Saint Arsenius of Novgorod, whose secular name was Ambrose, was born in the town of Rzhev to a family of devout Christians. He worked in the leather trade, assisted the poor, and visited churches daily in order to pray. After the death of his father and with the insistence of his mother, he got married. However, soon afterward he left everything behind to serve the Lord, abandoning worldly life and secretly departing for Veliky Novgorod.
In 1562, with the support of Theodore Dmitrievich Sirkov, he founded a monastery and a church dedicated to the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. There he was tonsured a monk and received the name Arsenius. He embraced a life of strict asceticism, wearing heavy chains on his body, fasting rigorously, and devoting himself to prayer. Through his spiritual labors, he was granted the gift of tears.
In 1570, Tsar Ivan the Terrible came to him bearing gifts. However, upon learning of the brutal executions that had taken place in the Novgorod region, the saint refused the gifts and openly rebuked the tsar for his cruelty. Having foreseen his own death, he received the Holy Communion and surrendered his soul to the Lord on 12 July 1570.
He was buried at the monastery, where a chapel was soon build in his honor. In 1634, miraculous healings began to be recorded through the grace of his holy relics. In 1787, they were transferred to the Monastery of Saint Cyril, where another chapel was consecrated in his honor. His memory is celebrated on the first Sunday after 18 January.
Saint Arsenius is venerated as a Fool-for-Christ.
