The Orthodox church calendar is replete with various days of memory of the holy ascetics of piety. In the Russian Orthodox tradition, special attention is paid to Russian saints. Archbishop Jonah of Novgorod is considered one of them.
St. Jonah Archbishop of Novgorod was born at the end of the XIV century. At a young age he was left an orphan (at three years old the future saint lost his mother, and four years later - his father). He was brought up in a step-family.
As a schoolboy, the boy met the holy fool Mikhail Klopsky, who predicted a great future for the young man: the rank of archbishop of Novgorod. In adulthood, Jonah decided to devote his life to God and settled in the Otenskaya desert (near Novgorod). Seeing the spiritual experience of the ascetic, the brethren chose Jonah as the abbot of the monastery.
In 1458 Saint Jonah was elected Archbishop of Novgorod. The people especially loved their archpastor for his virtuous life. Saint Jonah himself was an example for believers: he performed deeds of mercy, never refused support, in every way he taught the people with a word.
Saint Jonah also enjoyed respect among the princes, and not only those of Moscow, but also of Germany. Often the saint made trips to the Moscow prince and interceded for the inhabitants of his city, asking the ruler for mercy to his native people. It is worth saying that Saint Jonah was a real peacemaker. During his reign, there were no wars, strife and strife in Novgorod.
Once upon a city, entrusted to the pastoral care of the saint, a pestilent plague struck, claiming many lives. Saint Jonah with the believers made a procession with the cross through the city, after which the ulcer stopped.
The great ascetic of piety died in 1470. The contemporaries themselves considered the archbishop of Novgorda a saint, so after death the coffin with the body of the righteous man remained open. After the expiration of time, the relics of Saint Jonah were found incorrupt. Now they rest in the Otensky desert.
The Orthodox Church commemorates Saint Jonah of Novgorod every year on November 18 in a new style.
