Abraham of Bulgaria

The Holy Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria (Abraham of Volga Bulgaria) was a merchant of Volga Bulgaria, a convert from Islam to Christianity, killed for the faith on 1 April 1229. He is also called the wonderworker of Vladimir, where his relics lie. His feast is on 1 April, the day of his repose, on 9 March, the day of the translation of his relics, on the fourth Sunday after Pascha (of the paralytic), and in the synaxes of the saints of Vladimir and of Kazan.

Origin and occupation

Very little information about his life is preserved. The basic information is in chronicles and in writings of the seventeenth century; the oldest testimony is the Laurentian Chronicle (fourteenth century), in which the chronicler says that Abraham was "of another language, not Russian"; his name before baptism is not known. He probably came from the Bulgars of the Volga or of the Kama, brought up in a Muslim environment, and at first professed Islam. He was a rich and well-⁠known merchant, who traded in the cities of the Volga region.

Coming to Christianity

Under the influence of associating with Russian merchants, he accepted the Orthodox faith, becoming an active missionary. He was an unusually merciful man and loving toward the needy, spending his wealth on the needs of the suffering. Visiting Russian cities and staying with Russian merchants, he took deep interest in the Christian faith; by God's providence grace touched his heart, and, knowing the truth of the faith of Christ, he received Holy Baptism. So the merchant became a Christian and received the name Abraham, under which he was written in the book of life (the chronicles do not mention his name before baptism). After baptism he carried on apostolic preaching among his own people, by the word of the Gospel and, above all, by his Christian life. And as before becoming a Christian he had felt compassion for the troubles and wants of his neighbour, so after accepting the faith he began to grieve for the spiritual misfortunes of his countrymen, for their ignorance of the true God.

Martyrdom

The chronicle testifies that Abraham came on business to the city of Bolghar (Bulgar), capital of Volga Bulgaria, where he began to preach Christianity among his kinsmen. During the fair, instead of trading, he began to proclaim to them the eternal and incorruptible goods and to preach to them Christ, God and man. The Muslims urged him persistently to renounce Christ, but Abraham remained unshaken in his faith. Learning that he was not Russian and was not under the protection of the prince of Vladimir and Suzdal, they arrested him and counselled him at length. Seeing that he would not yield, they tortured him and hung him head down; the chronicle says the martyr "cursed Muhammad and the Bulgar faith." His countrymen showed no sympathy for his preaching; they began, as with a man loved by all, to persuade him with kind words to abandon the faith of Christ; then they threatened his property, and he answered that for Christ the Saviour he was ready to lose not only his property but his life. Then came the beatings: they beat him "all together," so that on the martyr's body no place was left whole, and held him for days in prison, with many torments. But the valiant sufferer did not weaken, strengthened by the grace of God. Then they led him outside the city, beside a well, near the bank of the Volga, and cut off first his hands, then his feet and his head, on 1 April 1229, by the sword (according to the chronicle he was "quartered").

Relics and signs

The body was buried by Russian merchants in the Christian cemetery at Bolghar. George Vsevolodovich, grand prince of Vladimir, ordered the transfer of Abraham's body to Vladimir. The Laurentian Chronicle contains the entry about this event, on 9 March 1230. Soon, according to the chronicle's testimony, the city of Bulgar was burned, as punishment "for the blood of the martyr of Christ." At the place where he was killed a healing spring appeared; a local legend says the first person healed from this spring was a Muslim. His relics are venerated at Vladimir on the Klyazma.