Venerable Gerasimus of Boldino

Venerable Gerasimus was born around 1489/90 in Pereslavl-Zalessky, given the secular name Gregory. From his youth he became a disciple of St. Daniel of Pereslavl, from whom he learned the foundations of monastic life. After taking monastic vows, he withdrew to labor in the remote Smolensk forests near Dorogobuzh, where he endured many hardships and hostility from local inhabitants who took him for a robber. In 1530 he founded the Trinity Boldino Monastery there, which later became a major spiritual center. In addition, he founded three more monasteries: the Monastery of St. John the Forerunner in Vyazma (1535), the Trinity Monastery on the Bryn River near Zhizdra (1542-43), and a hermitage at Sverkovy Luki. He reposed on May 1, 1554. He was venerated locally in the Smolensk region for centuries; he was glorified for church-wide veneration by the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church on February 3, 2016.