Once a sick boyar of Prince Vsevolod was brought to the Pechersk monastery. This patient was driven to despair by the Armenian doctor, who predicted his death in eight days. Blessed Agapit, having made a prayer over him and given him a potion for food, which he himself ate, healed him of his illness. From that time on, the fame of the blessed physician spread throughout the Russian land.

The Armenian, consumed with envy, began to revile the blessed one. He sent to the monastery the one he had condemned to death, ordering him to be given poison, so that he, having taken it, would die in front of Agapit. The blessed one, having given this dying man monastery food, made him healthy and delivered the condemned man from death. After that, the heterodox armed himself against Agapit even more strongly: he taught his co-religionists to kill the monk with poison. But the blessed one drank without harm, not suffering in the least. The news of the Lord to deliver the godly from misfortune (2 Pet. 2:9). He said: "If they drink mortal things, it does not harm them; they will lay them on sick hands and they will be healthy."

Prince Vladimir Monomakh, then reigning in Chernigov (the future Grand Prince of Kiev), became ill. He was treated by an Armenian and used all his efforts, all the means of art, and the illness not only did not soften, but from hour to hour became more dangerous. The prince, feeling that he was close to death, sent to the Pechersk hegumen John with a request to send Agapit the physician to him. "If I go to the prince," reasoned Blessed Agapit, "then I must go to everyone. Human glory is dangerous. I will not go beyond the gates of the monastery, so as not to transgress my vow. If they drive me out, I will go in the other direction and return again." He sent the prince boiled byli, which he had prepared for himself for food. The prince recovered. The healed Vladimir came to thank the Monk Agapit, but he, fearing the glory of man, hid himself. The prince gave the goods brought for Fr. Agapit gifts to the abbot. Then, vividly feeling how much he owed to Fr. Agapit, ordered the boyar to take the gold to him in his cell. "My son! – said the monk to the messenger. "I do not charge anyone for treatment – for nothing: it is Christ the Lord who heals, not me." The messenger asked to accept the prince's gifts for his consolation and to use them at his discretion. "So be it," said Agapit, "tell the prince not to keep the treasures. What are they for? Let him distribute them to the poor; if he does not listen to me, it will be bad for him. The Lord does not like ingratitude, Who delivered him from death." The elder took the gold out of his cell and placed it at the door, and he himself disappeared. The messenger also went out and, seeing the thrown gold, carried it to the hegumen John. The prince, not daring to disobey St. Agapit, began to mercilessly distribute from his property to the poor.

After many labors and feats pleasing to God, the unmercenary physician himself, the blessed elder Agapit, fell ill. An Armenian physician then came to him, as if to visit, and began to argue with him about the medical cunning, asking: "With what potion is this ailment cured?" Then the Armenian, considering the monk to be ignorant of healing, said to his own: "He understands nothing in this art." Then, taking St. Agapit by the hand, he said: "Verily I say to you, that on the third day you will die. But if my word changes, then I myself will change my life and will be a monk like you." The blessed one answered: "Is this what your art consists in? You speak of death, not of your help. If you are skillful, heal me; but if thou canst not, why dost thou reproach me, foretelling death in three days; for the Lord has announced to me that I will depart to Him only in three months." "You have already changed completely and are exhausted," the Armenian objected, "and such people cannot live more than 3 days." Meanwhile, they brought to Blessed Agapit, who was so sick himself, a certain sick man from the city of Kiev for healing. The blessed one, with God's wondrous help, immediately stood up, as if he had not been ill, and, taking his usual potion used for food, showed it to the Armenian, saying: "This is the potion of my healing, see and understand." The latter, having looked, said to the saint: "This is not one of our potions, but perhaps from Alexandria." Then the monk gave the sick man his potion and, having prayed, immediately healed him. Then, turning to the Armenian, he said: "Child, I beseech you, eat this potion with me." But he answered: "We, father, fast for four days this month, and therefore now we have a fast." Hearing this, the blessed one asked him: "Who are you and of what faith?" – "And have you not heard of me? I am Armenian." Then the blessed one said to him: "How dare you enter here and defile my cell and hold my sinful hand! Depart from me, you heterodox and wicked one!" Saint Agapitus, according to his prediction, reposed after this exactly three months later, on the first day of the month of June. His honorable relics were placed by the brethren in the cave of St. Antonia. Some time after the death of the Monk Agapit, the Armenian physician again came to the Pechersk monastery and said to the hegumen: "Now I will leave the Armenian heresy and truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, wishing Him to work in the holy monastic rank. For Blessed Agapit appeared to me, saying: "You promised to take the monastic form, and if you lie, you will destroy your soul," but now I believe that the one who appeared to me is truly holy. For when he wanted to live for three months, the Lord gave him this time, and if he wanted to live three years, then the Lord would listen to him. Therefore he himself wanted to leave us as a saint, desiring the kingdom of the saints. Therefore, I wish to fulfill the command of this holy man soon." Hearing this from the Armenian, the abbot tonsured him into the monastic rank, and the former Armenian ended his life in the exploits of Orthodoxy.

The death of the miraculous unmercenary physician Fr. Agapit followed no later than 1095, since the illness after which he died three months later occurred after the healing of Monomakh, the prince of Chernigov, who stayed in Chernigov until 1094, and John was the hegumen of the Caves from 1088.

June 2

John the New, Sochavsky, the Great Martyr

The Holy Great Martyr John the New, Sochavsky lived in the XIV century in the city of Trebizond. It is called Sochava because his relics rest in the cathedral church in Sochava. John was engaged in trade, was pious, firm in Orthodoxy and merciful to the poor. By the nature of his occupation, he often sailed to other countries. And once he had to sail on a ship, the owner of which was not an Orthodox Christian. In a dispute about the faith, Saint John, who was well acquainted with the Holy Scriptures and the works of the Holy Fathers, denounced the unrighteousness of the shipwright, and he bore a grudge against the saint. During the ship's stay in Belgrade of the Bosphorus (according to other sources, in Akkerman – Belgorod on the Dniester), the owner of the ship reported to the governor of the city, a pagan fire-worshipper, that St. John wanted to renounce Christ and worship fire.

The governor invited the saint to the palace and received him with honor. "From many we know that you are a worthy man," he said kindly, "and we are very glad to hear that you are captivated by our beautiful and true faith. And since you love it voluntarily, do not hesitate to be our friend, reject the ridiculous and shameful faith of the Christians, loudly shame their law before the people who are now assembled, praise our faith and, as you promised, do it immediately! For this you will be honored by the king and will live in contentment like our brother." The saint prayed in secret, calling for help from Him Who said: "When they lead you to be betrayed, do not be anxious beforehand what to say to you, and do not deliberate; but whatever is given to you in that hour, that also speak, for it is not you who will speak, but the Holy Spirit (Mark 13:11). And the Lord gave him courage and understanding. Filled with Divine zeal, St. John, looking menacingly at the governor, said: "You are clearly lying! All this is your invention and the trick of Satan! It is better for yourself, unfortunate one, to know the truth and be baptized, in order to be worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven." After this, he loudly confessed his faith in the One God, glorified in the Trinity, and himself as a Christian. After this he was given over to cruel tortures: the saint was mercilessly beaten with sticks, so that his body was covered with blood. The holy martyr prayed, thanking God, Who had vouchsafed him to shed blood for Him and to wash away his sins, and the torturers scourged him even more strongly, so that he no longer began to speak. But since it was already evening, they put the beaten man in chains and dragged him to prison. The next day they again tried to force him to worship fire, but all the efforts of the torturers were useless. Saint John glorified Christ and tried to convert the pagans to the true faith. No tortures broke the will of the holy martyr. "Strike with rods," he said to the governor, "burn with fire, drown in water, or cut with a sword, and if you have other, more severe torments, do not be lazy to inflict them on me: I am ready to accept everything joyfully for the sake of love for my Christ."

Saint John was tied by the legs to the tail of a wild horse, which they began to drive through the streets of the city. The Jews laughed at the sufferings of the martyr. One of them caught up with the dragged martyr and cut off his head. The executioners untied the body and left it with its head in the same place in the middle of the street, and none of the Christians dared to bury it.

At night many saw over the body of the martyr a pillar of fire and a multitude of luminous lampadas. Three light-bearing men sang sacred hymns and burned incense around him. A certain Jew took these men for Christian priests and wanted to shoot one with a bow. But when he drew the bowstring, the bow and arrow seemed to grow to his hands — he became motionless, bound by the invisible power of God. With the onset of morning, the vision disappeared, and the shooter continued to stand motionless. Having told the assembled inhabitants of the city about the night vision and the punishment of God that had befallen him, he freed himself from invisible bonds. Learning about what had happened, the governor allowed the remains of the great martyr to be buried. The body was buried at the local church. This happened between 1330-1340.

The owner of the ship, repenting of what he had done, wanted to secretly take the body of the martyr. At night, he dug up the grave and intended to remove the relics. Saint John in a dream vision warned the presbyter of the church about this, and he stopped the thief. The venerable relics were transferred to the altar of the church, where they lay for more than 70 years. Various miracles occurred from the relics: light shone, fragrance spread, and many sick people were healed. The ruler of the Moldavian-Wallachian principality, Alexander, transferred the relics of St. John the New to his capital Sochava.

June 4

Eleazar and Nazarius of Olonets, Venerable