Глава VIII. Внешнее устройство Оптинского скита и церковный порядок при старце Макарии

Elder Macarius was appointed head of the monastery when the latter entered the 18th year of its existence. The construction there was the same as that which was originally built when it was founded in 1821. But through the efforts of the elder, during his 20 years in the monastery, with the help of benefactors, the monastery was not only provided with the necessary maintenance, but also helped Fr. the abbot in the maintenance of the monastery; since these benefactors, using the elder’s instructions, one can say without exaggeration, considered it happiness for themselves to show their love and zeal for him and for his place of residence in whatever way they could. According to the rule established at the beginning of the foundation of the monastery, everything that remained with the monastery during the year, after expenses for the maintenance of the monastery brotherhood, was given to the abbot of the monastery. And there were so many offerings to Elder Macarius from benefactors that he was able to annually deliver various materials to the monastery storehouse - plain cloth, mukhoyar, linen and other things - in half the amount of the annual monastery supply. The subject of special care of the monastery leader and elder Macarius was the monastery church in the name of St. John, the Prophet and Forerunner of the Lord, standing in the middle of the cells, as if as a sign that it was appointed to unite those living in the monastery in the unity of faith, love and prayer. It can be unmistakably said that every decoration in this church of God occupied one place and not another according to the special thought of the elder and his personal instructions. That is why, at first sight, it has always attracted and continues to attract the attention of visitors with its combination of splendor and simplicity. Subsequently, after half a century had passed after the death of Elder Macarius, some changes followed in this monastery church; but the wall paintings remained almost all the same, and the general appearance of the Church of the Baptist was almost the same. Most of the church decorations in the Church of the Baptist were the fruit of the zeal of those devoted to Elder Macarius. Such are, for example, a bronze chandelier with a crystal set, illuminated on special holidays, according to Palestinian custom, not with candles, but with oil in lamps arranged in two rows; a descending crystal lamp in the shape of a candle in front of the celibate icon of the Sign of the Mother of God, which is above the royal doors (long ago, however, replaced by an ordinary lamp). Above the royal doors was placed an icon depicting the truncated head of St. lying on a platter. John the Baptist of the Lord, beautiful work of the Italian school, in a crown and frame on silver-gilded fields. This icon, on the occasion of the newly built royal doors, was transferred to the side church in the name of St. Macarius of Egypt, the spiritual patron of Elder Macarius. Beaded covers for stand-up candles in polycandiles (long ago replaced by candlesticks) in front of local icons. Wreaths of artificial flowers placed on the crowns of local icons. Stacked enamel icons in frames in the form of a parallelogram, in the middle of which are inserted: in one there is a small round icon case with particles of St. the relics of various saints of God, donated by retired captain S.K. Naryshkin, who temporarily lived in Optina Pustyn, from his hereditary shrine, due to his former relationship with the Royal House; in another frame there is a silver-gilded cross, also with St. relics. These frames were located on the northern and southern sides of the church behind the choirs; and are currently kept in the sacristy. In their place, large icons were placed in decent icon cases: on the south side there is an icon of the Mother of God “Quick to Hear”, and on the north side - St. Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon. The latter was taken from the cell of Elder Ambrose after his death. In the altar on a high place there is placed in an icon case a large Tikhvin icon of the Mother of God in a rich silver-gilded robe, reminiscent of the zeal for the skete church of the first great Optina elder, Hieromonk Leonid, in the schema of Leo; and on the sides, in proportion to its size, are placed the so-called stylist images. During festive services, special candles are lit in front of these icons, which, together with the altarpiece, enhances the illumination of the altar, and has a pleasant effect on vision and feeling. Behind the glass in the icon case of the altarpiece of the Mother of God, the relics of St. were and are kept in a special silver casket. the new venerable martyrs of Athos - Ignatius, Akakios and John. On the throne, on the right side of the ark, mounted on a stand, decorated with multi-colored stones, is a cross with particles of different saints. relics - a gift to the monastery of former Fr. the abbot of the Holy Trinity Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony 46, which will be discussed further; and on the left side there is a small Gospel in a silver-gilded frame with an image in the middle of the “Prayer for the Chalice” - a gift from the Tula leader of the nobility Theodore Zakharovich Klyucharyov, who died in the monastery as a schema-monk. Both shrines are under glass convex cases. In the rear, so-called house, part of the church 47, on the eastern wall, a special iconostasis was built, composed, according to Elder Macarius, of several rows of icons, between which were icons made by monastery brother-painters, and others were sent by outsiders. Thanks to the diligence of philanthropists, this iconostasis was replaced with a new one in the seventies of the last century; and the former icons - which are kept in the sacristy, and which are placed in the skete meal. In the last years of Elder Macarius, the described skete church was completely transformed, and also thanks to his care. The entire iconostasis was gilded again; Moreover, the columns that decorated it were also gilded. The ceiling and walls, both in the altar and in the church, were again painted according to the elder’s thoughts. To this end, the Lord, who apparently favored all his undertakings, sent, quite unexpectedly, a knowledgeable and zealous executor 48 . While taking care of the external decoration of the church, the elder at the same time paid special attention to the conduct of church services. Being himself an expert in church rules, having undergone considerable obedience to the canonarch and the guide back in the Ploshchansky hermitage, loving and firmly knowing the notated church singing, even in the Optina monastery with his personal guidance, work and patience, he gradually introduced order and accuracy into the conduct of church services; established a smooth reading, without false sensitivity, in order to avoid the vanity of the readers. He also introduced into the monastery the position of canonarch and the singing of stichera in “similar” fashion, which singing then passed from the monastery to the monastery. The elder drew the attention of the capable skete brethren to the study of church music and introduced singing according to the custom of dogmatists, verse Sunday hymns and antiphons on Sundays, set before the reading of the Gospel. During Lenten services, and mainly during the first and Holy Weeks, when usually all the monastery brethren prepare for Holy Communion. The Mysteries were established by the elder to offer during the service, at the sixth hour, reading from the book of St. John Climacus, with such supervision that the entire Ladder should be read during Great Lent. For this purpose, he himself marked it and assigned how much to read on what day. But even after the introduction of the above-mentioned order in the church, Elder Macarius constantly monitored its maintenance, never leaving without comment, in relation to the church charter, reading and singing, not only an important mistake, but also the slightest omission. Whether the canonarch divided the words of the stichera in the wrong place during the canonization with a violation of the meaning, whether the singers or the next reader made a mistake in something, the elder did not leave them without comments. If it was necessary to change or correct the tone of singing or remind the singers of a forgotten melody, the elder himself came to the choir and sang the stichera or irmos; also pointed out to the reader where he was wrong and how to correct himself. And the canonarch, at the end of the singing of the stichera, called to him with a book and indicated how to correctly divide this or that stichera. And all this was done with love, meekly, quietly, intelligibly. Instead of making any excuses, those who made a mistake, according to monastic custom, bowed at the elder’s feet and said: “Forgive me, father!” To this the elder replied: “God will forgive!” - and the matter of admonition ended with a blessing. The elder also observed that all the hermits came to the Liturgy with the ringing of a bell or half an hour before it began to read the synodics, in which the names of benefactors and their monks about health and repose are written. For this reason, the serving hieromonk, after the end of the ringing, hesitated for a long time to start the clock. This custom is still observed in the monastery. According to the order established from the foundation of the monastery and continued under Elder Macarius and now continuing, all the monastery brethren, for the sake of spiritual communion with the monastic ones, on all the twelve feasts and on the first day of Holy Easter went and go to church services - to the all-night vigil or instead to Matins and Liturgy in the monastery. On the second day of the great holidays - the Nativity of Christ and the Bright Resurrection of Christ - there was, as it happens now, a full service in the monastery. In addition, church services were sent (as they are now) to the skete in three full weeks of the year - the first of Great Lent, Holy and Easter; also on some day during each Lenten week and certainly on all Saturdays and Sundays throughout the year. All days dedicated to the memory of St. were also honored (as they are now) with church services. the great Prophet and Forerunner of the Lord John, to whose name the monastery is dedicated, holidays in honor of some miraculous icons of the Mother of God, and the days of some saints. saints of God, Eastern and Russian, namesake days of certain clergy, such as, for example, December 1st - the memory of St. Philaret the Merciful, namesake of two venerable unforgettable elders, Metropolitan Philaret of Kyiv and Philaret of Moscow; the days of the venerables - Moses Murin, Anthony the Great and Macarius the Great, whose names were borne by the three great elders who simultaneously lived in Optina Hermitage - Fr. Archimandrite Moses, his brother Fr. Abbot Anthony and the described elder Macarius 49. For all these holidays, the skete church was cleaned with special care. During the all-night vigil at the glorification of the saints of God, a chandelier was lit and candles were given to those present. On the monastery's main church holiday, January 7, the Cathedral of St. John the Prophet and Forerunner of the Lord, just as on the second day of Easter and the Nativity of Christ, the rector of the monastery himself, Fr. Archimandrite Moses or his brother Fr. Abbot Anthony. Elder Macarius, as mentioned above, did not participate in the priestly service, partly due to tongue-tiedness, and partly, one might assume, due to his deep humility; and during church services he usually stood in the corridor (which was on the right side), where the day-night reading of the Psalter was performed by the hermits for the sake of remembrance of the health and repose of their brothers, their relatives and benefactors. When the elder was exhausted in strength, he retired to the so-called bishop's cell 50 and rested there. However, in the first years of his stay at the Optina monastery, he participated in the cathedral service only once a year, on the first day of Holy Easter. He also sometimes wore clothes for the burial of some of the brethren or, for some reason, laymen especially revered by him. But let’s continue talking about the external structure of the monastery. Through the efforts of Elder Macarius, who was a sacristan in the Ploshchanskaya hermitage, the skete sacristy was brought into excellent condition. He passed on the art of storing and handling sacred robes and vestments to one of his close disciples, the sexton monk Fr. Flavian 51, who was always a precise and diligent executor of his will, and therefore enjoyed the elder’s special favor. It is known that the art of gold embroidery has always flourished and continues to flourish in our women's abodes. And so the nuns who treated Elder Macarius, knowing his love for church splendor and wishing to somehow express their zeal for him for the spiritual benefits received from his advice, asked him, as a special favor, for permission to participate with their labors in decorating his beloved skete church. Some - those who had money - donated various things to their work: airs, mantles for chasubles and surplices, lapels for robes, orari, armbands, shrouds, other hardworking sisters, but those who had no property, asked to be given work. Lay persons, who treated the elder with their spiritual needs, also wishing to express their zeal, some donated material for embroidery, and some also material for vestments, scarves for the altar cover, etc., things that served for church decoration or were suitable for use for them. The number of zealous offerings far exceeded the needs of the monastery church. As a result, by order of Elder Macarius, the monastery sacristy was also increased 52. And this gave the monastery the opportunity at different times to share vestments with the churches of the suffering East and our Western region. Having been born in a village and spending his childhood among the pleasant views of rural nature, Elder Macarius always showed deep sympathy for nature. By the way, he loved flowers. But when he became the head of the skete, cutting off this innocent inclination, he did not bother with the flower gardens, even before him, which had been started in the skete by his predecessor, hieromonk (later abbot) Anthony. He paid attention to them only when he heard that visitors to the monastery were reproaching him for missing something that the former head of the skete before him did not consider unworthy of his attention. First, the elder enlarged a small flower garden in front of the windows of his cell. And then, in time, flowers appeared around the entire Church of the Baptist, in front of the windows of some cells and along the main skete paths. Here one could see tall-growing, but odorless, dahlias of different colors; also peonies, fragrant airy jasmine bushes, lupins, mignonette and other small flowers. Lovers of floriculture had something to admire when they approached, for example, the elder’s cell, so to speak, showered with flowers. And it was hard to believe, having learned that all this was the work of the diligence of one person, the elder’s cell attendant, monk Hilarion, the unfading fruit of obedience and especially his sincere love for his elder mentor. The entire interior of the monastery was turned into an orchard by its founder, Hieromonk Moses 53 . But through the diligence of the same elder’s cell attendant, monk Hilarion, this garden was brought into the best condition. The products of this garden were never sold even in good years; and therefore the monastery brethren, almost until new fruits, had the consolation of the fruits of their garden at their modest meal. After removal, some of those who were not used for future use were distributed to the monastery brethren and outside visitors. Nearby city and rural residents often came to the monastery even in winter to ask for fresh and pickled apples for their sick people, and when they had something to give, they were not refused. The skete under Elder Macarius also had greenhouses for growing cucumbers. These greenhouses, as well as the flowers and the garden, were under the care of the same cell attendant, Fr. Hilarion. “I,” the latter reported, “at first reluctantly approached the greenhouses. To make me want to like them, Father Fr. Macarius used to say: let’s go and see, are the greenhouses full there, or what? And he will take me to see. Three times he took me to see them. Well, I started working on greenhouses, and not without success.” The beekeeper located at the monastery under Elder Macarius was multiplied by the care and efforts of the hermits; Moreover, all the improvements known at that time in terms of beekeeping according to the Prokopovich system were applied. Protecting the monastery's silence, Elder Macarius had special care about preserving the forest surrounding the monastery on all sides. Thanks to the good impressions of childhood, he, as mentioned above, retained his love of nature until the end of his life; but he especially loved the forest, rightly considering it the living fence of every monastic monastery, its best decoration. “A person,” he reasoned, “gets peace and spiritual benefit in the forest. We see how in former times people retired into the thicket of forests, and there, in the silence of the world and its vanities, they sought their salvation in prayer and monastic labors. One view of the evergreen coniferous trees of our homeland amuses the eyes, serving as a symbol of hope for everlasting life, for which they retire to the desert. The forests surrounding our desert abodes must be protected by all means, so that through their destruction the name “deserts” does not finally become an idle word.” A strong storm in 1849 felled many huge trees, hundred-year-old pines and firs, especially in the area separating the monastery from the monastery. Grieving over the deprivation of this living fence, the elder made special efforts to overgrow this area. Every year, under the leadership of one of the monastery brethren, the novices worked in the spring to clear this area of ​​unnecessary bushes; and in the fall they sowed it with seeds of coniferous trees, mainly pine. God blessed the elder’s labors and care. Now, over a long period of time, the permanent pine seeds have formed themselves into a tall forest. Thus, the silent monastery again became closed with a continuous living fence. A lover of the forest and nature in general, Elder Macarius also had the desire to plant and planted cedar trees inside the monastery, near the eastern fence, from which over time a cedar grove was formed. In this grove in former times, in good summer weather, on the twelve holidays, in the afternoon, the hermits, all led by the skete leader, Hieromonk Hilarion, who had previously been the cell attendant of Elder Macarius, ate tea. The overgrown large cedar trees bore and still bear fruit – beautiful nuts. Only in recent years have squirrels coming from the forest begun to eat them. Under the rule of Elder Macarius, the large planter adjacent to the cedar grove was annually cleared of silt and leaves falling into it from the surrounding trees. In this planter there were, as they are now, crucian carp, which are occasionally caught for the hermitage meal. Speaking about the love of Elder Macarius for visible nature, it would not be sinless to keep silent about the fact that the elder was always transferred in thought from objects of visible nature to spiritual objects. So, for example, he wrote to his Sevsk nieces: “The weather is beautiful; spring flaunts, dresses the trees in their splendid beauty; and the singers sing, praise the Creator and sing about their freedom. And we, passionate ones, how can we sing the song of the Lord in a foreign land full of thorns and thistles? Even though we eat; but we can say: I sing and do not understand. [Ps.100:2] Glory to the long-suffering of God!” Or again: “We planted dahlias on the 18th (May), and now a variety of tulips, gillyflowers and small margaritas are blooming. All this is God’s creation, given for the service of man and for consolation. Glory to His mercy and all-wise Providence for us in everything!” Or: “It’s raining with thunder, and the sun is shining again. The weather is favorable. Jasmines are in full bloom and dahlias are blooming. How could we try to decorate our spiritual garden with the flowers of virtues, fragrant with humility!” Also: “Every day I have many feathered guests. There is a shelf attached to the window, and various grains are poured in. Various kinds of birds arrive: titmice, sparrows, fireweeds (small gray woodpeckers), jays and others. And each one feeds in its own way. Natural science is in nature, and creative power and wisdom are visible.” Written in winter, in December. Or here’s another: “After three days of inclement weather, clear and good weather has now arrived; and at night there was a slight frost. The plants will come to life. We have a beautiful green carpet spread across our monastery, and the trees are getting ready to bloom. Just let God save them from the frost; and the kidney is strong. The greenery in the field is beautiful and makes the farmer happy. Glory and thanksgiving to the Lord! Oh, that our hearts would bear spiritual fruit, and even more befitting our calling, and would look for that pearl for which we left the world! Be like the Kingdom of God to a merchant looking for good beads, and so on. (Matthew 13:45). Is this what we are looking for? ABOUT! Woe to our age and our meager monasticism! You are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14), said the Lord. But if this light is darkened, then how much more is the darkness (Matthew 6:23). What will happen? What sedition, rebellion, quarrels, acquisitions and other temptations we have! The world, seeing this, is not only tempted, but also pleases itself. Of course, there is no need to despair and regret leaving the world. God is able to save by inducing involuntary sorrows, as it was said to Pachomius the Great that God is able to extract from the pit and save through sorrows. And how John of Carpathia pleases the monks more than the laity. However, there is no need to be daring and indulge in carelessness.” May 3rd: “The weather is cloudy and there will be a little rain. The poor bee is declining; no matter how much they fed her, it would have been better to find everything herself, but she couldn’t fly out. I feel sorry for her; but what to do? All this, apparently, is for our sins. I look at myself and at the past time of my life, I see that I have done nothing good for myself, but I have accumulated a lot of sins. One should complain, grieve and cry about the wrath of the Lord; but instead I indulge in teaching others: I write and speak without having done this myself. But the Lord commanded first to create, and then to teach (Acts 1:1). And the apostle writes: Do not have many teachers (James 3:1). And these words also befit me: But God said to the sinner: You have told My justifications of all things, and have You accepted My covenant with your lips (Ps. 49:16)? What should I do? There is little time left. The hour of death is unknown; and I am careless. Pray for me, the worst, so that the rest of my life may end in peace and repentance, and I will be honored with a Christian end of my life, painless, peaceful, shameless, and a good answer at the Last Judgment of Christ. Everyone should have constant care about this; Yes, our passions darken our meaning and lead us to empty dreams, which instead of joy cause sorrow, and instead of benefit - spiritual harm. Whoever of us has anything from such people, let him strive from now on to make a beginning for correction with self-rooting and the help of God” 54. But let us return to the main subject and continue our conversation about the external improvement of the monastery and, in general, the entire monastery through the efforts and assistance of Elder Macarius. In the last years of the life of Elder Macarius, also as a result of his care, through the diligence of benefactors who were disposed towards him, some buildings were built in the monastery. Namely: a wooden fence was built around the monastery on a stone foundation and with intermediate stone pillars. Laid out in 1857, instead of dilapidated wooden ones, new stone St. the gate with a stone bell tower above it was completed the following year, 1858; and a large bell weighing 30 poods was hung. Until that time, there was no bell tower, and small bells hung on wooden poles near the church porch 55. Located on both sides of St. The gates of the building with cells are lined on the outside with brick, plastered and covered with sheet iron. The other fraternal buildings at that time were covered partly with planks and partly with tiles; and now everything is covered with iron. The main benefactor was the famous breeder Maltsev. In the same 1858, also with the help of benefactors who were kind to the elder, a new wooden fraternal meal with adjacent services was built instead of the dilapidated one. And the meal itself was arranged at the expense of Maltsev’s managing breeder, Iustin Andreevich Andreev. At the same time, it was covered with iron, and everything else with tiles. It is worth noting here that this manager had such zeal for Elder Macarius that he often came to him; and one day he gave the elder 3,000 rubles in credit notes, asking him to accept this money as a donation to the monastery. But the elder convinced this God-lover to take them back, saying that he himself would need them. Indeed, this money soon came in handy for the manager; because he was dismissed from his post for something and remained without a job for a long time, supported by this money. During the last year in the life of Elder Macarius, 1860, on the eastern side of the monastery, opposite the altar of the Church of the Baptist, a stone foundation was laid in his presence for a new wooden building with fraternal cells and a mezzanine for placing a skete library, in favor of which the elder, before his death, bequeathed his cell library of selected spiritual books and manuscripts and a collection of portraits of St. men and shepherds and archpastors who shone with their exploits and teachings 56. In the same year, a new bell tower and St. the gates, according to the thoughts and instructions of Elder Macarius, were painted on the outside and inside with sacred images. And this was the last fruit of his constant concern for the external improvement and splendor of his beloved monastery. This monastery, having owed so much to Elder Macarius for its external improvements, owes mainly to his care for the addition of full-time monastic vacancies in the monastery. This event, important for the skete in its significance and consequences, took place due to the benevolent attention paid to the elder of Moscow Metropolitan Philaret, with his direct participation. According to the Highest resolution of the Holy Synod, approved on the 9th day of February 1857, it was allowed: “To add 12 monastic and 12 novice vacancies to the monastic staff, so that this additional number would supplement the lack of brethren in the Baptist skete existing in this desert.” This act is important, firstly, because through it the highest spiritual authorities confirmed the existence of the monastery at Optina Pustyn, which was originally built with the blessing of the diocesan bishop; and secondly, it is important because from that time the monastery brethren could no longer be subjected to blessed reproaches from the monastic brotherhood for filling staff vacancies, for which there were always enough people willing to fill them due to the well-maintained state of the monastery. These states, however, as is known, were destroyed soon after this event. Through the prayers of Elder Macarius, the Lord showed another great benefit to the Optina monastery. It is known that during his lifetime Elder Macarius tried to provide for the monastery financially, so that he would not burden the monastery with his frequent demands. At the same time, according to the late Fr. Abbot Mark, Father Fr. Macarius was far from the idea of ​​making the monastery completely independent of the monastery, recognizing at the same time the primacy of the abbot of the monastery over it and the legality of his orders, which were not to the detriment of the monastery. But, in his humility, the elder could hardly imagine that his efforts to provide for the monastery would ever come true. The merciful Lord, always ready to fulfill the good desires of His faithful servants, deigned to fulfill the desires and efforts of the elder Macarius. One of the lovers of Christ in general and personally towards the elder, the landowner Ilya Ivanovich Polugarsky, dying in 1858, according to his spiritual will, refused for his commemoration in favor of the skete of Optina Pustyn a sufficient amount of money so that it could be used to purchase a plot of land, the annual income from which would be used for the maintenance of the monastery. They entrusted the execution of this to their wife Maria Pavlovna Polugarskaya. Soon after this, a grove was bought in the name of the monastery, about ten miles from it, which the monastery uses to this day. He died either in the late 70s or early 80s of the last, XIX century. At that time, the location of the Baptist Church was different and the chapel in the name of St. Macarius was not there yet. In 1899, this iconostasis was replaced by a new, incomparably better one. But only St. the icons in all three tiers remained the same. These days of service at the monastery were also supplemented by other circumstances, such as the days of the death of elders Macarius, Ambrose, and others. Initially, the Baptist Church in the monastery had the location of a house church; and in the back part of it there was a special room in case of the arrival of Kaluga Bishop Philaret (Amphiteatrov), the founder of the monastery, who annually came to the monastery and lived in this room during either the Cheese Week or the first week of Great Lent; that’s why this room was called the bishop’s room. Father Flavian, later a hieromonk, was transferred to the monastery in the early 60s to the position of treasurer, which he carefully held until his death on May 30, 1900. The magnificent altar cloth in the main monastery Church of the Presentation, embroidered on crimson velvet in gold and silver, and the large silver-gilded chalice with accessories are also the fruit of Elder Macarius’s love for the splendor of the House of the Lord. Subsequently, rector of Optina Pustyn, archimandrite. All these excerpts are taken from Part III of Elder Macarius’ letters to the nuns. Letters 89. 93, 95, 107 and 153. The bell tower was laid by craftsmen from the Maltsev plant; and painted the bell tower with St. gates by the painter of the city of Zubtsov, Tver province, Gavriil Ivanovich (surname unknown). The bells were subsequently changed, and the largest bell was hung at 100 poods. In 1908, the skete library, located on the mentioned mezzanine, was moved to a new stone building as a safer place in case of fire.