Ηegumen / Abbot
Saint Martinian of Belozersk, in the world Michael, was born around 1397 in the village of Berezniki. At the age of thirteen, he left his parents and came to Saint Cyril of Belozersk, becoming a zealous disciple. In the monastery, he learned to read and write and engaged in copying books. Later, he was ordained as a hierodeacon and then as a hieromonk. After the death of Saint Cyril in 1427, he withdrew to a deserted island on Lake Vozhe for silence, where he gathered monks around him and built the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord.
Saint Martinian became the abbot of the Ferapontov Monastery, where he brought the community to a flourishing state. He provided spiritual support to Grand Duke Vasily Vasilyevich the Dark during difficult times when his cousin Dmitry Shemyaka claimed the Moscow throne. The saint was a defender of truth and justice.
In 1455, he returned to the Ferapontov Monastery. In his last years, he suffered from a severe illness and could not walk, and the brethren carried him to the church. He passed away at the age of 85. His relics were discovered in 1513, and the memory of their discovery is celebrated on October 7.
