The Monk Alypii of Pechersk
Commemorated on August 17
The Monk Alypii of
Pechersk, one of the first and finest of Russian iconographers, was a
monastic novice of the Monk Nikon (Comm. 23 March), and from his youthful years
pursued asceticism at the Kievo-Pechersk monastery. He studied the iconography
of the Greek masters, and from the year 1083 beautifying the Pechersk church of
the Uspenie (Dormition) of the MostHoly Mother of God. The Monk Alypii wrote
icons gratis. If he learned that in some church the icons had become worn, he
took them with him and unmercenarily restored them. If it so happened that they
paid him for his work, the monk disbursed one part for the obtaining of
iconographic materials, the second part he distributed to the poor, and only
the third did he keep for himself. The Monk Alypii was never famous, and he did
the iconography only so as to serve God. He was raised to the dignity of
priestmonk and was known for a gift of wonderworking while still alive: the
Monk Alypii healed a Kievan man suffering from leprosy and decay of the body by
anointing the wounds of the sick man with paints, prepared for the writing of
icons. Many icons done by the monk were glorified by wonderworking. A
particular instance is known, when Angels of God helped him in the holy task of
writing icons. A certain Kievan man, having built a church, entrusted two Pechersk
monks to commission the icons for it. The monks concealed the money and said
nothing to the Monk Alypii. Having waited a long time for the carrying out of
the commission, the Kievan man turned to the hegumen with a complaint against
the monk, and here only did they discover that he had not heard of the
commission. When they brought the boards given by the customer, it turned out
that on them already were done beautiful images. And when the church built for
the icons was consumed by fire, all of the icons remained unharmed. One of
these icons ( the Uspenie of the MostHoly Mother of God) – having received the
title Vladimir-Rostovsk (celebrated 15 August), was taken by GreatPrince
Vladimir Monomakh (1113‑1125) to a Rostov church built by him.
Another time, an
Angel wrote an icon in honour of the Uspenie (Dormition) of the MostHoly Mother
of God, when the Monk Alypii lay in a pre-death illness. And in this the Angel
accepted the soul of the Monk Alypii (he died on 17 August not earlier than the
year 1114). He was buried in the Nearer Caves (Comm. Sobor 28 September). Of
the right hand of the Monk Alypii the first three fingers were folded perfectly
alike, and the last two were bent to the palm – in such prayerful manner of
signing himself with the sign of the cross did the monk die. One of the icons
of the Monk Alypii – the MostHoly Mother of God with the Infant-Saviour,
surviving from the time of the Monks Antonii and Feodosii of Pechersk is now
preserved in the State Tretyakov Gallery (named the Svensk, and celebrated 3
May and 17 August).
© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.