"Life of Sergius of Radonezh": a summary and the history of creation

The first author of the work "The Life of Sergius of Radonezh", a brief account of which is presented here, is Epiphanius the Wise. He took up this work the next year after the death of the Reverend, that is, in 1393, according to a new style. Unfortunately, the death of Epiphany prevented him from completing his work on life, and before us the official script signed by Epiphany's hand did not reach the lists. It is difficult for an unprepared modern reader to perceive the text written in the fourteenth century, so today it is most often not the reading that is being read but the modern processing, authored by Boris Zaitsev, "The Life of Sergius of Radonezh."

Features of life

When you begin to read the life of a saint, one must have an idea of the peculiarities of the genre and understand that this is not a hundred percent reliable story, but it is not an absolute fiction either. In the course of the presentation of the work "The Life of Sergius of Radonezh", a brief summary of which will follow, I will note certain features of life as a genre.

Childhood and youth

The future ascetic was born in the family of the prince's servant Cyril and his wife - Mary, the child in the world was named Bartholomew. As Epiphanius writes, little Bartholomew showed strict piety from the very infancy. (By the way, this is the canonical moment for life - an emphasis on the fact that the future saint was different from others in his behavior as a child.) Bartholomew was hard at teaching, even despite his zeal, but once he met an old man in the forest, took him to his house, Where they prayed together. The old man gave Bartholomew the prosphora and the Psalter, opened at one of the most difficult moments. After he had eaten a whelp, the young man began to read aloud without hesitation, although he had not been able to do so before. After the death of his parents Bartholomew goes to a secluded life with his brother Stefan. The invited hegumen Mitrofan tonsures him into monasticism with the name of Sergius.

Young ascetic

"The Life of Sergius of Radonezh", the brief content of which does not give an opportunity to describe the ascetic life of St. Sergius, reports that at about 20 years he retired to desolate places where he worked, prayed, succumbed to his exploits and fasted for a long time. Demons and the devil himself tried to seduce and intimidate the saint, but he did not succumb. (By the way, mentions of satanic intrigues and temptations in the life are almost mandatory.) Beasts began to come to Sergius, including a memorable bear.

Abode around the cell of Sergius

Having heard about the wonderful ascetic, people came to him with their sorrows and worries, seeking solace. Gradually, around the secluded cell in the forest, the monastery began to gather. Sergius refused to accept the dignity of the hegumen, but insisted on a very strict charter of the monastery. Once the monastery finished bread. There were no products to take, the monks began to grumble and starve. Sergius kept praying and instructing his companions about patience. Suddenly unknown merchants arrived at the monastery, unloaded a lot of food and disappeared in an unknown direction. Soon after the prayer of Sergius, a source of clean, healing water was hammered around the monastery.

Wonderworker

There are many stories about the miracles of St. Sergius. You can read about them in the original, in our own version - "The Life of Sergius of Radonezh: Brief" - it should be said that he always hid his good deeds and was very upset, showing true Christian humility when he was tried to reward or thank him. Nevertheless, the glory of the saint grew more and more. It is well known that it was the Monk Sergei of Radonezh who blessed Dmitri Donskoi for the Kulikovo Battle. Saint devoted almost all of his time to hard work and prayer, the rest spent in soul-saving talks with all comers.

Righteous Death

The humble saintly ascetic in six months knew about his death (which is also the canonical element of the life). He died in 1393, at the end of September, and was buried in the right vestibule of the church of the monastery. For many centuries of existence and prosperity through the prayers of his patron saint, the monastery turned into one of the largest and most significant laurels of the world - the Holy Trinity St. Sergius Lavra.

You have read the article "The Life of Sergius of Radonezh: A Brief Content", but, without a doubt, the work of Epiphanius is worth reading.