Barlaam of Chikoy

Venerable Barlaam of Chikoy (in the world Vasily Fedotovich Nadezhin) was abbot of the Saint John the Forerunner monastery at Chikoy, a hermit and celibate priest, known for his missionary work in Transbaikalia. He was born in 1774 in the village of Maresevo, in the Lukoyanov district, Nizhny Novgorod province, and fell asleep on 23 January 1846. He is remembered, on the old calendar, on 23 January, the day of his death, on 10 June, in the synaxis of the saints of Siberia, on 8 August, the anniversary of the finding of his relics, in 2002, and on 5 October, the anniversary of his monastic tonsure.

Life

He was born into a peasant family, Fedot and Anastasia Nadezhin. He married at his parents' urging, but the marriage had no children and in 1811 Vasily set out on pilgrimage to the Kyiv Caves Lavra. Without a passport, he was arrested for vagrancy and sent into exile in Siberia. He began to wander and in 1814 reached Irkutsk. In 1820 he came to the slopes of the Chikokon mountains and near Urluk made himself a cell, becoming a hermit. Soon other people joined him and the brotherhood of the future Chikoy monastery was formed.

In 1828 Vasily received monastic tonsure with the name Barlaam, in honour of Venerable Barlaam of the Caves, and in 1830 was ordained hieromonk. In 1839 Barlaam was raised to the rank of abbot of the Saint John the Baptist monastery founded by him. In his time the monastery churches were built and missionary work among the local people began. In 1845 the Holy Synod gave him a gold pectoral cross.

Repose and veneration

He fell asleep in 1846 and was buried on the south side of the altar of the side chapel of the icon "Joy of All Who Sorrow" of the church of Saint John the Baptist in the monastery founded by him. Soon after his death miracles were ascribed to him and at the end of the nineteenth century he was glorified as a locally venerated saint. His life was written by Saint Meletius (Yakimov). In 1984 he was glorified for veneration throughout the Church in the synaxis of the saints of Siberia. In 2002, among the ruins of the Chikoy monastery, the place of his burial was determined and, with the blessing of Patriarch Alexy II, on 21 August his relics were found, and were placed in the side chapel of Saint Alexander Nevsky of the Kazan cathedral in the city of Chita.