Monastic Life and Iconography
Ananias was born in Russia and received the monastic tonsure at the Antoniev Monastery at Novgorod, founded by Saint Anthony the Roman. God endowed him with a gift for the painting of icons, and he devoted this talent to the glory of the Lord, painting icons of many holy wonderworkers.
His monastic discipline was notably strict. According to the sources, in fulfillment of a monastic vow he never once went outside the monastery walls during his years there. The duration of this enclosure is recorded differently across the accounts, with some giving twenty-six years and others thirty-three.
The Antoniev Monastery
The Antoniev Monastery, dedicated to the Nativity of the Theotokos, was established in 1117 by Saint Anthony of Rome on the Volkhov River at Novgorod. By tradition, Anthony arrived in Novgorod miraculously upon a rock; he was consecrated hegumen in 1131 by Archbishop Nifont, and reposed on August 3, 1147, venerated as a saint from 1597.
The monastery's Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God (1117–1119) is one of the few three-domed churches and surviving twelfth-century buildings in Russia, and the house rivaled the Yuriev Monastery as medieval Novgorod's most important religious institution. During the massacre of Novgorod under Ivan IV, the hegumen and monks of the monastery were killed.
Relics & Shrines
His relics are buried in a hidden place at the monastery.
Sources and Dating
The historical records do not agree on the year of his repose: some give 1521, others 1561, and others 1581. His feast on the Julian calendar falls on June 30, corresponding to June 17 on the New Style calendar.
His life and labors are documented chiefly within the accounts of the miracles of Venerable Anthony the Roman, the founder of his monastery; Wikipedia lists no separate dedicated article for him.
