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4 unusual facts about Joseph Volotsky


Joseph Volotsky

Joseph Volotsky came from a family of a rich votchinnik and owner of the Yazvishche village in the Principaity of Volokolamsk.

After having lived in a few other monasteries, Joseph became disappointed with their lax morals and founded his own cloister in 1479 near Volokolamsk, which would become known as the Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery.

Upon the death of its abbot, St. Paphnutius of Borovsk, Joseph Volotsky took his place and attempted to introduce a strict monastic charter.

He learned to read and write at the local monastery and then took the tonsure at the Borovsk Monastery in 1459.


Serapion of Novgorod

In July 1509, at the Sobor that considered the conflict between him and Joseph Volotsky (the latter was under Serapion's episcopal jurisdiction but had directly appealed to Simon, Metropolitan of Moscow - an act that Serapion deemed to be uncanonical), and his letter of complaint, in which he said Joseph had abandoned heavan (meaning he had abandoned his rightful bishop) and descended to earth.


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