Metropolitan George celebrated a vigil at the Holy Trinity Makaryev Zheltovodsky Monastery.

      On August 6, on the eve of the feast day of Saint Macarius of Zheltovodsk and Unzha, in the Trinity Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Macariev Monastery for Women, Metropolitan Georgiy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas performed a minor vespers with an akathist to this saint and an all-night vigil.

      His Beatitude was assisted by Bishop Vyksunsky and Pavlovsky Gedeon, vicar bishops of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese: Bishop Balakhna Ilya, Bishop Dalnekonstantinovsky Filaret, and Bishop Sormovsky Innokentiy, as well as the secretary of Vyksunsky diocese, Archpriest Dimitry Ivyn; secretary of Lyskovsky diocese, Father Dimitry Trandikov; hegumen Antoni (Skorik), secretary of Gorodets Diocese, and other clergy of the Nizhny Novgorod Metropolis.

      During the service, along with pilgrims and parishioners, the abbess of the monastery, Igumenia Nina (Antonova), and the sisters of the monastery prayed.

      Present at the service was Sergey Obozov, Deputy General Director for the Development of the Production System of Rosatom State Corporation.

      Metropolitan Georgiy laid flowers on the grave of the first abbess of the Macariev Monastery, Igumenia Mikhaila (Orlova), who led the monastery for 28 years until her passing in November 2020. Other participants of the service also visited the tomb of the late igumenia at the monastery cemetery and sang "Eternal Memory" for her.

      After the service, addressing those gathered with a bishop's word, the head of the Nizhny Novgorod Metropolis said: "Congratulations to all on the day of memory of Saint Macarius of Zheltovodsk and Unzha. This ascetic lived in the second half of the 14th and the first half of the 15th centuries. He exemplified through his life a model of serving the Lord. His memory lives through the ages, and to this day many faithful come to his monastery in the Nizhny Novgorod land to seek comfort in their sorrows and help.

      Thirty years ago, a new chapter was written in the monastery’s history: it was reborn after decades of oblivion. We see what has been accomplished over this time, and still there is much work ahead. Most importantly, monastic life has been revived here, with prayers being heard. Let the monastery of Saint Macarius serve as a spiritual beacon for many, helping people find their way to the Lord, heal their souls through prayer and repentance, and purify themselves from sin."

      About:

      Venerable Macarius of Zheltovodsk and Unzha was born in 1349 in Nizhny Novgorod to devout parents Ivan and Maria. Even as a baby, when prayers began at Matins, he would restless shift in his crib and cry. His parents could not understand why, but one day they took him to the church (they were parishioners of the church dedicated to the Holy Women Theotokos). When the infant heard the church singing, he smiled and happily looked at his mother throughout the service. From that day, his parents often took him to church, realizing that God’s grace dwelled upon him.

      At age 12, Macarius secretly left home and received monastic tonsure in the Pechersk monastery in Nizhny Novgorod from Saint Dionysius (later Archbishop of Suzdal). With full dedication, the young man devoted himself to salvation, characterized by strict fasting and precise observance of monastic rules.

      Only three years later did his parents learn where he had gone. His father came to him, tearfully begging his son to come out and see him.

      Venerable Macarius spoke with his father through the wall and said they would meet in the afterlife. "Stretch out at least your hand to me," his father pleaded. The son fulfilled this small request, and the father, kissing the outstretched hand, returned home.

      Reluctant to seek fame, Macarius withdrew to the banks of the Volga and dwelled in a cave near Lake Zheltovody. Here, ascetics gathered interested in silent prayer, and in 1435 he established a monastery dedicated to the Holy Trinity. There he began to preach Christianity to the local Cheremiss and Chuvash peoples, baptizing Muslims and pagans in the lake.

      When in 1439 the Kazan Tatars plundered the monastery, Macarius was taken captive. Out of respect for his piety, the khan released the saint, along with about 400 Christians. However, they made him promise not to settle near Lake Zheltovody. The elder honorably buried the slain and traveled 240 versts to Gali regions.

      During this migration, all travelers, through the prayers of the venerable, were sustained miraculously. Reaching the town of Unzha on the Unzha River, Macarius erected a cross 15 versts from the town and built a cell. Here he founded a new monastery.

      In his fifth year in Unzha, the saint fell ill and reposed at the age of 95 on July 25, 1444.

      On that day, the town and surrounding areas were filled with a wonderful fragrance, emanating as if from myrrh and incense, and all people—whether in houses, on streets, or wherever they might be—breathed in the aroma and hastened to venerate the body of the saint.

      Even in his lifetime, Saint Macarius was endowed with a gracious gift: he healed a blind girl and a possessed girl. After his death, many received healing from his relics. Monks built a church over his tomb and established a community in the monastery.

      The relics of the venerable are kept at the Macariev-Unzha Trinity Monastery near the town of Makaryev, Kostroma region, and his honorable head and part of his fingers are at the Holy Trinity Macariev Zheltovodsk Monastery.

      In the icon of the Synaxis of the Saints of the Nizhny Novgorod Lands, the venerable Macarius is depicted in the foreground, kneeling alongside Saint Seraphim of Sarov.

      (For citation, a link to the website of the Nizhny Novgorod Metropolis is mandatory.)