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

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

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Video: Oblomov | Ivan Goncharov | Fictional Biographies & Memoirs, General Fiction, Satire | English | 2/4 2024, November
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The first author of the work "The Life of Sergius of Radonezh", a summary of which is presented here, is Epiphanius the Wise. He took up this work the next year after the death of the monk, that is, in 1393 according to the new style. Unfortunately, the death of Epiphany prevented him from completing his work on the life, and the official original, signed by Epiphany's hand, did not reach us, only lists survived. It is difficult for an unprepared modern reader to perceive a text written in the 14th century, therefore today they most often read not it, but a modern revision, authored by Boris Zaitsev, - "The Life of Sergius of Radonezh".

Zaitsev life of Sergius of Radonezh
Zaitsev life of Sergius of Radonezh

Features of Life

When you start reading the life of a saint, you need to have an idea about the features of the genre and understand that this is not a hundred percent reliable story, but 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 some features of the life as a genre.

Childhood and youth

The future ascetic was born in the family of the princely servant Cyril and his wife Maria, the child was given a name in the worldBartholomew. As Epiphanius writes, little Bartholomew from infancy showed strict piety. (By the way, this is a canonical moment for the lives - emphasizing that the future saint differed from others in his behavior as a child.) Bartholomew had a hard time teaching, even despite his zeal, but once he met an old man in the forest, took him to his home, where they prayed together. The elder gave Bartholomew a prosphora and a Ps alter opened at one of the most difficult moments. Having eaten the prosvirka, the young man began to read aloud without hesitation, although he could not do this before. After the death of his parents, Bartholomew goes to a secluded life with his brother Stefan. The invited hegumen Mitrofan tonsures him as a monk with the name Sergius.

Young ascetic

“The Life of Sergius of Radonezh”, a brief summary of which does not make it possible to properly describe the ascetic life of St. Sergius, reports that at about 20 years old he retired to desert places, where he worked, prayed, exhausted himself with deeds and fasted for a long time. Demons and the devil himself tried to seduce and frighten the saint, but he did not succumb. (By the way, references to satanic intrigues and temptations in the life are practically obligatory.) Beasts began to come to Sergius, including the memorable bear.

Life of Sergius of Radonezh summary
Life of Sergius of Radonezh summary

Above the cell of Sergius

Having heard about the wonderful ascetic, people came to him with their sorrows and worries, seeking consolation. Gradually, a monastery began to gather around a secluded cell in the forest. Sergius refusedto take the rank of abbot, but insisted on a very strict charter of the monastery. One day the monastery ran out of bread. There was nowhere to take food, the monks began to grumble and starve. Sergius kept praying and instructing his companions about patience. Suddenly, unknown merchants came to their monastery, unloaded a lot of food and disappeared in an unknown direction. Soon, through the prayer of Sergius, a source of pure, healing water for the sick began to spring up near the monastery.

short life of Sergius of Radonezh
short life of Sergius of Radonezh

Wonderworker

Many stories about the miracles of St. Sergius. You can read about them in the original, in our version - “The Life of Sergius of Radonezh: a summary” - it should be said that the saint always hid his good deeds and was very upset, showing true Christian humility when they tried to reward him or thank him. Nevertheless, the saint's fame grew more and more. It is well known that it was St. Sergius of Radonezh who blessed Dmitry Donskoy for the Battle of Kulikovo. The saint devoted almost all his time to hard work and prayer, the rest he spent in soul-saving conversations with everyone.

Righteous death

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

Yougot acquainted with the article "The Life of Sergius of Radonezh: a summary", but, without a doubt, the work of Epiphanius is worth reading in its entirety.

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