Feastday: August 21
Death: 1221
Biblical scholar and monk who endured many trials in his lifetime. Born to a wealthy family in Smolensk, Russia, Abraham was orphaned while young and gave away his inheritance to become a monk. He entered the Bogoroditskaya Monastery and developed a genuine apostolate for the sick and poor of the region. A biblical scholar who lived austerely and preached on the Last Judgement, Abraham made many enemies in his religious community, and he eventually withdrew from his monastery and joined the monks of the Holy Cross. He was not well received there either, and charges of heresy, immorality, and pride were leveled against him. After separate trials cleared him of these charges, Abraham was ordered back to Bogoroditskaya Monastery and was denied his priestly functions by Ignatius, bishop of Smolensk. However, when the city faced a terrible drought, the citizens of Smolensk demanded that Abraham be restored. This clamor for reinstatement led to a second investigation, one that cleared his name. Bishop Ignatius apologized to the saint for his treatment. Abraham became the abbot of the Mother of God Monastery where he received people and was revered for his courage and humility. He remained in the Mother of God Monastery until his death.
We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.
Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.Help Now >
Abraham of Smolensk (1150 or 1172 - c. 1222) was a Russian monk and priest. He resided at the Bogoroditzkaja convent and was regarded as a miracle worker. He engaged in extensive preaching and biblical studies and is viewed as a notable figure in the pre-Mongol Russia.
Life
Abraham was said to be born either in 1150 or 1172 to nobles; he was orphaned in his childhood and then decided to abandon his fortune to pursue the austere and poor religious life.
He is described as being a man of stern and militant character who kept the idea of the Last Judgement in the minds of himself and others. He was popular among the faithful as he worked for the sick and the troubled. He was noted for his tenderness with those coming to him for his help and his advice. He was less popular with the other priests who were jealous of his successes. This tension led to several moral and theological charges being brought against him and it led to the local bishop taking action against him which cast a cloud over his character for some time and an order for him to stop preaching. But his withdrawal made him no friends either for there were clerics who kept on viewing him with suspicion.
The bishop later reopened the case against him and acquitted him against the charges leveled against him while making him the abbot of the smaller and impoverished convent of the Mother of God in the area. He spent the rest of his life there and died there circa 1222. His disciple Ephraem's biographical account of Abraham has survived.
Sainthood
He is venerated as a saint in both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Paul III canonized him as a saint in 1549.
