Глава I

His Grace Ignatius was chosen to serve God from his mother’s womb. Such an election - the lot of very rare and deliberate servants of God - was foreshadowed by the following circumstance. The bishop's parents were married in early youth. At the beginning of their marriage, they had two children, but their parents did not console themselves with them for long; both children died in the first days of infancy, and the young couple remained childless for a long time. In deep sadness over their prolonged childlessness, the young couple turned to the only possible true help - to Heavenly help. They undertook a journey to the surrounding holy places in order to obtain a solution to their infertility through fervent prayers and charity. The pious enterprise was crowned with success: the fruit of the prayers of the grieving spouses was a son, named Demetrius in honor of one of the first miracle workers of Vologda - St. Demetrius of Prilutsky 17. Thus, obviously, the infertility of the young Brianchaninovs was a dispensation of God’s Providence, so that the firstborn born after infertility, requested by prayer, would subsequently become a zealous doer of it and an experienced mentor. Baby Dimitri was born on February 6, 1807, 18 in the village. Pokrovsky, which was the family estate of his father and is located in the Gryazovets district of the Vologda province 19. The future monk had the happy fate of spending his childhood in the solitude of rural life, in close contact with local nature, which, thus, became his first mentor. She instilled in him a penchant for solitude: the boy often loved to stay under the shade of the ancient trees of the vast garden and there, alone, he plunged into quiet thoughts, the content of which, no doubt, he borrowed from the surrounding nature. Majestic and silent, she early began to influence him with her inspiring images: she inspired in his childish soul, still untainted by everyday pettiness, other, more sublime aspirations - aspirations that a desert life is full of - they delighted his heart with more lively, pure feelings that only solitude can provide. The boy learned early to understand this silent voice of nature and prefer it to the noise of everyday life. The phenomena of home life did not have an impressionable effect on him - he went deeper into himself and, among the elegant secular surroundings, seemed like a pet of the desert. A spark of Divine love touched his pure heart. She showed up in him an unconscious attraction to monasticism, to his high ideals, with which his native land is so full; a special disposition towards everything sacred and truly beautiful, as far as it is accessible to children. From this early stage in her life, her future path had already been determined: the youth was spiritually separated from the world. Such a mood of young Dimitri could not count on sympathy from his parents. His father Alexander Semenovich Brianchaninov 20, a descendant of the ancient nobles Brianchaninov 21, a very well-known and revered family in Vologda, was a secular man in the full sense of the word. A page during the times of Empress Catherine II and Emperor Pavel Petrovich, he had an unusually developed taste for grace in the home and represented the perfect type of a modern, advanced Russian landowner. Having inherited a significant estate from his parents, he had to exhaust most of it to pay huge debts, after which he was left with about 400 souls of peasants and the picturesque village of Pokrovskoye, which had long been the seat of his ancestors, the homeland of the future saint. His wife, the mother of the Right Reverend Ignatius, Sofya Afanasyevna 22 also came from the Brianchaninov family and, as a woman of remarkable education, very pious, remembering that her husband is the head, she submitted to her husband’s influence in everything, sharing his views and concepts. Alexander Semenovich was rightly considered one of the foremost educated landowners of his time and loved education, 23 and therefore he tried to give his children as thorough an education as possible in order to prepare them as true sons of the fatherland, devoted to the throne, faithful to Orthodoxy. Giving such an education, he was not alien to the ambition to see his sons subsequently occupy the highest government positions, to which they had an inalienable right by birth and condition. This trait of his parent could not hide from the insight of young Demetrius, a trait completely opposite to the intentions and aspirations of the young man, and here was the beginning of an internal struggle, the beginning of suffering and trials, which later became the lot of the entire life of the deceased ruler. All the children in the Brianchaninov family, brothers and sisters of 24 Dimitri Alexandrovich, were brought up together, bound by mutual friendship, but everyone was aware of Dimitri’s primacy and recognized it not only because he was the eldest, but because of the special, higher, so to speak, turn of his mind and character, because of his moral superiority. Dimitri Alexandrovich was quiet, modest, always very prudent in everything, attentive and polite in his behavior, although silent. Enjoying constant respect from his brothers and sisters and surpassing all of them in scientific abilities and other talents, Dimitri Alexandrovich did not reveal the slightest exaltation or boasting. The beginnings of monastic humility were expressed in his behavior and way of thinking at that time. In terms of morality and intelligence, he was incomparably above his years - and this is the reason why his brothers and sisters even treated him with some reverence, and he, in turn, conveyed to them his moral qualities. His brother Pyotr Aleksandrovich Bryanchaninov, who was two years younger than him, remembering this time of his childhood, says the following: “We children had a favorite game - running and wrestling. The elder brother Dimitri, instead of childishly showing his superiority over him, the youngest and weakest, always, on the contrary, encouraged intransigence and resistance, saying: “Don’t give in, defend yourself.” He taught the same thing in his old age, in the matter of spiritual struggle with passions and their drivers, rejected spirits,” notes Pyotr Alexandrovich. With age, Dimitri Alexandrovich's religious mood became more noticeable: it manifested itself in a special disposition to prayer and reading books of spiritual and moral content. He loved to attend church 25 and at home he was in the habit of praying frequently throughout the day, not limited to set times in the morning and evening. His prayer was not like a lesson of reading, often hasty and mechanical, which is so common among children. He became accustomed to attentive prayer, which begins with reverent standing and unhurried pronunciation of the words of prayer, and he became so successful in it that even in childhood he enjoyed its blessed fruits. Learning to pray carefully, he treated everything sacred with reverence, instilling this reverence in his other brothers and sisters. I always read the Gospel with tenderness, reflecting on what I read. His favorite book was “The School of Piety” 26 in five volumes, an ancient edition. This book, containing a brief summary of the deeds of the saints and selected sayings of them, was very consistent with the mood of the youth, or rather, it tuned his spirit, allowing the holy narratives and sayings of spirit-bearing men to act on him themselves, without the mediation of extraneous explanations. Dimitri Alexandrovich's abilities were very versatile: in addition to the established studies in the sciences, he practiced with great success in calligraphy, drawing, musical singing and even music, moreover, on the most difficult instrument, the violin. Having learned his lessons very quickly, he spent his free hours on reading and various written exercises, in which his literary talent also began to show. His mentors at this time were professors from the Vologda Seminary and gymnasium teachers. The home teacher was a seminary student named Levitsky, who lived in the Brianchaninov family. He also taught the law of God. Levitsky was distinguished by his remarkable good behavior and thorough knowledge of his subject. He was so good at introducing his student to the basic truths of theology that Dimitri Alexandrovich retained forever a grateful memory of him. Dimitri Alexandrovich's life in his parents' house continued until he was 16 years old. This first period of life was already difficult for him spiritually in that the external and internal conditions of home life did not allow the opportunity to reveal to anyone the cherished desires and goals that filled his soul at that time. The secrecy in front of his parents extended to the point that the son did not dare, in the presence of his father, to sometimes allow himself the most permissible actions or express the most demanding desires. Proof of this is one very ordinary, but sharply characterizing family relationship, case. Dimitri Alexandrovich was once swimming with his parents in the Talitsa River, which flows near the village of Pokrovskoye, and got so cold from a long swim that he was shaking in the water with his whole body, despite this, he did not dare to get out of the water before his father, did not even dare to ask his permission to do so. This bathing had such a detrimental effect on his health that it upset him for the rest of his life; after it, Dimitri Alexandrovich, as he himself admitted, became very sensitive to colds. To conclude the childhood period of the life of the author of “Ascetic Experiences,” it is very edifying to cite his own story about his childhood. This is how touchingly he speaks about himself in the article “My Cry”: “My childhood was filled with sorrows. Here I see Your hand, my God! I had no one to open my heart to, I began to pour it out before my God, I began to read the Gospel and the lives of Thy saints. The veil, occasionally pierced, lay for me on the Gospel, but Your Pimens, Your Sisoi and Macarii made a wonderful impression on me. The thought that often soared to God through prayer and reading began little by little to bring peace and tranquility to my soul. When I was a fifteen-year-old youth, an indescribable silence breathed in my mind and heart. But I didn’t understand it; I believed that this was the common state of all people.” 27 At the end of the summer of 1822, when Dimitri Alexandrovich was sixteen years old, his parent took him to St. Petersburg to enroll in the Main Engineering School 28, where he was prepared by home study. On the road, near Shlisselburg, the father suddenly turned to his son with the following question: “Where would you like to join the service?” Struck by such unprecedented frankness of his father, the son no longer wanted to hide from him his heartfelt secret, which he had not yet revealed to anyone. First, he asked him for a promise not to be angry if he didn’t like the answer, then with firmness of spirit, will and the strength of a completely sincere feeling, he said that he wanted to become a monk. The son’s decisive answer, apparently, did not affect the father; he either did not give it any meaning based on the youth of the respondent or did not want to object due to the seeming unrealizability of the desire, which was completely at odds with the plans he had made for the future of his son. In St. Petersburg, Dimitri Alexandrovich brilliantly passed the entrance exam. 29 His handsome appearance and excellent training in the sciences attracted the special attention of His Highness Nikolai Pavlovich 30, who was then the inspector general of engineers, to the young Brianchaninov. The Grand Duke ordered Brianchaninov to appear at the Anichkov Palace, where he introduced him to his wife, Empress Grand Duchess Alexandra Feodorovna 31, and recommended him as being well prepared not only in the sciences required at the engineering school, but also knowing even Latin and Greek. Her Highness was pleased to order Brianchaninov to be enrolled as her boarder. Having become emperor, Nikolai Pavlovich and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna continued to show their gracious favor to Brianchaninov. After passing the exam, Dimitry Alexandrovich was enrolled in the conductor company of the Main Engineering School, and his active service began to be counted from the day he took the oath on January 19, 1823. Success in science 32, excellent behavior and the Grand Duke's disposition put him in first place among his fellow cadets: by the end of 1823, with a transfer to the upper conductor class, he was appointed sergeant major of the conductor company; in 1824 he was transferred from the cadet classes to the lower officer class (which is now the Nikolaev Engineering Academy) and on December 13 was promoted to ensign engineer. Dimitri Alexandrovich's rare mental abilities and moral qualities attracted professors and teachers of the school to him, all of them treated him with special favor, giving clear preference over other students. Along with his official and educational activities, Dimitri Alexandrovich also had success in secular society due to his personal merits. Family connections brought him into the house of the then president of the Academy of Arts, Olenin 33. There, at literary evenings, he became a favorite reader, and his poetic and literary talents in general gained him the attention of the then celebrities of the literary world: Gnedich, Krylov, Batyushkov and Pushkin. Such a society, of course, had a beneficial influence on the literary development of the future writer. Until the end of his life, Right Reverend Ignatius spoke sympathetically about the advice that some of these individuals gave him at that time 34 . The described circle of social acquaintances, to which the well-connected aunt of Dimitri Aleksandrovich A. M. Sukharev 35 belonged, only externally influenced the life of the young man, while his inner life developed independently, regardless of family and social ties. Dimitri Alexandrovich, even in the noise of metropolitan life, remained faithful to his spiritual aspirations, which he cultivated in the solitude of his distant homeland. He always sought living, experienced knowledge in religion and, guarded by inner grace, did not succumb to either the corrupting influence of alien teachings or the lures of secular pleasures. This is the detail with which he himself, in the above-mentioned article “My Cry,” describes his state of mind at that time: “I entered military and academic service not by my own choice and desire. Then I did not dare, I did not know how to desire anything, because I had not yet found the Truth, had not yet seen it clearly in order to desire it! Human sciences, the invention of the fallen human mind, became the subject of my attention: I rushed towards them with all the strength of my soul, vague religious pursuits and sensations remained on the sidelines. Almost two years passed in earthly pursuits: a terrible emptiness was born and already grew in my soul, hunger appeared, an unbearable longing for God appeared. I began to mourn my negligence, to mourn the oblivion to which I betrayed faith, to mourn the sweet silence that I lost, to mourn the emptiness that I acquired, which burdened me, terrified me, filling me with a feeling of orphanhood, deprivation of life! And for sure - it was the languor of a soul that had moved away from its true life, God. I remember walking through the streets of St. Petersburg in a cadet’s uniform, and tears were pouring from my eyes... My concepts were already more mature, I was looking for definition in religion. Unaccountable religious feelings did not satisfy me; I wanted to see what was true, clear, the truth. At that time, various religious ideas occupied and worried the northern capital, bickering and fighting among themselves. My heart did not like either side, it did not trust them, it feared them. In stern thoughts, I took off my cadet's uniform and put on the officer's uniform. I regretted the cadet’s uniform: in it, when coming to the church of God, I could stand in a crowd of soldiers, in a crowd of common people, pray and cry as much as my heart desired. The young man had no time for fun, no time for entertainment! The world did not present anything attractive to me: I was so cold towards it, as if the world had no temptations at all! It’s as if they didn’t exist for me: my mind was completely immersed in science and at the same time burned with the desire to find out where the true faith lies, where the true teaching about it lies, alien to errors, both dogmatic and moral.” 36 St. Demetrius of Prilutsky (first half of the 14th century -1392) - “postnik and interlocutor” of St. Sergius of Radonezh, heavenly patron of the Vologda land, founder of a number of monasteries, including Vologda Spaso-Prilutsky (1371), where his holy relics rest. In August 1992, an international conference was held in Vologda in connection with the 600th anniversary of the death of St. Demetrius, one of whose days was dedicated to St. Ignatius and took place in the Pokrovskoye estate. Patriarch Alexy II took part in the work of this meeting, visiting the estate, church and cemetery of the village. Pokrovsky. The date of birth is indicated inaccurately; in the metric book of the Intercession Church for 1807 it is stated: “On the 5th day of February, the son of Dimitri was born, on the 6th he was prayed for and on the 9th baptized in the village of Pokrovsky by Lieutenant Alexander Semenov from his wife Sofia Afanasyevna.” (Sokolov. 4.1. P. 36.). Also in a letter to N.V. Golousheva, St. Ignatius wrote: “February 5th is my birthday.” (Collected letters. 1995. P. 602). The village of Pokrovskoye is the cradle and primary school of St. Ignatius, the site of the family necropolis of many generations of the Brianchaninovs. The attraction of the estate is a three-story manor house in the style of early classicism and a huge park with linden and fir alleys. The estate has survived to this day; for 75 years it housed the Pokrovskoye tuberculosis sanatorium. In 2000, the estate was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Vologda diocese. Alexander Semenovich Brianchaninov (May 7, 1784 – April 19, 1875) – father of St. Ignatius. In 1797 he was assigned to the Imperial Corps of Pages, and in 1802 he was released into the Alexander Hussar Regiment as a cornet. In subsequent years he served in the Vologda province, in 1814–1818. - leader of the nobility of the Gryazovets district. In 1825, he retired, lived and died on the family estate - the village of Pokrovskoye, having outlived almost all his children, and was buried in the family necropolis near the church he built. “According to eyewitnesses, Alexander Semenovich always stood until the end of the liturgy and after that carried the prosphora given to him in his hands with his head uncovered to his home. Of course, the distance is small, but the technique and custom are characteristic” (Sokolov. 4. 1. P. 21). The Brianchaninov family belongs to the oldest noble families of the Russian state. Some researchers consider the founder of the family to be boyar Mikhail Bryanko (14th century), a squire. book Dmitry Donskoy, who sacrificed his life for the prince during the Battle of Kulikovo. Representatives of the family faithfully served the Fatherland: they defended legitimate power during the Time of Troubles at the beginning of the 17th century, in the war with Poland (1654–1667) under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, served under Peter I, defended Russia in 1812 and in subsequent times. Sofya Afanasyevna Bryanchaninova (1786 - July 25, 1832) - mother of St. Ignatius. She raised 9 children, loved her eldest son Dimitri most of all, distinguishing him for his intelligence and beauty. She died in the arms of her beloved son, at that time the abbot of the Pelshem Lopotov Monastery, guided by his prayers. She was buried in the family necropolis. All the time he lived in the village. In Pokrovsky, he constantly maintained, at his full expense, a parish two-year school, in which up to 50 peasant children studied. Brothers and sisters: Alexandra (b. 1808), married – Zhandre. Peter (1809 – June 25, 1891). Sofia (b. 1810), married to Boborykina. Mikhail (Aug. 23, 1811 – Jan. 17, 1887). Elizaveta (b. 1813), married to Parensova. Alexander (May 1, 1814 – April 7, 1835). Semyon (December 3, 1815 – December 7, 1863). Maria (b. 1817), married to Kupreyanova. The deeply Orthodox upbringing of children definitely affected their fate. Of the five sons who lived to adulthood, only Semyon Alexandrovich remained in the world until the end of his life. It was mentioned above about Peter, Michael became a monk in the Optina Hermitage, Alexander died in his youth, before his death he was tonsured a monk by his brother-archimandrite and buried in the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage. The Church in honor of the Intercession of the Mother of God in the Bryanchaninovs' estate was built in 1810 by the diligence of the owner Alexander Semenovich before the estate house. During the years of Soviet power, it was destroyed almost to the ground. Currently, it has been restored and an Orthodox community has been created in Pokrovskoye. Mansvetov G.I. School of piety or examples of Christian virtues selected from the lives of saints: In 6 hours St. Petersburg, 1813–1818. More than 20 editions were published, the last one – M., 1998. 4. 1–2. T. 1. Ascetic. experiments. P. 553. The Main Engineering School was created in 1819 and trained officers of the engineering troops. Since 1855, officer classes were transformed into the Nikolaev Engineering Academy. It was located in the Mikhailovsky (Engineering) Castle. This period in the life of Dimitri Alexandrovich and Mikhail 4 Ikhachev is described in N. S. Leskov’s story “Unmercenary Engineers” (1887). This year, 130 competitors applied for 30 vacancies. Of their number, the Bryanchaninov not only became the first in the exam, but he was the only one who satisfied the requirements of the program for admission to the 2nd conductor class. Nikolai Pavlovich Romanov (1796–1855) - Russian Emperor from 1825 to 1855. In 1817 he was appointed inspector general of the engineering unit, in 1819, at his insistence, the Main Engineering School was opened, he himself annually selected boarders. Having chosen Dimitry Alexandrovich, he clearly showed him merciful attention and patronage. Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova (Frederica-Louise-Charlotte-Wilhelmina, 1798–1860) – wife of the Emperor. Nicholas I. In a very short time, Brianchaninov became the 1st student in his class and retained this place in science until he left school. Alexey Nikolaevich Olenin (1763–1843) – archaeologist, historian, director of the Imperial Public Library. His literary salon on the embankment. Fontanka, 165 (according to modern numbering 101) during the years of study, Dimitry Alexandrovich was also regularly visited by the Muravyov brothers. The future saint developed friendly relations with all four brothers, and over the years he became not only a friend, but also a spiritual mentor for Mikhail Nikolaevich and Nikolai Nikolaevich. He had a particularly close relationship with Nikolai Nikolaevich Muravyov-Karsky, as evidenced by their twenty-year correspondence: Ignatius (Brianchaninov). The future of Russia is in the hands of Divine Providence: Letters to N. N. Muravyov-Karsky: Ed. for the first time. On the history of the Brianchaninov family. M., 1998. 143 p. “In his youth, while still an engineer, an engineering officer, often being in the circle of modern writers and taking advantage of the special favor of one of them, Gnedich, the Right Reverend Ignatius accepted as a rule and often repeated Gnedich’s advice: that works written before the age of forty, without any exception, be considered decisively unfinished, in the conviction that from these only years sufficient maturity of mind, experience and taste can be recognized in the author, and therefore Everything that came from the pen before the age of forty should not be published in print, but should be left until the mentioned period of life, during which, having revised the work, forward it and then pronounce your judgment on it - either send it to print or destroy it. This rule, which the Right Reverend Ignatius adhered to, serves as an explanation of why, speaking about his writings, he considers everything written by him before the age of forty as non-existent, and those written by him at the age of forty, he recognizes as immature relative to the real spiritual height of his understanding” (Note by P. A. Brianchaninov, printed on the book: Collected Letters. 1995. P. 845). Agafoklea Markovna Sukhareva is the sister of A.N. Olenin’s wife, nee Poltoratskaya, a relative of Sofia Afanasyevna Bryanchaninova. A prominent public figure and philanthropist, chairman of the Women's Board of Trustees for Prisons and the St. Petersburg Women's Patriotic Society. T.1. Ascetic. experiments. pp. 553–554.