Joseph Kozlovsky

Holy Venerable Joseph Kozlovsky, abbot, was the founder of a hermitage in the land of Tambov, from which the Holy Trinity monastery of Kozlov grew. Very little news of his life has been preserved.

In the year 1627 the hieromonk Joseph came "from nobody knows where" and settled in the forest on the bank of the river Lesnoy Voronezh, in the holdings of the quitrent peasants of Prince Dmitry Pozharsky. The salvation of the soul was the aim to which this ascetic of the wilderness devoted his life. The spiritual tree planted by the elder was destined to grow. The names of his first three companions have been kept: Pafnuty, Agafonik and Nifont.

As early as 1636, Archbishop Anthony of Ryazan blessed the building of a church of the Holy Trinity. Thus the Holy Trinity Kozlov monastery came into being, which later had a great influence on the spiritual life of the Tambov region. He is commemorated on 10 August, in the Synaxis of the Saints of Tambov, in new style.