The Monk Avraamii (Abraham) of Smolensk
Commemorated on August 21
The Monk Avraamii
(Abraham) of Smolensk, a preacher of repentance and the impending Dread
Last Judgement, was born in the mid-XII Century at Smolensk of rich parents,
who before him had 12 daughters, and they besought God for a son. From
childhood he grew up in the fear of God, he was often in church and had the
opportunity to read books. The parents hoped that their only son would enter
into marriage and continue their illustrious lineage, but he sought after a
different life. After the death of his parents, having given away all his
wealth to monasteries, to churches and to the destitute, the saint walked
through the city in rags, beseeching God to show him the way to salvation.
He accepted tonsure
in a monastery of the Most Holy Mother of God, five versts from Smolensk, at the
locale of Selischa. Having passed through various obediences there, the monk
fervently occupied himself with the copying of books, culling spiritual riches
from them. The Smolensk prince Roman Rostislavich (+ 1170) started a school in
the city, in which they taught not only in Slavonic, but also out of Greek and
Latin books. The prince himself had a large collection of books, which the Monk
Avraamii made use of. He had asceticised for more than 30 years at the
monastery, when in the year 1198 the hegumen persuaded him to accept the
dignity of presbyter. Every day he made Divine Liturgy and fulfilled the
obedience of clergy not only for the brethren, but also for the laypeople.
Soon the monk became
widely known. This aroused the envy of the brethren, and then of the hegumen
also, and 5 years later the monk was compelled to transfer to the
Cross-Exaltation monastery in Smolensk itself. From the offerings by the devout
he embellished the cathedral church of the poor monastery with icons, and with
curtains and candle-stands. He himself inscribed two icons on themes, which
most of all concerned him: on the one he depicted the Dread Last Judgement, and
on the other – the suffering of the trials of life. Lean and pale from extreme
toil, the ascetic in priestly garb resembled in appearance Saint Basil the
Great. The saint was strict both towards himself, and towards his spiritual
children. He preached constantly in church and to those coming to him in his
cell, conversing with rich and poor alike.
The city notables and
the clergy demanded of Bishop Ignatii to bring the monk to trial, accusing him
in the seduction of women and the tempting of his spiritual children. But even
more terrible were the accusations against him, of heresy and the reading of
forbidden books. For this they proposed to drown or burn the ascetic. At the
trial by the prince and the bishop, the monk answered all the false
accusations, but despite this, they forbade him to serve as a priest and
returned him to his former monastery in honour of the Most Holy Mother of God. A
terrible drought occurred in consequence of God's wrath over the unjust
sentence, and only when Sainted Ignatii put forth a pardon of the Monk Avraamii
permitting him to serve and preach, did the rain again fall on the Smolensk
lands.
The bishop Saint
Ignatii built a new monastery, in honour of the Placing of the Robe of the
Most Holy Mother of God, and he entrusted the guidance of it to the Monk
Avraamii, and he himself settled into it, having retired because of age from
the diocese. Many were desirous to enter under the guidance of the Monk
Avraamii, but he examined them very intensely and only after great investigation,
so that at his monastery there were but 17 brethren. The Monk Avraamii, after
the death of Saint Ignatii, having become his spiritual friend, – even moreso
than before urged the brethren to reminisce about death and to pray day and
night, that they be not condemned in the Judgement by God.
The Monk Avraamii
died after the year 1224, having spent 50 years in monasticism. Already at the
end of the XIII Century there had been compiled a service to him, conjointly
with his student the Monk Ephrem. The terrible Mongol-Tatar invasion,
seen as the wrath of God for sin, not only did not stifle the memory of the
Monk Avraamii of Smolensk, but rather was a reminder to people of his calling
to repentance and recollection of the dread Last Judgement.
© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.
