Celebration in honor of the transfer of the relics of the righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye (25/09)

The righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye was born in the early 17th century in the European part of Russia, into a family of pious nobles, but hid his origins and led the humble life of a poor man. He was good at sewing fur coats and, going around the villages, worked in the houses of peasants, not accepting any remuneration for his work. To avoid praise for his work, the righteous Simeon left it unfinished and left his customers. For this he had to endure insults and even beatings, but he accepted them with humility and prayed for his offenders. Thus he achieved perfect humility and non-covetousness.

The ascetic wandered a lot, but most often lived in the churchyard of the village of Merkushinskoye near the city of Verkhoturye (today — is a city in the Sverdlovsk region). His conversations were the fertile seed from which abundant fruits of the spirit gradually increased in the Urals and Siberia, where the monk is especially revered. Saint Simeon prayed a lot for the strengthening of the newly enlightened inhabitants of Siberia in the faith. The ascetic combined his prayer with the feat of kneeling on a stone in the dense taiga.

Ten miles from Merkushin on the banks of the Tura River, the ascetic had a secluded place where he caught fish, for this reminded him of the disciples of Christ, whose work he continued, instructing the local residents in the true faith. But here too he showed abstinence: he caught exactly as much fish as he needed for daily food.

The righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye died in 1642, when he was only 35 years old. He was buried in the Merkushinsky churchyard at the Church of the Archangel Michael. In 1692, 50 years after the death of the saint, residents of the village of Merkushinsky miraculously found the revealed incorruptible body of a righteous man whose name they had forgotten. Soon, numerous healings began to be made from the relics that appeared. A paralyzed man was healed, and other healings followed.

Righteous Simeon performed many miracles after his death. He often appeared sick in his sleep and healed them, admonished those who had fallen into the vice of drunkenness. The peculiarity in the appearances of the saint is that with the healing of bodily infirmities he taught instructions for the soul.

On September 25, 1704, with the blessing of Metropolitan Philotheus of Tobolsk, the holy relics of the righteous Simeon were transferred from the Church of the Archangel Michael to the Verkhoturye Monastery in the name of St. Nicholas. Today's holiday was established in honor of this event.

The memory of the righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye is also celebrated on December 31, the day of glorification (1694).

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