Lives of the Serbian Saints

tr. Yanich and Hankey, 1921

The Life of the Holy Father Ephrem, Patriarch of the Serbians

Our holy father Ephrem was born of a priest’s family during the reign of King Milutin. While he was yet young, there came to him the desire for the monk’s way of life and the spiritual exercises. This was little pleasing to his parents; for they thought only of the growth of his body and hoped that through him they would have many grandchildren. But Almighty God, to Whom all desires are known, turned aside the purpose of the parents of Ephrem and their thoughts which were fixed only upon the things of the body, by means of a dream which came to the young man Ephrem. By this his fears were taken from him and a way was opened to him which fulfilled his purpose and led him to his goal. He set out for the place told to him in his dream, and found there an old hermit, Basil by name, with whom he abode, following the order of the spiritual exercises, fasting and praying. Thus he entered upon the path of spiritual growth and took upon him “the angel way of life.”¹ When his parents heard where he was, they determined to take him away by force and marry him. But that Providence, through whom all good things do come, brought Ephrem to Athos, where he lay hid far from their evil designs, passing his time with God and worshipping Him in spirit and in truth. It came to pass at this time, however, that the Turks invaded the Holy Mountain and pillaged it. Ephrem departed with some of his disciples and came to live in the monastery Ibrovsky, where he became higumen. But it was not his destiny to remain there, and he left all and came to the great Serbian church (Pech), where he bowed down before the holy relics of the saints of the Lord buried in that place, kissing them and receiving the blessing of the Patriarch Joannicius. From there he passed to the monastery of Dechany, near which he chose for himself a desert place and there lived as a hermit, serving God with prayer and fast.

Now it chanced that Tsar Dushan died at this time. Straightway lawlessness broke forth and all order was gone. Through all the country there was turmoil and civil war, so that our hermit hardly escaped alive from the robbers who demanded of him the treasure which they believed he kept hidden. When the Patriarch Sava heard tell of this, he called Ephrem to him and took him and made ready for him a cell in a cave in a narrow valley; there he left the holy man, but came at times to hold converse with him.

Not many days after, the Patriarch Sava died. Tsar Lazar, who was now on the throne, looked upon the excommunication of his Church with displeasure, and because he was an honourable son of the great Church and desired to establish peace among his faithful flock in the Serbian land, he sent the old monk Isaiah from Athos and the priest Nikodim to the Patriarch Theophanes at Constantinople, to pray him to remove the anathema and unite the two Churches with his pardon. And thus it was brought to pass. When it was needful to make a new Serbian patriarch the old Ephrem was elected by the synod. For a long time he said them nay, but at last he yielded and took upon him the position. It was one which called for new strength. But he was so old that he was forced to resign not long after; and Spiridon was raised up in his place. Meanwhile the godly saint, Ephrem, retired to the Church of the Archangel Michael, in the monastery of St. Stephen. After that came troublous times; the saint and martyr Tsar Lazar was slain on Kossovo field, and the Patriarch Spiridon died. Once again the godly old Ephrem left his desert and was prayed to take the helm until a new patriarch should be elected. At last, by the help of the Lord, Stephen, son of St. Lazar and despot of Serbia, called together the synod. It chose Daniel, and then the godly man returned and came to his cave. There he lived for a short while: and then there came the hour of the passing of his soul. Sava, who had succeeded Daniel, was a witness when the godly man gave up his spirit to the Lord in the eighty-eighth year of his life, on the fifteenth day of June. His body was buried in a tomb in the great church.

Through the prayers of Thy saint, O Lord, shield our souls and bodies from evil, keep us from disunion in Church and in State, and make our lives to accord with Thy commandments in the Gospels. Amen.

Notes

Velika skimna, the most strict and ascetic rule in the monastic life.