mercredi 8 mai 2024

Bienheureux ANTONIN (JAN EUGENIUSZ) BAJEWSKI, prêtre franciscain conventuel et martyr

 


Bienheureux Antonin Bajewski

Franciscain martyr à Auschwitz (+ 1941)

Né à Vilnius en 1915, Jan Eugène Bajewski prend l'habit franciscain en 1934 et le nom de Antonin. Il est ordonné en 1939 et est vicaire de Maximilien Kolbe. Arrêté en même temps que Maximilien Kolbe et Boniface Zukowski en 1941, jeté en prison à Varsovie, il donne ses rations aux autres prisonniers et les encourage. Il est transféré à Auschwitz, attrape la fièvre typhoïde et y meurt épuisé le 8 mai 1941. Béatifié par Jean-Paul II le 13 juin 1999.

Au camp de concentration d'Oswiecin, près de Cracovie en Pologne, l'an 1941, le bienheureux Antonin Bajewski, prêtre franciscain conventuel et martyr. Compagnon de saint Maximilien Kolbe, il fut arrêté et détenu en captivité avec lui et mourut à la suite des conditions de détention inhumaines.

Martyrologe romain

SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/11669/Bienheureux-Antonin-Bajewski.html#:~:text=N%C3%A9%20%C3%A0%20Vilnius%20en%201915,autres%20prisonniers%20et%20les%20encourage.

Blessed Jan Eugeniusz Bajewski

Also known as

Antonin Bajewski

prisoner 12764

Memorial

7 May

12 June as one of the 108 Martyrs of World War II

Profile

Member of the Franciscan Conventuals, taking the name Antonin. Priest. Worked with Saint Maximilian KolbeImprisonedtortured and executed by the Nazis for the crime of being a Catholic priestMartyr.

Born

17 January 1915 in Vilnius, Lithuania

Died

8 May 1941 in the Oswiecim (Auschwitz) death camp, Malopolskie, occupied Poland

Venerated

26 March 1999 by Pope John Paul II (decree of martyrdom

Beatified

13 June 1999 by Pope John Paul II

Additional Information

other sites in english

Hagiography Circle

sitios en español

Martirologio Romano2001 edición

fonti in italiano

Martirologio Romano2005 edition

Santi e Beati

MLA Citation

“Blessed Jan Eugeniusz Bajewski“. CatholicSaints.Info. 3 February 2022. Web. 8 May 2024. <https://catholicsaints.info/blessed-jan-eugeniusz-bajewski/>

SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/blessed-jan-eugeniusz-bajewski/

Blessed Martyrs of Niepokalanów

Ludwik Bartosik

Ludwik Bartosik was born on Au­gust 21, 1909, at Kokanin, near Ka­lisz. He was the firstborn of Wojciech, shoemaker, and Wiktoria Tomczyk. His parents were very poor. Thanks to the efforts of the family, of their ac­quaintances and of the parish priest of the village, the young Ludwik was so well intellectually prepared that he could begin his studies in the gymna­sium “Tadeusz Kosciuszko” of Kalisz, where he attended classes.

In 1926 he was accepted in the Conventual Franciscan Order. He began his novitiate on September 7, 1926, at Kalwaria Paclawska, receiv­ing the name Pius. On September 8, 1927, he pronounced his temporary vows. He started his studies again in the Franciscan minor seminary, at first at Sanok and then in Lwow (now Lviv, Ukraine), crowning them in 1931 with a diploma. Afterward, he began to study philosophy and theology in the major seminary of Krakow, where the Bishop Stanislaw Rospond ordained him a priest on June 23, 1935.

His first destination was the fri­ary of Krosno, where he distinguished himself for his devotion and especially for his dedicated ministry in the con­fessional. In August 1936 he was trans­ferred to Niepokalanów, by explicit request of Fr. Maximilian Kolbe, just elected guardian of that friary, after six years of mission in Japan. Perceiving in Father Pius a lot of spiritual and intel­lectual qualities, Father Kolbe entrust­ed him with many tasks of respon­sibility, appointing him editor of the monthly magazines Rycerz Niepoka­lanej (The Knight of the Immaculata, 1936-39), Rycerzyk Niepokalanej (The Little Knight of the Immaculata, 1937- 38) and the quarterly review in Latin Miles Immaculatae (1938-39). Father Bartosik wrote many articles and a book with a Marian theme, which re­main in print. The friars remember Father Pius as a thoughtful priest, who spent a lot of time in the confessional, and treated his collaborators with extraordinary kindness and respect.

Martyrdom

On September 19, 1939, the Ger­mans arrested him together with St. Maximilian Kolbe and about forty confreres, and he spent nearly three months in the prison camps of Lams­dorf, Amtitz, and Ostrzeszow. He pa­tiently bore hunger and sufferings, repeating: “Until now we wrote and told others how to bear suffering, now it is our turn to experience all this, otherwise what value could our words have?”

On February 17, 1941, he was ar­rested for the second time, together with Fr. Maximilian Kolbe, Fr. An­tonin Bajewski and other two friars, and taken to Warsaw in the Pawiak prison, where he patiently bore every mistreatment. During Holy Week, on April 4, 1941, he was transported with Father Antonin to Auschwitz, where he was registered with the number 12832. At the beginning, he was assigned to building works. Afterward, because of his bodily breakdown, a skin infection and a painful injury to the leg, he was sent to the hospital of the “lager.” There, with extreme dedication, he helped the other patients, cleaned their wounds, assisted them both bodily and spiri­tually, above all with the sacrament of Penance. He repeated: “The sufferings of this moment can’t be compared with the future glory, with the future hap­piness that we are going to have near God, in Heaven.”

Father Pius, notwithstanding his severe sufferings, patiently bore the situation that he was compelled to undergo. He died, after receiving Ex­treme Unction by Fr. Konrad Szweda, in the night between the 12th and 13th of December, 1941. “So died the editor of the Rycerz Niepokalanej, of the Rycer­zyk Niepokalanej and of the Miles Im­maculatae, a knight of the Immaculata and an authentic apostle of suffering, as he was called in the concentration camp. He got through the most ter­rible torments with heroic patience, following the example of the divine Master Jesus Christ, crucified for our salvation. ‘Blessed are they that suffer, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven!’” With these words, ends the testimony of Fr. Konrad Szweda, ex-prisoner of Auschwitz and Dachau.

Father Pius was proclaimed “blessed” by Pope John Paul II on June 13, 1999.

Jan Eugeniusz

Jan Eugeniusz was born at Vilnius on January 17, 1915, the only child of Jan and Aniela Wilkowska. His parents were well-to-do. He was baptized on March 14, 1918, in the parish church of the Holy Spirit, at Vilnius.

After the middle school certificate, he continued his studies, at first in the royal gymna­sium J. Lelewel and then in the classi­cal gymnasium A. Mickiewicz, also in Vilnius. He was a very gifted person. He could speak fluently several lan­guages. On June 16, 1933, he obtained a diploma and decided to consecrate himself to God, in spite of his family’s resistance. This is what he wrote about that period of his life: “In 1933, after the school diploma, I was faced with a dilemma: to become a friar or a dioc­esan priest. As some of my classmates came from the diocesan seminary, and I often went to visit them, I opted for the second solution even if in my heart I was more inclined to a religious Or­der.” So he began to study in the ma­jor seminary of the Diocese of Vilnius. However, his vocation for the religious life was so strong that, after one year of studies, he left the diocesan seminary and entered the Conventual Francis­can Order. He was accepted in the Pol­ish Province on August 17, 1934, and on September 1st of the same year he received the Franciscan habit and the name Antonin. He spent his novi­tiate in Niepokalanów, where he pro­nounced the temporary vows on Sep­tember 2, 1935. Afterward, he started again to study theology in the Francis­can seminary of Krakow. He crowned his religious formation with perpetual profession on November 1, 1938, and priestly ordination on May 1, 1939. His first destination was Niepokalanów, where he arrived on July 2, 1939. Very soon the guardian of the friary, Fr. Maximilian Kolbe, chose him as his second substitute, that is, the second vicar of the friary.

The brethren of his community remember Fr. Antonin Bajewski as a generous priest, who distinguished himself for his deep faith, devotion, spirit of prayer and gentleness toward others. Because of his weak health, Fa­ther Antonin spent the first months af­ter his arrival in Niepokalanów in the nursing home, called “Lasek,” a couple of kilometers from the friary. Here, he was staying at the outbreak of the Sec­ond World War, on September 1, 1939. When the Germans, on September 19th, arrested and deported almost all the friars who remained in the friary of Niepokalanów, those who resided in the “Lasek,” including Father Antonin, avoided the imprisonment.

Martyrdom

Howev­er, later he could not avoid the arrest. On February 17, 1941, the Gestapo ar­rested him, together with Father Max­imilian, Fr. Pius Bartosik and other two friars from Niepokalanów, and he was detained in the Pawiak prison, in Warsaw. During his stay in that prison, Father Antonin encouraged his fellow prisoners, showing great patience, in­viting them to behave correctly and of­fering them his rations of food. While in prison, he continued to wear the Franciscan habit, although it was the cause of additional ill treatment by the SS. In the night between the 4th and 5th of April 1941, he was transported with Father Pius to Auschwitz, where he was tattooed with the number 12764. When he arrived in the “lager,” he was brutally beaten by the SS with the Franciscan rosary he wore on his side.

Besides these mistreatments, Fa­ther Antonin suffered because he be­came ill with abdominal typhus. In spite of his disease, he devoted him­self to the patients of the “lager,” as the good Samaritan, giving them bodily and spiritual help, above all through the sacrament of Confession, seriously risking his life. He patient­ly bore the sufferings of life in the “lager,” often repeating: “I’m nailed to the cross together with Christ.”

Exhausted by hard labor, Father Antonin died in Auschwitz on May 8, 1941, on the day dedicated to the martyr St. Stanislaus. Before his death, he said to Fr. Konrad Szweda, who had heard his last confession, “Tell my brethren of Niepokalanów that I died here, faithful to Christ and Mary.” He died with the names of Jesus and Mary on his lips.

Father Antonin was proclaimed “blessed” by Pope John Paul II on June 13, 1999.

Piotr Zukowski

Piotr Zukowski was born on January 13, 1913, at Baran-Rapa, a village populated by the lower middle class, in the parish of Niemenczyn, in the province of Vilnius. The son of Andrzej and Albina Walkiewicz. After the first four years of primary school at Rudowiek, he stayed at home to help his parents in the farm work. When he was sixteen, he entered the Conventual Franciscan Order in Niepokalanów, where he arrived on September 9, 1930. He began his novitiate on June 14, 1931, and he pronounced his temporary vows on July 16, 1932, receiving the name Bonifacy. On August 2, 1935, he made his perpetual profession. Before it, the then-guardian of the friary, Father Florian Koziura, wrote in his report: “A good person from every point of view. I wish there were others like him!”

Friar Bonifacy spent his whole religious life in Niepokalanów, carrying out many tasks of responsibility in the printing works, devoting himself in this way to the apostolate of the printed word. He was quiet, serene, a well-balanced friar.

After the outbreak of the war, he remained in the friary and he safely put away the typographical machines, seriously running the risk of losing his life. He was a brave person and sometimes he showed it, in his conversations with the German occupants.

Martyrdom

On October 14, 1941, he was arrested by the Gestapo, together with other six friars, including Friar Tymoteusz Trojanowski, and shut up in the Pawiak prison in Warsaw. During the imprisonment, he often said the Rosary and in the evening, with the other friars, he sang religious hymns. Talking with the other prisoners, he spiritually comforted them. He shared with his fellow prisoners, the food he received from the outside.

On January 8, 1942, he was transported with Friar Tymoteusz to the concentration camp of Auschwitz, where he was registered with the number 25447. He was assigned to the transport of building materials (“Bauhofkommando”), the transport of gravel, the demolition of the crumbling buildings of Auschwitz (“Abruchkommando”), the roof maintenance staff and, finally, to the harvest of oil seed. He tried to bear his sufferings with courage and spirit of faith. Once he was beaten with a piece of wood until he bled.

The labor in the cold gave rise to pneumonia. He died on April 10, 1942, after spending two weeks in the hospital of the lager (barrack).

Proclaimed “blessed” by John Paul II on June 13, 1999.

Stanislaw Antoni Trojanowski

Stanislaw Antoni Trojanowski was born on July 29, 1908, in the village of Sadlowo, parish of Poniatow, dioceses of Plock; son of Ignacy and Franciszka Zebkiewicz. He was compelled by their financial difficulties to work from his earliest youth to support his family. For this reason, he attended only three years of primary school. On March 5, 1930, he was accepted as a  candidate to the Franciscan life in the friary of the Conventual Franciscan Friars of Niepokalanów and, on January 6, 1931, he began his novitiate, receiving the name Tymoteusz. He pronounced his temporary vows on February 2, 1932 and the perpetual ones on February 11, 1935.

He spent his whole religious life in Niepokalanów, mostly working in the posting department of the Rycerz Niepokalanej (Knight of the Immaculata), in the supplies storehouse and in the infirmary, where he did his utmost to help the ill friars. On May 3, 1937, he expressed to his superior his willingness to go in mission “everywhere and in every moment, at God’s disposal.”
He was a well-disciplined friar, faithful to his Franciscan vocation, and the superior of the friary, Father Maximilian Kolbe, completely trusted him.

Martyrdom

After the outbreak of the Second World War, at the beginning of September 1939, he decided to remain in Niepokalanów. On October 14, 1941, he was arrested by the Gestapo together with other six friars, including friar Bonifacy Lukowski, and shut up in the Pawiak prison in Warsaw. During the imprisonment, he prayed a lot, he infused courage into the others and he was always the first to undertake to do various servile tasks.

On January 8, 1942, he was transported with Friar Bonifacy to the concentration camp of Auschwitz, where he was registered with the number 25431. He was assigned to the transport of building materials in the “Bauhof” department, then to the digging and the transport of gravel in the “Kiesgruppe” department and, finally, to the harvest of oil seed.

He bore with courage the hunger the cold and the hard labor. He didn’t lose heart; he even encouraged his fellow prisoners and exhorted them to have confidence in divine protection. Because of the cold he became ill with pneumonia and he died in the hospital of the lager (barrack) on July 28, 1942.

Proclaimed “blessed” by John Paul II on June 13, 1999.

Jozef Wojciech Guz

Jozef Wojciech Guz was born on March 18, 1890, in Lwow (now Lviv, Ukraine). After attending the primary school and the gymnasium in his hometown, he wanted to enter the Company of Jesus, but he wasn’t accepted because his financial situation wasn’t enough good. So he decided to become a Franciscan.

On August 25th, 1908, he put on the Franciscan habit, receiving the name Innocenty. At the end of the year of novitiate, on August 26, 1909, he pronounced his temporary vows in Lviv. Afterwards, he began to study philosophy and theology in Krakow and, when he finished studying, he was ordained priest (June 2, 1914).

He practiced his sacred ministry at Hanaczow, Czylki, Halicz, Warsaw, Lviv and Radomsko, but his longest stay was in Grodno. Here, he met Saint Maximilian Kolbe, who in the years 1922-27 published, in that friary, the Rycerz Niepokalanej (Knight of the Immaculata). In the years 1933-36 he stayed in Niepokalanów, where he practiced the ministry of confessor for the numerous brethren of that friary; moreover, he was the vice-teacher of the seminarians and singing-master in the missionary minor seminary. In 1936 he was moved again to Grodno, where he was caught in the Second World War and the Russian occupation.

Martyrdom

On March 21, 1940, he was arrested by the Soviet authorities and shut up in the prison of Grodno, from which he succeeded to escape. Crossing the Russian-German frontier, he was captured by the Germans and taken at first to the prison of Suwalki and then on April 20 he was taken to the prison of Dzialdowo. On May 8, he was transported to the concentration camp of Sachsenhausen, near Oranienburg. On May 29, as reported by a priest, Fr. Stanislaw Borowczyk, “All the priests and the Jews were put together and for one week they were subjected to inhumane exercises. Father Innocenty had several fractures. On June 6th, when our section moved to reach our place of work, he wasn’t able to keep in step with the others because his leg was so swollen. For this reason he was taken out of the group and, together with Fr. Czapczyk of Warsaw, he was beaten up, kicked and compelled to reach the section, jumping with his legs bent. Here, the guard of the dormitory, Fritz, took both of them to the bathroom and began to throw cold water at them. After a while, he pushed the priest into a basin full of water, he poked a rubber hose in his mouth and, in this way, he killed him.” At the point of death, Father Innocenty spoke to the friend who was beside him: “I go to the Immaculata. You remain here and do what you have to do.” Fr. Borowczyk, his fellow prisoner at Sachsenhausen, says: “Father Guz spent the last period of his life as a real martyr and I think that we should pray not for his soul, but in order to obtain his help.”

Proclaimed “blessed” by John Paul II on June 13, 1999.

SOURCE : https://militiaoftheimmaculata.com/blessed-martyrs-of-niepokalanow/

Beato Antonio (Antonin Jan Eugeniusz) Bajewski Sacerdote e martire

8 maggio

>>> Visualizza la Scheda del Gruppo cui appartiene

Vilnius, 17 gennaio 1915 - Oswiecim, 8 maggio 1941

Nato a Vilnius nel 1915, figlio di benestanti genitori, intraprese un percorso di studi ginnasiali che lo portò a maturare la vocazione religiosa. Entrato nel seminario diocesano, la sua inclinazione verso la vita francescana lo spinse a unirsi all'Ordine dei Frati Minori Conventuali nel 1934, assumendo il nome di Antonin. Dopo la professione solenne e l'ordinazione sacerdotale, il suo fervore religioso lo portò a Niepokalanów, dove divenne vice-guardiano del convento e si distinse per la sua fede profonda e la dedizione al prossimo. La salute cagionevole lo condusse alla casa di cura "Lasek", dove sfuggì alla prima deportazione dei confratelli da parte dei nazisti. Arrestato nel 1941 e incarcerato a Varsavia, padre Antonin si distinse per la sua pazienza e il sostegno ai compagni di prigionia. Trasferito ad Auschwitz, nonostante le percosse e la malattia, continuò a servire i più deboli, offrendo loro conforto fisico e spirituale. Morì il 8 maggio 1941, stremato dal lavoro forzato.

Martirologio Romano: Nel campo di sterminio di Auschwitz vicino a Cracovia in Polonia, beato Antonio Bajewski, sacerdote dell’Ordine dei Frati Minori Conventuali e martire, che, durante l’imperversare della guerra, crudelmente torturato in carcere per la sua fede raggiunse la gloria di Dio.

Jan Eugeniusz nacque a Vilnius, capitale lituana, il 17 gennaio 1915, unifo figlio di Jan e Aniela Wilkowska, genitori alquanto benestanti. Il 14 marzo 1918 ricevette il battesimo nella vicina chiesa parrocchiale dello Spirito Santo. Studiò prima nel ginnasio regio e poi in quello umanistico. Giovane molto intraprendente, parlava correntemente varie lingue. Egli stesso raccontò come vedeva il suo futoro dopo la fine di tale scuola: “Superato l’esame di maturità nel 1933, mi trovai di fronte al dilemma se diventare frate o prete diocesano. Poiché al ginnasio avevo già dei colleghi che venivano dal seminario diocesano e li visitavo spesso, optai per la seconda soluzione, anche se con il cuore ero più inclinato verso un Ordine religioso”. Entrò così nel seminario maggiore di Vilnius, ma tuttavia la vocazione alla vita religiosa era così forte che dopo solo un anno di studi lasciò il seminario diocesano per accedere all’Ordine dei Frati Minori Conventuali nella Provincia polacca il 17 agosto 1934. Già il 1° settembre vestì l’abito francescano, prendendo il nome di Antonin. Novizo a Niepokalanów, dove emise i primi voti religiosi il 2 settembre 1935, riprese poi con gli studi teologici nel seminario francescano di Cracovia. Il suo percorso formativò culminò nella professione solenne il 1° novembre 1938 e con l’ordinazione sacerdotale il 1° maggio 1939. Prima sua destinazione fu Niepokalanów. Il guardiano del convento, padre Kolbe, lo scelse presto come secondo vicario del convento. Dai confratelli padre Antonin fu ricordato quale sacerdote premuroso, dalla fede profonda, dallo spirito di preghiera e sempre delicato nei rapporti col prossimo. A Causa della sua salute cagionevola padre Antonin trascorse il suo primo periodo a Niepokalanów nella casa di cura “Lasek”, immersa nel bosco. Qui fu sorpreso dallo scoppio della seconda guerra mondiale. Fortunatamente, quando i tedeschi il 19 settembre 1939 arrestarono e deportarono i frati del convento di Niepokalanów, coloro che dimoravano al Lasek evitarono prigionia e persecuzioni. Padre Antonin non evitò tuttavia l’arresto in un secondo momento, il 17 febbraio 1941, quando la Gestapo lo deportò insieme con il Kolbe, il Bartosik ed altri due padri e furono rinchiuso in prigione a Varsavia. Qui Antonin incoraggiava con estrema pazienza i compagni di prigionia, invitandoli ad un comportamento corretto e cedendo loro le razioni di cibo a lui destinate. Anche in prigione persistette a portare l’abito francescano, nonostante ciò si rivelasse causa di maltrattamenti da parte delle SS. Nella notte tra il 4 e il 5 aprile 1941 fu trasferito con padre Pius ad Oswiecim e gli fu assegnato il numero 12764. All’arrivo al lager venne brutalmente percosso con la corona francescana che portava sempre al fianco. Nel frattempo padre Antonin era stato colpito da tifo addominale, ma nonostante la malattia nel lager si dedicò al servizio dei malati fornendo loro aiuto fisico e spirituale, principalmente tramite la confessione sacramentale, ponendo seriamente a rischio la propria sopravivenza. Sopportava pazientemente le sofferenze del lager, solendo ripetere: “Sono inchiodato alla croce insieme con Cristo”. Esausto del lavoro forzato, padre Antonin morì nel campo di concentramento l’8 maggio 1941. Incaricò il suo confessore: “Di’ ai miei confratelli di Niepokalanów che sono morto qui, fedele a Cristo e a Maria”. All’8 maggio questo santo frate è ricordato dal martirologio: “Nel campo di sterminio di Oswiecim (Auschwitz), presso Cracovia in Polonia, ricordo del Beato Antonio Bajewski, presbitero dell’Ordine dei Frati Minori Conventuali e martire, che vi fu rinchiuso durante la guerra a causa della sua fede cristiana, pervenendo infine, dopo innumerevoli tormenti, alla gloria del Signore”.

Autore: Fabio Arduino

SOURCE : https://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/92574

Antonio Bajewski, Beato

Mártir, 8 de mayo

Por: . | Fuente: Franciscanos.org

Presbítero y Mártir

Martirologio Romano: En el campo de concentración de Oswiecim o Auschwitz, cerca de Cracovia, en Polonia, beato Antonio Bajewski, presbítero de la Orden de los Hermanos Menores Conventuales y mártir, que alcanzó la gloria del Señor durante la guerra, terriblemente quebrantado por los tormentos sufridos en la cárcel a causa de su fe (1941).

Etimológicamente: Antonio = Aquel que es digno de estima, es de origen latino.

Breve Biografia

Sacerdote, profeso en la Orden de los Hermanos Menores Conventuales desde 1934.

Vivió en el convento de Niepokalanów, y fue uno de los más cercanos colaboradores de San Maximiliano Kolbe.

Se destacaba por su fe profunda y viva. Arrestado el 17 de febrero de 1940, murió en Auschwitz el 8 de mayo de 1941 a causa de las condiciones inhumanas del campamento.

En medio de los sufrimientos repetía: «Quiero ser clavado con Cristo en la cruz». Al acercarse la muerte pidió a uno de los prisioneros: «Cuenta a mis cohermanos de Niepokalanów que he muerto aquí, fiel a Cristo y a la Inmaculada».

Para ver más sobre los 108 mártires Polacos durante la segunda guerra mundial haz "click" AQUI

SOURCE : https://es.catholic.net/op/articulos/36045/cat/214/antonio-bajewski-beato.html#modal

BEATO ANTONIO BAJEWSKI

8 de mayo

1941 d.C.

Juan Eugenio nació en Vilna, Lituania, en el seno de una familia burguesa. Hablaba correctamente varios idiomas. Ingresó en el seminario mayor de Vilna, pero un año después dejó el seminario y, en 1934, entró en los franciscanos de la provincia polaca. Tomó el nombre de Antonio y en 1939 fue ordenado sacerdote. Su primer destino fue Niepokalanów. El guardián del convento san Maximiliano Kolbe, lo eligió como segundo vicario del convento. Fue recordado por sus cohermanos como sacerdote premuroso, de fe profunda, de espíritu de oración y siempre delicado en su relación con el prójimo. A causa de su mala salud, transcurrió su primer periodo en Niepokalanów en el sanatorio de “Lasek”, inmerso en el bosque. 

Aquí le sorprendió el inicio de la II Guerra Mundial, por eso no fue arrestado ni deportado como los frailes de Niepokalanów. En 1941, la Gestapo lo deportó a Varsovia, junto con el padre Kolbe, aquí Antonio animaba con extrema paciencia a sus compañeros de prisión, invitándoles a un comportamiento correcto y cediendoles su ración de comida. Persistió en llevar el hábito franciscano y esto le llevó maltratos por parte de las SS. En 1941 fue trasladado con el beato padre Pío Bartosik a Oswincim-Auschwitz, y le fue asignado el número 12764. Allí enfermó de tifus abdominal, pero a pesar de su enfermedad, se dedicó al servicio de los enfermos, ayudándoles fisicamente y espiritualmente, principalmente con la confesión sacramentral, poniendo en grave riesgo su propia vida. Soportó pacientemente los sufrimientos del campo de concentración, y solía repetir: “estoy clavado a la cruz junto a Cristo”. Exausto del trabajo forzado murió, encargando a su confesor: “Di a mis cohermanos de Niepokalanów que he muerto aquí fiel a Cristo y a María”. Fue beatificado por SS Juan Pablo II el 13 de junio de 1999.

Página Principal

(Parroquia San Martín de Porres)

SOURCE : http://www.parroquiasanmartin.com/antoniobajewski.html

BEATO ANTONIO BAJESWKI, MÁRTIR

Fiesta: 8 de Mayo 

En el campo de concentración de Oswiecim o Auschwitz, cerca de Cracovia, en Polonia, beato Antonio Bajewski, presbítero de la Orden de los Hermanos Menores Conventuales y mártir, que alcanzó la gloria del Señor durante la guerra, terriblemente quebrantado por los tormentos sufridos en la cárcel a causa de su fe (1941). Etimológicamente: Antonio: Aquel que es digno de estima, es de origen latino. Sacerdote, profeso en la Orden de los Hermanos Menores Conventuales desde 1934. 

Vivió en el convento de Niepokalanów, y fue uno de los más cercanos colaboradores de San Maximiliano Kolbe. Se destacaba por su fe profunda y viva. Arrestado el 17 de febrero de 1940, murió en Auschwitz el 8 de mayo de 1941 a causa de las condiciones inhumanas del campamento. En medio de los sufrimientos repetía: «Quiero ser clavado con Cristo en la cruz». Al acercarse la muerte pidió a uno de los prisioneros: «Cuenta a mis cohermanos de Niepokalanów que he muerto aquí, fiel a Cristo y a la Inmaculada».

SOURCE : https://santosybeatos.blogspot.com/2012/05/beato-antonio-bajeswki-martir.html?m=0

BŁ. ANTONIN BAJEWSKI (1915-1941)

Bł. O. Antonin Jan Eugeniusz Bajewski

17 stycznia 1915 – 8 maja 1941

Jan (bł. Ojciec Antonin) urodził się 17 stycznia 1915 r. w Wilnie. Na chrzcie św. otrzymał imiona: Jan i Eugeniusz. Po skończeniu szkoły elementarnej i średniej poczuł w sobie powołanie do życia zakonnego i kapłaństwa. Był jedynakiem dość zamożnych rodziców, którzy niechętnie zgodzili się na jego wstąpienie do seminarium duchownego w Wilnie. Po rocznym pobycie w seminarium diecezjalnym opuścił je i zgłosił się do franciszkanów konwentualnych. Został przyjęty na nowicjat w 1934 r. i otrzymał zakonne imię Antonin. Po ukończeniu nowicjatu w Niepokalanowie złożył zakonne śluby zwyczajne w 1935 r. i solemne w 1938. Studiował filozofię i teologię w Krakowie i w 1939 r. otrzymał święcenia kapłańskie. Jak o kapłan odznaczał się pobożnością, nieprzeciętną wiedzą. Miał też łatwość przyswajania sobie obcych języków. Nic też dziwnego, że zwrócił nań uwagę Ojciec Maksymilian i chciał go mieć jako swojego współpracownika. W środowisku niepokalanowskim cieszył się wielkim poważaniem braci ze względu na swą pobożność i grzeczność.

Społeczność niepokalanowska już w 1939 r. doznała pierwszych prześladowań ze strony nazistów. Wywieziono dużą liczbę Braci wraz z Ojcem Maksymilianem i Ojcem Antoninem do przejściowych obozów. Na szczęście po tym pierwszym aresztowaniu wszyscy zostali zwolnieni i to w uroczystość Matki Bożej Niepokalanej 8 grudnia 1939 r. Jednak17 lutego 1941 r. gestapo zaaresztowało Ojca Maksymiliana z innymi czterema ojcami. Osadzono ich najpierw w więzieniu na Pawiaku w Warszawie. Tutaj przeszli różne cierpienia ze strony gestapo. 4 kwietnia wywieziono wszystkich do Oświęcimia, gdzie przeżyli jeszcze bardziej brutalne traktowanie ze strony katów obozowych. W tych warunkach Ojciec Antonin zachował się po kapłańsku i po samarytańsku wobec współwięźniów. W cierpieniach powtarzał: "Jestem przybity do krzyża wraz z Chrystusem". Wyniszczony nieludzkimi warunkami życia i jeszcze bardziej nieludzkim traktowaniem, zmarł 8 maja 1941 r. Przed śmiercią przekazał dla braci w Niepokalanowie swoje przesłanie przez współwięźnia ks. Szwedę: "Powiedz moim współbraciom w Niepokalanowie, że umarłem tu jako wiemy Jezusowi i Maryi.

13 czerwca 1999 r. Ojciec Święty Jan Paweł II zaliczył go w poczet błogosławionych wraz z innymi 107 Męczennikami, ofiarami nazizmu w okresie II wojny światowej.

Sławniejsi franciszkanie w Polsce. Ich życiorysy i dzieła, Rzym - Watykan 2000

SOURCE : https://niepokalanow.pl/dziedzictwo-kolbianskie/bracia-zakonni/bracia-bajewski-antonin-ojciec

O. Antonin - wybitnie zdolny uczeń Chrystusa

2009-05-08 14:15:22

Był wybitnie zdolny, znał kilka języków obcych. Zginął w Auschwitz w wieku 26 lat, w drugą rocznicę święceń kapłańskich.

Jan Eugeniusz Bajewski urodził się 7 stycznia w 1915 r. roku w Wilnie. Był jedynakiem. Od lat dziecięcych przejawiał duże zdolności do nauki, dlatego już w szóstym roku życia rozpoczął szkołę powszechną. Po jej ukończeniu wstąpił do Gimnazjum Realnego im. J. Lelewela, a później do Gimnazjum Humanistycznego im. A. Mickiewicza. W 1933 r. z bardzo dobrymi wynikami uzyskał maturę.

W tym samym 1933 r. rozpoczął naukę w Wyższym Seminarium Duchownym w Wilnie. Po roku opuścił je i 17 sierpnia 1934 r. wstąpił w Niepokalanowie do zakonu franciszkanów (Zakon Braci Mniejszych Konwentualnych). 1 września 1934 r. przywdział habit zakonny i otrzymał imię Antonin. Studia teologiczne podjął w Wyższym Seminarium Duchownym Franciszkanów w Krakowie.

1 listopada 1938 r. złożył śluby wieczyste, a 1 maja 1939 r. otrzymał święcenia kapłańskie. Skierowano go do pracy w Niepokalanowie. Był drugim zastępcą św. Maksymiliana Kolbego. 17 lutego 1941 r. razem z o. Kolbe został aresztowany przez hitlerowców i osadzony w warszawskim więzieniu na Pawiaku. W nocy z 4 na 5 kwietnia został przewieziony do obozu Auschwitz w Oświęcimiu, otrzymał numer 12764.

Od czasu aresztowania chodził w habicie zakonnym, co wywoływało szczególną złość esesmanów. Już w dniu przybycia do obozu został przez nich brutalnie pobity koronką franciszkańską, którą nosił u boku. Mimo iż był słabego zdrowia i chorował na tyfus brzuszny, w obozie pomagał chorym. Ryzykując życiem, pełnił posługę kapłańską i spowiadał współwięźniów.

Cierpliwie znosił obozowe udręki, powtarzając: "Z Chrystusem jestem przybity do krzyża". Przeczuwając zbliżającą się śmierć, powiedział spowiednikowi: "Powiedz braciom w Niepokalanowie, że wierny Chrystusowi i Maryi tu zginąłem". Wyczerpany pracą i cierpieniem zmarł 8 maja 1941 r., kiedy to Kościół w Polsce wspomina św. Stanisława, biskupa i męczennika.

Został beatyfikowany 13 czerwca 1999 r. w Warszawie, podczas siódmej podróży apostolskiej Jana Pawła II do ojczyzny. Jako jeden z siedmiu franciszkanów znalazł się w gronie 108 męczenników Kościoła w Polsce z okresu II wojny światowej. Czterej z nich pracowali w Niepokalanowie - o. Antonin Bajewski, o. Pius Bartosik, br. Tymoteusz Trojanowski i br. Bonifacy Żukowski; dwaj w Pierszajach (obecnie na Białorusi) - o. Achilles Puchała i o. Herman Stępień; jeden w Grodnie - o. Innocenty Guz. W liturgii męczennicy wspominani są 12 czerwca.

wp

SOURCE : https://web.archive.org/web/20140707145000/http://franciszkanie.pl/news.php?id=6318

Voir aussi ; http://www.swzygmunt.knc.pl/MARTYROLOGIUM/POLISHRELIGIOUS/vENGLISH/HTMs/POLISHRELIGIOUSmartyr0045.htm

mardi 7 mai 2024

Saint ANTOINE de PEČERS'K, moine reclus et fondateur de la Laure des Grottes de KIEV (Petchersky)

 

Saint Antoine de Kiev

Moine reclus de la Laure des Grottes de Kiev (+ 1073)

Originaire des environs de Tchernigov, il se rend tout d'abord au Mont-Athos. Revenu en Russie, il parvient, en 1013, à Kiev et, après avoir visité les quelques monastères de la ville, il s'installe dans les grottes de Berestovo, creusées jadis par les "Rus" ou Varègues, qui créèrent les principautés slaves de Novgorod à Kiev, sous l'hégémonie des princes Oleg (+ 911) puis saint Vladimir (+ 1015). Après bien des péripéties, il fonde ainsi le monastère, la Laure des grottes de Kiev (Perchersky) et il encourage son disciple saint Théodose à suivre le "typikon" (Règle) du Studion de saint Ephrem à Constantinople. Lui-même obtint du prince Iziaslav, toute la colline dominant les grottes, puis, retiré dans la solitude, il devint ainsi le patriarche des moines de Russie.

Il figure à la date du 7 mai au martyrologe romain et à celle du 10 juillet sur des calendriers orthodoxes.

À Kiev en Russie, l'an 1073, saint Antoine, ermite, qui poursuivit dans la laure des Cryptes la vie monastique qu'il avait apprise au Mont Athos.

Martyrologe romain

SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/7528/Saint-Antoine-de-Kiev.html

Sant'Antonio Pecierskij.

St. Antonij Pecherskij

Преподобный Антоний Печерский. Фрагмент Свенской иконы Божией Матери


Saint Antoine des Grottes de Kiev

Programme du VIIème dimanche après la Pentecôte – saint Antoine des Grottes de Kiev – ton 6

21 juillet 2017 par Henri de Villiers

Paroisse catholique russe de la Très-Sainte Trinité, le dimanche 23 juillet 2017 du calendrier grégorien, 10 juillet 2017 du calendrier julien, tierce & sexte à 8h55, divine liturgie de saint Jean Chrysostome à 9h15.

Dimanche du ton VI de l’Octoèque. Nous fêtons aussi en ce jour notre vénérable Père saint Antoine des Grottes de Kiev, le premier de tous les moines russes.

Né en 983 à Lioubetch, dans la région de Tchernigov, & ayant reçu au baptême le nom d’Antipas, notre saint, désireux de se consacrer à Dieu, quitta sa patrie, et après un séjour à Constantinople, parvint sur la Sainte Montagne de l’Athos. Il fut y reçu au monastère d’Esphigménou sous le nom monastique d’Antoine, et y devint disciple de l’Higoumène Théoctiste, homme à la vertu éminente. Au bout de quelques années, Théoctiste renvoya son disciple en Russie, en lui disant :

Antoine, va en Russie, afin d’y devenir un exemple et un guide pour le peuple. Que la bénédiction de la Sainte Montagne soit avec toi !

Parvenu à Kiev en 1013, il s’installa à non loin de la ville, au lieu dit Berestovo, dans une grotte, y persévérant dans l’ascèse et la prière.

Après la mort de saint Vladimir en 1015, l’impie Sviatopolk le Maudit monta sur le trône de Kiev. Pour assurer son pouvoir impopulaire, il tua les saints princes Boris et Gleb, et déclencha une persécution contre l’Eglise. Face à cette effusion de sang, saint Antoine repartit pour la Sainte Montagne de l’Athos, où il obtint de se retirer à quelques distance d’Esphigménou, dans la vie érémitique.

Iaroslav le Sage vainquit Sviatopolk le Maudit en 1019, rétablit la foi chrétienne et construisit de nombreuses églises. Un prêtre de Berestovo, nommé Hilarion vint alors s’installer sur une colline boisée qui domine le Dniepr. Il y creusa une petite grotte et mena en secret ses combats spirituels devant Dieu, jusqu’au jour où il fut élevé au trône épiscopal de Kiev, en 1051. À cette date (qui est celle retenue comme date de fondation de la Laure des Grottes de Kiev), Antoine fut renvoyé en Russie par l’higoumène Théoctiste et alla s’établir dans la grotte même où Hilarion avait vécu. L’endroit, qui lui rappelait l’Athos, lui plut, et il pria Dieu que repose en ce lieu la bénédiction de la Sainte Montagne. Il y mena une stricte ascèse et une prière incessante. Il ne se nourrissait que de pain et d’eau, tous les deux ou trois jours, et quand il se trouvait en contemplation, il pouvait passer une semaine entière sans nourriture ni boisson.

Son mode de vie angélique fut rapidement connu, et un grand nombre d’hommes pieux commencèrent à lui rendre visite. Certains demandèrent à rester avec lui pour jouir de son enseignement : d’abord le prêtre saint Nikon (fêté le 23 mars) puis saint Théodose, une jeune homme alors âgé de vingt-trois ans (fête le 3 mai).

La renommée de saint Antoine s’étant répandue sur toute la terre russe, le prince de Kiev, Iziaslav Ier, qui avait succédé à Iaroslav le Sage en 1054, vint en personne recevoir sa bénédiction, accompagné de toute sa cour. Cet événement eut pour effet d’amener de nouveaux disciples vers la grotte, en particulier le bienheureux Barlaam, fils du boyard Jean (fête le 19 novembre), et Ephrem l’eunuque, fils adoptif du grand-prince (fête le 28 janvier). Quand le boyard Jean apprit que son fils était devenu moine, il vint avec fureur jusqu’à la grotte, dispersa les moines et, saisissant son fils, il déchira avec fureur son habit monastique et le ramena de force à son palais. De son côté le grand-prince Iziaslav ordonna d’arrêter saint Nikon, qui avait tonsuré son fils adoptif Ephrem, et menaça de détruire la Grotte et de jeter les Pères dans un cachot. Saint Antoine et ses disciples s’enfuirent en un autre lieu. Mais Gertrude de Pologne, épouse du prince Iziaslav Ier, supplia celui-ci de cesser sa persécution, de peur que la colère divine ne retombât sur eux. Le prince se calma et Antoine et ses disciples se rassemblèrent à nouveau dans la grotte. Ils y furent bientôt douze. La grotte initiale étant devenue trop exiguë, on l’agrandit, puis on aménagea une chapelle à l’intérieur ainsi qu’un vaste réseau de grottes communicant entre elles.

Saint Antoine, dont l’âme était toujours avide de solitude, réunit un jour ses disciples et leur dit :

Mes enfants, vous savez que le Seigneur nous a rassemblés ici, comme prémices de la bénédiction de tout notre peuple. Vous êtes la bénédiction de la Sainte Montagne et de Notre Très Sainte Mère de Dieu. C’est cette bénédiction que je vous laisse en héritage. Vivez donc ensemble. Je vais vous laisser un abbé, car il convient que je me retire dans la solitude. Je resterai cependant ici, et tant que je vivrai, je demeurerai votre père spirituel.

Il désigna Barlaam comme higoumène et se retira sur une colline voisine, où il se creusa une grotte (à l’origine du second réseau de Grottes de Kiev). La communauté s’agrandissant rapidement sous la sage conduite de saint Barlaam, il fut nécessaire de construire une église plus vaste, à l’extérieur & au dessus du réseau primitif de grottes cette fois. Peu après, le grand-prince de Kiev ayant nommé Barlaam higoumène du monastère de Saint-Dimitri aux portes de Kiev, monastère qu’il avait fondé, les frères allèrent demander à saint Antoine de leur désigner un nouveau supérieur, et ce fut saint Théodose qui fut choisi. Sous sa direction, la communauté dépassa la centaine de moines, et il devenait urgent de construire un monastère pour les abriter. Saint Antoine envoya un frère auprès du prince Iziaslav, afin de lui demander de leur concéder la propriété de toute la colline et de leur procurer les fonds nécessaires aux constructions, ce qu’il obtint. Les frères, sous la direction de saint Théodose, construisirent une vaste église en bois et des cellules en nombre suffisant ; le tout fut entouré de palissades défensives. Ils quittèrent alors leurs grottes pour vivre dans ce monastère, qui garda cependant jusqu’aujourd’hui le nom de Laure des Grottes de Kiev (Киево-Печерская лавра). Sous la direction de saint Théodose, la Laure des Grottes reçut la règle du Studion de Constantinople, l’appliqua et la diffusa dans toute la Russie, dont elle devint rapidement le poumon spirituel.

Pendant ce temps, saint Antoine accédant dans sa grotte à de nouvelles cimes spirituelles, acquit en abondance les dons de clairvoyance et de guérisons. Il bénissait des plantes vénéneuses et en faisait une potion qu’il donnait à boire aux malades, lesquels guérissaient aussitôt de leurs maux.

Quand Iziaslav et ses frères durent faire face à une révolte populaire liée à l’invasion des Polovtsiens (ou Cumans), ces princes vinrent demander à saint Antoine sa bénédiction, qui la leur refusa : le saint ermite leur déclara que c’est en raison de leurs péchés que leurs troupes avaient été défaites. Ayant dû se réfugier en Pologne, Iziaslav bannit saint Antoine à son retour à Kiev lorsqu’il put reprendre son trône. Notre saint s’exila alors à Tchernigov, où il se creusa une nouvelle grotte, prémices du futur monastère Eletsky de cette ville. Quelques temps après, pris de remords, Iziaslav rappela saint Antoine à Kiev.

A son retour, Antoine décida avec Théodose de construire une collégiale en pierre qui puisse accueillir la communauté toujours croissante des frères. Ils firent venir à cet effet des maçons de Constantinople. Après avoir béni la première pierre de cette nouvelle église dédiée à la Dormition de la Vierge, sentant proche l’heure de son départ de cette vie, saint Antoine rassembla les frères et les consola, en leur disant qu’après son repos il n’abandonnerait pas le monastère et veillerait sur eux pour la suite des siècles, se réjouissant des progrès de tous ses enfants spirituels et priant pour qu’ils obtiennent miséricorde au Jour du Jugement. Il leur demanda aussi que ses restes y soient à jamais cachés dans une des grottes (et de fait, ses reliques n’ont jamais été retrouvées jusqu’à ce jour).

Saint Antoine, qui était devenu le patriarche de tous les moines de Russie comme jadis saint Antoine le Grand l’avait été en Égypte, s’endormit dans le Seigneur le 10 juillet 1073, à l’âge de 90 ans.

Sous le pape saint Jean Paul II, son nom a aussi été inséré au Martyrologe romain à la date du 7 mai :

À Kiev en Russie, l’an 1073, saint Antoine, ermite, qui poursuivit dans la laure des Cryptes la vie monastique qu’il avait apprise au Mont Athos.

Aux heures

A tierce : Tropaire du dimanche. Gloire au Père. Tropaire du Vénérable Père. Et maintenant. Theotokion de l’heure. Kondakion : du dimanche.

A sexte : Tropaire du dimanche. Gloire au Père. Tropaire du Vénérable Père. Et maintenant. Theotokion de l’heure. Kondakion : du Vénérable Père.

Tropaires des Béatitudes : Six tropaires du dimanche, ton 6, & quatre tropaires de la 3ème ode du canon du Vénérable Père :

1. Souviens-toi de moi, Dieu Sauveur, * quand tu entreras dans ton royaume, ** seul Ami des hommes, sauve-moi.

2. Adam fut séduit par l’arbre défendu, * mais par celui de la Croix tu as sauvé * le bon Larron s’écriant : ** Dans ton royaume, Seigneur, souviens-toi de moi.

3. Ayant brisé les portes & les verrous de l’Enfer, * tu as ressuscité, Source de vie, * Sauveur, tous ceux qui s’écrient : ** Gloire à ta sainte Résurrection.

4. Souviens-toi de moi, Seigneur * qui par ta sépulture triomphas de la mort * & comblas de joie l’univers, ** Dieu de tendresse, par ta Résurrection.

5. Les Myrophores venues au tombeau * entendirent l’Ange proclamer : * Il est vraiment ressuscité, ** le Christ qui illumine le monde entier.

6. Le Christ qui fut cloué * sur le bois de la croix * & sauva le monde de l’erreur, ** chantons-le tous d’un même chœur.

A la petite entrée :

1. Tropaire du dimanche, ton 6 : Devant ton sépulcre les Puissances des cieux, * autant que les soldats furent frappés d’effroi ; * et Marie Madeleine se tenait près du tombeau, * cherchant ton corps immaculé ; * mais tu brisas l’Enfer sans te laisser vaincre par lui, * tu rencontras la Vierge et nous donnas la vie. * Ressuscité d’entre les morts, ** Seigneur, gloire à toi.

2. Tropaire du Vénérable Père, ton 4 : En quittant le tumulte du monde, * conformément à l’Evangile, tu as suivi le Christ, * en rejetant le monde et en vivant une vie angélique, * tu as atteint le calme sur le saint mont Athos, * d’où, avec la bénédiction des pères, * Tu es allé au mont de Kiev ; * Et vivant là une vie industrieuse, * tu as éclairé ta patrie ; * Et montrant à une multitude de moines le chemin qui mène au royaume des cieux, * tu les as menés au Christ. * C’est pourquoi, prie-Le, Vénérable Père Antoine ** afin qu’Il sauve nos âmes.

3. Gloire au Père, & au Fils, & au Saint-Esprit.

4. Kondakion du Vénérable Père, ton 8 : T’étant attaché à Dieu, depuis ta jeunesse, tu l’as aimé avant tout, ô Vénérable Père. * Avec amour, tu l’as suivi de toute ton âme ; * en tenant le monde corrompu pour rien, * tu as creusé une grotte dans le sol * Et, ayant bien lutté contre les pièges de l’ennemi invisible, * comme un soleil rayonnant tu as brillé sur toutes les extrémités de la terre. * C’est pourquoi, dans la joie, tu es passé dans les demeures célestes, * et tu es désormais debout avec les anges devant le trône du Maître, souviens-toi de nous qui honorons ta mémoire, afin que nous puissions te crier : ** Réjouis-toi, ô Antoine, notre père !

5. Et maintenant, & toujours, & dans les siècles des siècles. Amen.

6. Kondakion du dimanche, ton 6 : De sa main vivifiante le Seigneur source-de-vie, * le Christ notre Dieu, * a fait surgir tous les morts des ténèbres de l’Enfer, * accordant la résurrection à tout le genre humain ; * il est vraiment notre Sauveur, ** notre vie, notre résurrection et le Dieu de l’univers.

Prokimen

Du dimanche, ton 6 :

℟. Sauve, Seigneur ton peuple, et béni ton héritage (Psaume 27, 9).

℣. Vers Toi, Seigneur, j’appelle : mon Dieu, ne reste pas silencieux en face de moi (Psaume 27, 1).

Du Vénérable Père, ton 7 :

℟. Elle a du prix aux yeux du Seigneur, la mort de ses serviteurs (Psaume 115, 5).

Epîtres

Du dimanche : Romains (§ 116) XV, 1-7.

Que chacun de vous tâche de satisfaire son prochain dans ce qui est bon, et qui peut l’édifier.

Du Vénérable Père : Galates (§ 213) V, 22 – VI, 2.

Si nous vivons par l’Esprit, conduisons-nous aussi par l’Esprit.

Alleluia

Du dimanche, ton 6 :

℣. Ton amour, Seigneur, à jamais je le chante, d’âge en âge ma parole annonce ta fidélité (Psaume 88, 2).

℣. Car j’ai dit : l’amour est bâti à jamais, aux cieux tu as fondé ta fidélité (Psaume 88, 3).
Du Vénérable Père, ton 6 :

℣. Bienheureux l’homme qui craint le Seigneur, et qui a une grande affection pour ses commandements (Psaume 111, 1).

Evangiles

Du dimanche : Matthieu (§ 33) IX, 27-35.

Or Jésus allant de tous côtés dans les villes et dans les villages, enseignait dans leurs synagogues, et prêchait l’Évangile du royaume, guérissant toutes sortes de langueurs et de maladies.

Du Vénérable Père : Matthieu (§ 10), IV, 25 – V, 12.

Réjouissez-vous, et tressaillez de joie ; parce qu’une grande récompense vous est réservée dans les cieux.

Verset de communion

Du dimanche : Louez le Seigneur du haut des cieux, louez-le au plus haut des cieux. (Psaume 148, 1).
Du Vénérable Père : La mémoire du juste sera éternelle (Psaume 111, 6). Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Télécharger le livret des choristes au format PDF

SOURCE : https://schola-sainte-cecile.com/tag/saint-antoine-des-grottes-de-kiev/

St Antoine, fondateur des Grottes de Kiev

Notre Saint Père Antoine naquit en 983 à Lubetch, dans la région de Tchernigov, et reçut le nom d'Antipas au Saint Baptême. Désirant depuis son plus jeune âge se consacrer à Dieu, il quitta sa patrie et, passant par Constantinople, il parvint sur la Sainte Montagne de l'Athos. Après avoir visité les Monastères, où la vie angélique des moines embrasa encore plus son coeur d'amour pour le Seigneur, il fut reçu au monastère d'Esphigménou et devint disciple de l'Higoumène Théoctiste, homme à la vertu éminente. Se faisant violence en tout pour observer les commandements à la perfection, Antoine faisait la joie des frères. Au bout de quelques années, Théoctiste, à la suite d'une révélation divine, renvoya son disciple en Russie, en lui disant: « Antoine, va en Russie, afin d'y devenir un exemple et un guide pour le peuple. Que la bénédiction de la Sainte Montagne soit avec toi! » Parvenu à Kiev, en 1013, il visita les Monastères de la ville, mais ne trouva pas l'endroit qu'il recherchait. Se dirigeant vers les collines voisines, il découvrit, à Berestovo, une grotte jadis creusée par les Varanges (ou Varègues), et s'y installa pour y persévérer dans l'ascèse et la prière.

Après la mort de Saint Vladimir (1015, cf. 15 juil.), son fils, l'impie Sviatopolk, monta sur le trône de Kiev. Pour accaparer tout le pouvoir, il tua ses frères, les Saints princes Boris et Gleb (cf. 24 juil.), et déclencha une persécution sanglante contre les hommes de Dieu. Voyant cette effusion de sang, Saint Antoine repartit pour la Sainte Montagne. Mais ayant goûté au miel de l'hésychia, il obtint de Théoctiste de se retirer à quelques distance d'Esphigménou, sur le mont Samarie .

Le prince ami-de-Dieu, Iaroslav, ayant vaincu Sviatopolk (1019), rassembla les moines qui s'étaient dispersés et fit construire de nombreuses églises. Un Prêtre de Berestovo, nommé Hilarion, renommé pour sa vie ascétique et sa connaissance des Écritures, vint alors s'installer sur la colline boisée, proche du Dniepr, où s'élève aujourd'hui le Monastère des Grottes. Il y creusa une petite grotte et mena en secret ses combats spirituels devant Dieu, jusqu'au jour où il fut élevé au trône épiscopal de Kiev (105 1). À la même époque, Théoctiste reçut la révélation de renvoyer Antoine en Russie; et Dieu conduisit les pas du Saint jusqu'à la grotte où Hilarion avait vécu. L'endroit, qui lui rappelait l'Athos, lui plut, et il pria Dieu que repose en ce lieu la bénédiction de la Sainte Montagne. Il y mena une stricte ascèse, ayant pour oeuvre incessante la prière. Il ne se nourrissait que de pain et d'eau, tous les deux ou trois jours, et quand il se trouvait emporté en de saintes contemplations, il pouvait passer une semaine entière sans nourriture ni boisson. Son mode de vie angélique fut rapidement connu des habitants du lieu, et un grand nombre d'hommes pieux commencèrent à lui rendre visite. Certains demandèrent à rester avec lui pour jouir de son enseignement: d'abord le Prêtre Nicon (cf. 23 mars) et ensuite Saint Théodose, alors âgé de vingt-trois ans (cf. 3 mai).

La renommée de Saint Antoine s'étant répandue sur toute la terre russe, le prince de Kiev, lziaslav, qui avait succédé à Iaroslav (1054), vint en personne prendre sa bénédiction, accompagné de toute sa cour. Cet événement eut pour effet d'amener de nouveaux disciples vers la grotte, en particulier le bienheureux Barlaam, fils du boïar Jean (cf. 19 nov.), et Ephrem l'eunuque, fils adoptif du grand-prince (cf. 28 janv.). Quand le boïar Jean apprit que son fils était devenu moine, il vint avec fureur jusqu'à la Grotte, dispersa les moines et, saisissant son fils, il déchira avec fureur son Habit monastique et le ramena de force à son palais. De son côté le grand-prince Iziaslav ordonna d'arrêter Saint Nicon, qui avait tonsuré Ephrem, et menaça de détruire la Grotte et de jeter les Pères dans un cachot. Saint Antoine et ses disciples s'enfuirent en un autre lieu. Mais l'épouse du prince supplia Iziaslav de cesser sa persécution, de peur que la colère divine ne retombât sur eux, comme cela avait été le cas dans sa patrie, la Pologne, quand son père avait expulsé les moines . Le prince se calma et envoya des messagers pour rappeler Saint Antoine. Peu après son retour dans la Grotte, Dieu, ayant entendu la prière de son serviteur, rassembla ses disciples dispersés, auxquels se joignirent de nouveaux frères, de sorte qu'ils furent bientôt douze, comme les Apôtres autour du Seigneur. La Grotte étant devenue trop exiguë, on l'agrandit, puis on aménagea une chapelle à l'intérieur et des cellules aux alentours.

Saint Antoine, dont l'âme était toujours avide de solitude, réunit un jour ses disciples et leur dit: « Mes enfants, vous savez que le Seigneur nous a rassemblés ici, comme prémices de la bénédiction de tout notre peuple. Vous êtes la bénédiction de la Sainte Montagne et de Notre Très Sainte Mère de Dieu. C'est cette bénédiction que je vous laisse en héritage. Vivez donc ensemble. Je vais vous laisser un abbé, car il convient que je me retire dans la solitude. Je resterai cependant ici, et tant que je vivrai, je demeurerai votre père spirituel. » Il désigna Barlaam comme Higoumène et se retira sur une colline voisine, où il se creusa une grotte . La communauté s'agrandissant rapidement sous la sage conduite de Saint Barlaam, il fut nécessaire de construire une église plus vaste, à l'extérieur de la Grotte. Les frères édifièrent d'abord une église dédiée à la Dormition de la Mère de Dieu, au-dessus de leur première grotte. Peu après, le grand-prince ayant nommé Barlaam Higoumène du monastère de SaintDimitrios, qu'il avait fondé, les frères allèrent demander à Saint Antoine de leur désigner un nouveau supérieur; et Saint Théodose fut choisi, à cause de son obéissance, de sa douceur et de son humilité. Sous sa direction, la communauté s'accrut de vingt à plus de cent moines, et il devenait urgent de construire un monastère pour les abriter. Saint Antoine envoya un frère auprès du prince Iziaslav, afin de lui demander de leur concéder la propriété de toute la colline et de leur procurer les fonds nécessaires aux constructions. Les frères, sous la direction de Saint Théodose, construisirent une vaste église en bois et des cellules en nombre suffisant. Ils quittèrent alors leurs grottes pour vivre dans ce monastère, qui garda cependant le nom de Laure des Grottes de Kiev (Petchersky).

Grâce aux prières de Saint Antoine, Théodose fit la connaissance du moine Michel du Studion, qui était en visite en Russie. Il l'interrogea sur tous les usages, liturgiques et monastiques, de cet illustre monastère, et ayant par la suite reçu le Typikon du Studion de Saint Éphrem, il en fit la règle suivie depuis lors par les Monastères Russes.

Pendant ce temps, Saint Antoine accédant dans sa grotte à de nouvelles cimes spirituelles, acquit en abondance les dons de clairvoyance et de guérisons. Il bénissait des plantes vénéneuses et en faisait une potion qu'il donnait à boire aux malades, lesquels guérissaient aussitôt de tous leurs maux.

L'homme de Dieu prédit aux princes Iziaslav de Kiev, Sviatoslav de Chernigov et Vsevolod de Pereyslav, la défaite qu'ils subirent sur l'Alta contre les Polovtsiens qui envahirent ensuite la terre russe, pillant les villes et faisant d'innombrables captifs. Les habitants de Kiev réclamaient à lziaslav de résister contre les barbares, mais celui-ci n'osa pas risquer une nouvelle défaite. Il fut détrôné et s'enfuit en Pologne où, après avoir rassemblé une armée, il réussit, au bout de sept mois, à reconquérir la ville (1069). Un des proches du prince accusa alors Antoine d'avoir sympathisé avec Vseslav l'usurpateur, de sorte qu'Iziaslav entra en grande colère contre l'homme de Dieu. A cette époque, Saint Antoine prenait soin du reclus Isaac, qui avait été trompé par le démon (cf 14 fév.). L'Ennemi du genre humain, se voyant vaincu par les prières du Saint, inspira alors au prince de chasser Antoine de son royaume pour interrompre la guérison d'Isaac. Le prince de Chernigov, Sviatoslav, ayant appris le ressentiment nourri par son frère à l'égard du Saint, invita Saint Antoine dans sa principauté. Antoine y choisit un endroit peu éloigné de la cité et y creusa une grotte, où il reprit, sans trouble, sa vie ascétique. Iziaslav ayant cependant réalisé que le Saint était innocent et comprenant la ruse du démon, envoya des émissaires auprès d'Antoine, afin de le supplier de revenir vers son troupeau spirituel.

Après son retour à Kiev, Saint Antoine redoubla ses labeurs ascétiques : ses jours et ses nuits étaient un combat incessant contre le Prince des ténèbres pour faire régner la lumière du Christ. Comme il avait béni l'endroit où devait être construite l'église du monastère, et qu'à sa prière des maçons venant de Constantinople s'étaient présentés, sentant que l'heure de son départ de cette vie était proche, Saint Antoine rassembla les frères et les consola, en leur disant qu'après son repos il n'abandonnerait pas le Monastère et veillerait sur eux pour la suite des siècles, se réjouissant des progrès de tous ses enfants spirituels et priant pour qu'ils obtiennent miséricorde au Jour du Jugement. Ayant vécu seize ans dans sa seconde grotte, Saint Antoine, qui était devenu le patriarche des moines de Russie comme jadis Saint Antoine le Grand l'avait été en Égypte, s'endormit dans le Seigneur le 10 juillet 107318, à l'âge de 90 ans. Son corps fut déposé dans sa grotte et, tout comme le Saint avait souhaité resté caché aux yeux des hommes durant sa vie, ainsi ses précieuses Reliques, qui avaient été déposées dans sa grotte, sous le grand Monastère, restèrent inaccessibles. Chaque fois qu'on essaya de creuser dans la grotte pour les découvrir, un feu jaillissait de terre et brûlait les audacieux. Bien que cachées, elles n'en continuèrent pas moins d'être une source de guérisons et de bienfaits pour les fidèles.

SOURCE : https://www.crkvenikalendar.com/zitije_fr.php?pok=0&id=EZI

Sant'Antonio Pecierskij. Immagine del santo dal monastero delle Grotte di Kiev

Saint Anatolius (Anatoliy) the Recluse of Kyiv Caves

Анатолій затвірник. Ближні печери. - XII ст. Чернець Печерського монастиря. Преподобний. Пам'ять 11 жовтня і 16 липня.

Біографічні дані невідомі. Його мощі спочивають у Ближніх печерах.


St. Anthony Pechersky

Feastday: July 10

Birth: 983

Death: 1073

Ukrainian hermit. Born in 983 in Ljibeck in the Ukraine, Anthony went to the famed monastic community on Mt. Athos in Greece to become a hermit, remaining there for several years. He returned to the Ukraine and built a hermitage in Kiev. The site became the "Caves of Kiev," the first Ukrainian monastery founded by Ukrainians. Land for the monastery was given to Anthony by a local prince. He founded another monastery in Chernagov but died in the Caves of Kiev. Anthony is called one of the fathers of Ukrainian monasticism.

SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1463

Orthodox America

The Fathers of Russian Monasticism

St. Anthony of the Kiev Caves (July 10)

St. Theodosius of the Kiev Caves (May 3)

After the seeds of Divine grace had been planted through the Mystery of Baptism, it was the early growth of a native monasticism with its intense cultivation of spiritual life which most effectively encouraged the Gospel teaching to take root among the peoples of Rus', The first of these native monasteries, the Kiev Caves Lavra, has been called "the cradle of Russian Christianity," and its founders, Sts. Anthony and Theodosius, are appropriately venerated as the father s of Russian monasticism. Together with their disciples, they shone forth upon the Russian land as spiritual luminaries, dispelling the darkness of paganism and calling people, by example, into Christ's marvelous light.

St. Anthony of the Kiev Caves

Commemorated July 10

At the time of the Baptism of Rus' in 988, there lived in the town of Liubech a young boy by the name of Antip. He was educated by his parents in Christian piety, and upon coming of age he set out for the Holy Mountain of Athos to observe for himself the life of the monks whose ascetic struggles were extolled by Greek missionaries at work among the peoples of the Kieran princedom, Inspired by the monastic ideal, the youth chose to follow this angelic path himself and was soon tonsured with the name Anthony. He settled not far from the monastery of Esphigmenou in a small cave overlooking the sea.

The zealous young ascetic had been there only a few years when the abbot, prompted by Divine revelation, sent him back to his native land in order that his example might serve to draw others from among the recently enlightened people to embrace the monastic life.

Arriving in Kiev, Anthony made the rounds of the various Greek monasteries there, but finding none of them to his liking --for he was accustomed to the more austere, Athonite tradition--he discovered a small cave not far from the city and there resumed his life of solitary struggle.

His peace, however, was interrupted by the fratricidal turmoil which followed upon the death of Great Prince Vladimir in 1015 and the seizure of the throne by his ruthlessly ambitious son Svyatopolk, and Anthony decided to return to Athos, But as soon as this time of troubles passed, the abbot sent him back once again to Kiev with the blessing of the Holy Mountain, encouraging him with the prophecy that many monks would join him.

On his return, Anthony discovered another cave where the ascetic priest Hilarion had been wont to retire for prayer before his appointment as first Metropolitan of Rus'. Enlarging it just enough to make it habitable, Anthony settled there as a hermit. Some kind people, on learning of his presence there, supplied him with the scant provisions he would accept. He subsisted almost exclusively on bread and water.

The Saint's life of solitude was short lived, as people began coming to ask his blessing and counsel. Soon, there came also those who desired to share his way of life. One of the first to join the Saint was the priest Nikon (March 23) who later tonsured another newcomer and Anthony's closest disciple, Theodosius.

From the beginning, the emerging monastic community enjoyed the favor of the royal household, although it was not always a smooth relationship. When the son of a wealthy boyar gave up his worldly goods for a monastic life of voluntary poverty, his father complained to the Prince. Soon thereafter a favorite among the Prince's retinue followed suit and was likewise tonsured by Nikon. Prince Izyaslav angrily demanded that Nikon persuade the two to abandon their new way of life, threatening Nikon with his wrath. "Do with me as you will," replied Nikon calmly, "but I cannot take soldiers away from the King of Heaven." The Prince's anger unabated, St. Anthony decided it would be expedient for him to depart for a season which he did until the Prince, assuaged by his wife, the pious Maria Casimirovna, requested his return.

When the number of brothers reached twelve, Anthony expressed his desire to retire into solitude. "God has gathered you and there rests upon you His blessing and the blessing of the Holy Mountain. Now live in peace; I am appointing for you an abbot, for I wish to live alone as before." And he began digging for himself a new cave, some 200 yards from the old one, which later came to be known as the "Far Caves."

The first abbot, Barlaam (Nov. 14), was soon called by Prince Izyaslav to head the monastery of St. Demetrios which he had newly established at the gates to the city. When the brethren asked St. Anthony to designate a new abbot, the choice fell upon Theodosius whom he particularly loved for his meekness and obedience.

As more new brethren joined the community and conditions became crowded, Anthony requested from the Prince the hill in which the caves were located. When this was granted, the monks built there a wooden church and some cells, and encircled the area with a fence.

But even with Theodosius as abbot, St. Anthony continued to guide the community. In his humility Theodosius did nothing without going first to St. Anthony's cave to ask his advice and his blessing. And others came, for St. Anthony was widely recognized as a holy man rich with the gifts of healing, of clairvoyance and spiritual discernment.

Once, as Prince Izyaslav and his brothers were preparing to fight the Kumans, they came to ask Anthony's blessing. The Saint foretold that because of their sins they would suffer defeat, but that the Viking prince Shimon, who had taken refuge with the princes of Rus' after having been expelled from his native Scandinavia, would survive and return to Kiev where he would live for many more years, "and you will be buried in a church that you will build." Both these prophecies were precisely fulfilled.

It was not long after this ill-fated campaign that Kiev became the stage of a rebellion which forced Izyaslav into exile. He suspected Anthony of sympathizing with his opposition and intended, on his return, to banish him. But before he could act on this design, his brother Svyatoslav, Prince of Chernigov, arranged for the Saint to be brought secretly to Chernigov. There St. Anthony dug for himself a cave, and thus laid the foundation, as it were, of the Yeletsk Monastery which was later established on that site.

Finally Izyaslav was persuaded of the Saint' s innocence and asked that he return to Kiev. Shortly thereafter Izyaslav's reign came to an end; he was overthrown by his brothers and Svyatoslav became Grand Prince.

In view of the steadily increasing number of monks, Sts. Anthony and Theodosius purposed to build a large stone church. Certain miraculous signs confirmed God's blessing upon this undertaking. Many people saw a bright light at night over the proposed site of the new church. And when the Viking Prince Shimon returned from fighting the Kumans, he related that as he lay wounded on the field of battle, he saw a vision of a magnificent church set in the midst of the Caves Lavra. He had had a similar vision before setting sail from his native land. He was praying before an image of the Crucified Lord when the Saviour Himself appeared and told him that in that far away land which would receive him, a church would be built. He instructed Shimon to take from the crucifix the gold crown and gold belt with which it was adorned; the crown was to be hung above the altar of the new church, and the belt was to be used in fixing the dimensions of its foundation--30 times its measurement in length and 20 times in breadth. As he sailed away, Shimon saw in the night sky a church set in a blaze of light. St. Anthony reverently accepted the gold crown and belt, and the church was built according to the measurements so wondrously revealed to the Viking prince.

The venerable Anthony, however, did not live to see the church completed. In 1073, soon after blessing its foundation, he peacefully gave his soul to God, having spent 90 years on this earth in fruitful spiritual labors. Before his departure he called his monks together and comforted them with the promise that he would always remain with them in spirit and would pray the Lord to bless and protect the community. He also promised that all those who stayed in the monastery in repentance and obedience to the abbot would find salvation. The Saint asked that his remains be forever hidden from the eyes of men. His desire was fulfilled. He is said to have been buried in the cave where he reposed, but his relics have never been found. However, multitudes came to pray in his cave, and there, many who were sick found healing.

The Life of St. Theodosius, St. Anthony’s closest disciple and co-founder of the Kiev Caves Lavra, forms a valuable chapter in early Russian hagiography. Preserved in the Kiev Caves Patericon, it was written by the chronicler Nestor about ten years after the Saint’s repose in 1074, and is based on accounts of contemporaries; the description of his youth comes from the Saint’s own mother.

St. Theodosius of the Kiev Caves

Commemorated May 8

Theodosius, whose name means "gift of God," grew up in the small cities of Vasilkov and Kursk where his father was a judge. Although his parents were Christian and gave him an education directed primarily at the study of Scripture, they were astonished to see his heart so completely overtaken by love for God.

His father died when I heodosius was 13, and this caused the boy to retreat still further from the world common to one of his age and social rank. He gave away his good clothes, preferring to dress like the poor, and found pleasure in helping the peasants with their work. He often went to church, and when he learned that Divine Liturgy was sometimes not celebrated due to a lack of prosphora, he undertook to bake them himself. His mother loved him dearly, but she did not share her son's life-encompassing Christian outlook; she was very conscious of her social standing and felt that by engaging in such lowly occupations Theodosius brought shame upon the family. She tried cajoling, then threatening and even physically beating him to make him change his ways, but Theodosius stood firmly on the path of the Gospel commandments.

His zeal for the things of God inspired Theodosius to slip away with a band of pilgrims bound for the Holy Land. Three days later his mother tracked him down, berated the pilgrims for having taken the boy along, and dragged Theodosius home where she kept him in chains until the youth promised not to leave her again.

The humility of the youth and the sufferings he endured at the hands of his mother came to the attention of the governor who requested that the youth attend him in church. This served to calm the domestic drama, but Theodosius' heart yearned for a more concentrated spiritual atmosphere, for monastic life. Standing in church one day, he was struck by the words of the Gospel: "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me." With fixed resolve, he took advantage of his mother's departure into the country for a few days to set out for Kiev, taking with him nothing but some bread for the road. The monks in the established monasteries, however, turned him away because he had no money. Then he heard about the righteous Anthony. Coming to his cave, Theodosius fell to his knees and begged the holy ascetic to accept him.

My son ," said Anthony, "you see my cave; it is cramped and dismal, and I fear you will not endure the difficulties of life here." "Know, O blessed father," replied Theodosius. "that God Himself has led me to your holiness that I might find salvation. I shall do all that you enjoin." Foreseeing his future greatness, the blessed Anthony accepted the determined aspirant and bade the priest monk Nikon tonsure him. Theodosius was 23 years old.

It was a few years before his distraught mother finally discovered her son’s whereabouts. With great reluctance Theodosius went out to her. At first she vowed that she would die if he did not come home with her. But gradually God softened her heart and she came to see the wisdom of her son's patient admonitions. Following his advice she entered the St. Nicholas convent there in Kiev where she ended her days in peace.

When Theodosius became abbot, he saw need for a common rule to unite the growing community--which by that time was living above the ground; only a few hermits were left in the caves--and he sent one of his monks to Constantinople to copy out the rule of the Studite Monastery. The rule governed the daily life of the monk: it set the hours of prayer and work; monks were forbidden to have any personal possessions, everything was held in common; all monks were together for common meals: time, apart from prayer, was to be spent in working; all activity was begun with a blessing from an elder and with prayer. The monks were to reveal their thoughts to the abbot, a practice which roused them to constant spiritual vigilance and helped to check manifestations of the passions before they took root in the heart.

Above all things, have fervent charity among yourselves.    (I Peter 4:8)

It was St, Theodosius' choice of the Studite Rule, with its emphasis on the duty of charity and the common good, which served to revive the ancient ideal of strict cenobitism and gave Russian monasticism its characteristic warmth. "What is principally necessary," taught Theodosius, "is that the youngest should love their neighbor and listen to their elders with humility and obedience. The elders should lavish on the young love and instruction; they should teach them and comfort them." This attitude created an atmosphere eminently suitable for missionary work, and it was thanks to the monasteries that Christianity was so successfully propagated in Russia.

Of a strong constitution, Theodosius was a model of industriousness. Even as abbot, he felled trees, carried water, and ground wheat, often helping the other brethren with their obediences. Once, the cook came to ask if he would assign a monk to cut firewood, as the kitchen supply was depleted. "I am idle," replied the Saint, and he set to chopping wood himself. He worked through the dinner hour and the brethren, when they came out and saw their abbot hard at work, were inspired to do likewise.

Knowing the great benefit of good books upon the soul, Theodosius instituted the reading of spiritually profitable texts during meals, and sought to augment the number of such books in the monastery. Books were still a rarity at that time, and one of the valued occupations of the monastery was the copying and binding of manuscripts. Theodosius himself helped in this work.

At first, life in the Caves Monastery was very austere indeed. The monks lived principally on rye bread and water with the addition of a few vegetables which they cultivated themselves; they wove their own cloth and sewed their own garments. When the brethren murmured about some deficiency, Theodosius exhorted them to place their trust in the Lord Who knew their needs. And his faith was often miraculously rewarded.

The reputation of the monks as 'angels on earth' began attracting pilgrims; princes and peasants ca me for spiritual counsel and left donations. Grand Prince Izyaslav, who became very attached to St. Theodosius and frequently came to visit him, was a great benefactor of the monastery, as also was the Viking Prince Shimon who was baptized into the Orthodox Church together with his entire household, numbering some 3,000 members.

With increased mean s, Theodosius was able to build a guest house for pilgrims where the poor and sick also found refuge. No beggar was ever turned away from the monastery without being given a meal. Weekly a cart was sent from the monastery laden with bread to be distributed among those in prison.

The Saint's compassion was boundless. Once there were brought to him some robbers who had been apprehended in the act of stealing monastery property. With tears the Saint entreated them to mend their ways. Then, having fed them, he let them go. The robbers were so moved by the Saint's mercy that they repented and became honest, God-fearing men.

Like St. Anthony, Theodosius also endured the effects of the princes' quarrels. At the same time he maintained his independence and did not fear risking the displeasure of his royal benefactors if he felt called as a spiritual father to admonish them. When, for example, Svyatoslav unjustly took the throne from Izyaslav, the Saint wrote a strong letter to Svyatoslav, reproving his action and urging him to restore power to his older brother. This angered Svyatoslav, and Theodosius was warned of possible consequences, but he calmly replied: "Nothing could be better for me in this life than to suffer for the sake of the truth." Mindful of the Saint' s popularity, Svyatoslav took no action against him and even went to visit him. He was surprised when Theodosius received him with the respect due to one of authority. "I was afraid you'd be angry with me," said the Prince. "Our duty," replied the Saint, "is to say what is beneficial for the soul's salvation; and you would do well to listen." Although Svyatoslav could not be persuaded to give up the throne and Theodosius continued to commemorate the pious Izyaslav as the lawful ruler, their relationship was peaceful and it was Svyatoslav who gave land for the building of the new stone church.

Work had just begun on this church when St. Anthony reposed. Neither did St. Theodosius live to see its completion. It was his custom to retire to a cave for the course of Great Lent, and it was during this time, in 1074, that the Lord revealed to him his imminent departure from this world. On Bright Week, having joyfully celebrated the radiant feast of Pascha in the monastery, he fell ill. Summoning the brethren, he informed them that his time had come, and foretold the very day and hour of his repose. By common consent of the brotherhood, he blessed his disciple Stefan to take his place as abbot, exhorting him not to change the tradition s of the monastery, "but follow in all things the law and our monastic rifle."

May 3,1074. The divinely appointed hour arrived and the bright soul of the Saint took leave of its earthly tabernacle. As he had willed, his body was laid to rest in the cave which alone with the angels had witnessed his ascetic labors.

Eighteen years after the Saint's blessed repose, the monastery brethren decided to transfer his relics to the new cathedral church. The abbot, together with monk Nestor the chronicler, went to the cave to dig up the relics and discovered them to be incorrupt. Accompanied by a large crowd of people, the relics were solemnly transferred to the Dormition Cathedral on August 14, 1092. And in 1106 Saint Theodosius was added to the list of canonized saints. 

True to their promise, the holy founders of the Caves Monastery continued to watch over its existence even after their repose. There is, for example, the story--written by Bishop Simon (+1226), a former monk of that monastery and principal author of the Kiev Caves Patericorn of how the stone church was completed.

Sts. Anthony and Theodosius had been gone from this world some ten years when a group of Greek iconographers came to the Caves Lavra demanding to see the two monks who had hired them to adorn the new church with frescoes. They were rather angry inasmuch as the church standing before them was considerably larger than they had been led to believe and would consequently require more work than was covered by the sum of gold they had received there in Constantinople upon signing the agreement. Abbot Nikon, confessing his ignorance of the matter, asked who it was that had hired them. "Their names were Anthony and Theodosius," "Truly," said the abbot, "I cannot summon them, for they departed this life ten years ago. But as you yourselves testify, they continue to care for this monastery even now."

The Greeks, scarcely believing this possible, called some merchants traveling with them, who had been present at the signing of the agreement, and asked that they be shown an image of the deceased. When this was done the Greeks bowed low, for they recognized in the saints the exact likeness of the two men who had commissioned them to paint the frescoes and given them the gold. Acknowledging the supernatural power of the saints, they decided not to cancel the agreement after all, and set about with heightened inspiration to embellish the church. The iconographers never returned to Constantinople; they became monks and ended their days there in the Caves Monastery.

The Dormition Church, rebuilt in l470, was destroyed in 1941 by an explosion which the Soviets attribute to the Germans. Witnesses, however, state that it was the communists themselves who set delayed action explosives just before the German occupation of the city.

SOURCE : https://web.archive.org/web/20070614104644/http://www.roca.org/OA/78/78g.htm

Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia

Commemorated on July 10

Troparion & Kontakion

Saint Anthony of the Kiev Caves was born in the year 983 at Liubech, not far from Chernigov, and was named Antipas in Baptism. Possessing the fear of God from his youth, he desired to be clothed in the monastic schema. When he reached a mature age, he wandered until he arrived on Mt. Athos, burning with the desire to emulate the deeds of its holy inhabitants. Here he received monastic tonsure, and the young monk pleased God in every aspect of his spiritual struggles on the path of virtue. He particularly excelled in humility and obedience, so that all the monks rejoiced to see his holy life.

The igumen saw in Saint Anthony the great future ascetic, and inspired by God, he sent him back to his native land, saying, “Anthony, it is time for you to guide others in holiness. Return to your own Russian land, and be an example for others. May the blessing of the Holy Mountain be with you.”

Returning to the land of Rus, Anthony began to make the rounds of the monasteries about Kiev, but nowhere did he find that strict life which had drawn him to Mt. Athos.

Through the Providence of God, Anthony came to the hills of Kiev by the banks of the River Dnieper. The forested area near the village of Berestovo reminded him of his beloved Athos. There he found a cave which had been dug out by the Priest Hilarion, who later became Metropolitan of Kiev (October 21). Since he liked the spot, Anthony prayed with tears, “Lord, let the blessing of Mt. Athos be upon this spot, and strengthen me to remain here.” He began to struggle in prayer, fasting, vigil and physical labor. Every other day, or every third day, he would eat only dry bread and a little water. Sometimes he did not eat for a week. People began to come to the ascetic for his blessing and counsel, and some decided to remain with the saint.

Among Anthony’s first disciples was Saint Nikon (March 23), who tonsured Saint Theodosius of the Caves (May 3) at the monastery in the year 1032.

The virtuous life of Saint Anthony illumined the Russian land with the beauty of monasticism. Saint Anthony lovingly received those who yearned for the monastic life. After instructing them how to follow Christ, he asked Saint Nikon to tonsure them. When twelve disciples had gathered about Saint Anthony, the brethren dug a large cave and built a church and cells for the monks within it.

After he appointed Abbot Barlaam to guide the brethren, Saint Anthony withdrew from the monastery. He dug a new cave for himself, then hid himself within it. There too, monks began to settle around him. Afterwards, the saint built a small wooden church in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God over the Far Caves.

At the insistence of Prince Izyaslav, the igumen Barlaam withdrew to the Dimitriev monastery. With the blessing of Saint Anthony and with the general agreement of the brethren, the meek and humble Theodosius was chosen as igumen. By this time, the number of brethren had already reached a hundred men. The Kiev Great Prince Izyaslav (+ 1078) gave the monks the hill on which the large church and cells were built, with a palisade all around. Thus, the renowned monastery over the caves was established. Describing this, the chronicler remarks that while many monasteries were built by emperors and nobles, they could not compare with those which are built with holy prayers and tears, and by fasting and vigil. Although Saint Anthony had no gold, he built a monastery which became the first spiritual center of Rus.

For his holiness of life, God glorified Saint Anthony with the gift of clairvoyance and wonderworking. One example of this occurred during the construction of the Great Caves church. The Most Holy Theotokos Herself stood before him and Saint Theodosius in the Blachernae church in Constantinople, where they had been miraculously transported without leaving their own monastery. Actually, two angels appeared in Constantinople in their forms (See May 3, the account of the Kiev Caves Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos). Having received gold from the Mother of God, the saints commissioned master architects, who came from Constantinople to the Russian land on the command of the Queen of Heaven to build the church at the Monastery of the Caves. During this appearance, the Mother of God foretold the impending death of Saint Anthony, which occurred on July 10, 1073.

Through Divine Providence, the relics of Saint Anthony remain hidden.

SOURCE : https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2021/07/10/101994-venerable-anthony-of-the-kiev-far-caves-founder-of-monasticism-i

Saint Anthony of the Kiev Caves

Saint Anthony of the Kiev Caves was born in the year 983 at Liubech, not far from Chernigov, and was named Antipas in Baptism. Possessing the fear of God from his youth, he desired to be clothed in the monastic schema. When he reached a mature age, he wandered until he arrived on Mt. Athos, burning with the desire to emulate the deeds of its holy inhabitants. Here he received monastic tonsure, and the young monk pleased God in every aspect of his spiritual struggles on the path of virtue. He particularly excelled in humility and obedience, so that all the monks rejoiced to see his holy life.

The igumen saw in St Anthony the great future ascetic, and inspired by God, he sent him back to his native land, saying, “Anthony, it is time for you to guide others in holiness. Return to your own Russian land, and be an example for others. May the blessing of the Holy Mountain be with you.

Returning to the land of Rus, Anthony began to make the rounds of the monasteries about Kiev, but nowhere did he find that strict life which had drawn him to Mt. Athos.

Through the Providence of God, Anthony came to the hills of Kiev by the banks of the River Dniepr. The forested area near the village of Berestovo reminded him of his beloved Athos. There he found a cave which had been dug out by the Priest Hilarion, who later became Metropolitan of Kiev (October 21). Since he liked the spot, Anthony prayed with tears, “Lord, let the blessing of Mt. Athos be upon this spot, and strengthen me to remain here.” He began to struggle in prayer, fasting, vigil and physical labor. Every other day, or every third day, he would eat only dry bread and a little water. Sometimes he did not eat for a week. People began to come to the ascetic for his blessing and counsel, and some decided to remain with the saint.

Among Anthony’s first disciples was St Nikon (March 23), who tonsured St Theodosius of the Caves (May 3) at the monastery in the year 1032.

The virtuous life of St Anthony illumined the Russian land with the beauty of monasticism. St Anthony lovingly received those who yearned for the monastic life. After instructing them how to follow Christ, he asked St Nikon to tonsure them. When twelve disciples had gathered about St Anthony, the brethren dug a large cave and built a church and cells for the monks within it.

After he appointed Abbot Barlaam to guide the brethren, St Anthony withdrew from the monastery. He dug a new cave for himself, then hid himself within it. There too, monks began to settle around him. Afterwards, the saint built a small wooden church in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God over the Far Caves.

At the insistence of Prince Izyaslav, the igumen Barlaam withdrew to the Dimitriev monastery. With the blessing of St Anthony and with the general agreement of the brethren, the meek and humble Theodosius was chosen as igumen. By this time, the number of brethren had already reached a hundred men. The Kiev Great Prince Izyaslav (+ 1078) gave the monks the hill on which the large church and cells were built, with a palisade all around. Thus, the renowned monastery over the caves was established. Describing this, the chronicler remarks that while many monasteries were built by emperors and nobles, they could not compare with those which are built with holy prayers and tears, and by fasting and vigil. Although St Anthony had no gold, he built a monastery which became the first spiritual center of Rus.

For his holiness of life, God glorified St Anthony with the gift of clairvoyance and wonderworking. One example of this occurred during the construction of the Great Caves church. The Most Holy Theotokos Herself stood before him and St Theodosius in the Blachernae church in Constantinople, where they had been miraculously transported without leaving their own monastery. Actually, two angels appeared in Constantinople in their forms (See May 3, the account of the Kiev Caves Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos). Having received gold from the Mother of God, the saints commissioned master architects, who came from Constantinople to the Russian land on the command of the Queen of Heaven to build the church at the Monastery of the Caves. During this appearance, the Mother of God foretold the impending death of St Anthony, which occurred on July 10, 1073.

Through Divine Providence, the relics of St Anthony remain hidden.

SOURCE : https://www.stmarymagdalenechurch.org/news_140708_2

Anthony of Kiev

Russian monk

 Also known as: Anthony of Pechersk

Written and fact-checked by 

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Also called:

Anthony of Pechersk

Died: 1073, Kiev

Founder: Russia

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Anthony of Kiev (born, Ukraine—died 1073, Kiev) was the founder of Russian monasticism through the introduction of the Greek Orthodox ideal of the contemplative life.

Seeking a solitary life, Anthony became a monk about 1028 at the Greek Orthodox monastery of Esphigmenon on Mount Athos, in Greece. According to an account contained in the 12th-century The Russian Primary Chronicle (Povest vremennykh let), Anthony was counseled by his abbot to carry the Athonite monastic tradition to Russia. He consequently returned to his Ukrainian homeland, where he settled in a cave on the side of Mount Berestov, overlooking the Dnieper River. His fame as a holy hermit and wonder worker spread throughout the region, and by the mid-11th century the number of his disciples warranted a larger cave on the same site to house them. When the community of hermits had grown to 15, requiring the construction of a church and refectory, Anthony resigned as spiritual leader and retired to another grotto. Soon the prince of Kiev, Izyaslav, ceded Mount Beretsov to the monks, and Anthony laid the foundation for the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra (Monastery of the Caves), an institution that later acquired a reputation as the cradle of Russian monasticism. Reverting to his Athonite training, he sent to Constantinople (modern Istanbul) for architects to construct the new monastery complex at the mountain.

By such a foundation Anthony established the basis for the Russian assimilation of the three elements of Byzantine monasticism: the writings of the early Egyptian and Palestinian monks, the eremitical practices of Mount Athos, and the communal spirituality in the rule of Constantinople’s Stoudion monastery. As described by The Russian Primary Chronicle, he favoured the solitary life, marked by superhuman efforts to suppress human passions in a demon-haunted world. Reflecting the Byzantine ascetic tradition, Anthony expressed the basic tension, never fully resolved, between the contemplative’s search for God through asceticism and the social responsibilities of the hermit. He realized the moral and psychological pitfalls of solitude and consequently provided hermitages near the monastery. Anthony’s institution exerted a wide influence on the Russian Orthodox church and later evolved into the cenobitic (community life) ideal out of which some 50 monks became bishops by the year 1250.

The latter part of Anthony’s life was marked by a strained relationship with Izyaslav, who suspected him of conspiring with a rival lord during the stormy years following the death, in 1054, of the forceful grand prince of Kiev, Yaroslav I the Wise.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.

SOURCE : https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anthony-of-Kiev

Sant'Antonio Pecierskij.

Św. Antoni Pieczerski. Lubecz, G.Jerszow

Антоний Печерский.Антониевы Пещеры. Любеч.Скульптор Г. Ершов.

Anthony of Kiev. Sculpture in Lyubech by Gennadij Jerszow

Антоній Печерський, Любеч. Скульптор Геннадій Єршов.


Sant' Antonio Pecierskij Eremita

7 maggio

Lubec (presso Cernigov, Ucraina), 983 - Kiev (Ucraina), 10 luglio 1073

Antonio è il suo secondo nome, quello assunto da monaco: prima si chiamava Antipa. Pecierskij è invece una sorta di soprannome. Vuol dire “delle grotte” e si riferisce sia a quella scavata da lui come “cella” nella valle del Dnjepr presso Kiev, sia alle molte altre che per impulso suo scavarono via via altri uomini di preghiera, attirati in quei luoghi dalla sua fama di santità. E felici di imparare da quest’uomo che "non si mostrava mai ingiusto né arrabbiato... ed era sempre compassionevole e silenzioso, pieno di misericordia con tutti". Perfino con i briganti: offriva benevolenza e cibo anche a loro.

Etimologia: Antonio = nato prima, o che fa fronte ai suoi avversari, dal greco

Martirologio Romano: A Kiev nell’odierna Ucraina, sant’Antonio, eremita, che proseguì nel monastero delle Grotte la vita monastica che aveva appreso sul monte Athos.

Antonio, l'iniziatore del monachismo russo, nacque nel 983 a Lubec nei pressi di Tchernigov e giovanissimo si sentì attratto dalla vita eremitica che cominciò a praticare in patria. Recatosi in pellegrinaggio al Monte Athos, rimase colpito dalla vita di quei monaci ed entrò, verso il 1028, nel monastero di Esphigmenon mutando il nome secolare, Antipa, in Antonio dopo alcuni anni, seguendo il consiglio del suo superiore, Teotisto, Antonio tornò in patria per suscitare un fermento monastico nel suo popolo, e si stabilì in una grotta che scavò da sé sul monte Berestov, sulle rive del Dnjepr, presso Kiev. Secondo alcuni agiografi, Antonio, turbato dalla guerra, fece ritorno al Monte Athos e vi rimase per qualche tempo, ma poi riprese la via di Kiev e della sua grotta. Scoperta dal popolo, la cella di Antonio divenne meta di numerosi pellegrini che si recavano a chiedere consiglio e aiuto all'eremita. Alcuni giovani chiesero e ottennero il permesso di rimanere con A., e tra essi i primi furono Nicon, già sacerdote, Teodoro e Barlaam. Ben presto, però, Antonio, desideroso di maggior solitudine, designò Barlaam come egumeno e si ritirò in luogo più appartato. Il principe Isiaslav cedette il Berestov ai monaci, e questi iniziarono la costruzione della "Laura delle grotte" (Pecerskaja Lavra), chiamando numerosi artisti da Costantinopoli per decorare la chiesa. Secondo la Cronaca di Nestore, Antonio, a differenza degli altri abati del suo tempo, racco mandava di accogliere tutti, ricchi e poveri, così che il suo monastero poteva dirsi edificato dalle preghiere piuttosto che dalle ricchezze dei principi e dei nobili. Antonio verso il 1055, sospettato da Isiaslav di parteggiare per il suo rivale Vseslav, fu costretto a rifugiarsi nel principato di Tchernigov, dove fondò un altro monastero. Molto probabilmente tornò a Kiev e morì nella sua cella il 10 lugl. 1073. La Chiesa russa celebra Antonio il 10 luglio e così la Chiesa Cattolica di rito slavo, perché Antonio visse prima che la Chiesa russa aderisse de iure allo scisma di Cerulario. La "Laura delle grotte" fu devastata dai Tartari in due riprese, nel 1299 e nel 1316, e in ogni tempo rivendicò la sua autorità su tutti gli altri monasteri russi. Il successore di Barlaam, s. Teodosio, fondò un ospizio per pellegrini, che nel sec. XIX poteva ospitare fino a ventimila persone conternporaneamente. Nel 1651 nella laura fu impiantata una tipografia. Nello stesso secolo i monaci indossavano un abito simile a quello dei Benedettini e seguivano anche molte usanze particolari mediate dall'Occidente. Nel 1945 ha avuto inizio l'opera di ricostruzione della laura gravemente danneggiata dalla seconda guerra mondiale.

Autore: Ivan Sofranov

SOURCE : https://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/61700

Voir aussi : https://www.goarch.org/chapel/saints?contentid=2347

https://www.stvolodymyr.ca/parish-news-updates/st-anthony-of-the-kiyvan-caves