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:''For other uses, see [[Athanasius (disambiguation)]]''The Hieromartyr '''Athanasius of Bretsk''' or '''Athanasius of Brest-Litovsk''', also '''Athanasius Philippovich''' or '''Atanazy Filipowicz''' was a [[monk]] and [[hegumen]] of the Monastery of St. Simeon in Brest during the seventeenth century. He was [[martyr]]ed for his very strong opposition to the [[Union of Brest]]. He is commemorated on [[September 5]]. The uncovering and transfer of his [[relics]] is commemorated on [[July 20]].
==Life==
The hieromartyr Athanasius was born in the province of Minsk about the year 1597 into a pious Belorussian family named Philippovich. His secular name is not known, as well as the social status of his family. He received a serious upbringing and was educated at a school run by the Orthodox Brotherhood. He came to know well the theological and historical literature, as evidenced in his diary that has been preserved. Later, he graduated from a Jesuit College in Vilnius. He was fluent in four languages, Polish, Latin, Greek. and the local Slavic dialect.
As a young man, Athanasius was a teacher in the houses of Polish merchants, before he accepted [[tonsure]] in 1627 from Igumen Joseph of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius and received the name Athanasius. He was [[ordination|ordained]] hieromonk in 1632, and appointed head of the Dubovsk monastery near Pinsk. However, in 1636 the monastery was seized by the Jesuits and Fr. Athanasius, with the monks, moved to Kupiatits Monastery near Pinsk. There, he became acquainted with the monk [[Macarius of Kanev|Macarius (Tokarevsky)]] who had been given by Metropolitan [[Peter Mogila]] a universal certificate authorizing his collecting of offerings. With St. Macarius, Fr. Anthanasius was tasked with collecting donations for rebuilding the Church of Kupiaticka and its icon of the Theotokos.
Going to the Church of Kupiaticka, Fr. Athanasius prayed to before the Kupiaticka [[icon]] of the Mother of God for aid in identifying generous donors. In reply to his prayers, the Theotokos directed him: "Go to the tsar. He will build the church for me." Following Her words and with Her protection, Fr. Athanasius made the difficult and dangerous war time journey to Moscow where Tsar Michael Feodorovich welcomed him warmly and made a generous donation.
In 1640, the monks from St. Simeon Monastery in Brest elected Fr. Athanasius the Igumen of the monastery, where he continued his fight against the Union of Brest. In his struggle against the Union, Fr. Anthanasius traveled to Warsaw in 1641 and 1643, reaching king Władysław IV, who favored tolerance. But, his attempt to get a decree of tolerance was unsuccessful against the influences of the Jesuit and Greek Catholic authorities. He was imprisoned three times during these years for his stand against the Union. While imprisoned he wrote a letter to the king describing the persecutions and noting his promise to improve the situation of the Orthodox Church.
*[http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atanazy_Brzeski Atanazy Brzeski] In polish
*[http://www.lublin.cerkiew.pl/page.php?id=274 Diocese of Lublin-Chełm: Saint Atanazy]
==External links==
*[http://www.abbamoses.com/months/september.html Hagiography (look under 'September 5')]
*[http://www.unicorne.org/orthodoxy/articles/articles_b/athanasius(sept18).htm St Athanasius of Brest: A Martyr for True Church Unity]
*[http://www.stjohndc.org/russian/saints/e_9809c.htm LIVES OF THE SAINTS - The Venerable Martyr Athanasius of Brest]
[[Category: Saints|Athanasius]]
[[Category: Martyrs|Athanasius]]
[[Category: Lithuanian Saints]]
[[Category: Polish Saints|Athanasius]]
[[Category: Priests|Athanasius]]
[[Category: Monastics]]
[[Category:17th-century saints]]
