Venerable Alexander of Kushta

Venerable Alexander, Abbot of Kushta, was born around 1371 in Vologda; in the world he was named Alexei. After taking monastic vows, he founded a monastery in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos on the bank of the Kushta River in the Vologda land; Archbishop Dionysius of Rostov blessed the building of the church and supplied the monastery with icons, books, and all liturgical vessels. His Life recounts a miracle: during a Tatar raid on Vologda lands, five Tatars who burst into the monastery fell dead the moment the abbot made the sign of the cross over them. He reposed in 1439; his relics rest beneath the floor in the side-chapel bearing his name. He is also venerated in the Synaxis of Vologda Saints.