Our Venerable Father Isaiah, Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves
Life
Isaiah was a monk of the Near Caves of the Kiev Caves monastery, the ancient ascetic settlement also known as the Antoniev (Anthony) Caves. Active in the eleventh and early twelfth centuries, he is remembered for a life of silence and unceasing labor, a discipline that earned him the title of a venerable and industrious elder. He is venerated as a wonderworker and is associated with spiritual aid given to others.
He reposed on May 15, 1115, and his relics rest in the Near Caves alongside the many fathers buried there. He is honored on May 15, on September 28 with the Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Near Caves, and on the Second Sunday of Great Lent.
Timeline 2 moments
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11th - early 12th centuryMonastic life in the Near CavesIsaiah lived as a monk of the Near Caves of Kiev, devoting himself to silence and constant manual labor.
May 15, 1115ReposeHe reposed and was numbered among the venerable fathers of the Near Caves.
Contributions & Legacy
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Veneration and Commemoration
In the liturgical Service for the Venerable Saints of the Near Caves, Isaiah is named together with Saints Onuphrios, commemorated on July 21, and Sylvester, commemorated on January 2; the three are jointly described as a triple-stranded sling against the demons.
Beyond his principal feast on May 15, he is commemorated on September 28 within the Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Near Caves and again on the Second Sunday of Great Lent. He is to be distinguished from Bishop Isaiah of Rostov, who reposed in 1090 and is also commemorated on May 15.
Relics and Shrine
His relics rest in the Near Caves, the monastic complex associated with Saint Anthony of the Kiev Caves. The Near Caves, an ancient site in Kiev, hold the relics of numerous early ascetics; following damage from an earthquake a commemorative church was built over the site around 1670, and a stone church honoring the Exaltation of the Cross was erected over the Caves in 1760.
