Memorial Day of St. Cyril, Bishop of Turov

On May 11, the Holy Orthodox Church celebrates the Day of St Cyril of Turov, nicknamed the “Russian Chrysostom” for the rich spiritual heritage created by this Christian educator Kirill was born in the Old Russian state of the early 12th century in the center of the Principality of Turov The saint came from a noble and wealthy family, which allowed him to receive a decent education, despite the fact that the Turov lands were not a cultural center of their time Perhaps the boy’s spiritual teachers were the close associates of the Greek woman Varvara, the widow of Prince Svyatopolk Izyaslavovich, who arrived in Turov with her children and retinue As a result of his studies, young Kirill mastered Old Church Slavonic and figurative folk languages, studied the refined culture of Byzantium, including its poetry and eloquence The noble origin and wealth of the family opened many doors for the heir, but the future saint renounces the family inheritance and chooses the spiritual path He takes monastic vows at the Boris and Gleb Monastery and soon becomes the abbot of the monastery, where he decides to introduce the Judicial Rule of Monastic Life, which is more strict But Cyril’s innovations did not take root in the monastery, and, leaving the rank of abbot, the saint went into seclusion and became a hermit Kirill Turovsky, secluded in his cell, devotes all his time to prayers and studying spiritual literature In his hermitage he was accompanied by a rich library, with the help of which the saint created many theological works Kirill's works become known not only to the monastic brethren, but also reach the princely circle and the common people The obvious talent of the “Russian Chrysostom” could not remain in seclusion; at the behest of the ruler of Turov and with the approval of the inhabitants of the principality, the hermit was ordained a bishop Continuing to create written masterpieces, Kirill began preaching activities, the fame of which would spread throughout Rus' At the end of his life's journey, the saint again retired to a monastery monastery, where he became a schema-monk Descendants appreciated the literary works of Kirill Turovsky The surviving texts are included in many church collections, along with the work of prominent Byzantine preachers and theologians The Russian Orthodox Church canonized him as a saint; today he is one of the most revered saints in Belarus; the theological academy in Minsk is named after him On the icons the saint is depicted as a white-bearded old man in episcopal robes with a richly decorated book in his hands, reminiscent of his great works