IX. Икона Божией Матери «Спорительница хлебов». – Закладка собора. Нахождение колодца в Руднове. – Приезд старца Амвросия в 1890 г. – Попытка возвратиться в Оптину. – Решение Старца провести зиму в Шамордине. – 7 декабря – именины Старца. – Болезнь и кончина. – Прибытие Архиерея и отпевание в церкви

About two years before his death, the Elder asked the abbess of the Belevsky Monastery to paint an icon for him: to depict the Mother of God sitting on the clouds as she is depicted on their church icon of All Saints, and below to place a field of rye and mown sheaves. When the icon was completed according to the Elder’s instructions and brought to him, he called it “The Spreader of the Loaves,” placed it in his cell and showed it to some visitors; then he ordered lists to be made from it and sent it to his spiritual children, mainly landowners, for blessing. A year before his death, precisely on October 15, 1890, the Elder called the nun who served as his clerk, and, pointing to the icon “The Spreader of the Loaves,” said: “Write down that every year on October 15 a celebration of this icon will be held here; conduct the service according to the general menaion, read the usual akathist to the Mother of God, and sing the following chorus: “Rejoice, O Gracious One, the Lord is with You, grant also to us unworthy the dew of Your grace and show Your mercy.” The icon of the Mother of God “Spreader of the Loaves” is located in the iconostasis of the church in honor of St. Ambrose of Optina (written by the sisters of the Shamordino monastery in 1996) Construction of the Kazan Cathedral (Photo from the GAKO archive. Published for the first time) It is remarkable that the next year, on October 15, the burial of Elder Ambrose took place. Having left his monastery and on that day completely disappeared into the ground, he seemed to leave this icon in his place, entrusting the monastery to the protection of the Queen of Heaven Herself. Since then, many people have come who want to have a copy of the icon left by the Elder, and there are letters in the monastery informing about the wondrous help received through this icon in difficult agricultural circumstances: drought, crop failure, etc. On July 8th, dean Fr. Archimandrite Isaac laid the foundation stone for a cathedral church on the site of the previous wooden one, which was then moved to the cemetery. In late autumn, Mother Superior Euphrosyne went to the monastery dacha of Rudnovo to inspect the dried-out planter; in one place her leg fell into a quagmire - the sisters with difficulty pulled Mother out, but soon everyone forgot about this incident. In the spring of the following year, 1890, the Rudnovsky elder brought the abbess a letter he had received from an unknown person, signed “Lover of Piety,” who reported that he knew about the existence of St. well, which is now forgotten. When Mother Superior told the Elder about this, he ordered to look for a well in the place where she got stuck, and indeed, they soon found an old clogged log house, from which, when opened, water appeared. At this time, some sick people screamed loudly. Father listened to the story about this with great attention, and on July 1 he himself came to Rudnovo. Every other day he went to the other side of the planter behind the fence, prayed there and, taking a shovel, cut out a cross on the ground and ordered to dig a new well, saying: “This well will be real, but let that one remain!” The sick were worried and screamed terribly. The next day, Father returned to Shamordino, and on the 5th the church in the cemetery in the name of St. Trinity. After staying in Shamordino for about 2 weeks, Father got ready to leave home. The day of departure was set, and the sisters with sad faces crowded around his cell to say goodbye to their dear father, accept the blessing and see him off until next year. Now a carriage had already arrived at the porch, into which his things were being packed; everything was ready, but Father did not come out. Finally, everyone began to be surprised by such a delay, especially since the day was already approaching evening and it was becoming damp. Finally, the carriage was sent back, announcing that Father had weakened and could not go. The sisters were worried about their dear guest, and no matter how much they wanted to keep him with them longer, but of course not because of his illness. However, by evening the Elder rested, and the next day the preparations resumed, but the same weakness suddenly deprived him of the opportunity to travel. Several days passed, Father completely recovered and tried to leave again, but an incomprehensible painful phenomenon was not slow in appearing, depriving him of his strength. Having accepted this threefold obstacle as an indication of God’s will to remain in Shamordin, the Elder no longer intended to do so and once said: “I’m completely stuck here.” “I stayed here,” he wrote to Optina, “by God’s special providence, and why, this will become clear later.” For a long time the sisters could not be convinced of the reality of this joyful event, and only when cold autumn had already arrived did they believe that the Elder remained, and they would spend the whole winter with him inseparably. Autumn came, followed by winter, deep snowdrifts covered the small houses of a modest monastery, located in the wilderness and, it seemed, disconnected from the rest of the world. But that wasn't really the case; Every now and then the bells rang, and troikas after troikas drove up to the monastery hotels, which did not have enough space. This weak, frail-looking Elder attracted everyone to him like a magnet. And here, just as in his monastery hut, Father went out for a general blessing, and here they turned to him with all sorts of questions. The conversations of this wondrous Elder were not in the nature of teachings; everything with him was simple, vital, without the slightest exaggeration. The same lively stories, sometimes with a humorous touch, accurately hit someone’s soul, and he also simply and thoughtfully resolved complex everyday and spiritual issues. The life of the sisters flowed among ordinary activities and labors, which, perhaps, with a large gathering of people, increased in number, but Father’s closeness was a source of such consolations that will remain indelible. The elder occupied the newly built room of the abbess and had a cell attendant with him; visitors received men on one side, women on the other. The sisters were even so lucky that they were assigned to be on duty with Father. The duty of the duty officer was that they reported on visitors to the women's quarters, served Father tea and lunch, which consisted of light soup, porridge or potatoes and jelly. Having eaten, Father called the duty officer and as a reward gave her either a piece of bread or the rest of some dish. At tea, Father usually did not finish the last cup and gave it, throwing in a piece of sugar, to his “cell attendant.” At the same time, the Elder often had a conversation with her. Needless to say, these moments were and remain the brightest and happiest in my life. In the evening, the attendant listened to the evening rule, which the cell attendant read out for the Elder, and sometimes helped him read, then approached the Elder to say goodbye and thanked him for the consolation he had provided. The loving Elder himself thanked her for her “works,” gave her some kind of gift and said something edifying at parting; but often the attendant, when she came to say goodbye, found the Elder lying in complete exhaustion, with his eyes closed, and only silently accepted the blessing, amazed at his boundless love, sacrificing himself without a trace. On Sundays and holidays, “vigils” were held in the Elder’s cell, which at first the Elder served himself, i.e. He made exclamations and read the Gospel, but later, due to weakness of strength, he could not do this, and for this a hieromonk came from Optina. The singers and readers were placed in the reception cell, and in the remaining adjacent rooms there were several sisters and visitors, but only with the special permission of the Elder. Father listened from the bedroom and, loving clear and leisurely reading, often made comments. The time for reading the Gospel came, everyone present moved to the doors and turned their ears and attention; The half-open door to the bedroom opened and an Elder appeared on the threshold in an epitrachelion and a short robe with an open head. With his usual, so familiar to everyone who knew him, he hurriedly approached the lectern and in a quiet, senile, slightly trembling voice, read the Holy Gospel. What a solemn moment it was: the gray-haired, bent Elder was a living preacher of the Gospel, and the words he uttered became as if alive, grew... and filled the whole soul!... After reading the Gospel, the Elder venerated himself, then turned around, bowed to everyone and went into his cell. Every two weeks the Elder received the Holy Mysteries. His confessor, after Fr. Plato, was a non-staff priest who lived in Optina, who was subsequently assigned as a priest to the community. O. Theodore was a venerable old man of high life, who took secret tonsure. At first they brought the Holy Gifts to the Elder directly from the church to St. chalice, but then, due to weakness of strength, he could not wait for the end of the mass and communed earlier with the spare Holy Gifts. Wearing a long robe, stole and vestments, the Elder greeted the coming Lord with a bow to the ground and then communed with great reverence. After reading the prayers for communion, he washed it down with warmth and gave those present, of whom there were 5-6 people, pieces of prosphora. December 7th was approaching - the Elder’s name day. The sisters were looking forward to this day and the day before, with Mother at their head, they came to congratulate their dear birthday boy. Each one prepared him some kind of gift: some painted an icon, some sewed a sweatshirt, some knitted a rosary, some socks. Father lovingly accepted gifts from loving children, was cheerful, joked, raised someone’s gift high, saying: “so that no one could see,” thanked everyone for their diligence and gave them pie and caramel. Meanwhile, his Optina children did not want to spend this day alone, and the senior monks and the archimandrite came to Shamordino. In the small church of the community, everything was decorated in a festive manner, the chandelier was burning, the choir members sang everything they knew best, and finally, after singing: “Praise the Name of the Lord,” when all the servants came out into the middle, the church resounded with the mighty chord of the Optina monks solemnly magnifying St. Ambrose of Christ, thereby expressing their filial respect to the one who bore the name of this saint and who was dear to them. The next day, after the same solemn liturgy, a cathedral prayer service was performed and many years were proclaimed to the highly revered birthday boy. Everyone left the church with congratulations. Father was touched by such a unanimous expression of love, and his humble soul was embarrassed... He thanked Fr. archimandrite and senior hieromonks and added: “They just made a lot of parade.” In the Abbess's half, tea and lunch were prepared for the guests. Soon after these joyful days, the Lord was pleased to visit the monastery and the Elder of Sorrow. On the evening of December 12, when the rule was already being read to the Elder, a terrible “fire” swept through the monastery. A thick cloud of black smoke stood high; The orphanage was on fire. An unimaginable turmoil arose in the monastery; the alarm sounded. The first thought was about the Elder, how to tell him so as not to frighten him. Through the double windows, the small bell could not be heard in his cell, but nevertheless, when the nun who came to him decided to tell him about what had happened, he calmly said: “I hear it as if they are ringing.” Then saying: “Save the children,” he sent the nun away and did not order anyone to enter his room. The little ones were already in their cribs and they were pulled out of the burning building wearing only their shirts. Sleepy, frightened, they shivered from the cold, and the sisters took them to their cells. The head of the Optina Skete, Hieromonk Anatoly, as a spiritual father, who was at the monastery at that time, took the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in his hands and went to the place of the fire. The wind blew towards the monastery, and neighboring buildings caught fire. As soon as Fr. Anatoly stood with the icon against the wind, then everyone saw with amazement that the flame instantly pulled in the other direction. The shelter building burned down like a candle, everything else remained unharmed. So the Queen of Heaven saved the monastery for the second time. With firmness and deep devotion to the will of God, the Elder accepted the sent test. Soon he sent one nun to Kaluga to pious donors known to him for help. To the great honor of the Kaluga residents, not only those whom the Elder had in mind reacted to the matter with remarkable sympathy, but also many others, having learned about the misfortune that befell the orphanage, tried in whatever way they could to bring relief to the Elder, and the nun returned to the monastery having successfully completed her task. The children were temporarily placed around the monastery, and in the spring the Elder began building a new shelter behind a fence under the mountain, where the children had all the amenities: freedom, forest and clean air, and the monastery also eliminated unnecessary noise. So the winter went on. The nuns of the monastery lived under the warm wing of “Father”. Whatever sorrow or despondency took possession of the soul, they went to Father and under his blessed influence everything disappeared. Christmas came and went especially joyfully. On New Year's Eve Father had his usual vigil. The sisters were infinitely happy that they were celebrating the New Year with their dear Father, overshadowed by his prayers and blessings, and on this they based their hope of spending the whole year peacefully and serenely. In the morning after mass, everyone came to congratulate Father. He came out for the general blessing and was very serious. Sitting down on the sofa, he said the beginning of the poem: “The swan on the waters of Meander sings the last song”... and then added that it can be conveyed this way: “The swan on the waters of Shamordandra sings the last song,” explaining that swans sing their song only once before death. This New Year’s story made a heavy impression on everyone, although no one understood its real meaning: the sisters left Father sad and dissatisfied, not that's what they expected. But soon the unpleasant impression smoothed over, life went on as usual and everything was forgotten. Lent has arrived. On Forgiveness Sunday they came to ask for forgiveness from Father and St. prayers for the upcoming fast. Father encouraged the weak and gave them prosphora and crackers. Having fasted unnoticed and easily, we lived until Easter Sunday. Bright Week has arrived. On the 1st day of the holiday, everyone, both sisters and laymen, came with Father to “confess Christ,” who gave everyone a red egg and a piece of Easter cake and Easter cake. And truly it was a bright holiday, everyone’s soul was joyful; how could it be otherwise: Easter - and the beloved Elder shares this great celebration together! Every day he sang Matins, Hours and Vespers. Father himself sang along with the singers, set the tone for them, corrected mistakes and, as an expert in singing, made various comments; at the end of the week, when the singers began to thank Father for the consolation that he gave them, he affectionately said to them: “God bless,” and then added: “You will remember this Saint.” No one understood these words then and no one suspected that the next year, on Friday of Bright Week, when the church established the feast of the Mother of God “Life-Giving Source”, in whose name Father built a chapel in Shamordina, a six-month commemoration would be celebrated from the day of his death. With the onset of warmth, Father began to go out into the air, traveled around the buildings, to the construction site of the new shelter, and in general, with the usual care, entered into all the affairs of the monastery. The elder, having devoted all his time and energy to the creation and improvement of this monastery, also gave away all the donations that flowed to him from his many spiritual children and admirers. But his giving hand did not know how to refuse anyone, and therefore private benefits flowed like a wide river. Often, by giving his last to some unfortunate family in order to save them from the terrible consequences of despair, the Elder put himself in a difficult position in the economic affairs of the monastery; It happened that there was no ruble at a time when it was necessary to pay hundreds for delivered materials and products. Such circumstances especially strongly revealed the Elder’s faith. Persons who stood close to the matter, amazed at the deep calm and devotion to Father’s Providence, often witnessed unexpected help from the Lord, who did not abandon His faithful servants, who firmly trusted in Him. But he had to endure quite a few griefs, and he was especially alarmed by the thought that a monastery with such broad charitable goals did not have any provision for its further existence; nevertheless, real needs that required immediate satisfaction did not make it possible to worry about tomorrow. Exhausted under the weight of his feat, depressed by years and worries, the Elder needed peace and rest. But in his own words, peace comes for a person only when they sing over him: “Rest with the saints.” Abbot's building on Rudnevsky farm Harvesting hay at Rudnevsky Farm Elder Ambrose's hut on the Rudnevsky farm Holy spring under the shack The elder was constantly burdened with activities with visitors, the economic affairs of the monastery, correspondence, and sometimes reached complete exhaustion: his pale, exhausted face expressed suffering, his eyes were closed, his voice completely abandoned him. My heart sank with pity, looking at the half-dead Elder. Often Father himself said with sorrow: “They don’t believe that I’m weak, but they grumble.” There was no talk of returning to Optina; The elder saw that his presence in Shamordin was necessary, and that this was the will of God. During the summer, Father traveled to Rudnovo several times, where a separate house was built for him. Here Father stayed for several days, also received visitors and led his usual lifestyle. The well, dug with his blessing, was visited by many: a room for dousing was built near it, and the Elder sent many there. But in addition, he blessed his cell attendants to dig the ground under his hut, he himself went down there only in an epitrachelion and bands, and did not allow anyone to enter there. He distributed the clay thrown out from there to the sick, and there were many cases of miraculous help through his prayers. On Sunday, all-night vigils were also celebrated there. The dacha sisters, busy with work, never particularly sang and knew only a few troparia and prayers. Father made sure that they learned to perform all the most important chants and entrusted this to his granddaughter, who carried out choir obedience in the monastery. The new singers tried with all their hearts to please Father and diligently learned the order of worship, but this wisdom was not easy for them, and often, having brought their young teacher out of patience, they themselves lost heart and conveyed their sorrow to Father. Father affectionately encouraged them and repeated more than once: “It’s okay, learn, you’ll meet Vladyka again, and you’ll sing to him.” It seemed funny to the dacha sisters, how they would greet the bishop with singing, and why he would come to them. “And what our dear Father won’t say just to console us that we don’t know how to sing,” the sisters concluded among themselves. If there was any holiday, he always returned from Rudnov, saying that on holidays he was used to always being “at home.” So at the end of July he went there for a long time, since some amendments needed to be made in the cell; They took everything out of the cell, raised the floor and work began, meanwhile the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord approached, which, however, Father agreed to hold at the dacha out of necessity. On the 4th, the abbess went to visit the Elder and, returning from there, announced in the evening that he did not want to stay there for the holiday under any circumstances and would come tomorrow. His cell is ruined, what should I do? But the love of the abbess and sisters for him knows no barriers; the next morning, a comfortable cell was ready in her half for an unexpected guest. All summer they were waiting for their new archpastor in Shamordin. The abbess and sisters were worried and worried and more than once came to Father saying: “Father, how are we going to meet Vladyka?” to which Father calmly, half-jokingly, in order to encourage him, answered: “It’s not us, but he who will meet us, and we will sing hallelujah to him.” Another time they said: “Father, they say Vladyka wants to ask you a lot?” And Father also calmly answered: “We will talk to him quietly, no one will hear.” At the beginning of September, the cell was ready, a prayer service was served with the blessing of water, and Father moved into it; but not for long. September 21 was Saturday; as usual, the hieromonk arrived to serve Father’s vigil, but in the morning he felt weaker than usual, and by the end of the day he was so weak that he could not hear the singing and felt chills. “Father has weakened, Father has fallen ill,” was heard in all parts of the monastery, everyone was very alarmed, well aware that not much was needed for the weak, frail Elder. On the other hand, the thought that Father could die was so terrible and seemed so incredible that no one stopped at it and reassured themselves that “God is merciful! Yes, Father shouldn’t die, he’s still needed.” A similar struggle of fear and hope accompanied every illness of the Elder. So it was now. On Sunday 22, the Elder began to complain of pain in his ears, which intensified the next day; despite the fact that he continued to be involved in monastic affairs, even received some visitors, joked and was generally cheerful, only he began to hear poorly and calmly and with a smile said to one of his sisters: “This is the last test,” but even these words did not seem ominous to anyone and they were explained in their own way. For the next two days, the Elder was still in the same position, but almost did not take it, since he had completely lost his hearing and voice. 26 on Thursday, the patient felt worse, complaining of severe pain in the ears, face, head and throughout the body. The deterioration in the illness greatly embarrassed everyone and they immediately decided to send a telegram to Moscow, to Doctor Babushkin, who always used the Elder, to which the latter, in order to console those around him, agreed. On Friday 27, the abscess in the ear burst and the pain subsided a little, and in the evening the doctor arrived and, as usual, calmed everyone down, saying that there was nothing dangerous, that it was just influenza in the ears, gave some sedatives and prescribed complete calm. The patient really seemed to begin to get better and even began to take a little, which was prevented by deafness. 29 on Sunday, the Elder suddenly came out of his cell and said that he had forgotten to pray to the Sorrowful Queen of Heaven and wished that a prayer service be served in his cell in front of this icon, which, of course, was immediately fulfilled. Sisters and lay people crowded at the door, everyone wanted to stand at this prayer service, pray for the recovery of their dear father and beg for joy from “Joy to All Who Sorrow.” The doctor stayed until October 2 and went to visit his relative for a few days; leaving, he said that the disease was going well. The first two days the patient felt well, and although the pain in the ears did not decrease, and small abscesses recurred, now in one ear, then in the other, there was no feverish state, and everyone was very calm. 4 on Friday, the Elder said that the pain in the head was getting worse, and in the evening there was a fever. All subsequent days he had a feverish state every other day, most of which he spent as if in a dream; but at times, although he was very weak, he could get out of bed without outside help, walked around the room and even called on some people and made orders for buildings. Not receiving any of the visitors at this time, who, however, were crowding around his porch, Father suddenly said clearly out loud: “Who is it that is asking to enter the monastery again?” There were no strangers in the cell, and he was told that there was no one. After some time, Father angrily repeated his question, saying: “Why won’t they tell me who else is asking to join the monastery?” Then the cell attendant went outside to look, although in his heart he was perplexed as to how to find out in the crowd who wanted to go to the monastery. When he appeared, a man approached him with a request to ask Father which monastery he would bless him to enter. It turned out that he was a former Optina novice who went to Athos, and then came out from there, and walked in secular clothes. But his soul yearned for the monastery, and he decided to try himself again and sought the blessing of the Elder. When the cell attendant told the Elder about him, Father received him into his cell, blessed him and ordered him to enter the Glinsk Hermitage. The patient spent the 7th Monday as usual, in the evening he felt very thirsty and often asked for a drink. Tuesday 8, at 6 o'clock in the morning he said that he was very chilly, and his face had changed a lot; a few minutes later the fever developed, and the patient forgot. An hour later he asked for fish soup, but suddenly became so weak that he could hardly name what he wanted. The fever intensified and delirium began. Now they sent to the monastery for Fr. Joseph and Fr. Anatoly, who soon arrived. The patient was unconscious all day; in the evening the doctor arrived, but the Elder was already hopeless. The fever kept getting worse, reaching 40, so they decided to give Father a special treatment; While preparations were underway (it was already at 11 o’clock in the evening), he suddenly became so ill that they thought he was dying, and Fr. Joseph read the exit note; then Fr. Anatoly, Fr. Joseph and Father's confessor Fr. Theodore began the rite of blessing of oil, during which Father lay unconscious; heavy, hoarse breathing could be heard two rooms away. When they finished the unction, the sisters came in little by little to take a last look at their fading treasure and say goodbye forever to their dear, loving father, to whom they were accustomed to resort in all their sorrows, and who always consoled and encouraged them. Barely holding back their sobs, afraid to break the holy silence, the sisters kissed the dear hand, which was burning with fire, looking into the face, wanting to more clearly imprint their dear features on themselves. Some still harbored a faint hope that maybe this was not the end, maybe these eyes would open again as before and look at them tenderly, maybe these hands would sign the sign of the cross over them more than once, or pat the guilty one on the head with fatherly love. But no, all these were just dreams: these eyes and hands not only no longer began to move, but also completely froze forever. After 12 o'clock sweat appeared and the fever began to subside; This somewhat encouraged everyone, and by morning he regained consciousness, which everyone was really looking forward to, in order to commune the sick man with St. Tain. 9 Wednesday At 6 o'clock Father, although with great difficulty, received Holy Communion. Tain did not lose consciousness all day, drank several sips of coffee and even got out of bed; but when the abbess approached him, he looked at her tenderly and said quietly: “It’s bad, mother.” The Optina Archimandrite, having learned that the Elder was so bad, came to him and when he entered and saw him, he began to cry; Father recognized him and, fixing a deep gaze on him, suddenly raised his hand and took off his cap - this was the last farewell to his boss. The archimandrite came out very upset and said that he had never expected this. On this day, a telegram arrived from the governor that the Right Reverend Kaluzhsky was leaving Kaluga on the 10th to go to Optina. Everyone was greatly embarrassed by such unexpected news at such a difficult time. Meanwhile, the sisters, realizing that they were forever deprived of their patron, poured out their despair and sorrow in tearful prayers before the miraculous Kazan Icon of the Mother of God; prayers were served in the church with kneeling, and all the relatives and admirers of the Elder, as one person, screamed for recovery to their mentor. Due to His inscrutable fates, the Lord did not heed so many fervent prayers and took their father from them. But these prayers were not lost on Him: He remembered them and sent strength and humility of spirit to the orphaned sisters, which helped them endure this difficult test without a murmur, which human strength could not even imagine without shuddering. By evening, Father again developed a strong fever, and from 6 o’clock he no longer raised his head and lay in one position; all night my breathing was heavy, my eyes were raised upward, and my lips were whispering something. 10th Thursday. From 3 o'clock in the morning the fever began to subside, and his strength left him, his eyes dropped down and stopped at some point, and his lips stopped moving. In the morning the pulse became weaker and weaker, and breathing became less frequent; at 11 o'clock they read the death notice, and as soon as it was finished, the Elder began to die: his face began to become deathly pale, his breathing became shorter and shorter, and finally he strongly drew in the air, after two minutes this happened again, then suddenly Father raised his right hand, weakly crossed himself and sighed for the third and... last time! They stood around him for a long time, afraid to disturb the solemn moment - the separation of the righteous soul from the body. Everyone seemed to be in a daze, not believing themselves and not understanding whether this was a dream or the truth? But his holy soul was already far away: it quietly flew off into another world and appeared before the throne of the Most High, in the radiance of the love with which he was full on earth. An unearthly smile lit up his old face, which was so bright and calm. It was exactly half past eleven in the afternoon. As soon as everyone came to their senses, a terrible cry and sobbing arose; in the neighboring rooms, having heard this confusion, they guessed what was happening, realized that what they were afraid to think about had happened so unexpectedly and... that it was all over. Soul-rending screams merged into one kind of chaos and filled the quiet desert. There was literally a groan in the monastery. Meanwhile, it was necessary to think about preparing the body for burial. The first rush of terrible grief subsided a little and turned into a more concentrated, quiet grief. While the monks, the disciples of the Elder, who were present at his death, did everything necessary with the body, they read the psalter nearby; when it was all over and the schema was put on, the great Elder was carried out on a mattress by the hands of his disciples into the abbess’s hall; As soon as this procession appeared at the door, the sisters, seeing the lifeless, cold corpse of their dear father, again burst into loud sobs. In the hall the body was laid on the prepared table and the first funeral service was immediately performed. The words of the funeral prayers struck the ears terribly. Immediately, many telegrams were sent to different parts of Russia to all admirers and spiritual children of the late Elder, including a telegram to His Eminence Vitaly, who received it already halfway through his journey from Kaluga. The Vladyka was deeply amazed by this unexpected news and was even more surprised when he learned that the Elder died at half past twelve, the very hour when he left Kaluga. “Now I see,” added the Bishop, that it was the Elder who invited me to the funeral service; Bishops do not perform funeral services for ordinary hieromonks, but this Elder is so great that a bishop must certainly perform his funeral service. The doctors released me on the condition that I not serve anywhere, but now I consider it my duty to perform the funeral service for the Elder.” Night has fallen. The bustle and movement died down; the people dispersed to rest, but the sisters did not disperse: they did not leave the dear remains all night, it was too hard for them and they found the only consolation to be near their dear father, who had so recently been with them. Exactly half past eleven at night, the hieromonks came and after the funeral service they placed the Elder’s body in a coffin; My heart sank painfully at the thought that “Father” had already moved in body to his new home and in a few days the oak lid would hide the body of this holy man from our eyes. The sisters alternately read the psalter, and every time the name of “our newly departed father, Elder Hieroschema-Monk Ambrose” was pronounced, everyone in the hall bowed to the ground. These words resonated inexpressibly hard and painfully in hearts tormented by grief. On the morning of the 11th, funeral liturgies were celebrated both in the Kazan community, Optina Pustyn, and in many other places. Optina monks, nuns of the nearby Belevskaya monastery (including many spiritual daughters of the Elder) and his other admirers began to flock in large numbers to the Kazan community, where there was no longer enough space. At two o'clock in the afternoon, the last funeral service was served and the coffin was carried out of the rectory to the community church. The reading of the psalter, the incessant singing of dirges, the inconsolable crying of constantly arriving admirers filled the church. Arrived: the abbot of Tikhon's Hermitage Archimandrite Moses, the abbot of the Good Intercession Monastery, Abbot Agapit, a student of the late Elder and his former clerk, the abbot of the Holy Trinity Lyutikov Monastery, Abbot Theodosius, the abbot of the Maloyaroslavets Monastery, Abbot Gervasiy, the Abbess of the Belevsky Monastery with the treasurer, the Abbess of Kashira monastery and abbess of the Bolkhov monastery, and many other clergy who personally knew and respected the deceased. All night and the next day, memorial services followed one after another: either they were served at the request of the sisters and strangers, or at their own request, the hieromonks and priests who arrived. The people brought scarves, pieces of linen and various things, asking to be attached to the body, and accepted it back with great faith and reverence as a shrine; Small children were also included. On Sunday, the 13th, a funeral service was scheduled for the deceased Elder in Bose, for which they expected His Eminence Vitaly to join the community. The day was clear and warm, which are rare in October. From early morning, people moved in a long line towards the monastery, and the entire square in front of the church was strewn with a motley, elegant crowd. The bright rays of the morning sun illuminated all the surrounding objects and, penetrating through the windows into the church, played on the golden decorations of the iconostasis and on the large candlesticks that stood near the coffin. Everything had the appearance not of the presence of a deceased person, but of some kind of extraordinary, bright, spiritual triumph. At 8 1/2 o'clock a ringing signal announced the approach of the archpastor. Having arrived at the building where a room had been prepared for him, he asked where the body of the deceased Elder was and, having learned that it was in the church, he wished first of all to bow to him and, without entering the house, went on foot to the church. In the church they awaited Vladyka after a half-hour rest, as previously announced, and sang a requiem. The Bishop entered the church while “Alleluia” was being sung (at the end of “Blessed art thou, Lord”); the sisters, seeing their new archpastor, whom they had been preparing to meet for so long together with their “Father,” could not withstand the new onslaught of sorrowful memories and burst into tears loudly. Not suddenly they could come to their senses and sing the “entrance” to the Vladyka, who, meanwhile, venerated the Holy One. throne and icons, approached the coffin, bowed low and made the sign of the cross three times over the deceased; then he left the church. After some time, the Right Reverend arrived again at the church, where he was already met by 2 archimandrites, 2 abbots and other clergy who were preparing with him for service; everyone is in robes. After reading the entrance prayers, the Bishop put on his vestments, and the divine liturgy began; the harmonious singing on the right choir of the bishop's singers, on the left - by the sisters of the community, brought tenderness to those present. After the participation of the verse, Associate Professor of the Moscow Theological Academy Fr. Hieromonk Gregory said a wonderful word in which he clearly depicted the significance of the late Elder, both in particular for Optina Pustyn, the Shamordino community, and in general for monasticism and for all of Russia. As distinctive features, he set forth the broad, boundless charity of the deceased, his selfless love for every Christian soul, no matter what conditions it may be under, simplicity and deep humility. Often the preacher's words were drowned out by sobs. At the end of the liturgy, His Eminence Vitaly and with him 30 concelebrants, all in white, glazed vestments, stepped into the middle of the church to perform the funeral service; before singing the kontakion “Rest with the Saints,” student of the Moscow Theological Academy Fr. Hieromonk Tryphon, (now Bishop of Dmitrov, Vicar of Moscow), delivered a short but deeply felt speech, as a former student and novice of the Elder. After the funeral service, Vladyka, taking the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, which lay on a lectern in front of the coffin, blessed the deceased three times with it, then bowed low, kissed the head and hands and blessed him three times. The clergy, the abbess and sisters of the monastery and all the people began to say goodbye to Vladyka. Again desperate screams and soul-tearing sobs filled the air. Upon release, the Vladyka interred the body and left the church. In the apartments of the abbess, a funeral meal was offered to the guests (500 people dined), at which the Right Reverend was present; the subject of his conversation was the deceased Elder. At dinner, among the guests were two spouses, deep admirers of the Elder, whom they, a year before, asked to give them a child to raise, because did not have children of their own. Father then answered them that in a year he would send them a girl. This promise apparently remained unfulfilled. Meanwhile, a rumor spread that on the stairs of the abbot's building, the sisters had found a baby. As soon as the couple heard about this, they publicly declared that they would take this girl for themselves, believing that she had been sent by Elder Ambrose, in fulfillment of his promise. At the end of the meal, Vladyka wished to visit the cells of the deceased; Having entered them, he prayed and made the sign of the cross three times on the bed on which the famous hieroschemamonk Ambrose died. Then, having blessed the guests, sisters and all pilgrims, His Grace Vitaly returned to Optina Pustyn. And in the church, meanwhile, memorial services were held without ceasing, and singing could be heard all night. Elder Ambrose's receiving cell The cell in which the Elder lived and died It's Monday, October 14th. An inexpressible melancholy squeezed the sisters' hearts. Another new blow must break out over them: today they are deprived of their last consolation, they must part forever with their dear remains. After the liturgy, which was performed by the cathedral leader of the Optina monastery, Hieromonk Anatoly, and the requiem service, the coffin was solemnly raised by the hands of the sisters and carried around the church and through the monastery further to Optina Pustyn. A terrible, difficult moment came: the dear, loving “Father” was forever leaving his beloved brainchild, on which they had put so much effort and labor. His Shamordino saw his foundation in him, and his word was law here. With desperate gaze they watched the coffin moving away from their borders and dissolved their burning grief with the hope that “Dear Father will not leave us, he will help us from there too!” And this is true: his prayers will guard the monastery he created as a vigilant guard, and he himself will be a guardian angel for its inhabitants. The weather was terrible; a cold, piercing wind pierced through, and frequent autumn rain completely dissolved the earth. But nothing held back the zealous admirers of the Elder; His coffin was always carried in the arms of the sisters of the Kazan community, the brethren of the Optina Monastery and various people who wanted to prove their love and devotion to the deceased mentor to the very end. This procession was so solemn and at the same time touchingly touching that it looked more like the transfer of relics than a simple burial. The countless crowd of people with open heads, the ringing of bells with which they were greeted in the villages, harmonious singing, incessant litias, banners and candles that did not go out for 7 hours, despite the wind and rain - all this made an unusually blessed impression. The entire procession, together with the carriages riding behind, occupied a space of more than a mile. It was 5 o'clock, and it was already getting dark when the majestic procession approached Optina Pustyn. The large Optina bell announced to the brethren the approach of their mentor and associate, and all of them, their numerous clergy, with two archimandrites, abbots and other visiting priests in vestments, went to the bank of the Zhizdra River to meet their deceased brother. But the procession was still far away, like a black cloud it moved across the meadows, and burning candles in the twilight somehow mysteriously illuminated the black coffin. Far beyond the ferry, not paying attention to the dirt and rain, a thin monk of average height, with a sad, thoughtful face, walked towards the coffin - this is the closest disciple of the deceased Elder, Hieromonk Joseph, who was with him continuously for 30 years. The picture was even more solemn and touching when the funeral procession united with a host of clergymen, banners, icons, and candles that came out to meet it. A litany was performed at the walls of the monastery, and then they moved further to St. gate: again the coffin swayed majestically over the heads of the monks and so quietly and smoothly, as if through the air, he entered his native monastery, where he was reborn spiritually, began a new life and, having spent more than 50 years in monastic exploits, achieved such glory here on earth. The coffin was placed in the Vvedensky Cathedral, which was burning with lights, and immediately Fr. Archimandrite Isaac performed a solemn requiem service at the cathedral. Then in the Kazan Cathedral there was a ceremonial all-night vigil, and at the coffin the funeral services did not stop all night, and a line of people kissed the coffin. The next day, October 15, the coffin was transferred to the Kazan Cathedral, where again the Divine Liturgy was solemnly celebrated by His Eminence Vitaly, at the end of which the Bishop came to the pulpit and, turning his face to the people, delivered a beautiful, touching speech. In it, he pointed out that the “eldership” that flourished in Optina Pustyn flourished especially in the person of the deceased elder Ambrose. He expressed his heartfelt regret that he did not have the opportunity to personally talk with this venerable Elder and enter into spiritual communication with him. Then he described the greatest sorrow experienced by the Optina brethren, having lost their Elder, the Shamordino monastery - their father and patron, and finally, all of Russia - a leader and support in a time weak in faith. He offered as a consolation to all those who were grieving that the Elder had left them only in body, but was with them in spirit, saw all their deeds and thoughts and prayed for everyone. The Vladyka finished his edifying speech by asking for the Elder’s prayerful intercession at the throne of God. After the liturgy, the funeral service began. 40 clergy served with the Bishop. According to the 9th song of the canon, the above-mentioned Fr. Hieromonk Gregory said his last greeting to the deceased on behalf of the entire Moscow Theological Academy and mentioned the grief that gripped them all when, during evening prayer, Fr. the rector told the students this sad news. Hello, this young preacher concluded with a bow to the coffin of the deceased. At the end of the funeral service, preceded by banners, icons and a large host of clergy, the coffin was carried out of the church; The coffin was followed by the Vladyka in full bishop's vestments. A sad chime accompanied the holy repose of the Elder to his eternal resting place. At the grave, prepared next to the grave of his elder and teacher Father Macarius, a lithium was served and, after the proclamation of “eternal memory,” the coffin was lowered into the grave, and the large bell hummed majestically, spreading far and wide the news of the extraordinary celebration taking place outside the walls of the famous monastery. The Lord was the first to throw the earth into the grave, followed by everyone else, and in a short time a small hill rose in the place where a precious treasure, a vessel of grace, a church of a great and holy soul was hidden. At the end of the memorial meal, Vladyka invited all those present to pray for the deceased and, on himself and on behalf of both monasteries, expressed gratitude to everyone who honored the memory of the Elder with their arrival. At the fresh grave, the singing of dirges and suppressed sobs could be heard until late at night. Thus ended the sad, but at the same time joyful celebration - the departure of the righteous to the land of light, where a great reward awaits him! The morning of October 16 arrived. The sisters woke up in Shamordin and their first chilling thought was that the Elder was no more; Not only is he not with them in Shamordin, but he is completely gone on earth, and now they have nowhere else to go with their sorrows, hardships and sorrows. During the night, snow fell, and by morning the frost shackled nature, and this was so consistent with the inner state of their souls. A bereavement deprived this monastery of that warming and life-giving sun, under whose warm rays it arose and grew. Father, like a tender mother, cherished and warmed her, protected her and kept all sorts of troubles away from her, taking upon himself all the enemy’s arrows. That immense spiritual benefit that this wonderful healer of souls scattered everywhere - that countless number of people saved from the horrors of unbelief, lack of faith and cowardice, - that enormous moral influence that he had on those who deviated from the path of truth, on spoiled, inveterate sinners - that endless love and mercy that he showed to all the unfortunate and poor, and, finally, that quiet the radiance of his own example of high monastic life, which, stronger than words and teachings, instructed those who wanted to learn this science of science and who saw in him a living carrier of the spirit of the ancient fathers - all these fruits of his half-century of monasticism could not but arouse the furious anger of the prince of this world, who, during the life of the Elder, more than once raised human envy against him. Upon his death, his name was covered with nothing but respect and reverent memory, but the Shamordino monastery, his brainchild, still had to endure a lot and endure various slander and criticism. At first, due to some strange misunderstandings, it was even prohibited. The abbess and sisters visit Optina Pustyn. Shortly before the death of the Elder, in the month of August, Mother Superior Euphrosyne lost her sight and more than once told the Elder that it was impossible to manage the monastery without eyes, and asked his permission to retire; but Father once and for all forbade her to do this, saying that she should never ask to rest. “Wait until they refuse, and don’t ask,” was the Elder’s decisive answer. Accustomed to being guided in everything by the will of the Elder, she humbly and complacently accepted her cross, being completely at peace with the monastery, knowing that she was only the executor of his orders. All major economic affairs and construction were carried out at the direction of Father and under the supervision of experienced monks, the spiritual children of the Elder, who came to Shamordino. Now the Mother Superior found herself in the most terrible, hopeless and, one might say, desperate situation; deprived of sight, she lost her very support - the Elder, being left without any means to support her sisters. With such an already difficult task, she was still deprived of the opportunity to make up for the lack of her economic experience with the advice of good neighbors - the Optina residents, who always treated the new monastery with such fraternal sympathy, dear to them in spirit and according to their common father - benefactor. In addition, she was deprived of the last joy of crying out her grief at the dear grave and strengthening her spiritual strength with a conversation with his close disciple and assistant, Fr. Joseph, who took the place of Elder Ambrose. It was necessary to come to terms with my situation. The rector of Optina, Archimandrite Isaac, the devoted spiritual son of the deceased Elder, a man of high spiritual life, who, despite external severity, had a sensitive and kind heart, understood the hopeless situation the young monastery was in, and took the most generous part in it. Without any hesitation, he took full responsibility upon himself and allowed some monks to help inexperienced sisters in the affairs of a complex household until they became at least a little familiar with him. This touching care of the elder abbot was very important and will never be forgotten by the grateful monastery. Thus, the sorrows and trials sent by God served the sisters, firstly, for spiritual benefit, and secondly, they showed them how much their patron intercedes for them, that although he was absent in body, he did not leave them in spirit, and that even now there is someone to intercede for them.