Память преподобного отца нашего Евфросина, Псковского чудотворца

The holy martyr Eleazar 3256 came from the great island of Russia, between the north and west located in the inheritance of Japheth, from the northern country, from the environs of the God-protected great city of Pskov 3257. He was born and raised in the village of Videleb'i 3258, located at a distance of thirty fields 3259 from the city of Pskov. Who his parents were according to the flesh is unknown, the only thing known is that he was born by spiritual birth, and his father was God, who gave birth to him by water and the Spirit, and his mother was the Orthodox Fatherland Church, which is why he was raised in the right faith and instruction. Upon reaching age, his parents sent him to be taught the Divine books, and he soon understood the Divine Scriptures so clearly that he could not only explain them verbally, but also compose his own instructive works. At the same time, he studied philosophical sciences, so that even the old people were amazed at his wisdom and spoke of him with praise. He never showed a penchant for games or shows, but most of all he loved reading the Divine Scriptures and church hymns, and from a young age he began to indulge in strict abstinence, completely refusing to eat sweets. Seeing such abstinence of the boy, the parents said to him: - Our son! Why do you exhaust your body with such a harsh lifestyle and thereby cause us great sorrow? “My parents,” the boy answered, “the Scripture says that food and drink do not bring us closer to God (1 Cor. 8:8), but only fasting, prayer, bodily cleanliness and abstinence are what bring us closer to God.” After this, Eleazar’s parents wanted to marry him legally, but the prudent youth ran away from his parents like a chamois from a snare 3260. His parents searched everywhere for a long time with tears and could not find him anywhere, but the grace of God preserved him. Soon his father died, and his mother remained a widow. Then the merciful God, who wants all people to be saved and to come to the mind of truth, put in his heart a good thought about how he could arrange his salvation and move away from the world. He immediately carried out this thought. Having gone to the Monastery of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is on Snezhnaya Mountain - this was the name of the area on the banks of the Velikaya River, three miles away from the city of Pskov - he received monastic tonsure from the abbot of this monastery, and forever renounced thoughts that attracted him to the world and completely surrendered to the vows of the monastic title. When he was tonsured, he was given the name Euphrosyne. Having accepted monasticism, the Monk Euphrosynus began to zealously strive in fasting, vigilance, prayer and all-night prayerful standing, and at the same time, he served the brethren without laziness in the cookhouse, in the bakery, and in all other monastic work, as was customary in the monastery, thereby gaining favor with all the monks living in the monastery. Soon the word about the saint, due to his virtuous life, began to spread everywhere. He learned about this with grief, since he turned away from human glory and considered it a sin and shame for himself, and therefore began to think about avoiding this glory and, having chosen for this a deserted and silent life, to struggle only for God. He informed his spiritual father about this intention, and the latter, seeing that he was flourishing in virtues, blessed him and said to him: “Go in peace, my son! The Lord be with you; May He enlighten you and guide you to the good activities to which He has called you.” After this, blessed Euphrosynus, having accepted the blessing from his spiritual father, left the Most Pure Monastery and began to go around many places, looking for one where he could indulge in a silent life in solitude. At the special discretion of God, he heard about that place on the banks of the Tolva River, which is located at a distance of twenty-five miles from the city of Pskov and on which, by the grace of Christ, a monastery now stands 3261. The owners of this place, through some pious people, began to invite him, not by their own will, but more by the will of the Lord, Who desired that His holy name should be glorified here too. At this place the monk settled for a silent, solitary life, as the Divine Prophet said: “I would go far away and remain in the desert. I would hasten to hide from the whirlwind, from the storm” (Ps. 55:8-9). He set up a hut for himself here and with zeal began to indulge in monastic deeds, repelling the machinations of the invisible enemy with fasting, vigilance, prayer, all-night standing and prostrations to the ground. Once during the summer heat, when the monk came out of the hut and lay down on the ground to take a little rest from his exploits, he immediately fell into a summer sleep, and at that time the ecumenical teachers, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, appeared to him, and indicated the place to build a church in their name in the area where he asceticised. When he then woke up from sleep, he no longer saw anyone, and such an extraordinary vision led him to bewilderment. After this, a lot of time passed, and the saint’s mother learned from some people about his whereabouts. Taking with her everything necessary for the journey, she came to the place on the banks of the Tolva River where the monk lived. Approaching his hut, she began to ask him, saying: - My dear child! Comfort your mother's old age, show me your angelic face, do not let me go with sorrow to the grave where our fathers rest. Through the crack Saint Euphrosynus saw his mother and, recognizing her, said to her: “Don’t grieve, my mother, go away from here and don’t bother your old age.” If you want to see me here, you won’t see me in that life. Go to the monastery and, laboring, save your soul. The reverend’s mother never achieved the fulfillment of her desire. With sorrow, she left him, entered one of the monasteries and, spending her days in pious deeds, remained in it until her death. The Monk Euphrosynus, having spent his life valiantly and gloriously, reposed in the Lord 3262. This was the name Euphrosynus bore in the world. The description of the area from which the monk comes is presented in such a florid way that it is difficult to find meaning in the words. This area is called an island probably because in the north there is the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga, connected by the Neva River, in the east there is the Volkhov River, connecting Lake Ladoga and Lake Ilmen, and in the west there is Lake Peipus, connected to the Gulf of Finland by the Narova River, and further in the south - the continuation of Lake Peipus, Lake Pskov. The latter approaches Lake Ilmen in the south by the Velikaya and Shelonya rivers. In the north of this area lived the foreign tribes Vod and Izhora, and in the west - Chud, Liv and Lithuanians, and it itself was inhabited by Slavic tribes, which were called, one must think, “the lot of Japheth.” Videlebye is a village in Pskov district. It was also the birthplace of St. Nikander of Pskov, whose memory is celebrated on September 24 Field is a measure of distance of 690 fathoms. Nets are called nets for catching birds and animals. Of course, the Spaso-Velikopustinsky Eleazar Monastery in the Pskov province on the Tolva River, 30 versts from Pskov. The Monk Euphrosynus died on May 15, 1481, at the age of 95. His relics first rested in the Spaso-Velikopustinsky Eleazar Monastery, which he founded. Subsequently, this monastery was moved to the mountain, a new cathedral stone church was built in it in the name of the Three Saints, and the relics of the saint were transferred to it, now resting under a bushel near the wall behind the first choir. You might be interested in: