Sergius of Radonezh (baptized at birth Bartholomew) was a Russian monk, the founder of the Trinity Monastery near Moscow (now the Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra); he is a highly venerated saint and greatest man of faith of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Together with his disciples he founded over 30 monasteries, which became the stronghold for developing agriculture in the desolate lands in the north of the Volga Region.
The Venerable Sergius of Radonezh contributed greatly not only to church but to the state development also. Before the famous Battle of Kulikovo in 1380, Dmitry Donskoy, the Prince of Moscow, came to him for blessing; and on September 3, 1380 the Russian army won a decisive victory over the Tatars in the Kulikovo Field, which marked the beginning of liberation of Rus’ from the Tartar-Mongol Yoke.
The souvenir sheet depicts a sacred procession headed by the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh aginst the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, there is a flock of birds in the sky (Sergius’s followers and disciples). Among historical figures are (from left to right): the Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy, the legendary monk and combat Alexander Peresvet; there are also modern Orthodox believers carrying lit candles.
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