Saint Cosmas, Desert Dweller of Zographou

Born in Bulgaria in the 13th century, young Cosmas avoided marriage and journeyed to the Holy Mountain, where he was accepted into the Zographou monastery. For a long time he was a novice and then once he took monastic vows he was appointed ecclesiarch, then ordained deacon, then priest. Saint Cosmas was a secret seer of the Theotokos, Who occasionally revealed glimpses of Her care for the world to the saint. After hearing the voice of the Lord, Cosmas received the abbot's blessing to withdraw into the wilderness. In a cave cut into the side of a cliff, he lived a life of silent devotion and was granted the gift of clairvoyance. In a vision of Christ, he was warned that his final days would be a grievous trial and indeed the saint underwent three days of terrible demonic assaults before his death. Then he received the All-Pure Mysteries and peacefully departed to the Lord. At his burial, a multitude of beasts and birds flocked to his cave and cried out in his honor.