Venerable Savva the Sanctified

Memorial Day: December 5/18

The Monk Savva the Sanctified was born in the 5th century, in Cappadocia, into the pious Christian family of John and Sophia. His father was a military leader. Having left for Alexandria on business, he took his wife with him, and left his five-year-old son in the care of his uncle. When the boy was eight years old, he entered the nearby monastery of St. Flavian. The gifted child soon learned to read and studied well Holy Bible. In vain did the parents persuade Saint Sava to return to the world and marry.

At the age of 17, he took monastic vows and was so successful in fasting and prayer that he was awarded the gift of miracles. After spending ten years in the monastery of Flavian, the monk went to Jerusalem, and from there to the monastery of the monk Euthymius the Great. But the Monk Euthymius (January 20) sent Saint Sava to Abba Theoktistus, the abbot of a nearby monastery with strict cenobitic rules. The Monk Savva remained in that monastery as a novice until he was 30 years old.

After the death of Elder Theoktistus, his successor blessed the Monk Savva to seclude himself in a cave: only on Saturday the saint left the seclusion and came to the monastery, participated in the Divine service and ate food. After some time, the monk was allowed not to leave the seclusion at all, and Saint Sava labored in the cave for 5 years.

The Monk Euthymius called Saint Sava a youth-elder and carefully raised him in the highest monastic virtues. When the Monk Euthymius departed to the Lord (+ 473), Saint Sava left the Lavra and settled in a cave near the monastery of the monk Gerasim of Jordan

The Monk Savva founded several more monasteries. Many miracles were revealed through the prayers of the Monk Sava: a spring gushed out in the Lavra, heavy rain fell during a drought, healings of the sick and demon-possessed took place. The Monk Savva wrote the first charter of church services, the so-called “Jerusalem”, accepted by all Palestinian monasteries. The saint peacefully reposed before God in 532.

----------***----------

One day, while working in the garden, he felt a desire to eat an apple, however, as soon as he picked the fruit from the branch, he overcame the temptation of gluttony in his soul by force, saying to himself: “The fruit was good to look at and pleasant to the taste, which brought me death through Adam, who desired that which deceived his carnal eyes, and was more concerned about the pleasure of his belly than about spiritual bliss. Are we really going to fall into spiritual slumber and numbness and move away from blessed abstinence?” Immediately throwing the apple on the ground and trampling it with his feet, he won victory over lust and never tasted more apples in his entire life. The boy had so much selflessness and spiritual maturity that he indulged in fasting and vigil along with the most experienced ascetics and surpassed all his brothers in humility, obedience and self-control.

After spending ten years in this monastery, Saint Sava, with the blessing of the abbot, went to Jerusalem (456). Having found there the Venerable Euthymius the Great, famous for his holy life, Savva tearfully begged the elder to take him as his disciple. However, he first sent the young man to the monastery of St. Theoktistus, since it was not in his custom to accept beardless youths among the harsh desert dwellers. Under the leadership of Saint Theoktistus, Savva, demonstrating an example of renunciation of his own will and humility, tirelessly served the brethren all day long, spending the nights in prayers and chants. Soon the young man achieved such perfection in virtues that the Monk Euthymius himself called him “an old man.”

After the death of Saint Theoktistus in 469, Savva received permission to retire to a cave located at some distance from the monastery. There he spent five days a week in constant prayer, without any food, occupying his hands with weaving palm leaves, and on Saturdays and Sundays he came to the monastery to participate in the liturgy and share meals. From the celebration of the Feast of Epiphany until Palm Sunday The Monk Euthymius used to take him with him to the Ruva desert, where, undistracted by anyone, he practiced the highest virtues and communion with God. Thus Saint Sava grew to the level of the greatest ascetics of the faith, and after the death of Saint Euthymius he finally retired into the deserted desert for single combat with Satan himself and his servants. His only weapons were the sign of the Cross of the Lord and the invocation of the holy name of Jesus.

After spending four years in hermitage, Saint Sava was led by an angel to a cave located at the very edge of a cliff on the left bank of the Kidron. Here the monk spent the next five years in contemplation and prayer. Only after this did the Lord let His tested warrior know that the time had come to pass on the experience of ascetic life to his disciples.

The saint arranged a separate cell for each novice who came to him in one of the many surrounding caves and taught the novices all the wisdom of desert life. After the number of his disciples very soon reached 70, through the prayer of the saint, a source of living water gushed out from a cleft at the foot of his cave to console and strengthen the brethren. The monks gathered together to perform common services in a spacious cave that looked like a temple. Saint Sava found this cave, guided by the sign of a pillar of fire.

Venerable Savva the Sanctified born in the 5th century, in Cappadocia, into the pious Christian family of John and Sophia. His father was a military leader. Having left for Alexandria on business, he took his wife with him, and left his five-year-old son in the care of his uncle. When the boy was eight years old, he entered the nearby monastery of St. Flavian. The gifted child soon learned to read and studied the Holy Scriptures well. In vain did the parents persuade Saint Sava to return to the world and marry.

At the age of 17, he took monastic vows and was so successful in fasting and prayer that he was awarded the gift of miracles. After spending ten years in the Flavian monastery, the monk went to Jerusalem, and from there to the monastery of St. Euthymius the Great. But (January 20) he sent Saint Sava to Abba Theoktistus, the abbot of a nearby monastery with strict communal rules. The Monk Savva remained in that monastery as a novice until he was 30 years old. After the death of Elder Theoktistus, his successor blessed the Monk Savva to seclude himself in a cave: only on Saturday the saint left the seclusion and came to the monastery, participated in the Divine service and ate food. After some time, the monk was allowed not to leave the seclusion at all, and Saint Sava labored in the cave for 5 years.

The Monk Euthymius closely followed the life of the young monk and, seeing how he had grown spiritually, began to take him with him to the Ruv desert (near the Dead Sea). They left on January 14 and stayed there until the Week of Vai. The Monk Euthymius called Saint Sava a youth-elder and carefully raised him in the highest monastic virtues.

When the Monk Euthymius departed to the Lord († 473), Saint Sava left the Lavra and settled in a cave near the monastery († 475; Comm. March 4). A few years later, disciples began to gather to the Monk Savva - everyone who wanted a monastic life. This is how the Great Lavra arose. According to instructions from above (through a pillar of fire), the monks built a church in the cave.

The Monk Savva founded several more monasteries. Many miracles were revealed through the prayers of the Monk Sava: a spring gushed out in the Lavra, heavy rain fell during a drought, healings of the sick and demon-possessed took place. The Monk Savva wrote the first charter of church services, the so-called “Jerusalem”, accepted by all Palestinian monasteries. The saint peacefully reposed before God in 532.

*Published in Russian:

Monastic rules taught by Saint Sava to his successor Abba Meletius / Trans. and note. A. Dmitrievsky // Travel in the East and its scientific results. Kyiv, 1890. pp. 171–193.*

Icon of the Venerable Savva the Sanctified

Chromolithography by N. Indutny

Imperial

Orthodox Palestine Society

A short version of the saint’s biography, often published in church Orthodox calendars, gives a general picture of the exploits of the Rev. Savva.

“Reverend Savva the Sanctified was born in the 5th century in Cappadocia into the pious Christian family of John and Sophia. His father was a military leader. Having left for Alexandria on business, he took his wife with him, and left his five-year-old son in the care of his uncle. When the boy was eight years old, he entered the nearby monastery of St. Flavian. The gifted child soon learned to read and studied the Holy Scriptures well. In vain did the parents persuade Saint Sava to return to the world and marry.

At the age of 17, he took monastic vows and was so successful in fasting and prayer that he was awarded the gift of miracles. After spending ten years in the Flavian monastery, the monk went to Jerusalem, and from there to the monastery of St. Euthymius the Great. But the Monk Euthymius directed Saint Sava to Abba Theoktistus, the abbot of a nearby monastery with strict cenobitic rules. The Monk Savva remained in that monastery as a novice until he was 30 years old.

After the death of Elder Theoktistus, his successor blessed the Monk Savva to seclude himself in a cave: only on Saturday the saint left the seclusion and came to the monastery, participated in the Divine service and ate food. After some time, the monk was allowed not to leave the seclusion at all, and Saint Sava labored in the cave for 5 years.

The Monk Euthymius closely followed the life of the young monk and, seeing how he had grown spiritually, began to take him with him to the Ruv desert (near the Dead Sea). They left on January 14 and stayed there until the Week of Vai. The Monk Euthymius called Saint Sava a youth-elder and carefully raised him in the highest monastic virtues.

When the Monk Euthymius departed to the Lord (+ 473), Saint Sava left the Lavra and settled in a cave near the monastery of the Monk Gerasim of Jordan (+ 475; Comm. March 4). A few years later, disciples began to gather to the Monk Savva - everyone who wanted a monastic life. This is how the Great Lavra arose. According to instructions from above (through a pillar of fire), the monks built a church in the cave.

The Monk Savva founded several more monasteries. Many miracles were revealed through the prayers of the Monk Sava: a spring gushed out in the Lavra, heavy rain fell during a drought, healings of the sick and demon-possessed took place. The Monk Savva wrote the first charter of church services, the so-called “Jerusalem”, accepted by all Palestinian monasteries. The saint peacefully reposed before God in 532."

The most detailed life of the saint was described in 555 in the work of Cyril of Scythopolis, an ancient church writer, who in his works was based on the testimonies of the disciples of St. Savva. The Greek text of the life of St. Savva the Sanctified was contained in the book of Cyril of Scythopolis under the general title “Ecclesiae Graecae monumenta”. In 1823, this work was translated into Russian and published in the VII part of the “Christian Reading” of 1823, and then in 1895 in the 1st edition of the Palestine Patericon edition. Palestine Patericon 1895 edition, published in in electronic format on the official portal of the Jerusalem branch of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society.

Palestinian patericon

Cover of the 1895 edition of the IOPS

Photo archive of the Jerusalem branch

Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society

Inner cover

Photo archive of the Jerusalem branch
Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society

The description of this ancient hagiographer about the victory of St. Savva over the devil who tempted him in the desert.

“Then the great Savva, being thirty-five years old, saw that the way of life in the monastery had changed, since the fathers of the monastery had died; Therefore, he retired to that eastern Jordanian desert, in which then Saint Gerasim shone like a luminary and sowed the seeds of piety. While in the desert, Savva sang with his very life this Davidic saying; Behold, he went away in flight and settled in the wilderness (Ps. 54:8). There he occupied himself with rest, fasting and unceasing prayers, and in accordance with the words of Scripture: “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 45: 11), he made his mind a pure mirror of God and divine objects. The devil, wanting to distract him from such a life, out of envy, invented many temptations for him. So once upon a time at midnight Savva lay on the sand, and the devil, transforming into snakes and scorpions, tried to frighten him. Although Savva was at first much afraid, he soon learned that this was the trick of the devil. Why, having protected himself with the sign of the cross and driven away fear, he boldly stood up and said: “Although you are trying to frighten me, you yourself remain defeated; because the Lord God is with me. He gave us power over you with these words: “Behold, I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19). As soon as he said this, these poisonous animals disappeared. Also, Satan once appeared to him in the form of the most terrible lion, who walked against him and threatened him with his ferocious appearance. Savva, seeing the beast approaching him terribly, said: “If you have received power over me, then why hesitate? If you have not received it, then why are you laboring in vain? You cannot distract me from God: “for He himself taught me courage with these words: you will step on the asp and the basilisk; You will trample down the lion and the dragon” (Ps. 90:13). As soon as Savva uttered these words, the beast became invisible. And from that time on, God subjugated every poisonous and carnivorous animal to Savva, so that, handling these animals in the deserts, he did not suffer any harm from them.”

In the 19th century, this theme was continued by the Russian hagiographer, Saint Dmitry of Rostov, in his work “The Life and Deeds of our Venerable Father Savva the Sanctified.” The descriptions of the Rev.’s exploits are amazing. Savva in the hagiographic menaions of the Russian spiritual writer. They echo the life of St. Savva Cyril of Scythopolis and correspond to the iconography of the already modern monastery of St. Savva the Sanctified, which depicts St. Savva the Sanctified, taming the lion.

“Blessed Savva was thirty-fifth year old when he settled in the desert alone, practicing fasting and unceasing prayers and making his mind a pure mirror of divine objects. Then the devil began to plot against him. One day at midnight, when the saint was sleeping on the ground after his labors, the devil turned into many snakes and scorpions and, approaching Savva, wanted to frighten him. He immediately stood up for prayer, saying the words of the Psalm of David: “You will not be afraid of the terrors in the night, of the arrow flying by day... you will tread on the asp and the basilisk” (Psalm 90: 5,13). At these words, the demon and his horrors immediately disappeared. A few days later the devil turned into a terrible lion and rushed at the saint, as if wanting to eat him; rushing, he backed away, rushed again and backed away again. Seeing that the beast was rushing and then retreating, the monk said to him:

If you have the power from God to eat me, then why are you moving back? If not, then why are you working in vain? For by the strength of my Christ I will overcome you, O lion!”

And immediately the demon, appearing in the form of an animal, ran away in shame. From then on, God subjugated all the animals and snakes to Savva, and he began to walk among them, like between meek sheep.”

Icon of the Venerable Savva with images of two lions (aggressive and humble)

Chapel of St. Sava of the Sepulcher of St. Savva

The French writer and explorer of Palestine in the 19th century, Alphonse Couret, in his 1869 dissertation entitled “Palestine under the rule of Christian emperors,” which was translated into Russian in 1894 by the Russian Pilgrim publishing house, also left a biography of the exploits of Saint Sava:

"St. Savva located his monastery thirty stages east of the monastery of St. Theodosius, on a steep cliff of the Kidron stream, among the numerous caves that abounded in the surroundings of this stream. At the top of the cliff a tower was initially built and a chapel slightly lower, but soon they discovered a large cave in the shape of a cross; a passage formed by nature connected it with the tower, and a large opening on the side of the stream gave it light. St. Sava, having decorated the inside of the cave, turned it into a church. The lack of water felt in the laurel was miraculously eliminated. One night, while standing in prayer, the wondrous old man heard a noise in the depths of the gorge and saw a wild donkey, vigorously striking the ground with its hoof and falling towards a dug hole. St. Sava hurried with his monks to this place, they began to dig the ground and soon a spring burst out, which had not yet dried up. The Lavra of St. Sava, one of almost all the ancient Palestinian monasteries, with the blessing of its founder, continues to exist without interruption to this day, giving us a clear idea of ​​what the ancient desert monasteries were known to us only from stories. Eleven laurels or monasteries, built by St. Sava and his disciples, gradually settled around the main monastery. The most beautiful of them was the Scholaria Monastery, built by St. Sava on that steep ledge where the tower of Evdokia once rose above the entire desert. Several heretical monks took refuge in this tower after the defeat of the Fekoian monastery by Markian. St. Sava returned them to Orthodoxy, erected a monastery around the tower and entrusted its management to John Scholarius, who became famous for the holiness of his life and gave his name to the monastery. Two other monasteries: the Cave monastery, so-called after the cave that served as its church, and the Castelian monastery, erected on the ruins of an ancient Roman castle, formed a kind of triangle with the aforementioned Scholaria monastery.

Kidron Gorge. On the left you can see the walls and buildings of the Lavra of St. Savva the Sanctified

At the bottom of the gorge, sewage wastewater is visible,

coming from the Arab villages of eastern Jerusalem from the 2nd half of the 20th century.

Until this time, there were no sewage waters or streams at the bottom of the gorge.

Map of ancient Byzantine monasteries around the Lavra of St. Savva the Sanctified

But it was not just the outer structure of so many monasteries that made both of them famous, St. Savva and Theodosius; They became even more famous for establishing internal monastic life. St. Sava owes the merit that he put together the statutes and rules brought by St. Chariton from Egypt, established by St. Euthymius and Theoktistos in their monasteries, added new ones to them, caused by the development of monastic life, and compiled the so-called type of St. Sava , which, consistently supplemented and revised by St. Sophronius of Jerusalem, John of Damascus and Nicholas the Grammar, Patriarch of Constantinople, gradually came into use in all Asian churches and at the end of the 15th century. Thanks to the efforts of Simeon of Thessaloniki, he was accepted as a guide for all Orthodox Christians."

In chapters XI and XII of his work, Alphonse Curet emphasizes the role of the Monk Sava in healing the schisms, strife and disputes raised by various movements of the Monophysites in the Eastern Roman Empire under Emperor Anastasia at the beginning of the 6th century. Why Rev. Sava had to personally come to Emperor Anastasius, with a request on behalf of “Jerusalem and its patriarch, to grant peace to the Palestinian churches, so that all of us, bishops and monks, can freely and calmly pray for your health.” And under Emperor Justinian (526-536), a 90-year-old elder, Saint Sava, managed to expose the Samaritan conspiracy:

“The Emperor, believing the slander, turned his anger against the Palestinian Christians and ordered them to be punished as severely as the rebels. This news plunged all of Palestine into horror. Patriarch Peter, the bishops and monks turned to their proven intercessor and begged St. Savva to go to Constantinople a second time to avert this new threat and achieve relief from heavy taxes for the devastated First and Second Palestines. The ninety-year-old elder yielded to their pleas and appeared at the threshold of the palace in front of which he once stood to intercede with Emperor Anastasius for the Council of Chalcedon and Patriarch Elijah.

This time the guards not only did not stop him, but the imperial messengers came out to meet him, Patriarch of Constantinople with the bishops of Ephesus and Cyzicus accompanied him to the emperor, who fell to his knees at the sight of the Saint.

It was not difficult for St. Sava to expose Arseny’s slander. The indignant Justinian ordered the execution of all the Samaritan leaders of the uprising in captivity in Constantinople, the closure of all synagogues and the subjection of all Samaritans to exclusive legislation, according to which their access to government positions was denied; the duties of the curia were entrusted to them, but without those advantages that softened their severity. Finally, the Samaritans were deprived of the right to alienate their property; they could neither give nor receive them by inheritance, will or gift. If they did not have Christian heirs, then their property went to the treasury. »

Also one of the most important research life of St. Sava the Sanctified in the 19th century, is the work of Hieromonk Theodosius (Oltarzhevsky) (future Bishop of Orenburg and Turgai - Russian Orthodox Church), under the general title “Palestinian monasticism from the 4th to the 6th centuries”, published in the 44th issue of the Orthodox Palestine Collection in 1896 in St. Petersburg. We will present this study of the life of St. Savva the Sanctified as a separate main one. The remarkable Russian spiritual writer, being then still a hieromonk, dedicates significant part this research by Rev. Savva the Sanctified. Summing up his work, Hieromonk Theodosius especially emphasizes:

“The Monastery of Sava the Sanctified was and is, as it were, under the special protection of its founder. Chrysanthus in his Proscinitary says that it was restored three times after repeated and destructive raids by barbarians, and yet it has always been the most revered, majestic and worthy of wonder among all Palestinian monasteries. Called mar-Saba, the ancient monastery of Saint Sava is still considered one of the most remarkable shrines of Palestine and attracts pilgrims of all faiths.”

Saint Sava, who illuminated the Palestinian desert with his angelic life, was born in the small town of Mutalaska, in Cappadocia, in 439. Already at the age of eight, he, realizing the vanity of this world and filled with fiery love for God, entered the nearby Flavian monastery. Despite all the efforts of his family to bring the boy back, he remained adamant in his decision and quickly took up all monastic obediences, especially abstinence and reading the Psalter by heart.

One day, while working in the garden, he felt a desire to eat an apple, however, as soon as he picked the fruit from the branch, he overcame the temptation of gluttony in his soul by force, saying to himself: “The fruit was good to look at and pleasant to the taste, which brought me death through Adam, who desired that which deceived his carnal eyes, and was more concerned about the pleasure of his belly than about spiritual bliss. Are we really going to fall into spiritual slumber and numbness and move away from blessed abstinence?” Immediately throwing the apple on the ground and trampling it with his feet, he won victory over lust and never tasted more apples in his entire life. The boy had so much selflessness and spiritual maturity that he indulged in fasting and vigil along with the most experienced ascetics and surpassed all his brothers in humility, obedience and self-control.

After spending ten years in this monastery, Saint Sava, with the blessing of the abbot, went to Jerusalem (456). Having found there the Venerable Euthymius the Great, famous for his holy life, Savva tearfully begged the elder to take him as his disciple. However, he first sent the young man to the monastery of St. Theoktistus, since it was not in his custom to accept beardless youths among the harsh desert dwellers. Under the leadership of Saint Theoktistus, Savva, demonstrating an example of renunciation of his own will and humility, tirelessly served the brethren all day long, spending the nights in prayers and chants. Soon the young man achieved such perfection in virtues that the Monk Euthymius himself called him “an old man.”

After the death of Saint Theoktistus in 469, Savva received permission to retire to a cave located at some distance from the monastery. There he spent five days a week in constant prayer, without any food, occupying his hands with weaving palm leaves, and on Saturdays and Sundays he came to the monastery to participate in the liturgy and share meals. From the celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany until Palm Sunday, the Monk Euthymius used to take him with him to the Ruva desert, where, undistracted by anyone, he practiced the highest virtues and communion with God. Thus Saint Sava grew to the level of the greatest ascetics of the faith, and after the death of Saint Euthymius he finally retired into the deserted desert for single combat with Satan himself and his servants. His only weapons were the sign of the Cross of the Lord and the invocation of the holy name of Jesus.

After spending four years in hermitage, Saint Sava was led by an angel to a cave located at the very edge of a cliff on the left bank of the Kidron. Here the monk spent the next five years in contemplation and prayer. Only after this did the Lord let His tested warrior know that the time had come to pass on the experience of ascetic life to his disciples.

The saint arranged a separate cell for each novice who came to him in one of the many surrounding caves and taught the novices all the wisdom of desert life. After the number of his disciples very soon reached 70, through the prayer of the saint, a source of living water gushed out from a cleft at the foot of his cave to console and strengthen the brethren. The monks gathered together to perform common services in a spacious cave that looked like a temple. Saint Sava found this cave, guided by the sign of a pillar of fire.

The number of inhabitants of the monastery founded by the monk continuously increased, reaching 150 people. Many pilgrims flocked to the monastery all the time to receive saving instruction and blessings and to bring gifts and donations, thanks to which the monks could supply themselves with everything they needed, without being distracted by the worries of the vain world. Despite the reverend's humble refusal to accept the priesthood, he was nevertheless ordained a presbyter at the age of 53 in order to be able to properly lead his disciples.

The large number of novices did not, however, prevent Saint Sava from continuing to cherish his love of solitude. Every year, following the example of his spiritual father, the Monk Euthymius, he went far into the desert during Great Lent. During one such stay in deserted places, the monk settled on a hill called Castellius, where demons lived. Having cleansed this place with prayers, he founded a new communal monastery there for monks already experienced in the ascetic life (492). For those who had only recently left the world, Saint Sava built a third monastery north of the monastery, so that they could learn the ascetic life and read the Psalter by heart (493).

The monk allowed only experienced monks to work in solitude, who had acquired the skill of discerning and preserving thoughts, heartfelt humility and complete renunciation of their own will. He first sent young monks for obedience to the monastery of Saint Theodosius.

At a time when numerous Palestinian monasticism was embarrassed by the Monophysite heresy, contrary to the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon, Patriarch Sallust of Jerusalem appointed Saint Theodosius and Saint Sava as archimandrites and exarchs of all monasteries that were under the jurisdiction of the holy city (494): Theodosius was entrusted with the cenobitic, and Sava with the hermitage monasticism, as well as monks who lived in cells in the laurels.

An implacable enemy of the servants of hell, Saint Sava was always meek and condescending towards people. Thus, when twice, in 490 and 503, part of his brethren rebelled against the abbot, he himself voluntarily left his post, without trying to defend with words or impose his power by force, and only at the insistence of the patriarch again took the reins of government. Having learned that 60 monks who had left under his authority for an abandoned monastery, the so-called New Lavra (507), were in extreme need, the monk asked the patriarch for a certain amount of gold, which he himself delivered to them and even helped the disobedient ones build a church and organize a new monastery with its own abbot.

Having achieved blissful dispassion and unwavering presence of God in his soul, Saint Sava tamed wild animals, healed the sick, and with prayers called down blessed rain on an area tormented by drought and famine. The monk continued the work of planting new monasteries in the deserted desert, so that, in addition to the position of head of hermits, he had the duties of confessor of seven monastic communities. Saint Sava wisely led the legions of the humble army of Christ, caring with all his might for the unity in the faith of his flock.

In 512, he, along with other monks, was sent to Constantinople to Emperor Anastasius, who favored the Monophysites, in order to support the Orthodox faith, as well as to achieve some tax benefits for the Church of Jerusalem. At first the imperial guards did not want to let the poor and humble hermit in shabby clothes into the palace, mistaking him for a beggar. The Monk Savva made such a strong impression on the emperor that during the saint’s long stay in the capital, he willingly called him to himself, enjoying the wisdom of the saint’s speeches.

Upon returning to Palestine, Savva had to enter into a stubborn struggle with the heretical Patriarch of Antioch Sevirus. Having managed to again lure the emperor into the net of false teachings, Sevier achieved in 516 the removal of Saint Elijah from the See of Jerusalem. Then, at the call of Saints Sava and Theodosius, more than 6 thousand monks gathered together in order to encourage his successor, Patriarch John, to continue defending the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon. Hearing about this, the emperor was ready to use force. Then Saint Sava sent him a bold petition on behalf of all the monks of the Holy Land.

However, in the same year 518, Anastasius died, and the new ruler Justin I, by the grace of God, confirmed his commitment to Orthodoxy and ordered that the Council of Chalcedon be included in the holy diptychs. Saint Sava was then sent to Scythopolis and Caesarea to tell the faithful the good news of the victory.

In 531, during the bloody uprising of the Samaritans, Saint Sava again went to Constantinople to the blessed emperor Justinian in order to enlist his help and protection. For his part, he prophetically predicted to the ruler the upcoming reconquest of Rome and Africa, as well as the future glorious victory over Monophysitism, Nestorianism and Origenism - events that were destined to glorify the reign of Justinian.

Greeted with joy in Jerusalem, the tireless servant of the Lord founded the monastery of Jeremiah there, and then finally retired to the Great Lavra. Having reached the age of 94, Saint Sava fell ill and rested peacefully in the Lord on December 5, 532, leaving Saint Meliton (Melita) as his successor.

The incorrupt relics of the saint were placed in his monastery in front of a huge gathering of monks and laity. During the Crusades they were transported to Venice; again returned to the monastery of St. Sava in our time, October 26, 1965.

Providence soon brought him together with the Monk Euthymius the Great, but he sent Saint Sava to Abba Theoktistus, abbot of the nearby Mucellik monastery with a strict cenobitic charter. The Monk Savva remained in that monastery as a novice for 17 years, until he was 30 years old.

After the death of Elder Theoktistus, his successor blessed the Monk Savva to seclude himself in a cave: only on Saturday the saint left the seclusion and came to the monastery, participated in the Divine service and ate food. After some time, the monk was allowed not to leave the seclusion at all, and Saint Sava labored in the cave for 5 years.

At the end of his life, he was sent by Saint Peter of Jerusalem to Emperor Justinian, so that the king would erect a hospital and complete the construction of the New Church in Jerusalem. The emperor agreed and generously presented Saint Sava with funds for the improvement of the Lavra.

Compiled the “Divine Service Charter” (Typik), also known as the Jerusalem Rule.

The life of Saint Sava is described by his contemporary Cyril of Scythopolis.

In his year he is imperishable