Macarius of the Yellow Water Lake and the Unzha, the Miracle Worker (; 1349–1444) was a

Russian Orthodox The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...

monk and saint. He is credited with the founding of four monasteries in the Middle and Upper

Volga The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...

regions of Russia.

Life

The story of Macarius is based on ''Chet’yi-Minei'' (the standard Russian Orthodox ''Lives of the Saints'') as well as to other old manuscripts. One of them, kept in , was first inventoried in 1835. The other is kept in Makaryev Zheltovodsky Convent, and is written in the 17th century

hand A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the Koala#Characteristics, koala (which has two thumb#O ...

. Church scholars believe that he was most likely born in 1349. His home town,

Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət, t=Lower Newtown; colloquially shortened to Nizhny) is a city and the administrative centre of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast an ...

, was the capital of the

Principality of Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal The Principality of Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal (), also known as Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod (also spelt ''Nizhnii''), was a principality formed in 1341. Its main towns were Nizhny Novgorod, Suzdal, Gorokhovets, Gorodets, and Kurmysh. Nizhny Novgorod wa ...

, ruled by Prince Konstantine Vasilyevich. As most other Russian principalities of the time, his land was dominated by the

Golden Horde The Golden Horde, self-designated as ''Ulug Ulus'' ( in Turkic) was originally a Mongols, Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the division of ...

overlords. Macarius was baptised in his parents' parish church, Church of Holy

Myrrhbearers In Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition the Myrrhbearers (; ; ; ; ) are the individuals mentioned in the New Testament who were directly involved in the burial or who discovered the empty tomb following the resurrection ...

(). His

baptism Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

al name is not known. According to the ''Life of St. Macarius'', when he was still a baby, he would start crying every time he heard the ringing of the bells of the nearby church. There was no way to console the child. The parents would not want to bring the baby boy to the church, afraid that he would disturb the service with his crying; but eventually they decided to try. To their surprise, as soon as they brought the child to the church, he became quiet, smiling joyfully. From this time on, the parents had to attend every service at the parish church, and to take the child with them, because if they stayed at home during the service, the baby would again start crying. Macarius grew as a pious boy, especially interested in the lives of the Orthodox

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...

s of the past ages, living in the wilderness alone or in small

lavra A lavra or laura (; Cyrillic: Ла́вра) is a type of monastery consisting of a cluster of cells or caves for hermits, with a church and sometimes a refectory at the center. Lavra monasteries operate within the Orthodox and other Eastern Chri ...

communities. For that reason, he enjoyed visiting not only his parish church, but also

Pechersky Ascension Monastery Pechersky Ascension Monastery (, ''Pechyorsky Vozensensky monastyr'') is a monastery in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. It is the principal monastery of the Nizhny Novgorod Eparchy (diocese) and the seat of the Bishop of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas. Hi ...

, which had been recently founded by

Dionysius The name Dionysius (; ''Dionysios'', "of Dionysus"; ) was common in classical and post-classical times. Etymologically it is a nominalized adjective formed with a -ios suffix from the stem Dionys- of the name of the Greek god, Dionysus, parallel ...

who had come to Nizhny Novgorod from the famous Kiev Pechersky (Cave) Lavra. At the age of 12, he snuck out of his parents' house and joined te

, and received the

monastic Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Christian churches, especially ...

name of Macarius (, Makariy). He became one of the twelve disciples of Dionysius, and was known for the strictness of his fast and the fervency of his prayer. In 1374, Dionysius was appointed the archbishop of

Suzdal Suzdal (, ) is a Types of inhabited localities in Russia, town that serves as the administrative center of Suzdalsky District in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, which is located along the Kamenka tributary of the Nerl (Klyazma), Nerl River, north o ...

and Nizhny Novgorod and left the monastery. Soon, Macarius left the monastery too. He travelled up the

, spent some time with Tikhon on the

Lukh River The Lukh () is a river in Ivanovo Oblast, Ivanovo, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Nizhny Novgorod and Vladimir Oblasts in Russia, a left tributary of the Klyazma (Volga's basin).

, and then founded a monastery in honor of the

Epiphany Epiphany may refer to: Psychology * Epiphany (feeling), an experience of sudden and striking insight Religion * Epiphany (holiday), a Christian holiday celebrating the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ ** Epiphany seaso ...

of Jesus Christ (now Makaryev Reshma Monastery, ''Макариев-Решемский мужской монастырь'', near the village of

Reshma Reshma (; c. 1947 – 3 November 2013), was a Pakistani folk singer. Awarded with Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Star of Distinction), the third highest honour and civilian award in Pakistan among other honours, she is remembered for folk songs and her ...

in today's

Kineshma Kineshma (), the second-largest town in Ivanovo Oblast in Russia, sprawls for along the Volga River, 335 kilometers north-east of Moscow. Population: Etymology From a substrate Finno-Ugric language (cf. ('kine', < Proto-Finno-Permic ''*kän� ...

district or

Kostroma Oblast Kostroma Oblast () is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Kostroma and its population as of the Russian Census (2021), 2021 Census i ...

Macarius did not stay long in his new monastery, however. He wanted to live in the wilderness as a hermit. He travelled down the Volga, and liked the site at the Yellow Water Lake (Желтоводское озеро, Zheltovodskoe Ozero), near the fall of the Kerzhenets into the Volga, some one hundred kilometers downstream from

. In those days, this was no-man's land between the Russian principalities, and the

Kazan Khanate The Khanate of Kazan was a Tatars, Tatar state that occupied the territory of the former Volga Bulgaria between 1438 and 1552. The khanate covered contemporary Tatarstan, Mari El, Chuvashia Republic, Chuvashia, Mordovia, and parts of Udmurti ...

. Macarius dug a small cave by the waters of the Yellow Water Lake, and stayed there day and night, emulating the great hermits of the past. However, his solitude did not last long: pious people from far and wide came to his hermitage, some to seek his blessing, others to join him in hermetic life. In 1434, he founded Zheltovodsky Makariev Monastery of Holy Trinity for his disciples. The asceticism of Macarius, together with his love of his neighbors, attracted not only Christians but also many local pagan

Mordvin Mordvins (also Mordvinians, Mordovians; ; no equivalents in Moksha and Erzya) is an official term used in Russia and the Soviet Union to refer both to Erzyas and Mokshas since 1928. Names While Robert G. Latham had identified ''Mordva'' ...

, Mari, Chuvash and

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

Tatar Tatar may refer to: Peoples * Tatars, an umbrella term for different Turkic ethnic groups bearing the name "Tatar" * Volga Tatars, a people from the Volga-Ural region of western Russia * Crimean Tatars, a people from the Crimea peninsula by the B ...

people. He baptised many in Yellow Water Lake. In 1439, the monastery was destroyed during the invasion of Russia by the

khan Khan may refer to: * Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name * Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by various ethnicities Art and entertainment * Khan (band), an English progressiv ...

Olug Moxammat of Kazan. Most of the monks were killed; Macarius and a few other Christians were taken to

Kazan Kazan; , IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzanis the largest city and capital city, capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka (river), Kazanka Rivers, covering an area of , with a population of over 1. ...

as prisoners. The khan, impressed by the pious life of the nonagenarian abbot, released him and a few other Christian prisoners, and allowed him to bury the killed. On the way back from

to the Yellow Water Lake, Macarius is said to have stopped at a site near today's

Sviyazhsk Sviyazhsk (; ) is a rural locality (a '' selo'') in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, located at the confluence of the Volga and Sviyaga Rivers. It is often referred to as an island since the 1955 construction of the Kuybyshev Reservoir downstr ...

, blessing the future location of . However, Macarius and his companions were not allowed to stay at the Yellow Water Lake site. He decided to leave a safe distance between themselves and the

Khanate A khanate ( ) or khaganate refers to historic polity, polities ruled by a Khan (title), khan, khagan, khatun, or khanum. Khanates were typically nomadic Mongol and Turkic peoples, Turkic or Tatars, Tatar societies located on the Eurasian Steppe, ...

, and went to the forests of the

Unzha River The Unzha () is a river in the Vologda and Kostroma oblasts of Russia. It is a tributary of the Volga, which it enters at the Gorky Reservoir. It is long, and its basin covers .Nizhny. It is a long way, and the travellers soon ran out of food, but were miraculously saved from starvation (Macarius'

Miracle of the Moose The Miracle of the Moose () is a miracle associated with the name of Venerable Macarius of the Yellow Water Lake and the Unzha (1349–1444), a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church. It is thought to have occurred in June 1439 in the woodlands of ...

). Once they reached the Unzha, still in 1439, Macarius and his party founded Makaryev Unzhensky Monastery (now a

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

). According to legend, Macarius lived in his new monastery for a few more years, healing the sick and expelling devils from possessed people. He died on

July 25 Events Pre-1600 * 306 – Constantine I is proclaimed Roman emperor by his troops. * 315 – The Arch of Constantine is completed near the Colosseum in Rome to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridg ...

, 1444, at the age of 95, after an 83-year monastic career. After the two famous cloisters he founded, he is called Macarius of Yellow Water Lake and

Unzha The Unzha () is a river in the Vologda Oblast, Vologda and Kostroma Oblast, Kostroma oblasts of Russia. It is a tributary of the Volga, which it enters at the Gorky Reservoir. It is long, and its Drainage basin, basin covers .

, the Miracle Worker.

Canonization

After the death of Macarius, a wooden church was built over his grave, and the Unzha monastery was named after him. The locals often reported being miraculously healed of various diseases after visiting his grave; his help was said to have repelled a

invasion, and later, during the

Time of Troubles The Time of Troubles (), also known as Smuta (), was a period of political crisis in Tsardom of Russia, Russia which began in 1598 with the death of Feodor I of Russia, Feodor I, the last of the Rurikids, House of Rurik, and ended in 1613 wit ...

, to protect the region against the Polish troops. The fame of the founder attracted pilgrims and novices to the monasteries, helping its growth. When Feodor Romanov, the father of Russia's new tsar,

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...

, was enthroned as

Patriarch Philaret of Moscow Feodor Nikitich Romanov (, ; 1553 – 1 October 1633) was a Russian boyar who after temporary disgrace rose to become patriarch of Moscow as Filaret (, ), and became de facto ruler of Russia during the reign of his son, Mikhail Feodorovich. B ...

in 1619, he sent a commission to the Unzha to investigate the miracles. He mentioned these miracles as confirmed in his letter to his son the tsar in September 1619, and encouraged Michael to visit Macarius' Unzha Monastery in fulfillment of the vow he had given earlier (which Michael promptly does). It is thought that it was at that time that Macarius was canonized by a Sobor of the Russian Orthodox Church, which made his veneration nationwide.

Relics

The

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

of Macarius were discovered in 1671, during a burial in the church where his body had been buried. After several years of disagreements as to whether the relics were genuine, and some minor miracles that convinced disbelievers that they were, they were put to rest in a

reliquary A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', ''Chasse (casket), chasse'', or ''phylactery'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary, or the room in which one is stored, may also be called a ''feretory''. Relics may be the purported ...

in Unzhensky Makaryev Monastery. In 1929, Soviet authorities closed the monastery, and most of the relics ended up in the local history museum at

Yuryevets, Ivanovo Oblast Yuryevets is a town (since 1225Kostroma Kostroma (, ) is a historic city and the administrative center of Kostroma Oblast, Russia. A part of the Golden Ring of Russian cities, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Volga and Kostroma. In the 2021 census, the population is 267, ...

Eparchy Eparchy ( ''eparchía'' "overlordship") is an Ecclesiology, ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. An eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on the administra ...

(diocese). In 1995, these relics (bones and vestments) were brought back to Unzhensky Makaryev Monastery. The head of Macarius, however, was missing. It was not until 2005 that the

(Archdiocese) of Nizhny Novgorod was contacted by a priest who had inherited the head (or most of it, at any rate) from his brother, also a priest, who in his turn had saved it from the

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

s some time after the closing of the Unzhensky Makaryev Monastery in 1929. The priests had reverently kept the relics in their homes for many years, until they felt secure that the Russian Church is reborn and is restoring Macarius' monasteries. After the special commission of the archdiocese, with the forensic experts' help, established the genuineness of the relics, their return was celebrated at a special service in the Holy Saviour Cathedral in the

Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin The Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin () is a fortress (Kremlin (fortification), kremlin) in the Historic centre of Nizhny Novgorod, historic city center of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. History The first attempt to replace the wooden fort with a stone Krem ...

on March 23, 2006. Since then, the head was kept in a special portable reliquary in

in Nizhny Novgorod, which the clerics can reverently take with them on a visit to a nursing home or to celebrate Feast of Venerable Macarius at his other, Zheltovodsky Monastery. On the occasion of Macarius' feast in 2007, the head was permanently transferred from Nizhny Novgorod to Makaryev Zheltovodsky Monastery (Convent). The transfer took place during August 3–7, 2007. The prized relic, accompanied by Archbishop Georgy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas and other ecclesiastical officials of Nizhny Novgorod

, was transported down the Volga by the boat "Alexander Peresvet" during August 3–7, 2007, with stopovers in

Bor Bor may refer to: Places Populated places * Bor (Tachov District), a town in Plzeň Region, Czech Republic * Bor, Petnjica, Montenegro * Bor, Russia, the name of many inhabited localities in Russia * Bor District, a district in Serbia ** Bor, Se ...

Kstovo Kstovo () is a town and the administrative center of Kstovsky District in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, earlier Sowjetunion / since 1991 Russia, located on the right bank of the Volga River, southeast of Nizhny Novgorod, the administrative center ...

and

Lyskovo Lyskovo () is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. Urban localities * Lyskovo, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, a town in Lyskovsky District of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Rural localities * Lyskovo, Chelyabinsk Oblast, a '' selo'' in Lyskovsky S ...

. Religious processions were organized in the cities visited, to carry Macarius' head from the Volga docksides to local churches for appropriate celebrations. Macarius is considered the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

of craftsmen,

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...

s, and travellers, as well as of

Makariev Fair Nizhny Novgorod Fair (''old name — Makaryev Fair'') () was a fair in Nizhny Novgorod held annually every July near Makaryev Monastery on the left bank of the Volga River from the mid-16th century to 1816. Following a massive fire in 1816, it wa ...

. He is especially venerated in the Archdioceses (

Eparchies Eparchy ( ''eparchía'' "overlordship") is an ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. An eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on the administrative structure ...

) of

Ivanovo Ivanovo (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Russia and the administrative center and largest city of Ivanovo Oblast, located northeast of Moscow and approximately from Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Russia, Vladimir and Kostroma. ...

, and

Kostroma Kostroma (, ) is a historic city and the administrative center of Kostroma Oblast, Russia. A part of the Golden Ring of Russian cities, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Volga and Kostroma. In the 2021 census, the population is 267, ...

—the lands where he performed his earthly works. In some monasteries, such as

in Nizhny Novgorod, one can request a prayer to Macarius for success in business or "getting out of poverty" (избавление от нищеты).

Feasts

Russian Orthodox Church celebrates two Feasts of St. Macarius: *

Great Synaxaristes:
Ὁ Ὅσιος Μακάριος Ζελτοβόδας ὁ Θαυματουργός (Ρῶσος)
'' 25 Ιουλίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ. (

Julian calendar The Julian calendar is a solar calendar of 365 days in every year with an additional leap day every fourth year (without exception). The Julian calendar is still used as a religious calendar in parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church and in parts ...

) (currently, August 7 of the

Western calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...

): Death of St. Macarius (1444). *

October 12 Events Pre-1600 *539 BC – The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia Fall of Babylon, conquer Babylon, ending the Babylonian empire. (Julian calendar) * 633 – Battle of Hatfield Chase: King Edwin of Northumbria is defeated and killed b ...

(

) (currently, October 25 the

): Recovery of Holy Relics of St. Macarius (1671).

Monasteries and convents founded by Macarius

* Zheltovodsky Makariev Convent of Holy Trinity ( Makaryevo,

Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Nizhny Novgorod Oblast () is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Nizhny Novgorod. It has a population of 3,119,115 as of the 2021 Ru ...

)
Makaryev Reshma Monastery (Макариев-Решемский мужской монастырь)
(

Ivanovo Oblast Ivanovo Oblast () is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It had a population of 927,828 as of the Russian Census (2021), 2021 Russian Census. Its three largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, cities are Ivanovo (the administrat ...

)
Makaryev Ascencion Monastery (СВЯТО-ВОЗНЕСЕНСКИЙ МАКАРЬЕВСКИЙ МУЖСКОЙ МОНАСТЫРЬ)
(

Tatarstan Tatarstan, officially the Republic of Tatarstan, sometimes also called Tataria, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia located in Eastern Europe. It is a part of the Volga Federal District; and its capital city, capital and largest city i ...

)
Makaryev Unzhensky Convent (СВЯТО-ТРОИЦКИЙ МАКАРИЕВО-УНЖЕНСКИЙ ЖЕНСКИЙ МОНАСТЫРЬ)
(

Makaryev Makaryev () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Makaryevsky District in Kostroma Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Unzha River (Volga River, Volga's tributary), east of Kostroma, the ...

)

Cities named after Macarius

, at Makaryev Unzhensky Convent. * Makaryevo (formerly Makaryev), Lyskovsky District of

, at Zheltovodsky Makariev Convent of Holy Trinity.

Footnotes

External links

Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha
(Orthodox Church in America)
''The Life of Venerable Macarius''
at the site of

Orthodox Calendar: ''The Life of Venerable Macarius''; icons of Venerable Macarius

Macarius of Unzha
(Gallery of icons, engravings, and photos of historical sites). {{DEFAULTSORT:Macarius Of Yellow Water Lake And Unzha 1349 births 1444 deaths 15th-century Christian saints 14th-century Russian people 15th-century Russian people 15th-century Christian monks Russian monks Russian missionaries Russian saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church Russian Christian missionaries Christian miracle workers Russian exorcists Eastern Orthodox missionaries