Village three lakes Tatarstan church. The village of three lakes, the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin. Father George, thank you very much for your work.

This is the name of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God from the village of Three Lakes in Tatarstan. Recently this revered image was brought to the Orthodox exhibition in Samara.

I met this icon two years ago. At the first Orthodox exhibition in Samara. Then priest Alexander from Tatarstan, right in front of the Blagovest stand, anointed with oil everyone who wanted to venerate the Tikhvin image of the Mother of God. And all of us, Blagovest employees, looked at this icon for a long time. After all, she was right in front of us! And here’s what’s interesting: after a day or two I caught myself so wanting to stare and look at this wondrous image without stopping! And when the exhibition ended, the benevolent look of Her eyes was not forgotten for a long time...

Six months ago, an email came from Tatarstan in which the relatives of Archpriest Stefan Akashev asked for help in finding relatives. I refused. I know nothing about the ancestors of this legendary priest. And then, at a recent Orthodox exhibition in mid-December, a young woman approached me and introduced herself as... a relative of Father Stefan. It turned out that it was she, Svetlana Aleksandrovna Shevchenko, who wrote to me, and wrote at the request of her mother, Tatyana Nikolaevna Kavina, who is Father Stefan’s cousin. But the biggest surprise awaited me ahead. It turned out that mother and daughter came to the exhibition in Samara with that same miraculous image of the Tikhvin Mother of God - the Giver of Children, as she is also called.

An action-packed novel will someday be written about Archpriest Stefan Akashev. Collectivization found a 30-year-old priest in the Orenburg village of Verkhnyaya Platovka. All his property is the temple, his little daughter and his beautiful wife. It was her mother’s beauty that became the cause of the shepherd’s misfortunes. The chairman of the collective farm called the priest to his office and demanded... to give him his wife to be abused. The new “master of life” really liked her. Otherwise, he threatened to write a denunciation, and then the head of the family would be taken “wherever he should be.” Priest Stefan, of course, refused. And soon the chairman carried out the threat. Father Stefan was taken to an Orenburg prison, and then sent to Kotlas for many years. And bad news came from his native village. The chairman achieved his goal with threats and violence. The priest's wife lived with him and was already expecting a child. How many tears the priest shed in prayer, only the Lord and the high northern sky know. But the Almighty heard his prayer. The triumph of the desecrator of the family hearth did not last long. And soon he himself was assigned to the same barracks as Stefan’s father. And also based on someone’s denunciation. The former chairman tearfully repented of his sin and asked for forgiveness from Father Stefan. And died in his arms. They were buried by him and buried in frozen ground.

And soon the end of exile came. Father Stefan returned to his native village. But he didn’t even go home. Someone else's child was already growing up there. He could not forgive his wife's betrayal. He began to live separately and took secret monastic vows with the name Seraphim. But he did not leave his former family in need: through parishioners he gave them baskets of food and money.

Then Father Stefan was transferred to the Samara diocese. He served in the village of Zaplavnoye, and there he discovered a rare gift of healing the spiritually sick. Suffering people from all over the Union flocked to his temple. He placed the possessed under a bell and ordered it to be rung over them up to three hundred times. And at this time the demoniacs read “Theotokos.” Hundreds of people were healed through his prayer...

He died in 1975 and was buried in the rural cemetery in Zaplavnoye. There his ashes were supposed to rest peacefully until the General Resurrection. But in 1992, the name of Father Stefan unexpectedly appeared on the pages of newspapers, in the chronicle of incidents. Still would! After all, one morning the residents of Zaplavnoye found his grave unearthed, the bones of the shepherd scattered in disarray. And, most importantly, they could not find either his priestly cross or his head anywhere. The tracks of the Zhiguli led towards Orenburg. The investigation did not identify those responsible for the vandalism. And therefore the only version left is that the Satanists did it. Apparently, this annoyed the devil so much during his lifetime rural priest, that even 17 years after his death, the enemy did not forget the “ulcer” that Father Stefan inflicted on him in this temple.

My dear grandmother and Stepan Akashev were cousins, says Tatyana Nikolaevna Kavina. - I don’t know for sure, perhaps they were brother and sister. Mom didn’t remember this well, and grandmother died early. My mother was the youngest in the family. When my mother left for Kazakhstan, all family ties were severed. My grandmother's last name was Akasheva. We searched for a long time for some information about our grandfather-priest, and we couldn’t find anything. Then my daughter and I began to pray about it. I asked the Mother of God to help me find information about Grandfather Stefan. And then a woman I know comes to me and gives me the book “Ascetics of the Samara Land.” When I opened the book, I immediately saw a familiar photograph. I saw this photo of my great-uncle in my mother’s album. An entire chapter in that book was dedicated to my relative. I asked the woman to sell me a book. But she gave me the book. In 2003, my daughter and I went to the village of Zaplavnoye. Apparently, grandfather was waiting for us there! We were received wonderfully. Then I talked with Archpriest Nikolai Manikhin in Tolyatti. He knew our grandfather well. Since then, we have been praying for Father Stefan, ordering his repose in the church.

Are there any family legends about Father Stefan that have survived in your family? - I ask Tatyana Nikolaevna.

Mom said that he was very kind. He came to our house and seemed to glow with goodness. But he was strict with the guys sometimes. This is when they did something wrong, were naughty. He says to my mother’s father: Ivan, your Mikhail did something wrong... When they decorated the temple before the arrival of the Bishop, my mother’s sisters and brothers raised the bell. And at that moment my grandfather saw Angels! He told Father Stefan about this, and he confirmed: yes, Angels help raise the bells to the temple... My grandfather was a bell ringer. Everyone in the family helped the temple in any way they could. My mother’s whole family was at the church. Mom told me: when Father Stefan read sermons in church, people cried. And there were long queues for confession; he confessed for a long time. And many cried. And my mother, when she was a girl, kept asking: why are they crying? And those who were older told her: it’s their sins that are crying, that’s how the priest Stefan goes through them! The entire church was on its knees when he preached. Then he was banned from serving for a long time. For him it was an acute pain...

The family legends about the priest Stefan Akashev do not end there. When Svetlana Shevchenko gave birth to her second child, she had a caesarean section. And... her heart stopped. Doctors declared clinical death. When her soul momentarily separated from her body, Svetlana suddenly saw there, in the vastness of the world, who met her blessed Ksenia of Petersburg (she prayed to her for a successful birth) and her great-grandfather Father Stephen. Soon her heart began to beat again.

The desire to serve God in this family was special and strong. I even wanted to leave the city for this. Tatyana Kavina went to Klyuchevskaya Hermitage, to Father Hilarion, to ask for a blessing for the monastery. He answered her like this: your whole family was at the temple - all your grandfathers and great-grandfathers temple people, and be at the temple!

Archpriest Stefan Akashev.

Tatyana Nikolaevna did not yet know that not only Father Stefan, but also his father (her great-grandfather Mikhail) were priests!

She worked in church shops in Togliatti, was “at the temple.” But she still wanted a different service. Then her daughter went to Bolgars, to the priest Vladimir Golovin, and asked him where it was better for them to save themselves? And there was an idea to go to the homeland of our ancestors, to Verkhnyaya Platovka, and work there at the temple. But the priest said: “It is God’s will for you to go to Tataria, to the village of Three Lakes.”

This news came to Svetlana Alexandrovna’s heart. But her mother was rather stunned. She began to pray purely for the revelation of God’s will. And suddenly she had a dream: as if she had been standing all night in an empty white church without an altar, without candles - she was on her knees and praying to the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, which hung in the air in front of her. And out of the corner of her eye she saw three piles of rubbish in the corner of the temple. I woke up with this. And I immediately thought: this is probably some kind of temptation. What kind of temple is this without candles, without an altar? Without icons on the walls... And so they came “on reconnaissance” to the village of Three Lakes in the Spassky district of Tatarstan. We met the rector of the Church of the Nativity Holy Mother of God priest Georgy Kondratyev, and he led them to the central chapel old church.

Then I screamed in amazement and told him: “Yes, I’ve been on my knees here all night!” This was the same temple. Everything is whitewashed, the floor is cement, and there are still no icons on the walls, and the altar is not separated by an iconostasis. And to the side those same ones- three piles of garbage. I understood that it was the Mother of God Herself who showed me the place where I needed to serve,” says Tatyana Kovina. “Apparently, the Mother of God blesses you to serve Herself,” the priest also told us.

-...This is a miraculous image! He gives so much help to people..,” say mother and daughter, Tatyana and Svetlana, complementing each other. Before the revolution, the icon cried for a long time, so the grandmothers told them. Then this icon disappeared for a while, but one woman saved it. And years later she brought this image to Bulgaria, to the St. Abraham Church, to Father Vladimir. Then this icon was returned to the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village of Three Lakes. “Our icon is miraculous, it is called the Child-Giver. Many will pray in front of this image and soon give birth to children. Sometimes the icon smells fragrant and streams myrrh. We ourselves have witnessed this more than once,” say mother and daughter.

While we were talking, a considerable queue had already lined up to see the Tikhvin Icon. It's time to get back to work! Svetlana quickly writes down the names of those who order masses in their church, prayer services in front of the icon. Tatyana wipes the icon case with the miraculous image with a cloth and answers questions. It's nice and fun to look at them. This is the highest service that their hearts so anxiously sought! I think their grandfather and great-grandfather, Father Stefan, looks at them from Heaven with joy and love. And to Father Alexander, who came to us at this exhibition with another icon, the healer Panteleimon, in the presence of a Blagovest employee, a woman with a sleeping person in a stroller approached infant. “Now, thanks to the prayers before the Tikhvinskaya you brought the year before last, our child was born. They called me Lizonka..."

Child giver!.. - that’s all Father Alexander said to the happy mother.

In January, the rector of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village of Three Lakes, Priest Georgy Kondratyev, celebrated his birthday.

Father Georgy was born in Ulyanovsk. I dreamed of being a joiner or carpenter. He successfully studied at a vocational school, and for his good studies he was awarded a trip on a ship, during which he met Galia, his future wife.

The young people liked each other and became friends. Mother Galina told how one day she and Yuri were riding bicycles, and the conversation turned to baptism:

Yura, are you baptized?

Yes, in baptism I am George.

Why don't you have a cross?

Don't know!

Father recalls those times: “I didn’t think about God’s things then. My goals were only earthly: to be a carpenter, to start a family, to get an apartment.”

After graduation, Yuri and Galia got married. Their first daughter was born. At Galia's request, they did not baptize their daughter, but named her Muslim name- Julia (emphasis on the last syllable).

“Time passed, but there was still no family happiness,” recalls Mother Galina, “our relationship reached a dead end. Yuri turned to Father Valentin (Golovin) for fatherly advice. Father said that a wife should follow her husband like a thread follows a needle, and that we need to get married and live according to God if we want to save the family.”

Galia thought about these words for a long time. On the advice of Father Valentin, the young people came to Bolgar to visit Father Vladimir (Golovin), who revealed to Yura the will of God: for him to live in Three Lakes, to be his priest.

“When I learned that my calling was the priesthood, I showed cowardice and cowardice. This revelation was out of the blue,” says Father George. - How did I decide to move? I told myself that now I know the truth of God. Sooner or later, through illness or other sorrows, I will still come to this. I have to die and answer before God.”

The young couple christened their daughter in Ulyanovsk. In November 1996, before the Nativity Fast, Galia also decided to be baptized and became Galina.

“How did I decide to do this? - Mother Galina smiles, - then we already moved to Bolgar. We were surrounded only by believers church people. I saw that they were very kind and honest, I thought that if Yuri followed them, things would get better! We got married right away. They became closer to each other, I felt it. They began to do everything together: fasting, praying, visiting temple. George served there as a deacon. And all that time we were next to the miraculous Tikhvin image of the Mother of God.”

In 1998, in February, George was ordained a priest.

Father says: “What were your thoughts? Now I am the face of the Church, so I must behave in God’s way! I became responsible to myself and to people. Began to take things more seriously prayer rule. It was necessary to decide to move to the village of Three Lakes and restore the abandoned temple. If I had known then what difficulties I would face here, I probably would have postponed the move! But the idea that following God is good helped me make up my mind.”

In 1998, the Kondratiev family moved to the village of Three Lakes. Mother Galina recalls:

“We didn’t have our own housing, we rented. It was very difficult, including financially. There were no churches nearby, and with the blessing of Father Vladimir, we went to neighboring villages, performed prayer services, Baptism, and Unction. They preached to people about Christ. Our Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was, as they say, in an abomination of desolation: no roof, no windows, no gas, no electricity. Inside there are huge piles of garbage. In 1998, on Troitskaya parent's Saturday, we held a memorial service for the first time. They covered the windows with cellophane and set up one table. Among the parishioners there are only grandmothers. They brought old icons from home, which they managed to preserve during the godless years. In July, the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God returned to its place. Father affectionately calls her Mistress. On September 21, the day of the Nativity of the Mother of God, we performed our first Divine Liturgy. Later, stoves were made in the church, and we were able to serve on the Nativity of Christ.”

Restoration of the temple from God's help continued. Mother Galina and her grandmothers traveled to villages and collected donations. People's reactions were different: joy, ridicule, and condemnation, but mother and the elderly parishioners endured it all patiently. In 2000, funds were found to replace the roof of the temple. This was great joy for the believers. Still fresh in memory Easter service which passed after heavy rain. Then everything got wet through and through - both vestments and books.

In 2003, on the first Sunday of the new month, the reading of the akathist to the Mother of God began in front of the icon called “Tikhvin”. Today this akathist is read every Sunday. The prayer was heard: in the same year, God sent a man - Andrei Vladimirovich Guryanov, who was eager to restore the temple. Thanks to his efforts, the gilded main dome and cross were installed in 2004. There were other caring people who wanted to help. Over the course of several years, a huge amount of work was done: gas heating was installed, the main chapel in honor of the Nativity of Christ was opened with a rich five-tier iconostasis and a balcony for singers, which were beautifully decorated with icon cases. Today, classes for children are held in the left aisle Sunday school. Renovations were recently made to the church shop, and are now being completed construction works in a room intended for individual anointing of the sick. There is a large refectory at the temple, and the temple itself is surrounded by a beautiful fence. Today our church is visited by groups of pilgrims from Ulyanovsk, Samara, Buzuluk, Moscow, Dimitrovgrad and Kazan. Believers read akathists at home, and then tell how the Lord and His saints helped them.

- Father George, what do you consider the most important thing in your ministry?

The main goal is sincerity. To be a witness, to share with people the joy of life with God.

- Father George, where do you find strength when despondency sets in?

In sincere prayer to God. I tell myself: I can’t do this, but with God everything is possible. When I sincerely pray, my soul becomes lighter.

- Your first meeting with God. What is she like?

As a child, my grandmother took me to church, and I was amazed at the atmosphere in the temple. I felt that it was not from this world. In the fifth or sixth grade - I don’t remember what prompted me to do this - I began to pray. I studied poorly, I was afraid tests. Once, before looking at the notebook that the duty officer handed out after the check, I crossed it under my desk: “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen". I open it, and there’s a four! What a joy it was! I shared this secret with my friends! But in adult life there was no such prayerful attitude.

- You have been in office for 17 years. What conclusions did you draw for yourself during this time?

To whom much is given, much will be required.

- Who and what helps you in saving human souls?

I consider myself a very happy person. In the process of my formation as a priest, husband or father, I am not deprived of anything. The Lord gave me a confessor, he opened my wings and showed me where to fly. All this is according to the Providence of God: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you would go and bear fruit.”

- What words from Holy Scripture Were you particularly close 17 years ago? And which ones are close now?

“God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” And now the words from Revelation are close: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”

Venerable Seraphim of Sarov - Yours heavenly patron, since you were born on the same day. Have you noticed any events related to him?

One day I unexpectedly found myself in a group of pilgrims traveling to Diveevo. When I returned home, my wife informed me that I would be ordained as a deacon. In this I see the intercession of Father Seraphim. Before my ordination, when I lived and studied in Ulyanovsk, they gave me an akathist to St. Seraphim of Sarov in Old Church Slavonic, and I read it. But then I didn’t see the hand of God in this. I realized this only many years later.

Mother Galina was born on August 1 - the feast of the discovery of relics St. Seraphim Sarovsky. So this saint is especially revered in the Kondratiev family. Mother recalls:

“When I was unbaptized, I had a toothache one night. I see a gray-haired old man in a dream, he gently says to me: “When will you, daughter, be baptized?” And only later, when I visited Diveevo, I recognized this old man on the icon. It was Father Seraphim!

There is one more interesting fact. We read in the life of Saint Seraphim: “When Prokhor passed his carpenter’s obedience, he was distinguished by great diligence, skill and success, so that in the schedule he is the only one named Prokhor the carpenter.” We see that it is no coincidence that Father George mastered carpentry well!

- You have a large family: three daughters and a son. What does family mean to you?

These are my closest people. They know everything about me - everything negative and positive. This helps me to be sincere with God and people. In the family you learn to live according to God. Children are our mirror! This is our joy! In general, both my wife and children keep me in physical and spiritual shape!

In your temple there is a miraculous myrrh-streaming icon Our Lady of Tikhvin. To be under Her protection - what does this mean to you?

The same as what a roof means to a traveler in the pouring rain. The same as a shadow in the desert means to a traveler. The same as what parents mean to a child.

- Father, do you have a favorite holiday?

Yes! This is July 9 - the day of remembrance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God. This is our Mistress, too much is connected with Her.

- What challenges does the church face today?

What is important to us, first of all, is the spiritual growth of parishioners. Catechetical courses can help in this matter. Much attention must be paid to children, especially our “little ones,” so that they know God and the Mother of God. There are other important things: performing a prayer service with reading the canon for the sick and reading the Undying Psalter.

- Father George, thank you very much for your work!

You, relying on God,
And doing good around,
Not counting the days at all,
Without sparing your hands,
Always to the glory of the Lord
You bring light and warmth,
So that God's evil enemy,
Didn't take us far.
May this birthday
God bless you
Will give you wisdom, patience,
He always favors you!
May you be strong, healthy,
And holding on to the truth,
Throw off the shackles of sin
Help by praying!

In January, the rector of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village of Three Lakes, Priest Georgy Kondratyev, celebrated his birthday.

The young people liked each other and became friends. Mother Galina told how one day she and Yuri were riding bicycles, and the conversation turned to baptism:

Yura, are you baptized?

Yes, in baptism I am George.

Why don't you have a cross?

Don't know!

Father recalls those times: “I didn’t think about God’s things then. My goals were only earthly: to be a carpenter, to start a family, to get an apartment.”

After graduation, Yuri and Galia got married. Their first daughter was born. At Galia's request, they did not baptize her daughter, and named her a Muslim name - Julia (emphasis on the last syllable).

The young couple christened their daughter in Ulyanovsk. In November 1996, before the Nativity Fast, Galia also decided to be baptized and became Galina.

“How did I decide to do this? - Mother Galina smiles, - then we already moved to Bolgar. We were surrounded only by believing church people. I saw that they were very kind and honest, I thought that if Yuri followed them, things would get better! We got married right away. They became closer to each other, I felt it. They began to do everything together: fasting, praying, visiting temple. George served there as a deacon. And all that time we were next to the miraculous Tikhvin image of the Mother of God.”

In 1998, in February, George was ordained a priest.

Father says: “What were your thoughts? Now I am the face of the Church, so I must behave in God’s way! I became responsible to myself and to people. I began to take the rule of prayer more seriously. It was necessary to decide to move to the village of Three Lakes and restore the abandoned temple. If I had known then what difficulties I would face here, I probably would have postponed the move! But the idea that following God is good helped me make up my mind.”

In 1998, the Kondratiev family moved to the village of Three Lakes. Mother Galina recalls:

“We didn’t have our own housing, we rented. It was very difficult, including financially. There were no churches nearby, and with the blessing of Father Vladimir, we went to neighboring villages, performed prayer services, Baptism, and Unction. They preached to people about Christ. Our Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was, as they say, in an abomination of desolation: no roof, no windows, no gas, no electricity. Inside there are huge piles of garbage. In 1998, on Trinity Parents' Saturday, we held a memorial service for the first time. They covered the windows with cellophane and set up one table. Among the parishioners there are only grandmothers. They brought old icons from home, which they managed to preserve during the godless years. In July, the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God returned to its place. Father affectionately calls her Mistress. On September 21, the day of the Nativity of the Mother of God, we celebrated the first Divine Liturgy. Later, stoves were made in the church, and we were able to serve on the Nativity of Christ.”

The restoration of the temple with God's help continued. Mother Galina and her grandmothers traveled to villages and collected donations. People's reactions were different: joy, ridicule, and condemnation, but mother and the elderly parishioners endured it all patiently. In 2000, funds were found to replace the roof of the temple. This was great joy for the believers. The Easter service, which took place after heavy rain, is still fresh in my memory. Then everything got wet through and through - both vestments and books.

In 2003, on the first Sunday of the new month, the reading of the akathist to the Mother of God began in front of the icon called “Tikhvin”. Today this akathist is read every Sunday. The prayer was heard: in the same year, God sent a man - Andrei Vladimirovich Guryanov, who was eager to restore the temple. Thanks to his efforts, the gilded main dome and cross were installed in 2004. There were other caring people who wanted to help. Over the course of several years, a huge amount of work was done: gas heating was installed, the main chapel in honor of the Nativity of Christ was opened with a rich five-tier iconostasis and a balcony for singers, which were beautifully decorated with icon cases. Today, Sunday school classes are held in the left aisle for children. Recently, renovations were made to the church shop, and now construction work is being completed on the room intended for individual anointing of the sick. There is a large refectory at the temple, and the temple itself is surrounded by a beautiful fence. Today our church is visited by groups of pilgrims from Ulyanovsk, Samara, Buzuluk, Moscow, Dimitrovgrad and Kazan. Believers read akathists at home, and then tell how the Lord and His saints helped them.

- Father George, what do you consider the most important thing in your ministry?

The main goal is sincerity. To be a witness, to share with people the joy of life with God.

- Father George, where do you find strength when despondency sets in?

In sincere prayer to God. I tell myself: I can’t do this, but with God everything is possible. When I sincerely pray, my soul becomes lighter.

- Your first meeting with God. What is she like?

As a child, my grandmother took me to church, and I was amazed at the atmosphere in the temple. I felt that it was not from this world. In the fifth or sixth grade - I don’t remember what prompted me to do this - I began to pray. I studied poorly and was afraid of tests. Once, before looking at the notebook that the duty officer handed out after the check, I crossed it under my desk: “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen". I open it, and there’s a four! What a joy it was! I shared this secret with my friends! But in adult life there was no such prayerful attitude.

- You have been in office for 17 years. What conclusions did you draw for yourself during this time?

To whom much is given, much will be required.

- Who and what helps you in saving human souls?

- What words from Holy Scripture were especially close to you 17 years ago? And which ones are close now?

Reverend Seraphim of Sarov is your heavenly patron, since you were born with him on the same day. Have you noticed any events related to him?

Mother Galina was born on August 1 - the feast of the discovery of the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov. So this saint is especially revered in the Kondratiev family. Mother recalls:

There is another interesting fact. We read in the life of Saint Seraphim: “When Prokhor passed his carpenter’s obedience, he was distinguished by great diligence, skill and success, so that in the schedule he is the only one named Prokhor the carpenter.” We see that it is no coincidence that Father George mastered carpentry well!

- You have a large family: three daughters and a son. What does family mean to you?

In your church there is a miraculous myrrh-streaming icon of the Mother of God “Tikhvin”. To be under Her protection - what does this mean to you?

The same as what a roof means to a traveler in the pouring rain. The same as a shadow in the desert means to a traveler. The same as what parents mean to a child.

- Father, do you have a favorite holiday?

Yes! This is July 9 - the day of remembrance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God. This is our Mistress, too much is connected with Her.

- What challenges does the church face today?

- Father George, thank you very much for your work!

Three Lakes (Tat. och kul) is a village in the Spassky district of the Republic of Tatarstan. It was believed that the first mention of the three lakes that existed in the state of Volga Bulgaria was contained in the “Note” of Ahmed ibn Fadlan, who arrived at the headquarters of the Bulgarian ruler Almush on May 12, 922. However, a corrected reconstruction of the route of the Baghdad embassy shows that Ibn Fadlan was not on the territory of modern Tatarstan. Thus, if the headquarters of the ruler of the Volga Bulgars was located near three lakes, then decades later, after the resettlement of the Bulgars from the Caspian region to a new homeland - the territory of Volga Bulgaria. This interpretation removes the contradictions between the text of Ibn Fadlan (“When we arrived at the king, we found him stopping at the water called Helleche, and these are three lakes, of which two are large and one is smaller. However, of all of them there is not one in which the bottom would be achievable") and local realities - the shallow depth of lakes Atmanskoye, Chistoe and Kuryshevskoye, as well as the incomprehensible “winter” etymology of the name of the area (cf. Chuvash, i.e. late Suvar khĕl, khĕlle 'winter'). In 1691, the Moscow nobleman Ivan Ivanovich Molostvov, according to a charter from Peter I, was assigned “in the Kazan district in the Zakamsk region” from the village of Polyanka on Utka to the Bezdna River “wild fields, open lands, hay fields and forests.” The import document also mentions the “Three Lakes tract,” that is, an area with lakes that is sharply different from the surrounding area. Since the time of the Volga Bulgaria there has been no permanent settlement here. In 1692, the first settlers were transferred here - serf peasants of the Molostvovs from Nizhny Novgorod and Sviyazhsk districts, and the village of Three Lakes fully or partially belonged to the Molostvovs for the next 226 years - until 1918. The main attraction of the village at all times was the lakes. Their historical names are recorded in the “List of populated places of the Kazan province” for 1859 - Atmanskoe, Chistoe and Kuryshevskoe. In Soviet times, the lakes began to be called Ataman, Chistoe and Bezymyanny - first in common parlance, and then in official documents. In 1978, all three lakes were declared natural monuments of the Republic of Tatarstan and included in the cadastre of specially protected natural areas. The materials of the All-Russian speleological conference held in 2009 in Kama Ustye noted that three deep lakes described in the 10th century by the Arab traveler Ahmed ibn Fadlan are of karst origin. This means that the lake basin is formed as a result of the erosion of rocks by both surface and groundwater. The conference participants also emphasized that this is the first written mention of karst phenomena on the territory of Russia. However, some sources contain an erroneous version of the artificial origin of these lakes. It could have arisen because the Molostvov landowners more than once expanded the boundaries of the lakes, using the manual labor of their peasants for this, and in some archival documents there was information that the lakes were dug. But they are fed by atmospheric precipitation, ground and underground waters. Another miracle of the village of Three Lakes is the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Nativity of Christ Church is a three-altar brick church, made in the Baroque style, with chapels in the name of the holy martyrs Princes Boris and Gleb and in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Nearby is a bell tower of strict classical forms. This is one of the oldest and most beautiful churches in the Spassky district; it was built in 1775 at the expense of the landowner Lev Ivanovich Molostvov. The first service in the church took place in 1778 and was held continuously until 1932. The last rector of the temple is Priest Feoktist Belikov. In the 30s he was repressed. Divine services stopped, and the temple building began to be used by local authorities as a mill and granary. In June 1999, services resumed. Restoration work began with funds donated by ordinary people. Aeromonitoring was carried out by the Central City Archi...

Existing in the state of Volga Bulgaria is contained in the chronicle of Ahmed ibn Fadlan, who on May 12, 922 arrived in our region with an embassy of five thousand from Baghdad. At that time, the summer headquarters of the Bulgarian king Almush was located on the shores of the lakes. “When we arrived at the king,” writes Ahmed ibn Fadlan, “we found him stopping at the water called Helleche, and these are three lakes, of which two are large and one is smaller. However, of all of them there is not a single one in which the bottom would be achievable.” Almush summoned the leaders and representatives of the Bulgar tribes to the headquarters at the three lakes, who listened to the letter of the Baghdad caliph and agreed to accept Islam as official religion Volga Bulgaria. In one of the latest translations of this Arabic manuscript, the place near the three lakes is also called Khalja. The embassy remained here until the end of June, and Ahmed ibn Fadlan described many miracles that he observed in these places.

The village of Three Lakes is a kind of champion of the Spassky region, and even of the whole of Tatarstan; the village of Three Lakes is the oldest. Perhaps we can add a few more epithets here - the most beautiful, original, unusual.
The first mention of it dates back to 922. The village is located on the banks of three picturesque springs, fed by springs that have existed since the time of glaciers. Lakes: Clean, Nameless and Ataman. Very ancient origin.
Residents are very proud of their lakes. The reservoirs are truly unique and unusually good. Especially in the summer, when the banks are surrounded by greenery and the blue of the water rivals the blue of the sky. Once upon a time, the lakes were connected to each other by beautiful openwork bridges - they were built by the Molostov landowners.
But over time, the bridges collapsed, they were filled with sand, and a dam was built. The Volga from Three Lakes is several kilometers away, but local fishermen have no use for the Volga. They feel good here too. Both in winter and summer, fishermen sit on lakes with fishing rods. Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary On the shores of Clear Lake there is a temple that looks like a majestic castle. This is one of the oldest and beautiful churches Spassky district, which was built in 1771 at the expense of the landowner Lev Ivanovich Molostov.

Village Three Lakes, Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary

A hundred years later, the temple was rebuilt by another Molostov - Mikhail Modestovich. The first service took place in 1778; services were held here without interruption until 1930. And then other times came...
It is unlikely that the Molostovs could have proposed that a warehouse for grain would be located in the temple, in a holy place. Back in 1997, there was a mill here, there were millstones...
The temple is an architectural monument made at a high artistic level. Christ - Nativity Church - a three-altar brick church, made in the Baroque style, with boundaries in the name of the holy martyrs, noble princes Boris and Gleb and in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The free-standing bell tower has strict classical forms. Now in the Spassky district in the village there are 6 existing temples. Family members of the local landowners, the Molotovs, were buried in the church fence. Now the graves are abandoned. True, the local priest George has an idea to clean and improve the area adjacent to the church so that people can fully enjoy the grandeur and beauty of the temple.

Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary

But everything requires money, and in Father George’s parish, as well as among the parishioners, there is not much of it. June 26 / July 9. Russian Orthodox Church celebrates a holiday in honor of the Tikhvin icon of the Wonderworking Mother of God, revealed to the Russian land as good news. Written, according to legend, by the Evangelist Luke during the earthly life of the Most Holy Theotokos, approved by Her with the words: “With this image is My grace and strength,” the icon was given as a gift to the ruler of Antioch, Theophilus. After his death, it was transferred to Jerusalem and in the 5th century to Constantinople, where a church known as Blachernae was built for the icon.
Several centuries later, in 1383, the icon was revealed in the sky over Ladoga. Accompanied by crowds of Ladoga fishermen, peasants, women and children, priests and monks, the icon walked through the Russian land. At the place chosen by Her, on the Tikhvinka River, a church was erected, around which the monastery of the Queen of Heaven Herself was subsequently founded in Her Miraculous Image, which became the Great Lavra of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The light of the Miracle-Working Icon of Tikhvin flared up across the Russian land, during the years of the Troubles, gathering Rus' together, protecting it from external enemies, pouring out mercy to the suffering, affirming faith in miracles.

Procession

The icon had one peculiarity - it chose its place of residence. So, during the years of the Great Patriotic War When faith became impoverished and godlessness reigned, the icon left Russia and spent half a century in America in Chicago at the Holy Trinity Cathedral. Only in 2004 she returned to the Russian land, to the Tikhvin Holy Dormition Monastery, and with the icon the grace of the “Child Giver” returned to the earth.
One of the copies of the Miraculous Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God (XII century) is located in the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Three Lakes village Spassky district of the Republic of Tatarstan and occupies central place. As a loving mother, the Most Holy Theotokos takes care of the family well-being of all those who come to Her with faith and brings great joy to families - the conception and birth of children. “Child Giver” - this icon in the temple is affectionately called.
Falling to the Miraculous Image with love and hope, people leave comforted by Her, returning to Her with gratitude. And there are many examples of this. “At the call of Tikhvinskaya” Narrated by the rector of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Fr. Georgy (Kondratiev). By right, the mistress of our church can be called the Mother of God, who graciously dwells in the miraculous Tikhvin icon.
We felt Her grace on ourselves; Mother Galina sang in the choir. At that time we already had a daughter. They wanted more children, but mother’s health problems left much to be desired. They prayed in front of this image for the improvement of the church, family well-being, and a miracle was revealed. Mother became pregnant, and not only her, singing women who were already over 40 years old. Petryaeva S., Shipunova I., felt this grace. Joy knew no bounds; a second daughter was born.
They didn’t even think about a third, but here it’s just a gift - a third daughter. One can only wonder how this icon manifests itself today.

Village Three Lakes, Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary

The Mother of God helps many who come to her for help with problems of conception, birth, and family needs. They return with joy, write, call, thank you. The Volkov family N. At the call of Tikhvinskaya and the blessing of Fr. Vladimir (Golovin) our family moved to the village. Three Lakes in 2006. Doctors diagnosed me with 120% infertility. Tears of despair overwhelmed me, thanks to my husband: he calmed me down and consoled me. On Forgiveness Sunday in the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary they confessed, took communion, and the priest anointed them from the lamp miraculous icon Tikhvinskaya.

bathing for Epiphany (Epiphany)

At that time we did not yet know about its features. They asked Her in prayer for family well-being. And then a miracle - we arrived in Ulyanovsk, three weeks later I had an ultrasound - I was pregnant. Now we already have three children. And all thanks to our Mother of God, in the image of Tikhvin, who consoles those who turn to her.
Family of the Matveevs E. Our family has always revered the Mother of God, resorted to Her in prayer for help, and sought consolation from Her. She had no children, but they were looking forward to God’s mercy. Once in a dream it was revealed to me that I needed to go to Tikhon for help with my problem. It turned out that in the village. Three Lakes to the Icon of the Mother of God of Tikhvin. With the blessing of Rev. Vladimir (Golovin) happily moved to live in the village of Three Lakes. In the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary we felt a special grace. We prayed, confessed, received communion, read the akathist to the Mother of God of Tikhvin, and after two months I became pregnant. It was a miracle for us, a long-awaited joy. After the birth of our son, we feel cared for Mother of God Tikhvinskaya.

Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary

Three Lakes. Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Tikhvinskaya - Child Giver
Church. Valid.
Thrones: Nativity of Christ, Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Boris and Gleb
Year of construction: Between 1755 and 1757.
Address: 422845 Republic of Tatarstan, Spassky district, village Three Lakes, priest Georgy
Directions:
from Kazan you can travel along the P-239 Kazan - Orenburg highway. At the junction after the bridge over the Kama (near the village of Alekseevskoye), turn right onto the P-240 highway (to Samara), 5.5 km at the intersection after the village of Mokrye Kurnali, turn left along the main road to Samara, Bazarnye Mataki.
After 19 km, turn right at the sign “Bolgar, Ulyanovsk, Dimitrovograd”. After 39 km turn right at a T-junction, after another 30 km turn left at a T-junction near the town of Bolgar (it's on the right). After 5.5 km, turn right at the sign “Three Lakes”. Another 800 meters - right, to the center of the village, and after 1.7 km the church will be 200 meters to the left of the road, after the lake.
Coordinates: 54.911848,49.049109.

Church of the Nativity - three-altar brick church, made in the Baroque style, with chapels in the name of the holy martyrs, noble princes Boris and Gleb and in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Nearby is a bell tower of strict classical forms. This is one of the oldest and most beautiful churches in the Spassky district; it was built in 1775 at the expense of the landowner Lev Ivanovich Molostvov, who at that time owned the village of Three Lakes.
Two chapels were added later and consecrated in 1777. There is a separate bell tower, built in the first half of the 18th century, at the expense of the Molostvov landowners. The first service in the church took place in 1778 and was held continuously until 1932. The last rector of the temple is Priest Feoktist Belikov. In the 30s he was repressed. Divine services stopped, and the temple building began to be used by local authorities as a mill and granary.
In June 1999, services resumed. Restoration work began with funds donated by ordinary people.
The roof was partially restored (covered with roofing felt). There is a need to cover the roof with galvanized iron. With the help of a benefactor, the cornice was reconstructed. Installed windows and doors. Gas heating was installed in the central and southern limits of the temple. They installed metal poles under the fence of the church territory.
Rector - Hierarch Georgy Kondratyev.

Gennady Mikheev. A story about a father.
We talk while Father milks the goats. It drives smartly, as if it had been doing this all its life. U o. George has two flocks. The first is people, parish. The second is an object of peasant necessity, in other words, cattle. Cows in the family of a rural priest, Fr. There is no Georgy Kondratiev, but there are three goats, seven sheep, a ram and chickens.
The priest drives out the cattle, greets them, cleans the barn, milks them, and greets the herd. Looks for sheep if they get lost. Mother Galina has a house and children. So they divided the responsibilities. Of course, Father George calls himself a “double shepherd” as a joke. He generally loves jokes, is easy to communicate with and (at least in the world) is not inclined to complain about everyday problems.
My first question was to him: “Father, without a belly... Does this really happen?” “The age of Christ” (in which Father George resides) for an Orthodox white priest is the time to grow a solid mammon. Thinner o. George is like a black monk. He would like to get a schema and go to the monastery.
Father answered instantly: “And I unfastened my stomach. He’ll go on his way and have a snack...”
The priest goes to the regional center, the city of Bolgar, by bicycle. It's not about the pursuit of health - there is no car. Most of the money that we managed to collect over several years went to the church “poppy”. One could buy three good cars or buy a dozen houses in Three Lakes.
However, to be fair, the lion's share of help comes from the “benefactor.” That’s what the priest asks him to call him. This is an entrepreneur named Andrei. He lives in Tolyatti, but Andrei’s mother is from Three Lakes. Now the roof of the temple is covered, the iron is still the same “benefactor " bought. But the work of the brigade is paid for by the priest. There were times when there was nothing to pay. Then Fr. Georgy got on his bicycle and went around the villages to beg grain from farmers. He sold bread and paid the craftsmen. The temple still looks unimportant - both inside and outside (although the brickwork has been restored and the holes have been repaired) - and the shining golden “top” can be seen tens of kilometers around.

It's like a sign, a symbol of rebirth. Otherwise, the mood in the village is such that in twenty years there will be no one left here at all. U o. George has this opinion: a reborn temple is like a grafted branch to a wild tree. The same is true with the economy. One person with a fresh worldview is enough, a kind of “cultural inoculation” for people to believe in the best.
Something is “lucky” for me Lately: I always end up in villages attending funerals. For some reason they don’t get to weddings or christenings. Well, the theory of probability justifies itself... And today Grandma Anna is being buried. She was a parishioner of the Church of the Nativity. We bought crowns for the temple, but in all the years there were only four weddings. After all, how does a priest’s family live? Requirements. The priest does not receive a salary. Weddings, baptisms, funerals, consecrations of houses - that’s why they exist. Most often you have to “read the dead”; the main population of Three Lakes is old people.
But baptisms also happen, especially in the summer: young people come to their grandparents from the cities and want to be baptized in the homeland of their ancestors. The village is poor, and therefore my mother came up with an additional income: she accepts milk from the population and uses a separator to make sour cream for sale. He also bakes pies and sells them at school. Whatever it is, it’s just a bonus. But mother also has a service in the church: she is the regent, she sings. She has no musical education, but her natural gift and hearing help.

Three Lakes is the oldest village in Russia. This is not a joke, but a documented fact. The first mention of this village is in the notes of the Arab Ibn Fadlan. He witnessed the event that occurred on May 16, 922: at the Three Lakes the state of Volga Bulgaria converted to Islam. The traveler even described the lakes, writing that they were bottomless. In general, Three Lakes was the summer residence of the Bulgar Khan Almush. Much water has flowed under the bridge of the Volga since then; it is no longer the legendary Bulgars who live in the Three Lakes, but the Russians. And the lakes are now called in Russian: Atamansky, Korushovsky, Chisty. On the shore of the latter, the Church of the Nativity of Christ flaunts its “onion”.
And what is characteristic: while the temple was being reborn from the ruins, on the opposite shore of the same lake, the creamery, the only enterprise of the Three Lakes, was shamefully destroyed. The Three-Altar Church in the name of the Nativity of Christ was built by the landowner Lev Molostvov; he made his residence on the Treozersky estate.
O. Georgy is worried about this: the master “built” - this simply means that he financed it. It was built by people - his serfs or hired architects. For the priest, everything will be different: the brigade, those people who are restoring the temple, will be immortalized. Brigadier, Valery Maryanin is a simple man from Treozersky. Valera came from the army, saw that the state farm was falling apart - he went to Tolyatti. There he “floundered” - again to the village. I got drunk here. The priest took him to the temple - he was coded. In the villages at first they said: “My God, they entrusted this to our Valerka?!” But it turned out that he lays bricks well and knows how to do roofing. Other men from Treozersky are working with him, two Sergei - Plaksin and Zotov - are also working on the temple; I’ll tell you about them a little later. his worldly profession is a carpenter. Both Father Georgy and Mother Galina are strictly city dwellers. Eight years ago they could not even think that they would live in the countryside. And even more than that, the couple did not imagine that they would become mother and father. on the ship "Krylov", they were awarded a river cruise as the best vocational school students. He learned to plan wood, she learned to prepare shoe uppers; he was 17, she was 16. They stood on the deck, contemplating the Volga cliffs; she looked at him and immediately fell in love. Not by appearance; She imagined that this man had an extraordinary heart, such a guy was probably sincere and generous. But during the whole trip I didn’t even dare to approach her, I only confessed to my friends. And he didn’t pay any attention to her. Already when they went ashore in their native Ulyanovsk, a friend took it and approached Yura Kondratyev, said about a girl who was “drying” for him. A year and a half later, as soon as Galina turned 18, they got married. And then a conflict occurred, let’s say, interreligious Which ultimately led to the current situation of the Kondratyevs. The fact is that Galina is a purebred Tatar. Although both her and his parents are non-believers, their parents insisted that the civil registration be accompanied by the Muslim ritual of nikah. Yuri did not resist, he didn’t care. Problems appeared later, when their first daughter Yulia was born. Gulia’s parents insisted that Yulia be “Muslim.” In principle, Yuri was not against it in this case either. But some kind of boundary between the young spouses began to sprout. They stopped understanding each other.
And one day they simply came to rest with Yura’s relative, the priest Fr. Valentin. He brought the young couple together with another priest, Fr. Vladimir Golovin. He listened to the young people, who themselves did not know why, suddenly told the priest the truth, the essence of which they were afraid to reveal to themselves. And about. Vladimir simply said: “You need to get married. But for this, Gulia needs to be baptized...” (Yuri was baptized as a child). Gulia was terribly scared, she couldn’t even imagine this..
We returned home to Ulyanovsk and seemed to have forgotten. But Yuri began to go to church more and more often. Gulia's parents are non-religious people, but among the Tatars, betrayal of faith, to put it mildly, is not welcomed. The argument is simple: “What will the relatives say?” But Gulia decided for herself: “We must save the family at all costs!” Although her parents told her: “Your husband is going to church often... he’s driving you crazy!”

However, when Yuri said that he wanted to become a priest, they showed wisdom and were baptized. On one of their visits to Bolgar (Father Vladimir became their spiritual father), the couple learned for the first time that there was such a village in the world as Three Lakes, that there was a dilapidated church there, and that the grandmothers of Three Lakes dreamed of a priest. So Yuri and Gulia became Father George and Mother Galina. For the first year they rented housing. Afterwards they bought a house, acquired livestock and began to cultivate a vegetable garden.
For two years, Galina’s relatives cursed her and threatened that it was better for her not to appear on the threshold of her father’s house. Afterwards they warmed up, realizing: their daughter and niece are no longer a child, she chose her path consciously. Mom often comes to Three Lakes.
And even Galin’s father began to respect Fr. George. And the parents of Fr. George recently got married. The father said: “With my son-priest, I can’t live in sin.” They began to serve in a ruin, without a roof and part of the walls. Father Vladimir taught that it is not necessary to immediately restore a large temple, but rather to repair the boundary - so that it would be warm and It’s cozy. Otherwise people will get cold and won’t want to come to services.
In the temple, after it was closed and destroyed in 1932, there was a mill and a grain warehouse. The vibrations caused the walls to collapse. O. Vladimir gave three icons - from those old, temple, “relatives”. The icons were miraculously preserved by the residents of Treozero, hiding them in their homes. One of them, the Tikhvin Mother of God, turned out to be miraculous. Children will be born from her, even to those on com the doctors have given up.
Mother is keeping count: seven children have already been born into families who prayed at Tikhvinskaya. Here, from prayers, the second daughter of the Kondratyevs, Elizaveta, was born. Before that, they had been trying to conceive a second child for seven years. Initially, as in any village, they treated the young priest with caution: - It was 1998, when they even stopped paying pensions. The grandmothers had nothing to buy candles with. Everyone said: “Give up, you won’t survive in a poor village...” But it so happened that people came here with the blessing of Father Vladimir...

All “immigrants” are from Ulyanovsk. The first are Sergei and Elena Matveev; they had problems with Elena’s brother, but they shared an apartment. They bought a house here; Sergei works as an altar boy, now he helps cover the roof of the church, Elena recently gave birth to a baby, her second child. Next Sergei’s brother, Andrei, arrived with his wife Svetlana. They also have problems in the city, with Andrei’s mother-in-law and father-in-law, and they also wanted to live closer to the church. Andrei also works on the roof and there are also two small children in this family. And the third family is from Ulyanovsk. recently appeared, Natalya and Vasily Volkov. They idolize the countryside, are thinking of getting a cow and a horse, and they will soon have a second child (mother is convinced that with Tikhvinskaya’s blessing).
Father Georgy is convinced that the priest in the village has a special mission. Mother also has her own opinion: - It seems to me village priest- more than yours spiritual father. If you go to him, he will listen and help with advice. Father knows all the children in the village and understands all people’s problems. And he empathizes, besides, he himself lives with the same problems. In the city, the priest goes to church as if he were going to work. And in a village, sometimes a priest can confess a person for an entire hour, and no one is rushing anyone. The village priest lives more naturally. In our church during the service you can sit if you are tired. After all, the Trio Lake residents keep their cattle for a long time, they get tired...

“You learn to listen to people,” adds Fr. Georgy, - watch how they experience the service. I myself have not served in the city; I have no personal experience of city service. But I know that in the villages there is an opportunity to comprehend the inner content of the ministry of a priest.
If they turn to a priest: “Father...”, it’s already like a family. After all, for a priest, a village turns out to be a single organism. And if you’re here as “Father George,” there will be no peace. It is “father,” and no one else. Rural psychology is unique, a tradition is passed on from generation to generation. If a stranger comes and asks “Ivan Ivanovich,” the villagers do not understand, they ask: “Whose is he?” Everything is like family...
In the city, if a member of the community has left the priest, the priest need not worry: others will come. And in the village I am alone. And in full view of everyone. And God forbid if the priest becomes stained with something! The stain will last for more than one generation: “Is it to go to that priest? No way! And I won’t let my children go...” It is very important not to lose a single “sheep” to the shepherd...

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