Venerable Cassian of Uglich

Venerable Cassian (in the world Constantine) the Greek, Wonderworker of Uglich (Úglich) was a descendant of the Greek princes of Mangup (Manuk). Constantine received an excellent education for his time. He arrived in Moscow from Constantinople in 1478 as part of an embassy accompanying Princess Sophia – the niece of the Greek Emperors John and Constantine Palaiologos (Palaiológos), and bride of the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III. Constantine expressed a desire to stay in Russia. The Great Prince Ivan III offered to give him "cities and and lands for his subsistence," but he humbly declined this, because the vanity of life at the court was a burden for his heart, which sought solitude and to serve God as a monk. With the Great Prince's permission, he went to Rostov, where at first he stayed with Archbishop Joasaph (Obolensky). When the Archbishop decided to step down from his cathedra and settle in the Saint Therapon-White Lake Monastery, where previously he had been tonsured, Prince Constantine gladly followed him. There the Greek prince received the opportunity for prayerful solitude and life in the contemplation of God, and reading the Holy Scriptures. He became a monk after a miraculous vision one night, in which the former Igoumen Martinian (January 12) but some sources say Saint Therapon (May 27) commanded him to be tonsured. Soon Prince Constantine was honored with the monastic schema and the name Cassian.

He happened to leave the Monastery with some of the brethren and sailed along the Volga to the city of Uglich. Not reaching it for 15 versts, he was captivated by a picturesque place on the bank of the Volga, not far from the confluence of the Uchma River. There he set up a cross and built a cell. The Saint's fame spread far and wide, and "many people started coming to obtain his blessing, and to see how he lived in the wilderness, and to converse with him," Saint Cassian, received everyone with love, instructing them on the path of salvation with his "quiet words."

With the permission of Prince Andrew, he founded a Monastery there in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Together with several monks who came with him from the Saint Therapon Monastery, he built the Dormition church in that place, which laid the foundation for the Uchem Monastery. Later, during a raging flood, when the Volga overflowed its banks, the church was severely damaged. Then Prince Andrew of Uglich went to help Saint Cassian again. Father Cassian was bound not only by personal friendship, but also by ties of spiritual kinship, for he was the godfather of the Prince's son Demetrios. The Monastery and the church were moved to another place, not far from the former location, but safer. The new church was dedicated to the Holy Prophet John the Forerunner, and became a parish church for the nearby villages. Saint Cassian engaged in ascetical contests (podvigs) for a long time in the Monastery he founded. The Saint departed to the Lord at a ripe old age on October 2, 1504. His holy relics were buried in the same Monastery. After his blessed repose, the Righteous Cassian was glorified by numerous miracles, which records evidence from the records from the Uglich Chronicle; particularly, his defense of the Monastery from Polish soldiers during 1609–1611.

A Church Service in honor of Saint Cassian was written and donated to the Monastery on May 17, 1686 by a devout son of the Moscow priest Michael Pimenov, as mentioned in the manuscript. which is preserved at Uglich.

The icon of Saint Cassian was miraculously painted. A certain priest named Simeon, who was an artist, promised to paint it, but he was stricken with a serious illness, and was unable to fulfill his vow until two years had passed. At last he came to Igoumen Germogenes and asked him: "How shall I paint the icon of the Saint?" The Igoumen gave him a paper, on which it was written how to depict Saint Cassian. While contemplating how to fulfill his commission, the priest fell asleep and saw the Holy Elder's face inscribed on the board; It seemed to him that a monk was standing by his bedside, exactly like the figure on the icon.

Venerable Cassian appeared to many others, and he did not forget his Monastery, granting it not only spiritual blessings, but temporal blessings as well, thereby bearing witness to his unceasing protection of the brethren he had gathered.

Saint Cassian of Uglich is commemorated on October 2 (his blessed repose); May 21 (his Name Day); and again on May 23 (the Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslavl Saints).