St. Basil of Ostrog Day in Montenegro (12/05)

Saint Basil of Ostrog — is one of the most revered saints in the Serbian Orthodox Church (which includes Montenegro).

In the famous Montenegrin monastery of Ostrog, carved into the rock, lie the relics of St. Basil of Ostrog, who is considered the patron saint of Montenegro. To get to the relics of the great saint on any day, you need to stand in a huge line at any time of the year. But it doesn't matter. The main thing is that everyone manages to come up, and the holy ascetic helps everyone.

The fate of Vasily Ostrozhsky was very difficult. He experienced all the hardships of earthly life, insults, condemnations, while, as a true Christian, he did not grumble about fate, but, on the contrary, believed, hoped, endured and loved even more, rejoiced at life, thereby showing the true path of a real person.

Vasily Ostrozhsky was born in the Khum land, present-day Herzegovina, in the village of Mrkonich on Popovo Polje, on December 28, 1610 in the family of pious, pious Orthodox parents Pyotr Yovanovich and his wife Anastasia. At baptism, the parents named the child Stoyan, began to teach God’s fear and all good wisdom, went with him to holy church services, and subsequently sent Stoyan to the Zavala monastery, which was dedicated to the Entry of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the temple. This was done in order to protect the child from the anger of people and neighbors, which began to manifest itself sharply towards them, and at the urgent request of the son himself.

Little Stoyan began to learn wisdom, useful secular sciences, and read the books of the Holy Fathers. Then he moved to the monastery of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or Tvrdosh, in the Trebinje region, which also housed the center of the Trebinje diocese. Here he observed fasts, prayed, worked and soon became a monk under the name Vasily. And then he was awarded the deacon and priestly rank and began to serve. After spending some more time in this monastery, he went to Metropolitan Mardariy of Cetinje and stayed with him, rising to the rank of archimandrite.

Soon, His Holiness Patriarch Paisiy Janevets of Pecs (1614-1647) learns about the active ascetic Vasily and on the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord in 1638 elevates him to bishop and makes him Metropolitan of Trebinje, centered in the Tvrdos monastery. And after some time, by the will of fate, Saint Basil of Ostrog retires to the Ostrog monastery and will remain here until the end of his days (April 29, 1671). It was this day — May 12, new style —, that later became the day of his memory in the Serbian Orthodox Church. The Day of St. Basil of Ostrog can safely be put on a par with Christmas and Easter — this is how St. Basil of Ostrog is honored in Montenegro.

The power of his prayers was so great that people received miraculous healings from his miraculous prayers, the gift of insight he received from God. And today pilgrims from all over the earth, different religions and nationalities come to this Great Ostrog Wonderworker. At the saint's kivot, prayers are said in many languages of the world. The seriously ill are brought here, and the Saint graciously heals them all.

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