The Orthodox calendar reminds of the personality of the Monk Theodore, nicknamed Trikhina. Coming from a wealthy metropolitan family, he voluntarily refused privileges, choosing severe austerity in a secluded monastery in Thrace.
The future saint was born in Constantinople in a circle of noble and wealthy citizens. However, the prospects of secular life did not attract him. In his early years he left his parents’ home and moved to a desert monastery, where he took tonsure.
The nickname «Trikhina», meaning «Vlasyanichnyy», was fixed for him by appearance: the ascetic did not change his clothes and walked all year round in only one shirt made of hard, prickly wool. Severe abstinence in food and everyday life became the norm of his existence. Subsequently, the place of his exploits also began to be called “the monastery of Vlasyanichny”.
Sources testify that even during the earthly life the saint was glorified by miracles. The witnesses spoke of many healings that took place through his prayers. However, the culmination of popular veneration came after the death of the monk. The body of the ascetic gained incorruptibility, and from the relics the flow of the fragrant world began. This oily substance, according to the chronicles, restored health to the infirm and served as a weapon against the dark forces, saving the sufferers from possession.
The exact date of the saint’s life remains unknown. Despite the absence of time bindings, the veneration of the Monk Theodore is preserved in the church tradition precisely as an example of extreme self-denial.
Memorial Days
May 3
The Holy Land Charitable Foundation
Lives of Saints
