Venerable (Monastic)15th century

Venerable Dositheus Abbot of Verkneostrov

15th century – 1482

Also known as Dositheus of Pskov

A disciple of Saint Euphrosynus of Pskov who founded the Peter and Paul Monastery on Lake Pskov.

October 8New Calendar

Feast Day

October 21Old Calendar

Suggest a correction Contribute

Icon galleryBrowse icons and imagery elsewhere

Commemorated as

Our Venerable Father Dositheus, Abbot of Verkhneostrov

Life

Venerable Dositheus of Verkhneostrov was a fifteenth-century Russian monastic and the founder and first abbot (igumen) of the Peter and Paul Monastery on the Upper Island (Verkhny Ostrov) of Lake Pskov. He was a disciple of Saint Euphrosynus of Pskov, founder of the Savior-Eleazar Monastery.

Little is recorded of his early or secular life; the chronicles preserve chiefly his founding of the island monastery in 1470 and his ascetic labors there. He reposed in 1482 and was later numbered among the Synaxis of the Pskov Saints. He is commemorated on October 8.

Kontakion & Troparion2 hymnsReadHide

KontakionTone 2

With God’s help, you armed yourself with purity of soul,
and tightly grasping unceasing prayer as a spear, you overthrew the demonic hordes.
O Dositheos our Father,
pray unceasingly for all of us.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

TroparionTone 4

You appeared as a bright lamp on an island in Lake Pskov;
for you took the Cross of Christ upon your shoulders from your youth,
and followed Him diligently, drawing nearer to God in purity;
therefore, you were enriched by the gift of miracles.
Thus we also, when we come to your holy icon,
we lament and cry out:
“O Venerable Father Dositheos, entreat Christ God for the salvation of our souls.”

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline5 momentsReadHide

c. 15th centuryDisciple of Saint EuphrosynusDositheus is formed as a monk under Saint Euphrosynus of Pskov at the Savior-Eleazar Monastery.
1470Founds the Peter and Paul MonasteryHe establishes the monastery on the Upper Island of Lake Pskov and becomes its first igumen, instituting a desert cenobitic life.
1482ReposeDositheus reposes in peace; his relics remain in the Verkhneostrov Monastery. Some sources date his death to 1481.
1764Monastery abolishedEmpress Catherine II abolishes the monastery, and its church becomes the parish church of Saints Peter and Paul.
1987Added to the Synaxis of Pskov SaintsThe name of Dositheus of Verkhneostrov is added to the Synaxis of the Pskov Saints.

Contributions & Legacy

4 contributionsReadHide

Life and Monastic Formation

Dositheus was formed as a monk under Saint Euphrosynus of Pskov (born Eleazar, c. 1386 – 1481), the founder of the Savior-Eleazar Monastery, who around 1425 withdrew into a hermitage that grew into a monastic community and later gave a written rule to his brethren. Dositheus is recorded among the disciples of Euphrosynus who went on to establish independent monasteries of their own.

According to the accounts, information about his childhood and secular life has barely survived, and he is remembered principally through his monastic foundation and the chronicle notices of it.

Foundation of the Peter and Paul Monastery

In 1470 Dositheus founded the Peter and Paul Monastery on the Upper Island of Lake Pskov, part of the Talab Islands, and served as its first igumen. The chronicles relate that at that time the Talab Islands were an impenetrable forest that served as a haven for robbers, underscoring the remoteness of the site he chose for monastic settlement.

At the monastery Dositheus is said to have instituted a form of desert cenobitic life (pustynnozhitelstvo), a communal monastic practice emphasizing ascetic withdrawal.

Relics & Shrines

Dositheus reposed in 1482 (some sources give 1481). His relics rest in the Verkhneostrov Monastery, remaining under the ground there.

The monastery was abolished by Empress Catherine II in 1764 and its church became the parish church of Saints Peter and Paul. After the October Revolution the church was closed by the Bolsheviks; many of its clergy were arrested and exiled, some were shot, and after release they were not permitted to return to the church.

Veneration and Legacy

Dositheus is venerated as a venerable (prepodobny) by the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1987 his name was added to the Synaxis of the Pskov Saints.

He is commemorated individually on October 8 and together with the Synaxis of the Pskov Saints on the third Sunday after Pentecost.

Companions1 figureShowHide

Fellow disciple of Saint Euphrosynus of Pskov.

Hilarionof Pskov

Related Saints1 saintShowHide

Saints connected to his life, mission, and place in Orthodox tradition.

His elder, whose disciple he was before founding the Peter and Paul monastery on Lake Pskov.

Venerable EuphrosynusAbbot of Pskov

Browse similar saints by calling and place.

More Russia560 More Slavic Saints752 More Monastics1353

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints