Life at Solovki and the Carver's Gift
Eleazar came from the town of Kozelsk, where his family, the Sevryukovs, were merchants. With his parents' blessing he travelled to the Solovetsky Monastery in the White Sea and received monastic tonsure from the abbot Saint Irenarchus.
He was remembered for a marked artistic talent. Trained in woodcarving, he contributed to the embellishment of the monastery's Transfiguration Cathedral, so that his craftsmanship became part of the fabric of the community before he turned to the eremitic life.
The Hermitage on Anzer Island
In 1612 Eleazar withdrew to Anzer Island, lying some distance from the main monastery, to live in solitude. To support himself in the wilderness he carved wooden cups and left them at the landing place with a written request for food; fishermen who came by left bread and supplies in exchange, and accounts relate that they were rewarded with abundant catches.
He was elevated to the Great Schema in 1616, and in 1620 moved to another part of the island, founding a skete beside a dilapidated chapel of Saint Nicholas. As disciples gathered, he organized them according to ancient eremitic forms: cells were set far apart from one another, about a verst between them, and the hermits came together only for the Saturday and Sunday services.
Eleazar also worked as a compiler of edifying texts. He is credited with assembling three books known as the 'Flower Gardens,' collections of instructive sayings and examples, together with a commentary on the rules of monastic cell life.
Patriarch Nikon and Royal Patronage
Among Eleazar's disciples was the hieromonk Nikita, who would later become Patriarch Nikon of Moscow. By tradition Nikita lived under Eleazar's guidance for several years, and his biography relates that Eleazar foresaw his future elevation to the patriarchate.
Tsar Michael, the first Romanov ruler, who reigned from 1613 to 1645 and desired an heir, summoned Eleazar to Moscow after hearing of his ascetic reputation. According to the tradition surrounding the saint, Eleazar foretold the birth of the Tsar's son, and in gratitude Michael funded the building of a stone Holy Trinity church and a monastery on Anzer Island, which was granted independence from the Solovetsky Monastery.
Relics & Shrines
Eleazar's relics were reported to have been found incorrupt during the construction of a church in 1757. They were removed in 1925, and a particle of his relics is said to have resurfaced in 2003.
