Our venerable father in the saints Anthony of Kiev, one of the founders of the Monastery of the Caves in Kiev, is commemorated by the Holy Church on September 2 with Saint Theodosius, and on July 10 the memory of the appearance of the Virgin, the Mother of God, to him, who informed him of his imminent repose.
His life
Saint Anthony was born in the year 983 AD. His name in the world is Antipas. In his youth, he lived his life in fear of the Lord, adorned with the virtue of asceticism. When he grew up, he went to Mount Athos and joined the monastic life. He was ordained a monk there with the name Anthony. He lived a life pleasing to the Lord, full of asceticism, piety, and virtue, until his fame spread because of his humility and obedience.
When the abbot of the monastery saw the fruit of obedience in Saint Anthony, he decided, inspired by the Lord, to direct him to return to his country in order to establish a monastic community there, where he would attract many monks. When Saint Anthony returned to his country, he visited many monasteries near Kiev, but he did not see or feel the upright monastic lifestyle that led him to go to Mount Athos. Finally, he reached one of the caves that was dug by Father Hilarion (who later became Metropolitan) near the village of Berestov. The saint began his struggle, armed with a life of prayer, vigil, work, and fasting, where he would live on a little food during his day, and sometimes he would spend a week without eating.
As the ascetic life progressed, people began to visit him from everywhere seeking blessings and spiritual advice, and some of them decided to stay with him and join the monastic life. When the number of brothers who accompanied him reached 12 monks, Saint Anthony decided to dig a larger cave to reside in and built a stone church inside it with a cell for each monk. As the number of monks in his monastery increased, he ordained the monk Barlaam as head of the monastery and he secluded himself in another place in order to dig another cave. Despite his seclusion, this did not prevent the monks from following him and gathering around him in his new cave, and thus what became known in that area as the Near and Far Caves became. After that, a wooden church was built and dedicated in the name of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, built above the distant caves.
When Prince Izyaslav of Kiev persuaded the abbot Varlaam to move to the Dimitriev Monastery, the brothers, with the blessing of Saint Anthony, chose the monk Theodosius as the abbot to succeed Varlaam. Monastic life then flourished in the nearby and distant caves until the number of monks reached one hundred. Then Prince Izyaslav granted the monks a large hill where a large church and several cells for the monks were built and surrounded by a wooden fence. Thus the Monastery of the Caves in Kiev became the first spiritual center in the land of Russia, which rose through the efforts of Saint Anthony as well as through the prayers, vigils, tears and fastings of the other saints.
Many miracles happened to Saint Anthony, including the appearance of the Mother of God to Saints Anthony and Theodosius in one of the churches of Constantinople, where she informed of the imminent repose of Saint Anthony, who reposed in the Lord on May 7, 1073 AD. As for his remains, they were preserved by divine will, safe and without corruption.
Troparia
For the barren wilderness you fed with the streams of your tears, and with the sighs from the depths you bore fruit with your labors a hundredfold. You became a star for the inhabited world, shining with wonders, O our righteous father Anthony, so intercede with Christ God to save our souls.
Qandaq
When you were planted in the house of your Lord, you blossomed with the splendor of your dazzling virtues, and multiplied your children in the wilderness, and watered them with the rains of your tears, O head of the flocks of God’s divine enclosures. Therefore we cry out to you, crying out: Peace be upon you, Father Anthony.
