On July 29, 2012, after eighty-three years, the relics of St. Abraham of Rostov returned to his home monastery—the St. Abraham-Theophany Monastery. Since then, the clergy, nuns, and pilgrims of the monastery celebrate this date every year.
A bit about the life and posthumous veneration of St. Abraham of Rostov
The relics of St. Abraham of Rostov St. Abraham was born in the early tenth century, and at a young age, having left his parents’ home and worldly vanity, he entered monasticism. The saint was sorrowed to see how some Rostov residents remained in idolatrous delusion. They worshipped a stone idol with particular fervor.
It came to a miraculous end. The saint tearfully entreated God to give him the strength and grace of the Holy Spirit to destroy the insidious idol. Having received a revelation that in order to overthrow the idol he had to go to Constantinople to the house of the Holy Apostle John the Theologian, St. Abraham set out on a journey that was miraculously shortened, as the Apostle himself appeared to him on the banks of the Ishnya River, which crosses the road from Rostov to Moscow at its confluence with Lake Nero, near the city of Rostov.
St. John blessed the saint and gave him not some heavy weapon, but a light reed staff, and commanded him to arm himself fearlessly against the idol Veles.1 St. Abraham, armed with the staff from the Apostle John the Theologian and the sign of the Cross, crushed the graven image and the idol was immediately turned to dust. In place of the destroyed idol, the saint built a church where former pagans “from young to old were baptized.”
Since that time, those enlightened by the life of Christ turn to the saint and praise him in their hearts with the words of his kontakion:
Taking upon thyself the yoke of Christ, O Abraham, and bearing His cross upon thy shoulder, thou didst follow Him, being planted in the house of the Lord; and thou didst flourish as the palm tree, and as the cedar which is in Lebanon, thou didst multiply thy children, O man of spiritual desires: and receiving grace from the beloved Apostle John the Theologian, with thy staff thou didst crush the idol, and didst scatter it as dust; and thou didst appear as a great wonderworker, O venerable one, wherefore pray unto Christ God unceasingly for us all.
The church, where many converts were baptized, was consecrated by the bishop of Rostov in honor of the feast of the Theophany of the Lord. Next to it St. Abraham built cells, and having gathered monks, became their guide and established a coenobium. Thus, from among the newly converted arose the first monastery in Rostov.
St. Abraham’s holy relics were uncovered and glorified by miracles in 1210, during the reign of Grand Prince Vsevolod III, the son of Yuri Dolgoruky (1176–1212), and then it was established to celebrate his memory on October 29.
According to the description in iconographic manuals, St. Abraham had “hair somewhat yellow, a beard like Sergius’, monastic habit.” One of the earliest images of St. Abraham, dating back to the sixteenth century, is preserved in the central apse of Annunciation Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin. Two hagiographic icons have been preserved that are now in the Rostov Museum. The Rostov Kremlin’s Church of St. John the Theologian has preserved wall paintings with scenes from St. Abraham’s life, painted in 1683 by Yaroslav masters. Three known tomb coverings with the image of the saint testify that some portrait features of the righteous one are preserved.
Testimonies of miraculous help
The relics of St. Abraham Below is a small portion of the numerous modern testimonies to the miraculous help rendered through the prayers of St. Abraham.
In August 2014, I went to St. Abraham’s Monastery. I venerated his holy relics, asking to have enough means to survive. I haven’t become very rich, but thank God, I have something to live on.
Servant of God Alexander, village of Prechistoe, Yaroslav Province, June 14, 2015
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I’ve been going to St. Abraham’s Monastery for several years now. I really like praying in the silence there. Recently, when I was getting ready to go to the morning Liturgy, besides the lampada, I lit several candles during my morning prayers. One of them was a non-church candle (vanilla-scented), without a candlestick. When I left, I forgot to blow it out (it was directly on top of the cabinet, among numerous icons). After Liturgy, I returned home to find traces of a fire that had been stopped by the icon of St. Abraham (it was slightly burned on one side). The top of the cabinet and the front panel were burned—an area about the size of a palm. The melted candle dripped down in the form of an icicle onto a paper reproduction of an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, but the fire didn’t spread any further and went out as if by itself, undoubtedly through the prayers of St. Abraham. Glory to God for all things!
Handmaiden of God Tatiana, Rostov, June 2015
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St. Abraham of Rostov Hello, my name is Rustik. In 2016, my infant son Matthew fell ill with rheumatoid arthritis. We live in Podolsk, Moscow Province. I went on pilgrimage to the saints to ask for help. The first on my journey was St. Abraham of Rostov. He was the first to start praying to the Lord for our son, and here, eight years later, we’ve come to thank him for healing.
Servant of God Rustik, Podolsk, October 11, 2024
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After praying at the relics of St. Abraham, I went home to Ramenskoe, Moscow Province. My wife Vera told me: “I don’t know which saint you prayed to, but our daughter Irina has improved beyond recognition.” For us, St. Abraham a great saint.
Servant of God Dmitry
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My name is Nikita. After visiting Fr. Abraham, my career took off. My business grew significantly and my income increased many times over. My health is also improving. It’s as if I could see clearly for the first time. Obstacles disappeared and I began to have clarity and confidence in my life. Glory to God for all things! Glory to Father Abraham.
Servant of God Nikita, May 28, 2025
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I, servant of God Dmitry, testify to the healing and miraculous help of St. Abraham for the ailing handmaiden of God Maria (fifteen years old). The handmaiden of God Maria suffered from demonic possession and spiritual and physical illness of the head and heart. She was so tormented by a demon that we were barely able to drag her to the relics of St. Abraham and put his skufia from his relics on her. She screamed, ran away, struggled—the demon wouldn’t let her approach. But when we managed to put the skufia from the relics on her, she went completely limp and calmed down. Then we brought her over and she venerated St. Abraham’s relics herself. She felt relief and asked him to heal and help her.
Then, that same night, St. Abraham appeared to her in a dream and drove three black snakes (demons) out of her with his staff. These snakes-demons were driven out of her head and heart. According to her, St. Abraham was shining with a golden light and carrying a staff! He said: “Maria, you asked me to help. You prayed fervently to me, and see? I helped you. Sin no more!” Since then, Maria has regularly prayed to St. Abraham and asks to go to the monastery to his healing and fragrant relics. She goes up and venerates his relics herself! Venerable Father Abraham, pray to God for us!
Servant of God Dmitry, May 29, 2025
