Day of Remembrance of St. Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, miracle worker (03/01)

On January 3, the Russian Orthodox Church honors the memory of St. Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, a miracle worker. He was the first of the Russian metropolitans to live in Moscow, and not in Vladimir or Kyiv. Even during the saint’s lifetime, thanks to his outstanding church-state activities, his contemporaries put him on a par with Saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom. And after the death of Metropolitan Peter, Russian chronicles constantly mention him, since not a single significant state undertaking was complete without prayer at his coffin, where, moreover, Russian High Priests were also criticized and elected.

Saint Peter was born in the second half of the 13th century in Volyn, the son of pious parents Theodore and Eupraxia. Even before the birth of the son of Eupraxia, in a dream the Lord revealed the graceful pre-selection of her son. At the age of 12, Peter entered a monastery, where he zealously performed all the monastic obediences. He also devoted a lot of time to the study of Holy Scripture and icon painting. For his virtuous ascetic life, the abbot of the monastery ordained the monk Peter to the rank of hieromonk.

After achieving the priesthood, he, with the blessing of his mentor, left the monastery and founded a monastery in a secluded place on the banks of the Rats River, where he became so famous for his exploits of piety that fame spread throughout Volyn, and people flocked to him. For the visiting monks, a temple was built here in the Name of the Savior, and a monastery was founded, called Novodvorsky. Saint Peter was elected abbot, who meekly instructed spiritual children and was never angry with the guilty monk.

One day, Metropolitan Maxim of Vladimir visited the monastery, to whom Abbot Peter presented the image of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary he had written as a gift. Before this image, St. Maximus prayed until the end of his life for the salvation of the Russian land entrusted to him by God. And after his death in 1308, it was Peter who was consecrated metropolitan of all Russia. At first he settled in Kyiv, but the worries that threatened this city forced him to soon move to Vladimir on Klyazma.

In the first years of governing the Russian Metropolis, St. Peter had a hard time. Rus', which suffered from the Tatar-Mongol yoke, was also torn apart by internal wars. During this period, the works and concerns of the saint about establishing true faith and morality in the state were especially important. He called the warring princes to peace and unity, and during constant visits to dioceses he tirelessly taught the people and clergy about the strict preservation of Christian piety. In 1312, the saint made a trip to the Horde, where he was received with honor. There he received a charter from Khan Uzbek that protected the rights of the Russian clergy. All previous benefits of the clergy were confirmed and a new one was added: all church people in all cases, not excluding criminal ones, were subordinated to the metropolitan’s court.

It was St. Peter, at the request of Grand Duke John Kalita, who in 1325 moved the metropolitan see from Vladimir to Moscow, which was very important for the entire Russian land. Also, with his advice and blessing, a cathedral was founded in the Moscow Kremlin in August 1326 in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

St. Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, died on December 21 (old style) 1326 in Moscow and was buried in the Assumption Cathedral in a stone coffin that he prepared for himself. Many miracles were performed through the prayers of the saint during his lifetime, but even after the death of the saint of God, many healings were performed secretly, which indicates the deep humility of the saint even after death.

The deep veneration of St. Peter began from the day of his repose and was quickly established and spread throughout Rus', which was facilitated by the political rise of the Moscow principality. And in 1339, under St. Theognostus, he was canonized. At the coffin of St. Peter, the princes kissed the cross as a sign of loyalty to the Grand Duke of Moscow. As a particularly revered patron of Moscow, the saint was called as a witness when drawing up state treaties. The Novgorodians, who had the right to elect their own rulers from Hagia Sophia, after joining Moscow under Ivan III, swore to install their archbishops only at the tomb of St. Peter the Wonderworker. Also, at the saint’s coffin, the Moscow High Priests were criticized and elected.

In 1472, during the reconstruction of the Assumption Cathedral, the incorruptible relics of the saint were found, and in 1479 the second transfer of the relics of St. Peter took place. These events are commemorated by celebrations on October 5 and August 24 (October 18 and September 6, new style). And the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the day of his death according to the new style on January 3.

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