Sainted Amphylokhii

Sainted Amphylokhii

Commemorated on October 10

Sainted Amphylokhii was bishop of one of the oldest of Russian dioceses – Vladimir-Volynsk, established during the time of holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir. Sainted Amphylokhii was the third archpastor to sit upon the cathedra-seat. The first Vladimir-Volynsk bishop was Stefan, established under Saint Vladimir himself; the next in succession – was the monastic hegumen of Pechersk Stefan (Comm. 27 April), who had received the hegumenate from the Monk Theodosii (Comm. 3 May). Saint Amphylokhii was ordained bishop on 27 August 1105 by the Kiev metropolitan Nikiphor (1103-1121). For seventeen years he guided the Vladimiro-Volynsk flock. Only a couple of generations separate his time from that of the Baptism of Rus', and the saint had occasion to toil no little at the conversion of pagans to Christ, and likewise to root out pagan superstitions among the newly-baptised, while pacifying the strife amongst the princes.
Resigning finally as hierarch, he continued his service to God in the caves of the Kievo-Pechersk monastery, where also he died in the year 1122. The celebration of his memory – 10 October, conjointly with the other sainted-hierarchs of the Volynsk region, was established in the year 1831, after the restoration of the Pochaev Lavra in Volynia to Orthodoxy.

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