Hieromartyr 16th century

Hieromartyr Cornelius Abbot of the Pskov Caves

1501-1570

Also known as Cornelius of Pskov · Kornily of the Pechory Monastery

Abbot of the Pskov Caves Monastery for over forty years, who greatly expanded it and spread the faith. He was slain by Ivan the Terrible in 1570.

Feast Day

February 20

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Commemorated as

The Holy Hieromartyr Cornelius, Abbot of the Pskov Caves

Life

Cornelius was the abbot of the Pskov Caves Monastery (the Pskovo-Pechersky Monastery) for over forty years, during which the community grew from a struggling settlement into one of the foremost monastic centers of northwestern Rus'. Born in 1501 at Pskov, he led the monastery from 1529 until his death and oversaw its great expansion in buildings, brethren, missionary reach, and works of charity.

He was killed on February 20, 1570, by Tsar Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible), who, according to the monastery's traditions, struck him down at the monastery gates in a fit of anger provoked by false slander. The Church venerates him as a hieromartyr, and his relics rest in the monastery he built.

Timeline 7 moments Read Hide

1501 Birth at Pskov Cornelius was born in 1501 at Pskov to the noble family of Stephen and Maria. He was sent to the Pskov Mirozh monastery for his education, where he worked under the guidance of an Elder, making candles, cutting wood, studying his letters, transcribing and adorning books, and painting icons.
c. 1520s Monastic tonsure at the Pskov Caves A government clerk, Misiur Munekhin, brought Cornelius to the Pskov Caves Monastery, then in a poor condition. The solemnity of the services in the cave church so impressed him that he abandoned his parental home and took monastic vows there.
1529 Made abbot at age twenty-eight In 1529, at the age of twenty-eight, Cornelius was made igumen (abbot) and became head of the monastery. Over the course of his tenure the number of brethren increased from 15 to 200 men, a figure that was not surpassed by subsequent abbots.
1531 An Account of the Origin of the Pechersk Monastery A great lover of books, Cornelius authored 'An Account of the Origin of the Pechersk Monastery' in 1531 and maintained the monastery's chronicles and Synodikon, recording its deceased brothers and benefactors.
1541-1565 Building the monastery Cornelius built a church of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos in 1541 and a church of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos in 1559, enlarged the cave structures, and erected a massive stone wall around the monastery between 1558 and 1565, with a stone church dedicated to Saint Nicholas over the gates.
February 20, 1570 Martyrdom On February 20, 1570, Ivan the Terrible came to the monastery in anger over a false slander. According to the monastery's ancient manuscripts, the Tsar beheaded Cornelius with his own hands at the gates, in the saint's 69th year. The Tsar immediately repented and carried the body to the Dormition church; the path stained by the saint's blood became known as the 'Bloody Path.'
1690 Translation of the relics Cornelius's body remained incorrupt in the cave for 120 years. In 1690, Metropolitan Marcellus transferred the relics to the crypt of the Dormition cathedral. They were placed in a copper-silver reliquary in 1872 and a new reliquary in 1892.

Contributions & Legacy

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Abbot of the Pskov Caves

When Cornelius arrived, the Pskov Caves Monastery was in poor condition; under his direction it reached its prime. Made abbot in 1529 at the age of twenty-eight, he led the community for over forty years, during which the brethren grew from 15 to 200 men.

He undertook an extensive program of building. He raised a church of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos in 1541 and a church of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos in 1559, enlarged the monastery's cave structures, and built a massive stone wall around the monastery between 1558 and 1565, crowned with a stone church dedicated to Saint Nicholas over the gates.

Mission and Charity

Cornelius's activity extended far beyond the bounds of the monastery. He spread Orthodoxy among the Esti and Saeti peoples living around the monastery, and built churches, hospices, and homes for orphans and those in need.

During a terrible plague in the Pskov region, he walked through the plague-infested villages to give Communion to the living and to sing burial services for the dead. During the Livonian War he preached among the occupied cities and tended and fed the injured and the maimed.

Writings

Cornelius was described as a great lover of books. In 1531 his work 'An Account of the Origin of the Pechersk Monastery' appeared. He maintained the monastery's chronicles and compiled a Synodikon commemorating the deceased brothers and benefactors of the house; the so-called 'Stern Book' was kept from 1588 onward.

Relics & Shrines

After his death the saint's body was placed in the cave and remained incorrupt for 120 years. In 1690, Metropolitan Marcellus transferred the relics to the crypt of the Dormition cathedral of the Pskov Caves Monastery, where they continue to be venerated. The relics were enshrined in a copper-silver reliquary in 1872 and in a new reliquary in 1892.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Feb 20