Traditional Accounts
The synaxarion relates that when Prince Basil Yaroslavich raised his whip against the monk, the prince's hand became numb. By tradition he was healed through the prayer of Saint Tikhon and afterward repented.
Venerable (Monastic) 15th century
Venerable Tikhon of Kaluga
late 14th/early 15th century – 1492
Also known as Tikhon of Medyn
A monk who left Moscow for the wilderness near Maloyaroslavl and dwelt in the hollow of a great oak, where disciples gathered and a monastery arose.
Feast Day
June 16
Draft
Draft — pending review. Not yet verified for publication.
Commemorated as
Our Venerable Father Tikhon of Kaluga, Hermit of the River Vepreika
Life
Tikhon of Kaluga, also known as Tikhon of Medyn, was a Russian monastic ascetic of the fifteenth century. Raised in Moscow, he received the monastic tonsure at the Chudov monastery before withdrawing into the forested wilderness near Maloyaroslavl, in what is now the Kaluga region.
By tradition he settled on the bank of the River Vepreika and lived for a time in the hollow of an ancient oak. Disciples gathered around him, and from his solitary settlement grew a monastery dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, which was later renamed in his honor. He reposed in 1492, and his veneration was formally established at a church council in 1584.
Timeline 6 moments Read Hide
- late 14th / early 15th century Birth and upbringing in Moscow Tikhon was born in the late fourteenth or early fifteenth century and grew up in Moscow.
- as a young man Monastic tonsure at the Chudov monastery He received the monastic tonsure at the Chudov monastery in Moscow.
- later life Withdrawal to the wilderness near Maloyaroslavl He withdrew to an isolated forest near Maloyaroslavl, on the bank of the River Vepreika, where he lived in asceticism within the hollow of an ancient oak.
- later life Foundation of the Dormition monastery As disciples gathered, he built and directed a monastery dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, leading it until advanced age.
- 1492 Repose He reposed in 1492 after receiving the great schema, and was buried in the cathedral church of the monastery he had founded.
- 1584 Establishment of his veneration The celebration of his memory was established at a church council in 1584.
Contributions & Legacy
2 contributions
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Relics & Shrines
After his repose, the body of Saint Tikhon was buried at the cathedral church of the monastery he founded, which became the center of his veneration.
Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints