Basil of the Caves

Holy Venerable Martyr Basil of the Caves, a hieromonk, is remembered together with Venerable Martyr Theodore of the Caves. Both struggled in the eleventh century in the Near Caves of Kiev. Theodore gave away his wealth to the poor, withdrew to the monastery and settled in a Varangian cave, next to the caves of Venerable Theodosius. For many years he lived there in strict abstinence. When the enemy sowed sorrow in him over the wealth he had distributed, Saint Basil comforted him: "I beg you, brother Theodore, do not lose your reward; if you want wealth, take all that I have." Theodore repented and came to love Basil from his heart, and lived with him in the same cell. Once, when Basil spent three months on an obedience outside the monastery, a demon in his likeness appeared to Theodore and showed him the treasure hidden in the cave long ago by robbers. The monk was already about to leave the monastery, buy property and live in the world, but when Basil returned, the demon's deceit was exposed. From then on Theodore was more attentive to himself. So as not to be carried away by thoughts in idleness, he set up a millstone and ground grain at night. Thus, by long and diligent labours, he was freed from the passion of avarice.

The rumour reached Prince Mstislav Svyatopolkovich that the monk Theodore had found much treasure in the cave. He summoned him and ordered him to show the place where it was hidden. Saint Theodore answered the prince that indeed he had seen much gold and many vessels in the cave, but out of temptation, together with the monk Basil, he had buried them, and God had taken from his mind where. The prince did not believe him and ordered him tortured to death. Saint Theodore was beaten until his hair shirt was soaked with blood, and then hung head downward with a fire lit beneath him. The prince, drunk, ordered Saint Basil tortured too and then killed him himself with an arrow. Dying, the Venerable Martyr Basil threw the arrow at the feet of Prince Mstislav and foretold that he himself would soon be mortally wounded by it. The prophecy was fulfilled: on 15 July 1099, on the wall of the fortress of Vladimir, in the war with David Igorevich, Mstislav was struck unexpectedly in the chest by an arrow through a gap in a board and died the following night. Recognizing his arrow, the prince said: "I die for the Venerable Martyrs Basil and Theodore."

Saint Basil is commemorated on 28 March (a movable date) in the Synaxis of All the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Caves, and on 24 August and 11 October in the Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Caves in the Near Caves, in the new style.