The saint library

Saint Paul of Obnora

Monk and monastery founder
Obnora and Nurma, Russia · 14th–15th centuries
Feast day: January 10

Seventeenth-century icon of Paul of Obnora living in a linden tree. Image source: Orthodox Christianity, The Obnora Road

A life of faith

Paul of Obnora was a disciple of Sergius of Radonezh. After traveling among monasteries and hermitages, he settled near the Nurma River on the advice of Sergius of Nurma. In 1414 he received Metropolitan Photius’s blessing to establish a monastery dedicated to the Holy Trinity. Later he entrusted its administration to a disciple and returned to a secluded cell in the forest. His monastery preserved his memory, and he was canonized in 1547.

The Eastern Orthodox Church remembers saints in prayer and commemoration. Their lives offer examples for Christians learning to live their faith.

A reflection

Consider how to entrust a responsibility to another person with care.

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