Dionysius of the Trinity Lavra

Venerable Dionysius of the Trinity Lavra was archimandrite of the Trinity Lavra of Saint Sergius. He was born around the middle of the sixteenth century at Rzhev, and at baptism received the name David.

He was a priest for six years at a church of the Theophany near Staritsa. Left a widower, he became a monk at the Mother of God monastery in Staritsa, where he served as treasurer and then archimandrite. After two years he was summoned to Moscow and, throughout the Time of Troubles, stayed beside Patriarch Hermogenes. In 1610 he was transferred as archimandrite to the Trinity Lavra. Together with the steward Avraamy Palitsyn he sent letters to the towns, and the forces of Prince Pozharsky and Minin came to the Lavra's walls. Twice he saved Moscow from famine with bread from the monastery, reconciled the Russian camps, and took in the sick, wounded and ruined.

In 1616, at the order of Tsar Michael Feodorovich, he revised and corrected the Euchologion for printing. For this work he was tried and deposed, given a penance of a thousand prostrations a day, and kept six weeks in smoke. In 1620, before Patriarchs Theophanes of Jerusalem and Philaret of Moscow, he proved his innocence, was praised by the tsar and returned to the Lavra. He reposed on 10 May 1633. His relics rest under the floor of the south porch of the Trinity Cathedral. His local commemoration is on 12 May, old style.