St. Sergei, the second son of the pious Boyars, was born in 1314 during the reign of Rostov and was baptized Bartholomeos. At the age of 7, a monk blessed him and prophesied that he will become a guide of the Christian faith for many people. At the age of 23 he received the monastic blessing and was named Sergios. It is said that during his monastic ordeal he reconciled with a bear who came every day to find food. In 1354 he was ordained a priest and consecrated abbot. With the warning of the ecumenical patriarch St. Filotheos Kokkinos he founded a commune. Encouraged by Alexis, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Moscow has taken on the responsibility of the cognitive life. His monastery, known as the Lavra of the Holy Trinity of Zagorsk, still remains today the center of the ecclesiastical life and piety of the Russians.
