Hierarch Saint Barsanuphius, Bishop of Tver, Wonderworker of Kazan

Saint Barsanuphius (Varsonofy), Bishop of Tver, Wonderworker of Kazan (c. 1495–1576), was born Ivan in Serpukhov to a priest's family. In 1512 he was captured by Crimean Tatars and spent three years in captivity, during which he learned the Tatar language and customs — knowledge that would later prove invaluable. After being ransomed by his father, he took monastic vows at the Andronikov Monastery in Moscow.

For his ascetic life he was appointed abbot of the Nikolo-Peshnoshsky Monastery in 1544. In 1555, when the Diocese of Kazan was established, he was sent as a missionary (alongside Saints Gury and German) to Kazan, where he founded the Transfiguration (Spaso-Preobrazhensky) Monastery and served as its archimandrite. Fluent in Tatar, he conducted successful missionary and healing work among the local population, secretly wearing chains and gaining renown as a healer.

In 1567 he was consecrated Bishop of Tver and Kashin by Metropolitan Philip. He reposed on April 11, 1576, in Kazan and was buried beside St. Gury. In 1595, when his relics were uncovered incorrupt, he was glorified church-wide.