Basil Fool for Christ
Encyclopedia
Basil the Blessed is a Russian Orthodox saint
of the type known as yurodivy
or "holy fool for Christ".
He was born to serf
s in December of 1468 or 1469 in Yelokhovo, near Moscow
(now in Moscow). His father was named Jacob and his mother Anna. According to tradition, he was born on the portico of the local church. He is thought to have died in 1552.
Originally an apprentice shoemaker in Moscow, he adopted an eccentric lifestyle of shoplifting
and giving to the poor to shame the miserly and help those in need. He went naked and weighed himself down with chains. He rebuked Ivan the Terrible for not paying attention in church, and for his violent behaviour towards the innocent.
When he died on August 2, 1552 or 1557, St. Macarius
, Metropolitan of Moscow, served his funeral
with many clergy. Ivan the Terrible himself acted as pallbearer
and carried his coffin
to the cemetery. He is buried in St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, which was commissioned by Ivan and is named after the saint. Basil was formally canonised around 1580. His feast day is celebrated on August 2 (August 15, N.S.
).
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
of the type known as yurodivy
Yurodivy
Foolishness for Christ refers to behavior such as giving up all one's worldly possessions upon joining a monastic order. It can also refer to deliberate flouting of society's conventions to serve a religious purpose — particularly of Christianity. The term fools for Christ derives from the writings...
or "holy fool for Christ".
He was born to serf
SERF
A spin exchange relaxation-free magnetometer is a type of magnetometer developed at Princeton University in the early 2000s. SERF magnetometers measure magnetic fields by using lasers to detect the interaction between alkali metal atoms in a vapor and the magnetic field.The name for the technique...
s in December of 1468 or 1469 in Yelokhovo, near Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
(now in Moscow). His father was named Jacob and his mother Anna. According to tradition, he was born on the portico of the local church. He is thought to have died in 1552.
Originally an apprentice shoemaker in Moscow, he adopted an eccentric lifestyle of shoplifting
Shoplifting
Shoplifting is theft of goods from a retail establishment. It is one of the most common property crimes dealt with by police and courts....
and giving to the poor to shame the miserly and help those in need. He went naked and weighed himself down with chains. He rebuked Ivan the Terrible for not paying attention in church, and for his violent behaviour towards the innocent.
When he died on August 2, 1552 or 1557, St. Macarius
Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow
Macarius was a notable Russian cleric, writer, and iconographer who served as the Metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia from 1542 until 1563.-Early life and work on the Menaion:...
, Metropolitan of Moscow, served his funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
with many clergy. Ivan the Terrible himself acted as pallbearer
Pallbearer
A pall-bearer is one of several funeral participants who helps carry the casket of a deceased person from a religious or memorial service or viewing either directly to a cemetery or mausoleum, or to and from the hearse which carries the coffin....
and carried his coffin
Coffin
A coffin is a funerary box used in the display and containment of dead people – either for burial or cremation.Contemporary North American English makes a distinction between "coffin", which is generally understood to denote a funerary box having six sides in plan view, and "casket", which...
to the cemetery. He is buried in St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, which was commissioned by Ivan and is named after the saint. Basil was formally canonised around 1580. His feast day is celebrated on August 2 (August 15, N.S.
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
).
See also
- Foolishness for Christ
- Xenia of Saint PetersburgXenia of Saint PetersburgSaint Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg is a patron saint of St...
- John the HairyJohn the HairyBlessed John the Hairy was a holy fool , of the Russian Orthodox Church in the second half of the 16th century. He endured a great many trials in his lifetime...
- Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-ChristBlessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-ChristBorn on the outskirts of Vologda in Russia, Blessed John of Moscow the Fool for Christ, Wonderworker of Moscow, spent his youth as a labourer in a local saltworks and as a water-carrier...
- Sign of contradictionSign of contradictionA sign of contradiction, in Catholic theology, is someone who, upon manifesting holiness, is subject to extreme opposition. The term is from the biblical phrase "sign that is spoken against", found in and in , which refer to Jesus Christ and the early Christians...
- Hell iconHell iconHell icons are legendary icons with images of Devil hidden under primer, riza or painted layer. Also, the image of saint could include horns, hidden under the paint. The term "Hell-created" first occurs in Prologue regarding Sabellianist church banners. Full Church Slavonic dictionary gives the...
External links
- St Basil of Moscow Orthodox Icon and Synaxarion
- The Holy and Blessed Basil, "Fool for Christ" of Moscow from the Prologue from Ohrid