Paisius Velichkovsky
Encyclopedia
Saint Paisius Velichkovsky or Wieliczkowski (Paisie de la Neamţ in Romanian
; Паисий Величковский in Russian
; Паїсій Величковський in Ukrainian
; 1722–1794) is the person who transmitted Eastern Orthodox starets
dom or the concept of spiritual guidance to the Slavic world.
A Ukrainian
by birth, Pyotr Velichkovsky was born in Poltava
, where his father, Ivan, was a priest. At the age of 17 he took monastic vows and went to Mount Athos
, where he established a separate hermit
age for himself and his followers. It is there that he came across the Greek tradition and practice of spiritual guidance through charismatic elders.
In 1764 Prince Grigore III Ghica
of Moldavia
asked Paisius to revive the monastic life in his country. Thereupon Paisius and 64 other monks went to Iaşi
. While living in the principality, Paisius administrated several cloisters, notably the Neamţ Monastery
.
Paisius wrote theological epistles to his disciples and translated into Church Slavonic a large number of Greek
theological writings, including the Philokalia
. He exerted immense influence on the startsy of the Optina Monastery
both through his translations and through his personal disciples, such as Feodor Ushakov. Paisius's translation of Philokalia
was one of the favourite books of Seraphim of Sarov
, who received blessing to go to Sarov
for spiritual devotion from the Paisius' disciple Dosifei of Kiev
.
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
; Паисий Величковский in Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
; Паїсій Величковський in Ukrainian
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
; 1722–1794) is the person who transmitted Eastern Orthodox starets
Starets
A starets is an elder of a Russian Orthodox monastery who functions as venerated adviser and teacher. Elders or spiritual fathers are charismatic spiritual leaders whose wisdom stems from God as obtained from ascetic experience...
dom or the concept of spiritual guidance to the Slavic world.
A Ukrainian
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
by birth, Pyotr Velichkovsky was born in Poltava
Poltava
Poltava is a city in located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Poltava Oblast , as well as the surrounding Poltava Raion of the oblast. Poltava's estimated population is 298,652 ....
, where his father, Ivan, was a priest. At the age of 17 he took monastic vows and went to Mount Athos
Mount Athos
Mount Athos is a mountain and peninsula in Macedonia, Greece. A World Heritage Site, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and forms a self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic. Spiritually, Mount Athos comes under the direct jurisdiction of the...
, where he established a separate 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...
age for himself and his followers. It is there that he came across the Greek tradition and practice of spiritual guidance through charismatic elders.
In 1764 Prince Grigore III Ghica
Grigore III Ghica
Grigore III Ghica was twice the Prince of Moldavia between 29 March 1764 – 3 February 1767 and September 1774 – 10 October 1777 and of Wallachia: 28 October 1768 – November 1769....
of Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
asked Paisius to revive the monastic life in his country. Thereupon Paisius and 64 other monks went to Iaşi
Iasi
Iași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
. While living in the principality, Paisius administrated several cloisters, notably the Neamţ Monastery
Neamt Monastery
The Neamţ Monastery is a Romanian Orthodox religious settlement, one of the oldest and most important of its kind in Romania. It was built in 14th century, and it is an example of medieval Moldavian architecture...
.
Paisius wrote theological epistles to his disciples and translated into Church Slavonic a large number of Greek
Medieval Greek
Medieval Greek, also known as Byzantine Greek, is the stage of the Greek language between the beginning of the Middle Ages around 600 and the Ottoman conquest of the city of Constantinople in 1453. The latter date marked the end of the Middle Ages in Southeast Europe...
theological writings, including the Philokalia
Philokalia
The Philokalia is a collection of texts written between the 4th and 15th centuries by spiritual masters of the Eastern Orthodox hesychast tradition. They were originally written for the guidance and instruction of monks in "the practise of the contemplative life". The collection was compiled in...
. He exerted immense influence on the startsy of the Optina Monastery
Optina Monastery
The Optina Hermitage is an Eastern Orthodox monastery for men near Kozelsk in Russia. In the 19th century, the Optina was the most important spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church and served as the model for several other monasteries, including the nearby Shamordino Convent...
both through his translations and through his personal disciples, such as Feodor Ushakov. Paisius's translation of Philokalia
Philokalia
The Philokalia is a collection of texts written between the 4th and 15th centuries by spiritual masters of the Eastern Orthodox hesychast tradition. They were originally written for the guidance and instruction of monks in "the practise of the contemplative life". The collection was compiled in...
was one of the favourite books of Seraphim of Sarov
Seraphim of Sarov
Saint Seraphim of Sarov , born Prokhor Moshnin , is one of the most renowned Russian monks and mystics in the Orthodox Church. He is generally considered the greatest of the 19th century startsy and, arguably, the first...
, who received blessing to go to Sarov
Sarov
Sarov is a closed town in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia. Until 1995 it was known as Kremlyov ., while from 1946 to 1991 it was called Arzamas-16 . The town is off limits to foreigners as it is the Russian center for nuclear research. Population: -History:The history of the town can be divided...
for spiritual devotion from the Paisius' disciple Dosifei of Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
.
