Troparion in Tone 4
Having departed from worldly tumults,
In leaving the world you followed Christ according to the Gospel.
You reached the quiet refuge of the Holy Mount Athos,
Living there a life equal to the angels.
Therefore, with the blessing of the Fathers,
You came to the Kievan hills.
There having fulfilled a life loving of labors,
You illumined your homeland.
And having shown a multitude of monastics
The pathway leading to the heavenly kingdom,
You led them to Christ.
Beseech him, O Venerable Anthony,
That he may save our souls!
Kontakion in Tone 8
From your youth you gave yourself to God
whom you loved above all, O Venerable One;
And in love you followed after him with your whole soul.
Scorning the passing corruption of the world,
you made a cave in the earth;
And in it you struggled nobly facing the snares of the invisible enemy,
While illumining the ends of the earth like a bright, shining sun.
Therefore, with rejoicing you entered into the heavenly chambers.
Standing now before the throne of the Master together with the angels,
Remember us who honor your holy memory,
That we may cry out to you: Rejoice,
Anthony our Holy Father!
Saint Anthony of the Kiev Caves was born
in the year 983 at Liubech, not far from Chernigov, and was named
Antipas in Baptism. Possessing the fear of God from his youth,
he desired to be clothed in the monastic schema. When he reached a
mature age, he wandered until he arrived on Mt. Athos, burning with the
desire to emulate the deeds of its holy inhabitants. Here he received
monastic tonsure, and the young monk pleased God in every aspect of his
spiritual struggles on the path of virtue. He particularly excelled in
humility and obedience, so that all the monks rejoiced to see his holy
life.
The igumen saw in St Anthony the great future
ascetic, and inspired by God, he sent him back to his native land,
saying, "Anthony, it is time for you to guide others in holiness. Return
to your own Russian land, and be an example for others. May the blessing
of the Holy Mountain be with you.
Returning to the land of Rus, Anthony began to
make the rounds of the monasteries about Kiev, but nowhere did he find
that strict life which had drawn him to Mt. Athos.
Through the Providence of God, Anthony came to
the hills of Kiev by the banks of the River Dniepr. The forested area
near the village of Berestovo reminded him of his beloved Athos. There
he found a cave which had been dug out by the Priest Hilarion, who later
became Metropolitan of Kiev (October 21). Since he liked the spot,
Anthony prayed with tears, "Lord, let the blessing of Mt. Athos be upon
this spot, and strengthen me to remain here." He began to struggle in
prayer, fasting, vigil and physical labor. Every other day, or every
third day, he would eat only dry bread and a little water. Sometimes he
did not eat for a week. People began to come to the ascetic for his
blessing and counsel, and some decided to remain with the saint.
Among Anthony's first disciples was St Nikon
(March 23), who tonsured St Theodosius of the Caves (May 3) at the
monastery in the year 1032.
The virtuous life of St Anthony illumined the
Russian land with the beauty of monasticism. St Anthony lovingly
received those who yearned for the monastic life. After instructing them
how to follow Christ, he asked St Nikon to tonsure them. When twelve
disciples had gathered about St Anthony, the brethren dug a large cave
and built a church and cells for the monks within it.
After he appointed Abbot Barlaam to guide the
brethren, St Anthony withdrew from the monastery. He dug a new cave for
himself, then hid himself within it. There too, monks began to settle
around him. Afterwards, the saint built a small wooden church in honor
of the Dormition of the Mother of God over the Far Caves.
At the insistence of Prince Izyaslav, the
igumen Barlaam withdrew to the Dimitriev monastery. With the blessing of
St Anthony and with the general agreement of the brethren, the meek and
humble Theodosius was chosen as igumen. By this time, the number of
brethren had already reached a hundred men. The Kiev Great Prince
Izyaslav (+ 1078) gave the monks the hill on which the large church and
cells were built, with a palisade all around. Thus, the renowned
monastery over the caves was established. Describing this, the
chronicler remarks that while many monasteries were built by emperors
and nobles, they could not compare with those which are built with holy
prayers and tears, and by fasting and vigil. Although St Anthony had no
gold, he built a monastery which became the first spiritual center of
Rus.
For his holiness of life, God glorified St
Anthony with the gift of clairvoyance and wonderworking. One example of
this occurred during the construction of the Great Caves church. The
Most Holy Theotokos Herself stood before him and St Theodosius in the
Blachernae church in Constantinople, where they had been miraculously
transported without leaving their own monastery. Actually, two angels
appeared in Constantinople in their forms (See May 3, the account of the
Kiev Caves Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos). Having received gold from
the Mother of God, the saints commissioned master architects, who came
from Constantinople to the Russian land on the command of the Queen of
Heaven to build the church at the Monastery of the Caves. During this
appearance, the Mother of God foretold the impending death of St
Anthony, which occurred on July 10, 1073.
Through Divine Providence, the relics of St
Anthony remain hidden.
