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Feast Day: September 25
Also
known as
Bartholomew
of Radonezh; Sergius of Moscow; Sergius of Radonezh
Profile
Born to the
nobility, his family moved to Radonezh to escape attack against Rostov,
losing their fortune and becoming
peasants in the process. Following the
deaths of his parents, Sergius and his brother Stephen became
hermits at Makovka in
1335, then each left separately to become
monks. As Sergius's reputation for holiness spread, he attracted so
many students that he founded the Holy Trinity
monastery for them; following his
ordination at Pereyaslav Zalesky, he served as its first
abbot. His brother joined the
monastery, but when he opposed Sergius's strict rule, Sergius left the
community to live again as a
hermit. However, the
monastery began to decline, and the metropolitan of
Moscow as Sergius to return as
abbot. Advisor to the
Prince of
Moscow, he encourged the campaign that ended with the Battle of
Kulikovo in
1380 which ended the Mongol domination of
Russia. In the
Russia that followed he founded forty
monasteries. Late in life he resigned his position and retired to live
his last few months as a prayerful
monk. He is venerated as the foremost saint of
Russia.
Born
c.1314
near Rostov as Bartholomew of Radonezh
Died
25 September
1392
Canonized
1449
Prayers
O God,
whose blessed Son became poor that we through his poverty might be rich:
Deliver us from an inordinate love of this world, that we, inspired by the
devotion of your servant Sergius of Moscow, may serve you with singleness
of heart, and attain to the riches of the age to come; through Jesus
Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, for ever and ever.
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