to read and write. This science was easy for his brothers, but with great difficulty for Bartholomew. He was very worried about this.

One day, at the request of his father, Bartholomew went in search of horses. And on the way, the boy met a holy elder in a field. He told him about his difficulties in learning and asked him to pray for him. In response to this, the elder gave the young man a piece of prosphora and said that from now on he would know how to read and write very well.

Bartholomew invited the elder to his parents’ house. He didn't refuse. And from then on, all sciences became easy for the boy.

Several years passed and Bartholomew began to strictly observe all fasts and read prayers, preparing himself for the service of the Almighty. He reread quite a few books of saints.

Soon, he and his entire family moved to the lands of Rostov, to Radonezh. The move was associated with the atrocities in Tver by the Moscow governor. The family settled near the local church.

Bartholomew's brothers found wives for themselves. And he strove for worship. He asked his father and mother to bless him for this. To which his parents asked him to wait until they finished their earthly journey, and then devote themselves to the Lord.

After some time they went to monasteries. And there they died. By this time, Stefan's wife had died and he also found shelter in the monastery cell. Bartholomew gave his parents' inheritance to his other brother, Peter.

He called Stefan to look for a suitable place to build a monastery. And they built a small church with him in a vacant lot, consecrating it in the name of the Holy Trinity. After some time, the brother left Bartholomew. Life in the lap of nature turned out to be difficult for him. He went to a Moscow monastery. There he became abbot.

And Bartholomew asked Elder Mitrofan to tonsure him as a monk. When he was tonsured, he took the name Sergius. At that time he was a little over 20 years old.

And he began to live in his hut, praying fervently. The demons tempted him in every possible way, but Sergius was persistent. He did not succumb to their temptations, but drove them out. Once Satan himself visited him, but the saint drove him out too.

Monks sometimes visited Sergius. And over time, some began to settle there with him. The church began to get upset.

After the death of the abbot, at the insistence of Bishop Athanasius, Sergius accepted this holy rank.

The saint performed many different miracles. Through the prayer of Sergius, a spring arose not far from the church he founded. He could heal the sick and resurrect the dead. And suffering people began to come to him for help.

One day, Sergius had a vision that his church would be a shelter for the poor and wanderers and it would be full of people.

Brother Stefan also returned to church. But one day, Sergius, offended by him, left the monastery. He built himself a cell on the Kirzhach River. But monks from the Church of the Holy Trinity came there to see him.

After some time, the saint returned back, leaving one of his disciples as abbot in the new monastery.

Sergius continued his life there. He continued to work miracles and heal the sick. They came to him for advice and blessings. The Grand Duke of Moscow Dmitry himself visited the saint before going to the battle with the Horde, which took place on the Kulikovo Field. Having received Sergius' blessing for her, the prince calmly led his army into battle.

Sergius not only prayed and healed people. He worked a lot for the benefit of his monastery. Gradually, his monastery became a shelter for the suffering, which was predicted to him in a vision.

On September 25, 1392, Sergius of Radonezh died. He left behind him his disciple Nikon as abbot. Sergius laid the foundation for desert monastic life.

Biography of Sergius of Radonezh

Sergius of Radonezh was born in the village of Varnitsa near Rostov on May 3, 1319. He is called Bartholomew. Cyril and Maria, the parents of the future saint, belonged to the boyars. In addition to Bartholomew, they had two more boys, Peter and Stefan.

According to legend, Mary went to church and while praying, her child let out a loud cry from her womb. As an infant, he surprises everyone by the fact that on Wednesday and Friday he does not drink his mother’s milk, and if Maria ate meat on other days, then he also did not drink milk from her breast on that day. And Bartholomew’s mother subsequently had to not eat meat.

At the age of seven, he and his brothers were sent to study, but reading and writing was difficult for him. Bartholomew really wanted to learn to write and read. After his incessant prayers for the gift of understanding of literacy, he meets an old man, whom he asks to help in his trouble. The elder blesses the boy and says that from now on you will understand everything, even better than your brothers. And from this day Bartholomew in an amazing way began to understand literacy.

The boy was interested in books about the lives of saints. Having read them, Bartholomew is inspired to keep a strict fast on set days, refusing food, and on the remaining days to eat only bread and water, and also devotes all nights to fervent prayer.

In 1328, Bartholomew and his family moved to Radonezh. And at the age of 12, he decides to take a vow of monasticism, but his parents set the condition that this will happen only after they die, since Peter and Stephen started families, and he remains their remaining support. It didn’t take long to wait for this; Cyril and Maria died, and before their death, according to tradition, they took monastic vows and became a monk.

After their death, Bartholomew goes to the Khotkovo-Pokrovsky Monastery, where brother Stefan, after the death of his wife, took monastic vows. Wanting to carry out the strictest monastic feat, the brothers founded a monastery near the Konchura River. And Bartholomew erects a church in honor of the Holy Trinity right in the Radonezh forest. His brother could not withstand the strictest hermit discipline and leaves.

In 1337, Bartholomew was ordained as a monk by Abbot Father Mitrofan and was named in honor of the Great Martyr Sergius. Time passed and other monks and monks began to come to him, forming a monastery that later became the Trinity-Sergei Lavra. The community grew - and workers and peasants began to settle around it.

Father Sergius was distinguished by a special love for work and built some of the cells with his own hands, and also performed all the economic work in the monastery. He combined his work with unceasing prayer and fasting. The monks were often surprised how their monk worked hard and fasted all the time, but his health did not deteriorate, but on the contrary.

In 1354, Venerable Sergius was elevated to the rank of hegumen. The fame of him spreads and Philotheus, being the patriarch, gives him some gifts with the wish for further spiritual exploits. According to the patriarchal instructions, a communal living system was introduced in the monastery. He assumed equality in property, wearing the same clothes and shoes as everyone else, eating from a common cauldron and obeying the hegumen and recognized elders.

In addition to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, the monk founded other monasteries, where he introduced a community-living charter. Here are some of them:

• Vysotsky Monastery in Serpukhov
• Annunciation Monastery in the city of Kerzhach
• St. George Monastery, located on the Klyazma River
• Staro-Golutvin near Kolomna

And the followers of St. Sergius subsequently founded approximately 40 monasteries in their native land.

Sergius of Radonezh also gained fame as a peacemaker, which had important in the Battle of Kulikovo. Dmitry Donskoy receives the blessing of the elder before the battles. Sergius predicts an unprecedented defeat of the Tatar army. And violating the accepted canons, he sends two monks along with the prince. And on the holy day of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary Russian army wins.

Throughout my entire life path Saint Sergius saw various mystical visions.

And close to his death, he transfers the hegumenship and instructions to his close disciple Nikon and renounces earthly things. Saint Sergius of Radonezh died in the fall of 1392.

4th grade for children

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But here's the problem: the boy is not able to study at school. His memory is good, but he can’t remember letters. The teacher punished him, the guys laughed at him, and our Bartholomew
grieved and cried bitterly.

Mother, darling,” he said, “take me from school.” I'd rather work around the house. I still can't do anything!

But although the parents felt sorry for their son, they did not take him out of school. What was there to do? There was only one thing left to do: pray, ask God for help.

M. Nesterov. Vision to the youth Bartholomew

And then one summer, when Bartholomew was grazing his horses in the forest, he suddenly saw an old monk with a long white beard in a clearing. He affectionately called the boy to him,
and Bartholomew, without knowing why, told the elder about his misfortune. And then he called:

Come to us, grandfather, relax and have lunch, your father and mother will be happy.

After lunch, the elder told Bartholomew to take a book and read.

Now you can. Read!

Bartholomew himself didn’t understand how he did it, but he... read! And soon he became the best student in school.



Mikhail Nesterov. Christ blessing the youth Bartholomew

Years passed. The family moved closer to Moscow, to the village of Radonezh. When their parents died, Bartholomew and his older brother Stepan retired to the forests to live there in solitude, monastically. They found a large Makovets hill, covered with dense forest, among the forests, they cut themselves a hut and a small church nearby. They named the church Trinity - in honor of the Trinity, that is, our Christian God. From this small wooden church the famous monastery - the Trinity-Sergius Lavra - will grow over time.



Mikhail Nesterov. Youth Bartholomew. 1889

It was difficult for the brothers to live in the dense forest - they were scared and hungry. They're prowling around wild animals, wolves howl, in winter the snow covers the hut right up to the roof. Brother Stepan could not stand the difficult, hungry life in the forest. He said goodbye to Bartholomew and went to Moscow, to a large, warm monastery. Bartholomew was left alone. Only occasionally in the summer (you can’t get through winter!) Brother Peter made his way to him through the forest thickets with large bags of bread. Bartholomew dried this bread, and then ate soaked crackers all winter.


Nesterov Mikhail - The Youth of St. Sergius of Radonezh. 1892-1897

Whether it was long or short, our hermit had a comrade. One day he came out of the hut and saw a big bear walking around it. Bartholomew's kindness was stronger than fear. He took the bread out of the hut and put it on a tree stump. The bear ate the bread and left. But since then I got into the habit of coming for treats. And Bartholomew always shared with his club-footed friend in a brotherly manner. Sometimes, however, there were no crackers, and then both friends remained hungry. The beast sighed heavily, but was not offended. He seemed to understand everything. After all, when there was so little bread left that there was nothing to share, then the last piece went to Mishka. A monk can be patient, but Misha was not a monk.


Venerable Sergius of Radonezh. Appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Time has passed. Bartholomew is 23 years old. He withstood all the difficulties and now knew for sure that he could be a monk. He asked a friend of the abbot, that is, the head of a neighboring monastery, to tonsure him as a monk. This means dedicating your life to God, praying for Mother Rus' and for all Russian people.

Beginning new life, unlike the life of other people, the tonsured man receives a new name. So Bartholomew became Sergius. With this name he later went down in history as the great Russian saint - Sergius of Radonezh. Sergius of Radonezh.

Gradually, Monk Sergius became so accustomed to and loved his lonely life in the forest that when people reached out to him and learned about him, it even upset him.



Nicholas Roerich. Sergiy is a builder. 1925

Twelve people gathered. And they began to live like brothers. The brothers built twelve of the same ones for themselves? like Sergius, the cell houses were built with a large fence around them to protect them from animals - and so it turned out to be a monastery. What is a monastery without an abbot? Sergius' brothers began to ask to become their abbot. Sergius did not want to become the head of the monastery; that was not why he once went into the wilderness, but what to do? I agreed. A monk is not supposed to be stubborn.

One day a religious peasant came to the monastery to look at the famous Sergius, abbot of the monastery. He walks through the monastery, looks for the abbot and sees: in the garden, some poorly dressed nun is working hard - digging a garden bed.


M. Nesterov. Works of St. Sergius
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- Tell me, father, where can I find the abbot of the monastery Sergius?

The monk did not answer anything, went out to the guest, bowed and said:

You, good man, tea, are tired from the road and hungry. Come on, I'll feed you.

He followed the monk, but on the way he kept looking out to see if Abbot Sergius himself would appear from somewhere. Then a horse's tramp was heard. It was the prince and the boyars who came to the monastery, as he often did. The prince jumped off his horse and bowed before Sergius. It was then that the peasant realized that this poor, humble monk was Sergius himself. He threw himself at his feet:

I’m guilty, father, I didn’t admit it!

Sergius gently picked him up, hugged him and calmed him down.

This is how Sergius was: having become abbot, he remained quiet, meek, and hard-working. And his clothes were the same: old, all in patches. He did not differentiate himself and made no difference between people. He welcomed and loved both the simple peasant and the noble prince equally. And for this, everyone loved and revered him.


Venerable Sergius of Radonezh

For many years, Rus' lived under the yoke of the Mongol-Tatars. They burned cities and villages, robbed and killed people. The Russian principalities were obliged to pay tribute to the Tatar khans - to give them gold, furs and our other riches.

Remember Krylov’s fable about the swan, the crayfish and the pike: when there is no agreement among the comrades, their business will not go well? So there was no agreement among the Russian princes then. They often fought with each other! And therefore, each individually became easy prey for the conquerors.


S. Chikunchikov. Resurrection of the Youth by Sergius of Radonezh

During this difficult time, Sergius helped the princes make peace among themselves and, recognizing the power of the Moscow prince over themselves, unite around the Moscow land. And when gentle persuasion failed to help the matter, he could show firmness. Ordered, for example, in Nizhny Novgorod close all churches for disobedience. What was Prince Boris of Nizhny Novgorod supposed to do? How to live without worship? I had to submit to the will of the saint - to the greater benefit of Mother Rus'.

Moscow Prince Dimitri decided to free Rus' from Tatar yoke- give a decisive battle to the enemy on the Kulikovo field. He came to Sergius to ask for his blessing to fight the Tatars. After all, a terrible battle was ahead - the Tatar leader Mamai gathered a huge army and boasted:

I will ruin the Russian land, I will destroy all the Russian princes, and there will be no Rus'. Everyone here will speak Tatar!


S. Efoshkin. Venerable Sergius. In Rus'

Prince Dimitri spoke with tears to Sergius:

Older than God, Mamai is strong, but we have few troops. What to do?

Sergius served a large service in the church, sprinkled holy water on the prince and his squad, and then said:

Go, sir, against your filthy enemies with God, and the Lord will help you.

Alexey Kivshenko. St. Sergius blesses Dmitry Donskoy

Sergius also gave the prince two of his strong monks, former warriors - Peresvet and Oslyabya.

Dimitri met with Mamai's army on the banks of the Don. (For this victorious battle near the Don, he will later be nicknamed Dimitri Donskoy forever and ever). When the prince saw what a huge army the Tatars had, at first, to be honest, he was confused. But then a messenger from Sergius arrived to him. He again strengthened his spirit with the words that the messenger brought:

Go boldly, prince, God will help you!

Then Grand Duke Dimitri gave a call to all Russian principalities. Holy Rus' was deserted, both men and youths - everyone went to the Kulikovo fire.

And then Dimitri ordered his army to cross to the right bank of the Don and destroy the bridges so that there was no way for retreat. Either we die or we win!



Sergey Efoshkin. Before the battle. Warrior-Schemon Alexander Peresvet

The Tatar army approached, and it was four times larger than the Russian one. The Tatar hero Chelubey stepped forward. He was so tall that if he had lowered
legs from his horse, then the horse would have slipped between his legs.

The Tatars say:

Who wants to fight our giant?

Everyone is silent: scary! And then the hero-monk Peresvet, sent by Sergius, came out. He was wearing monastic clothes and holding a heavy spear in his hands. With it he rushed at the enemy. The blow was terrible, and both heroes fell dead.

And a terrible, cruel battle began. A great many warriors died. And even the horse under Prince Dimitri fell in battle. But Rus' defeated the enemy.


M. Avilov. Duel on Kulikovo Field
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The fame of Sergius of Radonezh spread throughout Rus'. On the Makovets hill, the Trinity Monastery created by Sergius grew and became more beautiful. They began to call it the Trinity-Sergius, and then also the Lavra, that is, a very large and important monastery.


N. Puchkov. Holy Trinity Lavra of Sergius

The monk-icon painter Andrei Rublev lived in the monastery. Trained by Saint Sergius, he became the best and most famous artist painting icons. He wrote
the world-famous “Trinity” icon, to which the monastery is dedicated. Andrei himself said that he painted his icon so that people, looking at the unity of the Holy Trinity, would overcome the anger and hatred that divides people. And, truly, when you look at icon, silence and peace enter the soul.



A. Rublev. Trinity

Look: three angels bowed to each other. On the icon is the very dream of people about serene harmony, about friendly understanding, about unity. In front of the angels is a table, on the table is a bowl with a sacrifice. The central angel blesses the cup.

How can you portray God Himself? Moreover, to show that he is one in three faces, inseparable, just as the colors of the rainbow are inseparable? So it turns out that God can only be shown in the image of these three angels, who are equal to each other and one, just as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are equal to each other - the three faces of God the Trinity.

Well, since Andrei Rublev was also very good monk, led a holy life, then all his icons turned out to be miraculous. This means that by praying in front of this icon, you can ask God for a miracle. You just need to ask for something kind and good.



I. Glazunov. Sergius of Radonezh and Andrei Rublev

So our story about the great Russian saint - St. Sergius of Radonezh has ended. As you grow up, you will learn a lot of other, important and interesting things about him. In the meantime, let's tell you a secret: St. Sergius is the patron saint of schoolchildren. They pray to him for success in their studies, and he helps. Can you guess why?

The lesson is dedicated to the book by Natalia Vladimirovna Skorobogatko from the History Stories series “The Story of a Great Saint. Sergius of Radonezh".



Icon "St. Sergius of Radonezh"

October 8 Orthodox Church remembers one of the most revered saints in Rus' - St. Sergius of Radonezh. A monument to this saint was even unveiled in Barnaul in September 2017. We tell you who he is and why he is so loved in Russia.

Who is Sergius of Radonezh?

Sergius of Radonezh is one of the favorite saints in Rus'. Known as a hermit and miracle worker, the founder of a number of monasteries, including the Trinity-Sergius Lavra near Moscow. He is also called the spiritual collector of the Russian people and Russian culture. Considered the patron saint of students.

When was Sergius of Radonezh born and lived?

The exact date and year of his birth are unknown. Researchers say this could have happened in 1314 or 1319.

The parents of the future saint were called Cyril and Maria. The boy was given the name Bartholomew at birth. Besides him, there were two more children in the family. The eldest is Stefan and the youngest is Peter. The family lived in the village of Varnitsy near Rostov. When Bartholomew was a teenager, his family, fleeing hunger, moved to Radonezh.

How did he become a monk?

As it is said in the life of the saint, while still a child Bartholomew “began to fast strictly and abstained from everything, on Wednesday and Friday he ate nothing, and on other days he ate bread and water; at night he often stayed awake and prayed.” His parents did not like this behavior of their son, and they made him promise that he would become a monk only after their death. And so it happened. At the age of 23, Sergius invited his brother Stefan to live in the desert. But he did not stay with his brother for long: life in the desert turned out to be too difficult, and Stefan left. Bartholomew called a certain abbot Mitrofan and took tonsure from him, calling himself Sergius, since on that day (October 7) the memory of the martyrs Sergius and Bacchus was celebrated.

Soon students began to join him. Sergius forbade them to beg and introduced the rule that they all live by their own labor. During his life, Sergius founded five monasteries. The most famous is the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, as well as the Annunciation Monastery on Kirzhach, Staro-Golutvin near Kolomna, the Vysotsky Monastery, and the St. George Monastery on Klyazma.

Why is Sergius of Radonezh considered the patron saint of students?

Many miracles are associated with the name of this saint. One of the first is amazing literacy learning. Bartholomew was sent to study at the age of seven. His brothers quickly mastered reading, but Bartholomew still could not learn. The parents argued, the teacher punished, but the boy could not learn and “prayed to God with tears.”

One day, in a field, Bartholomew saw a Monk monk “an old man... handsome, like an angel” praying, told him about his misfortune and asked him to pray to God for him. After the prayer, the elder gave the boy a piece of holy prosphora and ordered him to eat it, predicting that now he would know literacy better than all his peers. And so it happened. Sergius was a very educated man. He spoke several languages, read a lot and knew a lot. He passed on his knowledge to his students. And today he is considered the patron saint of students.

Is it true that the saint reconciled the Russian princes and helped win the Battle of Kulikovo?

It is believed that Sergius actually reconciled the warring princes. The life says that the saint could act on the hardest and most hardened hearts with “quiet and meek words.” It was thanks to him that by the time of the Battle of Kulikovo, almost all Russian princes had stopped fighting.

Sergius of Radonezh had the gift of foresight. He blessed Prince Dmitry for the battle with the Tatar Khan Mamai on the Kulikovo Field. When Dmitry came to him for advice, Sergius predicted victory for the Russian army. To help the prince, he released two monks - Peresvet and Oslyabya, although in those days monks were forbidden to take part in battles. As a result, the Russian army won.

What miracles did Sergius of Radonezh perform?

He performed a lot of miracles. Let's list just a few:

Source. In one of the monasteries, the monks were forced to bring themselves water from afar, a murmur arose, and then the monk, “having found some rain water in one ditch, made a fervent prayer over it,” after which a source of water opened.

Resurrection of a child. One local resident brought Sergius his sick son. But the child died. The grief-stricken father went to pick up the coffin. “But while he was walking, the monk prayed over the dead man, and the child came to life.”

Punishment for greed. The rich neighbor took the poor hog from him and “didn’t want to pay money for it.” When Sergius appealed, the rich man promised to “pay for the pig he took from his poor neighbor, and also to correct his whole life.” He did not fulfill his promise, and the pork carcass, despite the fact that it was frozen, was eaten by worms.