St. Cyril, Bishop of Turov, was born in the 30s of the 12th century in the town of Turov on the Pripyat River to wealthy parents.
From an early age, Saint Cyril read the sacred books with zeal and achieved a deep understanding of them. He studied not only with Russians, but also with Greeks. In adulthood, Saint Cyril renounced his inheritance and took vows at the Borisoglebsky Monastery of Turov. He struggled a lot in fasting and prayer and taught the monks full obedience to the abbot: a monk who is not in obedience to the abbot does not fulfill his vow and therefore cannot be saved.
Three writings of St. Cyril on monastic life have been preserved, one of which, "The Legend of the Chernoriz Rite from the Old Law and from the New", can be attributed to the time of his stay in the monastery.
After some time, Saint Cyril retired to the pillar, where he further intensified his exploits and "expounded many Divine Scriptures." Many turned to him for advice in their spiritual lives.
The sanctity of St. Cyril's life and high enlightenment drew universal attention to him, and he was elected to the Turov chair. In 1169, St. Cyril took part in the council that condemned Bishop Theodore, who occupied the Vladimir-Suzdal see and tried to separate himself from the Kiev metropolis. Saint Cyril denounced Theodore's heresy and composed many epistles to Saint Prince Andrew Bogolyubsky (July 4), in which he instructed him and instructed him about church disorders in the Rostov region.
Due to his love of solitude, Saint Cyril left the pulpit (until 1182, under which Bishop Laurentius of Turov is already mentioned) and devoted himself entirely to writing spiritual works. He probably composed the words for the entire annual round of the Lord's feasts, but not all of them have been preserved. The teachings of St. Cyril were placed in collections along with ancient patristic works.
Saint Cyril died on April 28, around 1183. From his contemporaries, he received the name of the Russian Chrysostom. The saint himself spoke humbly about himself: "I am not a reaper, but I gather ears of corn; I am not an artist in bookish matters," always, however, aware of the height of the holy ministry to which the Lord had placed him: "If I had spoken for myself, you would have done well without coming to the temple. But I am proclaiming to you the Word of the Lord, I am reading to you the letter of Christ... I give away the words of God, the best gold and precious stones, sweeter than honey and honeycomb, and you lose them without coming to church.. but I praise and bless you who come."