Shepherd and teacher. Confessor of the Royal Family

…;">Coming: village Kobylnya 54 yards, 201 souls men. gender and 210 female souls. semi,

in the village of Knyazevskie settlements there are 40 households, 132 men's souls. gender and 147 female souls. semi,

in the village of Khupta Kobylskie settlements there are 29 households, 116 male souls. sex and 122 souls of women. semi,

in the village of Matveevskie settlements there are 18 households, 67 male souls. gender and 53 female souls. semi,

in the village of Strelcha there are 16 households, 84 male souls. sex and 72 souls of women. semi.

A total of 160 households, 630 men's souls. gender and 604 souls of women. half parishioners, all Orthodox.

Trinity Church in Lubyanka

The building is real stone, the ceiling and dome are wooden. The bell tower is also made of stone.

In 1909 /…/ was corrected inside and the entire inside was painted with oil paint. The church is warm.

There are 3 Thrones: in the present one - in the Name of the Most Holy Trinity, the 2nd - in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the 3rd - in honor of the Holy Silverless Cosmas and Damian.

There are enough utensils.

There is no salary.

Other sources of income: bank notes, from them % = 98 rubles. - cop. per year.

Church land: estate with graveyard together 4 des. 1200 sq. fathoms, /…/ arable 78 des. 1200 sq. fathoms, 1-2 versts from the church, there is a plan.

The quality of the land is average, most people use it themselves, some they rent out for 10 rubles each. per ten per year.

The priest's house is on church land, built with insurance money, the property of the church. The deacon and psalmist have their own houses, located on church land. The houses are new, iron roofed.

Other buildings: a wooden gatehouse with an iron roof, built in 1912.

From the consistory 120 versts, from the deanery in Turov 7.

From Ryazhsk 23 versts, from the Kenzino railway station 9.

Nearest churches: Nikolskaya in Kobylnya, 3 versts away, and Znamenskaya village. Rattlers at 4.

There are no affiliations.

Inventory of property since 1884, receipt and expenditure books since 1913, copies of birth certificates since 1804, search book since 1913, 11 sheets written, confessions since 1820.

The church library has 140 volumes of books.

There are schools in the parish: zemstvo in Lubyanka, zemstvo in Baranovka, zemstvo in Akseni.

The peasant Semyon Grigoriev Suetin has been the headman of the church since 1914, on the 1st three-year anniversary.

The Reverend visited for the last time in 1887.

Clergy:

• Priest Grigory Vasiliev Melioransky 43 years old,
• Deacon Ioann Evfimiev Favorov, 49 years old,
• psalmist Alexey Borisov Troitsky 72 years old. /…/

Coming: Lubyanka village 151 yards, 461 souls men. gender and 479 female souls. semi,

in the village of Baranovka there are 118 households, 362 male souls. gender and 360 female souls. semi,

in the village of Akseni there are 39 households, 110 male souls. gender and 117 female souls. semi,

in the village of Saltykovskie Vyselki there are 16 courtyards, 50 male souls. gender and 49 female souls. semi.

A total of 324 households, 983 male souls. gender and 1005 female souls. half parishioners, all Orthodox.

In schism, sectarians, Mohammedans, Jews, etc. - No.

Archangel Church in Mordvinovka

Built in 1896 by the diligence of good people.

The building is real wooden, covered with iron, the bell tower is wooden, covered with iron.

Thrones 3: in the present - in the Name of the Archangel Michael of God, to the right - St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, to the left the chapel - in the Name of Saints Peter, Alexy, Jonah and Philip of Moscow Wonderworkers.

There are enough utensils.

Staff: priest and psalm-reader. On the face - the same.

Salary 392 rubles. for two.

Club fees: 300 rub. cop. -

Other sources of income: bank notes, % from them = (not calculated - approx.).

Church land: estate with graveyard together 5 des., /…/ arable 33 des. and under the country road 1 des. 2 miles from the church, there is a plan.

The quality of the land is average, partly infertile, income 300 rubles. per year.

The houses of the clergy on church land, built with diligence themselves and constitute their property, are in average condition.

Other buildings: parochial school at the village. Mordvinovka and the parish school at the village of Lyapunovka.

From the consistory at 110 versts, from the deanery in Turov at 8.

From Ryazhsk 20 versts, from the Kenzino railway station 4.

Address: "p/o Ukholovo, Ryazan province."

The nearest churches are: Nikolskaya in Churilovka at 2 versts and Pokrovskaya in Kenzino at 3.

There are no affiliations.

Inventory of property from 1878, receipts and expenditure books from 1877, copies of birth certificates from 1780, search book from 1912, 17 sheets written, confessions from 1827.

There are 50 volumes of books in the church library.

Church money and papers are safe behind the key, the key is with the elder.

There are schools in the parish: a parish school in Mordvinovka, a two-room school and a one-room school in Lyapunovka. Placed in church houses, released from parishioners and from the Ryazhsky district branch of 114 rubles. per year, 60 boys and 50 girls study.

The church elder is a peasant from the village. Mordvinovka Emelyan Shaposhnikov since 1895, for three years.

The Reverend last visited in 1914.

Clergy:

• Priest Dimitry Ioannov Pesochin 27 years old,
• and/or psalmist Fyodor Ioannov Chilin 22 years old. /…/

Coming: village of Mordvinovka 129 households, 362 souls men. gender and 414 female souls. semi,

in the village of Lyapunova there are 77 households, 241 male souls. gender and 218 female souls. semi,

in the village of Elagin Khutor there are 21 yards, 59 male showers. gender and 66 female souls. semi.

A total of 227 households, 662 male souls. gender and 698 female souls. half parishioners, all Orthodox.

In schism, sectarians, Mohammedans, Jews, etc. - No.

Nicholas Church in Mostje

Built in 1884-1900. through the diligence of parishioners and other benefactors, it was consecrated in 1901.

The building is real stone, with the same bell tower, warm, strong, covered with iron.

Thrones 3: the main one - in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker,

2) on the right side - in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh,

3) on the left side - in the name of St. Martyr John the Warrior.

There are enough utensils.

Staff: priest, deacon and psalm-reader. On the face - the same.

There is no salary.

Club fees: 480 rub. - cop.

Other sources of income: bank notes, from them % = 64 rubles. 55 kopecks per year.

Church land: estate with graveyard together 4 dessiatinas, /…/ arable 40 dessiatinas, 200 fathoms from the church, there is a plan.

The quality of the land is average, partly infertile, income 180 rubles. per year.

The houses of the clergy on church land were built with the care of the clergy themselves, their own.

The house is in good condition. The psalm-reader does not have a home.

Other buildings: stone church gatehouse, covered with iron.

From the consistory 115 versts, from the deanery in Turov 20.

From Ryazhsk 30 versts, from the Sukharevo railway station of the Syzran-Vyazemskaya railway 4.

Address: "p/o Ukholovo, Ryazan province."

The nearest churches: Resurrection in Dubrovka at 1 verst and Kazanskaya in Serbino at 3, Trinity in Ukholovo at 5 versts.

There are no affiliations.

Inventory of property since 1884, receipt and expense books since 1913, copies of metrics since 1872, except for the years 1785, 1786, 1790 and 1890, search book since 1912, 14 sheets written, confessions since 1826.

There are 5 volumes of books in the church library.

Church money and papers are safe behind the key, the key is with the elder.

There are schools in the parish: zemstvo in the village. Mostier and the parish church in Butyrki.

In the village itself, a parochial school was built on purchased land, 390 rubles are allocated for maintenance from the Ryazhsky district branch of the Ryazan Diocesan School Council, 29 boys and 22 girls are educated.

The Sapozhkov tradesman Ioann Grigoriev Krom has been the headman of the church since 1909, for three years.

The Reverend last visited in - year.

Clergy:

• Sacred Cosma Feofanov Nazarev 39 years old,
• Deacon Mikhail Mikhailov Lebedev 56 years old,
• psalmist - (there is no psalmist). /…/

Coming: Mostye village 96 households, 273 souls men. gender and 277 female souls. semi,

in the village of Kairovoy there are 13 households, 54 male souls. gender and 39 female souls. semi,

in the village of Otrada there are 40 households, 108 male souls. gender and 118 female souls. semi,

in the village of Alexandrovka there are 16 courtyards, 69 men’s showers. gender and 67 female souls. semi,

in the village of Satin there are 13 households, 53 men's souls. floor and 60 women's households. semi,

in the village of Butyrki there are 114 households, 353 male souls. gender and 369 female souls. semi,

in the village of Isavshchina there are 20 households, 79 male souls. sex and 84 souls of women. semi.

A total of 312 households, 989 male souls. gender and 1014 female souls. half parishioners, all Orthodox.

In schism, sectarians, Mohammedans, Jews, etc. - No.

Archangel Church in Pogorelovka

Built in 1869 through the diligence of parishioners and various benefactors.

The building is real wooden, on a brick foundation, the bell tower is the same. The inside is plastered, painted, its dome is covered with planks, outside both the church and the bell tower are covered with planks and painted.

Thrones 3: in the present – ​​1) in the Name of the Archangel of God Michael,

2) Nativity of John the Baptist,

3) Great Martyr Theodore Tiron.

There are enough utensils.

Staff: priest, psalm-reader. On the face - the same.

Salary 400 rubles. per year.

Club fees: 400 rub. - cop.

Other sources of income: bank notes, from them % = 60 rubles. - cop. per year.

Church land: estate with graveyard together 4 des. 500 sq. m. fathoms, /…/ arable 31 des. 304 sq. fathoms, ½ verst from the church, in addition, 440 fathoms is located under a country road. There is a plan.

The quality of the land is small black soil, income is 10-15 rubles. per year from tithe.

The houses of the clergy on church land, built with the diligence of the priest and psalm-reader in 1890, are their own. The houses are strong.

Other church buildings:

1) wooden, iron-roofed parish school building,

2) a new stone and iron-roofed building for the parochial school,

3) a stone (brick) iron-roofed building for a church gatehouse.

From the consistory 100 versts, from the deanery in Turov 20.

From Ryazhsk 27 versts, from the railway station - .

Address: "p/o Ukholovo, Ryazan province."

The nearest churches: Trinity in Ukholovo, 3 versts, and Pokrovskaya in Kenzin, 6 versts.

There are no affiliations.

Inventory of property from 1878, receipts and expenditure books from 1912, copies of birth certificates from 1812, search book from 1911, 32 sheets written, confessions from 1826.

There are 10 volumes of books in the church library.

Church money and papers are safe behind the key, the key is with the elder.

The parish has a school: a one-class, two-room parochial school.

In the village itself, there is a school in its own church house, for the maintenance of the parish school, funds from local peasants are 50 rubles from the Ryazhsky district department, 100 rubles, 45 boys and 23 girls are studying.

The Ryazhian merchant of the 2nd guild, Akim Mitrofanov Proshlyakov, has been the headman of the church since 1899.

The Reverend last visited in 1878.

Clergy:

• Priest John Georgiev Karinsky 65 years old,
• Psalmist Stefan Nikolaev Solotchin 40 years old. /…/

Parish: Pogorelovka village 106 households, 324 male and 334 female souls,

in the village of Kakuy there are 31 yards, 99 male and 105 female souls,

in the village of Kakuyskiye settlement there are 18 households, 50 males and 60 females,

in the village of Slobodka Ganilovka there are 13 households, 40 males and 48 females.

A total of 169 households, 518 souls (husbands) and 557 souls (wives) half parishioners, all Orthodox.

In schism, sectarians, Mohammedans, Jews, etc. - No.

Church of the Intercession in the village of Pokrovskoye

It was built in 1789 with the diligence of the landowner Fyodor Matveev Leontyev, and the side-chamber by dismantling the old cramped one in 1890, built at the expense of the landowner Alexandra Nikolaevna Dubrovina and benefactors of the parishioners, consecrated in 1893.

The building is real stone, on a stone foundation, with the same bell tower, strong, everything is covered with iron.

Thrones 3: in the present - in the Name of the Intercession Ave. Theotokos, and in the chapel there are two - in the Name of the Nativity of John the Baptist and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra.

There are enough utensils.

Staff: 2 priests, a deacon and 2 psalm-readers. On the face - the same.

There is no salary.

Club fees: about 2000 rubles.

Other sources of income: income from land 600 rubles per year.

Church land: estate with graveyard together 10 dessiatinas. approximately /…/ arable 65 des. 350 sq. fathoms, no haymaking, no plan, 2 ½ versts from the church.

The quality of the land is sandy loam, income is 10 rubles. per year from tithe.

The houses of the clergy on church land were built with their care. The houses require renovation.

Other buildings: a woodshed, a brick church gatehouse with an iron roof and a parish school, brick and iron roof.

From the consistory 100 versts, from the deanery in Turov 30.

From Ryazhsk 33 versts, from the railway station - .

Address: "p/o Ukholovo, Ryazan province."

Nearest churches: the village of Tolstykh Olkhov Pokrovskaya is 5 versts away and the village of Yasenok Pokrovskaya is 8 versts away.

There are no affiliations.

Inventory of property from 1878, receipts and expenditure books from 1910, copies of birth certificates from 1783, search book from 1911, 162 sheets written, confessions from 1826, except 1895.

There are 132 volumes of books in the church library.

Church money and papers are safe behind the key, the key is with the elder.

There are schools in the parish: a parish school in the village, in the church fence, and zemstvo schools in the village. Pokrovsky, and the other in the village of Solovachevo.

In Pokrovsky itself, there is a school in the house of church trusteeship, 103 rubles are allocated for the maintenance of the parish school from local peasants, and 780 rubles from the Ryazhsky district department for the maintenance of teachers, 87 boys and 29 girls are studying, a total of 116 students.

Ryazhian tradesman Vasily Evsigneev Popov has been the headman of the church since 1896, for three years.

The Reverend last visited in 1874.

Clergy:

• Archpriest Nikolai Alekseev Sabchakov 76 years old,
• priest John Georgiev Tverdov 38 years old,
• Deacon Sergiy Dimitriev Antipatrov 45 years old,
• psalmist Vasily Petrov Arkhangelsky 54 years old,
• psalmist Alexander Ivanov Arkhangelsky 22 years old. /…/

Coming: Pokrovskoye village 545 households, 2056 male and 2158 female females,

in the village of Solovacheva there are 81 courtyards, 298 male and 325 female souls.

A total of 626 households, 2354 souls (husbands) and 2483 souls (wives) half parishioners, all Orthodox.

Baptists – 2 (2+1). In schism, sectarians, Mohammedans, Jews, etc. - No.

Kazan Church in Serbin

Built in 1794 with the care of the landowner Agafya Onsiforova Serbina.

The building is made of stone, on a stone foundation, with the same bell tower in connection, strong, covered with iron.

Thrones 3: the main cold one - in the Name of the “Kazan Mother of God”, in the right aisle - Holy. Nicholas, on the left - “All Saints”.

The utensils are poor.

Staff: priest, psalm-reader and prosphora maker. On the face - the same.

Salary 400 rubles. on parch.

Club fees: 287 rub. - cop.

Other sources of income: income from renting land... (not filled in completely - approx.).

Church land: estate with graveyard together des - square sazh, /.../ arable 30 dessiatinas, - of which 3 dessiatinas are swamps, 100 sazhens from the church.

The quality of the land is average, partly infertile, the so-called bel (salt marsh). Processed by the clergy members themselves.

The houses of the clergy on the field land were built with the care of the clergy in 1903. The houses are in good condition.

Other buildings: parish school, wooden, built in 1900.

From the consistory 120 versts, from the deanery in Turovo 25.

From Ryazhsk 30 versts, from the railway station 5.

Address: "p/o Ukholovo, Ryazan province."

According to 1861 data, 109 priests, 58 deacons and 205 clergymen (lower church servants - sextons and psalm-readers) served in the district. In 1911, there were 123 priests, 63 deacons, and 97 psalmists. All priests had completed or incomplete seminary education. The level of education among deacons and psalm-readers was significantly lower. The financial situation of the rural clergy directly depended on the state of the parish and parishioners, and they, for the most part, were poor. Therefore, the clergy ran their own subsidiary farming. Beekeeping brought a certain income to the clergy.

The average number of children in clergy families throughout the 19th century was 3-4 people. If in the 19th century sons could choose only one path for themselves - the spiritual, and studied mainly at the expense of their parents, then at the beginning of the 20th century many already entered secular educational institutions and were often supported there at government expense. In the past, daughters of the clergy received only home education, then married (most often to a representative of the clergy) or remained with their parents. By the beginning of the 20th century, most of the daughters of priests and clergymen studied at the diocesan women's school, at the highest women's courses. The education they received gave them the opportunity to work as teachers in primary schools.

Among the main duties of the clergy was exhortation and conversion of Old Believers and sectarians to Orthodoxy. Priest of the village of Kosmodamianskaya Ira I.V. Voskresensky converted 14 people from the Old Believers in 1839, the priest of the village of Peresypkino M.S. Bogoslovsky - 7 Molokans, the priest of the village of Vyazhli I. Krezov added 9 Old Believers to the Church and converted 27 Molokans to Orthodoxy. We also see examples of successful missionary work later: Archpriest I.E. Rozhdestvensky joined 111 Molokans to Orthodoxy. However, all these cases, apparently, were exceptional and isolated in nature.

In the matter of preaching at the beginning of the 19th century, the clergy had little success. When in 1803 the spiritual authorities proposed to select the best one from among the rural preachers to deliver sermons in Kirsanov, only one priest was found - Fr. Pyotr Antonov from the village of Kipets. Gradually the situation changed. So, in 1806, both priests of the village of Volkovo asked permission to preach to them.

By the end of the century, in 1894, the dean of the Kirsanovsky district already wrote: “The clergy of the district are at the height of their service, divine services are performed in an unforgiving manner, services are performed correctly, teachings are given every Sunday and holiday; extra-liturgical conversations are conducted in all churches... the level of morality rises ".

The financial situation of the district clergy continued to be difficult. The landowners went bankrupt, the peasants were forced to rent land in order to somehow make ends meet, their incomes decreased, and therefore, offerings to the temple decreased. In addition to monetary donations, there was another source of income for the church - ruga, that is, an offering in the form of natural products. The Ruga regularly met in the 19th century and was a considerable help in providing for the clergy. At the beginning of the 20th century, it turned into an inconvenient tradition for peasants, especially in poor parishes.

In the years 1836-1839, 3-4 cases are known when clerks ended up in military service. Their place was assigned to wives. Widows and daughters of the clergy could become prosphora bakers (bake prosphora) in the parish. In the 20th century, prosphorni were mainly peasant widows and girls. They received 2-3 kopecks per prosphora. The supernumerary clergy both in the city and in the village remained supported by their sons. In the first half of the 19th century, widows were assigned the place of their husband. At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. Small pensions of up to 25 rubles a year began to be paid from church funds. The pension system was improved. At the end of the 19th century, the so-called emerital cash desks began to open ("emerit" - length of service, merit).

The rural clergy at the turn of the century did not represent a homogeneous, gray and inert mass, as it might often seem to readers of critical articles in the liberal press of that time. Among the representatives of the clergy one could meet people of different types.

So, priest F.A. Kobyakov from the village of Perevoz, who died in 1915 at the age of 37, renovated the temple, rebuilt the school, and contributed to the eradication of Baptism. In 1904-1905 he helped the army. Thanks to him, there were no riots in the parish.

In 1914, he was an accountant and cashier in a savings and loan partnership, which he himself opened. He said about himself: “I spin like a squirrel in a wheel, never knowing peace, which is why I burned.” There were many of these among the younger generation of clergy. They perceived serving God as serving society, and therefore were very active and active.

Priest of the village of Arbenyevka V.I. Raev was an employee of the diocesan guardianship, a deputy of the general diocesan congress, an elector to the State Duma, chairman of the Council of a credit partnership, chairman of the audit commission of a consumer society, and from the beginning of the First World War, chairman of the guardianship of the families of persons mobilized for the war.

Family of the district priest.
Photo from the beginning of the 20th century.

And among the older generation of rural pastors of that time, who were not always distinguished by active social service, there were many bright personalities who left behind a good memory. About priest F.I. They wrote to Belyakov from the village of Rzhaksa († 1915): “He was a pure idealist, a complete family man... he knew how to speak lively, concisely and interestingly, he was modest, a humorist. We never heard a word of condemnation or censure from him.”

In 1884, after a forced twenty-year break, the Orthodox clergy again entered the field of school teaching activities. Church schools became a common concern of the clergy. By 1917, 6,194 people (3,726 boys and 2,468 girls) were studying in 106 parochial schools in Kirsanovsky district. It is worth noting that the majority of priests, deacons and psalm-readers treated the matter of school education and upbringing responsibly. Moreover, they did not receive money for working at school.

Hieromonk Veniamin (Fedchenkov)
in the park of the Boratynsky Mara estate.
Photo from the 1900s.

The history of the creation of parochial schools in the Russian Empire is inextricably linked with the name of Sergei Alexandrovich Rachinsky. Sergei Alexandrovich's mother, Varvara Avramovna (Abramovna), to whom he owes his upbringing and primary education, was the younger sister of the poet Yevgeny Boratynsky and grew up in the Mara estate of the Kirsanov district of the Tambov province. Knowing the culture of the Boratynsky family, one can imagine how the foundations of public education spread from Tambov Mary to Smolensk Tatevo (from a noble estate to peasant villages), and from Tatev throughout Russia. Initiative S.A. Rachinsky is also responsible for the establishment in 1882 of a “concord” of sobriety in the village of Tatevo and the spread of similar societies in Russia.

Largely thanks to the efforts of clergy and local landowners at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. In some villages of the district, a tradition of so-called folk readings arises. The first such readings were organized in Kirsanovsky district in the village of Velmozhino in 1882 in the form of private conversations between the local landowner Goryainov and his wife with peasants. The conversations took place on Sundays in winter, began in October and continued until Easter. The subject of the conversations was: the Old and New Testaments, an explanation of worship, and the lives of the saints. At the same time, with the help of a “magic lantern” (overhead projector), paintings that were ordered from Moscow were shown. The same readings were allowed by the diocesan authorities in 1894 in the village of Sokolovo (under the personal responsibility of the teacher of the Sokolovsky school, priest I. Vinogradov), in 1895 in the village of Perevoz (conducted by priest A. Sovetov, teacher D. Aladinsky and deacon A. Vindryaevsky) and other villages of the district.

Unfortunately, the good intentions of local landowners, if any, did not always resonate with the local clergy. Thus, when the owner of the estate in Bogoslovka, Kirsanovsky district, Vladimir Mikhailovich Andreevsky, was elected church warden by the peasants, he “joyfully seized on this matter, imagining that engaging in church parish farming would be an excellent soil for the development of charitable and educational activities, which were supposed ... to be that connecting a link that could fill the gap that separated the nobility from the peasantry." “However, my hopes,” recalls Andreevsky, “were not destined to be justified: among the rural clergy I encountered such a selfish, petty, slanderous, coldly selfish attitude towards everything that went beyond the boundaries of their private interests that I was forced to abandon my good intentions. Only once, in 1891, under the influence of the catastrophic situation of the population, due to a complete crop failure, I managed to organize a parish committee, which, under my chairmanship, included: a priest, an elder, a teacher and elected representatives of the peasants. The tasks of the committee included: collecting funds, supplying food to those most in need in our parish, medical care and funerals for the poor... The Committee worked with enthusiasm; money and various products flowed to us abundantly and often from the most unexpected sources. The peasants treated the Committee as something close to them. delighted. But the famine ended, life returned to normal and... Our committee died out."

It is worth noting that there was also this type of rural prayer pastors, whom Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov) later recalled. The future metropolitan and his friend went to one such priest - Father Vasily - 40 miles from the village of Chutanovka, where he was staying with his parents after studying. Father Vasily S., who had a large family, performed the service according to the full rules, and he himself sang stichera interspersed with the old psalm-reader. He got up early, at three o'clock, began to serve Matins at five, and it took him three or even more hours to perform the proskomedia. At 10 o'clock the gospel for the liturgy was heard, and Father Vasily was still taking out and taking out particles in the altar. By one o'clock in the afternoon the liturgy ended and prayer services began. He returned home by three o'clock. And in the evening again to the temple. And so every day. They brought the sick and demon-possessed to Father Vasily. They sent notes of remembrance from different directions. Of course, this path often excluded active participation in all sorts of societies, committees and other socially useful and significant endeavors. But it was precisely this type of shepherding that enjoyed constant love among the common people; people from different parts of the district, and sometimes even the province, were drawn to it. Such shepherds were most needed and sought after.

It often happened that the flock in the village itself was much higher spiritually than its young shepherd, “and then they gradually spiritualized the shepherd with their whole life,” as Archbishop Theodore (Pozdeevsky) testified in his writings, being the rector of the Tambov spiritual church. seminaries.

The beginning of the twentieth century in Russia was a time of surge in political and social activity. The clergy did not remain aloof from this. One of the pastors who did not shy away from publicly discussing the problems of the Church and society in the press was the priest of the village of Morshan-Lyadovka, Konstantin Bogoyavlensky. Articles about. Constantine are not uncommon in the Tambov diocesan bulletins. He wrote about the purpose of his work: “I believe that if out of a dozen articles I have written, at least one good thought falls into the heart of the reader, then this is already a great thing...”. Father Konstantin took a very definite political position: “There must be covenants: Orthodoxy, nationality, the unity of Rus'.” Unity became his main theme. He also calls on the clergy to do this, suggesting: “Let us create a fund of “fraternal leaflets” to fight anarchy and disorder.” In addition to journalistic articles, Fr. Konstantin Bogoyavlensky also wrote fiction. In 1906, his long story “The Terrible Sitting” was published in several issues of Vedomosti.

The influence of the priest of Epiphany on the peasants of his village was so great that during the unrest of 1905 in the parish of Fr. There were no speeches for Constantine, and even agitators who came to the village were kicked out by the parishioners. At the request of the governor, the diocesan authorities awarded priest Konstantin Bogoyavlensky with an award for his activities during this troubled period.

The lower members of the clergy also became more active. Often psalm-readers and deacons were engaged in missionary work and were teachers. In the obituary of the deacon of the village of Staraya Gavrilovka, who died in 1905, A.V. Alekseev said: “He was an ideal minister. For 22 years he was a teacher at a local parochial school and for 10 years a trustee, and he devoted himself entirely to this work.”

The Kirsanov clergy showed particular activity during the war of 1914-1918. A branch of the diocesan committee for assistance to refugees was opened in the city, at a meeting of which they decided on a 2% monetary collection from each church. Named beds were created at the local branch of the Red Cross and in the infirmary. In each parish, guardianship was created for the families of persons taken to war. Their main goal is to collect funds, things to send to the front and help the families of soldiers.

Active parish activity during the war united the clergy and parishioners. The participation of parishioners in providing assistance to the army was also carried out through parochial schools. School students made things and collected money. In addition, fallen soldiers were remembered at morning prayers in schools, Sunday prayers were served, and religious processions were held.

The monasteries of Kirsanovsky district made a significant contribution to collecting donations and providing assistance to those in need. The Alexander Nevsky Monastery opened an infirmary with 10 beds, the Tikhvin-Bogorodichny Convent gave up the top floor of one of the monastery buildings to the Red Cross, and the Orzhevsky Bogolyubov Convent opened a shelter for the children of fallen soldiers.

Among the local Orthodox shrines of the district, holy springs occupied a special place. The hope of receiving healing of soul and body brought many pilgrims to the springs, who shared what they saw and heard with pious interlocutors in their native places. The sources were both ancient and recent. So, not far from the village of Kletinshchina there was a spring of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Local legend tells about its origin as follows: “Once upon a time there lived a brother and sister, who were considered “stupid.” The brother was a shepherd. One day, when he was tending a flock and lay down to rest on the grass, an old man appeared to him in a dream and said: “Go to village and tell the old men to dig in this place." Waking up, the boy thought: “What you won’t see in a dream.” However, the next day, when he again lay down to rest in the same place, the old man appeared to him again in a dream and for the second time ordered the same. Now the brother realized that it was not for nothing that he was having these dreams, and he told everything to his mother. But the mother did not listen to her son. Another time he did not go to bed and saw that the old man who had appeared in his dream was coming to him. closer, the old man outlined a square on the ground with a stick, along which it was necessary to dig. Only now the boy went and told everything to the old men.

God-fearing old men came to that place, dug with a shovel and saw a stone, and under it, on the edge, was an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. This was the old man who appeared to the simple shepherdess. Nothing is known about the fate of the icon, but a spring began to flow at the place where it was found.

After some time, the boy’s sister saw St. Nicholas in a dream, commanding: “Tell the old people to build a chapel in this place.” She told about the dream, and the village old people put together a log house, but they were in no hurry to move it to the source. Then the brother again sees the old man in a dream, who tells him to hurry up and move the log house today. And so they did. And when the frame was erected, a fire broke out in the place where it had previously stood, and part of the village burned down. People were drawn to the source and, by their faith, began to receive healing.”

The Karandeevskaya miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” enjoyed great fame in the district. The landowner Pavlov, who received the village of Karandeevka into his possession, wanted to build a temple here, but there was no money for construction. His wife began to pray at the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow,” and in a dream the village elder appeared to her and handed her a paper with the inscription: “Build, build a church for me, I will not leave you all my life.” And the signature "Mother of God". After this dream, the Pavlovs had a large harvest of buckwheat, from the sale of which they earned several thousand rubles. With this money, a temple was built in Karandeevka in 1865. An icon was also placed there.

Vyazlya River.
Photo from the beginning of the 20th century.

Many miraculous incidents were associated with this icon. Here are some of them published in the Tambov Diocesan Gazette magazine. The parish priest's wife was blind. Once, during the all-night vigil, she prayed at the Karandeevskaya icon for healing. After the anointing I received my sight. Since then, a special day for celebrating the icon has been established in Karandeevka - the 1st Friday after Trinity.

Andrei Petrovich Bezpolov, a peasant in the Saratov province of the Balashov district of the village of Koleno, did not walk for three years. Nobody could help him. In 1872 they brought him to Karandeevka. After prayer and anointing, he recovered.

A peasant woman from the village of Muchkap, Lukeria Feofanova, was tormented by severe headaches. In 1875 she went to Karandeevka. After a prayer service and sprinkling with holy water, she received relief, and after swimming in the Vorona River, she felt completely healthy. For three years, every year she came to the holiday, but did not go to the fourth, and the severe headaches returned. Healing came after the pilgrimage resumed.

Noblewoman of the village of Grushevka A.A. Muratova was deaf for 10 years. On the advice of her friend Kiriakova, she went to Karandeevka. Participated in all celebrations. After her ears were anointed, she recovered.

Kirsanovsky merchant Ivan Nikolaevich Kryuchenkov was threatened with death as a result of gangrene of his right hand. Doctors advised amputation. Kryuchenkov did not agree and decided to die without amputation. He led a drunken lifestyle, but was religious and did not miss a single holiday service.

And so, one day, in dying anguish, I went out onto the porch of the house and saw people going to Karandeevka. Ivan decided to go with them. He defended the liturgy, a prayer service, participated in a religious procession, bathed in the Vorona River, and when he took off the bandages, he discovered that his hand was completely healthy. This happened in 1880.

Our region contains many other unknown or, simply speaking, evidence of God’s help to people that has not reached us. This chapter describes only a small part of them.

Notes

82. There were exceptions. An example of this is the noble family of Orzhevsky, who came from a clergy and received their surname from the village of Orzhevka, Kirsanovsky district. Son of a priest Orzhevka Vasily Vladimirovich Orzhevsky (1797-1868) served as director of the executive police department; had the rank of Privy Councilor. One of his sons, Pyotr Vasilyevich (1839-1897), was appointed head of the Warsaw gendarme district in 1873. From 1882 to 1887 Pyotr Vasilyevich - comrade of the Minister of Internal Affairs and commander of the Separate Corps of Gendarmes; senator. From 1893 until the end of his life, Governor-General of Vilna, Kovno and Grodno; General of the Cavalry (1896). Peter Vasilyevich's wife Natalya Ivanovna (nee Princess Shakhovskaya) was a trustee of the Zhitomir community of nurses of the Red Cross, and was part of the delegation that examined the situation of Russian prisoners of war in Germany and Austria during the First World War. Another son of Vasily Vladimirovich, Vladimir Vasilyevich (born in 1838), commanded a brigade in the 22nd Infantry Division. His son, Alexey Vladimirovich (d. 1915), served as a cornet in the Cavalry Guard Regiment of Empress Maria Feodorovna. During the First World War he served in the Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment.
83. Klimkova M. “Fatherly land...”. History of the Boratynsky estate. P. 351.
84. GATO. F. 181. Op. 1. D. 404. L. 177.
85. Ibid. D. 411. L. 2.
86. Ibid. D. 1835. L. 48-50.
87. TEV, 1915. No. 4. P. 315-316.
88. GATO. F. 181. Op. 1. D. 2272. L. 9.
89. TEV, 1915. No. 18. P. 636-638.
90. For more details, see the book: Klimkova M.A. "Fatherly land..." History of the Boratynsky estate. St. Petersburg, 2006.
91. See: Klimkova M. “Attentive rural teacher...”. Sergei Aleksandrovich Rachinsky and the foundations of his public schools // Tambov Diocesan News, 2008. No. 8. P. 21-25; 2009. No. 6.
92. From the report of the society on the organization of public readings. Tambov, 1896.
93. Andreevsky V.M. "About my agriculture." Autobiographical memories (GATO. F. R-5328. Op. 1. D. 8).
94. See: Metropolitan. Veniamin (Fedchenkov). God's people. My spiritual meetings. M., 2011.
95. See: Service to God and Russia. New Hieromartyr Archbishop Theodore. Articles and speeches 1904-1907. Comp. Allenov A.N., Prosvetov R.Yu., Levin O.Yu. M., 2002. P. 117.
96. TEV, 1905. No. 46. S. 1961-1967.
97. Ibid. No. 44. pp. 1824-1832.
98. Ibid. No. 14. pp. 724-727.
99. Ibid. 1905. No. 10. P. 430-433.
100. Ibid. 1916. No. 5. P. 125-136.

© Levin O.Yu., Prosvetov R.Yu.
Kirsanov is Orthodox.

1851–1940
Days of remembrance: May 11 (24), May 19 (June 1), September 1 (14), 4th week after Pentecost, October 30 (November 12).

In the world Alexander Feofanov Petrovsky. Born on August 23, 1851 in the city of Lutsk, Volyn province, in the family of a deacon. He lost his father early and was raised by his mother, whom he loved very much. Graduated from the 4th grade of the Volyn Theological Seminary. Didn't get married. On October 12, 1892, he was appointed teacher of the parochial school in the village of Knyaginino, Dubensky district, Volyn province. On September 1, 1897, he was appointed psalm-reader of the local Church of the Exaltation of the Cross. In the same year he was awarded a bronze medal “For his work on the first general census.” After the death of his mother, Alexander began to live, as they said then, a “distracted life.” Sometimes he came home only in the morning. One day, returning late at night, he lay down in his room. Suddenly he dreamed that his mother came in and said: “Leave all this and enter the monastery.” The memory of his mother and remorse influenced Alexander so much that he made a firm decision to change his life.

On September 1, 1899, he entered the Derman Holy Trinity Monastery. Soon he was appointed teacher of the local parochial school. On June 9, 1900, Alexander was tonsured a monk, retaining his former name. Was designated as an economist.

On August 15, 1900, in the Cathedral Church of the Pochaev Lavra, Monk Alexander was ordained to the rank of hierodeacon. On October 29, 1900, he was ordained a hieromonk and appointed to perform the obedience of a sacristan. On November 18, 1900, Father Alexander was appointed acting governor.

On January 16, 1901, Hieromonk Alexander was transferred to the Kremenets Epiphany Monastery and appointed treasurer. In addition to performing the priesthood, he was a teacher of the law at the monastery parochial school. In 1902 he was appointed treasurer of the Holy Epiphany Brotherhood. In the same year, Archbishop Modest (Strelbitsky) of Volyn gave him a blessing “for his activity and zeal in the position of treasurer.”

In 1903, Hieromonk Alexander was transferred to the Turkestan diocese, where he again became treasurer and then housekeeper of the bishop's house. In the same year he was appointed a member of the diocesan school council and the audit committee.

In 1905, he was appointed a temporarily present member of the consistory, treasurer of the Turkestan Missionary Society. In the same year, “for services in the spiritual department” he was awarded a pectoral cross.

Hieromonk Alexander lived in the Turkestan diocese for three years. The local climate had an adverse effect on his health. For this reason, on February 6, 1906, he was dismissed from the diocese and transferred to the Zhirovitsky Assumption Monastery. In 1907, Hieromonk Alexander was appointed treasurer and head of the parochial school.

Current page: 1 (book has 23 pages total) [available reading passage: 16 pages]

Vyacheslav Marchenko, Richard (Foma) Batts
Confessor of the royal family. Archbishop Theophan of Poltava, New Recluse (1873–1940)

This publication is published in the year of the seventieth anniversary of the blessed death of Archbishop Theophan the New Recluse.

The first edition was published in 1994 with the blessing of Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga John (Snychev)

Biography of Archbishop Feofan of Poltava (Bystrov)

Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unjustly because of Me.

(Matt. 5:11)

Be faithful until death

and I will give you the crown of life.

(Apoc. 2, 10)

Preface to the first edition. Archbishop Theophan of Poltava – Defender of Orthodoxy

The great Saint and spiritual writer Theophan the Recluse had many readers who wanted to live like a Christian, following his teaching. But there were few true followers who were fully receptive to the acquisition of the Holy Spirit.

One of the rare recipients of a genuine inheritance was the modest bearer of his name ~ Feofan (Bistrov), Archbishop of Poltava, later of Bulgaria, who died as a recluse in the caves of France. His spiritual appearance is in many ways reminiscent of his namesake, the great recluse Feofan Vyshensky († 1894), and although historical whirlwinds carried him beyond the borders of Russia, his place in Russian hagiography of the 20th century is nevertheless noticeable and significant. The enemies of Archbishop Theophan the New Recluse tried to destroy the memory of him, but the lamp of God, even under cover, will shine with the grace of God; such a great ascetic cannot be hidden, and his memory only grows stronger every year.

The significance of Archbishop Theophan of Poltava, who was the confessor of the Royal Family, one of the greatest theologians of his time and a humble representative of the crucified Holy Rus', lies primarily in standing for the purity of Orthodoxy. Despite the temptations of our age, despite the historical changes in the psychology of the Russian people, Bishop Theophan grows in our memory every year as a true Father of the Church.

Archbishop Feofan (Bystrov)

The theological works of Archbishop Feofan have not been sufficiently studied and remain hidden. His contribution to the treasury of Orthodox patristics has hitherto been known only in

two areas: firstly, ~ the defense of the Cross of the Lord, that is, the Orthodox teaching on the dogma of the Redemption, from the innovation of Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky); and, secondly, ~ his criticism of the Sophianism of Father Sergius Bulgakov. If history is destined to continue, the spiritual image of Archbishop Theophan of Poltava will be universally glorified. If the end of the world is not far off, then the teachings of Bishop Theophan will be support for enduring the coming trials.

The biography of Bishop Theophan was compiled on the basis of the records of his four students and cell attendants: Archbishops Averky of Syracuse († 1976) and Joasaph of Canada († 1955) and younger cell attendants - Sevryugin and Chernov (the now living schemamonk Epiphanius). At our insistence, Archbishop Averky compiled and published a biography, as well as letters written by Vladyka, mostly to himself. Chernov drew up a great work for us, but included in it a lot of extraneous things that are not directly related to the main goal - to show the general appearance of a righteous man, a confessor of true Orthodoxy. But the main “culprit” for the publication of these records is the spiritual daughter of Bishop Theophan back in Russia, Elena Yuryevna Kontsevich, the niece of another admirer of St. Theophan, the famous church writer Sergei Alexandrovich Nilus. She firmly believed in the holiness of the New Recluse, went to see him in France and made us promise to publish a book about him and his defense of the purity of Orthodox teaching.

Archbishop of Syracuse Averky (Taushev)

Archbishop of Canada Joasaph (Skorodumov)

For the awakening Holy Rus', the spiritual significance of Bishop Theophan is support in the apostolic standing in the Truth, without which it is impossible to overcome the Antichrist spirit of our time.

With the blessing of the now living Saint John, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg, this modest work of the Brotherhood of St. Herman of Alaska is being printed.

The publishers express the hope that the book will serve as an impetus for the publication in the future of the unpublished works of Bishop Theophan. A thorough study of at least his wonderful work “Russian Philokalia” will give spiritual strength to young ascetics.

The book appears with the obvious mysterious help of the Bishop himself... How he rejoices now in heaven when, in the year of the centenary (1894–1994) since the death of his spiritual teacher, St. Theophan the Recluse of Vyshensky, honored throughout the entire Orthodox world, God and his contribution come to light into a spiritual treasury, from where the spiritual poor will be able to draw for themselves the wealth of patristic wisdom, in order to live their lives comfortably and appear rich at the Judgment of God.

Schemamonk Epiphanius (Chernov)

The above-mentioned friends of Archbishop Theophan the New Recluse are now rejoicing, for they also put all their efforts into the task of collecting the former glory of Holy Rus'. This heritage is now being passed on to a new generation with the help of God, so that our young men, looking at the wondrous images of both Saints Theophan, with renewed vigor, sow the holy and good things left to us by the great ascetics.

May the all-generous Lord our God Jesus Christ help us all to become spiritually stronger and continue the holy work of strengthening the Christian race.

Hegumen German with his brethren.

May 7/20 1994;

appearance of the Holy Cross

in Jerusalem in 351

Preface to the second edition

Beloved readers in Christ! You hold in your hands an invaluable treasure - a testimony about the chosen one of God, the great lamp of the Universal Orthodox Church, Archbishop Theophan. This is the second edition of the book “Confessor of the Royal Family. Archbishop Theophan of Poltava, New Recluse.”

2nd edition cover

Such was the will of God that for several decades the name of the Lord remained unknown to the majority of the faithful, but the authors of this book knew the prediction of one servant of Christ, whose spiritual advice Archbishop Theophan himself used during his lifetime, ~ about the fate of Russia and about the exceptional position that he would occupy in due time Bishop Theophan in the earthly Church, when he becomes one of the beloved and revered Russian saints of universal significance. Bishop Theophan fought confessionally and martyrically for the Orthodox Faith, the Lord granted him a place in His Heavenly Kingdom, He destined for him to be in the future resurrected Russia, in Russia, which has atoned for its terrible sins of the 20th century.

Under amazing, miraculous circumstances, with obvious help from above, the Vladyka’s archive, which was considered forever lost, was completely unexpectedly found. And the Most Merciful Lord gave this treasure to us. “Lord, who believed what was heard from us, and to whom was the arm of the Lord revealed?” (Ps. 53:1) ~ the holy prophet exclaims with sorrow. But we have the prophecy of the ascetic we mentioned that Bishop Theophan, who has passed into eternity, will act in Russia even after his death.

Richard (Thomas) Batts

Vyacheslav Marchenko.

Preface to this edition

The righteous are always persecuted during their lifetime; Great righteous people are often persecuted posthumously - while their persecutors are alive and while the memory of them interferes with the atheists.

The Holy Royal Family of Emperor Nicholas II has been and is being subjected to the greatest slander in the world. The people around her also received a lot of lies and rejection. The world, lying in evil, does not want to know the good, it is afraid of the light. Archbishop Theophan, confessor of the holy Tsar Nicholas and his holy Family, was a true ascetic, he became one of the new glorious saints of Christ; suffered persecution during his lifetime, but to this day is not accepted even by all Orthodox Christians - those of them who are most concerned about the organization of external well-being.

The example of the Lord’s life clearly shows how narrow the path leading to salvation is, and inspires strong souls to walk along this path.

When in the nineties I came into the hands of the manuscripts of Bishop Theophan - through my spiritual brother Thomas (Orthodox American Richard Batts) from Father Herman (Podmoshensky), I did not immediately understand what a treasure it was. But months of joint work with Foma to compile a biography passed, an understanding of the importance of the material that came to us - not according to our merit - came, and fear arose. The fear is that the book will not be accepted either by outside people or by many in the church. But the Lord, who miraculously preserved the manuscripts of His chosen one and the memories of him, showed us His saint who could bless this work: we learned that Metropolitan of St. Petersburg John (Snychev) is an admirer of Bishop Theophan, that he even wished that so that the grave of the ascetic was transferred from France to Russia.

And so we sent the manuscript to St. Petersburg.

...Weeks passed.

At this time, the abbot of the St. Herman Hermitage in Platina in Northern California (USA), Father German (Podmoshensky), was on business in Russia.

Metropolitan John (Snychev)

Father asked me to put him on the phone with Metropolitan John. Then I had the opportunity to speak with Vladyka for the first time. Bishop John immediately invited us to visit him, and I had the opportunity to visit him together with Father Herman. For the only time in my life I was privileged to see this ascetic and communicate with him.

I won’t talk about the details; Bishop John and Father Herman spoke about the main purpose of our visit. I was more interested in the Vladyka’s opinion about our manuscript. And so I seized the moment and asked about her with excitement. The Bishop replied that so many manuscripts come to him, the large table is piled up to the ceiling, that he physically cannot read even a small part of what is sent. He asked not to be offended, but at the same time asked what kind of manuscript it was. When I answered that it was about Vladyka Feofan (Bystrov), Vladyka John, completely changed, said: “Why, I read it, and very carefully!” In response to my request to write a preface to the future book, he replied that he himself knew much less before reading it, that he had nothing to add. When I asked for a blessing for the publication, he immediately gave it to my clarifying question: “So, we can write: Blessing of His Eminence John, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga?” - he replied: “If you do this, I will be happy.”

Vyacheslav Marchenko

Introduction. Childhood

The weak human word is not able to adequately tell about the high life of the Lord. The Lord in our cruel times revealed in him a great luminary of the Church, a Hierarch of high spiritual life, an ascetic, whose whole life was an unceasing prayer for the Russian country suffering under the yoke of God-fighting.

As a scholar-theologian and hierarch who constantly testified that “the true expression of the teaching of the Orthodox Church is the teaching expressed in the works of the Holy Fathers of the Church,” the Saint of Christ unwaveringly stood guard over the purity of Orthodoxy and was forced to speak out against the newly discovered deviations from the dogmatic teaching of the Church of Christ.

And naturally, he, quiet and inconspicuous, made himself many enemies and slanderers.

Archbishop Theophan, the confessor of the Royal Family, maintained high and touching reverence and Christian love for the Tsar, Empress and their most august Children throughout his entire life as the Anointed of God, the true bearers of the Christian spirit, who accepted great suffering in Christ and the crown of martyrdom from the Lord.

The future Archbishop Feofan was born in the village of Podmoshye, Novgorod province, into a large family of rural priest Dimitry Bystrov and Mother Maria (nee Razumovskaya), whose entire wealth was the piety of her parents. The baby was born on the very last day of 1873 (old style) and was named after the nearest saint, Basil the Great, one of the three great universal teachers and saints.

In early childhood, when Vasily was three or four years old, he saw an amazing, prophetic dream sent from above. He retold it to his parents in his childish language, not understanding what it could mean. He saw himself in a dream already “big”, in bishop’s vestments and in a “golden cap”. And he stood in the altar on the High Place during the Divine Liturgy, and the priest, his own father, burned incense for him as a bishop.

It is interesting that the dream came true to such detail that his own father, summoned by the Holy Synod to the consecration of his son, took part in the service and actually burned incense for him, who stood on the High Place.

Little Vasya, according to the recollections of his parents, loved to pray from early childhood. He did not yet know how to read, did not know the prayers by heart... But the child knelt down in front of the holy icons, in awe of the greatness of God, and babbled with unspeakable sighs(Rom. 8:26):

- Lord, Lord, You are so big, and I am so small!..

And in that wondrous, amazing prayer of the little one was heard - unwise in words, but wise in meaning - the future unceasing prayer of Jesus as a new ascetic. And the words of the Gospel were fulfilled on him: from the mouths of babes and sucklings You have given praise(Matt. 21:16).

About this prayer, which in those years was the breath of a child’s soul, the Vladyka himself spoke to one of his cell attendants in the last years of his earthly life: “After all, all this is so touching... Yes, the Lord gives each person who prays the appropriate degree of prayer (see: 1 Samuel 2:9 - glory, text)... And think about the inner meaning of those childish, helpless words, how good they are: “Lord, have mercy on me and help me, your infinitely weak, helpless and distressed creation... Have mercy on me, Lord!”

The youth Vasily lived a quiet, unnoticeable inner life. He was focused, collected, but at the same time bright and joyful. A prayerful mood kept him

from children's pranks and excessive addiction to games. Even as a child, Vasily tasted for the Lord is good(Ps. 33:9), tasted the gift of prayer, and prayer became his mentor for the rest of his life. She taught him to be careful about the spiritual world, because in his soul he felt the voice of an unhypocritical, indisputable Judge, who clearly informed him what was good and what was bad. As soon as the prayerful mood was interrupted and peace of mind was disturbed, Vasily realized that something was wrong. Then he began to check himself and look for the reason for what happened: either an inappropriate word was said, or an act was committed that was not pleasing to God.

And having found something wrong in his soul, he threw himself in repentance before God, begging Him for forgiveness, until his conscience calmed down and until the inner judge ceased to convict him, informing him that the sin had been forgiven by God and peace of mind had been restored.

Thus, heartfelt prayer and inner spiritual peace became his constant guides in his spiritual life. This inner mentor always showed him his life path.

Early years of the Saint

Loving the Lord God with all the strength of his pure soul, young Vasily loved the nature He created, especially the harsh nature of the North, untouched by human hands, among which he grew up. He clearly saw the Invisible God in her: For His invisible things, His eternal power and Godhead(Rom. 1:20). At that time, it was still preserved in its pristine, virgin beauty. All the people of this region were farmers. But the feeding land is poor, clay and swamps, and infertile. Therefore, people here lived poorly, even in poverty. Summer here is short and winter is long. All around are forests and swampy places with standing water. There are a lot of mushrooms and berries in the forests: blueberries, cloudberries. Lots of birds. And above all this is the vast living sky. The people around are sedate, pious, humble. And the boy Vasily inhaled this blessed air. The priest's son, quiet and diligent, was always in sight.

The time has come, he entered school. In teaching, the Lord gave him exceptional abilities. They appeared later in the parish school, and, to an even greater extent, in the Theological Seminary and Theological Academy.

Due to the poverty and large number of children of his parents, their youngest son Vasily left his home early. He was assigned to the elementary Theological School at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra at public expense. The boy grew up thin and physically weak, but studied very well: he was the first student. But he himself then already understood that his successes did not depend on him, they were a gift from God. After graduating from college, Vasily entered the Theological Seminary.

Bishop Archbishop later told his cell attendants about his studies: “It was very easy for me to study at the Theological Seminary. It was enough for me to read one page, and I could retell it almost word for word. And in the classes I was the smallest in height and the youngest in age.”

Seeing his extraordinary abilities, he was quickly transferred to the senior classes, so that he graduated from the seminary three years earlier than those with whom he entered the first class. But the future Archbishop, realizing the great spiritual danger in all this, so as not to imagine himself and fall into destructive delusion, prayed for a decrease in his abilities for the sciences. He reasoned like this: “Everyone praised me, admired me. And I could easily become proud and imagine God knows what about myself. But the Guardian Angel warned me, and I realized what an abyss gaped before me.” We do not know whether his prayer was heard, but this spiritual state in itself, a prayer for the taking away of the gift of God, is a rare phenomenon in spiritual life, testifying to the mature spiritual reasoning of the young man.

Vasily graduated brilliantly from a secondary theological educational institution, and he had to take exams for a higher educational institution, the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. He was then less than seventeen years old.

Student years

Remember your teachers (Heb. 13:7)

Professor V.V. Bolotov. Processors A.P. Lopukhin and N.H. Glubokovsky. Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt

The youngest of the applicants, just a boy, Vasily was well prepared for the exams. The only thing I was afraid of was writing philosophy from the famous professor M.I. Karinsky, especially since philosophy was not included in the seminar program. In preparation for it, he prayed to the holy martyr Justin the Philosopher and the holy great universal teachers and saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, prayed for the enlightenment of the mind, for the giving of true and easy thought.

And now the day of testing has come. Professor M.I. Karinsky entered, said hello and, turning to the board, wrote the topic of the essay: “The importance of personal experience for developing a worldview.” And young Vasily thanked God for a topic that was close and understandable. Through the prayers of the saints, the Lord gave a truly easy thought. The work, which was allotted four hours, was completed in half an hour and was only one page. Applicant Bystrov stood up and asked permission to submit his work. Mr. Professor was apparently surprised. Looking at his watch, he said with some bewilderment:

- Well, okay... Serve it.

Professor Karinsky Mikhail Ivanovich

It seems that he thought then that the youngest of the applicants simply did not understand the topic: he hesitated somewhat when he accepted the essay sheet. Having asked Vasily to wait a little, the examiner began to read. While reading, I paused several times, looking carefully at the author of the essay. When he finished reading, he said:

- Thank you, thank you!.. You can be free.

The most difficult exam passed so quickly and surprisingly easily! And the name of Vasily Bystrov was first on the list of students based on the results of all exams. (It should be noted that Professor Karinsky remembered this “impromptu” of the young student many years later, when Archimandrite Feofan was already an inspector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy.)

Student Vasily Dimitrievich Bystrov, having completed all four academic years first, completed his theological education at the age of twenty-one. By decision of the academic council, he was retained at the academy for scientific work as a professorial fellow.

Subsequently, he spoke very warmly about the academy: about the conditions in which students lived and studied, about the possibility of scientific work.

St. Petersburg Theological Academy and Seminary

The professors worked conscientiously and even talentedly. Among them, a precious nugget shone - professor of ancient history of the Church Vasily Vasilyevich Bolotov (1854–1900). Vasily Vasilyevich spoke many languages, not only new, but also ancient, and, moreover, studied them on his own and in the shortest possible time. He knew Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Syriac and Assyrian-Babylonian cuneiform, Arabic, Abyssinian (liturgical - Ge'ez and colloquial - Ahmar), Coptic (and ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs), Armenian, Persian (cuneiform, Zend and New Persian), Sanskrit, German, French, English, Italian, Dutch, Danish-Norwegian, Portuguese, Gothic, Celtic, Turkish, Finnish, Magyar. Vasily Vasilyevich used all these languages ​​for his scientific research.

Professor Bolotov Vasily Vasilievich

He surprised and amazed everyone with his knowledge, which had nothing in common with his professorial specialty, such as, for example, higher mathematics or astronomy. As for his specialty, the scope of his knowledge can be understood from the following example.

The professor himself spoke about everything that the traveler looked at as if with blind eyes and did not see what these dumb witnesses were reporting from ancient times, because he did not know the languages ​​in which these inscriptions were made. The professor kept talking and talking, without stopping, as if reading from a book. The traveler himself later admitted to Bishop Theophan: “I was simply speechless with surprise and fascination. After all, Professor Bolotov had never been to Abyssinia, but knew in such archaeological detail all the monuments there. Just think that he quoted many inscriptions to me and accompanied all this with such historical explanations that the distant picture of events, thousands of years removed from us, came to life with amazing reality, as if in the retelling of an eyewitness... I quickly turned into only a grateful and enthusiastic listener . I was terribly uncomfortable that I wanted to tell such a person something new that he did not know. Professor Bolotov turned out to be a resident of those places and those distant times, and I tried to tell him something new about Abyssinia from my fleeting meager impressions. He knew everything in such minute detail that I had no idea... I had to frankly admit everything to the professor and ask him to forgive me.”

Professor Vasily Vasilyevich Bolotov came from common people. He was the son of a village psalm-reader, born on January 1, 1854. From childhood he showed remarkable abilities in learning and thereby attracted everyone's attention. So, he graduated with honors from theological school and seminary. As a seminary student, he knew the ancient Greek language so well that he compiled a canon in this language for Saint Basil the Great, whose name he bore. A grammar of the Abyssinian language that accidentally fell into his hands, given to him by mistake instead of a Hebrew grammar, led to his studying the Abyssinian language. According to the reviews of the seminary teachers, Vasily Bolotov occupied a place “above the first” in the class, and so much higher than the first that it was necessary to skip forty numbers behind him in order to place the next student (“To the blessed memory of Professor V.V. Bolotov.” V. Preobrazhensky. Riga, 1928, p. 1).

Having entered the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, he also immediately attracted the special attention of the Council of Professors of the Academy. When the professor in the department of ancient history of the Church died, the Academy Council decided not to occupy the vacant department until the end of the course by student V.V. Bolotov, - this student placed himself so highly in scientific terms. This decision was made in 1878, and in 1879, just a few months after completing the course, he brilliantly defended his master’s thesis on the ancient history of the Church and took the professorship. The topic of his defense was: “Origen’s Doctrine of the Holy Trinity.” This topic required multifaceted and deep knowledge of both theology and philosophy. Reviewer, Professor I.E. Troitsky, spoke of this work as deserving of three doctoral degrees (“To the blessed memory of Professor V.V. Bolotov,” p. 2). For his numerous subsequent works in this field, he was awarded the scientific degree of Doctor of Church History.

With his knowledge of many languages, he was a member of various commissions: on the issue of Old Catholics, on the accession of the Chaldean Syrians to Orthodoxy, and so on. Finally, he was a member of the state Astronomical Commission. This Commission was asked about the possibilities of calendar reform. But when Professor Bolotov read his report, involving a mass of scientific material - astronomical, mathematical, archaeological, and touched upon ancient calendars, Babylonian and others - the Commission decided that the question of calendar reform was scientifically unfounded.

Archbishop Feofan said all this and much more about Vasily Vasilyevich Bolotov.

This gifted professor treated the young student Vasily Dimitrievich Bystrov with special warmth. So, one day during the examination session, Professor Bolotov entered the classroom in which an exam was taking place in one of the important subjects of the academic course. But the professor did not participate in the examination committee. While the students were languidly waiting for their turn to take the exam, Vasily Vasilyevich unexpectedly sat down next to student V.D. Bystrov. Quite naturally, the student was embarrassed by this. But the professor, with his simple and emphatically friendly attitude towards the student, overcame this embarrassment and not as a professor, but as a comrade, began to question Vasily Dimitrievich:

- Probably tired? I know from myself that the examination session is very tiring and takes a lot of energy. But are you, as always, prepared?

- Yes, I worked hard. But whether I know the subject, I cannot judge that; the examination committee will tell you that.

– I have no doubt about your preparation. But this waiting takes a lot of energy.

“And somehow imperceptibly the professor began to take an interest in my preparation for the exam,” Vladyka later recalled. “However, his questions were not in the form of questions from a professor to a student. No, in tone these were questions from a conversation between two students, but of different courses, senior and junior. He asked, but as if wanting to convince me of my knowledge. The professor never showed his superiority in knowledge. On his part, it was a completely collegial, friendly and even friendly conversation. However, this conversation touched on a range of issues incomparably broader than the academic course.

– Great, great... Be calm. Success is guaranteed!

After these words, the professor suddenly stood up and, addressing the commission, said:

– Student Vasily Dimitrievich Bystrov passed the exam in the subject with “excellent” marks!

But I could not know that this such an unusual friendly conversation would turn out to be an exam. Apparently, the professor, in order to emphasize his kind, cordial attitude towards me and at the same time to free me from worries, had previously agreed with the commission that he would conduct the exam privately. Therefore, the chairman of the commission, addressing me, publicly stated:

– So, as you heard, you have already passed the exam. You can be free!

Professor Bolotov, turning to me, said quietly:

- So, we are free. We can leave! Let's go!

I was amazed by everything that happened and, of course, deeply grateful to Professor V.V. Bolotov... But glory and praise belong to the Lord.”

The professor favored the young student, seeing in him not only a colleague. The professor and the student had a lot in common. Both of them come from the village, from the common people. The first is the son of a village psalm-reader, the second is the son of a village priest. Both were undoubtedly prayed for by their parents' prayers. Both knew the need from personal experience. Both showed extraordinary abilities. Both completed their studies at theological school and seminary with brilliant success. After that, they also brilliantly completed their higher education at the same St. Petersburg Theological Academy. Both one and the other were selected and retained by the Academic Council as professorial fellows and master's students. Both of them began teaching at the academy the year the course was completed. Bolotov as a professor at the age of twenty-five, and Bystrov at the age of twenty-one as an associate professor. Both bore the same name - St. Basil the Great, fervently prayed to him, and he was their patron and leader. All this, of course, brought them closer and related.

To our deepest regret, Professor Vasily Vasilyevich Bolotov, who led a strict, ascetic lifestyle, died very young, forty-six years old. The head of the Russian state, Sovereign Emperor Nicholas II, expressed on his own behalf and on behalf of the entire August Family his deepest condolences regarding his death, calling Professor Dr. Vasily Vasilyevich Bolotov “incomparable.”

The Lord sent him a righteous death. Three hours before his death, he uttered the following significant words:

– How beautiful are the moments before death!

An hour later he said:

- I'm dying!

He continued to maintain his usual cheerful state and did not stop pronouncing individual words, although with difficulty:

- I’m going to Christ... Christ is coming...

A quarter of an hour before his death, he stopped talking, folded his hands on his chest and, closing his eyes, seemed to fall asleep.

Ten minutes before his death, the priest came in and, kneeling, read the funeral prayer with the hospital staff. His death occurred during the All-Night Vigil on Maundy Thursday, April 5, 1900.

Knowing the prophecies of the saints about the onset of terrible events in the near future, he repeated during his lifetime:

– No, I’m not a resident of the 20th century! Eternal memory!

Among other professors, Professor Alexander Pavlovich Lopukhin (born in 1852) stood out. He is known for his missionary work in North America. At the academy, he occupied various departments at different times and published many scientific works, starting with apologetics and ending with the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Professor A.P. Lopukhin really wanted to leave Vladyka Theophan, at that time a hieromonk, and then an archimandrite and associate professor in the department of Biblical history, which he himself occupied, to continue his work and bequeathed to him posthumously his library of thousands. But the Lord judged otherwise.