Letters to the abbess of the Spaso-Blaherna Monastery Seraphim and two letters to Messrs. Golovin

The collection contains letters from St. Philaret of Moscow (Drozdov), addressed to the first abbess of the Spaso-Vlahernsky (village of Novospasskoye (Dedenevo) near the city of Dmitrov) monastery Seraphim (in the world - Elisaveta Tatarinova) and members of the Golovin family - the founders and benefactors of the monastery. The letters (10 in total) cover the period from 1854 to 1861 and reflect the spiritual leadership of the saint in matters of organizing monastic life, discipline, worship and relationships within the monastery. The saint's letters touch on a wide range of topics related to the internal life of the monastery. He gives guidance on: - welcoming new sisters and observing monastery rules; - architectural design of the monastery (for example, limiting the number of gates, ease of construction of cells); - liturgical practice (singing, reading the Psalter, religious processions); - economic activity and financial discipline; - spiritual care of sisters and remembrance of the departed. Particular attention is paid to relationships with philanthropists - the Golovin family. The saint emphasizes the importance of maintaining unity and harmony, avoiding unnecessary interference of secular persons in monastic affairs. Letter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 First, a few words for a clearer understanding of the following letters of St. Philaret. 10 versts from the city of Dmitrov to the south, to the mountainous area, near the newly opened Savelovskaya railway, from the former village of Novospasskoye, Dedenevo, too, in the middle of the current century, a women’s hostel was founded, which received its name from the ancient, miraculous icons of the Spaso-Vlahernskoye church. In 1852, on May 13, the Highest approved (see below the letter of Mister Philaret to A.N. Golovina) at the Spassky Church of the said village “Horm” at the request of the widow of Major Anna Gavrilovna Golovina, nee Princess Gagarina, and her son Gavril Pavlovich Golovin, the provincial secretary, on whose estate the village was located Novospasskoe. With sufficient material support, Mr. Golovin "Horm" and upon the approval of its rules by Metropolitan Philaret, it was opened in 1854, where up to 70 sisters soon gathered. A girl from the nobility, transferred from the Diveyevo (Tambov province) monastery, Elisaveta Andreevna Tatarinova, was approved as the head of the “Horm”, and the trustee of the “Horm” was first the founder of it, the mentioned Anna Gavrilovna, who in 1853 took monastic vows in the schema with the name John, in 1855 she with the same name privately took monastic vows and died on June 25, 1856. (She is buried under the arches of the altar of the main altar in honor of the Image of Christ God Not Made by Hands). In 1861 St. The Synod decided to rename the “Hotel” into a cenobitic monastery. The first abbess was the aforementioned Elisaveta Tatarinova, who took monastic vows (August 7, 1862) with the name Seraphim; On September 23, she was elevated to the rank of abbess by Metropolitan Philaret himself. All the concerns of Gabriel Pavlovich Golovin, who died on July 7, 1861, were devoted to the internal and external decoration of the monastery (see below, note 8). His zeal was continued with special energy by Abbess Seraphim, for which, in order of distinction, she was awarded a pectoral cross with precious stones in 1888 from the office of His Imperial Majesty. After her death, Seraphima’s successor, the living Abbess Leonida, very actively takes care of the splendor of the church and the improvement of the monastery; with her the number of sisters extends to three hundred; harmonious singing was started, a large stone refectory with an upper room of fir trees was built; The body for the icon painting has been updated. The rector of “Borisoglebsky” mentioned in letters Nos. 7 and 8 is, of course, the archimandrite of the male Dmitrov monastery, called Borisoglebsky, at that time, Fr. Herman. God's blessing and peace to the abbess and the hostel, and to our first benefactors. Taking advantage of the return of your priest, I will tell you partly what you are asking about, and partly what you are not asking about. Novice K. is approved by the abbess, who herself has not earned the approval of the higher authorities. That’s why I hesitated to decisively assign her to you. Let it be better considered. I told you about the gates that for a monastery many gates are neither necessary nor useful. However, I hear that you are doing four, and therefore in this number there is a cost that it would be better not to burden the monastery in any unfulfilling ways. I don’t argue against this only because it is likely that this is what the founders of your monastery wanted. Is there a servant of God? Hope was established with her thought in the monastery: God bless you to have clothes according to this. Coming only for two years, or... 2 is hardly convenient and useful to accept due to the circumstances of our place. God's blessing and peace to the head of the Blachernae hostel and the sisters. It is appropriate for a hostel to have all the buildings in it be built from it, to eliminate the idea of ​​private property. But since our community has a need for buildings, and does not have its own means to build them, it is necessary to allow those who want and are able to build their own homes, according to the rules of the monastery and community. That is, the construction should be simple, in accordance with the needs, without decorations and without excessive space - the one who built it can use it as long as she remains in the monastery, but cannot dispose of it for the benefit of others without the consent of the boss; and should not, on the occasion of building a cell on its own, separate itself in any way from the hostel, and attribute advantages to itself. May the Lord strengthen you in the inevitable difficulties of the new dispensation. In Moscow March 3, 1856 It is inconvenient for the sisters of the monastery in the villages to read the psalter for the departed. They can read in the monastery. For the soul of the deceased it will not be far. In general, it is decent to sing constantly as a pillar. However, on holidays, during the liturgy, if it is more convenient for those listening and not inconvenient for those singing, ordinary singing can be used. One must especially beware of musical singing that deviates from the simplicity and correctness of proper church singing. There should be no contribution required for a place under the cells. If anyone, out of his own zeal, offers a contribution; act as prescribed for all monasteries. The structure of the cells should be simple. Not only do not require decorations, but also refrain from such decorations that unnecessarily increase value. There seems to be no way to build a cell for a sick sister in Moscow: and the spiritual authorities will make it difficult to allow such an order. It is the duty of the sisters in the monastery to pray for the organizers, so that God will grant them the means to quickly fulfill what they promised to the church and the Sovereign Emperor. Processions of the cross must be observed according to church regulations and legal regulations. They are not ordered to establish their laws arbitrarily. God's blessing and peace to the abbess and the charitable hostel. You ask permission to read the psalter throughout the year in the house of your benefactors for your deceased benefactor, and to remember her alone. It is incongruous with the position of your sisters to be continuously surrounded by crowds of worldly people for a whole year. It is more decent to read the psalter in a church closer to the place of rest of the deceased. And to remember her alone, this thought of yours even surprises me. Will prayer for her be less valid if other names are mentioned? – And the departed soul, which now understands more than we do and feels the power of Christian love, will, of course, be more content if others share the benefits of prayer with it. If your thoughts come from the thoughts of Gabriel Pavlovich: imagine to him with humility that the improvement of the monastery he desires will be accomplished more conveniently, if he (leave) it to act according to its own rules, without reducing the unity of action with exceptional orders. However, may the Lord grant that everything will be in peace and harmony. God's blessing and peace to the abbess and sisters of the hostel. Comments on business books should be accepted in peace. They do not mean distrust of the authorities, but a warning for the future. From the interest received from the capital of the girls („„......) 4 now is not yet the time to separate the clergy: for during their lifetime the investor assigned it for their maintenance. Only after their death the amount will become a monastic sum, designated for commemoration: and then the clergy's share will be required. God's blessing and peace to Mother Superior Elizabeth and the sisters of the hostel. There would be extreme disorder in a monastery or hostel if anyone could come and say that the boss ordered him to receive him, and thus, in his own words, assign himself to a monastery or hostel. You shouldn't have thought that I was inclined to allow such a disorder. Your job is to find out whether G. Umova can be accepted. If she was with me (which I don’t remember): then she could hear from me the desire for God’s blessing on the chosen path of life; and her assignment to the hostel must be carried out in accordance with the established procedure. It is necessary to know whether the hostel will be freed from the worldly inhabitants in its enclosure, which, I think, the dilapidation of the premises occupied by them should contribute to. And for someone to take over the dormitory premises, I think Gabriel Pavlovich does not recognize the right or decency when the dormitory strives to be formed completely in the character of a monastery, in order to receive its name. May the Lord gather you into a spiritual abode. To the superior of the hostel, servant of God Elisabeth, God's blessing and peace. The rector of Borisoglebsky had no reason not to trust your word in general—and therefore, and especially the word that, in trust of your testimony, the sick Anastasia was allowed to bestow the blessing of the Angelic image she desired, secretly, free from the slowness of formal paperwork. Tell him this; and show this. God's blessing and peace to the abbess of the Spaso-Vlacherna hostel, Elisaveta, and the sisters. With sincere sympathy I learned about the Christian death, as was to be expected, of Gabriel Pavlovich, the founder and benefactor of your monastery, a sincere lover of church antiquity. May the Lord rest his soul in the abodes of the heavenly church. I would like to participate in accompanying him in prayer in the next century. But I cannot rely on my strength in this, especially after I have already, not without fear, taken upon myself obligatory church work (the consecration of the church) and cannot break this word. I advise you to invite Archimandrite Borisoglebsk. Without a doubt, several priests will come, of their own accord, honoring the memory of the deceased. Choose the day for the burial by agreement with his relatives. May your prayers for your departed benefactor always be fervent. A letter to A.N. Golovina, written by the clerk, but signed by the Archpastor himself. Dear Empress Anna Gavrilovna! I have the consolation of informing you that your proposal to establish a God-pleasing Blachernae hostel for females in your village of Novospasskoye was approved by the Highest on the 13th day of last May. I pray to God that your sacrifice will be pleasing to Him, that He may bless you and your children with temporal and eternal blessings, and may He grant you to see your institution growing and bearing spiritual fruit. Our Eminence, zealous pilgrim Filaret M. Moskovsky Dear Sovereign Gabriel Pavlovich! I share your sadness, as a son who worthily honors and loves a worthy parent 5 . But I hope you will not violate the Apostolic Testament: do not grieve for the dead as immoderately as those who have no hope. She reposed and sacrificed both herself and herself to God, and went through feats of piety, and accomplished the feat of patience in illness; and therefore let it be accompanied by peaceful prayer and good hope. Blessed is your thought that the Archimandrite of Boris and Gleb, who fulfilled her pious desire in this illness, will guide her into eternity with the prayer of faith. I earnestly appeal to you for peace and consolation from the Lord. Near the church on the southern side, on a modest grave monument, the following inscription is carved: “Here is buried the body of the servant of God, Abbess Seraphima, who died on July 31, 1897, at 5 o’clock in the afternoon. 90 years from birth." On the other side of the monument: “My spiritual sisters and companions, do not forget me, always pray, but see my tomb, remember my love, and pray to Christ that my spirit may make peace with the righteous.” It is difficult to make out the words of the saint, replaced by dots. This letter is written on a sheet of paper, the first page of which is in a mourning frame. Anna Gavrilovna mentioned in letter No. 9.