Foundation of the Dormition Monastery
After the death of his spiritual father, Saint Cornelius of Komel, Adrian obtained a blessing to establish his own community. The Dormition Monastery of the Mother of God was founded on the river Votkha in the Poshekhonye forest, near the settlements of Belta, Patrabolsha, Shelshedolsk, and Ukhorsk; the OCA life dates the foundation to May 31, 1543.
Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow blessed the undertaking, granted the community a charter, ordained Adrian to the priesthood, and elevated him to the rank of igumen (abbot). An elder named Leonid assisted in establishing the monastery and died six years after its founding. The brotherhood kept the strict monastic Rule of Saint Cornelius, and construction of a stone church was being planned at the time of Adrian's death.
Martyrdom
During Great Lent of 1550, armed robbers burst into the monastery in the evening and, after beating him, murdered Saint Adrian. The sources place the attack on the eve of the commemoration of the Forty-Two Martyrs of Amorion (around March 5-6). He was buried in the monastery's Church of the Prophet Elijah, and many miracles were reported at his grave.
Relics & Shrines
Saint Adrian's relics were uncovered and found incorrupt, then transferred to the monastery church and placed in an open reliquary by the right kliros (choir) for the veneration of the faithful. The OCA life and Wikipedia date this translation to December 17, 1626, while the OCA's November 19 calendar page gives the uncovering as November 19, 1625, with a move to the monastery on December 17, 1625 — a minor discrepancy of one year between the sources.
Adrian is also commemorated on March 5/18 (his martyrdom) and among the Synaxis of the Saints of Rostov and Yaroslavl on May 23/June 5.
