Kleopa of Vladimir

Venerable Cleopas (1714-1778) was a hieromonk and builder of the Presentation Hermitage at Ostrov in the Vladimir region, a disciple of Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky. He is venerated as a local saint in the Synaxis of the Saints of Vladimir and in the Synaxis of the Saints of Bryansk; commemoration on 9 March.

He was born in 1714 in the Kyiv province; his youth is unknown. In the 1740s he came to Athos, where he probably met Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky and is regarded as his disciple. He was tonsured a monk and ordained priest, belonging to the brotherhood of Zographou Monastery. He returned to Russia and entered the Methodius Monastery of Peshnosha, in the Moscow diocese, but soon, displeased with the order there, left. Between 1755 and 1758 he lived as an ascetic in the forests near the Yamen Hermitage, and associated with the elders Joasaph Medvedev and his disciples. In 1758 he moved to the Ostrov Hermitage, a secluded hermitage on an island in swampy forests, and on 24 December 1760 was appointed abbot. Desiring solitude, he twice left "for stillness," in 1765 and 1769; he was suspended for a time for leaving without permission and, after a stay at the Sofronievo Hermitage of Molchansk, returned in 1770. In January 1771 he asked blessing to withdraw to the New Jerusalem Monastery, where he found the retired Bishop Sylvester Stragorodsky, who showed spiritual understanding to him. From 3 July 1773 he was again abbot of Ostrov, at the wish of the brothers.

In 1774 Feodor Sokolov (the future Theophan) entered the hermitage, and became his disciple. Feodor wished to go to Athos through Moldavia, but stayed at Tismana, and by letter made Cleopas acquainted with the abbot of Tismana, Venerable Theodosius Maslov, with whom Cleopas then kept up a friendship by letter. In 1777 Abbot Theodosius sent to him the Tismana monks Anthony and Arsenius. He lived in unceasing prayer, taught others the ascetic labour too, was meek and peaceable. He introduced at Ostrov the Athonite rule of common life and raised many buildings. Several of his disciples became abbots of other monasteries: Archimandrite Ignatius Ushakov (Tikhvin and New Simonov), Archimandrite Macarius Bryushkov (Peshnosha), Archimandrite Theophan Sokolov (Kirillov Novoezersk). Gifted with foresight, he foretold to Bishop Sylvester the course of his life, and to Ignatius, the abbacy. He knew also the day of his own death. Archimandrite Theophan testified that Cleopas "was truly a man of holy life."

He died on 9 March 1778 and was buried in the Ostrov Hermitage, where an unquenchable lamp burned on his grave. Many pilgrims came; there were written testimonies of healings. In Soviet times pilgrims came to the grave despite many obstacles, because a colony for minors had been set up on the monastery grounds. The relics were found and since July 2009 are in the Saint Nicholas cathedral of the Ostrov convent. With the blessing of Bishop Athanasius Sakharov, the confessor, his name was entered in the list of the locally venerated saints of Vladimir. He is also a locally venerated saint of the Bryansk diocese.