St. Abraham of Smolensk

He was the only surviving child of a wealthy Smolensk family, born after twelve daughters, and when his parents died he gave the inheritance to the poor and the monasteries and entered the monastery of the Dormition outside Smolensk. He was tonsured and later ordained.

What made him unusual was that he preached, and that he read: the Life written by his disciple Ephraim says he worked through the Fathers and taught out of them, and had icons painted of the Last Judgment and of the trial of the soul and preached on them. The city came out to hear him, and he heard confessions for hours a day.

The clergy of Smolensk brought charges against him before the bishop, accusing him of false teaching, of reading forbidden books, and of drawing the people away. He was tried, and the charges failed, but he was silenced and confined to his monastery.

A drought followed and would not break. The Life says the bishop was told to lift the ban, that he called Abraham back and asked his prayers, and that the rain came before he had reached his own monastery again. He was given the abbacy of the monastery of the Holy Cross and served there until his repose, about the year 1221. His Life by Ephraim is one of the best pieces of writing to survive from pre-Mongol Rus.