Глава III. Состояние Площанской пустыни при поступлении в нее Михаила Николаевича и его жительство под руководством старцев – сначала иеромонаха Ионы, а затем схимонаха Афанасия Захарова

At the time when Mikhail Nikolaevich arrived to live in the Ploshchansk Hermitage, it was ruled by Hieromonk Ioannikiy, a simple and kind man in his personal qualities, but inexperienced in the spiritual leadership of the brethren and ignorant of economic orders. During his administration, the Ploshchanskaya hermitage, rich in land 7, abounded in bread and other products of rural life; for which reason a sufficient number of cattle and horses were kept in the monastery; but due to a lack of funds, and partly also of prudent management, she suffered from a need for everything that was acquired by purchase from outside. The brethren needed linen and necessary clothing, which is why outside the church they walked around in multi-stitched rags and wore bast shoes instead of boots. Characterizing the then state of the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage, Hierodeacon Palladius, a contemporary of Fr. Makaria, who lived in the same monastery with him at that time, used to say: “You could even bathe in oil, but there was nothing to wear.” The Brotherhood of the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage when Mikhail Nikolaevich joined it, despite the limited staff, consisted of 50 people. Among them, although there were elders of a strict life, and in general all the brethren led a strict and hardworking life, but, according to the testimony of the elder Macarius himself and the aforementioned hierodeacon Palladius, this severity was expressed only in external action: the brethren usually attended church services without neglect, observed fasting and fulfilled the prayer rule, and themselves corrected all monastic general and private obediences. So, in addition to obedience to church and meals and preparing firewood for themselves in the forest, they were also engaged in harvesting hay, bread and garden vegetables. Almost no attention was paid to internal work, namely to the eradication of passions: pride, vanity - very subtle and almost invisible to the inattentive eye, as well as anger, condemnation of neighbors, subtle lies and hypocrisy in words and deeds and other dishonest passions that destroy souls. While observing the external side of the monastic charter, that is, regarding the time and order of church services, common meals and monastic obediences, there was no special order in the internal administration in the monastery, which, as is known, depends not so much on the literal observance of the charter, but on the spiritual experience of those in charge of the leadership of the souls entrusted to them by God. Most importantly, the monastery did not establish a rule about the brethren revealing their thoughts to spiritually experienced and prudent elders, who at any time could give useful and saving advice to the inexperienced in their restless struggle with invisible and cunning enemies and their passions. For the preservation of conscience through the possible frequent revelation, or confession, of one’s thoughts and deeds, as a result of completely surrendering oneself to the guidance of a spiritually experienced and prudent elder, is the basis, guarantee and intercessor of monastic success, as shown by the consonant testimonies of all the saints. ascetic fathers, there is a reason for the prosperity of the monastery and monasteries on St. to this day. Mount Athos and some desert monasteries in Russia. But no matter how great and soul-saving this holy work is (that is, the humble, with due attention to oneself, revelation of thoughts to considerate elders), just as much our enemy and adversary the devil opposes it. According to Rev. Abba Dorotheus, “not only does the evil one hate the very instruction, but he cannot even hear the very voice pronouncing it... And should I say why? He knows that his villainy will be revealed immediately as soon as they begin to ask and talk about useful things. And he hates and fears nothing so much as being recognized, because then he can no longer deceive as he wants” 8. But let's continue talking about the young ascetic Mikhail. His zeal for monastic life was not afraid of the hardships and labors he encountered at the very beginning of his monastic feat. On the contrary, as a result of the same jealousy, they seemed to him not only easy, but also amiable. Already living in the Optina monastery and being an old man, Father Fr. Macarius recalled with love how he laid the foundation for monastic life in the Ploshchanskaya hermitage, saying how, with his sincere will, deprivations in food and clothing seemed easy to him, and the very bast shoes were sweet, like the humble shoes of our humble peasants, especially Christians. “However,” he said, “as a nobleman, I was given not rough bast shoes, but a kind of shoes made of bast, but neatly made, called bakhirs.” A month after Mikhail Nikolaevich entered the monastery, namely on November 16, 1810, he was designated by decree of the Oryol Spiritual Consistory as one of the novices of the Ploshchansky Hermitage; and on December 24 of the same year he was tonsured by the builder, Father Ioannikius, into a ryasophore and named Melchizedek. In November 1811 he accompanied his Fr. builder on his trip to collect alms for the monastery in the Bryansk district and Kaluga province. Moreover, as noted in the handwritten notes of the accompanying Fr. Melchizedek, collected a little over 300 rubles. And after this Fr. Melchizedek was constantly engaged in writing at the monastery. At the very introduction of Fr. Melchizedek was entrusted to the monastery by Fr. rector to the special care of the fraternal confessor, the venerable elder Hieromonk Jonah. This elder was from the Bolkhov townsfolk. In the manner of his ascetic life and tireless diligence, which was helped by the extraordinary strength of his bodily strength, in the stern outward severity towards himself and others and in the directness of his character, he was one from the ancients. Guided by faith in the Providence of God and in the mentor indicated to him, the young ascetic monk Melchizedek, despite his poor health and gentle upbringing, like an iron smith, devoted himself to him in complete obedience. And the simple elder fell in love with the novice entrusted to him by the abbot for his quietness and unquestioning obedience. He diligently began to teach Fr. Melchizedek, as a novice, to the musical notes of church singing and, in general, to order and monastic deanery. With knowledge of the basic laws of music and singing, the novice easily learned church singing, the tone and order of the daily church readings. Later, from Father Jonah, he began studying the church rules, first as a canonarch, and then as a leader of the left choir. At the same time, it is impossible not to notice that all this knowledge, so necessary in the monastery, which, however, does not come easily and not to everyone, having been acquired in good time by Fr. Melchizedek, served as preparation for his future activities as a mentor of monks. All this, of course, is commendable. But since the attention of Elder Jonah was mainly drawn to external exploits and external deanery, the soul of the young ascetic, striving for cleansing from sinful thoughts and desires inflicted by primordial invisible enemies, naturally could not be satisfied with just the external side of monasticism. Protected by the fear of God from all vicious actions, Fr. Melchizedek, however, could not help but have mental warfare and demonic battles, inevitable for a spiritual warrior. And the more he succeeded in external work, the more he realized the lack of a leader with the gift of reasoning thoughts for success in internal work, without which, according to what was said above, it is impossible to achieve the fruit of monastic life, or success. Father Melchizedek grieved over this all the more because the rumor about the elders of spiritual life, who were instilled in the forests of Bryansk and in some monasteries of the Kursk and Oryol dioceses, and the echo of their teaching reached the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage, kindling the heart of the young monk with a thirst for seeing them and having a soulful conversation with them. In 1813, the former rector of the Ploshchanskaya hermitage, Fr. Ioannikiy was dismissed to retire to the Svensky Monastery. His successor, Hieromonk Callistus, originally from the Oryol merchants, having encountered obstacles to correcting the omissions that had taken root over time in the internal order, resigned from his leadership, having served in the rank of rector for less than a year. His place was taken by Hieromonk Pavel, one of the Rostov merchants, tonsured to St. Mount Athos. Returning from there, he lived in the Beloberezh Hermitage and then in the Svensky Monastery, being in spiritual communion with the elders who lived there; then he was appointed treasurer to the Oryol Monastery, and from here at the end of 1813 he was appointed builder of the Ploshchanskaya hermitage, which he ruled until 1818. This is a good change for Fr. Melchizedek was as desirable as she was useful. In 1814, he decided to go to Kyiv to venerate the relics of the saints who rested there. saints of God. With a staff in his hand, a knapsack over his shoulders and in the most wretched clothing of a wanderer, he set out on foot, also intending to get acquainted with some spiritual men. And therefore, on the way, he went to various desert monasteries, found out about the elders of spiritual life and entered into conversation with them, with the sole intention of finding the priceless beads - Christ. Upon his return, Fr. Melchizedek from his journey to his monastery, the new abbot, Fr. Paul, as a man of spiritual intelligence, noticing in him a saving zeal for monastic life, forcing himself to all monastic virtues, and especially to humility and silence, and ardent zeal for completing the obediences assigned to him, hastened to ordain him as a monk of the monastery entrusted to him. In 1815, on March 7, he tonsured Fr. Melchizedek into the mantle and named him Macarius, in the name of the venerable father Macarius the Great of Egypt, thereby encouraging the young monk to imitate this lamp of Eastern monasticism. The young monk was now only 26 years old. In the same year, on March 12, Fr. Macarius, according to Fr. rector, was ordained a hierodeacon by the Right Reverend Dosifei, Bishop of Oryol and Sevsk, and in June of the same year, by resolution of the Right Reverend, he was appointed sacristan. In the very year of Fr. Macarius, one of the disciples of Elder Paisius (Velichkovsky), Schemamonk Afanasy, an elder of spiritual life, entered the monastic life in the Ploshchansk Hermitage. Immediately o. Macarius entered into spiritual communion with him and, after living the first six years in the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage under the guidance of Elder Jonah, in 1817, with the blessing of the abbot, he moved to Fr. Athanasius in his cell, Fr. Macarius loved, cherished and revered this elder as his father and mentor, and was honored to serve him until his very blessed death. According to his own testimony, Fr. Macarius, his elder schemamonk Athanasius had the closest influence on his spiritual education. Therefore, to explain what exactly this upbringing consisted of, we consider it not superfluous to enter into some details about the life of this remarkable student Paisiev, conveying them in the form and in almost the same words as they were written down in one handwritten notebook, found in the papers after the death of Elder Macarius. “Schimonk Afanasy, by the name of Zakharov, came from the nobility, served in military service as a captain in a hussar regiment. At the age of 30 he entered the Moldavian Nyametsky Monastery, where he was tonsured a monk by Elder Paisius, and lived there for 7 years. After which he came to Russia according to his needs, but from here he was unable to return back, for which he suffered many sorrows. Then he was assigned to the Florishcheva Hermitage in the Vladimir province and was treasurer there for some time. He lived in the Gorokhovsky Monastery and in both of these monasteries he had many sorrowful temptations. In 1806 he went on a pilgrimage to Kyiv and on his way back due to illness he remained in the Beloberezh desert. In 1815, with the blessing of the Right Reverend Dosifei, he came to the Ploshchansk Hermitage and in December of the same year he broke his right leg, and already remained here permanently 9. The ten-year stay of this elder in the Ploshchanskaya hermitage served as an example for all the brethren. Many took advantage of his life, instruction and love, for this elder was meek, forgiving, humble, merciful, compassionate and loving to everyone. When he heard that someone was sick or in need of something, he tried in every possible way to help and comfort him. He was also strange-loving. Rarely did a strange person pass by without him comforting him with something or giving him something to help him along the way. It happened more than once to see how, without eating himself, he gave the last thing he had to his brother, saying: “Glory to God! They send it to us, but they are weak people; where will they get it? How merciful this old man was to those who sinned against him, let us give one of many examples of this. A certain brother, overcome by the envy of the devil, slandered the elder, as if he went to the hotel in order to rob those who came to the monastery, meaning by this tea, sugar and other inexpensive things given to him out of zeal by visitors who received spiritual benefit from his edifications and advice. This brother not only grumbled himself, but also provoked some of the brethren to do so. But the brethren did not so much believe his words as they were tempted by them, knowing the virtuous life of the elder. I am a witness to this (says the biography writer), with what intention and with what sorrow the elder went to the hotel. For many, both monastics and lay people, had great faith in the elder and asked the abbot to allow them to visit him or to allow him to visit them at the inn. And what they gave him out of diligence, he distributed to the brethren and the poor, not keeping even half of it for himself. Father Athanasius, hearing the slander and slander of this brother against him, pleased him in every possible way and told many about him that this brother was very kind. When he left the monastery, Fr. Afanasy regretted him a lot; and not only did he love this brother, who hated him, but also many others. He was also merciful to the dumb creature. It happened more than once to see that in winter, out of sympathy for the birds that do not eat ordinary human food, the elder took care of what to feed them. Despite all his weakness, he never abandoned the rule of his cell and the church. His rule, according to the legend of Elder Paisius, was this: having gone to Matins, he read the akathist to the Savior and the Mother of God, a prayerful remembrance of the passion of Christ and from the canons of the akathist, kontakion and troparia; two chapters from the Apostle and one chapter from the Gospel. And then he prayerfully remembered the Mother of God and the saints who would come to mind, remembering at the same time the health and repose of his fathers and brothers, relatives, known people and benefactors. The elder performed this rule in the evening and in the morning, making hundreds of two bows. At church services he always stood until dismissal and, despite the fact that he was very weak, he never sat down, not only during church singing and the reading of the Apostle and kathismas, but even during the reading of the explanatory Gospel and the reading from the Prologue according to the 6th song of the canon, which was scheduled for Matins. At this time, on the contrary, he intensified his attention and for this, leaving his usual place, approached the reader himself. Leaning his chest on his crutch and lowering his head, the elder thoughtfully listened to the reading; and often, when it ended, forgetting everything around him, he exclaimed with tears in his eyes: “O word, filled with great benefit! We need to write it down." And returning to his cell, he hurried to write down what he had read, as if he had heard it for the first time. From the intense standing, a swelling formed in his leg joints, like some kind of growth. Instead of medicine, the elder anointed it with oil from a lamp from the icon of the Mother of God. He had great faith in the Queen of Heaven; so that when he performed a rule or someone happened to remember the name of the Mother of God in front of him, he magnified Her name with joy and tears and prayed. When I anointed my feet from the lamp against the fire, then I remembered the future torment and the unquenchable fire, praying to our Lord Jesus Christ and His Most Pure Mother for deliverance from it. The brothers who came to him for the sake of benefit and spiritual advice were received with love. His conversation was simple. He talked little from books. And when he did speak, it was with extreme humility, as if he knew nothing; and spoke more about virtuous elders and good monastic regulations (customs). He especially loved to tell us (his disciples) about his elder Paisius, the archimandrite of the Moldovlachia Nyametsky monastery, that he was a virtuous and wise man in word and spiritual mind, who had the gift of tears; and when it happened that a brother would come to him for the sake of benefit, he would begin to console him - he himself would cry and bring his brother to tears. And he spoke about other virtuous elders. When worldly people came, he spoke about the Kingdom of Heaven, about future torment and about mercy for the poor, and that this life was given to seek the future, and with such humility and love he spoke that it was touching to look at his face, and his words touched many hearts, and especially those who came with faith. He also sympathized a lot about the schismatics; He prayed and persuaded many of them to leave their delusion; and by the grace of God some came to their senses and turned to the Orthodox Church. In his free time from prayer and receiving visitors, he was engaged in copying out spiritual instructions from his father’s books with the intention of subsequently collecting and arranging them according to the subjects of their content, as, for example, a set of texts about a well-known subject is written, but after his death he did not have time to complete this undertaking.” Having interrupted here the outline of the life of Elder Athanasius, which further speaks of his death, let us add in addition the following important circumstance. While studying at the Nyametsky monastery, with the blessing of Elder Paisius, extracts from the fathers and church teaching books - about prayer, humility, patience, obedience, love and other Christian virtues, the acquisition of which he was always concerned about, Elder Fr. Athanasius had in his possession correct lists of all the written works of his ever-memorable elder Paisius: the book of the great teacher of the inner life of St. Isaac the Syrian, ancient Slavic translations of the writings corrected by Elder Paisius: St. Macarius the Great, St. John Climacus, St. Barsanuphius, Thalassia and St. Simeon the New Theologian (12 words) and a book of poetry, and the scriptures he himself translated: Maximus the Confessor's word on question and answer, the catechetical words of Theodore the Studite, the life of Gregory the Sinaite, the words of Gregory Palamas and some others. This written about Elder Schemamonk Athanasius is enough to show how useful it was for Fr. Macarius lived in cohabitation with such an old man for almost ten years. This is a good branch of a good root, one, as said above, from the host of disciples of the great elder Paisius. His meekness, humility, childish kindness and simplicity served as a living example for the young hierodeacon Fr. Macarius to imitate, taught without words; and a simple word, dissolved in love and humility, edified during times of spiritual peace and comforted those who found sorrow. The paternal writings in the manuscripts of Elder Athanasius truly constituted food for the God-loving soul of his disciple. With the blessing of his elder and curiosity, he with ardent zeal began to quench his spiritual hunger and thirst by attentive reading and hardworking copying of these manuscripts, having deliberately learned the statutory letter for this purpose. The words of the patristic writings, over which he spent many sleepless nights, were deeply imprinted on the pure heart and memory of the young monk. Yet this, as time has shown, was providential. The acquisition of correct copies from the translations of Elder Paisius subsequently served to publish these translations for the common benefit; and assimilation and preservation by the receptive memory of. Macarius's sayings and thoughts from the paternal writings bore fruit a hundredfold when the Providence of God called his chosen one to serve the spiritual benefit of many. But the more the wise young monk delved into reading the patristic writings, the more zeal flared up in him to achieve the desires of the region - spiritual work, to learn the mental Jesus Prayer. This is the name of prayer, constantly performed by the mind in the heart. His elder, schemamonk Athanasius, having a prohibition from his great elder Paisius to touch this lofty work, according to his instructions, went through only the oral Jesus Prayer; and besides, as was noted above, due to his deep humility, he did not like to talk from books. Consequently, the curiosity of Fr. Macaria could not be satisfied from this side. The same scriptures showed that it is dangerous to engage in this work alone, without a mentor, because you can easily harm yourself. All that remained was to wait for a favorable opportunity to get closer to the elders, who had acquired this gift through succession from other experienced mentors. In 1817, on May 27, Fr. Macarius was ordained by His Grace Dosifei as a hieromonk. He was then 27 years old. In 1818, a change followed in the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage. The place of the kind and painful rector Fr. Pavel, who was dismissed at his own request to retire to the Kaluga Bishop's House, was taken over by the disciple of Elder Vasily Kishkin, the builder of the Beloberezh Hermitage, also the good hieromonk Seraphim. He was allowed to take about ten brethren from this desert to Ploshchanskaya to improve church affairs and overall order in the monastery, Fr. Seraphim, as a man of spiritual life, was a kind mentor and father for the brethren. He changed the pillar, or znamenny, singing that had existed before him in the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage during church services to the Kiev style, introduced in the White Beach by Schemamonk Theodore, and established greater improvement in the monastery and the meal. During his time, up to a hundred brethren gathered in the desert. He led a sober life, was friendly in conversations, and had a meek and quiet disposition. These good changes in the monastery and the introduction of better improvements in all its parts met with great sympathy from all well-meaning brethren, including Fr. Macarius. Having resigned from his position as sacristan due to poor health on August 5, 1818, Fr. Macarius continued to help with writing and generally worked tirelessly for the benefit of the monastery, helping either with experienced advice or with personal labor. In the church of God during church services, he constantly participated in singing and reading and, as an expert in church singing, took an active part in introducing the Kyiv melody into the monastery, finding it completely consistent with the mood of his desert-loving spirit. Both for these works, and in general for the diligent completion of various obediences by Fr. Macarius, according to the presentation of the new Fr. abbot, in 1819, on June 8, during a visit to the monastery by the new Oryol Archpastor Jonah, he was awarded a legguard. At the same time, the newly awarded hieromonk asked his Eminence for permission and blessing to go to the veneration of the Kyiv shrine. According to the story of his surviving companion (who later lived out his life in Optina Pustyn), Hierodeacon Palladius, Fr. Macarius made this round trip on foot, with a wanderer's staff and in the most wretched clothes. He stayed in Kyiv for ten days, was consoled by the friendliness of the governor of the Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony 10, and served the Liturgy in the Far Caves. On the way back from Kyiv, together with Fr. They entered the Glinsk Hermitage with Palladium. Here about. Macarius met and entered into close spiritual communication with one of the students of the rector of this monastery, Abbot Philaret, Hierodeacon Samuel, who was a practitioner of mental prayer, undergoing it under the guidance of a certain elder, a student of Theodosiev (Archimandrite of the Sophronius Hermitage). Three days, said Fr. Palladium, they spent time reading the book of St. Isaac the Syrian, talking delightfully about the inner workings of spiritual life. But, judging by some subsequent hints from Fr. Macarius, one can reliably believe that undergoing mental prayer, according to the degree of his spiritual age at that time, was premature and almost harmed him. Having subsequently acquired the mother of spiritual gifts - humility and having protected with it the high work of mental prayer, the elder warned everyone who related to him from engaging in this high work before cleansing from passions, pointing out to everyone as a sure weapon against invisible enemies and their own passions and sinful thoughts to the Jesus Prayer, only pronounced with the lips with attention and zeal or, in the words of Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov , with the participation of the heart. This warning, justified by many experiences during the long spiritual activity of Elder Macarius with people who had harmed themselves through unauthorized (without an experienced leader) and premature exercise in mental prayer, the fruits of which, according to the word of St. Isaac the Syrian, and those who pass it correctly reach barely one in a thousand, prompted the elder, shortly before his death, to compose a book based on the teachings of St. fathers and personal experiences known to him, instructions for those who read spiritual and fatherly books and those who want to undergo the mental Jesus Prayer 11. In 1824, Hieromonk Macarius traveled to Rostov, Yaroslavl province, to venerate the relics of St. Demetrius, the Wonderworker of Rostov. On the same trip, he visited for the first time Optina Pustyn and the newly built desert monastery, which subsequently sheltered him within its walls and, in turn, owed him a lot. In 1825, the elder Fr. Afanasy, in which Fr. Macarius saw a living example of all Christian virtues. “For such a life of his,” let us now continue the sketch of his life with the words of an unknown author, “and even more so, by His goodness, the merciful God honored the elder with a blessed death. On October 11, 1825, he fell ill and during this illness he received the Holy Mysteries three times. On the 16th he was given oil and communion, and the last time he was informed was on the very day of his death on the 17th. His illness was chest water. The accumulation of sputum increased the suffering, but before death it stopped. And the elder, at the end of Sunday Vespers, after reading the funeral service, peacefully gave up his righteous soul in the hands of God, dying in the arms of his close disciple Hieromonk Macarius, who lived with him and, by his faith, benefited greatly from the example of his godly life, full of love and humility.” The following year, 1826, the rector of the desert, Fr. Seraphim. In his place, His Eminence Gabriel of Orlov appointed his steward (taken to the bishop's house from the brotherhood of the same desert), Hieromonk Markellin, to the post of builder of the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage. But even after this, the appointed new Fr. The abbot lived in Orel for more than two years, holding the economic position, and the hermitage was ruled by the treasurer, hieromonk Fr. Anatoly. By the way, in the year of the death of the builder, Fr. Seraphim, June 10, Hieromonk Macarius was appointed dean of his monastery. And in this position, he diligently helped the new Fr. builder Markellin in managing the monastery almost until his dying illness, which began in December 1831. In 1827, on January 30, Hieromonk Macarius was given another position. He was appointed confessor of the Sevsky Trinity Convent. This appointment was the beginning of a new period of his spiritual activity, which ended along with his difficult life. From this same time, his spiritual correspondence began, which also continued until the onset of his dying illness. So, it was not he himself who recognized himself as having to undergo the arduous duty of a spiritual mentor; but, being called to this by the will of his archpastor, he could not help but see God’s calling in this circumstance. With the thought of this calling from above, he strengthened himself in the manifold sorrows associated with this duty. How highly the elder understood this duty and with what skill and patience, wise condescension and unwavering firmness, his spiritual letters testify better than any words both to his spiritual children and to everyone who sought help and support in his spiritual advice. The merits of these letters will be discussed further in their proper place. In 1861, it was noted: the amount of monastery land has long been 2645 dessiatinas and 154 fathoms, of which 240 dessiatines are arable, 325 dessiatines are for hay, 157 are for timber and 1640 are for wood. The rest of the dessiatines may be under inconvenient land, or there is an error here. Rev. Abba Dorotheus's teaching S. And all this teaching contains excellent instructions on how to act in everything in spiritual life with the advice of spiritually experienced elders. Everyone can learn a more detailed concept of spiritual leadership, or eldership, from the biography of the Optina Elder Fr. Leonidas, in the schema of Leo, planter of eldership in the Optina Hermitage. – Publication of Optina Pustyn. In the elder’s handwritten notes, Fr. Macarius says about the Ploshchanskaya monastery in 1815: “In this year, Elder Schemamonk Afanasy, of the Vladimir province of the Florishcheva Hermitage, who lived in the White Shores, came to this hermitage and, while visiting a builder in his cell, fell from his couch and sprained his leg, from which he suffered for more than a year.” Under 1816: “In this year, at the request of Father Archimandrite Caesarea, Fr. Athanasius moved to the Cholsky Monastery with him; there he recovered, but could no longer walk without a crutch.” Under 1817: “In April, Schemamonk Afanasy moved from the Cholny Monastery to this hermitage and lived in a cell with Hierodeacon Macarius Ivanov.” The difference in the notes of Elder Macarius with the given sketch of the life of Schemamonk Afanasy gives reason to think that the essay was written not by Elder Macarius, but by another person who knew Schemamonk Afanasy. He died in the rank of Archbishop of Voronezh and Zadonsk. See the appendix for this instruction.