Misail Sapegin

Misail Sapegin was a Russian archimandrite, abbot of St Panteleimon Monastery on Athos from 1905 until his death. He was born in 1852 in the village of Izhevsk, Ryazan province, in a peasant family, and reposed on Sunday, 22 January 1940. He is venerated by the faithful, without a synodal canonization.

The son of Anastasia, he studied at a village school and at twenty-⁠two decided to become a monk. He reached Athos in 1874 but was at once sent back to Russia as novice to Father Michael (Savitsky), who was building a fish plant at Chumbur; he stayed there five years, then was called to the monastery and tonsured. On 29 May 1905 he was chosen by lot as deputy, and after the death of the abbot Nifont was raised to archimandrite on 13 November 1905. Soon came a great flood that wrecked many buildings, then the Name-⁠glorifier movement, which brought great turmoil. On 9 July 1913 he read before the consul and the brotherhood the Synod's epistle condemning the Name-⁠glorifier teaching. He received in 1900 from Patriarch Constantine the cross and staff, in 1913 from Patriarch Germanos a golden cross, and in 1916 the Order of St Anne, first class, for help given to soldiers. From the beginning of his abbacy until 16 November 1934, when he was paralysed, he missed no service; he counted a day lost on which he did not serve the Liturgy. St Silouan loved him much, and a writer describes him at eighty-⁠two as a patriarchal abbot, surrounded by respect throughout Athos.