Correspondence regarding the discovery of the relics of St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov

Contents 1. Letter from Arseny Matskevich, Metropolitan of Rostov, to Empress Elisaveta Petrovna about the relics of St. Demetrius 2. Report from him to St. Synod about that 3. Report of St. Synod to Empress Elisaveta Petrovna on the incorruption of the relics of St. Demetrius 4. Letter from Empress Elisaveta Petrovna to Archbishop Arseny about sending an image of the face of St. Demetrius 5. Instructions from the office - to the courier Vasily Yazykov 6. Answer from Archbishop Arseny 7. Letter from Count Shuvalov to Metropolitan Arseny Matseevich about the arrangement of a silver shrine for the saint 8. His instructions, given to the office - to the courier Gavrila Pobedinsky for the arrangement of the shrine. 9. Letter from Adam Olsufiev to Metropolitan Arseny Matseevich about cancer for St. Demetrius 10. Letter from him to Metropolitan Arseny about cancer 11. Answer from Metropolitan Arseny Olsufiev Body of St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, buried in October 1709 in the Rostov Yakovlevsky Monastery, forty-three years later, precisely on September 21, 1752, under Empress Elisaveta Petrovna, it was found incorrupt when the church floor was corrected in the Rostov Yakovlevsky Monastery. After that, it was placed in a tomb on top of the ground and, after witnessing miracles from the relics of the saint, it was transferred to a silver shrine on May 24, 1763, in the presence of Empress Catherine II. - Then it was established to celebrate his memory on September 21. From the papers attached here relating to the glorification of the relics of St. Demetrius, it is clear that the matter of finding St. the collection of his relics lasted for quite a long time, from 1752 to 1762. These are the papers: 1. Letter from Arseny Matskevich, Metropolitan of Rostov, to Empress Elisaveta Petrovna about the relics of St. Demetrius The Most Serene, Most Sovereign Great Empress, Empress Elisabeth Petroina, All-Russian Autocrat, Empress and all-merciful mother. This December 14th day I received an oral order from your Imperial Majesty through Princess Natalia Grigorievna Belosolskaya, so that I would faithfully and conscientiously inform your Imperial Majesty about the found relics of the Right Reverend Demetrius of Rostov: and I, as your Majesty’s confessor, by order of your own monarch, represented and reported with my very real conscience episcopal and Christian, so even now I represent and affirmed and am ready to die in this, recognizing that for this we must greatly thank the Lord God, the Lord of the Most Wonderful and Almighty, as He, having special care for His Church, for the prosperous and pious powers of your Imperial Majesty, the Church glorifies His Church in an amazing way, and clearly the lips of the blasphemous schismatic and others He blocks hostile and contrary spirits of the Church. Unless something new is discovered from the miracles of the Right Reverend Demetrius of Rostov, I will not leave it to your Imperial Majesty to announce, and now I have nothing more to write, except to refer to the report on the miraculous discovery of the relics of the shown bishop, which I sent to the Synod in 1752, and now through a courier sent from the Synod to me in the last days of last November, as I replied, I am enclosing an exact copy for your Majesty, and with this, for your royal health and spiritual salvation, constantly praying to God and the high patience of your Imperial Majesty, entrusting to me the care and non-abandonment, I remain forever Your Imperial Majesty, Empress and most merciful mother, most submissive servant and humble man of God, Arseny, Metropolitan of Rostov and Yaroslavl. From Yaroslavl, December 14th day, 1756. 2. His report to St. Synod about that Report to the Holy Governing Synod. From the synodal member, His Grace Arseny, Metropolitan of Rostov and Yaroslavl. This November 28th day, according to the decree sent by Her Imperial Majesty the All-Russian Autocrats from the Most Holy Governing Synod to my humility, sent by the power of Her Highest Imperial Majesty's named decree with the specially sent synodal ensign Fyodor Baranov, it was ordered that the body of the late Right Reverend Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, be buried in the ground whether, or whether it exists above the earth, also whether there are any phenomena, miracles and healings, and what kind and over whom and when exactly, send news to the Synod, having examined the matter with the very truth according to the jury of my position for reporting it to the imperial majesty, and moreover, if there were any miracles, phenomena and healings for the sick, what kind of evidence was there, and what truly turned out to be about it, to whom and when was it given to know, and for what purpose? Due to the spiritual regulations, the Holy Synod has not yet been informed about this; send detailed information to the Holy Governing Synod by means of a report. Upon receipt of the decree at the very speed and on this decree of Her Imperial Majesty, I respectfully offer the following to your Holiness: The body of the Most Reverend Demetrius was buried in the ground in the year 709, and not on top of the ground, and how it appeared incorruptible and that, after the transfer of the church floor, it was already placed at the top of the tomb, about this in my report sent to your Holiness in October 752 10 days, presented in detail, which is my report and is mentioned in the current decree. And what I had not yet presented to your Holiness about healings happened in such a way that I did not even consider it at first. Already when in the month of June 753, the late Right Reverend Plato, Archbishop of Moscow, came to me in Rostov and, visiting the tomb of the Right Reverend Demetrius, announced that he had heard many receiving healing from fevers, then after that I took it into my mind that I should have consideration and observation about this; For this reason, he ordered the then steward to be diligent about this, and then a notebook was made in which they would write down their own healing, if they could, and others would write it down, and then present it for my consideration. However, I did not quickly demand the notebook shown, and when I did demand it and saw some notable miracles there, I was not able to quickly report to your Holiness about my vanities and illnesses, reasoning that such a matter still requires further consideration, and then this year, just as I began to think and intend to report, then on September 25th I received a scripture from her imperial confessor Majesty Father Archpriest Theodore Dubyansky, so that I could send news of the miracles shown to him to report this to Her Imperial Majesty, which I did as quickly as possible, and now I am sending the same miracles to your Holiness. According to my confession, there is no small miracle that after such a long time, that is, after forty-three years, the body of the Right Reverend Demetrius, lying in the ground and mud, did not completely decay and the vestment did not turn into dust and ashes, and such a miracle as a miracle is a danger to my conscience, so as not to fight God and the extreme exhaustion of my mind, how to respond to schismatics and atheists. Having offered this to your Holiness’s deepest consideration, I remain, The authentic report is signed as follows: The humble novice Arseny, Metropolitan of Rostov and Yaroslavl, of the Holy Governing Synod. November 29th day, 1756. 3. Report of St. Synod to Empress Elizabeth Petrovna on the incorruption of the relics of St. Demetrius To the Most Serene and Sovereign Great Empress and All-Russian Autocrat. The most submissive report of the Synod. In the most pious days of your imperial majesty, that is, in 1752, the 21st day of September, the late Right Reverend Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, the body, buried in the Rostov Yakovlevsky Monastery in 1709 in October, was found forty-three years later, not exactly with much, but almost and completely different from other buried bodies distinctness, for only a small part of that body was seen to have decayed in different places, but in the rest of it, as well as the clothes on it subject to decay, the clothes, the gospel, the rosary, and so on, almost all were found intact; which was presented in detail to your Imperial Majesty on December 15 last 1756 from the Synod, from the report of Metropolitan Arseny of Rostov. Since the acquisition of this same body, even to this day, and even after half a fifth of a year, miracles often occur from this body, that is: the blind, the lame and paralytic, and those possessed by other serious and incurable illnesses, by calling on it to help themselves, and, moreover, offering prayers and diligence to the body, are healed by the grace of God. That everything is both by the current diocesan, His Eminence Arseny Metropolitan, and also specially sent from the Synod by His Eminence Metropolitan Sylvester of Suzdal, and Simon's Monastery was investigated by Archimandrite Gabriel, and in the truth itself, without any doubt, they confirmed, except for some small ones in that body from the first acquisition of the subsequent cancellations. In the reasoning of the miracles that have occurred to this day from that body, and the evidence of this from the above-mentioned, as likely worthy, persons of testimony, and about the veneration of their recognition perfect for the holy relics, also according to his holy and God-pleasing life and the Holy Church, the useful works known to all, and the Synod argues about this in no other way, namely, the newly found one of the deceased His Eminence Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, the body, for the most holy relics, against other holy ones - those who venerate the holy saints of God should venerate and have the relics. And since the Synod, without your special imperial majesty’s favor, the absolutely clear found body of the late Right Reverend Demetrius, for the exact and doubtless holy relics, should not be announced to the people: for this reason, for the sake of your imperial majesty, I most submissively present this opinion: 1) this newly found body, having announced this newly found body for the perfect holy relics, with appropriate diocesan reverence to the Right Reverend Metropolitan of Rostov with other clergy, transfer it to a shrine, and remove it with the proper splendor, and put a decent inscription on it, in the shown St. Jacob's Monastery at the top of the one where it was found, or place it in another decent place. 2) The celebration of this newly revealed wonderworker Saint Demetrius should be established on the day after the birth of His Imperial Highness the Righteous Sovereign Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, that is, September 21, whose holy relics were found. 3) All-night vigils and prayer songs are allowed to be sent to the people who wish to open the opening, and allow the service appropriate for that Saint Demetrius, especially to whom the Synod will order, to compose, and in the printed church books, in which the discovery of holy relics is due, with the appendix of his life 1 along with other saints, allow to be included, and about this the Synod has to expect your imperial Majesty's highest decree. For better insight into the aforementioned miracles and healings occurring from those holy relics, the Synod most submissively presents an extract to your Imperial Majesty 2. And what miracles will occur from those holy relics from now on, order the said Right Reverend Arseny, Metropolitan of Rostov, to have, through whom it is appropriate, a faithful and detailed note, with which, according to self-personal intelligence about the truth with reliable witnesses, send reports to the Synod every third of the year. Your Imperial Majesty's humble servant and pilgrims: Humble Sylvester, Archbishop of St. Petersburg. Humble Demetrius, Bishop of Ryazan. Humble Ambrose, Bishop of Pereyaslavl. Athanasius Archimandrite of the Holy Trinity Lavra. Varlaam, Archimandrite of the Don. March 19th day 1757. Secretary Mikhailo Ostolopov. 4. Letter from Empress Elizabeth Petrovna to Archbishop Arseny about sending an image of the face of St. Dimitri We were notified that in the monastery where your Eminence is found, there is an image of the person of St. Demetrius the Metropolitan, the newly-minted Rostov wonderworker, copied when this St. Demetrius was still an archimandrite in that monastery, and please send this image of the person to us with this messenger.” The original signature behind the signature of Her Imperial Majesty in her own hand is: Elizabeth. On August 5, 1757. In Peterhof. 5. Office instructions to courier Vasily Yazykov Find Arseny, the former Archbishop of Pereyaslavl and Archimandrite of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, now located in the Chernigov diocese, in the Seversky Transfiguration Monastery, and accept from him the image of the person of St. Demetrius Metropolitan, the newly-minted Russian miracle worker. 6. Answer from Archbishop Arseny Most Serene, Most Sovereign Great Empress Empress Elisaveta Petrovna, All-Russian Autocrat! Most merciful Empress! Your Imperial Majesty's highest decree commanding me to send to your Imperial Majesty the image of the person of St. Demetrius Metropolitan of the newly-minted Rostov wonderworker, copied when this St. Demetrius was still an archimandrite in the local monastery, I most servilely convey that the image of the person of this St. Demetrius Metropolitan, which was in in the local monastery, according to a letter from Your Imperial Majesty the confessor sent to me last July on the 23rd day, sent from me to the court of Your Imperial Majesty to his confessor on the same July 26 day. Your Imperial Majesty's most humble servant and worshiper, humble Archbishop Arseny. 1757, August 15th day from the Spassky Monastery, Novgorod Seversky. 7. Letter from Count Shuvalov to Metropolitan Arseny Matseevich about the arrangement of a silver shrine for the saint Most Reverend Bishop, Her Imperial Majesty has the permission to make a silver shrine here for the relics of St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, the newly-minted miracle worker; but first it is necessary to have from the coffin, in which the relics of his saints rest, a measure of length, width and height, and, moreover, a plan and profile: for which Alexander Kokorinov, Alexander Kokorinov, was sent to your Eminence with a special office-courier of Gezel architecture; In this manner, Your Eminence, please allow this Gesel Kokorinov to lift the announced measure in your presence. Your Eminence, obedient servant Count Pyotr Shuvalov. On the 17th day of December 1757. 8. His own instructions given by the office to courier Gavrila Pobedinsky for arranging the shrine. According to the personal decree of Her Imperial Majesty, you should go to Rostov with Gezel Alexander Kokorinov and upon arrival, appear and present the envelope sent with you to the local Eminence Metropolitan Arseny, and with his Eminence it was ordered that the declared Gezel Korinov be removed from the tomb in which the relics of St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, the newly-minted wonderworker, rest. measure the length, width and height, and then the plan and profile, go with all of it back to St. Petersburg, take postal carts for yourself and Gezel Kokorinov along the road taken from the Yamsk office to Rostov and back in four. On the 17th day of December, 1757. Signed by the general-feldtseichmeister and cavalier Count Pyotr Ivanovich Shuvalov. 9. Letter from Adam Olsufiev to Metropolitan Arseny Matseevich about cancer for St. Demetrius Your Eminence, my dear sir! By the highest order of Her Imperial Majesty, a silver shrine was sent from the office with the presenter, Mr. Major Shadeev, made on the relics of St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, the newly-minted miracle worker, so that it would be kept in Rostov until the decree. For this reason, I humbly ask your Eminence, in the vicinity of the church in which these holy relics are buried, to order the cleansing of 4 immediately in a decent place a dry rest and in it to place that shrine to which Mr. Major for guard and the appropriate team of soldiers with one non-commissioned officer will be left to be, and at the same time allow him to measure the length, width and depth of the coffin from the outside. And just as Gesel 5 of the architecture was sent with him for the position on the drawing of the interior of the church, I also ask your Eminence to help him in this, also to show the place where the shrine should be placed, and to supply the carpenter for the work required by his craft with the necessary materials and joiners and carpenters. However, in entrusting myself to your holy prayers, I have the honor to be with due and true reverence. 10. His letter to Metropolitan Arseny about cancer Most Reverend Bishop! my dear sir! In my letter dated the 22nd of this month, which Mr. Major Shadeev had to hand over to your Eminence at the time of cancer, although it is quite explained that until the decree it should be kept in a special dry place, in the vicinity of the church and behind the guard left there by Shadeev with one non-commissioned officer of a team of soldiers; however, in order to ward off any misunderstanding in this regard, according to the exact command of Her Imperial Majesty, and I must confirm this again to Your Eminence: as for the most gracious empress’s own arrival in Rostov, therefore, without the presence of Her Majesty, this cancer was not placed at all, about which I have the honor to announce with due respect to your Eminence my gracious sovereign most humble and obedient servant Adam O. 6 February 28, 1763 11. Metropolitan Arseny’s response to Olsufiev Your Excellent Sir, Mr. Privy Councilor and Member of the State Collegium of Foreign Affairs, Cabinet Minister and Cavalier Adam Vasilievich! My merciful benefactor. Sending God's blessing and my humility to you with your name and congratulating you on the current holy day of Pentecost, I earnestly wish you to be worthy of the suffering and risen Christ to worship and from Him to receive all joy, peace, health, long life, prosperity and salvation. By virtue of Her Highest Imperial Majesty's command, sent from the office with Mr. Major Shadeev, made to St. Demetrius Metropolitan of Rostov, the newly-minted miracle worker, a silver shrine was brought to Rostov on the 26th of February, and letters from Your Excellency sent to me, the first through this Mr. Major on the same 26th, the second through a specially sent I regularly received a courier on the 1st of this March, to which I inform your Excellency that this cancer, upon arrival in Rostov, was placed and stored until the appropriate time in the Church of the Archangel Michael, which is located at the Yakovlevsky Monastery in the vicinity, in a convenient place appropriate at the discretion of that Mr. Major, behind the guard of the team of soldiers left by Major Shadeev: to his own most gracious Empress in Rostov arrival, as Your Excellency in the last, now received, letter, you kindly express, this cancer will not be placed in this place. And as for the delivery of this shrine to the craftsmen, they were given from us: which Mr. Major himself can convey to your Excellency in detail. Having offered this and for your health in my prayers, I will forever remain Your Excellency, benevolent pilgrim and humble servant Arseny, Metropolitan of Rostov and Yaroslavl. 7 March 1st, 1863. Rostov. Arseny, Metropolitan of Rostov, was determined by the Synod to compose together and with a life a special service in a short time for the newly-minted wonderworker Saint Demetrius, as can be seen from the most submissive report of the Synod to Empress Elisabeth Petrovna dated April 30th day, 1757. Under the aforesaid all-submissive report of the Synodal, the following were signed: Sylvester, Archbishop of the village. Petersburg, Dimitri, Bishop of Ryazan, Ambrose, Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Athanasius, Archimandrite of the Holy Trinity Lavra and Varlaam, Archimandrite of the Don. The extract contains a description of 17 miracles performed at the newly revealed relics of St. Demetrius of Rostov, namely: 5 people received their sight from blindness, 2 received healing from demonic possession, 10 from relaxation. This extract was signed by Varlaam, Archimandrite of the Don, and Secretary Ostolopov. By decree of the Empress Elisaveta Petrovna addressed to the General Feldzeichmeister Count Shuvalov, silver for the shrine of St. Demetrius was entrusted to his order, which was received from the Kolyvano-Voskresensky factories, and had eighty-two spools of pure silver in a pound. The reliquary was made in the likeness of the reliquary for the relics of St. Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky. The amount for the construction of the shrine was taken from the capital of the mint. From a note given on January 10, 1758 from the office of Her Imperial Majesty to Lieutenant Tarkhov, it is clear that the decoration of the shrine was entrusted to the sculptor Vesterinius. Its masters were Pyotr Zakharov, Gavrila Surikov, and vussers Yakov Ilyin, Vasily Vereshchagin, who completed the work in August 1758. The craftsmen were paid 2844 rubles for the work. 69 kopecks, as can be seen from the note of the breeder Ivan Shlater dated May 26, 1759. In the shrine for the relics of the newly-minted wonderworker St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, there was a weight with a lid and with all the accessories of 10 poods, 24 pounds, 31 spools; in the iconostasis with decorations around the image there are 8 poods, 19 pounds, 8 spools; in total there was in the shrine and in the iconostasis weighing 19 poods. 3 pounds, 39 spools, but the maximum price is 12,877 rubles, 57 kopecks. In total, 16,384 rubles were spent on the installation of the reliquary with the iconostasis. 82½ kopecks The following words are carved on the cancer: “The Almighty and Incomprehensible God, with wondrous acts from time immemorial, revealed His holy, magnificent glory, and in our days, during the blessed reign of the most pious, autocratic, great Empress, Empress Elisaveta Petrovna, Autocrat of All-Russia, with new miracles in Russia, the holy man who rests here, His Eminence Metropolitan Dimitri of Rostov and Yaroslavl, who gave God, shone forth with new miracles. God by faith, meekness, abstinence, teaching, hard work; the crown prince, with jealousy and patience Peter the Great fought against the sophisticated schism. This resident of heavenly Jerusalem was born in the God-saved city of Kyiv, around 1671. The angelic image took on 18 years. Genvar was elevated to the holy throne on the 4th day of 1702; Shepherded the Church of God for 7 years, 9 months, 26 days, lived for 38 years, and entered into eternal rest on October 1709, 28 days. Having written the lives of the saints, he himself was honored to be included in the ranks of the saints in the summer of 1757 on April 9th. The following verses relating to schismatics are cut out: ABOUT! You, who honor the deity within the close limits, His likeness to me to be in the bodily parts, Focus on the thought of what this saint taught, What now speaks to you from the face of the heavenly powers, Incline to the mercy of the Most High, to the truth, And to your mother, you will be reconciled to the Church. Written from Moscow, February 22, 1763. 3 Journeyman. From the letter of Empress Catherine II to N.I. Panin on May 23, 1763, about the transfer of the relics of St. Demetrius in Rostov (printed in the 1st volume of the papers of Empress Catherine II, p. 288), it is clear that the transfer of the relics of St. Demetrius of Rostov followed on May 24, 1763, in the presence of Empress Catherine II.