Procopius of Ustyug
{{Short description|Eastern Orthodox saint (died 1303)}}
{{Infobox saint
|honorific_prefix=Saint
| name = Procopius of Ustyug
| image = Procopius of Ustyug.jpg
| imagesize =
| alt =
| caption = 16th century icon
| titles = Wonderworker and Fool for Christ
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Lübeck, Free City of Lübeck, Holy Roman Empire
| death_date = {{Death date|1303|7|8}}
| death_place = Veliky Ustyug, Vladimir-Suzdal
| venerated_in = Eastern Orthodoxy
| beatified_date =
| beatified_place =
| beatified_by =
| canonized_date = 1547
| canonized_place =
| canonized_by = Russian Orthodox Church
| major_shrine =
| feast_day = July 8
| attributes =
| patronage =
| issues =
| suppressed_date =
| suppressed_by =
}}
Procopius of Ustyug ({{langx|ru|Прокопий Устюжский}}) or Procopius of Lübeck ({{langx|ru|Прокопий Любекский}}; {{langx|de|Prokop(ius) von Ustjug und Lübeck}}; died {{Death date|1303|7|8}})[http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/93808 San Procopio di Ustiug] was a fool for Christ (yurodivy) and miracle worker, formerly a merchant from Lübeck. He was canonized as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church.
Life
Though he is sometimes identified as one Jacob Potharst, son of a Lübeck merchant, Procopius' worldly name, surname, date and place of birth are not reliably determined. In 1818, the universal celebration of the saint was established.{{cite web|url=http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=102283|title=Commemorated on July 8|publisher=Orthodox Church in America|accessdate=20 July 2010}}
Born in Lübeck, Germany, he was a Roman Catholic merchant who converted to Eastern Orthodox Christianity during his travels.[https://regnum.ru/news/society/2273503.html Владимир Станулевич — Прусский купец и русский святой Прокопий Устюжский — ИА REGNUM]
St. Procopius lived as a fool for Christ (yurodivy) for 60 years. In 1290, he predicted the fall of a meteorite near Veliky Ustyug, as well as tornado and conflagration.
Veneration
File:Kirche des heiligen Prokop in Hamburg-Stellingen (1).jpg
Procopius was canonized as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1547.{{cite book |last1=Bushkovitch |first1=Paul |title=Religion and Society in Russia: The Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries |date=28 May 1992 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-536152-0 |page=81 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vB0OqzCU5i4C |language=en}}
The incorrupt relics of St. Procopius were discovered in the 18th century near the Entrance of the Theotokos to the Temple Church in Veliky Ustyug and placed in the church, where they remained in open view for two hundred years, being the putative source of numerous healings.{{cite web |title=Righteous Procopius the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Ustya, Vologda |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2008/07/08/102283-righteous-procopius-the-fool-for-christ-and-wonderworker-of-usty |website=Orthodox Church in America}}
In the 1960s, the church St. Prokop was built in Hamburg, Germany, by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.
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References
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External links
{{commons category|Procopius of Ustuzh}}
- {{cite web|url=http://www.bibliotekar.ru/zhizneopisaniya/18.htm|title=Life of Procopius of Ustyug |publisher=bibliotekar.ru|language=Russian}}
- {{BBKL|p/prokopius_v_u|band=7|autor= Ekkart Sauser |artikel= Prokopius von Ustjug|spalten=994-995}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Procopius Of Ustyug}}
Category:13th-century Christian saints
Category:13th-century German businesspeople
Category:14th-century Christian saints
Category:14th-century Russian people
Category:Eastern Orthodox saints
Category:Russian saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church