Venerable Macarius the Deacon of the Far Caves

Life and Character

Macarius was marked by great fervor for the temple of God; he read the Holy Scriptures continually and labored in fasting. His defining trait, by which he is remembered in the synaxarion, was a lack of covetousness.

He is commemorated on January 19 on account of his namesakes among the Macarii of the desert — Saint Macarius the Great of Egypt and Saint Macarius of Alexandria — whose feast falls on that day. He is listed among the venerable fathers of the Far Caves alongside Venerable Macarius the Faster of the Near Caves.

Historical Context

The Far Caves of the Kiev Caves Lavra housed the relics of numerous venerable fathers and remained a major center of Eastern Christianity in Eastern Europe through the medieval period. Macarius lived in a turbulent era for the monastery: the Mongol invasion of 1240 under Batu Khan severely disrupted monastic life, and the Golden Horde burned the complex again in 1416, with reconstruction following later in the fifteenth century.

Despite these disruptions the Lavra continued its hagiographic and monastic tradition; its chronicles record archimandrite Akindin II (1203–1232) as compiler of the Kiev Cave Patericon, which describes early Lavra monks.

Relics & Shrines

The relics of Macarius the Deacon repose among the assembly of venerable fathers in the Far Caves of Saint Theodosius at the Kiev Caves monastery.

The saints of the Far Caves are also collectively commemorated in the Synaxis of the Saints of the Far Caves on August 28.

Miracles & Traditions

Traditional Accounts: The tradition relates that Macarius was frequently ill as a child and was offered to the monastery in fulfillment of his parents' vow upon his recovery, and that the Lord granted him the gift of wonderworking. These details are preserved in the synaxarion rather than in independent historical record.