Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, wonderworker (†1833). Venerable Seraphim of Sarov. Miracles of Father The Birth of Seraphim of Sarov

Seraphim, the Wonderworker of Sarov and All Russia (in the world - Prokhor Isidorovich Mashnin; in some sources - Moshnin) - Russian saint, reverend; on the initiative of Emperor Nicholas II, canonized by the Russian Church in 1903.

Born in 1754 in the city of Kursk in the family of a local merchant Isidor Moshnin and Agafia. Lost my father early. In his adolescence, he fell from the bell tower of the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh, which was under construction, but remained unharmed.

Having not first heard from anyone about any subject, one should not answer: He who speaks a word before he hears it is foolishness and reproach to him.
(Proverbs 18:14).

Seraphim of Sarov

In 1776, he made a pilgrimage to Kyiv to the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, where Elder Dosifei blessed and showed him the place where he should accept obedience and take monastic vows - the Sarov Hermitage. In 1778 he became a novice under Elder Joseph at the Sarov Monastery in the Tambov province. In 1786 he became a monk and was ordained a hierodeacon; in 1793 he was ordained a hieromonk.

In 1794, having a penchant for solitude, he began to live in the forest in a cell five kilometers from the monastery. His exploits at this time were: physical (he wore the same clothes in winter and summer, got his own food in the forest, slept very little, had strict abstinence and fasting in many ways), reading books (re-reading the Gospel, patristic writings), daily long prayer, columnar movement. Near the cell, Seraphim planted a vegetable garden and built a beekeeper. Life reports an incident in which the monk fed bread to a bear from his hands.

One day he was attacked by robbers in the forest. Having learned that visitors often came to the elder, including quite wealthy ones, the bandits decided to rob his cell. Having attacked Seraphim, they broke his head with the butt of an ax and beat him severely, as a result of which the old man remained severely hunched over forever. They found nothing for themselves in the cell. Later these people were identified, but Father Seraphim forgave them and begged them not to punish them.

In 1807, he took upon himself the monastic labor of silence, trying not to meet or communicate with anyone. In 1810 he returned to the monastery, but went into seclusion until 1825. After the end of the retreat, he received many visitors from monastics and lay people, having, as it is said in his life, the gift of clairvoyance and healing from illnesses. Was visited by noble persons, including Emperor Alexander I.

He addressed everyone who came to him with the words “My joy!”, and greeted everyone at any time of the year with the words “Christ is risen!” Patronized the Diveevo Convent. In 1831, he was granted a vision of the Mother of God surrounded by John the Baptist, John the Theologian and 12 virgins. He died in 1833 in the Sarov Monastery in his cell during prayer.

It is worth noting that the iconographic image of Seraphim of Sarov was painted from his lifetime portrait, made by the artist Serebryakov (later a monk of the Sarov monastery) 5 years before the death of the elder.

What is best in the heart, we should not reveal unnecessarily, for then only what is collected can be safe from visible and invisible enemies when it is stored like a treasure in the inside of the heart. Do not reveal the secrets of your heart to everyone.

Seraphim of Sarov

Seraphim of Sarov, whose biography is known to all Orthodox Christians, was born in 1754 in the family of the famous merchant Isidore and his wife Agathia. Three years later, his father, who was engaged in the construction of a temple in honor of St. Sergius, died. Agathia continued her husband’s work. Four years later, the temple was ready, and young Seraphim went with his mother to inspect the construction. Having climbed to the very top of the bell tower, the boy stumbled and fell. To the joy of the mother, he did not receive any injuries, which she saw as God’s special care for her son.

First vision

At the age of 10, Seraphim of Sarov, whose biography, became seriously ill and was near death. The Heavenly Queen appeared to him in a dream and promised to grant him healing. At that time, the miraculous image of the Mother of God was carried through their city in a religious procession. When the procession reached Agathia's house, it began to rain, and the icon was carried through her yard. She carried out her sick son, and Seraphim venerated the icon. From that day on, the boy began to recover.

Beginning of ministry

At the age of 17, Seraphim of Sarov, whose biography is covered in, decided to leave home and devote himself to the life of a monk. He spent two years on pilgrimage in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Then the local recluse Dositheos, seeing an ascetic of Christ in the young man, sent him to the forest. In his free time from obedience, the young man regularly went into the forest. Such austerity of life attracted the attention of the brethren, who admired the strength of his exploits, most of which will be told to the reader by the life of Seraphim of Sarov. For example, how the reverend ate only grass for 3 years. Or how for 1000 days he stood on a stone in the forest, descending only to eat food.

Reclusion

After three years of standing on the stone, Seraphim returned to the monastery for a new feat - 17 years of seclusion. For the first 5 years, none of the brethren saw him, not even the monk who brought meager food to the elder. After this period had expired, Sarovsky sometimes opened the door of his cell and received those who wished, but did not answer questions, since he had taken a vow of silence. In the cell there was only a lectern and a stump, which served as a chair for the monk. In the entryway there was an oak coffin, next to which Seraphim often prayed, preparing for his departure to eternal life. Another 5 years later, the doors of the cell opened from the beginning of the morning liturgy and did not close until 8 pm. At the end of 1825, the Mother of God appeared to the elder in a dream and allowed him to leave his cell. Thus ended his seclusion.

The end of the earthly journey

Almost two years before his death, the Monk Seraphim of Sarov again saw the Mother of God, who seemed to foreshadow his blessed death and the imperishable glory awaiting him. On January 1, 1833, the saint went to church and placed candles for all the images. After the liturgy, he said goodbye to the worshipers, who noticed that the saint was almost exhausted. But the old man’s spirit was joyful, cheerful and calm. In the evening of this day, Seraphim sang Easter songs. The next day, the brethren entered his cell and found the monk kneeling in front of the lectern. At the same time, his head lay on his crossed arms. They began to wake him up and discovered that the old man was dead. Seventy years later, Seraphim of Sarov, whose biography was outlined in this article, was ranked by the Holy Synod as

Given the name Prokhor at birth, who became the future hieromonk Seraphim of Sarov, he was born on July 19, 1759 (or 1754) in the city of Kursk, Belogorodsk province. There is no reliable information on this matter. Prokhor was born into a wealthy family of Moshnins. His father's name was Isidore, his mother's name was Agathia. In addition to Prokhor, the Moshnin family already had an eldest son named Alexei.

Prokhor's father, a merchant, owned several small brick factories in Kursk and was engaged in the construction of various kinds of buildings. At that time he built both ordinary residential buildings and churches. So, he began the construction of a temple in honor of St. Sergius of Radonezh, but did not manage to complete his work. When Prokhor was no more than three years old, Isidor Moshnin died. All remaining work related to the construction of the temple was continued by his wife.

Since childhood, the boy gravitated towards everything church, so he often asked to go with his mother when she went to church. So, at the age of seven, he climbed the bell tower of a temple under construction, from where he fell from a great height. However, he remained unharmed.

Later, Prokhor was overcome by a severe illness. One morning the son told his mother that the Virgin Mary had appeared to him in a dream and promised to heal him from his illness. Then, not far from their house, a church procession took place, at the head of which they carried the icon of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos. The woman carried her son out into the street, unconscious, and placed him on the face of the Mother of God. The disease has subsided. From then on, Prokhor firmly decided that he would serve God.

Asceticism

At the age of 17, the young man traveled to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra as a pilgrim. There he learned the place where he would be tonsured a monk. The mother did not oppose her son’s choice, realizing that he was indeed somehow connected with God. Two years later, the young man is already preparing to become a monk in the Sarov Monastery for men.

In 1786, the young man changed his name to Seraphim and joined the monastic ranks. He was ordained a hierodeacon, and seven years later - a hieromonk.

Seraphim was close to an ascetic lifestyle, like most of those who chose service. To unite with himself, he settled in a cell that was located in the forest. To get to the monastery, Seraphim covered a distance of five kilometers on foot.

The hieromonk wore identical items of clothing in winter and summer, independently found food in the forest, slept briefly, kept the strictest fast, re-read the Holy Scriptures, and often indulged in prayer. Seraphim planted a vegetable garden and set up an apiary next to his cell.

For many years, Seraphim ate only grass. In addition, he chose a special type of feat - pillarism, in which he continuously prayed for a thousand days and nights on a boulder made of stone. So Seraphim began to be called the venerable, which means a way of life striving to become like God. Laymen visiting him often saw the monk feeding a large bear.

The life describes a case of how once robbers, having found out that Seraphim had wealthy guests, considered that he had managed to get rich and could be robbed. While the hieromonk was praying, they beat him. Seraphim did not offer any resistance, despite his strength, power and youth. But the criminals did not find any wealth in the ascetic’s cell. The Reverend survived. The misunderstanding that occurred caused him to remain hunched over for the rest of his life. Later, the criminals were caught, and Father Seraphim granted them forgiveness, and they were not punished.

Since 1807, Seraphim tried to meet and talk with people as little as possible. He began a new feat - silence. Three years later he returned to the monastery, but went into seclusion for 15 years, finding solitude in prayer. At the end of his reclusive lifestyle, he resumed receptions. Seraphim began to accept not only lay people, but also monks, having acquired, as described in the book about his life, the gift of prophecy and healing. The king himself was among his visitors.

Hieromonk Seraphim died on January 2, 1833 in his cell. This happened at the age of 79, when he was performing the ritual of kneeling prayer.

Life

Hieromonk Sergius began to describe the life of Seraphim four years after his death. It became the main source written about Sarovsky. However, it was also edited many times.

So, in 1841, Metropolitan Philaret himself rewrote the life. The desire to bring the life in line with the requirements of the censorship of that time was reflected.

The editor of the next edition was the abbot of one of the deserts, George. He supplemented the book with details about the animals that the monk fed, about the increase in food and the appearances of the Virgin Mary.

Popular veneration and canonization

They began to venerate Seraphim during his lifetime. However, he was canonized after his death at the request of his wife. This happened on July 19, 1902. Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna believed that it was thanks to the prayers of Father Seraphim that an heir appeared in the royal family.

This development of events caused a whole scandal, headed by Konstantin Pobedonostsev, who served as the emperor’s representative in the Holy Synod. The latter did not consider the king's order to correspond to church canons.

Heritage

Orthodox Christians still pray to Seraphim of Sarov today. The press has repeatedly written about healings from various ailments of people who came to the relics of the saint, and other miracles associated with him.

The most famous icon, which depicts the monk, has survived to this day. The source for painting the icon of Seraphim of Sarov was a portrait that was made five years before the death of the hieromonk by an artist named Serebryakov.

Also, to this day, Orthodox Christians know not a single prayer to Seraphim of Sarov. How does this saint help: believers ask him for peace and an end to suffering, healing from illness, harmony and mental fortitude. Often people come to the icon with prayer so that the saint can guide them on the right path. Young girls ask for messages from their companion. Often businessmen pray to Seraphim, wanting success in business and trade.

Today there is a temple of Seraphim of Sarov in almost every city in Russia. Among them are Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan. There are parishes in honor of the saint in small villages. This suggests that the saint is still revered among believers.

Prophecies

If you believe the sources that have survived to this day, Seraphim predicted to Alexander I that the Romanov family would begin and end in the house of Ipatiev. And so it happened. The first Tsar named Mikhail was elected in the Ipatiev Monastery. And in Ipatiev’s Ekaterinburg house the entire royal family died.

Among the predictions of Saint Seraphim are such events as:

• Decembrist uprising,
• Crimean War 1853–1855,
• law on the abolition of serfdom,
• war between Russia and Japan,
• world wars,
• Great October Socialist Revolution.
• Seraphim believed that the world had six hundred years left before the coming of the Antichrist.

Quotes

• Also, famous quotes once said by Sarovsky have reached us. Here are some of them:
• There is nothing worse than sin, and nothing more terrible and destructive than the spirit of despondency.
• True faith cannot be without works: whoever truly believes certainly has works.
• Out of joy a person can do anything, out of inner stress - nothing.
• Let there be thousands of those living in the world with you, but reveal your secret to one out of a thousand.
• No one has ever complained about bread and water.
• Whoever endures an illness with patience and gratitude is credited with it instead of a feat or even more.

The main written source of historical information about Elder Seraphim is the biography of Elder Seraphim, compiled by the Sarov hieromonk Sergius. P.I. was born. Moshnin in 1754 in the city of Kursk in the family of a local merchant Isidor Moshnin and Agathia. Lost my father early. In his adolescence, he fell from the bell tower of the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh, which was under construction, but remained unharmed. When the pious young man turned seventeen years old, he firmly decided to leave the world and, with the blessing of his mother, who admonished him with a copper cross, which he never parted with from then on, he devoted himself to monastic life.

In 1776 he made a pilgrimage to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, where Elder Dosifei blessed and showed him the place where he should accept obedience and take monastic vows - the Sarov Hermitage. In 1778 he became a novice under Elder Joseph at the Sarov Monastery in the Tambov province. Warmly received by the rector of the desert, Elder Pachomius, young Prokhor immediately devoted himself to monastic exploits. And so the chosen one of God, having taken the blessing from the elders, began to go into the forest in his free time from obedience. The severity of Prokhor's life attracted the general attention of the brethren and many were surprised at the strength of his exploits. In 1786 he became a monk and was ordained a hierodeacon; in 1793 he was ordained a hieromonk. He was ordained to the monastic rank with a new name - Seraphim. Translated from Hebrew it means “fiery.”

In 1794, striving for solitude, he began to live in a forest in a cell five kilometers from the monastery. His asceticism at this time was limited to bodily restrictions (he wore the same clothes in winter and summer, got his own food in the forest, slept very little, had strict abstinence and fasting in many ways), reading sacred books (re-reading the Gospel, patristic writings) , daily long prayer, pillar service. Near his cell, Seraphim cultivated a vegetable garden and built a beekeeper. “Life” reports miracles, for example, the case when the Reverend fed bread to a bear from his hands.

One day he was attacked by robbers in the forest. Having learned that visitors often came to the elder, including quite wealthy ones, the bandits decided to rob his cell. Having attacked Seraphim, they broke his head with the butt of an ax and beat him severely, as a result of which the old man remained severely hunched over forever. They found nothing in the cell. Later these people were identified, but Father Seraphim forgave them and begged them not to punish them.

In 1807, he took upon himself the monastic labor of silence, trying not to meet or communicate with anyone. In 1810 he returned to the monastery, but went into seclusion until 1825. After the end of the retreat, he received many visitors from monastics and laity, having, as stated in the “Life,” the gift of insight and healing from illnesses. Was visited by noble persons, including Emperor Alexander I.

He addressed everyone who came to him with the words “My joy!”, and greeted everyone at any time of the year with the words “Christ is Risen!” Patronized the Diveevo Convent. In 1831, he was granted a vision of the Mother of God surrounded by John the Baptist, John the Theologian and 12 virgins. He died in 1833 in the Sarov Monastery, in his cell during prayer.

It is worth noting that the iconographic image of Seraphim of Sarov was painted from his lifetime portrait, made by the artist Serebryakov (later a monk of the Sarov monastery) 5 years before the death of the elder.

In 1839, in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, with the assistance of Metropolitan Philaret (Drozdov), “A Brief Outline of the Life” of Schemamonk Mark was published, the book included “Spiritual Instructions of Father Seraphim.” “The Tale of the Life and Deeds” of Father Seraphim (without “Spiritual Instructions”) was published in 1841. Many of the now famous teachings of Elder Seraphim were drawn from the notes of the merchant Nikolai Aleksandrovich Motovilov, allegedly found by S.A. Nilus and published by him in 1903. However, the authenticity of some of the facts presented by Motovilov is disputed.

Popular veneration of “Father Seraphim” began long before his canonization, even during his lifetime. Preparations for official canonization caused a political scandal and should be viewed in the context of Nicholas II’s desire to overcome a certain “mediastinum” (in the words of General A.A. Mosolov), which allegedly separated the tsar from the people who “sincerely love him.” The first document indicating the idea of ​​official canonization is dated January 27, 1883, the year of the coronation of Alexander III. Then, according to Count S.Yu. Witte, in 1902, Nicholas II personally demanded canonization, apparently at the insistence of his wife. On January 11, 1903, a commission chaired by Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) of Moscow, which included Archimandrite Seraphim (Chichagov), examined the remains of Seraphim Moshnin. The results of the examination were presented in a secret, all-submissive report, which, however, soon became widely known to the reading public. Since there were expectations of the “incorruptibility” of the relics, which was not discovered, Metropolitan Anthony (Vadkovsky) of St. Petersburg had to state the fact of the preservation of the “skeleton” of the Sarov Elder and express the opinion that the presence of incorruptible relics is not necessary for glorification. In the summer of 1903, the “Sarov Celebrations” took place with a huge (up to 150,000 people) crowd of people and with the participation of the Tsar and other members of the imperial family.

In 1920, the relics were opened and a report was drawn up, and in 1922 they were confiscated and transported to Moscow, to the Museum of Religious Art in the Donskoy Monastery. And in the church in honor of St. Seraphim, consecrated in 1914 in the Donskoy Monastery, one of the first crematoria in the USSR was built in 1927. In 1990, unknown remains that did not fit the inventory were found in the storerooms of the Museum of the History of Religion (in the Kazan Cathedral) in Leningrad. It was established that these were the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov. In 1991, the relics of the Reverend were transferred to the Diveyevo Monastery.

After the death of the rector, Father Pachomius,

Seraphim of Sarov born in 1759 and named Prokhor. By that time, he still had an older brother, Alexey, whose descendants still live in the city of Kursk. After the death of his father, Prokhor (Seraphim) was about 3 years old, and he was raised by Mother Agafya. The fact that Prokhor was God’s chosen one was seen by all spiritually developed people, and mother also could not help but notice this. First, there was an incident when a boy tipped over and fell over the railing in an unfinished cathedral, but remained alive. The second case, during his illness, no one hoped for his recovery, but he had a night vision of the Most Holy Theotokos, who promised to heal him, and so it happened. At the age of 17, Prokhor decided to devote his life to serving God and enter a monastery. The choice arose about which monastery to go to and Prokhor decided to first ask for guidance from the Kyiv elders in Kyiv, where he went. There he received a blessing to the Sarov Hermitage. For 8 years, young Prokhor was a novice and passed all the degrees of monastic training, and was able and ready to take monastic vows. In August 1786, novice Prokhor was tonsured as a monk and given the name Father Seraphim. In October 1786, monk Seraphim was ordained to the rank of hierodeacon. He served in the temple every day, performing prayers after the service. The Lord gifted St. Seraphim with miraculous visions during church services: he repeatedly saw holy Angels serving with the brethren. In 1793, at the age of 39, St. Seraphim was ordained to the rank of hieromonk and continued serving in the church. After the death of the rector, Father Pachomius, Venerable Seraphim of Sarov with the blessing of the abbot, he went to a desert cell a few kilometers from the Diveyevo monastery, in the forest. It was here that he began to pray in solitude, coming to the monastery only on Saturdays, before the all-night vigil, and returning to his cell after the liturgy, during which he received communion of the Holy Mysteries.

Seraphim of Sarov He spent his life in severe deeds, never parted with the Holy Gospel, reading the entire New Testament during the week, and also read patristic and liturgical books. The Monk Seraphim of Sarov memorized many church hymns and sang them during his work hours in the forest. Near the cell he planted a vegetable garden and raised bees. He got his own food, the monk kept a very strict fast, eating once a day. In addition to the brethren, ordinary people began to come to him more and more often for advice and blessings. This violated his privacy. Having asked for the abbot’s blessing, the monk forbade women to come, and then everyone else, having received a sign that the Lord approved of his idea of ​​complete solitude and silence. While in retreat, the Monk Seraphim of Sarov acquired high spiritual purity and received from God special grace-filled gifts - clairvoyance and miracle-working.

Time passed, and he still lived alone, worked around the house, prayed a lot, read, etc. But already in 1815 he had an unusual vision, in which the Lord commanded him not to hide his gift, but to be accessible and visible to every person. Seraphim of Sarov began to receive everyone without exception, talking and teaching about salvation, and the elder’s life took a new social direction. Having been blessed by the abbot for a change in his lifestyle, the monk opened the doors of his cell to everyone. The elder saw the hearts of people, and he, as a spiritual doctor, healed mental and physical illnesses with prayer to God and a word of grace. Those who came to St. Seraphim felt his great love and listened with tenderness to the affectionate words with which he addressed people: “my joy, my treasure.”

Venerable Seraphim of Sarov He spent 15 years in solitude, in the distant Sarov desert, it was located 5 miles from the Diveyevo monastery, among a pine forest. His monastery cell was in a fraternal one-story cell building and consisted of a room with a stove, a vestibule and a porch; under the floor there was a cave made of brick, 3 arshins wide, where the Elder retired to pray. Near the desert there was a vegetable garden and a fence, and the bees brought good honey to the Old Man. After the death of St. Seraphim, the cell from the Far Hermitage was moved to Holy Diveevo, to the altar of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord. For the Sarov celebrations of 1903, the log cell on the Far Hermitage was restored and the place was landscaped.

In 1825 Venerable Seraphim of Sarov began to ask the Lord for a blessing to end the retreat. After a vision of the Mother of God, who allowed him to leave the seclusion, Seraphim began to visit the desert. And from that time on, first the sisters of the Diveyevo monastery, and then the warden herself, Ksenia Mikhailovna, began to go to Father Seraphim for a blessing. The Near Hermitage was improved at the end of the Reverend’s life, when it became difficult for him to go to the Far Hermitage. In it, since 1825, he received numerous visitors from all over Russia. Many miracles happened here through his prayers. Here he was able to see the Most Holy Theotokos on the day of the Annunciation, March 25, 1831. Currently, a wooden cross has been installed on the site of the Near Hermitage. Nearby there is a large memorial stone, on it there is a sign with the inscription that this place was visited by Sovereign Nicholas II in 1903.

Until my death Seraphim of Sarov He received the suffering here, healed them spiritually and physically, and instructed them in piety and salvation. In the last year of his life, the Monk Seraphim began to noticeably weaken and spoke to many about his imminent death. At this time, he was often seen at the coffin, which stood in the entryway of his cell and which he had prepared for himself. The elder himself indicated the place where he should be buried - near the altar of the Assumption Cathedral. On January 1, 1833, the Monk Seraphim of Sarov came for the last time to the hospital Zosimo-Savvatievskaya Church for the liturgy and received Holy Communion, after which he blessed the brethren and said goodbye, saying: “Save yourself, do not be discouraged, stay awake, today crowns are being prepared for us.”

On January 2 (January 2), the cell attendant of Seraphim of Sarov, Father Pavel, left his cell at six o’clock in the morning, heading to the church, and smelled a burning smell coming from the saint’s cell; Candles were always burning in the saint’s cell, and he said: “As long as I am alive, there will be no fire, but when I die, my death will be revealed by fire.” When the doors were opened, it turned out that books and other things were smoldering, and the priest himself was kneeling in front of the Tenderness icon in a prayerful position, but already lifeless. During prayer, his pure soul was taken by the Angels and flew up to the Throne of God Almighty, whose faithful servant and servant the Monk Seraphim of Sarov was all his life.

January 15 (January 2) - day of remembrance of St. Seraphim
August 1 (July 19) - discovery of the relics of Seraphim of Sarov