Saint Mercurius, Bishop of Smolensk, Kiev Near Caves
Venerable
Bishop
Bishop
He was a monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and, presumably, a successor of Bishop Lazar on the Smolensk see. He experienced the horrors of Batu's invasion along with his flock. He is mentioned in the description of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra as “Saint Mercury, Bishop of Smolensk, killed by Batu in 1247.” The saint, by deed and word, glorified the Holy Trinity, and now he glorifies Her at the throne of God. After his blessed repose, his relics miraculously floated down the Dnieper to Kiev and were placed in the Near (Antoniev) caves.
