Stephen of Filey

Holy Venerable Stephen of Filey, hieroschemamonk, called Kurteev in the world, was a wonderworker of the Vyatka land and fell asleep in the year 1890.

Simeon Kurteev was born on 17 July 1830 in a peasant family in the village of Fileyki near Vyatka. He grew up in the house of devout parents; from childhood he had a burning desire to serve God, knew many prayers by heart, read holy books and often went to church. After the gymnasium his parents sent him to study at Kazan, then at Saint Petersburg, but the life of the world did not attract him. In 1850 the book "Letters of an Athonite on the Holy Mountain of Athos" appeared; reading it, the young man felt a great desire to devote his life to God, left his studies and left the world. He lived in the Solovki Monastery, wandered much, reached Sarov and Glinsk, fasted, endured hunger and cold, and prayed unceasingly. Returning, he lived in his native village of Fileyki. Near the village, in the forest, he dug a small cave in which he struggled in solitude, silence and prayer, reading much spiritual literature. In the years of wandering he had learned the prayer of the mind and heart.

The villagers, not understanding the ascetic's high aspirations, thought him mentally ill, despised him and mocked him. Simeon had to bear much from them. Yet the Lord worked wonders through his prayers. Thus, in the night before 4 April 1866 he prayed without ceasing: "Lord, save the Tsar." Afterwards it became known of the attempt that day in Saint Petersburg against Tsar Alexander II, which had failed. Another time a terrible fire broke out in the village of Fileyki, many houses burned, but the house where Simeon was that night remained untouched: he walked about the yard amid the flames with an icon of the Mother of God, singing the akathist, and the sparks wondrously flew past the house. In time people began to honour him for his righteous life, his meekness and kindness. When zemstvo schools began to open, the villagers begged Simeon to teach their children to read; he agreed, but taught from holy books and not from worldly textbooks. Being an educated man, he finally decided to write works of his own. His ascetic and moral writings were highly valued by Bishop Apollos of Vyatka, who urged him to accept monasticism and holy orders.

On 23 February 1877 he was tonsured a monk with the name Stephen, in honour of Saint Stephen of Perm, the enlightener of the Vyatichi. On the third day after his tonsure he became hieromonk of the Exaltation of the Cross Monastery in Slobodskoi, but soon returned to his hermitage near Fileyki. The news of the gracious elder, of the wonders and healings worked through his prayer, spread quickly; many came to him for blessing, counsel and comfort, and many received healing of spiritual and bodily ills. By his labours he raised a church and founded a skete, about which brethren gathered; Father Stephen planted the traditions of Athonite eldership. In time the skete became the communal Alexandrovsky Hermitage, and on 10 March 1890 the building of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery was permitted. By then the elder's strength had greatly failed, but the foundation was laid under his direction. Soon his blessed end followed: on 6 August he was tonsured into the schema, and on 15 August he departed in peace to the Lord.

Relics and veneration

Hieroschemamonk Stephen was buried in the monastery he had founded, beside the Dormition church. Right after his death people began to come to the grave, serving memorial services and asking his help, and always receiving what they asked. In Soviet times the honoured remains of Father Stephen were moved to the Fileyki cemetery of Vyatka and his hermitage was destroyed. The godless authorities did all they could, but did not succeed. Miracles worked through the ascetic's prayers are constantly recorded, among them numerous healings. In 1998 the elder's cell icon was wondrously found, a wonderworking image of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon, with a particle of his relics. On 29 October 2001 Patriarch Alexy II blessed, on the basis of the unceasing veneration of the people and the miracles worked through the ascetic's prayers, the glorification of the venerable Stephen among the locally venerated saints of the Vyatka diocese, which was carried out on 14 July 2002; a life and an icon of the saint were composed.

He is commemorated on 21 October, in the new style, in the Synaxis of the Saints of Vyatka.