Translation of the Relics of the Venerable Herman of Solovki (1484)

The Venerable Herman of Solovki lived in solitude on the bank of the river Vyg. Around 1429 he was met here by Saint Savvaty (commemorated 27 September), a monk of the monastery of Valaam, who was seeking a secluded place for his labours. Herman told him of the desolate island of Solovki, after which the holy fathers crossed the sea together and settled on Solovki. After the repose of the blessed Savvaty (+1435), the Venerable Herman continued his labours on the island together with another desert-dweller, the Venerable Zosima (commemorated 17 April).

The Venerable Herman could not read or write, but he was made wise by God. He wished to preserve the example of Savvaty and Zosima for posterity, and told clerics to write down his recollections of the blessed fathers. The Venerable Herman loved to listen to readings profitable for the soul, and he told his disciples to collect books for the monastery. For the household and other needs of the monastery the saint travelled until deep old age and shrank from no danger. During one such journey, in 1479, he commended his soul to the Lord in peace in the monastery of Saint Antony. His body was being carried to the monastery of Solovki, but because the roads were impassable he was buried on the bank of the river Svir, by the village of Khavronina. In 1484 the saint’s remains were uncovered incorrupt.