Titus of the Kiev Caves

Venerable Titus of the Caves was a priest and monk of the Kyiv Caves Lavra, in the twelfth century, and died about the year 1190. He is remembered on 27 February (12 March on the new calendar) and, according to one source, on 11 October, in the synaxis of the venerable fathers of the Near Caves and in the synaxis of all the venerable fathers of the Caves. His relics rest in the cave of Anthony, in the Near Caves.

The story of Evagrius

The Teraturgima, written by the hieromonk Athanasius Kalnofoysky, calls him a brother in Christ of Venerable Anastasius of the Caves. In the Kyiv Caves Paterikon, in the tale of the two brothers, the priest Titus and the deacon Evagrius, who had enmity between them, from the epistle of Bishop Simon of Vladimir and Suzdal to the monk Polycarp of the Caves, it is told that Titus was a great friend of the deacon Evagrius, but their friendship soon turned to enmity. A Serbian source says that when one was censing in church, the other would turn and go outside, and that Titus tried several times to be reconciled, but in vain.

After a time Titus fell gravely ill and, lying on his deathbed, sent for Evagrius, seeking peace. Evagrius refused to come and slandered Titus still more. Then the brethren of the Caves brought the deacon by force to the dying man. In vain Titus asked pardon with tears: he begged him to forgive him for the Lord's sake, for he had offended him in his anger. Evagrius remained unbending and said before all that neither now nor in the future would he forgive the priest. He had scarcely spoken these words when the deacon fell dead, and Titus recovered. When the brethren asked Titus what had happened, he said that, in his illness, still held by anger, he had seen the angels withdraw from him and weep bitterly for the loss of his soul, while the demons rejoiced that he had anger against his brother. This was why he had begun to beg them to go and ask pardon of Evagrius. When they brought him and he bowed to him and the other turned away, he saw a merciless angel strike Evagrius with a spear of fire, and he fell lifeless. The same angel then gave Titus his hand, raised him up and he rose healthy. According to another source, the demons flew around him until he forgave Evagrius, and after he forgave him, the demons fled and rushed upon Evagrius, while the angels of God surrounded Titus.

The story is a parable calling to freedom from anger, to Christian love and to forgiveness of sins toward our enemies. According to a Ukrainian source, after this Titus multiplied his labours and became a wonderworker. The venerable one died about 1190. His relics, in the Near Caves, are shown on maps from 1638, which also mention his rank of priest.