Saint Demetrius of Rostov (+1709)
Saint Demetrius of Rostov (in the world Daniel Tuptalo) was born in 1651 in the town of Makarov near Kiev, into the family of a devout Cossack. In 1662 the saint was sent to the Kiev-Mohyla College. It was here that his extraordinary gifts first showed themselves: Daniel thoroughly mastered Greek and Latin and a number of classical sciences. On 9 July 1668 the blessed one was tonsured a monk and named Demetrius in honour of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica. Until the spring of 1675 he laboured in the monastery of Saint Cyril in Kiev. On 23 May 1675 Lazarus, archbishop of Chernigov, ordained Demetrius hieromonk. For several years the blessed father celebrated the services in various churches and monasteries of Ukraine, Lithuania and Belarus.
In 1684 Archimandrite Varlaam, the superior of the Kiev Caves Lavra, who knew well the learning, the bent for scholarly work and the literary gift of his former pupil, charged Hieromonk Demetrius with compiling the readings of the Lives of the Saints for the whole year. From that time the holy father’s whole life was devoted to carrying out this work of enormous scope. The work demanded an astonishing effort. It was necessary to gather and compare many different sources, and to set out the matter in a language both worthy of its subject and accessible to the faithful. The grace of God helped the blessed one throughout all twenty years of the work. During these years Demetrius was also in turn the superior of several monasteries.
The ascetic’s labours drew the attention of Patriarch Adrian. In 1701, by order of Peter I, Demetrius was summoned to Moscow, where on 23 March, in the Dormition cathedral of the Kremlin, he was consecrated Metropolitan of Siberia and sent to the city of Tobolsk. Soon, because of the importance of his scholarly labours and his weak health, the holy hierarch was transferred to the see of Rostov and Yaroslavl, where he arrived on 1 March 1702 with the rank of Metropolitan of Rostov. There the blessed one laboured greatly to set the church services in order and to expose the schism of the Old Believers; he cared for the education of the clergy and founded a school for the children of the clergy. Saint Demetrius’s personal life shone with strict fasting, prayer and works of mercy. He prayed a great deal and advised everyone always to remember the day of death, and at every striking of the clock to send up prayers to the Saviour and the All-holy Mother of God. The hierarch’s house was open to all, and he treated everyone kindly and courteously. His compassion for the poor, widows and orphans was boundless: he never turned away those who asked, while he himself was content with the bare necessities. The holy father reposed in peace on 28 October 1709. On 21 September 1752 his incorrupt relics were brought up.
Saint Demetrius of Rostov is also commemorated on 21 September (see the reading for that day).
