Discipleship and Withdrawal to Lake Vazhe
Gennadius came from a family of means but, according to his life, gave away all that he had to follow Saint Alexander of Svir, living with him in asceticism as a hermit by the river Svira.
With Alexander's blessing he departed for Lake Vazhe, about twelve versts from the Svir monastery. There he built a cell and lived a solitary, ascetic life with two of his disciples. Before his repose he is said to have prophesied of the place, 'Here at this place shall be a church and a monastery.'
Saint Nikephoros and the Founding of the Hermitage
Saint Nikephoros of Vazheozersk arrived at the monastery of Saint Alexander of Svir in 1510 and became his disciple. By one account he later journeyed to visit Saint Cyril of New Lake, spending eight days in spiritual discourse, and traveled to Kiev to venerate the relics of the saints of the caves.
Returning with Alexander's blessing, Nikephoros settled at Lake Vazhe where Gennadius had labored, built the Church of the Transfiguration, and established a monastery there, remaining for the rest of his life. He reposed on February 9, 1557, the day on which both saints are commemorated.
Relics and Legacy
The relics of the saints were laid to rest in a hidden place within the monastery they founded. In the second half of the nineteenth century a church was built and dedicated to Saints Nikephoros and Gennadius of Vazhe Lake; a church commemorating both saints was consecrated in 1858.
The monastery suffered devastation during the invasions of the early seventeenth century but was gradually restored. Under Soviet rule (1923–1991) the buildings were repurposed, and monastic life resumed there in 1992. In 2000 the community became the Transfiguration Monastery, at various times a women's and a men's community.
