Cyril of Beloozero (Cyril of Beloezero, russian: Кирилл Бело(е)зерский - ''Kirill Belo(e)zersky''; 1337 – 1427) was a

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

and

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

of the

Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

who lived in the 15th century. Saint Cyril was a disciple of Saint

Sergius of Radonezh Sergius of Radonezh (russian: Се́ргий Ра́донежский, ''Sergii Radonezhsky''; 14 May 1314 – 25 September 1392), also known as Sergiy Radonezhsky, Serge of Radonezh and Sergius of Moscow, was a spiritual leader and monastic ref ...

. In 1397, he founded the

Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery (russian: Кирилло-Белозерский монастырь), translated into English as White Lake ranslation of the town name of BeloozeroSt. Cyril's Monastery, used to be the largest monastery and the stron ...

in Northern Russia, in the present-day

Vologda Vologda ( rus, Вологда, p=ˈvoləɡdə) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the river Vologda (river), Vologda within the watershed of the Northern Dvina. ...

Oblast.

Biography

Cyril was born as Kosma in Moscow in 1337. His origin is not entirely clear, but he was in any case close to the

boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the Feudalism, feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Kievan Rus', Bulgarian Empire, Bulgaria, Russian nobility, Russia, Boyars of Moldavia and Wallachia, Wallachia and ...

family of Velyaminov. Cyril's parents died when he was a child. Around 1380 he became a monk in the

Simonov Monastery Simonov Monastery (russian: Симонов монастырь) in Moscow was established in 1370 by monk Feodor, a nephew and disciple of St Sergius of Radonezh. It became one of the richest and most famous monastery, comprising six major churches ...

and took the name of Cyril (Kirill). In the monastery, he got in contact with Sergius of Radonezh. In 1387, the

archimandrite The title archimandrite ( gr, ἀρχιμανδρίτης, archimandritēs), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot (''hegumenos'', gr, ἡγούμενος, present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") who ...

of the Simonov Monastery, Feodor, was appointed a bishop of Rostov, and Cyril became his successor. However, he soon realized that the position of archimadrite required too much involvement in public affairs, and first resigned, then moved to a neighboring monastery as an ordinary monk, and then decided to move to a deserted place where he could pray in peace. Together with St. Therapont, previously the monk of the same monastery, Cyril left for

Lake Beloye Lake Beloye or White LakeArukask, Madis, & Taisto-Kalevi Raudalainen. 2014. Autobiographical and Interpretive Dynamics in the Oral Repertoire of a Vepsian Woman. In: Marion Bowman & Ülo Valk (eds.), ''Vernacular Religion in Everyday Life: Expres ...

. On arrival, following the advice of Sergius of Radonezh, he first dug a cave, and then built a wooden

Assumption Assumption, in Christianity, refers to the Assumption of Mary, a belief in the taking up of the Virgin Mary into heaven. Assumption may also refer to: Places * Assumption, Alberta, Canada * Assumption, Illinois, United States ** Assumption Town ...

chapel and a loghouse for other monks. Therapont, who found the restriction imposed by Cyril too strict, left within a year and founded nearby the

Ferapontov Monastery The Ferapontov convent (russian: Ферапонтов монастырь), in the Vologda region of Russia, is considered one of the purest examples of Russian medieval art, a reason given by UNESCO for its inscription on the World Heritage List ...

. In what became Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, Cyril established a very strict order. The monastery grew and later became the largest monastery of Northern Russia. Cyril, as the first

hegumen Hegumen, hegumenos, or igumen ( el, ἡγούμενος, trans. ), is the title for the head of a monastery in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, similar to the title of abbot. The head of a convent of nuns is called a hegumenia ...

, arranged purchases of large areas of land by the monastery. Cyril of White Lake died in the monastery in 1427, at the age of ninety.

Makaryev Sobors 200px, Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow Makaryev Sobor's (russian: Макарьевские соборы) were two Local Council meetings of the Russian Orthodox Church, convened in 1547 and 1549 by Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow, for the purpo ...

of the

Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

recognized him as a saint in 1547. At present there are several churches in Russia bearing the name of Cyril. His day is marked by

Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

on June 9.''"Преподобный Кирилл, игумен Белоезерский", Orthodox Calendar, Pravoslavie.RU, in Russian''

References

{{authority control Russian saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church 1337 births 1427 deaths 15th-century Christian saints