Luka (Voyno-Yasenetsky)

Luke of Simferopol [1][2] (Luke, Russian: Архиепи́скоп Лука́, born Valentin Felixovich Voyno-Yasenetsky, Russian: Валенти́н Фе́ликсович Во́йно-Ясене́цкий; April 27 or May 9, 1877 in Kerch – June 11, 1961, Simferopol), also known as Saint Luke the Surgeon, was an outstanding surgeon, the founder of purulent surgery, a spiritual writer, a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, and archbishop of Simferopol and the Crimea from May 1946. He was a laureate of the Stalin Prize in medicine in 1946.

Saint

Luke the Surgeon
Photograph of Archbishop Luka Voyno-Yasenetsky
Archbishop, Confessor, Surgeon and Wonderworker
BornValentin Felixovich Voyno-Yasenetsky
9 May 1877
Kerch, Taurida Governorate, Russian Empire
Died11 June 1961(1961-06-11) (aged 84)
Simferopol, Soviet Union
Venerated inEastern Orthodoxy
Canonized25 May 1996, Sarov Monastery by Holy Governing Synod, Russian Orthodox Church
Major shrineHoly Trinity Cathedral, Simferopol, Russia
FeastMay 29
June 11 (Repose)
AttributesWearing bishop's vestment, pectoral cross and engolpion worn about his neck, miter and crozier.
PatronageDoctors
Nurses
Pharmacies
Physicians
Surgeons
Scientists

His most important work in medicine is Sketches of Purulent Surgery (1934).[3] This is still a reference book and a manual for surgeons. As a noticeable religious figure, he was subjected to political repressions and spent 11 years in internal exile. Luke's mother was Orthodox and his father was Catholic, and according to his memoirs, he did not receive a religious upbringing from his family. When he left school the principal gave him a copy of the New Testament, and it was by a careful study of this that he came to know the teachings of Christ.

Glorification

He was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church on May 25, 1996. His feast day is May 29/June 11 (Julian [Old] Calendar/Revised Julian [New] Calendar). On March 17, 1996, Luke's remains were disinterred, with many thousands of people attending the ceremony. It is said that an indescribable aroma arose from his relics, while his heart was discovered incorrupt , a testament to the great love he bore towards Christ and his fellow men. Three days later on March 20, 1996, his relics were transferred to the Church of the Holy Trinity.[4]

His relics are in the cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Simferopol. He is beloved and celebrated worldwide. In Greece portions of the relics of Saint Luke are found in Sagmata monastery, Dovra monastery and a few other churches.

  • Russian icon of Saint Luke of Crimea
  • The Bishop of Tashkent and Turkestan Innokenty (Pustynsky) and Saint Luke in 1921 (St. Luke was still a priest by that time)
  • Holy Trinity cathedral in Simferopol, where the relics of St. Luke are held.
Eastern Orthodox Church titles
Preceded by
Innocent (Pustynsky)		 Bishop of Tashkent and Turkestan
1923-1927		 Succeeded by
Sergius (Lavrov)
Preceded by
Anthony (Milovidov)		 Archbishop of Krasnoyarsk and Yenisei
1942-1944		 Succeeded by
Bartholomew (Gorodtsov)
Preceded by
Gregory (Chykov)		 Archbishop of Tambov and Michurinsk
1944-1946		 Succeeded by
Joasaph (Jurmanov)
Preceded by
Joasaph (Jurmanov)		 Archbishop of Simferopol and Crimea
1946-1961		 Succeeded by
Alypius (Chotovitskiy)

See also

Sources
  • Archdeacon Vasiliy Marushchak, The Blessed Surgeon: The Life of Saint Luke of Simferopol, Divine Ascent Press, 2002
  • Archmandrite Nektarios Antonopoulos, Saint Luke of Simferopol and Crimea I Embraced Martyrdom: An Autobiography, Porphyra Publications, 2013 (in Greek)

References
  1. Article about the life of Saint Luke of Simferopol, Mystagogy resource center, 11/06/2010
  2. Article of Archpriest Viktor Potapov with title "“One Who Came to Love Suffering:” On the Life of St. Luke of Simferopol"
  3. Andreev, A. A., & Ostroushko, A. P., "To Valentin Felixovich Voyno-Yasenetsky, on his 140th Birthday", Journal of Experimental and Clinical Surgery, Vol 10, No 2, 2017.
  4. Article about St. Luke in orthodoxwiki
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