Stephen of Perm
Stephen of Perm (Russian: Стефан Пермский, romanized: Stefan Permsky; Komi: Перымса Степан, romanized: Perymsa Stepan; c. 1340 – 26 April 1396) was a Russian Orthodox bishop, painter and missionary. He is known as being one of the most successful missionaries of the Russian Orthodox Church. Stephen is credited with the conversion of the Komi peoples to Christianity. He settled in Ust-Vym and became the first bishop of Perm in 1383.
Stephen of Perm | |
|---|---|
Saint Stephen on his way to Moscow, illumination from a 17th-century manuscript | |
| The Enlightener of Perm Bishop of Perm | |
| Born | c. 1340 Ustyug |
| Died | 26 April 1396 Moscow |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church Roman Catholic Church |
| Canonized | 1549 |
| Feast | 26 April |
Stephen also created the Old Permic script, which makes him the founding-father of Permian written tradition. "The Enlightener of Perm" or the "Apostle of the Permians", as he is sometimes called, is commemorated by the Catholic and Orthodox Churches on 26 April. Epiphanius the Wise wrote about his life in The Life of Stephen of Perm.