Cassian the Barefoot

Holy Venerable Cassian the Barefoot was a monk of the Joseph monastery at Volokolamsk, a disciple of Saint Joseph of Volokolamsk, and died in the year 1532, at the age of ninety-⁠three, being the godfather of Tsar Ivan, the future Ivan the Terrible. The Church commemorates him on 24 February and on 5 September (a movable day), in the Synaxis of the Saints of Moscow, in new style.

From the palace to the monastery

He was born in Pereslavl, of Orthodox parents, and was named Kozma. Grown to manhood, he became strong and courageous and began to frequent the court. For his boldness, valour and strength he became known also to the grand prince of all Rus, Ivan Vasilievich, whom he taught to shoot at a target, and for this the prince honoured and protected him. But one day Kozma understood the vanity of the world, of its honour and glory, and came to Venerable Abbot Paphnutius at Borovsk. Seeing that he fled the world out of zeal for God, Paphnutius tonsured him a monk with the name Cassian, and he was a disciple of the elder, who loved him for his humility, obedience and great labours.

With Saint Joseph

The elder Joseph was then precentor. Seeing Cassian's strict life and his obedience to Paphnutius, he became attached to him with spiritual love and told him his thought of founding a life in common, in which all would have a common table and clothing, nothing of their own, as with the Apostles. Cassian answered: "God and the Most Pure Mother will fulfil your plan, and I will be with you." After Paphnutius died, Joseph became abbot. Together with the elder Gerasimus the Black he visited the monasteries of Russia, without telling his name, and at the monastery of Saint Cyril on the White Lake he found what he sought. On the place where the monastery of the Most Pure Mother was founded, a flash of lightning lit up, at midday of a clear day, brighter than the sun, and Joseph loved that place. Cassian came the next year, saw Joseph and the brethren in great labours and joined them.

On his naked body, under his shirt, he wore a coat of mail and kneaded bread for the brethren. His cell rule was six thousand Jesus prayers and a thousand prostrations. When the coat of mail fell apart, he wore very heavy chains. Once he resolved not to eat, drink or lie down to sleep for forty days, but he weakened after twelve days, and Abbot Joseph forbade him to exhaust himself. Then he took bread and water every second day and laboured so much that his sight darkened. For thirty days he stayed without seeing, led by his disciple, Jonah Golova Pushechnikov. Joseph understood that it came from too great fasting and forbade it again. Cassian obeyed and his sight was healed.

Later he weakened again and his legs were paralysed, so that he crawled to meet his needs. One day, lying and praying to the Mother of God, he heard the bells ring for the Liturgy and looked at the icon and said, weeping: "O Most Pure Lady, Mother of God, if you give me to walk on my own feet, as long as I live I will not put boots on my feet nor a fur coat on my sinful body." At once he rose and ran to the church, thanking the Mother of God with tears. From then on until the end of his life he walked only in his monastic robe, summer and winter, and kept his vow. In a winter so harsh that the birds froze, he endured the cold saying: "Endure, sinful Cassian, endure. Bitter is the frost, but sweet is paradise." When he reached ninety and grew weak, the brethren took off his chains, even against his will, and made of them the chains of the cross on the church, above the bells. Recovering, he ordered other chains made, lighter ones, and wore them to the end.

The tsar's godfather

When a son, Ivan Vasilievich, was born to Grand Prince Vasily Ivanovich, who had prayed many years for this, he sent to the elder Cassian Tikhon Zvorykin, asking humbly that he receive the child from the baptismal font. Cassian was already weak and old, but he rose quickly from his bed, gave thanks to God before the icon and rejoiced that the Russian land would not be left empty and that the line of Orthodox tsars would not die out. At first he had doubts, saying: "Who am I, a sinner, that I should dare such a deed?" But Abbot Nifont and the elders begged him not to refuse, and he said: "Let God's will be done." When he reached Moscow, the grand prince came at once to the monastery's town house, took the crown from his head and bowed, saying: "Honourable elder Cassian, I bow to you for your great labours, for in such old age and weakness you did not disregard our word. I ask you to receive in your hands from the holy font my son Ivan." He then sent him with great honours to the Holy Trinity monastery of Saint Sergius. At the baptism the infant was received from the font by Archimandrite Daniel of Pereslavl and the elder Cassian, who gave him into his father's hands. The grand prince, from joy, pardoned many condemned and sent alms to all the monasteries, and rewarded Cassian with great gifts and let him go.

Repose

Two and a half years later Cassian passed in peace to the Lord, at the age of ninety-⁠three. Abbot Nifont wrote to the grand prince that ten days earlier the elder had fallen ill, on the Saturday of the meat-⁠fare he asked for the rite of repentance, recited it with him word for word, in full mind, and communicated. Then he communicated again and conversed with the brethren, comforting them, and at the evening service asked that vespers be served in his cell and that the prayers at the departure of the soul be read, and at the third ode of the second canon he gave his soul to God. On 11 February (24 February, new style) 1532, on a Sunday of Cheesefare, at the tenth hour, the elder Cassian the Barefoot passed away.

One day the wooden roof of the refectory caught fire, and a strong wind carried the fire toward the cells. The one who wrote the account, then cellarer, ran to Cassian and begged him with tears to pray. The elder turned to the icon of the Mother of God and said: "Most Pure, you have loved this place, send the punishment with mercy." He read "It is truly meet" and then the flames turned another way, rose in a whirlwind, harming nothing else, and went out of themselves.