Letter to A.P. Bashutsky

Dear Alexander Pavlovich! I am very grateful to you for the description of the Sergius Hermitage you sent, I will look forward to the description of the Zelenetsky Monastery. As for Valaam, I have the same idea regarding its description that you develop in your letter, for which I have already made an order. With the onset of spring, reptiles come to life and crawl out of their holes, in which they were in a state of torpor during the winter; the same thing happens to me. Every morning, if the weather is good, I go to the farm, especially for exercise and to breathe fresh air. The trees you planted have mostly taken root and are beginning to bloom, and the lawn parallelograms you cut are beginning to turn green. Every time I go to the monastery, I see your work and remember you. Also, all the brothers often remember you, especially Plato. The project for rebuilding the northern façade of our monastery, especially the project for the St. Sergius Church, was done very successfully by Gornostaev; however, whether it will be fulfilled remains unknown 1 . A church built according to such a design, being itself an imitation of the basilicas built by Constantine the Great, could be exemplary, in terms of its internal layout, for monastery churches intended for long services. Take the trouble to convey my greetings in the Lord to Maria Andreevna 2. Invoking God's blessing on you and this sister, I have the honor to be Archimandrite Ignatius May 13. Printed from an autograph stored in the RO IRLI (F. 34 (S. O. Burachok). Op. 2. Item 258. L. 12). Published for the first time. Dated by content. Fulfilling the order of the spiritual Consistory of February 12, 1852, St. Ignatius began to create a work, subsequently entitled “An Archaeological Description of Antiquities Found in 1853 in the Monasteries of the St. Petersburg Diocese” (published in this collection of works, vol. 3). Analysis of the archives of the Sergius Hermitage, as well as visits to other monasteries in the summer of 1852 to collect materials from St. Ignatius entrusted it to the famous writer, who became a novice of the Sergius Hermitage, A.P. Bashutsky. It is clear from the letter that Bashutsky successfully carried out this assignment; the result of his work was his own book “Tikhvin Monasteries”, published in St. Petersburg in 1854. About Bashutsky’s unsuccessful business trip to the Valaam Monastery, see this edition, vol. 3. p. 450–453. This letter most likely dates back to 1853 - in the spring of this year Bashutsky left Sergius Hermitage, about which St. Ignatius, in particular, reported to Abbot Damascene on March 8, 1853 (see this edition, vol. 3, p. 453). It also follows from the letter that Bashutsky, during his stay at the monastery, diligently fulfilled the obedience of a gardener. The reasons for his departure are unknown, but it is clear that St. Ignatius and the brethren remember the novice Alexander with warm feeling. Alexander Pavlovich Bashutskii (1803–1876) – prose writer, publicist, journalist, publisher. A man of extraordinary destiny, he had versatile talents and abilities. He entered the history of literature as the founder of the almanac “Ours, Copied from Life by Russians” (1841–1842), in which he attracted famous contemporary writers to participate. In the 1830s–40s. Bashutsky published a number of magazines, setting himself the goal of “extracting only good and nutritious things from everywhere for the fatherland.” He is the author of the autobiographical novel “The Bourgeois” (St. Petersburg, 1840), the hero of which breaks with his circle, striving to live according to Christian commandments. In literary and secular circles, Bashutsky was famous as a talented storyteller. His brilliant career was cut short in 1849, when he was dismissed from service on slanderous charges of embezzlement. Bashutsky sought a way out of the crisis in monasticism: in 1850 he entered the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage as a novice; At the same time, his wife accepted obedience in the Tikhvin Monastery. However, the spiritual self-determination of Alexander Pavlovich was not easy: from the Hermitage he moved to the Cheremenets Monastery, where he spent only a week; there is information about his short stay in the Optina Hermitage, in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, which he left around 1854. Realizing that monasticism was not his path, Bashutsky over the next two decades labored in the world in a wide variety of spiritual and church fields. He was a charter member and board member of the First Missionary Society (1865–1869). He painted an icon, which he called “The Millennium of Russia”. He composed edifying brochures. Collaborating in the magazines “Home Conversation”, “Northern Bee” and others, Bashutsky became one of the few secular journalists who openly spoke out in defense of the Church and monasticism. Contemporaries captured his appearance: “in a semi-monastic dress, in a black cap with a visor, glasses and a long gray beard.” He was buried in St. Petersburg at the Volnovoe cemetery. Preparation of the text, publication and notes by A. M. Lyubomudrov. Architect A. M. Gornostaev in 1854 began rebuilding the church of St. Sergius of Radonezh of the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage in the style of early Byzantine basilicas. The main chapel of the built church was consecrated in 1859. Maria Andreevna Bashutskaya (1810–1882) - the wife of A.P. Bashutsky, who in 1850 entered the Tikhvin Monastery as a novice - this is probably why St. Ignatius calls her the “sister” of his addressee. You might be interested in: