Venerable
Venerable Abraham of Rostov
2-я пол. XII века
Also known as: Аврамий Ростовский, Авраамий Богоявленский
Founder of the Theophany Monastery in Rostov, destroyed the pagan idol of Veles with a staff.
Venerable Abraham of Rostov lived in the second half of the 12th century. Paralyzed from birth until age 18, he was healed after coming to faith in Christ and left his parents' home for monastic life. Near his cell stood a pagan shrine where the idol of Veles (Volos) was worshipped, terrifying the people of Rostov. According to tradition, the Apostle John the Theologian appeared to him and gave him a staff with which Abraham shattered the idol. On the site of the shrine he founded the Theophany Monastery, one of the oldest in Rostov. According to his Life, in 1551 Tsar Ivan the Terrible took that very staff with him on his campaign against Kazan.
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