The Holy New Martyr, Saint Athanasius of Brest (+ 1648)

The holy new martyr Saint Athanasius (Filippovich), born in 1596 to a poor nobleman's family in the province of Minsk, is best remembered as the Abbot of St Simeon Stylites Monastery in Brest-Litovsk, in the province of Grodno in White Russia (today, part of Belarus).

As we will hear, Saint Athanasius became a zealous defender of the holy Orthodox Faith. He was a most extraordinary figure in the landmark struggle with the Latin Unia, in what was part of western Russia during the early 17th century, also known as Little Russia. Briefly, at the time of this saint’s birth, the Pope of Rome came to an agreement (Brest-Litovsk) with some of the unfaithful Orthodox bishops to unite under terms set by the Latin Church, which effectively severed the rights of the Orthodox to believe and practice the true Faith according to their traditions and Church canons, but instead, to submit to the rules of the apostate Latin Church. Those who conceded to these terms (the "Unia") were called Uniates. All others were forced to submit to the new authority in the Uniate territories, or face imprisonment, persecution and/or death. Such was the context for the saint’s life and monastic endeavors.

Returning to his humble beginnings, Saint Athanasius became well educated and fluent in several languages (Polish, Latin, Greek, and his native Russian). Because of this he was employed during his early years as a tutor for wealthy Polish children. Well versed in theological literature and the holy fathers, he also was familiar with the teachings of western writers.

But at about the age of thirty-one, realizing that the world was full of vanity, he entered the brotherhood of the ancient Khutyn Monastery near Orsha in the province of Mogilev in Little Russia. This monastery was widely known at that time for its library's wealth of patristic literature and its faithfulness to sound Orthodoxy---even during the years of Latin Uniate persecution.

After his time at Khutyn Monastery he was sent to Mezhigorsky Monastery near Kiev. Because of his zealous monastic life he was ordained to the priesthood, eventually becoming deputy superior to the Duboisky Monastery (1633) and then deputy to the Kupyatitsk Monastery (1636). Finally, in 1640 the saint was chosen to become the igumen (abbot) of the St. Simeon Monastery of Brest-Litovsk after the repose of its superior.

As igumen his life took on a new direction demonstrated by his indefatigable, persistent, and loving struggle against those pressuring the Church into false unity with the heretical Latin religion which was endangering the safety and salvation of his beloved countrymen. For eight years the faithful shepherd of the Lord's flock spent his time in prayer; in teaching and admonishing everyone in true Orthodox doctrine; in writing and publishing educational materials and writings of the holy fathers; and in exposing the false union by reprinting documents and anathemas related to it, and debates against it.

Beyond these endeavors, the Saint secured opportunities to advance the cause of his suffering fellow Orthodox from Uniate oppression by seeking an audience with King Vladislav who would eventually give support to the saint's purpose. And later, he appeared before the Polish State Council as we will note further on.

How can one describe the despicable nature of the crimes committed against the Orthodox faithful under the Latins in Uniate territory? Historians describe things that stun the minds and senses: victims of inhumane tortures, burnings, brandings, and other such persecutions, not to mention the unnecessary searches, investigations, trials, exiles, and imprisonments. Horrendously, the perpetrators of these crimes against the faithful Orthodox would go to such lengths as to barricade worshippers inside their temples and set them on fire, brutally destroying hundreds of people at a time. The most shockingly hypocritical fact was that these offenders were doing these things in the name of Christ---as so-called "Christians"---against those with whom they claimed they wanted to be unified in Christ!

Let it be noted that the Orthodox Church has never resorted to such satanic behavior in dealing with those of other religions---be they pagan, heretics, or Latins. Western notions of human vengeance and earthly punishments in connection with the Church are utterly alien to Orthodoxy.

Sorrowfully, Saint Athanasius watched as many Orthodox leaders, especially the wealthier ones, capitulated to the influence of Rome. They did not stand with him in faithfulness to Christ because of fear of the possible consequences and because of love of this world and the approval of man.

Feeling alone in the world, the saint often prayed for help to the holy Theotokos, who strengthened him through her answers to prayer. It is quite possible that he was comforted by the memory of how the Theotokos had helped him in his earlier days as a deputy in charge of the renovation project at the old and crumbling monastery of Kupyatitskaya. In prayer, a voice had told him to seek help from the Tsar of Moscow, which was beyond a dangerous and guarded border difficult to cross without the right papers. But as he attested to later, he was able to evade all dangers by the help of the Mother of God and her holy icon, to cross the border and secure the generous financial help of the tsar for the restoration work, for which many rejoiced and gave thanks to God.

Once again, the Mother of God came to his assistance by showing him what to do during dark times with little to no support from fellow priests and bishops. During prayer he was told by the Virgin Mary to go to the Seim (Polish leader) in order to seek help for the people, which, in obedience, he did. During one of those meetings with the Seim he handed out copies of the Kupyatitskaya icon to dignitaries and other leaders as he requested their help in "abolishing the irreligious" Latin marauders and returning some basic human rights and protections to the Orthodox people, to which they unexpectedly agreed to some degree.

A little later, the saint faced new temptations from nominal Orthodox authorities who accused him of being insane because they saw him as a threat to their personal interests. But the Lord Who uses all things for our salvation employed the schemes of the evil one for the good of His servant. Although Saint Athanasius was dismissed from his position as abbot, defrocked of his priesthood, and treated as one insane, it was useful in that it kept the man of God humble when he could have been tempted to become proud of all the wondrous things that he, through the grace of God, had accomplished for the Church. Eventually, though, in Kiev he was found to be of sound mind after a thorough examination, and was reunited to his monastery and began to resume his former activities of preaching and teaching.

For a time the Latins relaxed their persecutions. But in a sudden turn of events in 1645 the saint was arrested and imprisoned for two years, yet he continued therein to petition the authorities for the help and protection of the faithful Orthodox people.

About a year after his release and subsequent reunion with the St. Simeon Monastery a new wave of persecution more brutal than previous ones broke afresh upon the Orthodox by the Latin Unia. It was the source of great agitation, and as a consequence a popular rebellion was initiated in Little Russia led by the Cossack Hetman Bogdan Khmelnitsky in order to force the expulsion of the Polish-Lithuanian forces from the land and return the territories to the Russian tsar. But the Polish forces worked quickly to arrest Russian political leaders, and the Unia's Jesuit lackeys launched a campaign to arrest Orthodox Church leaders. Being one of the first to be arrested was Saint Athanasius who was being accused of interfering with state-church educational programs, undermining the Union, inciting riot, sedition, as well as other charges. He was detained from July to September of 1648 and experienced all manner of barbaric torture, both physical and psychological, by the express will of the Latin Church authorities. After being transferred to a Jesuit concentration camp called the Brest Voevoda where he (already wounded and ill) suffered excruciatingly painful physical tortures---he was burned with hot coals and branded with iron rods. After being flayed in his flesh, he was roasted alive but somehow survived. In the end he was dragged into a forest where he was shot twice and immediately offered his soul up to God. The malicious Jesuits, unsatisfied with the death of the saint, continued to afflict his lifeless body, finally beheading him and then irreverently forcing his body into the shallow grave of a narrow pit.

Thankfully, sometime later, a child persuaded several people to go to the site of the saint's grave, imploring the people to dig. Without much effort the amazed peasants unearthed the uncorrupted relics of the holy martyr which were carried with much reverence to the church of the most holy Theotokos in the monastery where the saint had faithfully served Christ. Since many miracles have been granted at the sepulcher of the beloved saint, and many healings have been received, there have been multitudes of pilgrims who came to honor the memory and the life of this loving and good shepherd who spent his life in laying it down for his sheep.

Thus did God glorify His saint and martyr.

With great love, the holy Church celebrates his memory on September 5/18.

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