Sainted Pitirim, Bishop of Tambov
Commemorated on July 28
Sainted Pitirim,
Bishop of Tambov, in the world Prokopii, was born 27 February 1645 (or
1644) in the city of Vyazem. From his youthful years the Lord readied Prokopii
for high spiritual service, which was set him to fulfill. While still in
childhood he learned reading and writing. Favoured exercises of Prokopii were
reading the literature of the holy fathers and the Lives of the Saints. This
furthered the formal spiritual makeup of the future sainted-hierarch. The boy
was remarkable for his overall love of work, broad knowledge and mature
judgement. He was endowed with artistic talent, and he successfully occupied
himself with the writing of icons and adroit knowing of church singing. A
sublime spiritual disposition early on led Prokopii onto the pathway of
monastic efforts. Having resolved to totally dedicate himself to God, he
entered into the Vyazemsk ForeRunner monastery, known for its strict rule
(ustav). In his 21st year of life he took monastic vows with the name of
Pitirim.
The young monk earned
the respect of his brethren by his ascetic life and was chosen hegumen. In 1684
he was raised to the dignity of archimandrite. On 15 February 1685 Patriarch
Joakim (1674-1690) summoned him to Moscow and ordained him bishop of Tambov.
Organised in 1682,
the Tambov diocese suffered from the frontier poverty and the coarse illiteracy
of its inhabitants. Pagans comprised nearly all the greater part of the
settlers: the Mordvi, the Cheremysi, the Mereschi. On the territory of the
diocese lived also many Tatars, bitter opponents of Christianity. Among the
Christian settlers of the diocese were numbered many schismatics and fleeing or
banished criminals.
The saint zealously
took on resolving the tasks set before him. On the place of the old wooden
church at Tambov he began to build a two-storied stone cathedral in honour of
the Transfiguration of the Lord with a chapel in the name of Sainted-bishop
Nicholas. Saint Pitirim not only zealously watched over the construction of the
temple, but even himself participated in the building work. The saint allotted
great effort to spiritual enlightenment. He built a special school for
clergy-servers, where under his guidance were raised up worthy Church pastors.
At his dwelling by the labours of the saint was gathered together a library of
spiritual literature (in the works of the Moscow Uspenie cathedral there is
noted "two books of Dionysios the Areopagite, leather bound, one in red,
the other in black, along the edges gilded", belonging to Saint Pitirim).
The saint continually instructed his flock, preaching the Word of God. He often
made trips throughout the diocese, so as to have the possibility to familiarise
himself on the spot in the needs of the communities.
The holy archpastor
was constantly concerned about the reconciliation with the Orthodox Church of
the schismatics (raskol'niki), about the reunion of the dissenters to it. The
deep piety, active compassion towards neighbour and wise patience of the Saint
in conversations with the raskol'niki and dissenters disposed them to a full
trusting of his word. By fine example of holy life and by the power of gracious
discourse the saint led many to the true faith. The saint's sister by birth,
Ekaterina, became the first head of the Ascension women's monastery founded by
him in 1690.
Being an audacious
man of prayer and intercessor before God, Saint Pitirim never forgot about
Christian humility. Not relying on his own human strength, the archpastor
shielded the city of Tambov entrusted him by God with icons of the Saviour and
the Kazan Mother of God, locating them at the two chief gates.
Saint Pitirim prayed
much and taught his flock about prayer. He was daily present at Divine-services
and often himself performed the priestly doings. On those instances, when the
Saint did not serve, he sang in the kleros (choir), teaching the choir the correct
church singing and reading. In his cell the Saint very often prayed before
icons of the Devpeteruvsk Mother of God and Saint Nicholas.
Saint Pitirim acutely
sensed the beauty of nature in his land, which awakened in him a feeling of
prayerful thanksgiving to the Trinity for the visible world. Alongside his
favourite spot of strolling and pious meditations was built in the deep woods
the Tregulaev monastery of John the ForeRunner, founded by him together with
his spiritual friend, Sainted-hierarch Mitrophan of Voronezh (Comm. 23 November
and 7 August). The saint set up a large wooden cross with an image of the
Saviour.
Similar to the great
ascetics, Saint Pitirim allotted much time to physical work: the water-wells
give evidence to this, dug up by the hands of the saint at the place of his
prayerful deeds.
Sainted Pitirim died
in 1698 at age 53.
The body of the saint
was buried in the lower level of the Tambovsk Saviour-Transfiguration
cathedral, at the south wall of the right-side chapel in the name of Saint
Nicholas. After the blessed end of Saint Pitirim his spiritual ties with his
flock were not sundered. The place of his repose started soon to be devoutly
venerated. With each year grew all the more the number of pilgrims, gathered on
28 July – the day of death of the saint, for Divine-services at the Tambovsk
cathedral. Each new sign of God's mercy, manifest by prayer to Saint Pitirim,
inspired assurance for the people that the bishop venerated by them – was
truly of God. From the year 1819 there was begun the conducting of a record of
grave-testimonials of the manifestations of grace. The veneration of Saint Pitirim
extended far beyond the bounds of the Tambov diocese. On 28 July 1914
Sainted Pitirim, Bishop of Tambov, was enumerated to the ranks of the Saints.
© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.
