The Monk Paisiy of Hilendar was born in 1722 in Bansko into a pious family. One brother of the saint, Lavrenty, was the abbot of the Hilendar monastery, and the other was known as a generous benefactor of Orthodox churches and monasteries, and the Monk Paisius himself served his obedience at the Rylsky monastery. In 1745, at the age of 23, Saint Paisius went to his brother at the Hilendar monastery on Mount Athos, where he took monastic vows. On the Holy Mountain, the ascetic grew spiritually, deeply studied the Holy Scriptures and was awarded holy orders. In 1762, the Monk Paisius wrote “Slavic-Bulgarian History” - a book that strengthened the Christian faith and awakened the national consciousness of the enslaved Bulgarian people. In the midst of the darkness of foreign oppression, the monk again lit the lamp of Orthodoxy, once lit by the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius (May 11). The time and place of the blessed death of the saint is still unknown.
On June 26, 1962, the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, chaired by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and with the participation of all His Eminence metropolitans, paying tribute to the merits of Saint Paisius to the Church and homeland, decided to honor Paisios of Hilendar and Bulgaria as a saint and determined to celebrate his memory on June 19, “when, according to the pan-Orthodox month, the memory is celebrated Venerable Paisius the Great." The state university in Plovdiv and many institutes and schools in other cities and villages of Bulgaria bear the name of Saint Paisius, which testifies to the deep veneration of the ascetic by the Bulgarian people.
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St. Callistus I of Constantinople, patriarch († c. 1363, commemorated June 20)
His Holiness Patriarch Callistus began his exploits on Mount Athos in the monastery of Magula, located near the monastery of Philotheus (now in ruins), under the leadership of the Monk Gregory of Sinaite, whose life he later described at length. In this biography (see April 6), His Holiness Callistus cites many cases where he mentions himself as the monk’s closest disciple: he not only lived with him on Athos, but also accompanied him on many of his wanderings. When the Monk Gregory of Sinai, around 1340, retired to the kingdom of Bulgaria, where he asceticised near Tarnov, Kallistos remained in the monastery and enjoyed great respect for his virtues. He lived in the monastery, as he himself says, for 28 years. Then, from an ascetic career, in 1350, he ascended, after Patriarch Isidore, to the ecumenical patriarchal see of Constantinople and occupied it under John Cantacuzene and John Palaeologus. The saint was famous for his virtues and on the holy throne - as a champion of Orthodoxy and justice.
After four years of priesthood, he left the pulpit and retired for silence to the monastery of St. Mamanta. Philotheus took his place. When Cantacuzene changed his royal life to monastic life and John Palaiologos became the sole king, then Callistus, returning from Tenedos, where he had retired, ascended to the patriarchal see for the second time in 1355 and ruled the Church for another eight years. The Emperor, finding it necessary to get closer to the Serbs to repel the enemies, sent Patriarch Callistus with the clergy as an ambassador to the Serbian Queen Helena (nun Elizabeth), through Thessaloniki and Athos; here is St. Maxim Kavsokalivit predicted the patriarch’s imminent death, saying that this elder would no longer see his flock, for behind him the funeral hymn could already be heard: “Blessed are the blameless on the way.” And indeed, the patriarch became seriously ill in the city of Ferah, where he died. Kantakouzenos in his history says this about his burial:
“Elizabeth superbly buried the patriarch in the metropolis of Ferskaya. When worthy and most virtuous men came to her from the Athos monasteries, especially from the sacred monastery, and asked the patriarch’s body to be transferred to Athos and buried with them, she refused, saying that she herself needed his intercession before God.”
Patriarch Callistus is known both as a writer and as a preacher. Of the lives he wrote, the most famous are the life of St. Gregory of Sinaite and “The Life of St. Theodosius of Ternovsky” († 1362). The 100 chapters placed in the Greek Philokalia for the instruction of the silent and the chapters on prayer are attributed either to this blessed patriarch and ascetic, or to Patriarch Callistus II († 1397). Few from his conversations and words are known in print; they are found only in the manuscripts of Greek and Slavic archpriests.
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St. Maxim the Greek († 1556, commemorated January 21, June 21)
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St. Dionysius of Athos, ktitor of the monastery of St. John the Baptist († after 1380, commemorated June 25)
Dionysius was born into a pious family of middle-income farmers. His elder brother St. Theodosius (1300-1392, Metropolitan of Trebizond (Greek commemoration: January 11)) was educated in Constantinople under the Patriarchate, then took monastic vows and was ordained a presbyter. After some time, he retired to the Holy Mountain to the Philotheus monastery, where he later became abbot.
Dionysius was able to enter this monastery under the leadership of his brother upon reaching the age of 19, in 1335, and served as ecclesiarch. At the age of 30, D. was ordained a deacon and then a priest (1346). He soon became known as an ascetic and was especially respected. After 12 years in the monastery, after consulting with his confessors, he secretly left the crowded monastery and secluded himself in a cave on Mount Athos, where he spent time in constant prayer, eating grass and wild fruits, and sometimes went to the surrounding monasteries to ask for bread.
Three years passed like this. Constantly purifying his mental and physical feelings with prayer and fasting, Dionysius finally achieved perfection. Then, guided by God, one of the experienced and pious ascetics of the Holy Mountain appeared to him and asked for a blessing to settle near his cave. With great difficulty he persuaded Dionysius, who was strict in this regard. Another brother soon came for this - and both of them built kalivas for themselves, subordinated themselves to Dionysius, with unconditional obedience, on their part, to his elder will. But just as a city cannot hide when standing on top of a mountain, so the exploits of Dionysius were announced everywhere and the Holy Mountain was filled with the glory of his name. The consequence of this was that many, coming to him for guidance and advice, expressed a desire to remain under his senile leadership and control. Dionysius at first did not agree to this, but when they urgently asked and begged him, he answered them: “Beloved brothers! I am avoiding you from myself, and I am avoiding you for no other reason, but solely because the place here is wild and strict.
If you absolutely want to be with me, then go up the mountain higher, and there you will find a comfortable place: if you like it, live, and I give my word to visit you and, to the best of my ability, to help you with your heartfelt needs.” Having agreed to this, they built cells in the northern part of the mountain, with a church in the name of John the Baptist, which is now called the Ancient Forerunner. Thus, a select society of desert brethren formed around the Monk Dionysius, and he appeared to them on Saturdays for the Liturgy, during which, sharing the Holy Mysteries with them, he remained with them for two days for their edification and comfort, and on Sunday evening, taking bread and desert plants from them, he went into his cave.