Venerable Gennady of Vazheozero

Venerable Gennady of Vazheozero labored in the second half of the 15th and early 16th centuries. According to tradition, he was a disciple of St. Alexander of Svir, by whose blessing he withdrew to the remote Lake Vazhe in the Olonets region, settling in a solitary dugout on its shore. He lived a strict hermit's life, imposing fasting and chains upon himself. In time, others seeking the ascetic life came to him, and he instructed his disciples in prayer, fasting, and diligence. He foretold that a monastery would arise on the site of his labors — fulfilled when St. Nikifor of Vazheozero, also a disciple of Alexander of Svir, founded the Zadne-Nikiforov (Vazheozersky) Hermitage there. A detailed Life was lost when the hermitage was devastated by Lithuanian raiders in the early 17th century; the chief surviving source is the ancient liturgical service composed in his honor. He reposed around 1516. His own feast is January 8/21, and jointly with St. Nikifor, February 9/22.