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Venerable (Monastic)15th century

Venerable Therapon Abbot of White Lake

c. 1337 – 1426

Also known as Therapon of White Lake · Wonderworker of Luzhetsk · Ferapont

A companion of St Cyril of White Lake who withdrew into the northern forests and founded the Ferapontov monastery, and later, at Mozhaisk, the monastery of Luzhetsk; a wonderworker of the Russian north.

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Commemorated as

Our Venerable Father Therapon, Abbot of White Lake and Wonderworker of Luzhetsk

Life

Therapon of White Lake (also called Therapon of Belozersk and of Mozhaisk) was a fifteenth-century monastic of the Russian north, remembered as the founder of two monasteries and as a companion of Saint Cyril of White Lake. Born into the noble Poskochin family at Volokolamsk and named Theodore in the world, he received the monastic tonsure at the Simonov Monastery in Moscow before withdrawing into the forested lake country east of Beloozero.

About fifteen versts from Cyril's settlement, between the lakes of Borodava and Pava, he raised the wooden church that became the Ferapontov Monastery in 1398. Summoned later to Mozhaisk by a local prince, he established a second house, the Luzhetsk Monastery, where he reposed in 1426. His relics were uncovered in 1514, and the Moscow Council of 1547 confirmed his veneration as a saint.

Kontakion & Troparion3 hymnsReadHide
KontakionTone 4

Christ, our Most Blessed Savior has multiplied His mercy toward us,
by giving our Venerable Father Therápon as an intercessor and a healer he illumines us with the light of his holy life;
and now, by his prayers, he protects his temple from enemies, and from destruction;
this land from hell, and from a vain death;
and all those who honor his memory from sickness, and from fierce passions.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

KontakionTone 8

Aflame with desire for Christ, you repulsed carnal passions through abstinence,
and by acquiring fasting, O Venerable one, you were enriched with the gift of working miracles,
exuding healing and supplicating God for us,
joyously we cry: “Rejoice, O Father Therápon.”

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

TroparionTone 4

Enlightened by a pure way of life,
in prayers and fasting you were shown as a beautiful shoot in the wilderness;
following your spiritual teacher, you directed your thoughts to Heaven,
you were the instructor of your flock;
therefore we entreat you, O Father Therapon, "Pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls."

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline7 momentsReadHide
  1. c. 1337Birth at VolokolamskBorn into the noble Poskochin family and named Theodore in the world.
  2. Before the northern journeyMonastic tonsure at the Simonov MonasteryHe entered the Simonov Monastery in Moscow, where he became acquainted with the future Saint Cyril of White Lake. The OCA account dates his tonsure to about his fortieth year, under the igumen Theodore, a nephew of Saint Sergius of Radonezh.
  3. 1398Founding of the Ferapontov MonasterySettling between the lakes Borodava and Pava, about fifteen versts from Cyril, he built a wooden church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, the origin of the Ferapontov Monastery in what is now the Vologda region.
  4. 1408Founding of the Luzhetsk Monastery at MozhaiskAt the request of Prince Andrew Dimitrievich, he came to Mozhaisk and founded a second monastery, again dedicated to the Nativity of the Theotokos, on the right bank of the Moscow River.
  5. May 27, 1426Repose at the Luzhetsk MonasteryHe reposed at an advanced age and was buried at the monastery he had founded at Mozhaisk.
  6. 1514Uncovering of his relicsHis relics were uncovered and, according to the tradition, glorified by numerous miracles.
  7. 1547Confirmation of venerationFollowing the Moscow Council of 1547, his canonization as a saint was confirmed, the igumen of his monastery having brought a Life of the saint to Metropolitan Macarius.

Contributions & Legacy

2 contributionsReadHide

The Two Monasteries

Therapon's enduring legacy rests on the two monasteries he founded. The Ferapontov Monastery, established in 1398 in the lake country east of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, grew from a small community of no more than fifteen monks. Its later Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin (1490) is celebrated for its interior frescoes by the painter Dionisius and is often described as the last surviving Russian medieval church with fully painted walls; the ensemble was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

The second house, the Luzhetsk Monastery at Mozhaisk, was founded in 1408 and later took the formal style of the Nativity of the Theotokos and Saint Therapon Luzhetsky Monastery. Its present five-domed stone cathedral was built between 1524 and 1547, with most of the remaining structures dating to the seventeenth century. The monastery, closed during the Soviet period, was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1994.

Relics & Shrines

Therapon was buried at the Luzhetsk Monastery in Mozhaisk, where he reposed. His relics were uncovered in 1514, and his veneration spread thereafter. The relics were again recovered at the monastery on May 26, 1999, after the house had returned to ecclesiastical use. His repose is commemorated on May 27, and the discovery of his relics on December 27.

Companions1 figureShowHide
Fellow monk and companion: known to Therapon at the Simonov Monastery in Moscow; Therapon settled about fifteen versts from Cyril's community in the White Lake country.
Venerable CyrilAbbot of White Lake
Related Saints1 saintShowHide

Saints connected to his life, mission, and place in Orthodox tradition.

Fellow Belozersk monastic: a disciple of Cyril of White Lake who later served as abbot of Therapon's Ferapontov Monastery.
Venerable Martinianof Belozersk

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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints