“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in Heaven.”
(Matthew 5:11–12)
A Greek scholar, publicist and critic; a Russian writer whose works stirred the minds of readers in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; a state prisoner who endured twenty years in chains; and, at last, a Russian saint whose relics lie in Trinity-Sergius Lavra. All these remarkable roles define one man: Venerable Maximus the Greek — a champion of truth, a pillar of the Orthodox faith, a devout man of prayer who pleaded for others, and a tireless teacher.
Born in 1470 in the Greek city of Arta, the future saint was given the name Michael at baptism. He came from the old and distinguished Byzantine family of Trivolis. His parents, Manuel, a prosperous Greek notable, and Irene, were renowned for their deep piety and commitment to the Orthodox tradition — qualities they passed on to their son.
His parents were people of learning, and they ensured that young Michael received an excellent education. Around 1480, he studied the classical disciplines on the island of Corfu under scholar Joannes Moschos. Then, in 1492, he travelled to Italy, which, after the fall of Constantinople, had become a centre for Greek scholarship. Michael Trivolis journeyed widely, mastering languages and sciences across European lands. He visited Paris, Florence, Venice — where he attended the well-established Greek school — Padua, famed for its university, and numerous other cities. Venerable Maximus later wrote about this chapter of his life: “Had not the Lord, Who cares for the salvation of all, had mercy on me and enlightened my mind with His light, I would long ago have perished with the preachers of impiety there.”
His mentor, Joannes Lascaris, once brought hundreds of ancient texts from Mount Athos to Florence. Through him, Michael discovered the wealth of wisdom stored in the Holy Mountain’s monastic libraries.
The richest of all was the library of the Vatopedi Monastery. Two emperors who had found refuge at Vatopedi — Andronikos Palaiologos and John Kantakouzenos — had each left their handwritten codices to this collection. Michael knew too of the deeply spiritual elders who toiled in the monastic settlements on the Holy Mountain. Leaving Italy in 1504, he travelled back to his homeland before making his way to Athos. A year later, in 1505, Michael embraced the monastic life at Vatopedi. He received the name Maximus, after St Maximus the Confessor.
Vatopedi Monastery
On Athos, Monk Maximus immersed himself in the writings of the holy fathers. He found a special kinship with one volume above all: the “Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith” by John of Damascus. Reflecting on this work, St Maximus later shared that through it he “attained the highest knowledge of philosophy and theology.”
The young monk soon gained respect across the Holy Mountain. In those years, he wrote his first texts and composed a canon to Saint John the Baptist. His chief task, however, was copying books to order. Another duty was to collect offerings for the Athonite monasteries, which meant travelling from town to town across Greece.
Then, life took an unexpected turn. The Grand Prince of Moscow, Vasily Ivanovich (reigned 1505–1533), had a keen desire to study the Greek handwritten texts and volumes once owned by his mother, Sophia Palaiologina. And so, in 1515, the Grand Prince, along with Metropolitan Varlaam of Moscow, approached the Patriarch of Constantinople, asking him to send a skilled interpreter of Greek. From Vatopedi Monastery, the call came to the 47-year-old Maximus (Trivolis). He set off for Russia, accompanied by two fellow monks, Neophytos and Lavrentios. At that time, Maximus himself spoke no Russian, nor was he familiar with the formal Church Slavonic used in texts. Yet, displaying remarkable aptitude, this gifted man of God picked up the language during the long voyage that stretched over three years. It was not until 4 March 1518 that they finally reached Moscow, where they were given rooms at the Chudov Monastery. There, Maximus began to study Church Slavonic in the prince’s library, rich with ancient Greek and Latin works.
Metropolitan Gregory, Venerable Maximus the Greek arrive in Moscow to Grand Prince Vasily III of Moscow. Miniature from the Illustrated Chronicle of Ivan the Terrible, 1570s.
Maximus’s first work in Russia was the translation of the Commentary on the Psalms — one of the most widely read books in the land. Since he was still unfamiliar with Church Slavonic, he worked from Greek into Latin. Throughout this process, he took great care to keep close to the source. Two other translators, Dimitry Gerasimov and Blasius, then helped by taking his Latin version and putting it into Slavonic. After eighteen months the work lay finished; Grand Prince Vasily examined it and Metropolitan Varlaam gave his blessing, becoming Maximus’s patron at court.
The Grand Prince valued Maximus the Greek’s work highly; so much so, that despite Maximus’ earnest appeals to return to Athos, he was persuaded to remain in Moscow. After the Psalter, his attention turned to the Explanatory Apostle, followed by the great writings of Saints John Chrysostom, Gregory the Theologian, Basil the Great, Athanasius the Great, and Cyril of Alexandria. Then, a fresh duty fell to him: to edit and correct the church service books. These texts had, over time, become full of mistakes, born of poor learning, haste, or plain disregard by copyists.
These corrections sparked the first conflict between Maximus the Greek and the church leaders. Over many years, the mistaken words and phrases had become familiar, and most high-ranking clergy were set against altering them, fighting his changes at every turn. A century later, in the 1600s, differences of this sort would indeed split the church. But in Maximus’s time, the 1500s, the accusations levelled against him were of heresy. And so, his troubles began. For as long as Metropolitan Varlaam held his post in Moscow, and with the Grand Prince still backing the monk from Athos, those who opposed the scholar had to bide their time. However, once the monk Daniel, from the Volokolamsk Monastery, took the bishop’s seat, our learned man found himself in a truly precarious spot.
The turning point for Maximus came in 1524. Grand Prince Vasily III had resolved to end his marriage to Solomonia, his wife who had borne him no children, and send her to live in a convent. The Athonite, ever one to speak out when he saw rulers trying to break God’s commands, did so once more. In his letter to the sovereign, he pressed him to resist the pull of worldly desires. The respected teacher put it plainly: a genuine leader is a man who can master his own urges, keeping watch against three particular sins — “lust, pride, and greed.”
His opponents seized the chance. Saint Maximus was swiftly taken, clapped in irons, and locked away in the dungeons of Simonov Monastery. It was done with such secrecy that no one in Moscow knew if he still lived, or where he could be. And so began his way of the cross. When he was brought to answer, the charges were many: that he had wrongly translated Hellenic texts, twisting their real sense; that he had been in touch with disgraced nobles and the Turkish envoy. They branded him a traitor and a heretic. Maximus the Greek put forward two points to clear his name. First, he explained his limited grasp of Russian, noting his early renditions went from the original tongue to Latin, always striving for faithfulness to the primary source. Second, he pointed out that through the ages, the hands of countless scribes and translators had altered many ancient writings; he was simply trying to bring back their first, true shape. But his reasoning fell on deaf ears. The revered monk, now barred from taking Holy Communion, was found guilty and sent to the Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery.
Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery, where Venerable Maximus the Greek spent the first six years of his exile
In 1525, the 55-year-old monk faced grim confinement at Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery: “To sit in silence... and to be completely isolated and without communication.” At times, the smoke, foul air, chains, and beatings overwhelmed him, leaving him almost lifeless. In one such dark hour, an angel of God appeared to the spent captive, offering comfort: “Endure, elder, through these temporary sufferings you will be delivered from eternal torment.” A wave of spiritual joy washed over Maximus. He then sang a canon to the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, and later etched its verses onto the walls of his bleak cell. Reflecting on this period, Maximus the Greek would later say: “They tormented me with smoke, frost, and hunger for my many sins.”
Otroch Monastery in Tver
The saint’s ordeal, however, was far from over. In 1531, he faced trial once more. Fresh charges joined the earlier claims of heresy and flawed book translations. These now included sorcery, witchcraft, and even his simple living and supposed lack of regard for Russian wonderworking monks whose monastery held great lands. Mercifully, his next place of confinement was Tver’s Otroch Monastery. Bishop Akakios, a man who deeply admired the learned Greek, received the duty of “overseeing” the holy man. Life for the captive there proved more bearable; the abbot invited him to dine at his table and gave him the freedom to read and write. Yet, a full decade passed before the respected elder could once more receive the Holy Mysteries.
Maximus the Greek. Miniature and the opening of his dogmatic treatise “Confession of the Orthodox Faith” from a collection of his writings. 18th century
Repeatedly, Maximus the Greek sought justice, presenting his “Confession of Faith” to the Council and the Metropolitans of Moscow. In 1534, after the death of Grand Prince Vasily III, Maximus wrote another letter, defending himself and his translations. He ended his letter with a heartfelt request: to be allowed to return to Athos. Yet, Metropolitan Macarius answered his entreaties with these words: “We kiss your bonds, those of a saint, but we cannot help you in any way.”
At last, after many appeals from the Patriarchs of Constantinople, Jerusalem, and Alexandria, and from Metropolitan Macarius himself, the 81-year-old Maximus the Greek finally left captivity. After twenty-six long years of confinement, he was allowed to retire at the Trinity Sergius Monastery. There, he returned to a task he loved dearly: translating the Psalter into Russian. Tsar Ivan IV paid him a visit. A year on, the Tsar called him to Moscow to help counter the emerging heresy of Matvei Bashkin. Just one more year passed before, in 1556, the venerable one departed to the Lord. His tomb in the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra still bears these words:
Here blessed Maximus rests his body, laid to sleep,
His soul with God in heaven now does vigil keep.
What divine wisdom in his sacred books he penned,
Through life and deeds he showed, on truth did all depend.
He left us patterns of pure faith and holiness,
Of humble love, salvation’s path, and blessedness!
The uncovering of the Holy Relics of Venerable Maximus the Greek in the Trinity Sergius Lavra, 1996
Venerable Maximus left behind a rich collection of some 365 writings: deep studies on faith and its defence, guidance for the soul and on right living, explorations of grammar and language, and personal letters. Within these pages, he spoke out against the Latins and Protestants, decried the popular interest in astrology, and took to task the spreading of empty ceremony in Russia that lacked a genuine life in Christ. He also castigated the boyars who exploited the youth of Ivan IV, for whom he wrote the “Instructive Chapters to Those Ruling in True Faith.” Among the saint’s literary treasures is a canon to the Holy Spirit, etched with charcoal onto the wall of his stark, damp cell in Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery. Its words now echo through countless Russian churches. Each day in his cell, the saint began with words from a sermon he wrote to comfort himself:
“Do not grieve, do not sorrow, do not despair, my beloved soul, because you suffer unjustly from those from whom you should have received all good things, since you nourished them with a spiritual feast filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, that is, the patristic interpretations of the God-inspired hymns of David, translated by you from Greek into glorious Russian! Also many other soul-benefiting books, some of which you translated, and others, into which many incorrect foreign words had crept, you properly corrected. On the contrary, thank your Lord, praise and glorify Him consciously, for He has counted you worthy in this present life to repay in full your entire debt with temporary sufferings and those significant talents which you owed Him. Therefore, do not consider this time a time of lamentation, but rather a time of divine joy, so that you, wretched one, do not suffer a double loss by acting ungratefully. Rather, rejoice and be glad prudently, striving always to live a humble life, with gratitude, with good hope and honour, which the Kingdom of Heaven gladly welcomes, and with which nothing in existence can compare.”
Shrine with the relics of Venerable Maximus the Greek. Trinity Sergius Lavra. Architect V. A. Zvezdkin
From the 1500s, the writings of Maximus the Greek spread widely in many copies. Although the Church canonised him only in 1988, marking a thousand years since the Baptism of Rus’, people had honoured him as a saint of Radonezh for many years. Indeed, by the middle of the seventeenth century, the story of his life, “The Life of Maximus the Greek,” was part of the Menaion, and images of him in icons started to appear. A discovery in 1591 brought his earthly remains to light — they were found untouched by decay, with even a piece of his cloak intact. Then, in 1996, following careful archaeological work, the saint’s relics were found once more. They have since rested in the Holy Spirit Church of the Lavra.
“Clad in the dawn of the Spirit, you were granted the gift of godly eloquence; enlightening the hearts darkened by ignorance with the light of piety, you shone forth as a most radiant lamp of Orthodoxy, Venerable Maximus. For this zeal, you became a stranger and alien to your all-seeing homeland, yet a true sojourner in the Russian land. You endured the sufferings of prison and exile imposed by the autocrat, and now the right hand of the Most High crowns you with glory and wonderworking. Intercede unceasingly for us who honour your holy memory with love.”
(Troparion to Venerable Maximus the Greek, Tone 8)
Material prepared by the team of obitel-minsk.ru
Photographs from the internet
Sources:
1. Maximus the Greek. Spiritual and Moral Words. — Sergiev Posad, Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, 2006.
2. Maximus the Greek. Words and Teachings / Preface, compilation and commentary by Prof. A. F. Zamaleev. (Russian Science of the Soul). — St Petersburg, Trope Troyanov, 2007.
3. Venerable Maximus the Greek — Russian Faith (ruvera.ru)
4. Venerable Maximus the Greek: He Feared Not to Rebuke the Tsar Himself | Pravmir (pravmir.ru)
