Serge de Radonège

Serge de Radonège ( СергийРадонежский ), born around 1313 and deceased in 1392. It is one of the most popular Saint S of Russia, with Séraphin of Sarov.

It was large spiritual and reforming monastic of the medieval Russia.

Biographical elements

Childhood

One is unaware of the exact date of his birth, in Rostov. His/her parents prénommèrent it Barthélemy, of the name of the apostle. Contrary to his brothers, it was not very gifted at the school. Meeting one day an old monk, he asked him to request so that it manages to study normally. The monk requested for him, then ensured it that as from this day, it could study. The evening even, it lute the office of the hours, it had less than ten years. He attended the offices of the Church assiduously, and started to reading the Bible. From the old one twelve years, it started to rigorously follow the fasts of Wednesday and Friday. With an unspecified date, its family left Rostov to settle in Radonège, in the north of Moscow.

Hermit

Whereas his/her brothers had married, Barthélémy remained unmarried, expressing his desire to become monk. After the death of his/her parents, his older brother - widower became monk with the monastery of Khotov. Together, they settled in the forest, with several kilometers of Radonège. There, they built a hut, with a vault which they dedicated to the Holy Trinity, which was an innovation. It is there that he became monk, at 24 years, under the name of " Serge". His/her brother left it a little later to join the monastery of Théophanie, in Moscow.

Serge remained Ermite in this loneliness during three years, with for only books the psautier and the Évangiles, and for only vicinity wild animals of this forest, with the number of which the wolves and bears were not rare. Besides one of these bears became one accustomed of the hermitage, Serge giving him a little his bread of time to other.

The monastery

At the end of these three years, of another people are reflected to join it. The offices of the hours were daily celebrated in the vault, but as none the brothers was priest, they were to make some come for the celebration from the Divine Liturgy.

In 1354, Serge was ordered priest, and officially declared higoumene of the small community. No matter what their standard of living often came very close to misery, Serge did not allow that the monks make collections for their needs, the brothers in front of in all entrusting to God.

With the request express of the Philotée Patriarch of Constantinople, it organized the small community (which so far consisted of independent cells) in a true monastery, with a rule adapted of those of the Studites. The community, by a dozen members, increased quickly. Following a beginning of revolt against his authority - which was however moderate -, Serge left the monastery and settled in Kirjatch, in spite of the attempts of Métropolite Alexis to bring back it to the monastery of the Trinity.

Serge and Russia

Whereas Russia was invaded by the Tatars, Serge took part in missions " politiques" to support a raising of the Russian nation.

It had also made of its monastery a intellectual center, equipped with a good library.

In 1380, the prince Dimitri Donskoï questioned Serge, to ask to him whether it were to enter in resistance against the invader. The monk committed it to defend his people and blesses it. At the time of the battle of Koulikovo, which was the beginning of the delivery of Russia, Serge requested.

Last months and death

A few months before the end of its life, Serge désengagea it higouménat and of the " life publique" for consacrerà new with the prayer in loneliness.

He died on September 25th, 1392.

Posterity

Serge was canonized in 1452. He is celebrated in the orthodoxe Church the September 25th and July 5th

The monastery of the Trinity took thereafter the name of Monastère of the Trinity-Saint-Serge and remained a hearth of spirituality, even during the Soviet period.

The orthodoxe institute of theology of Paris is placed under the patronage of St Serge

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