Venerable Xenophon of Robika

Xenophon of Robeika (Russian: Ксенофонт Робейский, romanized: Ksenofont Robeysky; late 14th — early 15th centuries) was a Russian Orthodox monk, later declared a saint (made venerable). Xenophon took his monastic vows at the Lisitsky Monastery from Abbot Barlaam. Xenophon later became hegumen (abbot) of the Khutyn Monastery. Resigning from this post, he later founded the St. Nicholas Monastery on the Robeika River, close to Novgorod. His relics were placed in the monastery's church, which later became a parish church. Xenophon took his monastic vows at the Lisitsky Monastery from Abbot Barlaam. Xenophon later became hegumen (abbot) of the Khutyn Monastery. Resigning from this post, he later founded the St. Nicholas Monastery on the Robeika River, close to Novgorod. In another story of the saint, it is said that he departed living with Barlaam because he wanted to live a more ascetic life. The place where he landed on the Robeika is where the St. Nicholas Monastery was eventually founded. Many of details of Xenophon's life were lost when his vita was lost. When it was rewritten in the 18th century, his biographers confused Barlaam of Khutyn with Barlaam of Kiev, who lived 200 years earlier. He was a friend of Anthony of Dymsk, who probably lived in the 12th century and, in turn, was confused by hagiographers with Anthony of Rome, who also lived in the 12th century. The only accounting of Xenophon's life was found only at the end of the 20th century and published by A.G. Bobrov. The vita was written no earlier than the 18th century (it uses the word “object”, a translation of the Latin “objectum”, which entered the Russian language only in 1720). However, the author of the hagiography tried to imitate ancient examples. Historical information about him is often erroneous.