The memory of the reverend father of our Ferapont, the miracle worker of Belozer

This reverend father our Ferapont came from the Moscow region, from the city of Volok Lamski [Volok Lamski, otherwise called simply Volok, the current county town of the Moscow province Volokolamsk, was founded by the Novgorodian colonists on the river Gorodensk, a tributary of the Lama, and existed even in

It's 1135.

He was the son of pious parents named Poskochyn and was known as Feodor.

When he reached the age of maturity, he was filled with the fear of God and desired to leave the world.

Leaving his home and his parents, he came to the glorious city of Moscow and to Simon's Monastery of the Most Holy Mother of God [Simon's Monastery, named after a place near the Moscow River, named after Simon, was founded about 1370 by a pupil and nephew of the monk Sergius Radonezhsky, the monk

It was built by Feodor, later the archbishop of Rostov, who built the first church in the name of the Holy Mother of God, in honor of Her glorious Christmas.

His feast day is celebrated on 28 November.] he became a monk and was given the name of Ferapont.

One day, he was sent to the White Lake region for some monastic needs, visited the places there, fell in love with them and returned to his monastery.

By the arrangement of the Divine Providence, it happened that in this monastery, being in silence, there was the reverend Kirill, later the Beloserian miracle worker, and he was honored at this time with a vision of the Most Holy Mother of God, Who ordered him to go to the countries of the White Lake, as it is told in detail

In his lifetime [Reverend Kirill was a pupil of the monk Theodore, the founder of the Simonov Moscow Monastery.

Upon the removal of Feodor to the chair of the Rostov archbishop, in 1390 he was elected archimandrite of the monastery, but did not stay in this position for long.

Frustrated that he was often visited by wealthy and noble people, he locked himself in his former cell and tried to remain silent, but even here his soul was torn to complete solitude and silence in a deserted place.

The monks Cyril and Ferapont, having conspired, left together from Simon's monastery and came to the lands of the White Lake, bypassing all the deserted places there, they came to the place where the Cyrillic monastery is now located.

The monastery was founded in 1397 on the northern shore of Lake Siver.] Here the monk Cyril told Ferapont about the former apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to him, and they began to build a cell for themselves in this place.

So he departed from her until he found between the two lakes a place which pleased him, and he began to cleanse it and to make for himself a dwelling-place.

After that, monks began to gather to it, built a monastery and built a temple in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God [This monastery, now named Belozersky Ferapontov, was founded in 1398 on the elevated shore of the Borodov lake 14 kilometers from the present city of Kirillov].

Monsignor Ferapont frequently visited Monsignor Cyril for spiritual talks and to arrange monastic life, as he lived not far from his monastery, at a distance of only twelve fields, and received great benefits from him.

Due to their virtuous life, their fame reached the ears of the rulers of that country and even the greatest prince, Andrey Dmitrievich, who also owned the White Lake region.

When the prince heard about the holy heroes, he was very happy that such monks had come to his possessions, praised God and gave rich gifts from his treasury for the construction of monasteries.

He visited the monastery of the Most Holy Mother of God, met with the elderly monk Ferapont, talked with him and fell in love with him.

Some time after this, the prince had a strong desire to build a monastery in his city of Mohajsk, where he had his princely residence.

He turned to his boyars for advice as to where to find such a man as to arrange a monastery for him, and the boyars reminded him of the blessed Ferapont, saying that he would not find another more experienced man for this holy work.

And the king sent a letter and a present to the king's chamberlain, and said to him, Let not the king's request be denied. And the king took it to heart, and told it to his brethren, and they advised him to do the king's request.

The monk obeyed the will of the brothers and, taking with him one of the monks, came to Prince Andrew, who received the holy elder and his companion with great honor and asked him to look after the place for the construction of the monastery.

The monk refused for a long time, begging the prince to let him go to his monastery, but he could not refuse and, obeying the will of the prince, went and found near the river Moscow at a distance of one square from the city of Mozhaisk a comfortable and beautiful place.

I'm going to call him Luzetsky.

After receiving the prince's blessing from the bishop, they built a church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God, the same name as the monastery of the first monastery of the monk, built all the buildings under him according to the monastic custom, beautifully decorated them and gathered the monks [This was in 1408].

The prince held this monastery in high esteem, more than the other nearby monasteries, and gave it the rank of archimandrite to its abbot, who was appointed the first abbot and carefully relieved his old age.

After this, the monk, having lived the rest of his life godly, in old age retired to the Lord [Reverend Ferapont died about 90 years after his birth, on May 27, 1426, having lived in the Luzeck Monastery for 18 years.

His relics rest in the cathedral church of the Luzecki monastery below, and in the Beloszehr monastery a temple is dedicated to his name.] , whom he loved from his youth, and was buried with honors in this church.

The monastery.

On the same day, the relics of St. Nicholas, who died on December 7, 1554, are celebrated.