Day of Remembrance of St. Nikon of Radonezh (30/11)

Venerable Nikon of Radonezh — is the closest student and successor of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

The Monk Nikon was born in the 14th century in Yuryev-Polsky. The Monk Athanasius tonsured him into monasticism. Upon reaching perfect age, Nikon was elevated to the rank of hieromonk. Anticipating special grace in his beloved student, St. Sergius ordered him to stay with him in the same cell, and later appointed St. Nikon first to the position of assistant rector, and six months before his repose he appointed him as his successor.

After the blessed death of his beloved teacher, the Monk Nikon lovingly supported everything that was established by St. Sergius. But the burden of the abbess weighed on the Rev. Nikon, and he left the abbess, secluded in a special cell.

However, in 1400, the Monk Savva founded his monastery near Zvenigorod, and the brethren begged the Monk Nikon to accept the abbess again. The God-bearing elder agreed, but assigned himself a certain time for silence for every day in order to face God alone.

In 1408, the invasion of the Tatar Khan Edigey fell on the Russian land, and the monastery was destroyed. But the Monk Nikon did not fall into despondency, but a feat for the brethren for new labors. The monastery was gradually restored, and the Monk Nikon undertook the construction of a stone church over the coffin of his spiritual father.

While digging ditches for the foundation in the summer of 1422, the incorruptible relics of St. Sergius were found and transferred by the brethren to a new, wooden church (now on this site there is a temple in honor of the Descent of the Holy Spirit), next to which a white stone temple was soon erected for the glory of the Most Holy Trinity. To decorate it, St. Nikon invited the best icon painters: Venerable monks Andrei Rublev and Daniil Cherny. At this time, St. Andrew painted an icon of the Life-Giving and Holy Trinity, the greatest creation of the Russian icon painter, embodying what was revealed to St. Sergius.

St. Nikon did not stop caring about the improvement of the Trinity Church until the end of his life. On the eve of his death, the Lord showed him the place of future repose along with St. Sergius. Having received communion, the Monk Nikon gave the brethren one last instruction and blessing. The monk went to God on November 30 (new style) 1426, and after the funeral service he was buried near the shrine of St. Sergius.

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