Gerasim the Black

Holy Venerable Gerasim the Black was a spiritual elder of Russia in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, known for his strict way of life, for fasting, prayer and above all for the stillness (hesychia) in which he lived. Through the discipleship of Joseph of Volokolamsk, the Church remembers him beside the great fathers of Russian monasticism.

He began his monastic life in the monastery of Venerable Pafnuty. There he lived very strictly, and after Pafnuty's repose he remained among the weighty spiritual figures of the community.

When Venerable Joseph decided to travel through the monasteries of Russia, he first asked Gerasim for counsel. The elder answered that this thought came from God and that he would go with him and not be parted from him. Joseph then placed himself as a disciple under Gerasim and lived in complete obedience throughout the journey.

In the monastery that Joseph founded, Gerasim copied books together with him. Toward the end of his life he withdrew into seclusion outside the monastery. He is commemorated on 5 September (new style), in the Synaxis of the Saints of Moscow.