Venerable (Monastic) 16th century

Venerable Arsenius Abbot of Komel

d. 1550

Also known as Arsenius of Komel

A noble-born monk trained at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra who renounced honor to found the Komel monastic community in Vologda, copying books with his own hand.

Feast Day

August 24

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Commemorated as

Our Venerable Father Arsenius, Abbot of Komel

Life

Arsenius of Komel was a Russian monastic founder born into the noble Sakharusov family in Moscow. As a young man he received monastic tonsure at the Trinity-Sergiev (Trinity-Sergius) monastery, where he became known as a copyist of manuscripts; a Gospel he copied in 1506 survives.

He served as igumen (abbot) of the Trinity-Sergiev monastery from 1525 to 1527, but repeatedly withdrew for solitary life at the Makrisch monastery. Renouncing the honor of his office, he eventually journeyed into the Komel forest near Vologda, where he founded a new monastic community.

He died on August 24, 1550, after a life of fasting, prayer, and constant manual labor, and is venerated as a wonderworker.

Timeline 4 moments Read Hide

1506 Copies a Gospel at Trinity-Sergiev While a monk at the Trinity-Sergiev monastery, Arsenius copied manuscripts by hand; a Gospel he copied in 1506 survives.
1525–1527 Igumen of Trinity-Sergiev He served as abbot (igumen) of the Trinity-Sergiev monastery, while frequently withdrawing for solitary life at the Makrisch monastery.
1530 Land grant and journey to Komel After receiving a land grant from Great Prince Basil IV, Arsenius journeyed into the Komel forest near Vologda with his disciple Gerasimus to found a new monastery.
1550 Repose Arsenius died on August 24, 1550, after a life of fasting, prayer, and constant work.

Contributions & Legacy

3 contributions Read Hide

Foundation of the Komel Monastery

After receiving a land grant from Great Prince Basil IV in 1530, Arsenius journeyed into the Komel forest near Vologda. Carrying a large wooden cross through marsh and forest with his disciple Gerasimus, he chose a site for his new monastery on the Kokhtisha River after, by the account, a heavenly beam of light flashed upon him as he fell in a marshy area.

He and Gerasimus cleared the forest and built a wooden church in honor of the Placing of the Veil of the Most Holy Theotokos. According to his life, the saint tamed wild beasts through prayer and instructed the local peasants in the Christian observance of feasts and Sundays.

Sources, Biography, and Legacy

Arsenius's original biography was destroyed in a monastery fire in 1596. It was later restored from surviving manuscripts and augmented with accounts of posthumous miracles by the monk John.

A century after his death, Igumen Joasaph constructed a stone church dedicated to the Theotokos, with side chapels honoring Saint Sergius of Radonezh and Saint Arsenius himself.

Veneration

Arsenius is commemorated on August 24 (New Calendar) / September 6 (Old Calendar) as the founder of the Komel Monastery in Vologda and is venerated as a wonderworker.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints