Ephraim II of Pereyaslav, () also Ephraim of the Caves () or Ephraim, Bishop of Pereslav - is an

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

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 ...

, who was

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

Pereiaslav Pereiaslav is a historical town in Boryspil Raion, Kyiv Oblast, central Ukraine. It is located near the confluence of the Alta and Trubizh rivers some southeast of the capital Kyiv. It was one of the key regional centers of power during the ...

in what is now

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

). Before his tonsure into

monasticism Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Chr ...

, was treasurer and steward of household affairs (1054–1068) at the court of the

Iziaslav Yaroslavich Iziaslav Yaroslavich (; 1024 – 3 October 1078; baptized as ''Demetrius'') was Prince of Turov and Grand Prince of Kiev (1054–1068; 1069–1073; 1077–1078). Iziaslav's children Yaropolk and Sviatopolk would rule the Turov Principality. ...

the

Grand Prince of Kiev The Grand Prince of Kiev (sometimes also Grand Duke) was the title of the monarch of Kievan Rus', residing in Kiev (modern Kyiv) from the 10th to 13th centuries. In the 13th century, Kiev became an appanage principality first of the grand prin ...

. Weighed down by this noisy and bustling life and wishing to become a monk, he was accepted by

Anthony of Kiev Anthony of Kiev, also called Anthony of the Caves (, ; c. 983 – 1073), was a monk and the founder of the monastic tradition in Kievan Rus'. Together with Theodosius of Kiev, he co-founded the Kiev Pechersk Lavra (Kiev Monastery of the Caves). ...

and was tonsured (23 March) by Nikon the Chronicler, then the

Hegumen Hegumen, hegumenos, or igumen (, trans. ), is the title for the head of a monastery in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, or an archpriest in the Coptic Orthodox Church, similar to the title of abbot. The head of a convent of ...

of the Kyiv Monastery of the Caves. The enraged Iziaslav demanded that Ephraim return, threatening to lock him up in prison and to destroy the Kyiv Monastery of the Caves (the Pechersk Lavra). Anthony and the brethren left the monastery and decided to go to another place. Iziaslav, however, feared the wrath of

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

. He took his wife's advice and withdrew his forces from the monastery in disgrace. Ephraim wished to go on

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

to the holy places abroad. With the blessing of Anthony, he journeyed to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

and settled there in one of the monasteries. While in Constantinople, Ephraim made a copy of the

Studite The Monastery of Stoudios, more fully Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner "at Stoudios" (), often shortened to ''Stoudios'', Studion or ''Stoudion'' (), was a Greek Orthodox monastery in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), the capital of th ...

monastic rule, and took it to

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

at the request of

Theodosius of Kiev Theodosius of Kiev or Theodosius of the Caves (; ) is an 11th-century saint who brought Cenobitic Monasticism to Kievan Rus' and, together with Anthony of Kiev, founded the Kiev Caves Lavra (Monastery of the Caves). A hagiography of Theodosius ...

. As soon as he received the Rule, Theodosius implemented it in his monastery (the Pechersk Lavra). After the year 1072 Ephraim was made bishop in Pereslav, with the title of

Metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical) * Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop ** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see" * Metropolitan ar ...

. He adorned Pereslav with many beautiful churches and public buildings, and he built stone walls around the city in the Greek manner. He built free hospices for the poor and travelers, and constructed several public bath-houses. In the year 1091, Ephraim participated in the opening and solemn transfer of the relics of Theodosius. A Life of St Ephraim existed in former times, but it has not survived. We find an account of him both in the Life of St Theodosius, and in the Russian Chronicles. A tale and encomium for

Nicholas the Wonderworker Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya Province, Turkey) dur ...

is ascribed to Ephraim. Ephraim died in the year 1098. He was buried in the Church of the Presentation in the

Near Caves The Near Caves or the Caves of Saint AnthonyAnother name can be ''Caves of Saint Anthony'' because the relics of Saint Anthony are buried here. (, ''Blyzhni pechery''; , ''Blizhnie peschery'') are historic caves and a network of tunnels of the ...

of the Kyiv Monastery of the Caves. His memory is also celebrated on 28 January, 28 September, and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

External links

Lives of All Saints
{{authority control 1098 deaths 11th-century Eastern Orthodox bishops Monks of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Eastern Orthodox saints from Kievan Rus' 11th-century Christian saints Burials at the Near Caves, Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Year of birth unknown 11th-century people from Kievan Rus' Monks from Kievan Rus'