Venerable Serapion of Zarzma (+900)
Saint Serapion of Zarzma was the son of an aznaur of Klarjeti. The Venerable Serapion’s father Cyprian and his mother, whose name “has been hidden from the world unrecorded”, lived in the fear of God and honourably; “from their labour they fed the poor richly, and held out a helping hand to the helpless according to their means”.
Serapion had two brothers. His mother died early. The father brought the children up well, and a little later he too died.
From his youth Serapion desired the life of the desert. Serapion went with his younger brother John and entrusted himself to “the father of souls and nourisher of orphans”, “the worker of miracles and signs”, the great Michael of Parekhi (commemorated 27 May). The venerable father received Serapion and John and “numbered them with the company of his disciples”. The eldest brother stayed at home and continued the family tradition, living in the service of “strangers and the poor”.
The Venerable Michael saw Serapion’s godly way of life and his zeal and ordained him priest. Once, during prayer, the Venerable Michael saw a man beautifully clad as a priest, who commanded him to send the disciples he had taught, Serapion and John, to Samtskhe to build a monastery. Serapion was dismayed by the great honour and duty, but, hoping in the life-giving Cross and encouraged by his teacher, he set out for Samtskhe with his fellow ascetics. The brothers “carried with them as their helper the living icon of the Transfiguration”.
The monks arrived safely, liked a certain mountain very much and looked over the place, and although they did not see “those signs in this place”, they resolved to build a monastery here. Soon the local inhabitants drove the brothers away. The saddened monks found, across the river to the west, the very place that Michael had seen in revelation. The lord of this region was the pious feudal lord Giorgi Chorchaneli. Once, while hunting, Giorgi Chorchaneli saw smoke rising above the trackless forest; he was surprised and sent a messenger to find out what it was. He was told of two wonderful monks. Giorgi hastened to the fathers with great honour, greeted them humbly, venerated the holy icon of the Transfiguration and asked the monks for their blessing. Then he granted them the place to build a monastery, and promised to confirm to them all the land the monks could walk round from morning to evening. But not all the local inhabitants met the monks so warmly: the people of the township of Tsiskvili rose against them and tried in every way to hinder them. Saint Serapion addressed the darkened people prophetically: “I have seen the ungodly exalted like the cedars of Lebanon, and I passed by, and his place was not found.”
That night a great wonder took place: the earth shook, the rock split, the muddy lake of Satakhvi overflowed and swept away the township of Tsiskvili; only two brothers were miraculously saved: Saint Serapion’s prophecy was fulfilled. The people, struck with fear, called this place Zarzma (terror).
The brothers began to look for a fitting place for the church. Saint Serapion wished to begin building on a high hill, but John and the other monks said to him: “Not in this place, holy father, for it is high and cold, and these brethren are naked and poor.” Then the blessed fathers did this: they poured an equal quantity of oil into two lamps. Serapion himself set one on the high hill, and John set the other to the south of the hill, in a small hollow. Both stood in prayer. When it dawned, they saw that Serapion’s lamp had gone out, while John’s was shining until midday.
The foundation of the church was laid on the place John had chosen, but the building was hard: all around were dense forests, and the stones needed for building were to be found only in the river. On Giorgi Chorchaneli’s advice they also used the stones of a church ruined by a recent earthquake, and in three years the building of the church was finished; it was adorned according to the rule, and the wonderworking icon of the Transfiguration was placed in it. After this the brethren’s cells were built too. Father Serapion “laid down the rules and canons of the Church”.
The blessed Serapion sensed beforehand that the time of his departure from this world was drawing near; he called the assembly of the brethren, instructed them, and appointed as their superior the hieromonk George, “a good man, radiant with virtue and sweet in word and deed”.
A few days later the sick Serapion rose, went into the sanctuary, kissed the holy altar and the icon of the Saviour, received Communion, and asked the brethren to pray for him; “he lay down on his bed at the sixth hour, and at the ninth hour commended his soul into the hands of God”.
Saint Serapion was buried with honour to the east of the sanctuary. The holy father had dug his grave beforehand with his own hands, so that seeing it he might remember death, “which he had ever before his eyes”.
The saint’s nephew, Basil of Zarzma (commemorated 5 October), by God’s command placed Serapion’s holy relics in a newly made stone shrine and “moved them into a prominent aisle of the new church”.
