Hierarch Basil, Bishop of Ryazan and Murom

Hierarch Basil began his ministry as bishop in the city of Murom. When the people of Murom, succumbing to slander, unjustly suspected him of sin, the hierarch, wishing to prove his innocence without justifying himself before the unbelieving crowd, took the wonderworking icon of the Theotokos (of Murom) and, spreading his episcopal mantle upon the waters of the Oka River, miraculously sailed on it to the city of Ryazan, where he transferred his see. He continued his pastoral ministry in Ryazan and Murom, caring for the spiritual enlightenment of his flock. He reposed peacefully on July 3, 1295 (according to other accounts, sometime between 1356 and 1360). He is glorified by the Russian Church among the hierarchs; included in the Synaxes of Vladimir (established 1982) and Ryazan (established 1987) Saints. His memory is kept on June 10 and July 3.