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Venerable Sava the Sanctified Rev. Savva was born during the reign of Theodosius the Younger in Cappadocia, in the village of Mutalask (now Talasi, eight miles from Caesarea); in his young years, precisely 8 years old, he retired from his poor life with his uncles to the Flavian monastery (now the Monastery of the Forerunner, in the village of Zindzidere, about three miles from Talasi, on the edge of a cliff) and lived in it for ten years; here he studied St. Scripture and learned monastic life. Having received a blessing from the abbot, eighteen-year-old Savva went to Bogomolye in Jerusalem. Arriving in Palestine and walking around the holy places, he came to St. Euthymius the Great (January 20) and asked him to be accepted into his monastery; and Euthymius sent him to a distant monastery to the Venerable. Theoktistu (September 3), where Savva performed various obediences for ten years. After the death of Theoktistus, he labored alone in a deserted cave, doing handicrafts (weaving koshnitsa), and only on Saturday he came to the Lavra on Bogomolye. Euthymius summoned him from there five years later. After the death of Euthymius, being thirty-five years old, Savva again began to live in the desert, near the Jordan. Soon monks and those wishing to become a monk began to come to him; There were up to seventy of them. He received everyone with joy and, with donations from pious people, built a church and monastery known under his name. The Patriarch of Jerusalem Martyrius (478–486) especially benefited him. Despite the fact that the number of the Lavra brethren increased, Savva did not accept the priesthood out of humility, and did not elevate anyone from the brethren to the degree of priesthood, but to perform Divine services (once a week) he asked for an outside priest. When a murmur arose, and some of the brethren slyly asked Patriarch Sallust, Martiriev’s successor, to give them an abbot (wanting thereby to eliminate Savva), the patriarch, having brought the dissatisfied to reason, without announcing this to Savva, against his will, ordained him a presbyter and, having visited the Lavra, introduced him to everyone as the God-given abbot. Therefore, Savva is called the Sanctified, that is, according to the current usage of the word, a hieromonk; for in those days monks and abbots generally accepted the priesthood on rare occasions. Rev. Sava wrote the first charter for the succession of church services, known under the name of Jerusalem (or Typica of St. Sava). He died in 532, being 94 years old. † Repose of Rev. Nektary Bitelsky When the Turks intended to capture Bitel, the mother of Nicholas, later Nektaria 101, while working on the threshing floor, fell into a short sleep and saw: the Most Pure One commanded her to flee with her husband and children and hide somewhere; The Turks, the Most Pure One said, are ready to capture the entire region. When the woman who had been rewarded with the vision announced this to her husband, the whole family immediately left their native place; The Turks then plundered and devastated Bitel 102, and the pious family saved their lives from the terrible savages. Nikolai’s parent was already advanced in years and therefore, with the consent of his wife, settled in the monastery of the unmercenaries, located on the mountain adjacent to Bitel; he took his son Nikolai with him. Here he accepted monasticism with the name Pachomius and labored diligently for the Lord. Local Christians had a good habit of giving part of the fruits of the earth to the benefit of the monastery of the unmercenaries, who so wonderfully rewarded love for them. Nicholas, striving for a higher life and worried about visiting the laity, went to Athos. Here he asked the ascetic Dionysius to take him under his control. When Dionysius asked Elder Philotheus for advice on this, he, who was personally unfamiliar with Nicholas, called both him and his father by name and lovingly accepted him as his novices. Soon Nicholas accepted monasticism with the name Nektarios and unconditionally surrendered himself to the will of Elder Philotheus. In vain did the spirit of malice try to stir up Nektarios against the elder; not having time to do this, he aroused anger in another novice of the elder against Nectarius himself: he directly began to tell Philotheus and Dionysius that if they did not send Nectarius away, he would kill Nectarius. In vain did the elders admonish the unfortunate man and ask him to pacify his heart; - in order to give room to anger, the elders suggested that Nektarios withdraw from them for a while until the envious brother came to his senses. Nectarius passed on to Archpriest Daniel. When blessed Philotheus died, Dionysius, no longer able to bear the bad character of the novice, said to him: let him go wherever he wants, but he received Nectarios to himself. Dionysius and Nektarios were engaged in handicrafts and, feeding themselves, gave alms to the poor. Blessed Dionysius, full of days, died. Saddened to the depths of his soul by the separation from his beloved elder, Nektarios turned with all his soul to eternity: he redoubled his prayers, fasting and labors. Lately he had been suffering from a severe illness; but he endured the suffering patiently. Purified by his exploits and illness, he peacefully surrendered his spirit to God, December 5. 1500 Five years after his death, the disciples opened the coffin, and a fragrance filled the air. The relics were placed in the ark, and the monk was depicted on the top board of the ark. Life of a teacher Nectaria from Νεον εϰλόγιον ex. in the Athos Patericon 2, 39–44. Bitel, as the Bulgarians now call it, among Kedrin in 1014 Butel, among the Arab Edrisp (Tafel, de provinciis p. 34). Butili was the capital of the Bulgarian Tsar Gabriel. – Cedrenus 2, 460, ed. Bonn.