He was born in the city of Galich (Kostroma Government) and accepted monasticism in the Nativity of the Theotokos monastery near Pereyaslavl Zalesk. Having come to the Alexandrovsky Village and found out that near it in the forest stood an empty decrepit church with a wonderworking icon of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, whole and perfectly intact, the Venerable Lucian decided to settle near it. Soon, having heard about his holy solitary life, pious men began to flow to him and to accept tonsuring from him. With the increase in the number of brothers, the church was renewed and a monastery arose which exists to this day. Driven away from the monastery by the slander of his enemies, the Venerable Lucian was returned by the petition of a god-fearing benefactor, a stoker for the Tsar, Alexander Barkov. Besides the Nativity of the Theotokos Hermitage, St. Lucian founded the Dormition Women's Monastery.
In 1650 a priest's widow came to the Venerable Lucian and accepted tonsuring, and after she was tonsured she became a venerable woman. During the participation of the Venerable Lucian and with the approval of the Tsar Alexis Michaelovich near the Alexandrovsky Village there also was raised up the Dormition Women's Monastery, which was under the supervision of the Venerable One. In his life the Venerable Lucian endured much evil and suffering from his malevolent ones. Besides his strict ascetic life, he was known for his touching gift of words and gift of insight. For two years he predicted a contagious plague epidemic, warning about the necessity for repentance. Having reached old age and feeling the enfeeblement before one's death, the Venerable Lucian asked that he be brought into the church, where he prayed for a long time before the wonderworking icon of the Mother of God, entrusting It to the protection of the monastery against enemies visible and invisible; then he was taken out of the temple, and, according to his wishes, he was laid on the grass; the brothers approached him for his blessing. The Venerable Lucian died in 1655. The monasteries founded by him still exist to this day (see Vladimir Diocese).
Back
