Sergius of Radonezh
To the people of Russia, Sergius of Radonezh has long been regarded as both a national hero and one of their most beloved saints. He was born in Rostov around the year 1314.
Civil war and unrest eventually forced his family to leave Rostov and settle near Moscow at Radonezh, where they supported themselves by farming. When Sergius was about twenty years old, he and his brother withdrew into the nearby forest to live a life of prayer and solitude. From that simple beginning grew the Monastery of the Holy Trinity, which became an important center for the renewal of Russian Christianity.
Sergius remained there for the rest of his life. Though he became widely respected throughout Russia, he had no desire for rank or position in the Church. In 1378, he even refused the opportunity to become Metropolitan of Moscow.
His influence, however, reached far beyond the walls of his monastery. Sergius gave his firm support to Prince Dimitri Donskoi during Russia's struggle against its Tartar rulers. In 1380, Dimitri won a decisive victory at the Battle of Kulikovo, an event that helped lay the foundation for Russia's eventual independence.
Sergius himself was known as a simple and gentle man with a deeply mystical faith. He believed that the monastic life was not meant only for prayer and contemplation, but also for service. He encouraged his monks to care for the needs of the people around them, and through both his teaching and example he inspired a deep devotion to the Orthodox Christian faith.
Sergius died in 1392. Pilgrims continue to visit his shrine at the monastery he founded, located at what is now Sergiyev Posad, about forty-three miles northeast of Moscow. The monastery, with its beautiful churches and cathedrals, remains one of the great spiritual centers of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The Russian Church remembers Sergius on September 25th. His name is also familiar to many Anglicans through the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius, an organization founded to encourage friendship, understanding, and closer relations between the Anglican and Orthodox Churches.
