Kyrill von Turow

Kyrill von Turau

Monument to Kyrill von Turov in Gomel

Saint Kyrill von Turau ( Belarusian : Кіры́ла Ту́раўскі, Kiryla Turauski , Russian : Кирилл Туровский, Kirill Turovskij , * around 1130 ; † around 1182 ) was a monk and bishop of the Orthodox Church . He was one of the first East Slavic theologians of the Kievan Rus ; He spent his life in the southern Belarusian city of Turau . On April 28th there is a public holiday in his honor.

Life

The son of wealthy parents received an excellent education (presumably from Greek teachers ). As a young man, he decided to dedicate his life to God and entered a monastery. He soon became known as a wise man, many believers came to him and sought advice on questions of prayer technique. Later on, his urge for a secluded life became overwhelming and he often locked himself in his cell for long periods of time, fasting and praying. Most of his manuscripts probably date from this period.

When the bishop of Turau died around 1169, he was asked by the prince and people of the then independent state to succeed him. Kyrill accepted. As a bishop, he must have been a pastor who cared for his flock and a passionate preacher. However, he also found time to participate in political affairs.

Kyrill von Turau was the most important writer in early Belarusian history; In addition to his sermons, he is also known for his prayers , poems , songs and other treatises. His religious interpretation was strongly influenced by Byzantine , quite normal for this time, since Christianity came from Byzantium to the Slavic countries. He left 30 prayers and two major writings called The Parable of the Negligent King and A Treatise on the Monastic Condition in the Old and New Testaments , inasmuch as the monk accepts the image of the former and does the works of the latter , meaning that the monk the motto of the Old Testament ("an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth") endured and acts in the sense of the New Testament.

literature

• Thomas Wünsch:  KIRILL von Turow. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 3, Bautz, Herzberg 1992, ISBN 3-88309-035-2 , Sp. 1526-1528.
• Christian Hannick: Kyrill, Russian monk, Bishop of Turov (approx. 1169 / † before 1182) . In: Lexicon of the Middle Ages (LexMA). Volume 5, Artemis & Winkler, Munich / Zurich 1991, ISBN 3-7608-8905-0 , Sp. 1598 f.

Web links

• Alexander Nadson: Spiritual Writings of St Cyril of Turaŭ (on the saint, his works and his views)