Venerable Lazarus of Galesion (+1053)

The Venerable Lazarus of Galesion was born in the city of Magnesia (Asia). The saint, distinguished from childhood by gentleness and love for the poor, received a thorough education, and afterwards went to Palestine to venerate the holy places and settled in the lavra of Sabbas the Sanctified. The blessed one spent ten years there and won the sincere love of the brotherhood.

The Patriarch of Jerusalem ordained the Venerable Lazarus priest, after which he returned to his homeland and settled on Mount Galesion near Ephesus. There the saint was counted worthy of a wonderful vision: angels encircling a pillar of fire that reached up to heaven were singing: “Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered.” At the place of this revelation the Lord’s chosen one built a church dedicated to the Resurrection of Christ and took up the labour of a stylite. Soon disciples gathered around the great ascetic and a monastery was founded.

The approach of his end was revealed to Saint Lazarus beforehand, and he made ready for it, but at the fervent entreaty of the brotherhood the Lord lengthened his life by another fifteen years.

The Venerable Lazarus died in 1053, at the age of seventy-two. The Church commemorates the bringing up of the holy father’s relics on 17 July (see the reading for that day).