St. Abraham of Smolensk

St. Abraham of Smolensk (died c. 1221) was a monk and priest of the city of Smolensk in medieval Rus', one of the most learned and celebrated preachers of his age in the Russian lands. Born to wealthy parents, he gave away his inheritance after their death and embraced monastic poverty, devoting himself to the study of Scripture and the Fathers and to a rigorous ascetic life.

His powerful preaching on repentance, judgment, and the last things drew crowds but also aroused the jealousy and suspicion of some of the clergy, who accused him of heresy and had him silenced and disgraced for a time; he was later vindicated when a drought was attributed to the injustice done to him and lifted after his rehabilitation. He served as abbot of a monastery near Smolensk and was venerated after his death as a wonderworker. His disciple Ephrem wrote his Life, an important text of early Russian hagiography.