Theophan the Recluse in Karelia

Bishop Theophan the Recluse (Govorov) (1815 - 1894) - the largest spiritual writer in Russia of the second half of the 19th century, a famous Orthodox ascetic, doctor of theology, translator of church patristic literature (including the multi-volume work "Philokalia") - was officially canonized only in the year of the 1000th anniversary of the adoption of Christianity in Rus' (1988), although during his earthly life he was revered by believers as a saint of God. Georgy Vasilyevich Govorov was born on January 10 (23), 1815 in the family of a priest in the Oryol province. After graduating from school and seminary, he entered the Kyiv Theological Academy, within whose walls he became a monk (1841) under the name Feofan. From 1844 to 1847 he lectured in St. Petersburg, being a bachelor of the department of moral and pastoral theology of the capital's Theological Academy. Based on these lectures, Feofan’s first book, entitled “The Path to Salvation,” was later published, which brought the author great authority among Orthodox Christians of the Russian Empire. The most important milestone in the life of Saint Theophan was his six-year stay in the Middle East (1848 - 1854) as part of the Russian spiritual mission, headed by Fr. Porfiry Uspensky. In April 1855, Feofan was elevated to the rank of archimandrite and assigned to the St. Petersburg Theological Academy as a bachelor in the department of canon law. On September 12, 1855, he received a new appointment - to the position of rector of the Olonets Theological Seminary and went to Petrozavodsk. By the time he arrived in the capital of the Olonets province, Feofan had already emerged as a convinced Orthodox ascetic and Christian educator. The Olonets period in the life of rector Feofan has not yet received sufficient coverage in historical literature. Meanwhile, it is precisely this period that is especially important for a comprehensive understanding of the personality and creativity of the saint during his retreat in the Vyshenskaya Hermitage. The fact is that 1855 - 1856. were very productive for Feofan as a teacher, spiritual mentor and were marked by active preaching activities. It was in Karelia that Feofan showed himself most of all in the role of a youth educator, a teacher and a brilliant preacher, achieving impressive success in this field. Only in a very short period, in 1855-1856, when the saint was a bachelor of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and rector of the Olonets Theological Seminary, he gave a significant number of lectures and delivered many sermons. Of the entire priceless heritage, only three sermons have been fully preserved - one delivered in St. Petersburg, and two in the Petrozavodsk Cathedral. The arrival of Saint Theophan in Petrozavodsk in September 1855 was quite routine, almost unnoticeable. The new rector of the Olonets Theological Seminary appeared before the local clergy. A forty-year-old man of small stature, slightly sickly-looking, with dark brown hair and a long, semi-flowing beard. Contemporaries especially noted only the eyes of Archimandrite Theophan, “sparkling with the brilliance of mental inquisitiveness” and “glowing with the quiet light of deep thoughtfulness.” The saint's service as rector of the theological seminary required from him enormous effort and patience. The Olonets seminary by that time was completely unorganized. It did not even have its own building and was housed in the bishop's house together with the city religious school. The seminary library was also very meager, and no one had ever replenished it before. The students of the Olonets Seminary also required significant attention, most of whom lived in the apartments of the artisans of the Aleksandrovsky plant, where they often indulged in foul language, smoking tobacco, and drinking alcohol. Therefore, the main concern of Father Feofan from the very first day of his service in the Olonets province was the spiritual, moral and civic education of the seminary students. At the same time, the saint did not avoid economic issues, caring about the material improvement of the life of the educational institution entrusted to him. Theophan very energetically organized the construction of a separate building for the seminary, in which he succeeded a lot, however, he was unable to complete this work due to his recall to St. Petersburg and subsequent appointment to Constantinople as rector of the Embassy Church. The great merit of Saint Theophan in the education and enlightenment of the inhabitants of our region was the creation of a full-fledged seminary library in Petrozavodsk. Arriving from the cultural centers of the Middle East and Western Europe, Feofan could not put up with the poverty of the book fund of the Olonets Theological Seminary. With his characteristic energy and thriftiness, the saint set about collecting a library. To begin with, he obtained permission from the church authorities to transfer from the Petrozavodsk Cathedral to the seminary many old Believer books and manuscripts lying idle, “arrested” by the local clergy. Then Archimandrite Theophan turned to the boards of the theological academies of St. Petersburg and Kyiv with a request to send the doublet and little-used literature they had to Petrozavodsk. The leaders of the theological academies of Russia, who even then respected Feofan, granted his request and sent a significant amount of necessary literature as a gift to the Olonets Seminary. Among other things, the seminary library began to be replenished with books purchased from the local population, including from the personal funds of the father-rector. March 6, 1856 Fr. Feofan, in a letter to the Bishop of Olonets and Petrozavodsk Arkady (Fedorov), who was in St. Petersburg, joyfully reported: “Now we have at hand, it seems, all the books we need.” Indeed, by the early 1860s. The seminary library, both in terms of quantity (about 10 thousand volumes) and quality of the book collection, has become the largest scientific library in our region. This library was the saint's favorite brainchild. It is no coincidence that when he left the capital of Olonia, he donated his very rich personal library to the benefit of the seminary. For this, Feofan received a blessing from the Holy Synod. Already in seclusion, Elder Vyshensky sent his books to the Olonets Seminary Library. In 1879, when our region celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Olonets Theological Seminary (1829 - 1879), a letter was received from St. Theophan addressed to the rector of the seminary, Archpriest Peter Shcheglov: “Please accept, Most Honorable Father Rector, my full and sincere best wishes to your seminary and to you, who have worked so hard in its improvement. May God bless you in everything and at all times!.. I am sending books. There are several there for you personally. The richer you are, the happier you are. I ask you not to be angry: I will send books sequentially for the seminary library. I invoke God’s blessing on you, your seminary and all your colleagues.” In addition to educational work, Archimandrite Feofan was entrusted with many affairs of the diocese, since Bishop of Olonets and Petrozavodsk Arkady (Fedorov) (1851 - 1869) was summoned to St. Petersburg for a long time to be present at the Holy Synod. Saint Theophan actually replaced the Olonets ruler in his absence. While performing the duties of a bishop, Theophan was very closely in touch with the life and activities of the local parish clergy. On October 17, 1855, the saint was appointed a member of the Olonets spiritual consistory, which was in charge of all religious institutions and clergy in the province. As part of the general presence of the consistory, he considered issues related to the special situation of the Olonets diocese, and reflected on the state of individual parishes, churches and monasteries. Of the entire Olonets heritage of the Right Reverend Theophan, only two of his sermons, delivered in Petrozavodsk in the cathedral before the local flock, have reached us in published form. No other texts (or even fragments, sketches, excerpts) of the saint from the Olonets period have so far been discovered. In May 1856, Archimandrite Feofan left our region. However, his interest in the Olonets diocese did not fade away until the end of his life. In his retreat, Elder Theophan conducted a very extensive correspondence with correspondents from all regions of Russia, including from the Olonets province. In one of his letters, the saint, addressing a correspondent, exclaimed: “You mean Valaam. May the Lord grant you to be comforted there with holy consolation. Take in more air there so that it will last for more than one year.” For Orthodox Karelia, even such a short presence of Saint Theophan as rector of the theological seminary and member of the Olonets spiritual consistory was of great importance. All his works on the arrangement of the seminary and the Olonets diocese did not disappear without a trace; they were continued by his successors and students.