Filaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Innocent, Archbishop of Kherson

Contents Reading in the hall of the St. Petersburg City Duma in the general meeting of members of the Society for the Propagation of Religious and Moral Education in the Spirit of the Orthodox Church on December 17, 1882, on the occasion of the centenary anniversary of the birth (December 26, 1782) of the late Moscow Metropolitan Philaret Reading in the hall of the Society for the Propagation of Religious and Moral Education in the Spirit of the Orthodox Church, in general meeting of its members, December 15, 1900, on the occasion of the centenary anniversary of the birth (December 15, 1900) of the late Innocent, Archbishop of Kherson and Tauride Eighteen years ago the author, who had then just left school and had just accepted the priesthood, received an invitation from the Council of the Society (which had recently arisen) for the dissemination of religious and moral education in the spirit of the Orthodox Church to say something at the General Meeting of members of the Society on the occasion of the centenary anniversary of the birth of Moscow Metropolitan Philaret. The proposal was accepted and the reading, the program of which was printed in advance (see the report of the Sov. General for the second (1882–83) year of its existence), proposed by the author, earned good reviews both from Bishop Metropolitan Ioannikiy of Moscow (who had just become the successor of the deceased Metropolitan Macarius), who deigned to attend the meeting of the Society and was deigned to listen favorably to the reading, and from on the part of the members of the Society who attended the said meeting, and on the part of several organs of the then press. Despite this, some circumstances (the author’s long illness (typhoid) soon befell him and for some reason the author’s manuscript was lying around among people who wanted to read it, so that after a long time he accidentally found it from one of these reading lovers) prevented the author from publishing in a timely manner the reading he proposed, which remained in the manuscript to this day. Now the author has received an invitation from the Council of the above-mentioned Society to offer a reading in memory of the Kherson Archbishop Innocent, on the occasion of the centenary anniversary of his birth. Reading on the day of the anniversary of Archbishop Innocent was suggested by the author. Members of the Society who attended the reading wished to see it published. At the same time, some people who, eighteen years ago, attended the author’s reading about the ever-memorable Metropolitan Philaret, remembered this reading and wished to see it published on the one hundred and eighteenth anniversary, December 26, 1900, the birthday of the late hierarch. Fulfilling this desire, the author found among his many other papers the manuscript of a reading about Metropolitan Philaret and decided to publish this reading without any changes, in the very form in which it was written and delivered exactly eighteen years ago. And by the 118th anniversary of the birth of Filaret, the author hopes that it has not lost its interest and significance. Readings about the two great hierarchs of our Russian Orthodox Church are combined into one brochure due to the similarity of the significance of these hierarchs for our Church and the simultaneity of their lives and actions, for for almost half a century of the past century, “Filaret and Innocent,” according to one professor, were “two colossuses of our Church, Moses and Aaron of our Church.” St. Petersburg. December 17, 1900. Reading in the hall of the St. Petersburg City Duma in the general meeting of members of the Society for the Propagation of Religious and Moral Education in the Spirit of the Orthodox Church on December 17, 1882, on the occasion of the centennial anniversary of the birth (December 26, 1782) of the late Moscow Metropolitan Philaret 1 Contents - Incentives for the nationwide celebration of the centenary anniversary of the birth of Metropolitan Philaret. – A note on the data for Filaret’s characterization. – Filaret as the great hierarch of the Orthodox universal and Russian Church. – these are actions in favor of Orthodoxy. – Filaret as spiritual administrator. – A note about his construction of churches and monasteries and the power of his prayers. – Filaret as a preacher: characteristics of his sermons from the internal and external aspects. – Filaret is like a statesman, a true patriot and a great philanthropist. – Filaret as a member of various societies: institutions. – Excerpts from his instructions to doctors and those who devoted themselves to caring for the sick. – An encouragement for our universities to remember Filaret. – His attitude towards poetry, literature, art and artistry. – Filaret is like a tireless worker. – Bibliographical notes about him. – A note about the subjects to which Philaret’s mind was drawn. – The moral character of Filaret as a person. – Reviews of his letters to his family and to Archimandrite Anthony. – A note about Filaret as an aristocrat in spirit. – General conclusion about Filaret. – Filaret is the ideal of a Russian Orthodox person. – He is an expression of the strength of the Russian people. – Remark – which way should this force be directed, – Conclusion. Your Eminence! In a few days, precisely on December 26 of this year 2, it will be exactly one hundred years since the birth of the ever-memorable Moscow Metropolitan Philaret. A name so great requires a lot of attention. Why do I apologize in advance if I occupy your attention with my subject today, dear listeners, for a longer time than is customary at our present meetings. A hundred years ago, here in Rus', a man was born about whom, eighty-five years after his birth, they spoke: this is “a force, a great, moral, social force, in which the entire Russian world heard and felt its own strength”; a man was born who is called “the best adornment of the history of the Russian people, the best expression of the enormous wealth and diversity of their spiritual powers, their intelligence, will, and patience”; - “the best guardian of national glory, a true citizen and a true shepherd of the church” was born, - a spiritual figure who has gone through a long career of serving the Church and serving the state - Metropolitan Philaret was born! Fifteen years ago he died physically; but even now he lives in spirit, as an example of faith, purity, and holiness. The present century of Metropolitan Philaret’s life among the Russian people will no doubt further revive the never-fading memory of him. The heart of Russia - Moscow, on December 26th, is preparing to solemnly celebrate the centenary anniversary of the birthday of its late metropolitan. But the entire Russian people, all their classes and estates, must take part in this celebration. Remembrance, and specifically national remembrance, of the great hierarch is necessary precisely in these difficult times - and here’s why. Recently, from the same pulpit, it was proclaimed that “our society is in some fear from the unrest that has penetrated social, political and mainly religious life.” Yes! Russian society has recently been overcome by the darkness of turmoil, the darkness of half-educated ignorance and frivolity, the darkness of some kind of stupefied, or even fierce desire to destroy everything on which our history arose and grew stronger. With the daily deepening of spiritual darkness, terrible deeds double and triple in number and degree. Preachers of freedom, equality, brotherhood excite the people, disgrace their history, insult them to the depths of their souls with the brutal killing of the noblest Monarch. Everywhere they want, look for, achieve something; everywhere they are dissatisfied with the old order of people's life; everywhere there is disruption, alteration, innovation - and rarely does the new coexist with the old; more often, intolerance and impatience on the part of new people, and grumbling and stubbornness on the part of old people, divide society into two hostile camps. Deep egoism has received in society not only the right of citizenship, but is even considered a virtue. Everything that does not bear the same banner with us is branded with contempt and insulted with ridicule. We do not want to give room to opposing opinions, considering ourselves immeasurably higher and more infallible than everyone else. And from this it turns out that the truth is becoming more and more obscured, relations between people are deteriorating to terrifying proportions. Every day we hear and see: murders, suicides, thefts, thefts, perjury, blasphemy against each other, mutual self-torment, “a fierce hunger to devour each other: a man becomes a beast for a man.” Along with the increasing darkness, the chosen luminaries of the world go to burn and shine into another world. So, in the very last days, the Russian people were unexpectedly and strongly struck by the sudden, almost simultaneous death of two of the best Russian people: the learned hierarch 3 and the valiant knight 4. Those tears of grief with which the Russian people mourned those who died untimely have not yet dried up - those tears of grief that God is hastening to take away from our fatherland its best sons, our fathers and brothers, of course for our private and national sins. In a word, our time is experiencing phenomena that are often wonderful and amazing. And all of us, let’s say in the words of one of our domestic archpastors, “we are all waiting for the coming of something sad, but something threatening, something terrible, and, as if pushed by fate, we are going, willy-nilly, to meet this coming horror.” And so, enveloped and fogged by the darkness of unrest, disgraced, insulted, heartbroken, in some fear, the Russian people need to show themselves that not all is lost, that “the faded wreath of national glory still burns brightly with brilliant pearls and diamonds.” Let’s say in the words of one church publicist: “You need to do this not for self-praise, but in order to raise people’s self-awareness; in order to let the people understand that they can still get out of their unbearably difficult situation, that in their history there are examples, following which they can wash away the stigma of shame that burns their suffering brow,” - to dry those tears of grief that they so recently shed, - to dispel the darkness of unrest that has enveloped them. “The counteraction to that continuous outrage and mockery of the Russian people, their Church and history, which, in the end, led to the well-known shameful action 5, “raising the spirit fallen from grief, dispelling the deep darkness must begin with exposing for instruction to people, on a particularly high pedestal, those personalities of its history who make up its glory. It is necessary to prove to the people that they have power, and great power, and indicate how and where it should be directed. The late Moscow Metropolitan Philaret was, as we said at the beginning, this best example of Russian History, constituted this glory of the Russian people, embodied this power. And therefore, on the day of his centenary, the entire Russian people, every son of the Russian people, every daughter of them, must remember him. The mental and moral appearance of the late Saint, in all its spiritual breadth, integrity and truth, in all its various vital manifestations of his being, is not yet possible to fully reproduce, because the time has not yet come when it would be possible to learn everything about him. For now it is only possible to imagine individual, fragmentary and incomplete pages from the book of his life. Therefore, let us not be condemned for the fragmentary and sometimes unclear, and perhaps incomplete skill of our characterization. After these preliminary remarks, let us move on to the very characteristics of the deceased archpastor. Here is before us the Hierarch of the Orthodox Universal Church: remember him, all true sons of the Orthodox Church! Remember the great hierarch who served as the body of Orthodoxy for the entire universal Church, who, without occupying any leading place in the universal Church, led the ecumenical patriarchs and the churches of our fellow believers governed by them, whose name was rightly exalted from one end of the universe to the other. The extensive tireless activity of this hierarch made itself felt from the extreme reaches of the north to the Jordan and the Dead Sea: everywhere he turned his gaze and his archpastoral participation was noticeable everywhere. He shone like a luminary in the firmament of the church, like great and godlike men who, with their great gospel virtues and creations useful to the whole world, deserve the name of common benefactors of humanity. For 60 years, this archpastor directed our entire belief, or, more accurately, our deep belief in the sacraments of faith, which constitutes the very essence of religion. His thoughtful works, like the writings of the ancient fathers, have always served and will serve the entire Church as a guide to understanding and explaining the word of God, to a clear understanding and accurate presentation of the dogmas of faith and Christian duties; and the high example of his life and his strict view of our duties have been and will be our protection from moral relaxation. . Sons of the Russian Church! Remember a shepherd you haven’t had for a long time - a shepherd who had such a nationality as a result of his life and labors for the common good, a shepherd who was one of the greatest workers for the benefit of Orthodoxy. Remember your God-wise teacher of faith and piety, whose numerous pastoral writings contain an inexhaustible source of edification and teaching for the Orthodox, serving as the best guide in the study of subjects of faith for many generations of Orthodox youth. Remember your hierarch, whose pastoral care for the highest interests of Orthodoxy and keen attention to the destinies of the Orthodox world extended far beyond the borders of our fatherland to the furthest reaches of the Eastern Church. With the churches of the same faith in the far east, and with that church that was the cradle of Christianity, and with that from which we received Catholic teaching, he constantly maintained communication, tirelessly caring for their prosperity. Our archpastor tirelessly cared about the spread of Orthodox teaching in non-Christian countries. He assisted and provided benefits to workers in the preaching of the Gospel among remote pagan tribes. And now, thanks to him, we see our missionaries fearlessly walking through the barren snowy deserts of Siberia. We see the Chukchi and Kamchadals already enlightened by the light of Christ’s teaching; we meet God's churches in the farthest north of our vast fatherland. But, caring for the spread of Christianity among savage tribes, the ever-memorable hierarch did not disregard those who, as a result of sad errors, were torn away from the Orthodox Church. He meekly exhorted them to return to the bosom of the true Church - and succeeded in his exhortation: the so-called Old Believers abandoned their false wisdom and came to know the true light. And from the rest of the domestic opponents of the Church, the deceased archpastor acquired respect for himself, paving the way for their return to the bosom of the Church. You, who consider yourself followers of the ancient faith, ancient worship, and also all of you, Orthodox lovers of truly ancient church worship! Remember the founder of some orders of church service and the composer of some prayers regarding the significant events of our fatherland - remember and be touched: the prayers composed by him breathe the gracious spirit of the apostolic writings; reading them, the soul is transported to the first times of Christianity. And “the style, movement, and solemnity of speech remind the reader not only of the speech of inspired theologians and teachers of the Church, but also of the hidden words of prophecy and mysterious revelation.” While promoting the spread and establishment of the true faith, our Saint also put aside the teachings of unrighteousness brought about by time. His watchful gaze followed everything that happened in the Church and soon exposed deviations from the truth of Orthodoxy. He always cheerfully stood guard over Orthodoxy and made his name known to people of other faiths in distant countries as the name of a perspicacious and courageous defender of Orthodoxy. And we know that foreign countries, countries of other faiths, turned to him with questions about the truths of Orthodoxy. We know that under him many sought to unite with the Eastern Orthodox Church, and perhaps this union will someday be accomplished, perhaps it is already close, for it must be accomplished, for the truth is the same for everyone. But if it happens, then the merits of our archpastor will appear in even greater splendor, for he worked a lot for this union. This is his inalienable merit. He was available to everyone who sincerely sought the truth; He received everyone and healed them spiritually with truly fatherly love. He felt it was his duty to care not only for those who were in the fold of his flock, and the consequence of these concerns was the acquisition of new members of the Church, members who were stolen from the Orthodox Church in sadder times by deceit or delusion. Gentiles are subjects of our state! As sons of Russia, we invite you to remember with us our domestic hierarch, who extended his loving gaze to you. Remember the teacher whose pastoral writings are translated into foreign languages ​​for scientific and public use in other countries, even those of other faiths, and are received with respect there. Being a great hierarch of the Orthodox Church, the late Metropolitan Philaret was also a remarkable spiritual administrator. Our highest spiritual government - the Holy Synod - always remembers him as one of the most active, enlightened and wisest of its members, whose deep experience in the affairs of the highest church government made his word, advice and constant - personal or written - participation in the discussion of all the most important church issues and measures in the spiritual department necessary and precious. – Every diocesan bishop will remember in Metropolitan Philaret a wise mentor in the difficult task of managing the spiritual flock; in his countless resolutions he will find excellent guidance for almost every case in diocesan practice. – The Moscow diocese governed by him remembers its bishop, whose almost half-century of service in it was marked by a continuous series of concerns about the prosperity of the flock, about the development and expansion of charitable and educational institutions, about the planting and establishment of common faith in it, about the improvement of the spiritual and educational institutions of the diocese, which did not cease to receive abundant funds from his generosity to elevate their life and under his watchful leadership they brought up many worthy pastors and hierarchs of St. our Church. And how many hierarchs and pastors came out of theological educational institutions, the organizer of which was the late hierarch, as a member of the commission of theological schools, as one who drew up draft statutes for many of them. The Theological Academies - St. Petersburg and Moscow cannot forget him: at her very birth he took the first one into his mighty arms, and at the beginning she lived by him, and the second was born and lived by him for more than half a century; The Kyiv and Kazan Academies were founded according to the charter of the Academies written by him; only in these two he did not act personally. Secondary schools teach the books he wrote; the lower spiritual ones, according to the Law of God, can hardly find anything better than his writings. Vigilantly concerned about the organization of spiritual education, Metropolitan Philaret also cared about finding ways to improve the life of the clergy - he asked the civil government to find reliable means for the clergy to get out of their plight. “It was in these very ways that he so zealously defended the integrity of the church economy, so that the clergy themselves would have the necessary funds to maintain the schools and the children of the poor clergy who were looked after in them. But our hierarch’s concern concerned not only the ministers of the Church. Lovers of the splendor of church churches and monastic life will remember our hierarch. His soul, so to speak, had an inherent passion to build the houses of God. During his life, he consecrated more than one hundred altars in parish, home, and monastery churches. – Grieving over the decline of that rigor, non-covetousness, that spirit continuously working for God, which distinguished the life of the ancient hermits, and edifying the monks and nuns in his sermons, nevertheless, he strongly contributed to the establishment of many monasteries. And these monasteries will never forget the archpastor - a strict ascetic - an ascetic. In the Trinity Lavra, its most famous sacred archimandrite, who knew how to revive it, through the people he chose, from a pitiful state to the one in which it is now, will not be forgotten there. The monasteries of the Moscow diocese, men's, women's, churches built and consecrated by him personally and under him, will not be indifferent. Will visitors and worshipers of these churches forget their prayer book? Ask in Moscow how many mothers resorted to the Archpastor - the prayer book with babies exhausted from illness in their arms, for spiritual help, how many wives and daughters asked for his prayers for the healing of their husband or father, and how many of those suffering from various ailments recovered through his prayer. And now, whoever from his flock and from the entire Russian country, visiting the monastery of the great miracle worker of all Russia, does not bow prayerfully and with deep faith before the much instructive tomb of our archpastor - the prayer book, with this short inscription: “May the Lord God remember your bishopric in His kingdom always, now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages.” But this great church prayer book was a great church teacher, to whom all of Moscow, all its inhabitants, listened with emotion, flocking in countless crowds wherever they hoped to hear his quiet, but penetrating word to the very heart. For forty-six years, so often resounding in the holy churches of Moscow, his word was a preaching of those Divine rules that were taught to us by the first teachers of Christianity; it revealed the very foundations and spirit of the teaching of the Law of Christ. Alien to abstract research alien to the spirit of Christian life, his word, which so touched and elevated his listeners, was imbued with deep theological contemplations. A distinctive feature of his sermons was his deep penetration into the meaning of the teachings of the Gospel. His soul loved to immerse itself in the mysteries of the Cross of Christ, in those mysteries before which the proud human mind involuntarily humbles itself, and which are accessible only to blessed souls. He deeply and comprehensively revealed Christian teaching. There seems to be no theological question, no tradition from ancient times, no truth of the Gospel that he would not touch upon, applying to the life of a Christian of every condition and position, every rank, class, estate, gender and age. There is no lesson in the acts and epistles of the apostles, in the writings of the Holy Fathers, in the lives of the saints of God and miracle workers, which he would not develop for those who rarely read such books and, moreover, who are little prepared to understand them by their very upbringing and non-Christian life. And indeed, his sermons and conversations fill the spiritual gap in the education of the Russian people and especially the so-called educated and enlightened part of it. Even the hidden tales of the Apocalypse, when he cites them, are presented, applied, and explained in such a way that even those who have little studied the Revelation of John the Theologian partially penetrate into the secret meaning of the mysterious visions. Lovers of spiritual enlightenment, remember our hierarch! But remember him too, you who are infected with unbelief and stagnant in it! This hierarch can guide you on the path of truth. How many questions did unbelief and ignorance pose to his faith and knowledge! questions about relics and images, questions about miracles, questions about fasting, etc., and he has irrefutable answers to everything. – And how he acted with his sermons against the painful phenomena of our time, against mental dryness, against coldness of heart, against lethargy of feeling, selfish effeminacy, against our arrogant self-conceit, against the terrible development of egoism! He observed all the events of his century, as a guardian of the faith, as a vigilant guardian of Christian virtue and morality, diverting us from the wrong path to the true and right path! The “Words and Speeches” of the Bishop of Moscow contain a lot of deep meaning and versatile meaning and application; about them, with all truth, you can repeat the word of the Wise: this is the bread that has every delight in itself (Wisdom XVI, 20). We are not trying not only to explain, but even to calculate all their versatility. Whatever the merits of the internal content of Philaret’s sermons, such is their external side. Deep concentration of thought, the strictest consistency in the development of the theme, the power of expression constitute an integral part of every word of this archpastor. None of our preachers has such a great art of penetrating into the very depths of the content of the text chosen for preaching, examining it from all sides, and revealing its entire meaning. Conciseness and perfect purity, strength and accuracy, the strictest correctness, simplicity descending to the language of simple conversation, and together extraordinary grace - these are the distinctive properties of his exemplary word. Both in internal content and in language, in form, in careful finishing, his speeches represent the height of perfection of oratory. They smell of the works of the ancient great teachers of the Church, those creations that he loved to study so much. And at the same time, this great hierarch of the Church, a great orator and preacher, was at the same time a hierarch - a citizen to whom order was dear, and preferably the well-being of Russia. He was a man of truth and law, experienced in state affairs, a man of labor and advice. Men of state! Remember the shepherd of the flock of Christ, who was often called upon to consider issues in which the needs of the Church came into contact with the affairs of the state - issues of deep importance, affecting the essential aspects of our legislation, requiring understanding of its inner spirit. Remember the successor of the apostles, who often gave answers to questions that were not at all church, not religious, not dogmatic, but specifically state, and resolved them not as a bishop, but as a statesman (for example, the question of corporal punishment). Monitoring everything that was going on in the state, he often drew the attention of the “powers that be” to various misunderstandings, oversights, etc. in one department or another. And at the same time, his instructions were so true and accurate that some of his predictions (for example, on the issue of public education) have now been fulfilled with literal accuracy. Consequently, even today, many statesmen will find excellent leadership in this hierarch, experienced in state affairs. This statesman - the hierarch - was entrusted with especially important matters by the trust of the Autocrats - matters that sometimes constituted a very important state secret: remember the secret family question of succession to the throne, the final edition of the manifesto on the liberation of the peasants. May the common people also remember, together with the memory of the Unforgettable - Liberator-Monarch - hierarch, who explained to them the true spirit and exact reason of the new laws in the matter of liberation: in the manifesto promulgated on February 19, 1861, the main idea, starting point, goal and mutual rights and obligations of landowners and villagers were interpreted by our great Ecclesiastes! This hierarch, a statesman, was also an ardent patriot - in the true sense of the word. Removing, as a spiritual figure, from political, literary and other statements on various occasions, nevertheless, he constantly followed modern aspirations in Russia and approved them when they were aimed at the common good, was indignant when they tended to harm the people, and exposed their lies and evil in ways accessible to him, i.e., he pointed out them, for example, in his annual report to the Holy Synod, in his official and private correspondence, in sermons and personal conversations with people from all walks of life. His love for the fatherland, enlightened and sincere, is visible in the creations and deeds of his entire life. He rejoiced and offered prayers of thanksgiving at every good deed of the government, at every success of the state; he grieved and humbled himself - for the whole people - before God during the difficult times of Russia: during infection, famine, rebellion, etc. And then difficult times came for our fatherland: he was the first to set an example of serving domestic interests, the first to make sacrifices from saved donations. And in all the joys and sorrows of the Royal House, he constantly took the deepest heartfelt participation, with prayer in his heart, with a spiritual word. About this spiritual word we cannot help but cite the review of our famous bibliographer, Mr. Ponomarev: “The Reverend Philaret responded sensitively to all sorts of major events in social and state life; condensed sketches of the past, a few features that capture the essential meaning of phenomena, apt, strong hints, and sometimes even pictures of events and drawing characteristic reviews are found very often in his preaching word; the very texts of the Holy Scriptures, the themes he chose for his words, were sometimes extremely significant and close in relation to a given time; meeting sovereigns, in his words he sometimes seemed to sum up the results of their past activities and pronounced his sanctifying sentence.” The great patriot was also a great philanthropist, and the Imperial Philanthropic Society will always remember its former member. The unmercenary hierarch was a benefactor in various forms and manifestations - such as: constant distributions to the poor and poor, benefits to newcomers from Orthodox monasteries, whether they were Greeks or Slavs, various, according to his example and invitation, collections for the sufferers of the whole world, for their own and others, for Christians exterminated by Muslims in Syria, in Crete, in Slavic countries, for fire victims, devastated fires in the Neva capital, in Simbirsk and almost throughout Russia, on our decaying churches among the Latvians - the German and Polish-Lithuanian population, and on the churches erected for Orthodox travelers abroad. – And this is not all the work of the great Philanthropist. Many of our scientists and other institutions and societies, where he was a member and where he left behind a never-dying memory, also cannot help but remember our hierarch. The Imperial Academy of Sciences will always remember its ordinary Academician, whose most perfect examples of spiritual sophistication, representing a powerful, Russian, rich language, according to the Academy itself, “require a separate history, which, in the composition of Russian literature of our time, will in all fairness take first place” (Uchen. Zap. Book II, issue I, 1856, p. VII). As a historian and member of the Society of Russian History and Antiquities, Metropolitan Philaret will always be remembered in this society as a deep connoisseur of history and as an exemplary storyteller, whose stories, distinguished by strictly harmonious speech and precision of words, are sometimes not devoid of subtle irony, and are written not without humor. The Archaeological Society will remember its former member, an outstanding archaeologist. The Geographical Society will also remember its former honorary member, who developed biblical geography. An amazing doctor, the most important part of the human being - the spirit, the strength of which is especially necessary for warriors, as a member of the Imperial, now military, medical-surgical academy will be remembered there too. All our physical doctors will remember the spiritual doctor, who taught them that “a doctor should not rely too much on his own insight and knowledge, and that the gaze of his mind should not get bogged down in matter.” “If a doctor,” said the deceased saint, “had seen the patient through and through, then, of course, he would have more accurately directed the medical means to the intended purpose. But he often stands in front of the patient’s body, as if in front of a closed house, and through some holes he not so much sees as guesses what is happening inside. Body dissection opens the door to an empty house and therefore cannot show anything else that happens in the presence of the owner. e. the soul that animates the body. Who can pursue the soul through its hidden entrances and exits in the depths of gross matter, in the heights of subtle matter? “In order to heal a patient,” he says further, “the doctor must see inside him, prophesy what is hidden with him: this requires purity of heart and elevation of spirit. Let us say without further ado: this requires the elevation of the spirit to the mountainous Spirit of wisdom and reason. As with all truth and medicine, the Lord gives wisdom and on His behalf knowledge and understanding (Proverbs 8:6). The same doctor of the spirit taught: “healing is a Divine work: therefore, visiting the sick, comforting, relieving, strengthening in the spirit, is such a human goodness that follows the Divine.” So, together with the doctors, remember the ever-memorable hierarch and all of you who have devoted yourselves to caring for the sick; from this hierarch, in his edifying words spoken by him to compassionate widows, you will find clear indications of the disposition with which you should carry out your philanthropic and Christian work. In the speech spoken by the late hierarch at the opening of the Moscow Society of Lovers of Spiritual Enlightenment, of which he was a trustee, there are clear indications of how and in what spirit the work of helping the sick should be carried out not in body, but in spirit. All of you who sincerely wish to provide spiritual help to your neighbors who are removed from the light of truth, take the ever-memorable hierarch as your leader! All our universities, starting with their oldest brother, Moscow, and ending with their youngest, Novorossiysk, will remember the honorary member of these two universities, who, in the person of their elder brother, gave to all of them, in the word “about truth,” as well as in some other words, deeply edifying instructions and instructions on how the truth should be investigated by natural scientists, and philosophers, and historians, and astronomers, and representatives of the verbal sciences will all find in these instructions a remarkable expert in their specialties. Lovers of literature will honor the former member of the Society of Lovers of Russian Literature and Lovers of the Russian Word, to whom poetic talent was not alien, as is proven by both his original (note: not only in Russian, but also in Greek and Latin) and his translated poems. The late hierarch was far from indifferent to poetry. The deep classical education he achieved, with the gifts of an unusually generous nature to him, through his own efforts and the labors of his entire life, naturally developed in him a sense of grace and a living sympathy for true poetry. Who does not remember Philaret, this poet-Philosopher, breaking with a “seraphic harp” (in Pushkin’s words) the pampered sounds of madness, bliss and passions - Pushkin’s playful lyre; here, the strictest ascetic monk is one of the first connoisseurs of the poetry of the “genius the rake.” And aren’t the very Words and Speeches of Philaret (in writing and in conversation) poetry in prose? How much in them, with the movement of a fiery feeling of love for God, with the depth of religious thoughts, how much lofty poetry worthy of the immortal psalmist, what harmony, clarity, strength, conciseness, euphony, majesty in them! Representatives of literature will remember the hierarch who constantly followed the successes of our literature in all its branches, never neglected either magazines or collections, noticing everything remarkable in them, and was personally acquainted with many of our writers, from the oldest in his time, Derzhavin, to the youngest in the literary hierarchy, Gogol. He vigilantly followed the direction of our literature. Our metropolitan critic was especially strict towards non-classical comedies, immoral operas, non-historical novels, and bloodthirsty dramas. Stories, vaudevilles, erotic, mythological and all kinds of poetry, without internal content, without thought, without feeling, were subjected to merciless criticism of him. But he did not disdain satire and epigram, as long as they were written nobly, decently, and not rudely or abusively. In a word, like a classicist, he loved the Attic salt, sometimes himself using a subtle weapon of irony: expressions, not in letter, but in spirit, slightly reproachful and didactic. Loving literature, our hierarch greatly regretted its inappropriate direction and the fact that it had a disastrous effect on public morality. The current representatives of our newspaper and magazine literature can learn a very good lesson from him. “Excessively multiplied periodical publications,” wrote Metropolitan Philaret in a report to the Holy Synod in 1863, “heavily distributed among the people, have an unfavorable effect even in that they arouse and nourish not so much true curiosity as fruitless curiosity; They provide a lot of pleasant and entertaining reading, but little edifying, they provide fragmentary, mixed, confused knowledge, but at the same time they absorb attention and time, distract from reading solid books, make the minds superficial and lazy for deep reflection on the most important subjects of knowledge. This direction of literature is harmful to the religious, moral and civil life of society; but the evil that comes from modern literature does not stop there. In literary works of both light and serious content, even those presented as educational guidance to youth, Divine Revelation is questioned, sacred traditions are degraded to comparison with fables, the rules of Christian morality and church institutions are not respected, the effort to give a basis for disbelief in miracles goes so far as to preach fabulous learned absurdities.” This is how our hierarch followed the direction of literature. He also strictly followed the direction of stage art, as can be seen from the same report to his Holy Synod for 1863. Remember the hierarch, too, you, representatives of art and art! This strict denouncer of the wrong direction of stage art, this, as they said about him, opponent of art (which was deduced from his refusal to consecrate the triumphal gates decorated with statues) was at the same time an artist at heart and an admirer of art, a deep connoisseur and connoisseur of folk and sacred music and liturgical church singing; He himself was a musician and took part in singing, and made no little effort to restore ancient church singing in all its simplicity and purity. Already from this versatility of his (in which, however, we note, all his aspirations and thoughts were devoted exclusively to the cause of his high service to the Church of Christ), - from this versatility one can see how much Metropolitan Philaret had to work. And, indeed, his whole life was incessant work; his rest consisted of changing one work to another. He was a tireless worker in the literary field as well. Bibliophiles and bibliographers, of course, will always remember the great worker hierarch, after whom there remained a mass of essays and works, moreover, translated into many foreign languages. Exactly how large the number of his works is – we still cannot say now. But an approximate idea of ​​their number can be formed from a calculation made by the Moscow Synodal Printing House back in 1867: from it alone, up to 1867, the works of the Most Reverend. Philaret was requested by the Russian Orthodox flock for more than three hundred and sixty publications, including more than two million two hundred thousand books 6 . Yes! There really are numbers that speak louder than words! But even more eloquent and more touching than words and numbers is the testimony that the godly writer of all these books did not take any compensation for his work, but instead donated all his writings for the greater convenience of all Russian Orthodox Christians. The writer’s work was sacrificed to the entire Orthodox Church. And what a mass of subjects that the late hierarch touched upon in his literary works and to which his mind was drawn! Dogmatic theology, moral, asceticism, Hebrew language, Holy Scripture (text and interpretation), Greek biblical and patristic language, Slavic biblical language, Russian biblical language, Greek and Latin patrolology, Slavic and Russian translation, biblical history of the Old and New Testaments, biblical archeology, geography, church law, universal, Russian; Russian history, archeology, comparative theology, the Russian schism in scientific and practical terms, liturgics, the science of preaching... And what, what subjects was not touched by the comprehensive mind of Philaret?!... Religion and Philosophy, science and art, politics and legislation, magnetism and turbulence, apocalypse and spiritualists, literature and art, history and anecdotes, mysticism and Quakers, the question of the fate of our Slavic brothers and the question of the participation of women in public affairs, the question of divorce, the question of religious tolerance and freedom of conscience... Everything, everything occupied the mind of the great man and about almost everything he left his comments, if not contained in writing - in his creations - then preserved by tradition. One can only be amazed and feel the enormity of the task that Filaret gives to scientists in Russia, both spiritual and secular, and also approximately realistically imagine what kind of great man he is. Thus, the deceased hierarch should be remembered by the entire scientific class of our fatherland, of all branches and directions. But this thoughtful scientist was also a humble devotee of the faith of Christ and a true man, in the full sense of the word. It would; a man with a loving heart, a gentle and respectful son, deeply in love with his blood relatives - with tender affection for the place of his final upbringing. With all the firmness and severity of his convictions, with unusual severity towards himself, this man was at the same time distinguished by his extraordinary tolerance and condescension towards others (unless this contradicted strict justice), accessibility, attentiveness and love for everyone. Persons who have become acquainted with his just published letters “to his relatives” speak of him as follows: “in them, as in mirrors, the gentle and highly noble soul of the saint is reflected, his modesty, Christian humility, severity and directness of demands in relationships both for himself and for others, clarity and breadth of view, above all - the relentless, but enlightened and strict Christian “carrying” of one of the most sacred duties imposed on a person by ties of kinship and blood ties." And here is another review of his letters to the former abbot of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony: “In them, the late Bishop is, first of all, a man of spiritual activity, a contemplator of the mysteries of God in the manifestations of the spiritual world, acceptable to him with the sinful faith of the ancient Holy Fathers, who were so keenly rewarded with the direct manifestation of God’s grace. A faithful follower of their examples, he closely follows the monastic exploits of the brethren subordinate to him, shows them the direct paths to spiritual success, rejoices in their haste and deeply grieves when they sometimes deviate from monastic vows. Always strict with himself, he also demands from his subordinates the unwavering fulfillment of their duties; - but the severity of the authorities’ punishments is softened by fatherly love and tries to heal sinful ulcers rather than punish the sinner.” “In addition to spiritual leadership, the bishop is a caring master in them, vigilantly taking care of both the needs of the brethren and the external improvement of the monastery, and does not ignore its slightest needs. In relation to his viceroy, the ruler is the most tender friend.” “Public opinion about the Metropolitan,” says the publisher of the letters, formed solely on his extraordinary mind and on his theological and oratorical works, of course, did not even suspect that a heart capable of such tender friendship was beating in his chest!” “Meanwhile,” the publisher continues, his heart beat with love not only for his chosen friend, but for humanity in general and most of all for Russia. The reader will see how much concern, how much care the Bishop devoted to healing all kinds of sorrows. If any misfortune befalls anyone, the ruler hurries to him; with a word of consolation, imbued with warm faith and humble submission to the will of God, and tries, by helping in grief, to draw from its very source a lesson for directing the mourner onto the path of repentance and moral correction. Whether anyone needs material help, he will not be denied assistance. The bishop placed the work of charity above concern for the decoration and splendor of the priestly service” 7 . So – our ever-memorable hierarch was both the most tender son and friend, and caring! master, and comforter and helper in sorrows and misfortunes, he had a heart capable of responding to every need and grief of his neighbors. Remember him, children who love their parents and blood relatives, remember him, all of you who belong to our zemstvo, agricultural and property class, and all of you who have a heart capable of responding to every need and grief of your neighbors. “At the same time, the deceased saint amazes! us (the same publisher further says) with their memory, depth of thoughts and power of expressions, many of which can rightly be recognized as apothegms.” But for all that, this man, possessed of a wise spirit, was distinguished by deep apostolic humility. He, who created the glory and joy of Russia, himself never thought about earthly glory, did not seek earthly honors. There was neither arrogant pride nor cold selfishness in him. Remember the ever-memorable hierarch, all of you, true Christian souls, who work out your salvation in humility and simplicity of heart and life! But let our hierarch not be alien to your memory, the chosen ones of earthly happiness, elevated above the simple crowd by excellent birth and (...) 8 upbringing. Let it be known to you that our hierarch, both great in humility and humble in greatness, is this ascetic monk, and at the same time a subtle diplomat to the highest degree, an aristocrat in the highest sense of the word, an aristocrat of spirit, of true grace. He knew how to behave so calmly and majestically and with such inimitable grace in his movements that foreigners who were at the coronation of the late Emperor Alexander II attributed to our hierarch - this son (...) of the Kolomna deacon - the highest aristocratic origin. He, who preached the prose of luxury in clothing and decoration, he, before the house of the kings of the earth, denounced, one might say, cruelty worthy of ancient ascetics - (...), - love for the world and for everything worldly, all its forms and manifestations - he - this strict accuser and reproach - at the same time, out of selflessness, out of love for others, out of reluctance to offend, he will upset his neighbor, out of a deep consciousness of dignity not his own personality, and the dignity was clothed in precious clothes - on certain occasions he appeared in all splendor and grandeur. Join us all, you, our Russian aristocratic families and surnames, and remember the hierarch - the aristocrat of the spirit... We have found out, as far as we could, the personality of the late Metropolitan Philaret and we can say without deception that he was an ideally high representative and performer of the work of Christ on earth. We are involuntarily ready to fall on our faces before his majestic image. You can’t help but ask: what is this? Where are such people born, what happy, what gifted people produce such phenomenal creatures? And the more one studies the life and work of Filaret, the clearer it seems that the ideal of the Russian Orthodox man has actually been found, which constitutes the cherished, heartfelt dream of the best truly Russian people, and which they tried with all their might to destroy. And shouldn’t we be amazed at him, shouldn’t we be in awe of him, shouldn’t we place such a national treasure on the highest candlestick, so that it can shine for everyone? Shouldn't we also be surprised and consider happy the people among whom such personalities appear? Do they not come from him himself? If we, - every one of us Russians, no matter who he is, - if we do not find (each to one degree or another) personalities, like Filaret, a reflection of the best sides of ourselves: then don’t we have the right to say that these individuals, these great forces are the highest expression of the people’s own strengths? Doesn't he see in them a reflection of himself? Yes! he is proud of them, they constitute his glory, his significance among other nations! So, it is not for nothing that the Russian people remain (...) the great hierarch ever-memorable: the unfading memory of Filaret shows that the Russian people have strength and great strength. Where and how should it be directed? The answer is obvious: in the same place and in the same way where and how this embodiment of the power of the Russian people was directed: Filaret was “a force created not from outside, but generated by the power of the personal spirit, growing on church folk soil.” Only the path indicated by our Russian Orthodox Church, the path of Christian enlightenment, truly popular church education, and this is the path by which power should be directed, lies in the Russian people. This path is shown to us by the saint and teacher of our Church whom we remember, in his dying words to his Moscow flock: “The eternal source of truth and wisdom continues to pour out its beneficial and saving light into the minds and hearts of chosen leaders in the regions of the night, and from those who teach to those who are taught, from the highest to the lowest degrees of teaching, may it extend to beliefs and rules, to thought and life, the pure light of truth and goodness!” And if we, all Russians, both old and young, assimilate this testament of our Saint, we will follow the path indicated by him - the path of truly Christian enlightenment; then let fate deprive us of our best leaders: we deeply believe and hope that the Russian land, by the mercy of God, will not become scarce: the Russian land is rich, the Russian people are strong and mighty! And all our Russian people have a strong faith in the mercy of God - that faith that has led and is leading us through difficult trials to a great, (...) and brilliant future. We don’t know what lies ahead: perhaps more than one test is in store for us, perhaps we are living more than one more difficult moment, but we believe in our star, we believe that sooner or later, like the sun, this star will shine; will blind the whole world with its bright brilliance, this faith gives us strength in enduring all our adversities, all our failures and severe disasters. Let your blessed faith shine with a bright light! And You (we conclude with the words of one speaker spoken at the tomb of the deceased saint), the deceased author of our speeches and our prayers for you! Attracted into our world by these (...) affections and zeal for You, do not interrupt your communication with us. Having become a citizen of the heavenly world, as we hope, (...) of a new life, remember before the Lord the Orthodox, whom you honored and loved, the best citizen of the Russian land, (...) before the Lord the Orthodox Church and Your Fatherland. Your sacred name, Your holy soul and life, Your holiness will never, never be forgotten in the Russian land. Uniting (...) with You and reviving in our souls (...) the image of Your spirit, let this memory excite in (...) this memory to imitate Your attention to the soul and to all its discoveries, Your thoughts, Your unchanging fidelity to the apostolic tradition and the institutions of the Holy Church, (...) unyielding firmness in fulfilling the duties of a Christian and Citizen.” Amen. Priest of the 9th Church of the Hospital of St. Mary Magdalene Alexander Dernov. December 17th, 1882 4 p.m. Reading in the hall of the Society for the Propagation of Religious and Moral Education in the Spirit of the Orthodox Church, in the general meeting of its members, December 15, 1900, on the occasion of the centenary anniversary of the birth (December 15, 1900) of the late Innocent, Archbishop of Kherson and Tauride 10 Content. – Why is it that in Russia, with an abundance of talented people, there are few learned people and even fewer educated people? – What does true Christian development and education depend on? – Only in the depths of the Church is it possible for such great people as Filaret and Innocent to appear. – The height and depth of their thoughts and opposing views on them. – Significant fame of the name of Innocent during his lifetime. - Prayerful memory of him. – Characteristics of Innocent. - The task of his life. – His constant thought is about the Savior. – In what direction did Innocent act for the benefit of science? – Innocent’s constant thought about the Holy Land. – Traits of Innocent’s pious mood and behavior. -His traits as a scientist. – A special inclination to engage in natural sciences and love for nature; the desire to always find in it lessons instructive for a Christian. – Book contemplation of nature. – Freshness of thoughts and receptivity of feelings. - Special hard work. – Scientific and literary activity, – “The last days of the earthly life of G. I. Christ.” - Other items. - “Dogmatic collection.” – Innocent’s preaching talent. - Consequences of this. – Traits of Innocent as a professor and the nature of his theology. Review by Metropolitan Macarius. – Innokenty – administrator: a) rector of the academy; b) diocesan bishop; c) member of the Synod. - His death. – General review of him and the akathists compiled by him. Throughout its more than a thousand-year existence, Russia can list among its sons many, many talented people; but there are not so many learned people she can point to, and even fewer people who are fully and comprehensively educated—educated in the truly Christian sense of the word. After all, learning requires a lifetime of work; it also requires serious preliminary schooling. Of course, for talent, the main means of development is self-education; but it is also true that every talent needs outside care, approval, support at home, at school, in society; then his work is facilitated, his correctness is revealed without wasting energy and time. Unfortunately, our talented people often go their own way, either squandering themselves on trifles, or dormant, uncultivated, idle. Scientists and well-educated people in our country are still rare self-educated people. And people who are educated in the Christian sense of the word, that is, who have comprehensively developed themselves, and the mind, and the heart, and the will, are people for whom nothing: - not only human, but the world and the world, that is, nature and God, nothing is alien to them, everything is embraced by their mind, everything is introduced into their heart, as dear to them, and all this is assimilated by them for the sake of the glory of God, and not for the sake of just empty curiosity - everything is brought into a single harmony: such people meet us even less often. Why? But because such true Christian development and education requires not only care from (...) (The text is illegible - electronic editor's note), approval and support at home, at school, in society - not only self-education is required; but something higher is also needed: light coming from the Father of lights is needed, the grace of God is needed, the power of God is needed and perfected in weakness, everything that serves “to life and piety” is needed. And since all this is achievable only in the Church of God, then, without hesitation, we will say that only in the depths of the Church and under its gracious overshadowing is it possible for the appearance of such luminaries as those who were, lived and acted in our Russian society in the first three quarters of the present, but already going into eternity, century. We mean our greatest thinkers, orators and theologians: Philaret and Innocent, the Moscow Metropolitan and the Kherson Archbishop, who were precisely examples of people and scientists and truly educated. But, being by nature not only talents, but also geniuses, they, - let’s say in the words of also a remarkable hierarch, in the episcopal department of one of the successors of the famous Innocent, - namely, Archbishop Nikanor of Odessa and Kherson, - “like eagles, kings of the birds, either freely and easily rush to the sun to contemplate the truth, then impetuously fall to the last darkest depths of human thinking, why not everyone can, and some were even afraid to follow the brilliant flight, to the heights and depths, of their brilliant thoughts” (Collected words and speeches Nikan. vol. 3, p. 182). This is what explains the different, to the point of complete opposite, views on these saints, especially on St. Philaret of Moscow. The name of Saint Innocent of Kherson, like the name of Philaret of Moscow, was well known, even during his lifetime, and among the educated part of Russian society, and abroad of Russia, in the lands of our fellow believers, Eastern and Slavic, and some of other faiths, and in general European. The memory of both saints was strengthened and strengthened even more, after their death, in the prayerful memory of the children of the Russian Orthodox Church. And today, in almost all places where the name of the ever-memorable Innocent is known, prayers are held in memory of him, on the occasion of the centenary of his birth - everyone has a desire to remember and with a kind word all aspects of his extraordinary personality. “Glorious Victor, a great thinker, a noble, benevolent heart and a high spirit, is a saint recognized by the beauty of our Church and the glory of our Russian hierarchy” (Prop. Nikan. p. Her. and Od. vol. 1, p. 203), - St. Innocent was both a great theologian, and a good shepherd, who rightly ruled the word of truth, and truly educated - in the full, Christian sense of this words - man. The vow he made when he was named bishop: “to ascend with desire above everything below and to soar incessantly with pure thought towards the Sun of Truth, to overshadow the Church of Christ with the light of Christ; take special care that this light, overshadowing many, is reflected in himself and illuminates the beauty of those good deeds, for which, seeing them, everyone glorifies the Heavenly Father" (Oc. Inno. vol. IV, pp. 114 and 115) - this vow was the task of the entire subsequent, episcopal, but also the previous life of Innocent - one might say, from his infancy to his last day life. According to the testimony of Innocent’s personal friend, the Right Reverend Jeremiah (see Church Veda. 1500, No. 50, p. 2073), “From his youth to the end of his days, Saint Innocent always had in his mind and thoughts the divine face of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Before the judgment of the Lord and before his matter - the Church, with trust in the mercy of the Lord, he could say: do not judge what is in you, writing and speaking orally, but rather Jesus Christ, and this one was crucified.” He desired and with all the strength of his mind strove to understand the love of Christ that overcomes reason and the power of the cross and resurrection. To the best of his ability, Innokenty cared “to be useful both to that helicity of sciences, from which all domestic helicopters arose, and in which he himself grew” (ibid.), and to all domestic science, especially spiritual, theological, precisely in this direction. Wherever Saint Innocent lived, his spirit was always present in Jerusalem and throughout Palestine. “Living in the 19th century before the Nativity of Christ, he was, as it were, a modern, constant spectator of the work performed by the Lord for our salvation. Therefore, he was never so talkative and animated in his gaze and enlightened in his face, as when he remembered Tabor and Zion, the Jordan and especially Golgotha.” Unable, as a result of his appointment as a bishop, to satisfy his sincere desire to visit the Holy Land and see with his own eyes all the places sanctified by the earthly life of the Lord, Innocent tried to console himself with the thought that “the path of every Christian shepherd, no matter where he lies, if he goes right, then leads straight to Heavenly Jerusalem” (op. IV, 116). But even a few hours before his death, Innocent, who intended to leave the management of the diocese entrusted to him, wanted to live the last days of his earthly life in Jerusalem and asked to prepare a room there for him: the Holy Land was so desired for him! Throughout his entire life, Innocent strove only to do the will of God in everything. In an interview with anyone, Saint Innocent never allowed himself gossip and empty words. He was imbued with humility to the depths of his soul. On farewell Sunday, he asked forgiveness from some - how? Not just by bowing, but – this is moving to tears – by kneeling and repeatedly bowing to the ground. Innocent was sensitive and could be upset with someone and upset himself: in such cases, he quenched the displeasure with one gift or another. Always studying the word of God and always praying that the word of God would not return from him empty, he, with the help of the Grace of God, was a faithful herald and unflattering interpreter of the holy word of God, a shameless performer and impartial dispenser of the most holy seven sacraments of God. Throughout his entire active life, Innocent was and remained a steadfast follower of the faith and spirit of the apostolic men, a firm guardian of the life-giving commandments and traditions of the holy Orthodox Eastern Church. During the first and last weeks of Great Lent, Saint Innocent freed himself from all extraneous matters, even official duties, and devoted himself entirely to prayer, theological reflection and writing. At the St. Petersburg Academy, during the inspection, during these weeks he studied “The Last Days of the Lord”; in Kyiv, during the first and last weeks of Lent, his mind and heart were occupied by “Holy Week”, “First” and “Bright”. As a scientist, he was knowledgeable not only in theological science, but also in various fields of secular sciences, in which everywhere he, as experts testified, felt like a master. He was especially attracted to the natural sciences, in the study of which, as well as nature in general, he always tried to find instructive lessons for a Christian. Innocent was extremely fond of contemplating nature and its phenomena. During thunder and lightning, a walk in the open air was his highest pleasure. He was especially attracted to: the dark and dense greenery of the cypresses, the mighty pines, spruce, firs, cedars - the stormy breath of the wind in the pine forest excited his heart. The very word “burevoy”, so expressive, could have been created, according to Innocent, only by the mighty Russian language, which Innokenty, we note, knew such perfection. Innocent loved to listen to the singing that sweeps through the pine needles with a quiet current of wind, and sincerely regretted that, due to the inability of our population to preserve and care for forests, in the middle latitudes of Russia the coniferous forest would pass into the realm of legends. – Innocent loved to listen to the quiet splash of sea waves or their crash against the rocks and often said: “if the sea has such wonderful songs, then what are they like in the sky or in the sky!..” He loved to climb high mountains and at their tops “sweetly pray” at midnight. - Innocent felt a special pleasure to see the waving fields and believe that it was a gift from God, the fruit of our prayer. He expressed the conviction that our plowmen, who believe in the Creator and Provider in the simplicity of their hearts, are incomparably happier than people who master various wisdoms. “Innocent was fascinated by the vastness and distance of the boundless steppes. He was involuntarily delighted by slender animals, gazelles, etc. Geology, the distant times of the planet we inhabit, minerals and, in general, all fossils: everything attracted the mind and heart of Innocent and everything was known to him. Mesmerism or animal magnetism, the afterlife, communication with the dead: all this occupied Innocent’s mind. Physics, astronomy, and celestial mechanics were also the subject of his constant study and observation. Innocent also delved deeply into bookish contemplation of nature. Once, while reading one of the French astronomers, he was so amazed by the greatness and structure of the worlds that he fell on his face. Innocent retained the freshness of his thoughts and receptivity of feelings until the last days of his earthly life. Of course, such a mass of information is impossible without one’s own hard work. And our ever-memorable ruler was amazingly hardworking: he often spent whole nights reading a book; He also always dined with a book, if alone. Due to his curiosity, Saint Innocent hardly left any book without reading. But more than his own hard work, Innocent hoped for God’s help and asked for it in fervent, earnest prayer, in which he often spent entire nights. Prayer in general was Innocent’s favorite thing. And Innokenty devoted part of his time to scientific studies until the end of his life. Innocent's scientific and literary activity was devoted exclusively to theological science in its various branches. His theological works will always be a source of edification and teaching for Orthodox Christians. His academic readings represent a remarkable phenomenon in our theological literature for their clarity, liveliness, harmonious combination of faith with scientific knowledge and charming presentation. Especially his creation: “The last days of the earthly life of our Lord I. Christ” was that exceptional work that he worked on and which he corrected throughout his entire life; He was engaged in this even shortly before his death. “This work had the purpose of, with the blessing of God, to arouse in God-loving readers faith and love for our Lord Jesus Christ, Who in His entire earthly life is the highest example of perfection for the entire human race, and in the last days of His earthly service to humanity and in the midst of His sufferings, He especially appears as the Only Begotten of the Father, filled with grace and truth.” In all the printed works of Innocent, one can hear the voice of one of our most enlightened archpastors, who combined clarity and sublimity of thought with inimitable simplicity and power of words. And how many subjects were examined by Innocent! Religion, God in general, revealed religion, the Holy Trinity, the doctrine of the world, of man, of the final destiny of man and the world, human morality, the doctrine of Providence, of spirits; especially the teaching, beloved by Innocent’s soul, about the Redeemer, about the earthly life of I. Christ, about His resurrection; Evangelical, apostolic and church history: these are the main works of Innocent, besides the mass of sermons. And Innocent can rightly be called the most beloved of the spiritual writers of the Russian Church. And his concerns, from the beginning of his professorship until the last days of his life, about the publication of the “Dogmatic Collection”, which included all confessions of the Orthodox faith, in order to show in the most obvious way, through citing the texts themselves, Orthodox and non-Orthodox how the Orthodox faith has been preserved throughout the centuries with all immutability and purity in our Orthodox Church - these concerns show in him a special zealot of Orthodoxy. The main glory of Archbishop Innocent is his extraordinary preaching talent. Exemplary; with the greatest care and skill - the sermons he composed, as they appeared in the world, were read and re-read with impatience and delight by people of all classes, and the name of Innocent was announced in all corners of immeasurable Russia. And those who listened to the sermons directly delivered by Innocent were positively carried away by his inspired word. This was facilitated by the extraordinary gift of improvisation of Innocent, who always spoke without a notebook, his effect primarily on the hearts of the listeners, the clarity and simplicity of the word, the artistic picturesqueness of ideas and images, the subtle and witty convergence of objects, the art of discovering new and entertaining sides in them, and Innocent’s ability to apply, as closely as possible, his teachings to various cases and circumstances. – Innocent’s heart, full of high, sincere love for Christ and his neighbors, for the truth, for everything good and beautiful, was a constant and abundant source of oratorical inspiration. – The external nature so beloved by Innocent gave him abundant material for edifying sermons. In a sea boiling with waves or in a cloud cut by lightning and thunder, he pointed out the image of the omnipotence of God; in the star-studded vault of heaven, in the rising and setting sun - the image of the wisdom of God; in a spring decorated with flowers, leading choirs of birds, an image of the goodness of God. With all these pictures, Innocent encouraged his listeners to ascend in thought to the perfections of the Creator. Adaptation of Innocent's sermon to life and. understanding of the listeners and its presentation in the purest, exemplary, Russian language - served as the reason that the Imperial Academy of Sciences and various scientific societies honored Vitiia’s literary merits by accepting him as their member. And the rumor that spread about the skillful orbit, nicknamed the Russian Chrysostom, in foreign lands was the reason that Innocent’s sermons were translated into Greek, German, French and Polish. As a professor, Innokenty was a professor by vocation, by all the feelings and inclinations that were expressed in him early, by the entire personality that he finally developed. In his first courses at the Academy, Innocent, in the rank of hieromonk and archimandrite, taught basic, dogmatic and moral theology. The internal character of his theology consisted in a sincere desire for a reasonable and holistic assimilation of each revealed truth in its heavenly purity, divine greatness and gracious power. About this remarkable professor-theologian we have received a review from his also remarkable student, later the Metropolitan of Moscow, Macarius: “He was a man in the true sense of genius: a high, bright, penetrating mind, a rich, inexhaustible imagination, a vivid and extensive memory, an easy and quick ingenuity, a subtle, correct taste, the gift of creativity, ingenuity and originality, the most perfect gift of speech - all this in a wonderful harmony was combined in the late hierarch. With such extraordinary talents, he also had an extraordinary education: he knew not only the spiritual sciences, which he knew perfectly, but also very many secular sciences, so that he could discuss them with specialists and often amazed the specialists with his apt questions or answers. He was an exemplary professor: with his inspired improvisations he awakened, captivated, and delighted his listeners!.. The administrator, represented by Innocent, was also outstanding. In his position as rector of the academy, Innocent brought life and tranquility everywhere, so that under him the academic corporation was one kindred family, headed by a rector beloved by all its members, with the same goals, aspirations, concerns, joys, desires. The students of the academy saw Fr. The rector's always affectionate and noble treatment, in case of any grief, serious illness, etc., that befell them, turned into special kindness and attentiveness towards them, expressed in sacrifice on the part of Fr. the rector not only with material resources, but sometimes even with his own living comforts. Innocent set the Academy at the level of possible perfection: he revived and raised to a special height the teaching of theological, historical and philosophical sciences, giving them a new direction and a new character. He himself, in truth, was a Philosopher, a psychologist, a physiologist, a theologian, and a historian. – Scientific literary publications were undertaken, for example. “Sunday reading”, and research of historical monuments. Innocent gave a moral incentive to everything. Economically, the academy has also been improved. As a diocesan bishop in three successive dioceses: Vologda, Kharkov and Tauride, Innokenty was an unflattering steward in the heirloom of the Lord entrusted to him - he was the most active diocesan leader, acting according to a strictly thought-out program. Sincere, unfeigned tears at the parting with him of each diocese entrusted to him, both pastors and flocks, pointed to his importance for the dioceses. Concern for the reverent and solemn conduct of church services, for completely meaningful reading and singing in the churches of the dioceses entrusted to him; about the elevation of the clergy in mental and moral terms; concerns about improving the material life of the clergy; special measures to incite religiosity among the people: the renewal and opening of old monasteries, the establishment of new ones, the renovation of cathedrals and churches, the establishment of solemn religious processions, the compilation and publication of akathists, imbued with true Christian feeling and perfectly adapted to the needs and spirit of the people; restoration of ancient Christian monuments; the organization of “evenings of spiritual literature”, which had the goal of bringing together ministers of spiritual science with well-intentioned secular figures and had a very educational effect on all participants in these evenings; concerns about improving the religious and educational institutions of the dioceses entrusted to him, in material and educational terms; measures to improve diocesan government bodies; historical study of the dioceses entrusted to him, and much, much more: these are the features of Innocent’s diocesan administration, the subjects of his concerns. In the last years of Innocent's priesthood, his especially lively archpastoral participation in the disasters of the Crimean War and his extremely beneficial influence on the soldiers were revealed, and the special greatness of Innocent's Christian courage and selflessness was also revealed. After the end of the war, Innocent had many worries about restoring and correcting what had been destroyed by the war. Along with diocesan concerns, Archbishop Innocent also had to bear concerns about governing the entire Russian Church: for several years in a row he was summoned to St. Petersburg to be present at the Holy Synod, where he was one of the most active members during his entire presence. At the coronation of Emperor Alexander II, Archbishop Innocent was granted the title of member of the Holy Synod. Intense labors and anxieties broke the health of the glorious archpastor, and on May 26, 1857, on the bright feast of the Life-Giving Trinity, he quietly died. During his dying illness, which lasted exactly a month, Saint Innocent delighted and supported himself by prayer, receiving the Holy Mysteries, listening to the singing (performed by his singers) of church hymns and listening to the reading of the thoughtful and deeply edifying sermons of Metropolitan Philaret... The Kherson diocese mourned the death of its beloved archpastor. All the sons of Russia who knew the name of Innocent also mourned his loss. And it was impossible not to mourn his loss. According to the testimony of people who knew Innocent closely, he was a “comprehensive, and one might say, all-encompassing” man: he was also a great Russian citizen, whose soul responded to all the glaring questions of the fatherland, whose heart ached with all his wounds; he was also a friend of humanity, who fervently wished him lawful success everywhere, in the spirit of the faith of Christ; he was also a statesman who, in difficult circumstances, could always give good advice and point out new aspects of the issue; he was also an enlightened man, standing on an equal footing with his age, for whom there was nothing unfamiliar in the field of knowledge. If Innocent had, due to the weakness inherent in every person, any stains on his soul, then they were washed away by “people's tears.” The akathists compiled and published by him: to the Life-Giving Trinity, to the Passion of the Lord, to the Life-Giving Tomb, Before the Communion of the Holy Mysteries, to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos and to the Archangel Michael, produced in their time (and even now - they produce exactly the same effect) the impression that for the sake of these akathists, the mass of praying people, on a simple weekday day, left work and went to church and I listened to these akathists with tears in my eyes. “When I see,” one of the Orthodox hierarchs says on this occasion, “I see tears in the eyes of many, I always think that if Innocent had any stains, they have already been washed away by these people’s tears.” Pronounced in the presence of Moscow Metropolitan Ioannikis, who died on June 7, 1900 at the see of Metropolitan of Kiev and with the rank of First Member of the Holy Synod, Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow † June 10, 1882. M. D. Skobeleva † June 25, 1882. The saddest event: March 1, 1881. In the past eighteen years (1882–1900), the number of newly discovered guiding works of the great hierarch, which were very valuable for the entire Russian Orthodox Church, increased even more. He is exactly the same in his letters to A.N. Muravyov and to Archbishop Alexei of Tver and other persons. The word is illegible - note from the electronic editors. Nowadays he is an archpriest, rector of the St. Petersburg Petrovsky Court Cathedral, in the Fortress. December 17th. The meeting took place under the honorary chairmanship of His Grace Veniamin, Bishop of Gdov, vicar of the St. Petersburg Metropolis.