The Feast of St Nicodemus the Sanctified of Tismana

Pious Nicodemus was of Macedo-Romanian origin. He was born in Prilep, in the South of Serbia, about 1320, being related to the ruler prince of Wallachia Nicolae Alexandru Basarab (1352-1364) and to Saint knyaz Lazarus of Serbia (1371-1389). He learned to read the Holy Scriptures ever since he was a child and loved to serve Christ. When his parents wanted to see him holding high positions according to their rank, he gave up all his parents’ fortune and the fame of the world. Dressed in poor clothes he fled his parents’ house and went to the Holy Mount Athos where he entered Hilandar Monastery. After three years of discipleship he was tonsured into monasticism and then ordained deacon and after a while priest. Later on he went back to Serbia where he set up two monasteries and a parish church. About 1369 Saint Nicodemus arrived in Wallachia miraculously crossing the River Danube. With the blessing of Saint Hyacinth, the then metropolitan of Wallachia, he settled here and set up Motru and Vodiţa Monasteries. In 1375, Saint Nicodemus was a member of the delegation who went to the Patriarchate of Constantinople to reconcile it with the Church of Serbia after a few disagreements. Saint Patriarch Philotheus of Constantinople (1354-1355; 1364-1376) highly esteemed Saint Nicodemus, elevated him at the rank of archimandrite and gave him the patriarchal walking staff and three particles of holy relics.

He came back to Wallachia where, through divine instruction, he set up Tismana Monastery in 1378. Pious Nicodemus settled there together with some of his disciples, but the number of those who would serve Christ under the spiritual guidance and advice of the wise abbot was increasing. He taught them all kindly and guided them to fulfil the will of God. Saint Nicodemus was a great founder and organiser of the monastic life over here, according to the regulations of the Holy Mount Athos, and his disciples also founded, helped by the righteous Romanian ruler princes, the first coenobitic monasteries of Wallachia, which had also the task of opposing Catholic proselytism.

In the course of time, Tismana Monastery benefited from the help of ruler princes Radu I (1377-1383), Dan I (1382-1386) and Mircea the Old (1386-1418), whose father confessor pious Nicodemus was. Between 1399 and 1405 he retreated at Prislop Monastery in Transylvania and in 1406 he returned to Wallachia. Soon afterwards, Saint Nicodemus met ruler prince Mircea the Old at Tismana, who called him “my prayerful father Nicodemus”, and in November he participated in Severin in the meeting with king Sigismund of Hungary (1385-1437), whom he impressed with his gift to work miracles.

Saint Nicodemus corresponded with Euthymius, Patriarch of Tarnovo (1375-1393), for defending the true faith against the Bogomil heresy.

Saint Nicodemus fell asleep into the Lord on 26 December 1406 and was buried in the porch of the big church of Tismana Monastery. His relics were kept for a while at Tismana, but later on they were hidden in an unknown placed because of the hostility of the time. Only the forefinger of his right hand and his lead cross that he used to wear on his chest remained at Tismana.

The holiness of his life and the miracles he made both during his lifetime and after his falling asleep into the Lord made the faithful venerate archimandrite Nicodemus as saint as soon as he passed away from this world. In 1955, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church generalised the veneration of Pious Nicodemus all over the Romanian Patriarchate, considering him as one who renewed the Romanian coenobitic monasticism and as protector of Oltenia.

Through his holy prayers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us. Amen.

Troparion, tone 1:

You did follow the great Shepherd, who arose from the Virgin, like a flock’s sheep, oh, Nicodemus our Father. By fasting, vigil and prayers, you did make yourself a consecrated worker of the heavenly things, healing the souls of those that have faithfully rushed to you. Therefore, we say: Glory to Him that has glorified you! Glory to Him that has given you strength! Glory to Him that has showed renewal for all through you!

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