Hierarch · 1724–1783
Tikhon of Zadonsk
Saint Tikhon, Bishop of Voronezh, Wonderworker of Zadonsk
New Calendar May 14 Old Calendar May 27
Why they are a saint
Tikhon of Zadonsk was bishop of Voronezh who retired to Zadonsk; a gentle teacher against despondency and anger, widely read in Russian piety. The years given for this life are 1724–1783. The Church numbers him among its holy bishops. The New Calendar feast is May 14.
Life
Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk, in the world Timothy, was born in 1724 in the village of Korotsk in the Novgorod diocese. His father, a church cantor, died when he was small, and the family lived in deep poverty. He studied at the Novgorod Seminary, taught there, and in 1758 was tonsured with the name Tikhon.
In 1761 he was consecrated a vicar bishop of Novgorod, and in 1763 became Bishop of Voronezh, which he governed for four and a half years, edifying his flock by his life and writings. In retirement he lived very simply and wrote 'A Spiritual Treasury Gathered from the World' (1770) and 'On True Christianity' (1776). He reposed on August 13, 1783, at fifty-nine; his relics were uncovered in 1846, and he was glorified in 1861.
Sources: OCA Lives of the Saints. Retold in our own words.
Traditional patronage
The cited source names no specific patronage.
Patronage / why chosen as patron
Traditionally asked to pray for despondency and quick temper. The reason for this custom is not recorded here.
Prayer
O holy Tikhon of Zadonsk, pray to God for us.
A short general prayer to a saint, not a liturgical text. No public-domain troparion for this saint is included.
Do not confuse with Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow; other Tikhons.