Thousands of people, thanks to the prayers and advice of St. Seraphim, happily arranged their lives, avoided danger and even death, and received healing from serious illnesses. But most importantly, they found the way to save the soul and learned to ascend to God through love and obedience to the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the main thing that St. Seraphim taught.
The elder greeted everyone with the greatest friendliness: “My joy, Christ is risen!” - he said, lovingly hugging the pilgrim who came to him.
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But those who came with deceit, only hiding behind piety, he threateningly removed from himself. The monk foresaw not only the future of each person, but also the future destinies of Russia and the whole world. One day an officer came to him in the desert. The monk at this time stood at the miraculous spring, which had once been brought out of the ground by the prayers of the elder himself and had great healing power. The officer approached the hermit, and at this time the water in the source darkened and became indignant, and began to flow with a muddy spring. The monk looked at the officer with anger and menacingly commanded: “Get out!” Just as this holy spring has become muddied, so you and your like-minded people will stir up the whole of Russia!” The officer left him in horror and confusion: he really came with an insidious desire to cunningly obtain from the elder the approval of the impending coup d'etat. This was a man from among the so-called Decembrists and Freemasons, who, some out of criminal stupidity, and others out of hatred, wanted to ruin Russia and Orthodoxy. The monk foresaw the great misfortunes that the revolutionaries would bring to the people, and warned the Orthodox in advance about the events that were to occur, sometimes many decades later. He also foresaw bloody unrest in our Orthodox Fatherland, foresaw the ruin of the Church for multiplied sins, unprecedented persecution of Christians, and foresaw the revival of Holy Rus' for its fidelity to Orthodoxy. |
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Before the birth of the Antichrist, there will be a great long war and a terrible revolution in Russia, exceeding any human imagination, for the bloodshed will be terrible: the riots of Razinsky, Pugachevsky, French revolution- nothing compared to what will happen to Russia. There will be the death of many people faithful to the fatherland, the plunder of church property and monasteries, the desecration of the churches of the Lord, the destruction and plunder of wealth good people, rivers of Russian blood will be shed. But the Lord will have mercy on Russia and lead it through suffering to great glory...”
Father Seraphim left a wonderful teaching about salvation to Orthodox people. “The true goal of our Christian life,” he said, “is to acquire the Holy Spirit. Fasting, vigil, prayer and good deeds are only means for acquiring the Spirit.” Acquisition means acquisition; The Spirit is acquired by the one who repents of all his sins and creates virtues that are opposite to the sins he has committed. In such a person, the Spirit begins to act in the heart and secretly establishes the Kingdom of God within him.
“How can I know,” one young man asked the monk, “that I am in the grace of the Holy Spirit? I want to understand and feel it well.” This conversation took place in a winter forest, in a snowy clearing; the young man loved St. Seraphim very much and came to him for advice.
St. Seraphim's answer was truly wonderful. He took the young man tightly by the shoulders and said to him: “We are both now with you in the Spirit of God. Why don’t you look at me?” The young man answered: “I can’t look, father, because lightning is pouring from your eyes. Your face has become brighter than the sun, and my eyes are aching with pain.” The monk responded to this: “Do not be afraid, your love for God! and now you yourself have become as bright as I am. You yourself are now in the fullness of the Spirit of God, otherwise you would not be able to see me like this. Just look me in the eye and don’t be afraid!”
Today Orthodoxy solemnly celebrates its birthday Reverend Father Seraphim.
Seraphim of Sarov (1759, Kursk - 1833, Sarov Monastery, Tambov province) - church leader. Genus. in a merchant family, he lost his father early. At the age of seven, he fell from scaffolding with high altitude, but miraculously remained unharmed. In 1776 he made a pilgrimage to Kyiv. Being inclined towards monastic life, in 1778 he became a novice in the Sarov Monastery; worked in a bakery, carpentry, etc. In 1786 he became a monk and was ordained a deacon. In 1793 he was ordained a priest. In 1794 he became a hermit. He gained great fame for his teachings, asceticism, goodness and holiness, widely represented in various “lives”. Bishop Seraphim (Chichagov), who had access to Nicholas II, managed to obtain materials on the holiness of S. After a trip to Sarov and bathing in its spring, the empress gave birth to a long-awaited son, which explains special treatment Nicholas II to S. In 1903 S. was canonized.
SERAPHIM OF SAROV (in the world Prokhor Moshnin) (07/19/1753-01/2/1833), Russian saint and spiritual thinker. The first good impressions on young Prokhor came from his mother, a woman who did not have a school education, but knew God’s law and the rules of good Christian behavior well. Already in childhood, Prokhor fell in love with the temple of God and divine services, which, as a young man of 14-17 years old, he attended daily: these were the first teachers of the holy youth - the family and the parish church. Here he learned the Gospel teaching and heard stories about the lives of saints whom he wanted to imitate. Prokhor’s spiritual sentiments were supported by the Lord Himself with miraculous signs revealed to the saint in childhood. Being seven years old, the boy climbed with his mother to the scaffolding of a temple under construction, there he stumbled and fell from a great height. The mother ran downstairs in horror, thinking to find him fallen to death, and was surprised to see him unharmed, standing calmly on the ground. The second miraculous sign occurred when the youth Prokhor fell ill. The Mother of God appeared to him in a dream and promised to visit him and heal him. This was fulfilled when the image was carried through the city in a religious procession. Holy Mother of God and on the occasion of heavy rain they brought him into the Moshnins’ yard. The mother of the sick Prokhor applied it to the image, and after that the boy quickly recovered. This miracle happened already during the years of his studies, when, according to ancient custom, he began to read the Book of Hours, and then the Psalter. Thus, the initial education fed the boy with holy sentiments emanating from the psalms of David and church prayers. Under such beneficial influences, the decision took shape in the soul of the pious young man to devote his life to serving God in the monastic rite. With a tight heart and along with a sacrificial readiness to give to God what was most dear to her, the mother blessed her beloved son on the path of monastic renunciation of the world. Prokhor went to look for mentors skilled in spiritual life in the Kyiv region. Walking around the holy places of Kyiv, he learned that near the city in the Kitaevskaya desert, the wondrous recluse Dosifei, who had the gift of clairvoyance, was being saved. A young man came to him, asking him to show him where to go. Father Dositheus pointed him to the Sarov hermitage, adding: “Come, child of God, to Sarov and remain there. This place will be your salvation. With God's help you will end your earthly journey there. Just try to acquire unceasing memory of God by constantly calling on the name of God like this: Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.” When Prokhor came to Sarov, Elder Pachomius was in charge there, who accepted him among the novices, giving him to teach Elder Joseph, who was experienced in spiritual life. With him, a young novice carried out cell obedience at first, and then passed general fraternal obediences in the bakery, in the carpentry, in the prosphora; was an alarm clock and sexton. In his free time from obedience and worship, Prokhor loved to go into the forest, where he indulged in contemplation and prayer. He also diligently read the books of the Holy Scriptures and the works of the holy fathers Basil the Great, Macarius the Great, John Climacus, as well as a collection of Church Slavonic language ascetic manuals called “Philokalia”. In the third year of his stay in Sarov, Prokhor fell seriously ill. He endured his painful illness without complaint, placing his hope in God, and was miraculously healed. appeared to him Blessed Virgin with app. John and Peter and, turning to John, said, putting right hand on the sufferer's head, with the rod that was in her left hand, she touched his body; there was a depression through which the water that filled the patient’s body flowed out. After this, Prokhor soon completely recovered and resumed his work related to monastic obediences. In 1786 Prokhor was tonsured a monk with the name Seraphim, and the following year he was ordained a deacon. Having accepted this rank, St. Seraphim began to spend almost all his time in prayer, without leaving the temple. While participating in divine services, he saw holy angels serving with the clergy and singing with the brethren. What was especially striking was the vision that revealed itself to the saint in Holy Thursday the same year during the liturgy. He talks about this wonderful event like this: “After the small entrance, I, a poor man, cried out at St. Throne: “Lord, save the pious, and hear us,” and, going out through the Royal Doors, he pointed his orar at those present and proclaimed: “and forever and ever.” Then a light illuminated me, like a ray of sunshine. Turning my eyes to the radiance, I saw the Lord our God Jesus Christ in the form of the Son of Man, shining in glory, brighter than the sun with an indescribable light and surrounded, as it were, by a swarm of bees, heavenly powers, angels, archangels, cherubim and seraphim. From the western church gates He walked through the air, stopped opposite the pulpit and, raising His hands, blessed the servants and those praying. Then He entered the local image, which was near the Royal Doors, and was transformed, surrounded by angelic faces that shone with an indescribable light throughout the entire church. But I, earth and ashes, having then met the Lord Jesus in the air, received a special blessing from Him.” In the 34th year of his life, Seraphim was ordained a priest and served as a hieromonk at the monastery for three years. In 1794, with the blessing of the abbot, he left the monastery for a secluded cell built in the middle of a dense forest. In the same forest different places Other hermits also lived, so such hermit-dwelling in Sarov was not something unusual. Having retired to the “hermit”, the saint with particular zeal devoted himself to the feats that other holy hermits also underwent. Most of the time was devoted to prayer, followed by physical labor and the study of the Holy Scriptures. Scriptures. On Sundays and holidays the monk came to the monastery, participating in divine services and then again retired into his solitude, gradually strengthening his exploits in order to defeat the attackers from evil forces temptations. The feat of a kind of pillar mongering was especially difficult: for a thousand nights the monk stood on a large stone in the forest, constantly crying out: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” Every day he returned to his cell and also stood on a stone lying near it from morning to evening with the same prayer. The monk suffered martyrdom in the desert when he was attacked by two villains while working in the forest. In response to the demand for money and threats, he lowered the ax to the ground, crossed his arms crosswise on his chest and said: “I don’t take money from anyone; do what you need to do.” The villains beat him on the head with the butt of the same axe, tied him up and kicked him while he was lying down; then, leaving him unconscious, they rummaged through everything in the cell and, not finding what they were looking for, ran away. This happened in the 46th year of the ascetic’s life. Waking up the next day before dawn, the monk barely reached the monastery. The invited doctor found his wounds fatal. After a week of severe suffering, the saint was again honored with the appearance of the Mother of God, after which he recovered and five months later returned to his hermitage, where he remained for another five years. Then the Bishop of Tambov, at the request of the monastery brethren, invited him to return to the monastery. There he imposed on himself the feat of silence, which lasted until 1825. This year the Mother of God appeared to him again, and by Her special command he stopped his seclusion and began to accept everyone who came to him for help and advice. Thus began a new type of feat of St. Seraphim - eldership. He perspicaciously saw the inner state of those who came to him and gave gracious help, healing mental and physical ailments, and showed the love that constantly filled his soul, combined with deep humility, to everyone who came. During these years, through the efforts of the monk, the Diveyevo women's monastery arose 25 versts from the Sarov monastery, about which the saint predicted that it would be the only women's monastery in Russia, the Heavenly abbess of which was promised to be the Most Holy Virgin Herself. In this prophecy, which is still awaiting its fulfillment, there is hidden for us hope for the future spiritual revival of our fatherland. During these same years, the saint had a conversation with his disciple N.A. Motovilov about the Holy Spirit. A miraculous event occurred in the life of Motovilov, testifying to the afterlife closeness of St. Seraphim with St. Tikhon Zadonsky. After the death of the Monk Motovilov, he became seriously ill with a nervous and mental disorder, from which he received significant relief through the prayers of the then Voronezh bishop. Anthony, but was not completely healed. Soon after this, St. Petersburg appeared to him in a dream. Seraphim and consoled him with the promise of complete healing at the opening of the relics of St. Tikhon, which came true.
In a conversation with Motovilov, Elder Seraphim taught that the goal of Christian life is to acquire (gain) the Holy Spirit, explained the conditions for this acquisition (sobriety of soul and spirit, purity of the flesh) and its means (fasting, prayer, good deeds). He said that God is close to everyone, and only due to the general coldness towards faith, people lost the ability to see God and recognize the true manifestations of the Holy Spirit. He showed Motovilov what it means to be in the fullness of the Spirit. The climax of the conversation came when, through the prayer of Elder N. Motovilov, with his bodily eyes he saw the miracle of transformation happening to himself and Seraphim - both of them found themselves in the radiance of the Tabor light.
Seraphim of Sarov was canonized in 1903. His memory is celebrated on January 2/15 and July 19/August 1.
Seraphim of Sarov |
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Name in the world |
Prokhor Isidorovich Moshnin (Mashnin) |
Birth |
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Monastic name |
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Revered |
in Orthodoxy |
Canonized |
in 1903, by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on the initiative of Nicholas II |
reverends |
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Main shrine |
relics in the Holy Trinity Seraphim-Diveevsky Monastery, Diveevsky source |
Day of Remembrance |
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Asceticism |
strict asceticism, pillarism |
Biography
Controversial opinions
Veneration and canonization
Events modern history
Seraphim of Sarov(in the world Prokhor Isidorovich Moshnin, in some sources - Mashnin; July 19 (30), 1754 (or 1759), Kursk - January 2 (14), 1833, Sarov Monastery) - hieromonk of the Sarov Monastery, founder and patron of Diveyevo convent. Glorified Russian Church in 1903 in the rank of venerables on the initiative of Tsar Nicholas II. One of the most revered Orthodox saints.
Biography
Born in 1754 in Kursk, in the family of a wealthy eminent merchant Isidor Moshnin and his wife Agathia. I lost my father very early. At the age of 7, he fell from the bell tower of the Sergius-Kazan Cathedral under construction on the site of a previously burned down temple. St. Sergius Radonezh, but remained unharmed. At a young age, Prokhor became seriously ill. During his illness, he saw the Mother of God in a dream, promising to heal him. The dream turned out to be true: during the procession of the Cross, an icon of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos was carried past his house, and his mother brought Prokhor out to venerate the icon, after which he recovered.
In 1776 he made a pilgrimage to Kyiv in Kiev Pechersk Lavra, where Elder Dosithea blessed and showed him the place where he was to 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. As part of ascetic deeds and exercises, he wore the same clothes in winter and summer, got his own food in the forest, slept little, fasted strictly, and reread holy books(Gospel, patristic scripture), prayed for a long time every day. Near the cell, Seraphim planted a vegetable garden and built a beekeeper.
A number of facts from the life of St. Seraphim is quite remarkable. Once, for three and a half years, an ascetic ate only grass. Later, Seraphim spent a thousand days and a thousand nights in the feat of pillar-building on a stone boulder. Some of those who came to him for spiritual advice saw a huge bear, which the monk fed with bread from his hands (according to Father Seraphim himself, this bear constantly came to him, but it is known that the Elder also fed other animals). Of the more dramatic events, the case of the robbers is known. According to the life, some robbers, having learned that rich visitors often came to Seraphim, decided to rob his cell. Finding him in the forest during daily prayer, they beat him and broke his head with the butt of an ax, and the saint did not resist, despite the fact that he was young and strong man. The robbers did not find anything for themselves in his cell and left. The monk miraculously returned to life, but after this incident he remained severely hunched over forever. Later these people were caught and identified, but Father Seraphim forgave them; at his request they were left without punishment.
In 1807, the monk took upon himself the monastic feat 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 it is said in his life, the gift of clairvoyance and healing from illnesses. He was also visited by noble people, including Tsar Alexander I. He addressed everyone who came to him with the words “ My joy!", at any time of the year greeted with the words " Christ is Risen!" He was the founder and permanent patron of the Diveevo Convent. In 1831, the saint was granted a vision of the Mother of God (for the twelfth time in his life) surrounded by John the Baptist, John the Theologian and 12 virgins. He died in 1833 in the Sarov Monastery in his cell during kneeling prayer.
It is worth noting that the icon of Seraphim of Sarov was painted from his lifetime portrait, made by the artist Serebryakov (later monk Joseph of the Sarov monastery) 5 years before the death of the elder.
Controversial opinions
Available memories of Seraphim of Sarov and collections of his statements clearly describe the elder as a supporter of the official church, hierarchy and tripartite sign of the cross. On the other hand, on icons St. Seraphim is usually depicted with a specially shaped rosary (flest), and in some cases, in Old Believer (pre-schism) monastic clothing (and an “Old Believer” cast copper cross). Lestovka, along which St. prayed. Seraphim, preserved among his personal belongings.
According to some sources, the well-known difficulties with the canonization of Seraphim of Sarov were associated precisely with his sympathies for the Old Believers. Suggestions have been made about the origin of the elder either from co-religionists, or from crypto-Old Believers, with a subsequent transition to an “improvised” type of co-religion.
Seraphim of Sarov did not leave any written works behind him at all. In the biographies written after the death of Seraphim, after 1833, the question of the Old Believers does not appear. In a later edition of 1863, 30 years after Seraphim’s death, the compiler and editor of this book was the censor N.V. Elagin, famous for his free “pious” and patriotic insertions and unceremonious editing of texts, “Seraphim’s conversations” with Old Believers appear, “ Seraphim's reasoning about the Old Believers; in one of these conversations, Seraphim teaches: “This is the Christian folding of the cross! So pray and tell others. This composition was handed down from St. Apostles, and the double-fingered constitution is contrary to the holy statutes. I ask and pray you: go to the Greek-Russian Church: it is in all the glory and power of God!”
Sayings attributed to Seraphim of Sarov
Take away sin, and illnesses will go away, for they are given to us for sins.
And you can overeat yourself with bread.
You can receive communion on earth and remain uncommunicated in Heaven.
Whoever endures an illness with patience and gratitude is credited with it instead of a feat or even more.
No one has ever complained about bread and water.
Buy a broom, buy a broom, and sweep your cell more often, because as your cell is swept, so will your soul be swept.
More than fasting and prayer is obedience, that is, work.
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.
If a person knew what the Lord had prepared for him in the Kingdom of Heaven, he would be ready to sit in a pit of worms all his life.
Humility can conquer the whole world.
You need to remove despondency from yourself and try to have a joyful spirit, not a sad one.
Out of joy a person can do anything, out of inner stress - nothing.
An abbot (and even more so a bishop) must have not only a fatherly, but even a motherly heart.
The world lies in evil, we must know about it, remember it, overcome it as much as possible.
Let there be thousands of those living in the world with you, but reveal your secret to one out of a thousand.
If the family is destroyed, then states will be overthrown and nations will be corrupted.
As I forge iron, so I have handed over myself and my will to the Lord God: as He pleases, so I act; I don’t have my own will, but what God pleases, that’s what I convey.
Veneration and canonization
Main written source historical information about Elder Seraphim - a biography of Elder Seraphim, compiled by Sarov hieromonk Sergius. The latter, since 1818, collected and recorded testimonies about two Sarov ascetics: Seraphim and schemamonk Mark. In 1839, in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, with the assistance of Metropolitan Philaret (Drozdov), it was published “ A brief outline of the life of the Elder of the Sarov Hermitage, schemamonk and hermit Mark", in which the first 10 pages were dedicated to Schemamonk Mark, the remaining 64 pages - " Spiritual instructions from Father Seraphim" First " A story about life and exploits"by Elder Seraphim was published in 1841 in Moscow signed by I. C. In 1844, in the XVI volume of the Mayak magazine, a more detailed legend about Elder Seraphim was published - its author was not identified, but Moscow Metropolitan Philaret, in a letter to Archimandrite Anthony, attributed this work to a certain George (probably the abbot of the Nikolo-Barkovskaya hermitage, who lived under Father Seraphim as a guest in Sarov under the name Guria; in 1845 this legend was published as a separate book in St. Petersburg. In 1849, the hieromonk of the Nizhny Novgorod Pechersk Monastery Joasaph, who lived in Sarov for 13 years under the name novice John Tikhonov, published even more detailed tales, which with additions were republished in 1856. In the 1850s, a book also appeared, where the tales of the elders Seraphim and Mark were again combined. Finally, in 1863, at the request of the Sarov Monastery. according to his archival documents and eyewitness accounts, the most complete depiction of the life and exploits of Elder Seraphim was published; the author of this work, N.V. Elagin, was indicated only in the 5th edition, in 1905.
Many of the now famous teachings of Elder Seraphim were drawn from the notes of the landowner 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, during his lifetime. Preparations for official canonization caused a political scandal and must be seen in the context of Nicholas II’s desire to overcome a certain “ mediastinum"(in the words of General A. A. Mosolov), allegedly separating the tsar from the people, who " loves him sincerely».
The first document indicating the idea of official canonization is dated January 27, 1883 - the year of the coronation of Alexander III (January 25, 1883, the Highest Manifesto of January 24 of the same year was printed on the coronation of the reigning emperor, which was to take place in May of the same year): the head of the Moscow women's gymnasiums Gabriel Kiprianovich Vinogradov in a letter addressed to the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod K. P. Pobedonostsev, who had a reputation as a person close to the throne, proposed “ to mark the beginning of the reign, before the sacred coronation of the sovereign emperor, the discovery of the relics of the pious saint, revered by all Russia, whose prayers were effective even during his life, especially now they will be successful for the great sovereign, when Seraphim stands before the throne of the Most High in the face of Seraphim" Pobedonostsev, apparently, disapproved of the proposal.
According to Count S. Yu. Witte, Nicholas II personally demanded canonization from Pobedonostsev, apparently at the insistence of his wife, in the spring of 1902 (according to the official version, July 19, 1902). Count Witte also wrote about the role of Alexandra Feodorovna: “They say that they were sure that the Sarov saint would give Russia an heir after four Grand Duchesses. This came true and finally and unconditionally strengthened the faith of Their Majesties in the holiness of the truly pure Elder Seraphim. A large portrait appeared in His Majesty’s office - the image of St. Seraphim.”
Pobedonostsev himself blamed Archimandrite Seraphim (Chichagov), who was then rector of the Spaso-Evfimievsky Monastery, for the fact that it was he who gave the emperor “ first thought about this subject" General A. A. Kireev was of the same opinion, noting that the Chief Prosecutor believed Archimandrite Seraphim (Chichagov) “ great swindler and rogue": That " somehow got through to the Emperor, and then the Emperor gave orders without permission. Let us assume that Seraphim is indeed a saint, but it is unlikely that such an “order” corresponds not only to a correctly understood sense of religiosity, but also to the canons (even Russian)».
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-subtle 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 make a statement in “ New Time" and in " Additions to the Church Gazette", where he stated the fact of safety " skeleton» Sarov Elder and expressed the opinion that the presence incorruptible relics not necessarily for glorification.
« The Holy Synod, in full conviction of the truth and reliability of the miracles performed through the prayers of Elder Seraphim, gave praise to the wondrous Lord God in His saints, the ever-blessing of the steadfast in forefathers’ Orthodoxy Russian Power. 1) the reverent elder Seraphim, who rests in the Sarov desert, is to be recognized as a saint, glorified by the grace of God, and his most honorable remains are to be recognized as holy relics, and they are to be placed in a tomb specially prepared by the zeal of His Imperial Majesty for worship and honor from those who come to him with prayer, 2) to compose a special service for the Venerable Father Seraphim, and before the time of its preparation, after the day of glorifying his memory, to send him a service common to the venerable ones, and to celebrate his memory both on the day of his repose, January 2, and on the day of the opening of his holy relics, and 3) announce this publicly from the Holy Synod». |
In the summer of 1903, “ Sarov celebrations"with a huge crowd of people and with the participation of the Tsar and other members of the imperial family.
Rev. Seraphim is widely revered among Orthodox believers even today. Miracles and healings were repeatedly reported at his relics, as well as appearances to his people (for example, St. John of Kronstadt writes about one of them in his book).
Events of recent history
- In November 1920, the IX District Congress of Soviets, held in Temnikov, decided to open the shrine containing the remains of St. Seraphim of Sarov. The speaker who demanded the opening of the relics was the famous Mordovian poet, translator of the “International” into the Moksha language Z. F. Dorofeev.
- On December 17, 1920, the relics were opened and a report was drawn up.
- In 1922, the relics were seized 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 (this crematorium was also called the “department of atheism”).
- In the fall of 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. In December 1990, the remains were examined by a commission consisting of Bishop Evgeniy (Zhdan) of Tambov and Bishop Arseniy (Epifanov); The commission, guided by the act of examining the remains of Fr. Seraphim in 1902 and by the act of opening the relics, established that the remains were the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov.
- On January 11, 1991, the transfer of the relics took place; On February 6-7, 1991, with the participation of Patriarch Alexy II, the relics were delivered to Moscow from the Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra and transferred in a procession to the Epiphany Cathedral.
- July 28, 1991 procession He left Moscow with the relics, and on August 1, 1991, with a large crowd of people, the saint was greeted at the Diveyevo Monastery.
- July 17, 2006 Holy Synod a decision was made to open the Assumption Sarov Hermitage.
- From July 29 to July 31, 2007, celebrations dedicated to the Day of Remembrance of St. Seraphim of Sarov were held in the village of Diveevo, Nizhny Novgorod region. They were visited by over 10,000 pilgrims.
- In September 2007, a prayer service was held for the first time by St. Seraphim as the patron saint of nuclear scientists.
- In 2011, a street in Batajnica, a suburb of Belgrade (Serbia), was named after Seraphim of Sarov; Previously, the street named after the saint was called “Partisan Bases”.
- In August 2011, a monument to the Holy Father the Wonderworker was consecrated in Yekaterinburg.
- The visit of Patriarch Kirill to Diveevo, planned for the celebrations of the 110th anniversary of the canonization of the saint, for which a reserve residence had been prepared, did not take place.
- One of the boats of the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Navy bears the name “Seraphim of Sarov”.
Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, a great ascetic of the Russian Church, was born on July 19, 1754. The saint's parents, Isidore and Agafia Moshnin, were residents of Kursk. Isidore was a merchant and took out contracts for the construction of buildings, and at the end of his life he began the construction of a cathedral in Kursk, but died before the completion of the work. The youngest son Prokhor remained in the care of his mother, who raised a deep faith in her son.
After the death of her husband, Agafia Moshnina, who continued the construction of the cathedral, once took Prokhor with her there, who, having stumbled, fell from the bell tower. The Lord saved the life of the future lamp of the Church: the frightened mother, going downstairs, found her son unharmed.
Young Prokhor, having an excellent memory, soon learned to read and write. Since childhood, he loved to attend church services and read the Holy Scriptures and Lives of Saints to his peers, but most of all he loved to pray or read Holy Gospel in solitude.
One day Prokhor became seriously ill and his life was in danger. In a dream, the boy saw the Mother of God, who promised to visit and heal him. Soon a religious procession with the icon of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos passed through the courtyard of the Moshnin estate; his mother carried Prokhor out in her arms, and he venerated the holy icon, after which he began to quickly recover.
Even in his youth, Prokhor made the decision to completely devote his life to God and enter a monastery. The pious mother did not interfere with this and blessed him on the monastic path with a crucifix, which the monk wore on his chest all his life. Prokhor and the pilgrims set off on foot from Kursk to Kyiv to worship the Pechersk saints.
The schemamonk elder Dosifei, whom Prokhor visited, blessed him to go to the Sarov hermitage and save himself there. Returning briefly to parents' house, Prokhor said goodbye to his mother and family forever. On November 20, 1778, he came to Sarov, where the wise old man, Father Pachomius, was then rector. He kindly received the young man and appointed Elder Joseph as his confessor. Under his leadership, Prokhor underwent many obediences in the monastery: he was the elder’s cell attendant, worked in the bakery, prosphora and carpentry shop, carried out the duties of a sexton, and performed everything with zeal and zeal, serving as if the Lord Himself. By constant work he protected himself from boredom - this, as he later said, “the most dangerous temptation for new monks, which is cured by prayer, abstinence from idle talk, feasible handicraft, reading the Word of God and patience, because it is born from cowardice, carelessness and idle talk.” .
Already in these years, Prokhor, following the example of other monks who retired into the forest to pray, asked the elder for the blessing to also go into the forest in his free time, where all alone said the Jesus Prayer. Two years later, novice Prokhor fell ill with dropsy, his body became swollen, and he experienced severe suffering. The mentor, Father Joseph, and other elders who loved Prokhor looked after him. The illness lasted about three years, and not once did anyone hear a word of grumbling from him. The elders, fearing for the life of the patient, wanted to call a doctor to him, but Prokhor asked not to do this, telling Father Pachomius: “I have given myself, Holy Father, to the True Physician of souls and bodies - our Lord Jesus Christ and His Most Pure Mother...” , and wished to be communed with the Holy Mysteries. Then Prokhor had a vision: the Mother of God appeared in an indescribable light, accompanied by the holy apostles Peter and John the Theologian. Pointing her hand at the sick man, the Most Holy Virgin said to John: “This one is from our generation.” Then she touched the patient’s side with the staff, and immediately the liquid that filled the body began to flow out through the hole formed, and he quickly recovered. Soon, on the site of the appearance of the Mother of God, a hospital church was built, one of the chapels of which was consecrated in the name of the Monks Zosima and Savvaty of Solovetsky. The Monk Seraphim built the altar for the chapel with his own hands from cypress wood and always partook of the Holy Mysteries in this church.
After spending eight years as a novice in the Sarov monastery, Prokhor took monastic vows with the name Seraphim, which so well expressed his fiery love for the Lord and desire to serve Him zealously. A year later, Seraphim was ordained to the rank of hierodeacon. Burning in spirit, he served in the temple every day, constantly praying even after the service. The Lord vouchsafed the monk visions of grace during church services: he repeatedly saw holy Angels serving with the brethren. The monk was granted a special vision of grace during Divine Liturgy on Maundy Thursday, which was celebrated by the rector, Father Pachomius, and Elder Joseph. When, after the troparions, the monk said, “Lord, save the pious,” and, standing at the royal doors, pointed his orar at those praying with the exclamation, “and forever and ever,” suddenly a bright ray overshadowed him. Raising his eyes, the Monk Seraphim saw the Lord Jesus Christ walking through the air from the western doors of the temple, surrounded by the Heavenly Ethereal Forces. Having reached the pulpit. The Lord blessed all those praying and entered the local image to the right of the royal doors. The Monk Seraphim, looking in spiritual delight at the wondrous phenomenon, could not utter a word or leave his place. He was led arm in arm into the altar, where he stood for another three hours, his face changing from the great grace that illuminated him. After the vision, the monk intensified his exploits: during the day he worked in the monastery, and spent his nights in prayer in a deserted forest cell. 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 abbot, Father Pachomius, the Monk Seraphim, having his dying blessing for a new feat - living in the desert, also took the blessing from the new abbot - Father Isaiah - and went to a desert cell a few kilometers from the monastery, in a dense forest. Here he began to indulge in solitary prayers, coming to the monastery only on Saturday, before the all-night vigil, and returning to his cell after the liturgy, during which he received communion of the Holy Mysteries. The monk spent his life in severe exploits. Your own cell prayer rule he performed according to the rules of the ancient desert monasteries; never parted with the Holy Gospel, reading the entire New Testament, also read patristic and liturgical books. The Reverend learned a lot by heart church hymns and sang them during the hours of work in the forest. Near the cell he planted a vegetable garden and built a beekeeper. Earning food for himself, the monk kept a very strict fast, eating once a day, and on Wednesday and Friday he completely abstained from food. In the first week of Holy Pentecost, he did not take food until Saturday, when he received Holy Communion.
The holy elder, in solitude, was sometimes so immersed in inner heartfelt prayer that he remained motionless for a long time, neither hearing nor seeing anything around him. The hermits who visited him from time to time - schemamonk Mark the Silent and hierodeacon Alexander, having caught the saint in such prayer, quietly withdrew with reverence, so as not to disturb his contemplation.
In the summer heat, the monk collected moss from the swamp to fertilize the garden; mosquitoes mercilessly stung him, but he complacently endured this suffering, saying: “Pasions are destroyed by suffering and sorrow, either voluntary or sent by Providence.” For about three years the monk ate only one herb, snitis, which grew around his cell. In addition to the brethren, lay 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 blocked women’s access to him, and then everyone else, having received a sign that the Lord approved of his idea of complete silence. Through the saint’s prayer, the road to his deserted cell was blocked by huge branches of centuries-old pine trees. Now only birds, which flocked in large numbers to the saint, and wild animals visited him. The monk fed the bear bread from his hands when bread was brought to him from the monastery.
Seeing the exploits of the Monk Seraphim, the enemy of the human race armed himself against him and, wanting to force the saint to leave silence, decided to frighten him, but the saint protected himself with prayer and strength Life-giving Cross. The devil brought upon the saint" mental abuse" - a persistent, long-lasting temptation. To repel the onslaught of the enemy, the Monk Seraphim intensified his labors by taking upon himself the feat of stylite life. Every night he climbed a huge stone in the forest and prayed with raised hands, crying out: “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” During the day he He prayed in his cell, also on a stone that he brought from the forest, leaving it only for a short rest and strengthening his body with meager food. So the monk prayed for 1000 days and nights. The devil, disgraced by the monk, decided to kill him and sent robbers. working in the garden, the robbers began to demand money from him. At that time the saint had an ax in his hands, he was physically strong and could have defended himself, but he did not want to do this, remembering the words of the Lord: “Those who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26). , 52). The saint, lowering the ax to the ground, said: "Do what you need." money. Having destroyed everything in the cell and finding nothing in it except an icon and a few potatoes, they were ashamed of their crime and left. The monk, having regained consciousness, crawled to his cell and, suffering severely, lay there all night. The next morning, with great difficulty, he reached the monastery. The brethren were horrified when they saw the wounded ascetic. The monk lay there for eight days, suffering from his wounds; Doctors were called to him, surprised that Seraphim remained alive after such beatings. But the saint did not receive healing from doctors: the Queen of Heaven appeared to him in a subtle dream with the apostles Peter and John. Touching the head of the monk, the Most Holy Virgin granted him healing. After this incident, the Monk Seraphim had to spend about five months in the monastery, and then he again went to a desert cell. Remaining bent forever, the monk walked, leaning on a staff or an axe, but he forgave his offenders and asked them not to punish them. After the death of the rector, Father Isaiah, who had been his friend since the saint’s youth, he took upon himself the feat of silence, completely renouncing all worldly thoughts for the purest stand before God in unceasing prayer. If the saint met a person in the forest, he fell on his face and did not get up until the passerby moved away. The elder spent about three years in such silence, stopping even visiting the monastery in Sundays . The fruit of silence was for St. Seraphim the acquisition of peace of soul and joy in the Holy Spirit. The great ascetic subsequently spoke to one of the monks of the monastery: “...my joy, I pray to you, acquire a peaceful spirit, and then thousands of souls will be saved around you.” The new abbot, Father Nifont, and the elder brethren of the monastery suggested that Father Seraphim either continue to come to the monastery on Sundays to participate in divine services and receive communion at the monastery of the Holy Mysteries, or return to the monastery. The monk chose the latter, since it became difficult for him to walk from the desert to the monastery. In the spring of 1810, he returned to the monastery after 15 years in the desert. Without breaking his silence, he added seclusion to this feat and, without going anywhere or receiving anyone, he was constantly in prayer and contemplation of God. While in retreat, the Monk Seraphim acquired high spiritual purity and was granted special grace-filled gifts from God - clairvoyance and miracle-working. Then the Lord appointed His chosen one to serve people in the highest monastic feat - eldership. On November 25, 1825, the Mother of God, together with the two saints celebrated on this day, appeared in a dream vision to the elder and commanded him to come out of seclusion and receive weak human souls that required instruction, consolation, guidance and healing. 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.” The elder began to visit his desert cell and the spring called Bogoslovsky, near which they built a small cell for him. When leaving his cell, the elder always carried a knapsack with stones over his shoulders. When asked why he was doing this, the saint humbly answered: “I torment him who torments me.” In the last period of his earthly life, the Monk Seraphim took special care of his beloved, brainchild - the Diveyevo women's monastery. While still in the rank of hierodeacon, he accompanied the late rector Father Pachomius to the Diveyevo community to see the abbess nun Alexandra, a great ascetic, and then Father Pachomius blessed the monk to always take care of the “Diveyevo orphans.” He was a true father for the sisters, who turned to him in all their spiritual and everyday difficulties. Disciples and spiritual friends helped the saint to care for the Diveyevo community - Mikhail Vasilyevich Manturov, who was healed by the monk from a serious illness and, on the advice of the elder, took upon himself the feat of voluntary poverty; Elena Vasilievna Manturova, one of the Diveevsky sisters, who voluntarily agreed to die out of obedience to the elder for her brother, who was still needed in this life; Nikolai Alexandrovich Motovilov, also healed by the monk. N. A. Motovilov recorded the wonderful teaching of St. Seraphim about the purpose of Christian life. In the last years of the life of the Monk Seraphim, one healed by him saw him standing in the air while praying. The saint strictly forbade talking about this before his death.
Everyone knew and revered St. Seraphim as a great ascetic and wonderworker. A year and ten months before his death, on the Feast of the Annunciation, the Monk Seraphim was once again honored with the appearance of the Queen of Heaven, accompanied by the Baptist of the Lord John, the Apostle John the Theologian and twelve virgins, holy martyrs and saints. The Most Holy Virgin talked for a long time with the monk, instructing him Diveyevo sisters. Having finished the conversation, She told him: “Soon, My beloved, you will be with us.” At this appearance, during the wondrous visit of the Mother of God, one Diveyevo old woman was present, through the prayer of the monk for her.
IN Last year During 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 monk himself indicated the place where he should be buried - near the altar of the Assumption Cathedral. On January 1, 1833, the Monk Seraphim came for the last time to the hospital Zosimo-Savvatievskaya Church for the liturgy and took communion of the Holy Mysteries, after which he blessed the brethren and said goodbye, saying: “Save yourself, do not lose heart, stay awake, today our crowns are being prepared.” On January 2, the monk’s cell attendant, Father Pavel, left his cell at six o’clock in the morning, heading to church, and smelled a burning smell coming from the monk’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 monk himself was kneeling before the icon of the Mother of God in a position of prayer, 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 was all his life.
The Monk Seraphim of Sarov, a miracle worker who bore the name Prokhor before his tonsure, was born on July 19, 1759, into a pious merchant family from the city of Kursk. Already from childhood, his life was marked by signs of God's mercy. Even as a child, he carelessly fell from the bell tower of the temple, but remained unharmed. Then, as a youth, he became seriously ill, but the Mother of God promised his mother in a vision that he would be healed, and when he was placed at the Kursk Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign, he quickly recovered.
Mother blesses Prokhor to the monastery
At the age of seventeen, the young man finally decided to leave the world, and his mother blessed him with a simple copper cross, which he did not part with until the end of his life. For two years he labored in the Sarov Assumption Hermitage, known for the strict implementation of the monastic rule, and then on August 18, 1786 he took monastic vows with the name Seraphim, which means “fiery.” Almost immediately he was elevated to the rank of hierodeacon, and then hieromonk.
After this, the monk took upon himself the feat of living in the desert, cutting down his cell on the Sarovka River. Experiencing temptations from the devil, Saint Seraphim intensified his feat and prayed on a stone for a thousand days and nights with raised hands: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Then the devil, powerless to spiritually overthrow the ascetic, persuaded the robbers to attack him and inflict mortal wounds on him with an ax. But even after that he was healed Mother of God, and kindly forgave the caught robbers.
Upon recovery, the monk took upon himself the feat of silence for three years. For his exploits, the monk was awarded the gifts of clairvoyance and miracles, and after a long retreat he began to accept everyone who came to him for advice and consolation. The monk accompanied his instructions with healings, prophecies and miracles. The main gift that he received for his boundless love for God is an all-encompassing love for his neighbors. “Christ is risen, my joy!” - with these words the God-bearing elder greeted everyone who came to him.
Artist Pavel Ryzhenko
Their simple words St. Seraphim based his edifications on Holy Scripture and the works of the holy fathers. I especially honored Seraphim of Sarov holy champions and zealots of Orthodoxy, and he called on everyone who came to maintain unshakable faith in God. The monk lovingly convinced many schismatics to abandon their delusions. In 1833, the Monk Seraphim of Sarov went to the Lord in peace and was found already lifeless on his knees in prayer before the icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness,” in front of which he prayed all his life. But even after his death, many miracles were performed at the saint’s grave, which were carefully collected by their witnesses, and in 1903 the saint was canonized.
The knowledge that any trials come to us from God, tireless feat and inexplicable, all-encompassing love for every person made the monk a great ascetic, whose name shone throughout the whole country. Today the relics of the saint are still an endless stream Believers flock in and, through the prayers of the saint, receive help from God.
August 1, new style Orthodox Church celebrates the discovery of the incorruptible relics of the saint Seraphim of Sarov, which occurred in 1903, 70 years after his death. On January 15 we celebrate the repose of St. Seraphim of Sarov. On the same day, in 1991 - after the Soviet era - the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov were miraculously rediscovered. These days, in churches and monasteries throughout Russia, festive service, and men bearing the name of the monk celebrate their name days.
Articles and memories about St. Seraphim of Sarov
- . Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov) about St. Seraphim of Sarov.
- . Article by Alexey Ilyich Osipov, professor at the Moscow Theological Academy.
- Detailed life of Saint Seraphim.
- , known to every Orthodox person since childhood.
- . Writes N. Aksakova.
- . Description of the Holy Trinity Seraphim-Diveevo Convent.
- . Sermon on St. Seraphim by St. John of Shanghai (Maximovich), delivered in 1928.
- the famous elder and our contemporary, Archimandrite John (Krestyankin).
Cancer
