Life
Saint Seraphim of Sarov, one of the most radiant saints of the Russian Orthodox Church, was born on July 19, 1754, in Kursk, in the merchant family of Isidor and Agathia Moshnin. His secular name was Prokhor. From his earliest childhood extraordinary events pointed to his special calling: at age seven he fell from a bell tower of a church under construction — and was found unharmed at the foot of the tower. At age ten a serious illness brought him to the edge of death, but in a vision the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him and healed him. These early experiences formed in the young Prokhor an unshakeable trust in God’s Providence.
At nineteen he entered as a novice the Sarov Hermitage, one of the most austere monastic communities of eighteenth-century Russia. There he was tonsured with the name Seraphim, meaning “fiery” or “burning” — which corresponded perfectly to his entire spiritual physiognomy. Ordained a hierodeacon in 1786 and hieromonk in 1793, Seraphim distinguished himself even as a novice by exceptional zeal for prayer, fasting, and vigil. He spent long hours in the church, studied the Holy Scriptures and the Fathers, and sought ever greater solitude.
In 1794 he withdrew to a small cell in the forest about five versts from the monastery. There began the period of his great hesychastic labors: for three years he spent the winter in the forest cell and the summer in the nearby cave, eating only the herbs he grew himself. He later spent a thousand days on a stone in continuous prayer, in imitation of the stylites. Demons attacked him physically and spiritually, but he overcame them with the Jesus Prayer and the sign of the Cross. Around 1807 he returned to the monastery proper, but lived for several years in a complete silence, not speaking with anyone.
In 1815 Seraphim opened his cell to visitors and began his celebrated spiritual ministry. What followed was without precedent in recent Orthodox history: people came to him in the tens of thousands from all parts of Russia — simple peasants, bishops, tsars. Each one he received with the words “My joy, Christ is Risen!” — regardless of the time of year. He had the gift of discerning the spiritual state of his visitors and would tell each one exactly what that person needed, often beginning with the words: “I was praying for you…”
His most celebrated conversation — with the aristocrat and seeker Nikolai Motovilov — has become a classical text in Orthodox spiritual literature. In it Seraphim, surrounded by a radiant light visible to Motovilov, explains the goal of Christian life as the acquisition of the Holy Spirit. This concept — that the aim of Christian life is not merely moral improvement but real, living transformation by the Holy Spirit — has had an enormous influence on Orthodox theology and spirituality.
He reposed on January 2, 1833, kneeling before an icon of the Theotokos, in the position of prayer. He was canonized in 1903, with enormous popular acclaim; Tsar Nicholas II himself, together with the entire imperial family, attended the canonization in Sarov. The prophecies Seraphim left behind about Russia’s fate and the coming persecution were fulfilled in the decades that followed. His relics rest today in Diveevo monastery in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, which he himself had designated as the center of his spiritual work and the place where the Theotokos had promised to make her earthly habitation.
In Serbia Seraphim of Sarov is one of the most beloved Russian saints, deeply venerated in monasteries and among the faithful. His image — an aged elder bent over a walking staff, with a radiant face — has become recognizable in Serbian iconostases and prayerful homes.
Tropar (Tone 4)
From thy youth thou didst love Christ above all things, O blessed one, and thou didst desire only to serve Him; with spiritual labors in the wilderness thou didst ceaselessly toil and weep, and with warm love thou didst help everyone who came to thee; wherefore thou art also named a lover of Zion. Pray for the salvation of our souls.
Kontakion (Tone 2)
Having abandoned the sweetness of the world and left the desires of the flesh, thou didst dwell in the wilderness and didst please God with a pure heart. Therefore the ranks of the angels greeted thee with joy, the assembly of prophets honored thee, and the universal Church glorifies thee, O venerable Seraphim, our father.