Последние дни о. Иоанна Кронштадтского

In the last months of the earthly life of the dear priest, it should be noted that the dear father visited the huge Naval Cathedral being built in Kronstadt. When the foundation stone for the new Naval Cathedral in Kronstadt was laid 13-15 years ago, Fr. John predicted his death. After a welcoming speech on the occasion of the groundbreaking ceremony, he said: “And when the walls of the new church are put under the roof, I will no longer be there.” The autumn of 1908 was approaching. The construction of the cathedral was coming to an end, the walls were brought under the roof... The dear priest, in this bringing of the cathedral “walls under the roof”, saw for himself a sign announcing to him from heaven the proximity of the day of the end of his earthly life, the day when he, dear shepherd, support, stronghold and indestructible wall of Russia, will enter the “heavenly roofs”, and his soul has always lived on earth “in the help of the Most High,” - after death, “he will dwell in the blood of the heavenly God.” And just like St. The prophet Moses, God's chosen leader of the Jewish people, ascended Mount Nebo before his death (Deut. 32–34), and the great prayer book of the Russian land before his death, despite extreme weakness and “death exhaustion” of his bodily strength, visited the cathedral and, with the help of people, rose to the very dome... Great spiritual delight shone in the eyes of the dear shepherd. He always loved the churches of God... Just as God’s chosen Old Testament Seer of God, Moses, loved Mount Sinai, on which he talked with God, so for the greatest of the shepherds of Orthodox Rus', the church of God was dear to him, as the place of his invisible conversations and spiritual communications with God. At the same time, dear father sent a most submissive telegram to the Sovereign Emperor, to which he was honored to receive a highly merciful response. The Sovereign Emperor deigned to honor Archpriest John Ilyich Sergiev of Kronstadt with the following most merciful telegram: “To the Archpriest of the Kronstadt Diocesan Cathedral, John Sergiev. Thank you, Father John Ilyich, for your good memory. I wish you health and strength, and also wait for the joyful day of the consecration of the Naval Cathedral. This telegram came in response to the following telegram: To His Majesty the Sovereign Emperor. Your Majesty! Although I am sick, but, deeply interested in the Naval Cathedral in Kronstadt, which was being built on your initiative (initiative), I, with the help of people, visited it, examined its interior from an elevated position, and was surprised at its beauty, size, architecture, courage and high artistic taste of the architect and his assistant, and from the bottom of my heart I wished, as always, Your Majesty a prosperous and long reign together with Their Majesties, the Empresses and the Heir, the Tsarevich, and wait for the successful completion of this holy, majestic task and its consecration, as solemn and joyful as its former foundation. Your loyal subject, Archpriest of the Kronstadt Diocesan Cathedral, John Sergiev.”