Simon Soiginsky, the Abbot

Simon Soiginsky, the Abbot

Venerable
Ηegumen / Abbot

The Venerable Simon was from the city of Solvychegodsk. From a young age, the grace of God rested upon him. He turned away from worldly vanity and, leaving his parents' home, came to the monastery of the Venerable Cornelius of Komel, who tonsured him as a monk. Simon labored in fasting and prayers, fulfilling obediences with extraordinary humility.

After the repose of Saint Cornelius in 1537, Simon, together with Elder Loggin, headed back to his homeland. They sought solitude and stopped at the mouth of the river Koryazhma, where they built a cell and a chapel. Later, Simon, desiring greater solitude, parted ways with Loggin and went upstream along the Vychegda.

On the elevated bank of the Vychegda, at the mouth of the river Soyga, he cut down trees to build himself a cell and constructed a church in the name of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ, consecrated on May 17, 1541. In this wild place, he labored, and his abstinence and prayerful vigils were remarkable.

People began to gather around him, wishing to strive under his guidance. He instructed them and pointed the way to salvation. The Venerable Simon labored in his wilderness for twenty years. Shortly before his death, he learned of the glorification of Saint Loggin through miracles. On November 24, 1562, he peacefully surrendered his soul to the Lord, mourned by his disciples. His relics rest in the monastery he founded, in the church of Saint Catherine the Great Martyr.