How did the elders live? Savva elder. Obedience of an Archondar Monk

Speaking of eldership in the Orthodox tradition, it is customary to consider this phenomenon as something of an amazing and impossible relic of antiquity today: Sergius of Radonezh blessing Dmitry Donskoy for the Battle of Kulikovo; Seraphim of Sarov, giving wise advice to Alexander I... Elderhood is a living phenomenon of modern church life, and today the Russian Seven will tell you about the seven great elders of the 20th century.

Saint Silouan of Athos (1866-1938) - Holy Mount Athos

Both the great ascetics and the young monks who prayed in the cells of the monastery of St. Panteleimon on Mount Athos agreed that the Monk Silouan of Athos "reached the measure of the Holy Fathers."

The future great elder was born into a family of Tambov peasants in 1866 and from his youth dreamed of becoming a monk. The parents did not oppose the decision of their son, but insisted that, for a start, he did military service in St. Petersburg. Immediately after the end of the service, Semyon - that was the name of the Monk Silouan before his monastic vows - went to Mount Athos and entered the monastery of St. Panteleimon, also called Rossikon.

The Monk Silouan lived in the monastery for 46 years, but despite this he remained “unrevealed” for most of the brethren - he rarely received visitors and had little contact with the monks, however, those who had the good fortune to turn to him with their questions and problems always received consolation, support and the wisest answers - the answers of a person to whom the Will of God has been revealed.

Here is how St. Nicholas (Velimirovich) recalled the Monk Siluan: “He was not strict with other people's sins, no matter how great they were. He spoke of God's immeasurable love for the sinner, and led the sinful man to condemn himself severely.<...>This wondrous confessor was a simple monk, but rich in love for God and neighbors. Hundreds of monks from all over the Holy Mountain came to him to warm themselves with the fire of his fiery love. But especially the Serbian monks from Hilandar and Postnitsa loved him. In him they saw their spiritual father, who revived them with his love...”

Venerable Nektarios (Tikhonov) (1858 - 1928) - Optina Pustyn

The Monk Nectarios (Tikhonov) was one of the most respected, charismatic and charming elders of Optina Hermitage. This amazing person, who undoubtedly acquired God's grace and possessed the gift of clairvoyance, not only helped his spiritual children in the most difficult life situations, not only prompted the right decisions to those who came to him with questions, but also literally fell in love with everyone who had the good fortune to communicate with him.

Remembering the Monk Nectarios, his spiritual children say that he was both strict and affectionate, but always behind his words and teachings there was genuine insight and incredible love for everyone who entered his cell. However, the elder himself was not inclined to consider himself an elder: “Elder Gerasim was a great elder, because he had a lion. And we are small - we have a cat, ”he repeated more than once.

Saint Nectarios also spoke of his prophetic gift with humility and even doubt: “Sometimes I have premonitions, and it opens up to me about a person, and sometimes not. And here was an amazing event. A woman comes to me and complains about her son, a nine-year-old child, that there is no way with him. And I say to her: "Be patient until he is twelve years old." I said this without having any premonitions, simply because I know scientifically that at the age of twelve a person often changes. The woman left and I forgot about her. Three years later, this mother comes and cries: "My son died, he was barely twelve years old." People, it’s true, say that, here, the priest predicted, but this was my simple reasoning in terms of science. I then checked myself in every possible way - I felt something or not. No, I didn't feel anything." However, no matter what opinion the elder himself held about himself, most of the spiritual children of the Monk Nectarios left Optina Hermitage with new hopes, dreams and aspirations - and this was precisely his merit.

Elder Zosima (in schema Zacharias) (1850-1936) - Trinity-Sergius Lavra

Elder Zosima, who labored in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, was endowed with very special spiritual gifts - both the Lavra monks and numerous pilgrims who came here from hundreds of cities were more than once surprised at how easily and freely both the past and the future of any visitor are revealed to him. Eyewitnesses say that the elder's visionary gift was simply fantastic - he could accurately predict what would happen to a person who came to him and how an unfavorably developing situation could be corrected.

The elder instructed his spiritual children not to treat prayer without due attention and to constantly develop in themselves the ability to pray with real benefit for the heart and soul. “I testify with my conscience,” the elder said, “that the Monk Sergius with uplifted hands stands at the throne of God and prays for everyone. Oh, if you knew the power of his prayers and love for us, then every hour you would turn to him, asking for his help, intercession and blessings for those about whom our heart aches, for those who live here on earth, relatives and loved ones and who are already there. in that eternal life.

Elder Herman (1844-1923) - Zosimova Hermitage

Confessor of the Grand Duchess Elisabeth Feodorovna and the sisters of the Martha and Mary Convent, the highest dignitaries of the state and many church hierarchs, Elder German did as much for the development and prosperity of the Zosima Hermitage as perhaps no other monk from those who labored here did for her. The glory of this amazingly perspicacious and philanthropic elder was so loud that thousands of Orthodox pilgrims from all over Russia flocked to Zosimov Hermitage, and not a single one left without good advice from the wise monk.

Elder Herman taught his spiritual children to be strict with themselves, explaining that strictness with oneself is an opportunity to gain God's mercy. “... the Lord has mercy on me only because I see my sins: my laziness, my negligence, my pride; and I constantly reproach myself for them - so the Lord helps my weakness ... ”he said.

Elder Simeon (Zhelnin) (1869-1960) - Pskov-Caves Monastery

In the 1950s, the Pskov-Caves Monastery, near the border with Estonia, became one of the most visited monasteries in Russia. Military and civilians, rich and poor, happy and unfortunate people travel here by train, fly by plane and stand in long queues - all this in order to see and ask for advice and help from a single person - Elder Simeon.

Eyewitnesses and spiritual children of the elder say that not a single person left his cell restless, not a single one doubted the advice of the wise monk. However, like St. Nektarios, Elder Simeon did not consider himself the chosen one of God. “Yes, I’m not a seer at all, the Lord gives a great gift of insight to his chosen ones, and here just longevity helps me - I went into the house earlier than others, and I know its orders better. People come to me with sorrows and doubts, and an agitated person is like a child, he is all in the palm of his hand ... A misfortune happened to a person, so he loses the accuracy of his spiritual eyes, falls either into despondency, or into insolence and bitterness. But I know the circle of the world well, and I have lived a long life, and I myself am protected by the Lord’s power from troubles and temptations, and how can I, to the best of my small strength, not support my brother, a companion on the earthly road, when he is tired before me. ..” he said.

Elder John (Alexeev) (1873-1958) - New Valaam

Elder John (Alexeev) was the confessor of New Valaam and took care of the pilgrims who came here. Contemporaries remember Father John as a deep and incredibly sensitive person who knew how to console everyone who came to him with problems or questions.

Much of the spiritual heritage of the elder has come down to us in the form of letters - until the last days, the elder John wrote to his spiritual children about how to learn to live according to the commandments and find peace of mind. Here is a fragment of one of these letters: “Try not to judge anyone in anything. What you don't want for yourself, don't do for others. Remember that for every idle word we will give an answer before God at the Last Judgment. You cannot serve two masters. Make peace with your opponent so that he does not imprison you. So that there is no enmity with anyone, otherwise prayer will not be pleasing to God, it will even serve as a sin. How will God forgive our sins when we ourselves do not forgive?

Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) (1910-2006) - Pskov-Caves Monastery

One of the most famous elders of the 20th century, Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) became a spiritual father for hundreds of thousands of people not only in Russia, but also far beyond its borders. Six years have passed since the death of the elder, but his books on the construction of confession and prayer, as well as collections of letters and teachings, are still passed from hand to hand and printed in huge numbers. A lot of people who have been churched and are just going to comprehend Orthodoxy discovered this religion for themselves precisely thanks to John (Krestyankin).

Archimandrite John was a resident of the Pskov-Caves Monastery for about 40 years, and all these years the number of pilgrims coming to him with their questions and problems has been increasing. Eyewitnesses say that over the years, it became more and more difficult for the elder to move from his cell to the temple or dining room, and the reason for this was not age - the reason was that the pilgrims surrounded Father John as soon as he went out into the street and literally did not let him step step.

Here is how Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov) recalls Father John: “... his love for man, faith and hope for the Providence of God were so great that people, coming to him even with seemingly insoluble problems, left the father’s cell filled not just with consolation, but with new strength for life. This was another rare feature inherent in Father John: he spoke as having the power from God to give vitality and lead after Christ ... "

This book is about a unique phenomenon of Russian spiritual culture: Orthodox eldership. It includes brief biographies of the elders, their statements, teachings and advice, prayers to them, as well as information from previously inaccessible archives. The publication presents not only already well-known elders, whose biographies have been described more than once in Orthodox literature, but also those whose activities have so far remained not so well known. Each of the elders has his own destiny and his own character, but all of them are united by love for God and their spiritual children. And although little is known about many of them, some fragments of biographies are still shrouded in mystery, but their deeds, the memories of their spiritual children, who remember their mentors with love and warmth, remain. And if in our time many of us had such mentors, perhaps there would be more goodness and light in the world.

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The following excerpt from the book Orthodox Elders: Biography, Wisdom, Prayers (L. N. Slavgorodskaya, 2013) provided by our book partner - the company LitRes.

Elders of ancient times

Saint Basil the Great

Basil the Great was born in Caesarea Cappadocia. He came from a wealthy family known in Pontus and Cappadocia. His education was first directed by his father, a well-respected rhetorician in Pontus. St. Basil received further education in Caesarea in Cappadocia, in Constantinople, and, finally, in Athens.

Theophanes the Greek. Basil the Great. 1405

Here he met with Gregory the Theologian, and friendship began between them, a deep spiritual closeness was established. A few years later, Saint Basil returned to Caesarea and at first began teaching rhetoric. Then, following the exhortations of his sister, he decided to renounce the world and indulge in ascetic deeds.

At this time, he received baptism from the Archbishop of Caesarea Dianius and was consecrated by them as a reader.

Then, in order to get acquainted with the monastic life, Saint Basil went on a journey through Syria, Palestine and Egypt, where he became closely acquainted with the life of the ascetics.

Upon his return from the journey, Basil distributed his property to the poor and retired to Pontus, where in the desert near Neocaesarea he indulged in ascetic exploits.

Here St. Gregory of Nazianzus often visited him; the ascetics spent time together in prayer, studying the Holy Scriptures and the works of the Fathers of the Church and church writers.

Here, friends jointly compiled a collection of Origen's writings called "Origenus filokalia" - "The Philokalia of Origen" (not to be confused with the "Philokalia", compiled at the end of the 17th century by Macarius of Corinth and St. .).

Saint Basil, with the help of Saint Gregory of Nazianzus, wrote the Rules of Monastic Life.

Around the year 363, the successor of Bishop Dianias, Eusebius of Caesarea, summoned Saint Basil to Caesarea, consecrated him to the rank of presbyter, and made him his assistant in preaching and in administrative affairs.

According to an old Orthodox tradition, miraculous icons were carried over the sick to get rid of serious ailments.

During these years, with the accession of Valens, the movement of heretical teachings intensified; the Caesarean region also began to experience the danger of their spread. St. Basil, a zealous supporter of the Nicene Confession, with all means resisted the threat of heresies and, in fact, led the defenders of Orthodoxy in Caesarea, since Bishop Eusebius was a poorly educated person from the point of view of theology. Delivered from the laity, Eusebius had difficulty understanding the difficult church situation.

After the death of Bishop Eusebius, Saint Basil was chosen as his successor. In the rank of Archbishop of Caesarea, Saint Basil was the leader of about 500 bishops in his district.

Saint Basil considered his main task to be the defense of the Orthodox faith from heretical turmoil.

Saint Basil died on January 1, 379. He was not yet fifty years old. He burned down in a terrible fire that blazed in the East and which he selflessly extinguished.

Prayers to Saint Basil the Great

O great one in the hierarchs, the universe of the God-wise teacher, blessed Father Basil! Great feats and labors of yours, even to the glory of the Holy Church you have done: you are a firm confessor and a lamp of the faith of Christ on earth, you have been illuminated with the light of theology of the faithful, false teachings, and proclaim the word of saving truth to the whole world. Now, having a great deal in heaven, have boldness to the Holy Trinity, help us, who fall to you with humility, firmly and unfailingly preserve the holy Orthodox faith until the end of our life, observe from lack of faith, doubts and wavering in faith, so that we will not be deceived by God-opposing and soul-destroying teachings in words. The spirit of holy zeal, even if you were on fire, O most glorious Church of Christ to the shepherd, kindle with your intercession in us too, whom Christ put to be shepherds, let us wholeheartedly enlighten and affirm in the right faith the verbal flock of Christ. Ask, O merciful saint, from the Father of Lights and to all, every gift to whom is useful: a good baby in God's fear of growth, young chastity, old and weak strengthening, consolation for those who grieve, those who are ill for healing, those who have erred admonition and correction, offended intercession, protection for orphans and widows tempted by grace-filled help, departed from this temporary life, our father and brothers blessed repose. She, holy of God, look graciously from the abodes on high upon us humble, overwhelmed by many temptations and misfortunes, and raise those who are committed from the earth to the heights of heaven. Grant us, good father, your archpastoral and holy blessing, and by this overshadowing, in this new summer and at all other times of our belly in peace, repentance and obedience to the Holy Orthodox Church, let us live, diligently doing the commandments of Christ, striving with a good feat of faith, and so We will reach the Kingdom of Heaven, together with you and all the saints, vouchsafe the Holy Trinity, Consubstantial and Inseparable, to sing and glorify forever and ever. Amen.

O great and most holy hierarch Father Basil, most glorious teacher of the ecumenical Church, all-hearted champion of the glory of the Most Holy Trinity, the Mother of God and Her immaculate virginity, chosen as a confessor, most luminous image of purity, humility and patience. Behold the sinful and unworthy of heavenly heights, humbly pray to you, O wise teacher of the Church of Christ, teach me to lead my life in such a God-fearing way, but never on the path, God’s command is disgusting, I will deviate or be corrupted. Observe and deliver me with your powerful intercession from the temptations of the world and the machinations of the devil, as if you had delivered the young man from them, having retreated from our Sweetest Savior and fallen into the power of Satan. Grant me spiritual strength to be an zealous imitator of your lofty virtues: make me firm and unshakable in faith, strengthen me who is faint-hearted in patience and hope in the Lord, warm up true Christ's love in my heart, and I wish heavenly blessings more than all and enjoy them. Ask the Lord for sincere contrition for sins, and I will spend the rest of my life in peace, repentance and the fulfillment of the commandments of Christ. When the hour of my death draws near, you, O blessed Father, with the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, then hasten to help, protect me from the evil slanders of the enemy, and make me an heir to be the heavenly villages, but be with you and with all the saints of the impregnable Majesty of God to the Throne I will appear and the Life-Primitive, Consubstantial and Indivisible Trinity I glorify and sing, ever and forever. Amen.

Venerable Seraphim, Sarov Wonderworker

Reverend Seraphim was born on July 19, 1754 in the Kursk province. His father, Isidor Moshnin, was a merchant and took contracts for the construction of buildings, and his mother, Agafya Moshnin, was engaged in raising children and housekeeping. At birth, the boy was given the name Prokhor, which he bore until he was tonsured a monk at the age of 32.

The first miracle happened to the boy in early childhood. Prokhor's father began the construction of the cathedral in Kursk, but died before the completion of the work, and his wife continued his work. Once she took Prokhor with her to the construction site, and he, still a young child, climbed the bell tower, stumbled and fell down. You can understand the state of the mother ... But everything is the will of God: having gone down, she found her son unharmed.

The child grew up. He was not like his peers: pampering and noisy games were not for him, he found himself in solitude, reading sacred books and attending church services. And then one day he fell seriously ill. The doctors were powerless.

After some time, when the child no longer had any strength, in a vision, the Mother of God herself appeared to him . She affectionately comforted the child, saying that it remained to be patient just a little bit, and he would be healthy again.

The next day after the vision, a religious procession went by the house where the Moshnins lived: carried the relic of all Russia and the city of Kursk - the miraculous icon of the Virgin- Kursk Root. Seeing the procession from the window, Prokhor's mother, taking him in her arms, quickly left the house to meet those who were walking: according to an old Orthodox tradition, miraculous icons were carried over the sick to get rid of serious ailments . So it was in the case of little Prokhor. And the miracle happened! Prokhor began to recover quickly, and the desire to serve the Lord grew stronger every day: Prokhor dreamed of becoming a monk.

The mother did not interfere with his desire and blessed him on the monastic path with a crucifix, which Prokhor wore on his chest all his life. Having made a pilgrimage on foot from Kursk to Kyiv to worship the Caves saints, Prokhor came to know God's will through the elder Dositheus, a reclusive monk of the Kirovo-Pechersk Monastery: he must go to the Sarov monastery, where the Holy Spirit will lead him to salvation, where he will end his earthly days.

Seraphim of Sarov

Having listened to the recluse monk, Prokhor, bowing at his feet, set off and in November 1778 came to Sarov to the rector Father Pachomius, who affectionately received the young man and appointed Elder Joseph as his confessor.

Life passed in daily service to God, but even this seemed to Prokhor not enough: his soul longed for solitude. He told his confessor about his desire. The wise elder blessed him from time to time to retire in the monastery forest for prayer.

So two years passed. Prokhor fell ill with dropsy. Despite the prayers and courtship of the monastery elders, he got worse and worse. Prokhor refused the offer to call him a doctor, saying that he had betrayed himself into the hands of the Lord God and His Most Pure Mother.

And again a miracle happened: in an indescribable light, the Mother of God appeared, accompanied by the holy apostles John the Theologian and Peter. The Mother of God touched the side of Prochorus with a rod, and at the same time the liquid that filled his body began to flow out of him. Prokhor quickly recovered. Later, on the very spot where the apparition of the Mother of God had taken place, a hospital church was built. The altar for one of the aisles was built by Prokhor with his own hands from cypress wood and he always communed the Holy Mysteries in this church.

At the age of 32, Prokhor was tonsured a monk and received the name Seraphim, which means "fiery." Continuing his ministry with even greater diligence and diligence, Seraphim was ordained a hierodeacon and spent another six years in ministry.

And again a miracle! During Liturgy on Maundy Thursday “A light shone on me, in which I saw the Lord our God Jesus Christ in glory, shining, brighter than the sun, indescribable light and surrounded by angels, Archangels, Cherubim and Seraphim. From the church gates He walked through the air, stopped in front of the pulpit and, raising His hands, blessed the servants and those who prayed. Then he entered the local image, which is near the royal gates. But I, earth and ashes, have received a special blessing from Him. My heart then rejoiced in the sweetness of love for the Lord.”

After this vision, the Monk Seraphim seemed to be petrified: having changed in his face, he could not even utter a word, and, led by the arms into the altar, stood motionless for more than two hours. Coming to his senses and realizing what had happened, the Monk Seraphim spent all nights until morning in prayer.

Upon reaching the age of 39, Seraphim left the monastery and settled in a wooden cell in a dense forest on the banks of the Sarovka River, five miles away from the monastery.

Leading an ascetic life, he still served God, torturing his flesh. He ate forest grass, and carried a bag with stones and sand over his shoulders, on top of which lay the Gospel. When asked why he carries a weight on his back, he replied: "I languish the languishing me."

And one day a miracle happened to him. He was chopping wood in the forest when three tramps approached him and began to demand money. One of the robbers exclaimed:

- Many people come to you to ask for your prayers and they certainly bring both gold and silver!

Saint Seraphim objected:

I don't take anything from anyone.

The robbers did not believe him and began to beat him. Father Seraphim was very strong and strong, and he had an ax in his hands. But after all, he was a monk and could not answer blow for blow, therefore, having given himself into the hands of God, he threw away the ax and said:

- Do what you need!

Having beaten Seraphim and leaving him near the cell, the robbers began to look for money in the cell, but found only an icon and a few books there...

When Father Seraphim came to his senses, overcoming the pain, he thanked the Lord for salvation and prayed for the forgiveness of the villains, and in the morning he wandered to the monastery.

The called doctors discovered that Seraphim's head was broken, his ribs were broken, and there were terrible bruises and wounds on his body. The Reverend fell asleep. And in a dreamy vision, the Mother of God appeared before him with the apostles Peter and John. “What are you working on? – asked, turning to the doctors, the Most Holy Theotokos. – This is from my generation!”

Waking up, the Monk Seraphim felt his strength return to him, and on the same day he rose to his feet. But he returned to the forest, to the seclusion, only five months later, and the monk’s back remained forever bent ...

And then they managed to catch the robbers, they soon came to ask for forgiveness, and Seraphim, out of the kindness of his soul, forgave them, since he considered such people not bad, but sick.

Perfecting himself in prayer, the Monk Seraphim set about the most difficult work - the feat of pilgrimage.

From 1804 to 1807, Saint Seraphim, without talking to anyone, spent 1,000 days and 1,000 nights in prayer, standing on stones: one was in his cell, and the other stood in the thicket of the forest. On the stone located in the cell, Seraphim stood from morning till evening, and at night he went to the stone in the forest thicket. Raising his hands to the sky, he prayed, reciting a prayer: "God, be merciful to me, a sinner».

After the death of Seraphim, the stone that was in the forest was split into pieces, and its fragments went to pieces throughout Russia.

In 1810, Saint Seraphim returned to the monastery, where he retired to the seclusion of a monastic cell for many years. There he did not receive anyone, but only prayed, sitting on a stump, which served him as a chair, in front of an icon and a lamp. And so 17 years passed ...

And again the vision of the Mother of God, who gave him a blessing to get out of seclusion, and the command to receive visitors and help them spiritually. This news quickly spread throughout Russia, and the crowd of the afflicted moved to the elder for help: every day, after the early liturgy and until late in the evening, he received people. Possessing the gift of clairvoyance, he felt the spiritual state, thoughts and circumstances that led to him those who were thirsty for healing and spiritual help.

At the end of the earthly journey, the Mother of God again visited Seraphim, predicting his imminent death, and blessed him to prepare for the transition to another world. The elder and the saints who accompanied the Mother of God blessed the elder for this. The Mother of God repeated again: "This is from our generation." The visit to the Theotokos was in the presence of one of the Diveyevo sisters, who then told about it.

Monument to Seraphim Sarovsky. Photo by Yu. Chernikova

Another Saint Seraphim passed away on January 2, 1833, in the 79th year of his life, as he prophesied: "My death will be opened by fire."

January 1, 1833, Sunday, the Monk Seraphim visited the church for the last time, took communion and put candles to the icons. He was very weak, but calm and joyful. Saying goodbye to the brethren, he blessed and comforted everyone.

And the next day, one of the monks smelled smoke coming from Seraphim's cell. Entering it, he saw the monk, kneeling, with his hands lying on the lectern, on which his head rested, and books smoldering from a fallen candle. There was no fire. The monk touched the monk on the shoulder, but there was no answer.

Long before his death, Saint Seraphim made with his own hands an oak coffin, in which he was buried near the monastery cathedral.

From early childhood, being under the protection of the Lord, he acquired for himself great purity of soul and was vouchsafed from God the highest gracious gifts of teaching, insight, miracles and healings.

Saint Seraphim appeared to many even during his lifetime and in dream visions and healed from pernicious diseases, especially during the time of cholera, when not only individuals, but also residents of entire villages were healed by the grace of God from the water consecrated from Seraphim’s source.

The demon-possessed saint of God sometimes healed with his mere presence, the cross and prayer. Seraphim's prayers were so strong before God that there were examples of the recovery of the sick from their deathbed.

Prophecy of Seraphim of Sarov

At the beginning of the 20th century, the expectation of the end of the world was associated with the name of St. Seraphim. The same thing happened at the end of the century. “There will be a King who will glorify me- predicted the miracle worker of Sarov, - after which there will be great turmoil in Russia, a lot of blood will flow for rebelling against the Tsar and His Autocracy, but God will glorify the Tsar. “And the sorrow after the glorification of his name will be such,- said the father, - that the angels will not have time to carry souls to heaven. The predicted came true.

The Saints, for their righteous life, invaluable help in healing from diseases that medicine cannot cope with, the spiritual self-improvement of the suffering, are glorified not only by sinful people who received help from them, but also by the Lord God himself. Sometimes he gives us, sinners and unbelievers, visible evidence of the holiness of this or that person. So it was with the Monk Seraphim of Sarov.

In the Orthodox Church, it is customary to open holy relics. This tradition, according to St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, "are committed:

1) in fulfillment of the will and direction of God, for the miracles of healing testify that the Lord chose the remains of his saints through his mercy to people and help to those who suffer;

2) because holy relics have a religious and moral effect on the human soul, serve as a living reminder of the saint, excite believers to imitate his deeds and unite the earthly Church with the heavenly one, testifying to the existence of an immortal soul and eternal life;

3) in view of the fact that holy relics are a guarantee of the participation of God's saints in our prayers;

4) because the holy relics ... are a precious gift to help people.

According to this tradition, on July 29, 1903, on the 150th year since the birth of the Monk Seraphim, in the temples of the Sarov Hermitage, the All-Night Vigils for the ever-memorable Hieromonk Seraphim were performed in the temples of the Sarov Hermitage. About three hundred thousand people gathered in Sarov to participate in this significant event, and on July 30 a grandiose religious procession was made from the Diveevo Monastery to the Sarov Hermitage.

The emperor and his family also arrived to participate in the event, as St. Seraphim himself predicted.

On the evening of the next day, the All-Night Vigil began, at which the Monk Seraphim was glorified as a saint, and the next day the Divine Liturgy was celebrated, after which the holy relics were carried around the altar and placed in a prepared shrine, after which a procession was made with the holy relics around the monastery churches .

Upon the return of the procession, the worshipers knelt down, Metropolitan Anthony read a prayer to the Monk Seraphim, and the service ended. But prayer singing did not stop at night. So the pilgrims praised the Monk Seraphim of Sarov.

Seraphim's prayers were so strong before God that there were examples of the recovery of the sick from their deathbed.

And then the October Revolution happened. You know perfectly well what happened to the royal family, as well as the fact that after many decades, by God's will, the king and his family will also be canonized as saints. "The villains will lift their heads high, he said. - It will certainly happen: the Lord, seeing the unrepentant malice of their hearts, will allow their undertakings for a short time, but their illness will turn on their head, and the untruth of their pernicious plans will descend on top of them. The Russian land will be stained with rivers of blood, and many nobles will be beaten for the Great Sovereign and the integrity of his autocracy; but the Lord will not be completely angry and will not allow the Russian land to be destroyed to the end, because in it alone Orthodoxy and the remnants of Christian piety are still predominantly preserved..

Before the birth of the Antichrist, there will be a great long war and a terrible revolution in Russia, exceeding any human imagination, because the bloodshed will be the most terrible: the Razin and Pugachev riots, the French Revolution are nothing compared to what will happen to Russia. There will be the death of many people faithful to the fatherland, the looting of church property and monasteries, the desecration of the churches of the Lord, the destruction and plunder of the wealth of good people, rivers of Russian blood will be shed ... "

The time is coming for another prophecy of the saint to be fulfilled.

In the Russian paternal tradition, an amazing document has been preserved, which is only today receiving wide publicity. This is about " Diveevo secret”, where Father Seraphim confessed to Motovilov that he would not lie with his flesh in Sarov. “It is pleasing to the Lord God to take me, a wretched Seraphim, until the time from this temporary life and therefore resurrect, and my resurrection will be like the resurrection of the seven youths in the cave of Okhlonskaya in the days of Theodosius the Youngest.”

Every Christian knows about the resurrection of the four-day Lazarus, but few know the story of the resurrection of the seven Ephesian youths.

In the III century, during the pagan persecution, seven young Christians took refuge in a mountain cave near the city of Ephesus in Asia Minor and, confident in their imminent death, indulged in fasting and prayer. Indeed, the persecutor Decius blocked the inlet with stones so that the recalcitrant would die of starvation. And now, 170 years later, during the reign of Theodosius the Younger (408-450), the entrance to the cave was accidentally opened, and the young men, not aged at all, came out as living evidence of the resurrection of the dead. A miracle is not a violation of the laws of nature - it is a phenomenon that takes place in accordance with the laws of another, unknown to us cosmos ...

According to the testimony of the church historian Nicephorus Callistus, the emperor Theodosius himself personally came from Constantinople to Ephesus to bow to the rebels, as a wondrous testimony to the truth of Christ. He stayed in communion with them for seven days, after which the young men fell asleep peacefully, already before the Last Judgment, and their relics became famous for many miracles.

This fact also exists independently of church tradition, by virtue of historical authenticity. It occurs in the Ethiopian calendar and other Roman martyrologies; the relics of the young men were seen by the Russian abbot Daniel, who in the 12th century made the famous journey to the East; the Syrian Maronites, who broke away from the Orthodox Church in the 7th century, nevertheless continued to venerate the youths; a contemporary of the event, St. John Kolov testified to it in the life of St. Paisios the Great (July 19). It is no coincidence that Elder Nectarios once said about the science of history: “She shows us how God leads the nations, and gives, as it were, the moral lessons of the Universe…”

With the coming to power of the Bolsheviks, an atheistic attack on the Church began and a campaign was announced to open the relics, and in 1920 at a meeting of the Council of People's Commissars chaired by V.I. Lenin was instructed to the People's Commissariat of Justice to develop the provision on the liquidation of relics "on an all-Russian scale», and already in November 1920, the IX District Congress of Soviets decided to open the shrine with the remains of St. Seraphim of Sarov. The relics were opened on December 17. In April 1927, they were seized from the Sarov Monastery and taken away in an unknown direction.

Trinity Cathedral of the Seraphim-Diveevo Monastery

Presumably, they were transported to the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow, but then there was no information about their location, traces were lost. But the Orthodox, with God's help, did not lose hope for their acquisition.

The Monk Seraphim predicted that after his resurrection he would move to Diveevo, which would be called so not by the name of the village, but by the world marvel. Diveevo and will become a place of salvation for people during the time of the Antichrist . "When the age ends- said the father, - First, Antichrist will remove crosses from churches and destroy monasteries, and he will destroy all monasteries. And it will suit yours, it will fit, and the groove will become from earth to heaven! It’s impossible for him to climb up to you, the groove will not allow anywhere, so he will go away.

It is in Diveyevo that the sermon of universal repentance will open to prepare for the Day of the Last Judgment, when the Lord will appear with the angels in fiery fire, so that “separate the God-loving from the lustful, and the humble-wise from the peace-loving"(Reverend Ambrose of Optina). A multitude of people from all over the earth will gather for this sermon, this is the Diveyevo secret of piety. And four relics will be opened, and the Reverend himself will lie down between them. “Few saints rest in Sarov, father, but there are no open relics, never will be, but I, poor Seraphim, will be in Diveevo!”

For many years, these prophecies were very vague, but now, at the end of 1990, in the Kazan Cathedral of St. Petersburg (in Soviet times - a museum of atheism), when the museum was transferred from the Kazan Museum, the relics of Russian saints were discovered: Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky, Saints Zosima, Savvaty and Herman of Solovetsky.

In one of the rooms of the cathedral, containing tapestries, an inconspicuous matting was found that did not have any identifying details. Having opened it, those present found unknown relics, on which there was a copper cross and mittens, on which were embroidered: "Reverend Father Seraphim" and "Pray to God for us." The find made an indelible impression on those present, and the director of the museum informed Patriarch Alexy II about it.

With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, a thorough examination of the relics was carried out. Their correspondence was established according to the detailed description in the acts of canonization of 1903 and according to the protocol of seizure.

The relics found in the museum completely coincided with the description of the relics in the documents. There was no doubt about the reacquisition of the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov.

In the presence of the archbishops, the relics of St. Seraphim were vested and placed in cancer; on January 11, 1991, a solemn ceremony of handing them over to His Holiness the Patriarch took place in the Kazan Cathedral.

From early morning until late evening, people walked and walked in all places where the newly acquired relics were transferred, applied to the holy relics, anointed with consecrated oil. The people rejoiced and rejoiced. So six months passed.

After a six-month celebration in St. Petersburg and Moscow, the relics of Father Seraphim, according to prophecy, were solemnly transferred to Diveevo.

The religious procession ended in Diveevo on July 30. The prophetic words of St. Seraphim were fulfilled: his holy relics are in the Trinity Cathedral of the Seraphim-Diveevo Monastery. Thousands of people still go to him to ask for and receive protection and help.

But in our time, one more prediction of St. Seraphim is especially relevant: "The Lord will have mercy on Russia and lead her through suffering to great glory." So let's all work together to make this prophecy come true as soon as possible.

Prayer to Seraphim of Sarov

Oh, wonderful Father Seraphim, the great wonderworker of Sarov, quick-obedient helper to all who resort to you! In the days of your earthly life, no one is thin and comforted from you when you leave, but for everyone in the sweetness there was a vision of your face and a benevolent voice of your words. To this, the gift of healing, the gift of insight, the gift of weak souls of healing, is abundant in you. When God has called you from earthly labors to heavenly rest, your love has never ceased from us, and it is impossible to count your miracles, multiplied like the stars of heaven: behold, at all ends of our earth, you are the people of God and grant them healing. The same and we cry out to you: O quiet and meek servant of God, daring to pray to him, never refrain from calling you, lift up your pious prayer for us to the Lord of forces, may He strengthen our power, may He grant us all that is useful in this life and all for the spiritual useful for salvation, may it protect us from the falls of sin and teach us true repentance, in a hedgehog to unstumblingly enter us into the eternal Kingdom of Heaven, even though you now shine in impenetrable glory, there to sing with all the saints the Life-Giving Trinity until the end of time. Amen.

Prayer two

O great servant of God, reverend and God-bearing Father Seraphim! Look from the mountain of glory on us, humble and weak, burdened with many sins, asking for your help and comfort. Come to us with your mercy and help us to keep the commandments of the Lord without blemish, keep the Orthodox faith firmly, bring repentance to our sins diligently to God, prosper gracefully in Christian piety and be worthy of your prayerful intercession to God for us. Hey, Holy One of God, hear us praying to you with faith and love, and do not despise us who demand your intercession: now and at the hour of our death, help us and intercede with your prayers from the evil slander of the devil, may those forces not possess us, but let us be made worthy of your help to inherit the bliss of the abode of paradise. We place our hope in you, merciful father: truly be our guide to salvation and lead us to the non-evening light of eternal life by your God-pleasing intercession at the throne of the Most Holy Trinity, may we glorify and sing with all the saints the venerable name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, till the end of time. Amen.

Prayer three

O Reverend Father Seraphim, zealous zealot of the True God, New adornment of the Orthodox Church, marvelous ascetic of Christian piety! We resort to you, we ask you, we open our mournful souls of our thoughts to you. Pray to God for people who are overwhelmed by the passions and vanity of this world: do not stop praying to Him for all those who come to you and ask for your help. Do not despise our small zeal, multiply this by your prayer. Grant us by the grace of God deliverance from sorrows and healing from illnesses, heal our mental and bodily ailments, direct our minds to the knowledge of the Orthodox faith, and help us keep the commandments of God. Keep the mind of Orthodox people from darkness and unbelief, all the same, have Christ's love for each other, so prosperous in the piety of Christ, in the joy of the heart we exclaim to you: Rejoice, our helper; rejoice, our healing; rejoice, our consolation; rejoice, our healing; rejoice, our consolation; rejoice, our joy; Venerable Father Seraphim, and make us worthy of your joy forever and ever. Amen.

magnificence

We bless you, reverend Father Seraphim, and honor your holy memory, mentor of the monks and companion of the Angels.

Troparion, tone 4

From the youth of Christ, thou hast loved, more blessed, and to the One work with ardent desire, with unceasing prayer and labors in the way, thou hast labored, having acquired the love of Christ with a touched heart, the chosen one beloved of the Mother of God appeared. For this sake, we cry out to you: save us with your salts to Seraphim, our reverend father.

Kontakion, tone 2

Leaving the beauty of the world and even the corruptible in it, reverend, you settled in the Sarov monastery: and having lived there as an angel, you had a path to salvation for many: for this sake, and Christ to you, Father Seraphim, glorify, and enrich with the gift of healings and miracles. With the same cry to you: Rejoice, Seraphim, our reverend father.

On June 13, 2013, on the feast of the Ascension of the Lord, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia consecrated Archimandrite Sergius (Bulatnikov) as Bishop of Klintsovsky and Trubchevsky (Bryansk Metropolis).

Light and holiness are close concepts. Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh said that it is important at least once to see the radiance of eternal life in the eyes of another person. Archimandrite Sergius (Bulatnikov), rector of the Kazan Bogoroditskaya Ploschanskaya Hermitage, knew many of these "shining" people. “I am surprised,” he says, “what kind of people they were, what faith. Even their appearance was quite special: they all glowed. These are the saints of our day."

Below we publish the memoirs of Father Sergius about his meetings with the "saints of our days", sounded on the air of the radio program "Annunciation".

Elders of Pskov-Caves: "They were hardened by persecution"

– Father Sergius, you have seen many elders in your life, please tell us about them!

– I thank the Lord that He made me see the wondrous fathers. When I lived in the Pskov-Caves Monastery, Archimandrite Alexander labored there, at that time hegumen, Archimandrite Nathanael, then archdeacon, the well-known Sheagumen Savva (Ostapenko), Father John (Krestyankin), Sheagumen Onesiphorus, Archimandrite Alipy (Voronov). These were real ascetic monks. And now monasticism has weakened.

- How did those monks differ from modern ones?

They worked day and night, they never sat idle. We had a cellar, he was in charge of food supplies, hegumen Jerome (later became archimandrite), who came from the front, he did not have one leg, he walked on a prosthesis. When the fraternal meal ended, he collected all the remaining pieces of bread (and then there were 30 brethren and more pilgrims), invited one of us. We cut these pieces and dried them. During fasting, they ate these crackers or put them in pea soup, that is, nothing was wasted, the economy was carried out economically. They also brewed kvass. On Parental Saturday, countless pilgrims brought 2-3 truckloads of bread (at that time, after all, it was the only monastery in Russia besides the Lavra)! We dried the bread, and then made marvelous kvass out of it in huge tubs. Father Jerome was an elder of amazing kindness. When we work hard, he will reach into his bins, get us a jar of salmon, for example, instant coffee or candy. And at that time it was all delicacies!

Archimandrite Alipiy, also an extraordinary person, he played the fool a little, he could, on occasion, joke, screw in a strong word. For example, he is standing on his balcony (this house has been preserved), he sees - the old woman is walking. "What came?" - He speaks. “Father, my cow is gone… How to live?” Batiushka will reach into his pocket, throw it to her: “On you on a cow.” I don’t remember how much a cow cost then, but it was expensive. They come to him: “Father, the roof is leaking!” "Here's to the roof." He handed out money to everyone, helped everyone. Wrote marvelous icons. Before his death, the Mother of God appeared to him. He developed dropsy, he could no longer lie down and therefore sat in an armchair. With him were Hieromonk Agafangel, Irenaeus the Economist, and Father Alexander. Suddenly he says to them: “Give me, give me a pencil! I'll draw her, here she comes! What a beautiful She is ... ”And he began to draw. So he died with a pencil in his hands.

Archimandrite Nathanael, a wondrous, very strict elder and the monastery treasurer, he counted the monastery money, took care of it, kept all the books. Sometimes he could scold for misconduct. But it is interesting that he never went to the bathhouse and was clean all the time. I didn’t drink tea at all, only boiling water. Such is the ascetic. He was the son of Archpriest Nikolai Pospelov, a New Martyr who was executed for his faith, he knew the Holy Scriptures perfectly. And he himself wrote a troparion to his father when he was glorified. Archimandrite Nathanael came to the monastery during the war, in 1944. He probably died about 5 years ago. And for all this time, i.e. for more than 50 years, he did not leave the monastery and did not know what was happening outside the walls. And there were many. The brethren have gathered amazingly. Persecution and oppression tempered and united them.

– Were the monks of the Pskov-Caves Monastery like this, or were all Orthodox people?

- Almost all Orthodox people of that time. I say: it was a different world. Take today's life and 30 years ago - heaven and earth!

– What has changed?

– Yes, everything has changed – the believers, the clergy. The spirit of this world prevails. What does the Lord say to us? “Do not love the world, nor what is in the world. Whoever loves the world does not have the love of the Father in him.” And the world captivates, confuses people with all sorts of earthly comforts, pleasures, shakes the weak human soul. It is impossible to love any of this if we love God.

Most of the monks and clergy of that time went through exile, trials, prisons, and were people who were hardened in everything. Suffering gave them a completely different spiritual state, they believed that the Lord was testing them in this way.

Mother Ennafa: Easter in the Swamp

“Mother Yennafa told me that they worked at the logging site. Can you imagine, women were forced to cut down the forest! They felled trees, chopped off branches, and removed the timber. They could not pray, as usual: they took away all the books they had brought with them, and read prayers as a keepsake.

One Easter they were kicked out to work. They came, and there was a swamp. They began to sing Easter there. Mosquitoes are a scary number. They came out of the swamp, all the skin was blue, so the mosquitoes gnawed. And when they sang Easter in the swamp, they shouted from the shore: “Come on, black-tailed ones, come out, now we’ll shoot everyone!” The nuns did not obey and continued to sing. And, until the Easter canon was sung, they did not come out. They got out, they thought that now they would be shot right here. But I got away with it, they just put me on a starvation ration. I say: “Mother, what did they feed you there?” “We,” he says, “survived by eating raw mushrooms and berries when we went to the forest. And so they gave gruel, rusted herring, and bread, like clay.

Sometimes I asked her: “Mother, how did you live there?” "Oh, baby, thank God, it's so good!" "Yes, what's good, then?" “We are sitting with one nun, when we were sent to the stage, I ask her: listen, Agafya, how many skufeks did you have?

“Three,” he says.

– How three?!

- One day off, velvet, two simple ones.

- And how many samovars?

“Two,” he says. One is big, the other is small.

“You see, I wanted to enter the Kingdom of Heaven with such a burden. Thanks to the Soviet government, it saved us from everything!

And then she added: “Lately, baby, we already had a good life! We are all handmade nuns. There were three of us, and the authorities ordered them to sew jackets and clothes. They fed us for it. Then the head of the camp took me as a servant. I lived with him, looked after the children, cleaned the apartment. He even sent me to the market, he knew that I would not run away. So, thank God, I have been living well lately.”

Here is such an old woman, mother Ennafa, the Kingdom of Heaven to her. I remember her face, her eyes are so piercing, radiant.

Mother Fomaida: Coming to me I will not get out

– Mother Fomaida died at the age of 102, I wasn’t even a priest then. She lived with kind people who gave her a bathhouse, in which she made a cell. Before the revolution, as a girl, she walked to Jerusalem. This journey took about a year. Then they went on foot to Odessa, by steamer they were transported to Turkey. The tsarist government had an agreement with all the countries through which Russian pilgrims passed. That's how she visited the Holy Land.

She talked about her coming to the monastery. I traveled, traveled to monasteries, thinking which one to enter. Once I came to a monastery somewhere near Irkutsk. “I went to the temple - and as if I had always been there and I know everyone,” she says. Remained. Then she was sent to the courtyard in Moscow. The revolution found her in Moscow. And in the monastery she acted like this: “I came to the abbess, mother Kalleria. I bowed and said:

- Mother, take me to the monastery.

And she told me:

- Oh, baby, you are so young, you will not bear our life. We have a lot of work. The monastery is poor, you have to work hard.

“Mother, I will do whatever you say.

- No, no, baby, you're still young, I can't take you.

And I have such courage!

“I will come,” I say, “I will stand in front of the gate and I will pray in the name of the Lord that they take me to the monastery.” So, are you going to close the gate?

She cried and says:

No, I can't close the gate. The Lord said, "He who comes to Me I will not cast out." I must accept you.

And she accepted me into the monastery.”

Such an old woman was, mother Fomaida! She fought demons like wild beasts. The owners, with whom she lived, Natalya and Pavel, said that they heard at night how she drove them. And her eyes were - downright seraphim eyes. She told me many interesting things about the church life of those times. But all these stories are not documented, they are rather legends. She remembered, for example, about one priest, Father Peter. It was an old priest, still of royal consecration, who served in a parish in the Smolensk region, so poor that when he died, the parish was closed. It was in the year 1970-1972. The village was called Leontievo. Batiushka was serving time in the steppes of Kazakhstan. He was taken away somewhere in the 30s, when the clergy were subjected to sophisticated bullying. They put, for example, a barrel of prison sewage on a sled and force the prisoners to drag it. Then they were shot, the bodies were dumped into pits dug in advance and filled with the contents of this barrel.

There were nights when 70-80 and even 300 people were shot. They didn’t shoot the father, but wounded him in the arm, and he lay unnoticed in a pit with sewage under a pile of bodies. At night, having got out of the pit, he crawled across the steppe. The night is dark, you can't see anything. I already thought that I was dying and prayed, preparing to die. Suddenly he sees a small flickering light, he came closer: a hut-hut, a lamp is burning in it. knocked. And there were people who were praying. They sheltered him, and he lived in their underground for 8 years. At night he went out to get some air so that no one would see, and hid during the day.

They told many stories like this. I wonder what kind of people they were, what faith they had, what a fortress. Even their appearance was quite special: they glowed. Such are the saints of our days, which I managed to see.

Matushka Alipia: Keys to Heavenly Cells

Blessed Alipia (in the world Agapia Tikhonovna Avdeeva) was born in 1910 in the Penza region into a pious family. In 1918, Agapia's parents were shot. All night, an eight-year-old girl read the Psalter from them. After a short time at school, she went to wander around the holy places. During the years of unbelief, she spent 10 years in prison, in spite of everything, she tried to fast, she prayed, she knew the entire Psalter by heart. During the war Agapia was sent to forced labor in Germany. After returning, she was accepted into the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, where she lived until it was closed. When she was tonsured a monk, she received the name Alipia. For three years, with the blessing, she lived in the hollow of a tree. After the closing of the Lavra, she settled in a house near the Goloseevskaya Hermitage. Both local residents and believers from all over Russia came here for advice and help. During the day, it happened, mother received 50-60 people. She died on October 30, 1988. Before her death, the old woman asked everyone for forgiveness and invited them to come to her grave, to talk about their troubles and illnesses.

- And mother Alipia lived in Kyiv, didn’t you hear? She will probably soon be glorified in the saints. The old lady is amazing! She had a sea of ​​\u200b\u200bcats and cats, and all of them were sick. She collected and fed them. An elk came out of the forest to her, she also fed him. There were also chickens. When she came out, all living creatures ran to her.

On the back - I looked and thought: what is this - a hump, not a hump? - she wore the icon of the martyr Agapia, in the world she was Agafia. And in front - a whole bunch of keys. “Mother, what are your keys?” And she: “Cells, baby, I open the cells with these keys.” I don’t know what kind of cells, probably heavenly…

She fooled around. She lived in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra before its closure, helped the elders. And she called herself in the masculine gender: “I walked”, “I was”. Once, in the late 1970s, Volodenka and I went to see Mother Alipia. And he loved to eat and said: "I want to try Khokhlatsky fat." I ate lard with potatoes. We walk along the road, he asks: “What do you think, should I take communion tomorrow or not?” I answer: “How can I take communion? You've eaten fat! Then, next time, take communion.” We go in, mother Alipia pulls out a cast iron. And she always had one dinner: borscht, and a pot of buckwheat porridge (and now, when they celebrate the day of her memory, they treat those who come to her with borscht and porridge at the cemetery).

We go in, and Volodya's legs hurt a lot. Mother at the oven. We told her: “Mother, bless. Hello". She pulls a cast-iron from the stove and says: “You see, when I lived in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, I never ate lard. And here - I ate bacon, and I want to go to communion! We stand, and Volodya says: “Oh, so I ate bacon after all ...” “So she talks about you.” He told her: "Mother, my legs hurt a lot." She told him: "Now I'll treat you." He puts a liter mug on the table, there used to be such ones for beer, and cognac, and beer, and vodka, and wine, and soda are poured into it - all together. Mixed, gives him: "Here, drink." "How am I going to drink it?" "Drink, I say!" He drank. I thought it would be bad for him - no, nothing. They sat, talked, then said goodbye and left. And his legs stopped hurting. So to this day they don’t hurt, as he drank that mug.

The Soviet government pursued her, because people went to her, and her hut stood on a hillock. Once, some party member ordered the old woman to be driven out and the house to be demolished. A tractor came to demolish the house with an order: "If the old woman does not leave, demolish it with her." That is, the authorities seriously got down to business. The tractor drove up, mother got out - the tractor stalled. No force could turn him on. I had to hook it up with a rope and pull it off. When they dragged him away, the tractor started up with half a turn, but they already wanted to repair it. Since then, the mother has not been touched. And she died in 1988. Her eyes, absolutely unusual, you know, as clear as only children have, radiated peace and tranquility.

All these mothers told something, and the spiritual world and peace evoked. And they really glowed.

Prepared by Alexandra Nikiforova.

Elders in Orthodoxy occupy a special place. As a rule, these are clergymen, monks, whom the Lord himself chose to guide sinners on the true path, give valuable advice, share wisdom, heal from various diseases and help people in need.

Legends have been told about them since ancient times. People believed that they were able to perform miracles, see and communicate with the Lord himself. Are there elders living in our time, now, in 2019?

Elders occupy a special place in Orthodoxy

Here are the surnames, names, addresses and ranks of the elders who live now, in our time, in 2019:

• Herman - has the highest monastic rank - archimandrite (serves in a stauropegial monastery for men called "Optina Pustyn");
• Vlasy - a clergyman working for the benefit of the Borovsky Monastery in the Kaluga region;
• Eli - a father preaching in Optina Hermitage;
• Paisy - a priest who works in the Vvedensky Church (located in the Dmitrov region, the village of Ochevo);

Paisius - a priest working in the Vvedensky Church

• Peter - archimandrite (he preaches at the Intercession Monastery, in the Nizhny Novgorod region, in the village of Lukino);
• Ambrose - archimandrite (a monastery called "Vvedensky", which is located in the city of Ivanovo);
• Valerian (san - archpriest) - serves in the Intercession Church, Akulovo urban-type settlement, district - Odintsovo);
• Dionysius - archimandrite - works in the church of St. Nicholas of Myra in Moscow;

Dionysius - Archimandrite

• Jerome - a clergyman - preaches in Chuvashia (monastery - Assumption);
• Illarion - father - works in Klyuchevskaya Hermitage, which is located in Mordovia;
• John - Schema-Archimandrite - works for the benefit of the Ioannovsky Monastery in Saransk;

John - Schema-Archimandrite

• Nikolai - a clergyman - serves in Bashkiria, in the Pokrovo-Ennatsky monastery;
• Adrian - a priest in the Pskov-Caves Monastery;
• Father John Mironov - St. Petersburg, Church of the Inexhaustible Chalice.

All these elders are chosen by the Lord himself and are endowed with special power.

Brief Lives of Some Elders

Unfortunately, some elders have already left our world. Priest Naum, who worked in the Sergiev-Troitsk Lavra (Sergiev Posad, Moscow region) and Kirill Pavlov, a father who serves in the Kaluga region, in the Borovsky Monastery. They were also known for their visionary abilities, acts of kindness, and love for people.

Priest Nahum

It is worth noting that in our time you can meet people who call themselves "young old". These, unfortunately, are pure deceivers, in no way connected with the clergy and the Orthodox Church.

You can meet many young and inexperienced priests who allow themselves to be called the chosen elders. This is also pure quackery. Some of them even create sects in which nothing but perversions, intimidation, destruction of the psyche and pulling money happens.

You can meet many young and inexperienced priests

Real Russian elders devote their whole lives to serving God and helping people. They are distinguished by philanthropy, self-denial, mercy. The elders will always help with advice and show the right path. These highly spiritual people will not refuse to help with various illnesses and needs.

Elders are chosen by God. Many of them have the gift of providence, healing, see the future.

Unfortunately, some people deny the existence of eldership, saying that true Saints do not exist in our time. However, this can be easily argued, thanks to a similar description of the lives of several of these people.

Father Vlasy

The first person I would like to talk about is my father, Schema-Archimandrite Vlasy. He was born when his mother was 56 years old. It is noteworthy that all his brothers and sisters (and there were 8 of them) died before they reached the age of one. Until the age of 10, he was raised by his grandmother, who lived in a monastery. His mother and stepfather did not need him.

Father Vlasy

I preferred to live independently after the seven-year school. He graduated from the Medical Institute with a degree in Pediatrics. Since 1979 he has been living in a monastery. Left him for a while only when he was diagnosed with cancer. For 6 years he prayed to God in Athos and received healing.

After returning, the elder began to help people, heal them and give practical advice. Having learned about this, many are still trying to get to him. However, this has been difficult to do lately. Father Vlasy no longer conducts receptions and does not confess.

Father German

Father Herman is an old man who lives now, in our time, not far from Moscow and serves in Optina Hermitage. The clergyman is known for his gift to cast out demons from a person. He has already helped several hundred possessed. There were cases when people with their hands tied came to the territory of the monastery. Father Herman performed a stonecrop on them according to the ancient canons.

Father Herman is an old man who lives now

The elder was born in 1941. He devoted his whole life to God and to people in need of help. The casting out of demons takes place on weekends that do not fall on church holidays. Rites are performed on the possessed in the church of the Apostles Peter and Paul.

Father Eli

Eli is a father who preaches in Optina Hermitage. He is the spiritual mentor of Patriarch Kirill. From childhood, the Lord predetermined his fate. He gave him the ability to see, to help people in need and heal them from diseases.

Eli - a father preaching in Optina Pustyn

The elder was born in 1939. He studied at a regular school, served in the army. After joining the Komsomol, I realized that it was a big sin and tore my party card.

The public is aware of one incident that made it clear that Eli was indeed chosen by God. Once, an unconscious soldier, wounded in the war in Chechnya, was brought to him. He was in a coma for about 5 months. The father prayed over him, and after a while the scout opened his eyes.

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Today, Father Iliy leads a personal reception at the Transfiguration Church in the residence of Patriarch Kirill in Peredelkino.

Father Paisios

Father Paisiy, who works in the Vvedensky Church (located in the Dmitrov region, the village of Ochevo), has been drawn to the church since childhood. He loved to attend services and pray for a long time. Orphaned early.

He refused to join the Komsomol. For this, they tried to set fire to his house several times. However, this only strengthened Paisius's faith in the Lord.

Father Paisios

Now he is receiving, but very rarely, due to poor health and age (93 years). He himself chooses those whom he must help.

Father Peter

Archimandrite Peter - preaches in the Intercession Monastery, in the Nizhny Novgorod region, in the village of Lukino. Pilgrims call the elder "Sharp" and it is easy to guess for what reason. Today, Father Peter is already over 70, but he continues to preach the word of God, heal people, and help sinners get on the right path.

Archimandrite Peter - preaches at the Intercession Monastery

He receives no salary for his work. Elder Peter lives in an 8-meter room at the monastery. To get advice or an answer to an important question, people come to him from all over Russia. And for everyone, Peter has an answer or instruction.

Father Ambrose

Archimandrite Ambrose serves in a women's monastery called Vvedensky, which is located in the city of Ivanovo. The elder was born in 1938. He grew up in a pious family. For 50 years, Ambrose has been serving God and for 20 years he has been a mentor of a convent.

The elder is distinguished by philanthropy, compassion, and kindness. Every day, Ambrose meets several hundred pilgrims who go to him for confession. Many say that after communicating with him, one feels lightness and purity in the soul.

Some are nervous during confession, because Ambrose has an amazing ability. He seems to see right through the person. And whether a person wants to open up or not, it doesn't matter. The elder will still make sure that the sinner confesses all his atrocities.

Father Valerian

Father Valerian (Archpriest) serves in the Intercession Church (Akulovo, Odintsovsky district). Among the people, the old man is called "Perceptive." Valerian has the ability to convince even the most inveterate atheist. He manages to turn any unbelieving person to the side of the Lord and direct them to the true path.

Valerian is the spiritual mentor of many clergy. He also raised and trained several dozen monks and nuns.

Father Valerian (Archpriest) serves in the Intercession Church

Not only ordinary pilgrims come to see him from all over Russia, but also people famous in our country - politicians, singers, actors, etc. Valerian does not give privileges to anyone. For the elder, all people are the same and equal before God. To this day, the priest receives him in the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Akulovo.

Father John

Another Orthodox elder lives in St. Petersburg. His name is John Mironov. Serves in the temple of the Inexhaustible Chalice. He is loved and revered by almost all residents of the city of St. Petersburg. Many people know about his difficult childhood and the gift to perform miracles with the help of God's blessing.

He is loved and revered by almost all residents of the city of St. Petersburg

John is called a healer. He has already helped hundreds of people in need. His prerogative is to treat drug, gambling and alcohol addiction, to heal from mental and physical diseases. John also shows people how to strengthen their faith in God and love the Savior with all their heart and soul.