Venerable (Monastic) 16th century

Venerable Dorothy of Kashin

1549–1629

Also known as Dorothea of Kashin

A noblewoman who became a nun amid civil unrest, invasion, and plague, remembered for her monastic endurance.

Feast Day

September 24

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Commemorated as

Our Venerable Mother Dorothy of Kashin

Life

Dorothy of Kashin (1549–1629) was a Russian noblewoman who, late in life, became a nun amid the civil unrest, foreign invasion, and upheaval of the Time of Troubles. Her monastic name before her tonsure, and her place of birth, have not been preserved.

Born into a noble family, she married Theodore Ladygin and lived north of Moscow in the Kashin region, where the couple had a son named Michael. When her husband was killed early in the seventeenth century defending the city against Polish and Lithuanian invaders, Dorothy — then about sixty — entered the women's monastery of the Meeting of the Lord in Kashin.

She is remembered for her ascetical endurance in the ruined monastery, her recovery and preservation of the Korsun icon of the Mother of God, her humility in refusing the office of abbess, and her use of her remaining resources to restore the monastery and aid the poor. She is recognized by the Eastern Orthodox Church and commemorated on September 24.

Timeline 5 moments Read Hide

1549 Birth Born into a noble family in Rus'. Her name before tonsure and her birthplace have not been preserved.
Early 17th c. Death of her husband Her husband, Theodore Ladygin, was killed defending Kashin against Polish and Lithuanian invaders when she was about sixty years old.
Early 17th c. Enters the monastery She entered the women's monastery of the Meeting of the Lord in Kashin, building a cell amid its ruins and recovering the Korsun icon of the Mother of God.
1615 Receives the Great Schema She received the Great Schema, the highest degree of Eastern Orthodox monasticism, and increased her ascetical efforts.
September 24, 1629 Repose She died at approximately eighty years old, after more than twenty years in the monastery, and was buried on the north side of the monastery church.

Contributions & Legacy

2 contributions Read Hide

Historical Context

Dorothy's life spanned the Time of Troubles, a period of dynastic crisis, civil unrest, and foreign invasion in Rus' at the turn of the seventeenth century. Her husband, Theodore Ladygin, was killed at the beginning of the seventeenth century defending Kashin in a battle against Polish and Lithuanian invaders; she was approximately sixty years old when this occurred.

The women's monastery she entered, dedicated to the Meeting of the Lord in Kashin, had housed the relics of Saint Anna of Kashin and had been sacked and damaged during the conflict. Dorothy built a small cell amid the ruins and there took up ascetical struggles.

Monastic Life and Legacy

Among the debris of the ruined monastery, Dorothy located the Korsun icon of the Mother of God and preserved it in her cell, which subsequently became known for miraculous occurrences. Despite her sisters' wishes that she become abbess, she refused the office out of humility.

She devoted her remaining resources to restoring the monastery and aiding the poor. In 1615 she received the Great Schema, the highest degree of Eastern Orthodox monasticism, and intensified her spiritual efforts.

She died on September 24, 1629, at approximately eighty years old, having lived in the monastery for more than twenty years. She was buried on the north side of the monastery church, beneath a memorial stone bearing a legible inscription.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints