Venerable Serapion of Kozhe Lake

Among the captives whom the Kazan Tatars brought to Moscow in 1551 was the myrza (Tatar Prince) Turtas Gravirovich. He was baptized with the name Sergius and lived in the home of the Moscow boyar Zachariah Plescheev. Sergius embraced the Christian Faith so sincerely, that he decided to dedicate himself wholly to God.

On a desert peninsula of Kozhe Lake in 1560, he met the anchorite Niphon, who became his Elder. Together they began to share the struggle of a harsh reclusive life, and their food consisted of grass and berries. Sergius obeyed all of Niphon's instructions to the letter. After a trial period, Sergius asked the Elder if he might receive the monastic tonsure. Seeing his sincerity and the purity of his wishes, the Elder tonsured him with the name Serapion.

Little by little the hermits became known, and stories about them began to attract spiritual zealots to their spiritual life. Serapion's reclusive life lasted almost eighteen years. When Niphon and Serapion has a fair number of monks, Father Niphon went to Moscow to ask for some land for the monastery, but he reposed in Moscow before he could conduct his business there. The monastic community was not yet aware of Father Niphon's fate.

At the time, because of the the lack of food supplies, people began to get hungry, and out of compassion for the suffering, Father Serapion went to seek donations. He was given some grain to make bread, and a millstone. He carried all this by himself to the monastic community and saved the brethren from dying of starvation.

Upon learning of Niphon's passing, Saint Serapion went to Moscow. There he received a document from Tsar Theodore (1584-1598) dated September 30, 1584 which provided the land for the new monastic community: four versts in all directions; A Metropolitan gave him a gramota with his blessing for the establishment of a monastery. Returning to his place, Saint Serapion and the monks cleared the forest in order to have land for growing crops. They put up fences around the monastery and built two temples: one dedicated to the Holy Theophany, and the other to Saint Nicholas. Patriarch Job (1589-1605; † 1607) gave Saint Serapion two antimensia for the churches.

In 1608, when Saint Serapion had grown quite old, he made his disciple Abramius Igoumen in his place. Saint Serapion reposed on June 27, 1611 and was buried in the church of the Kozhe Lake Monastery, leaving behind as many as forty monks in that community.

In 1613 the monk Bogolep of Kozhe Lake wrote an account of the founding of the monastery, and of its initial construction under Saint Serapion. He also compiled a Life of Saint Serapion.