Barlaam of Chikoy (russian: Варлаам Чикойский - Varlaam Chikoysky,

secular name A legal name is the name that identifies a person for legal, administrative and other official purposes. A person's legal birth name generally is the name of the person that was given for the purpose of Civil registry, registration of the birth an ...

Vasily Fedotovich Nadezhin, Василий Федотович Надежин; born 1774, village Meresevo, Lukyanovsky uezd,

Nizhny Novgorod Governorate The Nizhny Novgorod Governorate (Pre-reformed rus, Нижегородская губернія, r=Nizhegorodskaya guberniya, p=nʲɪʐɨɡɐˈrotskəjə ɡʊˈbʲernʲɪjə), was an administrative division (a ''guberniya'') of the Russian Empir ...

— died January 23, 1846, Urluk

volost Volost ( rus, во́лость, p=ˈvoləsʲtʲ; ) was a traditional administrative subdivision in Eastern Europe. In earlier East Slavic history, ''volost'' was a name for the territory ruled by the knyaz, a principality; either as an absolute ...

), was a

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 ...

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

and

celibate priest Clerical celibacy is the requirement in certain religions that some or all members of the clergy be unmarried. Clerical celibacy also requires abstention from deliberately indulging in sexual thoughts and behavior outside of marriage, because thes ...

famous for his missionary activities in

Transbaikal Transbaikal, Trans-Baikal, Transbaikalia ( rus, Забайка́лье, r=Zabaykalye, p=zəbɐjˈkalʲjɪ), or Dauria (, ''Dauriya'') is a mountainous region to the east of or "beyond" (trans-) Lake Baikal in Far Eastern Russia. The steppe and ...

, the founder of John the Precursor's secluded monastery in the Chikoy Mounts. He is venerated as a local saint. Born in the Maresevo village of the

in a peasant family. Married at the insistence of parents. The marriage was childless and Vasily in 1811 went on a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

to the

Kiev Pechersk Lavra Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra or Kyivo-Pechers’ka Lavra ( uk, Києво-Печерська лавра, translit=Kyievo-Pecherska lavra, russian: Киево-Печерская лавра), also known as the Kyiv Monastery of the Caves, is a historic Mon ...

. As a passportless was arrested for vagrancy and exiled to Siberia. He began to wander, in 1814 he reached

Irkutsk Irkutsk ( ; rus, Иркутск, p=ɪrˈkutsk; Buryat language, Buryat and mn, Эрхүү, ''Erhüü'', ) is the largest city and administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. With a population of 617,473 as of the 2010 Census, Irkutsk is ...

, and in 1820 he came to the slopes of the

Chikokon Range The Chikokon Range ( rus, Чикоконский хребет) is a mountain range in the Transbaikal Region (Zabaykalsky Krai) of Siberia, Russia. The range is named after the Chikokon River, a small left tributary of the Chikoy River. The Ch ...

and built a

monastic cell A cell is a small room used by a hermit, monk, nun or anchorite to live and as a devotional space. Cells are often part of larger cenobitic monastic communities such as Catholic and Orthodox monasteries and Buddhist vihara, but may also form sta ...

near Urluk, becoming a

. Soon other people joined him and the brethren of the future Chikoy Monastery formed. In 1828, Vasily accepted monastic

tonsure Tonsure () is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word ' (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice in ...

with the name Varlaam (in honor of the Monk

Barlaam of Kiev Barlaam of Kiev (died 1065) was the first abbot of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, serving together with Anthony of Kiev. He is regarded as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church, with a feast day of 19 November. In 1062, Barlaam made a pilgrimage to th ...

) and in 1830 was ordained a

hieromonk A hieromonk ( el, Ἱερομόναχος, Ieromonachos; ka, მღვდელმონაზონი, tr; Slavonic: ''Ieromonakh'', ro, Ieromonah), also called a priestmonk, is a monk who is also a priest in the Eastern Orthodox Church and E ...

. In 1839, Varlaam was elevated to the rank of hegumen of the John the Baptist Monastery he founded. Under him, monastery churches were built, and missionary work among the local population began. In 1845, he was awarded the

Most Holy Synod The Most Holy Governing Synod (russian: Святѣйшій Правительствующій Сѵнодъ, Святейший Правительствующий Синод) was the highest governing body of the Russian Orthodox Church betwee ...

by a gold

pectoral cross A pectoral cross or pectorale (from the Latin ''pectoralis'', "of the chest") is a cross that is worn on the chest, usually suspended from the neck by a cord or chain. In ancient and medieval times pectoral crosses were worn by both clergy and ...

. He died in 1846, was buried on the south side of the altar of the chapel in honor of the icon of "All Who Mourn, Joy" of the John the Baptist Church of the monastery he founded. Soon after his death, miracles were attributed to him and at the end of the 19th century he was glorified as a locally revered saint. The life of the Monk Varlaam was written by St. Meletius (Yakimov).

References

Sources

The Encyclopedia of Zabaykalie
18th-century Christian saints History of Siberia Saints from the Russian Empire 1774 births 1846 deaths Russian Orthodox monks Monks from the Russian Empire {{Eastern-Orthodoxy-bio-stub