The Monk Athanasius of Athos, Abraham in Holy Baptism, was born in the city of Trebizond and, having been orphaned at an early age, was raised by a good pious nun, imitating his adoptive mother in the skills of monastic life, in fasting and prayer. He comprehended teaching easily and soon surpassed his peers in the sciences.
After the death of his adoptive mother, Abraham was taken to Constantinople, to the court of the then Byzantine emperor Roman the Elder, and assigned as a student to the famous rhetorician Athanasius. Soon the student achieved the perfection of a teacher and himself became a mentor to the youth. Considering fasting and wakefulness to be true life, Abraham led a strict and abstinent life, sleeping little and then sitting on a chair, and his food was barley bread and water. When his teacher Athanasius, due to human weakness, began to envy his student, blessed Abraham left his mentorship and retired.
In those days, the Monk Michael Malein, abbot of the Kiminsky monastery, arrived in Constantinople. Abraham told the abbot his life and revealed to him his innermost desire to become a monk. The divine elder, seeing in Abraham the chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit, fell in love with him and taught him a lot about matters of salvation. One day, during their spiritual conversation, Saint Michael was visited by his nephew Nicephorus Phocas, a famous commander and future emperor. Abraham's high spirit and deep mind impressed Nikifor and inspired reverent veneration and love for the saint for the rest of his life. Abraham was consumed by zeal for monastic life. Having abandoned everything, he arrived at the Kiminsky Monastery and, falling at the feet of the Reverend Abbot, asked to be clothed in a monastic image. The abbot gladly fulfilled his request and tonsured him with the name Athanasius.
Through long fasts, vigils, genuflections, night and day labors, Athanasius soon achieved such perfection that the holy abbot blessed him for the feat of silence in a secluded place not far from the monastery. Later, leaving Kimin, he walked around many deserted and secluded places and, guided by God, came to a place called Melana, on the very edge of Athos, far removed from other monastic dwellings. Here the Reverend built himself a cell and began to strive in labor and prayer, ascending from asceticism to asceticism to the highest monastic perfection.
The enemy tried to arouse in Saint Athanasius hatred of his chosen place, fighting him with incessant thoughts. The ascetic decided to wait a year, and then do as the Lord arranges. On the last day of the term, when Saint Athanasius began to pray, the Heavenly Light suddenly shone upon him, filling him with indescribable joy, all thoughts dissipated, and blessed tears flowed from his eyes. From then on, Saint Athanasius received the gift of tenderness, and he loved his place of solitude with the same intensity as he had previously hated. At that time, Nikifor Phokas, fed up with military exploits, remembered his vow to become a monk and asked the Monk Athanasius to build a monastery at his expense, that is, to build for him and the brethren cells for silence and a church where the brethren would partake of the Divine Mysteries of Christ on Sundays.
Avoiding worries and cares, blessed Athanasius at first did not agree to accept the hated gold, but, seeing the ardent desire and good intention of Nicephorus and seeing the will of God in this, he began to build a monastery. He erected a large church in honor of the holy Prophet and Forerunner of Christ John and another church, at the foot of the mountain, in the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Cells appeared around the church, and a wonderful monastery arose on the Holy Mountain. A refectory, a hospital, a hospice and other necessary buildings were built in it.
Brethren flocked to the monastery from everywhere, not only from Greece, but also from other countries: ordinary people and nobles, hermits who labored for many years in the desert, abbots of many monasteries and bishops wanted to be simple monks in the Athonite Lavra of St. Athanasius.
The holy abbot established a communal charter in the monastery in the likeness of the ancient Palestinian monasteries. Divine services were performed with the utmost severity; no one dared to talk during the service, be late, or leave the church unnecessarily.
The Most Pure Mother of God herself, the Heavenly Lady of Athos, favored the saint. Many times he was honored to see Her with sensual eyes. By God's permission, such a famine occurred in the monastery that the monks, one after another, began to leave the Lavra. The monk was left alone and in a moment of weakness also thought of leaving. Suddenly he saw a Woman under a blanket of air, walking towards him. “Who are you and where are you going?” – She asked quietly. Saint Athanasius stopped with involuntary respect. “I am a local monk,” answered Saint Athanasius and told about himself and his concerns. “And for the sake of a piece of daily bread, you abandon the monastery, which is to be glorified throughout generations and generations? Where is your faith? Turn back and I will help you." “Who are you?” asked Afanasy. “I am the Mother of your Lord,” She answered and ordered Athanasius to hit the stone with his rod, so that a spring emerged from the crack, which still exists today, reminding of the wonderful visit.
The number of brethren grew, construction work was underway in the Lavra. The Monk Athanasius, foreseeing the time of his departure to the Lord, prophesied about his imminent death and asked the brethren not to be tempted by what would happen. “For otherwise people judge, otherwise the Wise One arranges.” The brethren were perplexed and reflected on the words of the Reverend. Having taught his last instructions to the brethren and consoled everyone, Saint Athanasius went into his cell, put on a mantle and a sacred doll, which he wore only on great holidays, and after a long prayer he left. Cheerful and joyful, the holy abbot went up with six brothers to the top of the church to inspect the construction. Suddenly, by the unknown destinies of God, the top of the church collapsed. The five brothers immediately gave up their spirit to God. The Monk Athanasius and the architect Daniel, covered with stones, remained alive. Everyone heard how the Reverend called on the Lord: “Glory to Thee, God! Lord Jesus Christ, help me!” The brothers, with great weeping, began to dig out their father from under the ruins, but found him already deceased.
Prmch. Cyprian the New, Constantinople († 1679, commemorated July 5)
He was from the village of Klitsos, in the vicinity of Agrafa in Central Greece, in the Ottoman possessions.
Having accepted monasticism and the priesthood, he and two companions labored in the cell of St. George, which belonged to the Athonite monastery of Kutlumush.
Having acquired the fullness of monastic virtues, I felt in my heart a thirst for suffering for Christ. The ascetic went to Thessalonica, came to the Turkish court and boldly declared that the only right faith is faith in Christ the Savior and the Holy Trinity, and Muhammad is a false prophet. The judge sent him away, mistaking him for a madman.
Then the saint went to Constantinople and appeared before the court of the Grand Vizier. He presented a letter he had written, in which he called on the Turks to renounce their false faith and recognize Christ as the true God. At this time, apostate Christians were in court, and Cyprian asked them to translate the text into Turkish and read it aloud. And again he was kicked out with ridicule and insults.
With the letter in hand, the monk went to see the vizier himself. When the magistrate inquired about what business he needed to see the vizier, the blessed one replied that he had come to give him salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and holy baptism. The vizier also mistook Cyprian for a madman or drunk and handed him over to the mufti. He realized that the monk was of sound mind. And since Cyprian refused to make any concessions in faith, the Mufti angrily ordered his beheading in the Phanar quarter populated by Christians.
The person sentenced to death ran to the place of execution ahead of the executioner. At the gates of the Patriarchate Church, Saint Cyprian knelt down, crossed himself, glorified the Lord, read the Creed for the last time, after which he bowed his head under the sword. This happened on July 5, 1679.
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St. Thomas Malein (X, commemorated July 7)
The Monk Thomas Malein (X) was a military leader before accepting monasticism. Powerful and brave, he took part in many battles, brought victories to his compatriots, for which he enjoyed fame and respect. But, striving with all his heart for God, Thomas left the world with its honors and took monastic vows.