Abraham of Smolensk

Saint Abraham of Smolensk
Russian icon.
Priest
Born	1150 or 1172 Smolensk, Russia
Died	c. 1222 Smolensk, Russia
Venerated in	Eastern Orthodox Church Roman Catholic Church
Canonized	1549, Papal State by Pope Paul III
Feast	21 August
Attributes	Monastic habit Prayer rope Cross
Patronage	Smolensk

Abraham of Smolensk (1150 or 1172 - c. 1222) was a Russian monk and priest.^[1] He resided at the Bogoroditzkaja convent and was regarded as a miracle worker. He engaged in extensive preaching and biblical studies and is viewed as a notable figure in the pre-Mongol Russia.^[2]

Life[]

Abraham was said to be born either in 1150 or 1172 to nobles; he was orphaned in his childhood and then decided to abandon his fortune to pursue the austere and poor religious life.^[1]

He is described as being a man of stern and militant character who kept the idea of the Last Judgement in the minds of himself and others. He was popular among the faithful as he worked for the sick and the troubled. He was noted for his tenderness with those coming to him for his help and his advice.^[1]^[2] He was less popular with the other priests who were jealous of his successes.^[2] This tension led to several moral and theological charges being brought against him and it led to the local bishop taking action against him which cast a cloud over his character for some time and an order for him to stop preaching. But his withdrawal made him no friends either for there were clerics who kept on viewing him with suspicion.

The bishop later reopened the case against him and acquitted him against the charges leveled against him while making him the abbot of the smaller and impoverished convent of the Mother of God in the area.^[2] He spent the rest of his life there and died there circa 1222. His disciple Ephraem's biographical account of Abraham has survived.

Sainthood[]

He is venerated as a saint in both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Paul III canonized him as a saint in 1549 and in the Russian Orthodox Church in the

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "Saint Abraham of Smolensk". Saints SQPN. 24 July 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d "St. Abraham of Smolensk". Catholic Online. Retrieved 11 October 2017.

External links[]

Saints SQPN

show v t Saints of the Catholic Church
Congregation for the Causes of Saints Stages of canonization: Servant of God → Venerable → Blessed → Saint
Virgin Mary	Mother of God (Theotokos) Immaculate Conception Perpetual virginity Assumption Marian apparition Titles of Mary Joseph (husband)
Apostles	Andrew Barnabas Bartholomew James of Alphaeus James the Great John Jude Matthew Matthias Paul Peter Philip Simon Thomas
Archangels	Gabriel Michael in the Catholic Church Raphael
Confessors	Anatolius Anthony of Kiev Athanasius the Confessor Chariton the Confessor Dominic Edward the Confessor Francis of Assisi Francis Borgia Louis Bertrand Maximus the Confessor Michael of Synnada Paphnutius the Confessor Paul I of Constantinople Peter Claver Salonius Seraphim of Sarov Theophanes the Confessor
Disciples	Apollos Mary Magdalene Priscilla and Aquila Silvanus Stephen Timothy Titus Seventy disciples
Doctors	Gregory the Great Ambrose Augustine of Hippo Jerome John Chrysostom Basil of Caesarea Gregory of Nazianzus Athanasius of Alexandria Cyril of Alexandria Cyril of Jerusalem John of Damascus Bede the Venerable Ephrem the Syrian Thomas Aquinas Bonaventure Anselm of Canterbury Isidore of Seville Peter Chrysologus Leo the Great Peter Damian Bernard of Clairvaux Hilary of Poitiers Alphonsus Liguori Francis de Sales Peter Canisius John of the Cross Robert Bellarmine Albertus Magnus Anthony of Padua Lawrence of Brindisi Teresa of Ávila Catherine of Siena Thérèse of Lisieux John of Ávila Hildegard of Bingen Gregory of Narek
Evangelists	Matthew Mark Luke John
Church Fathers	Alexander of Alexandria Alexander of Jerusalem Ambrose of Milan Anatolius Athanasius of Alexandria Augustine of Hippo Caesarius of Arles Caius Cappadocian Fathers Clement of Alexandria Clement of Rome Cyprian of Carthage Cyril of Alexandria Cyril of Jerusalem Damasus I Desert Fathers Desert Mothers Dionysius of Alexandria Dionysius of Corinth Dionysius Ephrem the Syrian Epiphanius of Salamis Fulgentius of Ruspe Gregory the Great Gregory of Nazianzus Gregory of Nyssa Hilary of Poitiers Hippolytus of Rome Ignatius of Antioch Irenaeus of Lyons Isidore of Seville Jerome of Stridonium John Chrysostom John of Damascus Maximus the Confessor Melito of Sardis Quadratus of Athens Papias of Hierapolis Peter Chrysologus Polycarp of Smyrna Theophilus of Antioch Victorinus of Pettau Vincent of Lérins Zephyrinus
Martyrs	Canadian Martyrs Carthusian Martyrs Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala Christina of Persia Dismas the Good Thief Forty Martyrs of England and Wales Four Crowned Martyrs Gerard of Csanád Great Martyr The Holy Innocents Irish Martyrs Joan of Arc John Fisher Korean Martyrs Lorenzo Ruiz Lübeck martyrs Luigi Versiglia Martyrology Martyrs of Albania Martyrs of China Martyrs of Japan Martyrs of Laos Martyrs of Natal Martyrs of Otranto Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War Maximilian Kolbe Óscar Romero Pedro Calungsod Perpetua and Felicity Peter Chanel Pietro Parenzo Philomena Saints of the Cristero War Stephen Teresa Benedicta of the Cross Thomas Becket Thomas More Three Martyrs of Chimbote Uganda Martyrs Vietnamese Martyrs Valentine of Rome Victor and Corona
Missionaries	Augustine of Canterbury Boniface Damien of Molokai Francis Xavier François de Laval Gregory the Illuminator Junípero Serra Nico of Georgia Patrick of Ireland Remigius
Patriarchs	Adam Abel Abraham Isaac Jacob Joseph Joseph (father of Jesus) David Noah Solomon Matriarchs
Popes	Adeodatus I Adeodatus II Adrian III Agapetus I Agatho Alexander I Anacletus Anastasius I Anicetus Anterus Benedict II Boniface I Boniface IV Caius Callixtus I Celestine I Celestine V Clement I Cornelius Damasus I Dionysius Eleuterus Eugene I Eusebius Eutychian Evaristus Fabian Felix I Felix III Felix IV Gelasius I Gregory I Gregory II Gregory III Gregory VII Hilarius Hormisdas Hyginus Innocent I John I John XXIII John Paul II Julius I Leo I Leo II Leo III Leo IV Leo IX Linus Lucius I Marcellinus Marcellus I Mark Martin I Miltiades Nicholas I Paschal I Paul I Paul VI Peter Pius I Pius V Pius X Pontian Sergius I Silverius Simplicius Siricius Sixtus I Sixtus II Sixtus III Soter Stephen I Stephen IV Sylvester I Symmachus Telesphorus Urban I Victor I Vitalian Zachary Zephyrinus Zosimus
Prophets	Agabus Amos Anna Baruch ben Neriah David Elijah Ezekiel Habakkuk Haggai Hosea Isaiah Jeremiah Job Joel John the Baptist Jonah Judas Barsabbas Malachi Melchizedek Micah Moses Nahum Obadiah Samuel Seven Maccabees and their mother Simeon Zechariah (prophet) Zechariah (NT) Zephaniah
Virgins	Agatha of Sicily Agnes of Rome Angela of the Cross Æthelthryth Bernadette Soubirous Brigid of Kildare Catherine Labouré Catherine of Siena Cecilia Clare of Assisi Eulalia of Mérida Euphemia Faustina Kowalska Genevieve Kateri Tekakwitha Lucy of Syracuse Maria Goretti Teresa of Calcutta Narcisa de Jesús Rose of Lima
See also	Calendar of saints Congregation for the Causes of Saints Fourteen Holy Helpers Military saints Athleta Christi Miles Christianus Church Militant Virtuous pagan
Catholic Church portal Saints portal

show Authority control
General	VIAF 1 WorldCat
National libraries	Poland

Abraham of Smolensk

Contents

Life[]

Sainthood[]

References[]

Further reading[]

External links[]