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Our Holy Father Ambrose, Bishop. Mediolansky St. Ambrose lived in the 4th century AD. He came from a noble Roman family: his father, a pagan, was prefect of Gaul and Spain; he died, having managed to raise his sons, of whom Ambrose already showed great promise in childhood. Ambrose's mother, a Christian, after the death of her husband, moved from Trier to Rome, where Ambrose and his brother, first under the guidance of their mother, and after her death, with the care and care of their elder sister Marcellina, managed to receive a higher education. In the 25th year, Ambrose was already known as one of the best lawyers in Rome. In 370 he was made consular (governor) of Emilia and Liguria, the main city of which was Mediolan (Milan). Prefect Probus, appreciating the merits of Ambrose, expressed himself significantly when granting this important appointment to the young man: “go and act not as a judge, but as a bishop.” And so it came true - with the respect and love that Ambrose soon managed to inspire in everyone. In 374, Bishop Auxentius of Milan, one of the followers of the heretic Arius, supported at that time by state power, died. After his death, disputes arose between the Orthodox and Arians regarding the election of a successor to him. Ambrose, according to his duties as prefect, was present in the church on the day when there was a public meeting about the election of a new bishop. Suddenly, in the middle of the meeting, a child’s voice said: “Ambrose is a bishop”... All the people recognized this as an order from God and began to convince the respected prefect to accept the leadership of the Church. Despite his resistance and the response that he was not preparing for the clergy and was not even baptized, Ambrose was forced to yield to the wishes of the people and, having been baptized, having passed the clergy degree in seven days, on the 8th day he was elevated to the rank of Bishop of Milan - in the 35th year of his life. Having so unexpectedly become a bishop, Ambrose devoted himself entirely to the fulfillment of high pastoral duties. Having provided his brother and sister with a certain part of the income from his inherited estate, he donated the rest to the Church. Realizing himself insufficiently prepared for the field that unexpectedly presented itself to him, he used all his free time from sacred service to replenish his theological education, guided especially by the writings of his famous contemporaries: Basil of Caesarea and his friend Gregory. But this did not distract him from his practical tireless activity: his door always remained open to all visitors, without exception, to whom he listened with love and did everything he could for each. At the same time, often sacrificing his night's rest, he managed to prepare a sermon for every Sunday. In general, he led a fasting life, eating food only in the evening, except for two days a week. Soon events called Bishop Ambrose to other exploits. When, after the death of Emperor Gratian in 383 by 125 rebels in Gaul, one of the military leaders, Maximus, set out to seize power over the entire western half of the Roman Empire and with the army subordinate to him was already on the way to Italy, Empress Justina, the mother of the late Gratian and the young heir to his throne, Valentinian II, felt unable to resist the advancing enemy and even fearing for the life of her 12-year-old son, she turned to Bishop Ambrose with a request to go to Maxim and prevent his invasion - with an offer of peace on the condition of being content with what he had already captured. The saint did not shy away from the difficult task entrusted to him, set off on a long journey and managed to persuade the ambitious man, arrogant with his successes, to agree to peace and granting Valentinian II control of Italy, Africa and the regions up to the river. Danube. Instead of gratitude, however, for this great service rendered by Ambrose, Justina, a zealous Arian, secure in her power, became hostile to the saint, openly patronizing heretics. She ordered Ambrose to transfer the great Milan church into the possession of the Arians. But although he always unconditionally acted according to the commandment of the Savior: “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s,” the saint was even more zealous about the fulfillment of the additional saying commanding to render “God’s Gods” and refused to fulfill the will of the Empress, which runs counter to the rights of the Orthodox Church: “I am ready to give all that is mine to the emperor, for whom I am ready to lay down my life,” he answered Justina, “But what is God’s, I cannot give away, and the emperor himself cannot take it.” Justina then sent a detachment of soldiers in the name of the emperor to occupy the church by force; but St. Ambrose, imprisoned in a church with a small number of Orthodox Christians, declared that he was ready to suffer, but would not hand over the fence of Christ to the wolves - the blasphemers of the faith of Christ, and with his strong word about God’s judgment on the oppressors of the Church, he had such an effect on the Gothic warriors that they were afraid to commit violence. In this way the saint defended the church from heretics. But he had to endure this struggle with the Arian empress until Maximus’s new invasion of Italy (in 386) forced her to turn to him again with a request for mediation and intercession before the tyrant. This time the kindly saint did not refuse to defend the rights of the young emperor, but was not successful: Valentinian and his co-reign Justina were forced to leave Mediolan and go to Thessalonica to seek help from the Eastern Emperor Theodosius the Great. In 388 Maxim died, but Justina never returned to Mediolan. Theodosius, who deposed Maximus and ceded the West to Valentinian, visited Italy to organize various state affairs and, by the way, lived for quite a long time in Milan, where he managed to recognize and distinguish with his attention the great Ambrose. For his part, the saint respected the valiant emperor - a Christian, who, under his influence, managed to do a lot in favor of the Church and the faith at that time - however, due to his impartiality, Ambrose did not leave the great Theodosius himself without reproof and admonition, when he, in a fit of extreme irritability characteristic of him, despite all his merits, allowed a criminal deed to be committed... In 390, Theodosius, having heard that in Thessalonica, the inhabitants of which he had repeatedly shown benefits, there was an indignation, among which the mob killed several imperial officials, in a fit of uncontrollable anger, he decided to terribly punish the ungrateful rebels and, by his command, on one of the holidays, when the people gathered in a circus, up to 7,000 people were indifferently and unexpectedly put to death. Having learned about this merciless beating, Saint Ambrose was struck with such grief that, having retired to his country solitude, he wrote from there to Theodosius: “Staying close to you, I would not dare to say what can neither be revealed without humiliating friends, nor hidden without offending conscience. Let me tell this to you, August Emperor. You have zeal for faith - I do not deny this - and fear of God - I do not dispute that. But you have a natural impetuosity, which tends to show mercy if someone speaks meek words to you; if, on the contrary, it irritates her, then she gets excited to the point that you cannot restrain her. God would grant that no one would moderate or irritate her! I wanted to leave you to yourself: you must restrain yourself and overcome the impulse of nature with the power of piety. That's why I left."... Then, having exposed the criminality of the act committed in anger by Theodosius, Ambrose suggested that the emperor atone for this sin by repentance, following the example of the Old Testament kings: “I say this to you,” he adds, “not to humiliate you, but by the examples of those kings to encourage you to remove this sin from your kingdom; but you will not remove it if your soul does not humble itself before the Lord. You are a person; temptation has befallen you, endure it. Sin is cleansed only by tears and repentance. Neither angel nor archangel can remove it. Only the Lord can say: “I am with you”... “I advise, I ask, I convince, I conjure. It is a great sadness for me that you, who set an example of rare piety, - you, who showed a majestic example of mercy on the throne, often did not want the execution of one criminal, you do not grieve over the destruction of so many innocents. I have no enmity towards you, but I feel fear; I will not dare to offer the Divine Sacrifice if you want to be present. The innocently shed blood of one person would prevent me from doing this. Will the blood of so many innocent victims be allowed? Don't think. I am writing this for you with my own hand, so that you alone can read it.” Despite this letter, Theodosius, at the first opportunity, wanted, as usual, to enter the church of God, but at the door of the church he heard the voice of Ambrose: “You imitated David in crime, imitate him in repentance. With what eyes will you behold the church of the common Lord? How can you stretch out your hands, from which the blood of an innocent murder is still dripping... Step away and do not try to increase the previous lawlessness with new ones”... – What does God require from me? – the emperor asked with humility. - “The same thing that every murderer must do: God has no partiality” ... answered the shepherd, - and Theodosius returned to his palace with tears and spent several months here in solitude, indulging in contrite repentance. From time to time, however, the former irritability awakened in him at the thought that he - the emperor - was excommunicated from the Church, and more than once he rushed to cancel the hierarchical definition, but Ambrose replied that the emperor had the power to take his life, but did not have the power to change the definition of the Church. Finally, before the feast of the Nativity of Christ, having managed to convince himself of Theodosius’s repentance, he allowed it, instructing him first to issue a law according to which death sentences would be carried out no earlier than a month after they were drawn up. “Both the bishop and the king shone with such great valor,” writes the church historian Theodoret at the conclusion of his story about the repentance of the great Theodosius, “I am amazed at both: the boldness of one and the obedience of the other; I am surprised at both the warmth of zeal in the former and the purity of faith in the latter.” This wonderful, truly Christian relationship between the shepherd and the emperor was expressed for the last time in the farewell word that Ambrose said over the tomb of Theodosius the Great, who died in 395: “I loved him, this man, merciful and humble in the manifestation of power, pure in heart and meek in soul... I loved this man who, preferring reproof to flattery, once managed, putting aside his royal signs, in church to mourn your sin and ask for forgiveness with lamentation and tears. What a private person would be ashamed of - public repentance - did not bother this emperor, who from that day did not spend a single day without mourning his sin. I loved this man, who even with his last breath was still calling me, and at the end of his life was more concerned with the state of the Church than with his own danger. I loved him, I admit it, and that’s why I mourn him from the depths of my heart. I loved him, and I hope in my Lord that He will accept the voice of prayer with which I will try to guide this pious soul.” In 397, on Holy Saturday, he himself, as Cassian puts it, “the great priest of God, shining like a precious stone,” reposed peacefully and joyfully. His relics rest in Milan. St. Ambrose, possessing the gift of speech, left behind many works of theological and moral content, letters and teachings; arranged the rite of the liturgy and other Divine services, keeping in mind as close as possible to the rites of the East. He also composed many church songs and hymns, among which the solemn hymn of thanksgiving is especially famous: “We praise God to you,” which dates back to the time when the complete victory over Arianism was won, i.e., around 386, and in 388, when Blessed Augustine was baptized by Saint Ambrose, this hymn was sung by both the baptizer and the baptized 126 . Since the 5th century, this hymn has been in general use in the West, among other things at the coronation of kings and at councils, and now it is sung during thanksgiving prayers. St. Ambrose founded several monasteries, thereby contributing, among others, to the development in the West of ascetic life, which was already widespread at that time in the East. He dedicated several books about monasticism to his sister Marcellina, a nun, and, in general, spoke about virginity and monasticism so eloquently that some mothers did not want their daughters to listen to his sermons, for fear that they would be carried away by the desire for an ascetic life under the influence of eloquent arguments. However, the saint did not leave those who condemned the virgin life without reproof. “Virgins come from Piacenza to be dedicated, from Bonna they come, from Mauritania they come to receive the veil here,” 127 he cited as an example the numerous people attracted by his sermons, thereby proving their expediency in those days. – And in general, people came from distant countries to see and hear the saint, who enjoyed great influence; He converted many non-believers to God with his convincing teachings and was, among other things, an instrument of salvation for Blessed Augustine 128. † Prest. Rev. Neil Stolbensky Birth and upbringing of Rev. Nila was in the Zhabensky churchyard of Derevskaya Pyatina, which is now in Valdai district 129. From a young age, Neil was distinguished by meekness and strove for the desert. – Obeying an inner attraction, he took monastic vows (1505) at the Krypetsk monastery of St. Savva. I spent almost ten years here in the exploits of the hostel. Then, with the blessing of the abbot, he decided to live a hermit life and retired to the river. Seremlya (then Rzhevsky, now Ostashkovsky district). Having set up a hut here, he contented his body only with herbs, and nourished his spirit with prayer and thoughts of God. The supposed reader of the Gospel will say: Why be so harsh on yourself? “A wise man fears and runs away from evil, but a fool is bold and arrogant” (Proverbs 14:16), says the God-inspired sage. The Savior teaches: “The wide gate and the broad way lead to destruction, and many go in through it” (Matthew 7:13). Blazh. Neil did not give room to the desires of the flesh and lived according to the spirit, for the Lord. That is why the Lord was with him. Since evil people wanted to attack him; he came out to meet them with an icon of the Mother of God, and they fled. – Many came to him for instructions and asking for prayer; his life was useful to many. But he considered himself not established in goodness, and the fame of his name was dangerous for the soul. Therefore, he strongly desired silence. Once after prayer he was dozing and heard a voice: “Nile!! go to Lake Seliger, there on Stolbensky Island you can be saved.” Having learned through questions from those who came to him where and what Stolbensky Island was like, Neil, in joy about the silence ready for him, decided to leave his not entirely peaceful place. To this day, the chapel and cell, surrounded by a group of centuries-old trees, remain a monument to the monk’s stay in Seremla, constituting an object of reverent respect for the surrounding residents 130. Here Reverend Neil lived for 13 years. Stolbensky Island on Lake Seliger, containing about 8 acres of space, was completely covered with dense forest in the 16th century. From the present city of Ostashkov, if you sail by water, it is 9 versts. Reverend Neil was glad to have such a quiet place. The first time he dug a cave here in the mountain and lived in it for the winter (1528). “Then he built himself a small cell and a chapel, and he cultivated the land for vegetables; and without that he ate berries and grass. The hermit was consoled by the fact that he glorified the Lord together with nature, without being entertained by people. “The flesh did not bother him; he has been an ascetic for more than one year.” The spirit was free to glorify its Lord. The hermit did not ask people, did not disturb them in any way. It would seem that they have no reason to bother him. But such are human passions and will be: they rebel with anger against the hermit and for one thing: why doesn’t he live the way others live? Why is he in the desert and not in the world? And then look, and worldly wisdom speaks up: what are these hermits for? They don't pay taxes. What about the services of moral life to society? Well, ahead their calculations of self-interest will prompt their clever claim. Even if the island was completely useless for the Seligerians, with many forests and wastelands; but why will it be useful to others? Think and agree that the new mercantile socialism thinks exactly the same. And so the Seligerians began to devastate the forest on the island. In vain did the monk beg them to stop the unnecessary and therefore criminal destruction of the forest. The anger flared. The forest was set on fire to burn the hermit himself. The flames were furiously consuming the trees and were ready to destroy the hermit. The hermit stood in prayer, calling on God for help. And so, by the power of God, the flame went out as soon as it reached the hermit’s mountain. Once hunters for other people's property came to the hermit and demanded money. When did you not think about the monks that they have a lot of money and live luxuriously? “Child! The reverend told his guests. Neil, all my treasure is in the corner of the cell.” There he had an icon of the Mother of God. The robbers rushed to look for money and became blind. “In tears of repentance, they asked for forgiveness for themselves. - Neil gave them the instruction to live honestly, not to be worried by blind envy, to remember the will of God: in the sweat of your brow, take away your bread: then, taking pity on them, through prayers he restored their sight. - After the death of the monk, but not before, in accordance with the commandment of the monk, they themselves told what happened to them and why. Some were kind to the hermit. “The fishermen sent him fish from time to time. And he did not leave them without instructions. Once they sent a fish with one of their comrades; but the monk, seeing him from afar, closed the window, and he was forced to turn back. “Of course, brother, you committed some sin, why didn’t the saint accept you,” his comrades told him. And he confessed to dishonest, carnal sin. “They sent another comrade, and the monk accepted the fish from him and blessed him. “The monk labored on the island for decades. The forest scorched by evil people rose. The lesson given about the island of prayer was either forgotten or seemed unimportant. One like those people again began to cut down the forest, but suddenly fell, deafened by thunder. “When he woke up, he promised himself never to touch someone dedicated to the service of God. The holy elder willingly taught instructions to those who wanted salvation, and to others he spoke in a voice of severity. One, defiled by carnal sin, shamelessly came to the monk; but he was convicted of sin and from that time began to live in the fear of God. The hermit, experienced in spiritual life, was visited by many with benefit for themselves: - his selfless asceticism in itself gave lessons to everyone who peered at him. The monk did not lie down on the bed or on the ground to rest; tired from his labors, he leaned on two crutches and thus indulged in dozing. Lately, his St. Neil lived in a cave, having prepared a coffin in it, and with prayer he was preparing for relocation to eternity. - Notified of his imminent death, he prayed to the Lord to honor him with the Holy Communion. Secrets before death. The great ascetic, who had risen so much in spiritual life, considered it necessary for himself to partake of the body and blood of Christ; He didn’t think like pseudo-spiritual Christians think, or like poor people - priestless people. Through the prayer of the saint, St. his wish came true. His spiritual father Sergius, abbot of the Nikolsky Monastery on Rozhka, came to the island to visit the hermit; the blessed father confessed and received Holy Communion; he asked the abbot to visit him again. “The next day the abbot came with the brethren and found the monk already deceased. The holy elder stood leaning on two crutches: that’s how they found him. He reposed on December 7. 1554 after 26 years on a deserted island 131. After the death of the great hermit, the island remained deserted as before; but the glory of the great ascetic shone over him. Five years later (1560), Novgorod abbot Anthony and German, hieromonk of the Rozhkov monastery (now a churchyard, located 4 ver. from Nilov Island), renewed the chapel of the saint and built a tomb over his grave. Three years later they left the island. But from time to time miracles began to be performed by His saint living in the Lord. Ostashkovsky resident John Kurov stole the cover from the tomb of the blessed one, but fell into relaxation of the body and frenzy of the mind. Six months later, having somewhat come to his senses, he felt his sin and, brought to the tomb of the blessed one, was completely healed. Not one of those who attempted to violate the blessed commandment about the forest experienced the wrath of God. Ostashkovite Nikita, who visited Nile during his life, fell into a frenzy of madness. During his torment, the monk appeared to him more than once and brought him to rest; and Nikita’s son Sylvester, who suffered from an eye disease, as soon as he wiped his sore eyes with the saint’s veil, received his sight. The servant of Boyar Belsky, sailing along the lake past Stolbensky Island, said to himself with arrogant insolence: “although they consider you a saint, Nil, I will pass by you.” He arrived in Ostashkov; but here the stone disease began to torment him terribly, so that it took his breath away. Having recognized his insolence, he was brought to the island of Nile and here he received healing. At another time, the monk appeared to him in a night vision and said: “According to you, there are no miracles, but listen,” and told him about various miracles performed by him. This was in 1589. Herman for the second time (1590) arrived in the desert, already famous for the miracles of the hermit. 4 years later, he and the wanderer of God Kholmogorets built a church here in honor of the Epiphany, and a monastery was founded. In 1595, the face of the saint was painted by the monks of the Orshin Monastery, who, according to the stories of those who personally knew the saint. The face was painted so successfully that it turned out to be very similar to the original when his relics were discovered, as in the visions. Then it was decided to honor the memory of St. Nila 132. The saint's miracles continued. He was tonsured a monk in the Nile Hermitage with the name Nektarios, the uncle of the glorious one under Peter Magnitsky, and from 1620 hegumen of the Nile Hermitage, brought the hermitage to a flourishing state. Since 1634, Metropolitan of Tobolsk, since 1639 he returned again to his beloved hermitage and with his donation it was planned to build a stone church 133. While digging ditches, May 27, 1667, the incorruptible relics of St. Nile were revealed, and miracles multiplied 134. Now they rest openly in a silver shrine. Contained with the relics of the saint are his cell icon of the Vladimir Mother of God, his schema known from miracles, which lay in the ground for 112 years. On May 27, the day of the opening of the relics, every year there is a religious procession from Ostashkov to Nilova Hermitage, with a large gathering of people; all pilgrims and wanderers rest and are nourished by the monastery, both on holiday and at other times 135. † Repose of St. Anthony of Siysk The parents of Blessed Anthony, in the world of Andrei, were rich and pious farmers of the Dvina volost, the village of Kekhty, who came from Novgorod 136. Andrei was their eldest son and was gifted and handsome; sent to learn to read and write, he soon learned it; then he learned icon painting; Having entered into the strength of a youth, he was respectful to his parents, but had no desire for their occupation, agriculture; His favorite pastime was painting icons, then going to the church of God. After the death of his parents, he went to Novgorod and served there for five years with a boyar; On his advice, he got married, but a year later his wife died, and he decided to part with the vanity of the world. Returning to his home, he distributed his share to the poor and, wearing only his clothes, went to the Pachomius hermitage on the river. To Ken. On the road, having fallen asleep, he saw in a dream: a handsome man, with a cross in his hand, said to him: “Take up your cross and do not be afraid to undertake the feat,” and overshadowed him with the cross. Having woken up, he spent the rest of the night in prayer. Blessed Pachomius, having dressed him in monastic clothes with the name Anthony, kept him in his cell. He was 30 years old and this was in 1508. 137, Anthony was the first to appear in the church for prayer; worked in the kitchen, carrying water and preparing firewood; I took food every other day and then not until I was full; I constantly kept the memory of death and judgment in my heart. Initiated into hieromonasticism, one performed service in the church - there was no other hieromonk - and at the same time went to work along with others; and his health was so strong that he could work for two. Out of love for desert solitude, with the blessing of the abbot, he left the Pachomius Hermitage and with two brothers, Alexander and Joachim, went to the Sheleksna River; Here a place was chosen for desert life, a small church of St. Nicholas and several cells, this was in 1513. Four more monks joined the three hermits, and the monk lived here for seven years. Neighboring residents began to crowd out the hermits, and they went even further to the north 138 . In the deep north, a trapper showed the hermits a place convenient for desert life, Mikhailov Island, surrounded by deep lakes and washed on one side by the Siya River, flowing from the lakes. The place was completely wild, tundra and forest, lakes and thickets impassable; there are a lot of deer, foxes, bears, wolves, and only from time to time trappers came here, chasing the beast, but no man had yet lived here. Anthony built a chapel here and a hut for himself and his brethren. This was in 1520, in the 42nd year of Antonieva’s life. Three years were spent here in extreme poverty and hard work: Anthony cleared the forest and dug the earth to make the place bearable for living; the brethren began to grumble about poverty; but unexpectedly an unknown lover of Christ delivered them bread, flour, butter and, in addition, money to build the monastery. The revenue collector of the Novgorod Archbishop Vasily Bebr, confident that Anthony had a lot of money, decided to obtain a rich income for himself; he sent people known to him to rob the hermits; but afterwards he himself repentantly told Anthony that the predators imagined that the monastery was surrounded by guards 139 . “From that time on, pilgrims began to visit the deserts of Anthony and bring means of subsistence. When the number of students increased, the two eldest, Alexander and Isaiah, were sent to Moscow to ask V. KN. Vasily was given permission to occupy a wild place as a deserted monastery, and a letter was received; then they built an extensive wooden church of the Holy Trinity. The local church image was painted by Anthony himself and placed in the iconostasis with prayer singing. Once, after the morning singing, they left an unextinguished candle; the church was engulfed in flames when all the brethren were at work with Anthony; the entire church and all the utensils were burned, only the Anthony icon of the Holy Trinity remained. A new church was built and another one warm for meals. At the general request of the brethren, Anthony accepted the title of abbot, but continued to be an example of love for work; He was in the church every day at every service, and then, in thin clothes, he either cleared the forest, then worked in the arable land, or did icon work. He did not like idleness either in himself or in others; he cared for the sick with fatherly love; his food and clothing were the same for everyone; He considered drunkenness an intolerable sin. “The monk instilled in the brethren never to be carried away by anger, but to live in meekness, patience and love. Even during Anthony’s lifetime, healings were obtained with the icon of the Holy Trinity. The spread of Antony's fame did not amuse Antony; visitors and the efforts of the authorities were annoying, taking time away from silence. Therefore, having chosen his disciple Theoktistus in his place, Anthony and one simple monk settled in a place that was not easily accessible: the place was surrounded by tori like walls, the mountains were covered with forest, and at the foot of the mountains there was Lake Padun; on the slope of the mountain between the birches a chapel with a cell was erected, and here Anthony began to labor in silence. The nights were spent in prayer, and during the day he earned food for himself with the labor of his hands; on hot days he sat naked to the waist, and mosquitoes tormented his body. So two years passed. Theoktist refused the abbess, and the brethren announced to Anthony that if he did not accept the abbess again, they would disperse in different directions. Anthony was forced to become abbot again. Before his death, at the request of his disciples, he left a spiritual letter. "Brothers and fathers!" he wrote, “You see, old age has befallen me, a sinner, and I am often exposed to illness, which I am now aggravated by. All my illnesses tell me about one thing - about death and about the terrible judgment of that life. My heart is confused by the terrible outcome, and the fear of death has attacked me. “You, with your love, compel me, a sinner, to write how you should live after my death.” The Lord God sees my iniquities and my sins in your eyes. You ask beyond my strength, - you saw - I was not an example of a single virtue. You called me, a sinner, your father, shepherd and teacher; but I am not a shepherd or a teacher. One is the Shepherd Christ. Through my foolishness, I, a sinner, have ruined your God-pleasing life. But I do not despair of my salvation, but hope for the mercy of God and your prayers. God says: “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” With your holy prayers, according to the word of the prophet, I place my sorrow on the Lord: let him do with me what He pleases; He wants everyone to be saved and come to understand the truth. “I should write to you a lot from St. Scriptures. But you know that I can only partially read; Yes, and I fear my Lord Christ, who said that first you need to do it yourself and then teach. So, I entrust my monastery and you to God and His Most Pure Mother and Rev. Sergius. I assign you to the monastery, at your request, Elder Cyril as a builder; let the priests decide monastic affairs together at a meal, in front of all the brethren. If some obstinate and schismatics do not want to live according to the monastic order, do not obey the builder and the brethren, they will be kicked out of the monastery in fear of others; if such a one returns with repentance, then accept him as your own, forgive him and not consider him an enemy, but a brother... First of all, have the fear of God in your soul, so that the Holy Spirit may dwell in you and teach you all the truth. Live a common life, in spirit and body, in food and clothing, according to the commandment of St. fathers. Let the builder be content with the brotherly meal, without adding anything to himself; the same - in clothes and shoes, unless at special discretion. – Do not keep intoxicating drinks in the monastery and do not accept them from those who love Christ. – The female sex should not spend the night in the monastery, and laymen should not spend the night in cells with the brethren. - Give the poor plenty to drink and feed; give alms so that this holy place does not become poor. The healthy of the brethren, for their salvation, should not remain without work. Do not allow courtyards to be built around the monastery; let the barnyard stand behind the lake. - I beg you, keep this. May the mercy of God and the Most Pure Mother of God and the prayers of St. Sergius, now and ever and unto ages of ages, Amen" 140. Having transferred the management of the monastery to his disciple, Rev. Anthony died peacefully in the 79th year of his life, Dec. 7, 1556 141 . Memory of Rev. Anthony was established to be celebrated in 1579. According to the scribe book of 1627, we see in the Siya monastery a church in the name of St. Anthony of Siya 142. The faithful servant of God became famous for many miracles that were performed either at his relics, or by his appearances in the house of the sick, or at sea. Here is one of the remarkable cases. The priest of the neighboring village of Khariton, out of ordinary envy, aroused murmurs against the monastery among the surrounding residents and blasphemed its venerable founder. One day he was walking to vespers and suddenly became blind. A few days later he realized his sin and began to repent of it; when he called Anthony for help, his sight returned to him, and after that he entered the Siysky monastery. The Monk Siysky loved to write to St. icons. His hands remain in the monastery, in addition to the miraculous image of the Holy Trinity, an icon of the Mother of God; in many other places in the Arkhangelsk region, icons of his skillful writing are still intact. Under him, many of the brethren were engaged in painting icons. This love for icon painting remained in his monastery for a long time even after his death. Nowadays a book with drawings from the 7th century is kept there. 143. I The monk, even after his death, showed through one of his miracles that he considered decorating churches with icons to be a holy work. Pitirim, the former abbot of the Komel Nikolaev monastery, living in retirement in the Siysky monastery, spent a lot of time writing new icons and renovating old ones; but he became seriously ill; the illness finally intensified to the point that he was close to death. In a subtle dream, he sees that an old man, bent in years, but handsome, covered with gray hair, is walking from the tomb of the monk to his cell. “Do you want to be healthy and finish what you started?” the old man asked the sick man. “I want to, but I can’t,” answered Pitirim. "St. The Trinity heals you, said the one who appeared; do not weaken in your work; I, Abbot Anthony, have come to visit you in illness.” – Pitirim felt healthy. The merchant was sailing with goods to the mouth of the Dvina - there was also monastery fish in his carbaz - a storm arose, the waves rolled in mountains; swimmers despaired of salvation. Suddenly, the merchant sees an old man near him, who uses his mantle to drive away the waves from the carbaz. “You call on many to help,” he said to the astonished man, but you don’t call on me, although there is property of our monastery here, but God will ensure silence.” -Who are you, man of God? asked the swimmer. The one who appeared called himself Anthony and became invisible. From that moment the sea began to calm down, and a fair wind blew. – The merchant arrived at the monastery and took monastic vows here. Fatherland of St. Gregory, ktitor of the Athos monastery of Gregoriates, was Serbia. This is what legend says and this is what is said in his service. The traveler Barsky, on his first visit to Athos, saw many Slavic books in the Gregory Monastery, a monument to the fact that the Slavs labored here, although later the Greeks prevailed in the monastery. In the west of the monastery, a quarter of an hour’s journey from the monastery (about a mile), the cave in which the teacher labored is still known. Grigory. The monastery built by the monk was dedicated to the saint. Nicholas, but it, both in ancient times and now, is called Grigorieva in honor of its founder. According to the acts of Athos, they found the signature of St. Gregory under the act of 1405. Unfortunately, both the act and the description of the life of the saint disappeared somewhere. According to the Greeks, both the papers and books of the monastery, and the relics of St. Gregory was carried away by Serbian monks from Mount Athos in the fire of 1761. If only this were true! 144 This was a great loss for the bishop. Ambrose, since, taking advantage of the favor of this pious emperor, he managed to persuade him to do many things in favor of Christians, for example. persuaded him to cancel his decree on freedom of religion and return to the Orthodox Mediolans the church in the city that had been taken from them by the Arians with the assistance of Empress Justina. Gratian, who spent the winter in Milan from 378 to 381, also drew the attention to the indecent compatibility of Christianity and paganism in that Christian churches and pagan temples, standing nearby, were equally open for service. In 382, ​​Gratian ordered the statue of victory to be removed from the Senate, and the priests and vestals to be deprived of public support - and although the senators asked him to return the right to the ancient religion of Rome, the emperor did not even accept the embassy from them and refused the pagan “clothes of the supreme high priest” offered to him, objecting that “pagan decoration is indecent for a Christian.” “Uch. about the Father Church" Philar., Archbishop. Chernigov., § 161. See the life of St. Augustine June 15th. RKP. the life of St. Nile and his miracles, the last of which is 1599, in Tsarsky, No. 107, in Undolsky, No. 345–147. The life was written according to the notes of the monk Herman, after a conciliar meeting, under Ts. Boris. Herman writes: “I came as holy monk Herman to the Nilova hermitage, on the island of Stolbensky, many years after the repose of the saint, and what I heard from my ancestors and other lovers of Christ, I believed and wrote down everything; - and I myself was born and lived near its desert. “Already 20 years ago I wrote about the life of the saint and miracles, but kept it to myself... I collected everything that Christ-loving people conveyed to me about the life and miracles of the blessed one.” Minister's Journal. internal cases for 1843 2, 396. 397. The cave where the monk rested is still intact. East. Hier. V, 207. RKP. Saints: “pr. Nil Stolbensky on Lake Seliger died in l. 7063 m. Dec. on day 7." RKP. life; ist. Hier. V, 207. Journal. min. internal Affairs 1843 2, 400. Tsarsky's service No. 107. 408. Tolstoy's 1. No. 39. Service, life and story of miracles. Bl. Nektary died in Moscow at the beginning of 1667. His body was brought to Nilova Hermitage. Here above his tomb stands his image. East. Hier. V, 207. 208. RKP. Hier. V, 207. 208. Dictionary of Saints, p. 215. RKP. life of the Rev. Anthony, described from the words of eyewitnesses and employees of Anthony by Tsarevich John in 1589, in Tsarsky No. 85. 86, Jerome. Jonah in b. total ist. No. 39. 40, Undolsky has the first under No. 285, the second under No. 284. Afterword of the prince in Karamz. IX, pr. 612 The relics of Blessed Pachomius rest in the Kansk or Kenskaya Hermitage, founded by him and now abolished (information about the monastery 16); in the RKP. His name is placed in the calendar, but neither the year nor the day of his death are shown. According to the life of Rev. Anthony, we can assume that Pachomius died around 1520. Swedish about mon., p. 17. In the service on December 7: “keeping in mind the eternal joys of the Heavenly Kingdom, you left everything earthly, suffered many misfortunes and exile, and He who gave you eternal life delivered you from everything.” Minea, M. 1645 The church also speaks about this. service: “Neither the length of years, nor the sorrows of the desert, nor the attack of robbers frightened you, blessed one; You had one thing in mind – to die for Christ in the desert.” Minea, M. 1645 Maksimovich Dictionary, 1, 164–168. To the Synod. b. in the RKP. XVI century No. 814, there is a charter of the Siya Monastery, compiled according to the everyday life of the Sergius Lavra and the Kirillov Monastery; but it was hardly written by the reverend. Anthony. Prologue 7 Dec. Church service: “You did not finish one year until you were eighty years old, blessed one.” According to the RCP. saints, “repose in l. 7065 Dec 7 d." The Tsarevich’s afterword: “This was written off: his canon 8720, - and his life - l. 8088th... At that time, hegumen Pitirim came to the monastery of the blessed one and with him the disciple of the monk Fnlotheus, the first copyist of his life... I came to my father, may his nobility command him to honor him, like all the saints; at ceremonial Metropolitan Anthony, who was formerly the archbishop of the city of Polotsk, the elders came. He, by order of the king and according to the conciliar exposition, set out the celebration of St. Father Anthony" Karamz. IX. pr. 612. Act. ist. 3, no. 95. Note for review. Rus. ancient, p. 40. St. Petersburg. 1851 Siysk mon. in the north archive for 1826, part 19, page 142. 147. Athonite Patericon 1, 400. Notes from a fan, p. 274. 275. Description of the monasteries of Mount Athos, p. 127. St. Petersburg. 1859 according to the legend of 1579 “Serbian Gregoriate Monastery”. Avramovich Athos Antiquities, p. 76, Beograd 1847