Venerable Moses the Hungarian

Life

Moses was at the court of the young Russian prince Boris. When the godless Svyatopolk slew Boris, Moses escaped and fled to Kiev. But a little later he was carried off by the Polish king Boleslav as a captive to the land of Poland, and sold for a thousand gold coins to a young and debauched widow, the wife of one of Boleslav's slain commanders. This wicked woman urged Moses to commit fornication, but Moses would not be swayed, for he had vowed to live in purity before the Lord. Then she proposed marriage to him, but he refused that also. Secretly Moses received the monastic tonsure from a certain monk of the Holy Mountain, and appeared before his mistress in a monastic habit. She had him bound and ordered that he be flogged and that his privy member be cut off. For five full years that unsuccessful seduction by this shameful woman lasted — five years of torments and tortures! But unexpectedly King Boleslav perished in a rebellion, in which this woman also was killed. Then Moses freely departed to Kiev, where under St. Anthony he gave himself over to prayer and stillness. Having completely conquered the shameful passion of lust within himself, he helped many others to be saved from it. And his holy relics helped many as well (see the Life of John the Long-Suffering, July 8). After ten years of stillness in the cave, St. Moses reposed on July 26, 1043, and departed to the eternal virginal Kingdom of Christ.