Venerable Theodosius of Tarnovo

St. Theodosius of Tarnovo was born around 1300, in Vidin according to some accounts (others say Tarnovo); his baptismal name was Theodore. He embraced monasticism in his youth, laboring in monasteries in Bulgaria and Serbia in search of a stricter ascetic life. Hearing of St. Gregory of Sinai, he came to him on Mount Athos around 1325 and became his disciple in hesychia. After Gregory's repose in 1346, Theodosius traveled widely — Athos, Thessalonica, Constantinople — deepening his knowledge of patristic tradition. Around 1350, with the blessing of the Patriarch of Tarnovo and support of Tsar Ivan Alexander, he founded the Kilifarevo Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos near Tarnovo, which became the leading center of Bulgarian hesychasm and book culture. Many disciples gathered there, including the future St. Euthymius of Tarnovo. Theodosius zealously opposed the heresies of his time. He spent his final months in Constantinople at the Monastery of St. Mamas, reposing on November 27, 1363 — the feast day of his teacher, Gregory of Sinai.