Metropolitan Bishop
Saint Martyr Theodosius of Brazi was born in the first half of the 17th century near the Brazi Monastery in the family of the righteous voivode Stephen the Great. At the age of 18, he joined the monastic brotherhood, taking monastic vows at the Bogdan Monastery.
In 1669, he was elected Bishop of Radovets. He often went to venerate the tomb of Saint Stephen the Great, where he lit an unquenchable lamp. In 1671, he was transferred to the Romanian Diocese.
In 1674, during the departure of Saint Dosifei of Moldavia to Poland, he was elected to the throne of the Metropolitan of Moldavia. The Moldavian ruler Dumitrașcu Cantacuzino, who imposed excessive taxes on the population, surrounded himself with Tatars for the protection of his power. The hierarch rebuked the ruler, calling the hired Tatars “the seed of the Antichrist.” For this, the enraged Dumitrașcu expelled the metropolitan and imprisoned him in the Jassy Savvin Monastery.
Soon, Metropolitan Dosifei returned from Poland and freed Theodosius. After this, the saint retired to the Brazi Monastery, where he built a church in honor of Saint George, introduced a new monastic rule, and enriched the monastery with arable land, vineyards, and gardens.
In 1694, the Brazi Monastery was subjected to a devastating raid by the Tatars. The tormentors cruelly tortured the saint, trying to find out where the monastery's treasures were hidden. Bishop Theodosius did not reveal the secret place, and eventually, they beheaded him. The monks, along with the local residents, buried the relics of the saint in the Church of George of the monastery.
The George Church was destroyed by an earthquake. In 1842, the Brazi hieromonk Dimitri dug up the holy remains of Saint Theodosius and transferred them to the cave church of the Resurrection of Lazarus, where he celebrated the liturgy. Since then, the relics have been surrounded by great veneration.
After the closure of the Brazi Monastery in 1959, believers continued to come to the saint's grave with prayer requests. The solemn glorification of Metropolitan Theodosius in the rank of holy martyrs took place in the Romanian Orthodox Church on October 5, 2003. His memory is celebrated on September 22.
By the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on August 21, 2007, the name of the saint was included in the calendar of the Russian Church.
