Maximus the Greek
Venerable
Saint Maximus the Greek, the son of a wealthy Greek nobleman, received an excellent education and traveled extensively throughout Europe. After accepting monasticism on Mount Athos, he studied ancient manuscripts. The Grand Duke of Moscow, Vasily Ivanovich, summoned him to Moscow for the translation of church books. The saint worked diligently, but inaccuracies in the translations led to a conflict with Metropolitan Daniel. Refusing to translate the ecclesiastical history of Theodoret, he was imprisoned, where he gained God's grace and wrote a canon to the Holy Spirit. After six years in prison, he was sent to Tver under ecclesiastical ban, where he continued to write and labor. Only after twenty years was he allowed to live freely. He spent his last years in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, where he continued to translate the Psalter. The saint reposed on January 21, 1556, and was buried by the northwestern wall of the Spiritual Church of the Lavra. Many gracious manifestations occurred at his tomb.
