Basil of

Pavlovsky Posad Pavlovsky Posad () is a town and the administrative center of Pavlovo-Posadsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located from Moscow, at the confluence of the Klyazma and Vokhna Rivers. Population: History The town of Pavlovsky Posad wa ...

, born Vasily Gryaznov (1816 – February 16, 1869), also known as Holy Vasily, is a

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

, glorified in 1999 for living a righteous life.

Life

Gryaznov was born in the village of Evseevo Bogorodskogo County, now known as

Pavlovo-Posadsky District Pavlovo-Posadsky District () is an administrativeLaw #11/2013-OZ and municipalLaw #41/2005-OZ district (raion), one of the thirty-six in Moscow Oblast, Russia. It is located in the east of the oblast. The area of the district is . Its administrati ...

. His father, Ivan Semenovich Basil, was a farmer and his mother, Evdokia Zaharovna,

home school Homeschooling or home schooling (American English), also known as home education or elective home education (EHE) (British English), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted ...

ed the children in subjects such as Chasoslovu and the

Psalm The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament. The book is an anthology of H ...

s, instilling a deep faith and love for God. During his youth Basil worked at a factory, where he fell under the influence of his workmates and began drinking wine and engaging in acts of

vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...

and passion. He is said to have mourned his sins and asked for forgiveness many a time, before repeatedly falling under the pressure of the bad company he was associated with. In an act of desperation and frustration he recognised his mistakes by changing his name to Gryazny (Russian for “dirty”). After repenting his sins Basil strived to live a sacred life. His plight became known, and many people came to him for advice on the scriptures. In his home town there were many

Old Believers Old Believers or Old Ritualists ( Russian: староверы, ''starovery'' or старообрядцы, ''staroobryadtsy'') is the common term for several religious groups, which maintain the old liturgical and ritual practices of the Russian ...

. Upon listening to his sermons up to seven thousand of them joined the official Orthodoxy. In 1840 Jacob Labzin, a well known businessman and owner of head scarf factories in

, came to Gryaznov for help. Basil helped him to see how to live a sacred life, and the two became comrades, Labzin marrying Basil's sister Akilina and incorporating Basil as a business partner. Even with his wealth Gryaznov continued to conduct a life of the sacred devotee, donating his money to the poor and, together with his sister and brother in law, built schools and

almshouses An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) is charitable organization, charitable public housing, housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the Middle Ages. They were often built for the povert ...

. He dreamed to construct a monastery in Pavlovsky Posad, but this was not to be, marred by his death in 1869.

Legacy

After Basil's death people continued to address him through prayer, both to praise his righteous life and ask for direction in their own. His work among the poor was continued by Jacob Lazin and his sisters, and in 1894 the Pokrovsko-Vasilevskogo Monastery was built over his grave, now acting as his shrine of worship. Gryaznov was recognised as a local saint in 1999, and is still praised throughout the Pavlovo-Posadsky District. His day of commemoration is February 16 ( Orthodox calendar)February 16/March 1 Orthodox Calendar

References

. "Buys Kingdom of Heaven". About Anna Il'inskaya. Moscow. 2003.

External links

Pokrovsko-Vasilevsky Monastery site
* Merchant Jacob Labzin
st. Vasily's brief description of a life under Anna's Il'inskaya book

Notes

* Ivan Shpitsberg
Святой Василий Грязнов: защита подмосковных акул текстильной промышленности / И. Шпицберг. - Москва : Научное о-во Атеист, 1925. - 32 с. : ил.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Basil of Pavlovsky Posad Russian saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church 1816 births 1869 deaths 19th-century Christian saints People from Pavlovo-Posadsky District

Life

Legacy

See also

References

External links

Notes