Memorial Day of St. Nikon of Radonezh

The day of St Nikon of Radonezh in the Russian Orthodox Church according to the new style falls on November 30 On this day, the closest follower of Sergius of Radonezh, his devoted disciple, who pleased the Lord with his monastic feats and other deeds, is honored, for which he was canonized in 1547 Sergius of Radonezh acquired his authority during his lifetime, enormous even in geographical terms So Nikon, born in Yuryev-Polsky in 1352, wanted to become a student of the great ascetic Having reached the monastery founded by Sergius, he asked him to be accepted as a monk But the great saint prepared a test for the young man, sending him to a monastery called Vysotskaya, to his follower, the Monk Athanasius Only through strict fasting and abstinence, enduring temptations and suffering, can one serve the Lord Athanasius undertook to teach the young man, instruct him in serving God, setting an example with his behavior Seeing the zeal of the young man, Athanasius honored him with the rank of priesthood Returning to the monastery to the Monk Sergius, he earned respect and the position of assistant in the affairs of the monastery Nikon's virtues influenced the Radonezh abbot and he appointed him as his successor in 1391, shortly before he died Soon deciding to completely withdraw from all worldly affairs and abbotship, Nikon decides to live in a secluded cell, and the Monk Savva takes care of the monastery But after 6 years, Nikon again had to take on the duties of abbess In 1408, the Russian land once again survived an attempt to be captured by the Tatars The invasion of Khan Edigei was unexpected and merciless But Nikon was ready for him, and he managed to save both the lives of the brethren and valuable things: books and sacred attributes He had a vision the day before: the blessed saints Peter and Alexei appeared together with Sergius They told him to take courage and withstand the test of the invasion of godless enemies And indeed, the monastery was soon burned, but Nikon set about restoring it, instructing and encouraging the brethren to courageously overcome a difficult period for the monastery Many ordinary people came from the surrounding areas to help rebuild what had been destroyed - so a stone church was built, known as the Trinity Cathedral, which became the spiritual center and the oldest building of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra Nikon invited Andrei Rublev to work on the painting of this building It was then that the famous “Trinity” was created, whose authorship reliably belongs to the great icon painter Seeing the Holy Trinity is the cherished goal of monastic achievement, and this icon fully complied with church canons Today the original is in the Tretyakov Gallery, and a copy is in the cathedral iconostasis Another miracle happened on July 5, 1422, during the beginning of the construction of the temple - the incorruptible relics of Sergius of Radonezh were found Anticipating his death, Nikon ordered to bury him next to his teacher, which was done The second abbot of the monastery departed to God on November 17, 1426 (old style) In honor of him, a church was built - Nikon's limit Currently, the day of the presentation of St Nikon before God is solemnly celebrated, especially in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra