A short message about St. Sergius of Radonezh for children. Sergius of Radonezh: brief biography, life, prayers

Sergius of Radonezh (c. 1314-1392) is revered by the Russian Orthodox Church as a saint and is considered the greatest ascetic of the Russian land. He founded the Trinity-Sergius Lavra near Moscow, which was formerly called the Trinity Monastery. Sergius of Radonezh preached the ideas of hesychasm. He understood these ideas in his own way. In particular, he rejected the idea that only monks would enter the kingdom of God. “All the good ones will be saved,” Sergius taught. He became, perhaps, the first Russian spiritual thinker who not only imitated Byzantine thought, but also creatively developed it. The memory of Sergius of Radonezh is especially revered in Russia. It was this ascetic monk who blessed Dmitry of Moscow and his cousin Vladimir Serpukhovsky to fight the Tatars. Through his mouth, the Russian Church for the first time called for the fight against the Horde.

We know about the life of St. Sergius from Epiphanius the Wise - the master of "weaving words". "The Life of Sergius of Radonezh" was written by him in his declining years in 1417-1418. in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. According to his testimony, in 1322 the son of Bartholomew was born to the Rostov boyar Kirill and his wife Maria. Once this family was rich, but then became impoverished and, fleeing from the persecution of the servants of Ivan Kalita, around 1328 was forced to move to Radonezh, a city that belonged to younger son Grand Duke Andrei Ivanovich. At the age of seven, Bartholomew began to be taught to read and write in a church school, teaching was given to him with difficulty. He grew up as a quiet and thoughtful boy, who gradually made the decision to leave the world and devote his life to God. His parents themselves took the tonsure in the Khotkovsky monastery. In the same place, his elder brother Stefan took the vow of monasticism. Bartholomew, bequeathing property younger brother Peter, went to Khotkovo and became a monk under the name of Sergius.

The brothers decided to leave the monastery and set up a cell in the forest, ten versts from it. Together they cut down the church and consecrated it in honor of the Holy Trinity. Around 1335, Stefan could not stand the hardships and went to the Moscow Epiphany Monastery, leaving Sergius alone. Sergius began a period severe trials. His seclusion lasted about two years, and then monks began to flock to him. They built twelve cells and surrounded them with a fence. So in 1337 the monastery of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery was born, and Sergius became its abbot.

He led the monastery, but this leadership had nothing to do with power in the usual, secular sense of the word. As they say in the "Life", Sergius was for everyone "as if a bought slave." He cut cells, dragged logs, performed difficult work, fulfilling to the end the vow of monastic poverty and service to one's neighbor. One day he ran out of food, and after being hungry for three days, he went to the monk of his monastery, a certain Daniel. He was going to attach a canopy to his cell and was waiting for carpenters from the village. And so the abbot offered Daniel to do this work. Daniil was afraid that Sergius would ask a lot of him, but he agreed to work for rotten bread, which was already impossible to eat. Sergius worked all day, and in the evening Daniil "bring him a sieve of rotten bread."

Also, according to the information of the Life, he "used every opportunity to start a monastery, where he found it necessary." According to one contemporary, Sergius "with quiet and meek words" could act on the most hardened and hardened hearts; very often reconciled the warring princes. In 1365 he sent him to Nizhny Novgorod reconcile quarreling princes. Along the way, in passing, Sergius found time to arrange a wasteland in the wilderness of the Gorokhovets district in a swamp near the Klyazma River and erect a church of the Holy Trinity. He settled there "the elders of desert hermits, and they ate bast and mowed hay in the swamp." In addition to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, Sergius founded the Annunciation Monastery on Kirzhach, Staro-Golutvin near Kolomna, the Vysotsky Monastery, Georgievsky on the Klyazma. In all these monasteries he placed his disciples as abbots. More than 40 monasteries were founded by his disciples, for example, Savva (Savvino-Storozhevsky near Zvenigorod), Ferapont (Ferapontov), ​​Kirill (Kirillo-Belozersky), Sylvester (Resurrection Obnorsky). According to his life, Sergius of Radonezh performed many miracles. People came to him from different cities for healing, and sometimes even just to see him. According to the life, he once resurrected a boy who died in his father's arms when he carried the child to the saint for healing.

Reaching old age, Sergius, foreseeing his death in half a year, called the brethren to him and blessed the disciple, Reverend Nikon, who was experienced in spiritual life and obedience, to be abbess. Sergius died on September 25, 1392 and was soon canonized. It happened during the lifetime of people who knew him. An incident that never happened again.

After 30 years, on July 5, 1422, his relics were found incorruptible, as evidenced by Pachomius Logofet. Therefore, this day is one of the days of the memory of the saint. On April 11, 1919, during the campaign to open the relics, the relics of Sergius of Radonezh were opened in the presence of a special commission with the participation of representatives of the church. The remains of Sergius were found in the form of bones, hair and fragments of the rough monastic robe in which he was buried. Pavel Florensky became aware of the forthcoming opening of the relics, and with his participation (in order to protect the relics from the possibility of complete destruction), the head of St. Sergius was secretly separated from the body and replaced with the head of Prince Trubetskoy buried in the Lavra. Until the return of the relics of the Church, the head of St. Sergius was kept separately. In 1920-1946. the relics were in a museum located in the building of the Lavra. On April 20, 1946, the relics of Sergius were returned to the Church. Currently, the relics of St. Sergius are in the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

Sergius of Radonezh embodied the idea of ​​a community monastery in Rus'. Previously, monks, leaving for a monastery, continued to own property. There were poor and rich monks. Naturally, the poor soon became the servants of their more affluent brethren. This, according to Sergius, contradicted the very idea of ​​monastic brotherhood, equality, striving for God. Therefore, in his Trinity Monastery, founded near Moscow near Radonezh, Sergius of Radonezh forbade the monks to have private property. They had to give their wealth to the monastery, which became, as it were, a collective owner. Property, in particular land, was needed by the cloisters, only so that the monks who devoted themselves to prayer would have something to eat. As we can see, Sergius of Radonezh was guided by the highest thoughts and fought against monastic wealth. The disciples of Sergius became the founders of many monasteries of this type. However, in the future, the dormitory monasteries became the largest landowners, who, by the way, also possessed great movable wealth - money, precious things received as contributions to the memory of the soul. The Trinity-Sergius Monastery under Vasily II the Dark received an unprecedented privilege: its peasants did not have the right to move on St. George's Day - so, on the scale of one monastery estate, serfdom first appeared in Rus'.

Sergius of Radonezh (before becoming a monk - Bartholomew Kirillovich) Russian church and political figure.
Born in the family of a boyar not far from Rostov.
The family, suffering from Tatar exactions and princely strife, moved to the Moscow principality and received land near the city of Radonezh.

At the age of seven, Bartholomew was given to learn to read and write.
He wanted to study with all his heart, but the letter was not given to him.
According to legend, Bartholomew suffered greatly from this, and therefore he prayed to God day and night to open the door of book understanding to him. One day, looking for lost horses in the field, he saw an unfamiliar old man under an oak tree. The monk prayed. The boy approached him and told him about his grief. Having listened sympathetically to the boy, the elder began to pray for his enlightenment. Then, he took out a small piece of bread and said: “Take and eat: this is given to you as a sign of the grace of God and understanding Holy Scripture". This grace really fell on the child: the Lord gave him memory and understanding, and he began to easily assimilate book wisdom. After this miracle, the desire to serve only God grew stronger in young Bartholomew. He wanted to retire, following the example of the ancient ascetics, but love for his parents kept him in his own family.

After the death of his parents, Bartholomew granted an inheritance to his younger brother Peter and, together with his older brother Stefan, settled 10 miles from Radonezh, in a deep forest near the Konchura River. The brothers cut wood with their own hands and built a cell and a small church.
This is how the famous monastery of St. Sergius arose.
Soon Stefan left his brother and became rector of the Epiphany Monastery in Moscow and confessor of the Grand Duke.
Bartholomew became a monk and was given a new name - Sergius.
For about two years he lived alone in the forest.

The fame of the great recluse spread throughout Rus'. People flocked to the monastery.
Soon, Sergius of Radonezh, together with his elder brother Stephen (circa 1330-40), founded the Trinity Monastery (Trinity-Sergius Lavra) and became its second abbot.

Sergius introduced a communal charter in the monastery, destroying the separate residence of the monks that existed before. The adoption of the communal charter and its subsequent distribution, with the support of the grand ducal authorities, the Russian metropolitan and the patriarch of Constantinople, to other monasteries of North-Eastern Rus' was an important church reform that contributed to the transformation of monasteries into large economic and spiritual centers.

The moral authority of Sergius, close ties with the family of Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy, the most prominent boyars and the highest church hierarchs allowed Sergius of Radonezh to actively influence the church and political affairs of his time.
In 1380, he helped Dmitry in the preparation of the Battle of Kulikovo, and in 1385 he settled his conflict with the Ryazan prince Oleg.

Saint Sergius died on September 25, 1392.
He was buried in the monastery he founded; canonized by the Russian Church as a saint.

Sergius of Radonezh was born on May 3, 1314 in the village of Varnitsy near Rostov. At baptism, the future saint received the name Bartholomew. At the age of seven, his parents sent him to study literacy. At first, the boy was given very bad training, but gradually he learned holy scripture became interested in the church. From the age of twelve, Bartholomew began to fast strictly, prayed a lot.

Foundation of the monastery

Around 1328, the future hieromonk moved to Radonezh with his family. After the death of their parents, Bartholomew, along with his older brother Stephen, went to deserted places. In the forest on Makovets hill they built a small Trinity church.

In 1337, on the feast day of the martyrs Sergius and Bacchus, Bartholomew was tonsured under the name Sergius. Soon disciples began to come to him, and a monastery was formed on the site of the church. Sergius becomes the second abbot and presbyter of the monastery.

Religious activities

A few years later, a flourishing temple of Sergius of Radonezh, the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, was formed in this place. Having learned about the emergence of the monastery, the Ecumenical Patriarch Filofei sent a letter to the abbot, in which he paid tribute to his activities. Saint Sergius was a highly respected person in princely circles: he blessed the rulers before battles, tried them on among themselves.

In addition to the Trinity-Sergius, for his brief biography, Radonezh founded several more monasteries - Borisoglebsky, Blagoveshchensky, Staro-Golutvinsky, Georgievsky, Andronnikov and Simonov, Vysotsky.

Honoring the memory

Sergius of Radonezh was canonized in 1452. In the work “The Life of Sergius”, the main primary source of the biography of the hieromonk, Epiphanius the Wise wrote that during his life, Saint Radonezhsky had many miracles and healings. Once he even resurrected a man.

In front of the icon of Sergius of Radonezh, people ask for recovery. On September 25, on the day of the death of the saint, believers celebrate the day of his memory.

Other biography options

• The Life of Sergius tells that Bartholomew learned to read and write thanks to the blessing of the holy elder.
• Among the disciples of Sergius of Radonezh were such well-known religious figures as Abraham of Galicia, Pavel Obnorsky, Sergius of Nuromsky, St. Andronicus, Pachomius of Nerekhtsky and many others.
• The life of the saint inspired many writers (N. Zernova, N. Kostomarov, L. Charskaya, G. Fedotov, K. Sluchevsky and others) to create works of art about his fate and deeds, including a number of books for children. The biography of Sergius of Radonezh is studied by schoolchildren in grades 7-8.

Biography test

A small test on a brief biography of Radonezh will help you better understand the material.

Sergius of Radonezh - every schoolchild, every adult, every believer and atheist, historian and ordinary peasant knows this name. Sergius of Radonezh was born in 1314 according to one version, and according to another in May 1322. His worldly name was Bartholomew. Saint Sergius was the abbot, the collector of Russian lands, the founder a large number monasteries, including the famous Trinity-Sergius Lavra in the city of Sergiev Posad. It is with the name of St. Sergei that the emergence of Russian spiritual culture is connected, which was supposed to defeat the Tatar-Mongol yoke, which became the life work of Sergius of Radonezh. He was distinguished by the ability to give spiritual strength to almost any person with the help of his instructions.

It is alleged that with the help of his instructions, Sergius of Radonezh could reconcile the warring princes, persuaded all the princes to obey the Moscow principality. It was thanks to this activity that by 1380 it was possible to assemble a strong army, in which there were wars of almost all principalities, for the battle against the Tatar-Mongols on the Kulikovo field. Thanks to this battle, Sergius of Radonezh began to be called one of the gatherers of Russian lands.

Before the Battle of Kulikovo, Prince Dmitry Donskoy, as the legend says, came to Sergius of Radonezh at his monastery. Having received the blessing of St. Sergius, Grand Duke Moscow Dmitry Donskoy set off. When the army practically stumbled upon the Tatar-Mongol army and when the Russian wars saw the huge army of Mamai, a messenger from St. Sergius of Radonezh rode to them with a letter saying that the army should fight bravely and not be afraid of anything. According to legend, St. Sergius of Radonezh sent two monks, Peresvet and Oslyabya, who were experienced in military affairs, to help the grand ducal squad. After the battle and the victory of the Russian troops in it, the authority of St. Sergius grew even more.

In 1382, during the invasion of Tokhtamysh, he left the monastery and went under the protection of the Tver prince. According to the legends, the life of Sergius of Radonezh was accompanied by numerous miracles, among which were numerous visions, help to the sick and their further recovery. Sergius of Radonezh wanted to be buried outside the church along with other monks, but at the request of the monks and with the permission of Metropolitan Kaprian, permission was obtained for burial in the church. According to one version, this desire of the monks was due to the fact that they wanted to perpetuate the memory of their mentor.

Sergius of Radonezh, without a doubt, entered the history of Russia. He is revered by Christians as the patron of students, he was one of the smartest and wisest man of his time, a man whose instructions helped to begin the unification of Rus' and free Rus' from the Tatar-Mongol oppression, from bullying and paying tribute. As the legend says, in childhood, Sergius saw an old man under an oak tree who prayed earnestly, after the elder had finished praying, Sergius asked him if he would be a literate person, to which the elder replied that Sergius would be smarter than his brothers and peers.

And so it happened. Without a doubt, the successes that St. Sergius of Radonezh achieved would not have been possible without diligent work on himself and for the good of the Motherland, without all dedication, without prayers for native land. Sergius of Radonezh could find mutual language with all the princes, he could convince them of the need to unite in order to fight a common enemy and to protect Orthodoxy and the independence of Rus'. Sergius of Radonezh forever recorded his name in the history of Russia.

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Brief biography of Sergius of Radonezh about the main thing

Many people know the name of Sergius of Radonezh, abbot, miracle worker, founder of the magnificent Trinity-Sergius Lavra in the city of Sergiev Posad. For his achievements, he was canonized as a saint, but when exactly is not known. According to some sources, in 1448 by decision of the Grand Duke, according to others - in 1452. Much in the biography of Sergius is ambiguous. For example, the day and place of birth of the hieromonk. It is generally accepted that this is May 3, 1314 in the village of Varnitsy, Rostov region, but not all historians agree with this.

Even as a child, Bartholomew (that was the name Sergius bore in the world) studied the Scriptures, became interested in church life and began to fast. Around 1328, he moved to Radonezh with his parents, brothers Peter and Stefan. The death of their parents greatly affected Stefan and Bartholomew, and they went to live in wild places not inhabited by people. Here on the hill Makovets they founded a temple dedicated to the Trinity. Around 1337, on October 7, Bartholomew took the vows as a monk under the name Sergius. Year by year, the number of people who became his disciples grew, and a monastery was formed on the site of a small church. Bishop Athanasius consecrated Sergius to the rank of abbot and presbyter of the monastery. The new abbot changed the order of life in the monastery: he forbade begging, introduced a form of cohabitation of monks in the monastery - a hostel, demanded that the monks live by their own labor. Life was difficult, often hungry.

The monk also founded several monasteries. During his long life (according to scientists, Sergius lived for 70 or 78 years), he performed many miracles, even resurrected a person, became very revered by the Grand Dukes and boyars. Metropolitan Alexei wanted Sergius to become metropolitan after him, but Sergius refused. Before the Battle of Kulikovo, St. Sergius of Radonezh met with Prince Dmitry Donskoy and blessed him, as well as the monks of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra of Peresvet and Oslyabya, who, being experienced warriors in the world, decided to fight for their homeland, despite the official ban on participating in battle under the threat of excommunication from the Church.

Remembrance days of St. Sergius of Radonezh are celebrated by believers on September 25 (the great hieromonk died on September 25, 1392) and July 8 (the relics of the saint were found on July 8, 1422). More than 780 temples are dedicated to him in our country and abroad. In front of his icon, people ask for the bestowal of strength in solving difficult situations, convalescence.

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Interesting Facts and dates from life

October 8 Orthodox Church recalls one of the most revered saints in Rus' - St. Sergius of Radonezh. In September 2017, a monument to this saint was even opened in Barnaul. We tell you who he is and why he is so loved in Russia.

Who is Sergius of Radonezh?

Sergius of Radonezh is one of the favorite saints in Rus'. Known as a hermit and miracle worker, the founder of a number of monasteries, including the Trinity-Sergius Lavra near Moscow. He is also called the spiritual collector of the Russian people and Russian culture. Considered the patron saint of students.

When was Sergius of Radonezh born and lived?

The exact date and year of his birth is unknown. Researchers say that this could have happened in 1314 or 1319.

The parents of the future saint were called Cyril and Mary. The boy was given the name Bartholomew at birth. In addition to him, the family had two more children. The eldest is Stefan and the youngest is Peter. The family lived in the village of Varnitsy near Rostov. When Bartholomew was a teenager, his family, fleeing hunger, moved to Radonezh.

How did he become a monk?

As the life of the saint says, as a child, Bartholomew "began to fast with strict fasting and abstained from everything, on Wednesday and Friday he ate nothing, and on other days he ate bread and water; at night he often stayed awake and prayed." His parents did not like this behavior of his son, and they made him promise that he would become a monk only after their death. And so it happened. At the age of 23, Sergius called his brother Stefan to live in the desert. But he did not stay with his brother for long: life in the desert turned out to be too difficult, and Stefan left. Bartholomew called on a certain hegumen Mitrofan and took tonsure from him, calling himself Sergius, since on that day (October 7) the memory of the martyrs Sergius and Bacchus was celebrated.

Soon, students began to join him. Sergius forbade them to beg and introduced the rule that they all live by their labor. During his life, Sergius founded five monasteries. The most famous is the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, as well as the Annunciation Monastery on Kirzhach, Staro-Golutvin near Kolomna, Vysotsky Monastery, Georgievsky on Klyazma.

Why is Sergius of Radonezh considered the patron saint of students?

Many miracles are associated with the name of this saint. One of the first is the amazing teaching of literacy. Bartholomew was sent to study at the age of seven. His brothers quickly mastered reading, but Bartholomew still could not learn. Parents cursed, the teacher punished, and the boy could not learn in any way and "prayed to God with tears."

Once in the field, Bartholomew saw a praying black monk "an old man ... handsome, like an angel", told him about his misfortune and asked God to pray for him. After the prayer, the elder gave the boy a piece of holy prosphora and ordered him to eat it, predicting that now he would know the letter better than all his peers. And so it happened. Sergius was a very educated person. He knew several languages, read a lot and knew a lot. He passed on his knowledge to his students. And today it is considered the patron saint of students.

Is it true that the saint reconciled the Russian princes and helped win the Battle of Kulikovo?

It is believed that Sergius really reconciled the warring princes. The life says that the saint "with quiet and meek words" could act on the most hardened and hardened hearts. It was thanks to him that by the time of the Battle of Kulikovo, almost all Russian princes had ceased to be at enmity.

Sergius of Radonezh had the gift of foresight. He blessed Prince Dmitry for the battle with the Tatar Khan Mamai on the Kulikovo field. When Dmitry came to him for advice, Sergius predicted victory for the Russian army. To help the prince, he released two monks - Peresvet and Oslyabya, although in those days monks were forbidden to take part in battles. Eventually Russian army won.

What miracles did Sergius of Radonezh perform?

He performed many miracles. We list just a few:

Source. In one of the monasteries, the monks found themselves forced to bring water from afar, a murmur arose, and then the monk, “having found some rainwater in one ditch, made an earnest prayer over it,” after which a source of water was opened.

Resurrection of a child. One local brought a sick son to Sergius. But the child died. The heartbroken father left behind the coffin. "But while he was walking, the monk prayed over the deceased, and the child came to life."

Punishment for greed. A rich neighbor took a boar from a poor one and "did not want to pay money for it." When Sergius appealed with an admonition, the rich man promised "to pay for a pig taken from a poor neighbor, and also to correct his whole life." The promise was not fulfilled, and the pork carcass, despite being frozen, was eaten by worms.