Archimandrite
Saint Paisius of Galich, abbot of the Assumption Monastery located on the shore of a lake near the city of Galich, is unknown by place of birth and parents. The monastery was founded in ancient times, and during the reign of Dmitry Donskoy, a new church was built in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God. In 1433, the monastery suffered from internecine strife and lost its main relic—the icon of the Mother of God, which miraculously returned to its former place.
At the request of Prince Dmitry Krasny, Saint Paisius went to Moscow with a copy of the miraculous icon, where he was ceremoniously welcomed by the Grand Duke and Metropolitan Jonah. In gratitude, the prince issued a protective charter for the monastery. Saint Paisius labored in the monastery for more than 70 years, restoring it after the destruction and was elevated to the rank of archimandrite.
Before his death, he prepared himself and the brethren for death, reminding them of the Last Judgment. On the day of his death, May 23, 1460, he prayed and, making the sign of the cross, surrendered his spirit to the Lord. The brethren sorrowfully buried him in the church of the Dormition of the Mother of God, which he had built, where the miraculous Ovin icon is located.
Saint Paisius was likely canonized in the 17th century, when a service was composed for him. In the “Iconographic Original,” it is said that he was a miracle worker and had a schema similar to that of Macarius of Yellow Water.
