Cornelius Pereyaslavsky

Childhood and adolescence

Cornelius Pereyaslavsky was born in the city of Ryazan in a wealthy merchant family, his parents were Gordiy and Theodora. At baptism he received the name Konon.

As a child, he secretly left the house, and entered as a novice in the Lukianov Desert near Pereslavl-Zalessky to the elder Pavel. Five years later, in 1659, he came to the monastery of the holy Martyrs of the faithful princes Boris and Gleb ^[2] , which was in Peski, at that time there were only four monks in the monastery. For some time the builder and hieromonk of the Borisoglebsky monastery, Sergius, did not take Conon to the monastery because of his youth; besides, he said nothing and was explained only by signs. The monastery brethren mnyahu him to be not more than fifty years , hence the year 1643 was calculated as a year of birth.

Monastic life

Despite the refusals - the lad did not depart from the monastery, he lived outside the monastery wall and spent the night at the monastery gates, never ceasing to beg to be taken to the monastery. Finally, seeing the patience of Konon, Sergius accepted him as a novice, declaring him deaf and dumb. Entering the monastery, Konon worked diligently in monastic obedience, doing chores. At the same time, considering himself unworthy, he did not sit down to a meal with the monks, and fasted , eating the leftovers three times a week. The monks mocked him as if he were a commoner and holy fool . Five years later he was tonsured a monk by the spiritual father of the monastery, Hieromonk Varlaam under the name Cornelius.

Having accepted monasticism and continuing to perform obedience, Cornelius undertook great feats: he came to church first and left after all, so that no one saw him sleeping in bed. After three years of such ascetic life, he asked the builder to build a special cell for him to live in the gate . The builder, seeing him, was supposedly a skillful monk and perfect in virtues , fulfilled his desire and gave him a small wooden cell . Letting Cornelius go to the gate, he told him: “ May the Lord bless you and strengthen you against unseen enemies; but do not serve them and do not work with them, there is more to do with the good of all other labors . ” Rev. Cornelius shut himself in his cell and began a very strict life: he spent day and night in prayer , exhausting himself with the strictest fast.

Once the monks of the monastery found him barely alive, and carried him out of his cell. After three months of illness, the abbot of the monastery convinced him to live with the brethren. Rev. Cornelius continued his ascetic life for thirty years: he remained silent, spent nights in prayer, never missed the church service and corrected the sexton , still worked in the bakery and in the kitchen, dug the land, planted vegetables and fruit trees. Despite the exhausted body, he dug a well for the brethren with his own hands.

According to the testimony of the brethren, many people predicted the future and let them know with signs about their demise. Keeping silent, when he predicted the future, he shook his hand like a writing stick.

Death

Before his death, the monk went to St. Nicholas Monastery to the common spiritual father, Hegumen Varlaam, confessed with him and took communion of the Holy Mysteries , and at the request of him was clothed with a schema . At the request of the spiritual father, the monk told about himself that he was from Pereslavl-Ryazan , his father's name was Gordiy, mother Theodora, - their house stood at the end of the urban tenement , and that he had left his parents house for the salvation of his soul.

Returning to his abode, he became fond of himself , and after several hours on the same day, July 22, 1693, he died, having lived in the Borisoglebsky monastery for about thirty-five years. He was buried in the chapel of the monastery.

Eight years after the death of Cornelius, in 1701, while digging ditches under the foundation of a stone church in honor of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God attached to the former Borisoglebskaya, his coffin was found intact. In 1705, at the consecration of this Smolensk church by St. Dimitry the metropolitan of Rostov , the relics of Cornelius were testified and, at the command of Dmitry, were set up in the new church for the left choir under a bushel . In honor of the blessed Cornelius, who was depicted on some icons along with other Pereslavl wonderworkers, St. Demetrius wrote troparion and kontak .

As stated in the manuscript life, with the relics of St. Cornelius until 1717, 17 miracles took place.

On February 3, 2016, the definition of the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church established the church-wide veneration of Rev. Cornelius Pereyaslavsky ^[3]

Troparion (voice 8)

The newly-minted pleaser of God, Kornilya of the Venerable, cross on the ramo vzemshago, the yoke of Christ, diligently pessing; Like the invisible enemies, they courageously labored and corrected them, like a good ascetic, Lord of Christ, and pray for our souls.

Kontak (voice 2)

The one who wants to get to the one who is living to the Christ living impersonates himself blessedly, and he is desolate, despise you for a long time, do not see the fuss, but also utterly silent with your words, put not a fussy voice; Even without a silent heart, recite unto God. Do not be silent, and now about us pray, the Cornelius Reverend.

• Dictionary of historical Russian saints. SPb., 1862, p. 160
• Hieromonk Joasaph. Brief information about the holy saints of God, locally honored devotees of piety, of whom the holy relics rest in the churches of the Vladimir diocese. Vladimir, 1860, p. 95-97.
• Russian saints, Archbishop Filaret, July 22.
• Svirelin, A.I. The Lives of the Saints of Pereslavl: Nikita the Stylite, Daniel Abbot, Blessed Prince Andrew and Cornelius the Silent. Vyazniki, 1890.
• Rev. Cornelius of Pereyaslavsky - Nun Taisiya. Russian saints. St. Petersburg. Publishing house "ABC-classic." 2001

• Life of St. Cornelius of Pereyaslavsky - on the Russian Saints website
• Rev. Cornelius the Silence of Pereslavsky