Venerable
Venerable Benjamin of the Kiev Caves
XIII–XIV век
Venerable Benjamin of the Kiev Caves (13th–14th c.) — a former wealthy merchant who heard during a service the Gospel words about how difficult it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, after which he gave away all his possessions to the poor and took monastic vows; at the monastery he pleased God through fasting, prayer, poverty, and obedience.
Before his tonsure, Venerable Benjamin was a wealthy merchant. Hearing during a church service the Gospel words that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, he gave away all his possessions to the poor and took monastic vows. Laboring at the Kiev Caves Monastery, he pleased God through fasting, prayer, poverty, and obedience. His relics rest in the Theodosian (Far) Cave; he is mentioned on maps of the Far Caves beginning in 1638. His memory is kept on October 13/26, and also on August 28/September 10 within the Synaxis of the Fathers of the Far Caves and on the 2nd Sunday of Great Lent within the general Synaxis of the Kiev Caves Saints.