Tver, Tver Province, Russia, May 4, 2026
Photo: tatmitropolia.ru
The 450th anniversary of the repose St. Barsanuphius, Bishop of Tver and Wonderworker of Kazan was celebrated on Sunday, May 3, at the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in Tver.
The Liturgy was led by His Eminence Metropolitan Kirill of Kazan and Tatarstan, who concelebrated with His Eminence Metropolitan Ambrose of Tver and Kashin and six other bishops, along with clergy from the Tver and Tatarstan Metropolitanates, the Russian Church reports.
An icon of St. Barsanuphius decorated with fresh flowers was placed in the center of the cathedral. Following the greeting of Met. Kirill and his vesting, the troparion and kontakion to St. Barsanuphius were sung, and the Metropolitan read a prayer to the saint.
Photo: tatmitropolia.ru
The service, sung by the diocesan choirs of Tver and Kazan, was attended by parishioners and numerous pilgrims from the Tatarstan Metropolitanate. Special petitions were offered during the litany, and a prayer for Holy Rus was read.
After the dismissal, a Pascal cross procession circled the cathedral around Cathedral Square.
Met. Ambrose then addressed the congregation from the cathedral porch. In honor of the anniversary, he presented medals of the Tver Diocese to Met. Kirill and three other bishops. Met. Ambrose also gave Met. Kirill an icon of Holy Hieromartyr Thaddeus, Archbishop of Tver, containing a portion of his holy relics.
Met. Kirill presented the Transfiguration Cathedral with an icon of the Kazan Hierarchs Gurias, Barsanuphius, and Herman.
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Photo: pravoslavie.ru St. Barsanuphius of Tver was born in the year 1495, and was from Serpukhov. He was named John in Baptism, and he was taught to read and write. While still a youth, he was captured by the Crimean Tatars. Accepting this as the Lord’s will, he meekly submitted to his masters, and dutifully accomplished the work they assigned him to do. After three years, John’s father ransomed him. He then went to Moscow and became a monk in the Andronikov Monastery, where he received the monastic name Barsanuphius.
Devoting himself to the ascetical life, he became proficient in virtue and piety. In 1544, he was appointed as abbot of the Pesnosha Monastery. Later, he went to Kazan and founded a monastery dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Lord.
Photo: tatmitropolia.ru
While in Kazan, Archimandrite Barsanuphius was able to help St. Gurias (December 5) in spreading Christianity among the Muslims and pagans. His knowledge of the Tatar language proved to be very useful in this work.
In 1567, St. Barsanuphius was consecrated Bishop of Tver. He healed many sick people with his knowledge of medicine, but he also healed those suffering from infirmities of the soul.
When the God-pleaser reached old age, he returned to Kazan and to the Transfiguration Monastery which he founded. There he received the Great Schema, and he died at the monastery in 1576.
The holy relics of Sts. Gurias and Barsanuphius were uncovered on October 4, 1596. They were placed in shrines in a side chapel of the church at the orders of Patriarch Job. On June 20, 1630, their grace-filled relics were transferred from the Transfiguration Monastery to the Cathedral of the Annunciation.
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