Formation under Alexander of Svir
Nikephoros came to Saint Alexander of Svir in 1510 and was warmly received by him. Alexander (1448–1533) was hegumen of the Trinity Monastery near Olonets in the Novgorod region — later known as the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery — situated east of Lake Ladoga; he had been appointed hegumen in 1506, four years before Nikephoros's arrival.
Under Alexander's direction Nikephoros was formed in the ascetic and monastic life of the northern Russian wilderness, the same milieu from which the foundation at Vazhe Lake would later emerge.
Pilgrimage and travels
In 1518, with his spiritual mentor's approval, Nikephoros visited Saint Cyril of New Lake. According to the account of his life, he arrived exhausted from travel and fell asleep; Cyril crossed the lake by boat to greet and awaken him, and the two spent eight days together in spiritual discussion.
Following this visit, Nikephoros journeyed to Kiev to venerate the relics at the Kiev Caves Monastery. He then returned north with the blessing of Saint Alexander.
Foundation at Vazhe Lake
Upon his return, Nikephoros established himself at Vazhe Lake, located in the Olonets region twelve versts from the Svir Monastery, where Saint Gennadius had previously pursued the monastic life. There he built the Church of the Transfiguration and a monastery, where he lived until his death.
Saint Gennadius, also a disciple of Alexander of Svir, had earlier lived as a hermit by the river Svira before going, with Alexander's blessing, to Vazhe Lake. There, having built a cell, he spent his solitary ascetic life with two disciples. Before his death he told a disciple, 'Here at this place shall be a church and a monastery.' He died on January 8, 1516, and is commemorated on February 9 together with Nikephoros.
Relics & Shrines
The relics of the saints were laid to rest in a hidden place within the monastery they founded. The monastery was plundered during the invasions of the early seventeenth century, and after later restoration efforts a chapel was built over the common grave of the two saints.
In the second half of the nineteenth century a church was built in the Zadne-Nikiforov wilderness honoring both Nikephoros and Gennadius. A new church begun in 1854 was consecrated on August 8, 1858, in the name of All Saints. Under Soviet rule the monastery was closed in 1923; its revival began in 1991, and the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated on August 1, 1992. Originally restored as a women's community (1991–2001), the foundation later transitioned to male monastic status and was renamed the Transfiguration Monastery.
Veneration
No formal glorification or canonization date, nor any synodal act, is recorded in the available sources. Nikephoros and Gennadius are venerated as Venerable (monastic) saints, with their joint feast established on February 9 — coinciding with Nikephoros's date of repose.
