Житие преподобного отца нашего Пафнутия Боровского 2862

The Monk Paphnutius was the grandson of the Baskak Tatar. When, for the sins of the Russian people, the Tatar Tsar Batu 2863 with his numerous army came to our land, by God’s permission, then, having devastated it with sword and fire, captivating the cities, destroying the churches of God with their shrines and cutting down the Russian princes and leaders like trees or ears of corn, he installed Tatar rulers in it, called Baskaks 2864. The grandfather of the Monk Paphnutius was such a Basque. During one Russian uprising against the Tatars, Paphnutius’s grandfather was forced to be baptized and was named Martin. The new follower of Christ, distinguished by his piety, had a son, John, who, upon reaching adulthood, married the maiden Photinia. John and Photinia lived in their ancestral village of Kudinov, about four versts from Borovsk 2865. From this couple, pious and poverty-loving, the Monk Paphnutius was born around 1395, named Parthenius in holy baptism. Developing and growing physically, Parthenius at the same time improved spiritually. Successful in studying literacy and especially in reading Divine books, the youth also learned good morals: meekness, kindness, chastity. Willingly imitating virtuous people, he quickly avoided communication with empty people. When Parthenius was twenty years old, he left his father’s house, the sweet love of his parents, relatives and friends; renounces everything worldly and enters the High Intercession Monastery near the city of Borovsk 2866. From Markell, the abbot of this monastery, Parthenius took monastic vows with the name Paphnutius and was placed under the guidance of the elderly monk Nikita, a former student of St. Sergius 2867. For seven years the Monk Paphnutius was in obedience to the pious elder and learned from him monastic virtues. He gained the common love and respect of his brethren. When Abbot Markell died, the Monk Paphnutius was elected rector of the High Monastery, after long and urgent requests from the brethren and Prince Simeon Vladimirovich of Borovsk. He received dedication from the hands of the All-Russian Metropolitan Saint Photius 2868. The new abbot added to the exploits of the monk the care of a good and skillful shepherd of the verbal sheep of Christ and their vigilant guardian. In his life he showed an image to his flock. He worked unceasingly for the Lord, day and night. The day was spent on performing monastic work; spent the night in prayer. The Lord adorned His faithful servant with prudence, insight, wondrous revelations and other gifts of the Holy Spirit. The omniscient God gave the Monk Paphnutius the ability to recognize hidden spiritual passions and infirmities from a human face and gaze, and revealed other things to the saint in a dream. Here is a story that clearly confirms both. One brother, sent to a village for monastic needs, fell into carnal sin there. On the night of his fall, the saint, following the usual rule, bowed down to sleep a little, and saw the following dream. The monk dreamed of a wonderful garden with beautiful fruit trees. He looked at them with a joyful and amazed gaze and especially admired one tree, which was distinguished by its amazing beauty. Suddenly, before his eyes, the tree was torn out and fell to the ground. The monk, having forgotten about the beauty of the other trees, was very saddened by the sudden fall of the beautiful tree. He walked up to him, picked him up and sat him down in the same place. To prevent the tree from drying out, he covered it with manure and trampled the earth around it. It took the saint a long time to establish the uprooted tree. When he woke up, he understood the meaning of the vision and was very sad. A beautiful garden meant his abode. Beautiful fruit trees are his brothers. A tree that was torn out and fell signified a fallen brother, requiring special work from the father superior to install and establish him in his place. When the sinner, having completed the work of his obedience, returned to the monastery and appeared before his abbot, then, repenting of his sin to him, he was embarrassed and his face was covered with a thick blush of shame. The monk asked his brother if anything unfortunate had happened to him on the way. The fallen man became even more ashamed and did not dare to confess his sin before the abbot; I couldn't even look him in the eye. Seeing such confusion of the student, the saint told him his dream, and, like a good spiritual doctor, insisted that he reveal to him the inner ulcer of his soul. After much persuasion from the abbot, the monk who had sinned repented. The monk for a long time gave him spiritual healing befitting his spiritual ulcer, consoled him, who was prone to despair, with hope in God’s mercy, and ultimately led the sinner to perfect correction. This is how the monk cared for his brethren: like a skilled doctor, he healed their spiritual infirmities, like a good shepherd, he pulled a sheep out of the wolf’s mouth and took it on his shoulders, and like a strong man, he bore the infirmities of the weak. The Monk Paphnutius served as abbot for thirteen years at the High Monastery. Then he became very ill for a long time and during his illness he accepted the schema. Upon recovery, he left the abbess and retired with one brother to a high, very beautiful place, overgrown with dense forest on the banks of two rivers, three miles from Borovsk 2869. This place belonged not to Borovsk, but to Sukhodolsk region. The settlement of the Monk Paphnutius in a new place took place around 1440. The brethren began to come to him here, set up cells for themselves with his blessing and live under his saving leadership. The monastery grew and the brethren multiplied. The monks prayed to their mentor for permission to build a church. And since the monk did not forbid them to do this, they erected a wooden church in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The church was consecrated by order of the Moscow Metropolitan, Saint Jonah. It must be said that the saint, as a humble schemamonk, did not celebrate liturgy in his new monastery. And only once before his death, on the day of the Holy Resurrection of Christ, when they did not find a priest and at great expense, he performed the liturgy with much attention and tenderness. “Now my soul barely remains in me,” he said to his disciples after completing it. The devil, who hates goodness, incited some people to cause trouble for the monk and harm his newly built monastery. But the monk conquered evil with good and overcame everything with his patience. The offender of the Monk Paphnutius was the then Prince of Borovsk, Vasily Yaroslavich 2870. Seeing the decline and impoverishment of the High Borovskaya monastery abandoned by the saint, as well as the prosperity and multiplication of the new one, located outside his principality, Prince Vasily was very angry with the saint and devised means to expel the monk from here. But since he could not do this openly in a foreign principality, he began to pursue the ascetic in secret. Many times he sent his violent servants to set fire to the abode he hated on all sides. And every time, seeing the work of the Monk Paphnutius and his disciples, the servants returned empty-handed to their prince. Among the servants of the Borovsky prince was a newly baptized Tatar named Ermolai. When Prince Vasily gave him the order to set fire to the monastery of the monk, this barbarian hurried with joy. The monk, having met the Tatar, affectionately called him by name and asked why he had come. Such friendliness of the saint instantly transformed Yermolai’s bestial disposition. He repented of his evil intent and frankly explained why he was sent. Then, having asked for forgiveness and blessing, he left without doing anything bad to the monastery of the monk. At this time, by God's permission, the wicked Tsar Mamotyak 2871 unexpectedly invaded Russia with many Tatars. Grand Duke Vasily Vasilyevich 2872 and other Russian princes, not having time to gather sufficient troops, met the godless Tatars at Suzdal 2873. A battle took place in which the Tatars defeated the Russians and took many prisoners, including the Grand Duke. Among the prisoners was Prince Vasily Yaroslavich of Borovsk, who was at enmity with the monk. While in captivity, the prince repented of his sinful anger towards the Monk Paphnutius and prayed to God for his release from captivity through his prayers. Meanwhile, the unforgiving ascetic also fervently prayed for the release of the prince. The prayer of the saint of God was heard: Prince Vasily escaped from captivity harmlessly. Upon returning to his homeland, he immediately came to the monastery of his prayer book and received forgiveness and blessing from him. From then on, the prince had great faith in the Monk Paphnutius. The monk was not only kind when insulted, but also amazingly patient in needs, always unshakably believing in God's help. Once the Easter holiday was approaching, and there was no fish at all in the monastery. The brethren and monastery ministers were very saddened by this and even grumbled at the saint. “Do not grieve about this, brethren, and do not anger God,” the monk told them, “the all-merciful Master, who created us and enlightened the whole world with His uprising (from the dead), will comfort us, His servants, in our sorrow and will give abundant blessings to those who fear Him.” Such hope in the All-Good and All-Wise Provider was not slow to bear its wonderful fruit. On the evening of Holy Saturday, shortly before Bright Night, the sexton went to a small spring to draw water for the liturgy and saw countless fish, called “sizhki” in the local dialect, slightly larger in size than herrings. At that time there was a flood of water, and there were as many of them as never before. The sexton hastened to tell the saint about this. The monk glorified God and commanded the fishermen to cast their nets. And they caught so many of these fish that the whole monastery had enough of them for the entire Bright Week, both for lunch and dinner. The glory of the great exploits of the Monk Paphnutius spread far and wide and attracted lovers of monastic piety more and more to his holy monastery. There were many highly virtuous people among them. Such are, for example, the Monk Joseph, who was tonsured into monasticism by the hands of the saint and was later the founder of the Volokolamsk monastery, the elder Innocent, Isaiah, nicknamed Black, a relative of the saint, Vassian, the writer of his life, who was later the Archbishop of Rostov, and others. The monk was a living example of an ascetic for warfare. He was a strict faster: he ate nothing on Mondays and Fridays, on Wednesdays he allowed himself only dry food and ate very moderately on other days at a common meal. “His food,” says the saint’s disciple, “was to please the brethren.” He chose the worst for himself, both in food and in everything related to amenities. The clothes: a robe, duckweed made from sheepskin, and shoes were not suitable for any beggar. The whole life of the Monk Paphnutius was continuous work in the sweat of his brow, feat, suffering and prayer. No one before him had come either to the general prayer rule or to work. He carried out the most difficult obediences with zeal: he chopped and carried firewood, dug the ground and watered the plants in the garden. In winter, he spent his time reading and weaving fishing nets. A constant enemy of idleness, the ascetic was from his mother’s womb a faithful, impeccable friend of virginity. In the name of chastity, he did not allow anyone to touch his body, and he not only did not allow women into the monastery, but did not want to see them from afar; He did not even allow women and nobles to approach the gates of his monastery, and he strictly forbade the brethren from any talk about them. The monk was distinguished by his teaching ability. He willingly talked with both monks and laymen. His speech was always simple and pleasant. The ascetic was alien to people-pleasing - he never flattered his interlocutor; He was not ashamed of the face of a prince or boyar, was not softened by the offerings of the rich, but always spoke the truth, according to God’s law, according to His holy commandments. He also spoke to the simple people, calling them brethren, and no one ever left sorrowful after his conversation. For many, secrets of the heart were revealed here, previously inaccessible. Some conversations of the Monk Paphnutius were recorded by Elder Dosifei Toporkov, nephew of the Monk Joseph of Volokolamsk. Let us present their contents. The ascetic told the brethren about the great grief of 1327. The wrath of the Lord then turned on the Russian land for human sins, and great sorrow arose in cities and villages. An ulcer appeared in a person, and after three days death occurred. Many people died without help: there was no one to help the sick, because everyone had their own dead person who needed to be buried and mourned. Fear and trembling fell upon the people. The pious, those who feared God, turned to repentance, took tonsure and went to the Lord in peace. But others, insensitive, not fearing the wrath of God or wanting to forget themselves, in despair, indulged in terrible drunkenness and drank even when they were already sick; some died among their feasting friends, and they shoved the deceased, thinking that he was drunk. Many people died during this epidemic; the property of the deceased was lying around, and no one wanted to take it: the survivors took only gold and silver. The monk diligently taught his listeners to do alms, this queen of virtues. He pointed to examples of poverty-loving people who received rewards beyond the grave: the Moscow Grand Duke John Daniilovich Kalita 2874, who distributed alms to the poor without refusal; for one Mohammedan, whom the Lord delivered from hellish torment for his many alms. “Alms alone can save a person if he lives lawfully,” said the monk. One merciful man died, and another had a revelation about his afterlife fate. The deceased was brought to the river of fire, and on the other side of the river was paradise - a wonderful place, bright and green, a beautiful garden. But the human soul cannot cross the terrible river in any way. And now many beggars come, having received his alms; they lie down as a bridge across the river, and the merciful man crosses the bridge to heaven. To this story the monk adds that the souls of the righteous are carried to heaven by Angels, but the Lord revealed the fate of the righteous soul in this form for our understanding. When the brethren of the monastery multiplied, the saint, with their assistance, built a stone church. Throughout its construction, he himself worked as a simple worker, carrying stone, water and everything necessary for the construction on his shoulders. Having erected the church, the monk decorated it with iconography and invited the best painters to do this, who painted it “wonderfully.” The monk decorated the church with icons, books and all kinds of church utensils, so that even the princes, accustomed to church splendor, were amazed. Constituting the animated church himself, the Monk Paphnutius was adorned by God with miraculous grace, manifested in healings, insight, revelations and other gifts of the Holy Spirit. Here are some of the miracles of the ascetic. A skilled icon painter, layman Dionysius, invited by the monk to paint the monastery’s church, was unable to work due to leg illness. The holy elder told him: “Dionysius! God bless you, begin a good work; The Lord and Most Pure Mother of God will give health to your feet.” The icon painter, firmly believing the words of the monk, joyfully set to work and healed. The Holy Father commanded this same Dionysius and other lay icon painters not to eat meat in the monastery, but to eat it in the nearest village. For some time they fulfilled this commandment. Then they forgot and brought a boiled lamb thigh stuffed with eggs to their monastery for dinner. When Dionysius was the first of them to taste it, he found many worms in the filling and was forced to throw the forbidden food to the dogs. Suddenly he fell ill with sverbezh 2875. At one hour, Dionysius’s entire body seemed like one continuous scab, and he could not move. Then the sick man immediately sent to the monk, asking him to accept his repentance and give him forgiveness. The saint, commanding Dionysius not to do anything forbidden in future, led him to church, where all the brethren were gathered. After performing the conciliar prayer service, the monk blessed the water and ordered the sick person to wash his entire sick body with it. As soon as Dionysius did this, he fell asleep for a while. Then, upon awakening, I felt completely healthy, as if I had never been sick. His scabs fell off like scales, and he glorified God. The monastery of the Monk Paphnutius was surrounded by a dense forest in which many birds lived. Black-feathered crows were found here in abundance, making nests near the monastery. Looking at them, the monk admired them and gave the commandment not to catch or destroy them. Meanwhile, one day the son of the city governor was passing by the monastery of St. Paphnutius and, seeing a flock of ravens, pulled a bow and killed one of them. The young man was delighted, but soon felt that his head, turned to the side, remained motionless in such an unnatural position. Sorrow and horror replaced joy and self-satisfaction in his heart. At the same time, the consciousness of the real cause of the disaster that happened to him appeared in the young man’s soul, and after this, repentance. Overwhelmed by him, the son of the governor quickly went to the monk and, falling at his feet, asked for forgiveness and his holy prayers before the Lord for his healing. The ascetic ordered the beater to be struck and went to church. Surprised by the untimely sound of the bell, the monks quickly gathered in the church and asked the saint about the reason for the extraordinary ringing. The monk said with a smile: “God avenged the blood of the raven.” Having then performed a prayer service and overshadowed the suffering young man with the holy cross, the ascetic turned to him with the words: “By the power of the Honest and Life-giving Cross, turn forward.” And immediately his head took a natural position. Another young man released a hawk at the raven. But the hawk, having killed the raven, itself fell dead. Thus the hunter lost his fun. One night, thieves came to the monastery of the monk and, having captured three working monastery oxen, grazing in the surrounding forest, they wanted to take them to their home. And suddenly they got lost and walked like blind people around the monastery. When morning came, the thieves wanted to run away without the oxen. But the invisible power of God bound them, and they could not move away from the stolen cattle until the monastic workers who were looking for it found them and then brought them to the monk. He, having given them instructions not to appropriate someone else’s property, ordered the thieves to be fed and let them go in peace. Two monks agreed to leave the monastery secretly and had already collected their things. But God revealed this to the monk in a dream. After morning singing, he bent down to rest a little and had the following dream. The black Ethiopian took burning brands from his cell stove and threw them at the cells of these disciples. The saint threateningly forbade him to do this, saying that in this way he would set the monastery on fire. But the Ethiopian answered him that that was why he was throwing the firebrands. Waking up, the monk understood the meaning of the dream and immediately sent for these monks. When the ascetic told them the dream he had seen, frightened and at the same time touched by the saint’s story, they showed him the things they had collected, confessed their sin and asked for forgiveness. One grumbling brother, who blasphemed everything that happened in the monastery and the saint himself, had the following vision in a dream: as if he was standing in the middle of the church with those singing; suddenly the holy father comes into it and, looking at him angrily, says: “This one is a blasphemer: take him out of the church.” And immediately two black Ethiopians grabbed him, dragged him out and beat him severely. Waking up, the brother felt great fear, and with tears in his eyes he hurried to the monk to ask for his forgiveness. There was a pious elder in his monastery named Constantine. Having fallen ill, he died. At the moment of his death, which was still unknown to anyone, the monk Joseph approached the door of the cell of the Monk Paphnutius, who was resting after the morning doxology, and wanted to perform the Jesus Prayer according to monastic custom. Suddenly the monk opened the window and, seeing Joseph, said: “Someone said a prayer and said: Elder Constantine has gone to the Lord. “When I woke up and opened the window, I didn’t see anyone except you coming.” – I just left Konstantin’s. He's still alive. But the saint ordered the disciple to go to Constantine’s cell. Arriving there, Joseph actually found him dead. The Monk Paphnutius had the gift of perspicacity: he recognized by the monk’s face what passion he was overcome with, whether he fulfilled the prayer rule assigned for the day or not; I even recognized the secret and long-standing sins of people whom I saw for the first time. One new monk, who lived with the monk and had not yet overcome his passions, left the monastery due to some need. On the way he met lay people, including women. Looking at them, the monk was seduced by the lusty female gaze and settled on a sinful thought. Returning to the saint’s cell, the sinner found him reading. The monk looked at his disciple, immediately found him confused by unclean thoughts and, turning his face away from him, made it clear that he knew his sin. Frightened by such insight, the brother reported it to his cellmate Joseph. He ordered him to confess his sin to the monk and ask for forgiveness. When the monk fulfilled this, he received forgiveness and fatherly instruction. One day, also while the saints were reading Divine Scripture, a man approached his cell, said a prayer and, looking at the saint through the window, asked about his disciple Joseph, to whom the man who came was a fellow countryman. Seeing a complete stranger, the holy elder said to Joseph: - Get out! The husband asked you with an angry look. The student went out and, seeing his friend, asked him why he had come. He answered: Joseph told the holy abbot about his desire, but he said: - Having drunk, let this person go, because he is unkind. Joseph was surprised by this answer, but did not dare to ask. Having fulfilled the will of the monk, he returned to his cell. Then the saint himself said to Joseph: - This husband is a murderer. While still a young man, he stabbed one monk in the stomach and killed him. But that was a long time ago, and he forgot about his sin. Joseph was amazed by these words: he had never heard about this sin of his friend. A certain monk came to the monastery of the monk. The ascetic, seeing him, quietly said to his disciples: – Do you see that even for the sake of the monastic rite you were not cleansed of blood? The disciples were surprised, but were afraid to ask the monk about the meaning of these words. However, later the elder himself explained them: “This monk,” said the saint, “being a layman, poisoned the prince whom he served in Novgorod.” Tormented by his conscience, he became a monk. 2876 The noblewoman, the wife of Alexei Gaburin, had special respect and faith for the saint and often sent her children to him with gifts, asking for his prayers and blessings. Due to the devil's action, she fell into illness and often saw many demons that frightened her. Then a hunched over and short old man with a large gray beard and poor clothes appeared to her. The elder powerfully drove away the demons, and after that she became healthy. One day the patient heard a voice telling her: “Paphnutius, who is in Borovsk, drives away demons from you.” This happened to the noblewoman many times. Some time passed, she completely recovered and wished to see the saint to find out whether he really appeared to her and drove away demons. The noblewoman came with her servants to the monastery. But since the monastery was not accessible to women, stopping at its gates, she sent her servants to the disciples of the blessed one with a request about how she could see the monk. The monks, showing the holy elder to the servants, ordered them to show him to their mistress when he went out with the brethren to the meal, since dinner time was approaching. But the noblewoman, before any indication, seeing the monk, immediately recognized him as the elder who had appeared to her and cried out with tears: “Truly this is the one who, by his appearance, drove away demons from me and gave me healing.” Then, having given thanks to God, His Most Pure Mother and the Monk Paphnutius, she sent alms. One of the monk’s disciples had an eye pain. The patient, suffering greatly, searched intensely for a doctor. The saint gave him his rosary and ordered him to say the Jesus Prayer a thousand times. But forced by intense suffering, the patient barely fulfilled half of the ordered number. Having said the prayer half a thousand times and noticing the healing of his eye, the monk, out of joy, hastened to the monk to inform him of his recovery. But the perspicacious elder again ordered the disciple to return to himself to complete the commanded number of prayers. Pious laymen told the monk and the brothers sitting in his cell about the resignation of the archimandrite by the then archimandrite of the Simonov Monastery near Moscow. With this news, a conversation began about who would now be Simonov’s archimandrite. One named so-and-so, the other called something else. The saint, looking at his very young newly tonsured student, named Vassian, the brother of the Monk Joseph (his future biography writer), and pointing to him, said with a smile: “This one is Simonov’s archimandrite.” These words of the saint revealed his insight into a more distant future. Many years later, Vassian was indeed the archimandrite of the Simonov Monastery 2877. Once the monk begged one prince to fish for three days in one place on the Oka River, so that everything caught would go to the benefit of the monastery. Sending one of the servants to this fishing, the ascetic ordered to give him five hryvnia 2878 money to buy vessels in which to salt the fish caught at the appointed time. The servant did not take so much money, not even hoping to fill one small vessel with fish. The monk looked at him angrily and ordered him to do as he was ordered. Then the messenger went and in three days caught 730 large fish. The prince’s fishermen did not catch that many all summer. Anticipating a miraculous catch, the saint ordered to buy so many vessels. One young man, having become a monk, was subjected to the tempting influence of the devil. The primordial enemy of people appeared to him in different images: sometimes in the form of an unknown beast or a black dog, and sometimes, while the monk was sitting in his cell, like a bear he walked around the cell and hit its walls. The elder ordered the young monk to read the Psalter in front of him. As soon as the young man fulfilled the order of the saint, the demonic dreams completely disappeared, and he was freed from terrible ghosts. There were seers among the disciples of the Monk Paphnutius. Such was the tear-jerking monk Euthymius. This ascetic, who shed tears of prayerful tenderness not only in his cell, but also in church at every rule, received from God the gift of clairvoyance, which manifested itself one day in this way. The two brothers had love between themselves not according to God, but worldly. And since the monk was very indignant with them for this, they thought of leaving secretly from the monastery. Standing during the liturgy with his usual tearful emotion, Euthymius looked at the holy father and those singing with him, among whom were these two brothers. And then he sees an Ethiopian with a sharp helmet on his head jump out from behind them. The demon held an iron hook in his hands. Hooking the clothes of sinful monks with a hook, he pulled them out of the choir and, drawing them to him, wanted to grab them with his own hands. But as soon as he brought them closer to him, the iron hook bounced off. This meant that when two sinners were inclined to accept the idea planted in them by the enemy to leave the monastery and not obey their father, the enemy easily attracted them to himself, but when they resisted this thought, the demonic weapon was powerless and bounced away. Looking at this, the seer penetrated with spiritual eyes into what was happening in their souls. During the reading of the Gospel and during the Cherubim, the Ethiopian disappeared. At the end of them he appeared again. When the consecration of the Holy Gifts and a fair hymn to the Most Holy Theotokos came, 2879 then the Ethiopian disappeared like smoke, and did not appear again. The perspicacious elder stood in awe and ecstasy throughout the liturgy, and then told the Monk Paphnutius about his vision. The monk called sinners and commanded them to fight sinful thoughts and purge them from their hearts. After the instruction and admonition of the saint, both monks corrected themselves. The holy life of the Monk Paphnutius, his prudence and experience in every matter, Divine and human, made it so that not only monks, but also many lay people chose him as their spiritual father. Nobles and commoners, rich and poor, virtuous and sinful, came to him, as to a skilled doctor, and everyone received useful advice and proper penances. The saint had no partiality in welcoming those who came. Without fearing the strong and not sparing the proud, the ascetic was very kind to the humble. The Monk Joseph of Volokolamsk writes about his teacher the Monk Paphnutius that, when necessary, he was merciful and condescending, but at times he was harsh and angry, if necessary. The saint's spiritual children revered and feared him. Georgy Vasilyevich, Prince Dmitrovsky, said that when he went to confession to the monk, his knees buckled. But the spiritual children, having chosen the monk as their father, did not break off communication with him even beyond the grave. Once, having dozed off on the threshold of the church before matins, the monk saw in a dream that the gates of the monastery opened and a multitude of people with candles entered, heading towards the church, and in the middle was Prince Georgy Vasilyevich. Arriving at the church, the prince bowed to her, then to his spiritual father. The monk asked him: - Son and prince! Have you already passed away? - How do you feel there now? - asks the reverend. – Through your holy prayers, God gave me good. Especially because when I went to Aleksin against the godless Hagarians, I repented of all my sins to you 2880. At this time the bell began to ring for matins and the monk awoke. The monk was very merciful and loving of the poor. Preaching mercy in word, the ascetic practiced this virtue in practice. There was a severe famine in the Borovskaya country, and the monk diligently fed in his monastery the starving people who came from the surrounding villages. In this way, up to a thousand people gathered every day, even more, and the merciful ascetic depleted all the reserves of the monastery. The next year the Lord sent an increase in the fruits of the earth. The Monk Paphnutius lived to a ripe old age, 83 years old, of which 63 years he spent in monastic exploits. Having renounced all earthly pleasures, living only for God and for eternity, the monk could only free himself from everything temporary and move on to that eternal, prepared by God for those who love Him, which “eye has not seen, ear has not heard, and has not entered into the heart of man” (1 Cor. 2:9). The Lord revealed to the holy elder the day of his blessed death a whole week before, and the ascetic prepared to meet it peacefully and shamelessly. All these days, his disciple Innocent was with the saint, who left a description of the last days of the life of his holy teacher 2881. This happened in the spring of 1477, shortly after the feast of Holy Easter, which happened on April 6 that year. On Thursday of the third week of Easter (April 24), after Matins, the saint went out with Innocent to the pond, which he had dug himself. They noticed that water was flowing through the dam. The monk taught Innocent how to block the path of water; then he returned to the monastery in view of the time for the holy liturgy. When the elder left, the student asked him to come to work after lunch hour. In response to this, the saint said: “It is impossible for me to come, because I have another, more necessary and urgent matter.” After the liturgy, the holy elder had a meal with the brethren, then sent for Innocent and ordered him to go to the pond. Innocent went to the saint’s cell and, seeing his mentor sitting on his bed, reminded him of his work. “I have another need that you don’t know; the existing union wants to be resolved,” answered the saint. Innocent was so embarrassed by the elder’s words that, going out to work with the three brothers, he could not do anything. Returning to the monastery, the disciple found the ascetic again sitting on his bed. The elder ordered to convey to Prince Mikhail Andreevich 2882 that he should not come to the monastery, because another matter was ripe. On this day, the saint did not go to church for either the evening or post-evening services, but ordered Innocent to perform them in his cell. The brethren approached the saint’s cell to find out why he did not show up for the service. But the ascetic did not allow anyone to enter his room and asked everyone to gather the next morning. Dismissing the disciple, the ascetic told him: “On Thursday like this I will be freed from my weakness.” The saint spent the whole night in prayer. On the morning of Friday, April 25, the brethren of the monastery came to the monk to say goodbye and receive his blessing. There were then 95 monks in the monastery, and every one of them gathered to the sick ascetic, even the weak and blind. Having said goodbye to the brethren, the monk went to the liturgy, supported by his disciples. When one of them, no longer young, wanting to support the saint, took him by the palm, the monk angrily snatched his hand and ordered him to hold himself only by his clothes. This is what a careful guardian of dispassion he was: even in old age and illness, even before his death, he did not allow his body to be touched. The elder did not eat anything that day; I just asked for something to eat, that is, water with honey. Prince Mikhail Andreevich sent his deacon to find out what was wrong with the saint and why he did not order him to come to him. But the monk did not accept the message. He also did not accept the letter and money sent to the monastery from the Tver region. He was also at vespers that day. From weakness, the patient could barely stand and stood with his hands on the staff and his head bowed on them. Nevertheless, he diligently sang along with the brethren and remained after Vespers for the requiem, despite the fact that the brethren wanted to take him to his cell. “I need this requiem,” the monk told them, “I won’t hear it anymore.” On Saturday, the 26th, the sick elder also attended the holy liturgy. At the end of it, Innocent prepared some food for him and asked him to taste it, pointing out that it was Saturday and that he had not eaten since Thursday. But the saint refused food, saying: “And I know this: according to the Divine rules, it is appropriate to partake of permission on Saturday for the sake of fasting, however, a sick person should abstain from food for three days before communion of the Divine Mysteries.” This was the long-standing custom of the holy elder - to fast before communion of the Holy Mysteries and spend the whole week in silence. In the evening he confessed to the priest Isaiah. The laity continued to bother the sick ascetic, who was preparing for his death and directed all his thoughts towards God. Prince Michael again sent to the monastery, this time his spiritual father, priest John, and asked the saint for forgiveness and blessing for himself and his son John. Innocent conveyed the prince's request. After a short silence, the monk said: “I’m surprised at the prince why he sends: “Bless my son, Prince John.” Isn’t Prince Vasily his son? 2883 God knows, he has divided himself against himself; how can he find peace and blessing? “He has nothing to do with me, even if he was a prince.” These words were conveyed to the prince's confessor, but he still wanted to see the elder and for this he went to church for Vespers. The ascetic also went, but he hastily disappeared into the altar and remained there until the prince’s ambassador left the monastery. The monk also defended the all-night vigil, although supported by his disciples. Then he said to the brethren: “I won’t hear the all-night vigil from now on.” The monk prepared with prayer for communion of the great shrine, and as soon as it began to get light, he commanded the venerable Joseph to read the rule for communion. Having partaken of the life-giving Mysteries of Christ in the church during the Divine Liturgy on Sunday (April 27), the holy elder was brought to his cell. Again, the caring Innocent prepared him some food. The brethren urged him to refresh himself, and in order not to offend them, the monk ate a little and then gave the brethren what had been prepared for him. On that day, the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan Vasilyevich 2884, unknown how he learned about the illness of the Monk Paphnutius, sent an ambassador to him with a letter. When the student gave the ascetic the grand-ducal message, he said: - Return the message to the one who brought it - let him give it to the sender. Now I am no longer connected with the world in any way: I do not desire honor and have no fear of the powerful of the world. Innocent remarked to his mentor: – As for you, you told the truth; but for the sake of God, do something useful to us, do not insult the Grand Duke, do not anger him. “I tell you the truth: do not anger the One, then human wrath will have no time against you.” If you anger the One - Christ, no one can help you. And even if a person becomes angry, he will soften again. The student no longer dared to object to his mentor and returned the Grand Duke’s letter to the ambassador. The ambassador was also sent by the mother of the Grand Duke, Maria Yaroslavna, who was a great admirer of the virtuous elder, as well as the prince’s wife, the Greek Sofia Fominichna 2885, who sent the saint a letter and gold. The elder did not take anything and ordered everything to be returned, and even reprimanded his disciple for being bothered by everyone. Many boyars and ordinary laymen sent him to the monastery to see the sick ascetic, but they did not report this to him. Seeing the holy elder in great weakness, Innocent said to him: “Are you feeling very unwell, Father Paphnutius?” “You can see for yourself that I’m exhausted, but I don’t feel sick beyond my strength.” The ascetic did not eat any more food. He would order himself to make something, but when they brought it, he praised it and gave it all to the brethren with the words: Night has fallen. The ascetic sat on his bed and said the Jesus Prayer to himself. Matins was read to him in his cell. On Monday, the 28th, the ascetic, with the help of the brethren, defended the Divine Liturgy. After the service he did not eat anything; I just drank a little and felt full. Innocent thought why the elder did not make any orders about the monastery, and, overcoming his embarrassment, asked the monk: - Father Paphnutius! Order during your lifetime to write a will about the organization of the monastery: how the brethren will live after you and who should be abbot. After being silent for a short time, the elder said with tears: -Brothers, preserve the rank of the church and the structure of the monastery yourself. Do not change the timing of church prayer. Honor the priests as I do and do not deprive them of their pay, so that the Divine service does not become scarce, for success in everything depends on it. Do not close your meal from the stranger, take care of alms, do not let the one who asks leave with nothing. Work in handicrafts; but withdraw from worldly conversations; carefully guard your heart from evil thoughts. After the evening rule, do not gather for conversation: let everyone remain silent in his cell. Never miss church prayer, except because of weakness; fulfill all the rules, church rules and all church regulations meekly, calmly and silently. In a word, do as I do. If you do not despise my commandments, I believe in the Almighty God and the Immaculate Virgin Mary, the Lord will not deprive this place of all His blessings. But I know,” the monk added prophetically, “that after my departure there will be a rebel in the monastery of the Most Pure One; he has confused my soul, he will bring rebellion among the brethren. However, the Most Pure Queen will pacify the rebellion and storm, bringing silence to Her monastery and the brethren living in it 2886. Having said this, the elder fell silent from exhaustion. His night was spent in the usual prayers. On the 29th, Tuesday, the monk was silent because he was preparing to receive the Mysteries of Christ on the feast of the Midsummer of Holy Pentecost, which that year fell on April 30. The elder sang psalms, prayers, canons and sacred poems. This went on all day. Innocent and the monk's cell attendant silently listened to this extraordinary singing, not daring to say anything, for the ascetic commanded them not to entertain him with anything. The sick man spent the night awake in prayer, standing on his feet almost all the time and sitting down only for a short time. As soon as the day came (Wednesday), the Monk Joseph read the rule for communion for the saint. He celebrated the Liturgy in the church and partook of the Life-giving Mysteries of Christ. Having accepted the blessing from the serving priest, according to custom, the monk was led by the brethren to his cell. Standing in the vestibule of his cell, supported on both sides by disciples, the monk looked at the image of the Most Pure Mother of God, and turning with his spiritual eye to all the brethren, with a sigh and tears he said: - Lord Almighty! Searcher of hearts and thoughts, You know everything. If anyone regrets me, reward him, Lord, a hundredfold in this century, and in the future grant him eternal life. If anyone rejoices at my death, the death of a sinful man, do not, Lord, make him sin. Those who heard this were horrified and everyone turned to the judgment of their conscience. When they brought the elder into his cell, with a joyful face he began to console the brethren, as if he wanted them to forget the words they had just spoken. Remembering the saint’s previous words that his illness was not serious, the brethren thought that he was getting better. They forced him to taste the food, but the elder did not want to. He drank a little and was full, then gave it to the brethren with the words: - Drink this cup, children; drink as my last blessing, for I will drink or eat of it no more. He spoke a lot to the brethren and many more comforting words, then he lay down on his bed, on which he died a day later. The monk bequeathed a vessel of honey to Innocent, who served him during his illness, and then sent the brethren to the meal, for it was time for dinner. Innocent, who did not leave his sick teacher, quickly returned from the meal and saw him lying on his bed, then, after a short silence, he asked the monk: - Father Paphnutius! You’re not getting better because you haven’t eaten any food for a whole week. Why are you silent, my lord? To whom do you order your monastery - the brethren or the Grand Duke? Why don't you say anything? Then, after a short silence, he said to him: - Brother Innocent! Are you telling the truth? Noticing that the elder was embarrassed, Innocent remained silent. - To me, brother, who ordered the monastery? The Most Pure Queen herself deigned it. She loved this place of glorifying Her name, erected Her church, gathered the brethren and me, a beggar, and spent a lot of time feeding and resting with the brethren. And now, when I, a mortal man, look into the coffin and cannot help myself, the Queen of Heaven Herself can arrange the usefulness of Her monastery, just as She began it. You know yourself: this monastery was erected neither by princely power, nor by the wealth of the strong, nor by gold or silver, but by the will of God and the will of His Most Pure Mother. I place all my hope in Her: with Her mercy She will cover me during the ordeals from the violence of dark and evil spirits, and on the day of righteous judgment She will deliver me from eternal torment and count me among the elect. If I receive grace, I will not remain silent in praying to the Lord for you. And therefore, be diligent yourself: live purely; not only as they lived with me, but even better; work out salvation with fear and trembling, so that for the sake of your good deeds I may rest peacefully, so that those who came here after me will be blessed with goodness. May you find peace after your death. Let everyone remain in the rank in which they are called. Do not exalt yourself beyond measure - it is not good for you, but it is also harmful to your soul. Do not rise above your weak brothers either in thought or in deed, but bear with them for a long time as if you were your own members. Hey, children, hurry up to do good! Having said this, the saint fell silent in exhaustion. A little later, a messenger from the Moscow Metropolitan Gerontius 2887 came to the monastery, new ambassadors came from the Grand Duke and Grand Duchesses. They persistently sought a meeting with the monk and a conversation with him. For a long time Innocent refused and put off telling the sick old man about them, but finally he reported on the messengers. The elder was offended by his student and told him that throughout the 60 years of his monasticism he constantly treated princes, boyars and other laymen. “Now I understand that there is no benefit from this, just a test for the soul.” With His mercy, not even the death of a sinner without repentance, the Lord gave me six days for repentance; and you don’t give me peace, you bring the laity on me. Now I can’t even leave my cell without them bothering me. Innocent felt very sad both that he had embarrassed the elder and that he had not received permission for the messengers. Leaving the cell, he conveyed to them the saint’s answer and asked them to leave the monastery. But, leaving the monastery, the messengers spent the night in a nearby village in order to see the ascetic the next morning. The holy elder spent the next night, the last night of his life, without sleep, in unceasing prayer: he either sang psalms or read the Jesus Prayer. Thursday came, May 1, the day of the death of the Monk Paphnutius. The ascetic ordered the liturgy to be served earlier than usual. He himself thought about going to her, got ready in a hurry and said to himself: “Behold, the day has come.” The brothers looked at each other in bewilderment, not understanding what the elder was saying. Innocent asked him what day he was talking about. “About the day I told you about before,” answered the saint. The student began to list the days: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday? - This day is Thursday, which I told you about before. The brothers were perplexed. They took the elder to church, but before they had time to leave the cell, the Monk Joseph came and told him that the laymen sent from noble persons were waiting for him, that in addition to those who had been there yesterday, new ones had come: they had all gathered and were standing in the way of the ascetic to the church. Then the monk was offended that they blocked his path to the church of God, and did not leave his cell. Having sent the brethren to church, he sat down in the entryway and said: “Innocent is doing all this, he ordered it this way.” Innocent did not dare to make excuses. He also went to church, the elder stayed with one disciple in the cell and locked the doors so that none of the messengers would come to him. At the end of the liturgy, the laity realized that they could not see the saint, and returned back. When the disciples came to him again and surrounded the bed in silence, he spoke as if about someone else: “The day has come for him and he will die.” - Who are you talking about, father, who will die? - Innokenty asked him. – The one you’re talking about: it hurts; he, having repented, wants to die,” he said. The hour for lunch arrived, and the brethren went to eat. Only Innokenty remained with the patient. The saint ordered the disciple to transfer him to the other side of the cell, because it was calmer there; ordered not to let anyone in. “I’m tired,” he said, “and I want to rest until the evening singing; in the evening all the brothers will come to me. Then the disciple realized that the time of his death was approaching. Innocent asked the saint: - Father, when you repose, should you call the archpriest and other priests from the city to your burial? The saint bequeathed not to call anyone and to be content with the monastery priests, so that people would not gather at the monastery and spread the news of his death throughout the city and villages. The student asked: -Where do you want to dig your grave? He ordered it to be dug on the south side of the church, near the church doors. “Don’t buy me an oak coffin,” said the saint. - With this six money, buy rolls of bread and distribute them to the poor. The disciple fell silent, and the elder prayed for the salvation of his soul, placing his hope in the Most Holy Theotokos. He entrusted his monastery to her. Innocent woke up the monk's cell attendant, forced him to sit with the sick elder, and he himself went out to sleep, since he was not well. As soon as he began to doze off, he heard the voices of many singers in the monk’s cell. Surprised by this, Innocent entered the cell and asked the cell attendant: -Which of the brethren was here? “Nobody,” he answered. “After you left, he began to sing: “You will find the holy face of the source of life,” repeating the funeral verses. Having finished the psalm, he sang the following verses: – “Blessed are those who are blameless in their ways, who walk in the law of the Lord” (Ps. 119:1), – and others. “The old man is going to God,” Innocent said to the cell attendant. The disciples fell at the saint’s feet and kissed them, then on his chest, asking for forgiveness and blessings. But the elder no longer listened to their words, but only prayed to the Lord: “O Heavenly King, Omnipotent! I pray to You, my Lord, Jesus Christ, be merciful to my soul, may it not be restrained by the evil ones, but may Your Angels meet it, leading it through the cunning of dark ordeals and directing it to the light of Your mercy. I know, Master, that without Your intercession no one can escape the snares of the evil spirits.” The dying man's further speech was unclear and the disciples did not understand it. Suddenly he began to turn from left to right. Many times the disciples turned him to the left, but he turned to the right again, whispering inaudible words. From this they concluded that the dying ascetic sees something extraordinary. The brethren approached the saint’s cell several times, but two disciples who were with him said that the elder had fallen asleep. While Vespers was going on in the monastery, the monk prepared for death: he folded his hands crosswise on his chest and with three breaths betrayed his holy soul into the hands of the Lord. The Monk Paphnutius died on Thursday, May 1, 1477, an hour before sunset, that is, at about 7 pm 2888. The brethren left the church and, having learned about the death of the monk, bitterly mourned him. It was already too late to bury the ascetic, and in order to fulfill his will to be buried without laymen, the brethren buried their mentor the next day, on Friday, May 2, at 5 o’clock in the morning. The sorrow of the brethren was so great that everyone wept and shed tears; no one could sing or canonarch. The burial was performed by the saint's faithful disciple, Innocent. Because of his tears, he could barely pronounce the funeral order. “And no one from the world was at that time, no one touched his bed, no one saw how they laid him in the tomb,” says Innocent 2889. As soon as the burial took place, they learned about the death of the ascetic in Borovsk, and the whole city began to move. Not only monks and priests, but also the governors of the city and the people went to the monastery of the saint. And although the city soon learned that the body of the saint was already in the ground, people continuously came to the monastery all day, and with much love everyone bowed to the tomb of the deceased. Local celebration of the Monk Paphnutius began in 1531. Metropolitan Daniel of Moscow 2890 with a council of bishops blessed the singing of the canon and reading the life of the Monk Paphnutius at the service, that is, he established a local celebration for him. The council of 1547 decided to celebrate the memory of the Monk Paphnutius throughout the church. The holy relics of the saint rest in the main monastery church in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the chapel dedicated to his name. Having enlightened your fatherland through your life, you were filled with the gifts of the Divine Spirit in prayers and fasting, and, having labored well in this temporary life, you opened the mercy of compassion to all who mourn, and you were an intercessor for the poor. Thus we pray to you, Father Paphnutius, pray to Christ God to save our souls. Enlightened by God's illumination, father, having acquired fasting life, reverend, a good mentor to a monk and a good adornment to a faster. For this reason, the Lord, having seen your labors, enriched you with miracles as a gift, exuding healing. We, rejoicing, cry out to you: Rejoice, Father Paphnutius. On the same day, the memory of the Hieromartyr Macarius, Metropolitan of Kyiv, who was killed by the Tatars in 1497 in the village of Strigolovo, Minsk province, is celebrated. Information about the teacher Paphnutia is contained: 1) in an excellent note by his disciple Innocent about the last days of the monk, compiled in 1477 or 1478, i.e. very soon after the death of the saint; 2) in the ancient life of St. Paphnutius, written by another student, the brother of the Rev. Joseph of Volokolamsk, Vassian Sanin between 1500 and 1515 when Vassian was Archimandrite Simonov of the Moscow Monastery (from 1502 to 1506) or Archbishop of Rostov (from 1506 to 1515); 3) in the memoirs of Dosifey Toporkov, nephew of the Rev. Joseph of Volokolamsk, monk of his monastery; 4) in spiritual teaching. Joseph of Volokolamsk and some other letters; finally, 5) in the chronicles. The invasion of the Tatar Khan Batu into Rus' took place in 1237–1238 and 1240. Translated into Russian, this word means “pressor.” The direct responsibilities of the Baskaks were the enumeration of the people and the collection of taxes. In reality, these Tatar officials, who stood above the Russian princes and generals, were the complete masters of Rus'. Being sent with an army and many different small Tatar officials, they were also in charge of the internal affairs of conquered Rus': they monitored the behavior of the princes, delving into their mutual relations, sorting out their litigation and observing mainly their relations with the Tatar khan. They appeared in Russia shortly after the capture of Kiev in 1240. Borovsk is currently a district town in the Kaluga province. The chapel now reminds of the site of the village of Kudinova. The Vysoko-Pokrovsky Monastery was located near the river. Protve, 1 verst from Borovsk. Founded in 1410. In 1618 the monastery was assigned to Pafnutiev Borovsky, and in 1764 it was abolished. It got its name “Vysoky” from the place it occupied: this area dominates the entire surrounding area. Now on the site of this monastery is the suburban settlement of Vysotskaya. The Monk Nikita was the abbot of the Vysotsky Serpukhov Monastery, the successor of Rev. Athanasius the Younger from 1395. After 19 years of managing the monastery, having grown old and suffering from eye disease, Rev. Nikita lived in retirement for seven years in the Vysoky Borovsky Monastery. Having left this monastery (c. 1421), Rev. Nikita went north and founded the Epiphany Monastery in Kostroma (c. 1426), which has existed to this day (since 1864 it has been a women’s monastery). Here the ascetic died and was buried. Prince Simeon Borovsky was the son of Vladimir Andreevich Serpukhovsky, died of a pestilence in 1426 as a monk with the name Savva and was laid in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. – St. Metropolitan Photius (his memory is celebrated on July 2) ruled the Russian Church from 1408 to 1431. It follows that Ven. Paphnutius became abbot no later than 1426. Pafnutiev-Rozhdestvo-Bogoroditsky Monastery stands at the confluence of the river. Istrema in the river No. Vasily Yaroslavich, Prince Borovsky, son of Prince. Yaroslav (Afanasy) Vladimirovich, died in 1483. Mamotyak is the son of King Mohammed of Orda, King of Kazan. The invasion we are talking about here took place in 1445. In this order, the events are told in the ancient life of St. Paphnutia. But this incident occurred before the consecration of the church (c. 1448) and the official opening of the monastery. Grand Duke Vasily II Vasilyevich the Dark reigned from 1425 to 1462. Suzdal is currently a district town of Vladimir province. The work of Dositheus, written no earlier than 1546, is something like a Patericon - a series of short stories heard from the Venerable. Paphnutia, Rev. Joseph and other ascetics of the Volokolamsk monastery. Dosifei also has the funeral eulogy of St. Joseph. 16 John Kalita, son of St. book Daniil Alexandrovich, was Grand Duke from 1328 to 1340. Itching is the same as scabies, itching. Here, of course, is Prince Dimitry Georgievich Shemyaka, poisoned in 1453 in Veliky Novgorod. The poison was given to the prince by his boyar and favorite Ivan Kotov. Vassian (Sanin) was mentioned by Archimandrite Simonovsky in 1502. In 1506 he was consecrated Bishop of Rostov. – Simonov Monastery was founded ca. 1370 Rev. Sergius of Radonezh on behalf of the Grand Duke. Dimitry Donskoy. From the original site of construction (the settlement of Staroye Simonovo), the monastery was soon moved to its current location - on the high bank of the river. Moscow on the southern outskirts of the city. The first abbot of the monastery was the nephew of the Venerable. Sergius Theodore (after Archbishop of Rostov, 1395) At our expense this will amount to several tens of rubles. Here, of course, is the extermination of the city of Aleksin (now a district of the city of Tula province) by Khan Akhmat in 1472. Prince George and others were unable and did not have time to help the unfortunate city. Notes of Innocent are recognized as one of the best works of ancient Russian hagiography. In the following story they are placed with some abbreviations. Prince Mikhail Andreevich Vereisky, the grandson of Dimitri Donskoy, was married to the daughter of the Borovsk prince Elena Yaroslavna and, perhaps, with her hand he received the Principality of Borovsk. He died in 1486 and was buried in the monastery of St. Paphnutius. At the book The children of Mikhail Andreevich are known: Vasily, nicknamed Udaly (1495), John and daughter Anastasia, who was married to Prince Joseph Andreevich Dorogobuzhsky, who in 1485 entered the service of the Grand Duke of Moscow. John III Vasilievich was Grand Duke from 1462 to 1505. Maria Yaroslavna, daughter of Prince Yaroslav (Afanasy) Vladimirovich, sister of the above-mentioned Vasily Yaroslavich, married Vel. Prince Vasily Vasilyevich the Dark, died in 1484 in monasticism with the name of Martha. – Sofia Fominichna, daughter of the Morean despot Thomas Palaeologus (brother of the last Emperor of Constantinople, Constantine XI, who died on the walls of the Greek capital when it was captured by the Turks in 1453). She was the second wife of the leader. book Joanna III, married to him in 1472, died in 1503. From the ancient lives of St. Joseph of Volokolamsk (his memory is celebrated on September 9 of his monastery. According to the prediction of the Monk Paphnutius, soon after his death, disagreements and bickering began in the monastery, and the new abbot, St. Joseph, secretly left the Borovsk monastery in 1477 or 1478. Metropolitan Gerontius ruled the Russian Church from 1473 to 1489. This is how Innocent tells the story. The chronicle says that the monk died at 15 o'clock in the afternoon (after sunrise). Taking into account that on May 1 in Borovsk the sun rises at approximately 4 o'clock, the death of the ascetic will occur at 7 o'clock in the evening according to this calculation. However, in the chronicle and in the life of St. Paphnutius noted that during the burial of the ascetic there happened to be one lay priest, Nikita, the spiritual father of Prince Andrei Vasilyevich. Metropolitan Daniel ruled the Russian Church from 1522 to 1539. You might be interested in: