The first author of the work “The Life of Sergius of Radonezh,” a summary of which is presented here, is Epiphanius the Wise. He took up this work the next year after the death of the saint, that is, in 1393 according to the new style. Unfortunately, the death of Epiphanius prevented him from completing his work on life, and the official script signed by Epiphanius did not reach us, only lists survived. It is difficult for an unprepared modern reader to perceive a text written in the XIV century, so today it is most often not read it, but a modern revision, authored by Boris Zaitsev, “The Life of Sergius of Radonezh”.
Life features
When you start reading the life of a saint, you must have an idea of the features of the genre and understand that this is not a hundred percent reliable story, but also not an absolute fiction. In the course of the presentation of the work “The Life of Sergius of Radonezh,” a brief summary of which will follow, I will note some features of life as a genre.
Childhood and youth
The future ascetic was born in the family of the princely servant Cyril and his wife Maria, the child in the world was given the name Bartholomew. According to Epiphanius, little Bartholomew since childhood showed strict piety. (By the way, this is a moment that is canonical for life - emphasizing that the future saint differed from others in his behavior as a child.) Bartholomew was given a difficult teaching, even despite his zeal, but once he met an old man in the forest, took him to his home, where they prayed together. The elder gave Bartholomew the prosphora and the Psalter opened at one of the most difficult moments. Having eaten the milk, the young man began to read aloud without hesitation, although he could not do this before. After the death of his parents, Bartholomew goes to a secluded life with his brother Stephen. The invited abbot Mitrofan tonsure him as a monk with the name Sergius.
Young ascetic
“The Life of St. Sergius of Radonezh,” a brief summary of which does not make it possible to properly describe the ascetic life of St. Sergius, reports that at about 20 years old he retired to deserted places where he worked, prayed, exhausted himself with exploits and fasted for a long time. Demons and the devil himself tried to seduce and intimidate the saint, but he did not give in. (By the way, mention of satanic intrigues and temptations in life is practically obligatory.) Beasts began to come to Sergius, including a memorable bear.
The monastery around the cell of Sergius
Having heard about the miraculous ascetic, people came to him with their sorrows and concerns, seeking solace. Gradually, a cloister began to gather around a solitary cell in the forest. Sergius refused to accept the rank of hegumen, but insisted on a very strict charter of the monastery. Once the monastery ran out of bread. There was no place to take food, the monks began to murmur and starve. Sergius prayed and instructed his companions on patience. Suddenly, unknown merchants came to their monastery, unloaded a lot of food and disappeared in an unknown direction. Soon after the prayer of Sergius, near the monastery, he scored a source of clean, healing water for the sick.
Miracle worker
Many stories about the miracles of St. Sergius. You can read about them in the original, but in our version - “The Life of Sergius of Radonezh: a summary” - it should be said that the saint always hid his good deeds and was very upset, showing true Christian humility when they tried to reward or thank him. Nevertheless, the glory of the saint grew more and more. It is well known that it was the Monk Sergius of Radonezh who blessed Dmitry Donskoy to the Battle of Kulikovo. The saint devoted most of his time to hard work and prayer, the rest he spent in soul-saving conversations with everyone.
Righteous demise
For six months, the humble holy ascetic knew about his demise (which is also a canonical element of life). He died in 1393, at the end of September, and was buried in the right narthex of the monastery church. For many centuries of existence and prosperity through the prayers of its patron saint, the monastery has become one of the largest and most significant laurels in the world - the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra.
You have read the article “The Life of Sergius of Radonezh: Summary,” but, without a doubt, the work of Epiphanius is worth it to be read in its entirety.