Today, October 8, the Church remembers St. Sergius of Radonezhtranslated

On October 8, the Orthodox Church celebrates the repose of the great Russian ascetic, “abbot of the Russian land,” St. Sergius of Radonezh (+ 1392).

St. Sergius is one of the most revered Russian saints. Everyone knows how he labored in the wilderness, fed a bear from his hand and blessed the Moscow prince Dmitry for the Battle of Kulikovo.

However, not everyone knows why this saint is called “abbot of the Russian land.” The fact is that more than 20 monks - direct disciples of the great elder - founded about 40 monasteries!

From these monasteries, in turn, new ascetics came out, who gave Russia about fifty more monastic communities.

As a result, during the XIV-XVI centuries, the entire North of Rus' was covered with a dense network of small and large monasteries. For example, Abraham of Galicia alone, who was among the first spiritual children of the abbot of Radonezh, founded four monasteries.

Without exaggeration, St. Sergius is the “abbot of all Russia,” the inspirer and in many ways the creator of northern monasticism.

Read also:

Swan song of St. Sergius

Our materials about St. Sergius of Radonezh

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