The exact date of birth of Parthenius, as the future saint was called in the world, is not known. It is believed that this happened in 1395. The village where his parents lived was small, but it was close to the city of Borovsk.
He loved prayer and solitude and did not find joy in this world. As a young man he entered the monastery of the Protection of the Mother of God. There he took the name Paphnutius. After 7 years, seeing his sincere love for the Lord, spiritual wealth and ability to lead people by his example, he is appointed abbot. Paphnutius reluctantly gave his consent, and Metropolitan Photius of Kiev and All Russia ordained him abbot.
After 13 years, Paphnutius became seriously ill. He was so sure of an imminent death that he accepted the Great Schema, but he did not die, but recovered. This was a turning point in the life of the saint. He renounced the rank of abbot and decided to retire away from people, devoting his days to prayer.
With an assistant, a young monk, Paphnutius retired to a deserted place. Very soon other monks began to come and settle nearby. A new monastery was formed, which would later be called Pafnutevsky. First a wooden church was placed in the monastery, and then it was replaced.
On the stone. According to the chronicle, the temple was richly decorated with icons, books and church utensils. The chronicler mentions that “princes and boyars” came to worship the monastery, as well as Orthodox pilgrims from nearby cities and from afar.
The life of Paphnutius was accompanied by many miracles. So, first the water in the monastery was drawn in the river. This work was heavy and monotonous. Then, pitying the brethren, the elder prayed and at the walls of the monastery hammered a spring.
It is impossible to count how many through the prayers of the elder were healed the sick and maimed. How many worshippers have found peace and peace of mind.
The prince in Borovsk at that time was Vasily Yaroslavich. It was very insulting to him that he, the Borovsky Monastery, was getting sick, because everyone wants to get to Paphnutius. The prince has a bad idea. He sent a servile man Ermolai to set Pafnutevsky Monastery on fire. It just didn’t work. Found it.
He wandered around the neighborhood until he was discovered by monks collecting firewood. When the villain appeared before the elder, he called him by name and asked why he had come. Ermolai repented, told everything, and immediately his blindness disappeared.
During another raid, the Tatars captured the prince. There, Vasily Yaroslavich promised to reconcile with the elder, if he was released. The Tatars ordered a ransom. Paphnutius asked people to help for a penny. So they collected the necessary amount, and the event itself entered the chronicle as a “penny ransom”. Vasily Yaroslavich kept his word, reconciled with the elder and gave him
honor and respect.
The monk did all the work along with other monks. He was very limited in food, sometimes for weeks did not eat anything. The rich and the poor were treated equally. He was not ashamed to condemn the powerful of this world for their sins. He called everyone to repentance.
The elder foresaw his death and gave the order in advance not to spend money on the coffin, but to buy bread on them and distribute it to the poor. He told me to wrap myself in a lubricant. After his death, people grieved so much that the ground near the grave did not dry with tears.
The monk was canonized in 1547. But even before that, worshippers worshiped him as a saint.
Memorial Day
May 14
The Holy Land Charitable Foundation
Lives of Saints
