Ηegumen / Abbot
Venerable Dionysius, abbot of Glushitsa, first lived as an ascetic at the Lake Kubenskoye. Later, seeking greater silence and peace, he moved to a nearby village, where he built a small cell and a church in honor of Saint Nicholas. There he founded a new monastery, was ordained a priest, and began to celebrate the Divine Liturgy. In time, he appointed the monk Pakhomios as abbot and withdrew to the banks of the river Glushitsa, where he established another cell and a church dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos.
Saint Dionysius defeat by his prayers the demons who sought to disturb his faith and inner peace. He eventually departed secretly to a remote, desolate place called Sonsovets, where he built a church in honor of Saint John the Baptist. There he also prepared his own grave, so that he might continually remember death and the passage into eternal life.
The saint fell asleep in the Lord on June 1, 1437 leaving behind him numerous miracles and a profound spiritual legacy. His holy relics are preserved in the monastery of Sonsovets.
