Makary of Zheltye Vody (1351 – 1446) — Venerable
In pre-revolutionary Russia, the famous Nizhny Novgorod Yarmarka opened its trading season each year with a bishop's service in the cathedral and a procession of the cross from there to the Makaryev Chapel, beside which the fair's flags, sprinkled with holy water, were raised. Trade in all the stalls began on July 25, when the memory of Saint Makary of Zheltye Vody was celebrated. From ancient times he was regarded as the patron of all merchants on the Volga, and the wonderworking icon of the Venerable Makary was carried from stall to stall at the fair so that thanksgiving prayers could be held.
The venerable Makary was born in Nizhny Novgorod near the Church of the Myrrhbearing Women, into a well-to-do merchant family. The secular name given to Makary at baptism is unknown, but he was baptized precisely in this parish Church of the Myrrhbearing Women.[1] His parents, Ioann and Maria, lived in the parish of the Church of the Holy Myrrhbearing Women and were known among their fellow townspeople as a model of family life; their house stood close to the church itself.[1] At the age of twelve, the devout boy came to Dionisy, the abbot of the Pechersky Monastery, and, falling at his feet, asked "to be numbered among Dionisy's chosen flock." Even in infancy the future saint showed an unusual sign: as soon as the bells rang out calling people to divine service, the quiet infant would begin to cry, and no maternal tenderness could soothe him; noticing that the restlessness recurred at the hours of services, his parents began bringing the child to church — there joy and tenderness appeared on his face, after which he was carried to every service without exception.[1] The boy, who had arrived in rags, won the abbot's heart, and the abbot could not help noticing his naturally lively mind and remarkable memory.
Therefore, some time later, when the young novice was tonsured as a monk, Dionisy took him into his own cell so that he could personally guide the young monk in his spiritual struggle. At that time the Pechersky community was built entirely of wood, from the fence to the church and the cells. Its principal wealth consisted of icons and handwritten books. The Pechersky Monastery of the Ascension of the Lord was founded in 1330 by Saint Dionisy, a monk tonsured at the Kyiv Caves Monastery; among Dionisy's twelve chosen disciples the best known are the venerable Yevfimy — later archimandrite of the Spaso-Yevfimiev Monastery in Suzdal — and Pavel Vysoky, "a bookish and wondrous elder," who died in 1383.[1] Able to read and write, Makary developed a passion for studying manuscripts, all the more so because his mentor was likewise distinguished by wise judgment and skill "in the divine writings."
And, probably not without Dionisy's consent, while still young Makary secretly left the monastery, unnoticed by the monastic brethren, to live a solitary life in desolate places. The decision to become a hermit was not made without serious purpose. Gorodets Prince Boris Konstantinovich may have been privy to it. Apparently, the plan was to found a monastery on the Upper Volga. And so, taking only the bare necessities — a knife, a spoon, a pot, an axe, a shovel, some seeds, and warm clothing for winter — the monk set out on his thorny path, staff in hand and a satchel on his back. Makary had to live alone for long decades before, as brethren gathered, he founded a community that later came to be called the Makaryev Hermitage. Later, the settlement of Reshma arose nearby. History has left no information about Makary's activities from 1374 to 1434, yet the selfless ascetic was not forgotten.
The time came, and his name was spoken in the royal chambers of Grand Prince Vasily Vasilyevich the Dark, when the need arose to strengthen the eastern borders of the Nizhny Novgorod Volga Region. There it was especially necessary to spread the faith of Christ. The founding of a monastery became a pressing necessity. This most important mission was offered to the most venerable Makary. And he took upon himself a new, extremely heavy burden. Thus there arose at the Yellow Waters, on the left bank of the Volga, a monastery in the name of the Most Holy Life-Giving Trinity. However, the monastery stood for only four years and in 1439 was burned by the Tatars. The venerable Makary was taken captive and brought to Kazan to Khan Ulu Mehmed. When the khan saw the aged monk, he was struck by the monk's bearing and dignity, and rebuked his warriors for having possibly provoked Allah's wrath by abusing a holy elder.
Makary was freed and, enjoying the khan's favor, asked him to release the other captives as well. Ulu Mehmed granted the old hegumen's request but forbade him to settle again at the Yellow Waters.[2] According to the hagiography, up to forty captive men were pardoned together with Makary, not counting women and children.[2] The venerable man went up the Volga to the Unzha River. There, having chosen a pleasant spot, he set up a cross, built a small hut, and dug a well. After his death, the Makaryev Unzha Trinity Monastery arose at this hermitage. The Ermolin Chronicle reports that in September 1446 Makary attended a council convened by Prince Dmitry Shemyaka, which is why researchers allow that the saint passed away several years later than the traditional date.[2] The Makaryev community on the Volga was also revived, opposite the selo of Lyskovo, near which the famous yarmarka, likewise named Makaryev, was officially opened in 1641. In all this the life of the great hermit found its continuation — a man who opened up the wild lands of the Volga Region and preached the faith of Christ, bringing many unbaptized people into it.
See also
In 2005, residents of several buildings on Pochainskaya and Dobrolyubova Streets sent an appeal to the Mayor of Nizhny Novgorod, Vadim Bulavinov, proposing that a public garden be laid out on the site of the excavation pit in Pochaina Ravine, left over from discontinued construction, and that a memorial complex be created there in memory of Makary Zheltovodsky: a house-museum of the saint, a sculpture of him (a model of which already existed), as well as playgrounds and recreation areas; in the residents' opinion, this territory could become part of the historical and cultural complex "Ilyinskaya Sloboda."[3]