Macarius of Unzha
Encyclopedia
Venerable
Macarius of the Yellow Water Lake and the Unzha
, the Miracle Worker (1349–1444) is a Saint
of Russian Orthodox Church
.
He is credited with the founding of four monasteries in the Middle and Upper Volga regions of Russia.
, and is written in the 17th century hand.
Church scholars believe that the Saint was most likely born in 1349. His home town, Nizhny Novgorod
, was the capital of the Principality of Suzdal and Nizhny Novgorod, ruled by Prince Constantine Vasilyevich. As most other Russian principalities of the time, his land was dominated by the Golden Horde
overlords.
The future Saint was baptised in his parents' parish church, Church of Holy Myrrhbearers
. It is not known what was the future Saint's baptism
al name.
According to the Life of St. Macarius, when the Saint was still a baby, he would start crying every time he heard the ringing of the bells of the nearby church. There was no way to console the child. The parents would not want to bring the baby boy to the church, afraid that he would disturb the service with his crying; but eventually they decided to try. And, to their surprise, as soon as they brought the child to the church, he became quiet, smiling joyfully. From this time on, the parents had to attend every service at the parish church, and to take the child with them, because if they stayed at home during the service, the baby would again start crying.
The future Saint grew as a pious boy, especially interested in the lives of the Orthodox hermit
s of the past ages, living in the wilderness alone or in small lavra
communities. For that reason, he enjoyed visiting not only his parish church, but also Pechersky Ascension Monastery
(Печерский Вознесенский монастырь), which had been recently founded by Saint Dionysius (later known as Saint Dionysius of Suzdal
, the archbishop) who had come to Nizhny Novgorod from the famous Kiev Pechersky (Cave) Lavra
. At the age of 12, he sneaked out of his parents' house and joined Pechersky Ascension Monastery
, and received the monastic
name of Macarius . He became one of the twelve disciples of St. Dionysius, and was known for the strictness of his fast and the fervency of his prayer.
In 1374, St. Dionysius was appointed the archbishop of Suzdal
and Nizhny Novgorod and left the monastery. Soon, Macarius left the monastery too. He travelled up the Volga, spent some time with St. Tikhon on the Lukh River
, and then founded a monastery in honor of Epiphany
of Jesus Christ (now Makaryev Reshma Monastery, Макариев-Решемский мужской монастырь, near the village of Reshma
in today's Kineshma
district or Kostroma Oblast
).
He did not stay long in his new monastery, however. He wanted to live in the wilderness as a hermit. He travelled down the Volga, and liked the site at the Yellow Water Lake (Желтоводское озеро, Zheltovodskoe Ozero), near the fall of the Kerzhenets
into the Volga, some one hundred kilometers downstream from Nizhny Novgorod
. In those days, this was no-man's land between the Russian principalities, and the Kazan Khanate.
The saint dug a small cave by the waters of the Yellow Water Lake, and stayed there day and night, emulating the great hermits of the past. However, his solitude did not last long: pious people from far and wide came to his hermitage, some to seek his blessing, others to join him in hermetic life. In 1434, he founded Zheltovodsky Makariev Monastery of Holy Trinity
for his disciples.
The asceticism of Venerable Macasrius, together with his love of his neighbors, attracted not only Christians but also many local pagan Mordvin, Mari, Chuvash
and Muslim
Tatar people. Many of them were baptised by the saint in Yellow Water Lake.
In 1439, the monastery was destroyed during the invasion of Russia
by the khan Olug Moxammat of Kazan
. Most of the monks were killed; Macarius and a few other Christians were taken to Kazan
as prisoners. The khan, impressed by the pious life of
the nonagenarian abbot, released him and a few other Christian prisoners, and allowed him to bury the killed.
On the way back from Kazan
to the Yellow Water Lake, Venerable Macarius is said to have stopped at a site near today's Sviyazhsk
, blessing the future location of Makaryev Sviyazhsk Monastery.
However, Macarius and his companions were not allowed to stay at the Yellow Water Lake site. He decided to leave a safe distance between themselves and the Khanate, and went to the forests of the Unzha River
, a few hundred kilometers north of the Nizhny
. It is a long way, and the travellers soon run out of food, but were miraculously saved from starvation (Venerable Macarius' Miracle of the Moose
).
Once they reached the Unzha, still in 1439, Macarius and his party founded Unzhensky Makaryev Monastery (now a convent
).
Macarius lived in his new monastery for a few more years, healiing the sick and expelling devils from possessed people. He died on July 25
1444, at the age of 95, after an 83-year monastic career. After the two famous cloisters he founded, he is called Venerable Macarius of Yellow Water Lake and Unzha, the Miracle Worker.
, to protect the region against the Polish troops. The fame of the founder attracted pilgrims and novices to the monasteries, helping its growth.
When Feodor Romanov
, the father of Russia's new Csar Michael, is enthroned as Patriarch Philaret of Moscow in 1619, he sends a commission to the Unzha to investigate the miracles. He mentions these miracles as confirmed in his letter to his son the Csar in September 1619, and encourages Michael to visit Macarius' Unzha Monastery in fulfillment of the vow he had given earlier (which Michael promptly does). It is thought that it was at that time that Venerable Macarius was canonized by a Sobor
of the Russian Orthodox Church, which made his
veneration nation-wide.
The Holy Relics of Venerable Macarius were discovered in 1671, during a burial in the church where his body had been buried.
After several years of disagreements as to whether the relics were genuine, and some minor miracles that convinced disbelievers that they were, they were put to rest in a reliquary
in Unzhensky Makaryev Monastery. In 1929, Soviet authorities closed the monastery, and most of the relics ended up in the local history museum at Yuryevets, Ivanovo Oblast
, where they were kept in storage until 1990, when they were return to Kostroma
Eparchy
(diocese). In 1995, these relics (bones and vestments) were brought back to Unzhensky Makaryev Monastery.
The Honorable Head of Venerable Macarius, however, was missing. It was not until 2005 that the Eparchy
(Archdiocese) of
Nizhny Novgorod was contacted by a priest who had inherited the Honorable Head (or most of it, at any rate) from his brother, also a priest, who in his turn had saved it from the Bolshevik
s some time after the closing of the Unzhensky Makaryev Monastery in 1929. The priests had reverently kept the relics in their homes for many years, until they felt secure that the Russian Church
is reborn and is restoring Macarius' monasteries. After the special commission of the archdiocese, with the forensic experts' help,
established genuineness of the relics, their return was celebrated at a special service in the Holy Saviour Cathedral in the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin
on March 23, 2006.
Since then, the Honorable Head was kept in a special
portable reliquary in Pechersky Ascension Monastery
in Nizhny Novgorod, which the clerics can reverently take with them
on a visit to a nursing home or to celebrate Feast of Venerable Macarius at his other,
Zheltovodsky
Monastery.
On the occasion of the Saint's feast in 2007, the Honorable Head of Venerable Macarius was permanently transferred
from Nizhny Novgorod to Makaryev Zheltovodsky Monastery (Convent). The transfer took place during August 3–7, 2007. The prized relic, accompanied by Archbishop Georgy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas and other ecclesiastical officials of Nizhny Novgorod Eparchy
, was transported down the Volga by the boat "Alexander Peresvet" during August 3–7, 2007, with stopovers in Bor
,
Kstovo
and Lyskovo
. Religious processions were organized in the cities visited,
to carry the Honorable Head of the Saint from the Volga docksides to local churches for appropriate celebrations.
Venerable Macarius is considered the patron saint
of craftsmen
, merchant
s, and travellers, as well as of Makariev Fair
. He is especially venerated in the Archdioceses (Eparchies
) of Nizhny Novgorod
, Ivanovo
, and Kostroma
-- the lands where he performed his earthly works.
In some monasteries, such as Pechersky Ascension Monastery
in Nizhny Novgorod, one can request a prayer to Venerable Macarius for success in business or "getting out of poverty" (избавление от нищеты).
Venerable
The Venerable is used as a style or epithet in several Christian churches. It is also the common English-language translation of a number of Buddhist titles.-Roman Catholic:...
Macarius of the Yellow Water Lake and the Unzha
Unzha River
Unzha River , a river in the Vologda Oblast and Kostroma Oblast in Russia, a tributary of the Volga River. Its length is 426 km. The area of the basin is 28,900 km². The Unzha River begins at the confluence of the Kema River and the Lundonga River. It flows into the Unzhensky Cove of the Gorkovsky...
, the Miracle Worker (1349–1444) is a Saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
of Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
.
He is credited with the founding of four monasteries in the Middle and Upper Volga regions of Russia.
The Life of Venerable Macarius
The story of Saint Macarius is based on Chet’yi-Minei (the standard Russian Orthodox Lives of the Saints) as well as to other old manuscripts. One of them, kept in Makaryev Unzhensky Monastery, was first inventoried in 1835. The other is kept in Makaryev Zheltovodsky ConventMakaryev Monastery
Zheltovodsky Makaryev Convent of the Holy Trinityis one of the convents of Russian Orthodox Church.It is located in the vicinity of the urban-type settlement of Makaryevo in Lyskovsky District of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast....
, and is written in the 17th century hand.
Church scholars believe that the Saint was most likely born in 1349. His home town, Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
, was the capital of the Principality of Suzdal and Nizhny Novgorod, ruled by Prince Constantine Vasilyevich. As most other Russian principalities of the time, his land was dominated by the Golden Horde
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire...
overlords.
The future Saint was baptised in his parents' parish church, Church of Holy Myrrhbearers
Myrrhbearers
In Eastern Orthodoxy the Myrrhbearers are the individuals mentioned in the New Testament who were directly involved in the burial or who discovered the empty tomb following the resurrection of Jesus...
. It is not known what was the future Saint's baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
al name.
According to the Life of St. Macarius, when the Saint was still a baby, he would start crying every time he heard the ringing of the bells of the nearby church. There was no way to console the child. The parents would not want to bring the baby boy to the church, afraid that he would disturb the service with his crying; but eventually they decided to try. And, to their surprise, as soon as they brought the child to the church, he became quiet, smiling joyfully. From this time on, the parents had to attend every service at the parish church, and to take the child with them, because if they stayed at home during the service, the baby would again start crying.
The future Saint grew as a pious boy, especially interested in the lives of the Orthodox hermit
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
s of the past ages, living in the wilderness alone or in small lavra
Lavra
In Orthodox Christianity and certain other Eastern Christian communities Lavra or Laura originally meant a cluster of cells or caves for hermits, with a church and sometimes a refectory at the center...
communities. For that reason, he enjoyed visiting not only his parish church, but also Pechersky Ascension Monastery
Pechersky Ascension Monastery
Pechersky Ascension Monastery is a monastery in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. It is the principal monastery of the Nizny Novgorod Eparchy and the seat of the Bishop of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas.- History :...
(Печерский Вознесенский монастырь), which had been recently founded by Saint Dionysius (later known as Saint Dionysius of Suzdal
Suzdal
Suzdal is a town in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, situated northeast of Moscow, from the city of Vladimir, on the Kamenka River. Population: -History:...
, the archbishop) who had come to Nizhny Novgorod from the famous Kiev Pechersky (Cave) Lavra
Kiev Pechersk Lavra
Kiev Pechersk Lavra or Kyiv Pechersk Lavra , also known as the Kiev Monastery of the Caves, is a historic Orthodox Christian monastery which gave its name to one of the city districts where it is located in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine....
. At the age of 12, he sneaked out of his parents' house and joined Pechersky Ascension Monastery
Pechersky Ascension Monastery
Pechersky Ascension Monastery is a monastery in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. It is the principal monastery of the Nizny Novgorod Eparchy and the seat of the Bishop of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas.- History :...
, and received the monastic
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
name of Macarius . He became one of the twelve disciples of St. Dionysius, and was known for the strictness of his fast and the fervency of his prayer.
In 1374, St. Dionysius was appointed the archbishop of Suzdal
Suzdal
Suzdal is a town in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, situated northeast of Moscow, from the city of Vladimir, on the Kamenka River. Population: -History:...
and Nizhny Novgorod and left the monastery. Soon, Macarius left the monastery too. He travelled up the Volga, spent some time with St. Tikhon on the Lukh River
Lukh River
Lukh River is a river in Ivanovo, Nizhny Novgorod and Vladimir Oblasts in Russia, a left tributary of the Klyazma River . The length of the river is 240 km. The area of its drainage basin is 4,450 km². The Lukh freezes up in late November and breaks up in April....
, and then founded a monastery in honor of Epiphany
Epiphany (Christian)
Epiphany, or Theophany, meaning "vision of God",...
of Jesus Christ (now Makaryev Reshma Monastery, Макариев-Решемский мужской монастырь, near the village of Reshma
Reshma
Reshma, SI, is a renowned folk singer of Pakistan, who is popular in India too.- Early life :She was born in Loha village of in Tahsil Ratangarh, Rajasthan to a Banjara family about 1947. Her family moved to Pakistan during the partition of India soon afterwards. She says she does not have any...
in today's Kineshma
Kineshma
Kineshma is the second largest town in Ivanovo Oblast, Russia, which sprawls for along the Volga River. Population: -History:Kineshma was first noticed as a posad in 1429. In 1504, Ivan III gave it to Prince Feodor Belsky, who escaped to Moscow from Lithuania and married Ivan's niece...
district or Kostroma Oblast
Kostroma Oblast
Kostroma Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Kostroma.Major historic towns include Kostroma, Sharya, Nerekhta, Galich, Soligalich, and Makaryev. Textile industries have been developed there since the early 18th century...
).
Kerzhenets River
Kerzhenets River is a river in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast in Russia. It is a left tributary of the Volga, joining the Volga near Lyskovo, about 70 km east of Nizhny Novgorod.-History:...
into the Volga, some one hundred kilometers downstream from Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
. In those days, this was no-man's land between the Russian principalities, and the Kazan Khanate.
The saint dug a small cave by the waters of the Yellow Water Lake, and stayed there day and night, emulating the great hermits of the past. However, his solitude did not last long: pious people from far and wide came to his hermitage, some to seek his blessing, others to join him in hermetic life. In 1434, he founded Zheltovodsky Makariev Monastery of Holy Trinity
Makaryev Monastery
Zheltovodsky Makaryev Convent of the Holy Trinityis one of the convents of Russian Orthodox Church.It is located in the vicinity of the urban-type settlement of Makaryevo in Lyskovsky District of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast....
for his disciples.
The asceticism of Venerable Macasrius, together with his love of his neighbors, attracted not only Christians but also many local pagan Mordvin, Mari, Chuvash
Chuvash people
The Chuvash people are a Turkic ethnic group, native to an area stretching from the Volga Region to Siberia. Most of them live in Republic of Chuvashia and surrounding areas, although Chuvash communities may be found throughout all Russia.- Etymology :...
and Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Tatar people. Many of them were baptised by the saint in Yellow Water Lake.
In 1439, the monastery was destroyed during the invasion of Russia
Russo-Kazan Wars
thumb|300px|[[St. Basil's Cathedral]] is a monument to the Russian conquest of Kazan in 1552.The Russo-Kazan Wars was a series of wars fought between the Khanate of Kazan and Muscovite Russia from 1438, until Kazan was finally captured by Ivan the Terrible and absorbed into Russia in 1552.- Wars of...
by the khan Olug Moxammat of Kazan
Olug Moxammat of Kazan
Olugh Mokhammad , ), also known as Ulugh Muhammed and Ulanus, was twice Khan of the Golden Horde and founder of the Kazan Khanate.-Family:...
. Most of the monks were killed; Macarius and a few other Christians were taken to Kazan
Kazan
Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...
as prisoners. The khan, impressed by the pious life of
the nonagenarian abbot, released him and a few other Christian prisoners, and allowed him to bury the killed.
On the way back from Kazan
Kazan
Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...
to the Yellow Water Lake, Venerable Macarius is said to have stopped at a site near today's Sviyazhsk
Sviyazhsk
Sviyazhsk or Zöyä is a rural locality in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, located at the confluence of the Volga and Sviyaga Rivers...
, blessing the future location of Makaryev Sviyazhsk Monastery.
However, Macarius and his companions were not allowed to stay at the Yellow Water Lake site. He decided to leave a safe distance between themselves and the Khanate, and went to the forests of the Unzha River
Unzha River
Unzha River , a river in the Vologda Oblast and Kostroma Oblast in Russia, a tributary of the Volga River. Its length is 426 km. The area of the basin is 28,900 km². The Unzha River begins at the confluence of the Kema River and the Lundonga River. It flows into the Unzhensky Cove of the Gorkovsky...
, a few hundred kilometers north of the Nizhny
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
. It is a long way, and the travellers soon run out of food, but were miraculously saved from starvation (Venerable Macarius' Miracle of the Moose
Miracle of the Moose
Venerable Macarius' Miracle of the Moose is a miracle associated with the name ofVenerable Macarius of the Yellow Water Lake and the Unzha ,a Saint of the Russian Orthodox Church...
).
Once they reached the Unzha, still in 1439, Macarius and his party founded Unzhensky Makaryev Monastery (now a convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
).
Macarius lived in his new monastery for a few more years, healiing the sick and expelling devils from possessed people. He died on July 25
July 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
July 24 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - July 26-Fixed commemorations:All fixed commemorations below are observed on August 7 by Old Calendarists-Saints:*Repose of righteous Anna, mother of the Most Holy Theotokos...
1444, at the age of 95, after an 83-year monastic career. After the two famous cloisters he founded, he is called Venerable Macarius of Yellow Water Lake and Unzha, the Miracle Worker.
Canonization
After the death of Macarius, a wooden church was built over his grave, and the Unzha monastery was named after him. The locals often reported being miraculously healed of various diseases after visiting his grave; his help was said to have repelled a Tatar invasion, and later, during the Time of TroublesTime of Troubles
The Time of Troubles was a period of Russian history comprising the years of interregnum between the death of the last Russian Tsar of the Rurik Dynasty, Feodor Ivanovich, in 1598, and the establishment of the Romanov Dynasty in 1613. In 1601-1603, Russia suffered a famine that killed one-third...
, to protect the region against the Polish troops. The fame of the founder attracted pilgrims and novices to the monasteries, helping its growth.
When Feodor Romanov
Patriarch Filaret (Feodor Romanov)
Feodor Nikitich Romanov was a Russian boyar who after temporary disgrace rose to become patriarch of Moscow as Filaret , and became de-facto ruler of Russia during the reign of his son, Mikhail Feodorovich.- Life :...
, the father of Russia's new Csar Michael, is enthroned as Patriarch Philaret of Moscow in 1619, he sends a commission to the Unzha to investigate the miracles. He mentions these miracles as confirmed in his letter to his son the Csar in September 1619, and encourages Michael to visit Macarius' Unzha Monastery in fulfillment of the vow he had given earlier (which Michael promptly does). It is thought that it was at that time that Venerable Macarius was canonized by a Sobor
Sobor
A sobor is a council of bishops together with other clerical and lay delegates representing the church as a whole in matters of importance...
of the Russian Orthodox Church, which made his
veneration nation-wide.
Holy Relics
After several years of disagreements as to whether the relics were genuine, and some minor miracles that convinced disbelievers that they were, they were put to rest in a reliquary
Reliquary
A reliquary is a container for relics. These may be the physical remains of saints, such as bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with saints or other religious figures...
in Unzhensky Makaryev Monastery. In 1929, Soviet authorities closed the monastery, and most of the relics ended up in the local history museum at Yuryevets, Ivanovo Oblast
Yuryevets, Ivanovo Oblast
Yuryevets is a town and the administrative center of Yuryevetsky District of Ivanovo Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Unzha and the Volga Rivers. Population:...
, where they were kept in storage until 1990, when they were return to Kostroma
Kostroma
Kostroma is a historic city and the administrative center of Kostroma Oblast, Russia. A part of the Golden Ring of Russian towns, it is located at the confluence of the Volga and Kostroma Rivers...
Eparchy
Eparchy
Eparchy is an anglicized Greek word , authentically Latinized as eparchia and loosely translating as 'rule over something,' like province, prefecture, or territory, to have the jurisdiction over, it has specific meanings both in politics, history and in the hierarchy of the Eastern Christian...
(diocese). In 1995, these relics (bones and vestments) were brought back to Unzhensky Makaryev Monastery.
The Honorable Head of Venerable Macarius, however, was missing. It was not until 2005 that the Eparchy
Eparchy
Eparchy is an anglicized Greek word , authentically Latinized as eparchia and loosely translating as 'rule over something,' like province, prefecture, or territory, to have the jurisdiction over, it has specific meanings both in politics, history and in the hierarchy of the Eastern Christian...
(Archdiocese) of
Nizhny Novgorod was contacted by a priest who had inherited the Honorable Head (or most of it, at any rate) from his brother, also a priest, who in his turn had saved it from the Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
s some time after the closing of the Unzhensky Makaryev Monastery in 1929. The priests had reverently kept the relics in their homes for many years, until they felt secure that the Russian Church
is reborn and is restoring Macarius' monasteries. After the special commission of the archdiocese, with the forensic experts' help,
established genuineness of the relics, their return was celebrated at a special service in the Holy Saviour Cathedral in the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin
Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin
Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is a fortress in Nizhny Novgorod, the historic city center.- History :The first attempt to replace the wooden fort on the stone Kremlin refers to 1374, but construction limited to only one tower, known as the Tower of Dmitrov...
on March 23, 2006.
Since then, the Honorable Head was kept in a special
portable reliquary in Pechersky Ascension Monastery
Pechersky Ascension Monastery
Pechersky Ascension Monastery is a monastery in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. It is the principal monastery of the Nizny Novgorod Eparchy and the seat of the Bishop of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas.- History :...
in Nizhny Novgorod, which the clerics can reverently take with them
on a visit to a nursing home or to celebrate Feast of Venerable Macarius at his other,
Zheltovodsky
Makaryev Monastery
Zheltovodsky Makaryev Convent of the Holy Trinityis one of the convents of Russian Orthodox Church.It is located in the vicinity of the urban-type settlement of Makaryevo in Lyskovsky District of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast....
Monastery.
On the occasion of the Saint's feast in 2007, the Honorable Head of Venerable Macarius was permanently transferred
Translation (relics)
In Christianity, the translation of relics is the removal of holy objects from one locality to another ; usually only the movement of the remains of the saint's body would be treated so formally, with secondary relics such as items of clothing treated with less ceremony...
from Nizhny Novgorod to Makaryev Zheltovodsky Monastery (Convent). The transfer took place during August 3–7, 2007. The prized relic, accompanied by Archbishop Georgy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas and other ecclesiastical officials of Nizhny Novgorod Eparchy
Eparchy
Eparchy is an anglicized Greek word , authentically Latinized as eparchia and loosely translating as 'rule over something,' like province, prefecture, or territory, to have the jurisdiction over, it has specific meanings both in politics, history and in the hierarchy of the Eastern Christian...
, was transported down the Volga by the boat "Alexander Peresvet" during August 3–7, 2007, with stopovers in Bor
Bor
Bor may refer to:* Matej Bor, the pen name of the Slovene poet Vladimir Pavšič *Bor , a location in Afghanistan*Bor , a town in Plzeň Region , Czech Republic...
,
Kstovo
Kstovo
Kstovo is a town and the administrative center of Kstovsky District of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Volga River, southeast of Nizhny Novgorod. Population: -History:...
and Lyskovo
Lyskovo
Lyskovo is a town and the administrative center of Lyskovsky District of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the southern side of the Volga River , opposite the mouth of the Kerzhenets River, southeast of Nizhny Novgorod.. Population: It was first mentioned in 1410...
. Religious processions were organized in the cities visited,
to carry the Honorable Head of the Saint from the Volga docksides to local churches for appropriate celebrations.
Venerable Macarius is considered the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of craftsmen
Artisan
An artisan is a skilled manual worker who makes items that may be functional or strictly decorative, including furniture, clothing, jewellery, household items, and tools...
, merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
s, and travellers, as well as of Makariev Fair
Makariev fair
Makaryev Fair was a fair in Russia held annually every July near Makaryev Monastery on the left bank of the Volga River from the mid-16th century to 1816. Following a massive fire in 1816, it was moved to Nizhny Novgorod, but for some decades thereafter it still was commonly referred toas Makariev...
. He is especially venerated in the Archdioceses (Eparchies
Eparchy
Eparchy is an anglicized Greek word , authentically Latinized as eparchia and loosely translating as 'rule over something,' like province, prefecture, or territory, to have the jurisdiction over, it has specific meanings both in politics, history and in the hierarchy of the Eastern Christian...
) of Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Nizhny Novgorod. Population: The oblast is crossed by the Volga River. Apart from Nizhny Novgorod's metropolitan area, the biggest city is Arzamas...
, Ivanovo
Ivanovo Oblast
Ivanovo Oblast is a federal subject of Russia .Its three largest cities are Ivanovo , Kineshma, and Shuya.The principal center of tourism is Plyos. The Volga River flows through the northern part of the oblast....
, and Kostroma
Kostroma Oblast
Kostroma Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Kostroma.Major historic towns include Kostroma, Sharya, Nerekhta, Galich, Soligalich, and Makaryev. Textile industries have been developed there since the early 18th century...
-- the lands where he performed his earthly works.
In some monasteries, such as Pechersky Ascension Monastery
Pechersky Ascension Monastery
Pechersky Ascension Monastery is a monastery in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. It is the principal monastery of the Nizny Novgorod Eparchy and the seat of the Bishop of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas.- History :...
in Nizhny Novgorod, one can request a prayer to Venerable Macarius for success in business or "getting out of poverty" (избавление от нищеты).
Feasts
Russian Orthodox Church celebrates two Feasts of St. Macarius:- July 25July 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)July 24 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - July 26-Fixed commemorations:All fixed commemorations below are observed on August 7 by Old Calendarists-Saints:*Repose of righteous Anna, mother of the Most Holy Theotokos...
(Julian calendarJulian calendarThe Julian calendar began in 45 BC as a reform of the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar. It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year .The Julian calendar has a regular year of 365 days divided into 12 months...
) (currently, August 7 of the Western calendarGregorian calendarThe Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
): Death of St. Macarius (1444). - October 12October 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)Oct. 11 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - Oct. 13-Fixed commemorations:All fixed commemorations below are observed on October 25 by Old Calendarists-Saints:*Martyrs Andronicus, Probus, and Tarachus at Tarsus in Cilicia...
(Julian calendarJulian calendarThe Julian calendar began in 45 BC as a reform of the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar. It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year .The Julian calendar has a regular year of 365 days divided into 12 months...
) (currently, October 25 the Western calendarGregorian calendarThe Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
): Recovery of Holy Relics of St. Macarius (1671).
The monasteries and convents founded by Venerable Macarius
- Zheltovodsky Makariev Convent of Holy TrinityMakaryev MonasteryZheltovodsky Makaryev Convent of the Holy Trinityis one of the convents of Russian Orthodox Church.It is located in the vicinity of the urban-type settlement of Makaryevo in Lyskovsky District of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast....
(Makarievo, Nizhny Novgorod OblastNizhny Novgorod OblastNizhny Novgorod Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Nizhny Novgorod. Population: The oblast is crossed by the Volga River. Apart from Nizhny Novgorod's metropolitan area, the biggest city is Arzamas...
) - Makaryev Reshma Monastery (Макариев-Решемский мужской монастырь) (ReshmaReshmaReshma, SI, is a renowned folk singer of Pakistan, who is popular in India too.- Early life :She was born in Loha village of in Tahsil Ratangarh, Rajasthan to a Banjara family about 1947. Her family moved to Pakistan during the partition of India soon afterwards. She says she does not have any...
, Ivanovo OblastIvanovo OblastIvanovo Oblast is a federal subject of Russia .Its three largest cities are Ivanovo , Kineshma, and Shuya.The principal center of tourism is Plyos. The Volga River flows through the northern part of the oblast....
) - Makaryev Ascencion Monastery (СВЯТО-ВОЗНЕСЕНСКИЙ МАКАРЬЕВСКИЙ МУЖСКОЙ МОНАСТЫРЬ) (SviyazhskSviyazhskSviyazhsk or Zöyä is a rural locality in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, located at the confluence of the Volga and Sviyaga Rivers...
, TatarstanTatarstanThe Republic of Tatarstan is a federal subject of Russia located in the Volga Federal District. Its capital is the city of Kazan, which is one of Russia's largest and most prosperous cities. The republic borders with Kirov, Ulyanovsk, Samara, and Orenburg Oblasts, and with the Mari El, Udmurt,...
) - Makaryev Unzhensky Convent (СВЯТО-ТРОИЦКИЙ МАКАРИЕВО-УНЖЕНСКИЙ ЖЕНСКИЙ МОНАСТЫРЬ) (MakaryevMakaryevMakaryev is a town in Kostroma Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Unzha River , east of Kostroma. Population:...
, Kostroma OblastKostroma OblastKostroma Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Kostroma.Major historic towns include Kostroma, Sharya, Nerekhta, Galich, Soligalich, and Makaryev. Textile industries have been developed there since the early 18th century...
)
Cities named after Venerable Macarius
- Makaryev, Kostroma OblastKostroma OblastKostroma Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Kostroma.Major historic towns include Kostroma, Sharya, Nerekhta, Galich, Soligalich, and Makaryev. Textile industries have been developed there since the early 18th century...
, at Makaryev Unzhensky Convent. - Makaryevo (formerly Makaryev), Lyskovsky DistrictLyskovsky DistrictLyskovsky District is an administrative district in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia. Itsadministrative center is the town of Lyskovo.-Geography:Lyskovsky District is located on both sides of the Volga River, about 90 km to the east of...
of Nizhny Novgorod OblastNizhny Novgorod OblastNizhny Novgorod Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Nizhny Novgorod. Population: The oblast is crossed by the Volga River. Apart from Nizhny Novgorod's metropolitan area, the biggest city is Arzamas...
, at Zheltovodsky Makariev Convent of Holy Trinity.
External links
- Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha (Orthodox Church in America)
- The Life of Venerable Macarius, at the site of Pechersky Ascencion Monastery
- http://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/id1403.htmOrthodox Calendar: The Life of Venerable Macarius; iconIconAn icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
s of Venerable Macarius] - Macarius of Unzha (Gallery of icons, engravings, and photos of historical sites).