Tambov circle of communication of St. Theophan the Recluse

Annotation. The article contains an overview of the main events and biographies of persons associated with the activities of St. Theophan the Recluse at the Tambov See (1859–1863). Using diachronic and ideographic (narrative) research methods, the author creates a holistic picture of the social environment of Bishop Feofan, establishes the facts of the mutual influence of the ruling bishop and those who interacted with him. The author comes to the conclusion that the saint’s circle of contacts was quite wide and included government and public figures, clergy, monastics, employees of the spiritual consistory, administration, teachers and students of the Tambov Seminary. Following the pious example of the archpastor’s prayerful and spiritual deeds, these people made a significant contribution to the activities of the diocese as a whole and individual parishes, to the organization of the monastic deanery, to the improvement of spiritual education, to the creation of charitable institutions and socially useful projects. Abstract. The article contains an overview of the main events and biographies of persons associated with the activities of St. Theophan the Recluse at the Tambov Department (1859–1863). Using diachronic and ideographic (narrative) research methods, the author creates a holistic picture of Bishop Feofan's social environment, establishes the facts of the mutual influence of the ruling bishop and those who interacted with him. The author comes to the conclusion that the circle of communication of the saint was quite wide and included state and public figures, clergymen, monastics, employees of the spiritual consistory, administration, teachers and students of the Tambov Seminary. Following the pious example of the archpastor's prayerful and spiritual feat, these people made a significant contribution to the activities of the diocese as a whole and individual parishes, to the establishment of the monastery deanery, to the improvement of spiritual education, to the creation of charitable institutions and socially useful projects. The episcopal ministry of St. Theophan the Recluse began from the Tambov See, where he remained from 1859 to 1863. His circle of contacts during the administration of the diocese consisted of government and public figures, clergy, monastics, employees of the spiritual consistory, administration, teachers and students of the Tambov Seminary. In addition, making annual archpastoral visits to monasteries and parishes of the diocese, the saint met and communicated with a large number of different people, mayors, heads of districts, villages, etc. Many of them remembered their meeting with the archpastor for the rest of their lives, and some left memories about it in their memoirs, which have survived to this day. Today they serve as a vivid characteristic of St. Theophan himself and reflect the life and way of life of that era. Most of the saint's meetings were short and fleeting, but with some people his communication, once begun, continued throughout his life. The Eminence kept in constant correspondence with some, met with others on official business, maintained friendly communication with others, and with some of his co-workers he maintained contact even while in seclusion in the Vyshenskaya Assumption Hermitage for men. On special occasions, Saint Theophan contacted the Tambov governor. This position was held from 1855 to 1866 by Karl Karlovich Danzas (1806–1885), the brother of Konstantin Danzas, comrade and second of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. He came from the Courland nobles, studied in the Naval Cadet Corps, and fought heroically in the war with the Turks in 1828–1829. Karl Danzas had the Order of St. George and the Golden Arms award. From 1842 to 1855, that is, before becoming the Tambov governor, Danzas served as Kharkov vice-governor. The Tambov governorship became the most significant position in his career [13, p. 211]. Historians speak of him as an active and responsible administrator. During his reign, the peasant reform of 1861 was carried out in the Tambov province without any incidents. Being a supporter of technical transformations, he contributed in every possible way to the construction of railways and telegraphs in the province. Danzas actively opposed the spread of sectarian movements in the Tambov region and in this matter provided support to Saint Theophan. The views of the governor and the archpastor on sectarianism coincided. The regional archive preserved a letter in which Saint Theophan informed the governor on February 3, 1862, “that some cases of sectarians, contrary to the Highest command of March 9, 1840, with the affairs of the secret Advisory Committee existing, are transferred without prior consideration in the Advisory Committee, directly by decision in the District Court to the Criminal Chamber” [4, p. 1–2]. The Eminence considered this a violation and asked the governor to instruct the relevant persons not to allow this to happen in the future. Danzas promptly responded to the saint’s concerns and ordered: “Immediately make an order regarding this matter” [4, p. 7]. In his activities, Saint Theophan paid great attention to the Tambov Theological Seminary and diocesan theological schools. Under him, the home seminary church was restored and an icon-painting class was opened; he personally checked the teachers' lecture notes. The archpastor interacted with the seminary primarily at the level of rectors. During his stay in Tambov, the theological school was headed by Archimandrites Seraphim (Aretinsky), Feoktist (Popov), and Gennady (Levitsky). The first of them, Archimandrite Seraphim, was born on August 3, 1812 in Orel into the family of a clergyman. After graduating from the Oryol Seminary in 1833 and the Kyiv Academy in 1837, on May 26, 1837, he became a monk and began teaching at the academy. Having received ordination as a hierodeacon and then as a hieromonk, in 1838 he was appointed inspector of the theological academy in Kazan, where in 1842 he became an archimandrite. After 4 years, he was transferred to Stavropol to the position of rector of the Caucasian Seminary. In 1848 he headed the Mogilev Seminary, and in 1852 – the Kherson Seminary. In December 1858, he became rector of the Tambov Seminary. In 1859, Saint Theophan, who had just been appointed to Tambov, blessed Archimandrite Seraphim to compile a list of teaching books that the clergy were instructed to purchase and use for sermons [6, p. 70]. He held this position for just over a year. On January 10, 1860, Archimandrite Seraphim became Bishop of Chigirinsky, vicar of the Kyiv diocese. Five years later, in 1865, he was transferred to Voronezh, where in 1871 he was elevated to the rank of archbishop. The archpastor died on April 22, 1886 [3, p. 291]. After Archimandrite Seraphim (Aretinsky), the theological school in Tambov was headed by Archimandrite Feoktist (Fedor Apollonovich Popov), born on February 6, 1826 in the Kharkov province in the family of a priest. After the seminary, he graduated from the Kyiv Academy, taught in Voronezh and Kyiv, and was an inspector at the Kyiv Seminary. In January 1860 he became rector of the seminary in Tambov, but stayed here for only nine months. From October 6, 1860, he was the rector of the Kyiv Seminary, from May 25, 1869 - Bishop of Starorussky, vicar of the Novgorod diocese, from 1874 - Bishop of Simbirsk, from 1882 - bishop, from 1885 - Archbishop of Ryazan, where he died on December 2, 1894 [1, p. 1800]. Archimandrite Gennady, in the world Ivan Lvovich Levitsky, was the third rector under St. Theophan. He held this position longer than the above two rectors and, accordingly, communicated with the saint more than them. Ivan Levitsky was born on May 25, 1818 in the Kherson province into the family of a priest. After graduating from the seminary in Kharkov in 1839, Ivan was ordained a deacon and priest, and after the death of his wife in 1841, he became a student at the Kyiv Academy, where he took monastic vows in 1844. In 1845, he was sent as a teacher to his native Kherson seminary, and a year later he was approved as its inspector. Since 1852 he has been an archimandrite, since 1858 he has been the rector of the seminary in Samara. In 1860, the Holy Synod placed Father Gennady at the head of the Tambov Theological Seminary. A year later, in 1861, Bishop Feofan began publishing the Tambov Diocesan Gazette. His Eminence appointed Archimandrite Gennady as their editor. On September 22, 1868, he was consecrated to the rank of Bishop of Sarapul, vicar of the Vyatka diocese. In 1872 he became Bishop of Kineshma, and in 1883 - of Sumy. In 1886, the archpastor retired to the Zheltikov Tverskoy Monastery, and in 1891 he was transferred to the Kozlovsky Holy Trinity Monastery of the Tambov diocese, where he died on February 10, 1893 and was buried [18, p. 409–411]. Under Archimandrites Seraphim, Theoktistus and Gennady, Viktor Pevnitsky, the future archpriest, taught at the seminary, and I.I. studied. Dubasov, Tambov local historian. Both of them left memoirs that allow us to see the rectors through the eyes of a seminarian and teacher. Archpriest Victor characterized Archimandrite Seraphim as follows: “We can say that, as rector, he was extremely kind to the students, especially those living on government pay. He cared about improving their food and clothing and encouraged the steward not to be stingy with savings” [11, p. 546–547]. And here is how I. Dubasov spoke about the rectors: “Both Feoktist and Seraphim were in Tambov for a short time. Both of them appeared in our classes and rooms very rarely and made a different impression on us. Seraphim seemed to us a kind and affectionate person. Feoktist – severe” [7, p. 391]. Archpriest Victor wrote: “Nothing can be said about Theoktiste - neither good nor bad. He lived completely alienated from everyone in the seminary” [11, p. 546–547]. In his memoirs about Archimandrite Gennady, Archpriest V. Pevnitsky reports that he “treated all his co-workers in a friendly manner, and everyone sincerely respected him for this. His doors were always open to everyone, you could go to him at any time and talk to him if there was a need. He knew how to conduct the management of the seminary in all parts in an orderly and expedient manner. He always treated his pupils in a fatherly manner - he was always close to them, simple, and they all loved and respected him. He knew how to scold them, and punish them in time, and joke, and have fun” [11, p. 546–547]. Dubasov saw Father Gennady as a talented teacher. He wrote: “Archimandrite Gennady, undoubtedly, was a very humane and gifted person... But we were even more convinced of Gennady’s merits when we began to listen to his lessons. He knew how to give seminary dogmatics the character of a living, entertaining science, introduced a historical element into this science and expressed his thoughts in lively language and an impressive voice” [7, p. 392]. Saint Theophan, out of official necessity, had close interaction with the employees of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory, which was the body of diocesan administration during the Synodal period of the Russian Church. The consistory carried out its activities under the general leadership of the diocesan bishop, who approved all its decisions. Much in the activities of the consistory depended on the abilities and administrative talent of its secretary, who organized the current work of officials, monitored the passage of paperwork, and ensured that all decisions complied with church canons and state laws. Archpriest V. Pevnitsky, who gave negative and very subjective characteristics to many of his contemporaries in his memoirs, left notes about some persons who served in the spiritual consistory during the time of St. Theophan. About the secretary of the consistory, Agafonik Radkevich, sent to Tambov during the reign of Bishop Macarius (Bulgakov), he wrote that Radkevich had so firmly taken control of all paperwork that nothing was done in the consistory without his participation, not a single paper entered or left this institution without his knowledge. This characterizes the secretary as a responsible and executive official, but Archpriest V. Pevnitsky saw only negative traits in him [11, p. 550–552]. Another person who greatly influenced the affairs of the diocesan chancellery was the clerk Yegor Ivanovich Korsunovsky, who, according to Archpriest Victor, greatly interfered with Saint Theophan in resolving current diocesan issues [11, p. 550–552]. It can be assumed that the archpastor knew about the character traits of his assistants, as well as the emotionality and harshness of Archpriest Viktor Pevnitsky, but he showed respect, archpastoral condescension and generosity to everyone. The social circle of St. Theophan the Recluse also included Archpriest John Andreevich Moskvin [5, p. 122 vol.] - caretaker of the 1st Tambov Theological School from 1857 to 1867. In 1859, the Eminence appointed him as an assistant to Archimandrite Seraphim (Aretinsky) in compiling a list of teaching books for parish priests, and in 1861 - censor of the Tambov Diocesan Gazette. Archpriest John Moskvin was born in 1816 in the Kostroma province. He was the nephew of Metropolitan Arseny (Moskvin) of Kyiv, under whom he grew up from an early age. In 1835, Ivan graduated from the Tambov Seminary, and in 1839 from the Kyiv Academy, after which he arrived in Tambov, where he spent his entire future life. Here he married and in 1841 became a deacon and priest, was a seminary teacher, archpriest of the cathedral, and a member of the spiritual consistory. For 10 years, from 1857 to 1867, Father John was the caretaker of the 1st Tambov Theological School. More than once on official matters he turned to Saint Theophan and, judging by archival documents, enjoyed his trust. For some time, from 1868 to April 1869, Archpriest John served as rector of the Tambov Seminary. After the death of his wife in 1869, he took monastic vows and was given the name Ioannikios. When the Holy Synod determined to introduce the position of vicar in the Tambov diocese, Father Ioannikiy was elected to it by the Providence of God. His consecration as Bishop of Kozlovsky, vicar of the Tambov diocese, took place on May 9, 1869, and just six months after it, on October 25, 1869, he died [12, p. 259–265]. While serving on Tambov land, Saint Theophan was acquainted with Major General of Artillery Valentin Alekseevich Kolobov. He devoted thirty years to military service and participated in all the wars that Russia was waging at that time (the Polish campaign, the campaign against Hungary, the Crimean War). Due to shell shock, the general retired and spent the rest of his life in the city of Tambov, where he was respected and honored. The consequence of the concussion was V.A.’s serious illness. Kolobov, but he endured the ordeal with humility and patience [9, p. 447]. Major General Kolobov died in 1862. Saint Theophan, in his homily at his funeral service, said the following: “Ask those who spent days and nights at the painful bed of this sufferer, and they will tell you where his soul found consolation when his patience was exhausted? In God, in God alone, was his peace” [15, p. 180]. When Saint Theophan again found himself in the Tambov diocese, this time in retirement and in seclusion in the Vyshenskaya Hermitage, his circle of contacts, naturally, was no longer as wide as before. It included only the most trusted persons, and among them the rector of the desert, Archimandrite Arkady (Chestonov), and its inhabitant, Abbot Tikhon (Tsiplyakovsky). Archimandrite Arkady, in the world Andrei Ivanovich Chestonov, was born in 1825 in the family of a deacon in the village of Okselmeevo, Shatsk district, and in 1845, having graduated from two classes at the Tambov Seminary, he entered the St. Nicholas Cherniev Monastery, where in 1853 he accepted monasticism and was ordained a hierodeacon, and in 1857 - a hieromonk. In 1858, Bishop Macarius (Bulgakov) invited Hieromonk Arkady to move to the Kazan Monastery in Tambov, where he became a housekeeper. In 1862, Saint Theophan appointed him rector of the Vyshenskaya Hermitage. Tradition has preserved the parting words of the Right Reverend to the new rector: “Go, and then I will come to you, we will live together again” [2, p. 1978]. As you know, after some time this happened. The archpastor foresaw what mission in the history of the desert Archimandrite Arkady was destined to fulfill. Under him, it achieved spiritual flourishing and external well-being, becoming one of the famous monasteries in Russia. Father Arkady showed concern for arranging the life of Saint Theophan in the desert and ensuring the conditions for his retreat. In his letters, the Recluse mentioned him: “It’s so quiet in our monastery that one should be amazed. This is our Abba's business. He is very prayerful and seems to have accepted the gift of unceasing prayer” [17, p. 28]. Archimandrite Arkady was one of the few with whom Saint Theophan communicated during the years of seclusion. Another interlocutor of the Recluse in Vyshe was Abbot Tikhon, in the world Yakov Grigorievich Tsiplyakovsky. He was born in 1839 into the family of a priest in the Tambov province. In 1860 he graduated from the seminary in Tambov and became a novice in the Vyshenskaya Hermitage, and 6 years later a monk and hierodeacon. In this rank he served in obedience at the Kazan Monastery in Tambov, and in 1868 he was ordained a hieromonk. Until 1871, Father Tikhon retired to Athos, and after returning to his homeland he served as housekeeper of the bishop's house, rector of the Sanaksar Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery and Lebedyansky Trinity Monastery. In 1878 he became abbot. In 1886, due to health reasons, he retired and lived in the Vyshenskaya Hermitage. Hegumen Tikhon died on December 23, 1896 [8, p. 154–156]. Among the persons with whom Saint Theophan the Recluse maintained contact was Archpriest Luka Yakovlevich Voskresensky, who was born in 1817 and studied with Bishop Theophan and Metropolitan Macarius (Bulgakov) at the Kyiv Theological Academy. Father Luke came from the city of Shatsk, Tambov province, from the family of a deacon. After studying at the Tambov Seminary and the Kyiv Theological Academy, in 1842 he became a teacher at the seminary in Ryazan. In 1850, his priestly ordination took place. Since 1865, he served as archpriest in the Ryazan Cathedral and served as dean of the city churches. In 1871, after the death of his brother, Archpriest Andrei Voskresensky, Father Luka, at the numerous requests of the townspeople, was appointed to the cathedral of the city of Morshansk. Archpriest Luke died in 1899 [10, p. 756–763]. He received Saint Theophan at his home in Morshansk when in 1879 he traveled from Vysha to Tambov for a consultation with an eye doctor. The recluse was familiar with the circumstances of Father Luke’s family life, sometimes he sent him his books, talked about his health, life and activities. When Archpriest Luke had problems with his eyesight, the saint advised him to turn to Moscow doctors, and during his son’s illness with tuberculosis, he recommended using the medicine invented by Dr. Koch. The recluse was in correspondence with Father Luke. Their letters from 1879 to 1891 have been published. On January 31, 1887, the saint turned to Archpriest Luke with the following request. He was interested in the answers to the teachings of the Molokans in the village of Rybnoye, which an unknown author published in the Tambov Diocesan Gazette in 1884 (No. 15, 16, 22) and in 1885 (No. 12). Since the magazine did not print these materials in full, the Most Reverend asked Father Luke to send him all the answers he had [14, p. 973]. Saint Theophan was well acquainted with the famous Tambov philanthropist Emmanuel Dmitrievich Naryshkin (1813–1902). In 1870, he financed the opening of the Catherine Teachers' Institute, the Society for benefits to needy students of the Tambov Gymnasium, and the Alexander Orphanage for arrested children. E.D. Naryshkin established the Society for Organizing Public Readings in Tambov and built for it a building in the center of the city called the “Naryshkin Reading Room,” which currently houses the Tambov Art Gallery. In 1871, Emmanuel Dmitrievich built a house church in his mansion on Bykova Gora, near the Vyshenskaya Hermitage, in honor of the Great Martyr Catherine in memory of his first wife, Catherine Nikolaevna, and asked St. Theophan to consecrate it. On October 26, 1871, at the consecration, the Recluse said: “The establishment here is a monument to a departed, beloved person. But no matter what kind of monument you erect, the monument itself is not remembered as soulless, and outsiders will look and marvel, but they won’t even remember who the monument is for. One church is a memorial monument. Let no one else remember, she alone will remember unceasingly, and, moreover, with such a remembering that will always reach the one being remembered” [16, p. 615]. Knowing that Naryshkin is a wealthy provincial philanthropist, Saint Theophan, expressing condolences to him, at the same time encouraged him to continue the good work of church construction, for the church is for a Christian a special grace-filled place in which the Lord is constantly present with all the inhabitants of heaven and which Christ in the Gospel calls His home (Matthew 21:12), where prayer is always made for the health of believers and for repose in the Heavenly abodes of all the deceased. We have named only some of the personalities with whom Saint Theophan the Recluse had contact during the Tambov period of his life: both during the administration of the Tambov diocese, and during his stay in retreat in the Vyshenskaya hermitage of the Tambov diocese. They made a significant contribution to the activities of parishes, the organization of the monastery deanery, the improvement of spiritual education, the creation of charitable institutions and socially useful projects. With the scale of his personality, the example of his prayerful and spiritual deeds, and his entire life in Christ, Saint Theophan had a beneficial effect on them. There is no doubt that they, to a greater or lesser extent, influenced him and his decisions that contributed to the development of the diocese. 1. Archbishop Theoktist. – Text: direct // Addition to the “Church Gazette”. – 1894. – No. 50. – P. 311–312. 2. Archimandrite Arkady, rector of the Vyshenskaya Hermitage. – Text: direct // Tambov Diocesan Gazette. – 1908. – No. 45. – S. 1971–1981. 3. His Eminence Seraphim, Archbishop of Voronezh and Zadonsk: [Obituary]. – Text: immediate // Church Bulletin. – 1886. – No. 17. – P. 112. 4. GATO. F. 4. Op. 1. D. 1628. 5. GATO. F. 181. Op. 1. D. 1724. 6. GATO. F. 181. Op. 1. D. 1672. 7. Dubasov I.I. Essays from the history of the Tambov region / I. I. Dubasov. – Text: direct. – Tambov: Yulis Publishing House, 2006. – 786 p. 8. Hegumen Tikhon (obituary). – Text: direct // Tambov Diocesan Gazette. – 1897. – No. 7. – P. 154–156. 9 . Obituary of Valentin Alekseevich Kolobov. – Text: direct // Tambov Diocesan Gazette. – 1862. – No. 47. – P. 428–430. 10. Obituary of the supernumerary archpriest of the cathedral, Morshansk, Church of Luke Yakovlevich Voskresensky. – Text: direct // Tambov Diocesan Gazette. – 1899. – No. 29. – P. 756–763. 11. Pevnitsky V. E., prot. Notes of Archpriest Pevnitsky / Archpriest Victor Pevnitsky. – Text: immediate // Russian antiquity. – 1905. – September. – pp. 540–579. 12. His Grace Ioannikiy (Moskvin), Bishop of Kozlovsky, Vicar of the Tambov Diocese). – Text: direct // Tambov Diocesan Gazette. – 1869. – No. 21. – P. 259–265. 13. Tambov Encyclopedia / Ch. ed. A.Yu. Ilyin. – Text: electronic // Tambov Encyclopedia: [website]. – URL: https://tambweb.ru/DANZAS_Karl_Karlovich (date of access: 10/22/2021). 14. Theophan the Recluse, St. Letters in Bose from the late Bishop Theophan, the recluse of the Vyshensk Hermitage / St. Theophan the Recluse. – Text: direct // Tambov Diocesan Gazette. – 1895. – No. 38. – P. 969–974. 15. Theophan the Recluse, St. Word to the Tambov flock / Saint Theophan the Recluse. – St. Petersburg: Printing house of the headquarters of military educational institutions, 1861. – 250 p. – Text: direct. 16. Theophan the Recluse, St. Word on the consecration of the church at the Catherine Plant by His Excellency Emmanuel Dmitrievich Naryshkin / Saint Theophan the Recluse. – Text: direct // Tambov Diocesan Gazette. – 1871. – No. 11. – P. 613–620. 17. Theophan the Recluse, St. Collection of letters of the Right Reverend Theophan: vol. 1–8 / Saint Theophan the Recluse. – Moscow: Publishing house. Athos Russian Panteleimon Monastery, 1898–1901. – Vol. 8. – 228 p. – Text: direct. 18. Sheremetevsky V.V. Gennady (Levitsky) / V.V. Sheremetevsky. – Text: immediate // Russian biographical dictionary: in 25 volumes. – Moscow: Printing house of G. Lissner and D. Sobko, 1914. – T. 4. – P. 409–411.