Synaxis of the Saints of Yekaterinburg: November 6 – the commemoration day of the Venerable Zosima Verhovskiitranslated

The Venerable Zosima was born into a gentry family.

His father, Bogdan Verhovskii, had risen to the rank of colonel in the Smolensk gentry regiment. His mother, Anna Ivanovna, came from the Manevskii noble family. He received a home education. Like all his brothers, he joined the military service – on January 1, 1784, he was appointed a cornet in the Transfiguration Regiment. His father, Zaharia's father, died on April 3, 1784. Zaharia inherited two villages. Two years later, his mother also passed away. At this time, he became acquainted with the hermits of the Roslavl forests, living under the guidance of Elder Adrian (Blinskii) of the Ploshchanskii Monastery. In 1788, Zaharia retired as a cornet and sold his estate to his son-in-law, deciding to dedicate himself to monastic life.

Initially, he came to the Roslavl forests to the community of Elder Adrian, but Adrian had already left and had gone to the Solovetsky Monastery. Zaharia, following the advice of monk Basil, went to the Solovetsky Monastery to Adrian. Elder Adrian accepted him and appointed him a novice (Zaharia baked prosphora and served as a reader). After a trial, Adrian tonsured Zaharia into monasticism with the name Zosima in honor of the Venerable Zosima of Solovetsky. In 1792/93, upon Elder Adrian's invitation, the Venerable Basil came to the Solovetsky Monastery, becoming a friend of Zaharia.