The boy Eustathius was born in 1412, in the family of pious parents. His father was a merchant. From his youth Eustathius dreamed of the life of a monk. So he left home and entered a monastery in Kalyazin. His parents tried to convince him to return home, but instead, he convinced them to renounce the world and accept tonsure.
In 1437 he took tonsure under the name Ephraim. He sought solitude and therefore left the monastery and built a cell for himself on the shore of Lake Ilmen. However, the feat of the deserter Ephraim did not succeed. The brothers immediately gathered around him. They asked Ephraim to become their abbot. In 1450, the Archbishop of Novgorod placed the saint in the hieromonk and appointed him rector of the monastery. Returning from Novgorod, Ephraim laid the foundation of the church in the name of Epiphany.
The house grew, there was not enough water in it. Then, under the guidance of the abbot, the monks dug a canal from Lake Ilmen. Because of this, the monastery began to be called Perekopskaya or, locally, Perekomskaya.
Having arranged the Church of the Epiphany, Ephraim laid a stone temple. In 1466 the temple was consecrated. Dedicated it to St. Nicholas.
Saint Ephraim was buried in St. Nicholas Church in 1492. After some time, due to floods, the monastery decided to move to a higher place. Churches have been dismantled. Ephraim was reburied in a new temple and canonized in 1549.
Remembrance days
- October 9
- May 29
- July 3 (transitional) – Cathedral of Novgorod Saints
- July 17 (transitional) – Cathedral of Tver Saints
The Holy Land Charitable Foundation
Lives of Saints
