Memorial Day of St. Demetrius of Prilutsky

February 24 is the Day of Remembrance of St Demetrius of Prilutsky The saint was born in the Yaroslavl region in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky into a wealthy merchant family of the Pokropaevs Since childhood, he avoided noisy outdoor games with peers, loved to read books, lives of saints, and Holy Scripture The future wonderworker especially revered John Chrysostom and imitated him in everything According to eyewitnesses, Dimitri was distinguished by his extraordinary beauty, was meek, courteous, and humble At a young age, he left his family for one of the Yaroslavl monasteries and took monastic vows Soon he founded the cenobitic St Nicholas Monastery in Pereslavl and became its abbot Construction began with a small temple in honor of St Nicholas the Wonderworker in 1348 The year 1354 became fateful for Demetrius The monk met Sergius of Radonezh The Monk Sergius often talked with Demetrius about monastic life, the arrangement of the monastery, and the salvation of the souls of monks Ordinary people and brethren loved the holy ascetic for his devotion to the faith of Christ, kindness, humility, and tireless prayer He became a true mentor and spiritual father for them Many lay people and monks gathered in the St Nicholas Monastery - they all strictly followed the strict Rules of communal life approved by the Monk Demetrius Fame among people oppressed the holy ascetic His soul yearned for prayerful solitude With the blessing of Sergius of Radonezh, Dimitri Prilutsky, together with his disciple Pachomius, went north to Vologda In 1371, near the village of Vypryagovo, the Spassky Church was erected and a monastery was founded Local residents willingly helped the monk in arranging the monastery Subsequently, the settlement received the name Priluki (from the word “bend”), and the monastery - Prilutsky, which is due to the characteristics of the area The holy ascetics Pachomius and Demetrius chose a secluded area for the construction of the monastery, where the river makes a bend, a bend The saint was revered and respected by the Moscow prince Dmitry Donskoy The prince learned about the strict monastic life and zealous service to God of the great wonderworker back in Pereslavl He chose the monk as godfather for his son, and throughout his life he helped financially the monasteries that his beloved elder founded Thanks to the generous help of the Moscow prince and local residents, the Prilutsk monastery quickly grew, and the well-being of the monastery improved A major road to the north ran through the monastery Many wanderers, beggars, and homeless people flocked to the monastery The monk tried to help everyone according to their needs: he gave shelter, food, looked after the sick, and saved those who were in debt dependence on lenders There is evidence that Dmitry Prilutsky defended the innocently convicted He left the monastery and went to the city to help restore the truth and honest name of the slandered and oppressed For 20 years the saint was hegumen of the monastery; before his death (February 11, 1392), he appointed Pachomius, a disciple with whom he came to the Vologda lands, as successor Demetrius ended his earthly life at a very old age, having lived about a hundred years The veneration of the saint began during his lifetime God rewarded the saint with the gift of clairvoyance During the days of the ruin of his brother, who inherited all his father's property, Dimitri prophetically predicted for him a trade route to Ugra and Pechera As a result, the two campaigns were successful and brought enough profit for the brother to pay off his debts and lead a comfortable life The third campaign was not blessed by the elder; he dissuaded his brother from continuing the trade The brother, overwhelmed by the thirst for profit, did not listen to the saint, took a campaign and was killed by the pagans After his death, Demetrius Prilutsky was canonized Since 1409, a series of miraculous healings and salvation of those suffering at the tomb of the saint began