Today, October 11, the Church remembers the parents of St. Sergius of Radonezhtranslated

The memory of the parents of the great Russian ascetic - St. Sergius of Radonezh - St. Cyril and Mary (+ c. 1337) - is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on October 11.

The estate of the parents of Saint Sergius, noble Rostov boyars, was located four miles from Rostov the Great.

Boyar Kirill was in the service of the Rostov princes, owned a fortune sufficient for his position, but while living in the village he was also engaged in ordinary rural labor.

However, the further invasion of Rus' by the Mongol-Tatars and the subsequent famine led boyar Kirill to poverty. As a result, he moved from Rostov to the village of Radonezh, near the Church of the Nativity of Christ.

Cyril and Maria were pious and kind people, they helped the poor and sick, and welcomed strangers. They also taught this to their sons - Stephen, Bartholomew (the future Sergius of Radonezh) and Peter.

When Bartholomew asked them for their blessing to become a monk, they persuaded him to serve them in his old age in order to test the firmness of his intentions. The son agreed to their request.

After Bartholomew became a monk, Cyril and Maria also took monastic vows and settled in the Khotkovo Monastery, three miles from...