The future Archimandrite of the Great Neamț Monastery (Romania), Paisius (Velichkovsky), was born in Poltava into the family of a hereditary priest, Protopriest Ioann.

The Venerable is renowned as one of the most eminent ascetics and spiritual strugglers, closely associated with the revival of Orthodox eldership.

He greatly influenced many glorified saints of the late 18th and 19th centuries.

His followers established the renowned Optina and Glinsk Hermitages and revived the Sviatohirsk and Neamț Lavras, the Valaam Monastery, and many others. On Mount Athos, Elder Paisius founded the Saint Elias Skete.

Not only did he become a restorer of monastic traditions of eldership and “Jesus prayer,” but he also translated many patristic works from Greek into Church Slavonic, which had not yet been published in his homeland.

During his studies at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Venerable Paisius frequently prayed at the Kyiv-Pechersk Monastery. Later, he laboured in various Ukrainian monasteries before receiving monastic tonsure in Cherkasy.

Upon returning to Kyiv from a monastery overtaken by Uniates, he served for some time in obedience at the Lavra’s printing house, where he mastered the art of engraving icon images on copper under the guidance of Hieromonk Makarius.

While he was living in the Lavra, a relative—his late brother Ioann’s widow—travelled from Poltava to Kyiv to venerate the holy sites. Upon meeting him, she shared the following about his mother:

“After you left Kyiv, your mother fell into such great sorrow that she wept inconsolably with bitter cries. Consumed by her immense grief, she decided to neither eat nor drink until she died. Within a few days, she began to lose her mind. When she felt some fear and awe, she started reading Akathist to the Mother of God. Then, falling into a state of exaltation, she became silent. And then, after about half an hour, she cried out loudly: ‘If this is God’s will, I will no longer grieve for my son.’

When she regained her senses, she recounted the following before her spiritual father and others: ‘After extended fasting and sorrow, I became so weak that I expected death to be close. I saw a multitude of very dark and terrifying demons attempting to assault me, which caused me great horror and terror. I asked you for a book and began reading the Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos earnestly throughout the day and night. With this reading, I defended myself against the demons; they, hearing the Akathist, were terrified and trembling, unable to approach me. Then, in a state of exaltation, I looked upward and saw the heavens open and a radiant Angel of God descending like lightning.

He stood near me and said, “O wretched one! What have you done? Instead of loving the Lord God, your Creator, with all your soul and heart, you have loved His creation—your son—more than the Creator Himself. Because of your irrational and God-opposing love, you intended to starve yourself to death and thus face eternal condemnation. Know for certain that your son, with the help of God’s grace, will surely become a monk. You, too, must follow his example, renounce the world and everything in it, and become a nun. For this is God’s will. If you resist this divine will, I testify before Christ the Lord God, my Creator, that I will at once hand you over to the demons waiting to seize and torment your soul and body so that other parents may learn not to love their children more than God.”

As soon as the Angel of God said this and more to me, I cried out: ‘If this is God’s will, I will no longer grieve for my son.’

Immediately, the demons vanished; the Angel of the Lord ascended to heaven, rejoicing. Hearing this from her, her spiritual father and relatives were filled with both fear and joy, glorifying God and returning to their homes.’”

Platon (the future Paisius) was horrified upon hearing from his relative that his departure had caused such sorrow to his mother’s soul. Nevertheless, he was comforted by obeying God’s will; she resolved to become a nun, which she fulfilled. Entering a convent, she was tonsured and renamed from Irina to Juliana. She lived in the monastery for more than ten years, serving God in monasticism for the salvation of her soul, and departed to the Lord.

While residing at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, as mentioned above, Venerable Paisius often visited the holy caves. He venerated the holy relics with fervent love and tears, seeking help from the saints and guidance on the path to salvation.