medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (24. May) is the feast day of:
Nicetas of Pereaslav (d. 1186) Nicetas was a Russian tax collector,
>notorious for his harshness. Until, that is, he suddenly reformed
>his life, left his family to enter a monastery, and adopted a life of
>extreme penance. He was killed by robbers who saw the metal links on
>the shirt he wore and thought they were silver. N. was called "the
>wonder worker" for the many miracles he is said to have performed.
Nicetas (in Russian -- Nikita) Stylites.
From The Prologue From Ochrid by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich. Birmingham UK:
Lazarica Press, 1985: "He lived an unrestrained and vicious life as a youth.
When once he happened to enter a church, he heard the words of the Prophet
Isaiah: 'Wash you (your sins), make you clean' (1:16). The words penetrated
deeply into his soul, and effected a complete change in his life. Nikita
left his home, his wife and his land and entered a monastery of St. Nicetas
http://www.xenophongi.org/ruscity/fortress/periaslavl/pere40.htm
http://www.xenophongi.org/ruscity/fortress/periaslavl/pere41.htm
http://www.xenophongi.org/ruscity/fortress/periaslavl/pere42.htm
http://www.xenophongi.org/ruscity/fortress/periaslavl/pere43.htm
http://www.xenophongi.org/ruscity/fortress/periaslavl/pere44.htm
close to Pereyaslavl'-Zalesski (i.e. "beyond the forest", on the way from
Moscow to Yaroslavl' and Kostorma, that is, to the north)
http://www.xenophongi.org/ruscity/fortress/periaslavl/peria.htm
http://www.xenophongi.org/ruscity/fortress/periaslavl/pereia.htm
, where he laboured until his death in strict asceticism. He enveloped his
body in chains and shut himself down in a pit, like in a pillar (being
therefore known as a Stylite). A subterranian passage connected his pit with
the church. The God granted him great grace, and he healed people afflicted
with various torments. He healed Michael, Prince of Chernigov, of palsy. One
day some evildoers saw the chains on him and, seeing them gleam, thought
them to be silver, so they killed him one night, took the chains off him and
carried them away. This happened on May 16th, 1186." When the killers
discovered that his chains were not made of silver they threw them into the
Volga. "The saint appeared to a certain elder, Simeon, after his death and
told him to place the chains, when they were found, in the grave beside his
body." At one night three rays from the sky indicated the place where the
chains were floating.
vp
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