Synaxis Synaxis of the Saints of Vologda

The Synaxis of the Saints of Vologda was established in 1841 through the efforts of St. Innocent (Borisov), then occupying the Vologda see, who initiated a special feast honoring the many ascetics who shone forth in the Vologda land, long called the "Northern Thebaid" for its abundance of monasteries and hermitages. It is celebrated on the third Sunday after Pentecost. The Synaxis glorifies the venerable founders of Vologda's monasteries (disciples and companions of St. Sergius of Radonezh who scattered through the northern forests for monastic labors), local hierarchs, and fools-for-Christ whose work in settling and enlightening the northern region became one of the brightest chapters of Russian monasticism in the 14th-17th centuries.