Letters to the abbot of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony. 1831-1867 Part 1. 1831-1841 Letters to the abbot of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony. 1831-1867 Part 2. 1842-1849 Letters to the abbot of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony. 1831-1867 Part 3. 1850-1856 Letters to the abbot of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony. 1831-1867 Part 4. 1857-1867 Basil the Great on spiritual perfection

This edition includes the first part of the correspondence of St. Philaret of Moscow (Drozdov) with Archimandrite Anthony, abbot of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, covering the period from 1831 to 1841 (308 letters in total). The letters were preserved by the addressee as a spiritual treasure and published by his decision for public access, representing valuable historical and church material. The letters reveal the deep ascetic and pastoral wisdom of St. Philaret, his attention to monastic life, the spiritual growth of the brethren and personal achievement. The correspondence reflects the touching friendship and trust between the saint and Archimandrite Anthony, including moments of spiritual support, discussions of health, and even humorous instructions. Thematically, the letters cover several key areas: 1. Spiritual guidance. Saint Philaret appears in the letters not just as an administrator, but as a spiritual father who cares about the internal state of the monks, about the preservation of the monastic rules, about the reverence and prayerful spirit of the monastery. He constantly reminds us of the need for humility, obedience, work and prayer, and points out spiritual dangers, including despondency, pride, and worldly vanity. 2. Economic and organizational structure of the Lavra. The saint's attention to everyday and economic issues is striking in its detail. He discusses the renovation of buildings, the construction of churches, the construction of a refectory, a hospital, a sacristy, a hotel, and takes care of water supply, heating, food supply, and the condition of roads. 3. Caring for people. The theme of mercy and help is constantly heard in the letters: the saint gives orders to give money to the poor, to feed the hungry, and to provide shelter for strangers and travelers. He is attentive to the fates of individual monks, novices, ministers, the sick, elders, and wanderers. 4. Relations with authorities and society. The letters demonstrate how closely monastic life was intertwined with civil life: issues of land disputes, construction, visits by high-ranking persons, relationships with governors, with the Holy Synod, with the academy. Saint Philaret constantly coordinates his actions with the law, with church order, but at the same time strives to preserve the freedom of spiritual life and the independence of the monastery. The personal, heartfelt participation of the saint gives the letters special value. He shares his own illnesses, fatigue, weakness, asks for prayers, thanks for his care, confesses his love and friendship for the governor, with whom he is connected not only by his position, but also by deep spiritual communication. His words are full of warmth, humility and sincerity. The letters serve as a unique source for studying the personality of St. Philaret, his management style, theological views and spiritual experience. They demonstrate a combination of rigor and fatherly love, deep faith and practical wisdom, which makes them not only a historical document, but also edifying reading for modern Christians. Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3 • Part 4 Letter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 288 289 290 291 292 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 305 306 307 308 In 1831, the abbot of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Athanasius, died, and at the same time, Metropolitan of Moscow Philaret invited the builder of the Arzamas Highland Hermitage, Fr. Hieromonk Anthony. On March 13 of the same year, he was promoted to the rank of archimandrite and appointed rector of the Spasovifan Monastery and vicar of the Lavra. From then on, a long series of letters began to the governor, who carefully preserved them as a precious memory of his spiritual leader, mentor and friend, without communicating them to anyone except those closest to him. Finally, at their persistent requests and realizing that these letters constituted in many respects very important historical material, which it would not be impeccable to remove from public knowledge, he decided to publish them, entrusting the publication to the persons he had chosen for this purpose. All letters currently published number up to 1700. Some of them cover more than 35 pages. and ends with the life of the ruler; the last letter was written on November 12, 1867, 7 days before his blessed death. If the deeds and creations of famous people generally serve as sources for their biographies, then their private letters, written without preparation, without any preconceived thought, without provision for general publicity, under the influence of the moment and pressing circumstances, without a doubt, should be recognized as the most precious material for characterizing both the writers themselves and their time. These are the letters currently published. In them, the late Bishop is, first of all, a man of spiritual activity, a contemplator of the mysteries of God in the manifestations of the spiritual world, acceptable to him with the humble faith of the ancient saints. fathers, who were so often rewarded with the direct manifestation of God's grace. A faithful follower of their examples, he closely follows the monastic exploits of the brethren subordinate to him, shows them the direct paths to spiritual success, rejoices at successes and deeply grieves when they sometimes deviate from monastic vows. Always strict with himself, he also demands from his subordinates the unwavering fulfillment of their duties; but the severity of the authorities’ punishments is softened by fatherly love and tries to heal sinful ulcers rather than punish the sinner. With all that, the ability to completely forgive what Fr. wrote to him about. Viceroy 1, he considers it not accessible to everyone and recognizes it as a special gift, which must be used with caution so that leniency does not turn into indulgence. “The gift of forgiveness is higher than the gift of correcting with punishment,” he says (I, 28), but “he who takes up the work of his own measure succeeds.” In another place, speaking about one brother who suffered from conceit, the Metropolitan offers him the following recipe: “Take quite harsh self-reproof, put it in a fairly deep mortar of humility and pound it quite with the pestle of patience; Take this powder every time lofty thoughts begin to enter your head” (I, 26). The main subject of the published letters, as written from the abbot to his viceroy, is, of course, the Lavra itself; but regardless of this, other, modern circumstances attract the author’s attention. In addition to spiritual leadership, the bishop is a caring master in them, vigilantly caring for both the needs of the brethren and the external improvement of the monastery, and does not ignore its slightest needs. Giving complete justice to the merits of his correspondent, he invests him entirely with his power of attorney; and although he demands reports on everything that is happening in the monastery and in any case expresses his thoughts, he does not make them absolutely obligatory for the governor, leaving quite a lot of room for the latter’s opinion. For his part and Fr. the viceroy asks for the blessing of the metropolitan for all his undertakings. And there were quite a few beginnings. It is known that in addition to the external and material structure of the Lavra itself, which was located before Fr. Archimandrite Anthony in an extremely unsatisfactory situation, with a dilapidated fence and towers, he built and put in order all the charitable and educational institutions of the Lavra, built hotels to shelter pilgrims, paved the main streets of the settlement and the entire road to Bethany, founded and brought into splendor the Gethsemane monastery, with its monasteries, and much more etc. The late Bishop could not help but appreciate such activity. The wider it develops, the closer the Metropolitan peers into the character and actions of his correspondent, the more intimate their mutual relationship becomes. “You have long been in favor of a friend in my heart,” he writes to the governor, but when God’s Providence arranged that you have also received your father in the sacrament 2, then it remains for your soul to decide to what extent it wants not to be alienated from my humiliated soul” (I, 116, paragraph 87). Time strengthens this friendship, and we see in these letters all its tenderness, especially in the event of the viceroy’s ill health. So in August 1832 advising him to go to Moscow in order to get medical advice, the Metropolitan adds: “Please do not forget that no less than Lavra affairs I entrust to your care - your health” (I, 46, paragraph 35). One cannot read without feeling the following lines written to the governor on November 18, 1835 in response to the idea expressed by him that he, i.e. O. Anthony doesn’t have long to live in the world: “Thank you for sending me the thought of death: he was a good guest. But why do you want to say that you don’t have much time? This word resonated so sadly in my heart as I did not expect. If I had the boldness, I would ask the Lord to die in your arms; at the very least, I ask Him that through prayer you will lead me on a path that requires good guidance in the absence of deeds that would reliably follow me” (I, 184, paragraph 124). It happened that Fr. the governor, under the influence of a love of desert and a desire for solitude, expressed a desire to lay aside the concerns of administration and retire from the Lavra. Such a desire greatly upset the Metropolitan and he used all the power of persuasion to deviate him from such an intention. So in letter 226 he writes to him: “My soul finds good in communication with you. Remember that you asked for my friendship, while I already had it for you, and accepted your request as a pledge and promise on your part of sincere communication with me. With your sudden intention now to leave me and deprive me of your help, I cannot grumble, and I respect your intention and recognize my unworthiness; but I can’t help but feel deep sadness.” Another time, in 1862, he even more strongly expresses the value that he attached to the service of Fr. vicar at the monastery of St. Sergius. This year, regarding what was said by Fr. The governor suggested asking for dismissal from service, the bishop wrote to him in response: “in your letter there is a stronger reason for me to also ask for dismissal from service. It will be necessary to send both petitions together to the S. Synod. But if they fire me; I don't want you to be fired. Say that you are 70 years old: I am more than that” (item dated April 22, 1862). Public opinion about the Metropolitan, formed solely on the basis of his extraordinary mind and his theological and oratorical works, of course, did not even suspect that a heart capable of such tender friendship was beating in his chest! Meanwhile, this heart beat with love not only for his chosen friend, but for humanity in general, and most of all for Russia. The reader will see how much concern, how much care the Bishop devoted to healing all kinds of sorrows. If any misfortune befalls anyone, the bishop hurries to him with a word of consolation, imbued with warm faith and humble submission to the will of God, and tries, helping in grief, to draw a lesson from its very source to direct the mourner to the path of repentance and moral correction. Whether anyone needs financial assistance, they will not be denied benefits. Letters ordering the issuance of benefits from his own sums to the servants of the Lavra, the poor and needy of all ranks are found very often, especially on major church holidays. During the severe crop failure that befell the grain-producing provinces, when the price of rye even in the black earth provinces (1839–1840) reached 30 rubles. for a quarter, the metropolitan tries with economic orders to provide not only for the monastery entrusted to him, but also for the townspeople and surrounding residents in general, selling them bread at a reduced price. He places the work of charity above concern for the decoration and splendor of the sacred service. Thus, returning a sample of fabric for church vestments, sent to him for display by the vicar, he writes (I, 339, paragraph 223): “The piece returned is good for vestments; but now I don’t want to think about it. If God blesses the coming summer and gives his people enough bread to eat and makes their hearts happy, then we will be comforted with them, and then it will be possible to think about a new vestment.” With such a disposition, the metropolitan's love of hospitability and general hospitality are natural. And indeed we see from his letters his thoughtfulness in both respects. In 1840, our famous missionary Veniaminov, then still an archpriest, visited the Lavra; The Metropolitan writes: “Receive him brotherly. He is a good servant of God. If he wants, let him stay in the monastery and attend the fraternal meal, for he wants to stay there for several days.” This archpriest visited the Lavra again in 1841, already in the rank of Bishop of Kamchatka-Aleutian. The Metropolitan hurries to help him and writes to the governor: “He is authorized to take with him the people he needs... let us not be stingy, and do not stop in correspondence with me.” Is it necessary to explain that the former Bishop of Kamchatka now occupies the see of the late Metropolitan of Moscow? We have presented here in excerpt some features that can serve to characterize the deceased ruler. They are scattered in abundance in these letters, and the reader, in whose mind a majestic image of him is formed, reveres his memory, marveling at the depth of thoughts and the power of the metropolitan’s expressions, many of which can rightly be recognized as apothegms. These letters breathe touching, truly childlike faith and deep humility, the sincerity of which guarantees both the moral character of the Metropolitan and the fact that he talks in them not only with his viceroy, who knows him closely, but also with his spiritual father, to whom the secrets of his soul are revealed. A deep, analytical mind, a strict attitude towards oneself, the desire to be aware of everything that has anything to do with it, and genuine, truly Christian humility, with a clearly expressed ascetic tinge - these are the features that dominate in the letters now published! Following the now published first part of Metropolitan Philaret’s letters, the second and third parts will be published. The letters will be published in the same chronological order as we followed when publishing the first part. Finally, at the end of Part 3, there will be appended notes necessary to explain some of the letters, and an alphabetical index of the persons whose names are mentioned in this correspondence, except those who, due to the circumstances of the time, are indicated only by initials. Rev. Fr. builder! The thought that I had yesterday, but did not have time to say, today, having preceded me, another person told me, and this sudden agreement became evidence that it did not come in vain. This thought is the hope that, with God’s help, you can serve God and St. Sergius well in his monastery, where the position of vicar was abolished by the peaceful repose of our brother and co-servant, Archimandrite Athanasius, in good memory. Having called upon God and seeking His will, and not mine, I invite you to this service. May it be a good incentive for you to accept this title that this is not your will, and that I call you as a novice of St. Sergius, who through me will be a good witness before God for you and a representative for you about your obedience to him. I call upon the Lord to bless you and hasten this undertaking. Note. Received on March 2, 1831 in the Arzamas High Mountain Desert, I was its builder. On March 4, he received dismissal from the diocesan superior from the position of a builder to move to the Moscow diocese. On the 5th and 6th he handed over the monastery to the treasurer and on the 7th, after communion with all the brethren of the monastery of the Holy Mysteries, saying goodbye to all the brethren - that was the Saturday of the first week of Lent - he went to the city of Arzamas to say goodbye to all his acquaintances. With love God helped me to live with the brotherhood of the high Mountain; We said goodbye with sincere love and tears. On Tuesday, March 10th, I arrived in Moscow and stayed at the Simonov Monastery; on the same day he appeared to His Eminence Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow. With the blessing of the Bishop, they took the oath in the house church (Economist Hierom Anastasius) to serve as the vicar of the Lavra and attended the cathedral established by it. On March 15, I was ordained to the rank of Archimandrite of Bethany, on Sunday. He received a blessing from Moscow to go to the Lavra on Wednesday, March 18th, and arrived at the Lavra on March 19th, on Thursday, during the hours, and was received in peace by the brethren of the Lavra. A.A. I note, oh. Governor, that your entry into the Lavra is in peace. May the Lord confirm this by His grace. Tell about. to the treasurer, so that whatever money he has that belongs to me, on the 1st day of January of this year, he sends it to me, with a note about it, through the nearest post office. Illness prevented me from writing to you, Fr. governor, and now still does not allow him to do much. There were difficult days in which I thought that it would be nice to have you at that time, but I decided on treatment only just before it began, and it was inconvenient to demand you. Now I’ll look at your two letters and say that I know and can. I thank you for your concern for the deanery in the church and at meals. How to establish a special common table in a hospital, write in more detail: should you take food from the common kitchen there, or cook there? You need to take a good look at the meal. A lot of money is given: how much of it satisfies the brethren as should be expected? Previously, the meal was organized by the treasurer: they complained. Entrusted to the chosen ones from the brethren; but even these did not take up the matter as they should, and the brethren do not look after them as they should, nor did the council. I was not happy with this part; but I can’t sit in the kitchen myself. There were readings of teachings at the liturgy, except for days of long service. On Sundays and holidays, he read the teaching from the synod, or others, according to his election, the leader in the ministry. It is also suitable for those who are not serving to read the sacrament during the sacrament, from the same teachings or from the daily ones, especially on weekdays. I thought that this already exists. I agree to make vestments from the materials and coverings in the sacristy. In this case, it is necessary to maintain such an order that either for a private service, make a surplice and robes from the same material (of course, if there is more material than one vestment), or for a cathedral service, two robes of the same, or several surplices of the same; for in cathedral vestments it is necessary to uniformize priests with priests and deacons with deacons. It's time to make a festive difference in the laurel; but I kept distracting myself from this with other things. I don’t like the expensive brocade of today, but it’s hemp, heavy and fragile. There is crimson velvet in the Lavra: shouldn’t we buy and embroider the mantles in gold, so as to make 12 vestments and the same number of surplices? I move on to another letter. What greatness are you talking about between monks? Let the pain in you be your servant. Where do we put this word? I accept your personal frankness, which I would not dare to demand in such excess, as a matter of your free reasoning, with the same respect and fear of God as one should accept the mystery of the Christian soul, which is God’s. I pray to God that He, not because of my ability or dignity, which I do not recognize in myself, but as a reward for your sincerity, will turn this sincerity into the true benefit of your soul, either through my sometimes, albeit unworthy service, or through their own destinies. For L., I think it would not be a sin to blame the treasurer for why they presented someone who had not been approved for tonsure. The mentor is not ripe for the position of confessor: he still needs to be taught. Apparently, we still need to take time to think about taking up this position. For rudeness against an elder, you can either be deprived of the table or made to bow. However, in details of this kind, do not bind yourself to my decisions, so that you will be more free to act according to your judgment and as circumstances require. P. brought out, I know that he is a good person: but why act willfully, and moreover, after another was recently punished for self-will? If the treasurer led him astray with a stupid answer, he should have confessed and not left his brother in the guilt that he brought upon him. But this was not done, and therefore the decision, it seems to me, is in agreement with the case. Prove to me the opposite: I will change. However, I translated P. with a special thought - for the needs of the Luzhetsky Monastery. Time will tell if it needs to be returned. Present about books from the Council. I'm surprised they aren't there. What news, what about. Did P. present the essay to the Prince of Orange? This prince was with me in the monastery: how could I not find out this? Yes, and the essay about. P. was created by him, it seems, after that. Is it the Prince of Prussia? - How bad this is! O.P. showed me his creation: I said that, in my opinion, he did not undertake his skill. And he thinks that I did it out of envy of his excellent talent. I don’t want to upset the elder, but this trick is worth it to get him out of the monastery, where he is a burden in many respects. It will probably be more expensive to build a building in Bethany in a new location, since the old material will no longer be available. I'm not sure if the place is convenient. However, consult, and if this idea is decidedly better than the previous one, present it immediately. I wanted to fill in the pond, but again they begged me to leave it. I agree to go to sleep, draining the water first so that it doesn’t go into the church foundation. There was a similar mistake in the Lavra. A mistake was made in the church gallery: they promised me vaults, but they made ceilings. The connections can be left open: but if they are already closed, why break them? I agree to replace the Korbukha wall with a ditch and rampart; but the shaft should be not on the outside, but on the inside, as it seems to me. So as not to dig through the tower, but to gravel and fill it, I agree. Think about the repairs at the refectory church and present it in detail. It is not a bad idea to draft instructions for the sacristan and present them. Regarding the use of money to maintain the sacristy, what prevents the Cathedral from being represented? And if you assign a round sum per year, it will be spent, without being sure how it is spent. It’s true that a ribbon is better than a tinsel one. Taking money from those sent to the guardhouse for the disabled is a private order, not approved by me. You can correct it as needed: however, why would disabled people follow someone who does not know how to take care of their health? It is fair for them to receive some reward from him, and for him to serve this loss as an incentive to improve. It is not bad to record and punish non-existence in the church; but think about this measure more maturely, before execution. It’s not bad to beware of notes and deductions, but it’s better to be afraid of words and conscience. That fear is slavish, but this is free; This one is further from love, and this one is closer to it. Now we can say to you and the brethren: Christ is risen! The joy of the Lord is with you all. For the holiday, give 2 rubles from the Lavra's unpaid sum to ministers and disabled people who actually serve in the Lavra, and a ruble to the poor. Enough for the patient. Be at peace in the Lord and pray for me. Forgive me, oh. Viceroy, that he did not write to you for a long time and did not answer your words of greetings to you and the brethren. Thank you and them. But I still have little strength, but I have a lot to do, and the usual help in the vicarage has been taken away 3. Therefore I am forced to postpone other things. Now I will answer your letters. When you left for priestly service in Khotkov, it was better for the treasurer, as the eldest of you and the most experienced in the monastery, to stay at home. I don’t think the candidates you are presenting for the treasury position are satisfactory. It is necessary that the treasurer, correcting his work correctly, should be able to look at and provide for all parts of the Lavra’s economy and provide you with help and relief in this regard. The economy of the local farmstead has a capacity for economic considerations; but there is a lightness that has not settled down. It seems to me that more than your candidates can succeed, under the leadership of Chudov’s economist, who can be transferred: but would you like to find out about him and tell me your thoughts? Or don’t you see a person somewhere else who could be accepted and used? Time endures; You need to take a better look around so you don’t get bored with an unsatisfactory choice. Think better and tell me. A rather decisive thought has not yet occurred to me. As for the fact that they scared you about the treasurer, then, you see, it was in vain. It is conducted according to rank, and is not crowded out. But I did not and will not hide the fact that he did not seem satisfactory to me in his position. You want me to complement everyone's shortcomings. You rely and rely on me too much. I need people for advice and help, especially behind my eyes. Disorders at the fraternal meal have long bothered and saddened me; but it was inconvenient to act strongly against them with orders and regulations when there was no example against them. Take care of this. I’m thinking of giving instructions about this, but I need to take the trouble and maybe I’ll do this after talking with you. I need to see you and it wouldn’t be bad to go to the Lavra; but I don’t know yet what will be possible. My illness does not willingly leave me. Moving the kitchen up raises a lot of confusion for me. If the new one lacks neatness, there will be more ugliness and harm than the old one. D.'s treatment is correct. Just so as not to have too much fun with such treatments, those susceptible to the return of this disease must be gradually eliminated from the monastery completely. So that you know everything on time, tell everyone that everything you need to know is told to you immediately, without stopping to write to the Council. Again I haven’t written to you for a long time, oh. viceroy Don't be angry. I still haven’t gathered enough strength. If you wrote to Sarov, then you need to wait for a response. But I too am afraid of a person who is already seen to be unpeaceful towards his boss. Although the reason for this may sometimes be in the boss, the sons of peace even with an unpeaceful boss know how to maintain their peace with patience. Tell me again what you think about taking the treasury position. What color to paint the railings in the church, I don’t know how to decide, especially in absentia. Let the Archimandrite of Bethany decide. If they ask to take in a sick boy, I think they should not refuse when his previous stay in the monastery gives some hope for the future. The ways of God are unsearchable; The wisdom of God is manifold. If there is any hope of serving in any way to the relief of a bound soul, and the opportunity for this was not arbitrarily found by us, but given by the Providence of God, there is no need to push away such an opportunity. May the prayers of St. Sergius help you. Rev. Fr. Viceroy! This letter will be delivered to you by Count Sergius Pavlovich Potemkin, known to the Lavra and to me, who would like to be acquainted with you. According to the Potemkin family, he loves, between secular activities, monastic conversation. I wish your communication to be in peace and good. I was thinking about being with you; but there is little strength and the dedication of the vicar is ripe 4. Today I received your letter, less decisive than before, about your election to treasurer. A. is a kind and faithful person, but hardly suitable for this position. Time passes, but I don’t see the opportunity to be in the Lavra. That's why you need it, oh. Governor, come visit me. It’s good if you go on Tuesday so that you can be with me on Wednesday morning, because it seems to me that you need to be home again by Sunday. Entrust your position for this time to Fr. treasurer. God's peace to you, Fr. the governor, and the brethren. I will not allow a Lavra monk who is not established in his behavior to wander through other dioceses to the detriment of his soul and to the shame of the Lavra. Let him move, or be transferred, to another monastery in the local diocese and show correction: then good luck! Or is there not a single one out of so many monasteries in the Moscow diocese that would be worthy of Hierodeacon L.? What happened to T.? Illnesses of this kind must be treated no less mentally than physically. To the Bethany construction site, do me a favor, even if you use someone from the Lavra, but send me Parmen as soon as possible. There is also construction and other matters on Pererva, more than yours, which need to be tackled immediately. I thought about your construction project and would not have dared to tear myself away from it if there had not been a need. Call Arseny Afanasy. It served me well. Peace be with you, oh. Viceroy, and brethren in the Lord! You took good care of doubtful patients, took precautions and benefits, but did not make a fuss. That's what they do here now. It would be a pity if one case did not end as well as the others. It is necessary that you help the doctor more actively and that he listens more carefully to your opinion. It is better to save a life with someone else’s advice than to lose a patient with your own wisdom: you, it seems, have seen some experiences of this disease before, but Mr. Vysotsky, I think, have not seen it - this is a special reason to give you, and for him to accept advice. I don’t know your medical affairs: only, I confess, it seemed to me in the treatment of the late governor that Ivan Mikhailovich was suspicious and indecisive; if he has something in his character that happens in the natural character of people who know their business, then this is another reason to reinforce his determination with the advice of another. Should I now tell these thoughts of mine to Mr. Vysotsky? I leave it to your consideration. Only, for God’s sake, with His grace and the help of the prayers of the Reverend, take care to facilitate the end of temptation. The past few days I had a dream that I was talking to a boy in the Lavra about how he could live in the Lavra until he grew up and entered the brotherhood correctly. When I woke up, I remembered that it was necessary to talk about this in reality. Read the attached letters, which have remained idle for a long time, because their execution in our times is especially difficult, even from the side of the law. But didn’t Savva the Sanctified come to the monastery for eight years? And the church did not pronounce prohibitions on such cases. Tell me your thought. Tell the former treasurer to give my money to the new treasurer with a note. O. Viceroy! Make it possible for the head of the archaeographic expedition, from whom you receive this, to inspect the Lavra’s archives and antiquities, and for this purpose give him premises in the Lavra itself. If he wants to see manuscripts in the academic library, help him do that too. I wish that he stays with you in peace and pleasure. I want to come to you; but I don’t know yet whether it will be possible. And I want to come to you, oh. Viceroy, and I don’t hope so. However, in any case, it is not superfluous to preface you so that you spend less time waiting: especially if I arrive during a church service, so that no one leaves their place in the church. Don't be angry with me, oh. governor and the brethren, that I was not with you. I tried harder, but I couldn’t. Now you need to send here whoever needs to be initiated. The new treasurer must occupy the treasury cells, and the old one must be released from the Lavra to his monastery if his report for the past year has been verified by the Council and there is no need to demand any explanations from him. You didn’t tell me, or I forgot, that two old women pilgrims (they say from the Kolesovs’ house) died of cholera in your house. Pray for those in St. Petersburg. Cholera is very strong there. However, in the first days of this month, it seems that relief followed. Pavel and Benjamin are sick in our courtyard. Health and peace to you and brothers. If possible, oh. Governor, rid the Makhrinsky monastery of extraneous water in the way you propose - order this to be done. I agree to remove a row of bricks to make the roof slope near the meal. If two pilgrims died in a hotel, did you notify me about this in due time? I agree with your reasoning about minors asking to enter the monastery; but there are also other considerations that make me think more. Remind me of this if God tells me to be with you. God's peace to you and your brothers. Your doctor asks for more hay: give him more if he needs it. It's true, oh. Governor, that speaking through letters is not always as convenient as in person. However, that two old women died is as easy to write as it is to say in words. The fear that you will write poorly is worldly. I don’t need your letters for a good word. The fear of not writing too much or too little is often of the same kind. One must be careful not to write more than what the truth says, or less than that. This caution is not so difficult: it is only necessary. You didn't tell me about the dead so as not to bother me. But do you notice the consequences of your rule? You did not want to disturb me for an hour, or a day, depending on my patience or impatience. But what happened? When I know that they are hiding bad things from me so as not to bother me, then every minute I think: maybe there is something bad, but they are hiding them from me. So your rule, not to bother me for a while, deprives me of peace forever and condemns me to continuous fear. What else? “I argued with several people that no one in the settlement died of cholera, until finally one became stronger against me, named the Kolesov family and forced me to ask you. What has been done to these people? If they think that I am hiding the truth, or simply lying, then they are led into temptation. If they think that you are deceiving, and I am deceived, this is again a temptation. By this you can judge whether I deserve an apology for trying to get to the truth in this matter, and whether it is better for you to try not to bother me, or to try to tell the truth. And in my opinion, peace of mind for yourself and others can only be based on truth and truth. However, I am not angry, but present the matter as I see it. The age of imasha - tempt and retain what is good. I wish, oh. Governor, may you celebrate well in Bethany. And I was in Novospassky. I thought about being with you at the Assumption Cathedral, but that won’t happen either. After the coronation day, I will find time to go to you. Thank you for graciously accepting my words. May God guide us on the path of truth and peace. Be patient with L., if you can endure it without temptation. And when I’m at your place, remind me to talk about him. I remember that I granted burial in the monastery to two monks not out of respect for their contribution, but out of respect for the fact that, with good behavior, they bore obedience for the benefit of the monastery, but were not awarded the priesthood due to illiteracy, therefore I agreed to show them gratitude by satisfying their desire with a burial place. A monk’s contribution after death is not a great thing: a monk must immediately give what he has in excess to God or the poor. It is not suitable, O governor, to be a chapel in a hospital. The place is not visible. Moreover, the two designated chapels must be either together, or one against the other. Tell me to take a drawing, indicating the measure, of the floor under the bell tower where the church could be, and the one below, to see what the entrance could be like. Another thought: shouldn’t we make two chapels in the Assumption Cathedral as follows? Draw me a plan of the Assumption Cathedral, with measurements. If this had happened two years earlier, then when the porch of the Trinity Cathedral was reconstructed, two small chapels could have been built here. Or is it possible now? – In this case, the avenue that turns left at the Maximov Chapel should be turned more to the right so that it leads past the north-eastern corner to the entrance to the northern or western doors. The ranks of the chapels are assigned; St. Prophetess Anna and St. Equal to the Apostles Prince Vladimir 5. I have many objections to the project about my cells. I don’t like the dark closet, in which they used to lock treasures, but now they lock in the air, so that if it gets damaged there, it damages the air of the cells. But the proposed alteration is more labor than it is worth. In a deep room that communicates with the outside air through another room, there will always be stale air. From the firebox of the stove from the entryway the same effect; if stoves were not needed for heat, I would have them and heat them to purify the air, and for this you need to enter the room. The stove in the corner of the church is not suitable: the heat from it will prevent me from standing at the church door to listen to the service. No, this corner, where there is now a Chinese barn and a court bed, is suitable for sleeping, you just need to throw out this barn and this bed and make the room safe from windows, doors and from below. I have just received a letter from you and blessed bread. Thank you. And we celebrated in peace yesterday in our church. It was absolutely impossible to go to you, because tomorrow the ordination to the bishop’s office was scheduled 6 . There would be no time to turn around and rest. The peace of the Lord be with you and with your brethren in the Lord. G. architect Shestakov, who will present this to you, Fr. Viceroy, accept, provide him with a room and a table from the Lavra and help him take down the plans for the Assumption Cathedral and the floor under the bell tower where a church can be built. Then send him to Moscow the same way he came from Moscow. You see that this refers to the fulfillment of the will of the Empress Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna. I wrote to you about ways to fulfill this will. Let me know what you think about my assumptions. I don’t remember if I also wrote to you that, it seems to me, it is possible not to close the holes under the bell tower in the vaults, so that, in the event of a service, it can be heard below; and in order to arrange the entrance to the church and the lower vestibule more like a church, I would think of separating the entrance to the bell tower with a wall, and making the entrance to the church special on the eastern side. I'm waiting for what you have to say. Peace be with you, oh. the governor, and the brethren. I got to St. Petersburg with difficulty; got sick here from the road; I'm getting better now. It was in vain that the architect was given the book of plans: relying on it, he did not take the drawings from life, and the book is not always similar to nature, especially for the bell tower. Remind me about the image for the Grand Duchess later, when things really get going. I still have nothing from the architect. Accept the novice L...go. I don’t remember if there was any idea about him. In saving and using the Bethan forest and chopped firewood, use it as you find most useful. Bethany servants should be given money to build houses at the discretion of the present need. I.'s condition is periodic. Take care to calm him down. I used to tell him that it is necessary to treat the body with the soul. The highest procession towards you, or past you, can happen. May you be found like wise virgins. If a wooden chest upholstered with iron sheets is quite durable, then do it this way. The wooden interior is better for luggage. Reward Xenophon as he deserves, and so that he is pleased. A bathhouse in the south is a luxury, but in the north it is a necessity. Fix your bathhouse; and since it may be especially needed in winter, then do it now without any special idea. Just read this article from my letter to the Council. Life is given by the word of God, not man's. There's a belly in that one. Brotherly love may simply require a word of fellowship. I willingly accept such a demand from you, Fr. viceroy I already wrote to you before this. I listened to you and appointed Anatoly to the position of confessor, I admit, not being sure that he would be better than Macarius. Macarius will say something kind simply; Anatoly will say, maybe it’s better when he learns. But it’s closer to you to know what I can think about only by guesswork. There is no need to give in to the whims of the academy: otherwise these guests will oust the hosts. I gave a resolution about the cell. Don't be angry for her. Her strength comes from the academy. Gentlemen scientists need to live more honestly, so that they are more caressed. You, of course, know what happened to them on St. Sergius Day 7: and it would not be a bad thing if you told me what you heard, not in order to get involved in other people’s affairs, but so that I would be warned. Architect - it’s like he fell into water. Did I at least return the book of plans to you? - Don't lose her. It seemed awkward to me to spend 50,000 rubles. on the refectory porch. It's strange how this matter hasn't been settled. Don't be bored and re-watch it again. God has mercy on us on the Fontanka so far. Only Benjamin is neither treated, nor recovers, nor serves, although he is on his feet. If it seems strange to you that I am in St. Petersburg when the Sovereign Emperor is in Moscow; then know that his departure was completely accidental; I parted with him far from Moscow, near the New City, 8 and therefore it was impossible for me to make it to Moscow in time; Finally, His Majesty ordered to tell me that he deigns to find it inconvenient for me to return to Moscow for a short time, due to my health, and that my stay in St. Petersburg is necessary. Peace be with you, oh. the governor, and the brethren. Thank you for the image, as a sign of blessing from the spiritual treasure of our Venerable Father Sergius. Thank you for your good wishes. From your description of the Highest Visit, I see that, thank God, you did everything as it should be. It would not be superfluous to report about this from the Council; but, all the same, make a detailed journal about this in the Cathedral, for memory and for consideration for future occasions. I still don’t know anything about this from the Emperor. He and the Empress arrived in St. Petersburg on Saturday evening; On Sunday there was a thanksgiving prayer service in the court cathedral on the occasion of the end of the cholera disease. The Emperor ordered me to be at this prayer service, saying that he would see me especially at a convenient time. Therefore, only after the prayer service in the church did I have the good fortune to hear several words from Their Majesties, especially expressing regret that I was not in Moscow in their presence. Let's get back to our business. The matter of the refectory church has been resolved. If the food at the academy is poor, it’s a pity: there are funds. But it is necessary for people to be satisfied with what is necessary; and then you can already demand order. Would you advise the inspector to abandon the bad fish altogether: what to do, what a loss? From now on we need to know how to buy and save. A. D. 9, as a brother of the Lavra, would have been reprimanded, fraternally, for negligence about his position, to the sin of many. I am glad that Fr. is in good health. I. better than before. If you can’t come up with a recipe for him, then I’ll try to offer mine, for example the following: take o. I. rather harsh self-accusation, put it in a rather deep mortar of humility and pound it quite with the pestle of patience; Take this powder every time lofty thoughts begin to enter your head. It won’t be too early to plaster the Bethany building for the summer only from the inside, and not from the outside; and for a monastery, I think, it is not unnecessary for it to be ready for habitation as soon as possible. However, consider both the need and the methods. It is not bad to send D. to Makhra, as to a hospital, and as you, being a doctor, know that there is no need to delay treatment, you can do this with the Council immediately, and inform me for permission to continue this order for a while, or to decisively approve it. As the church begins to glorify the Born Christ, it is no longer untimely for me to wish you and your brethren to celebrate the feast of Christ and accept the joy of Christ as a spiritual fruit, as food for the soul, as a path to eternal life. For the holiday, distribute from my salary from Fr. treasurer 300 rub. ministers, the poor and the poor. It came to mind, is the lamp made for the image of the Holy Trinity? It's been taking a long time to get ready. It's time to do it. I invoke God's blessing upon you, Fr. governor, and brethren for the coming new summer. May the Lord, by His goodness, make it favorable in our summer life in the eyes of the Lord of times and the Father of eternity. Thank you for your letters and your good wishes. If I didn’t answer you about my rooms, I answer. Make a new floor if necessary. I wouldn't want to paint it. A clean wooden floor will make the room feel fresher than one with an oily floor. I don’t see the need or benefit of lowering the windows. I completely agree to take away the damask and panels from the walls. But, I remember, you and I decided to decorate two interior rooms first, and decide about the living room based on this experience. However, as you know. It is not easy to dare to lay hands on venerable ancient furnaces; but it seems they have lived up to that. It would be possible to reward a stove maker who, after dismantling two stoves, would assemble one from the remaining usable material. Otherwise, make both new ones. Peace in the future for the soul of brother Paul, who departed in peace, and then for the soul of Leonty, who came a lot. About twenty-eight years ago, when he came running from Moldova, in my eyes he spent the winter in the hospital in relaxation and suffering, and after such a crucible, how much more struggle remained! Prayer is very necessary: ​​test me, God, and test me, and so on. It seems there is no need to enlarge the lamp for the image of the Holy Trinity. I don’t know what to do with the altar lamp. I don’t want to leave behind unclean silver, and I don’t really want to expand the enterprise. Something is wrong with time. Would you mind making an estimate of what it should cost to repair and what to redo again? I remember the deed of Abba Bishop Ammon. But what do you think? Is it easy to imitate such examples? The people there were no worse than our Makhrinskys, but no one thought of doing what Ammon did. At least they understood the job when it was done: you won’t find this anywhere else. Think also about whether you need to have a gift in order to forgive, otherwise you will be indulged. Eli thought that he dealt meekly with his children; but it was not for the mercy of anyone, but for the destruction of everyone. Ammon covered his brother with the spirit of love and with the spirit of grace he said to him: take heed to yourself; therefore the consequence was in this repentance, in others edification. Shall we say with Gennady S.: beware in future; maybe he will go do the same, and just be careful of being caught. The gift of forgiveness is higher than the gift of correcting with punishment. The one who takes up the task of his own measure succeeds. Let's turn to S. What kind of S. is this? I don't find it in the statement. Or was it recently taken? In this case, the builder needs the first admonition, why did he take it, who does not know, why did he believe this, and why did he believe one thing to Hieromonk I., another to monk S.; it was necessary to order S. to ask I about everything. It seems that this is what needs to be done: let the builder and the brethren inform the Council that due to some temptations from the monk S. they do not want to have him. Therefore, we will send him to another place under the supervision of a rector and confessor. Tell me where it came from. It is necessary to scold V., because out of envy of his brother, whom the abbot trusted, he caused an incident disgraceful for the monastery; and also take a special look at this digger of pus. It is necessary to explain to S. that mercy is enough, that his sin in the case will not be discovered; He cannot stay in Mahra. This letter was started three days ago; but the cold has been bothering me since Monday, both in business and in... 10. Peace and salvation from the Lord Fr. the governor and the brethren. The incident of January 30th is remarkable. Isn’t it bad for us to learn from books and instructions to remember the last ones, when God commanded the Kimri resident to come and preach this teaching to us after his own death? For ministers who are in the service every day, and therefore do not have time to acquire a sufficient allowance for themselves through work, I agree to give, in addition to the regular salary, an additional salary, as long as it is not lazy, not thieves and not drunkards. Nobody imagined to me that they definitely need and do not have enough time to work for themselves; and that they are lazy, steal and get drunk has long been known. I will be very glad if the content becomes a guide to their behavior. Am I right that for a long time I did not want to introduce the appointment of O.P. to the Lavra? So he immediately ushered me in, inserting his expression into the petition: for a hospital vacancy. I overlooked this, without suspecting it: and here he is asking for a salary until the Last Move. Tell him that he is on a hospital vacancy in the cell and in the meal, and not in the register of hieromonks of the Lavra staff, in which any vacancy may be needed for a person who does not have 100 rubles. pensions. From the proskomid money, sick leave can be given to him, with their consent, and with his help to them. A difficult task to do in absentia is presented to us, that we must give a dowry from the Lavra to the new bishop's See of Simbirsk. Order to make an extract from the inventory, what can be given, and send me to look, and it would be nice to send three panagias and two pectoral crosses to me in kind, in order to decide their purpose. There is no need to touch the ancient and most important things: however, it is necessary that not bad things be given away - so that there will be a blessing from zeal. In one of your letters, Fr. Governor, precisely from February 10th, some kind of concern is visible. If this is because of my silence, then know that sometimes I am silent for a long time, out of weakness and because I am entangled in my affairs, and that this silence is a burden to me, and there is no intention here that it should be a burden to you. Official affairs have the right of primacy over private correspondence; and I always have them: that’s why I’m often out of order in the front. If you are concerned about some unpolished word of mine in a resolution on a case, then know that this also happens to me only in order to make you understand the strength of the case, and that, speaking such words, I am, as at other times, at peace with you. Be calm and free. Let us trust in the Lord that He will always be our peace. According to rumors, there is no need to indulge in a spirit of suspicion, much less condemnation; but when rumors about a brother reach the overseer, is this not some indication of Providence? Namely: an instruction to increase attention and observation, in order to then treat either the disease of vice, or the disease of suspicion spread by rumors. The pilgrims during Lent - it is true that it is not a time for the silence of the monks, but a time for their own silence. Being away from the city and family, they practice prayer more silently. What to do? We must bear each other's burdens! I like the custom in some monasteries of not opening the gates in the first week of Lent, at least until the first presanctified liturgy. But is it convenient for us to be here? It is necessary to tell pilgrims to humbly choose a place in the church, which is convenient, because there is no crowding during fasting. Peace to you and the brethren. I entrust myself to your prayers and theirs. I hasten to respond to your project about the ditch so as not to stop you in action. I am afraid that the ditch, running so close to the building, will harm the foundation, especially the new one. If you are convinced that my fear is not justified, then do as you suggest. Blessings of peace and salvation to you, Fr. governor, and true brethren; and let the mercy of correction come to those who stumble. Did Archimandrite S. appear? If he didn’t show up, then it seems it’s time to report to you about this. There is a lot of time from the decree. He wanders in Moscow through secular houses for a very long time and can fall into an adventure, which can lead to you and me being asked: what were you watching? What to do with Hierodeacon H.? It’s really bad that the post offends. Shouldn't we send him to Mahra more often? Or completely there? The novice from the Chernigov bourgeoisie must be expelled. O. Archimandrite Simonovsky praised him to me at a bad time. The archimandrite was cunning for the novice with good intentions; the novice adopted cunning without adopting good intentions. It is hardly possible to reliably fix antique stoves without rebuilding them. Adhesions are damaged; some tiles are also damaged. However, do as you please. I’ll tell you news that’s better than what’s written about in public newspapers. The matter of the discovery of the relics of St. Mitrofan, the first bishop of Voronezh, received a favorable start; there are signs of truth and grace; one can hope that this will happen to the glory of God and the consolation of the Church. Let's pray to the Lord. Peace be with you, oh. governor, and brethren, by the word of the Lord, which He spoke after His resurrection, gathered in His name. I have now received your letter and, as I read it, I will respond. You write in detail about testing metals, but I will forget everything. A copper chain to a silver lamp: I don’t like this hypocrisy, especially in church. If we don’t have enough silver for any item, we’ll make it all copper and say it’s copper. The arrangement of the Trinity Cathedral meal, as you describe, should be good. I thought in advance that it would be difficult for Archimandrite S. to appear in the Lavra. But I also think that it would depend on him to make this not difficult. Those who do not value themselves highly and are wary of pretensions will not find it very difficult even in a place that is worse than a monastery. I do not impose a penance on you to listen to S.’s conversation; but sometimes tell him quietly that you will find him serving the peace of his soul. Humiliation at will, of course, is easier to endure than from others, like any feat: but what is more useful? “If they don’t know how to live in a monastery, and they find it derogatory to go to Makhru, what should we do with such people?” – Let them go around the world with a passport, so that everyone can see what kind of monks there can be in the Lavra? Is this useful? Would people who do not know how to take care of themselves in the monastery under leadership be better off wandering around inns, or visiting hosts who will treat them but are ashamed to denounce them? If they want to ask, let them ask. But it will hardly be possible to do what they want. It seems to me that such people should be escorted to a good place without humiliation, and not allowed into all the paths and crossroads. Regarding Pachomius, your reasoning, in my opinion, is correct. The letter has been read. And the evening ends. One stove for two rooms - will it be good? It is good when the room receives a change in air through the firebox in it. But now the deed must be done. So be it. And I think that a complete and pure discovery of truth and conscience is better than an incomplete one and mixed with calculations: for this very strict silence belongs to the one who accepts the discovery. Thank you, oh. Viceroy, for a blessing from the Church of the Most Holy Trinity, on the day of Her glory. I celebrated this holiday in the Assumption Cathedral, my first service upon my return to Moscow. You couldn’t be there because you can and should be there later, but you had to be in Moscow soon. The doctor tells me to take medicine, walk in the garden and do nothing. According to this commandment, I will only write to you briefly what is needed. Out of fear of the oily smell, you only primed the doors and windows in my cells. But this is ugly, not for me, but for other visitors who may not give honor to the ugliness. Moreover, isn’t the soil the same with oil? What difference does it make - is the smell from the primer or from the top paint? I advise you to do the rest without delay. There is no doubt about leaving the arches of the north porch of the meal. Just fix them. I don't really understand the new project for covering the north porch. But I don’t prevent you from doing it if you find it trustworthy. Is it good that you suddenly broke a lot? It seems to me that we should first take on one side and gradually move from place to place, from case to case. It is necessary that the coating does not lag far behind other work, so that the stone work is not damaged by rain. Brotherly coming together for good exercises is a good thing. It would be nice if there was more of this. But it is necessary that special rapprochements should not be too noticeable, so as not to appear to separate the particular from the brotherly love of the universal. There is hardly any need to denounce Ms. Postnikova unless she herself presents an opportunity to tell her the truth. It is difficult to expose oneself without self-justification getting in the way. Moreover, reproof can turn into trouble for another person through whom the speeches passed. Isn’t it better to just pray that God will admonish everyone to look at the work of their neighbor with a simple eye, without condemnation and suspicion? If anything is not written here, we will agree on it, if God wills it. Your letter that was not received yesterday, Fr. Viceroy, I answer as quickly as I can, so that the matter is not up to me. It is not bad to fill up a fence ditch in a truly favorable situation. I hope that in this case, what is needed will be done by itself, that is, that especially towards the wall of the ditch, located towards the side of the refectory, rubble and rubbish, and not earth, will be poured, so that this wall, after filling it up, will remain more intact and free from rot. And it’s good to make the water flow from the north side of the refectory church to the east. The question of what requires a quick solution is not untimely now, if it was not foreseen earlier. God's help and blessing to you and your brothers. Excuse me, oh. Governor, I haven’t written to you for a long time. My journey started with difficulty. Pain in the ear and on the left side of the head made me worry about how this would end. However, when the windows were closed, the pain became easier; a heated room in the courtyard helped me at night, and in the morning a doctor and medicine. Now I have tolerable remnants of the cold. Again, you haven’t sent sacristies for Simbirsk for a long time; and I received a second demand from His Eminence Anatoly. His Eminence Metropolitan Jonah, former Exarch of Georgia, will be at the Lavra early next week. I invited him to stay in my cells. Receive him with attention, treat him, calm him down, show him what you want to see, and present him with the holy icon from the monastery and the abbot. For my peaceful stay with you, I thank you and the brethren. I invoke God's peace and blessings on all of you. Thank you, oh. Viceroy, that you fulfilled my instructions regarding the Right Reverend Metropolitan Jonah and notified me about it. But it is not bad to know that the governor must do what and as much as is entrusted to him by the local commander; and no subordinate has the right to bestow honors on his superior at will, but everything must be according to the rules and custom. Otherwise, he leads himself and others into temptation. If I understand that the honor given to me does not belong to me, then I am upset and can upset the one who did the honor; and if I fell in love, then I was led into sin. Without assuming anything for sure and without telling anyone what will now affect you, keep in mind that the procession of the Sovereign Emperor along the path of the Lavra may happen in this same month or at the beginning of the next. I repeat that this is not news, but only a thought, and only for you, and not everyone will be found slumbering if the Bridegroom comes at midnight. Send me from Rostov several enamel images of the Holy Trinity and a vision of St. Sergius, of decent art, some of medium size, some of smaller size. It's unfortunate, oh. Viceroy, notice division where there should be unity. But let us grieve over things and not be offended by people. May the Lord create so that all will be one, as He wills. I respect the intention with which you justify the matter. Maybe I did something with this intention; but not every deed is justified by intention. However, may the man-pleasing of the deed be forgiven you, and the self-pleasing of the argument be forgiven me. There is no harm in the fact that you began to repair your cells before the estimate was approved. And I will be at peace when you are at peace. I ordained Benjamin, and he, it seems, accepted this with attention. I thought about L. It would be better for you to wait for a response to the letter before sending it. You know the testament: do not lay hands quickly; and this would have been too soon when, about three weeks later, I met L. under the arms of disabled people. I’m not angry, I don’t judge, but I’m afraid. Yesterday he was uncontrollably weak, and today he is a hierodeacon: what respect is there for the sacraments? What is the instruction for the brethren? Isn't this a temptation? Isn't it a temptation for the one who is favored? You want grace to do what L. and I did not begin: that is not what grace says: let these be tempted first, but then let them serve, being blameless. You and JL should not be angry that I obey this rule. I would be surprised that you threw it at me like that; but I wonder if you didn’t name it to me before I left. If this is so, there is no need to casually throw in words about such subjects that you need to stop and think about. Has a wicker cover been found for the head of the Wonderworker? I expect a solution to this from you. However, peace to you and the brethren. I ask for prayers for my peace too. Is it necessary to go to the Community Church, Fr. Governor, build a large stone porch? Isn't it a small lantern, stone or wooden? - However, whatever you find better. Only I already miss many times that representations about such things are made behind the scenes. Without me they would have thought what was necessary; and when I’m there, they would ask and show me the place and business. I think you have already given copies of the letters of the young Grand Dukes to Mr. Arsenyev. There is no doubt about it. To describe the metropolitan's cells, if any of the scientists undertakes, the description must be shown to me before departure. Is it a joke to make a copy of the Lavra plan? Should I send a drawing of two important buildings - what do you think? I think that this will serve no purpose and will hardly be entertaining for the Sovereign Heir. May God help you with the improvement of your home, and in time restore order, and continue and elevate the improvement of the internal church on an unshakable foundation. The wicker air was lost, as I expect, with the current sacristan. There must be great inattention that such a thing, memorable for its uniqueness and for the person who made the contribution 11, was abandoned like that. Tell the sacristan to carefully take care of the vessels of the house of the Most Holy Trinity and St. Sergius. If we are not faithful in what belongs to others, who will give us what is ours? This is not my reasoning, but the gospel one. I wanted to be in the sacristy and talk about it with you; but first lack of time, and then weakness got in the way. Visit Moscow at a convenient time. Making a stove under the meal and heating it from below will hardly be good. With the hole behind the candle tent, do as you write. Regarding your transitions, I also agree. If novice Ivan is from the clergy, let him go to the clergy place. It is not convenient to say a word about Svobodsky and Svobodskaya 12. Let us believe that he knew the questions; but how did he know the correct answer, for example, to the following question: which of my manuscripts is more important than the others? How did he know that the questioner had a manuscript: signature rerum, rare and not known to many! The questioner deliberately asked questions that could not be answered by cunning, and did not say what manuscripts he had. Did Svobodsky have two tricks - one for strangers, to appear mysterious, and the other for his wife, so that she would consider him a sorcerer? Shall I tell you what decision I gave to the confessor’s request? – destruction. Joasaph recently submitted a similar request: the Bethany rector proved that it was unfair. What was the use of starting the same correspondence? What is the use of untimely accepting into the diocese students of children, from whom it is not known what will come of them, and then giving them places that are missing for their own? Yes, they will accept government support; This is where injustice lies - to take away your diocese from the poor and give the poor someone else's diocese. The commission of theological schools gives money to the dioceses according to the number of students: therefore, for me, for mine, and for the Vladimir ones, it was given to the Vladimir seminary. When I finish writing this, Mikhailo Mikhailovich brings your letter. This is not very good news. Haven't we sinned by pleasing people in relation to V.? But if he humbled himself and stood in the second council: this is not bad. It is necessary to remind him someday that it is not useful to value and place oneself highly. The case of a prosfiryak is much worse. He pushed out the novice, showed stubbornness against the authorities, discovered a reluctance to leave the prosphora, that is, an addiction, of course, not to work, but to something else, and was left without penance, and stood his ground: what is the benefit for him and for others? In this confusion, in which there is so much that is bad, perhaps the only thing that is not bad is that N. was not placed in the prosphora, and therefore there is still the convenience of thinking whether he is capable of this task, and whether he will cope with it. Think about this. And I am of the opinion that the prosperian needs to be changed. Retirement from prosphora is not a time to fear despair. If we complain about laziness and coldness, we need to look to see if any of those thoughts that weigh down and do not soar up grief have entered our souls; and these are thoughts in which something is appropriated or ascribed to oneself, the success of a business, praise, noticing the shortcomings of others with a preponderance in our favor. Tempt me, O Lord, and test me, and see if there is a path of iniquity in me, and guide me on the eternal path. I agreed, oh. Governor, that you come to Moscow after the Feast of the Assumption, but it is not superfluous that you postpone this until the day of the coronation. The wait that I wrote to you about should still continue for several days. The novice asking from Androniev was noticed to be drunk, and the abbot told him to look for another place. I leave this to the will of the cathedral. This is also the resolution. I looked at the silver work. The cross is good in its design, but the image of the Savior’s face is poorly made. Now you can’t guess what the lamp will be like. The Academy wants to build a new hospital and bathhouse. Something is all scattered about them. It would not be a bad thing if you said your thoughts about this. I have long thought about making a door and a staircase from the mountain opposite our bathhouse in the fence, so that walking would be closer, and allowing the academy to use our bathhouse. What do you think? Let's wait for images from Rostov. It is with concern that I learn about your illness, Fr. viceroy What is this basement that the air has damaged you? You can see the one under your cells. Why weren't you in a hurry to get out? And if you have felt tightness in your chest for a long time, why didn’t you use remedies earlier? Use it as you need and find peace. You can suggest your thoughts about a bathhouse for the academy to the rector. But why don’t you answer my thought to make the entrance to our bathhouse closer? Wouldn't this also be suitable for the brethren? You let it slip, you told the truth that you were hiding from me. Finish the deal: when did the academic bathhouse catch fire? Why haven’t I been informed about this from the Council? or is the Council planning to inform it only when the Academy burns the Lavra? Will it be too late? – While you are being treated, do not rush yourself to answer this; but when you can answer without burdening yourself, do not leave me without an answer. Move the woodshed behind the church refectory towards the fence, as you write, I agree. And wouldn’t it be better to do this now, so as not to leave something unfinished? However, whatever you find better, do so. I pray to God to restore your health and preserve the peace of your soul. According to signs, the Sovereign Emperor remains in St. Petersburg until the beginning of September, if not until half. You calm me down, oh. Viceroy, from caring for your illness. I wish that the truth of the matter was better than a soothing word, and that God would grant you a quick and complete healing, through the prayers of our Venerable Father Sergius. But caution, which is not superfluous for a healthy person, is all the more necessary for a sick person. And I found out from the pilgrims that you not only served for the 26th day, but also preached a sermon. It was possible to entrust the ministry to another archimandrite, and even more so the preaching. For this reason, you are entrusted with: 1) For cathedral services, according to convenience and decentness, use other archimandrites and Lavra cathedrals, until yours is strengthened. 2) To supervise the work, use the treasurer and the steward and others, so that every day they ask you what needs to be looked at and give a report. 3) You should sit in your cell no less than you would advise another weak person. I also wish that you judge and consult whether you should speed up your arrival in Moscow to take a doctor’s advice. Please, do not forget that no less than the affairs of the Lavra, I entrust to your care your health. The images are good for the price, but I would like to see some of the images better, since there is a larger measure in those for my use. The stairs to the bathhouse need to be lined. I would like to offer the Academy the use of our bathhouse. Whatever the well-wishers think for the Serapion Chapel, may their will and God’s will be done. For us, perhaps, it would be better if they helped us with some of the dilapidations of the Trinity Cathedral. But let them do as their heart opens, if only for the glory of God. I received your letter of the 15th when I didn’t have time to read it. He put it in his pocket and carried it like that until now. That's why I didn't answer for a long time. May God forgive you for unpeaceful thoughts, and may he purify your soul, and may he protect it with peace from the enemy of peace and the sower of confusion. The proposal to move prosfiryak and M. seems to be good. Otherwise, it would hardly be good to allow a prosphyr to trade in money change. Is he really naked and hungry without taking bribes, using purely legal property? You can send amphilochia for ordination. I'm still thinking about the other two. Will you take V., which I told you about, for the experiment? If it doesn't work, you can withdraw it. However, I’m not imposing it. You can imagine about the novices. I attacked the Uspensky protopresbyter, why he wanted to lure the man: he says that he was joking, and that he did not find his ability enviable. This is how the enemy knows how to confuse people. If the novice began to ask, he would be a loser for the past and the future. I am returning the novice’s letter to you, but I am not imposing it on you. I don’t really understand what kind of arrangement you are suggesting under the meeting rooms of the Cathedral and around it. And I wish that what was unsettled would be put in order and used. It's boring to see emptiness, rot, and then the inevitable ruins. And I fell ill from fatigue; but, thanks to the long-suffering God, I do not suffer and am not idle. And I'm sorry, oh. Viceroy, that such a difficult patient attacked you, when you had not yet recovered, and I am glad that he came safely into your hands. The Pesnosh elders should have been able to take care of him, and if they let him go, it would be with their own reliable person, and not with secular ones. He asked for Pesnosh and Iosifov: I agreed only to the first, thinking that it was more useful; but I was wrong here too. Please take care of him. What you use to calm the nerves and to divert irritation outward, that’s all true; although I, not a doctor, perhaps should not judge whether this is so or not. But one must also look carefully to see if anything has fallen on his conscience, so that it will be revealed and the burden will be eased. In such states of internal irritation, even a speck torments until it is removed by the opening of conscience, and the oil of consolation softens the soul. Is it good to give to an academic hospital? Will they look there, as is necessary in this case? Is it not to our hospital, with an assignment for someone capable? But take care as best you can. The Lord's help is with you. This will bring you, oh. the governor, one wanderer, who got into trouble for some incorrect appearances, for which he could have had displeasure against me, because I recognized that it was wrong for him to carry a large case with icons everywhere, but who turned to me in peace, although not without sorrow for what happened. He sets off on his way to Jerusalem and wants to join a monastery. Talk to him about whether to postpone this until he returns, or accept his request and correspond with the civil authorities while he travels. Then tell me what you think. Victor and Leonty were ordained. Remind them to keep what they are entrusted with in a clear conscience. If it is possible to delay the treatment suggested for you, then of course it is more convenient to start and continue it after the holiday. The Emperor is expected here in 21 days, via Ryazan. Consequently, he was in Voronezh. Thanks to him for his good thought. Until our holiday, he will probably stay in Moscow: and therefore you will need to celebrate without me. May the prayers of the Reverend assist you and my weakness, through the prayers of you and the brethren. I am sending you, oh. Viceroy, a letter that will remain with you for the time being, without communication to the Council or anyone else. When God blesses the investor to fulfill his intention, then let him say or not say his name, as he judges. Send me the required measure of the crown to St. Petersburg, where I should, if God pleases, go about the end of this week. It should be a mistake to say that the image is written on the wall: it seems to be on a board, and not on the wall above the northern gate of the Trinity Cathedral. Or am I remembering wrong? But it must be true that the image is in the cell of the Venerable One, or in the Serapion Chapel. Now I am answering your letters. It's good for people to wear robes to church. And I have long said against tied hair. I would like to know whether all churches and all services require wearing robes. May God bless and grant everything to be in good order and in order, with obedience and peace. There is no dispute about the stable barn. I told you that the inspector of the academy revealed to me that he had entrusted his children to Mr. Dubovitsky. This bothered me and forced me to take information, from which it was revealed that Mr. Dubovitsky was specifically forbidden to take children into care, that he was under supervision, that from this supervision, among other things, his recent absence from the Lavra was known, etc. I will write about this to the academy, and I also instruct you to ensure that you beware of relations with dubious people, so that doubt does not touch the innocent and does not offend purity and holiness the place where God has vouchsafed us to belong. Please be careful and do not leave me in the dark about cases where ignorance can be harmful. Why won't you tell me anything about the condition of Jonah, from Savvin? Regarding the treasurer and the steward, I did according to you, it seems, even before your letter. As for the supervisor of the meal, the opportunity has come. Assure him that I know his loyalty to his cause, but that my resolution is intended to give the brethren the idea of ​​​​a better order for the meal. If necessary, remind about it on occasion. God's blessing and peace to you and your brothers. I ask you to guide me through prayer to God and His Pleasant. Last year I told you if you had someone in mind to look after David’s Hermitage. You promised to date someone. Waiting and having the need to take a place, I identified one who refused, obeyed, served for three months, and again asks for dismissal, not complaining either about the monastery or about the brethren, but about some obstacles in himself. Tell me what we started talking about last year. I am writing to the economist of the academy today. Your treasurer asks me for permission to do what he is allowed by decree, that is, to consecrate the church. Say that one resolution is enough. Sorry for not writing for a long time. Besides other matters, I was occupied with the legend of St. Mitrofan, which had not been thought of before and which should not have been delayed, because much had already been delayed. By the way, have you heard anything about the girl Sofia Narskaya? There is information that her seizures resumed with the same severity. It is true that in the Trinity Cathedral the choir is blocked by the iconostasis, and it is better to reduce one chandelier. Agreeing with your assumption, I leave it to you to consider whether it would be better to endure the average, which is too heavy. I approved the presentation regarding the deceased. What to do with caretaker I.? He cannot be a caretaker in his current situation; and his dismissal from this service would not have embarrassed him. It would be good if he himself asked for dismissal. Think about this and talk to the Bethany rector, to whom this concern belongs. If it is not good to be a stupid housekeeper, then isn’t it worse to be a stupid builder? The elder will correct the foolish housekeeper: who will correct the foolish builder? If the housekeeper needs to be fired, I agree. But it would be a sin to make him a builder. Tell me the answer about the other candidate you were talking about before. There is no doubt about providing old silver for the robe for the image of the Mother of God. Whether to get down to business or wait to replenish the amount - I leave it to your judgment. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to wait for the crown that the St. Petersburg investor makes. I'll try to find out if it's coming soon. Is it not possible to make a chasuble so that the clothes of the Saints are gilded, and the field between them remains white and silver? So the costs would be reduced, and wouldn’t the picture become clearer? But I offer this as a question, without considering myself a master, whom business is afraid of. Before this I am writing to you, Fr. Viceroy, I forgot to say about the local novice that he considers himself forgotten in the order of presentation for tonsure, and therefore wants to return to the Lavra, so that they can see his behavior and treat him as he deserves. On the 1st day of December, distribute 300 or 350 rubles to ministers, the poor and the poor. from me. I call upon you and your brethren peace from above. Allow me, oh. Governor, remind you that I asked you for enamel icons, and that, two months ago, you were no longer entirely satisfied with the slowness of this execution. I asked you and through you the rector of Bethany what to do with I.; and you, without giving me an answer, decided the matter, and now, probably, you have already carried out your decision, that is, you released I. to Savvin. This worries me. What will he do there? He can hardly yet take office with force, and without a position at his place of office it will be even worse for him. I remember I told you an example of a corps teacher in St. Petersburg who had a disease similar to I.; recovered in the monastery; and when the late Metropolitan Ambrose sent him to his previous place, I immediately said that it was dangerous, but they did not listen to me, and my fear was justified in the most sad way. Answer my previous question and write to me whether I.’s recovery is complete, and whether you consider him safe from the return of seizures, especially when he is now again in the very circumstances in which the nest of the disease first formed, and the repetition of previous impressions can lead his thoughts to the previous path, or a crossroads, and there is probably no one who will return? I wish that God will help you to handle the matter of the Lavra lands decisively and reliably for the future. But I'm afraid it won't get confused. Look at the case of Red Mountain in the Cathedral. Your predecessors persuaded me to agree to lead this: but I could forcefully end it, bringing it to the Sovereign Emperor and the State Council, or the Committee of Ministers. What should I do with David's Desert? Shouldn’t we transfer the Makhrin builder there, and appoint the former Pesnosh treasurer to Makhra—wouldn’t he develop into something useful under the eyes of yours and the Cathedral? - Tell me, what do you think about this? Tell me, oh. to the treasurer, so that 1,700 rubles. Ass. he sent my money to the Epiphany Church in Kolomna to Archpriest Nikita and demanded notification of receipt for himself and me. Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna again deigns to express her desire in a letter to me that the Lavra pray for her and her husband. You know the current circumstances of Holland, which is defending its rights justly and nobly against the violence of England and France for rebellious Belgium. With your brethren, perform a prayer service to the Most Holy Trinity and St. Sergius for the health, salvation and prosperity of Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna and her husband. God bless you and the brethren with the joy of Christ's day, may it be spiritual, pure and full. I ask for your prayers. Forgive my ignorance. I almost forgot to thank you and the Council for the blessing of the image and for the good wishes. Thank Fr. for me. Archimandrite Paisius that he remembered me and visited me with his writing. Please also thank Ivan Mikhailovich for his letter. And o. Tell Sergius that, while I thank him for his intention to say a kind word to me, I cannot hide that I would like him to study something more monastic and archimandric than Latin poetry. Thank you, oh. Viceroy, for your good wishes for me for the sake of the Lord's day. May the Lord bless the new summer, to you and the brethren, for the works of the new man, renewed in mind in the image of the One who created him. You will be surprised when I say that I was almost delighted with what you wrote about X. This is how it happened. I knew about this and that the evil one advised A. to try to hide this from me. The incident took place on the 11th day of this month. On the 14th day I received business from you. It was time for you to know; but I didn’t hear from you. This made me fear that X’s temptation might lead to another temptation for me and you, and this fear was heavier for me than the unpleasant news about X. Your letter put an end to my fears. The case of X., it seems to me, was not the work of a vicious person, but the temporary and accidental charm of a short-sighted person. There is not so much evil here as shame and temptation in the eyes of people. Advise him to beware of the cunning of the enemy, who pushed him into a stupid business and brought down on his head many sins of mockery and condemnation, into which he led people with his stupid act. The fire incident on December 6, thanks to God, did not cause trouble, but prompted us to be careful from trouble. I don’t know whether to praise you for sending X. It is good when free lips and hands are offered to the Lord; in this regard He delights 13 . There is no need to forcefully take gifts to the Lord from the lips and hands of your neighbor. Regarding I., you all do not satisfy me. I need to know the opinion of the Bethany rector and yours about: 1) whether he can have his previous position, and 2) if he cannot, what to do with him in order to put him in a decent and safe position. It’s been two days since I received the icons, but I still haven’t had time to open them and look at them. And he tasted the prosphora both yesterday and now, receiving a blessing from the house of the Most Holy Trinity and St. Sergius. Your proposal, oh. Governor, I accept the establishment of a hostel in Mahra and nothing contrary to the verb. Try to get settled. You can redo the roof over the entrance hall as soon as you want. I am glad to see this part of the Lavra buildings, which has long stung my eyes with its disorder, arranged. I still expect an opinion from you and the Bethan rector on what to do with I. It’s hard for the school to be without a boss for a long time. Peace to you and the brethren. Are you all healthy? “There is a plague here, similar to the Moscow one, from which I once did not even have a liturgy due to the illness of both hieromonks. Thank God it's not cruel. God bless your care, oh. Viceroy, about the poor people of God. It’s good that you encourage my laziness to jealousy. But what will you do? What can I say, I say from last summer until now. The government cares, acts and spends a lot of money. Therefore, it may think that what must be done has been done, and that there is no possibility of doing more. Add what others say: there is bread; everything will pass by itself, just as cholera passed, the consequences of which were also feared, etc. I cannot tell you about this in more detail, but I think that our remedy in relation to the general situation is only prayer, that we may be delivered from famine, destruction, etc. The Holy Synod prescribes about this. Q. Is it suitable for purchasing and will it not dissipate? Watch carefully. Let I. ask for a school position, but it is our duty to beware of a harmful solution to the request. You say that only the stubbornness of the will remains: is it more necessary for the position to go badly? I hear that Countess Anna Alekseevna Orlova-Chesmenskaya will be at the Lavra this week. Receive her in peace and, on my behalf, bless her with the image of the Most Holy Theotokos, whoever is ready for this with decency. Perhaps you will choose for this purpose from the ancient icons, which, without having a specific place, are kept. In a word, do this according to your reasoning with attention. You need to watch V. carefully. You remember my remark about his gait. It has happened to me many times that such external and random remarks told me about what is in a person; I was afraid to decisively form some unfavorable opinion about a person based on such signs; followed the testimony of others; but over time my signs were justified. About I. talk again with the Bethany rector. It is harmful for a school to be without a boss for a long time. And it still seems to me that it is not safe to return him to school. It’s a shame that the ticket to the Board of Trustees was sent by mistake; and losses can be accompanied by such inattention. We need to look after the office. I'll look for the case about the Vysokogorsk Desert. It’s difficult to tackle this because it’s probably already decided. I wrote to perform prayer singing once, at the request of Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna. There is no need to do less than is required out of laziness; but there is no need to do more arbitrarily. You can pray in your cell as much as you like: for the church there is a stricter order. How can one ask: why don’t they pray? So they may ask: why do they pray? Perhaps I told you that in 1821 I asked the late Emperor for permission to hold a memorial service throughout Russia for the murdered Patriarch Gregory, but it was not allowed. Stop doing anything that is not prescribed. Did I write to you that I received the image? - Thank you. I rejoice, oh. Viceroy, that your meal has become more fraternal and more organized in spiritual order. May the Reverend look upon this and, with his prayerful help, bring us closer to truly following his footsteps. I am definitely of the opinion that someone else should be introduced to the school in I.’s place. Tell this to Fr. Bethany. to the rector. Somehow it is necessary to explain to A.I. that in order to better establish his health and peace of soul, he needs to remain for some time in the quiet pursuit of prayer and worship, without worrying about other things. It seems to me that, in order to better rest and strengthen his head, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to leave the matter in his hands; but it is difficult to do this in a way that suits his taste. Would you please offer him, at my request, to copy for me some articles from the handwritten book that I saw with you? For this, you would choose a few, a few, so as not to tire him, and you would offer him this work so that it would not be hasty and not long, so that he would not get tired while working and would not be bored, not seeing the end in sight. If you think this is suitable, try it. Otherwise, don't do it. I doubt sending him to Pesnosh: firstly, for fear that the memories would embarrass him; secondly, because it is not visible with whom he could be in sincere communication. If you send him to a hostel, then it is better to send him to Starogolutvin: the builder there will accept him with love and talk to him for good. As we enter the days of repentance, I ask for forgiveness from you and the brethren; I also call upon you, from the world that takes away sins, forgiveness, grace, and peace, which strengthens hearts and minds. Tell about. to the treasurer, so that from the money stored with him, which belongs to me, 1000 rubles. Ass. sent to Kolomna to Archpriest Nikita of the Epiphany. Let the Academy use the Lavra bathhouse. You can donate unnecessary chandeliers in the monastery to the Cemetery Church. It's really time to redo the iconostasis near the pillars of Trinity Cathedral. But at the same time, you need to think about whether it can be made smaller. It takes up a lot of space in the small cathedral and blocks the iconostasis of the altar. If God orders us to live until summer and the Lavra, then we need to talk about this there too. Or write about this in more detail and attach a drawing. I think that the columns in the corners should be made thin, of a Gothic character, and the pediments should not be inclined, as now, but straight, and in them, instead of empty carvings, it would not be bad to place small icons, of which there are many for nothing in the sacristy. I rejoice, oh. Viceroy, that you and your brethren are fasting in peace. We discovered an omission: Sergius did not confess during three Lents of the past year and missed the first week of this year, because, you see, his confessor left for the Valaam Monastery irrevocably. This stops me from making him a hieromonk, which would be in accordance with the circumstances, on the occasion of the appointment of Ambrose as the builder of the Intercession Monastery. Thank you for thinking to send an icon for the depositor. I already regretted that I forgot to write to you about this. Is Parthenius acting sincerely when asking for a postponement of the hostel? Ask him why on the day of the Presentation of the Lord he took precedence in the service, removing the treasurer, who was entrusted with the title by the builder, as he should have? I. should not be accepted into the Lavra. I received those expelled from Yuriev, who had a better life than he, and yet I suffered temptations from them. I had a letter or letters from I. that did not show much patience and obedience. If the time comes for the five-year inspection of the sacristy, there is no need to skip it. Let the Khotkovo abbess know that I agree to the dismissal of Marfa Shagarova for her family affairs for such time as is needed to complete them. I instruct you, in complete confidence, to tell Archimandrite Plato the following. I demanded through the rector, and Plato gave his word of honor not to have relations with Colonel Dubovitsky. Something forced me to confirm this to him before he left for Moscow during Cheese Week. But he had intercourse with him at that time, and led others into temptation, recommending him to them. I ask him to judge: how can I trust him in his position after this? And if he considers me a person not worthy of trust in the necessity and fairness of my instructions; Isn’t it necessary for him, in order to save himself and me from temptations, to look for another boss whom he would recognize as worthy of his trust and obedience? Tell him also that I am saying this out of the goodness of God, without the slightest anger, but only with sincere regret for the difficult situation in which I see him and myself in relation to him. As soon as you made me happy, oh. Viceroy, a sign of God’s grace revealed through the prayers of our Venerable Father Sergius, I wanted to write to you, but activities that I have no power to cancel or delay distracted me from this for several days. Blessed be God. who does not leave us to lose heart in our unworthiness, but who, with the presence of His grace, affirms the boldness of hope! May we be raised to do good, with such close help! It was comforting to me to know the behavior of Innocent and Hilary in relation to the silent one. May the Reverend continue to instruct them in matters of faith and love for mankind, and may he use them more for good service. I also learned with consolation about the peaceful death of Fr. Leucia. I rejoice that Jonah and Nicodemus are in peace. And I. it’s a pity. Isn’t it possible for the confessor, or someone else, to talk more carefully with him about his condition and look around to see if there is anything neglected in his conscience that serves the tempter’s way to enter into his thoughts and disturb them. How would it seem, but to understand that if you are not sinless, then there is something to accept punishment for, and it is better now to be deprived of temporary light than later to be deprived of eternal light? About I. the caretaker, I thought that he still lacked strength and firmness of mind. It seems to me that in this state some simple activity, continued with some correctness and in obedience, establishing attention and providing evidence of conscience about the fulfillment of the assigned task, can assert against fluctuations by any wind of thoughts. I would still like to write, but it’s time to get to the post. It seems to me, oh. Governor, that before the holiday I congratulated you and the brethren on the holiday. And if my memory deceives me, then I congratulate you now and thank you for your letter. I haven’t read a bunch of your land papers yet. The line never comes. Thank you for your concern for the cleanliness of the church. I wanted to write to you even earlier about the strange things you put into my mind, and I don’t know if I didn’t write that there are things that you can write about if necessary, even though they are unpleasant; but there are others about whom speech only occurs between spiritual father and son: such should not be written about, unless under the general name of grave temptation or sin; for writing is subject to various accidents and can reveal the secret of a neighbor’s conscience. Another note: in a letter such as, for example, about grace-filled healing, which is sometimes useful for a well-minded person to read, there is no need to write about subjects that are not suitable for prying eyes, but rather on a special piece of paper. If the slander is great, then the slanderer is terrible. And so one must try to reach the truth in a serious word, in order to take caution either from a gravely guilty person or from a grave slanderer. Prosphora is an important matter. And an unskillful hand must be taken away as soon as possible, or not a peaceful one, but a more dubious one - even sooner. Did P. ask for forgiveness from the dean? Necessary. For the act he did, I would not be angry if they really sent him to Makhra. I feel sorry for Plato. He seems to be caught in a net. And I have, by all indications, true evidence that Dubovitsky secretly uses the rituals of the scopal and Tatarin sects, that is, while singing, circling until one falls, frenzy and imaginary prophecy. If you hope for good in I., I will listen to you and agree to accept it. But based on previous information, I doubt it. Although I still have the old icons; however, I thank you for those sent, and also for the prosphora, which I have not yet received. Your two letters about the healing of a youth from the Rogozhskoye cemetery made me happy, although at the same time I thought that before admitting him to the holy mysteries, I would still need to look around and cope with the rite of acceptance from the schism. And the third letter brought me grief. But when the Reverend gave this youth the gift of healing; then we will hope that he will continue to take care of his soul. And we, as you say, will humble ourselves, strive to more accurately heed the ways of God and even rejoice with trepidation. I have an unexpected temptation. During the liturgy, the monk Isaiah reprimanded one noble woman for why she was standing with a book and praying with gloves on. She cried and then complained. Isaiah justifies himself that he wished her well, and I could not assure him that he was not appointed to teach, and especially to confuse a person during the Divine Service, and that he needed to be reconciled. Another day he is without a kamilavka, and, saying that he is guilty before God and before me, he does not want to tell the offended woman not only to forgive him as he is guilty, but also not to be angry with him, as he has offended with good intentions. Pray for Isaiah and our Great Abbot, so that he will admonish us to untie this knot. On this occasion, it was revealed that Isaiah was also rude to others. Kiss for me oh. Archimandrite Paisius. And o. Archimandrite Sergius that the resurrection he desires for the benefits of temporary life, and not for the bliss of eternal life, depends on the S. Synod. At the same time, he would have reasoned: to call the appointment of the abbot of a monastery a resurrection, does it mean to philosophize or to mock? Send me three thousand rubles of my money and don’t hesitate. Note. The letter does not indicate the year, month and day when it was written, but the mention of Plato and I. from Yuryev prompts us to attribute this letter to the year 1833. Slich. letters 49 and 53. The mention of a past holiday at the beginning of the letter and the allusion to resurrection at the end of the letter give reason to assume that the letter was written shortly after Easter, which in 1833 was April 2. It can be added that it was written earlier than April 20, for in this letter gratitude is expressed for “the prosphora, which I have not yet received,” and in the letter dated “April 20, 1833 we read: “I received the prosphora, but it was not preserved.” The same guess about the time of writing the letter is confirmed by the words found in it: “about the healing of a youth from the Rogozhsky cemetery.” “Two letters” about this healing, mentioned in this letter, published in the book: “Monastery Letters.” Moscow, 1863, the first dated March 31, 1833, and the other dated April 1 of the same year (pp. 5–11). After the religious procession near the Kremlin, we leave Moscow at five o’clock in the evening,” and on May 14: “1833. Having visited the Sovereign Emperor and there having bowed to the Empress, the Sovereign Heir, V.K. Mikhail and V. Princess, I left P. at 4 o’clock p.m.” It is necessary, oh. Viceroy, beware that by our inattention we do not damage what God creates with His grace. The Right Reverend Vicar writes to me that he had someone healed, with a certificate from the Lavra about his healing, and that the Reverend gave him advice not to wander around from house to house in Moscow to beg. As a result, he staggers and turns God’s mercy into a means of extortion. What a temptation! What food for unbelief! Who gave you or the Council the right to give any testimony without the blessing of the abbot? And what is evidence needed for here, perhaps for abuse? When a former mute speaks, don't people hear what he says? Or will they think that the ability to speak was stolen or taken by robbery, and they can bring him to trial if your testimony does not help? But I thought that you would give the healed person instructions - not to tell everyone about this, so that the enemy does not sow the weeds of vanity, but only when necessary, to well-intentioned people, or those in whom faith needs to be aroused by experience. Have you not read that the Lord also used this caution? For example, after the resurrection of Jairus’s daughter: forbid them many things, but let them know nothing of this (Mark V, 43). Pray that your perishable paper will not serve to reignite the fire of anger in the one to whom the Lord has shown the light of mercy. Forgive me if some of the words here seem harsh to you. It was necessary to show you the matter as I see it. I speak not with anger, but not without sorrow. It is painful when evil is done, and even more painful when evil is made out of good. I received a prosphora from you, but it was not preserved. It was not necessary to send it on a long journey, not raw, and not large. Prosphora is sent for blessing, not for satiety. Don’t complain that I notice this too. It's better that everything is in order. With His grace, may God forgive us both and everyone. Your letter, oh. Viceroy, dated April 12, I received 21. But already before this I wrote to you that I agree to leave I. in the Lavra if you see hope in him. There are signs of this in your letter today. Let it stay. Imagine the relationship, or hear about it from the Council, and imagine what the answer will be after. There is my resolution on Archimandrite Sergius, which the Council must implement. I point it out to you and remind you of it with a new resolution, without hiding this from the S. Synod, which may ask why its decree is not being carried out. The case of Plato and Dubovitsky is regrettable to me. Plato first promised obedience, then he doubted whether Dubovitsky was truly forbidden to take children into his upbringing. To resolve this doubt, I made an official communication and ordered that the information received be officially announced to Plato. Meanwhile, it must be translated. I thought that this way everything would end quietly. Well? Plato did not give the subscription required from him, so as not to have relations with Dubovitsky. After delaying for a month, he sent me a signature stating that he would refrain from private and too public relations. Consequently, he provides himself with secret relations with a person who is suspected by the government. Is there obedience here? Is there safety from harm here? Can the authorities ignore this without becoming guilty of negligence and imprudence? Meanwhile, it is likely that Plato informs Dubovitsky what the authorities are doing: for this one writes about the so-called zeal that he does not use this ritual, but at the same time he justifies it and, as proof of his opinion, cites evidence from Poiret that they do not know the shortness and childish simplicity of God and from Jacob Bem that the holy Angels also have a friendly kiss and hug, a most pleasant circular dance. Dubovitsky also claims that those involved in skoptsky rituals and the eunuchs themselves cannot in any way be considered a sect. This is not a rumor or a retelling, but was copied from Dubovitsky’s letter to Plato, from whom he sent me a list. For my consideration, tell me what you think about this and what advice you would give me. Let us pray for the unity of faith, and for the peace of the world, and for the success of peacemaking, which our Sovereign is engaged in, and which the evil spirits of Europe do not understand 14. Peace be with you, oh. the governor, and the brethren. May the world from above be given to you as the daily bread of the soul every day; May it be multiplied to you and may it not be taken away from you. You noticed that on March 20th I did not write to you such a wish. Forgive me for giving you the opportunity to make this remark. But do me a favor, do not interpret this silence out of love. May God protect me from the fact that my silence means the impoverishment of good desire. If anything in our country seems to me not to be as it should be, in my opinion, I tell you about it immediately directly and simply, and do not express in silence the repulsive movement of my heart. If, writing hastily, I do not say: peace be with you, it is because, to my feeling, this is obvious in any case, although the same thing is not written every time. Yesterday one baby told me that he loved the Metropolitan, and made me say the same to him. If I had not been forced, I would not have told him this, but would have loved him just the same. We do not love, it is said, in word or tongue, but in deed and truth. So, love does not lose by silence. Truth does not fail when the word fails. Let us trust each other's silence, just as we trust each other's words. I don’t know if you received my letter, in which I wrote to you a little about the dogmas defended by Archimandrite Plato. This dogma, which I now hear, is also strange, about the new kingdom of Christ, in a certain year, in a certain house, due to begin. Do they now know more about this than the Apostles, to whom it was said: you have no understanding of times and years? Did the Jews know the time of the exodus from Egypt in advance? Didn’t they already know when they were commanded to go? Did they know in advance the year of Christ’s suffering and resurrection? May God grant you the feast of the Holy Trinity and the Holy Spirit, blessed by the Holy Trinity and participating in grace and joy in the Holy Spirit. I send this word to you, oh. the governor, and the brethren, in my place. Having finished my journey yesterday and today celebrating Saint Alexis, I am unable to rush to you, although once before, I remember, I managed to do this. Not without worrying about tomorrow here, too, because I feel a cold and fatigue. Take me with you to the feet of the Reverend. I was slow in answering you, oh. the governor, on the letter dated April 19, because then he received a letter from the girl Zaitseva; and while I was preparing an answer to this, the busy time before departure came. I am sending her letter to you. There are a lot of stories here that one might not know, and some of them are mentioned about people I don’t know. Tell her that I do not have time to enter into correspondence arbitrarily, being much occupied with correspondence due to my position and need. I wish God's blessing for her relocation and advise her to move from the monastery hotel, where it is not in accordance with the rules to live for a long time. I answer your letter that I don’t remember Mr. Merder telling me about what land for Mr. Zaitsev; but I think that I would have remembered if it had been said, for I used to speak with Mr. Merder only in the palace, and therefore not often and on memorable occasions. Dispose of the Bethany dam as best seen on the spot and from experience. I cannot be with you before the 25th day; I still don’t see how soon it will be. Now the Grand Duchess is expected, and then the Grand Duke. O. Viceroy! The arrival of the Grand Duchess prevented me from deciding when to be with you. Now she's here; Today I was with her, and tomorrow she will be in the Cathedrals. Therefore, after tomorrow I will be able to leave Moscow; On St. Peter's Day I think I will be in Khotkovo to consecrate the church, and you can also be there; and on the 30th day I believe there will be an academic test; and this day, according to the previous custom, you should prepare dinner at my place. Make arrangements with Fr. treasurer. If you need an answer to your letters, ask on the spot. Now I don't have time to look at them. May peace be upon you, O. the governor, and the brethren. Arrange it in the dome of the cathedral as you write and as the investor wishes. How can we understand I.’s case? They vilify him and call him to Yuryev. It seems like it wouldn’t be a bad idea to call him in, read him his service record, and demand an explanation for everything. Here it will be possible to partly note whether he is whitewashing himself, or the list is blackening him. Then tell me your thought. Today a person came to me, about whom it will also not be easy to decide whether to accept or not. This is a Jerusalem admirer and tonsure there, I remember, Serapion, from the Siberian peasants, subject to convulsive movements. I heard something extraordinary about him, that he was a member of the Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich, that the Emperor granted him a cross, and something else that I don’t remember. He says that he was in Bethany the other day, that you sent him to me, that he likes the solitude of the place. I sent him away from me for a few days; Meanwhile, tell me if you know him and what you think. God bless you, oh. the vicar, and the brethren, in the field of repentance, and may he grant to the purified the saving communion with Christ. I wish you to celebrate peacefully in Bethany too. What are you planning to do with I.? In the certificate, I don’t know if you noted in his favor that he was only persecuted and punished, and it doesn’t even appear that he was interrogated on any denunciation. And even more so, there is no way for them to be exposed by witnesses. The Jerusalem monk did not appear to me again, which I am pleased with. I return the drawings with comments on which you can draw other projects? It's a pity that this wasn't done earlier and wasn't shown on site. Regarding the royal gates, questions arise: are they and the lintels dilapidated? Will the frames of the icons of the Holy Trinity and the Mother of God need to be made again? What will happen to the iron on which the lamp hangs? I don't really like the tripod. It will become expensive, but it won’t do any good. And what is a tripod? Has he ever visited our sacred churches? We have the trinity as the supreme number, but paganism threw it under our feet and made tripods in its temples. For the first time, wouldn’t the stand that was previously in the Trinity Cathedral and was recently gilded again be suitable for the tabernacle? According to the sacristy, if you do as you write, then both the new and the old inventory of 1805 will both be needed. Why two? Either you need to clear the old one with marks and leave it in action, or make a new one and believe it, and then throw the old one. Notes in the new inventory about what is missing will disgrace it and complicate it. I remember, I wrote in the resolution that it is necessary to make as few marks as possible, that a pebble has fallen out, or something is broken, but it is necessary to correct things and not disfigure the inventory, which is especially necessary when drawing up a new inventory. It would be good to notice on what occasions things are given, but it is not convenient. The old is forgotten. They won’t always be able to make marks of this kind. The inventory will increase. Where you can insert the word by the way, let it be. The work you sent for the former sacristan was not what was required. Here is a reception notebook, and then a sample comparative inventory. According to this test, the work after was more efficient. I will wait for what else you have to say about this subject. I am in no hurry to invite you to Moscow, by the way, for the reason that the Grand Duchess is thinking about joining the Lavra, and when has not yet been decided. If you can now buy good quality bread, it’s not a bad idea to stock up, although some are encouraging in winter. I'm on my way to Donskoy, and therefore there is no time to say more. Strange, oh. Viceroy! Until now I have not been able to obtain accurate information about the Grand Duchess’s intention to be in the Lavra. People around me don't know anything. The only one who could resolve this somehow does not meet with me. If the day is free, I get sick; If I am healthy, the day is busy with something from which I cannot leave. Meanwhile, time is running out. I need to fulfill the word given last year to be in Kolomna. True, I promised only conditionally, if possible, but they expect it there. And it is shameful to deceive this expectation. In these circumstances, having celebrated the day of the Sovereign Heir yesterday and now finding myself healthy, I decided to go to Kolomna tomorrow for a few days. If a visit to the Grand Duchess happened without me, then I would be greeted at the holy gates with a cross and holy water, without icons and banners (for this is the last thing for the Sovereign). In the cathedral, proceed as you would upon the arrival of the Emperor, if it is noticeable that he deigns to be at the Divine Service again. And if it is noticeable that this one time he deigns to be in the cathedral, then suggest whether you would like to listen to the full prayer singing, and then perform the prayer singing to the Most Holy Trinity and St. Sergius without an akathist. Offer an apartment with me, or in the rooms of the academic conference and the rector, which will probably be taken care of by those sent in advance. Present the treat - depending on the time and decorum. A few hours after what was written above, the matter becomes clearer. The Grand Duchess will probably be there, and I will probably have time to be there for the reception. See that it is clean in my cells for her, in the rooms of the academic conference and the rector for her staff members and ladies-in-waiting, in yours and the treasury cells for some others who may arrive in her retinue. And I can stop with the sacristan. Due to her health, we will probably not be able to treat Her Highness, and it will probably not be convenient for this. I didn’t have time to ask about the priest coming from the schism. If you find no doubt, you can add according to the order of joining from a schism, printed with the book: an admonition to schismatics. If you are not anointed, then perform confirmation. They say that there are a lot of bedbugs in our hotel. It is a shame to hear this when discussing the journey of the Grand Duchess. I'll tell you, oh. Governor that I arrived safely in St. Petersburg. On the first day of the journey I was sick and healthy several times, and if it were possible, I would be glad to return; The first two warm overnight stays in the Tver bishop's house and then in Torzhok at the monastery brought me a relief sleep; and then I felt better. The hieromonk and the hierodeacon suggested that I send first Theophan, who would hesitate to surrender: I agreed. We were not mistaken in deciding to make a change. Innocent and his brethren arrived on the eve of the feast, while I asked the Bishop of Tver for vestments and deacons to serve on the feast. Thus, it turned out that eleven of us served at the liturgy of the holiday. Blessings to you, Fr. Viceroy, and brethren, I call both on the day of the holiday and on the days of labor, may your labor be for salvation and rest in the Lord. I remember that at the Lavra I signed the application for tonsure, relying on your assurance that the statement was correct; but it’s not working properly, and the Synod asks me: what should I do? In truth, I answer: to make comments to us and the Council. But wouldn't it be better to prevent this? I have no news whether the vessels were sent to Fr. Macarius the missionary. Either you tell me, or tell Anastasia to do this if he finishes the job without you. Give me the attached note. Note. The letter does not indicate the year, month or date. Placed here on the assumption that it may be about the same vessels that are spoken of here, the speech continues in the letter to the 64th. Slich. also in the letter to the 67th there is a note about accelerating the tonsure of novices. You are my refuge from the sorrow that besets me. My joy, deliver me 15! So I cry with your soul, oh. Viceroy, to the One Deliverer from sorrow and despondency. May He bless her with peace and silence and clarity that everything depends on His grace. May He give her despondency and consolation, and the desire for life and the desire for death, to lay everything at His feet - and to accept from Him every good gift, and to carry it in devotion to His will. May He not allow you to do temporal things with partial pleasure, so that the darkness of the temporal does not obscure the light of the eternal. I wrote to you, it seems, twice, and, by the way, about vessels for the missionary. I want an answer. Thank you for your attention to Trinity Cathedral. Strengthen the canopy and iconostasis as you write. You don't have to wait for Mr. Beauvais's drawings. You yourself have encountered this difficulty. I urge peace to you and your brethren and good success. Won't you tell me, oh. Viceroy, what kind of man is Hieromonk Arseny of the Arzamaz high mountain desert? He asks for Pererva. Would it be helpful to take it? Feofan surrendered his position, and I told him to leave. He undertook a lot here, but did not do the necessary and ordinary things. For example, I didn’t prepare cucumbers for the fraternal table. It's cloudy here for quite a long time. My left side often hurts and prevents me from doing my work. Would you give me some instructions about this? Health and peace to you and brothers. I rejoice, oh. The governor said that Father Irenaeus, having defeated the invisible attacks in the visible by the power of Christ, departed in peace. Let the same power protect and guide him in the invisible and lead him into eternal shelters. Arrange his cell as you suggest. It is good both for the convenience of caring for the sick and for their proximity to the Church. There is a lot of damp weather here, the influence of which I sometimes felt very strongly. Someone in a dream said this: wet weather causes iron to rust; metal particles in the body attract water. How do you think? Are these thoughts about the composition of the human body and the effect of dampness on the body practical? Health and much peace to you and brothers. I still want to write to you, oh. Governor, and now four of your letters are awaiting an answer. Thank God that the novice’s failure to watch the burning stove did not cause any great trouble. We must take this into memory as an instruction to be careful. You can begin to fulfill the proposal to build an ark for the image of the Holy Trinity near the pillars of the cathedral. You chased the famous architect; I did not think about this and did not expect that his ideas about grace would be combined with ours about sacred antiquity. The Law and the S. Synod considers a novice from the day he is officially assigned to the monastery, and not from the date of residence. If the novice is trustworthy, then there is no need to leave him to live in private, but take his request for determination to the monastery, and at the end of the case, decide to count his determination from the day the request was submitted. Here is an innocent way to speed up the tonsure of reliable ones. I sometimes do this in resolutions; and keep this in mind. May God guide the sick Paul on the path of renunciation of earthly things and preparation for heavenly things. What you write about my lack of movement and the consequences of this is all true. I am going to drink the tea you prescribed; I’m lazy to use rubbing; And what you write about moving in chairs, I don’t call it stupid, but it seems funny to me. Yesterday I spent almost the entire day on my bed; but today, with clear weather, he came to life and went to the Synod, stopping to think about the medicine and saying to himself: let's see what else will happen. Pray that God's will be done; you know that there is nothing better than the will of God. On the matter of the square, following your letter, I received a response from Prince Dmitry Vladimirovich. I will write to him. I don’t know if a case will be needed for this. We need to take a closer look at what he writes. It’s not bad that he expresses the uncertainty of the matter and leaves it to me to ask for permission, rather than pronounce a decisive verdict. I agree to accept Sergius for the post of treasurer in Bethany. Irakli, if you want, leave him there; If you want, take him to the Lavra so that he doesn’t seem pushed away there. Although he did not know how to rule others, it seems to me that he is not a wicked husband, and therefore it is desirable that he be at peace. I don’t know why they told you that I would not agree to publish again the life of St. Sergius. I wrote it because what was written by Metropolitan Plato of blessed memory seemed to me more adapted to the time of the writer than to the spirit and deeds of the person described. Moreover, for the majority of our listeners, I thought it was better to speak more colloquially. At the same time, this was consistent with the direction of the authorities, who produced and published the translation of the Holy Scriptures into the Russian dialect. So, it seems to me that there is nothing to repent of here and nothing to fear in the future. But whether this little book is needed in the future is something that is better judged not by the one who wrote it. If you think that it needs to be printed, then look to see if anything needs to be changed and send it to me for review. I am sending you two books “Words and Conversations” that you have not heard. On the 1st day of December, distribute 350 or 400 rubles from me to the ministers, the poor and other poor people. The blessing of our Reverend Father Sergius, accompanied by yours, Fr. viceroy, and I received the prayers of the brethren with joy and gratitude. I invoke God’s blessing on you all, as always, and on the approaching holiday and on the new summer. At the end of the last month I was unwell, and now I’ve been homebound again for a week due to a cold; but, thank God, I am not severely punished and have relief. I am pleased with your discussion about iron in the body. It is not idle talk when one speaks about natural things with attention to how God created all things with wisdom. I.'s absence brings concern. If the stubborn will had won so much that it carried him away to objects around which his thoughts were circling out of habit or passion, across obstacles and distance, then no great excitement would have occurred in him. You need to keep an eye on him in order to return him to his refuge. To make it less difficult for the weaknesses of the young, attention must be paid to the tonsure during the presentation. Anyone who has only outwardly constrained himself in order to crawl through this door, having passed through, soon becomes blurred; and it is more difficult to spew out beyond the fence than not to accept into it. May God save us from false brethren. Elder Fr. Tell Paisius my gratitude for his memory of me. Also about. Archimandrite Sergius. Note. Letter without indication of month, day and year; but the words “about iron in the body” prompt us to attribute this letter to 1833. Slich. letter dated 26 Oct. 1833 And the “blessing for the approaching holiday and for the new summer” called for in this letter shows that this letter is from December; In many ways, it can be called a response to the congratulations received from the Lavra on his name day. December 16. This is what I wanted to write about. Thank you for the reminder. Buy a thousand pounds of flour, and try to buy fresh and good quality, although not of the highest quality. Even think about whether you need to buy more. The poor servants of the Lavra need to be helped. Think about whether to use this method to sell them bread, that is, flour, applied to the number of the family, for half the price, for example, so that they would receive benefits in need and use it more thriftily, not receiving it in vain. Note. This resolution was inscribed by His Eminence in a letter to him, Fr. Governor of the Lavra dated December 11, 1833. The letter contains the following contents; Your Eminence Bishop! Most merciful archpastor and father! By the grace of the Lord, in the monastery, for the fatherly prayers, everything is fine. The brethren behave in proper obedience. Next week they are fasting and preparing for communion of the Holy Mysteries: we ask your fatherly forgiveness and blessing. Father, would you be kind enough to buy 1000 poods of flour in excess of the annual proportion? Although bread is expensive: 2 rubles. 50 kopecks, worse is cheaper; but now he is. In the spring, during the muddy times, when it is impossible to bring it, and there is no place to go from, it will be very expensive, and the people will be in the most miserable state. Then money won't help much. Even the staff ones need to be thought about; and now we are helping, and then it is necessary: ​​now and in the world there is nowhere to go. There is a general need, there is no work, there is no supply of goods, and there is nothing to buy bread with. I’m already thinking about feeding the regular poor workers the remnants of a fraternal meal with the strange and the poor; Everything will help them: they will work in the monastery and be fed. For which I ask your merciful fatherly blessing. If we, father, today serve the people in poverty, the Lord will take away the oppressive hand from the people, they will make up for it. I ask for your fatherly blessing from Your Eminence. The most merciful father and patron, novice vicar-archimandrite Anthony and his brethren. December 11th day, 1833. December 22. Reverse the drawings with the comments made on one. Based on these comments, it is necessary to present a new drawing of the pre-altar iconostasis and another iconostasis of the eastern wall of the altar. Don't be too tricky when composing. It is more useful for the gaze to rest with reverence on icons than for it to run over empty patterns. Note. This resolution is inscribed in a letter to His Eminence Fr. Governor of the Lavra on December 13, 1833; With this letter, two drawings of the iconostasis for the hospital Lavra church, in which Fr. the governor to arrange a new iconostasis to replace the old one, which was very dilapidated. Here are the notes on one of the iconostasis drawings: 1) Is a crown under your feet appropriate? (NB. Under the feet of the Crucifixion with those standing, which in the drawing crowns the iconostasis.) 2) Floral confusion would needlessly confuse the artist and the viewer. 3) What are the same coming twice? (At the Crucifixion, at the top of the entire iconostasis and above the royal doors on the sides.) 4) Should you care too much about light? If necessary, wouldn’t it be better to finish the iconostasis with a cornice and an arch, but immediately placing above the arch either the Crucifixion of the Lord, which was at the top of the iconostasis, or the all-seeing Eye in a triangle and in rays, of a small size? 5) Place the icons of the upper tiers of the previous iconostasis in the form of an iconostasis on the eastern altar wall between the windows to the top, so that they are visible through the front iconostasis, complement it and give the grandeur of the interior of the altar. 6) If there are still icons left, then further windows can be placed in frames. 7) Twisted pillars are rarely good and here, at unequal distances, they are especially inappropriate. Use pilasters. 8) To make the right and left edges of the iconostasis less different, on the right one make not a cabinet, but just a board, with something decent written on it, and on the left, either do not make frames above the door, or make them barely noticeable. 9) The royal doors have more color than taste. Remake, paying attention to whether the old ones, or icons from old ones, are no longer suitable. May God bless you with a new summer, Fr. governor, and our brethren. May He grant us to be renewed in the spirit of our minds, in the image of the Creator. May he not deprive those who need temporary life, and may he have mercy on his poor people. I didn’t write to you earlier because I’m still struggling with weakness. On the Feast of the Nativity of Christ and then on New Year's Day I got two colds; and the longer one was closed, the harder both opened. I spent yesterday's holiday in my cell 16. Thank you for the news about the healing of the woman in labor. Blessed be God and His Pleasant. Let us not be lazy in seeking help, which is so close. Invite the deacon to write and sign the incident, and place the note in the sacristy, with similar ones, as a reminder in the future. I don't think about doing anything else. The glory of God's works comes by itself; And people sometimes create temptation for themselves out of God’s very good deeds. Therefore, the Lord sometimes said: return to your house to yours, and tell what great things God has done to you 17; and at another time he took him to tell anyone what had happened 18 . Is it good to have a cast iron floor in a hospital church? Aren't the elders cold? Isn't a wooden one better? I’m somehow afraid for the satiety of next year. Shouldn't we sow more potatoes in case of need? If there is a grain harvest, the loss is not great. And if, as expected, the harvest fails, then this will be beneficial. Tell me what you think. Thank you for breaking the net of temptation both for yourself and for me. For I had also heard rumors, according to which I did not want to bother you by starting a speech, while I thought that you must have noticed something, and in this latter case your silence seemed inconsistent with your rules. Really, you have to be careful. It is not ours, I think, to reassure ourselves with the purity of intention when we deviate from the rules of ordinary caution. I will not give you examples that seem to me from the lives of the Father, too strong for the present matter. You will remember something without me. In my opinion, you should not have taken up permanent treatment at all: firstly, this is little consistent with your current condition and ministry; secondly, the distance is inconvenient; thirdly, in the face of the patient; fourthly, it was not difficult to see that this would be harmful, if not to your thoughts, then to the thoughts of those who see and hear. Using the power of prayer is a Christian thing! And this is not dangerous for anyone. Using willpower means going into the labyrinth of nature. Do we know the way and the way out? I happened to hear that one clairvoyant ordered a person who had a beneficial effect on her to sometimes use the reflective action of the will, citing as the reason for this requirement the fact that otherwise, upon awakening, she would feel too much affection for him. Think what a warning a sleepy woman gives! But the one who is not sleeping has no idea. If you had spoken to me when you wanted to speak, it would have been easier for you than to write a whole sheet; and I would have been protected from the difficulty into which rumors later placed me. I submit to the judgments of Elder Paisius and Elder Seraphim. But here is a word that also does not pass by: woe to those who are tempted to come; mind, etc. Shouldn’t we conclude from this that a brother’s weakness must be covered up and quietly corrected until there is a temptation for many; and when a temptation arises, then it is necessary either to bring the matter to justice, or to advise the brother to retire, so that he is less embarrassed and less embarrassing to others. Accordingly, I think what should be done with those you named. The advice of Father Seraphim 19 is excellent - do not scold for a vice, but only show its shame and consequences. May the prayers of the elder help us learn how to fulfill them. Don't be sorry, oh. Governor, that I felt sorry for you. He regretted bothering with words, thinking that he could do without them: if he believed that there was danger, he would not have kept silent. It's good to move away from what confuses you. But words - I feel that they are harmful to me - should be spoken only to those to whom one should reveal one’s thoughts, and to whom one can bear them. The enemy can derive harm from unnecessary frankness. I am glad that the price of bread in Moscow has dropped quite a bit. Is it the same for you? But now here's what it's about. Today I am writing to Fr. to the rector of the academy that I am concerned about the infirmities he encounters. And writing this, I again worry about how he will accept my words. You and the inspector should pay attention to this and, if possible, help him to accept my words well. Here they think that it would be better for him to leave the academy and stay in Novospassky. My assumption about the hospital iconostasis is wrong, because this is not how I imagined the structure of the church. I thought that the wall was not behind the iconostasis, but behind the altar. Regarding gender and swords, I don’t argue with you stubbornly. You can do what you see best. And in my opinion it is useful for the purity of the air in the church when she breathes through the forehead of a burning stove. God's peace to you, oh. the governor, and the brethren. The Bethany incident is quite remarkable. Let us compose these verbs in our hearts, waiting for what else God will show, who wants everyone to be saved by everyone. Prayer in respite from famine has been thought about for quite some time; but for some reason I was running around with this thought for a long time. I am sending you a piece of paper taken from the printing house, which you will soon receive with the decree. You can, without waiting for a decree, start using it in the Lavra, Bethany and Mahra. What kind of strangeness is it that the future Bishop of Yekaterinburg does not appear for initiation for so long? If you still have him, tell him that the Highest decrees must be carried out immediately. I wrote to him not to delay. Note. “Future Ekaterinburg Bishop”, rector of the Bethany Seminary, Archimandrite Evlampius, appointed for ordination to this dignity by decree of December 25, 1833. On this decree, the resolution of Metropolitan Philaret dated January 10, 1834, among other things, prescribed: “the position of rector, if the new rector Archimandrite Agapit does not promptly appear, be accepted by the inspector before his arrival.” As a result of this, the position was handed over to the inspector, who was then the cathedral hieromonk Eusebius (now Archbishop of Mogilev). On the report of this surrender dated January 23, Metropolitan Philaret expressed his dissatisfaction with the slowness of the execution of this matter in a resolution. His Eminence wrote: “Gen. 31. Watched. – Further verification of the reception will be done by the reception of the new rector. Report from me to the S. Synod. It is strange that neither the appointee, nor the board, nor the inspector says whether he will leave soon. Why hesitate? We are not ordered to wait for a successor in order to hurry.” In the field of fasting, I bow to you, Fr. the governor, and the brethren. May our fast be pleasing to God and beneficial to the soul, mortifying passions, reviving and nourishing the spirit, with the power of us for the sake of the Dead and Risen. Thank you very much for your frank presentation of the circumstances and your thoughts on the occasion of my letter to Fr. Polycarp. I also received a letter from him, after yours, in which he asks for a deferment until the end of his academic course. I immediately wrote to him that if he is firm in the promise that he is now making, then no time period is needed, because I am not alienating him, but removing the general harm. At the same time, I don’t know how many times I hinted to him whether it would be better for business, and for various reasons, to write to him more often. After this he remains silent. Meanwhile, the prosecutor of the Synodal Office who came here brought news about the extreme neglect of the Novospassky Monastery, so that there is now more than 100,000 rubles worth of dilapidations there; and his income is not meager. What about. Polycarp once stood firm against me, this is truly the first time I hear this; and that he was rude to me, I not only don’t remember, but I think decisively that this never happened. The point is probably that Fr. Polycarpus prefers to imagine himself suffering for his firmness rather than being guilty, just as I now prefer to imagine myself being subject to injustice from a subordinate than being unfair against a subordinate. Trying to motivate him to do better, sometimes by scolding, sometimes by affection, and, if possible, by pleasing his ambition, I presented, among other things, his essay to D.U.’s commission, having read part of it and responded with approval; but he was unsuccessful, and I was not without shame, because the member 20, who was entrusted with reviewing the entire essay, did not approve of it. Another obstacle to rewarding him was that until this year the case against him in K.D.U. continued regarding the embezzlement of sums during his management of the St. Petersburg Seminary. It was his own fault that he transferred to the Moscow Academy. If I had served in St. Petersburg, this case either would not have been discovered, or would have been handled sooner and better than behind the scenes. The money was recently collected from him, and therefore now it is not convenient to think about rewarding him, except for domestic obstacles. But enough. Forgive me for self-justification. So be it, if I am guilty: may he be good and prosperous. I don’t understand the entire note of benefit 21. I have no time for this. Maybe I’ll sort it out and send it to the chairman of the historical society. However, you did well to save it and show it. Thank you for updating the Reverend’s cell. Shouldn't we reward those who worked? Correct the hotel, and do not give peace to the bedbugs, like the Canaanites. I don’t know if I’ll dare to remind Ekaterina Vladimirovna 22 of her promise about furniture. Has the repaired canopy over the throne of the Trinity Cathedral improved its appearance, and does it stand straighter, and if the vine branches have been taken away from its pillars, is this defect not noticeable? - What is the status of the matter of changing the iconostasis around the pillars of this cathedral? After one of his previous thefts, I told Jacob that he should better manage his treasure, and not entangle his soul with it, and not lead people into sin, and not bring thieves into the monastery, and not bring shame to monasticism. People don’t want to learn through advice - and are forced to learn through sorrowful experiences, aggravated. If he had been less old, then he would have been expelled from the Lavra. Isn't it time to remove the title of hospital builder from him and transfer it to someone who would bear the name with some benefit? I don’t understand the new design of the hospital iconostasis, and I wouldn’t want it to be like that any other way. Is it the image of the Resurrection and the Supper on the wall or on the board? The supper was in the church; Is it appropriate to decorate this image with stars and cherubs? The cross was never in the door, and it cannot be properly combined with the doors; there will be no doors, or you will have to break the cross to open the doors. The shape and proportion of the pillars of the royal gates and the iconostasis seem unpleasant to me. It doesn’t matter if they are pilasters. I would like to see more icons of the old iconostasis preserved in it, if they are good. I don't know what to do here. Either put it off until me, or do as you decide. I promise not to be in contention for this; but the answer for the matter is not mine. Be more merciful to Zolotarev. The other seer and the events had a strong effect on him; and having accepted the words: the end is soon - too strictly and literally, he subjected himself to forced labor to adapt the entire Apocalypse to the above-mentioned saying. It has good intentions. As for the unsuccessful interpretation, he is not the first, and he will not be the last. Recently an interpretation of the Apocalypse was published in France, which states that the Antichrist will be from the Russians, and that the triple alliance of Emperor Alexander is a preparation for the kingdom of the Antichrist. Zolotarev is certainly superior to this French interpreter. The Reverend Evlampius is thinking of taking Panteleimon from us. What do you think? Is it possible to let go, and will it be useful for the Reverend? Panteleimon will probably have to be the housekeeper of the bishop's house. Read it, oh. Governor, enclosed herewith is a letter from A.I.V. It seems to me that it would have been better if the opportunity had not been given to write much of what is written here. I don’t think there is any desire to slander your cell servants; and if not so, then they should have been more sedate. And unreasonable actions should not be responded to with other unreasonable ones. I don’t remember whether you demanded permission from me to accept confession; but I think that my permission would not have led to what is happening now. Spiritual daughters would not collide on the threshold and would not complain why I accept one and not the other. In my opinion, as the position of spiritual Fr. If you do not enter the office of archimandrite, it is better to step out of the bounds of duty into the area of ​​voluntary action as little as possible, and accept male people for confession, with consideration of blessed guilt, and female people - only for the most urgent need. If you, or G.V., asked me whether she should come to confession with you, I would answer: I don’t see any urgent need. But when she became an annoying spiritual daughter to you, you had to try to put her in order, not allowing her to get into the disorder described in her letter. You could tell her yourself or through one of the monastics that it would be difficult for you to visit her, and set a convenient time for her for rare visits; and if this did not help, then also inform her that you are forced to refuse to visit her. Then she would not have bothered to take your cell by storm, and your cell attendants would not have had to worry about repelling the attack. I would also ask Fr. rector Polycarp; Did he need to dine at G.V.'s? – You can tell him this question, not to answer me, but to answer his reasoning. I would like to hear from you how you will arrange yourself in order to guard against any further oddities. However, you will not doubt that I do not need A.I.’s petition for you at all. I am not condemning your well-intentioned actions, but I am talking about acting cautiously. The new rector of Bethany is somehow embarrassed by his move. You would get to know him and help him to be in good spirits. My health from time to time gets less along with St. Petersburg; and, it seems, the time is approaching when this will give me the right to ask not only to return to Moscow, but also not to return to St. Petersburg. However, let God's will be done, not man's. Hello you, mentally and physically, also brothers Note: “The new rector of Bethany” is Archimandrite Agapit, appointed from among the inspectors of the Vladimir Seminary, of which he was also a student. He took office as rector on March 3, 1834. Grace and peace from the Lord to you, Fr. the governor, and the brethren. I think we need to talk to you on the spot about the second windows for the Trinity Cathedral before making a decision. Remind me. It’s good that you are adjusting the canopy over the relics of the Reverend. It is unpleasant to see damaged decorations of a shrine, presenting an appearance of neglect. Imagine the dismissal of Jacob from the Council and the appointment of him as dean. Having seen what comes of it, let’s think about hospital construction. May Guardian Angel O.P. forgive me: he is jealous of good things; But, having received a position, won’t he bother his superiors and subordinates in order to deliver everything according to his own wisdom? I can’t figure out what to do with I., the former caretaker. It’s not safe to give him the school. I don’t see any other place for it. Tell him that I care about him, but to wait until I find it possible to place him more in harmony with his thoughts. The Synod ordered the diocesan bishop to bring Zolotarev to reason. For holy relics to be raised and offered, this was never heard of in the monastery; therefore, if you need to place them in a more convenient way, do this secretly with a few, with due reverence. Father Rector of Bethany should warn you so that, before agreeing with me, not to proclaim candidates of economy, especially many, from which there may be a vain movement of thoughts. I can’t recommend F. Hieromonk F. and I saw as you see now; but last fall I came to the affairs and traces of the housekeeper F. This is completely different. And another thing is that he did not speak about his deeds sincerely and did not admit his mistakes. Of the other two, in my opinion, it is better to give Panteleimon. You say: needed; but you don’t say for what; and I don’t see this need. The case of the Council to trust the novice does not seem reliable to me. For the Polotsk churches, such a significant allowance was collected from the Moscow churches that the S. Synod did not find it necessary to give more than half of what was collected to the Polotsk diocese. U o. Paisiya, maybe her eyes are not full. A difficult and dark thing, girl 3. I think you should not completely drive her out, so that increased irritation does not increase her mental harm; but take it rarely and carefully, with prayer and a calm mind, calming the whirlwind of madness. What new dam are you talking about? If about Pafnutyevskaya, then the damage may not be very important; and if about Bethany, then this is not a joke. Novice S., after dealing with money, should not be left in the monastery. Either let him go or send him away. If there is no ready-made, good art, enamel image of St. Sergius praying, then arrange it on purpose and deliver it to me, for one person who wants it. For this – Christ is risen! I kiss you and my brothers. Let the life of Jesus be revealed in you. Thank you, oh. Viceroy, you and the brethren for the word of joy. Truly Christ is risen! His peace be with you all. Tell about. My gratitude to Paisius for his writing. When arranging summer work in the Lavra, keep in mind (but do not proclaim this) that at the beginning of September, what may happen to guests in the Lavra is even worse than last year. It is necessary that by that time there will be no unfinished business or untidy places. Mrs. IIIagarova wishes to travel to Tikhvin. Tell me that there is no obstacle to this on my part. I also had a letter from the girl Z., which I did not finish reading as needed. And me, oh. Governor and brothers, remember in your fasting and prayers. Introduce the Bethany treasurer to the presbytery. I don’t see anything about Mitrofan - no petition, no representation. If I don’t receive it now, remind me on the spot. Elisaveta Petrovna Glebova, intending to be at the Lavra, asks permission, due to her old age, to come inside the monastery in a carriage, which was previously allowed to her. Calm her down with this Sim. Day 28 is the first day of the exam at the academy; and, according to custom, I have to have lunch. I entrust this to your care, for you know that I am less able to manage this than I can manage anything else. Tell me quickly about the day of the exam, Fr. to the rector of the academy, in case I don’t write to him specifically. Thanks be to God and His Pleasant, who guards the holy monastery. What are you, oh. Governor, you are helping those in need from the fire, I not only agree to this, but I also thank you for this. If you don’t have enough rain, bring prayers about it. There seems to be no such deficiency here. Only the warmth is less than summer. It's been a week since I left you, oh. Governor, and only now do I have time to tell you what I wanted to say last Thursday at eight o’clock in the evening, that is, that I reached Moscow safely. But this is what I wanted to tell you more than once back in the monastery, what does it mean that among those who burned in the settlement I did not see anyone asking for help? God would grant that there would be no need for it. I heard that among others, a noblewoman, blind or sick, lost her home and was left helpless. They also told me about the noble girls who were left helpless by their father who lived in the suburb. If you mean these poor people: take some of my money from the treasurer and give them an allowance. Today, after I began this letter, Ignatius and Victor came from you; and it occurs to me that it means that even in these cases you don’t write. Victor told me about such purchases, which, it seemed, should not now be made, and in which there should now be a transfer. But this matter is not important. The thought of your silence keeps coming to me. I pray to God that it will be a silence of pure silence and peace. To your four letters, Fr. The governor, who is now in front of me, answer in the order that comes into my eyes. Help the burnt and the poor according to your reasoning, taking one hundred and three rubles from my money. I don’t really understand what you mean by the lantern light V.A. But perhaps it is also the work of God’s goodness that the clairvoyant lantern showed at night, so that a person would not be left in the dark night; - until the day will light up. It seems to me that it would be difficult to delay giving permission to the burnt people to build. I could not bring myself to demand this. They did not take possession of the land themselves, but rightly or wrongly received plans for it from the authorities. The project regarding relations with the Governor General does not promise success. The clarity of the matter is not such as to induce him to abandon an opinion which he has already expressed. Let me think. Make a good plan for the wall writing so that you can better understand all the parts of the matter. I'll be waiting. Judge my thoughts. Did you need to go from Makhra to the city, and especially to the village, to visit, while you see that evil-tonguing took advantage of such cases so much, and who knows whether it has become dull now? I would like to go to Podolsk and Serpukhov and some monasteries tomorrow. It’s hard for me to tear myself away from the affairs here: but I tear myself away because I need it and I don’t foresee another convenient time. Ask me for blessings from St. Sergius. I ask you and your brothers for God's blessings again and again. Today we read at the liturgy from the Apostle: providentially good not only before God, but also before men. I put this word at the beginning of this letter, and let it be my protection from wrongs due to ignorance or passion of judgment. The Apostle collected alms, and he provides goodness not only before God, so that it is used correctly, but also before people so that they do not doubt its good use. Here is an example and instruction for people holding public positions. This, it seems to me, requires some limitation of your thought, that in relation to evil tongues we should judge not as the secular think, but as the conscience and the spirit living in us feels and sees. I remember you said that the late Fr. Seraphim was judged for freely admitting females to him. He could neglect this: it was his measure; and he was not obliged by his public position to present himself as an example of ordinary order. Neither our position nor our far inferior standards will allow us to do this. This, it seems to me, is how many similar cases should be judged. If you had not visited on the way from Mahra; Maybe the heavy guest G.Z. wouldn’t come to your cell again. Now it’s a burden for you, and it’s a concern for me. Do me the favor, accept complacently the order that I found necessary to make, so that cases do not arise in which both you and I would become guilty without guilt. You will remember the judgments of Stefan Dmitrievich; and, I hope, be convinced of the need for preliminary caution, which has been put off for quite some time. You call malignancy lack of language. Maybe so. But let us take a look to see if we are scolding our neighbor who has upset us, when we are thinking of strenuously scolding the demon with harsh words. Forgive me for pointing out another case where caution could be used. After the early liturgy, you had visitors and wanted to leave immediately. What was there to stop them with an invitation to a second visit? If this had not been done, the scene with G. Z., which followed during this visit, would not have happened. Isn’t it enough for us monks to have those secular visits that cannot be avoided, and is it necessary to multiply them arbitrarily? But let’s stop this painful speech. I will respond to other items in your letters. In the incidents with the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in Simonovo, I did not find anything that would need to be suspected, and also with the icon of St. Nicholas. Therefore, from the synodal office it was submitted to the S. Synod, so that the first one should be left in place as it is, and the second, taken by decree of the S. Synod, should be returned to Simonov, to the church. Thank you for your idea about nationwide fasting and prayer due to current circumstances. It was not useless, although I did not reach its full implementation. When I consulted about this with my colleagues: some believed that this matter could find its way in the middle class of the people, and some of the elders believed that it was out of time. Not seeing that those closest to me took on this quite firmly, I concluded that we could expect nothing more than mediocre excitement in a few, and inattention and disobedience in many who heard; consequently, the good goal would hardly be achieved. Moreover, when the 22nd day of August passed safely, the worries seemed to lessen. Therefore, on August 26, being in the procession of the cross, I only did what I added to the clergy, was at the Most Holy Theotokos of Iveron, and reached Sretensky, with kneeling read the prayer about which you wrote, with some applications to the circumstances of the time. Perhaps my lack of faith is the reason that I did not rely enough on the faith of others. Pray for me, and that the Lord will send skilled workers to his field, in which the enemy of man does his work, with a sleeping man. May God, through the prayers of the Reverend, keep the monastery, both you and the brethren, safe and in peace. You must wait for the Emperor on the 15th or 16th day. Should I be there? This will be decided in front of him. There were three days without a fire; but yesterday it was; and now I see smoke, it seems, on Lubyanka Square. Do me a favor, oh. Governor, do not allow external unrest to disturb your inner peace; and with this peace calm them down. Not just for you, but for me too. Why should the Council take testimony from you? Why announce this to the Council? Everyone wrote to you precisely so that the matter would be only between you and me. You also invented the expression: a deprived person. This is stronger than the one who is possessed; this means - almost turned into a demon. Do me a favor, look around, is this expression used in love? You say that I believe such a person: no; but I take caution, because others may believe him that not only I have reasons to foresee, but what you yourself have seen in experience. If I had not taken the caution that I now take, then perhaps in future cases I would not be able to protect you as I should, but would only seem like a potter. You hope that the Lord will justify you; I wish and hope too, but at the same time I pray to Him to save you from self-justification. That you are not superfluous to me, I know this very well: but, forgive me if I say it erroneously, wouldn’t it be better if you knew less about this? If you find yourself guilty of sorrow before me, may God forgive you; I not only forgive, but I also do not blame you for this, because circumstances give you a reason for this. Forgive me too, because I too am somewhat guilty of sorrow before you - not in such a way that I consider you guilty, but in such a way that in some cases you could, in my opinion, increase caution in order to give less food to an ill-controlled tongue. So that you don’t get bored of being answerable for G. Z.’s letters, I inform you that she wrote a complaint to the Emperor and me for prohibiting you from accepting her to confession. However, I don’t know whether this complaint has been filed. I anticipate you, oh. Viceroy that the Sovereign Emperor intends to listen to the liturgy in the Lavra. He promised to give me more information about the time. It should be on Sunday. By the way, pay attention to the fact that there is nothing disorderly on Red Mountain. In addition to my cells, clean out the treasury and conference rooms. I don’t think it will be possible for me to arrive before Saturday. Tell the rectors to keep things tidy. However, may God arrange everything for common peace. First after separation from you, Fr. Viceroy, I cannot begin my letter otherwise than, but with thanksgiving to the merciful God, thanksgiving to you for your spiritual and medical care for me in my increased infirmities. Then I answer your letter. You have been a friend of mine for a long time; when the Providence of God arranged that you should also receive the Father in the sacrament, then it remains for your soul to decide to what extent it wants not to be alienated from my humiliated soul. The Lord, who calls everyone to unity and promised to be where there are at least two gatherings (no doubt, by communication and unity of spirit) in His name, bless this communication in His name and may it direct it to the salvation of our souls. I don't have time to write more. I hasten to say that the Sovereign Emperor may visit the Lavra on Thursday or Friday. Be prepared and prepare the premises in case of emergency, as previously planned. Whether I will, I don’t yet know, because I doubt I’ll go at random, without orders; and there is no convenience in asking for command; because there is no certain knowledge whether the trip will take place. Lay this matter at the feet of St. Sergius. I only wish that the Sovereign’s soul would be in peace and that he would accept the blessing of St. Sergius. Peace to your soul, and I invoke God’s blessing on you and your brothers. I don’t want to lead you, oh. Governor, that my journey was somewhat easier than before, and I do not regret that I hastened. The icon you showed me should be sent to me; and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a few. There is news here, which, however, I have not yet had the opportunity to quite believe, that the Sovereign Heir is summoned to Yaroslavl to accompany his parent to Kostroma and Nizhny. On this occasion, a question can be asked: the circumstances of the weather and roads would not have changed the direction of the path, and in this case would it not have happened to the Sovereign Heir to be on the path of the Lavra and in the Lavra? Don't think; however, I did not consider it superfluous to tell you this thought. Someone from Makhra asks to go to Chudov. I ask about this in order; but you, bypassing the command lines, tell me whether this matter is decent, and should I translate it? In the Lavra I wanted to talk to you more than I spoke, and now I want to write more than I write. Let us pray that the Lord bless both the word and the silence; let neither the word be idle nor the silence wordless. Peace to your spirit, father and brother! This letter should be delivered to you by the wanderer Onesimus, whom you already know. Talk to him and give him advice and tell me what you advise him. He first decided to carry with him several icons in the form of a chapel with a lamp. The police took him and sent him to me; I did not approve of this; the chapel was given to the church; but then, not seeing anything dubious in him, I may have been mistaken in giving him the chapel. He renewed it, using part of the money given for the journey to Jerusalem, and carried it; but in the Kaluga or Oryol province he was taken by the police, imprisoned, the chapel was taken from him and given to the church, the money was taken and given to the order of public charity, and the passport to Jerusalem was taken away and a monthly passport was given to his homeland. After this, he signed up for the audit, again took leave for the monastery and wants to enroll in the monastery, go to Jerusalem and get the selected money to send to Jerusalem. Moreover, he wants to change the chains he is already wearing to new ones. Disassemble these thoughts at the feet of St. Sergius. It seems like you have no one to wait for. The Sovereign Heir is expected directly to Moscow. God's blessing and peace be with you, Fr. governor, and with the brethren. I received the icons. But before I gave money for them, and in front of you I received it like this three times, and I think something is happening, I’m using something that doesn’t belong to me. Would you consider counting and taking my money? You already know, without a doubt, that the Emperor has returned. The Sovereign Heir is still expected. The Sovereign Emperor, returning to Moscow, deigned to say that he found the Lavra in its best former form. Thank you for this. The vision of Hierodeacon V. is remarkable 23 . Will he understand what the long black tongue means? This will probably come to his mind. And if this is not noticeable, I think we need to give him an idea. What is the case for fearing exaltation? What can a thought say? Is your friend somewhat higher in apparent rank? – But God does not look at this, but at the depths of the heart. Is your friend a poor creature, toiling and burdened? “But even such people are called by the meek and lowly-hearted Jesus. And dare to stand and be respected. Don't be arrogant, but be afraid. The weakest, if he does not leave the One who perfects His power in weakness, will not be burdened with the weakness of a friend; but let this one bear the infirmities of that one, and, seeing a cure for the infirmities, let him give, or let him indicate. The renovation of the church is truly an event that brings many thoughts and arouses many feelings. The rarity of the action is not the reason for this, but even more significant, which with frequent action reveals itself even more. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is with your spirit, father and brother, moving good thoughts and desires and facilitating the ascent to Him. I still haven’t gotten around to inviting you to Moscow, looking for more free time. But since this is not very reliable, then come as you please and you will not see any obstacles. If Onesimus stays with us, then I think it is necessary to define him formally so that the validity of his passport does not encounter any new difficulties. It seems that his feet should be better, although not always, shod, - not so that it would be warm and soft, but so that it would be a barrier to idle eyes. I thought it would not be impossible to get his icon, not for him, but for the monastery where he decided, so that it would be in the church. Or is this not necessary? It is strange that the Tambov hieromonks, under the Tambov treasurer in the Sergius Desert, lived and were not afraid of the fleet, but under Archimandrite Ignatius this happened; and why does he lay down good people from his hands? Does he have a big surplus? However, look at them and, if there are good signs, consider acceptance. I pray to God to arrange your path in peace and for good. Peace to our brethren in the Lord. Thank you, oh. Viceroy, both for the good wishes and for the reflections you wrote in 21 days. It is truly good for a person when the Lord Jesus Christ is his heart and his life - and not only to him, but through him, to those who approach him. For whatever force is in the center, such a force extends to the circle and acts in it. And vice versa: he who deprives himself of this gift through his negligence, deprives others of something, perhaps also. Let us pray to the Lord, that it may be with the heart of those who live to Him and with the belly of those who die to themselves and the world - death for those in whom the old Man still lives, so that at least not to spread a false life, when it would be proper to live the true life and spread it. I wish that, upon a special test of conscience, the fellowship of the Lord’s Table will be for you and the brethren, both for the consolation of souls and for the advancement of a life pleasing to God. I have unpleasant news from St. Petersburg about the Balakhna case. There they are dissatisfied that the Eminence has arbitrarily built a church at the tomb of St. Paphnutius 24 . They don't write anymore; but for this reason it can be noted that this matter did not go well. Our business with you - the legend of the miracles of St. Sergius - is not approved by the bishop 25. I will send you these papers so that you can look and tell me what comes to your mind. But I think: consider the matter over, because I would not want to follow my opinion, against the opinion of the Lord, in another case, especially in one in which I am the defendant, and not an outside observer. Return the papers to me without sharing them with anyone else. On the first day of December, distribute three hundred fifty or four hundred rubles from me to the ministers, the poor and the poor. You and your brothers will pray for my humility. Thank you, oh. Viceroy, love to you and your brothers for your good wishes and blessing on the day of my angel. May the prayers of St. Sergius help me to continue serving His monastery and your world without fruitlessness. I read the complaints you wrote about yourself on November 25, turning them on yourself, and not reducing them, but increasing them. May the Lord help your soul, which confesses to Him and helps my confession. I spent the last three days of the past month and the current one until Vespers in the Perervinsky monastery. There things are done more smoothly and the silence is heard with some pleasantness. But even there for a long time there are obstacles. I am sending the papers I wrote about before this. Let the Spirit of the Lord be with your spirit. Call on Him to my frailty and unworthiness. Blessings and peace from the Lord to you, Fr. the governor, and so are the brethren. I wanted to respond to your letter from an unknown date about the effect of Christ’s death as soon as possible, but I still couldn’t find the time. In my desire that I. X. be death for those in whom the old man still lives, so that at least not to spread a false life, there may be something not only unclear, but also sinful. However, I want to show you how, in my opinion, my words could be understood: then again tell me the court, so as not to spread a false word out of bewilderment. It seems to me that the basis of my words is in the sixth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans. If we are conformed to the likeness of His death, then we will also be resurrected. Here two states are visible: the state of conformity with the death of Christ and the state of conformity with His resurrection. One thing has already happened, another is expected. Further: even if we die with Christ, we believe that we will live with Him. Again two states: the state of death with Christ and the state of life with Him; and again one thing is already there, and the other is expected. Further: if I die, I die through sin alone; and the hedgehog lives, God lives. In the same way, think about the dead for sin, but the living for God. Here is the interpretation of the two states. Here, indeed, two states come together: the Apostle, so to speak, hastens to induce and stir up new life: this should be in intention, out of zeal. But when he looks at what already exists, and does not separate himself from others, he does not suddenly assign two states, but, partly by truth itself, partly by humility, he assigns only that state, the lower one, preparatory to the second, when a person becomes conformed to the death of Christ, when our old man is crucified with Him, so that the body of sin may be abolished, for sin will not work for us. This is what I was thinking about in my wish. Here Christ acts by the power of His death, or becomes a saving death for those in whom the old man had hitherto lived. The power of dispassion with which Christ endured suffering and death, through this very thing He introduced into humanity, and with it it acts in believers, killing passions and lusts and burying thoughts. I needed to separate this object of desire, at least for myself. I wish the best the best - the revelation in them of the life of Christ, when with a revealed face they look at the glory of the Lord, and are transformed into the same image from glory to glory 26 . Let the best pray for the worst, and let those who go ahead attract those who are lagging behind. Christ died in order to be resurrected; and for this reason we die with Him in order to be resurrected together. But one is not the other; and in Christ himself there are represented three days of death before the three days of resurrection. So you can ask for the previous one, in the hope that mercy will also give the subsequent one. Now let's talk about false life. The Apostle said at length about the one who was feeding that she died while alive 27 . If she died truly, then she is alive falsely. Therefore, every carnal and sinful life can be called false. Everyone who acts, more or less, spreads the life he lives, new or old. The gift of spreading a higher life in others is the highest: it is good for him who uses grace as an instrument for this. But, not daring to attribute this to himself, a person may wish, at least not to spread a false, carnal, sinful, hypocritical life - with a wrong word, an unworthy example. A hypocritical life, presenting only a superficial image of piety, is especially befitting of the name false. You attribute false life only to the Antichrist. But will the Antichrist create something completely new? But evil cannot create, but only damage what has been created and upset what is damaged more and more. To form his false life, the Antichrist will take its elements in hell and in wicked people. And now there are many Antichrists: consequently there is a false life. As true life spreads through the exploits of believers and saints, the body of Christ - the Church - is created and restored until the appointed number of the elect is fulfilled; - thus, through the sins of carnal people and temptations, false carnal life spreads, which, if, on the contrary, it ceased, then the Antichrist would have nothing from which to form his body - the church of the evil ones. Enough about this. Now I will wait for your answer to this. The affairs of the Right Reverend of Nizhny Novgorod are, I think, simpler than how you imagine various human connections. However, what I wrote to you was heard by chance, and I have no reason to talk about these matters with those on whom they now depend 28. In another letter of yours, you resolve St. Petersburg’s doubts regarding the article about the miracles of St. Sergius, but do not resolve mine. It is difficult for me to decide to act against the opinion of the Lord, which I like to consider better than mine. Moreover, if I do not follow his opinion, it may happen that in the future he will not be so willing and open to express his opinions to me, and this is a loss for me. Someone, whom I don’t know to name, on your instructions, made mural drawings for the Trinity Cathedral. I am sending them to you. Wouldn't a newly projected drawing be better? In round frames, instead of paintings, shouldn’t we paint one saint at a time? Then the images will not be small, and the entire church will represent what it is - a cathedral of saints. Larger frames can accommodate paintings. I wish you and your brethren to joyfully and worthily glorify Christ and His birth with your lips and hearts. Another saying about false life occurred to me: the name imashi is alive, but dead is ecu (Apoc. III, 1). This was said not to the Antichrist, but to the Angel of the Church of Sardis. I am writing this to send you a message, oh. the governor, teacher Berdnikov, who asked to become a monk at my house, but whom I advised to start in the monastery. I don’t have time to deal with him, and now I don’t see the convenience of arranging a lesson for him in front of me. Let you test yourself in the laurel; and if it is hard, then you can cut it for a short time, and then there will be a use for it. Look for activities according to his ability and try to give him good direction. The story of Hierodeacon Varlaam 29 is remarkable, and I thank you for it. God help him. If he wants to rest in the laurel, I don’t argue. I call upon you and the brethren the joy and peace of Christ. God help you, oh. vicar, and the brethren who exist in the Lord will celebrate the holiday in pure joy and enter into a new summer, to renewal and restoration of life, not only bodily for a time, but also spiritual for eternity. Is it not for a simple reason that Israel wanted to go to the Lavra, so that his removal to Bethany against his will would be resolved and blotted out; and didn’t he want to die because he felt finite pain, which would only continue to burden others? Be that as it may, may the Lord find him ready for the good things to come. Did I answer you regarding the decree on the circle in favor of the Holy Sepulcher? – The decree says nothing about monasteries, and therefore, it seems, there is no need to start one. However, tell me what you and the Council think. Let's stop arguing about false life. It seems that the difference between us is that you look more at its center, and I look more at the circumference and atmosphere, where it approaches the atmosphere of natural and even spiritual life. You are afraid of suspiciousness and tell the repentant sinner: do not be afraid of being involved in a false life: this is completely different. I am afraid of carelessness: and I say to the sinner who is not quite zealous about correction: beware lest you become infected with a false life and become an instrument for its widespread use. The manuscript about the miracles of St. Sergius, apparently, will need to once again be compared with the sources from which it was drawn, and again explain to the Bishop about the merits of these sources. But I don’t require a printed book from you—maybe I’ll find it closer, here, in the library of the Synodal Printing House. You see what I wrote to the chief prosecutor about the notebooks. You need to send them to me for approval, according to the legalization in relation to the indicated. It's time to get drawings for the Miracle Church. This matter can hardly be accomplished without a report to the Emperor. He knows the church and is zealous for Saint Alexy. And if you report, then there is no need to waste time. Thanks to God and our Reverend Father Sergius for engrafting me under the wings of the Reverend. Thank you, Father Viceroy, for your love and help in easing my burdens. Tell the brethren that I thank them for the good dispensation in which I saw them. Do you know that, after listening to the Divine Liturgy in Bratovshchina, we ended up in Moscow at eleven o’clock in the morning? Note. Letter - unknown date? and without end; preserved between letters of 1834. May God protect you, oh. the governor, and the brethren. The disease here is the same as yours. It seems to be coming from the east, just like cholera. Recently from Irkutsk and even more recently from Perm they wrote about the epidemic that happened there; then it appeared in Moscow and here a little later than Moscow. A strange phenomenon: half the city is sick, and the other half is doing their job and talking about it - as if it were news, and not as a disaster! Only entertainment in society, they say, has become less. It seems that the Lord is saying how easy it would be for Him to punish everyone if He did not restrain His anger. And the disease comes to our people, that is, to those living on the farmstead, but still not to many suddenly. Let us pray to the Lord, that He may not kindle all His wrath. I agree with your reasoning about lamps in the meal. Note The letter is also of unknown date, preserved between the letters of 1834. Doesn't it date back to 1833? (Compare letter 45). But it cannot refer to the end of 1834, because, as you can see, the letter is from St. Petersburg. Or does it refer to the year 1837? (Compare letter 156). This year, as can be seen from the letters of this year, the refectory church was being renovated. Blessings from the Lord to you, Fr. viceroy, and let his peace guard your heart and mind. Those called to public service cannot help but care about order and earthly things. If Savvaty does not take care of the order of the fraternal cabbage soup: the brethren will not be happy, some will sin by grumbling, his conscience will reproach him that he gave rise to this by his negligence, and you will not praise him. If it is not suitable for the refectory person to act somehow in the matter of the meal, is it also suitable for you and me in the affairs entrusted to us? I would like to entrust others with the care of necessary earthly things and give them up to their will: but if therefore the benefit of the place to which we are assigned is not respected, this is not good. The worst thing is if, due to our lack of attention, people fall into negligence and then into infidelity and sin, and are left without an incentive to correct themselves. It is not necessary to work a lot out of passion, unnecessarily, but it is necessary to care about order with reasoning and peace. Remember what is written: wake, watch and affirm the rest, even if you die 30. We would say: why care, watch, affirm what is already doomed to die? Let's leave it, let it remain somehow until death. But this is not what the true word commands: be vigilant and affirmative. Don't be careless. Do not allow it to be destroyed prematurely. If we say: we will not repair the old house, next spring we will move to a new one, and the old one will be broken; then winter will come before spring and make us repent that we decided to live somehow without repairs. But in order not to talk about this, I turn to the case that gave rise to these thoughts. It’s not good to forget a thousand rubles, or more, that belong to others. Does the one who forgot have such treasures that he did not notice in his pocket someone else’s thousand, like a penny? I look forward to further clearing of the account. When making an annual estimate, remember to limit the randomness of purchases. The Academy wants to make a stone underground pipe. I tell the rector to talk to you. See that something unhelpful or unsuccessful does not happen, and that no inconvenience occurs for the Lavra, for it is necessary to bring it under the fence. Note. Without a signature and without indicating the time when it was written; preserved between letters of 1834. Peace in the Lord to you O. governor and brethren. Where is F. with his complaint? - He didn’t come to me. And I admit that when I agreed to use it by a deputy, I did not have good hopes, but I did not want to follow my thoughts when others saw the person better than I did. My home is hardly better than yours, with F. Think and write to me who to use in the yard instead of A., who, it seems, can no longer stay here. Not having time and not knowing how to look at the details of the economy, and noting that it was necessary to look after A.’s affairs, I, I remember, instructed you to look at some of his assumptions, giving you the opportunity to delve into the general state of affairs at the farmstead. The consequences of this were not revealed then; and I received the note about the terms of clothing for ministers from A., and not from you, and therefore did not have the opportunity to definitely find out your opinion. Now it has been discovered that A. spends firewood on stoves that don’t burn, uses 50 quarters of oats a year for measuring and killing, and has been keeping a couple of his horses in the yard for a long time. I don’t want to sue him, but I want to have someone else in his place. Answer me this without hesitation. The plan of the Chudovsky iconostasis must certainly be sent to St. Petersburg. The Emperor has already been informed about this, according to my letter, and he wants to see the drawing. Tell me the architect who drew up the drawing. Sorry that I rarely write. I don't have time to manage my affairs. I ordered the refectory notebook to be returned to you, Fr. viceroy She left me a long time ago: but my office also does not keep up with business like me. Are you really saying about old man S. that it is necessary to advise leaving the monastery? I didn't think he would go this far. But this is in passing. “What motivates me to hurry with this letter is that you are writing about a subject that is boring for me and for you, about the affairs of G.Z. You ask: will your affair with her end? What business do you mean? Is it what she does? You need to ask her about this. Neither you nor I have been given the power to force her to stop her actions. Or do you mean what I do at her request? “I can answer this: it’s over today.” And let me say: it would have been over two months earlier if the Council had not delayed its presentation. Let me also say: whether I am guilty or not, that I gave a resolution on the petition, I submit myself to your judgment, and I ask for forgiveness if I am guilty of unnecessary precaution; I think that I had no right not to give a resolution to the request, although I assumed in advance that it was groundless; This is how the current order of affairs orders us to act, and failure to observe it even makes the right person guilty. But I don’t think that I was to blame for all the continuation and all the publicity of this case. I only ordered the defendant to be interrogated and hoped to end the matter. The Council asked the witness; made it public and ruined the matter. Witnesses cannot be questioned without taking evidence from the defendant. Witnesses cannot be questioned without a formal oath. If you ask witnesses, then you need to ask everyone mentioned in the case. To ask one and not ask another without reason is to give the legal proceedings an appearance of bias. Such conduct of the matter imposed on me the obligation to continue it: but it seems to me that you do not believe that I am doing the work out of necessity; then I stopped it, I admit, more for luck than with the confidence that the petitioner would not take advantage of this course of affairs to compile a new sneak. I remember I asked you to act simply and beware of taking an extra step. And even without this request, you had to beware of taking an extra step, because you are unfamiliar with the order of affairs, how they are conducted not just at discretion, but according to the exact instructions of the laws. Forgive me for this self-justification. I wanted to explain to you that I acted as I saw fit; and could not have done better. Are you worried about rumors about an investigation allegedly over you? Is it not because they prolonged Peter’s insignificant interrogation and made it public, and did not rush to cover it with a decision? - But no matter where these rumors come from: I think, if you need to know this, that these rumors mean nothing in the face of a good opinion of you. But I would not want your sorrow to be healed by human glory. May the consolation of Christ heal her better. - Blessedness of nature is always reviled to you. Blessed! Shouldn't we try to get closer to bliss? How can we achieve to be blessed when we are always reviled, if we cannot bear it when they say that we are under investigation or trial, not yet condemned, while there are many who have been condemned by the court, but who are therefore not yet reproached? May the Lord teach you to reason better than I; and you pray, but by preaching to others, I myself will be turned off. Isn't it better in Rostov during the second and third weeks of Lent? However, if you now want and find it possible, may God direct your path. I won’t argue about the dean. Shouldn’t we hurry and therefore call him, and when? Peace to your spirit. Peace and brothers in the Lord. Ascension parishioners, in the absence of a priest, ask that a hieromonk serve in their church on holidays. Is it possible to satisfy them? I wanted to answer you, oh. Governor, also because you are sad about the desert. This is also my fault. But forgive me, and do not judge me with your sadness. However, could I have foreseen the faces and cases that suddenly appeared later, causing your grief? Moreover, if this was foreshadowed to you; those, apparently, are the way of God in this; and the path of God always leads to good. Therefore, isn’t it necessary to look less at what is behind, to your confusion, but with patience and hope to reach out to what is ahead, and not detain yourself with burdensome thoughts? And what happened? Several meaningless words float in the air, like a swarm of midges or mosquitoes. It is true that you can be severely wounded by insects; however, you still have a lot of things to protect yourself from and brush off the wounds. Good opinion is on your side; and those who hear something about you do not blame you, but feel sorry for you: you have the consolation of brotherly love. Don't let thoughts increase; and turn a swarm of insects into a herd of wolves. May the Light of Christ burn out from you both the animals roaring in the night and the small multitude of insects that are bothersome in the twilight. I have several letters from girl Z. lying unread; she came to me twice, but I did not accept her: but I hear that she is going to St. Petersburg. This letter will be presented to you, Fr. viceroy sister of the hostel, about which Fr. Seraphim. She is sent to look for a way to ensure that the existence of the hostel is approved by the government. But due to her simplicity, it is difficult to learn from her the circumstances of the hostel, which you need to know to reason about this matter. Therefore, I turn it to you. You will tell me, firstly, whether it is necessary to ask for approval, or to live as you lived, in hope of God. There is a danger that without approval they may disperse. There is a danger that they will not approve it, and thus destroy something that would stand without being noticed by the government. If you think that you need to ask, then, secondly, tell me who founded the hostel, how long ago, on whose land were the dwellings, who gave 30 acres of land, in whose name, who allowed a special church to be built for the hostel at the parish and on what basis. If we get down to business: then, according to previous examples, it is better to start it in the diocese: but unfortunately, the newly transferred bishop, although he was once my student, completely ceased to be familiar to me; and I don’t know whether my petition will be in favor if I write to him about this matter. Take a closer look at this matter and tell me what to do. On the eve of Lent, I ask you, Fr. Viceroy, and the brethren have forgiveness: and to you forgiveness from God, for which anyone has need, with a peaceful heart I invoke. I don’t understand what Filaret is doing. First he came and spoke to me as if he were acting in accordance with the council: then, when I did not dare to affirm what he represented, but turned him to order, so that he would present his opinions to the council, and the council to me, he began to express displeasure at the council. When I said that I could not rely on his changeable words, and that he needed to present his thoughts to the council, and express his displeasures to the council in writing: then he disappeared for several days: and, deliberately or not, appeared yesterday before the holiday, demanding my consent to the paper that he wants to submit to the Commission. I didn’t see him, but told him to tell him that I doubted relying on his words, but I turn him to order, as I said before. Where will this lead? Why is he wandering? Wouldn't it be better to send him to the Lavra? Until here it is written on the day of St. Alexis in the evening. It was not possible to continue until now. Today I accidentally came into my hands with the decree of the Council of Filaret, which partly resolves what was written about him above. Now I read your letter yesterday on the occasion of a complaint against the housekeeper. In it I thank St. Archippus for his prayer. As for the resolution, I don’t really see why it opened the door to such a long discussion. It does not require any change in your management action. The basis for it, as previously given in the complaint, is one: that I do not blindly trust the steward’s loyalty, and it seems that I have reasons to be so disposed. Therefore, order required, and my goal was, to ask the steward and see what he said. But you didn’t ask him, you began to speak for him yourself, and he was blocked from me. What's the problem that I reminded the order? Just like you, I don’t like orders in monasticism: what to do when, due to misfortune, this order is necessary? And what’s the harm that it’s mentioned about him, in case of need in the future? If the matter was not in the steward’s hands, but was entrusted to someone else, the steward would only say that he was not in charge of the things and the report, and the sneaking would be more obvious than now, when he remained in the shadows unasked. But I shouldn’t write too much about this either. I don’t understand why, in order to finish the case of someone who was expelled, it is necessary to accept him again. There is no need to accept it; but the matter needs to be finished. I remember in the file it is mentioned that communication was made about him with a secular government office: what if they fire him for you, and you kicked him out? What will you do then? So now, if he has been expelled, it is necessary to notify the public office that he has been expelled and therefore information about him is no longer needed. Now I see (which was not visible before) that his dismissal was returned: this is not bad: but I could think that his dismissal was sent to the secular court, from which there could be great confusion when deporting him. Bear with me, I will also say something else about the order: if the matter was carried out according to the resolution of the bishop, it should not have been completed without his resolution. I would be glad not to teach you the order of the order: but if I don’t, then the chief prosecutor will teach both you and me, as you see in the Korshunkov case. Let’s say with Metropolitan Platon: because we have become meek, we will be punished; and we will act, when possible, simply, and when necessary, according to accepted forms. I made peace with my steward by appointing Ignatius as his treasurer. I don't know what will happen next. I am somewhat dissatisfied that I did not find a simple confession, but even with the evidence there are different turns of self-justification. When I suggested that he change his place of service, and offered him a position as a housekeeper at the academy, he did not want this, but wanted to be sent to the Intercession Monastery. This preference of Moscow for the Lavra also did not seem to me a good sign. With this, I am sending a note about the incident in Bethany. What is it? How could I not know from you? Forgive and bless. May God forgive and bless you. Hereby I bid you farewell, oh. the governor, Onesima, who again appeared and again asked me what he should do, either wanting to be where I suggested, or expressing his desire to travel to Kyiv. I only told him that if he wanted to travel again, I would do the trip now; and when he sits down, he must sit and obey. Talk to him and tell him something useful, and then tell me what you would like to do with him. Be at peace in the Lord, you and the brethren. I wish, oh. governor, so that your path may be completed for your comfort. I will expect information about the Diveyevo desert from you and your opinion on how to proceed with the matter. The bishop in Nizhny is now different. Don’t take into account that I was curious to find out in more detail the consumption of genvar. Then I remembered that at this time a year's supply is purchased. I was concerned that there was not much money left. In previous years there seemed to be more. In moderation, it is necessary to make enterprises for next summer. It seems unreliable to me that you still trust Filaret, after he has not achieved what he promised before and has not explained himself clearly about the money. The girl Z. visits me in an undesirable way through her letters. I burned several of them, some of them reading, some of them not reading, including a letter to you through me, I don’t know what the contents are. I thought that there would be some kind of end to this with her departure to Petersburg; but this hope does not come true. I hope you will believe that I have not reached the point of madness to order her to come to you. Prince Dmitry Vladimirovich wrote to her in terms that she could interpret in her favor and against herself, as one writes to a person from whom they want to get rid of somehow without displeasure. In these last words, the rule was expressed by itself, which we, if possible, must observe, protecting our conscience, and which secularists observe, protecting their personality, which is why it is unreliable to expect much help in matters of this kind, as has been partly tested. Who would want, without extreme necessity, to turn upon themselves the language of whose sophistication they see? I’m thinking about writing to Prince Dmitry Vladimirovich again and I doubt my success. I’m thinking of banning the entry of girl Z. at the gates of the Lavra; but, as far as I know these days, a huge thing can come out of this little thing. Let me think some more, although I know that you are already tired of not seeing the end of this matter. Meanwhile, I’ll tell you what I heard recently. Some insane noblewoman at the Kyiv Lavra decided to come to the cathedral, place her pillow or rug on the floor right next to the royal gates, and then sit or lie down. Isn't it quite out of place? However, they got used to this, and she, they say, used this right to injure herself for many years. I don’t know, just whether she scolded, and whether it was easy to remove her from the church at the end of the service. If it is not always possible to guard the door of the cell, may the Lord help you to safely guard the door of the inner church of the soul, and with His peaceful presence to repel the confusion that involuntarily arises in the threshold. Thank you for the blessing of the saints along your path. I rejoice with you about the elders entering into peaceful readiness for the great path. May the Lord accomplish them, so that we too may be remembered favorably before Him. Upon receiving your letter, I had a dream about a fire. In some large house where I was, the left corner of the front facade caught fire. I was in no hurry to go out, as if not anticipating great danger. Then he left; saw a burning corner almost separated from the rest of the building; I also saw a large iron slab taken out of the fire, which, as I was told, belonged to a foreigner; I also saw a man holding a rope from a small bell on a nearby bell tower, and giving a sign to the alarm, but the alarm was not sounded, and I woke up. The dream was clear. I don’t know if it was your letter or what else that did it. An official from the Buildings Commission is sent to you. Make sure that the land deal proceeds reliably, but also peacefully. They talk about hryvnias from fathoms: this is not in my mind. It's not about money, it's about border security. Demanding money can be more threatening to the disputants and intensify the dispute. However, may the Reverend instill in you something useful. Plunge me also to its foot. In the name of the Risen Lord, I kiss you, father and brother, with the kiss of peace, love and joy. May He fill you with His life and joy, conquering the sorrows of mortal life. It seems like I haven’t written to you for ages. I want to write so many times, but I don’t have time. During Lent, the remaining time from ordinary affairs was used to speak in church. The Day of the Annunciation, on which we happened to speak for quite a long time, was spent, it seemed, safely; but, as it turned out later, not carefully. By the week of Vai, I had such a cold with pain on the left side of my head that I had to spend this holiday and two more days in my cell; on Maundy Thursday, God vouchsafed me to wash the feet of the brethren in the Assumption Cathedral, without burdening my health, although I decided to do so against the doctor’s thoughts; but on Holy Saturday and on Easter Day the left side of my head was so deeply affected that I seriously feared illness. However, thank God, within two days of confinement in the cell this concern passed. I wrote this to you so that you can see how it happens that I don’t write to you for a long time. And now there is a matter to which I hasten from this letter. Thank you for Saint Artos, which I usually share with some reverent people. For future occasions, remember to be well covered on the road; Now it has rained before him. I kiss my brothers in the Lord and thank them for their fellowship with me in the joy of the Lord. Peace to you all. Tell me about. Thanks to Paisius for writing. Also tell me bye. rectors, until I have time to write to them. Note. The letter does not indicate the year in which it was written. Attributing it to 1835 is prompted mainly by the mention of the word spoken on the day of the Annunciation. In 1835, Metropolitan Philaret spoke a word on this day. This word is one of his most remarkable words: from the text of 1 Tim. III, 16 – about the need for the incarnation of the Son of God. It really took “quite a long time” to pronounce this word: in the autograph kept in the library of the Bethany Seminary, it takes up eleven postal pages. This autograph differs from the word now known in print for this day, in only seven words in different places. This word later turned out to require little correction. Meanwhile, the Eminence wrote about this word (Agrip. Peter. Glazov) April. 21.1835: “the sermon of the Annunciation has not yet been given into anyone’s hands, in anticipation of leisure to revise what has been written hastily on a dogmatic subject” (up. in the general public spirit. Rules. June, 1876, department III, p. 18). Other circumstances mentioned in the letter are quite consistent with this year: in 1835 Easter was on April 7th; therefore the Annunciation is on Monday of the sixth week, and Artos from the Lavra could easily be received by April 15th. In explanation of the words found in the same letter: “and now there is a matter to which I hasten from this letter,” one can point out that His Eminence Metropolitan Philaret in 1835 pronounced a significant word “about the special attention that children and their upbringing require” in the Chudov Monastery on April 17th from the text: Matt. XVIII, 10. Thank you, oh. governor, that they did not condemn my silence, and for my small word they again rewarded me with a word of love. Do not deprive me of a word of sincerity and a word of truth, which, by the goodness of God, will not be lost. May God help, and the Reverend bless, to arrange a new shelter for his tomb. It's good if you make it in time for the holiday. Only I can hardly celebrate with you this summer. There is the highest will for me to be in St. Petersburg, on business, in May 31: meanwhile, I was thinking about getting treatment; meanwhile, Svyatoslavsky is sick; Due to illness, Leonty asks not to take him on the journey; Meanwhile, I wanted to get started on the restoration of the Miracle Church, for which I have the Highest permission, and on drawing up a plan for building a seminary. These days my eyes started to hurt, so I had to stop reading. Thus, one must abandon what has been undertaken and is necessary, and do what is not intended, not expected, not prepared and not promoted by means. One consolation is that there is nothing here at my will. Pray that the will of God may be fulfilled, and that I may not deviate from it by my self-will or my own thoughts. I say all this not as a complaint, but by the way, for information, and out of necessity. Will you give me a chief deacon if Leonty adamantly wants to stay? But I don’t see who to name. St. Petersburg, no doubt, will encounter its own difficulties. Meanwhile, as if on purpose, in order to surround me with accidents and caring views, I learn that the Right Reverend Meletius of Irkutsk, who promised many benefits if he were used more safely, is already asking for resignation due to illness, and two other bishops are taking the same intention, of these one is quite experienced and zealous. But I return to your letter. Sow grain in Bethany: and may God give you from the dew of heaven and from the fatness of the earth. Receive the petition of the Tula priest Malinin to the cathedral. He left Tula at night, without permission, came to me in only a half-caftan, asked to be tonsured as soon as possible, precisely in the monastery, promising to reveal the secret later, and expressing impatience, in case of refusal, to endure long-term, as he says, suffering. Due to this last circumstance, I did not refuse, but advised him, so as not to incur difficulties from the police, to return; and ask management for proper dismissal. It seems that this is something similar to the former caretaker I., with whom the Perervinsky caretaker now does not know what to do. Take this information into account with the resolution on the petition. However, may peace be multiplied to you and your brethren. I apologize to you that I still haven’t written to Prince D.V. about Z. I still can’t keep up with other things. Meanwhile, she visits me in writing not much better than you personally. By the way, she constantly talks about Shagarova. Doesn’t this really happen too often in the monastery, and is it okay for people to spend several days in the monastery during Lent, leaving their monastery? Isn’t it necessary to bring this closer to the general order of women’s monasteries? Tell me about this, and whether Z left you alone. It seems that I won’t be able to see the Rostov church. - The plan for correcting the Chudovsky iconostasis was made by the architect Bykovsky in such a way that, although not everything was according to my opinion, there were no strong reasons to argue, there was no time to stop things, and therefore the permission of the Sovereign Emperor was sought. I don’t know how and when I will have to fulfill it; but the state of the church does not allow postponing. I talk about the plan near the Lavra with the prince in words, but there was no time to write yet. Meanwhile, Mr. Bashilov brutally attacks the autocracy of the Lavra by building benches without order on Red Square, even with stoves. I did not have this last circumstance in my thoughts, and I am amazed at this. This needs to be corrected quickly. Keep a close eye on the cleanliness in and around the laurel. There is reason to bring this to your attention without delay. What should I do with Onesimus? Don't leave the courtyard. I asked him how he was in the monastery, was he in peace? He said that the woman at the hotel visited him at the wrong time, and for this she was taken out of the upper room by him, and for this she slandered him before you. I told him that since he did not preserve himself in caution and in perfect obedience in the Lavra, I could no longer accept him there. He still wants to obey me, but even here he does things that are not necessary for him. I don't know, oh. Governor, what can I tell you about Trofimov. And he was brought out of Androniev by the same reason that had hitherto blocked the path of tonsure that had already been opened for him. Ignorance is not a good sign: it strengthens the nest of temptation instead of destroying it. Pity for grief is connected with the stopping of the innocent old woman; and with tonsure he fears sin. Here's what to do: when you receive this, say a prayer, and count three months from that day; If at this time nothing happens that would cause a new difficulty, then let us forget our brother’s previous weaknesses, so that God will forget our sins. Read the attached letter about priest Malinin and return it. I don’t know whether to volunteer for the Reverend to send him. And if you come to the Lavra, then I think you should let him live and pray, waiting for what God will show. I congratulate you on the arrival in Moscow of the Sovereign Emperor, the Empress, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich and Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna, this Monday, after Vespers. Tomorrow they will be at the Assumption Cathedral. You might ask, what will I be doing in May? - Don't know. Now it is only clear that it is not without reason that from the beginning of April it was indicated for May, and not earlier I was demanded, while they were in a hurry to demand. Pray that the Lord will arrange everything for good. I call upon you and your brothers for peace. Peace from the Lord to you, oh. the governor, and the brethren. I respond to letters from the 28th and 30th in order. It is truly safer to resume wall writing in the Trinity Cathedral as before. It is difficult to be sure in advance whether the new plan will succeed. And in the renewal of the old, antiquity itself will justify. God will bless you to continue this as much as possible. If we took the hierodeacon from you, we would have to take Savvatiy away. I. I didn’t want to go to the Lavra either. But L. agrees to go and ends the difficulty. I didn’t say anything about the Bethany house, apparently because I didn’t notice it in your letter when I read it again for an answer. But this was decided last fall. Correct as you know; and remove the diseased air from your home. Regarding females coming to the monastery for confession, it is necessary to make it a rule that confession should be in churches, and not in cells, and to those who require this exception, say that this is the general rule of the monastery. This will reduce food for languages similar to G.Z. With Onesimus we encountered a new temptation. The housekeeper brought me his hat with a gold gasket and a gold cross. I ordered to leave the hat; and tell Onesimus that he can no longer live with us. He says that the tailors sewed on the cross and put it out either as a mockery or out of cunning: and the tailor says that Onesimus asked about this twice. Tailor Mikhailo is an honest man. Strange. What matter about the area do you require from me? If I have Filaret’s latest report with copies of the acts, I’ll send it soon. If this is the whole case, I don’t have it, but I have copies of a considerable number of papers from it. I don't see the deputy. Where did he go if you released him on April 30? Everything, apparently, has time. For a year and a half I could not get down to business about the lands of the Lavra: and I kept thinking that it was hardly possible to write quite clearly for the commission of buildings, which was so diligently looking for doubts against the Lavra. Upon receiving the papers about Velyaminov’s actions, I wanted to get down to business; but again everything failed. Yesterday I fell ill, it seems, from a cold in my feet in the Assumption Cathedral on the day of Midsummer; and lay in bed for a long time. I got up and was busy clearing my affairs for departure, and came to this. I wrote an attitude towards Prince Dmitry Vladimirovich about movable benches in order to ward off the abuse that Mr. Bashilov wrote to him in a report about autocracy, as he says, laurels. Then I ask the attitude of Prince D.V., to whom he suggested asking again for the Highest permission. They say it is in the laurel; however, I found it. It was written in such a way that it was difficult to decide which end was best to take for the answer. For luck, I wrote the last part of the relationship at the beginning of my answer. When I got to the answer itself; the matter began to unfold before me, it seems quite clear. Without finishing my answer, I went to bed; but he woke me up at four o'clock in the morning and did not let me sleep anymore. I got up and finished for mass. I regret that I don’t have time to show it to you first; for it is necessary for the prince to read my attitude before I leave. Pray to the Reverend that he will interpret my words to the prince better than I wrote them. Maybe it’s not bad that it’s delayed. On Friday 32, the Sovereign Emperor was pleased to invite me to dinner, and before that call me to his office. Before dinner, at dinner and after dinner, the Tsar and Empress deigned to treat me graciously in such a way that they turned my shyness into ease. Prince Dmitry Vladimirovich, to whom I am always grateful for his kindness, but in the matter of the lands itself, showed me special friendliness in the past few days, having brought Bashilov’s report to me, read it before he treats me accordingly, and let me first note that it was not my idea. Thus, now is the time in which my petition for the Lavra land can be heard with good ears. The Sovereign Emperor deigned to explain to me the reason for accelerating my call, and ordered me to be in St. Petersburg, although a few days before Him. The difficulties that await me will almost certainly be greater than in previous years. Pray that I will not increase them through my foolishness or impatience. What are you planning to do with the Vyatka teacher, and will you cut his hair soon? I entrust you to God and the word of His grace. I don’t think I’ll leave before the 14th day of this month. Blessings and peace from the Lord. I agree to accept the official for the Council. Imagine this in St. Petersburg. Because I’m thinking of going there next Tuesday. Ask me for the blessing of our Reverend Father Sergius. The schema-nice’s thought is unexpected from her own philosophies, and is all the more remarkable. But it gives a lot of work to 1836: is it really going to make a start? But it seems that triumph will not come without a difficult feat. May the Lord judge His wealth with mercy, and not with judgment, and may He expand it. The lands are written almost as you write. I kept silent about some parts of the dispute so that it would be easier to examine and accept the most important thing. When this is done, the rest must necessarily be decided on the same basis. This is the question that I wanted to ask you earlier, but forgot. Shouldn't Jonathan be changed in St. Petersburg? I was told that he has seizures similar to Feofanov’s. On the other hand, Ignatius has almost nowhere to go; and in St. Petersburg he would have been in place. I still don’t know what to do with A. He doesn’t show Ignatius his affairs, but only tells him to write them down like a scribe. He did not allow him to attach a seal to the money, as prescribed; I don’t know, just these days, I didn’t agree. Ignatius wants to take into account the consumption, he gives hay by weight: but the hay is not separated, therefore they can take more than what is weighed, and the economist does not pay attention to this, as if his business is to increase expenses, and not to reduce it. I had endured enough before and tried to push away suspicions: for example: two years ago, he asked permission to straighten the paths in the garden because he had his own rubble; I agreed, thinking that there should be little expense; and he spent 900 rubles on this in addition to his rubble. This happened without me; when I found out this, and asked how it was possible to make such a large expense without first saying how much was needed? The matter ended with clever words, of which he usually has no shortage. If this is the case in my house; how to trust his position further from the eyes? His desire to enter the Intercession Monastery is not understandable to me without such views that are difficult to approve. Teach me what to do here. I will probably leave without doing anything about him or Ignatius; but Ignatius will find it difficult and boring without me. You and the brethren sit in peace under the roof of the Reverend, and pray for my much-arrived soul. Thank you, oh. Viceroy, for a blessing from the holy monastery with holy bread. Regarding the matter of the lands, I spoke with Prince Dmitry Vladimirovich, due to my relationship with him. He says that, reading it, he finds it convincing; but what you need to see is what the other side says. He still assumes that he will need to report to the Sovereign Emperor, promising in this case to show me the project in order to listen to me again. All the papers will now go to you; tell me what you notice about my last two relations with the prince. I return to you the manuscript about the miracles of St. Sergius. Perhaps I will demand it from you in St. Petersburg, if they want to reconcile with my manuscript, when it is better explained what the doubts against this latter are. Forgive me and let me go in peace. Peace be with you, oh. the governor, and the brethren; and cast me, asking for peace, at the feet of St. Sergius. My path was unexpectedly successful. On the second crossing from Moscow, the pin at the wheel broke, and part of the iron got stuck in the eye of the axle, and the screw nut flew off the axle; the wheel rolled in this way for about three miles, finally flew off the axle, and the carriage rested on its end. Those sent back did not find the nuts; and those who remained could not free the axle eye from the iron stuck in it. I walked across the road, protecting my sore ear from the wind; and thought how God would deliver us from this difficulty. Finally, the messenger on horseback found the nut; and instead of the check they secured it with a handkerchief from their pocket, according to the instructions of one traveler. At the next station the iron was knocked out of the axle, and the difficulty was completely over; and the journey, although in the rain, for the most part, and the wind, continued quickly and comfortably. Having left on Tuesday, on the Wednesday of Easter, I listened to the liturgy in Tver, on the same day, the all-night vigil, and the Ascension of the Lord liturgy in Vyshny Volochyok, and arrived in St. Petersburg on Saturday a little after noon. And the half-recovered Svyatoslavsky arrived with me safely. We ask you, that is, the Lavra, for money to support our retinue. Don't be angry. In Chudov, the restoration of the church will require a lot of money; and on Pererva there is a lot of consumption. It seems that you have money temporarily placed in the safe treasury in some years with me. You can take from them if you need it for your business. From the academy inspector, you probably know what Ivan Pavlov did. He took a copy of my secret proposal to the Academy about Archimandrite Plato; and while analyzing it, he wrote a defense to Dubovitsky and an abuse to me; then, leaving Dubovitsky, he attacked me from different sides; attributed to my ambition the Cheremis mission (which was entrusted to me completely by accident, and which could only threaten, and not flatter, my ambition), found that I could not tolerate an equal, that I should not remain a boss, etc. He sent this essay to Moscow, to one nobleman, to the Synodal Office and to the Consistory, to the Moscow Academy, and in St. Petersburg to the city police sent by mail to Metropolitan Jonah. The first three copies were delivered to me immediately upon receipt. Although I don't do any of them; but I’m curious to know what the academy did with its copy; ask the academy inspector: has the envelope with the explanation from the Moscow workshop Ivan Pavlov been received, and what has been done with this paper; notify me. In St. Petersburg, Vladyka and others received me in peace. But things here don't promise to be easy. Pray for me. May God's help and blessing be with you. Peace be with you, oh. Viceroy, in the Lord, and the brethren as well. I appointed a clerk to the Council, not a secretary, and not a manager of affairs. The last name was only suitable for a hieromonk. It is not convenient to give him the title of secretary now, when everyone is interrogating him about everything, on what grounds. We do not have a specific office staff. But they cannot challenge the title of clerk, as is the one that is accepted in the states for the heads of offices under persons and in lesser public places. It is necessary to know whether a certain person aspires to be considered in the Civil Service, and to receive ranks and awards; or doesn't care about it. Write to me about this. About Jonathan I wish that false things might be heard by me; but the news seemed to come from those who knew. How can I strengthen Ignatius under A. without me, when even under me A. did not allow him to take the prescribed participation in affairs, boasting that he had been successfully fighting with the dean of the monasteries for several years? I'm afraid that A. won't live out of his own pocket in another place either. If you call Ivan Pavlov family, then this does me a lot of honor; and there is no need to call him damned. May the Lord give correction and cleansing to everyone who needs it, by what means he himself knows. It is strange that Ivan Pavlov lived all winter with the chief priest, after whom, before his departure from Moscow, Dubovitsky was strongly chasing, and who, upon arrival in St. Petersburg, brought me information about Dubovitsky, with the names of witnesses, the same ones that I used in the secret proposal of the Academy about Archimandrite Plato. Thus, the chief priest became convinced and confirmed to me of Dubovitsky’s dangerous delusions, and gave me a reason to act more decisively regarding Archimandrite Plato; and he accepted Ivan Pavlov when he became a zealous associate of Dubovitsky, and you call yourself the Voice of the Word. However, Vasily Ivanovich says that Ivan Pavlov left his house before his last exploit, against me. Not everything seems the same to me in St. Petersburg as it seemed before. Something less unity, and more movement through extraneous springs. Teach me how to live here and pray for me. May the blessing of the Lord, peace-giving and saving, be given to you, oh. the governor, and the brethren. The monk blessed me to eat from the bread of his house. The blessed bread of the All-Night Vigil on May 25th, I received on June 7th intact, and still soft inside. Take from me 200 poods of flour a year to feed the strange ones. Thank you for the reminder of this. It has always seemed to me that this kind of help has more benefits and spiritual communication than cold monetary alms. Thank God that this is working out 33. About the priest of Tula, according to the words of the Right Reverend, I wondered if he would not take refuge under the roof of the Reverend from the spells to which he was subject. But if he doesn’t put aside his conceit and self-rule, then I think: by giving him time to live for experience, let him go, and not accept him into the brotherhood, so as not to make another Jonah, while I don’t know what to do with one. You deserve to always have a place in the memory of my love and prayer. And you pray, may my prayer be corrected. Andrei Nikolaevich Muravyov wants to be in the Lavra for the holiday. Place it in the monastery, or at the bishop's cells, or in the newly decorated ones near you. You did not give me an answer to the question I gave you for the academy inspector. The peace of the Lord be with you, oh. governor, and let it be with the brethren. Regarding the so-called workshop explanation, I wanted to know what the inspector would do: and you answered me about the rector. Thank you for comforting me; but learn more. I don’t grieve so much as sometimes I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to say whether there are any personal sorrows, or they are not important. But when I see less of the former, unanimity, while for the common good we need more, more of the former, attention to human species, while the cause of God especially calls for pure zeal; Such and similar views lead to sadness and bewilderment. I can’t guess why something so sad about me would reach you. Maybe something that didn't happen. I noticed something strange about the Tula priest, but I didn’t think it was as absurd as it turned out. I thought to see if he could get help from the Reverend, and therefore did not want to suddenly refuse. I have now given a resolution of refusal; try to somehow let him go without disturbing him. I wrote to the Eminence of Tula that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to send for him, and immediately, because the Lavra could not hold him for long. Find me a place for A. You're talking about a report. But I didn't receive it. Let's hope there won't be any scolding for him. But do you know that, by the way, you introduced me to a mistake regarding Chudov? The architect demanded twenty thousand rubles for the proposed church. I wouldn’t put much faith in his words: but having heard something like this from you, I considered his words to be close to the truth, although I assumed that his expense would be greater than the assumption. The drawing of the iconostasis was approved by the Sovereign Emperor: therefore, it is not convenient to go back. We started trading. It took 80,000 rubles. I subtracted from the assumption that I could: but the drawing of the iconostasis must be completed; and he alone demands about 50,000 rubles. I don’t know how God will help me get out of this matter. I put it off for a long time. It didn't seem like the right time to increase the splendor. But the need for renewal became more and more noticeable; I had to make a decision. Among the cases that I am sad to see, I will point out one. I remember I wrote to you that the well-known icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in Simonov S. was forbidden by the Synod to be moved from a warm church to a cold one. On the day of the foundation of the bell tower, I took it upon myself to allow it to be brought to the cathedral church for the liturgy and carried to the site of its foundation. Recently the archimandrite wrote to me; points to this example, and asks permission to carry this icon to the religious procession near the monastery, on the 26th day of this month, who is there, and to have it in the Cathedral at the Liturgy on July 8. I turn to the lord. He answers, “I will never agree.” I represent beliefs; I allow his objections: nothing helps. It ended with me writing to the archimandrite that I did not deny the previous permission, which I gave in my presence, but now, when the archimandrite is no further from the S. Synod, like me, I consider this matter not to be appropriate for me, but for the S. Synod. It seems to me a sad sign that we, without trying to move people to God, do not open the way even when God Himself stretches out His beneficial hand and reveals His power to draw them to Himself. Celebrate the Reverend, and with him, in the joy of spirit, remember my soul, which has come a long way. May God bless you, oh. Governor, and you send me forgiveness. Five of your letters are now unanswered. Just yesterday I received your prosphora, bread and water. The bread was good, and the water was very good. It was not necessary to put a lot on the bread so that it could breathe air. O. Give a bow to Innokenty Yakovlevsky from me too. His church, I thought, was already illuminated by now. And when it is not consecrated, I wish that the stop was not behind me. I don’t foresee my return in the fall, but it’s a long wait until spring. If consecration came by itself in the spring, then I would gladly repeat the same: let Fr. the archimandrite will ask me from the S. Synod. They told you lies about Senator Ozerov. He received the famous grammar first and immediately gave it to me, without making any use of it. He cares about his relative out of philanthropy, but looks at his affairs impartially. Your cautious thoughts are just, so that pride does not steal what jealousy imagines doing, so that the struggle and entertainment in business does not interfere with quietly entering your cage, etc. Yes, they interfere: they pursue you, and the one who enters does not close the door firmly enough behind you, or you do not enter at all, or the outside crowds in the open doors. You are a river: I am the door! Lead us into the inner one and shut it behind us. Until here on August 11, Sunday. P., it seems, needs to look for another place, so that the trace of the incident, in any case bad and especially sorrowful for the holiday, will be erased, and he, by the need to change the place, will be better motivated to be careful in the new place. But if you think that you can leave it, at the discretion of repentance, then leave it. I. the matter is no better than P. Indecency outside the monastery, in comparison with indecency in the cell, triples and increases tenfold in temptation. And since this is not the first experience with I., it would not be bad to advise him to leave so that we do not live to see the worst with him. I. and P. tell you and me that we need to take it more carefully. Before, Prince Tsitsianov forced us to build something we didn’t think we could build; Now Mr. Bashilov wants to do the same. How long will it be like this? I don’t really understand what he wants; but it seems that the laurel, according to his project, will be entangled in the connection of commercial buildings. This is not good. Why shouldn’t there be movable wooden benches for bread and the like, like the ones in the best squares in Moscow? But you don’t need to have many of them in sight, and others of the same kind can be placed from the holy gate to the bottom along the garden fence. Here they will not prick your eyes, but will be on the road for those who buy. It is true that the moat at the holy gates needs to be filled up. Where should a new quarter be assigned to the inhabitants opposite your cells? Is it really here again, where it’s not supposed to be on the plan? Say this more clearly. Amend the hotel contract as you think. I never liked that everything was in the hands of the owner. The word All-Cunning in the canon means the universal artist of everything created. The Apostle, in chapter 12 of 2 Corinthians, speaking about his unselfishness, offers an objection: be it because I did not burden you, but the insidious one accepted your flattery. That is: maybe they will think that I did not take advantage of you personally, but, like a cunning person, I deceived you, taking advantage of you through others. To this he answers: not true. What food did you get from those who were sent to you? From this you see the meaning of the words: flattery received. But I am telling you about the meaning of the words, and not arguing against your thoughts, for which there is other evidence. For example, in the canon of the Cross: the deceiving tree fell, being deceived by you. This means: he who deceived a person by means of the forbidden tree fell, being deceived by the tree of the cross. So it is in the prayer of Pentecost: caught by the flattery of God. This letter, motley with a variety of objects, is not finished yet; but I’ll send it already, so that it won’t be put off for too long. It's time for me to go to the Synod. May God preserve you and the brethren through the prayers of the Reverend. Throw me at the feet of the Reverend. St. Petersburg August 12th. 1835. Because I want to write to you, oh. Viceroy, in more detail, it happens that I write later, but I still cannot write in more detail. So I thought about answering the letter of August 4th immediately, then the next day I wanted to inquire about one circumstance that I want to mention; but for several days now the certificate has not been made, and the letter has not been written. Apparently we need to put off less and write without certificates. The more carefully you believe what I write. Having read what was written in the letter of July 28 about the proskomedia, I thought that it was better to show you obedience than to be wise. And so he did, without forbidding himself to reason if necessary. Maybe Fr. is right too. Paisius with his caution, although it may also be too expressed in hot and talkative jealousy. The Church teaches us to pray for the departed, without speculating whether any of them are in hell, although it is likely that there are such among those commemorated in the Church. This is good and humble, because we do not know the lot of those who have departed, we do not entertain the condemning thought of anyone that he is in hell, and we do not boldly ask. In the prayers of Pentecost we have evidence that the Lord vouchsafes to accept prayerful cleansing for those held in hell. But perhaps the Church had a special thought, which contained a lot of boldness, to relate this prayer to a special important day, and not leave it to every person and time. That's what I wanted to talk about. One of the holy Roman popes, accidentally remembering the virtues of a certain pagan emperor, prayed for him, and had a revelation that his prayer was not rejected, but that he should not offer such bold prayers. I remember correctly that I read this, but I don’t remember about whom and in what book 34 . God is infinite in mercy: but we are commanded to know our measure. Among those held in hell there are those about whom the Church has not allowed either singing or sacrifice. We do not lock them up in hell, but we obey the Church. And isn’t it safer to strictly adhere to the limits of this obedience? Let's move on to another subject. The Church prays to us that the Angel is a peaceful, faithful mentor, guardian of souls and bodies. Prayer is important, and it is advisable that everyone, every time, pays heartfelt attention to it. During the priestly service, the Church asks the Angels to serve with us. And in this case, it is important for the servant that he offers this prayer with full attention and understanding. But at the proskomedia, did the Church really forget to remember the Angels? Have you really just guessed this now? To think so would be to think too little about the Church and too much about oneself. Bloodless sacrifice is a remembrance of the saving death of Christ. Therefore, it must be offered for those for whom Christ died. The Church does not teach that he died for the angels. Isn’t that why during proskomedia only people are remembered and angels are kept silent? The prayer to Christ God, the glorification of Christ God, is common to us and the angels; This is what we call them to do: the body of Christ has been given to men. They, the angels, will serve as our sacrament, but they partake of the holy mysteries of God in their own heavenly way and order, unknown to us. Tell me how these reflections seem to you. But I don’t have the book of the tablet, and I don’t know if I’ll find it soon. S. was tempted by the fact that, having insignia, he sought seniority in the fraternity. I told him against this. But I am still afraid that the same thoughts will confuse him in the monastery and cause confusion to others. Tell him that we accept him, but we don’t want to take anything away from our own; and accept if you do not doubt. O. Tell the treasurer that I am not angry with him, and I don’t think anything bad about him, and I ask him that his soul be at peace with mine, as mine is with his soul. And the fact that they didn’t give rewards is not a problem, because the authorities did not enslave themselves to giving rewards; one can imagine hundreds of people and non-monks who did not receive awards with their peers. even without a reason, or with predominant labor, and remain calm. I ask you to kindly judge me: I reminded you before that reports should be submitted earlier, but this was not done. What should I do? I also didn’t punish for slowness, I just didn’t reward, and that’s already my fault. But if you like, it’s your fault; forgive me, you and Fr. treasurer and teach me to correct my guilt. I wish you and the brethren the peace that God gives, and which people cannot take away. It’s not clear to me, oh. Viceroy, what feelings did the dilapidated ceiling produce in you, why do you close them, and why do you grieve so much? They didn’t look and they made a mistake: did you really consider yourself a seer and infallible? If you didn’t honor it, then there is nothing to marvel at and much to grieve because you overlooked it and made a mistake. As for testing the ceiling, even with all my ignorance in construction and economic matters, I would order testing not the middle, but the ends of the logs. Now we must thank God that the dilapidation was revealed, and that they did not wait for the ceiling to fall and crush someone. Give the stove maker who discovered the dilapidation ten rubles as a reward, and if he is poor and a decent person, then twenty-five. It seems to me that the economist was inappropriate for stopping you from making a vault with an invention. There were probably vaults here, but they were removed to make the rooms higher: is it necessary to crush them with vaults again? The building is old; the lower vaults, as far as I know, had cracks: would it be useful to make vaults at the top, push the walls apart, and, perhaps, work on a mistake that even the stove maker could not correct? The room breathes somewhat through the ceiling, but under the arch it is quieter when closed. My opinion is to make ceilings: and not to make descents to the walls in the living room like a vault, which was not good before. Glory to God, who accepts, and to the Reverend Thanksgiving, who attracts the communicants. It seems to me that so many have never happened before. What does this mean? Is it simply zeal, or the action among the people of some special thought about the times? - But in any case, it’s comforting that this exists. The time is cold here, but there is no excessive dampness. I already went to the Synod in a fur coat once. But that would not be a problem. “Lord, make glad the face of the earth, the poor for the sake of Your people!” Again, you presented the report strangely, without presenting why it was made and without telling me what I should do with it? Is it possible for me to know by heart all these control laws, which, I admit, I sometimes don’t read, or don’t finish reading when I receive them, not seeing any sense, benefit, or truth in them? Thank you for being involved with Trinity Cathedral. Now I’m more efficient than before: I received a letter last night, I answered this morning. I invoke God’s blessing and peace to you and the brethren, asking for your prayers. Would you write out and send me the article from the Tablet that you wrote about? Yes, I remember, I demanded from you the manuscript about the miracles of St. Sergius, which I had. Send it. I also want to believe last year’s statement; and perhaps it will be printed as you wish. What do you think, oh. Governor, about my long silence? - Think the same as before, what you think about a person who wants to improve every day - and every day he puts it off. Pray that I will not be like that in what is written not in the charter, but in the book of life. Thank you for not being discouraged by my laziness and continuing to write. Thank you for blessing me from the house of the Reverend. Both the icon, the prosphora and the blessed bread arrived intact, and I have been eating the Saint’s bread until now. Good journey to the Light Fr. Varlaam. Tell me something about Jonah's condition. The secret vault in the Trinity Cathedral should not have been sealed so that the air would not be blocked. But there is no need to show this old news. God grant that the mural writing is good. We won’t complain about slowness if it’s from the work and not from the master. If a master is good at his job, he must not remain at a loss. You saw the comet better than us. Here the days of its greatest radiance were cloudy. I saw her once not clearly. In vain, it seems, you redid the shorthand in the chapter. It was good. What's the problem that the character is not alone with the walls? The chapter is much separated from them. In the future, I don’t advise you to decide to make alterations for such unimportant reasons without telling me. The Assumption Cathedral did not have cheese before. Which made him rawer. Don't forget to think about draining the soil. What kind of a wonderful person is your former clerk? He came to our courtyard late in the evening so that we could receive him. I told you to ask if there is a letter from you? They answered: no. This perplexed me; and I told him to tell him that since I don’t know him and he didn’t bring a letter from you, I can’t take him to the courtyard, and that it’s not convenient for me to see him now. After that he didn’t come again. It’s true that ours isn’t very spacious. The novice and the little Kalmyks are still visiting. I remember that the Smolensk Church did not have cheese. I can't help but wonder if the laurel's soil has been damaged since the Pisarevsky pond, which, despite neglect, held a lot of water, was filled up. Either there was a spring here, or a pipe from a white pond, which now, without an open path, moisten the entire soil. Whether the heating of the Smolensk Church will be successful depends on the winter. I don't really like heating from below. Heating inside the building cleans the air, and the heat is all in one place. Is it easy to heat a basement? The money is coming from the courtyard, so as not to be brought into the guardianship council, but sent to you to the monastery, inform the steward of the courtyard about this. I saw a novice suffering from seizures in the Sergius Hermitage. And it seems to me that he needs spiritual healing. Take care, as long as it is possible and as long as his will accepts. There is still a need to write, but now it’s time to go to the Synod. Read this for now, and pray for my laziness. Peace to you and the brethren in the name of the Lord, the Chief of the world. God's blessing to you, Fr. the governor, and the brethren. Call upon me also a blessing through our Reverend and God-bearing Patron. I read your letter dated the 20th day, and I hasten to say something in response, because I have unsuccessfully put it off so many times. About the Reverend Meletius, it is a pity that you did not say how you noticed his health. I have had doubts about the deputy for a long time, and it was not because of my conviction that I allowed him to act. May the Reverend protect and help. However, you also need to see if he is harming the cause and himself. That they arbitrarily communicated with the Vladimir Consistory in order to save the student from analysis, I put up with this self-will for the sake of intention. If you want to keep some of the elderly on staff, imagine two or three for the test, in compliance with what is prescribed in the decree on this subject. Imagine a Vyatka teacher about to be tonsured. May He who dresses strong krinas with flowers grant your clothes to be clean and bridal for the day of the meeting of the Bridegroom, no matter in what storage they are placed in the evening. That's the answer for this evening. May the prayers of the Reverend cover us, Fr. governor, and henceforth, as until now. Great is the mercy of God that the fall of the Horos was safe. Is it possible to correct it in some way to reduce its severity? I was not very happy that you started to drown the cathedral. If this has been successful so far, it is doubtful that this will be the case in winter. Churches made of white stone, when heated, are subject to great dampness and sudden burning. I don’t think this should continue all winter. Please be careful. No one under Plato, even under my predecessor, would have decided to take this measure without the permission of the abbot. I am almost sure that Plato would not have allowed this: for he forced the first council to be served in the winter at the Venerable Church, and not at a meal; but did nothing to make Trinity Cathedral warmer. Wouldn't the way you fixed the treasure be accompanied by weakening of the soil at the angle of the cathedral? – Your predecessors could not have done this without the abbot. I am happy about the success of the canteen economy not because there is a balance of money and supplies, but much more because this shows a decrease in the sins of neglect and misuse. Imagine a prosphora for the hierodeaconry. Those who serve with a good conscience must be consoled with attention and brought closer to the altar. God bless the establishment of a hospital for strange people, if I haven’t already told you this. I was afraid that the appointed place would not be quite dry and light. May the venerable one arrange and enlighten. Manuel's petition was left with the secretary, to whom it was given to seek your previous representation. Now the resolution has been given. Correct the iconostasis in the Trinity Cathedral at the northern doors according to decency, without further ado. It is also good to fix an antique silver chandelier. I had previously thought about either fixing the lamps at the local icons of the Trinity Cathedral in their previous form, or making similar ones again. Just before the image of the Mother of God at the royal gates, shouldn’t we do it a little more than the others? There is no time to write more; and besides, I have been unwell for a week from a cold, which, like last year, came from my legs. By the grace of the Lord, illness is lenient; it only tells you to stay in your cell and often take a break from work. Peace be with you. Summon peace for me too. It’s as if I don’t even read your letters! This is too much, oh. viceroy And is this possible? It happened that I did not read the letters of the girl Z., but even then I made sure by looking at several places in the letter that it was similar to many of the previous ones and that there was no need to read it. So that you know all my laziness, I will not hide that once, when I already had several of your letters awaiting an answer, I attached the letter I received again to the others without reading it, and it remained like that for several days; but it was in extreme constraint due to economic matters, so as not to read the letters twice, because if the letter I read had lain for several days, then I needed to read it again in order to write an answer. Recently I noticed that I had not yet responded to one letter, while I had already answered the ones that followed it: this happened because this letter fell between those that had already been answered, and remained until they were revised again. I usually destroy letters that have received an answer, but some need to be left even after the answer. I don’t know what to tell you about those who are weak, because you speak vaguely. We must endure weaknesses in the hope of correction; but we must be careful so that the indulgence of the weak does not turn into temptation for others who are weak, so that a rotten member does not disfigure and infect the body, so that our sins do not become an insult and reproach to the dwelling of the Saints. I. I'm afraid. How to protect against control? See, there's a law here. They don’t suddenly find out that he is thin and useless. You see that the presentation I made was dragged around the Lavra to the Synod, and to the State Comptroller, and pushed away with their own and other people’s hands united. Recently, according to the consistory, the Treasury Chamber demanded an account of all transferable amounts, varied and numerous: the Chief Prosecutor, by decision of his control, for his part demanded the same; I compared the matter with the laws, and it seemed different to me. And simply by reasoning, the treasury needs to look for the government penny; and what need does she have to look for, for example, how much debt from the sexton Karp was received by the consistory and transferred to the sexton Sidor? There is a natural plaintiff here who will ask for his own. The Chief Prosecutor does not have the same opinion as me; I don’t know what will happen. Why shouldn't a monk be the clerk of the Council? Tell Berdnikov that I will be glad if he bothers. Here is a letter received yesterday at 8 o'clock in the evening, read today at 6 o'clock in the morning, an answer at eight o'clock in the morning. Pray that I will be more efficient in business, and especially spiritual. May God direct your affairs for good, and may His blessing protect you and your brethren. Tell about. Paisia, thank you for writing. Would you undertake to say about. to the rector of the academy that several rumors had reached here in several ways, and several comments had been made on matters on which it would not be a bad idea for him to ask himself the question, should he leave the academy in peace and go to Novospassky until God arranges it better? Yesterday and yesterday I received your letters, Fr. Viceroy, and I start the answer from the end of the last one. For that I thank you for sending me the thought of death; he was a good guest, but why did you decide to say that you don’t have much time? This word resonated so sadly in my heart as I did not expect. If I had the boldness, I would ask the Lord to die in your arms; at the very least, I ask Him that through prayer you will lead me on a path that requires good guidance, given the lack of deeds that would reliably follow me. As for enduring with love to the end, thank God, you have no need for my patience, and often have the right to gratitude from me; will you tolerate my weakness or sometimes impatience, with which I sometimes notice small things, while I do not always express gratitude for great things. I don’t remember what I ordered to correct the dome regarding the painting, but I believe it, and therefore I am guilty of what I said about this later. What I said, I don’t remember now; but it is true that I have no angry thoughts left. Do not sadly accept what I said about the heating of the Trinity Cathedral and about the repair of the well. I will not hide that a feeling of displeasure was expressed here; but He who is our peace did not allow it to grow into anger. I believe in Him that He will preserve our mutual love, which exists in His name. In the Assumption Cathedral, when I was still in the Lavra seminary, I noticed only the cold, and not the dampness, while from the first day of May we went to church services there. This intensifies my suspicion whether the soil of the Lavra has been damaged by the fact that the pond of the Pisarevsky Garden, which was close to the Assumption Cathedral, has been filled up. This is all the more unpleasant for me because, I remember, I also gave the idea to the former administration of the academy to fill in the pond when building a house; for the pond was unseemly. It is remarkable that the pond always held water, and it was only suffocated under the ice in winter, but did not deteriorate in summer. Should we look for an ancient water pipe in the place of this pond? May the servant of God Varlaam be peaceful in the hospital. May God help the soul of Fr. Jonah shakes all the dust of this age from his wings and flies into the freedom of the children of God. Peace be with you. Give me peace. And don't run away from me. Peace of the brethren. Using my money, arrange for me an enamel image of Elijah the Prophet, and send it to give as a blessing to one who wishes. God's blessing to you, Fr. the governor, and the brethren. Thank you for the prosphora, which, as I heard, traveled to me in a stagecoach, in a sleigh and on a cart; but received intact. Here winter has been and passed, and now it begins again. But the bread of St. Nikon has not yet come to me. May the Lord accept and rest the soul of Fr. Ions. I have already written to you that my comments about the heating of the cathedral and about the storeroom were not made in a quarrel. They should not bind you; but where an opportunity can be presented to take precautions against misunderstandings, there, perhaps, they will be remembered not without benefit. The matter of the council, however, was difficult to foresee, and there was no time to delay it when the need arose. The treasure trove’s case could have been both foreseen and delayed long enough for the letter about it to circulate. Which ditch are you talking about now? If about the one who conducts the high water of the well in a certain way beyond the fence: why put it off before my eyes? – it has less importance. It is only necessary that it not pass close to the foundation of the northern vestibule of the Trinity Cathedral. Thank you for correcting the vault in the vestibule. There was no time to ask, and nothing to ask. Send us a drawing of the lamps, not what they are, but what they should be, whether in the same form or with changes. Why not use the oil in a chandelier if you can at the same time maintain neatness and safety? Is it true that the glass will not burst and fall with oil on your head? And which chandelier are you talking about? Isn't it difficult to light up and pour oil at height? If you find it convenient, do the experiment. Cleaning up the clogged areas under the hospital did not require permission, but only required my gratitude for what was done. Two icons from the old iconostasis on the Trinity porch are good; but which one? – I think to the north. About this I thought that it was empty, and that it needed to be made more churchlike. I don’t argue about this; What harm would it do if I were told about this before execution and listened to my thought; if you could imagine that maybe I can sometimes say something useful to your thoughts? Forgive me if in these words my pride preaches humility to you. Teach me humility and obedience and pray about this. Forgive and bless. God bless you. Christ is in our midst. This letter will not arrive by December 1, although it was written immediately upon your receipt; but rest assured that in the previous and subsequent days I am inviolably at peace with you. You wrote to me about the Vysokogorskaya desert, which does not receive even 300 alms. I inquired at the Synod if there was any business about it: it didn’t turn out, except that it was asking for land, like other monasteries. Do you think there was any other idea about her? Without representation, nothing can be started in the Synod. If the heating of the church for work needs to be continued and there will be no inconvenience, do not think that I am forcing you to stop it. Monastery of St. Sergius Fr. the governor and the brethren rejoice in the Lord. I accepted the blessing of the Holy monastery, the holy icon, sent to me with reverence, and your good wishes for me for the sake of my monastic new year - with love and gratitude. Together with you, I flow to the intercession of our God-bearing Father, may he not cease to be, as he is, our general leader, blessing our humble work, arousing inertia, extending a beneficial and protective hand to our weaknesses and stumbling blocks, and through his peaceful abode leading us to eternal and blessed abodes. And the blessed bread came to me intact. Peace to your soul, oh. viceroy Peace and brothers. I thank you very much for the letter on November 30th and for the blessed bread that arrived before the letter. I probably don’t know how to talk about vision without space, and I don’t have the freedom to talk about it; but I only pray to Christ the Lord, who is and will be among us, that He will give you in His light to see the pure light and enlighten you to show me what is needed for my admonition, and correction, and arousal from laziness. You see me, in truth, often embarrassed by those around me and dissatisfied. Things in which there is no food for the soul consume time and always leave the concern that much remains unfinished; weakness requires a lot of time to rest; the soul finds it difficult to return to its peace; thoughts of care or vanity pursue and rob her. Continue to ask me for help, and so that the help that is ready by mercy is not something I am not ready to accept. Thank you also for the detailed information about the mortal feat of Fr. Ions. This teaching about eternity came to me along with another. Your letter was received yesterday after the funeral of Fr. confessor Paul, which I attended. Last Wednesday he was at the Synod as usual (with signs of weakness, especially in his legs, after his illness), on Friday morning he felt heavier and confessed, in the afternoon he was unctioned with oil and an hour later he died. It was written here yesterday morning. Then I had to go to the exam, to the Synod, and in the evening the committee had to be at my house; I caught a cold, got up, fell ill, lay in bed for eleven hours and now I can only finish, and not continue this letter. I haven’t read your attitude to control yet. After reading, I will do as you write. If they send you a bunch of books, then you give them to the academic board to be included in the catalog of the academic library. Tell me that you accepted them on my instructions from an unknown benefactor; and that you need to inform me about receiving them at the academy. I think oh. Governor, that I congratulated you on the holiday, writing to you before the holiday; and hereby I somewhat excuse myself for not writing to you for a long time since the holiday. Here's how it happened. With a cold contracted at the funeral of Fr. confessor Paul, I struggled first on my feet and in the street, and then about a week before the holiday in my cell and mostly on my bed. On the holiday, God deigned to celebrate the liturgy and, after rest, to be in the court church for a prayer service, but then again I had to shut myself up in my cell until the Sunday liturgy, and from there until this day. Meanwhile, as much strength as was allowed, it was necessary to do the work, and at least answer some of the many letters. In correspondence with you I am not as bad as with many others. Here is an explanation for my silence, for I do not want your soul to complain about mine. However, thank God, my illness is not painful. It seems that I rest more than I am sick when I lie down. Now it's better than before. Thank you for praising Christ with me on the holiday in the morning. In the morning I was the only one who felt able to serve. In gratitude for the praise, I will send you a book about the Divine service, which Andrei Nikolaevich Muravyov wrote, and in which there are several words of mine. I thank you in advance for the blessed bread; he hasn't arrived yet. I’m not entirely at peace with your idea of ​​turning one candlestick into two lamps. And the lamp in front of the image of the Holy Trinity, larger than I expected, is terrible for me with its weight and iron chain, the integrity of which is difficult to vouch for. But what has already been done, may God preserve it. And I doubt even more about attaching the weight of the lamp to the canopy of the relics. Is it possible to reconcile your thought with mine; use the lower bowl for the lamp to the image of the Mother of God; and leave the upper bowl as a candlestick, forging a bronze tripod or something similar under it. In the church of Prince Alexander Nikolaevich there are candlesticks on tripods in front of the icons; maybe I'll find a way to send you a drawing. Ask the Vysokogorsk builder what exactly, and when, was presented about his monastery to the S. Synod: then I will be more precise, and I will see how it would be possible to get down to business. So that the image you sent would not reach me, I did not notice this. The enamel image of the Mother of God in the Air with our saints standing below is now with me; I don’t remember whether I received it with Vsevolod Andreevich. The grapes were obtained from him after a long journey, some of them still ready for consumption. I didn’t thank you for him because he didn’t come with a letter, but I answer letters and forget what happened between letters. There is now a law for Jews to test them in the Consistory after preparing for baptism. But if there are signs that the one who has come to you is being guided by providence, you should try to arrange his baptism at your place without further administrative difficulties. I don’t have his request yet. God bless you to teach him saving truths. By the way, I’ll send you a book written by a baptized Jew for Jews. About Fr. Archimandrite Yakovlevsky was already rumored to have died. I wish I could see him alive; but if he calls you to his funeral, go in peace and bring my kiss to him. I don’t think it’s really necessary to look at Savvinsky iconography. But if you want, take a look. You did not answer me one word, the offer to convey the speech about. rector of the academy. What's the point here? If you don’t undertake it, why not say so? May God bless you and the brethren with peace and success in the creation of your soul and the hope of salvation as the new summer approaches. St. Petersburg January 3rd 1835 35. Is there a book in the Lavra library: the tablet? “Maybe I’ll ask you for it.” Tell about. My gratitude to Archimandrite Paisius for remembering me and visiting me with words of consolation. God grant us, oh. viceroy, so that every day you can work out your salvation with fear, and not be afraid of any year. It always seemed to me more likely that the fortune-telling about 1836 would not come true than that it would come true. For if the Apostles were not given the property of understanding times and seasons, then it is surprising that this should be given the property of our fortune-telling and calculations. But now that 1836 has arrived, when the years preceding it did not correspond to fortune-telling, it does not seem to me that one can slumber carelessly. It seems to me that our affairs are not leading to a golden age. Someone says: we must pray so that the storm does not overtake us, not protected, not having completed, and perhaps not starting, the work, scattered outside and not gathered inside. I hear this, and yet it is dormant. Send me Petelova's loop to wake me up. Mrs. Shagarova's son-in-law was with me and I fell in love with his effort to fulfill her instructions, albeit a modest one. I said that if monastic life does not accommodate him, let him retire; that where to retire is not my business to order, but that returning to one’s own land can have a decent interpretation (for the desire for a solitary life with a husband required removal, but a widow can live alone in her own land and with her relatives); on the contrary, a settlement after Khotkov in a settlement near the Lavra would present something strange, and I cannot approve of this. Write to me what Ms. Shagarova decides to do. Let it be known to you that the Archimandrite of Bethany has been appointed dean of the Khotkov Monastery. Please don't get angry. For order, all Monasteries are subordinate to the dean. If possible, it was necessary to adhere to local convenience. And here is the first order from Fr. to the dean. About the schema-montress Khotkovskaya it came to the attention of the secular authorities that predictions were coming from her; The abbess is told to protect her from rumors. But just in case, I would like you to visit and send me a note that would contain the main information about the schema-nun since she entered the monastery, and what is being seen about her now. They tell me that at the Lavra in our hotel on fast days you prepare meat food. The secular ones noticed this and were tempted. Pay attention to this and write to me what you find. I have one more request for you. O. Polikarp was dismissed from his rector’s position and retained by Novospassky. An inspector has been appointed in his place. Help him with good advice in this new situation. And about o. I’m worried about Polycarp whether this incident will seem unpleasant to him. I wrote to Fr. Philaret, and I say the same to you: if you notice that Fr. Polycarp is sorrowful, ask him on his behalf and on my behalf to be in good spirits. The affairs of the Academy turned out to be quite disorganized. After Secretary Dobrokhotov, several papers were found received from the seminary boards with money, but hidden from the board, and there was no money. O. Polycarp did not make this matter clear for about three years and did not understand why I did not have the opportunity to prompt him. Now would it be better if an investigative commission were appointed to the academy? In order not to make this noise, they decided to dismiss the rector without a quarrel and, through the new rector, to handle the neglected affairs. The rector of the Kyiv Academy is younger than Fr. Polycarp, and already asked for dismissal from the academic service: therefore, there is nothing strange if Fr. Polycarp received this dismissal. However, as you know, help ensure that Fr. Polycarp was at peace with the incident, which occurred out of necessity. Note. The letter is without a signature and without indicating the year, month and day when it was written; but it should undoubtedly be recognized as one of the first in 1836, both because it directly says: “now that 1836 has arrived,” and because it contains the first news of the dismissal of Archimandrite Polycarp from the post of rector of the academy, which took place on December 14, 1835, see the letter that follows. Again, I haven’t written to you for a long time, oh. viceroy Thank you for being patient and continuing to write. Now, it seems, you too are tired of writing to the silent one, because the image of the Prophet Elijah was received from you without a letter. I don’t complain about this, but I admit that I deserve it. Forgive for the sake of the Forgiver of us all. The postponement began with the bewilderment into which you put me by sending the good news about Fr. Polycarp, while the matter of his dismissal was decided, and by waiting for news that I wrote to you about this before receiving your letter. Then I wrote to the new rector a couple of times out of impatient need, but I kept thinking about you: I’ll write. Thank God that Fr. Polycarp made the decision complacently. What turned out to be in the files after his dismissal provides new evidence that it was necessary to use this decisive method to clear the affairs. But it’s still a shame what happened. The fire of the Bethany mill is not the greatest disaster. If the landlord is poor, it is necessary not to strictly use the right of contract, but to make it easier for him. Troubles are becoming more frequent. You read in the reports how on the Sunday of the Last Judgment, more than a hundred people burned in a wooden entertainment building in the middle of St. Petersburg. On the eve of the same day, the same buffoon, two buildings in Moscow also burned down, but, thank God, without people. It seemed sad to me, by the way, that the buffoon who burned so many people, one or two days later, gave the same spectacle in another place, and they say there were many spectators. This is justified by the fact that the collection of money was scheduled for the benefit of the families left after those who burned down. – In Serpukhov, a significant part of the convent burned down, only the churches were not affected by the imminent danger. – You, no doubt, have heard about the Moscow wolf 36. It’s wonderful that Trinity Cathedral was both warm and not smoke-filled. Apparently, the Reverend blessed this. God willing, in the summer we’ll talk locally about what to do in the future. It would be better for icon painting to be in the church rather than in the vestibule. And I thought that the icon painter, already tested, would be used in the church. However, thanks to the Reverend, things worked out the way they did. Don’t send the tablets to me, because I don’t see time to deal with it here, but remind me of it in the monastery. In order to satisfy the scientists with a salary, so that they do not need monasteries, we are now thinking about this. My thought about meat food in the hotel was not that it should be completely prohibited, but that it should not be kept on fast days. Whoever has his own, let him do according to his own will. And whoever demands it, the keeper of the table may not refuse it at all, but can get it at will. But for meat food to be prepared as usual on fasting days, this seems to me not in order, and not in accordance with the place. Tell me again what you think. Take the novice from the Sukharevsky metochion and replace him with another. I recommend him to you: he always seemed like a kind child to me. God will bless the re-gilding of the iconostasis in the narthex. Here, I’m probably especially guilty of not answering for a long time. On the rest of the page I will tell you a dream I saw a few days before. I entered the Nevsky Lavra Cathedral, and on the left side I saw a door to another smaller church, which in reality does not exist. In this church I saw several retirees from the school service. Two were getting dressed, and one was asking me for a seat. From the west I heard music, then knocking, and finally they were carrying to the altar the furniture on which people sit or sleep. In the iconostases of both churches, gilding was visible, but the images were not clear. The light seemed to come from night lighting, but there was not a single lamp in sight. In a large church, the grass of a traveler grew through the icon on the lectern. I was about to go to the western doors of the large church; but, turning back to look at the inside again, I saw that the inside of half the church was lowered three steps lower than the outer part, the floor was not level, and the floor stones were separated from one another. Approaching the altar, I could not see the royal doors; and turning again to go out, I saw a large bell in the middle of the church, hanging so low that someone walking on my left began to hit it on the edge with his hand and shake it. I begged not to do this, because the bell might fall; they didn’t listen to me; the bell fell without hitting me, although I was standing very close and could not move away; I saw a crack on it. It was unpleasant for me that I was present at this, although I did not participate; and I woke up. It is strange that a dream, so complex (I have also shortened some of the details), is still clearly remembered in all parts. Pray for me, and I pray to the Lord to bless peace upon you and the brethren. The peace of the Lord be with you, oh. governor, and with the brethren. Thank you for encouraging me to write to Fr. Polycarp. I wanted to write to him before, but I doubted whether it would be appropriate. Having received your letter, I immediately wrote to him; received a meek answer from him; and as he writes that the rumors also confuse him with fears of losing his current position, I also wrote to him to reassure him from false rumors. For the unpleasantness of removing a subordinate, God gave me the opportunity to reward myself with the consolation of looking after the removed one, namely the rector of the Olonets Seminary A. Gideon, who was removed from there at the suggestion of the local bishop. Having been summoned to St. Petersburg for interrogation and left without everything, he patiently endured this condition for two months. I take him to the position of inspector of the academy and bachelor under the rector. Tell about. to the rector about this, if I don’t have time to write to him today. I ask you to accept this stranger into the fellowship of the world. I don’t at all like the contract about the Bethany mill: but I agree because it may be necessary for the victims of the fire. The image of Elijah the prophet is good, and the one who asked for it as a blessing is pleased. I wrote to you about receiving it before. May the Lord grant that your child on the cross from a Jew will be a true child of God. Times are looking wild. “You’ve probably heard that in England they saw a cavalry army in the air.” “Recently, you say, there was a terrible earthquake in Hungary, and one very large lake was boiling terribly and emitting steam or smoke. – Will an unusually early spring bring something to us after an unusually cold winter? – The multiplication of wolves near Smolensk, they say, is very far from usual. – Pray that the Lord will deliver us from all sorrow, anger and need. In yesterday’s letter 37 I didn’t finish telling you, Fr. Governor, about some subjects. I rejoice at the good signs about Anastasia. But it seems to me that it would be good for him to live in a monastery. We'll see in the summer. Regarding the commemoration of the Sokolovs, I agree with your thoughts. For information, I am sending you a note that I sent to Prince Dmitry Vladimirovich regarding the matter of lands. It’s a pity that, having received unfavorable news about the princess’s health, he left accidentally and did not read this note in front of me. Our deputy sometimes does more than he should, and sometimes he does not notice what absolutely needed to be shown, such as the name in the plan of a church quarter in which merchants live. This mistake was made, of course, not in vain, and an indication of it could have given the prince an idea with what hands this work was done in the commission, and how much, therefore, he could rely on the words of the commission. Unfortunately, due to my vanity, I did not examine the plan before talking with the prince, although I had it in my hands, and therefore did not indicate this to the prince personally. The commission's note presented to the prince on this matter was not composed with such goodwill to the monastery as they boast there. It will be a pity if this matter does not end before the prince’s proposed trip to foreign lands. Since he first decided to be in St. Petersburg, then maybe there will be an opportunity to do something else during a meeting. Ask the Reverend to protect his property with truth and peace. Want to know the news? – His Eminence Kazansky has been summoned to attend the S. Synod. Stepan Dmitrievich went to see his sick wife; his position was entrusted to Count Protasov, son-in-law of Prince Dmitry Vladimirovich. Christ is risen! In His name I send you a brotherly kiss of joy and love, Fr. governor, so that you and the rest of the brethren may share it. May He bless this union of souls in His name and in His joy, and may He send us His true peace, which He left to His faithful disciples. If we were more abstracted from earthly things and more purified in order to contemplate the power of the resurrection of Christ acting on everything damaged by Adam’s fall, from the spiritual to the physical, how many new sources of wonder, awe, thanksgiving and glorification would open up to us! But the dust of earthly vanities and addictions falls asleep on the eye of the mind, and, without turning our eyes away from vanity, we block ourselves from contemplating the truth. However, one thought, quite visible in our very darkness, that the Lord was betrayed for our sins, and rose up for our justification 38 - what light is already shed on those who sit in darkness! Let us rise. Let us stop multiplying the suffering of the Lord with sins; Let us not leave the justification ready for us in Him. Prostrating myself before the cross of the Lord, who suffered for us, and before His life-giving tomb, I invoke His blessing on the ministry of philanthropy in the hospice hospital, may it be a relief to those who suffer, not only physically, but also spiritually, and to those who work in this institution as a good testimony in conscience and before the judgment of Christ. May the Reverend bless so that this endeavor does not become impoverished by those who are zealous to continue it. Render about. to the treasurer to send me 2,000 rubles of money that belongs to me. Ass. and a note so that I know what I have available. Here, oh. viceroy, candidate for your hospital. His behavior in the statements is shown to be honest. If you can accept, then forward the enclosed paper to the guardianship, with the attitude of the Council, so that the guardianship, on my instructions, orders his delivery to the Lavra, where he will be given charity. If you need a special person to look after this sick person, arrange this at my expense. But if you don’t find it possible to accept it, then simply send the paper with the resolution to the trusteeship, and notify me to see what it does. God help you, oh. the governor, will decorate the miraculous image of St. Nicholas, and may he bless the zealous and hiding one. The Diveyevo old lady came here and said that papers about their society were sent to you, that they did not reach you, and that they should soon be received by you again. I was waiting for you to write me something about this, but I delayed so much that now it’s too late to ask you about this, because I probably won’t stay in St. Petersburg beyond half of May, although I still don’t have permission to do this. Consider, however, that you received a question from me about this matter, and that you need to tell me something, if you haven’t already said it while this letter is coming to you. May the Lord preserve the good course of spring and summer, trustworthy at the beginning. Here, after unusually warm days, snow came on the early greenery. I don’t know what the fields will say, but the vegetable gardens will probably tolerate it. Trust me to the feet of the Reverend, and ask me for a good arrangement of the path; Also, may he bless, if he deigns, that the third year, an extract from the legends about his miracles, be made available for the reading of believers. The Bishop does not argue, it seems, against printing. The manuscript requested from you is returned to you. Behold, the most merciful Sovereign has ranked you among the rank of St. Anna. You will not be very happy about what is called difference; but you will accept the favor and expression of favor with love. And if, without stopping at the name, look at the deed, then it is good to be in the rank of St. Anna the Prophetess, even without leaving the Church, serving day and night with fasting and prayers 39 . May the peace of the Lord be with you, O governor, and with the brethren. Thank God that the new fire danger passed without disaster and only gave new instructions for caution. Present those you are writing about for tonsure, and we will accept the hieromonk. May God grant us to provide a peaceful stay for souls who look to Him and are meek. Stop writing to me in St. Petersburg, and tell the rectors this. I was released from half of May to half of October. It's strange that Fr. Archimandrite Yakovlevsky writes to A.N. Muravyov about the consecration of the church, calling Countess Anna Alekseevna and Fr. Archimandrite Photius, but I shouldn’t say a word. K. A. N. writes that he sent a report about this to the S. Synod; but this report is not there. Would you write to him so that he can quickly write to me in Moscow when he wants to consecrate the church? – But it would be good for my calculations to set June 21st; but is it suitable for him, because he wants to have Countess A.A., and she must return to St. Petersburg by 25. Is it therefore necessary to choose a day earlier than 21, then he would have advised me in good time. I can’t go straight from here to see him, because I’m going to Klin to consecrate the cathedral there. You see by this that I have to be at the Lavra earlier than usual: I don’t know how Moscow will allow it. Ask the Reverend Great Abba our abbot to ask me from the Lord for the arrangement of the ways. Do it, oh. Viceroy, external correction of the Assumption Cathedral. But it would not be bad to keep up with the established order of making presentations of this kind from the Council in good time. The State Comptroller threatens to get into all our affairs and, without asking our conscience, will accuse us of failure to comply with official procedures. Oh F., I remember I told you that I would not have used it if I had not listened to you. Put him down. Let's talk more about it, God willing, at home. Peace be with you in the Lord and brothers. Accept, oh. the governor, visitors, Countess Anna Alekseevna and Fr. Archimandrite Photius, with all attention. O. Take the Archimandrite to my cells, or where it is more peaceful for him to rest. Fulfill the sacred thing you wish. By the way, Fr. The archimandrite wishes to listen to the memorial service for Schemamonk Mikhail. Offer them a treat from our zeal. Peace to you and the brethren. I am not writing to you because I am looking to you soon. God's blessing to you, Father Vicar, and brethren. Sorry for the delay in writing, as I wanted to write immediately upon arrival. I left the monastery with thanksgiving to God and our Rev. O. Sergius. I thank you for your work for the monastery and for helping my weakness. I wish to fulfill the thought of sacred vessels to Bethany. I just don’t know how I’ll tackle this. Can you name a master who would not want to deceive me? My unpleasant relationship with the artists at the Chudov Monastery is due to the fact that I am afraid to enter into relations with artists based on a power of attorney, and I do not have the time and do not know how to enter into precautionary proceedings. Upon my arrival, I was immediately greeted by an incident that I didn’t want to talk about, and I don’t want to remain silent about. Servant Mikhailo, who came to me after everyone else, said: he walked around with samples of velvet. - With which ones? - To the Lavra for vestments. -Did you take them? - No, I returned those that were sent from the Lavra as unsuitable, and instead of which they will send drawings from the Lavra. “The abbot who arrived from the monastery had to admit to the minister that he knew nothing of the sort.” Forgive me, it still seems to me that the abbot should not be put in such a position. Teach me to see things better. According to the definition attached to this, hasten to carry out the execution in the Cathedral and deliver it to me. I really want to start a business so that those being moved do not confuse each other. The dean, I hope, will be useful in St. Petersburg. Meanwhile, the information received about those there continues to be doubtful. May God grant that things will be better than hearing. I think the superintendent of the Perervinsky schools came to you, motivated by the fact that when he decided to enter monasticism, he vowed to spend two months in obedience at the monastery of St. Sergius. If I knew this, I would advise fulfilling the vow immediately after tonsure, or partly before it. Now his school position does not allow him to be away from school for two months. He can live in the monastery for a month, but if he also counts a month of debt on him, this will be a tie-up that will be given time to resolve, who can guess? Shouldn't we give him two obediences, church and cell, for a month, so that the vow for need can be considered fulfilled and can be supplemented if the opportunity arises? Think about this. The trip, expected in August, seems to bypass the Lavra path. However, time will tell what is true. Pray that the Lord will show us the ways of peace and salvation. Won't you help me, oh. Deputy, in the case of the Chudovskaya Church, with which both the artists and the commission do not satisfy me? “I would like you to come for a day or two to look at the case and understand the possibility and value of some parts of it.” They want to hang 300 pounds on the wall. The architect assures of the possibilities. The commission agrees. And I would like to somehow reduce the severity, which I did not at all expect, and which the artists and the commission only told me about. If you don't see an important obstacle, come quickly. If there is an obstacle, send a refusal as soon as possible. Let us pray to Saint Alexis and Saint Sergius, may they not abandon us, but may they guide us to useful things. Don't be angry, oh. Viceroy, for two or three resolutions yesterday, in which I admit that I am dissatisfied with the ideas of the Council. Negotiate what is necessary in business. What kind of parable is this that I do not have an answer from you to the letter and in it the instruction to the Council, which was sent to you around July 20, and which I told you about when you were in Moscow? - If this instruction is missing, then suggest to the Council verbally that in case of need for an economist at the Sukharevskoye metochion, I demand from the Council to present two candidates for this place; and do not hesitate with this presentation. I’ll tell you more of my thoughts, and you sort them out and give me the best ones. When I told you that with the Miracle Commission we would start estimating the work of the iconostasis, and that I was afraid that, following the presented assumption, demands for money, of which a lot had already been given, you expressed a desire to evade this matter because you noticed the displeasure of one of the members of the commission; and about the money they said that they could give me a thousand rubles. I didn’t want to force you against your will, and I immediately decided to let you go. At night, during insomnia, it occurred to me: is it a matter of obedience, is it a matter of friendship - to leave a person in need (for I would not have discharged you if I had someone closer to use) just because someone noticed an unpleasant look, and, moreover, related not to you, but to me, who called you? “I sent this thought away, let you go, and in the evening of the next day I began to write the note that I had given you for consideration, the contents of which I had previously known only from the verbal report of the commission members.” What do I find? - What I was afraid of at random, what you answered me about as non-existent, is already written in the note: it requires 5,000 rubles. Consequently, on a matter that bothered me so much, but to which I called you to reassure me, you did not even bother to read to the end the note I gave you. This is where the question came from: Should I tell you that the one who takes up the matter (whether out of obedience, or out of friendship, or somehow) must read the note to the end, and, after carefully considering the whole matter, give advice according to his best understanding? Or, when my neighbors are farther away from me, 40 when it is so destined for me, I must act according to what is written: I became dumb and humbled, and kept silent from good things, and my illness was renewed 41? I gave time to this question, and now I still ask, isn’t all this just idle talk? Consider this. May the peace of God guard our hearts and our minds regarding Christ Jesus. In order not to forget, I answer you, oh. Viceroy, after reading the letter. The ball is under the cup, I thought, it is better to separate it and place it more easily, without destroying the idea that its foundation is a cross. But if you see the best, destroy the ball. Obedience in simplicity is a thing better than which one cannot wish for. But it seems to me that it is easier to say and show the boss what is being done, than not to say and do it according to your own mind. And at the same time, this simplicity is more careful than the simplicity of doing things in your own way. Forgive me for still talking about this. Send Theoktistus completely to accept the position, without waiting for the resolution that will be announced to him here. No need, oh. viceroy, penance; especially for me. And pray that Saint Alexy asks for forgiveness of sins of those who work and care for his church, and for a good ending to the matter. Apparently, I did not humbly tell you about your unfinished work: because God allowed me to be foolish in not finishing my work. At the arrival of the Sovereign Emperor, when I was waiting for him in Chudov, I was told that he had left, Count Benckendorff assured me that he would not return until later than lunch; I went away, and before I could return, the Emperor was in Chudov without me. Although I, through mediation, asked the Emperor for forgiveness for this, and he deigned to tell me not to worry: but I do not very calmly remember that I did not know how to maintain the rank of wise virgins waiting for the Bridegroom. Pray for the peace of the most pious Sovereign, and for the peace of my humility. I don’t want to push the prosphora so far away that they won’t suddenly find it, and people will crowd into the depths of the monastery for it. And I don’t really like that such a fiery place will be in a building that reaches the Trinity Cathedral. Can't you find another place? Wouldn't it be better to turn it to the lower floor of the building on the other side of the gate, where it was before? The loss of several cells seems unimportant to me. Continue to correct the icons in the Assumption Cathedral, as far as possible. Let O. Paisiy take you to confession. Thank you for the blessed bread. May God forgive and have mercy on both of you and me. I asked Gerasim if he left Petersburg with boredom, and he, with some forced expression on his face, answered that it was unpleasant to receive a call before September. I said that I regretted his regret, and began to fear whether there was some truth in the fact that there were some rumors that he had become more absent-minded. The Count Chief Prosecutor entrusts the former housekeeper Innocent, who seems to be his spiritual father, to my favor. Give the attached copies of the speech to the academy and seminary. I need to write to you, oh. Governor, although a few words: because I have been silent for too long. My health is poor, and yet I need to be more concerned with business than with treatment. Tomorrow, and perhaps even today, we will have the Sovereign Emperor in Moscow, whose recovery and journey, by the special grace of God, have been especially successful. Due to my illness, I have not yet had the opportunity to talk with the civil governor about the robberies along the road. Meanwhile, they say, others falsely claim to have been robbed. I have long wanted to tell you that I have not heard anything about a Jew who asked for baptism? I don’t want mugs in the hospice either. Let's think again. I don’t know if I’ll be able to come to you for the holiday, although I would like to. In any case, pray for me. May the mercy of the Lord be with you and with your brethren. Peace be with you, oh. governor and brethren. Jew baptism is permitted. About time, and other things, discuss with Fr. archpriest. And if I do, and it doesn’t happen before me, we’ll talk together. The St. Petersburg economist does not refuse his position, and asks for a third hieromonk. I require Co6opa's opinion on this. Shouldn't we take Ignatius? In the Bethany Church, turning the northern inner sanctuary into a prayer church is good. When they built it, I thought that there would be part of the sacristy here, and something church would be stored; but later I was not pleased to see a closet with brooms here. In the cell of St. Sergius, the image of the Smolensk Mother of God is replaced with an inset one, and I agree to take it to Bethany. Travelers are waiting; and the people who came took up my time. Close to Vespers. Tomorrow is the consecration of the church. Forgive me, and pray that the Lord will bring me to the fence of St. Sergius. I notify you, oh. Viceroy, that, thanks to God and the prayers of St. Sergius, my journey was completed safely; and it seems that now I am a little healthier than before the trip to the Lavra. Meanwhile, from St. Petersburg they remind me of another path. – His Grace Kazansky was transferred to Yaroslavl, and Chernigovsky to Kazan. This makes it convenient for His Grace Philaret to be in the Synod. Thank you for your care of the monastery of St. Sergius and the infirm abbot. I did not agree with you, O governor, about Harlampy because I heard disgraceful things about him. During a visit to the cell of St. Sergius, he pestered one venerable person about the need for a veil for the image. This shouldn't be done. If they had asked what would be a decent thing to do, he could have said that it was decent or necessary. But you shouldn’t have asked. Remake the cells as you wish. It would be good if there was a cage of silence, which is generally lacking in my homes. “I’m thinking about the front room, whether the ceiling will be too low.” Isn’t it better to leave the vault, making a light wooden arch from the wooden wall, so that from this side it will look like a vault, just like from the side of the stone wall? Go to Pesnosh and tell the abbot what I don’t have time to say now, so that I try to restore order more by internal means of persuading consciences than by external obstacles that make it difficult to do what can be tolerated, and where the difficulty can produce more grumbling than good. How can I guess a wish that you don't say? Isn’t that what you want to do, which some people predicted to me the other day - that you will come to Moscow? I don’t know what to say to this. I would like to spend some time with you: but see if it happens. The days are gone; there is a lot of unfinished work; on Saturday early, if the Lord wills it, we need to leave; Tomorrow you need to take your medicine, then start preparing, people will interfere. Maybe you will come and say that there was nothing to go for. Decide for yourself what you want. Most of all, pray for my soul, which has come a long way and is still coming, that it may come in peace to the abodes of the world. May the peace of the Lord be with you and your brothers. Kisses in the name of the Lord to you, oh. Viceroy, from me a wanderer to the earth. With consolation and gratitude I remember your communication with me in words of sincerity for the benefit of the soul. I pray to God that He will favor this to continue. Bring my memory to the Throne of the Most Holy Trinity and to the feet of St. Sergius prayerfully and gratefully. The reinforcement that I felt during my last trip to the Lavra was again given to me on my way to St. Petersburg. There was a lot of snow, rain and wind; but I suffered less on the road than before in Moscow, in more favorable weather. In St. Petersburg, with the continued damp weather, I feel worse, and as if I’m not in a place, but on the road. Pray that this will not be weariness in me from wandering, but detachment from earthly things. I don’t have time to write anymore; but I won’t put off sending it so that you know something about me. Blessing and peace from the Lord to you and your brothers. Thank you, oh. Viceroy, that you sing the consoling chant of St. John of Damascus to my soul. May the power that is in the words of the Holy One come to me; may I find the ways of life with those who fear the Lord, and may I gain hope in the Lord, which is higher than all those who mourn. I wrote to you about my journey and arrival soon after my arrival. Since then, for the most part, I have been infirm, but in such a way that a time of relief is given for the position. On the feast of the Most Holy Theotokos in honor of her Kazan icon, the iconostasis was renewed in the Kazan Cathedral. The Bishop invited the members of the Synod to attend the prayer service: I went with concern whether I was worthy of the service; however, this was fulfilled; Only I didn’t go with the others to lunch with the headman. They showed me the Telescope article, which was offensive to the Church and to Russia, because, however, I did not have or read this magazine. The government took notice of this madness. It’s strange “what the university rector missed” for publication. It seemed to me that this was possible only if I missed it without reading; but some say that he even corrected it. Find and read the sheet of “Northern Bee” published on the 3rd day.There is a good antidote to the “Telescope” article. Thank God that the monastery of the Venerable One served the peaceful passage of the abbot into the coming century. I am very glad that you came up with the idea of ​​sending me an icon for the Bishop on the day of his Angel. Only I haven't received it yet. I had a similar thought immediately upon arrival; but by chance I encountered another thought that prevented me from fulfilling the first one. I welcome your good reminder of the cross and sorrows. Help me through prayer, so that I myself will not be able to preach to others. The views around me are not very pleasant, but it is difficult to say what it is. I wait for the Lord to show further. The Bishop of Tver is severely ill with his eyes. – At the chief prosecutor’s desk, above Andrei Nikolaevich, another official was placed, who enjoyed the special power of attorney of the former chief prosecutor. Andrei Nikolaevich accepted this with humility. - Here's news for you about something new. Forgive and bless. May the blessing and peace of God be with you and with the brethren. Most Reverend Fr. Viceroy! When remembering the day of my angel, the image sent to me as a blessing from our Reverend Father Sergius and his monastery, I accepted with reverence, and the good wishes of yours and brothers with love and gratitude. Tell this to the brethren. I ask for the continuation of your prayers for my weakness: I earnestly appeal to you all for the blessing and protection of God and grace-filled assistance to spiritual fulfillment. I am sending you two sermons and one conversation to the so-called Old Believer, recently published. On the 26th day of December, give 400 rubles from me to the ministers, the poor and the poor. As I am usually late, so as not to be late, I will now greet you and the brethren with the joy of the approaching holiday of the Nativity of Christ. Let the joy of the Lord be your strength to do what is pleasing to Christ God. How long have I been silent! – We need to start on November 8th. You remember that by this day I was expecting an image for the bishop. No agenda. I send it by mail, in vain. I’m thinking: should I take another one, or should I delay and wait for the one that was sent with a thought for the ruler? On the morning of the 8th day, an image is accidentally brought. I was delighted. But when they opened it, it turned out that in one place below the images the paint had broken through to the board, and in another the frame was damaged. I used a different image; but this incident was unpleasant for me. On the 1st day of December, the image was received completely intact. The time here has long been damp and, it seems, disease-causing, just like yours. I felt this; but, thank God, it’s not hard. Since my arrival in St. Petersburg, I once took your medicine and the benefits seemed less than during the first dose at the Lavra. My doctor said that combining magnesia with lemon juice can form a kind of gypsum, which will aggravate the stomach, and did not advise taking the medicine often. But here's what happened. For two days after taking the medicine, I noticed in the mornings a special sensation in my mouth that seemed to be a remnant of it. This feeling sometimes happens in the morning and after, although I do not take medication. And from time to time there were critical resolutions similar to those produced by your medicine; and this makes me feel better, so that although I often feel weak and lie down, I can’t stand it, and others say that I am healthier than before. But it is necessary to finish, or better yet, to interrupt. It's time for the Synod. Last November, around the day of Michael the Archangel, someone said to someone in a dream: The earth celebrates their days and they have a bitter duty to be on earth. That’s why you need to connect with them. They ask for our prayers and say: we will bring your prayers, already purified by our means, before the throne of the Most High. The intercession of the Saints is a link connecting the weak being of the earth with heaven. Doesn't this explain the church's remembrance of the day's saints well? And wouldn’t it be good for the priest to have this in his thoughts when he says dismissal? They are attentive and think like that. Oh, if only everyone would only name the daily Saint with attention, and not from memory! Note. In the memorial book that was preserved after Metropolitan Philaret, under November 11th it is written: “1836. On the occasion of dissatisfied attention to the feast of St. Michael the Archangel, it was said in a dream.” The following are the words rewritten in this letter. You're doing well, oh. Governor, for reminding me of what was written before. Although I hesitate to answer not by choice, but by obstacles; but the reminder helps to strengthen oneself to overcome obstacles. I spoke about the publication of a short moral teaching at the Synod. They said that it was good to publish, but some added that this article belongs to the S. Synod. I objected that the S. Synod does not have ownership rights to this article, and if it did, there is no need to stand up for this, because the cost of the alphabet will not be significantly reduced by printing this leaflet. The discussion came to nothing. And since the matter of the school is more difficult than this matter, I postponed it until I could talk about it more freely. In my opinion, you can submit the moralizing sheet to the spiritual censorship committee; he will skip ,,like printing skips for a new printing; and then you can print. I don't see any sin here. As for the school, the Ministry of Education is making every effort to take control of everything that is called a school and a teacher. They wanted to prohibit the parish clergy from teaching literacy unless someone sought permission from the secular authorities and submitted themselves to the supervision of the school director. This attack was repelled not without difficulty; but even then, in the event of a special order regarding the education of children in the houses of the clergy, it is required that information about the number of students be given from time to time to the secular authorities. Nothing is said about monasteries on this subject; and therefore, for the school you are proposing, every minute they will demand a new law and order the director of the schools to visit you, and you will have to treat him and be afraid of denunciation, which is not quite cleanly swept out. They propose to me to establish a parish theological school for the children of the nearest clergy and to admit secular children into it; but it seems to me that it will be varied; The rules of the parish school will interfere with us, and when there are many secular children, the secular authorities will easily find fault with this. These are the difficulties: consider them and tell me what you think you can decide on. I don’t see the opportunity to have the time to read 20 volumes of the late bishop’s sermons so that the chosen one could separate them, no matter how much I would like to. Force me to do this: maybe a time will come that will be less unfree. They had thought about including the Life of St. Demetrius in the Chetia-Minea before, but they found that it would be an anachronism, as scientists say. Now I spoke again; again agreed, and, it seems, ordered to write it down. There is definitely an error in the lamp before the image of the Holy Trinity. It’s good to fix it so that it’s less huge and heavy. Remake the chandelier too. Is it better to burn oil or candles, I can’t suddenly decide. Decide what seems best. The Iveron archimandrite is frightened by the vents in the Trinity Cathedral: he says that the steam will rust the roofing copper. I think this idea is worth exploring. Think about this and write to me. May the Lord clothe Sokolov with the robe of salvation. Why didn’t you call her a Christian name for me, so that it would be brought before the Lord, although it is true that He sees it even now? Of course, it is more profitable to give the farmstead yourself in parts. But will we be able to look after him well? Now, it seems, everything is answered. Peace to you and the brethren. May the Lord bless you with His goodness this new summer. Peace be with you, oh. Governor, and listen to me in peace. Yesterday Prince Sergius Mikhailovich visited me, and among other things I told him about my difficulty regarding the Church of St. Alexis in the Chudov Monastery, telling him that last fall I used not only the commission and the architect, but also you, to find a way out of the difficulty, that both the architect and you assured me of the dignity and significant amount of work and the hope of completion; that the count set the deadline for bronze work in November, and for completion at the beginning of the year; but that according to the news that has fed me up to now, it seems that nothing has been done, and that I have instructed the Right Reverend Vicar with the commission and the architect to think about what measures need to be taken to ensure the matter from endless delay, because not only am I sad and Moscow is unpleasant about the long desolation of this church, but it has already been seen twice during the Imperial visit to the capital. The prince’s opinion was that the architect was slow, that the members of the commission and the vicar would not cope with the matter, that if the circumstances of the Lavra allowed, it would be necessary to call you as someone who knows artistic matters. After this conversation, in a dream, someone told me that the work done by the count was pledged. At these words I woke up and stood up to look at my watch; it was early, and, due to my usual weakness, my rest still had to continue: but looking at the clock, I felt a reluctance to return to bed and noticed, without noticing before, that when I got up I dressed not for the night, but for the day. Apparently it was necessary that this morning be longer than usual and that I have time to tell you how this matter worries me in reality and in dreams. Is it possible to require you to come to Moscow on this matter? Will it be useful if not for long? Is it possible to do anything else but take the count’s work, how much of it there is, and somehow finish it? But besides the losses inevitably associated with this turning point, what will we do to finish the matter? Call Saint Alexei for help and look for ideas on how to get out of these networks. Meanwhile, would you write to the count that you hear how I grieve, and that out of respect for the place and out of compassion for me, I must finally say what this means and what needs to be done? Or do you think that this is useless? Or should I take this matter as a reason to ask to leave St. Petersburg, where, however, now I have business? But even if I escape from here, what will I do there? – Pray to St. Sergius that he will take pity on us for the sake of His beloved Saint Alexis. Peace to you from the Lord and blessing from Saint Alexy. Serve, oh. the governor, the cause, his monastery, for my sins, confused. And I am of the opinion that it is necessary to accept the matter from the count and finish it under my supervision. I am somewhat concerned about your absence from the Lavra for quite some time. Is it possible to arrange yourself in such a way that when you arrive in Moscow, you arrange the progress of the matter and can leave, leaving observation of Fr. Archimandrite Petrovsky and Chudovsky Governor, and then come again for reasons of need. To make matters easier, you can decide to completely cancel or reduce other things that have not been done and that are not entirely necessary. However, from afar it is difficult for me to judge the matter. I hope I won’t argue against what you advise with the Right Reverend Vicar and Prince Sergius Mikhailovich. I am sending this letter through the Right Reverend Vicar, because you may have already been summoned to Moscow. And if you haven’t been called, come on his message. With the sick and strange, I invoke God’s blessing to Countess Varvara Alexandrovna. Don’t put off thinking about school, but be patient. I was given the opportunity at a certain meeting to make a proposal by which such institutions could be made unrestricted. God's peace to you, oh. the governor, and the brethren. Whatever is most needed, I most likely need to give an answer. If bread is cheap, and if you hope that the grain will keep well, then make a supply, as you write. They write to me from Moscow on the 1st day of this month that Count Potemkin promises to get down to business. That's why I don't know if they'll invite you. But it seems to me that we have already relied enough on promises, and it’s time to put guards on the fulfillment of promises. In case you go to Moscow, I will send this letter through the Right Reverend. There were many sick people here. And we have quite a few in our house. One of the singers died. God bless you, oh. vicar, and the brethren to enter into the field of fasting and go through it cheerfully, with peace and consolation of the soul, so that they may also enter into the joy of the resurrection of Christ, as the faithful servants of the Lord enter into it. Forgive me and bless me on the same path and ask for protection and reinforcement for me from God’s love for mankind, who overcomes our sins. The idea of ​​the proposed school will now, I hope, come true. I will try to write to you decisively about this in the second week of Lent, because until then I will not have in my hands the information on which this matter will be firmly based. Thank you for the news about Fr. Archimandrite Yakovlevsky. May God strengthen and ease him. Let the furnace of the Lord refine and purify the sons of Levi, so that we may not fall into another strange fire that does not purify and consumes us without being consumed. How not to bless, oh. Viceroy, is it a blessed thing? May God bless your general prayer rule, and may the Reverend appear to you and help you to stand attentively and tirelessly, with peace and consolation. I thank God that this began not by coercion, but by good consent. Of course, it will be good if this continues and not during Lent. But we need to think about the time when the brethren will be busy with visiting pilgrims: should we then provide the rule to the cells, or preserve the common one for those who can be with him, so that those who are present do not condemn those who are absent, and those who are exhausted from the day's work in their rest think that others will stand for them? - May God arrange what is useful, with condescension towards weakness, without loss of zeal. As I remember, the matter of setting up a school has already been heard in the Synod. I am waiting for a decree so that it will be clear what can be done and how. For a hospital, the upper rooms are better and more spacious. But is there enough light for the school below? However, I will not contradict the assumption. Wonderful adventure, or adventures, of the youth Sergius. And I want to ask my child: why are they so angry with him? Does the purity of his heart and zeal, noticed by the enemy and threatening him as a strong ascetic, enrage him? Or is there something hidden in the prayer for the deceased mother that the evil one considers himself offended by? Be that as it may, these cases are instructive. You did your due, as far as I understand; I don’t see one thing: did you tell your father to move to protect his cell with cleanliness and prayer? Isn’t it more natural for an old man to protect a little one than for a baby to fight a giant alone? May God bless Varvara Alexandrovna’s love of humanity and measure her soul with His heavenly bounties. May the Lord rest the soul of his servant Kodrat. Thank God that this, once my host, was the path to a peaceful death. Talk to Fr. rector of the academy, does the newly baptized Sergius need anything, and take it from the treasurer and give one hundred and three rubles for this. What kind of work should we do on the Lavra this coming summer? – We must take into account that the Sovereign Heir will be in the second half of July. It is necessary that he does not encounter the ruins and untidiness of the ongoing work. Tell this to both rectors. Anything that needs to be fixed is best done earlier in the spring. For believers and loving hearts, I wish you and your brethren to share in the sufferings of Christ and be brought into the joy of His Resurrection. Why won't you tell me whether the vessels were made for Bethany? Truly Christ is risen. His peace and joy be with your spirit, O viceroy! What you write about the rule, I am at peace with. I'm still waiting for the decree about the school. Only we were looking for protection from the embarrassment of strangers, and now they want to bother their own with inquiries. For the newly enlightened Sergius, dispose of it as you find most useful. The drawing of the candlestick doesn't look at me funny. And what will it be - silver or bronze? If it's silver, isn't too much material required? If you think it will be good and hope to do it for the holiday of July 5th, then do it, and may the Reverend bless you. And if we don’t do it in time for the holiday, shouldn’t we hesitate until we talk on the spot? However, I don’t bother you with my bewilderment. Perhaps, due to its disrepair, it is no longer necessary to postpone the remodeling and, perhaps, it is necessary to use the artist who is in mind. G. Shagarova writes that she is again based in Khotkovo, and appoints a tonsure for herself, and names her name. It seems to me that this is all wrong. But what does the abbess think? Tell her to tell me her opinion; and meanwhile I would tell Ms. Shagarova that I adhere, as before, to the rule - to be assigned to the monastery at the discretion and consent of the abbess, on whom it depends to submit for tonsure, after fulfilling the legalized time of the test and at the discretion of true readiness. Write to me in Moscow, not in St. Petersburg. I want to go at the end of next week. Remember me when the deacon reminds you of the prayer for those traveling. May the Lord remember you and the brethren in His goodness. It’s unpleasant for me to think that my silence is unpleasant for you, oh. viceroy Give me this as punishment for my silence and don’t be offended. I don't have time to do everything I need to do. I want to overcome difficulties and go out into space; but difficulties will arise, but strength will not increase. Forgive me and pray for my weakness. It’s good that he corrects what needs correction; but it is a pity that some subjects were not discussed earlier. Renewing the interior of the hall, will you really make it as colorful as it was? But this late question should not upset what has already been done. Regarding the establishment of a hospital on the top floor of the Don building, I thought I had already told you my consent. You can get down to business, measuring it so that between July 23rd and August 3rd there is no scrap and rubbish in your eyes. Between these days there may be a visit to the Sovereign Heir. I rejoice that feeding the strange brings them comfort. May the Reverend bless this, and may he not deprive us of brotherly and God-loving service to this. God bless your servant Martin. Please read the attached paper and save it for me. You see what they wanted to do in the Lavra. I think that if I only went to St. Petersburg to write this note, then it was not in vain that I went. God's blessing to you and brothers. Glorify the Holy Trinity with joy. I want to come to you, but I can’t for this holiday. Note. A letter - without indicating the year, month and day when it was written. But, based on the various circumstances that are mentioned in the letter, it must be assumed that it was written in 1867, these circumstances: the restoration of the hall, no doubt, in the Lavra chambers of the Metropolitan, the establishment of a hospital on the upper floor of the Don building (see letter 158), the expectation of a visit from the Sovereign Heir, which actually followed on August 2, 1837, as recorded in the document preserved by Metropolitan Philaret memorial book. In it, under August 1st we read: “1837. The Sovereign Heir was at the liturgy and at the consecration of the water, and the next day he listened to the liturgy in the monastery and surveyed the monastery and the academy, Bethany and the seminary.” It is noticeable that this letter was written from Moscow shortly after returning from St. Petersburg; in 1837 it followed on May 19th: in the same memorial book it is written under May 15th: “1837. We are from St. Petersburg in the morning, in Novgorod in the evening,” and under the 19th: “1837. I arrived in Moscow in the morning.” If this letter belongs to the letters of 1837, then we must assume that it was written at the beginning of June, for among other things it says: “Glorify the Holy Trinity in joy,” and in 1837 the day of the Holy Trinity was June 6, and it was celebrated by Metropolitan Philaret in Moscow. Slich. the following letter. Thank you, oh. Viceroy, for the blessing of the monastery given to me by the blessed bread. I celebrated yesterday in the Assumption Cathedral, and today, remembering your current holiday, in my home church, in which, for these holidays, the image of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, given by will, was placed in a high place in good time. Thank you for your words of comfort and benefit. If God wills, we will talk more face to face. I forgot to answer you about the refectory church before this. The previous decorations around her were, it seems, made of stone, and not of alabaster. Will the current work of alabaster in air be durable? Another question: is it now possible to anticipate a certain deadline by doing this? If it were possible, it would be good to hurry. Otherwise, it’s better not to start until now. If I can leave here before Peter’s day, I don’t think there will be an opportunity for you to receive me. The sacristan's cell can show me hospitality, as it used to be. However, I still don’t know what will be possible for me. This was written on Monday evening, and on Tuesday at five o’clock in the morning the Right Reverend Yaroslavsky came to me; I was not reminded of the minister who delivered your letter, and my letter still remains. Receive His Eminence Yaroslavsky with zeal, show him what you want to see, treat him and give him peace. There is a rumor here that Eminence Nevsky will go from Klin straight to the Lavra, which he definitely did not tell me. If you already have it, then I hope that you accepted it the same way. Or accept it if it arrives. Each of them must be presented with an icon from the monastery and from the abbot. The matter of our land was again examined and it turns out that there were many fruitless worries. There are people who suspect the Lavra that it has a plan that is not in its favor, and is hiding it in order to win more than it has a right to. Gratitude to Prince Dmitry Vladimirovich, which provides a way out of the difficulties. Doing this reminded me of Krasnogorsk Square. Will she be clean by July 23rd? If not, what will be left on it? Shouldn't it be left to the secular authorities to clear it out? I would like to receive an answer to this not for a long time. You didn’t want to let me into the monastery to rebuild the cells, but now I’m delaying because, not having a vicar, 42 I have the need to serve in Moscow on the first day of July. I need to go to you on the same day, so that I can be at the academy for testing in the morning, Friday. If it is impossible for me not to be late, then let the brethren not worry about waiting for me, but only the gatekeeper. Take into account the fact that on the first day of the test they usually have dinner with me. It would be good if you would arrange this this time too, in the case when God wills it for my timing to take place. Tell about. to the rector of the academy about my timing. Peace be with you o. the governor, and the brethren. Thanks be to God and His Pleasant for my presence in your world. I thank you too for contributing to this world. I arrived in Moscow safely before noon. I spoke with Prince Dmitry Vladimirovich about the land. He agrees to what I suggested. Perhaps you will find that I concede a lot; But I think that it is better to be moderate in demands and finish the matter, rather than to demand more and prolong it. The assumptions regarding the time of arrival of the Sovereign's heir to Moscow have not changed relative to the time; but the time of his journey to the Lavra is learned only upon his arrival in Moscow. Countess Varvara Alexandrovna told me that she wanted to put her will in the monastery for safekeeping. I see no obstacle to fulfilling her will when she believes that this will serve to ensure the most certain and unhindered fulfillment of her last will. May God grant her many more days to do good deeds. Terrorize me with sleepy dreams, I remember Job saying 43. I remembered this after reading the legend of your dream, Fr. the governor, and not only remembered, but in some way felt. I don’t know whether this happened because of the content of the dream, or because my soul was pre-prepared to expect sorrow, but your story made an impression on me. Pray that by my sins or foolishness I will not attract upon myself an unbearable cross, so that the Most Merciful Lord will not reprove me with His wrath, nor punish me with His wrath, but, if I must suffer sorrows, impose them on me with the Father’s punishing and merciful hand, determine their measure not according to my sins, but according to my weakness, and grant me faith and patience to the end. And you do what you do in reality as in your dreams, support me in bearing the cross with words of love, advice, reinforcement and consolation. Show me the Stone of Faith and the rest of the works of St. Demetrius when I am in the Lavra, for I do not have these books. The words of the service book: the lamb of God is crushed and not divided, are known. Without a doubt, one must believe that it is indivisible, but the service book does not consider the word fragmented to be an absurdity, and the rite contains the visible effect of fragmentation. Here's an order for you. Take my money from the treasurer, which is appropriate to give when performing a prayer service, and send it to the grave to perform a prayer service to St. Sergius for the health and salvation of Priest Mark. Others do not need to give reasons for this, but you will learn it from the attached letter, which you will return to me at the Lavra. Today a boy of about fifteen came to my house, who says that he lived with his father and mother in the forest, his father died about five years ago, and his mother died near the Intercession of the last year, that he does not know what family he is, does not know a single village or city, was baptized with two fingers, and now, on the advice of some, with three fingers; that he was not ordered to go to the city, so as not to be taken, but was advised to come to me so that I would assign him to a monastery. The story is incomprehensible and unlikely. I didn't want to touch this mysterious face. But in case it was a truly innocent unfortunate, he ordered to tell him if he wanted to go to St. Sergius. If he appears to you, try to find out what it is: whether he really needs help and can receive it legally. In the name of the Lord, blessing and peace to you and your brothers. Now there is no time to answer you, oh. Governor, but I must say what is necessary. But first of all, one cannot help but say that our Beloved Guest fills with consolation everything he approaches. He wanted me to show him spiritual places, and for this purpose I was in Donskoy, Danilov, Simonovo, on Krutitsy, in Novospasskoye, and today His Highness even visited my humble home. Without deigning to honor myself, I first brought him into the church so that it would be his monument, and so that I could thank God for him in it, as if with him. His Highness intends to be at the Lavra on Monday, August 2, at about 10 a.m., and listen to the liturgy. Then, as I assume, he will enter the abbot’s cells to rest, and will go out to inspect everything, even to Bethany. After this, the time for the meal will come, and I would like you to arrange for me the opportunity to ask His Highness to taste the monastery bread and salt 44. It is necessary that everything not be drawn out. The retinue of the Sovereign Heir will extend to ten people. Prepare so that everyone has a place to rest. Everyone needs something in the image, I think, more of the enamel ones. Forget about reminding me what I need, because I forget everything. Is there a letter from Sovereign Emperor Pavel Petrovich about the birth of Sovereign Nikolai Pavlovich in the sacristy? I kept wanting to order it to be here behind glass, and kept forgetting. If, as expected, it is in the Bethany Library, reclaim it immediately and place it in the inner chamber of the sacristy in a decent place. If His Highness goes to Bethany, our carriages will hardly be needed. Is it possible to arrange this? I ordered a four-seater carriage to be sent to you. Look at it and figure it out. Perhaps, remembering the siege, the Sovereign Heir will walk along the fence. Have the guard walk along it. Pray to the Reverend that He bless his guest and his household, us. Note. Along with this letter, on a special sheet of paper, is attached the following prayer appeal, written by the own hand of His Eminence the Metropolitan: save, bless and preserve visited this church and this house. Your letter, oh. Governor, I received it from the 14th day yesterday on the 20th. Therefore, on the holiday I called upon you and the brethren a blessing according to my duty, and not according to your word. Sorry about the adventures with the employees. It would not be bad for you to take a hundred rubles from me and send them to the family of the deceased, if you find it possible to do this. May you find and thank me for the man who held my horses on the road to Bethany 45 . The case of your deputy makes it difficult for me. Much was allowed to him, and he went far. I am in no hurry to decide so that, having learned the decision, he would not think of seeking pleasure in serving those against whom he was put as a deputy. Prince Dmitry Vladimirovich’s case remains, I think, without progress. It was not convenient to talk about him in front of distinguished guests, but now he went to St. Petersburg for two weeks. After the fatigue from the past days and repeated colds, my eye began to hurt. Now it's starting to get better. Peace and blessings to you and the brethren. I agreed to the Bethan loan. The well was decided before and, as Svyatoslavsky says, the decision was sent to you. The benefits of leaving the yard at your disposal are obvious. I keep wondering whether we will be able to conduct this business ourselves. Bubnov, they say, already considers as inalienable what was left behind him at the auction. However, only I heard this, but I did not accept it, feeling unwell and barely gathering the strength to perform services. The article about the visit to the Lavra by the Sovereign Equestrian was published by his retinue, and I did not see it before printing, and for my part did nothing of the kind, leaving this to members of the retinue who published information about the visit to other places. His Highness's charitable deeds were sometimes announced and sometimes not. If the coachman deserves an award, give me 25 rubles. But he should have known horses before. His art of slowing down their run by dodging them to the sides was close to hitting the carriage on a corner. However, perhaps this is the art of not allowing it to happen. - Glory to the merciful God. Convince the unfortunate deputy to serve and collect himself from dispersion through good work. The civil governor writes to me that Prince Dmitry Vladimirovich agreed to the latest assumptions about the land, but you suggest whether the Lavra would find it possible to give up the plot of land behind the shops. I agreed. It is not convenient for me to hold the affairs of a deputy for a long time. Things that are put off make things difficult and confusing. May the Lord bless the monastery and you with peace, Fr. the governor, and the brethren. To those in need in Arzamaz, send me one hundred five rubles from the treasurer. I want to go to the Reverend and to you. I am somewhat afraid that the expected arrival of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich will cause difficulties. Now I made a mistake in clothes, using summer clothes, in the hope of warmth from the people; but the church being consecrated was cold and the weather was damp. I'm not feeling well now, but I hope to get better. Thank you for the blessing from the Bethany field. But they say they sent a lot of cereals. I need a little; I only wanted to taste the labor and fruit of the monastery. It’s strange with the youth Sergius. May the Lord help him through the prayers of the Reverend. You need to think about unlimited tickets. Remind me on the spot if God tells me to be. What does Filaret want to do, dissatisfied with my resolutions? It would be better to talk about income sharing on the spot. The depositor of the vestments is upset to tears that the sakkos she arranged does not know where they put it, that the sakkos was made from a surplice, that the cover on the relics of the Venerable and the other under the Gospel were destroyed, that they lied to her that the vestments were sent to me in St. Petersburg. I promised her to find out everything and, where possible, to correct it. Investors are masters in their gift; What right do you have to change their will? Is it good to upset them instead of thanking them? Explain to me whether what he is complaining about was done, why, and how to fix it. I'll tell you my news too. Having learned that the Sovereign Emperor and the Sovereign Empress would be in Moscow for a short time in the fall, I asked the Sovereign whether it would be kind to order me to remain in Moscow. He deigned. My weakness is pleased that now there is no need to worry about the long journey. Pray that the Lord grants it, so that it will be beneficial. Thank you, oh. Viceroy, for the blessing from the house of the Most Holy Trinity and St. Sergius. Quite affirmatively, and I assumed that I would be at the celebration. Upon release from preparations for the long journey, I especially wanted to fall to the Reverend and ask for his blessing on special occasions in the approaching months, and for admonition, and protection from unfavorable incidents. Report this to him in humility, although I hope he knows, having the mind of Christ. But this is how my assumption was destroyed. Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich arrived in Moscow later than expected, on the evening of the 21st day. To the report, when he deigns to receive me, he replied: I’ll let you know. And already on the morning of the 24th I was given to know that he was inviting me to 11 o’clock that morning. It was too late to give orders; and it was impossible for me and my retinue to make it to the all-night vigil. In addition, my health was not in good condition for the journey due to a cold I had received the previous time. So we joined you in celebration as much as we could. At your usual time, the akathist and I read the akathist with my family, and less, I think, than with ten strangers. Since I remained in hope for a long time, I did not have time to tell you that I would not. I am seeking an answer to what I wrote to you about deposits that were not used according to the depositor’s thoughts. I remember that I already gave you consent to warm the church. May the Lord preserve the monastery, both you and the brethren, in peace. I'm sorry, oh. viceroy, and about what happened to Fr. I did not meet Archimandrite Yakovlevsky. Tell him that I thank him for the blessing from Saints Demetrius and Mitrofan and, although in absentia, I am consoled by the good news about his health. You didn’t ask him if he would consider visiting me in Moscow; and I do not dare to answer this question, so as not to add to his labor, for which I am not quite able to reward, due to my weakness. In the summer, the Metropolitan of Kyiv and the Archbishop of Ryazan were pleasant guests to me; but I was very tired, dividing myself between them and my responsibilities. It’s good that the depositor remained calm. How likely is it that I won’t be with you soon, then shouldn’t I take the bishop’s vestments from her to Moscow for a while, so that I can use them sometimes, because she wants them to be used? Vera Alekseevna Muravyova, the widow of the colonel, known to me from her acquaintance with Prince Alexander Nikolaevich, is traveling to St. Sergius and will probably deliver this letter. Make sure that her room in the hotel is calm and warm and that she feels peaceful and comfortable in everything. The girl you know, Evdokia Postnikova, has a headache and you want a cap (which, however, I think is not so convenient), or a small veil, to be placed on the head of St. Sergius and delivered to her to place on her sore head. Do this and deliver it either through me or through this traveler. They ask me for a similar veil for the servant of God Nicholas, who suffers from eye pain. Deliver this to me. Would like to receive on October 3rd; whether you have time to deliver it will be seen depending on the circumstances. From the Lord mercy and blessings to you and your brothers. The artist Solntsev, sent by the president of the Academy of Arts to copy ancient images, goes to the Lavra. Give me, oh. the governor, he has room in a hotel, and a place to work in the monastery. The latter can be either in the abbot’s hall, or in the rooms at the abbot’s cells in the monastery. Allow him to copy whatever he wishes, disposing of it, depending on the subject, with decency and caution. Treat him with monastery bread and salt. Peace to you and the brethren. May God's blessing through the prayers of St. Sergius protect his monastery and those who dwell in it, and you, brother in the Lord, with peace. I fulfilled the order to remember the youth Sergius during the bloodless sacrifice, and I wish to have memory and attention to fulfill. His adventures provide a lot of food for thought. To what plausibility does the enemy of souls reach with his wickedness! And it was not possible for a youth to be deceived by the thought that the one who advised to pray was not the one who forbade it. And if the will of the youth had submitted to the will of the advisee, then the influence on the soul would have been established, and the soul would have been entangled in a net. It is a rather strange experience that the enemy dares to abuse both the sign of the cross and holy words, which in other cases he fears and runs away from. The careless and superficial use of these shrines by absent-minded people, without attention and inner participation, may have given the enemy the idea that he, too, could for a moment take a burning coal with holy fire into his unclean jaws and hands. How great is the evil of inattention! – Your remark that victories over fear were probably not sufficiently confirmed by humility, and this made an attack from the other side possible, seems fair to me. From this remark you will extract a rule for guidance. It is also strange that Goliath strengthens himself so much and with such obvious impudence, against a small opponent. May the Lord reveal His power in weakness, and from the mouth of a child may He bring forth His praise; and may it help you to break the snares of the evil soul-trapper and crush his dark weapons with the power of true light. It’s good that they stopped the abbess so as not to go talk about the barn and the cattle hut. Apparently, she is still afraid of Shagarova’s objections. I thought about going around the monastery, to see if there was room for these buildings on the western side of the monastery, so that they bordered closer to the refectory and cookhouse. Now, that is, according to the abbess’s plan, every glass of milk will go through the treasurer’s yard; and if there is a suspicion that the treasurer’s cell attendant is stealing the cream, then the abbess will decide whether to believe it, truth or slander. But if the abbess finds that there is no other place for a barnyard, let her build it. What can I tell you, oh. Viceroy, about separating days for silence? It is desirable that the path of perfect silence should not be desolate, but that it should have those walking along it and struggling, and for our sake, overwhelmed by the sea of ​​life. Only it would be more convenient if those not called to public service remained silent; and when one who is called to public work, leaving his place, enters into his own silence, how will he face public silence? – With the blessing of our Reverend Father Sergius, take yourself a day a month for solitude in Bethany; and it would hardly be convenient to continue this for three days continuously, except occasionally, and so that, if necessary, you would immediately have notice and return to the matter that will require you. May the Lord overshadow this with His grace and cover it with the cover of His providence. Give Anatoly a ticket for three months and advise him to use it to find a place for the improvement of his soul, and not to spend time idle. The question: whether to wake up the youth Sergius for Matins four times a week, it seems, can be resolved by the example of the youth Daniel, when the question about him was whether to feed him with seeds. It says: tempt until ten days; and experience has shown that this is not harmful, but healthy. Tempt you too for a week, and then you will see whether you need to give rest to your weakness. The denunciations of the overcome against inattention in Divine services are truly worthy of note; and we must move against other inattention, which does not admonish the inattentive. Pray for help. May God help you. Oh, the governor should rejoice in the Lord. This evening I received and read I.’s magazine about my son, and I will return it, I think, through him. In order not to talk about the adventures of his son, you wrote to me before. I didn't tell anyone; but V.A. Muravyova told me about some circumstances she heard from you. I answered her that these circumstances do not like to be talked about unnecessarily. I confess that back in St. Petersburg I didn’t like the fact that the former director of the Kostroma gymnasium, whose name I now don’t remember, told something of these adventures to Prince A.N.G., having heard it at your monastery. Now I. revealed that he told his brother about this. I confirmed that he and his brother should not talk idle. The brainchild is dressed thinly and weakly in body: perhaps, partly for this reason the spiritual world sees him sooner than others, and he mutually. The magazine, it seems to me, is in vain to begin with a preface with some importance and triumph of victory. Is there still victory ahead? Lord, bring her. The continuous view of the magazine shows deception more clearly than a private look at some cases. It is not clear that the father’s prayer led and supported, as it should, the youth’s prayer. It seems to me that we need to encourage Fr. to attention. When the bright ghost said: I was sent by the angel of the Lord to tell you not to pray, this pretty much made it clear that one must beware of the bright ghosts that followed. That after the apparently good words: thank God, I learned, the book was thrown by a black ghost of a hand, this can be understood in such a way that thank God was not said carefully, and in the word learned there was hidden pleasure or vanity, or laziness. It seems that it is necessary to instill in the youth attentiveness in prayer and caution against small thoughts. Give us the little foxes that destroy the grapes 46 . It is strange that Victor is fleeing the Sergius Hermitage. The society there seems to be good, and many are drawn there rather than out. But if you have already accepted the Reverend’s decision, I will not contradict his decision. Just for future cases, think about whether it would be more correct to first ask me, the lesser boss, because it may happen that either your lot will force me to act against my conviction, or I will be at a loss as to what to do with the lot already taken. You draw lots out of bewilderment, but perhaps I know the reasons that decide the matter clearly, without the need for drawing lots. The instruction of Bishop Plato is truly remarkable. Let us learn to keep the love of God in our minds. The admonition about blessing is also noteworthy: power is not in the hand, but in the name. The Lord is the truth, and from the servant of lies forcing the truth, and it is a disgrace to us that we are not sufficiently taught about the truth from the truth itself. Through the prayers of the Holy Fathers, may God's blessing and protection be with you and your brethren. Perhaps you will imagine that I needlessly suspect inattention or wrong motives in some of the boy’s words. To explain this, I will point out other cases, for example, when he established himself in prayer, and the attacker became powerless, or when, using prayer and the sign of the cross with attention and strength, he put the attacker to flight. The enemy is angry at good. When they stand in goodness with strength and purity, the infant’s arrows hurt him 47 . An admixture of imperfection, wrongness, inattention, laziness, passionate thoughts and motives gives access to the one who walks on unclean paths, and he becomes bold and insolent. Is it so? Or how best to think, teach me the word of God and the examples of the Saints. October 24th. Forgot to send. Why won’t you tell me anything about Dimitri, who doesn’t know his homeland? Has anything been discovered about him that would make it easier to judge what to do with him? And where is he now? I wrote to you a long time ago and you promised to get me 48, from Rostov: 1) Melania the Roman, 2) Apostles Andrew the First-Called and James Zebedee. I remember talking to you about the latter in the Lavra. Or have you forgotten? Rest in peace, oh. viceroy, in the Lord. Some of our distinguished guests, who were not in the Lavra, remembered this and, perhaps, will choose the time for this trip. Keep this in mind, and prepare icons and little books. Some of them, on the occasion of a monastic tonsure that took place here, said whether it was possible to be there. But as the occasion had already passed, I said that another one might meet, and now they would insist on this. Pray that this, if it happens 49, happens for useful reflection. Fr. Philaret I gave the assignment to the confessor and the dean because he had a competition of orders with the members of the Council, but I forgot to say that this competition should not prevent the viceroy from advising the hieromonk what is useful, and thus obediently accepting spiritual advice, as well as superior orders. Now you have an addition to the resolution. May the weekly communion of the Holy Mysteries serve the youth Sergius as a fence of light against the attacks of darkness. Your thought about his short life seemed sad to me. I wondered if the Lord would bring out more lasting fruit from these early experiences. However, who understands the mind of the Lord? – That the early revelation of the spiritual in children, with a weak physical composition, precedes imminent death, this is both natural and noticed. May the Lord grant that His gracious Light may visit the prayers of those who serve Him, under the gracious protection of St. Sergius. May the blessing of the Lord rule your affairs and life, oh. governor and brethren. I received the icon and thank you. – And the icon of St. Melania? - Moreover, I would like to have up to ten enamel icons, smaller in size, for distribution as a blessing. The art must be good. The icons should be: the Savior, the Mother of God. Vision of the Mother of God to St. Sergius and St. Sergius. If you have one ready by this date, send it without delay, that is, no later than December 8th. We need to agree on what this term means. The Emperor ordered me to go to St. Petersburg. This is difficult and caring for my weakness, because even now at home I cannot get rid of a cold; but we must do the work of obedience. Pray that the Lord will strengthen and protect me from the adverse effects of various elements. For 21 days I had the opportunity to have a contented conversation with the Sovereign Emperor, the Empress and senior members of the Imperial family. But there was no talk about the trip of the Grand Duchesses to the Lavra and I did not touch on this subject, among other things, because I felt the need to lock myself in my cell from a worsening cold, and therefore it was not the time to propose a trip in which I should also participate. I don’t know what to do with Hieromonk Filaret. If, as I see, he does not fulfill what is officially prescribed, he must officially report this. The doubt is this. His actions show, among other things, that his head is not right. At the beginning of his last letter to me, he writes that he will only leave the case at my pleasure if they pay him money, otherwise he will seek justice; and at the end of the letter he decides to leave everything and asks only to let him go to Moscow for a personal explanation to me and to arrange his affairs with the creditors. The letter generally consists of inconsistencies, but in the end a softened thought appears, apparently submissive. If we use rigor at this time, what is the official course of the matter leading to; then we must fear that bitterness will again take over and the enemy will try to take this direction to a harmful extreme. Tell me what you think about this. The Akathist to the Passion of the Lord brought me good moments. But I doubt allowing its use as a general rule. That it belongs to Saint Demetrius is not entirely known. The list is so flawed that in some places you can’t figure out how to restore the meaning. Is it correctly said: strangely, Moses and Elijah rose from the dead, appearing to you? Did Elijah need to rise from the dead? I don’t think that Saint Demetrius expressed himself in this way. And in the expression of incorrectness, the Saint would say: appearing. In general, it seems to me that it is not excessive caution to use only what has been blessed and accepted by the Church during general prayers, and not to introduce something new, albeit good, by private will, which can open the way to dubious innovations. It seems to me that we should try not to expand the church rule, but to ensure that the existing rule is carried out more, and more sedately and slowly, in order to give more room for attention, reflection, tenderness and contemplation. Answer these thoughts with your thoughts. I do not have the Russian translation of Isaac the Syrian. It is true that there are unintelligible passages in the Slavic text, but one cannot always rely on a new translation. The Greek text itself has difficulties, partly due to the imperfection of the surviving copies, partly because it is also a translation from the Syriac. Let us strive to fulfill what is understandable, so that the Lord will give us the means to understand what is not understandable. May the Lord grant true, gracious light to your prayers! – This is the answer to what you wrote on the 3rd day of this month. Covering the three novices with a ryassophore. God bless them. But why are you asking me for a blind blessing? - When the abbot is better than me, then in such a case tell me about whom you represent and why, and subordinate your judgment to him, what will be fair in relation to him, and useful in relation to you. Tell me, poor abbot, the names of those honored, just for information. For even a bad abbot needs to at least know, if not command. Please do not think that I am writing this with anger. Right no. Thank you, oh. your vicar, and the brethren of the monastery for blessing and prayer for the sake of my angel's day. May the Lord measure your love with His grace. I received the icons, and, it seems, on time. I foresee a need, which I will talk about later. My weak state, which was alleviated by treatment last week, continues again this week. This day, thank God, I have not lost the fellowship of the Lord’s Table, but besides this I am sitting in my cell and withdrawing from those who come. Pray for me to spend St. Nicholas Day as it should. The Emperor wishes to pray with us in Chudovo. O. Archimandrite Paisius, say my gratitude for his kind writing. Imagining you and the brethren preparing for the renewal of spiritual purity and strength through the Holy Sacraments, I take comfort and call upon you forgiveness and cleansing, and the gift of God for the restoration and strengthening of spiritual life. If the Akathist to the Passion of the Lord was published in Nechaev in the Uniate edition, then how can this circumstance be reconciled with the opinion that it is the creation of St. Demetrius? Since the time of this Saint, the Uniates have never been with the Orthodox in such a relationship as to accept an akathist from them. There is a special reason to avoid using Uniate publications now that they are trying to introduce books from Orthodox publications into Uniate churches. I say this not rebelling against creation, but explaining my hesitancy to use it. Doesn't the last dream of the youth Sergius foreshadow his diaconate? But we also need to talk about what we don’t want to talk about. Martha, who wants to be Mary, but still talks about many things, repeating her displeasure at the construction of a cattle yard outside the fence of the Khotkov monastery, says that they want to enclose the yard next to the fence; and the abbess told me that directly behind the fence lies the avenue along which the religious procession goes around the monastery. Would it be good for the procession of the cross to go through the barnyard, and wouldn’t it be better to leave the avenue uninterrupted and the fence inviolable? Talk about this with the abbess. Thank you, oh. Viceroy, for the blessing from the house of the Most Holy Trinity and St. Sergius, given to me in the prosphora and blessed bread. I need the help of your prayers and the brethren, because I am still unwell. I would like to see you, but I still don’t see what would be the most convenient time to set this time. I will try to anticipate you in advance. Peace from the Lord to you and your brothers. Now, oh. Viceroy, the time has come for me to think more decisively about the path ahead. If there are no obstacles, come to me on Thursday to spend Friday together. Ask me for a parting blessing from our Father, the Venerable Sergius, so that His covering prayers will not abandon me, who comes many times. I ask for your and brother's prayers. The protection and blessing of the Lord be upon you. May the joy of Christ the Lord, born for our salvation, fill your soul, Fr. the governor, and the souls of the brethren, and may he cry out to you to bring glory to Him with pure lips and pure deeds of life. Invoke His peace and my humility in your prayers. It's time to inform you that, through severe cold, I reached St. Petersburg without stopping. You did me a great help by assigning me shoes that I would not have thought of and which made it much easier for me to endure the cold. I began to feel sick on the road, still near Moscow, when it turned out that the winter march could not proceed, and, while waiting for additional horses, I had to stand in the field for an hour or more. My head was blowing, and a cold began to hurt. But what mercy of God! This pain was strongly felt already in St. Petersburg. Therefore, having arrived here on the evening of the 17th day, I am still sitting at home, except for one day. Instead of resting on the first night, one should have seen the glow of the fire of the winter palace and spent time in sad and caring thoughts. Wonderful fate! The Hermitage was under the wind, and, by order of the Emperor, was saved; three sides of the palace were above the wind, and the entire quadrangle burned down. But his head, which is not yet quite healthy, does not want to rant too much. I just wanted to tell you about myself and thank you for your visit to Moscow, which was peaceful and comforting for me. Note. In the memorial book preserved by Metropolitan Philaret, under December 17th, it is written: "1837. We are in St. Petersburg in the evening. Sick from the severe cold on the road, the unabated fire of the winter palace did not allow me to calm down all night." Tell me, oh. Viceroy, Fr. to the treasurer, so that from my salary 2,000 rubles. sent to Kolomna in the name of my mother. The address must be known to him. Accept o. Viceroy, Most Reverend Innocent, Vicar of Kiev, who will deliver this, and reassure, and treat, and show him the memorial of our monastery. Note: A letter - without indicating the year, month and day when it was written. But it should be dated back to 1837, because according to the book “Lists of bishops and episcopal departments of the All-Russian hierarchy since the establishment of the Holy Rule. S. (compiled by Yuri Tolstoy. St. Petersburg 1872), His Grace Innokenty was designated vicar of Kyiv from November 21, 1837. If this letter was written from Moscow, then it must have been written earlier than December 12, because in the memorial book, mentioned here more than once, under this date it is written: “1837. We are from Moscow in the evening.” Trinity revealed worship. - Appear, O Christ God, and enlighten the world, glory to you. So am I with you, oh. Viceroy, I praise the Lord on the day of Epiphany, as you do with me on the day of the Nativity of Christ. May the Light of Christ enlighten your soul, and may it nourish it, and may it be a weapon for it, reflecting everything that is contrary to it. Pray for me too, so that I may not be a stranger to this light, in the darkness of many worries, which I would not like to call all of them worldly, but of which I don’t know whether some deserve to be called spiritual. Don't be mad at me for writing on the report and the estimated schedule. It would be nice to simply trust; but not everyone uses this as they should. In order for the Council to give the necessary reminders to its subordinates, it is necessary for me to make the necessary reminders to the Council. I remember I used to tell people that they don’t protect the forests near Moscow, who could draw a generally useful conclusion from this. And, it seems, it would be easy to understand what was understood before, with a greater abundance of natural wealth. I will look for an opportunity to talk about this, although you and I may be answered: it’s none of your business. You sent me one image and named two persons, to whom would you give it? This bewilderment is still not difficult, because the new year has passed, and the icon has not been received. The case about Lomov ended by itself, as desired. The case about the lives of Fr. Mark and Fr. Seraphim's life did not continue as well as it began. It seemed over, and I don’t know why I wrote to you in a diminutive way that there is hope. But our First One sometimes uses caution against false miracles in great excess. I did not remain silent and, as others have noted, I did not harm the truth, because I represented it in peace; however, the life of Fr. The stamp may be printed with the exception of certain passages, and the life of Fr. Seraphim lie down to the best discretion, how it can pass through the narrow gate. Pray that God will arrange something beneficial. Now the life of the Zadonsk recluse George is considered; we need to see how this ends. And in this life an important testimony is given to Fr. Seraphim, whom Fr. George did not see, but from whom, through a messenger, he suddenly received an admonition not to leave his place, while George really struggled with the thought of leaving the Zadonsk Monastery. Peace be with you. Peace of the brethren. O. Archimandrite Paisius, thank me for his writing to me. Note: Behind it is a note, it is not known to whom or when it was written, in connection with the reference to the life of Mark contained in this letter. To what degree of condescension did the brotherly love of Fr. Mark, but with what caution was combined, the following case shows. Among the brethren of the Sarov monastery there was someone known to Fr. Mark, as a lover of spiritual teaching and known to the diocesan authorities for his ability to do business. This brother was tempted by thoughts that the management of the Sarov monastery was not perfect and could have been raised to greater perfection by another abbot, such as he imagined. Behind these thoughts, like a shadow, lay the secret thought that the choice might fall on him, and that he would be able to fulfill his assumptions. Taking advantage of the attention of the diocesan bishop, he dared to propose to him the idea of ​​​​changing the rector at the Sarov monastery, and added that Fr. Mark. The Right Reverend, respecting and loving this desert dweller, replied that he would respectfully accept the opinion of Fr. Mark about such an important subject, if only he could have known it. At the same time, the brother, tempted by thoughts of condemning his neighbor and covetousness, extended his insolence further and added: Fr. Mark will probably come to your Eminence himself to reinforce this idea, which is necessary for the monastery. For this reason, the tempted brother went into the desert to Fr. Mark, and, falling at his feet, begged him to visit the Eminence in Tambov. He did not reveal the reasons for this request to Fr. Mark, but begged him most urgently, saying: you will give peace to my soul if you do this; and on the contrary, you will deprive her of peace if you do not fulfill it. It is clear that the brotherly loving Fr. Marco remembered the word of the Lord: if anyone in your strength understands you in one race, go with him two, and this is what he did. Suddenly Fr. passed away in the desert. Brand. The brother, who asked him to visit the Right Reverend, guessed what this meant and hurried to Tambov to tell the Right Reverend that Marco was no longer in the desert, but, in all likelihood, on the way to Tambov. The Eminence was delighted and began to hope and expect. On one holiday, the Right Reverend, while performing the liturgy, ascends to a high place and sees the hermit Mark entering the altar. The Right Reverend called him and blessed him, and then, in due time, introduced him to the Holy Mysteries. At the end of the Liturgy, the Right Reverend wanted to take Fr. Mark in his carriage to bring him to his house; but he hesitated in church, continuing his prayer and venerating the holy icons. The Right Reverend returned to his place and waited for the hermit: but he did not appear. They sent for him to church, but he was no longer there. They sent him to the Sarov courtyard, but he was not there. They sent him to the streets and to the outposts, but no one saw him anywhere. Afterwards it turned out that he left the church among the beggars and, without being noticed by anyone, set off along less traveled roads and forests back to his desert. Thus he showed brotherly love to the tempted one, and with his obedience and humility, without a doubt, he shamed him and saved him from thoughts of covetousness; and yet he did not break his desert silence, and skillfully evaded the complicated circumstances. It always seemed to me that one could be afraid of some kind of rough clumsy work from a Makhrin builder. Here it is. The reproof of the novice was done badly. But if this has already been done so publicly, then in leaving him in the monastery no mercy was shown to either the brethren, or the monastery, or to himself. The brethren are a bad example, the monastery is humiliated, but it is convenient for him to return to his former self. If it were reasonable to have pity on the brethren, the monastery and the novice, then it would be necessary to tell him: if you confessed your sin secretly, it would be possible to secretly heal it without temptation; now this is no longer possible; spare the brethren from example, the monastery from reproach, yourself from a close encounter with temptation; go somewhere else. This was certainly necessary: ​​the fact that this was not done would lead to all the bad consequences. It is not an acquisition for the monastery to save for it a worker who works with an unrepentant spirit and unclean hands. It is necessary to arrange the removal of the novice. If the complaint can remain without action and the case ends peacefully, this is, of course, better than a trial. Denial is also not desirable, as is condemnation. It is desirable that the builder be smart to correct his stupidity. If things must go, then tell me where and how it will go. And the builder, if in this case he asks to be relieved of his position, not only does not need to be hindered, but it would not be bad to advise this. It is better to let a hieromonk, a retired builder, sue than the head of the monastery. You say that the builder’s act is a matter of natural anger at vice. Forgive me if I don't see it that well. If the person were in order, then the natural disgust would be no less than anger, and he would run away from the vice, and would not rush to the vile deed of cutting his hair. It is true that nowadays they are usually looking for large glasses in order to discern the mote in the eye of a church employee and turn it into a log. And this is so well known that it is time to learn caution. We have received vestments from you. I wanted to notice your oversight first, but I forgot. There are two vestments, one vestment, and none. Don't be angry that I don't write often. I don't have time to do what I need to do. In the name of the Lord, blessings to you, Fr. the governor, and the brethren. The hymns of the Triodion already remind us of the days of repentance. I ask from all of you forgiveness for my unworthiness and remembering me in your prayers, may the Lord guide us through repentance to grace-filled freedom from convenient sin and by His grace may He lead us into the joy of salvation and may the Lord’s spirit confirm us in the purity and holiness of life, may we become ready to celebrate the great and enlightened day of the Lord. It happened that on the day of the Resurrection of Christ they expected the coming of Christ, and this happened out of the desire of love. Has our love fallen asleep? And isn’t it to awaken her that the Lord sends threatening signs? Yesterday at the S. Synod they read a letter from Kyiv about the earthquake that happened there. There was noise and hum underground. People were losing their memory. The walls were cracking. The crosses on the churches wavered. They say it happened in Moscow too. Write if you have too. Have you noticed that three terrible and highly unprofitable fires among three nations destroyed what was most favored by them: a palace in St. Petersburg, a stock exchange in London, a theater in France? Shall I tell you what else seems to me a very bad omen? - Petersburg is going crazy in idolatry before the French dancer. They say that at the very time she was throwing herself into the fire in the theater, from which the shameless pagan god was supposed to save her, there was a fire that destroyed the palace. Let us pray to the Lord to forgive human ignorance and to cleanse our sins. Build an extension to include a shrine for washing clothes. From the decree on initial training in the spiritual department, I take a list from the S. Synod and tell you what is needed. During my overnight stay in the village of Khimki, thank God, it never occurred to me to blame you or anyone else. I was only thinking about how to drive and how not to get sick on the road. Andrei Nikolaevich Muravyov complains that he did not receive Avramiy Palitsyn’s book when he was at the Lavra. In this case, by the way, I also complain that they did not give me my own copy of this book, which was read to the Sovereign Heir in the Trinity Cathedral and which I gave to one of my people here. Please satisfy us. If you send these books, then enclose a copy of the service to St. Sergius and the life of St. Dionysius. I don’t see the case about Hierodeacon Victor, and I don’t remember it, nor does my office. I only remember what you wrote to me in a letter, and what I answered you. If it has already passed through my hands: then it is probably accepted. And if it still comes, then shouldn’t I hesitate to decide, and in a month won’t you write that it will take over, a correction, or a habit? Regarding the service in the church of St. Nikon, I answer that frost cannot harm the sacrament performed according to the rite, with the use of everything due. And it doesn’t matter that, for a special reason, more warmth is poured in than usual. There is no insult to the sacrament here, nor should there be any embarrassment for the servant. However, to eliminate thoughts, use such an order that at the proskomedia less water and more wine are consumed, so that later the abundance of warmth will be less incongruous. And in order to even more effectively eliminate the difficulties, it seems to me that it is possible to arrange a chalice and paten, in which the lower part would have a bottom, and in this lower void there would be a closed hole from above or on the side of the tray, into which, before the start of the proskomedia, a hot iron ball or two could be placed, depending on the need, in order to sufficiently counteract the frost in the chalice and on the paten until the time of communion. You rejoice that Priest Minervin postponed going to Kyiv, and tell me about this as if you know. But I don’t remember you writing to me about this. And what does traveling with girls mean? Was it not from the announced visions of Niphon and Florus that this also happened? It seems that this matter would require observation. Doesn’t the Priest know whether it came to the attention of His Grace the Diocesan, and whether there was anything on his part? – It occurs to me to tell His Eminence Vladimirsky about this; but it also comes to mind that a spiritual matter can turn into an orderly matter, and may result not in edification, but in vain anxiety for people. I am sending you a list from the decree regarding initial training in monasteries. I wrote it down at one time, and the resolution was given to give the list from the Consistory to the Lavra. But the Consistory doesn’t represent anything to me either. Apparently something happened to the decree on the way to the Consistory. What should we do with Dimitri? Starting a correspondence is neither convenient nor reliable. It would be necessary to speak personally with Prince Dmitry Vladimirovich. See that we don't have to answer for holding a person without a look. Can you figure out how to start a business from him? I haven’t heard from you about the youth Sergius for a long time. Let this be a sign that the Lord keeps him in peace. Have I notified you that the image of St. Melania has been received? – Only this large size is not very suitable for enamel icons. A slightly smaller one is better, among other things, because the eye is less demanding when seeing a smaller image. I ask for your and brother's prayers. May God's blessing cover you, Fr. the governor, and the brethren. The case of Hierodeacon Victor turned out to lie somewhat between others, postponed for special reasons. Should we start it? Write to me about this in the second week of Lent, taking into account how he will spend this time. There are three former builders of David's Desert. The first two are not bored, and Ioanniki lives peacefully there with his successors, being an old man, and having been dismissed not for guilt, but only for a lack of leadership activity. The despondent Gennady would look at this example. However, I don’t refuse to take him to Bethany. Let him write a petition; and meanwhile you can allow him to live in Bethany. It has been several days since this was written, and it was not possible to continue. At this time, it was revealed that the condemned and condemned monk Plato of David’s desert brought an all-submissive request, in which he complains about the injustice he endures and attributes very shameful deeds to the former builder Gennady. If he happens to write another request: won’t he prove the authorities’ partiality towards Gennady by taking him to Bethany? Should I advise Gennady to live for some time in the Catherine Hermitage, where, as I remember, he was assigned, or to go to Starogolutvin? What other strange thing is Hieromonk Philaret? If he is from the Lavra on December 10; why didn’t he visit me in Moscow? And why is it there for so long? If he returned, try the method of admonition that I prescribed in his letter. If he hasn’t returned, call him urgently, and say that if he doesn’t return quickly, he will have to inform you, which is what really needs to be done. God bless His servant Martin and our communication with him. I am sending him the rosary with which I was in the priestly service yesterday and today, and by the Grace of God I did not forget to remember the servant of God Martin at the proskomedia. May he also remember me in his silence, protected by the prayer of St. Sergius, may the Lord place guard upon my mouth and thoughts. For this, forgive and bless you fathers and brothers who are there, for I have already said goodbye to those here. Your letter, oh. Governor, dated January 9, it was now found with several packages at Svyatoslavsky's, pawned with papers and not presented to me. That’s why I haven’t answered it until now. And now there is no time to talk much. I definitely didn’t read the appendices to the papers of Hieromonk Philaret, thinking that this was an extract from the books and nothing more. There is no time to read everything that people who unfortunately have learned to read and write are now writing very generously. Do not grieve and be at peace in the Lord, and forgive me for not looking through and not using special caution against the publicity of this part of the slander. Seal the case, except if it is necessary for the execution of the resolution. I will tell you what to do in this particular part of the matter. Tell the treasurer to immediately send me three thousand rubles in banknotes, money that belongs to me. Pray for help for me, who am burdened with many things, so that I may not become exhausted and stumble. May the Lord preserve you, the monastery and brethren, and may He make you partakers of His sufferings in faith and love, and may He lead you into the joy of His glorious resurrection. Accept, oh. the governor, non-commissioned officer Artemyev, who will present this to the Lavra for testing, according to custom. For a long time, while still in the service, he thought about monasticism, but now he is free. Whether it turns out to be necessary to accept it, but at your discretion, imagine. I have known him for a long time, with signs of good reliability. God's peace and blessings to you and your brothers. Truly Christ is risen. In this word I give you a mutual kiss in Christ, Fr. viceroy, and all the brethren of the Holy Monastery. May the joy of the Lord be your strength, and may the peace of God strengthen your hearts. For this reason, we need to talk not about holiday matters. The school permit has been sent to you. You wanted the disciples to live in the monastery. I doubted it, and, while reworking your project, I limited this idea. But even at this sight of her, the Right Reverend of Kiev was offended, saying that it was not decent for minors to live in the monastery, and did not agree with the fatherly rules. I answered, if you like, correct this article. To this they answered me favorably that they would simply approve my project, but they advised me to correct it. And so it is necessary for you and me to subordinate our wisdom to the reasoning that was in the S. Synod. About the new article you discovered in the papers of Hieromonk Philaret, I remember that I already wrote to you that I did not see it because I did not read his extract from the laws attached to the letter. Now I demand this paper. Do not hesitate to send it so that I can receive it in St. Petersburg, where I will stay until mid-May. The age now is such that no matter how absurd denunciations may be, they cannot be thrown out with mere contempt, without thinking about precautions. Once in Moscow, on the eve of a holiday, I came from the all-night vigil, in a pile of packages placed on the table without me, received from the post office and not from the post office, I opened one filled with terrible blasphemies against the holy and worshiped. It was not known who brought it; the composition showed that he was mentally damaged. I saw that allowing these blasphemies to reach someone’s eyes or ears would only mean amusing the enemy, but there would be no benefit, and I hastened to clear the earth of the existence of this manuscript by throwing it into the fire. What did the writer do? He rewrote the same and sent it to the S. Synod, writing that he had delivered this to me first, and they asked me about it. It seems to me that Hieromonk Philaret is directly on the path of mental damage, and that is why I am trying in every possible way not to give rise to an opportunity for an increase in irritation to push him further. But the need to act more decisively seems inevitable. Pray for him, removing the grief, and order to take out a portion for him at the proskomedia. Prayer without love cannot be heard, someone said in a waking dream. Note. In the one preserved after the Metropolitan. Philaret’s memorial book under April 3rd says: “1838. Without love, prayer cannot be heard. The saying is sleepy." Thank you for praying for the late Fr. Photias. I wanted to write to you about this immediately upon receiving the news of his death and after our funeral service, which we sang with the brethren and with Andrei Nikolaevich. The wanderer Nazarov is strange, and I also thought about the case of the priest Minervin. Should we accept it? The mayor denounced the priest Minervin for fornication, the consistory did not say that he was right, but ordered him to go to the secular court and instructed the dean to have supervision over the priest. What if, after he is accepted into the Lavra, such a case turns out to be about him in a secular court and he is demanded to stand trial? Answer me this. Until your answer, I will not decide the matter. A case has been sent to you, or is being sent, to repair the building of the warm church in Pesnosha. Try to get me out of several perplexities. Peace be with you. Ask the Reverend for a blessing on my unworthiness. Thank me, oh. Viceroy, Fr. Archimandrite Paisius for visiting me with his writing. We will have a guest in our monastery, not transient, but abiding, His Eminence Anastasius of the former Ekaterinoslav, who was dismissed from service due to damage to his eyesight and wished to have peace in the Moscow diocese. I hope that you will lovingly take care of his peace. Tell me quickly where we will offer him a home. I’ll tell you something else that I’ve been wanting to say for a long time. After the death of Fr. Archimandrite Photius, the benefactor of his monastery, expressed a desire to have the local governor or you in his place. I waited anxiously for how this would end. Finally she arrived and strongly wished to have a governor there. The Bishop introduced him alone and Fr. The Synod approved. I don’t know how you would think about this; but I hope that you are not bored in serving St. Sergius and helping my infirmities. I only now signed the summons about artos. Thank you before receiving. Rework the drainpipe as best as possible. But I remember I told you that it is better to write a note separately about such items that require permission. It's easier for me to say yes or no; and upon receipt, you can give it to you in the Cathedral, which cannot be done with a letter containing various objects, whether yours or mine. Give me a kiss o. Schema-hieromonk Nicholas. May the Lord grant him to taste the power and sweetness of silence. Tell Countess Varvara Alexandrovna my wish for God’s blessing and gratitude for the benevolence of humanity. Peace o. and brother Anthony. Peace of the brethren. Peace to all. Something strange, oh. The governor said that Sergius, also known as the Jew, came to Moscow and lives in an apartment, and not in a courtyard, saying that it is more quiet for him there, and that the cell in the Lavra is taken from him for the Reverend Anastasius. As he says that his cell is near the hospital, I did not assign it to the Reverend. Let him live in a monastery, before me. When I’m at the Lavra, remind me to talk about it. It's time to take a more decisive look at how he can arrange his life in the future. At my request last year, the opportunity to place it came in the summer, but was missed because there was no one to remind about the request. Thank you, oh. Viceroy, for a blessing from the monastery - prosphora and blessed bread. My journey, although undertaken after an illness, was completed safely. Kellys at the hospital need to be protected. I promised them to Eminence Yaroslavsky, if needed. May his health and vision last; but it is necessary that, if necessary, he is not deceived in what he promised. I don’t know what kind of secretarial cells they are. Prepare them, and then we’ll see if the Reverend will be pleased. If he has entrusted himself to our care, it is necessary to justify his trust by the possible promotion of his peace and pleasure. If you find a good opportunity, plant apple and cherry trees. But now, I think, time has passed. Is it in the fall? Silence, of course, is a good thing. But I think whoever is called to serve in society should not leave this without special instructions from the Providence of God. If God wills, we will talk about this mouth to mouth. How did you go to Pesnosh without going before the abbot? Is it possible to explain this by saying that they wanted to see the monastery as it is without preparation and waiting for the dean? In that case, you are right; and the abbot was to be asked whether the guilt of his absence was blessed. I forgot to ask the steward, and maybe I’ll forget again - did Filaret come to the Lavra, as he promised the consistory? - He didn’t come to see me. But I haven’t had the time to look for him yet. Bring me to the feet of our Reverend Father Sergius. Peace be with you, oh. Vicar, and brethren, and may God help you through your prayer to help those who come to pray. If necessary, send Hierodeacon Simeon to Makhra. When I’m at the Lavra, remind me to look at your pharmacy to put this item in order. The income schedule, they say, has already been sent to you. Why fill up the basement of the Soshestvenskaya Church again? It is better to lower the surrounding soil. Tell Hieromonk Philaret that if he has any bewilderment, let him wait for me: but meanwhile, it is desirable that he serve, to which there was no obstacle before, if he wanted, and now even more so, when he remains in such a dispensation towards the world as I saw him in these days. Having read your letter, o. Deputy, about the misfortune of the fire, I went to the liturgy and by the way I heard the day's Gospel: come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. May they, by prayer and faith, come to the great Comforter and faithful Helper, the Lord Jesus, burdened with hardships and sorrows, and may He rest them in peace with the gift of patience, consolation, hope, and then with help in needful things, and with the disposition to seek the incorruptible rather than the corruptible. I don’t feel much pity for the old hotel, but I feel sorry for the hospital, I feel sorry for the poor people and I feel sorry for the countess, so that the guide of souls does not bring her thoughts, for which deeds of charity do not protect her from temptation. Remind her of Job, who was lame in foot, blind in eye, a helper to the needy before his disaster, and yet disaster was unleashed on him; The Lord is faithful to increase the reward for those who are now in need through deeds of goodness, especially eternal ones, if we are faithful to Him with unquestioning obedience to His destinies and unwavering trust. If there are people in need of food after the fire, feed them in the laurel. Take a thousand rubles from me and use them to help those in need, as best you see fit. What can be done, do it; what needs to be imagined, imagine. They say oh. Archpriest Golubinsky lived in our hotel and, consequently, lost his home. If he needs this, is it possible to place him in a new hotel? I pray to the Lord that he will preserve your strength and peace of mind and instill in you that it would be beneficial and comforting to those who need it. As the Lord willed, so it was; May He have mercy on us from great wrath for our sins. I forgot to tell you, oh. Viceroy, that in the cells of the Right Reverend Anastasius there should also be furniture. Don't bring him to empty walls. If you haven’t guessed before, take furniture from somewhere else in the cells. In general, take care that he does not encounter difficulties the first time. I look forward to learning a little more about the fire. It is necessary to report about what was burned at the Lavra officially, with an approximate estimate of the loss, for reporting to the S. Synod. At the same time, it is necessary to explain that the fire did not start with us. Thank you, oh. Viceroy, for promoting the peace of my stay in the Lavra. Tell the brethren that I thank them for the good dispensation in which I saw and remember them, with peace and consolation. I wanted to write this to you immediately upon returning to Moscow, but I was constrained by people and activities. Pavel, who is asking to join the Lavra from Zaikonospassky, is a former housekeeper of the seminary. My opinion is not to accept him into the Lavra. He knows this and the reasons for it, and turned to you without telling me. The images you brought remained in my cell, except for one, which I gave. I didn't have time to tell you about them on the spot. Having consecrated several of them, deliver them to me. But there is not a single image of the Holy Trinity that I would also like to have. Were you, oh. governor, in Bethany and for how long, you don’t say. And even though I looked over the threshold into the silence, after reading the life of Fr. Seraphim, and as you wanted, corrected a few words where they seemed not to be placed very correctly. If you think about printing, it is difficult to imagine some of the tales of visions. Censorship is unlikely to agree to let into the light the miraculous in a biography, without the highest testimony of the church. But to exclude stories of this kind from the biography, it seems to me, would be like sacrilege. If you want, talk to the censor. And if, as is likely, she is stubborn, then, in my opinion, that would be good. Those who are capable and willing in the monastery would write this life for themselves and for those who wish, and there would be a blessing for those who write and benefit for those who read. If there is such a willing scribe in the monastery or in Bethany, then I would ask him to take down for me the list from the original, which will be returned to you. Did you receive my letter from the priest? I received yours on the 17th day. If it is necessary to build a hotel so that pilgrims are not oppressed at inns, then this can be done with the hope that the Reverend will bless this enterprise. Take the trouble with the Council to work out the draft on this in more detail. Should we build shops too? Can the main building be built on an old foundation? - I think not. Is it suitable to use some of the old material in the building? “I think it’s better to build the main building completely new, and use the old material for benches and for the fence.” If the hospital is to be built in a new location, shouldn’t it be possible to set aside a special yard for it? If the Countess wants to live in a hotel, then which one? Shouldn't we take this into consideration when building a new house, so as to create a quiet room for her from strangers? - Figure out this and everything that I can’t figure out. They charge a lot for firewood, I think, partly and innocently, because now transportation is more expensive. But maybe they impose more than they should. Countess Varvara Alexandrovna wanted to have a list of sermons. Deliver to her the accompanying message. There has been lukewarm weather here for several days now, the same weather that in the old days was called hay. It probably interferes with your haymaking as well. And before that there was a strong thunderstorm here, which burned one or two houses and killed three or four people. One woman was killed while praying. Another was sitting with a baby in her arms and a cat next to her: the woman and the cat were killed, but the baby was unharmed. And the thunderstorm preaches, let us be like children if we want to be saved. What does Hieromonk Philaret do? “I hear that his brother died.” I am sending you, oh. Viceroy, I reviewed the teachings, or spiritual instructions of Father Seraphim. I allowed myself to change or supplement some expressions, partly, so that the language would be more correct, partly, so that thoughts that were not quite fully or not quite simply expressed, to protect from incorrect understanding, or from contradictions. Look and tell me whether you can think that I have not altered or damaged the elder’s thoughts anywhere. Also tell me what you would like to do with this. Lest censorship block the path of these leaflets, I see no reason to be afraid. Blessings to you from the Lord and peace and salvation. May the Lord protect you, oh. the governor, and the monastery, and the brethren. Thank God that there are enough people who pray and come to communion with the Lord. The Lord will bless your and your brethren’s repentance for the purification of souls, and the fellowship of the Lord’s Table into eternal life. Let the censorship experiment and present the life of Fr. to the Synod. Seraphim. The article about the deacon who had a tied tongue must also be added to it. It is better to censor spiritual instructions separately, so that, in case of difficulties in life, their path will not be hampered. Bubnov's disputes with the new owner in the courtyard are unpleasant. Pray to the Reverend to help and admonish him to come out of the quarrel with the world. At the same time, I am sending several copies of three printed notebooks. Answer to your letters, Fr. Viceroy, I start from the last end. Thank God that there are many who flock to the Mother of God and the Venerable One. May they receive and carry with them blessings and grace. What is most important in your letter of the 12th day also motivates my laziness to add prayer. Lord save and save! Intercession is terrible and shameless; do not despise our good prayers. May the Lord bless the beginning of learning, may the students seek the commandments of the Lord and, moreover, the elder understand the truth of the Lord and salvation. I will remain silent about what was revealed when reviewing the reports, waiting for what God will help you do to correct what is twisted. I expected better when moving to Lavra 50. After the destruction of this hope, my thoughts do not move to create another. May the Lord help you more than hope. Taty's adventure is instructive. May the Lord deliver him with temporary judgment from eternal condemnation. I was thinking of writing to you about inspecting the Right Reverend’s carriage. Now I see that it is not suitable for us. I have a traveling carriage, but I’m missing a policeman, and I’m skimping on buying it, because in Chudov there are a lot of expenses for the church, and the fire has made it difficult for the Lavra’s economy. This must be said to the Eminence. I don't see the case about the priest Minervin. Let's look. May the Lord protect the monastery, you and the brethren. From your prayers I wish help for my weakness. About Posada, oh. Viceroy, this evening I had the opportunity to speak with Prince Dmitry Vladimirovich, who, out of his favor, offered to come to me to listen to my thoughts on the plan. The fact is that the Sovereign Emperor deigned to demand a plan, probably believing that now is the opportunity to correct it. I suggested to His Excellency that one thing was necessary and convenient: to bring the line of the Alexander Road straight through the fire to a connection with the street running between the courtyard and the fence of the Nativity Church. It seems that the prince agreed to accept this project instead of another, according to which it was supposed to draw the street through the estate of the Rozhdestvensky clergy and through the churchyard. The prince also seems to be convinced that Pereslavskaya Street does not require changes and is disposed to hasten the resolution of the buildings. The project for building our house, proposed in your letter, can be proposed to the prince. He is supposed to be at the Lavra tomorrow. Bless me on my way to Mozhaisk. I don't suspect you, oh. governor, with the intention of covering up abuses; and I also want to correct them with patience and, if possible, without publicity, just like you. If you ask me what to do, then I would advise you to write down dubious articles in the form of questions, where is this and that amount, and force you to write an answer against each. If in the answers the admission is made in good faith and it is possible to correct the correction that needs to be made privately, then do so. And if this does not turn out to be reliable, then you would show me a note with the answers in private and tell me what you plan to do. I don’t know whether we are right or wrong in the courtyard, but it seems that we are not acting against the truth. I said that we don’t need anything, but let one hand over and the other accept. The dispute arose not among us, but between the owners. The new one requires repairs, but the old one does not. Bubnov gives money, but Chelyshev says: not enough. From this Mr. Bashilov derived the need for a new order: Bubnov to accept the money; Chelyshev will be released from responsibility, except for the fact that he himself will spoil it, and for the fact that it will not be him, but the Lavra, who will maintain the courtyard, and therefore repairs will be made. For example, he was supposed to maintain the pavement, and now the treasurer is already doing this in a contract if the new condition is established. But I will not confirm it on my own, for I do not know these matters, but I will send it to the Council. What is unfair or harmful, do not agree to it. I told the treasurer not to make a new condition and not to demand money from Chelyshev, but that after the urgent years, the dilapidated things should be corrected with Bubnov’s money, and what was damaged by Chelyshev should be corrected for his maintenance. But the treasurer says that Chelyshev will not agree to this. If I see Chelyshev, I'll talk to him. Peace and salvation to you and your brothers. Next Sunday, Secretary of State Baron Korff wants to come to you. The name is foreign, but he belongs to the Orthodox Church. Take it seriously. It would be nice, oh. Viceroy, so that you come to me on Thursday evening so that you can be with me on Friday. I will still stay in Moscow until Sunday, but I don’t know beyond that. There is no time to write anymore now. May the Lord protect the monastery, you and the brethren. Thank you, oh. Governor, for your two letters. The second from 25 has now been received. Thank you also for your good wishes for my service. May the Lord do according to your word and bring His good power to bear in my weakness and unworthiness. My path, thank God, was not difficult, except that my hands cracked unpleasantly from the wind. In Tver I went to the cathedral and to the bishop, in Novgorod - to the St. Sophia Cathedral and to the Yuryev Monastery, where there was a memorial service for the late Fr. Archimandrite Photius listened. Then the journey, which began on the 18th evening, ended on the 22nd evening. On the feast of St. Sergius, they invited me to Sergius Hermitage and attracted me with the promise of the opportunity to perform sacred functions. It seemed strange to me to retire from my church for a holiday and I was not yet able to travel. So I stayed at home and performed a prayer service on the eve of the holiday according to the Lavra rite, although some of the usual supplies for my service were missing. I listened to another service. One English woman, who loves the Saints of the Orthodox Church and saw St. Serius and St. Mitrofan in a dream, revealed her beliefs to a traveling English pastor and sharpened his curiosity to get to know our church better. I gave instructions in Moscow to guide him to the knowledge of our antiquity and shrines. If he is in the Lavra, accept him with attention, using someone from the academy as a translator. I lovingly invoke God's blessing and peace on you and your brothers. O. The governor should rejoice in the Lord. May the Lord sanctify those who love the splendor of His house, and may St. Nikon bless them with the blessing of the Lord. Renovate his church in the best and most reliable way. It seems to me that Malakhov asks a lot for the work in the small church. I don’t very willingly agree to make a door instead of a window on the western wall of this church, firstly, because I don’t like to change something ancient, secondly, because I doubt whether this is quite carefree for an old building built of stone, thirdly, because the door seems to be quite close to the shrine of the Venerable. However, I agree if you are confident that opening the door can be done without harm to the building. It is true that this door can serve to facilitate communications. I also think that a more open path for air will freshen the building more. Since the door should probably be wider than the window, I believe that it is necessary to add its width to the south, and not to the north, so that it does not get closer to the shrine. However, you can see better on the spot. And if you wanted to insist on this, then it would be better to make me look at this in more detail on the spot. However, the shrine of St. Sergius is also close to the door, although in a different way. If you see an opportunity to leave without difficulty, travel with God to Rostov, but only stay for a short time. Carry me too to the feet of the local Saints and also of the righteous Isidore, before whom I am guilty that I knew him little and did not visit him when I was in Rostov. O. Archimandrite Yakovlevsky, give me a kiss of peace and love in the Lord. But here is a matter about which I would like to have information from you before your journey, or soon after it. The Patriarch of Alexandria complains about his church poverty, and the Patriarch of Antioch is hardly in a better position. The Holy Synod wants to give them brotherly help and consolation. Vladyka Novogorodsky and I volunteered to give them something from our sacristies. Is it possible to give full bishop's vestments from the Lavra, and which? Is it possible to give a panagia, and which one? What do you suggest for this, send an inventory of it; and it is better to make two assumptions to choose from. From Rostov, if possible, get me a small enamel image of St. Nicholas. I thought, oh. Deputy, over the case of Priest Klyucharyov. Tell me how he arranges himself, and whether it is possible to accept him with the hope of peace for him and for us. I asked about the case of priest Sakharov and Panyutin. It turned out that Panyutin, who called herself the first wife, complained about the slowness of the matter. A confirmation has been made against slowness, and nothing more. Let the priest remind you, and you remind me, when the matter ends in the diocese and goes here. I will save your letter in order to explain to the Synod the circumstances that confused the well-intentioned actor. God's blessing to Countess Varvara Alexandrovna. I instructed the matter of land to be processed according to the legal forms of the consistory, because the Council, due to its inexperience, would not know what was needed here. Be at peace in the Lord, oh. the governor and with the brethren. That you too are zealous for the patriarchal thrones, there is nothing to be angry about. Thank you for praying in Rostov and for my unworthiness. I haven't received any images yet. From Archimandrite Donskoy, neither directly nor through others, anything unfavorable regarding the person of the Yakovlevsky Archimandrite reached me. I would not like to believe that Donskoy gave much power to base impulses. Perhaps he simply did not act moderately in the area of ​​the dean; maybe he was indignant at some rumor. For example, I heard the speech of the Right Reverend Abraham, if I’m not mistaken: don’t come to Yakovlevsky if you don’t want to experience the efforts of the drunken treater. Be that as it may, tell the elder that he should not doubt the good opinion of his superiors; that the Don Archimandrite can neither shake nor support this opinion, and that there are no signs that he would like to shake it. Write about. I bow to Innocent. I thank the Most Reverend Augustine for his words of kindness. At the same time, several copies of two teachings will be sent to you. From Chudov they present me with a statement about the staff amount. Why not like this from you? From there they tell me what I have. On December 1st, take, oh. Governor, five hundred rubles from my money and use it for ministers, the sick, the poor and the poor. Yes, I should also have information from you about what I have with you, just as they bring me information from Chudov. It is fitting for you, O viceroy, that there is hope of seeing the lives of Fr. Seraphim and Fr. Brand. Only the legend about the mute deacon will hardly remain in the archives. I was afraid to be uncompromising in part, so as not to ruin the whole thing. I received the icons, and thank you, and about Fr. Archimandrite Yakovlevsky, I wrote to you before this. Thank God that the school got off to a good start. I would not recommend accepting more than a hundred students for the first time. Do not refuse decisively, but say you need to slow down and look around the new establishment so as not to embarrass yourself with too many. It seems that you started working on the new tablet early. I am now looking through it for the needs of seminaries and I see that it is not easy to use. and especially for minors. If you read, they won’t understand and will get bored. There is not much to retell; the simplest may be suitable, but not everyone knows how to take the few necessary things out of a lot. It is good and decent for the monastery to avoid corporal punishment. To encourage students, order them to be seated according to the list, according to their merit, so that the highest place on the list and on the bench is a sign of the favor of the authorities. This is more order than ambition, but there is encouragement in this. You can not allow a lazy person to sit down, but force him to listen to the lesson on his feet. Frisky and entertaining others can be placed separately from others. For a teacher who cares about good, such small means lead well to a good goal. Anyone who is incorrigible in school must be reported to their parents so that they can be punished according to parental authority, and when there is fear of harm to the school, they must be expelled altogether. From the double-fingered formation one must lead to the church sign of the cross. But this must be done with reasoning and consideration of the circumstances. Having understood the teaching, the youth will correct himself easily and firmly; and if he suddenly demands a change, it may happen that his schismatic parents will throw him out of the school and deprive him of the opportunity to learn the truth. You can decide to redeem a blacksmith's novice if it will benefit the forge, but also if it will benefit his soul, if he promises to be a zealous monk. I need to talk to you about myself too. I spent the fall in good health; at least I was able to get things done without difficulty. With the onset of winter, the skin on the hands becomes stale again; there is often itching in the eyes, and in the left corner of the left one sometimes it feels as if it was clogged. Recently I took your medicine and I feel a relief. But a few days before this, Abbot Aaron, who treats the bishop, visited me and felt the pulse of both hands and the soles of my feet in three places near the heels, in the middle and at the fingers; he asked me if I had insomnia and asked a few more questions, and in conclusion he suggested using ointment for my feet to cure a cold; and in order to completely cure me, he decides to open the blood from my hand, and repeat the same thing a few months later, through which he thinks to take away the excess and impurity of the blood. He helped one of the archimandrites here with ointment for a leg illness; and another was relieved by the discovery of blood. The blood of this latter had been opened before, but with little benefit; Aaron opened it from the same hand, but from another deeper-lying vein, and the benefit turned out to be decisive. Tell me if you are thinking of giving me into Aaron's hands. Or will you force me to take your medicine more often? For you wrote in a month or less; and I was still using it after six months, and sometimes almost a year. Meanwhile, health to you, spiritual and physical, and blessings with your brethren. I asked, oh. Viceroy, about the short Catechism. They say release is allowed. If it is necessary to ask a teacher to learn a teaching method, then this should have been done earlier. I have never seen anyone learn how to write in sand. I doubt that this will be good. Isn't it better on a slate board? The standard amount must be assigned to such items so that comparison of expenses with income is simple and clear. I advise you to get rid of Bubnov somehow. We must scold the treasurer for not taking a clear receipt at the time. If those who wandered received instructions for humility and constancy, then thank God. If you need to not miss time to buy some materials, buy them. But, it seems, I used to tell you that it would be better to talk about such a subject not in a letter, but in a note on a special piece of paper. I would approve the note and it would justify the case. You can tell the posad police about banned books. But what will happen: will they ban the sale, or will they take money for silence about it? “A Short Way to Pray,” the work of Mrs. Gion, will be banned, but will books that are depraved and corrupting be banned? “We need, out of duty and opportunity, to convince people to draw from the abundant pure sources of Orthodoxy and holy things and not to draw into muddy treasures, or with harm, or at least unnecessarily and with the danger of harm.” I gave permission to send things assigned to the Eastern Patriarchs. I think it is impossible and inconvenient to send by mail. Find the right way and lay it down safely. I didn’t assign your miter because miters are ordered from the Chernigov bishop’s sacristy, where they say there are many of them. But if you want, you can send it. Perhaps God will accept your zeal. Bring to the attention of Countess Varvara Alexandrovna that I have now remembered the approaching day of her Angel and zealously call upon her God’s blessing. Thank you, oh. Viceroy, you and the brethren for blessing us with a kind word and the Holy Icon, which I received at the right time. Say my gratitude to Fr. Archimandrite Paisius. I congratulate you all on the upcoming holiday. May your souls hear the angelic glory of God in the highest, and may your hearts receive the peace of the Lord and keep it. The death of Stefan Artemyev tells us: you don’t know when the Lord will come or call. But we can hope that the Lord called him to his rest. Let it be, Lord! The teaching of literacy from church books, without a doubt, came to us from Greece. I think this was the case everywhere in Christianity before. It is a pity that the vain age did not understand the importance of this and went astray from this path so that it is now difficult to return from stupid crossroads those who have more claims to enlightenment than others. It is not due to inattention that a special service to St. Mitrophan was not compiled, but from the fact that they wanted to collect more information about his life, because if you write the service in only general terms, then it will be the same general menaion. Sometimes the thought came to me to do this, but there was no leisure and no direction. We need to see who the Saint will choose and when. Regarding the life of St. Demetrius, I admit that I had the idea that if this were included in the book of the Saint, written not by him and after him, then, following this example, much that was alien and late could end up in it, through which its character could be eclipsed. But if not under the number, then at the beginning of the book, the life of the writer can be placed without a doubt and with decency. Now I’ll talk about this with someone I should, but it hasn’t happened yet. Your thoughts against laziness in spiritual work do not ignore my laziness. May the Lord find you vigilant before Him and grant you success in good deeds: and you, having found this help, call for help on me too, so that I will be excited, and may the cause gain strength over the deeds that oppress it. If Elder Jacob still hears, tell him remembrance and peace from me, so that in peace he too will remember me as a soul that passes to the Lord. Don’t complain about me that I write to you little and hastily. Not having time to do what I should, out of necessity I do not have time to do what I want. Blessed be our Lord Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and today and forever! Blessed is He, wondrous in His Saints! Blessed is the whole person who wants to be saved. I have just read your letter, Fr. Viceroy, and I rejoice in your hearing and vision of the servants of God, like the ancient ascetics, and that at least I am not deprived of hearing, and for this I thank God and you. And the legend about them, and Peter’s answers, are like sheets from the Patericon. The idea is new to me that human temptations are more severe than demonic ones. But the sayings of such people should be noticed and turned into instruction, and not tested. If, through your mediation, I become worthy of serving the servants of God in some way, and they do not reject this, I will accept this as mercy from them for my unworthiness, and as God’s mercy. If you are not afraid to break the silence of Abba Peter by remembering me, then tell him that by the gift that came to my unworthiness through holy ordination, I invoke the blessing of the Lord for him, and for myself I ask for his and Abba Serapion’s blessings and their prayers. If you don’t think to say this, it is enough for me to bow to their silence in silence. Now I am revising and adding to the Catechism. Pray that the door of words may be opened for me to speak the mystery of Christ, and to offer unflattering milk to the children of faith. May the Lord stretch out His hand from His holy habitation, and may He place His healing blessing on your head, Father and Brother Anthony. I wish, oh. Governor, may this letter find you back in good health. But I am concerned about your headache, which does not allow you to go out. This time I would like to be closer to you, and to know whether you are helping yourself, and how, and, perhaps, to give you the idea of ​​whether to call on Grigory Yakovlevich Vysotsky. I pray to St. Sergius that He will arrange for help for you, if you need any. You can visit Moscow as you find necessary and convenient. I thank the Lord that His servants did not reject my service and, out of His all-encompassing love in them, accept some unworthiness into love. I would like to know that you are well. Let fasting, the teacher of abstinence, prayer and attention, be an audible, acceptable and followed mentor for us. I read your letter of January 25th after I wrote to you, and therefore did not mention it then. Thank you for this addition of good news about the servants of God. One thought of objection came to me. Should you have given someone's image into the desert, especially one that would not present the ascetics with anything worthy of them? Are you introducing alien rumors into their silence? Wasn’t it enough to give them a humble name in memory of the prayer? May the Lord preserve the simplicity and silence of His servants unbroken. The fact that your illness has eased calmed me down. I would like to know that you are completely healthy and have been to Moscow. Sudden deaths were noticed both in Moscow and near Moscow. I also heard from the Minister of Internal Affairs that they blame imported fish. I was very interested in the revision of the Catechism (which, by the goodness of God, was completed, and was received with favor by the elders) and the translation of the rules of the Holy Fathers. That’s why I didn’t write to you earlier about one thing you need. The Makhrishchi builder received a complaint, which mentions that they complained to you, but that you promised to review it, and did not. You see what a bad turn this matter has taken. If I had entrusted the research to someone from the Lavra, the sneak would have said that he was acting biased under the influence of an elder, who had already been complained about as not doing justice. And such a sneak is now being turned away. Therefore, I decided to use an outsider, and entrusted the study to the Verlyukovsky builder, giving him a priest, and not a monastic, because there would be a female secular person in charge. Perhaps you will not like this order; but I know how necessary it is in these times that alongside justice there should be precautions against sneaking. It is a pity that the builder did not have the intelligence to refrain from doing this stupid thing, and again he did not have the intelligence to correct it. Write to me if the work has started and how it is going. Has Filaret returned and what is he doing and what to do with him if he does not do what is good and proper? For some reason the name of Hieromonk Izmaragda is familiar to me, but I don’t know why. Look at him and let him look at the place. If he promises good, why not accept? I rejoice that many flock to the monastery on days of repentance and begin to eat the Lord’s Table. And the case with K is even more deplorable. If a monk is not abstinent at such a time, then kindness towards him should not consist in not touching him, but in not allowing him to double and triple his sin with temptation. In this case, there is no need to postpone leaving for Mahra, as a benefit to the one who has stumbled and as a protection for the innocent from thoughts of temptation. I would like to immediately learn from you how the case of the Makhrinsky builder is being solved. Meanwhile, the idea of ​​the novice there poses a new difficulty. Is it okay to expel a novice without investigation, on the basis of a report from the abbot, not signed by any of the brethren, without a certificate of conduct? Is it possible to simply drive a legally identified person out onto the street and make him a tramp? Do yourself a favor, pay attention to the order of affairs, in times when they do not forgive what is done in good conscience if it is not done according to accepted forms. I have temptation in my house. Servant Peter goes crazy, does strange things and worries many. Remember him before St. Sergius, may he ask for good reason. What are we going to do with the burnt out farmstead? They will complain about us if we leave the wasteland for too long. It's time to at least make a plan. Write to me what you think. I need three enamel icons of no small size: the Savior, the Mother of God and St. Sergius. Send it. I am writing this to you, oh. Viceroy, so that you send the things that I wrote about in the previous letter to the steward at the Sukharevsky courtyard, for transmission to me, through the servant Peter, who was sent to Moscow for a while. Yesterday, oh Viceroy, I wrote a letter to you with the servant Peter; and wrote that you would send with him the icons that I demanded from you. This was written not so much out of necessity as to keep Peter busy. I wrote to you about his condition. In the last days in St. Petersburg, when I occupied him with the thought of sending him to Moscow, he was somewhat better. But now, listening to the stories about his oddities, I believe that his return to St. Petersburg would be harmful for him and troublesome for the home, and therefore I am writing to Moscow to keep him there. Consequently, you no longer need to send icons through him; or perhaps it would be useful if, through the steward, you suggested to him the idea of ​​visiting St. Sergius. It’s not good that K. left willfully. Write to me about the next one. M, I think it needs to be reported from the Council. Such people and such actions are not corrected in private; and it may happen that while you are silent, someone else's power will discover the disorder and make you guilty of an oversight. It is good to teach children prayers; but it would be better to encourage people to do this out of zeal, and not threaten them with penance. You tell the tale of the Makhrinsky builder well, but from the case presented to me it is clear that secular paperwork has stopped with the spiritual deputy. Therefore, it’s not about the end, but about the beginning. The bailiff, perhaps through the machinations of the builder, stopped the execution of what I prescribed, but this is no better, just a new beginning. I am ready to talk with you about the disgraceful novice. But the stubborn Mr. Law wants it his way. When you do things of this kind in the Cathedral, I ask you to look at the Synodal decrees. A novice determined by decree is recognized as confirmed in the clergy, and depriving the rights of the rank is an important matter and is not done easily. Wouldn't a building on 32 fathoms be expensive? Will we have ways to build? The adventures with God's servant Peter are very unfortunate. You see that for the desert dwellers, the multiplication of things is food for temptation. The knapsack drew attention to him, prompted him to ask questions and to suspect whether he was a tramp and had stolen what was in the knapsack. Wouldn't concern have reached Elder Serapion and Vasily? It's good that you let me know about this. Why be annoyed with police officials when they execute police laws? They have laws for vagabonds and none for desert dwellers; Moreover, if the desert dwellers are freed from police laws, tramps and thieves will be called desert dwellers. It is impossible to make the nineteenth century the fourth or fifth, and the Vologda province the Thebaid. Let us be more careful in the future, and now let us pray that the Lord will shelter his servants from human rebellion to which our imperfect reasoning exposes them. When you complain that time passes and success does not follow, it seems to me that you are complaining about me. May the Lord help your success for a useful reminder for my laziness. Truly Christ is risen! - I kiss you back, oh. the viceroy, and all the brethren of the Holy Monastery with a kiss of joy, love and unity in the Lord. May He look upon our fellowship with His grace in His Holy Name and in grateful remembrance of what He has created for our salvation; and may He bestow upon us all His blessing, instructing and confirming us on the path of life and salvation. Kiss the Most Reverend Anastasius for me and tell him that I will write to him soon, talking about his letter. Kiss o. Paisius also from me, with gratitude for his theological writing. You write that you are washing the wall paintings of the Trinity Cathedral and cleaning the iconostasis. The consequence of heating should be that this is required more often than before; and frequent cleaning of icon painting and iconostasis leads to the fact that both of them will last less. What do you say to this? Abbess Spasoborodinskaya writes to me that she would like to have the new Luzhetsk treasurer as the confessor of her monastery. As I don't know him, then tell me, oh. Governor, do you think it is useful to give him this assignment, without fear that it will complicate or amuse him? It was good that the minister Peter fulfilled my thought for him, but it is a pity that its fulfillment was unsatisfactory. He presented himself to you gracefully, just as he always presented himself to me. It was necessary to notice the truth by the subtle shades of his words and techniques. This admission that he had insomnia, fell asleep on the road and was cured, was invented precisely in order to deceive you more subtly than how he deceived others. In Moscow, both before leaving for the Lavra and upon his return, he did not declare himself recovered from insomnia, and did not act as if he had recovered. Before leaving for the Lavra, he said that he was in a hurry to return to St. Petersburg, and went to the Lavra willfully, and upon his return he said that he needed to go to Pesnosh, etc., and did not listen to the vicar’s objections. Tell them to remember him at the proskomedia. Who wants disfavor for the Makhrinsky novice, even not on a holiday? If he had submitted a petition, he would have been given a passport with which he would have sought a place in another monastery. Who didn’t order this to be done? Now the matter began as a denunciation and, of necessity, took a different course. Order the Council to report how the novice behaves and undergoes obedience in the forge. Perhaps this can be imputed to him as a test and punishment. But is it useful for him to stay in Mahra? And what is the fault of another abbot, who might want to tie it around his neck? “We will look for ways to show mercy that will not harm anyone.” The work of the Makhrinsky builder, of course, became not the preservation of angels, but the deceit of demons. But the builder should not open roads to enemies. What is he doing? When he was interrogated on the complaint, instead of the required answer, neither to the village nor to the city, he started talking about his legguard. And he was right when he didn’t want to give it to him, and he was hardly right that he listened to you in this case. I heard last summer that T.I. had not received the Holy Mysteries for a long time and tried through some to give her good thoughts, but without success. Remind me of this, God willing, when I return to Moscow, and give me an idea of ​​a way. About the bells, I remember I already said that I agree with the assumption. Why did they change the tongues of the large bells, and why, if I’m not mistaken, did they not warn me about this need? Today was the first time I was in the court church, which had been restored after the fire. Like a vision, you see the exact same church that burned down. Icons and utensils have been preserved; The iconostasis and decorations were restored to their original form. Part of the vault in the present church was cut off by the ceiling for unknown reasons: the fire took the ceiling, and the vault with four round windows opened, and it is better than before. The entrance to the church from the west, instead of one with three doors, is better constructed than before, as are the rooms in front of the Church. So, they say, another smaller church has been restored, as before, and better than before. I haven't been there yet. – May the Lord bless and preserve the house of the Tsar and Russia. Thank you, oh. Viceroy, who took part in the royal mercy to my humility 51, and brought a prayer to the Lord for the Most Pious Sovereign. Pray that God will help me to justify the mercy of the generous and magnanimous Monarch and to use it in favor of serving the Church and Him. Thank you for the artos. But I also remind you, do not send such a large share. What the Sarov abbot did before is not a model for us now. I say all this with caution in order to guard against actions that will be found not in accordance with the law, will cause trouble, and will cause troubles and difficulties. Do not apologize in excess of words. Thank God, I never get bored with your letters, but always receive them as friendly guests. I'm more likely to get bored if I don't know what I need. There is no dispute about the sertuks for employees at the Cathedral. And if you included a note about this with your letter, and I approved it, then this would be good for checking the reports. I like Benjamin’s idea too. I had previously, involuntarily, agreed that the shops and the hotel should be together. It seems to me that a house cannot be quite good when there are shops below. If you find that the latest project can be processed smoothly and satisfactorily, process it. But don’t forget about Countess Varvara Alexandrovna. Will she be able to live peacefully in her current home? Shouldn't we build her a special house, for example, in her own place? You also didn’t say anything about the women’s hospital. Agree. The case of Pyatnitsky sexton and the Patakins is bad. In the case they say that the treasurer helps the sexton with supplies, that the sexton and the Patakins envy each other in benefits from the treasurer. How are they related to the treasurer? Doesn't he spend too much time with his relatives? Wasn’t that why the Patakins lived in the suburb, to be closer to him? Pay attention to this. The treasurer must be protected from stupid affairs, and the monastery from stupid speeches about its brethren. Apparently the idea with which I identified A. as treasurer is not justified: I thought that he was not alien to the spiritual direction, and that you would turn his worldly intelligence and busyness to better things. May the Lord grant the best building to all of us. Please read the highest authorized report points, Fr. viceroy, at the end of the Spiritual Regulations.\ A novice or an ordinary monk can be asked by the police, but it would be better if questions were sent to the monks and questioned by the Council under a secular deputy. But the cases are varied, and suddenly everything cannot be said. If you don’t find the manual in the books, remind us on the spot. Let's talk. Remember the newly deceased servant of God Elizabeth, daughter of the Prince of Smolensk. Last Lent, having partaken of the Holy Mysteries in the first week, she, more than usual, wished to partake in the last week. She was supported in this thought and she did it. After Easter she became ill; the doctor did not consider the disease important, but she predicted her death and asked for communion of the Holy Mysteries. Those around him put this off, but the time was still ripe. After several difficult days, she died and today is buried in the monastery. It seems that I forgot to preface you that it is time to stop writing to me in St. Petersburg. God willing, I won’t live here for a week. Bless your way. I'm afraid, oh. Viceroy, there will still be difficulties for the servant of God Peter and for us if they send him to you. Why will you accept it? He is not ours, but a passerby. Why will you hold on to it when it has no appearance? Write what happens and what you think. I cannot decide in absentia about the installation of the image of the Venerable One. Be patient with me and don’t forget to remind me on the spot. Peace to you and the brethren. Bless me on my way, these days. Your letter, oh. governor, and received the prosphora. Thank you for the blessing. I am sending you a copy of the new edition of the Catechism. Give another copy to the Bethan treasurer. I think oh. the governor that there will be no dispute about the dismissal of the Makhrinsky builder. Without delay, I would like to know your opinion on who should take his place. Is it really convenient to raise the floor in the Church of St. Nikon, and is so much needed? I would like not to disturb the shrine of St. Nikon from its place. Tell me more about this. When making alterations under my cells, pay attention to how my home would make it less difficult for me. Shouldn't I make another canape for the living room, on which I could spend the night without having to make a bed for the day? “However, I’m asking about this, and not absolutely demanding it.” I wish that in these crowded and difficult days your service to you and your brethren will not be tiresome to you, but edifying to those who come. It's a shame, oh. viceroy, servant of God Peter. It would be good if he could stay in your hospital like a patient. With the return of Prince Dmitry Vladimirovich, it will be more convenient to take care of him than before, although even then little convenience is expected. Let's talk about this on the spot. I hope to be with you, God willing, at ordinary times. But this year there will be a difficulty that it will probably be necessary to rush to Moscow for a prayer service on the occasion of the wedding of the Grand Duchess. Therefore, hurry to remember what to talk to me about, and then hurry to talk. And I remind you that on the day of the academic exam, according to custom, we must have guests. It will be, I think, 28 days. I am sending Martin the Athos rosary. May the Lord bless him in prayer. Thank you for treating the strange, oh. Viceroy, I just don’t thank you for the fact that you are stingy for me and expose Martin to the temptation to complain about my stinginess. The buns should have been larger. Then, if necessary, dividing in half would not be so scarce. It’s not for nothing that I didn’t like your cunning well. It would almost be better to leave a simple mechanism that does not threaten anyone with death. It happened that on ordinary roads they drove quietly and shakingly, but they were safe; Now they fly by rail, with the danger of losing their heads every minute. Wait a minute to ask anyone about the treasurer. But there is no need to write to the consistory at all, and I did not demand this. Thinking of being in Simonovo on the 26th day, I don’t plan to go to you on this day, but on the 27th. Thank you, oh. Viceroy, for information about escorting the body of Prince Bagration. Hieromonk Philaret gave me a letter through others, but they say he is ill. I was instructed to send you a rosary from Italy from Princess Vyazemskaya. They are specially in a box. Please, oh. Viceroy, so that fourty-day prayers would be offered in the Lavra for the newly deceased Archpriest Nikita and for those who cry and are sick, looking forward to Christ’s consolation. Forgive me, oh. Viceroy, if I talk nonsense. Former treasurer A. is more worthy of approval than other members of the Council. He violated order and sinned for his own benefit; others, without any, even illegal, benefit, helped him disrupt order and sin. They will say: by indulgence. No condescension commands one to share in the sins of others and help them. If you had fulfilled what was prescribed, that is, checked the money and incoming and outgoing records correctly every month, you would either have protected him from sin, or would have stopped him at hundreds, but now, by the grace of your condescension, he is entangled in thousands, and if he does not have anything to pay, then you, who did not believe correctly, will pay extra. You will say that infidelity is not in the pantry of the Cathedral, but in the treasury. I answer: it is prescribed not to leave so much money in the treasury so that it can cover up infidelity. Moreover, the law orders that every penny be verified with the treasurer. In the former Commission of Theological Schools, the treasurer put both silver rubles and copper pennies on the table every month, and the members of the Synod were not lazy in counting the piles of coins until the cash with the note was correct, and thus 50,000,000 rubles were intact. Will not the members of the Council deign to count as members of the Synod? If it is necessary to spare, then is it better to spare an unfaithful subordinate than an innocent superior, who gave the dubious to faithful people in the hope of improvement and for whom, of course, you will be especially bitter to find infidelity under supervision that they considered faithful. If I’m talking nonsense, then I ask you to reason with me and teach me to think better. Meanwhile, I ask you and the Council to fulfill the laws and regulations, but do nothing without deviation. This was written in the first minutes of the news of a shortcoming with the former treasurer. Now I would like to speak more quietly. But so be it. Read what I wrote, at least as a confession of what I thought upon receiving the news. You say you didn’t trust the copper money. It's certainly inconvenient to count. It had to be counted for the first time and sealed. Then it was easy to count bags, without prohibiting the treasurer from opening the bag when it was his turn to use it. It was possible to do without the seal; for it is already too incredible for the treasurer to decide to forge what is in the bag. I advise you to strictly observe the legal order under the new treasurer, not out of lack of trust, but for other important reasons, as an example in the future, and as a precaution against slander. However, peace be with you and your brothers in every way. I am answering your letter, oh. Viceroy, written on July 30th. I don’t want to judge you and for your advice, don’t get angry, thank you. The letter on the occasion of which you are writing this, I wrote as much as I felt, without anger at all and even without much grief; I just wanted to present to you the appearance of the matter, and when I noticed that the expressions were harsh, then I admitted it. The letter to which I am now answering seemed to me more regrettable than business. A. bore fruit, which was already noticeable through the leaves. In your letter, if I’m not mistaken, what I wanted to sow in mine did not grow. And I wanted to show you the inaccuracy of the Council’s actions, and, I think, I proved this; and asked for accuracy in future. This was the power of writing; but you did not give an answer to this, nor a promise, but sought every means to justify it. If I enter into an argument against this justification, if I say that A. accepted the money without arrears, that with a correct examination in a month there could not have been an arrears of six thousand rubles, but less; during the examination for the second and third months, too: that with a correct examination, having caught a small arrears, they would not have been allowed to go to a large one; that they noticed the arrears late, and although from that time on they acted well, this does not justify the fact that they did not look into it earlier; that your saying that A. has not become worse with you cannot be taken as indisputable, because at the farmstead he did not make a six thousand ruble shortfall, but he did with you, etc., and if you again try to justify yourself, what will come of it? Let us not, you say, share in the sins of others. This seems to be said as a reflection of an unfair accusation. But remember in what sense the Apostle used the expression borrowed from him: do not lay hands quickly, but rather share in the sins of others. This does not mean: do not ordain someone who is obviously unworthy, for this would mean not only sharing in the sins of others, but also committing your own sin. The Apostle forbids ordaining quickly, without an exact inquiry, lest through ignorance and imprudence one may join in the sins of the unworthy, although the one ordaining did not decide to sin himself. So, inaccuracy and imprudence quietly turn into participation in the sins of others. He who aids and abets the thief sins himself; and whoever does not guard vigilantly and thereby allows the kidnapper to commit himself does not sin, but, depending on the degree of inattention, participates in the sins of others. Therefore, I think that I could warn against this without injustice. But in order to stop this battle of my self-justification with yours, I advise myself and you with the word of the Wise: do not be right with the great 52. For the repentance of the brethren, I thought that the first week of Lent would be more convenient, because there are more people closer to the holiday. However, sooner or later, may it lead to purification and peace of souls. It seems strange to me that you do not admit guilt in inaccurately testifying the amounts: but you admit guilt in not counting the broken dishes, and worry about this as if it were a misfortune. Although there is an oversight in the latter case, it should be much less of a concern and more easily subject to forgiveness than inaccuracy in what is clearly and strictly defined by law. Writing out for ten years what is damaged and bought instead of what was damaged gives a lot of work and little benefit. It’s less work and more useful to do this kind of verification while serving as treasurer A. It would not be superfluous to talk about the definition of an economist in private, before the formal presentation. I need Jonathan for the Iveron Chapel. Tell him to get ready for this relocation without delay, and bring him to me. The cathedral can be prescribed what it needs later. With A., apparently, there will still be quite a bit of work. Do what is due and do not lose peace: for why not be at peace when we do what is due, even though it is unpleasant? May the Lord give us peace in truth with love and in patience with humility. A loan letter is an unreliable and caring thing. The deadline is not far off: I think it will be necessary to protest without missing the legal deadline. And if the Council is delayed and becomes the result of non-protest, the confusion will be great and harmful. Beware on this subject. Please pray, oh. Viceroy, Rev. Serius, bless my journey to Borodino, expected shortly after the next midnight, and may my service there be carried out in peace and pleasing to God. The prayer at the opening of the monument is here more than ever before, because the monument has a Christian character: on it is the image of the Savior, the head and the cross. But my thoughts are filled with difficulty so that I have enough strength and means. I presented the project of the ceremony, the Emperor approved it on the 5th day of this month; but now the army chaplains say that the ceremony has been changed, and no one notifies me of this. The proposed religious procession is barely within my capabilities: the difficulty will be increased by the unknown of various circumstances, the difference in authority and the remoteness of my residence, in the Luzhetsky monastery, 11 miles away. Your letter of the 13th day puts an end to our mutual misunderstandings. May the Lord forgive us our restless thoughts and help us to understand each other more perfectly in love. Before this letter of yours, what you write was done about the confessor and Benjamin. These days, the director of the spiritual education department, Alexander Ivanovich Karasevsky, will be with you. He is a reasonable and peaceful man: receive him with attention and show him the Lavra and Bethany. The rectors will show the schools. Thank God, oh. Viceroy, the Borodino Divine Service took place in peace and was not difficult. I thought of sending you a list of my report to the S. Synod, so that you can have a closer look at the day and the matter. G. I doubt to accept into the Lavra, after you doubted to accept into Bethany. Something is not modest, that someone who was not fit for the desert considers himself fit for the Lavra. And if the brethren find out about his adventures, won’t someone else say that such adventures can be allowed for those from the Lavra, when later they too are accepted into the Lavra? And if anything happens to him in the laurel, we will be to blame, why did we accept it after what happened to him in the desert. It's time to think about the St. Petersburg courtyard. Melchizedek from the psalmist is already a hierodeacon. What next? Tell me what you think. Thank God, oh. Viceroy, we met the Sovereign Emperor safely in Moscow. What remains for me is the difficult day of the foundation of the church. Pray that the Lord bless this ministry to be completed in the world. Having found time to do so and trying not to waste time, I immediately set to work on Peter’s case and found that the Council’s report did not present the case satisfactorily. It is not allowed how so much is known about the mute. And the main drawback is that there is no doctor’s certificate about his state of health. From the case it is clear that he is crooked. But you said that he has poor vision in the other eye and is sick in his legs. Information about this should help the matter. As soon as possible, instruct the Lavra doctor to carry out an examination and send me his report on this. The sooner the better. It would be nice to have time to report while the Emperor is in Moscow. Don't miss this week. Upon receipt of the testimony about Peter today, the attitude towards K.D.V. was written and rewritten; Meanwhile, I have already talked about this with the prince. No time has passed. Let Peter pray, that the Lord will arrange the hedgehog for peace and salvation. You postpone consideration of the St. Petersburg brethren. However, in the place of the novice there is now a hierodeacon. Should it stay like this? Shouldn't we take one hierodeacon and send a novice? Meanwhile, I don’t have a chief deacon yet. Would you mind pointing it out? My thoughts are not sent to ask for the earth. If you remind me, we’ll talk about this in more detail. If the novice who is being denied deserves care, would you please tell me to write to Tambov? On the occasion of the feast of the Saint, I wish, out of duty, gratitude to His prayers, which favored my unworthiness in the difficulties of this summer. But time is already short as the long journey approaches. Don’t wait, but ask the Reverend to bless me to come and fall at His feet. Thank you, oh. Viceroy, for the blessing from St. Mitrofan. It came to me, who was beginning to suffer from an illness that threatened to be difficult, but, thank God, after two weeks of treatment, I seem to be recovering, although I am still celebrating in my cell today. I, too, would like, to awaken my slumbering soul, to go and throw myself at the feet of St. Mitrofan, listen to the stories about His wonderful benefits and, if it were granted to me, pass on these stories to others for consolation and edification. When the matter of the discovery of his relics took place and the report of the producers of this matter on the spot came to the S. Synod after my departure for Moscow, then, before the hearing of this case in the S. Synod, some acts from it were communicated to me and thus it was granted to be the first to cast a vote on the recognition and glorification of the grace of God existing in him. Then, upon my arrival in St. Petersburg, I was instructed to tell the story of the discovery of his relics, and the signs of grace that were with that, which you know in print. But then they didn’t assign me anything. When they were thinking about publishing the life of the Saint, I once asked the Right Reverend Anthony if materials were being collected. He didn't answer. In such circumstances, I think I should admit my unworthiness and not volunteer to the uncalled. Saint Mitrofan will choose someone who would speak a word about him and praise him. Buy bread for the poor. Take five hundred rubles from me for this, so that I have a share in their prayers. How is God's servant Peter doing? Are you satisfied with the decision you received about it? I really don't want to, oh. Viceroy, deny Peter's good wishes. But consider this: the Lavra can give a passport to a monk or novice. Peter is neither one nor the other. What to name it on your passport? It is impossible to write a lie, but if you write the truth, then any authorities have the right to detain him and subject him and his passport to examination, because both the passport and the travel of such a person will not be in legal order. The Kadnikovsky police officer will be especially happy to prove that he actually attacked a tramp. The consequence of this may be that not only will we get into trouble, harmful to the government, but Peter will also suffer and we will feel in our souls that, knowing the order, we did not protect his simplicity from disaster. Explain this to Peter and tell him that if he was ready to go to Siberia, when such was God’s dispensation, and consequently be forever deprived of the elder’s communion, then let him, submitting to God’s dispensation, endure this deprivation with us, probably not for a long time. We need to talk with Prince Dmitry Vladimirovich. Judging by the current state of affairs, it seems to me possible to make a new relationship in the spring so that Peter will be completely transferred to our department, then it will be possible to allow him to travel. The health of the Empress, thank God, is in the desired state. She's leaving. May the goodness of the Lord strengthen this. We need to pray about this every time the Church calls us to prayer for the King and His house. But they will say that now circumstances do not require establishing special prayers in the church for this purpose. And what do you want to do with an age that is so often afraid of fear, where there is no fear and where there can only be salvation? - Last year in Moscow, without having an order, I offered prayers in my service and verbally invited others to offer prayers in churches for the safe journey of the Sovereign Heir. Over time, this stopped, but, having found this in St. Petersburg, I instructed the Right Reverend Vicar to resume and continue. For some time, the governor-general who served as governor writes that there are sad rumors in Moscow about the health of the Sovereign Heir and that they are probably caused by prayer in churches. It was necessary to defend, not without care, what was being done in the Church. “However, I lovingly thank you for your kind reminder and ask you to always remind me of the hedgehog for peace and salvation.” Several copies of the sermon on the Dormition of the Mother of God will be sent to you, for you and for distribution from me to whom it will be blessed, for example, the Right Reverend Anastasius, Fr. Paisia, Countess Varvara Alexandrovna. Would you tell me if anything is happening in the church of St. Nikon? In the Savvina Monastery, in the altar, I saw an image of the Last Supper, in which not one bread, but many, is presented on the paten. This is like a Latin custom. The Gospel says: take bread. The Apostle says: there is one bread, one body, for we partake of one bread. See if there is this error in the image in the altar in the Trinity Cathedral and beware that this does not happen in the church of St. Nikon. Thank you, oh. Deputy, for the blessing from the monastery, on the occasion of the day of my angel, with the holy icon, with the prayers of you and the brethren. Thank the brethren for me. I greet you all with the joy of the approaching holiday of the Nativity of our Savior, may it fill your hearts, and may it be a life-giving force in them to cheerfully walk along the path of the Lord’s commandments. May God grant and bless you a new summer, for growth and success in a new life, but I am according to God. Say my gratitude to Fr. Paisiy and Ivan Mikhailovich, who wrote to me. About the essay by Fr. Paisiya, I’ll try to write later. I repeat that I agree to buy flour for the poor if you find it necessary to buy a thousand pounds. And organize the distribution with care, so that feigned poverty does not take away from true poverty. I don’t see it possible to do everything you write about the regulation of the poor. But I’ll try to write about this later. The Reverend Anastasius wants to serve. Arrange this for him if possible. The late Metropolitan Michael served without singers and during censing, instead of small singers singing in the altar, he ordered the choir to sing troparia. Follow the attached note and keep it as a document. Another sermon will be sent to you with the same purpose. What does Peter the Silent say about my review? – Peace be with him and Martin. Thank you, oh. Governor, for the good stories. The flap that is returned is good for vestment, but now I don’t want to think about it. If God blesses the coming summer and gives His people bread to eat and makes their hearts happy, then we will be comforted with them, and then it will be possible to think about a new vestment. If it becomes convenient to restore the icons to the Holy Church, God will bless us and begin this. The case about the life of Fr. Seraphim and the recluse George are silent. I do not remind you of this in anticipation of the Right Reverend of Kyiv, whose opinion is favorable to this matter. I’ll ask next year, because now I’m sitting at home again, having caught a cold on the 12th day in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Instruct the Trinity Cathedral to commemorate the repose of Protopresbyter James and Elizabeth for 40 days. Have you been to Pesnosha, and have you heard good things from there? There is something that needs to be found out there, but I don’t want to distract you and assign you boring tasks. "According to him." - Do you really doubt that the Right Reverend of Kostroma came to pray to the Reverend? For this purpose he asked the S. Synod. Why are your cells cold? I told you, shouldn't I change it? I thought they should be better now that the lower part of the building is better constructed. Tell Ivan Mikhailovich that I heard about his grief with sympathy. May the Lord comfort him and help him arrange for his children. Glory to the mercy of God, through the prayers of St. Sergius, covering the monastery! And for us, oh. Governor, it would not be a bad idea to awaken to caution earlier. When the buildings were being remodeled, the need for brant-maura should have been seen, and then it would have been more convenient to do what was needed. – The scribes of the Council should not have scattered papers out of place; and the treasurer should know that even a sober watchman can doze off, and therefore for the watchman’s candle, give him a wide-bottomed candlestick with raised edges of the bottom and order water to be poured into its tray. Confirm to everyone to be careful from fire, and tell the treasurer to oversee the safety of the buildings. What is the vault over the entrance hallway for? It will not protect the upper part. And is it convenient to do it? I remember that in the lower part of the building there was such disrepair that even reconstruction was not considered unnecessary. Wouldn't it be enough to put brant-maurs on the existing walls? where is it more necessary and convenient? - Be that as it may, it would be desirable to see on the plan where, what and why to do. Let the Council present this in order and detail. May God bless Chelyshev’s zeal if he fulfills his promise. You can build a fence near the old farmstead. What was the deal with the plan for the shops? You will have a guest, His Grace Anthony of Brest, one of the New Orthodox, worthy of all respect for his zeal for Orthodoxy. Receive him with love and put him to rest. May Saint Sergius accept into communion in his person all the New Orthodox. Bless him with this image from the Reverend and from the monastery. The Eminence of Kostroma, in my opinion, demanded a lot from Peter, and Peter had a reason not to open to him the secret cage in which the soul dwells with the one Lord. We see that the successful ascetics were wary of this, and if they freely revealed their corrections to others, it was either for those who needed it, for reinforcement, or before their death, for instruction to those who wanted to strive in the future. But there is no time to continue. Peace to you and everyone in the monastery. Sick to patient, health to you, oh. Viceroy, I ask from the Source of health. I wish that this letter finds you in better health, and if you need advice other than the one you have with you, tell Fr. treasurer to call Grigory Yakovlevich Vysotsky. Lavra should take care of you for your care of her? Someone told me in a dream that I have six diseases. I don’t know how to count them; but I notice that not one, and one interferes with the other. The cold pain on the left side of the body, and a small pain on the back, however, does not make me suffer seriously, but it bothers me a lot and prevents me from doing things. Hello in the Lord, mentally and physically. And peace to the brothers. Forgive me, oh. Viceroy, for delaying response to a letter that most strongly demanded an answer. It found me sick and was not such that it would make me feel better. My illness began on the 11th day, and yesterday I was in church for the first time. What is the answer, you say? “Your desire to leave brought me such a thought of sadness that is not willingly resolved into reasoning and words. You can guess that it is not easy for me to let you go: firstly because, by the goodness of God, I see you as very useful for the monastery, and secondly because, having full power of attorney for you and believing your power of attorney for me, I find a lot of relief and peace in this management. Besides this, my soul finds good in communicating with you. Remember that you asked for my friendship, while I already had it for you, and accepted your request as a pledge and promise on your part of sincere communication with me. With your sudden intention to leave me and deprive me of your help, I cannot grumble, respecting your intention and recognizing my unworthiness; but I can’t help but feel deep sadness. But let’s put aside extraneous things, and especially me, and begin to talk about the matter as if I were obliged to decide your dismissal or non-dismissal from someone else, and not from me. Having reflected to the best of my ability, I find that I am obliged not to agree to your dismissal, because the need for your service is obvious; your years are not those in which the law now adopted gives the right to rest from service; Your health, with the help of God, can be maintained if you use it with frugality, without losing your position, in which, I hope, the current treasurer will help you. Do yourself a favor, accept this with patience, for the sake of obedience. The Lord will accept the sacrifice of your good intention and give you blessing and grace, and will not allow you to suffer deprivation because you delay the fulfillment of your intention for the sake of obedience. Do not run from St. Sergius; His mercy is upon you, and His prayers are powerful, to reward you for the patience of your service and to measure to you what you seek in the distance. To your words that without the light of Godly thought it is difficult to walk in the dark and a dangerous battle, the Apostle responds: Imams, the most famous prophetic (as well as the Apostolic) word, which we see, like a lamp shining in a dark place, if you do good, the day will light up, and the morning star will shine in your hearts. I’m stopping because I don’t have enough strength and time to write much. Through the prayers of our Venerable Father Sergius, may the Lord Himself speak in your heart for peace. The days are evil. - There are few doers. - During a battle, how can we not keep soldiers in their places who require protection and security? Consider also that I myself do not have the power to fire you. And if I present it to the Synod, it may happen that he will attribute your desire to be removed to the disagreement between you and me and will give you another service, rather than dismissal. Bless me, oh. vicar, to complete the course of the Holy Pentecost, and may God bless you and the brethren to pass through it cheerfully and soul-savingly. It’s time to answer God’s servant Peter about the fourty-day fast. If he asks for a blessing for this feat, as for one that he has already decided on (just as if a pilgrim, leaving the Lavra, asked for a blessing on the path that he will certainly go on), then my duty is to say from my heart: may the Lord bless his feat and help him accomplish it, with attention and humility, to purification and enlightenment. But if, asking for blessings, he asks whether to undertake a feat, then this is a different matter. I think that in order to resolve this question, you need to know more and see more closely the structure of the questioner than is possible for me in the present case, except that I do not judge myself worthy of resolving something that is far from my experience. The examples of fathers, as far as I know, are different. Others, coming from the deep desert closer to the community, strengthened their fast, without fear of exhaustion, because in this case the help of their neighbors was not far away: others, on the contrary, said that in the deep desert, at a distance from human help, the Lord more abundantly bestows strengthening help for fasting labor, and there they intensified this feat, as if to make up for others who have no opportunity in the desert. What can we say about the main examples of Pentecost, in Moses, in Elijah, in the Lord himself? They are so high that I don’t know whether I would dare to advise anyone to tighten their fast until this measure is fulfilled, but rather would advise the lover of feat to humbly set his measure, although somewhat lower, for example, at 33 days, in honor of the same number of years of the earthly life of the Lord, which were continuous fasting, in which the Lord, according to the word of the Apostle, depleted himself of the glory of His Divinity. Let Peter think about what I am saying, and let him consult with his spiritual father: may the Lord arrange what is good and saving for his soul. You and Peter pray for my unworthiness: for I speak and do not do. Now I tell you that Peter went to some places, and even without a blessing, and that he found this prohibition to be an embarrassment: I don’t like this, and it worries me. I would tell him that it is necessary to correct the feat of obedience and humility, so that the feat of fasting will be blessed. Your letter dated January 27 has been received for several days now, but there are still no books. But thanks in advance. Prince Alexander Nikolaevich received it, reads it and praises it. He was very ill, but is recovering. You wrote that it is difficult to give a lot of money to the Sukharevsky compound. But what to do? It’s always unpleasant for me that I’m forced to live in two houses, and a lot of money comes out of them, and I don’t have the time and don’t know how to cut expenses. The reports are reviewed by you in the Cathedral: take note and cut down if you find anything unnecessary. For the Lavra, if money is now needed, it seems that it can be taken from the safe treasury, from what has been allocated for the time being. Tell me again how much rye flour you bought, and how long will it last? Why were Sukharevsky the housekeeper given bad behavior? In Moscow this is more dangerous than in Posad. Change the coachman: shouldn't you also change the steward? Last summer, he looked at me not as freely as before, and, I admit, I didn’t look at him as trustingly as before, having noticed small but clear cases of untruthfulness. You forgot, oh. Viceroy, send a statement for the past year about the number of students in our school for presentation to the S. Synod. Send it without delay. It is not a sin that you do not provide a pulpit for the Right Reverend Anastasius. There is an pulpit in the Assumption Cathedral, but serving bishops do not enter it, unless they are members of the S. Synod, or the synodal office. However, it is better to place a pulpit for him in the middle of the church. And I think he himself will not go to the high place in the altar, because this is something that those serving in someone else’s diocese never do. Without ringing, I also go to the Assumption Cathedral in the middle of my diocese, and therefore he is not ashamed in someone else’s. If they can sing the Greek perennium, if they can decently, let them sing when it seems better than the troparia, although, as I remember, I told you that the late Metropolitan Michael served in his diocese with the singing of the troparions instead of the Greek perennium. The rules take care of the attention of the people to the local bishop, and those who are in a foreign diocese are ordered to avoid this. Of course, the duty of a servant is to look towards the Lord, and not around himself; but it is fitting for us to honor him lovingly, just not by pleasing people against the rules. I mentioned to you about the Holy Pentecost already before receiving the letter in which you mention this: and again, I call upon you and the brethren God’s blessing for the passage of this field and in all things, grace-filled forgiveness, and I ask for prayers and forgiveness from all of you, that it may be given to us in purification to enter into the light and joy of our Lord, the Mercior of the repentant and the Savior of the lost. For many days now, oh. Viceroy, as, going through what I receive daily from the post office, I look for our letter, but I don’t find it, and I remain in bewilderment, and not without grief, especially since I’m waiting for news from you about how you accepted my answer to your thought about retiring into silence. His Eminence of Voronezh asked for dismissal into silence, into the schema, into Kyiv. The Emperor expressed a desire for him to remain in service; and he remained as long as he could. Look at this example: and I hope you will find it blessed to continue your present ministry. I hear that Lunina’s relatives are complaining about her will, and that some outsiders are also pestering her about this. The brother, they say, gave up part of his inheritance to his sister, and she took away from him what he should have inherited. The complaints apply to you too. I say that it was not your business to inquire about the relationship of your sister to your brother; and accepting the mission of a dying person is a matter of Christian brotherly love. They say that the controversy that arises can turn into a criticism of the clergy, and that it would be a good idea for you to leave this matter to the will of your relatives. To this I answer that if you are not entrusted with what is bequeathed, you, without a doubt, will not enter into any dispute, but if you are given it, then it is inconvenient for you to refuse. If the testator were alive, it would be possible to take back the word given to her, and she would dispose of what was bequeathed as she wanted. Now you can’t take her word from her, and you can’t give her money - you can violate her will; but this is sinful, and it is no longer possible to obtain a new will. I bring this to your attention, and you tell me what you hear and what you think. The Lord be with your spirit and keep you in peace. Help my world with your word of peace. The third day, Fr. Governor, I complained to you that I had not received letters from you for a long time, and on the same day in the evening I received your letter dated the 6th day of this month, from which I see that it was preceded by a letter that I did not read. You say that Peter felt better, but I don’t know what happened to him before. Write to me what you wrote about before this, and what I expect to hear from you. Thank God that we can help feed those in need through our hospice meal. It seems to me that not many will go to someone else’s bread, cabbage soup and porridge without need, and that, as a result, those who are truly in need take advantage. And this is already a blessing for charity when it goes to the truly poor. It may seem to you that I write a lot on the matter, F. I think that I am taking medicine for an illness. His thoughts are sick with dreams of the law: won’t they heal at least partly when they show him that he is not walking in the law? I don’t like the debts of Hierodeacon A. I should have stopped him at the first complaint. Vladyka Novogorodsky, with the approval of the late Archimandrite Arseny, wants to take former treasurer A as abbot. I think we will not interfere with this. Doesn't he still remain involved in some matter of the Lavra? Write to me about this. Archpriest John Veniaminov, our missionary in Russian America, will come to you. Please accept it brotherly. He is a good servant of God. If he wants, let him stay in the monastery and attend the fraternal meal, for he wants to stay there for several days. Make him tell you what he knows about Aleut Smirennikov and about one of the missionaries, I remember, Hieromonk Juvenalia. My concern is about not receiving your letters, Fr. Governor, I worried you in my last letter in vain. Yesterday and yesterday I received and read your letters not only from February 14 and 20, March 2 and 12, but also the one that was written upon your return from your trip. May the Lord bless the obedience you expressed in your letter dated February 14 with every spiritual blessing, and grant you good and blessed fruit, both in what you do in obedience and in what you sacrifice to obedience. I thank you, bowing to the ground. May the Lord renew the strength of His servant Peter, and if he decides to undertake a deliberate feat, may the grace of God help him to begin and complete it. Glory to the Grace of God and thanks to the Reverend for healing the sick. Thanks also to Peter for his humane care. I rejoice that you too have many who flock to the Lord’s table. And on the first Saturday of Lent, the Lord vouchsafed me to minister to more than four hundred communicants. Student records have been received, but are not satisfactory. For example, was there really no one who dropped out because they learned what was necessary? Moreover, I need it not for me, but for reporting to the S. Synod, and he needs not names, but lists of information. I need to tell you about the fate of the letters. My Svyatoslavsky is having strange seizures. In the third year I waited the whole summer and did not receive the consistory charter from the Synod. Due to the dark circumstances of that time, I thought that this was the order. I asked about this upon arrival in St. Petersburg. They said that it had been sent a long time ago, they inquired at the St. Petersburg post office, this one communicated with the Moscow one, this latter sent information about when the charter was given in my house, and who signed it. It ended with the bale being found in Svyatoslavsky’s room. On this occasion, a lot of neglected things were revealed, which Svyatoslavsky could not help but see, but, he says, was afraid to say. Having explained to him the absurdity of this fear, which led to the fact that for slowness and malfunctions I would have to answer not only before the S. Synod, but also before the Emperor, I corrected everything that was faulty through my work, and only ensured that the malfunctions that had occurred were not hidden, so that they would not get even worse. Despite this, the same thing happened again last year; and on the third day a bunch of packages were again found, some of which had been lying around for five months without being presented to me. Here are your letters. May the blessing of God be with the monastery, and with you, and with the brethren. Wonderful, oh. Viceroy! Now you also say that stops beyond Svyatoslavsky are not rare and not small. And before that they didn’t do me any favors of admonition. Likewise, the Academic Truth did not receive several of its submissions from Svyatoslavsky for several years, and did not tell me about this. The thing, by the way, is of this kind that it should not have acted without permission, but it acted, but did not want to remind me if it considered slowness to be mine, or to convey it if it understood the case differently. However, in Svyatoslavsky’s actions nothing is revealed except the absurd shame of discovering his own fault or slowness. When he brought me piles of stale packages, they all turned out to be untouchable, and among them I found letters addressed to Svyatoslavsky himself, also unopened. It seems that the Bishop has changed his mind about taking Hieromonk A. to his place. But what is he doing? Because of my unconsciousness, I don’t ask, and you don’t tell. After the case of Pyatnitsky sexton, it is not good for A. to remain in the Lavra. Remind him that I told him to move to another place, and he promised. Why doesn't it fulfill it? Hieromonk F., as far as I can see, is not only guilty, but also sick: and if you treat him as if he were guilty, then you can harden his illness. That’s why I treat him more like he’s sick than like he’s guilty. A resolution was submitted to the Academy to revise the description of the Lavra. You incorrectly said that retired economists and treasurers cannot be included in the general order of obedience of the Lavra. Must be included; and should not allow anything contrary to this. Children who come to the Lavra need special care. In addition to food, if God helps to put good things into them, it can be a reserve for the future generation. You wrote to me how much bread you bought, but did not say how long it would last, judging by the current consumption. I’m also somewhat afraid of next winter. Now increasing the stock is probably already inconvenient. Wouldn't you find it useful to plant more potatoes this spring? I will be glad to serve in the consecration of the Church of St. Nikon, if the Lord grants it. Will you wait until the usual time when I arrive at the Lavra? For this, accept on my part a preliminary, and for you now well-timed, kiss of peace and love in the name of the Risen Lord: Christ is Risen! Take the trouble to say for me about. Archpriest Theodore that letters about positions of holy orders can be forwarded by the Censorship Committee to Odessa addressed to Privy Councilor Sturdza. If you don’t have an answer from me, officially or unofficially, please remind me. I congratulated you, oh. Viceroy, happy holiday to the brethren, and now thank you for your congratulations. Thank you from me, Fr. Paisia. If you can buy grain and sell it at a lower price against those raising the price in the estate, then that’s good. And from the one we have, I think it’s doubtful to sell. The Bethany Seminary asks for Hierodeacon Serapion to be its economist from the Lavra. Tell me if it is suitable and if it can be released. Accept, oh. vicar, presenter of this to the Lavra and make an effort to place him on the right path of monastic life. He was in the Sergius Desert, but did not reconcile, like some others, finding the actions of one of the elders, whom the abbot, in their opinion, trusted in abundance, grave. I have very convincing evidence of his honesty. To make the necessary contacts about him, obtain a resolution. Follow it; and when God tells me to be in the Lavra, remind me to talk about him especially. Lord, forgive us and wake us up again, as you were, and you are the cover of the deprived of cover! Mother of the Lord, joy of those who mourn, return to them comfort and peace! Reverend Father Sergius, with the grace given to you, create again what we did not know how to preserve! Be generous, oh. viceroy Let us accept the visit of the court, in the hope that the Lord will and is already visiting us with mercy. The fire, although material, has come, I think, to our spiritual chaff, so I think about myself, let us present ourselves to purification. And for this, glory to God and His Pleasant, that the fire did not spread and did not touch the shrine. Tell Countess Varvara Alexandrovna not to grieve. The Lord accepted her sacrifice for good and is strong and good to continue the good undertaking. It is necessary, I think, not to delay especially in covering the building. We need to think about the internal structure again. I must admit that what happened came to me as if I could clearly see that in the dark I saw someone coming towards me. Many wooden cages, stairs and half-dark corridors, nooks and crannies completely dark, necessarily requiring frequent walking with a light, inaccessible to quick visibility - all this made the upper part of the Don building the most dangerous building in the Lavra, and if I had understood this device before execution, then of course I would have made a strong objection to it. I once told you about the wooden vault that I don’t like it on wooden pillars, now it has survived the fire: but has it not absorbed the destruction from flood water and rain, although perhaps this destruction will not be immediately noticed? I very much doubt whether it is good that the middle stone walls, or the wall, were broken down in the hospital; For the sick, isn't it better to have two smaller rooms than one large one? In the first case, the restless patient bothers several others, in the latter, everyone. If I happened to live under a window on a bed, between the bay windows on both sides, this would make a healthy me sick - is this really harmless for all the patients in the hospital? It is a pity that the new hospital is not together with the old one: there the rule would be good to be carried out in the meal of the hospital church. Forgive me for saying a lot: when the job was done, it was useless to argue. When it is necessary to resume a case, it is necessary to present everything that is necessary or not superfluous for consideration. There is no money in the laurel. It seems to be in the safe treasury. Must take it. Peace be with you in patience and obedience to the will of the Lord. Note. It was written, like the letter that follows, about the fire in the so-called Don Corps. A notification letter about this fire was published in the book: “Monastic Letters.” Moscow. 1863, pp. 27–31. Forgive me, oh. Viceroy, for what I wrote at the report of the Council. A fire report is more difficult than a fire. Is it only necessary to remember God and His works in letters, but not in official reports? Letters disappear, but official papers remain in the archive and they can tell descendants about the visits and blessings of God. When they built the dangerous mezzanine, then, I think, they didn’t ask how to do it or whether to do it, but they built it, and that’s it. And when trouble happens, then they don’t want to do it themselves, and they don’t even want to give opinions due to duty, but put everything on me, either to allow me to build a mezzanine and accept the future danger as my responsibility alone, or to forbid it and also accept the murmur of those who don’t like it on me alone. I know that they didn’t think about this, but if they had thought a little, they would have seen what kind of thing it is. What do the members of the Council need? Is it really for empty signatures, and not for a reasonable meeting? The treasurer composes books, although he is not called to do so, and does not want to delve into the position of whether there is reason in the report that he signs. The novice who was the first to ascend the hot roof is taller than the members of the Council at the time when they signed the report. I ask you to tell me his name, and I ask you not to be angry with me, fathers and brothers. In my response to your first letter about the fire, it seems that I guessed that the wooden dome had absorbed the destruction. If water came out in spots on the inside of the plaster, it obviously soaked through, and how will you remove the dampness enclosed between the upper clay cap and the lower plaster? However, you can see this closer than I can, 700 miles away. If the dome has to be redone, then I’ll give you another reason to consider: is the circle in the quadrangle well placed? I think this reduces the comfort of the room. And it seems to me that it is not harmonious that the icons and the crucifix look like a chapel (which is wonderful); but around them, without any separation, there are patients with all the inevitable untidiness. At least separate the prayer area with railings. If the appearance of a vault is necessary to elevate the church, wouldn’t it be better to place the pillars in two straight rows and make the vault above them into an arch? Between the pillars there would be a direct view to the chapel, and behind the pillars on the sides there would be beds that would be more regular and spacious than as before they were huddled behind the circle in the rest of the space of the quadrangle, which was irregular and unequal. However, I say all this for consideration, and not as an order. It's not convenient to manage it. what you don't see. Peace to the monastery, to you and the brethren. May 2nd. Without a plan it’s not clear. “I doubt it will burden the old building.” – The law requires an architect, a plan and an estimate. – Whoever builds according to the architect’s decision puts bricks on the architect’s head; a builder without an architect, on his own. – I am still not convinced to deviate from what I said at the Council’s report, without, however, stubbornly rejecting the assumption, which, perhaps, will be explained and proven. Note: This resolution is inscribed on a letter (dated April 23), in which Fr. The governor petitioned His Eminence for permission to “build a stone mezzanine instead of a burnt wooden one” in the Donskoy building, and also to build a stone vault over the corridor in the same building. If, oh. Governor, the wooden vault of the hospital has been preserved: why touch it? My thoughts cannot easily accommodate a mezzanine, even a stone one. Is it safe to burden an old, tall building, standing on a slope, which has been neglected for a long time? Was it not for this reason that the vaults at the top were removed because they seemed unreliable? Spring alternately threatens, then reassures, then threatens again. In the S. Synod I presented the idea of ​​​​instituting a prayer service. Others bowed; others believed that the bishops should be allowed to act on their own according to local circumstances; They settled on the fact that it would be necessary to have more accurate information. When information from different places began to arrive calming, but I reminded about it again. Your message is troubling. Ask me for the blessing of St. Sergius, who sees the path to Moscow. Write to me there already. Sorry, oh. Governor, I haven’t written for a long time. It’s no more leisurely in Moscow than in St. Petersburg. Your idea of ​​buying bread, which was not resolved upon receipt, in the pile of affairs falling on me from morning to evening, I now found it with force to resolve. I agreed with your submission. Manage with attention so that you help true need, as the Lord grants, and do not join in the sin of feigned need. I hear from landowners that rich peasants, just like poor ones, ask for bread from the landowners. What about. There is a cell for Archimandrite Theophilus, I am glad about that. It’s too late to write, but yours will leave early tomorrow. May the mercy of the Lord be with the monastery and with you and with the brethren. Here, oh. Viceroy, my contribution to the church of St. Nikon. Place the image of the Lord Almighty, accompanied by stones and pearls, on the Gospel transmitted by this. I think that nothing more is needed than to dress it in velvet, make silver clasps for it and put this image, or, if you like, a panagia on the velvet. You can simply attach it with threads to the velvet, and perhaps only attach the top ring to the board with a metal pin or nail. Try to prepare this for the consecration of the church. Thank you, oh. Viceroy, for the legend about the servant of God Alexy. It is useful to hear about such things if the Lord does not deign to see them and understand them. Thank you for the protective orders regarding the sacristy. I would add that, according to the current times, no one who is curious should be allowed into the sacristy, but only people of honorary rank, those who have done good to the monastery, and except for these, only for special reasons. It seems inevitable that I now need a housekeeper for my yard. Look what's happening here. Last Tuesday, Hierodeacon Serius told me that on the eve of the Ascension and Trinity Day, he proposed to the steward through a novice his desire to be in the service of the liturgy, but the steward refused and ordered to take the hierodeacon from Chudov or from Sretensky. It seemed incredible to me, and I reprimanded Sergius for the fact that he proposed through a novice, and not himself. On Wednesday I met with the housekeeper and asked about this; He answered on the contrary that he offered it to Sergius through a novice, but he refused. On Thursday I went to Pererva, and the housekeeper called on the servants to cut down a dry birch tree in the garden. She fell and hit the steward on the head so that it became dark in his eyes and it was necessary to open his blood, and now he is sick. On Friday I saw a novice and asked who served on the holidays, and why not his hierodeacon. The novice replied that, on the instructions of Sergius, he proposed to the steward about him, but the steward refused, and sent to Sretensky for the hierodeacon. So, the birch was just. Think about who I would like to be my housekeeper. Send me a copy of the life of Fr. Mark and instructions from Fr. Seraphim. They ask me. Tell about. Archpriest Theodore, so that the rest of the book of Mr. Sturdza would be passed through, if possible, without detention and conveyed to him. Tell Prince Dimitri that I spoke with his mother and... found her in a good mood. You know his intention, remind him to talk about it. Sorry, oh. viceroy; the case of the steward and the hierodeacon does not seem to me to be similar to the case of chicks in a jackdaw's nest. A priest who, going to the altar, drives away a deacon he doesn’t like, and then says that it was not he who refused the deacon, but this one who refused, is not like a chick who pecked another. But remind us to talk about the economy on the spot. I was thinking about lunch on the day of the exam, whether there should be one. But I think it’s not unnecessary to be. And there is no doubt that it should not be luxurious. And on days of abundance, a short and moderate lunch is better for me than a long and luxurious one. Even more so now. Peace to you and the brethren. And pray for me, so that I do not lack time and proper work. Thank you, oh. Viceroy, you and the brethren for my stay with you in peace. I returned safely and was not on the road for long, because at half past ten I was already at home. One thing did not happen as I expected, having told you specifically that the change of horses would take place in Bratovshchina. In Khotkovo I was in church in the rain and did not stay to listen to the early liturgy, thinking that the priest in Bratovshchina would be waiting for me, as it used to be; but I was stopped in Talitsy to change horses, and in Bratovshchina I found a locked church. I don’t think I can persuade myself to take Elijah, for he needs to be either at the fraternal meal or at the relics of St. Sergius. Your concern for this matter makes me understand that you find the change very necessary: ​​if this is so, then it seems to you that you should have told me more clearly about this on the spot. It seems to me that my current cell attendant is not intolerant, despite some occasional stumbles. He knows the business. If one oven in the Trinity Cathedral can be destroyed, I will be pleased with it. And if both, so much the better. But see if your underground heating will be satisfactory. “At the same time, I remind you that, if you write about matters in a letter, write on a special piece of paper, so that you can give a decision on it, for testimony, if necessary, to the Council. The story of the Pskov priest is very comforting 53. Blessed is the Lord, who never ceases to be wondrous in His Saints. The idea of ​​a hospital is permitted. On June 7th, a resolution was passed on sending money from the Lavra to the steward of the St. Petersburg courtyard. He complains that he still hasn’t received it and needs to pay for the repairs made. The Synodal sacristan says that the Bethanian hierodeacon Serapion (if I haven’t forgotten his name) wants to come to him, and he needs him to help with the sacristy, and to supervise the choristers, as he graduated from theological studies in Vladimir. Tell me your opinion, oh. hierodeacon and the proposed transfer. Peter arrived this evening, but I didn’t, because I had people. Thank you for the icons. They seem to be good, as far as I can see without glasses. In your last letter, Fr. Viceroy, there is something that I did not consider possible. How can you trust a disabled person to unlock a church without a sexton, not even one like the Trinity Cathedral? And call it simplicity! There is no reverence or caution here. The pilgrim, seeing this, will be tempted by the laziness of the monks. Is the sacristy, which was recently so cared for, more valuable than the church? I thought that it was the alternate altar sexton who unlocked and locked it, under the frequent, if not constant, supervision of the sacristan, or the alternate funeral hieromonk. The Moscow Assumption Cathedral is unlocked and locked at the sacellarium, and it places and removes the seal. If at St. the relics need two sextons, identify the supposed ones; and arrange for the cathedral to be kept reverently and unflaggingly. It’s unfortunate for me, after a year, to hear what is happening near me and requiring attention. And the housekeeper’s silence is not loyalty, after repeated reminders to him that he, as the owner, must look after everything and everyone in the house. Pay the cab drivers everything agreed upon. I don’t think they would have deceived if they had been clearly convicted of deception on the way from Moscow, and told exactly what was required. They would have said then what they use to justify themselves now, and I would have known what would happen to me on the road. Regarding Hierodeacon Serapion, you have not agreed whether to dismiss him. Ask him if you want to be fired, and why you revealed your intention to strangers before your superiors. As I already told you, we do not have the right to establish a management of the poor; and, thinking about introducing order, we can fall into new difficulties and confusions. If there is a disorder between them, it is necessary to find out who started it and who is guilty, and to prohibit them from entering the Lavra. If the culprits are not discovered: prohibit entry into the Lavra for several days to everyone except minors, or those known as meek and worthy of philanthropy. However, exposing and removing parasites is the business of the police, not ours. If you want to present a description of the disorder that happened, for a message to Prince Dimitri Vladimirovich, in order to encourage the police to be vigilant and to assist the Lavra in maintaining order, I will do so accordingly. The whole power of the institution you propose is to deprive the disorderly of the right to beg in the monastery: do this without establishing a mendicant board or department, and thereby encourage the preservation of order. I also see neither the right nor the convenience of establishing circles and divisions between beggars. If you wanted to challenge me on this, you should have started a dispute on the spot so that it would be easier to understand each other. An official from the nobility, Krasnopevkov, enters the academy. This is not like some who were before this. Receive him with attention and give him the right to know the monastery and monasticism. This letter will be delivered to you, Fr. viceroy, student and follower of the life of the late desert dweller in the vicinity of the Svensk monastery. O. Arsenia. Talk to him about useful things and write me an answer. Countess Vera Nikitishna arranged a curtain to the royal doors of the Peter and Paul Church. When it is delivered to you from me, use it for its intended purpose. And forgive me for arguing about beggars, and also forgive me in everything. From the Lord forgiveness to you and the brethren who flow to him in these days of purification, and peace to all. Note. A note about the student Arseny mentioned in this letter was preserved in a memorial book that survived after the late Metropolitan Philaret. In this book, under the 7th day of August, it is written: “1840. Disciple of the late desert dweller Fr. Arseny, with his blessing, visited me and told me about his last days. The vision of the Mother of God preceded him about his death, and the vision of St. Basil the Great was his confession and permission. Procopius was also foreshadowed in a dream. This will be delivered to you, O Governor, Diveyevo. One hundred and fifty of them are suffering from hunger and asking me what to do. Where to collect enough allowance to feed so much? I suggested that they disperse for a while to where each one came from. They don't want to talk. Give them and me some ideas. About the road, oh. governor, I told the civil governor, because Prince Dmitry Vladimirovich is not in the province. The answer was that he had already asked the general, the head of the local roads, and received a promise to fix the roads if there were three days of good weather. Regarding the purchase of bread, I can’t tell you anything, because I didn’t happen to talk to those who know this matter. I don’t argue against buying in Kazan if I don’t see a simpler way. About the official you are writing about, I was told more than once that he came to find out, and even that he did me harm by informing me about what was not. And he boasts that he saves many through his service. The Lord knows hearts and secret deeds. What I have heard about him does not prevent me from accepting him calmly, but I get bored with his long conversations and get tired. I have no objection to the new appointment as sexton. Come up with a satisfactory destination for me. I don’t want to tear Elijah away and I think he will be bored with me. This month my health is not serving me as well as the previous one. Health and peace to you, and brethren, and monasteries. A book about imitation of Jesus Christ will be sent to you. Give it to Peter. He wanted to have it. Forgive me, oh. Viceroy, I think that a change of place for a time, due to famine, can be done without unfaithfulness before God. By faith a person can remain in the midst of disaster, and by humility he can withdraw to seek natural help, without deigning to ask for emergency help from God. And, on the contrary, he can withdraw from the difficulty, out of lack of faith and cowardice, and can, remaining in the midst of an insurmountable disaster, tempt God with a demand for emergency help, when he could turn to natural means. Either case may be right or wrong. It must be controlled by reasoning and good intentions. The brethren of the monastery, whom St. The martyrs, by their appearance, stopped them from fleeing because of the famine and provided them with what they needed; therefore, I think, they received this help because they wanted to leave out of humility, and not out of unbelief. So, since they were worthy, they received miraculous help: and if they had not received it, they would have resorted to natural means without sin. If some sign had been given to the Diveevskys to stay, it would have been clear that they should stay. However, I told them that they should endure until the last possible opportunity, and in the event of oppressive extremes, let go of those who can, with hope and without danger. You have the power to help them from what has been entrusted to you by the deceased, if you find this to be in agreement with her will. Of course, this will be an infallible benefit to the most deserving poverty. Only since the Diveevskys turned to me, then send them three hundred of my rubles, as part of what you assign. It definitely needs to be sent by mail, for security. I gave them 100 rubles for the journey, but I was more afraid. They gave me the name of Hieromonk Hilarion of Sarov to send in his name. However, you yourself know what is best. The Saransk authorities are not lenient towards them. God bless to put a small chapter over the church at the hospital. If a door is assigned to the plan from the north side, from the hospital room to the south side into the church, then it is not very good, close to the altar. And the hospital spirit should not be allowed into the church in many ways. It's better to have a window here, not a door. Peace and blessing from the Lord to you and your brothers. Thanks be to God, who helps and St. Sergius, who invisibly instructs. The discovery of a stone is a useful matter for the monastery. I wish that the agreement with the land tenant will be successful and reliable. Thank you, oh. the governor, for the aid sent to the Diveevskys and for the idea of ​​sending through the abbot, in the hope that he would thereby be aroused to humane participation in them. God bless the walls of the dining room to repaint them. But I saw the need for renewal not on the walls of the fraternal meal, but on the walls of the church refectory. Remind me to talk about this if God tells me to be with you for the holiday. A.’s actions do not show either obedience or honesty: an honest and faithful person would not leave the mug unsealed, and he would not go into an unsealed one without permission and without witnesses. You can punish him without written representation, if this may be enough to correct him and to stop the temptation, otherwise submit it in writing. Archimandrite Theophilus is in Moscow and will go to you in three days. If I manage to send you a piece of silk fabric with it, then know that this is for your half-caftan. Thank you, oh. Viceroy, for the dispensation of the Gospel. I have trouble with the economists. The St. Petersburg economist asks you to change the hieromonk, but in St. Petersburg he did not say anything about this. A local person recently reported that a minister had been missing for three days, having become drunk at the Danilov Monastery during a holiday and leaving the position for which he was there. - Why didn’t you tell me that same day? – I found out the next day. – Therefore, the order and safety of the house is looked after by the providence of God, and not by the economist. - Remind me to talk about these items in the monastery, if God leads me to you. Prince Dmitry was in Moscow, he says, for quite some time; but I didn’t see him. Is he at peace and how is he positioned for the future? Now I had the Khotkovskaya abbess, and our conversation about the monastery led, among other things, to the local trade in threads, foil images and even enamel. The latter is purely trade, and therefore should be prohibited to the sisters of the monastery. Marketing the work produced should have its own convenience; but it’s no good that the novices in Khotkovo are just as annoying with pilgrims as beggars in the Lavra. About the poor, I told you that it is not our business to manage them, but it is our duty to put the novices and nuns in order. The dean of the Khotkov monastery should pay attention to this and, after consulting with the abbess, tell me how to put this in order. The Lord, by the power of His most holy and terrible name, may forbid the enemy, the thin shrine, and may the Soul that is indignant by him be cleansed, may he pacify, may he calm and with the light of His grace may he arm him to repel the attacks of darkness. Blessed is the Lord, who has already begun to shame the enemy by the fact that his intensified indignation served to discover the disease and to accept healing. By coincidence, I came up with the idea that next week I would be in the Berlyukovskaya Hermitage and in Bogorodsk, and on Sunday to consecrate the church in Guslitsy, and from there, through Bogorodsk, to go to the Lavra for the holiday. Pray that the Lord will guide your path and deeds. My path to you, oh. The governor must be from Bogorodsk, probably 23 days. However, weather and road conditions may extend it. But do not worry and do not worry many people about waiting. God bless Nikita and Alexy in the ryassophore. My journey, oh. Governor, it ended well. But after two holidays here, the cold that had been building up in me for a long time became worse. Having taken the medicine you prescribed and having spent two days in my cell, I am now feeling better. I’m not inviting you because I can’t determine the time of my departure. Next week I hope to tell you what time will open up to begin the journey. God bless the zeal of Count Sheremetyev. The same goes for another investor. May the Reverend help the sick son of a Rzhev priest. Tell me in time about his condition. My thoughts do not rest on your assumption about replacing Hieromonk Athanasius. The hieromonk you propose seems to be in poor health, and this is not good for St. Petersburg, where there are few people, and where newcomers and the healthy sometimes do not quickly put up with the climate. Can you name someone else? I am sending an image for the Kokuevsky elder. Give it to him, invoking God's blessings from me. Having tasted the bread with potatoes and found in it both the look and taste of bread, and only noticing the presence of potatoes by the slight maltiness, I immediately thought that either there were not enough potatoes there, or there was little of it left in the bread from processing. In that case, I thought, what is there to fight for? Isn’t it better to simply give at dinner a reduced portion of ordinary bread and, in return, an increased portion of potatoes, cooked in its own way? Your letter received this month confirms my conjectural conclusions. It seems that it is necessary to stop production that is busy and of little use. There seems to be no firm information about the future value of bread. Last Sunday they told me that it should be cheaper, and they proved this by calculation; and on Monday I heard that it had become more expensive at the auction. In St. Petersburg, if I didn’t really want Maxim’s attraction, then even less Savvaty. I don’t want Damascus at all. I’m perplexed about Iliodor. Apparently, take Maxim. If Ananias does not make it a burden for himself to be in my cell, then send him quickly so that he can look around on the way. If God wills, I plan to leave on the 23rd. Therefore, if you want, either leave on Sunday after the liturgy in order to be with me in the evening, or come to me on Sunday. I told the Diveevskys that separating them was inappropriate. But I don't think this will be useful. The one who should talk about this is the sister who was here before, who is one of the few who supports the idea of ​​separation, but who did not reveal anything about this here. In Khotkovo, it would be inconvenient to remove nuns who were taken to the meal. If those who could feed themselves, offer their portion to the poor, then this can be accepted. And adding 20 portions to 80, specifically for the benefit of the poor, is good. And advise this to the abbess from me as well. Change the clothes on the throne in the Trinity Cathedral if necessary. You can place the decree about not approaching the altar in a frame on the porch. But, I think, it is difficult to achieve exact execution otherwise than by placing a lattice in front of the iconostasis, but even this measure is hardly convenient for the Trinity Cathedral. In the refectory of the church, if necessary, you can put a grate and not allow anyone other than employees to enter it. Conversations with the said Old Believer to make a special publication from the Lavra would be too huge an undertaking, the success and benefits of which are difficult to be sure of. I am sending you 50 copies of these conversations, each printed separately. Use it and say what this experience shows. Goodbye until Saturday, or whatever you decide. Shouldn’t we send Maxim now to go with the others? Blessing of the Lord, through the prayers of St. Fr. our Sergius, may he protect his monastery and those who dwell in it. Peace be with you, oh. viceroy Sorry for not writing soon. My journey was completed, by the grace of God, comfortably, although the horses fell several times, partly from the slippery road, partly from accidents. And in St. Petersburg I still wander without difficulty, although weakly. I hasten to tell you that these days I received a good report from His Eminence Tambov regarding the life of Father Seraphim: only the S. Synod has not yet heard it. The Right Reverend says that the words spoken to him by Father Seraphim later turned out to be spoken by insight. Do you have enough bread to wait until the last crumbs for the first journey? Near Moscow, they say, it’s raining again, and there’s no winter route. But now is probably not the time to buy if you haven't already. No announcement has yet been made about Luzhetskaya's vacancy. The housekeeper's salary should be increased, and so much, I doubt whether it is necessary. Why does everyone want to be the authorities, as was the case with the estates? We must be obedient. Before presenting formally, send me a table of all the senior officials, who gets what and from where. Thank God for deliverance from this new trouble. Fires are truly too frequent in Pereslavka. And this was also said when I first came to live in the monastery, and I remember, in explanation of this, they told a legend that in one house on Pereslavka a monk was killed, but others did not discover this crime, and therefore he comes to cleanse the crime scene with fire. I found Vladyka Novogorodsky not sick, but ancient. And Kyiv is unlikely to be there: he asked to stay until next September and received permission to stay if he was definitely not able to go. This is unpleasant for me both because there are many matters that require a lot of advice, and because he would be needed for services, for we are all weaker than him. Bow for me to the Reverend Anastasius. I ask for his prayers, yours and the brethren. And in the field of fasting, I ask for forgiveness and blessings, and I wish you the same. Blessings from the monastery, with reverence, and from you, Fr. Governor, and the brethren's good wishes, I accepted with love and gratitude. Express my gratitude to everyone, and by name, oo. Archimandrites Paisius and Theophilus. Yesterday and today we witnessed important and joyful events of the Most August House: yesterday, the anointing of the Highly Appointed Bride of the Sovereign Heir Tsarevich, and today the betrothal of their Highnesses, the Blessed Princess pronounced a confession of faith with majestic modesty and reverence and such a pure word that could not be expected from her recent acquaintance with Russia. This holiday was filled with quiet, bright joy. Offer the Lord a prayer of thanksgiving and hope. I would like to write especially to the Reverend Anastasius. But in the meantime, show him my respects. Thanks be to God, who saved us from the new misfortune of the fire on November 9th. And on the 23rd of that month, the Right Reverend Yaroslavsky wrote to me that he was frightened by the fire that happened in the monastery, near the cells in which he thought to remain silent. I would have been frightened if I had not had a letter from you at the same time, dated the same day. What does it mean? Hieromonk Vladimir is approved here. But why was he forced to leave the Neva Lavra? “I won’t refuse to accept unless there are any dubious signs.” According to the medical office, I think you have nothing more to do than propose it to the Council, and it will present its opinion to me. I do not think that it is necessary to seek evasion from the law, especially for a person whose temptation is to amuse himself with worldly people and become entangled in money. To the life of Fr. Seraphim to print the previous study about his life, this cannot be thought about. I thought about suggesting that instead of a preface, print the report of the Right Reverend Tambov, but this was not possible either: Bishop Novgorod again rebelled with his bewilderment about the miraculous events, and Metropolitan Jonah complained that the Right Reverend Tambov did not name the witnesses by name, and even said that there were more witnesses of an opposing opinion, and that the Right Reverend hid this. Apparently, the abbot of Sarov sinned and wrote his dark thoughts to Metropolitan Jonah. I managed to ease Jonah’s doubts, and came to terms with the bishop on the fact that even if the Reverend Podolsky, who had not read the book, reads it and does not doubt it, then there will be enough votes in its favor. The matter stopped there. Is it convenient for an icon painting school to be on the mezzanine of a women's hospital, especially if it is not crowded? Will the students walking up and down the stairs, the smell of paints, and the proximity in general be a problem for the sick? It is necessary for you to understand this well in order to decide on what is expected. It is a pity that subjects whose consequences cannot be discussed today are not discussed in a place where it would be more convenient to believe and resolve doubts and objections. Where will the students live and how will they be supported? – You didn’t say anything to this question. And it requires reasoning. Go to Pesnosh at a convenient time, look carefully and write what you see. A formal report is also necessary, otherwise you and I will be guilty of the established management procedure. There was a chain of nameless denunciations against the abbot, for example, that he had built a mezzanine over his cells, with windows behind the monastery. The informer was not kind, but perhaps the abbot did not act judiciously in everything. Pay attention to whether the warm church has been well rebuilt, and what is adjacent to it. May the Lord grant you, oh. vicar, and the brethren are worthy to take in the joy of triumph, His saving Nativity, and glorify Him with pure souls and lips. Ask Him for the same gift for my unworthiness. Having caught a cold before the beginning of this month, I have been sitting at home since the 8th day and still cannot get rid of the cold, which has been renewed and neglected many times. I can do and write little without the disease again becoming angry. Now, however, I am beginning to feel that I am not far from recovery, God willing. You wrote to me about the desired reconciliation of K.S.M. with his wife. Peace is a good thing, and peacemakers are blessed. With all this, I am perplexed as to what can be done here. For them, I think, the time for fulfilling all the duties of marriage has passed. The princess's character and lifestyle are such that even if they are under the same roof, they will see little of each other. One thing we can take care of is that everyone test themselves to see if they have an unpeaceful disposition, and that they perceive and express peaceful dispositions to each other. It’s not good that Theoktistus is lured away by stealth, but you can let him go with a blessing and with the hope of benefit. He has reverence for the church and monastic modesty. At the farmstead he is unsatisfactory, but not in such a way that this prevents him from having good hope for him. I. asks me to go to the Lavra, finding himself very upset about his health, which is fair. He seems to have added poor arbitrary treatment and suspiciousness to hemorrhoidal disease. I have postponed the decision of this matter and if it becomes necessary to release him, then, I think, he has a preferential right to the position of sacristan. Economy, according to the fits you mention, is unreliable for St. Petersburg. I’m thinking of bringing the Bethany treasurer here. Don't hesitate to tell me your thoughts. Follow the attached note. Accept, oh. Viceroy, bless the Most Reverend Innocent of Kamchatka-Aleut in a befitting manner and in the image from the monastery. He is authorized to take with him the people he needs and those who want to serve with him. If we find someone willing and pleasing to him, we will not be stingy. And don’t stop correspondence with me. I still can’t answer you for many things, because the cold does not allow me to keep my feet on the ground for a long time, and the person lying down has not yet learned to write. It will probably be an accident for you too, oh. Governor, an accident I encountered yesterday. Bishop of Novgorod asks me whether Hierodeacons D. and I. can be dismissed from our Lavra to his Lavra. I delayed the answer so as not to answer rashly, but I can hardly resist until I receive an answer from you. The Bishop says that petitions have already been received from them. Those who have gone so far will hardly be reliably reversed. I will say that I do not hold back, although they were irrigated without a blessing. And tell them from me that I will not detain them, but while they are in my department, I am fulfilling my last duty to them, reminding them that they did not act according to the rules of monasticism and in vain took this on their conscience because I would not detain them against their will, since I do not detain them now, although I have the right to refuse, precisely because they acted without a blessing. Meanwhile, this case seems to require some reflection. It seems to me that it is not philanthropic to let Barabbas go, or at least anything less, when sin has clothed itself and there is no repentance. If A. and A. with condescension, but not with complete indulgence, they were transferred from the monastery to other monasteries, without announcing the details of their actions, but with some reminder of prudence, they would not have spread their wings so widely, and they would not have been exalted so much, and perhaps they would have accepted the incentive to be careful. Now what? A. was received at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra with such respect that he serves only as first deacon, and under the long-time First Deacon Victor no longer serves as second. What's next? They are already saying that while he was visiting, he committed a theft and wants to cover it up by moving to another place. And to justify themselves, the people here will say: this is what people are like in the Sergius Lavra? What else is next? A. and A. seduce D. and I. and draw them to the same obstinate paths. It is good, by covering sin, to support a repentant person who is not brought down by Providence on the path of reproof. And whoever does not repent and is led by Providence onto the path of reproof, to him, I think, the ancient law must be applied: do not have mercy on a beggar in court, do not leave someone brought to correction without correction, do not use mercy alone, where justice is also needed, although not strict, but lenient. You will present me with examples of saints who forsook grave sins without rebuke, but there, I think, there were circumstances that cannot be applied to everyone, namely insight into the action of this mercy and the power of prayer, with which the forgiver lifts up the sinner and makes the help of penance unnecessary. Take the trouble to judge these thoughts and tell me the best. It’s a pity that there are many illnesses, but thank God if some of us receive help. May the Lord rest in a bright place the soul of Fr. Alexia. In deprivation, death consoles others and teaches others how to meet it. Thank you for visiting Pesnosha. I said a kind word to the abbot through the consistory, but you also tell him from me that there is no reason to lose heart. Out of an abundance of caution, the authorities should have done what they did; but he should be reassured by the fact that the matter ended with one inquiry as a precaution. Thanks to the Reverend, who protects our negligence from harm. But one must accept gentle instructions with attention, so as not to deserve strict ones. It is necessary to instill caution against a fire, and not to those at fault, but to the one to blame for what the fire caused as a luxury, it would not be bad to be asked to bow, although not in front of people, so that there will not be shame, but a prayer for forgiveness of the past and for protection in the future for him and everyone. About the candle that burned at night in the cathedral, the probable guess is that it was not completely extinguished, and this oversight is probably due to the fact that the head of the extinguishing Martin is lower than the top of the candle and he sees only the top of the fire, and not the lamp. Therefore, precaution should consist in raising the bench or ladder on which he stands, so that he can see the entire lamp and the melted wax in which unquenched brands may float. The idea of ​​​​presenting the Sacristan to Luzhetsky was dropped from me by two circumstances: the first complaint of Abbess Borodinskaya, why he was being determined (what is important is not the complaint, but the fact that the streets are carrying an idea, which, as far as I remember, I did not convey to anyone except you); second, your latest review of his actions on the sacristy. How can a person who is not prudent and does not correct himself when leading be a prudent and efficient boss? Those who receive leadership because of old age without ability are always of little use, and in demanding times there is trouble with them. And about V. I don’t know where to stop thinking. It was unclear to me before and even less clear after your two news about his illness (of which, if the first is true, it is difficult to rely on the last), and after the riddle about local circumstances. Did he return from the trip, and what is he like now? Forgive me if this letter seems to you a lot of bewilderment and competitiveness. I wouldn't want it to be like that. But I say what I can’t convince myself otherwise. I give you peace, without hesitation to receive it from you. Now, reading one of your letters, I conclude that the act of the two hierodeacons is not entirely unexpected for you; but I think the secretly sent request was unexpected. Attached herewith, read, Fr. Viceroy, to the Council, and if it is accepted for good, make it known to the brethren and carry it out. It is advisable to be accepted and not forced. But don’t let me copy my 55’s letters. The Reverend Kamchatsky did not write to me about anything. It's a little strange. I don’t know whether to accept I. The story is not very good, but in stories about oneself, I think they do not slander. Due to my unconsciousness, I forgot to ask about him when I had the opportunity. See what signs it will have. I accept the teaching of John of Carpathia on love for mankind towards those who have sinned and I accept your thoughts. I have no objection to the way you now describe A.’s exit and would not have demanded anything in my time on the spot. To show mercy and secretly heal is undoubtedly good when healing is accepted in this way. But when a transgression is obvious and there is clear disobedience to correction and a person strives further on the obstinate path: I don’t know if it’s enough to say, go in peace. Some caution is needed so that self-will and bad example do not become victorious and triumphant. It seems to me that with A. it was possible to use a little bossy firmness. When A. and his son left the Lavra, it seemed to me that it was good. So they returned to temptation. However, F., who began with evil words, in my opinion, is no less guilty than A., who ended with an impudent hand. Will you scold me for the order about F. and N.? “I did this without anger, but it seems to me that it is necessary to make an experiment to separate the people who were conferring on a stern path. Thank God that instead of those who leave, at the same time there are those who come, giving good hope. What does one secular person say, as if in the Lavra there is Gregory, a disciple of O. Seraphim, who has a large book in which his life and teaching are described? - Explain this to me. With great consolation I received the blessing of the Nyamets monastery and thank the mediator Hierodeacon Macarius. Write to me what the Nyametsky elder says about prayer, and teach me, although not too early. Tell Hieromonk Anastasius my wish that he find a peaceful stay with us. I agree to accept both Avvakum and Pimen with love. We will also receive the canonarch of Pesnosha. If the sacristan’s affairs are not progressing towards the end, what will this come to? God will bless you to help those in need, especially the sick, with firewood, with supervision to ensure that it is done correctly. It’s a pity for Father Archpriest Theodore, especially because his late assistant, they say, made him a lot easier with housework. May the Lord strengthen him and provide good things for him. Forgive me this evening until the morning or later. I spoke about prayer on the occasion of the scarcity of bread in the S. Synod and they demanded a certificate of the order that was made in 1833 or 1834, but the certificate was not presented and the matter remained until Lent. I’m thinking about offering universal prayer before sowing for this year, but I doubt that this and thanksgiving after the harvest will be accepted as a general rule forever. Object that this did not happen before. Andrei Nikolaevich keeps pestering me about the measurement and plan of the Lavra. Wouldn't Bachelor Gorsky undertake to do this under his supervision? In this case, it would be necessary to put side by side measures according to the old inventory and measures in kind in order to more accurately determine in which places the old names of buildings and places will fall. In the God-protected monastery of our Venerable and God-Bearing Father Sergius, to the brethren who strive for Christ, clergy and others, blessing, peace, and salvation from the Lord. On the eve of Holy Lent, I ask you, brothers, for my humility, forgiveness and prayers of assistance; And to you, from the All-Merciful God and our Savior, I call upon you, all in the same image as those who should eat, abandonment in pure repentance, the soul-beneficial passage of the fast, and achievement in the joy of the resurrection of Christ, fulfilled and perfect. Paying attention to ourselves, we must not fail to look at the many around us, the sorrows of poverty, and others, according to the righteous destinies, of the visitation of God. They should encourage others to be patient, others to correct, others to do good, and those who have dedicated themselves to God, especially to deepen their prayers for our sins and for people’s ignorance. For this reason, now, especially, brethren, I am convinced to offer to your good zeal what at another time would have been decent, and even proper for our monastery - to establish on Sundays a conciliar prayer service to the Most Holy Trinity and our Reverend Father Sergius, for glory and thanksgiving, and also for asking for grace, mercy and all the gifts useful to the soul and temporary life, To our most pious Sovereign Emperor and his most august house, to our brotherhood and monastery in Christ, benefactors and to all Orthodox compatriots and fellow Christians. If this thought meets with your not only obedience, but even better, with voluntary zeal, then may this sacrifice be acceptable before God, through the prayers of His Pleasant. Thank you, oh. Viceroy, for the good news about your first week of Lent: and I thank the brethren for the peaceful acceptance of my proposal for prayer. May the Lord arrange everything for the salvation of us and everyone. I represented the local economist among the candidates for the Luzhetsky Monastery. The presentation was in the S. Synod for a long time; now he has been appointed and ordered to be sent to a new place of service, although I did not think of keeping him here if appointed. We must soon have a successor for him, but I have not yet come out of my previous bewilderment. Innocent thinks that N. could be a housekeeper, imagining that he is diligent in the church and does not like to leave his cells, but I do not feel convinced to agree, and it seems to me that this would be a leap. I demand candidates from the Council, so that salvation can be found in the many councils. That the Lavra housekeeper is capable, and I can get along with him, I have no doubt, fearing that in the noise of the city I might fall into absent-mindedness and social acquaintances. Since it is better for you to judge this by constant observation, rather than me by short-term glances, then think about this bewilderment. If you do not find this danger, then you can present him as the first candidate and send him to me immediately. But if your meetings are not decisive in favor of him, or are stronger in favor of another candidate, then present the choice without sending any of the chosen ones. We spent the first week of Lent, thanksgiving to God, in peace, in an abundance of praying people; and on Saturday the Lord vouchsafed me to minister to the fellowship of four hundred people with him. My fatigue was such that on Sunday I already remained in my cell, but in peace. The Lord's peace and blessings to you and your brothers. O. peace and salvation to the vicar and brethren, and a gracious entry into the joy of the resurrection of Christ. I remember I wrote to you, Fr. viceroy to tell hierodeacons I. and D. that they did not act according to monastic rules by asking to go to another place without a blessing. You did not notify me whether it was said and with what consequences, but I needed to know, because the matter is not over and requires further consideration. I also wrote to you that I do not intend to keep them against their will: with a representation from the Council you are forcing me to change my mind: and meanwhile, Metropolitan of Novgorod tells me that, according to letters from the Sergius Lavra, I do not intend to keep them. The Council wants to prohibit the transition from Lavra to Lavra: I cannot be convinced that this is generally necessary, fair and useful and that sometimes the opposite is not better. How long ago did a hieromonk come to you from the Neva Lavra, and did you not speak to prohibit the transition from Lavra to Lavra? Moreover, you want to force me to fight for two hierodeacons before the S. Synod with the leading member of the Synod and my ordainer (although not the first at that time). It's indecent and I don't want it. Upon receipt of your submission, I told the Bishop that the established Council finds it unhelpful to move the hierodeacons. He answered: don’t let go. I said that I didn’t want to contradict him, but explained the matter to him beforehand. He replied that he did not need people, that he had handed over the matter without the desire to accept it, and that he had been given the opportunity to proceed with the letters, which I did not intend to keep. Me: It seems to me that your Lavra should not agree to accept those who ask without a blessing; Maybe the Sergius Lavra will ask about this. Him: for what? Just refuse. Me: this last will not be so edifying for those who ask; and the point is to bring them to reason. Him: as you wish. He spoke peacefully and from the heart: but later Archimandrite Aaron, who has some kind of magnetic influence on him, can lead him to other thoughts. It seemed to me not useless to convey this conversation to you, because my decision, due to the complexity of the circumstances, is not entirely decisive, but will require your consideration. Since the Bishop pushed the matter away from himself, entrusting the office with the order and execution, it is not a sin for me to do the same. Let the Council reason with the chancellery. I think that in order to fulfill my resolution, it would not be bad for you to report the second point to her office and say that a proper examination is being carried out on this, and meanwhile take testimony from the hierodeacons why they acted without blessing and without blessed guilt. You'll see what happens. There is no need to rush. The hierodeacons would do well if they came to their senses and abandoned their intention. The hope of self-interest in the Nevsky Lavra has been shaken quite a bit these days. For one deceased woman they took 13,001 rubles from the Lavra; a murmur about this reached the Sovereign Emperor; It was ordered to make a decree for the cemeteries of both capitals so that funerals would not be expensive. The Law of Crimes is attached 56 and for Moscow for the crimes of St. Petersburg. However, Moscow will only suffer the trouble that the cause of freedom and zeal is subject to the law; and the loss will be for St. Petersburg, and especially for the Nevsky Lavra and its monks, for whom the main and almost only source of income is from the dead. There are too few Bogomolets. You wrote to me about the benefits of silk underwear. I don't think it would suit me. My body loves linen, but does not like paper or silk. To make an experiment, I bought silk stockings, but have not tried them yet. - The room below me is not cold; and here my feet would be quite peaceful, but they are not like that here either, when I go out and return with more or less cold in them. I. Benjamin arrived soon and took office. But his predecessor has not yet been promoted to archimandrite, because I again fell ill with a cold. Now, however, I seem to be recovering. In your letter I see that I. and D. ask for forgiveness and want to stay. If this is so, then let them write a petition about this to the Council or to me, and in this case the office only needs to answer that they, having thought it over, postponed their intention and asked to leave them in the same place, which is why they were left. Who is this Aleksandronevsky ustavnik, whom you find worthy of reprimand? Probably A. A reprimand is unlikely to heal him. And I don’t know if Aaron gives such medicine to such patients. And the local governor is not a practicing physician of the local brethren. I return the charter of silent Peter. Pray that the Lord will grant him to reach the limit of the feat he has undertaken without stumbling. The note was written, it seems, not in his words, but taken from somewhere. In this way, perhaps, he only wanted to convey to you the idea of ​​what he was doing and why, without noticing that he was offering himself very high examples. I think that you should, after his previous feat of fasting, which Providence turned into a feat of illness, introduce him into a proper discussion about this subject and by this very experience show him that this is not what, apparently, the Lord now requires of him, that in the desert this feat is more near the place in exchange for the fact that there is no opportunity to exercise in some other good deeds; and the feat of one’s own will is more natural and non-judgmental there, because there is no one to subordinate one’s thoughts to. Not so in the hostel. In his case, I am guilty of slowness. Long ago I gave a resolution to write to Prince D.V.: ​​but I had to write it myself, and not the office, and I am either sick or busy with more necessary matters. Now I’ll wait to see if Prince D.V. takes office after Easter, because this matter can be handled better with him than with others. Martin is also to blame. Now I'll write. I told you about Countess Varvara Alexandrovna that you need to quickly calm her down with a home. Arrange as needed. – Tell her my wish for God’s blessing. If there were no predators of the things in the stable house, then they are warned that they received no benefit, but only wasted labor and fear. May the Lord grant us protection and them correction. I hope that your refusal of the Kokuevskys for them will not continue if people truly need food. The building, called the singing building, has long been one of the most dilapidated in the Lavra. Treasurer Arseny corrected him in front of me. I noticed that the correction was not radical, but I endured it because I could not find out or determine anything better; and if he had demanded a more thorough project from him, he would have offered the construction of two hundred thousand rubles. Try to heal this sick building if possible. Thank you for delivering the life of Elder Basilisk. Can I keep it? The decrease in the price of bread is not entirely consoling, because even now the price is significant and also because it gives rise to the question: is it because of the abundance of grain that the price has dropped, or because of a lack of money for turnover, due to the decline in trade. My proposal about prayer before sowing was cut off and limited only to places where the government announced a crop failure. It’s wonderful that we are afraid to frighten each other with prayer! I congratulate you on completing ten years of service to your St. Sergius. Thank you for your help in this time of my weakness. May the Lord bless us in the future, according to His great mercy and according to the multitude of His bounties. His Eminence Kirill 57 is very ill. He underwent two operations and nature is very depleted in him. Due to my cold, I have been deprived of the consolation of visiting him for a week. He endures meekly. Several copies of my sermon, printed by the peasants, will be sent to you for distribution. I'll give it to you, oh. the governor, and the brethren kiss each other in the name of the Risen Life-Giver. Sorry it's late. I do not refuse to write to the Eminence about the Diveyevoskys. But I don't know if it will be useful. There is no benefit to rushing now. Even if the matter came to the S. Synod in the summer, it would last until the fall. And so remind me of this on the spot. If anything needs to be corrected in Fr. Theophila, it’s better to let him straighten the laurel. The reason is that this cell, it seems, was requested by His Eminence Yaroslavsky. Maybe he won't need it. But if necessary, I don’t want to refuse him; and then Fr. Theophilus will more easily agree to move to others without incurring his costs. Thank God that Peter successfully accomplished his feat. You speak fairly about mentality; and I am surprised how the Reverend sees the matter differently. The Savior, having washed the nose of the disciples, this Lord and Teacher, commanded that, like leaders, they should humble themselves before their subordinates and thereby edify their subordinates. It’s not at all like washing the feet of someone else’s subordinates, of your own free will. If the Ecumenical Council had known such an intention, it would have prohibited it in the same way as it forbade the bishop from preaching to someone else’s flock. I hear about the Stromyn icon, but not what you write. They report to me about healings. We need to take a closer look at this matter. The name of St. Nicholas in the icon by Gostinsky, I think, is correct, but by Gostunsky, it is also corrupted. Having served on Easter Saturday, I wanted to be treated on the week of Antipascha, but, remembering that I invited you to pray, I forced myself to enter into communion of prayers with you, so that my laziness would not interfere with my diligent prayers. May the Lord appear to us in His compassions, the poor for the sake of His people. Paint the church of St. Micah and God bless the treasure. I also agree to raising the floor. True, this will require the raising of the throne, but this too, I think, must be decided for the improvement of the church, and because due to dampness it probably already requires renewal. You just need to be careful when removing and placing the shrine. Be on the lookout for the 8th day of May and beyond: a visit from the Highest Guest may follow. You know the acceptance procedure. The venerable one bless this, and let it establish peace. Don’t write to me in St. Petersburg anymore. I expect to be on the road at the beginning of May. Ask me for the blessing and help of our Reverend Father. Blessings to you. O. the governor, and the brethren, and peace from the Lord. I was greeted in Moscow by the blessing of the monastery of our Venerable Father Sergius, and by your question about the journey of the Sovereign Emperor. I wrote to you about this from St. Petersburg. I have no official notification or instructions about this, except for the Highest order, so that during the Highest journey past the churches at night there would be no ringing of bells and the clergy should not leave them. You should also observe this and order it to be observed in the suburb if the Sovereign Emperor deigned to pass through at night. But I think that this will happen during the day. In this last case there should be a ringing; and you and your brethren will be at the holy gates, as happens when high-ranking persons meet. If the Tsar deigns to visit the Lavra, perform the meeting and prayer and presentation of the icon as always. Perhaps the Emperor, approaching, will precede you with a command, then you will follow it. Look carefully and oh. Tell the rector of the Academy to look carefully, so that everywhere people and things are in their places in order and that no one and nothing is out of place. The Sovereign, even from afar, will see with his eagle eye what is dishonest; do not prevent him from looking at everything with a bright and peaceful eye. I think both the Sovereign Tsarevich and the Empress Tsesarevna will visit the Lavra. If the time of arrival is such that they will have a table in the monastery, then I would like to be the host. Will we be able to do this? Give me an answer to this as soon as you see off the Sovereign Emperor. Cast my humility at the feet of our Reverend Father Sergius. Due to the newly received certification that, during the Highest journey along the Yaroslavl tract, the Highest will that there should be no meetings must be fulfilled in all the force of this expression, I instruct you, Fr. Governor, do the following: 1) If the Most High journey past the Lavra does not take place during the daytime, then there will be neither a bell ringing nor an exit for the clergy. 2) If it is during the day: then there will be no preliminary announcement of the gospel, but only a ringing during the passage itself, and the clergy of the monastery will be in readiness at the holy gates, but not outside them, in case of the highest visit to the monastery. 3) According to the ringing of the Lavra, there should be a ringing in all the churches of the settlement, and the clergy of the Pyatnitskaya and Ascension churches should be there. May the peace of the Lord be with us all. This is what became known about the visit of the Lavra by the Sovereign Heir Tsesarevich and the Empress Tsesarevna. They chose the 23rd day. They will leave Moscow probably at 9 o'clock in the morning. In the monastery, expect to listen to a prayer service. They deigned to accept the invitation so that we could offer them our monastery meal. After the meal they will return the same day. May the prayers of the Venerable One arrange for us church affairs in peace and order and pleasing God. Pay attention to the room. The composition of the retinue is varied, as you will see from the attached note. You gave me a promise that the meal would be arranged appropriately. Take care about this, because I don’t know anything about this. You need to send someone who knows the details of this, for example Elijah, to Moscow as soon as possible, with instructions, so that you can take everything you need from here. I'll try to arrive early; and I wish to come so that neither people nor bells make any movement for me, neither in the monastery nor in the village. What to do with the Diveevskys? You stopped their envoy here: therefore you thought that something could be done in their favor. Tell me your thoughts. But here are the perplexities that the contents of their attached letter present. Is it easy to collect 10,000 rubles? And if this could happen, in whose name should the land be bought when the society is not established? And what if after this the society does not establish itself? Investors will be deceived, as it were. That the hope of establishing a society is not true, an example is the Hodigitrievsky Society, which also has proposed significant contributions, to which I point out in order to encourage approval, without which the contributions would be lost: with all this, the matter has been going on for a long time and although it is supposed to be approved before my departure, I still don’t see the approval and must still bother. It seems to me that prudence demands that we not now dare to do anything for the Diveevskys and wait until the end of the Odigitrievsky case. If this ends well, then it will be safer to move on to something else. So I think; tell me how you like it. I complained to you that there was no imam who could remind me of what I had forgotten. You want to make me complain that a person is not an imam and for what I remember and entrust. Why haven’t they sent any news yet and withheld my manuscript? Is it possible to print news about the visit of the Sovereign Tsarevich in 1841 in 1842? It’s not very good that at one time they didn’t tell me about the gift of the Sovereign Tsarevich for a stranger. This, it seems, should have been mentioned in a public notice, as it was mentioned in some other places. Anastasia there is no obstacle to letting go. Are icons given to the most serene princess and maid of honor in the Lavra? Now they demand it from me. One of the icons sent is suitable for this purpose, and I would like to receive the other from you. Apparently, oh. Governor, they had already covered the iconostasis with crimson color and then they saw that it was rude. It would be better to notice this earlier. I have seen iconostases of this color: they sting the eyes. Only in Yamkino the iconostasis of this color did not disgust me, probably because the color is in small parts, and gilding predominates. I don’t reject the subtle green color, but see if this one is good too. Green color does not harmonize well with gold. If it's silver, wouldn't blue be better? This was done well in the old days. – The invisible sky is covered with blue, and green is the earthly color. - However, as you wish. They asked you about the dormez in case of need, and did not absolutely demand that you send it. But they did what was not required and was hardly beneficial. The dormez dried out so much on the road that they found it necessary to re-tighten the wheels. For such success, was it worth keeping crew masters on salary? Talk to me about the theft on the spot. It is difficult to imagine this in such a way that X. was not guilty of improper storage of what was entrusted to him. Also remind me about the ryassophore John again, because I don’t rely on my memory. It is for your information and fulfillment that the 27th is an exam at the academy and therefore, according to legend from my ancestors, I have lunch for the learned brethren. God's blessing and peace to you, Fr. Viceroy, and brethren, and gratitude for my stay with you through the goodness of God and the prayers of St. Sergius, which was quite peaceful for me. ...my last stay at the Lavra. Pay attention to this. Several sacristy items will return to you, some unnecessary, some taken recklessly, like a club torn from a royal vestment. A wooden staff with a broken glass top will also be sent. Is it possible to cut out the top part of the non-pepper part from wood and put it on glass? You know how to carve wood. The other day, Fr. Viceroy, His Grace Vasily of Polotsk will be in the Lavra. Receive him as before the Most Reverend Anthony; and if he wishes to perform sacred acts, arrange this for him. Also present him with an icon from the monastery and the abbot as a blessing. I don’t argue against the idea of ​​turning an old almshouse into a hotel. It’s good to put a mug in a charity house: you can put it in the Trinity porch. But don’t the poor go around with a hand-held mug, and will this be appropriate under the new order? If the sacristan wants to ask for dismissal from his position, then it would not be a bad idea to remind him not to hesitate, protecting himself from a difficult surrender in the winter. God will bless the school children to sing in the choir. Separating the top of the sacristy from other buildings with walls is good and useful. Someone brought me prosphora, as if from you. But you are sending under a seal that is not there. Is it true? Tell me, what to do with Hieromonk S.? He walked a lot; was involved in thievery; when he was tonsured, his service record does not say. Did something happen here according to the Yuryevsky Charter, and not the Synodal? This will be given to you, Fr. Viceroy, Pavel Vladimirovich Apukhtin. He strongly desired to enter the monastery; was really in Valaam, and was clothed in a ryasophore; but he faced temptations and came out. It seems to him that his parents are preventing him from entering the monastery; and yet a strong obstacle seems to be hidden in his will and in the overwhelming thoughts. Accept him, and help him through prayer and sacraments to seek peace for his soul. It is advisable that his state of mind be revealed to you, and that you use proper healing. May the Lord help you through the prayers of our Reverend Father Sergius. Peace to you and the brethren. Let it be known to you, Fr. Viceroy, that I spoke about John Tikhonov to the Eminence of Tambov, who had other petitions for him. I look forward to hearing from you about the bridge stone matter. It is necessary to bring it out of disorder into order so that new disorder does not occur. I don’t remember if I told you that the civil governor considers it fair to take the stone of space, the highway, and leave the stone of further space, streets and squares, in favor of the Lavra. After this was written, a member of the road commission visited me and pestered me about this matter. And I remember that I told you back in the Lavra not to delay this matter. Please pay attention to matters in which slowness is especially inappropriate. Is it really possible to stop the work of the highway because the Cathedral is delaying? From the Novomlinsky case, in addition to the slowness of the Council, I saw that the power of attorney I have for you is leading me to trouble. Could I have thought that you would propose to me to conclude a contract for fourteen or fifteen years, when the law allows no more than twelve? You did it; and I, by proxy, apparently did not carefully review the terms, and the contract was concluded: and the matter is now taking this course. which may be subject to strict legal review, and consequences that may be very unpleasant. Forgive me: it seems to me that we should better protect the law, each other and ourselves. Someone from Bethany, a hierodeacon, the son of a Moscow merchant, came, about three weeks ago, to the Ascension Monastery and during the Divine service was visiting the bourgeois women who lived there, and not without difficulty was removed. The bourgeois women were expelled from the monastery, as they had previously been noticed in unsettled behavior. Upon their complaint about expulsion, this case was revealed to me. What kind of hierodeacon is this? Why were you in Moscow? Did he appear, according to the law, to the dean of the monasteries, if he did not deign to appear to the abbot of the monastery? The resolution asks about the former housekeeper, not what he bought, but what he received, that is, what salary. I now have the Lavra traveling carriage in use, because mine is being repaired. Did the silent Peter go to Moscow or not? Don’t you have a file about him, which was not presented to me, when Prince D.V. was in Moscow, and therefore time has passed again? Do not be angry at this ugly letter, and may it not diminish the peace that I always call upon you. Moscow. August 13th 1841. I.’s actions are very bad, and the supervisors at the hotel are hardly right. Anyone returning drunk should have been immediately removed from the hotel. The one who committed the outrage for the first time, noticed by the minister, certainly had to be removed, if necessary, with the help of the police, which would have prevented another outrage. When the outrage spread to the church, the living monk and the dean had to report to the Council, and the Council to me. This would be a precaution against the consequences, if they did not want to conduct business: I could send a private report to the vice-governor. Now what do you ask of me? So that I can go to the vice-governor with your letter? You need to know that I don’t visit him, and he rarely visits me. The civil governor did not return. Give me instruction what I can do, for I do not understand. Make a vestment of crimson velvet for the throne and for the altar, God bless. That P.V.A. won’t come to the Reverend is very hard. And he expressed his consent to me to pray over him, and with this special thought he turned him to you. See if there is any way to treat him. May the Lord help him, and may our Reverend Father Sergius intercede for him. May the Lord grant that Kolyubakin finds himself a good novice. The representation of a sacristan is permitted. It’s a shame you didn’t tell me in more detail how to proceed in acceptance. I don’t think it’s convenient to accept and create an inventory. It is necessary to accept according to existing documents, and redo the inventory afterwards, so as not to prolong or otherwise confuse the reception process. The inventory plan, it seems, should be this: 1) Inventory of churches and utensils belonging to them. 2) Inventory of sacred, ecclesiastical and memorable things. 3) Inventory of various things. II. Additional description: The first inventory should include everything important, memorable and centuries-old. In the second - things of minor importance, often changing from use. During execution, more questions will arise about where to take things. We’ll need to talk about this later, and it’s better if we’re there. His Eminence of Lithuania asked me for a miter and panagia. Remind me to talk about this in the Lavra. How you do not understand the illegality and the possible disaster that may follow in the mill business is also incomprehensible to me. The law does not require contracts to be extended beyond 12 years. Suppose you made three contracts suddenly, each for ten years. Could you really say that the law has not been broken? The situation is now in the same situation, with the difference that the extra years against the law are not 28, but 5 years, or three years. The need to mortgage the establishment shows that Novomlinsky is not hanging by a thread. Tomorrow a case may open with creditors, which will entail our contract in the official places, and the contract, which has been extended beyond the legal term, will be taken to the S. Synod for consideration. Perhaps I understand this more clearly than you, because responsibility will fall on me, as the one who approved it, and you will be blocked by me. Why was Hierodeacon O. dismissed to Solovetsky? On a pilgrimage? I wrote to you how badly he prays and how he dishonors Bethany. It was painful for me to learn something unfavorable about the silent Peter. Now there is no need to let him go to Moscow. And what should we do with it now? It was necessary to write about him to the Governor-General with strong approval in order to have success. How to do this now, and with what hope of good fruit? Give me some ideas. If now he does not accept penance, what hope is there for him to accept it later? I wish the Lord to help you bring him to the mind of obedience and humility. The rector of the academy asks for an apartment to Archpriest Golubinsky, who is worthy of compassion. He asks for a new hospital, but this is hardly possible. If the almshouse were to soon move to a new premises, would it be possible to place it in the old almshouse premises? Does it rain? - They say that they do. - There has been no rain here for a long time. The fields, they say, still don’t suffer from this, but the vegetable gardens and livestock do. In the evening clouds appear; In the morning the purple sun appears in the dark sky, but the wind blows the clouds away and the dryness continues. Let us pray to the Lord that heaven will listen to the thirsty land. I ask for your prayers for myself and my brothers. Moscow August 25th 1841. The design for the staff doesn't seem decent. The crutch is very rough; and an icon is not appropriate under a crutch. It is necessary to make a crutch without an icon, and decorate it a little with non-breakable carvings, and carve a cross on it that is not fragile. Novomlinsky understands that the incorrectness of the contract can also harm him, and therefore agrees to rewrite it for 12 years, at the expense of the time he took for himself before. Before drawing up an inventory, it is necessary, if possible, to correct things that are damaged. Forgive me, oh. Governor, I haven’t written for a long time. A persistent cold does not leave me, and forces me to sit with my legs placed horizontally, through which I entered while standing. It is not convenient to write in this position; and therefore I write only what is necessary. I always accept your reminders about useful things with gratitude: so do reflections during rainlessness. I ordered ordinary prayers back in August, and at the beginning of September, after consulting with the consistory, I gave instructions, which have been communicated to you. Only I got to fulfill it alone, by performing a full prayer service on September 4th. It rained on days 5 and 6; and the consistory advised me to remain under the previous ordinary disposition. Meanwhile, the land here has not been watered to this day. Rain and snow occur in small quantities, and the moisture is mostly carried by the wind. In the location of the sacristy, as I remember I already told you, the details are difficult to determine well. The panagia, of which you miss so many, are included in the inventory of antiquity. Collect more questions and assumptions about this, and occupy me with them on the spot, if God wills. The thought of a monastery is very desirable, but it requires a lot of thought. – Korbukha is not quite silent, even though it was fenced off. Bethany would be quieter if not for the Seminary. If the noise of the reeds, as one of the fathers noted, is not conducive to silence, is not much more audible on Korbukh both from Posad and from the nearby road, especially when driving along it after bargaining and drinking wine? – I would like to talk about this more personally. I’m surprised how P. doesn’t act like an old man in his old age! – How unpleasant it is to have to make decisions not by proxy, but by the thought of infidelity! - But this time demands it. You don't tell me anything about the church of St. Micah. Notice if you don't need to talk about it. The Bethany hierodeacon, about whom I wrote before, made me think about those coming from you. They say they go without tickets. This must not happen. A ticket is needed for order, for any accident, and so that it is easy to distinguish between a self-willed person and a false one. Moscow. September 18th 1841. I don’t want to lead you, oh. Viceroy, that yesterday I thought I was recovering, but today I am sick again. And therefore I don’t know whether I can travel to you for a holiday, and if I force myself to; won't I be useless? And my traveling carriage is not ready, and yours is less convenient for me. It is true that you should not wait for me: because it is better to come to the unexpected than to make yourself wait in vain. And if I can’t, celebrate in peace, and ask the Reverend for forgiveness and blessing of my weakness. Thank you, oh. Viceroy, you and the brethren, for your parting prayers for me. With their assistance, I completed my journey safely: and I found the liturgy in Brotherhood at the beginning, although the priest began without waiting for me. The tsata on the ternary image must be rethreaded if the wire is thin. But the salary should not be removed due to doubts about the small empty space in the salary. What I said that the last days before departure are hectic is simply rightly said: and in these days, for the most part, I don’t have time to manage my affairs, and I don’t deal with people enough, and I forget other necessary things, and I’m more embarrassed by ordinary weakness. The thought relating to you, which I did not express, was that it may be unpleasant for you, having arrived, to sit with the steward and not see enough of me: and this may happen against my will. May it serve to my humility that you do not believe the simplicity of my words, and are looking for stupid thoughts that I do not have. The sacristy's business will not lose much in a few days. You can, during the days of your absence, either stop or assign the treasurer to inspect the hospital or refectory church, where there is no fear of important misunderstandings. Thus, you can come, leaving on Sunday after mass, to spend Monday and Tuesday with me, and, if God wills, let me go on Wednesday. The arrival of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich and His Wife will have an effect on the time constraints. But this cannot yet be determined. Especially the day of arrival of the Grand Duchess is not determined, due to the condition of the roads. Do not deprive me of the consolation of unanimity and unanimity. God's blessing and peace to you, Fr. the governor, and the brethren. My journey was completed without much difficulty. Despite the Grand Duchess traveling at the same time, there were no stops from the post office. Near St. Petersburg we were stopped by the repair of the second carriage, and therefore I arrived at the farmstead after midnight on Monday. I found Maxim limping; but today Maxim, limping, is serving, and the housekeeper is ill. I am sending you the hostel rules as amended. Read and say what you find necessary to say with the return of the notebook. The Lord of Novgorod is becoming more and more ancient. Kyiv is recovering from a cold. The former Bishop of Riga Irinarh was appointed vicar of Voronezh. I remember I told you, oh. Governor, that it is better to write about items that require business permission not in a letter, but when writing in a special note that could be returned and transferred, which cannot be done with a letter by combining different items in it. The assumptions about a ministerial or singing house at the Sukharevsky metochion agree with my thoughts. But you need to figure it out on the spot. It is a pity that assumptions requiring local considerations, as if on purpose, come to me when I am not there. So is the assumption about the reservoir. The drawing will not tell everything about the place, and what you would tell me and I would tell you if you were in the place. The drawing assigns a reservoir too close to the Assumption Cathedral. This would mean giving him new dampness from the north both in the earth and in the air. It is better to pay attention to the place where there was a pond in the former Pisarevsky Garden. There is probably also a water pipe connecting to the white pond. It's close to the academic buildings, but on the dry afternoon side; and from them you can go to the Assumption Cathedral, so as to open at least the southern half of the former pond. Consider these objections of mine. I also don’t like the reservoir being too long and narrow. Round is better for keeping water intact and clean. Try not to let Chelyshev's malfunction continue too long, which would increase the debt and the difficulty of repayment. But now I care about someone else’s business. Princess Shakhovskaya visited me and expressed a desire to help the Diveyevoskys and even go to them for this purpose; asked my advice and among other things said that they bought the land not idle, but with a small number of peasants. This circumstance can create difficulties. The community cannot own them. We need to free them. You can't liberate without land. Under such circumstances, I did not know what advice to give. What could she do if she went? Would it have an effect on the authorities, leading to a quick and correct end to the matter? - I doubt. And the reason for the delay is ready: you can’t survey in winter. Write to me quickly what you know about the affairs of Diveyevo, and what I could usefully advise the benefactor. If you do not have close information, write and deliver it to me. May the Lord preserve the monastery, you and the brethren in peace. I don't hear anything about the future of Riga. The former was appointed vicar of Voronezh. The housekeeper asks to change Varlaam. Tell me who you are thinking of sending. Now I asked the housekeeper if anyone else needed to be changed. He answers that the novice wants to join the white clergy, but can serve until spring. He adds that it is not to M.’s benefit, having a lot of relations with secular people, even despite the special warning of his superiors. He testifies about Nathanael that he is diligent in the church and is always at home. And I always see Nathanael in good order. Nathanael doesn’t talk about how he fasts, and I didn’t ask. Thank you, Father Vicar, and brethren, for your prayerful remembrance of me for the sake of my angel’s day and the blessing sent to me in the sign of the holy icon. May the Lord bless your love, and may he strengthen and perfect us in it. I am revising the description of the Lavra and am approaching the end. The work of Mr. Gorsky is great and kind. But there are oversights, and I have no time and nothing to believe. He says that two charters of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich are in the third volume of archaeographic acts, but when verified, it turns out that they are in the fourth and constitute one charter there. One or two in the archive? On one or two separate columns? This is the letter from which you copied the last half and sent it to me. By this example, how can I rely on something that I cannot believe? There are incompletenesses in the description of Trinity Cathedral that you, it seems, could fill in. For example, what exactly are the things of St. Sergius kept with his relics? Now I am sending you part of the article about the sacristy, which I am reworking in my own way. Do you think it's better this way? Believe what I have written and, if necessary, add to it. Is there anything else that belongs to this article? Tell about. To Archimandrite Paisius my gratitude for the letter. I delayed the case of contracts for the Moscow courtyard because there is doubt. Now I have resolved it so that you are not constrained in action; but I consider it necessary to say that short-term contracts were safer for the Lavra, they kept the hirers more dependent, and they had no reason to fear that they would be refused when they were in good working order. Having kept the shop for two years profitably, the renter will easily add something; for six years he will hire it no other way than at the lowest price of the first years, allowing himself to be guessed for many years. You are more likely to deal with a bad hirer on a short-term contract than on a long-term one. Let it be especially known to you that by law every contract must be approved by me, as it will be in a new form, and there is nothing to approve old ones. It would not be a bad idea for the treasurer to show the draft of the new contract to the consistory secretary Shchastnev, so that nothing dubious before the law would creep in. Tell Stefan Feodorovich 60 that a note about his case has been submitted to the Minister of Justice, and it was said from me that it was possible about the justice of the case. Stefan Feodorovich visited me in Moscow before leaving, but at a cramped time in front of people; and therefore I could not talk enough with him. If you haven’t visited the Pesnoshsky Monastery yet, visit it and tell me. The case of Habakkuk has been decided, the case of Jonah and Peter has not yet been found. It seems that everything is in my mind and in its place my secretary is not so. About the singing and ministerial corps, enter into communication with the steward of the farmstead and draw up a definitive project. I really regret what happened during the ordination of the hieromonk. I think what you say is true, that a soul established in God should not waver, no matter what happens outside of it, and especially in its special service to the Lord; however, it is natural to grieve and be embarrassed when the important work of sanctification is subject to inattention and confusion. Knowing my weakness above all, I do not judge us, but I pray to the Lord to make your affirmation in Him, like Mount Zion, motionless. Isn’t it necessary to ensure that dedications are not given to His Eminence Anastasius unless there is special need? Who is the confessor of the Right Reverend? “He would have fulfilled his duty if he had humbly said a word to the Eminence about attention in the sacred rite, and perhaps the Eminence would have been protected from what he allows himself to do without noticing. We still need to think about changing the employees at the farmstead. I’m surprised that Gerasim considers it possible to be captured. Who would dare refuse to accept Belavin when he asked St. Sergius and received a sign of his permission? - Only let him be faithful to his vow and calling. You say the truth that control is sometimes worth more than the amount it costs to work on, and unnecessarily. But what to do? It is proper to obey the authorities and wait for them to look around and cut off the part of the work that is uselessly burdensome. Thank God that there is no loss in the sacristy, and there are new fruits of the God-loving. If Hieromonk P. was told about the danger, lest, yielding to the passion for self-interest, he again open the door to another punishing passion, then his duty is fulfilled. If he wants, let him go. It is dangerous to leave Hieromonk F. locked in his cell with his fits. It is urgently necessary to transfer to a brotherly hospital, and use supervision and care, especially against the bad medicine of the disease. Schemamonk Nikolai is apparently in good spirits. P. and F. would learn from him. In Varlaam’s place, send Neophyte, as you say, without delay. I am perplexed about the change in others. I’m glad to live with Savvaty, but I don’t want to distract him from the Lavra. I agree to take Jeremiah, but what will they do with Moses? Jeremiah previously considered himself the eldest, but now why deprive Moses of the primacy, whose peaceful life I am pleased with. Answer me to these perplexities, because there is no need to rush these changes. Frost began here on the 6th day of this month; and this day it is snowing, which has never been on the earth before. How are you? Won't the rye get cold in the field? Bless for this to listen to God's services, and then to the Synod. If you please, oh. Governor, that I have finished revising the description of the Lavra. The point is behind the correspondence. The files on Jonah and Peter are still not in my office. It is clear how Avvakumovo was detained. I wrote it in pencil to report to you in Moscow. The scribe forgot, just like me, and the file lay there until they reminded me. How the other two cases were lost from view, I don’t know. He ordered to search here and in Moscow. O. Archimandrite Theophilos, thank me for the letter. Follow the attached note. I don’t remember how much it should be G. K…….wu, as suggested. If he needs more: remind him in time. May the Eternal Child bless you with His meek and saving right hand. January 9th. There is no obstacle on my part. But it is necessary to ensure that the chosen place is decent, and that there is no dispute on the part of the commission for the buildings. Note. This inscription was made on a letter dated December 13, 1841, by which Fr. The governor petitioned His Eminence to bless the enterprise of an unknown donor, who expressed a desire to dig a well at his own expense near the chapel on Krasnogorskaya Square. Father Vicar, a student of the Sarov Elder Seraphim, wrote to the Metropolitan that this great ascetic taught not to scold for vice, but to correct it, presenting the beauty and amiability of virtue and revealing the shame and vileness of vice. Father Vicar was the confessor of the late metropolitan. Bishop Innokenty of Dmitrov, who had been vicar since 1827 (May 23), was appointed bishop on March 31, 1831. Kursk, was later bishop. Volynsky (from 1832 Feb. 10) and Orlovsky (from 1840 Jan. 28), and died in this rank on April 1840. 25. Nikolai, from the rectors of the Tambov family, made bishop. Dmitrovsky 1831 June 8, later bishop. Kaluga (from 1834 Oct. 2), skon. 1851 Sep. 17. According to the recollections of old-timers, Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna wanted to build this chapel on the occasion of finding her missing diamonds. Rector of the Tver Family archim. Michael, appointed bishop. Ufa. Some students expressed their displeasure with the lunch prepared for them that day in a less than decent manner. Compare letter 20th. In one memorial book, preserved after Metropolitan Philaret, about this meeting with the Sovereign Emperor on the road, it is written under October 10: “1831. Between Kresttsy and Zaitsev, at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, I met the Sovereign Emperor, traveling to Moscow, quite accidentally,” under the 11th: “1831. Between Podberezye and Spasskaya Polesye I met the Empress at 4 o’clock in the afternoon.” This journey of the Emperor was unexpected for everyone. We have news of this in a modern letter from Count D.N. Bludov: “The Emperor was preparing to pleasantly amaze his ancient capital and on the night from Friday to Saturday he went to Moscow. The Empress followed him, on Sunday morning, with a very small retinue. The Tsarskoye Selo residents themselves, those closest to the Court, learned about this only on Friday, here (S.P.P.) only on Saturday morning, and not early. True, they came to me with this news “earlier,” but I didn’t believe it, having been in Tsarskoe Selo a few hours before (on Thursday evening) and not having heard anything. However, it’s no wonder that he didn’t know anything when Prince Golitsyn, the chief director of the post office, ………. I received news of the departure of the Emperor and Empress no earlier than us. They say that the Emperor was very amused in advance by the idea of ​​taking Moscow residents and rulers by surprise.” (Russian Arch. 1875, Book 2, Page 114). The last word in the letter was not preserved. Some details about Svobodsky are set out in the book: “Notes about the life and times of the saint. Philareta Mitrop. Mosk." Compiled by N. Ya. Sushkov, pp. 258–261. We are, of course, talking about the assistance provided by Russia to Turkey during the Egyptian unrest and at first aroused many hostile interpretations in the European powers. About this and in the memorial book of the late Vladyka, mentioned above, is written down on January 6th. 1834. And now, like the third year, I am sitting at home, having caught a cold in the palace on the Nativity of Christ.” This advice seemed so remarkable to Vladyka that he especially wrote it down in a memorial book, in which the following continuation of the above entry under January 6, 1834 reads: “Elder Seraphim taught not to scold for vice, but only to reveal its shame and consequences.” Gregory, later Metropolitan of Novgorod and St. Petersburg. A.A. Exempted from compulsory service in the Lavra from among the Lavra's servants, for services rendered during the siege of the Lavra. This free one was found by chance while dismantling old junk in one of the Lavra towers. A.A. Hierodeacon V. saw in a dream death who had come to announce to him that she was ready to sculpt him, but had not yet received the command, because he was not ready, “for this is the kind of tongue you have,” - at the same time she showed a long black tongue. The Bishop, to whom the governor turned for an explanation of what meaning could be attributed to this vision, instructed him to ask the hierodeacon: was he in the habit of using bad words in abuse? - “After all, I was a kisser in the world! It’s known that even if you say nothing, you’ll curse, V. answered simply-heartedly, “apparently, she threatened me for that.” A.A. Rev. Paphnutius in the 16th century. founded the Intercession Monastery in the city of Balakhna. In 1783 the monastery was converted into a parish church. In 1833, at the Church of the Intercession where Paphnutius was buried, a chapel was built in the name of St. Paphnutius Borovsky. We are talking, of course, about the section compiled by the Most Reverend Metropolitan Philaret, “The Life of our Venerable and God-Bearing Father Sergius,” which is now being published under the special title: “Some features of the life of our Venerable and God-Bearing Father Sergius of Radonezh after death, that is, some legends about his appearances and miracles. Extracted from books and manuscripts in 1834.” This part of the life of St. Sergius under the same title was published for the first time in Christian Reading for 1836 (part 2, pp. 58–99). For the history of the compilation of this legend, the following notes in the memorial book found after Metropolitan Philaret are not without interest: September 14th: “1834 Another day, being ill, I asked the Sovereign Emperor for permission not to go to St. Petersburg until next August”; under the 15th: “1831. Not without difficulty I went to the Lavra to meet the Emperor tomorrow; but in the evening he was informed that his path was directed towards Kaluga. At the same time, I was informed that the requested permission was granted to me”; under the 23rd: “1834. After days of weakness, bad weather and unsuccessful medical treatments, with difficulty, but by the goodness of God, I served the Liturgy in the house church with relief. It was week 15. Apostle. 176"; under the 24th: “1831. God helped to take advantage of the previous days - to write a long-supposed extract about the miracles of St. Sergius and read it at the all-night vigil.” Published in the book “Monastic Letters” (pp. 12–16). About this call in the memorial book in God of the late Metropolitan Philaret, under the 15th hour of April, it is written: “1835. “I accidentally received a call to St. Petersburg in May to participate, as they said, in meetings on some subjects of the spiritual department.” May 4. In the memorial book, mentioned here more than once, under this number it is written: “1835.” The Sovereign Emperor, before the table, explained my challenge with good words, and ordered me to precede him a little to St. Petersburg.” The sympathy expressed in these words for the cause of feeding the strange is also evident from the memorial book, already mentioned here more than once, in which under September 20 it was noted: “1834. About 100 strange people dined with St. Sergius. This thought belongs to Fr. Governor Anthony, and I only agree to it.” In the memorial book, mentioned more than once here, under February 5th it is written: “Gregory the Besedovnik saved King Troyan by prayer, having heard from God he should never pray for the wicked. Synax, on Saturday. meat-eater." So in the original; but this is obviously a typo, very clear at the beginning of the year, “instead of 1835, it should read”: 1836. A clearer indication of this is the mention of “a cold contracted at the funeral of the father’s confessor Paul”; this burial, as occurring in December 1835, is mentioned above in letter 127. “The proposal to convey the speech to the rector of the academy” is in letter 123. According to the legends of old-timers, it was not a wolf, but a hyena, which, running around Moscow, bit quite a few people. This letter is not visible among those that have survived. Rev. Isidore, who was a vicar since 1834 (November 11), this year, June 5, was made with Polotsk. Now Metropolitan of Novgorod and St. Petersburg. Words., authentic. Job Job. (VII, 14). Which was done by A.A. At the time when the Lord, warning the Sovereign Heir, went to. Bethany, the horses, while still in the posad, began to beat him severely; One of the Lavra staff saw this, rushed around the corner to the drawbar and hung on it, and with this he stopped the enraged horses and saved Vladyka A.A. The omission in the original is probably the word icon. It really happened. In the memorial book found after Metropolitan Philaret, under November 12 it is written: “1837. The tonsure of Alexy" (now Archbishop of Tver) "in Chudovo in the presence of the Grand Duchesses and Grand Duke Konstantin." Whom? - omitted from the original. Probably: A., about which see below. March 26th day, 1839. Most mercifully included in the Order of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, 1st degree of the Grand Cross, with a rescript with the following content: “Your long-term service to the Church and the Fatherland has always been decorated with diverse and difficult activities, always with a word of conviction and the action of supervision, preserving the value of the flocks entrusted to you and taking care to increase the number sons of Orthodoxy, you have especially brought tribute to the common good of the Church in the rank of member of the Holy Synod with your experienced knowledge of its needs and tireless diligence in various parts of the highest Spiritual Administration. Giving justice to such merits and desiring to again show Our Royal favor towards them, Most Mercifully, and so on. Published in the book: “Monastic Letters” (pp. 45–50). Placed further after this letter. The Archbishop of Podolsk and Bratslav, summoned in 1840 to attend the Synod, died on March 28, 1841, on Great Friday. Pages 406–407 are missing from the book - electronic editor's note. Pages 412–413 are missing from the book - electronic editor's note. Stefan Fedorovich Smirnov, famous for his writings against Freemasonry.