Saint Hilarion, Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev (in the
world John), was born November 13, 1631 into the family of the lower
city priest Ananias. His father, famed for his piety and reading, was
one of three candidates for the Patriarchal throne, together with the
future Patriarch Nikon (1652-1658).
John entered a monastery in
1653. In 1655, he became founder and builder of the Phlorischev
wilderness monastery not far from the city of Gorokhovetsa. In his
monastic struggles, the saint wrestled with fleshly passions. When he
fell down in exhaustion before the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God
beseeching Her help, the Mother of God shielded him with gracious power
and calmed his spirit.
Once, when St Hilarion was serving Vespers
together with a hierodeacon, robbers burst into the church. They killed
the deacon and started to set St Hilarion on fire, asking him where the
monastery treasure was hid. They did not believe that there was no gold
in the monastery. Overcome by the pain, St Hilarion turned to the
wonderworking icon and said, “O All-Pure Virgin Mary, Mother of our Lord
Jesus Christ! If they injure me with the fire, I shall no longer have
the ability to glorify Thy Son and Thee.” Suddenly the robbers heard the
shouts of people searching for them, and they fled.
Another
time, St Hilarion in passing by the church heard a voice: “I shall
glorify thee throughout all the land.” He trembled, and going into the
vestibule, he found no people there. On the portico he found only the
Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. The ascetic fell down before the
image with tears and confessed his unworthiness.
Later on, when
the saint had begun the construction of a stone church, he was very sad
that concerns about the construction and disagreements among the workers
were distracting him from prayer. While serving in church with the
brethren, he was preoccupied by these thoughts and began to regret
undertaking the work. With tears he besought the Mother of God not to
abandon him and to deliver him from these worries.
When he
finished his prayer, St Hilarion remained alone in church and began
again to think about the construction. And so he fell asleep. In a dream
the Mother of God appeared to him and said, “Transfer My icon, named
the Vladimir, from this hot church and put it in the newly-built stone
church, and I shall be your Helper there”.
St Hilarion awoke and
ordered the large bell to be rung. The monks immediately assembled. All
went to the hot church and, having prayed before the icon, solemnly
transferred it from the portico into the temple. After serving the all
night Vigil, Divine Liturgy and a Molieben, the saint told the brethren
of his vision. Then in procession they transferred the icon to the
church under construction, where they set it in the midst of the woods.
From that time the construction went successfully and was soon
completed. The saint wanted to dedicate the temple in honor of the icon,
but he it was revealed to him in a vision that the temple was to be
consecrated in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos.
In
the wilderness monastery he maintained a very strict community rule. In
1694, the saint sent a letter to the Phlorischev monastery in which he
reminisced about his own monastic Rule at this monastery: “Under me, a
sinner, no one possessed anything of his own, but all was shared in
common. Many of you may remember that former cenobitic community. And
you also remember that I consigned to the fire those possessions which
would destroy that cenobitic community.”
On December 11, 1681,
the saint was consecrated as Archbishop of Suzdal and Yuriev, and in
1682 he was elevated to the dignity of Metropolitan and remained on the
Suzda’ cathedra until February 1705. The saint died peacefully on
December 14, 1707 and was buried in the Suzdal cathedral in honor of the
Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. The saint was known for his
unceasing concern for the poor. After his death they found only three
coins.
The wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God of
Vladimir-Phlorischev (August 26) was painted by the renowned
iconographer John Chirov in 1464 at Nizhni Novgorod in fulfillment of a
vow of John Vetoshnikov.
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