Venerable (Monastic)16th century

Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod

late 15th century – 1550

Also known as Macarius the Roman · Makarios the Roman of Novgorod

A native of Rome who left a wealthy family, embraced Orthodoxy, and lived as a hermit in the swamps near Novgorod.

Feast Day

January 19

Also Aug 15

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Commemorated as

Our Venerable Father Macarius the Roman, Hermit and Wonderworker of Novgorod

Life

Macarius the Roman of Novgorod was a sixteenth-century monastic ascetic remembered as a native of Rome who left a wealthy family, was received into the Orthodox Church, and settled as a hermit in the wilderness of the Novgorod region of northern Russia. The tradition surrounding him holds that he was drawn eastward in search of what he regarded as the undivided faith during the upheavals that accompanied the Protestant Reformation in the Western Church.

After being tonsured by Saint Alexander of Svir, Macarius withdrew to an island on the River Lezna, where a community gathered around him. He is associated with the foundation of a Dormition monastery there, over which he was eventually ordained priest and appointed igumen. He reposed on August 15, 1550, and is commemorated on that date as well as on January 19, his nameday.

Timeline6 momentsReadHide

late 15th centuryBirth in RomeAccording to his life, Macarius was born in Rome at the end of the fifteenth century into a wealthy family and received an excellent education.
early 16th centuryDeparture for RussiaDisturbed by the religious conflicts of the Reformation era, he is said to have left Rome secretly and travelled without means to the lands of Novgorod in northern Russia.
early 16th centuryReception into Orthodoxy and tonsureSaint Alexander of Svir received him into the Orthodox Church and tonsured him as a monk at the Holy Trinity monastery on the River Svir.
after his tonsureHermitage on the River LeznaSeeking solitude, Macarius settled on an island in the River Lezna, about forty-five miles from Novgorod, where his life is described as one of severe asceticism sustained on berries, roots, and herbs.
1540Foundation of the Dormition churchA wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos was built at his hermitage; he was ordained priest and appointed igumen of the resulting monastery by Bishop Macarius of Novgorod.
August 15, 1550ReposeHe reposed on August 15, 1550, and was buried outside the Dormition church he had founded.

Contributions & Legacy

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Origins and conversion

The tradition recorded in his life places Macarius's birth in Rome at the close of the fifteenth century, into a wealthy household that gave him an excellent education and raised him in piety. He is portrayed as a man who, rather than seeking honors or worldly position, turned his attention to the study of Scripture and the Church Fathers.

His life situates this period during the turmoil of the Protestant Reformation in the West. Troubled by the disputes within the Western Church, he is said to have concluded that the Orthodox Church preserved the faith he sought, and to have departed Rome secretly, journeying without funds and in poor clothing until he reached the region of Novgorod in northern Russia.

Monastic life and the Lezna hermitage

On arriving in Russia, Macarius was received into the Orthodox Church and tonsured as a monk by Saint Alexander of Svir at the Holy Trinity monastery on the River Svir. Longing for a more solitary life, he withdrew to an island on the River Lezna, described as about forty-five miles from Novgorod, where he pursued a regime of strict asceticism and prayer, subsisting on berries, roots, and herbs.

His life relates that signs reported by tradition — a pillar of fire seen at night and fragrant smoke — drew visitors to the place despite his desire for seclusion. A community of disciples gathered, and in 1540 a wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos was built. Macarius was ordained priest and appointed igumen of the monastery by Bishop Macarius of Novgorod.

Repose and the later monastery

Macarius reposed on August 15, 1550, and was buried outside the Dormition church he had founded; his relics were venerated by pilgrims in the centuries that followed.

The monastery he established passed through a difficult history: it was burned in 1615, closed in 1764, briefly restored in the 1890s under the hieromonk Arsenius, and destroyed during the Soviet period in 1932.

Commemoration

Macarius is commemorated on August 15, the date of his repose, and on January 19, his nameday — the feast of Saint Macarius the Great of Egypt, after whom he was named at his tonsure.

Works & Further ReadingReadHide