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Life of St. Seraphim of Sarov The great saint of God and prayer book of the Russian Land, St. Seraphim, the Wonderworker of Sarov, belongs to the host of ascetics of the 19th century, distinguished by an unquenchable spiritual thirst for moral perfection, a noble desire for true freedom, freeing man from sin. Elder Seraphim, due to his gifts from the Lord and the extraordinary rise of his spirit, is the most glorious exponent of this era, and therefore his biography, his ascent “from strength to strength” are of deep edifying interest for Orthodox Russian people. Father Seraphim, in the world Prokhor Isidorovich Moshnin, was born on July 19, 1759, in the city of Kursk, on Sergievskaya Street, near the church in memory of St. Sergius of Radonezh. Prokhor's parents, Isidore and Agathia, belonged to the eminent and wealthy Kursk merchant class. In the family they also had an eldest son, Alexey, who went into trading, whose offspring survived for a long time. Isidor Moshnin owned brick factories, he took out large contracts for the construction of stone churches and houses, but soon died. Прохору и всего-то было три года, когда он лишился отца. The mother began to manage the affairs of the orphaned house, paying attention to raising her children, instilling in them the fear of God and respect for people. Little information has been preserved about Prokhor's childhood, but all his biographies tell of two events from his early years. The first was when seven-year-old Prokhor, in front of his mother’s eyes, fell from the bell tower of a church under construction to the ground and remained alive. Then the mother, in a trembling premonition of terrible grief, ran down from the high forests, fearing to find her son broken to death. Prokhor remained safe and sound. In this miraculous salvation, the mother saw God’s special care for her son. Another event was the miraculous appearance of the Mother of God to him. At that time, Prokhor was about ten years old. Having become seriously ill, in a sleepy vision he was privileged to behold the Most Holy Theotokos. Then She promised to heal him. And so it happened at that time to go to a procession with the Kursk Root Icon along the very street where the Moshnins’ house stood. A downpour fell... To shorten the path, the religious procession turned through the Moshnins' passage yard. Prokhor's mother hastened to carry her son to the icon, and from that day on he began to recover. That illness, as well as the fall from a height, did not at all undermine Prokhor’s good health. The boy grew up strong, strong-willed and impressionable, distinguished by an excellent memory and innate virtues - meekness and humility. In those days, people usually learned to read and write from the Psalter, while the churches of God, with their beauty and wonderful liturgical decoration, endowed children with warmth and purity, and sublime thoughts. Young Prokhor was drawn to these saving springs. He loved reading the Holy Scriptures, first in church, and then in reading with adults, and when he himself learned to read, the Gospel and patristic word, attending church services became an urgent necessity for him. Zeal for the church of God and the educational power of Scripture decisively influenced the future fate of Prokhor: he strengthened himself spiritually and decided to leave the world in order to devote himself to a strict monastic life. In the 17th year, the idea of ​​leaving the world and becoming a monastic finally matured in Prokhor. His wise, Christian-minded mother, with her maternal instincts, understood her son’s true calling and did not prevent Prokhor from devoting himself to God and people. It must be borne in mind that the former life of the Russian people was largely filled with deep moral content, and this content gave rise to touching, solemn and beautiful customs in their simplicity. For example, someone in the family is getting ready to travel. The preparations are over... Before going or driving, everyone sat down. A kind of blessed silence permeated the family, those leaving and those remaining. I thought anxiously at these moments: I would not forget something significant, important, I would take peace and peace of mind with me on the road. This Russian habit was strong in the Moshnin family. The farewell of mother and son was touching; it was especially touching when Prokhor went to venerate the Kyiv shrines, so that there, in the silence of the monastery, near the holy saints and elders, he could test his decision to leave the vain world. At parting, everyone sat down, remained silent, thinking about many things, then stood up, prayed, and Prokhor bowed to his mother’s feet. She ordered him to venerate the icons of the Savior and the Mother of God, after which she blessed him with a large copper cross, and Prokhor set off with it. He sacredly kept this maternal blessing all his life. He wore the cross openly over his clothes and died with it many years later. Encouraged by the good wishes of his mother and loved ones, Prokhor arrived in Kyiv. The majestic view of the Kyiv churches, the abundance of ancient Russian shrines and monasteries with many monks filled Prokhor with impressions and inexpressible spiritual joy. At first, he went to the perspicacious and wise recluse Dosifei, who was then living as an elder in the China Hermitage, not far from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. With joy, fear and awe, young Prokhor knocked on the door of the recluse Dosifei. And when he entered him, he knelt down, shedding tears, opened his soul, his thoughts, touchingly asking the godly elder for advice, blessings and instructions on where and to whom he should go, where to look for saving paths that crush evil; where is that corner, that cell and those church slabs that will shelter him for spiritual labors. Elder Dosifei caressed the young man and pointed him to the Sarov hermitage. Delighted and reassured by the great recluse, the young man once again bowed to the shrines of Kyiv, then briefly returned to his native Kursk, to his family, to say goodbye and finally leave for the deep forests of the Sarov desert. On November 20, 1778, on the eve of the Feast of the Entry into the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 19-year-old Prokhor came to Sarov. With a feeling of touching tenderness, the young wanderer saw the monastery assigned to him by God. It was winter, but the bitter frosts did not dampen the wanderer’s hot impulse... The clean, white winter cover completely corresponded to the state of God’s chosen youth, and the green masses of centuries-old pines and firs seemed to confirm; life is eternal, it cannot be shackled and frozen, life-giving forces graciously imparted evergreen beauty to the forest... It seems that the mere appearance of the Sarov desert - this open book of Russian asceticism - warms the Russian people. The desert is located extremely picturesquely - on a high cliff. And the domes of the Assumption Cathedral are far visible in the vicinity of Sarov, attracting the tired traveler with prayerful comfort and monastic silence. At the foot of the mountain on which the monastery rises, Satis and Sarovka merge into one river. All around there is a dense forest, and in the distant spaces around there is no housing. The strict but gentle abbot Pachomius reigned in the Hermitage. He also came from Kursk merchants and, of course, knew Prokhor’s parents. Guessing with an experienced eye all the strength and purity of the young man’s decision, Father Pachomius kindly accepted him, entrusting him to the care of the monastery treasurer, Hieromonk Joseph. This elder Prokhor was a cell attendant, then he was sent for obedience to the bakery and prosphora maker, and then he was assigned as a carpenter in the carpentry. At one time he was obliged to wake up the brethren for early services. However, performing these simple but tedious tasks, of course, did not close the circle of concerns of the young novice. With the greatest zeal, he drew his attention to the very essence of the monastic rank - to re-educating himself, to observing himself and achieving moral perfection. The young man, who grew up in the fear of God, zealously embarked on the path of monastic self-sacrifice; cultivating in himself hard work, meekness, abstinence in everything, and most importantly, diligence in prayer - this is what now becomes the focus of his life! He knew that in the monastery, under the strict guidance of the elders, he had to protect himself from the temptations of the world, that only here it was possible to strive for ascetic deeds, for the full disclosure of spiritual gifts within himself. Having firmly decided on a spiritual feat, the young man joyfully began to fulfill the monastic precepts left for the edification of the Monk John Climacus, who said: “Just as a ship that has a skillful helmsman enters safely with God’s help, so a soul that has a good shepherd easily ascends to heaven, even if it was previously sinful... Just as one walking along an unfamiliar path without a guide can easily to get lost, even if he were reasonable, so in monasticism he who autocratically goes through his monastic obedience easily perishes, even if he knew the wisdom of the whole world.” A serious, thoughtful attitude towards the monastic dispensation was reflected in the zeal of the young novice to attend church services and stand motionless during all services. Prokhor then always stood in a certain place from the beginning to the end of the service, and he strictly followed his cell rule. Of course, the monk Prokhor also had difficulties, and there were also obstacles to a successful struggle. Thoughts, sorrows, boredom, despondency - these constant companions of sin, poisoning our mundane daily life, sometimes pass inside the monastery walls. But how persistently and victoriously the new monk repelled these devilish machinations! He won by constant observation of himself, he won by work and prayer. At home, Prokhor read holy books and did physical labor. He always read the Gospel and the Epistles of the Apostles while standing. From spiritual books I read “The Six Days” of St. Basil the Great, “Conversations” of St. Macarius the Great, “The Ladder” of St. John, “The Philokalia” and many others. Readiness developed in the monk the ability to apply everything said in books to a person and various states of his character - hence the ability to clarify every situation in life with a true decision, to perfume every good deed with the grace of God. He was engaged in physical labor, participating in the general work of the monastery brethren - rafting timber, collecting firewood, and during rest he skillfully cut crosses from cypress and distributed them to pilgrims. Yet most of all he loved solitary prayer and abstinence. The future great ascetic, faster and toiler Monk Prokhor, as if from the very beginning, recognized the essence of asceticism and the sweetness of monasticism. His monastic life is a living, clear example of asceticism, constant self-denial, rejection of everything that interferes with salvation. The ideal of holiness was nurtured in his heart by young Prokhor, to which he directed his strength and his spiritual impulse. Already in the early years of his monasticism, Prokhor adhered to strict fasting. He ate nothing on Wednesdays and Fridays, and on other days of the week he ate once a day. With the blessing and permission of his elder Joseph, young Prokhor went into the forest in his free hours for solitary prayer. In the thicket of the forest he built a hut and there he immersed himself in contemplative prayer. In silence, far from people, he tenderly surrendered to the feat of prayer among the unfading beauties of nature, which revealed to him the greatness of the Almighty Creator. In 1780, Prokhor became dangerously ill. His body was swollen, the disease did not respond to any treatment, perhaps it was dropsy. He was ill for three years, of which he spent a year and a half in bed. The extraordinary respect that the Sarov elders and monastery brethren had for the young monk was even more fully manifested during his illness. Elder Joseph, Abbot Pachomius, and Elder Isaiah were constantly with him, and other brethren offered prayers for him. One day Elder Joseph served the Divine Liturgy for Prokhor’s health. The patient confessed and received communion. And then, in the Ineffable Light, the Mother of God appeared to the sick man, with the apostles John the Theologian and Peter. The Lady, pointing to John the Theologian at the novice, said: “This one is of Our kind” and laid her right hand on his head, and with the rod that she held in her left hand, She touched the sick one. This touch left Prokhor with a depression in his leg, through which the accumulated fluid began to flow out, causing him excruciating suffering. So miraculously, Prokhor recovered quickly. Soon new construction began in Sarov. Prokhor's cell, in which this miraculous healing took place, was demolished, and in its place a hospital with an almshouse was built, and at the hospital there was a church on two floors: below - in the name of Saints Zosima and Savvaty of Solovetsky, and above - in the name of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Then the monk Prokhor was sent into the world to collect donations for this church. Walking around a great many cities and villages of Mother Russia, he was honored to visit “Both the wide Caspian Sea and the royal Neva”... He also went to his hometown of Kursk, met his brother, remembered his childhood days and his beloved mother, who at that time was already lying in the ground; He went to the city cemetery and there, at the grave mound of his parents, stood for a long time in heartfelt prayer. Brother Alexey was already successfully running his own household and was able to provide a generous donation to the monastery church. Some biographies of the saint tell us about his youthful appearance, when he was still a novice Prokhor: “Tall in stature; the face is white and full, the nose is regular and sharp; light blue, expressive and penetrating eyes, thick eyebrows; thick light brown hair on the head; a thick beard connected with a thick mustache; he was strong and strong, had a fascinating speech, an extraordinary memory and a bright, clear understanding.” On August 13, 1786, Prokhor was tonsured into monasticism and named Seraphim - “The Fiery One.” The one who tonsured Prokhor seemed to want to imprint on him for the rest of his life that spiritual flame with which the young novice warmed himself. A year later, the monk Seraphim was ordained as a hierodeacon, and from that day on, for six years he almost continuously participated in Divine services. He also worked intensively in prayer at home: on the eve of Sundays and holidays, he stood all night in prayer, without feeling tired and without needing rest. Thanks to such exploits, Father Seraphim received special revelations. At times he saw Angels in white gold-woven robes, concelebrating with the brethren during monastic services. Hierodeacon Seraphim was awarded a particularly significant vision during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy on Maundy Thursday. When, after the small entrance, Hierodeacon Seraphim exclaimed: “Lord, save the pious and hear us,” and, turning to the people, finished: “and forever and ever,” he was immediately transformed, could not leave his place and utter a word. The employees realized that he had a vision. The hierodeacons led him by the arms into the altar, where he stood, as if speechless, for three hours, his face now flushed, now pale. When he came to his senses, he told his elders Joseph and Pachomius this vision. “I just proclaimed, poor one,” said Hierodeacon Seraphim, “Lord, save the pious and hear us,” and pointing his oracle at the people, he finished: “and forever and ever,” suddenly a ray of sunlight illuminated me and I saw the Lord our God Jesus Christ, in the image of the Son of Man, shining in glory with the Ineffable Light, surrounded by heavenly powers, angels, archangels, cherubim and seraphim, like a swarm of bees, and from the western church gates of the future in the air. Approaching the pulpit in this form and raising His most pure hands, the Lord blessed those serving and those present. Therefore, He entered His holy local image, which is on the right hand of the Royal Doors, and was transformed, surrounded by angelic faces, shining with Ineffable Light throughout the entire church. But I, earth and ashes, when I met the Lord Jesus Christ, received a special blessing from Him. My heart rejoiced purely, enlightened, in the sweetness of love for God.” After this appearance, Father Seraphim began to pray in solitude even more; more and more often he went to his forest cell in the evenings and spent the whole night there in prayer, and only in the morning did he return to Sarov. In September 1793, Hierodeacon Seraphim was summoned by the diocesan authorities to Tambov and there he ordained him as a hieromonk. From that time on, while the priest lived in the Hermitage itself, he received the Holy Mysteries every day. Endowed with the grace of the priesthood, he serves the Holy Church reverently and with love. Like the heavenly Seraphim, he completely devotes himself to serving God, prayerfully watching before Him day and night; forgets about food and drink, and regrets that he needs rest and cannot continuously serve God. The task of his life, in his own words, is now “the final organization of the house of the soul.” From now on, he “carries in his chest a heart like wax, melting from the indescribable sweetness of the heavenly visions that visited him.” At this time, Father Seraphim was already sufficiently prepared for the difficult and great feat of living in the desert. Soon the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Pachomius, died; before his death, he blessed Father Seraphim for his exploits in the secluded desert. On November 20, 1794, thirty-five years old, Hieromonk Seraphim retired to a desert cell located 5-6 miles from the monastery, in a dense forest, near the Sarovka River. The reason for the relocation was a serious illness: from standing for a long time in church and praying at home, his legs began to swell and wounds opened. The forest cell was a simple hut with a stove, a canopy and a porch. There is a small vegetable garden around the cell, which Father Seraphim cultivated in the spring and summer; He also had a beekeeper. The priest's clothes were the simplest and roughest: a worn kamilavka on his head, a white linen cassock on his shoulders, hands in leather mittens, feet in shoe covers (leather stockings) and bast shoes. A copper cross hung openly on his chest - his mother’s blessing; behind his back was a bag, and in it was the Gospel. He wore the same clothes in summer and winter. In work I found a bright and joyful mood. It happened that while working, a shovel or hoe would suddenly fall out of his hands, while his face would take on a wondrous expression, and he, standing motionless, would delve into the contemplation of the mysteries of God. While loosening the earth, Father Seraphim sang psalms and church hymns. The dogmatist especially loved to sing the first tone: “Worldwide glory...” and the antiphon: “The incessant Divine desire is deserted...” His prayer rule in the Desert was extensive and strict. Instead of evening prayers, I made a thousand bows in a row. Father Seraphim ate only vegetables. He took dry, stale bread with him from the monastery on Sundays for the entire week, but distributed almost all of it to the birds and forest animals who came up to him and loved his company. There was a time when the hermit even refused bread. For almost three years, he ate forest grass - black grass: he boiled it in a pot, and dried it in reserve for the winter. On Sundays and holidays, as well as on their eves, Father Seraphim came to the monastery, attended all the prescribed services and partook of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. He was cheerful, talking with the monks who listened to his wise instructions. And, after talking, he again retired into the saving desert. There, Hieromonk Seraphim, flaming with love for God, underwent all types of self-sacrifice and all the feats of prayer work. “Solitude, prayer, forgiveness and abstinence are the essence of a four-part chariot that lifts the spirit to heaven,” the priest said repeatedly before, but now he completely followed his word. During his years as a hermit, Father Seraphim avoided visitors in every possible way. He usually humbly bowed to the people who met him in the forest and hastily stepped aside. For a person who saw a desert dweller for the first time, these meetings made a deep and irresistible impression; Already the mere sight of the saint of God, in his wretched clothes, touched the soul, testifying to something sublime and spiritual. This appearance of him inspired awe not only in people, but also in wild animals. What a wondrous and touching picture: the ascetic Seraphim feeds from his hands a forest bear, which obediently carries out his will! Look closely at the priest’s face, shining with the angelic light of joy and mercy, and you will be able to read the secret of the bear’s humility and obedience. But such an intense life for the ascetic also aroused the cruel anger of the devil, who inflicted various temptations on him. One day, while praying, Father Seraphim heard the howling of animals outside the walls of his cell. Another time, some noisy crowd of people began to break down the door; knocked out the door frame and threw a huge piece of wood into the hermit’s home; eight people could hardly carry it out... Sometimes, during prayer, the priest imagined that the cell was collapsing, and that terrible animals were rushing towards him with a wild roar; or he saw an open coffin from which a dead man rose. Father Seraphim defeated all these external visions and temptations with the power of the sign of the cross. Then the enemy began to attack him with even greater fury. He lifted the ascetic into the air and hit him on the floor with such force that his bones could have been broken if Divine help had not protected him at that time. One might think that the monk fully experienced the tempting power of evil spirits. To a simple-hearted question from one layman about demons, the ascetic answered with a smile: “They are vile. Just as a sinner is forbidden to look at the radiance of an Angel, so it is forbidden to see demons, for they are vile.” During these years, Father Seraphim was twice elected as abbot and archimandrite of monasteries, but, out of humility, he refused these positions. Hating such steadfastness, the devil became even more agitated by a new misfortune, raising a mental war in his soul - the most terrible of misfortunes... It was hard for the ascetic. But whoever is attentive to spiritual life, who more strictly monitors the movements of his heart, has a more sensitive conscience, and the attack of the prince of darkness is stronger on him. After all, even in an ordinary war, the enemy strikes where the main forces are concentrated in order to break and destroy the main resistance. Calling on Christ the Savior and the Mother of God for help, Father Seraphim decided to undertake the feat of pillar-building. In the forest, halfway from the cell to the monastery, lay a granite stone of enormous size. On this stone the monk led the life of a stylite. Unacceptably, every day and every night he stood on a stone and stood on it at full height or on his knees, with his hands raised, constantly repeating: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”... At the same time, Father Seraphim placed another stone in his cell and prayed on it in the same position all day. The Elder spent a thousand days in this great feat. Physical exhaustion and incessant prayer consoled him. The evil one stopped testing the ascetic, because the ascetic had strengthened himself, and tempting thoughts and fears ceased to bother him. Standing on a stone for three years exhausted Father Seraphim, and his legs began to hurt again. “Human strength would not have been enough,” Father Seraphim later said about his pillarhood, “but I was internally strengthened and consoled by the Heavenly gift descending from the Father of Lights. When there is tenderness in the heart, then God is with us.” The elder revealed his position to the Sarov brethren only in his declining days, shortly before his death. The stones on which Father Seraphim prayed existed until recently. There was only one fragment left of the large stone; many admirers of the saint and pilgrims to the Sarov hermitage chopped off pieces of these stones as souvenirs. Among the Orthodox, there were families where these pieces of granite with the image of the praying Father Seraphim on them were reverently preserved for years, then they were passed on to posterity. One such particle of that same stone was kept in the Church of St. Seraphim in Paris (on Rue Lecourbe, No. 91). This was a gift to me from Ekaterina Sergeevna Dokhturova, who took this piece of stone from Tsarskoye Selo. A small piece of the mantle of St. Seraphim is also kept in the same church, a gift from Archbishop Alexander, an enthusiastic admirer of the national saint and a zealous prayer book to him. Both of these sacred relics and a little flour, once distributed in Sarov, are embedded in the image of the old man; the image is placed on a lectern, and in front of it in Paris a lamp is lit for the saint of God. The trials of Father Seraphim did not end there. On September 12, 1804, in the Sarov forest, three peasants approached him and rudely demanded money from him. Father Seraphim could have defended himself with an ax - he was holding it in his hands, but the priest lowered the ax, crossed his hands with a cross on his chest and said: - Do what you need. The villains hit Father Seraphim in the head with a butt; Blood gushed from his mouth and ears. The hermit fell dead. In this state, the robbers dragged the elder to the cell, continuing to beat him mercilessly. Finally, tying him with ropes, they wanted to drown him in the river, but, being sure that he was already dead, they threw him in the hallway, and they themselves began a thorough search of the cell. But there was no money there; only an icon and a few potatoes were found. The disappointed monsters, indignant, became terribly confused, then fear completely attacked them, and they fled. After some time, Father Seraphim regained consciousness. With difficulty he untied the ropes with which he was tied, and, with God’s help, the next day, during the celebration of the Liturgy, he came to Sarov. His appearance at that time was terrible: the hair on his head and beard was stuck together in dried blood, dusty and tangled. His hands and face were badly bruised, several teeth were knocked out; Bloody clothes stuck in places to the wounds on the body. Doctors called from Arzamas found that the old man’s head was broken, his ribs were broken, his lungs were broken; repulsed, and they were surprised how he was still alive. While being examined by doctors, Father Seraphim fell asleep, and he had a vision: the Most Holy Lady came to his bed with the apostles Peter and John the Theologian and, pointing to the ascetic to His companions, said: “This is from Our race.” Waking up, the sufferer felt relief and experienced indescribable spiritual joy. That same day, for the first time since the attack, he ate some bread and sauerkraut. Father Seraphim miraculously escaped from imminent death, and after a five-month stay in the monastery, after recovering, he returned to his hermitage. The wounds inflicted on him by the robbers, as well as the consequences of the bruise received from a tree that fell on him, changed the appearance of the once slender hieromonk; from now on he became bent and walked only leaning on a hatchet, hoe or stick. The offenders of Father Seraphim were soon found; they turned out to be serfs of the landowner Tatishchev from the village of Kremenki. At the prayer of the elder, the villains were forgiven. They repented before him, promised to improve, especially since they had already been punished - lightning set their houses on fire, and they could not put out the fire. In 1807, the second rector of the Sarov Hermitage since the arrival of Father Seraphim, the righteous abbot Isaiah, whom the priest loved and revered, died. The death of the abbot had a hard impact on Father Seraphim. The three elders he loved, with whom his entry into the monastery was connected - Joseph, Pachomius and Isaiah, were already in their graves. The ascetic honored their memory touchingly: every time he went to the monastery cemetery and stood for a long time in prayer near their graves. The orphaned Father Seraphim decided to impose a vow of silence on himself. A persistent desire arose - to turn this vow into a feat, about which Saint Ambrose of Milan spoke so clearly and clearly: “I saw many saved by silence, but not a single one by speaking too much.” I also remembered his other words: “Silence is the sacrament of the future century; words are the tools of this world.” From solitude and silence, tenderness and meekness are born, elevating a person to piety, bringing him closer to God, making him, as it were, an earthly Angel. The desert life now seemed insufficient for Father Seraphim, and he accepted the feat of silence. He avoids visitors and does not accept anyone in his distant desert. If he met someone in the forest, he fell prostrate, face down on the ground, and did not raise his head until there was no one left near him. One of the brethren once a week, on Sundays, brought him food to the hermitage, since Father Seraphim stopped going to the monastery at this time, even on holidays. And in winter, along a snow-covered road, a messenger monk would wander, drowning in the snow, to the silent man and bring him bread or some vegetables. Having reached the cell, the messenger entered the hallway and placed food on the ground. Father Seraphim took it, without raising his eyes to the newcomer, and put a piece of bread or cabbage on the tray - that should be brought another time. This was the outward manifestation of silence. The inner meaning of this feat, its essence, lay in the renunciation of all worldly blessings and cares. Father Seraphim spent about three years in complete silence, after which he moved on to the highest feat - seclusion. He was then 50 years old. The Council of the oldest hieromonks of the monastery, showing concern for the silent man, so that he would have the opportunity to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ more often, decided that on Sundays and holidays Father Seraphim would come to the monastery for communion or simply move to Sarov. The silent man, remembering the precepts of monasticism, which consist in cutting off one’s will and obedience, moved to a monastery. It was May 12, 1810. On this day, after a 15-year stay in the desert, the recluse Seraphim entered the gates of the Sarov monastery. The abbot and the brethren were surprised and delighted to meet him, but their surprise increased when the next day Elder Seraphim, having received the Holy Mysteries, went to his cell without saying a word: He shut himself up in his cell, did not go anywhere himself and did not let anyone in. In his cell, except for an icon with an unquenchable lamp and a piece of wood that served him as a chair, there was nothing. For the sake of mortification of the flesh, the elder wore a thick five-inch cast-iron cross under his shirt. He never even put on a hair shirt. And to the question about this he answered like this: “Whoever offends us in word or deed, and if we bear insults according to the Gospel, here are our chains, here is our hair shirt.” While in retreat, the ascetic ate ​​especially sparingly: oatmeal and chopped cabbage were his food, and he drank only water. A cell neighbor, monk Pavel, delivered simple provisions. He placed everything he had brought at the door and left. There were cases when Father Seraphim did not take anything from what was brought, and then Monk Pavel took the food back... The prayer rule of the ascetic Seraphim was complex and great. Over the course of a week, he read the entire New Testament and, while reading, interpreted the Scriptures aloud to himself. Many were happy to cling to his door and listen to the words of edification pouring from the lips of Father Seraphim. Sometimes he seemed to freeze behind a book, immersed in contemplation, and, ceasing to read prayers, fell silent, standing motionless in front of the icon. On all holidays and Sundays, after early mass, Father Seraphim received the Holy Mysteries in his cell. To remember the hour of death, Father Seraphim placed an oak coffin in his entryway; He often prayed near him, constantly preparing himself for eternal peace. Five years of strict seclusion had passed, during which time Elder Seraphim had noticeably weakened, but the period of his exploits had only just begun. The elder did not break his seclusion and silence even at the time of the arrival of the Tambov diocesan bishop Jonah (who was later exarch of Georgia) in Sarov. The Right Reverend wished to see the elder ascetic. The Bishop approached Father Seraphim’s cell, accompanied by Abbot Nifont, but the door was locked. The abbot's desire to show some persistence in order for the elder to open the door did not meet with the bishop's sympathy. Imbued with respect for the elder, the bishop said: “No need, lest we sin through this,” and, moving away from the cell, left the recluse alone. Another five years passed. Now the elder received the brethren and laity in his cell, willingly talked with them and lovingly taught them the Christian faith and piety. In 1825, on November 25, Father Seraphim had a vision of the Mother of God: the Mother of God commanded him to come out of seclusion and receive everyone who would need his consolation, advice and prayer. At this time, the priest was 66 years old. With the rich experience of half a century of monastic life, he entered the path of eldership - the spiritual leadership of people. Let us note: eldership is the most vital nerve of true Orthodox monasticism; without it one cannot educate the spirit, one cannot cut off one’s own will: “An elder in a monastery is a womb in a hive, to which the abbot himself is subordinate.” The Patericon tells about many touching examples of true humility before the elder. Where there is an elder, there is warmth for monks and novices: he will console in sorrow, and reconcile in quarrels, and in perplexity, he will enlighten and teach. Venerable Seraphim said to the late abbot of the Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony (Medvedev): “Be not a father, but a mother to your monks.” And this applies to the elder even more than to the abbot, to the abbot. The abbot must sometimes be formally strict, but the elder is always affectionate and kind. The abbot has power, the elder has love. The abbot will threaten: “I’ll kick you out of the monastery.” The elder will sigh, think, and say coldly: “Well, do as you know.” And thus he will make it clear that you offend him with your disobedience, failure to fulfill his commandments... Also a threat: “I won’t love you, live as you know.” But this is more than “I’ll kick you out.” People are ready to bow at the feet of such an embodiment of love, shed tears of repentance - if only he would forgive, if only he would caress him again. Unfortunately, the world is little familiar with the joys of monastic life. When you come into contact with this life, when in your heart you know the joy of communicating with the gracious elders, then with all your soul you strive to the holy monasteries, there to refresh yourself, be renewed in spirit and feel the superiority of spiritual values ​​over the vanity of the world. Spiritual, mysterious communication with such elders does not stop even after their death: love never dies. Suffice it to remember what St. Seraphim of Sarov said to his spiritual children: “When you feel sorrowful, come to my grave and tell me everything as if I were alive, and you will feel better”... And the souls who love them strive to the grave of their elders, from afar they write to the monastery: “Bow before your dear father, go to the grave, whisper to him, your dear one, your daughter, your son is grieving - help, dear.” In these simple but sincere words, dissolved in tears, one can feel: the elder’s spiritual experience of life is valued. “A word from experience is living water that quenches the thirst of the soul; a word without experience is water splashed on a wall. A word from experience is pure gold, without experience it is a coppersmith. And such and such a treasure is possessed and abundantly bestowed upon everyone by the elders. He who is tempted himself can help those who are tempted.” This is the grace-filled power that lies in eldership, and the Lord God blessed Father Seraphim on this path. First of all, Father Seraphim loved to talk with monks. He taught them the exact fulfillment of monastic rules and zeal for church service. “We must look at our life,” said the ascetic, “like a candle made of wax and a lamp, and burning with fire. Wax is our faith, the lamp is hope, and fire is love, which unites everything together: both faith and hope, just as wax and the lamp burn together under the action of fire. A candle of poor quality emits a stench when it burns and goes out - so stinks in the spiritual sense the life of a sinner before God. And therefore, looking at a burning candle, especially when we stand in God’s church, we remember the beginning, course and end of our life: for a candle lit before the Face of God melts, and so our life diminishes with every minute, approaching the end. This thought will help us have less fun in church, pray more diligently and try to make our life before God look like a candle made of pure wax that does not emit a stench.” Communion has great power for the salvation of the soul. Father Seraphim advised to begin Holy Communion on all the twelve holidays, and not to miss the four fasts of the year without fasting. He spoke about the saving significance of the Sacrament of the Eucharist: “If we filled the entire ocean with tears, then even then we would not be able to thank the Lord for pouring life on us and feeding us with His Most Pure Blood and Body, which wash, cleanse, revive and resurrect us. And proceed without doubt, do not be embarrassed, but just believe.” A special characteristic of the priest’s manner and conversations were love and humility: whoever came - a poor man in rags or a rich man, no matter what sinful state the person’s conscience was in - he accepted everyone and tried to help and comfort everyone. Every day, with the end of early mass until 8 o'clock in the evening, the elder's cell was open to the laity, and for the Sarov brethren it was open at all times. This small cell was illuminated only by a lamp and candles burning in front of the icons. With two small windows she looked towards the meadow distance. There were bags of sand and stones on the floor - they served as a bed for the ascetic. Father Seraphim usually went out to talk with visitors in a white cassock and mantle, and on the days when he received communion, he also put on an epitrachelion and armlets. The power of his word lay mainly in the fact that everything he preached, he carried out himself; what spiritual exercises he recommended to others - he himself mastered them, having comprehended their grace-filled power. “Teaching others,” said the elder, “is as easy as throwing pebbles from our cathedral to the ground, and doing what you teach is like carrying pebbles to the top of the cathedral yourself.” With special love, the priest met those in whom he saw a desire to improve and sincerely repent of their sins. Having talked with such a prudent man, he placed the stole and right hand on his head, then said: “I have sinned, Lord, I have sinned in soul and body, in word, in deed, in mind and thought, and in all my senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, willingly or unwillingly, knowledge or ignorance.” After which he read a prayer of permission, anointed the visitor’s forehead with oil from the lamp in a cross shape and gave him, if it was morning, Epiphany water and antidor. People left him with extraordinary joy in their souls. Father Seraphim especially advised and insisted on constantly having the Jesus Prayer in your heart: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” “Let all your attention and training be in this,” he taught. In addition, the elder resolutely insisted that every Christian fulfill at least a small prayer rule. “When you get up from sleep,” he said, “you should read “Our Father” three times, “Rejoice to the Virgin Mary” three times and “I believe in one God” once. Then, before lunch, read, if possible always, both on the road and at work, the Jesus Prayer, and in front of people repeat mentally “Lord, have mercy.” Before lunch, repeat the morning rule. After lunch until the evening, instead of the Jesus Prayer, read “Most Holy Theotokos, save me a sinner.” Before going to bed again the morning rule. Whoever does not have time, let him practice these rules, even on the road or in bed, remembering that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. And those who have time, let them also read the conception from the Gospel, akathists and psalms. This small rule is of high dignity: the first prayer - “Our Father” - is a model of prayers given by the Lord; the second - “Virgin Mother of God” - was brought by an Angel from heaven; in the third - “Creed” - all the dogmas of faith. Father Seraphim became healthy in spirit and weakened in body. His legs ached from his many labors, from standing on a stone, from being shuttered. He also suffered greatly from headaches. The priest needed to breathe fresh air, and he often left his cell at night. And from 1825, after a vision of the Mother of God to him and with the blessing of the abbot, the elder began to go daily to the Near Hermitage - placed two miles from the monastery. Next to the desert there was a spring of fresh, cold water. At the spring there was a column - a chapel, in popular parlance a chapel, of which there were so many throughout the vastness of our Fatherland - they were placed at crossroads, near springs and wells. And on this column the elder placed an icon of St. John the Theologian, which is why that spring was called Theological. Beds were built around the spring, and the elder worked here, covering the bottom of the spring with pebbles and cultivating vegetables in the beds. A block of wood was placed nearby, where Father Seraphim hid during the heat; in the evening he returned to Sarov. Early in the morning, at four or even two in the morning, the priest would go to this Near Hermitage in a white linen cassock, in a kamilavka, with an ax in his hand and with a bag filled with stones or sand; I placed the Gospel on top of the weight. When asked about the bag, he answered briefly: “I’m tormenting me.” By that time, many Russian Orthodox people from all over the Fatherland sought to visit Elder Seraphim to listen to his edifications. The name of the ascetic began to be passed on from mouth to mouth everywhere. A particularly solemn and great spectacle was observed in Sarov on holidays, when Father Seraphim was returning from church after receiving the Holy Mysteries. The bent old man in a robe, epitrachelion and guards walked, shining with a special bright joy. Then his old face became extremely familiar and pleasant. Along the way, in the monastery and in the desert itself, many people were waiting for him everywhere. Father Seraphim’s conversation with the visitors was filled with great spiritual power. His speech seemed to remove a blindfold from his eyes, opening up new vistas. He always said what in a particular case was the most important, the most necessary for a person. His words warmed the heart, led to repentance, generated a desire to improve and become better; he penetrated into a person’s soul and awakened his sleeping conscience. The Sarov ascetic left a high covenant to the younger generation - children, in their relationship to their parents. Now, when among the younger generation there are many young men who forget their filial duty towards their parents, when the good advice and instructions of parents often do not find a response even in children’s souls, the elder’s covenant is of particular value. The great ascetic instilled in children to respect their parents, even if they had weaknesses that humiliated their loved ones. For young men who forget their filial duty, such an example is especially instructive. One man came to the elder with his mother. She was a heavy drinker. Just as her son wanted to inform Father Seraphim of his weakness, the elder instantly blocked his mouth with his right hand and did not allow him to say a single word further. Thus, the Russian Orthodox people were filled with grace-filled consolation from Elder Seraphim. His love warmed everyone with such power that tears flowed in streams from those whose hearts had previously been silent, being hard and petrified. The elder, as a great zealot of Orthodoxy, was especially reverent for the memory of the Holy Fathers. He carefully read the works of Clement, the Pope, as well as John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Athanasius of Alexandria, Cyril of Jerusalem, Epiphanius of Cyprus, Ambrose of Milan, and loved to remember their firm standing in the faith. Defending the purity of the dogmas of faith, the elder referred to Blessed Mark of Ephesus, who defended Orthodoxy with unshakable courage at the Council of Florence. Father Seraphim loved to talk about how to preserve the Orthodox faith; he rejoiced that our Church contains Christ’s truth in all its fullness and integrity. The ascetic highly revered the deeds of Russian saints, spoke about their lives, and took examples from them to follow. In general, the lives of the saints were ready-made sermons for him, with which he went out to lively teach the people. The memory of the saint's self-witnesses preserves many cases of the amazing influence of his simple conversations even on an indifferent visitor. “We found an old man in the Near Hermitage at work,” recalled one visitor, “he was breaking out a bed with a hoe. When we bowed to him to the ground, he blessed us and, placing his hands on my head, read the troparion to the Dormition: “You kept your virginity at Christmas...” Then he sat down on the garden bed and ordered us to sit down as well, but we involuntarily knelt before him and listened to his conversation about the future life, about the life of the saints, about intercession, intercession and care for us sinners, the Lady Theotokos and what we need in earthly life - for eternal life. This conversation lasted no more than an hour, but I cannot compare such an hour with my entire past life. Throughout the conversation, I felt an inexplicable, heavenly sweetness in my heart, God knows how it overflowed there, which cannot be compared with anything on earth. Until then, everything in the spiritual world was completely indifferent to me. Father Seraphim for the first time made me feel the omnipotence of the Lord God and His inexhaustible mercy and all-perfection. In addition, Father Seraphim possessed the gift of foresight to a very strong degree. He said to one of his admirers: “What the Lord commands me as His servant, I convey to the one who requires it as useful. I consider the first thought that appears in my soul to be an indication from God and I speak without knowing what is in my interlocutor’s soul, but only believing that this is what God’s will is indicating to me. I don’t have my own will, but what God pleases, that’s what I convey.” This feeling of the mysterious gift of clairvoyance, in fact, explains why Father Seraphim, without opening the letters, knew their contents and gave answers to them. After his death, many such unopened letters were found, but the answers to them were already given to them during his lifetime. He foresaw the difficult years of the Crimean campaign and said that three powers would rise up against Russia and wear her out a lot, but for Orthodoxy the Lord would have mercy and save our country. With his righteous gaze, the elder foresaw the glorification of St. Mitrophan of Voronezh and congratulated Archbishop Anthony of Voronezh in writing on the discovery of the relics, at a time when there were no revelations or apparitions at the saint’s tomb. In spirit, Father Seraphim knew many ascetics and was in communication with them, despite the fact that they lived far from him and he had never seen them. Known, for example, are his oral messages, full of amazing insight, to the recluse of the Zadonsk Mother of God Monastery, George, who secretly had a thought - whether he should change his place to a more secluded one. Moreover, no one except him knew this secret embarrassment. And suddenly some old man comes to the recluse George and says to him: “Father Seraphim ordered you to say: it’s a shame, after sitting in seclusion for so many years, to be overcome by such enemy thoughts in order to leave your place. Don’t go anywhere: the Most Holy Theotokos orders you to stay here.” The same spiritual closeness was shown by the seer Father Seraphim to the spatially distant recluse Daniil Achinsky, in Siberia. And this is how the elder read with his spiritual eyes what the family happiness of one officer - a landowner of the Ryazan province - was. He came to Sarov and asked the elder for his blessing to get married. Father Seraphim showed him a bride appointed by God. She lived not far from this landowner, and the elder called her by name. But he announced to the elder that he would marry someone else. “This does not belong to you in joy, but in sorrow and tears,” the elder answered him. The officer married by choice, but less than a year later he was widowed. He was once again a widow of the elder, then he married the person indicated the first time by the elder, and lived happily with her. Father Seraphim also possessed the gift of healing. He anointed the sick who came to him with oil from a lamp that burned in his cell in front of the icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness,” which he called “Joy of All Joys.” When asked why he did this, he usually answered: “We read in the Holy Scriptures that the apostles anointed with oil, and many sick people were healed from this. Who should we follow if not the apostles?” And those anointed with him received healing. The same beneficial property, through the prayers of Father Seraphim, was imparted to the water from the spring of his Near Hermitage. This water did not spoil for years; sick people were washed with it at all times of the year, even in cold weather, and received healing. The life stories of the elder tell of many cases of miraculous healing with this blessed water. Here, in 1830, a young cavalry officer passes by Sarov on business. On the way, he heard stories about the elder and wanted to visit him, but did not dare, fearing that the elder would expose him to others of his sins, especially for his attitude towards icons. It seemed to the officer that the work of human hands could not contain grace and be an object of veneration. Soon he again, with a team of lower ranks, had to pass by Sarov, and now, on the advice of his father, he decided to see the elder. And that's what happened. “A lot of people were already standing near the cell, who had come to Father Seraphim for a blessing. “He, blessing the others, looked at me,” the officer later writes, “and gave me a sign with his hand to go to him. I carried out his orders, bowed at his feet with fear and love, asking for blessings on the road and the upcoming war and that he would pray for the preservation of my life. Father Seraphim blessed me with his copper cross, which hung on his chest, and, having kissed it, began to confess me, telling me my sins, as if they had been committed in his presence. At the end of this comforting confession, he told me: “There is no need to submit to the fear that the devil brings to young men, but then we need to be especially alert in spirit and remember that although we are sinners, we are all under the grace of our Redeemer, without whose will not a hair will fall from our head.” Following this, he began to talk about my misconception regarding the veneration of holy icons. “How bad and harmful for us is the desire to explore the Mysteries of God, inaccessible to the weak human mind, for example, how the grace of God works through holy icons, how it heals sinners like you and me,” the elder added, “and not only the body, but also the soul, so that sinners, by faith and by the grace of Christ found in them, were saved and reached the Kingdom of Heaven.” – Listening to Father Seraphim, I forgot about my earthly existence. The soldiers returning with me to the regiment were also honored to accept his blessing, and he, giving them instructions, predicted that not one of them would die in the fight, which actually came true. When leaving Father Seraphim, I placed three rubles on the candles next to him. But the enemy gave me the following thought: “Why does the Holy Father need such money.” This thought confused me, and I hastened with repentance to Father Seraphim. I went in with prayer to the elder, and he, warning my words, told me the following: “During the war with the Gauls, one military leader had to lose his right hand; but this hand was given to some hermit at the holy church, and through the prayers of the Holy Church, the Lord saved her. Understand this well and in future do not repent of your good deeds. Your money will go to the construction of the Diveyevo monastery, for your health.” Then Father Seraphim confessed me again, kissed me, blessed me, and gave me a few crackers to eat and holy water to drink. Pouring it into my mouth, he said: “May the evil spirit that has come upon the servant of God John be destroyed by the grace of God.” The elder gave me crackers and holy water for the journey, and, in addition, prosphora, which he himself put in my cap. Finally, receiving the last blessing from him, I asked him not to abandon me with his prayers. To this he said: “Put your trust in God and ask for His help. Yes, learn to forgive your neighbors, and you will be given everything you ask for.” During the Polish campaign, I was in many battles, and the Lord saved me everywhere through the prayers of His righteous One. But the general comes to the elder and says: “Your prayers saved me during the Turkish campaign. Surrounded by many enemy regiments, I was left with only one of my regiments. There was no hope of salvation. I just repeated incessantly: “Lord, have mercy on Elder Seraphim through your prayers,” I ate the crackers you gave me as a blessing, drank water, and God protected me from my enemies unharmed.” The elder replied to this: “The great means to salvation is faith, especially unceasing, heartfelt prayer.” There were cases when Father Seraphim was a real peacemaker in the family life of already separated spouses. Through his prayers, the mother, who had lost sight of her son and fell at the feet of the elder, finds him three days later in the same place, in Sarov. The very furnishings of Seraphim's cell at that time were like an iconostasis. There were icons, many lamps were burning, and hundreds of wax candles were lit for living and dead Christians. The elder himself explained such a multitude of lamps and wax candles in his house this way: “I have,” he told his admirer Motovilov, “many persons who are zealous for me and do good to my orphans (sisters of the Diveyevo monastery). They bring me oil and candles and ask me to pray for them. So, when I read my rules, I remember them once. And since, due to the multitude of names, I cannot repeat them at every place in the rule where it should be - then I would not have enough time to complete my rule - then I put candles for them as a sacrifice to God, one candle for each; for others - for several people one large candle, for others I constantly warm lamps; and, where it is necessary to remember them in the rule, I say: “Lord, remember all those people, Your servants, for their souls I, wretched one, kindled these candles and candila to You.” And that this is not my, poor Seraphim’s, human invention, or zeal based on nothing, then I will give you the words of Divine Scripture to support it. The Bible says that Moses heard the voice of the Lord saying to him: “Moses, Moses, tell your brother Aaron that he may burn candles before Me day and night. This is more pleasing to Me, and the sacrifice is acceptable to Me.” So this is why the Holy Church has adopted the custom of lighting kandila, or lamps, in front of icons in holy churches and in the homes of faithful Christians. Approaching the end of his life, the monk did not soften his strict lifestyle. He ate once a day, put on a cassock made of thick black cloth, and to protect himself from the rain and heat, he threw a half-mantle made of thick leather over his shoulders, with an opening for his head and hands. He wrapped himself in a white, clean towel over his clothes and put on his copper maternal cross. One rich man asked him: “Why are you wearing such rags?” The elder answered: “Saint Joasaph the prince considered the robe given to him by the hermit to be higher and more valuable than the royal scarlet.” He slept sitting on the floor, leaning his back against the wall and stretching out his legs. Often he lay down on bricks and logs, and most recently he became prostrate and slept with his face to the floor, supporting his head with his hands. This helped to create a special tension in the contemplative mood of the ascetic. It was as if he was already separating from the ground. The ascetic’s answer to one officer, who asked the elder if he needed to convey something to his Kursk relatives, was also characteristic at that time. Father, pointing to the face of the Savior and the Mother of God, replied: “These are my relatives, but for my living relatives I am already a living dead.” At that time, Father Seraphim was already revered by all of Russia, and the ascetics of his day looked at him as a great spiritual mentor. Even bishops wrote to him and asked his advice. He was especially revered by the Voronezh Saint Anthony, whom Elder Seraphim called the Great Bishop of God. And indeed Archbishop Anthony had an inexhaustible supply of mercy for people. He said this and in fact confirmed his thought: “Grief for your neighbors is sometimes more useful for the soul than your own grief.” The infirmities of old age had already weakened Father Seraphim so much that he could not go to his Near Hermitage every day to receive visitors there. But the old man’s appearance was bright and joyful. Until the very last days of his life, he retained a clear and piercing mind. Well-educated people spoke of the priest as an extremely gifted person; they felt in the old man a powerful spirit and a living creative beginning. A white, pleasant face, penetrating, light blue eyes and a childish blush on the cheeks under thick gray hair - this is the appearance of our ascetic. The last months of the old man’s life were approaching, and he began to prepare for death. He was often seen in the entryway near the oak coffin he had prepared for himself. So he thought there about the afterlife, and the earthly path seemed so imperfect to him that he bitterly lamented and cried. Saying goodbye to people, the elder said: “We will not see you again.” When some expressed a desire to come to Sarov during Great Lent, the elder answered: “Then my doors will be closed. You won't see me." In August, just 4 months before the death of Father Seraphim, he was visited by the Tambov Eminence Arseny, later Metropolitan of Kiev. The elder presented the bishop with a rosary, a bunch of wax candles wrapped in linen, a bottle of wooden oil and woolen stockings. Then he separately gave him a bottle of church wine. All this meant that the elder was asking to remember him after his death... The candles, oil and wine, saved by the bishop, were then used for the Liturgy that he performed for the repose of the elder when he received the news of his death. Father Seraphim ordered letters to be sent to some people, inviting them to hurry up and come to him, and after his death he instructed others to convey useful advice to them. “They won’t see me themselves,” the elder explained. His last conversation with a layman was touching and extremely meaningful. This conversation should be especially remembered by all Orthodox Christians who honor the memory of our dear Russian saint: “If you do good, if you reproach - do not reproach, if you persecute - endure, if you blaspheme - praise, condemn yourself - so God will not condemn; submit your will to the Will of the Lord; never flatter; remember good and evil in yourself: blessed is the man who knows this. Love your neighbor: your neighbor is your flesh. If you live according to the flesh, you will destroy soul and flesh; and if according to God, then you will save both. For making concessions to the world, many died: if someone does not do good, he sins. You must love everyone and most of all God... Save your subordinates with mercies, relief from labor, and not with wounds. Give me something to drink, feed, be fair, the Lord endures, maybe he will endure some more. You do this: if God forgives, you forgive too... What the Holy Church has accepted and kissed - everything should be kind to the heart of a Christian. Don't forget holidays; be abstinent, go to church, unless you are weak; pray for everyone: you will do a lot of good with this. Give candles, wine and oil to church - alms will do you a lot of good. During fasting, do not eat fasting: bread and water are not harmful to anyone. How did people live for a hundred years? Man will not live on bread alone. What the Church laid down at the seven Ecumenical Councils - fulfill. Woe to anyone who adds or subtracts even one word from this. What do doctors say about the righteous who healed rotting wounds with one touch? The Lord calls us, but we ourselves do not want to. Acquire humility silently. God said to the prophet Isaiah: “On whom will I look, but to him who is meek and silent and trembles at My words.” “Whoever partakes will be saved everywhere; and whoever does not partake, I don’t remember.” This conversation took place on December 25, 1832, the day of the Nativity of Christ. On this solemn holiday, the elder stood through the Liturgy, which was performed by Abbot Nifont. Father Seraphim, as usual, received Holy Communion and after the Liturgy had a long conversation with the abbot. He asked him to take care of the young monks. Then the elder reminded him that upon death he should be laid in an oak coffin made with his own hands. On the same day, the ascetic handed over to Hieromonk Jacob the enamel image of “The Visit of the Mother of God to St. Sergius of Radonezh,” with a request that this image be placed on him upon his death and lowered into the grave with it. This image was once sent to the elder from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra by Archimandrite Anthony (Medvedev), a former Sarov novice. The last days of 1832 have passed. The New Year, 1833, began on Sunday then. For the last time, the elder came to the Liturgy at the dear hospital church of the Solovetsky Wonderworkers, where his cell had previously stood, and where he was honored with a miraculous healing by the appearance of the Mother of God. He himself went to raise funds for the construction of this church, and the throne of this church was made from cypress wood with his own hands. Father Seraphim came to the church, walked around all the icons, placed candles in front of them and venerated them. He stood through the entire Liturgy, partook of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, and then began to say goodbye to all the brethren, blessing and hugging with the words: “Save yourself, do not lose heart, stay awake. Today crowns are being prepared for us.” After saying goodbye to the brethren, the elder venerated the cross and the image of the Mother of God, then walked around the throne and left the church through the northern doors, as if as a sign that a person enters life by birth and leaves by death. After the Liturgy, the priest received Irina Vasilievna, a sister of the Diveyevo Monastery, to whom he gave two hundred rubles in banknotes to buy bread for the maiden community. Then the elder was visited by the hieromonk of the Vysokogorsk Arzamas desert, Feoktist. Saying goodbye to him, the ascetic said: “You should serve here.” Having no time to linger in Sarov and not understanding the meaning of the elder’s words, the hieromonk set off on his journey. But the priest again reminded him: “Well, then tomorrow you will serve in Diveyevo.” And indeed, Hieromonk Theoktist in Diveyevo received news of the death of Father Seraphim, and there he served a memorial service for him. That day, one of the Diveyevo sisters was also with the elder, to whom he said: “Mother, what kind of New Year will it be today? The earth will groan with tears.” The nun did not understand that the elder was talking about his death. How Father Seraphim spent the last evening of his life is known only from the words of his neighbor in his cell, the monk Pavel. The chambers of Father Paul were connected by a common vestibule with the chambers of Elder Seraphim, but the cells themselves were separated by a blank wall. Father Paul was a humble monk, he did not condemn anyone, and the elder trusted him, speaking about him like this: “Brother Paul, for the simplicity of his heart, will easily enter the Kingdom of God. He never judges anyone and does not envy anyone, but only knows his own sins and his own insignificance.” This monk, in fact, was not a cell attendant, since Father Seraphim never had a cell attendant, but Father Pavel, as a good neighbor, sometimes helped and provided him with some services. The same Father Pavel warned the elder more than once that his habit of leaving many burning candles unattended could lead to a fire. To this the ascetic gave the following answer: “As long as I am alive, there will be no fire. And when I die, my death will be revealed by fire.” Father Pavel noticed that on January 1, Father Seraphim left his cell three times to the place that he had chosen for his burial. And, standing there, he looked at the ground for a long time, and in the evening the elder sang Easter hymns at his place: “Having seen the Resurrection of Christ... Shine, shine, new Jerusalem... O great and most sacred Easter to Christ.” These triumphant chants, interspersed with other victorious prayers, testified that the spirit of Father Seraphim was ascending to those heavenly palaces that were already being prepared for him at that time. On the morning of January 2, monk Pavel, leaving his cell and heading to early mass, smelled smoke in the entryway. There was a smell coming from the chambers of Father Seraphim. The monk tried to open the door; it was locked from the inside with a hook. Father Paul said the usual prayer when visiting cells, but there was no answer. Then the monk went out onto the porch and, noticing the brethren walking into the church in the darkness, called them to check his guesses about the fire, believing that the elder had gone to the Far Hermitage. One of those passing by, novice Anikita, rushed to the door of Father Seraphim and, with a strong jerk, pulled it off the inside hook. Since dawn had not yet come, and there was no light in the cell, it was impossible to make out anything in the darkness; you could only smell the burning smell of the smoldering canvases - they were lying by the door. The elder was neither seen nor heard. Monk Pavel and novice Anikita began to feel their way to find the priest, then they lit a candle and saw him in his usual place, in front of the lectern - kneeling with his head open, with a copper cross on his chest. His eyes were closed; his hands, folded crosswise, lay on the lectern, on top of the book, according to which he performed his prayer rule before the icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness”. His head bowed in prayer rested on his hands. Those gathered thought that the elder had fallen asleep. He was even slightly prompted, then the brethren already realized that Elder Seraphim had fallen asleep in the Lord, and that his soul had moved to another, eternal world. The face of the deceased ascetic continued to testify to his sublime prayer and spiritual joy. That night, Elder Philaret, who labored in the Glinsk Hermitage, coming out of Matins, pointed out to the brethren an extraordinary light visible in the sky. At the same time, he said: “This is how the souls of the righteous depart. Now in Sarov the soul of Father Seraphim ascends to heaven.” The elder was washed, clothed, placed in an oak coffin, and his enamel icon with the image of St. Sergius was also placed there. The newly deceased was immediately carried into the cathedral. The news of the death of the wondrous old man quickly spread to different ends. A lot of people gathered and gathered in Sarov. If we take into account that the mutual affection of the elder and the people was limitless, then all the grief that his death caused will become clear. The priest’s prediction: “The earth will groan with crying and sobbing” came true to the fullest. For eight days his body stood open. On the day of the funeral, crowds of people gathered in Sarov to jointly pray for him to feel even more strongly the spiritual closeness to him, already living in eternity, illuminated by Divine blessing. The statutory performance of the monastic funeral service, the deep content of church hymns and the touching sounds of funeral chants worthily crowned the burial of the remains of Elder Seraphim in the Sarov desert. The coffin was lowered into a grave near the wall of the Assumption Cathedral. In the Kiev Prince Vladimir Cathedral, along the belt of the dome, the painting “The Threshold of Paradise” was painted by Viktor Vasnetsov. This wonderful work of art with extreme power conveys the yearning of the souls of saints for God, the joy of uniting them with God forever. It was in such a joyful and directed mood towards the Lord that the soul of the Sarov righteous man ascended into the heavenly palaces, so that he could later show the world, and above all us, the Russian people, an inexhaustible sea of ​​miracles and great intercession before God. All this then resulted in the celebration of the glorification of the saint of God, St. Seraphim. In 1901, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church instructed Archbishop Dimitry of Tambov to examine the grave, coffin and remains of Elder Seraphim, to collect all the material for the upcoming glorification of the saint of God. Archbishop Dimitri at the beginning of the next year (1902), accompanied by clergy and civil administration officials, arrived in Sarov and began examining the burial site. Let us remind you: the grave of Father Seraphim was located on the right side of the Assumption Cathedral. Through the diligence of admirers, a beautiful chapel was erected over the grave and a heavy cast-iron tombstone was erected over the crypt. When the grave vault was dismantled, a completely unexpected picture appeared before Archbishop Demetrius and the members of the Commission: the grave of the ascetic was flooded, and water completely covered the lid of the coffin. Archbishop Demetrius decided to immediately stop further examination, drew up an act on this occasion and sent a report about this to the Holy Synod with explanations. Authoritative business executives and Sarov elders came to the conclusion that water got into the saint’s grave during plumbing work that took place here about forty years ago. So the coffin of Father Seraphim stood in the water for a long time; this prompted Archbishop Demetrius to ask for further instructions from the Synod. While the exchange of opinions was taking place, Divine mercy towards the people, who with faith called upon themselves the intercession of the great elder, manifested themselves even more powerfully among the believers. The Synod decided to continue examining the honest relics and make all the necessary preparations for their worthy glorification. Soon, Tambov Archbishop Dimitry was transferred to the Kazan See, and the Right Reverend Innokenty (Belyaev) was installed in Tambov. On December 17, 1902, Emperor Nicholas II ordered the Commission for the Arrangement of the Sarov Celebrations to continue the examination. Its members included: Metropolitan of Moscow Vladimir (Epiphany), Archimandrite Seraphim (Chichagov) and Alexei Alexandrovich Shirinsky-Shakhmatov. This Commission also included Prince Mikhail Sergeevich Putyatin, the architect of the shrine being built, on a special assignment. To maintain order, Captain D.N. was sent to Sarov. Lomana with the command of the Guards battalion. All these people left St. Petersburg on January 9, 1903 and were already in Diveevo on the 10th, from where, after spending the night, they left for Sarov at dawn. On a captivating winter morning, St. Petersburg residents arrived at the monastery. They prayed reverently in the church, confessed, took communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, then in the cell of Abbot Hierotheus they began to clarify the program of classes. The Most Reverend Innokenty and the archpriest of the cathedral Tikhon Pospelov and the diocesan architect who came with him from Tambov took a direct part in all this. At three o'clock in the afternoon, the Commission moved to the chapel-tomb and, after the requiem service was performed at the cathedral, they began dismantling the cast-iron tombstone. When the stone work was completed, the sacristan of the Tambov Cathedral and Prince Shirinsky-Shakhmatov, with lit wax candles, descended into the grave filled with water. With the help of canvases and ropes placed under the coffin, the efforts of the monastery brethren lifted the coffin-deck up and placed it on wooden beams resting on the edges of the grave crypt. They placed the coffin with a slight slope forward, so that its head part rose somewhat, and the water that had accumulated in it could flow out through the holes. After all this, the coffin was covered with a pre-prepared wooden cover and a brocade blanket, an image was placed on top, a lamp was lit in front of it, and a large silver candlestick was installed at the head. Without delay, they served a memorial service, drew up a protocol on the actions of the Commission, after which Metropolitan Vladimir blessed the performance of daily memorial services for Elder Seraphim. Here is the protocol report. “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. In the summer of one thousand nine hundred and three from the Nativity of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ, on the eleventh day of January, Metropolitan Vladimir of Moscow and Kolomna, Bishop of Tambov and Shatsk Dimitri, Bishop of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas Nazariy, Archimandrite Seraphim of Suzdal, Archimandrite Vyshensky Arkady, Abbot of Sarov Hierotheus, Treasurer of Sarov Hieromonk Clement, the keymaster of the Tambov Cathedral, priest Tikhon Pospelov, and the prosecutor of the Moscow Holy Synod office, Prince Alexey Shirinsky-Shakhmatov, began to fulfill the instructions of the Holy Governing Synod on the matter of examining the honest remains of the ever-memorable Sarov elder hieromonk Fr. Seraphim. After listening to the late Liturgy, and then the requiem service for the deceased elder served by Bishop Demetrius, those called for examination entered the chapel built over the grave of Hieromonk Seraphim, at the southeastern projection of the summer cathedral in the name of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The cast-iron funerary monument located in the middle of this chapel resembles a tomb mounted on a cast-iron stand, which, in turn, is based on a hewn stone base. This tombstone quite convincingly determines the resting place of the blessed elder Fr. Seraphim. The monument bears the following inscription: “Under this sign is buried the body of the deceased servant of God, Hieromonk Seraphim, who died in 1833, Genvar 2 days, who entered this Sarov hermitage from the Kursk merchants in the seventeenth year of his age, died at the age of seventy-three. All his days were dedicated to the glory of the Lord God and to the spiritual edification of Orthodox Christians, in whose hearts Fr. Seraphim lives." At the head of the tombstone, on the western side, there is a convex bronze image of the blessed death of Fr. Seraphim with the inscription: “Blessed death of Fr. Seraphim, Sarov monastery of hieromonk and hermit. January 1833 2 days.” On the southern side of the monument, below, at a height of two and a half inches from the floor, you can see a round hole through which people honor the memory of Fr. Seraphim took sand from his grave. By order of His Eminence Metropolitan Vladimir, several people from those undergoing various obediences in the monastery were called to the chapel at noon to carry the described tombstone. The tombstone and its stand were taken to the newly built church above Fr. Seraphim. After the monument was removed, the entrance door was closed, and several skilled workers, under the supervision of a knowledgeable mason, dismantled the hewn stone base, and then took out all the sand, at a depth of one arshin to the vault laid over the grave of the ever-memorable Elder Seraphim. The vault was cleared by 4 pm. In the middle, on the north side, the vault turned out to be dismantled over the space of one square arshin and this place was filled with three pieces of thick boards. This hole was broken in the vault by order of His Grace Demetrius, Bishop of Tambov, who carried out a preliminary examination of the coffin and remains of Fr. Seraphim on the special confidential instructions of the Holy Synod. Then the vault itself, made of very large one-dimensional bricks, easily crumbled into layered pieces, was dismantled. Inside the crypt, those present saw a coffin-deck made of oak wood. Due to the impossibility of carrying out a thorough examination of the honest remains of Elder Seraphim at a depth of 1 arshin 14 vershoks, it was considered necessary to lift the coffin from the crypt, which was done with special care, and canvases were placed under the deck, with which the coffin was lifted and placed on the north side of the grave on a special prepared table. After this, those present began to carefully examine the appearance of the coffin-deck, and it turned out that it had the following dimensions: in girth - at the head - 2 arshins 12 inch and a half, in the legs - 2 arshins 10 3/8 inch and length 3 arshins 1/2 inch; The color of the coffin is almost black. The bottom of the coffin at the feet, on the right side, as well as the upper part of the lid, had somewhat decayed, and in many parts of the outer shell, when tested, the wood turned out to be soft and damp. Nevertheless, in general, the coffin turned out to be strong. After removing the lid of the coffin, its inner walls also turned out to be damp, covered with mold in three places, although no smell was noticeable. Those present saw in the coffin: a clearly marked skeleton of the deceased, covered with the remains of decayed monastic clothing. The body of the ever-memorable Fr. Seraphim was given over to decay. His bones, being completely preserved, turned out to be quite correctly placed, but easily separated from each other. The hair of the head and brad, grayish-reddish in color, has been preserved, although separated from its places. Pillow under the head of the ever-memorable Fr. Seraphim turned out to be filled with sponge. The legs have basal “feet”. Under the hands of the ever-memorable Fr. Seraphim, a cast copper cross measuring approximately 3 inches in size was discovered. According to the examination, the remains of the deceased in Bose were covered with a lid, and the coffin-block was tied at the heads and feet with a strong silk cord, the ends of which, on a special board, were sealed with the personal seal of His Eminence Vladimir, Metropolitan of Moscow. Then the coffin was lowered into the grave, covered with a brocade blanket, and the crypt was covered with a wooden shield, on top of which a carpet was placed and a table dressed in white glaze was installed, on which the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, called “Tenderness,” was installed, and a lamp was lit. Those who carried out the examination left the chapel at six o’clock in the afternoon.” The original act was signed by all the persons named at the beginning of the protocol. The next day, January 12, the members of the Commission, leaving the chapel with the coffin of the saint in the care of the monastery authorities, left Sarov. For almost six months: from January to early July 1903, the coffin was in the same position in which the members of the Commission left it; water flowed out of the coffin drop by drop, falling to the bottom of the open grave, thanks to which by the time appointed for the transfer of the relics to a new shrine - July 3, the coffin was already sufficiently dry. As was mentioned, the construction of the shrine was entrusted to Prince M.S. Putyatin. It was necessary, firstly, to arrange and install a stone tomb on a stepped platform in the right arch of the Sarov Assumption Cathedral, secondly, to make a new one, like an old oak log, much lighter than the old one, locked with a key and adapted for placement in a stone tomb, thirdly, to make a new coffin from thin cypress boards to place the honest remains in and, fourthly, to install a bronze canopy on four stone columns, which should complete this entire new structure. The work was previously carried out in St. Petersburg, Moscow and Sarov itself. All subsequent actions of the Commission were carried out under the direct and personal leadership of His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony (Vadkovsky) of St. Petersburg. On July 3 in the chapel at 9 a.m. at the tomb of Fr. Seraphim, Metropolitan Anthony with a host of clergy served a requiem service, at the end of which the coffin was raised by persons appointed for this from the clergy and solemnly transferred to the “Hospital” of Saints Zosima and Savvaty church, in the altar of which it was supposed to wash the honorable remains of Fr. Seraphim. It should be noted that this transfer did not escape the attention of the pilgrims who had gathered in Sarov. After being brought into the church, the coffin was installed in the middle of the church on the tombstone that was previously located above the grave of the saint. At the persistent request of zealous pilgrims who wanted to see and at least touch the tomb of the Monk Seraphim, Metropolitan Anthony blessed to allow people to visit the tomb of the saint for a while, and for an hour people in a continuous crowd went to the church in order to see and venerate the shrine that was precious to them. After the people left the church, the coffin with the holy remains of the saint was carried by the hieromonks through the northern doors into the altar, and here Metropolitan Anthony, together with Bishops Nazarius and Innocent and other persons, washed the holy remains of Fr. Seraphim and transferring them to a new cypress coffin. A special table was placed between the altar and the northern wall of the altar, on which the honorable remains of Fr. Seraphim. Taking part in the ablution were: Archimandrite Seraphim (Chichagov), Fr. keymaster of the Tambov Cathedral, priest T. Pospelov, dean of the monastery, Sarov hieromonk, under the personal leadership of the Metropolitan and in the presence of Prince A.A. Shirinsky-Shikhmatov and Prince M.S. Putyatina. Those present at the opening of the coffin lid testify that the honorable remains of the monk were wrapped at the time of burial in a monastic doll. Father Seraphim lay in a coffin on oak shavings. The entire contents of the coffin, due to the tanning properties of the shavings, and the most honest remains, and the gray hair on the head, beard and mustache, and all the monk’s attire - underwear, a linen cassock, a mantle, an epitrachelion and a doll - everything was painted in one color, reminiscent of the crust of black rye bread. In order to maintain silence and silence, in the church, in front of a special lectern, the appointed hierodeacon read a canon from the newly compiled service to St. Seraphim of Sarov. It is also known that from the very beginning of the washing of the holy relics, a fragrance, clearly felt by all present, began to spread in the altar, the smell of carnation flowers and fresh linden honey. The July day was clear, sunny, hot, and the church windows were wide open. I thought that somewhere nearby they were cutting grass and that the aroma came from the cut flowers and fresh hay. And the Metropolitan, walking through the church, even addressed those present with the following words: “Brothers, brothers, what kind of soap do you have, something very fragrant.” But it turns out that the soap was the same one that the sacristan of the Tambov Cathedral brought for washing the holy relics, and the same one that in Russia was called “walnut” and was used for washing altars during the consecration of churches. Then the Metropolitan made the sign of the cross, and it became clear to everyone present what a fragrance was spreading throughout the church. It should be noted that the honest relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov belong to the category of relics of incomplete incorruption, that is, the incompleteness lies in the fact that while the bones were perfectly preserved, the connective tissues of the joints or joints were subject to decay, as a result of which the limbs at the elbows and knees were easily separated. The head of the monk, with the remaining hair, eyebrows, mustache and beard, is, according to the author’s personal impression, perfectly preserved. The upper skin was also partially well preserved and tightly fitted the skeleton, as if it had dried to it, as a result of which the hands at the wrists and feet at the ankles remained in their places, not separated, and the face of the monk retained traces of similarity with his iconographic image. On the chest, on top of the epitrachelion, lay the prayer Gospel, and in the hand of his left hand (pressed tightly to the chest) was held a bronze cross - a maternal blessing, with which the monk never parted. The Metropolitan Bishop himself, with care and reverence, personally took this cross out of the saint’s hand and carefully took it to Tsarskoe Selo, personally handing it over to the Sovereign Emperor. Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, who reverently honored the memory of the saint, from her royal generosity deigned to build a precious reliquary with a golden chain for this shrine and, upon arriving in Sarov for the celebration of the opening of the relics and glorification of Father Seraphim, on July 18, at the end of Vespers in the Zosimo-Savvatievskaya Church, she placed her diligent offering on the honorable relics of the saint in the presence of Sarov abbot Hierotheus and Archimandrite Seraphim (Chichagov). After the transfer of the saint’s holy relics to a new tomb, His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony left the Sarov desert for some time. During his absence in Sarov, construction and various other works were completed with particular haste for the upcoming celebration. To receive pilgrims, a whole city of more than a hundred spacious barracks and a number of different shops for selling food supplies were built two miles from the walls of the monastery. And although there was more than a week left before the start of the celebrations, the town was already filled with solemn life. Many pilgrims were housed in the barracks. An extremely colorful and picturesque picture was presented by ordinary people who came to enjoy the spiritual celebration. Representatives of almost all nationalities inhabiting Great Russia gathered here. The majority of pilgrims, of course, were Great Russians and Little Russians; but among them there were many Belarusians, Mordovians, Korels, Zyryans and various other nationalities. All these people, living at home in far from identical conditions, constituted here, as it were, one family, animated by one thought - to venerate the holy relics of St. Seraphim and in simple-hearted but fiery prayer before them to find joy and consolation for their souls. And what a multitude of people have gathered here, hoping to receive, through the intercession of St. Seraphim, grace-filled help and healing from the various ailments that beset them. The lame, the blind, the paralytic and other wretched people were encountered at every step. And many of them, thank God, were healed by their faith. I had to constantly hear about cases of healing, and not only hear, but also see the healed themselves, glorifying and thanking God, who showed His mercy over them through the prayers of St. Seraphim. At the source of St. Seraphim - this storehouse of healings, signs of God's mercy constantly appear. One day there were more than ten cases of healing of the lame. The latter, as if to prove the miraculously revealed mercy of God over them, collected their crutches and, in the presence of many people on the banks of the Sarovka River, burned them. In addition to this source, which constantly attracts a crowd of pilgrims, another such favorite place was the vast monastery square within the walls of the monastery itself, where churches and cells of monks are located. Here, before the start of the celebrations, the two-story stone church in the name of Saints Zosima and Savvaty attracted special attention from pilgrims. In front of this church one could constantly see kneeling pilgrims, who knew well that a treasure that was precious to them was hidden here for the time being - the holy relics of Father Seraphim. From July 10, numbers began to fill with visiting pilgrims and numerous hotels specially built for the upcoming celebration. On July 10, His Eminence Archbishop Dimitri arrived in Sarov from Kazan, appointed by the Holy Synod to participate in the upcoming celebrations. The next day, the comrade of the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod, Senator V.K. Sabler, and on Saturday, July 12, at 6 pm - by His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony of St. Petersburg. In addition, at the same time, some representatives of the capital's clergy also arrived in Sarov to participate in divine services and religious processions at the opening ceremony of the holy relics: the rector of the Theological Seminary Archimandrite Sergius, the vicar of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra Archimandrite Korniliy, the sacristan of the Lavra Archimandrite Gideon, the ruler of the affairs of the Lavra spiritual cathedral Archimandrite Macarius, the archdeacon Lavra John, two subdeacons, hierodeacon Lavra Hilarion and 60 singers of the metropolitan choir. In addition, from the white clergy, as popular preachers, are Archpriest Philosopher Ornatsky and priest Alexander Rozhdestvensky. By order of His Grace Innocent, Bishop of Tambov, a whole series of preparations of an ecclesiastical nature had been made by this time. The fact is that the position of the Sarov Desert is exceptional, far from being similar to the position of other monasteries located among settlements and cities. The Sarov desert is nestled in a dense forest. The nearest village is 12 miles away. Around the monastery churches there are only fraternal buildings and four hotels outside the monastery fence. It is clear that all the gathered pilgrims could not find shelter in the monastery hotels. The town built two miles from the monastery was also not enough. Therefore, to satisfy this urgent need, barracks were built by the civil authorities in different directions, outside the monastery, near the roads. The diocesan authorities considered it necessary to erect a chapel for each group of barracks, providing each of them with everything necessary for performing funeral services and prayer singing. There was always a rotating priest and singers in the chapel to perform prayers. Here, icons with the image of St. Seraphim, “Trinity Leaves,” and brochures of religious content were distributed to the people. To serve the chapels, His Grace Innocent called up to 30 hieromonks from the monasteries of the Nizhny Novgorod, Tambov and Kharkov dioceses, the same number of priests from the northern districts of the Tambov diocese and up to 150 novices and clerics. From distant barracks, religious processions were organized daily to the walls of the monastery, where solemn all-night vigil and prayer singing were performed on a special elevation. On Sunday, July 13, at the request of the sisters of the Diveyevo monastery, His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony celebrated the Divine Liturgy here, in the cathedral church in the name of the Holy Trinity, in the concelebration of the Right Reverends: Nazariy of Nizhny Novgorod and Innocent of Tambov. The Diveyevo Monastery retains many items that were in the personal use of Father Seraphim. Here, soon after the death of the monk, the sisters of the monastery moved his Near and Far ascetic cells. The first is in the form in which it was during the life of the blessed elder, and the second is turned into an altar in the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord. In this church there are four display cases, in which the saint’s things are stored: the stole, a mantle, liturgical books, scufais, a half-robe, a hoe, a hatchet, bast shoes, mittens, the monk’s hair tied in a knot, a piece of stone, a knife, stockings, chobots and other things. The altar contains a stool that stood in the monk’s cell. The image of the Queen of Heaven “Tenderness”, painted on a canvas stretched on a cypress board, and standing in the monastery cell of the monk, is placed in a special icon case and in a precious robe near a pillar, on the left side of the Trinity Cathedral Church. In this church, of its four chapels, one had been kept unconsecrated since 1875, because the faith of the Diveyevo sisters in the holiness of Father Seraphim and in his glorification was so strong and alive that they patiently waited for this All-Russian church celebration to dedicate the chapel in his name. On July 15, on the day of remembrance of the enlightener of the Russian Land, Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, in the monastery church of the “Life-Giving Source”, His Eminence Dimitri, Archbishop of Kazan, celebrated the Divine Liturgy, and after it was celebrated by His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony with Archbishop Dimitri and Bishops Nazarius and Innocent prayer service to the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir. During the Liturgy, priest A.V. Rozhdestvensky delivered an edifying lesson. The next day, at the bell of the big bell, in the cathedral Dormition Church of the monastery, at 12 noon, a solemn requiem service was held with the commemoration of: The most pious Sovereigns and Empresses, from Empress Elizabeth Petrovna to Alexander III inclusive, Bishop Victor of Vladimir, who ordained the Reverend Father Seraphim as hierodeacon, bishop Theophilus of Tambov, who consecrated the saint as hieromonk, and all the deceased archpastors of Tambov, the parents of the Monk Seraphim - Isidore and Agathia, as well as all the deceased abbots and builders of Sarov, under whom the saint labored. Simultaneously with the service of the solemn requiem in the Assumption Cathedral, requiem services were also celebrated in other monastery churches and chapels built at the source, hermitages, barracks, etc. In the Assumption Cathedral, eleven archimandrites and nineteen archpriests, priests and hieromonks served the Metropolitan and the Reverends. The cathedral was filled with worshipers. Two choirs sang: the metropolitan choir, under the direction of Mr. Ternov, and the choir of Tambov bishops' singers. The funeral service lasted more than an hour and a half. On the same day, at 6 o'clock, in the Assumption Cathedral and in the Church of the Life-Giving Source, as well as in other monastery churches where confession of pilgrims was not held, a funeral all-night vigil was held. The service was performed in the Assumption Cathedral by His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony and His Eminence Innocent, and in the Church of the Life-Giving Spring by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrius and His Eminence Nazariy. The litanies commemorated the name of the ever-memorable hieromonk Seraphim. On July 17, pilgrims filled the monastery square inside and outside the monastery walls from early morning. On this day, religious processions from two Seraphim monasteries - Diveyevo and Ponetaevskaya - were expected to arrive in Sarov. Exactly at 7 o'clock in the morning, in clear sunny weather, a procession of the cross came out of the gates of the Sarov monastery to meet the expected religious processions. Crosses, icons and banners were carried by representatives of the banner-bearing society who arrived for the celebration from different places. The procession was accompanied by His Grace Innocent and numerous monastics and white clergy. Having crossed the Satis River, the religious procession stopped in anticipation of those oncoming at the so-called place of execution, in a wooden chapel temporarily built here, open on all sides. At about 8 o'clock a religious procession from the mentioned women's monasteries appeared from the Sarov Forest. The religious processions united into one common procession and, heading towards the gates of the monastery, formed a majestic and solemn procession. Along the entire route there were countless crowds of pilgrims. The splendor of the procession was greatly contributed by representatives of banner-bearing societies who arrived for the celebration from different places in the Moscow, Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Tula, Nizhny Novgorod and Ryazan provinces. All of them brought one or two banners from their societies as gifts to the monastery, many of which were distinguished by their value and artistic workmanship. At 9 o'clock the bell rang for the Liturgy. This funeral service in the Assumption Cathedral was distinguished with particular splendor, where the Liturgy was celebrated by His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony and Bishop Nazarius, who delivered a word dedicated to the memory of St. Seraphim. The Reverend Nazarius said: – So, beloved brethren, we have reached the bright days of the Great Triumph of the glorification of our reverend and God-bearing father Seraphim. We gathered from different, close and most distant, places to this monastery, to this church, to the place of the saint’s prayerful deeds and his repose - we gathered, moved by the same feelings of reverent veneration and love for him, with which for almost a century, during his life and after his blessed death, the Orthodox Russian people rushed to him. We have flown here so that, having joined this Great Triumph of the Church, we may enter into the most joyful spiritual communion with the very author of it, our brother by faith in Christ, who has achieved heavenly glory by the grace of God. A young man, raised in an Old Testament Russian family in the fear of God and in close communion with the Church, thirsting for monastic achievement, leaves his mother and homeland, comes and settles under the shadow of the deserted Sarov monastery. Here he cheerfully and joyfully enters the path of monastic self-sacrifice, “like iron to a smith” he gives himself and his will to God; obedience in work, meekness, abstinence, and most importantly, prayer - the “queen of virtues” - become his life. Endowed with the grace of the priesthood, with what reverence and love he serves the Holy Church. Like the heavenly seraphim, he completely devotes himself to serving God, prayerfully watching before Him day and night; forgets about food and drink and regrets that he needs rest and cannot continuously serve God. “To have a mind abstracted from all earthly things, and, as far as human weakness allows, to unite with Christ,” - this is what now constitutes the task of his life, “the final organization of the house of the soul,” in his own expression. From now on, he “carries in his chest a heart like wax, melting from the indescribable joy of the heavenly visions that visited him.” He firmly closes the forest path leading to his deserted cell, and immerses himself entirely in prayer, contemplation of God, reading the word of God and the writings of the holy fathers - he prays for a thousand days and nights on a stone, with amazing patience endures the attack of the robbers who almost beat him to death, and, forgiving them, asks only for one thing - not to persecute them.: The venerable Seraphim expresses the feat of abstinence in the most difficult, but also the most fruitful of all the feats of abstinence - silence. “From solitude and silence, tenderness and meekness are born,” he later said. They elevate a person to piety, bring him closer to God and make him, as it were, an earthly Angel.” Numerous, varied, but also consistent were all the exploits of the blessed elder in the desert and in the monastic solitary cell. These are the steps along which, guided by the grace of God, Seraphim steadily, step by step, walked and rose to the height of that holiness and purity, which is given to see God. And he saw the Lord, saw and talked with His Most Pure Mother, saw the holy angels. He also saw into man in the recesses of his mind and heart and with amazing clarity foresaw his future; entered into spiritual communication with people regardless of the distance at which they were in relation to him. When, at the command of the Mother of God, he weakened the feat of seclusion and silence and opened the doors of his cell for conversation, first with monks, and then with laymen - what love for man the hermit showed to the world! Day and night they came to him - some with their doubts, some with need and grief, some with illnesses, and he confirmed some in faith, consoled others, directing thoughts to God - the Giver of peace and joy, and miraculously healed others from bodily ailments. The Orthodox Russian people saw in him the chosen one of God, a great righteous man; recognized him as a saint during his lifetime, and began to venerate him as such after his blessed death. Just as during the life of the holy elder thousands of crowds headed to his desert to see him, to receive a blessing, consolation or healing, so after his death even larger crowds with the same needs began to flow to his grave, to the place of his desert exploits, to the source that he had dug. In their minds, believers did not distinguish between the living and the dead Father Seraphim, just as the Lord does not distinguish between people according to these states (Rom. 14:8). St. Seraphim himself did not change his attitude towards people after his death. And now, as before, he is a zealous prayer book for them before God; and now he is sympathetic and responsive to the need and grief of people and hurries to those who flow to him with his gracious help - he consoles, saves, heals; and now he is alive and close to all who honor and love him. So he enters the sick Diveyevo nun and says: “I came to visit my beggars: I haven’t been here for a long time,” makes the sign of the cross over the sick woman, and she recovers; appears to another equally sick nun, and when she asks: “Is it you, father?”, he tells her: “What are you, my joy, an unbeliever, you yourself asked me and you don’t believe.” He consoled numerous other sick people or their parents and relatives, saying with affection and love: “Don’t cry, don’t kill yourself, your daughter will be alive and well”; “Do not be afraid, my daughter, now you will have great joy: you will see the image of the Mother of God”; “My joy, I am always with you, take heart, do not be discouraged...” Here before us is the dear brainchild of St. Seraphim - the Diveyevo Monastery. This monastery is truly a miracle of God’s mercy through the prayers of the monk, its founder. How much oppression, troubles and grief she suffered during her existence. She suffered from hunger, suffered fires and, despite this, expanded and increased in the number of her nuns and was adorned with their virtues. What keeps “Diveyevo Orphans” alive? They are alive because their father, nourisher and prayer book, Father Seraphim, is alive among them. Tell one of them that this or that is arranged well in the monastery, and they will answer you: “That’s how the priest blessed it; We have everything through his prayers.” Ask the abbess what she thinks to do in this or that matter: “How Father Seraphim will bless; as he will indicate,” is her usual answer to such questions. Let us ask ourselves: isn’t it the faith that St. Seraphim is alive and constantly praying to God for us that has brought us together for this celebration? In this church, where the Bloodless Sacrifice was now offered for him, where he himself once celebrated the Divine Liturgy, who among us does not feel his presence and prayerful communication with us. Who with spiritual eyes does not see his image illuminated by the heavenly Light. Who doesn’t hear his word breathing with love? And the numerous healings of the sick that took place before our eyes: these immobile ones - suddenly rebelled, these blind ones - suddenly received their sight - what do they testify to, if not that he, father, here, among us, invisibly lays his hands on the sick and asks them from God for the grace of healing. Wonderful in Your saints, Lord, and in our time, when some of our brethren leave Your holy Church, neglecting the Sacraments, teaching and traditions, You erected for Your glory, to the great joy of Your faithful, a new lamp of the Church, let it shine for all unbelievers and the faint-hearted in the person of the Venerable Seraphim. You have shown faith and that power of faith, for which nothing is impossible, which, both in the realm of spirit and matter, overcomes all obstacles, and is capable of moving mountains according to Your word (Mark 11:23). To selfish, proud and vindictive people You showed in him an example of self-denial, the beauty and greatness of humility and true goodness in complete kindness and love. In the exploits of Father Seraphim, You showed intemperate people of all kinds a wondrous example of patience and the complete fulfillment of Your word about the power of the living and vigorous spirit over weak flesh and about Your power made perfect in weakness (Matthew 26:41; 2 Cor. 12:9). He showed us an Angel in the conditions of earthly life and a person who had already tasted the sweetness of the Heavenly Kingdom on earth, gave us a new great prayer book before Thy throne about our needs, sorrows and illnesses and a new Wonderworker of the Russian Earth. For such a great visible and for the blind - a sign of Your grace, now abundantly poured out on us, from the depths of our hearts we offer thanks to You, our Provider, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. In the Church of the Life-Giving Spring, the Liturgy was celebrated by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrius. Here also a word was spoken by Archpriest F.N. Ornatsky: And at the end of the Liturgy, memorial services were performed in both churches for the ever-memorable hieromonk Seraphim. The service ended... But the people did not disperse, did not leave the monastery square either inside or outside the monastery, as they received the news: His Majesty the Emperor, accompanied by the Empress and other high-ranking persons, deigned to arrive in Arzamas and is on his way to Sarov. Thousands of pilgrims along the royal route formed a dense wall. Behind the gates of the monastery, in front of the people, orderly rows of nuns of the Diveyevo and Ponetaevsky monasteries could be seen. Everyone's eyes turned to the majestic Sarov Forest, from where the carriages with the most august travelers were about to appear. At about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the mighty sound of a large bell rang from the monastery bell tower, announcing the imminent arrival of Their Imperial Majesties at the monastery. At 5 o'clock all the bells began ringing. At about 5.30, the first carriage, drawn by four horses, appeared from the forest; in it were the Sovereign Emperor and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. A mighty “hurray” from a crowd of thousands filled the surrounding area. The delight of the people was indescribable. In the next carriage were the Empress Mother Maria Feodorovna, and then Grand Duke Sergius Alexandrovich with his wife Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna, Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna with her husband Prince Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg, Grand Dukes Nikolai Nikolaevich, Peter Nikolaevich with his wife Grand Duchess Militsa Nikolaevna and Prince Georgy Maximilianovich and his wife. Anastasia Nikolaevna. At the Holy Gate of the monastery, the Sovereign Emperor and the Empress got out of the carriage. The Metropolitan Metropolitan with his Eminences and all the clergy who participated in the Sarov celebrations met Their Majesties at the Holy Gates and greeted them with a short speech with the following content: “The Holy Monastery of Sarov joyfully welcomes You, Most Pious Sovereign, who has now arrived here to take a prayerful part in the celebrations of the glorification of its great ascetic, the ever-memorable elder, Hieromonk Seraphim. And all the great multitude of Orthodox people gathered here rejoices to see their Tsar, praying with him and sharing his bright triumph. Come in peace, O Lord, to this monastery, and through the prayers of the glorified saint of God, may your entry be blessed by the Lord.” From the holy gates, Their Imperial Majesties with their highest persons, along a path covered with red cloth, preceded by the Metropolitan, proceeded to the Assumption Cathedral, where their appearance aroused the delight of the people. After a short prayer service, Their Majesties visited the Church of Saints Zosima and Sabbatius. Entering the church together with the Metropolitan and other bishops who were here, their Imperial Majesties and Highnesses bowed to the reverend remains of the saint. After this, Their Majesties went to the so-called abbot's building, where chambers were prepared for them on the top floor. The lower floor housed Grand Duke Sergius Alexandrovich and his wife. For the Empress Maria Feodorovna, chambers were prepared in the so-called bishop's building, and Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna and her husband also stayed there. The premises for other high-ranking persons were assigned outside the walls of the monastery, beyond the Satis River, near the forest, in a newly constructed building. Immediately after the meeting of Their Majesties, the Metropolitan, together with the bishops and clergy participating in the meeting, went to the Assumption Cathedral and performed a prayer of thanks for the safe arrival of Their Majesties. At 7 pm in all monastery churches, specially appointed clergy performed funeral all-night vigils. At eleven o'clock at night, when the monastery square was free of people, specially appointed archimandrites silently carried the old oak coffin of St. Seraphim from the Church of the Transfiguration and placed it in its former place, in the grave, to which a descent was arranged along a small stone staircase. By that time, the grave was lined with thin marble slabs and made open on one side, so that the coffin standing in it behind a glass partition was clearly visible. The old cast-iron monument was erected over the grave. On July 18, at 5 o'clock in the morning, the gospel for the early Liturgy began. The Liturgy was celebrated in all churches of the monastery. The Sovereign Emperor and the Sovereign Empresses were at the Liturgy in the Anthony Chapel of the Assumption Cathedral, and Their Majesties received the Holy Mysteries there, and they confessed the night before, with Hieroschemamonk Simeon. There were a great many participants on this day. At 8.30 the bell began for the last funeral Liturgy for the ever-memorable hieromonk Seraphim. The Liturgy was celebrated in the Assumption Cathedral by clergy for a special purpose. At the end of the Liturgy, a rare message called on the faithful to the cathedral to pray for the last time at the memorial service for the repose of the soul of the ever-memorable hieromonk Seraphim. Their Imperial Majesties and Highnesses arrived at the cathedral for this funeral service. Before the funeral service, Metropolitan Anthony came out to the pulpit and delivered a speech with the following content: “God is wonderful in His saints. The Lord has granted all of us here present and praying the great mercy of being participants in the bright celebration of the glorification of the ever-memorable ascetic Hieromonk Seraphim. Glory and thanksgiving to the Lord, who is so kind to us. Show off and rejoice the Sarov monastery, glorified and glorified by the glory of its venerable one. Now we will make our last prayer for him, as for the deceased servant of God, and then, at all times, Orthodox Christians will turn to him with prayer, as a glorified saint of God. And his most pure remains, which rested in the bowels of the earth for seventy years, are now being placed in this shrine for the reverent worship of believers who prayerfully flow to him for help, healing and consolation. Truly, in this glorification the image of the Resurrection shines upon us. The words of the Apostle insistently come to mind: “It is sown not in honor, it is raised in glory, it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.” In the very visible deadness of the remains of the saints, the power of life is hidden by the grace of God. Through them, people are given various healings from ailments and illnesses from the Lord. In these same miraculous healings is the glory of the Venerable Father Seraphim. His prayerful boldness before God always gathered many pilgrims to the Sarov monastery. Now the Lord glorified him before the entire Orthodox world, gathering here many tens of thousands of people from all over Russia and even distant Siberia, from the west and east, from the north and south, leading this great multitude of people with prayerful participation in the triumph of the Orthodox Tsar himself, the pious Queens and many members of the Royal House. In this crowded, but unanimous and like-hearted gathering of pilgrims at the holy relics of the saint, the original, fundamental meaning of the life of the Russian people is expressed. He knows his Fatherland and his history not so much by political or military events, but by the devotees of faith and truth, love and goodness. Let us pray earnestly, reverently and with warm heartedness for the last time for the repose of the servant of God, the ever-memorable Hieromonk Seraphim, and give glory to God, wondrous in His saints. Amen". Then the funeral service began with the participation of all the archpastors present at the celebration, with the wondrous singing of the metropolitan choir. The memorial service ended with a lithium at the grave of St. Seraphim, where a procession of the cross left the cathedral. Upon returning to the cathedral, the Metropolitan Bishop consecrated the precious reliquary, built by the diligence of Their Imperial Majesties, for the holy relics of St. Seraphim. This tomb crayfish attracts attention with its extraordinary beauty. The shrine itself is made of stone, as if in memory of the great feat of prayer of the monk on a stone in the Sarov forest. It is made of Russian “Vasalem” marble, which is mined in the vicinity of Gapsal, Estland province. The color of marble is yellowish-gray, and whitish when carved. The cancer has the shape of an oblong, quadrangular tombstone, 1 arshin high, 2 arshins 12 vershoks long and 1 arshin 2 vershoks wide. It is composed of four massive slabs, mounted on an elevated stone platform, to which three steps, made of the same marble, lead on both sides. The entire shrine is decorated with the same carving, without polishing or gilding, in commemoration of the poor simplicity of the saint and his renunciation of the blessings of the world. On the wall, in the heads of the shrines, on a round shield there is a patterned four-pointed equilateral cross of the Byzantine type. On the right and left side walls, in the recessed kokoshniks, is carved an exact likeness of a copper cast eight-pointed cross, with the image of the Crucifixion, which was kept for 70 years among other sacred things left after the Monk Seraphim in his cell. At the feet of the tomb, on the wall, in the round, convex shield, under the cap of Monomakh, the Slavic initial letters of the names of the sovereign creators of this structure - the Sovereign Emperor and the Sovereign Empress - are carved. At the corners of the tomb there are pilasters with eight-pointed crosses of the most ancient forms, and along the upper and lower friezes the shrine is decorated with a border depicting palm branches. All four walls of the shrine have corresponding inscriptions carved into stone, made in Church Slavonic. On the wall, at the heads of the tomb, on both sides of the four-pointed cross, two verses from the Holy Scriptures are carved: But the righteous women live forever, and their reward is in the Lord, and their care is with the Most High (Wis. 5:15). The Lord guards all their bones: not one of them will be broken (Ps. 33:21). On both side (longitudinal) walls of the shrine there is a chronicle about the most important events in the life of St. Seraphim. On the left wall, on both sides of the Crucifixion, the following Slavic inscription is carved: “Our holy reverend father Seraphim, the Wonderworker of Sarov, was born in the city of Kursk, in the year from the creation of the world 7267, and from the Nativity of Christ 1759 in the month of July on the 19th day. Enter the holy Sarov monastery in the summer of 1778 in the month of November on the 20th day. Monastic tonsure took place in the summer of August 1786 on the 13th day. He was ordained as hierodeacon in the month of Octovria in the summer of 1786. Septemvrius was ordained to the rank of hieromonk in the summer of 1793 on the 2nd day.” On the wall, at the feet of the tomb, on both sides of the round shield, there is the following inscription, which is the prayer of St. Seraphim, written by him with his own hand on one of the liturgical books that remained after him: “Save, Lord, and have mercy on the servant (name) and enlighten his mind with the light of reason of Your holy Gospel and guide him on the path of Your commandments and teach him, O Savior, to do Thy will, for Thou art our God.” The lid of the reliquary is silver, weighing about 3 1/2 pounds, and is a wide sloping frame into which an iconographic image on zinc is inserted under glass of the Venerable Seraphim lying in a coffin. At the corners, the lid of the sacred reliquary is decorated with chased images of six-winged seraphim, and between them, on all four sides of the lid, a troparion common to the monks is written in Slavic script. The lid is locked with a lock. On the inside of the lid is engraved: “Under the power of the most pious great Sovereign Emperor Nicholas Alexandrovich, Autocrat of All Russia, this cancer was created by the command and zeal of Their Imperial Majesties the Sovereign Emperor and His wife, the most pious Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, in the summer of the Nativity of Christ, July 1903, on the 19th day.” An oak coffin was placed in the described stone coffin, an artistic reproduction of the oak log in which the venerable remains of the saint were kept for 70 years, and a cypress coffin with holy relics was inserted into this coffin-block. An oak block, 2 arshins 8 1/2 inches long and 14 inches in diameter, is bound with three iron hoops, with branches in the form of oak leaves, and equipped on the sides with ten hanging brackets made of twisted iron, for carrying the coffin on the hands. In addition, for carrying the coffin with holy relics in religious processions, there is also a special stretcher, in the form of a platform, covered with green velvet and decorated with braid. Up to twenty people can take part in carrying the coffin on this stretcher. Around the tomb there is a bronze, chased lattice with images of double-headed eagles in the corners and six-winged seraphim on the sides. Four columns made of Kyiv labrador support the canopy, which, rising 12 arshins above the tomb, has the general appearance of a chapel over a well with a pointed roof, in the ancient Vladimir-Suzdal style. Made of finely chased gilded bronze, the canopy is crowned with five onion-shaped domes. In the arches and kokoshniks of the canopy dome there are the following iconographic images of saints and events from the life of St. Seraphim. In the four main kokoshniks of the canopy there are iconographic images: on the western side - the face of the Savior not made by hands, with an inscription on the frieze in Slavic script: Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today, and forever (Heb. 13:8); on the north - the night prayer of the monk on a stone, with an inscription on the frieze of the words of the publican's prayer: God, be merciful to me a sinner (Luke 18:13); on the south - the appearance of the Mother of God to the Venerable Seraphim with twelve crowned maidens on the day of the Annunciation, March 25, 1831, with the inscription on the frieze: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, through the prayers of the Mother of God have mercy on us sinners and on the eastern side - the blessed death of the Venerable Seraphim, with the inscription: Honorable before the Lord is the death of His saints (Ps. 116:6). In the windows of the middle dome of the canopy there are icons of saints with whom the Monk Seraphim was in spiritual communion, with whose creations he himself was edified and advised those who came to him for consolation to be imbued with: universal teachers and saints - Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, Isaac the Syrian, Macarius the Great of Egypt, John Climacus, Ambrose of Milan, Saints Anthony and Theodosius of Kiev-Pechersk, Zosima and Savvaty of Solovetsky, Sergius of Radonezh and others. At the corners of the architrave are placed 8 iconographic images of fiery six-winged seraphim, and between these images and kokoshniks there are icons of Saints Isidore and Agathia, whose names were the parents of the Monk Seraphim, Prokhora - the worldly name of the saint, and those daylight saints whose memory is celebrated by the church on the birthdays and death of the Monk Seraphim - July 19 and 2 January. Above the capitals of the columns there are icons of the namesake saints of the Russian Sovereigns, who contributed to the glorification of the newly-minted saint of God, and the family of the Sovereign Emperor - St. Nicholas of Myra, the Holy Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky, the holy martyr Queen Alexandra, the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene, the blessed Grand Duchess Olga, the holy martyr Tatiana, Holy Great Martyr Anastasia and Guardian Angel. Around the shrine in all four arches of the canopy there is a row of lamps, and on the eastern side of the platform-platform there is a large candlestick. There, in the arches of the canopy, there are only 36 lamps, among which five lamps are a gift from the Highest Persons. All these lamps are installed on the side facing the main chapel in the Assumption Cathedral. The Sovereign's lamp is round in shape, gold, decorated with precious stones from Siberian rocks in their natural form, without polishing. The rim of the lamp has an openwork inscription made in Slavic script: “You Yourself, Lord God, chose him and found his heart faithful before You. Gift of Their Majesties Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. July 19, 1903." A spherical porcelain cup is inserted into the rim and there is a red glass lamp in it. The entire lamp hangs on four chains composed of chased images of the heads of six-winged seraphs and large precious stones. Below, four pearl tassels are suspended from the lamp; precious stones - the lamp is decorated with them, in three colors: white, green and pink. Under the lamp of the Sovereign and Empress there is a lamp of Their children, decorated in the same way as the first, with the only difference that four chains are made of chased images of the state coat of arms and are attached at the top to the imperial crown. The following inscription is carved on the rim: “The Light of Christ enlightens everyone. Gift of Their Imperial Highnesses Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia. July 19, 1903." To the right of this lamp, on a purple silk ribbon, is attached the lamp of Grand Duke Sergius Alexandrovich and Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. On the golden rim of the lamp there are miniature icons of the Holy Blessed and Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky and Mary Magdalene artistically made from mosaic enamel. Between the holy icons the following text is carved in Slavic script: “To the God-glorified holy elder Seraphim of Sarov, this lamp is brought with warm faith by Grand Duke Sergius Alexandrovich and Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna. July 19, 1903." The four chains of the lamp are made of openwork leaves with a pearl on each leaf; An oblong cross made of white enamel is suspended at the bottom of the lamp; the entire lamp is decorated with pearls. To the left of the lamp of the Grand Duchesses is the lamp of Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich and Grand Duchess Militsa Nikolaevna. The lamp consists of two rims connected to each other by three chains of precious stones - pearls, rubies, alexandrites, chrysolites; on the same chain below, suspended from the lamp, is a chased gold image of a six-winged seraph. At the top the lamp is attached to a purple silk ribbon; the lower rim has a metal bottom and has a red glass lamp on it; On the rim there is an inscription in Slavic script: “The city cannot hide at the top of a standing mountain. Whoever does and teaches, he will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.” The upper edges of both rims of the lamp are decorated with crosses made of precious stones, and the lower edges with pendants made of the same stones. On the front side of the lower rim of the lamp there is a small artistic icon of the “Tenderness of the Mother of God” painted on porcelain with enamel paints. The face of the Mother of God on both sides is surrounded by the following saying of the Apostle Paul: “My word and my preaching are not in persuasive words of human wisdom, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and power, so that your faith will not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” On the opposite side of this lamp is the lamp of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, which is a round aureole made of white enamel, decorated with large aquamarines. On the rim there is an inscription in gold letters: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Most of these lamps were made according to the drawings of Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich, who was known as an expert in ancient Christian style and ornamentation. The general character of the present structure, all the materials for which are exclusively Russian, is distinguished by its slender and strict lines. The total cost of the crayfish with canopy is about 35,000 rubles; the weight of the tomb with the canopy is about 2000 pounds, and one shrine weighs up to 100 pounds. The drafting of the entire structure, as well as supervision of the work and installation on site, was entrusted to Prince Mikhail Sergeevich Putyatin (1861–1938). The corresponding parts of the tomb and the canopy were made in different workshops in St. Petersburg and Moscow: marble work - Guidi, silver lid - Ovchinnikov; bronze works – Bragin; iron - Zembek's workshop, carpentry - N.F. Svirsky, the iron frame for the tomb was made by Oreshnikov, and all the icon painting was done by the Moscow icon painter Vasily Guryanov (1866–1920). At 4 o'clock on the same day, small vespers was celebrated in the Assumption Cathedral, and at 6 o'clock in the evening the large bell began ringing, calling pilgrims to the all-night vigil. This was the first church service at which St. Seraphim began to be blessed and glorified among the saints of God and at which his holy relics were opened for public worship. In view of the importance of the upcoming Divine Service, tens of thousands of pilgrims rushed to the gates of the monastery. Since the monastery square in the very fence of the monastery could not accommodate such a great crowd of people, only a part was allowed into the monastery fence and, moreover, in such a quantity that could not hinder the procession at the time of the transfer of the holy relics. The Metropolitan Vladyka proceeded with glory to the Assumption Cathedral, followed soon by Their Imperial Majesties and Highnesses entering the cathedral and standing near the right choir. The all-night vigil began. The service was held according to the newly compiled “Service to our Reverend Father Seraphim of Sarov, the Wonderworker.” The lithium begins... Everyone lights candles and stands with candles lit in their hands. The lithium stichera are sung by the metropolitan choir and at this time the procession of the cross from the cathedral to the church of Saints Zosima and Sabbatius begins. The Highest Persons are coming, followed by the Ministers of Internal Affairs V.K. von Plehwe, Imperial Court Baron Fredericks, Railways Prince M.M. Khilkov, Count I.I. Vorontsov-Dashkov, Senator V.K. Sabler and many other high-ranking officials. The doors of the Church of Saints Zosima and Savvaty open, and the Metropolitan with His Eminence Bishops, the Highest Persons, the clergy appointed to bear the coffin with the holy relics, and several other persons walking in the procession enter there. At the sight of the shrine standing in the middle of the church, everyone bowed their knees. The Metropolitan Bishop burns incense around the coffin, and then the coffin is worn by the Sovereign Emperor and the Grand Dukes with the participation of the clergy appointed to it. When taken out of the church, the coffin is placed on a stretcher and raised high above the heads of everyone, being clearly visible from everywhere. The moment the coffin with holy relics appeared outside the church was extremely touching. Women can be heard crying, some are sobbing, and along the path of the coffin procession, peasant women spread pieces of canvas, towels, and skeins of yarn. On the sides of the path lie all sorts of sick and wretched people. At the western gate of the Assumption Cathedral, the first litany is pronounced, followed by four more stops at other sides of the cathedral, with the litany being pronounced. After reading the lithium prayer at the western gate, the procession enters the cathedral, and the coffin with holy relics is placed in the middle of it on a special elevation. The service continues. Between the kathismas, the Right Reverend Innocent (Belyaev) pronounced a word corresponding to the celebration taking place, with the following content: “The saints will be praised in glory” (Ps. 149). Before this tomb with the holy relics of the saint, human thought involuntarily rushes into the realm of faith. Only from here does she see how different, sometimes to the point of opposite, the meaning of the same objects in ordinary life and in the field of faith. In life, for all of us, the coffin is a source of grief and sorrow, a cause of lamentation and tears... When we see the coffin, we involuntarily assume the misfortune it created, difficult separation, orphanhood. But in the realm of Christian hopes, for a Christian man the tomb is a place of peace until the general Resurrection, and for his faith it sometimes becomes, by the grace of God, a source of heavenly revelations, evidence of the power of God, a clear sign of heavenly reward for earthly righteousness, the cause of the most sublime Christian feelings. It is precisely this mood of bright joy, touching tears and reverence that gives birth to the presented coffin in every believing soul. Surrounding him in glory with our Most Pious Sovereign and Sovereigns, we all know that he hid within himself the honest remains of a righteous man who pleased the Lord, a man of prayer and heroism, great in his simplicity, crowned with humility and meekness, flaming with Christ’s love for every person. The Church of three centuries, persecuted and persecuted, knew its martyrs and confessors who suffered for the name of Christ. She buried their bodies with honor and carefully collected their bones. The Church of our days, peaceful and calm, knows its prayer books and ascetics; she also honors the tombs of her righteous people and worships their holy remains. When Bishop Polycarp of Smyrna was tortured and torn to pieces by beasts, the Smyrna people sent a message to other churches, informing them that they had collected the bones of the martyr in a vessel and would preserve and honor this shrine as the most precious treasure. Following the example of this ancient Church, these first Christians, our Orthodox Church extracted from the bowels of the earth the bones of its prayer book and ascetic, St. Seraphim, and from now on will surround them with reverence, hymn and worship, as its precious shrine. But the meaning of this holy tomb is revealed to us, children of the Orthodox Church, from another side. In it we learn the deep truth of our Holy Orthodoxy. That Church does not sin, but stands firmly on the right path, for which the heavenly world of the saints of God is a constant leader of moods, an inspirer in prayer, a source of grace-filled consolations, help and protection. In these holy relics of the new prayer book for the Russian Church, we feel the beating of the life of our Church. For the Church that is adorned with new righteous people and saints of God is not dead, not frozen, not petrified, but lives, grows young and blossoms. In this tomb is the source of light and the joy of our faith. She would have been cold and dull if she had not received clear encouragement that prayer and deed would always be rewarded and glorified by the Lord. In these holy relics there is a new sign of God’s mercy and goodness towards the Russian people and the Orthodox Church, as if the sky opens up, and a new prayer book stands at the throne of the Lord for us unworthy, a new intercessor and intercessor. And we clearly see the fruits of his prayer to the Lord: the blind receive their sight, the deaf hear, the dumb speak, the paralytic rise. Another moment - and the lid of this saving coffin will open, his blessed remains will appear to us: new currents of miracles will flow from them, the image of Seraphim, now wondrous among the saints of God, but meek, humble and wretched in earthly life, will become even clearer before us. And with the tender joy of our faith, impressed by his wonderful image, let us sing to him: We bless you, Reverend Father Seraphim. Amen". They read another kathisma, and while singing Praise the name of the Lord, all the servants go to the middle of the church. Having descended from the clouded pulpit to the tomb of the saint, Metropolitan Anthony unlocks the lock and opens the lid of the tomb. Everyone kneels, and the clergy sing praises to the saint. After reading the Gospel, Metropolitan Anthony and other bishops venerate the holy relics. Then Their Imperial Majesties and Highnesses kiss them. Next came the clergy and all the other worshipers in the cathedral. At the end of the all-night vigil, the cathedral was left open all night for the veneration of the relics of the saint. The pilgrims approached the tomb one after another all night, venerated the holy relics and received anointing with holy oil from the appointed clergy. During the procession with holy relics there were several cases of healing. So, one girl from the village of Promyslovka, Astrakhan district and province, Vera Chernysheva, 29 years old, who had been in a paralyzed state for 5 years, with her legs cramped, stood up and began to walk without assistance. Another woman, Feodora Slezheva, 26 years old, received healing from epileptic seizures that constantly plagued her. All night long prayers were served in all churches and chapels, and the next day at 5 o’clock in the morning early Liturgies were served by clergymen, for a special purpose in both cathedral churches and in the churches of Saints Zosima and Savvatius, Saint John the Baptist and the Cemetery, during which thousands of believers partook of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. The late Liturgy in the Assumption Cathedral began at 8 o'clock in the morning. The service was performed by Metropolitan Anthony together with other eminences participating in the celebration. The Sovereign Emperor with the Empresses and Grand Dukes were present in the cathedral. At the small entrance with the Gospel, while singing “Come, let us worship,” the archimandrites lifted the coffin with holy relics that stood in the middle of the cathedral and carried it around the holy altar, and then placed it in the prepared shrine. At the same time, an incident of healing occurred. Among those praying in the cathedral was Mrs. Maslennikova, who had come from Moscow, from the merchant class, with her sick twelve-year-old daughter, who suffered from catalepsy and had not spoken a word for two years. As the sick woman passed by the coffin with holy relics, the mother touched the coffin with a handkerchief and wiped the face of her sick daughter with it, who immediately after that, in front of everyone, pronounced the name of her mother and began to speak. The healed girl was then honored by the Metropolitan with the sacrament of the Holy Mysteries. At the end of the Liturgy, Archbishop Dimitri of Kazan said a word in honor and memory of our reverend and God-bearing father Seraphim of Sarov the Wonderworker: “What a great, highly significant, deeply instructive day we are all experiencing now - this is a majestic, pious gathering of the sons and daughters of our Holy Russian Orthodox Church. And all of Orthodox Russia celebrates and rejoices with us. The solitary ascetic monastery temporarily turned into a crowded city. The always deserted, silent Sarov forest is now full of excitement and chatter, movement and noise. But this is not the excitement of everyday concerns and often petty interests; This is not the noise of everyday vanity. This is a whisper of deep emotional tenderness in places; this is the roar of everyday spiritual joy running from mouth to mouth; this is a loud explosion of reverent amazement, delight at what is happening. This is a mighty upsurge and an uncontrollable noisy manifestation of the strong and healthy spirit of piety that Holy Orthodox Rus' breathes and lives with. Lame people walk. The blind see. The dumb ones started talking. And blessed is he who is not offended by this. Blessed is whose heart has not remained untouched in its deepest recesses by all the wonderful things happening before our eyes. Blessed be God, wondrous in His saints, who has providentially shown us in these days the wondrous and glorious. Let us glorify Christ the Lord, who wisely bestowed this grace on His holy Church right now, at a good time. Whoever in Holy Rus' has not long known the name of the great elder of Sarov Seraphim. Many pious souls, sensitive to everything sublime and holy, even during the elder’s earthly life, sought him in the desert, sought him, and in his faith and love they found consolation in the sorrows of the heart, the resolution of grave perplexities and doubts of the spirit, an indication of the good, right, true path, among moral confusion, among hesitations, deviations. And the seventieth anniversary that has passed since the day of the blessed death of the ever-memorable one has turned here, to the grave that hid the honorable remains of the saintly deceased, the prayerful gaze of all in whom faith is strong in the internal uninterrupted communication of the deceased righteous and people who are still making their way of moral rebirth and renewal of the spirit; – those in whom there is strong hope for prayerful intercession before God of the saints who abid in the light of the Face of God. Numerous wondrous signs of grace-filled help through prayers to the blessedly deceased elder showed all Orthodox believers that even in our days the Lord gave people a good prayer book and a quick helper. The Holy Church publicly certified and confirmed this common faith in the holiness and intercessory power before God of the great ascetic of piety. And now, we touchingly please our reverend father Seraphim and solemnly glorify the holy memory of the righteous man, whom all the clans of the Russian Land have long been pleased and glorified with deep tenderness and reverence. From now on, a wondrous lamp has been placed high on the candlestick of the Orthodox Church, warming hearts with its already unearthly light, enlightening minds and truly illuminating the correct path along which those seeking spiritual rebirth, striving for moral perfection, should follow. May this solemn glorification of the memory of the saint serve as an edification to those who, sincerely and unhypocritically, striving in bewilderment and moral confusion to understand for themselves and others the meaning and purpose of human life, are ready to take the good path of truth, leading beyond time, into eternity. The Venerable Seraphim, whom we now honor, while completing his earthly course, turned his gaze entirely and unswervingly to heaven, because “our life is in heaven.” He loved to glorify his aspiration for the heavenly in the words of a church song: “incessant divine desire is deserted.” An earthly angel and a heavenly man, a mentor of monks and an interlocutor of angels, in his bright soul he united the heavenly and earthly in the Lord. And here on earth, he enjoyed high otherworldly, heavenly joys. May he, having faithfully walked the right path indicated to man by the Divine Guide, may he be a bright guiding star for us, illuminating the path and dispelling the fog, which is now beginning to cover this path thicker and thicker. By his prayerful intercession before God, may he help us complete our earthly journey to heaven without stumbling or falling, in love, joy and peace in the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior.” After this, a prayer service to St. Seraphim began. When the troparion was sung, the archimandrites approached the shrine and took out the coffin with the holy relics. A religious procession around the monastery churches followed from the cathedral. The coffin with the holy relics was carried by the Emperor and Their Highnesses, with the participation of the archimandrites. The people, just like the day before, standing like a living wall along the route, were overwhelmed with strong religious inspiration. The crying and sobbing of women could be heard everywhere. Upon the return of the procession to the cathedral, the Metropolitan, with the worshipers kneeling, read a prayer to St. Seraphim, and then the prayer service ended with the usual many years. The Emperor and Their Highnesses, having venerated the holy relics, left the cathedral. Thus ended the church service of the main day of the Sarov celebrations. The next day, Sarov accompanied his Sovereign to the Diveevo Convent, located 14 versts from the Sarov Hermitage, and His Grace Innocent, Bishop of Tambov and Shatsk, gave the following speech to the Sovereign: Most pious Sovereign! The Russian people, gathered for the great triumph of God's mercy, revealed in the Sarov monastery, experienced significant days of close communion with You: the Orthodox Tsar was on pilgrimage with his people in the holy monastery. And the people saw how their Tsar Father visited the holy places of Sarov on foot, how he carried on his shoulders the holy relics of the newly-minted Sarov wonderworker; the people saw how the Tsar and the Tsarina, on their knees and with tears, prayed to the saint of God. He will now go to different parts of Holy Rus' and will enthusiastically tell what he has seen in villages and hamlets, and those who listen will be touched in their souls and bless in their hearts the names of their Sovereign and Empress, who were on the people's pilgrimage in Sarov. The Sarov monastery itself is now experiencing two joys: heavenly - in the intercessor and prayer book of the entire Russian Land, the Venerable Seraphim, sent down to it - and earthly, seeing You, Sovereign, the pious Queens and members of the Royal House, within its walls. For the heavenly joy sent to her, she thanks the Lord and His saint with fervent prayer, and for earthly joy, for the happiness of seeing You, Sovereign, as her dear guest, she brings her bow to You. Save, Lord, and preserve You, Sovereign, the pious Queens and members of the Royal House, on all the paths of your life, through the prayers of St. Seraphim, the miracle worker of Sarov. May your departure be blessed, as your entry into this holy monastery was joyful. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” It should be noted that the Diveyevo Monastery was founded and lives by the behests of Father Seraphim. That is why the days of celebrations at the Sarov monastery became a time of spiritual joy in the Diveyevo monastery. The spiritual celebrations of both monasteries were aggravated by the participation of the Highest Persons in them. By the time the Emperor arrived, the entire path to the monastery was decorated with greenery, flags, and triumphal arches; peasants, local and from distant provinces, in festive costumes, greeted the Tsar and Queen with delighted faces. In the monastery fence, along the royal route, the nuns of the monastery lined up in trellises to the cathedral, and in front of them were students from parochial schools. At about 10 o'clock in the morning, the royal carriages, with an incessant animated "hurray", and the ringing of bells, approached the Diveyevo Cathedral. The distinguished guests were greeted at their entrance to the cathedral by His Grace Nazarius, Bishop of Nizhny Novgorod, in a host of clergy, with the holy cross and holy water. The Bishop greeted the Emperor with a speech. After the usual litany and many years, the Emperor prayed before the icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness,” before which Father Seraphim died in prayer in Sarov, and before the locally revered icon “The Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands” and venerated them. Then they examined the northern aisle of the cathedral, prepared for consecration in honor of the Venerable Father Seraphim, and in particular the painting of the cathedral, which has high merits; all of her is the spiritual sacrifice of the Diveyevo ascetics, who carry out “picturesque” obedience in the monastery. The distinguished guests listened to the Liturgy in the house church at the abbot's chambers. Tea and breakfast were prepared in the abbess's room, and then the monastery's sights and institutions were explored. We visited a parochial school with a shelter for orphan girls. This school was located in a beautiful two-story building, it had two very spacious classrooms, apartments for teachers and living quarters for orphan girls. Education at the school was conducted “for holy obedience” by educated ascetics of the monastery (nun Raphaila and novice Nadezhda Sadovskaya, the granddaughter of that same priest Vasily Sadovsky, who was a friend and admirer of St. Seraphim), there were special teachers of singing and handicrafts. While visiting a monastery school, the Tsar asked one orphan girl if she knew anything by heart, and the little girl read the poem “The Orphan,” and when the Tsarina asked if she knew any prayer by heart, this peasant girl, 4 years old, read the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father,” after which the Tsarina, like a mother, leaned over to the little one and kissed her. There were also distinguished guests at the Transfiguration Cemetery Church, where several monuments remained from the Monk Seraphim were kept. The altar of the church was built from his cell, taken from the Far Hermitage of Father Seraphim. It was once arranged by the same robbers who beat him and whom he forgave. After the death of Father Seraphim, the cell was transferred from Sarov to Diveyevo and, at the direction of the Right Reverend Jeremiah of Nizhny Novgorod, was turned into an altar. The unfinished logs were left untouched, and for more reliable preservation of this monument to the exploits of the saint, the altar was included in the outer church wall, from which it was separated by a corridor, and under a special roof. In the same church are kept: the Gospel with the Psalter, with which Father Seraphim was not separated during his lifetime and usually carried them in a little bag behind his back, his stole and armlets, part of the stone on which he prayed for 1000 days and nights, and other items of his household: a candlestick, a bench, a chair and others, all on these solemn days were kept in new display cases and were the subject of celebration from the outside. pilgrims. In the Diveyevo hermitage - the name of the former cell - there is also a small hut of Father Seraphim, carved by him himself on his Near Hermitage in Sarov, at the source, near the Sarovka River. After his death, this cell was also transferred to Diveyevo and preserved in the same form as the saint’s. And this monument, for more reliable preservation, is enclosed in a case, in an external building. The cell contains part of the same stone - a witness to the prayerful deeds of Father Seraphim - and a piece of wood that replaced his chair. In the cell there was a continuous reading of the Psalter. All pilgrims considered it obligatory for themselves to visit this cell, because the pure, holy prayer of the righteous man of God was offered up in it. At three o'clock in the afternoon the highest persons left the monastery. Nuns, disciples and people stood along the route of the Tsar. With the ringing of bells and incessant shouts of “hurray,” they left the holy places. The Sarov celebrations - the discovery of the holy relics of St. Seraphim - ended with the consecration of two churches named after the saint. The first Seraphim Church in Russia was consecrated in Sarov, above the monastery cell of St. Seraphim. The consecration of the church took place on Monday, July 21. On the eve of this day, at 7.30 pm, the big bell called many worshipers to the newly consecrated church for its first all-night vigil. The All-Night Vigil was served, as usually happens in such cases, in the middle of the church, before the table on which were placed all the sacred accessories of the altar and altar, covered with a blue silk shroud. The Right Reverend Innocent of Tambov came out to attend the litany and glorification of St. Seraphim. The next day, July 21, the consecration of the church was performed by St. Petersburg Metropolitan Anthony. After the vestment of the throne and altar, a solemn religious procession headed by Metropolitan Anthony, Archbishop Demetrius and Bishop Innocent headed to the Assumption Cathedral. From the Assumption Cathedral, the Metropolitan Bishop transferred particles of the holy relics of St. Seraphim on his head. The newly consecrated five-domed church was a beautiful, original structure in the Russian-Byzantine style. The architectural design of the Seraphim Church was developed and compiled by professor of architecture A.S. Kamensky. Dimensions of the church: length 22 fathoms, width 8 fathoms, and height from the ground to the cross 17 fathoms, and inside - from the floor to the vaults - 10 fathoms. Funds for the construction of the church were collected among benefactors and admirers of St. Seraphim. One benefactor donated 50 thousand rubles for the construction of a majestic bronze gilded iconostasis, and all the valuable utensils for the church were donated by various individuals. This church contains all the banners, 42 in number, donated to the monastery on July 19 from eighteen banner-bearing societies. One of the main shrines of the Sarov monastery - the stone cell of the Monk Seraphim, in which he lived, labored and died in a feat of prayer - is located in the western part of the church, between the choirs and its middle part, and has the appearance of a chapel with a hipped scaly roof made of light bronze, with a row of kokoshniks along the lower edge and a golden cross on its head. You can walk around this cell-chapel. The entire northern wall of the cell outside is occupied by an artistically painted sacred image of the appearance of the Mother of God to the Monk Seraphim. At the entrance to the cell there is an image of the Venerable Seraphim blessing and above the low door there is an icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness”. Inside the small sacred cell, in its left corner, there is a massive bronze icon case with embossing, height to the ceiling, under the mirror glass of which there are: the image of the Savior in a golden robe and a copy of the icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness”, before which, kneeling, the Monk Seraphim accepted his blessed death. In front of the icon case is a large candlestick and an unquenchable lamp. Here there is also a lectern with the holy cross and the Gospel for serving prayers to the newly-minted saint of God. The preserved belongings of St. Seraphim are collected in the cell. There was a stove with a stove bench, lined with green tiles with the image of a flower; here were also: a mantle, a cap in the form of a kamilavochka and the leather rosary of the monk, two neck crosses made of cypress wood, carved by his hands, a stone on which the monk prayed during the day in his distant hermitage, his tooth, hair from the head of the monk and the Gospel, which was burned during a fire in the cell at his death. All these items were enclosed in display cases made of light bronze with mirror glass, arranged with the diligence of the Moscow Banner Bearers Society. The consecration of the second church in the name of St. Seraphim of Sarov took place on July 22 at the Seraphim-Diveevo Convent. Here, according to the deep faith of the sisters of the monastery in the holiness and quick glorification of its founder, since 1875 the left side chapel of the cathedral church was built in his honor, but remained unconsecrated until the discovery of the holy relics of St. Seraphim. On the eve of the consecration in the cathedral, the monastery clergy performed church services: small vespers, paraklisis, compline and all-night vigil, and the Right Reverend Nazarius, Bishop of Nizhny Novgorod, came out to litia and magnification during the all-night vigil. The gathering of pilgrims on the occasion of the celebration was extraordinary: the vast church could not accommodate the worshipers and was surrounded from the outside by a living wall of people. Continuous confession lasted from 3 to 12 o'clock at night, and the next day there were more than a thousand communicants. The ceremony of consecrating the church began at 7 o'clock in the morning. After vesting the holy throne and the altar, His Grace Nazarius carried out the transfer of particles of holy relics on his head from the altar of the main chapel of the cathedral church, and then the procession headed around the cathedral. In the newly consecrated St. Seraphim Church, the first Liturgy was celebrated by the bishop's service, and at the end a solemn prayer service. In the iconostasis of the newly consecrated Seraphim Church, on the church icon the Monk Seraphim is depicted in a long monastic robe and with his gaze turned to heaven; At the feet of the monk lies the view of the Sarov desert. Nearby is an icon depicting an apostle from among the seventy, Prochorus (the worldly name of the saint), and Saint Sylvester, Pope of Rome, whose memory is celebrated on January 2, the day of the saint’s death. On the northern side doors there is a fiery six-winged seraphim, the Angel of St. Seraphim in monasticism. Thus ended the greatest event in the history of the Russian Church - the glorification of the holy relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov. Our Russian theologians of later times will write a lot about this saint of God and about his glorification. This material does not exhaust everything that should be written about St. Seraphim, but if our work, even to the smallest extent, facilitates the understanding of the saint of God Seraphim and helps us mentally reproduce the picture of the Sarov celebrations of 1903, we will consider our modest task completed.