Day of Remembrance of Anthony the Roman, Novgorod Wonderworker (16/08)

The Monk Anthony was born in 1067 in Rome, into a family of noble and wealthy townspeople who adhered to the Orthodox confession. Since childhood, he was raised to give birth in Christian piety and devotion to the Holy Church.

In his youth, St. Anthony, as a result of constant debate about faith and the desire of the Roman Popes to convert the Orthodox to Latinism, studied the theology of the Eastern Church and the creations of the holy fathers. Having lost his parents, Saint Anthony decided to become a monk and leave Rome. He was 17 years old.

Having distributed one part of his rich inheritance to the poor, and putting the other in a barrel and throwing it into the sea, he completely surrendered himself to the will of God and went on a journey through the monasteries where Orthodox monks labored.

Persecution of the Orthodox by the Latins forced the brethren to leave the monastery. St. Anthony wandered, moving from place to place, until he found a large stone on the pus ⁇ ty seashore, on which he lived in fasting and prayer for a whole year. A terrible storm that broke out on September 5, 1105 tore away from the shore the stone on which the holy ascetic stood and carried it far into the depths of the sea.

While in deep prayer, St. Anthony was not afraid, but completely surrendered himself to God. The stone was miraculously carried across the waters. Having swam across the sea, he entered the mouth of the river and on the eve of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary stopped on the banks of the Volkhov River near the village of Volkhovsky, three miles from Novgorod. This event is attested in the Novgorod Chronicles.

In the morning, St. Anthony was surprised to be discovered by the surrounding residents. They looked with amazement at the wonderful alien, who did not dare to leave his stone, which had become his home and a stronghold tested among the storms.

Not knowing the Russian language, Saint Anthony answered all questions with bows. For three days the saint prayed on a stone and asked God to reveal to him what country he was in. Then he went to Novgorod, where, through the Providence of God, he met a man from foreign merchants who knew Latin, Greek and Russian. From him, the Monk Anthony learned that he had been brought to Russian soil.

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