Newly elected Patriarch of Alexandria Photius (Peroglu): From personal recollections

Alexandria and Constantinople Greek newspapers enthusiastically welcome the election to the Alexandrian patriarchal see, widowed since the death (August 22, 1899) of the very old Patriarch Sophronius IV, well known in the Orthodox East and the most popular among the clergy of the Zion Church, Metropolitan Photius Peroglou of Nazareth. This election was accomplished with a rare unanimity in such cases of all participants (εν συμπνοια παντων των στοιχειων), as evidenced by the official telegram of the Egyptian government sent to the Sublime Porte with a request for approval by the Sultan the elections that took place is a significant and outstanding event in the religious life of the modern Orthodox East. The Most Reverend Photius received 124 electoral votes in the first meeting of voters, and in the second, even 159 out of 169 votes, which, in all fairness, is recognized by the Greek press as an almost unanimous election (δια παμψηφίας). The reason for such rare unanimity among voters lies, on the one hand, in the ardent desire of everyone close to the pulpit of the Alexandrian Church for the blessings of peace and every success of this famous church, and on the other, in the personality of the proposed candidate as “a hierarch, outstanding in intelligence and tireless activity, with which he fulfilled his duty, governing the metropolis entrusted to him” 1 . And indeed, under the present circumstances of the life of the Alexandrian Church, in which its future successor, the late Patriarch Sophronius, finds it, it would have been difficult to make a better choice. Welcoming the election of Evangelist Mark, so worthy of the hierarchs in the Orthodox East, to the throne, and adding our joy to the jubilation of voters and the Greek press, we intend to provide our readers with some information about the personality of the newly elected Patriarch Photius Peroglou, with whom we are not only well acquainted, but have also been in friendly correspondence for several years. His Eminence Photius is a native of Constantinople (born in 1853), where his father held a prominent administrative post in the Turkish service. The outstanding position among the local Greek population of the capital of the padishah and the ample material support of the Peroglu family made it possible for the future patriarch to receive a solid home and school education. After graduating from the Greek school in Pera, Photius Peroglou, after the death of his father, to complete his education, entered the theological school of the Cross Monastery in Jerusalem, from which he graduated with brilliant success, receiving, upon completion of the course, in 1873, the rank of hierodeacon and the title of “didascala of theology.” The Eminence Photius remembers the time of his studies at the theological school with deep gratitude and considers it the happiest in his life, as the time of the highest prosperity of his almae matris, when among its professors were considered the most educated people who left great fame in the teaching field, such as the late Patriarch Gerasim of Jerusalem, mourned to this day, the recently deceased rector of the theological school, the great archdeacon of Zion church, Photius the Great (Φωτιος μεγας) He is always opposed by the Eminence Photius Peroglou, and unlike the first, he is often called Photius the Small (Φωτιος μικρος), the currently living Metropolitan of Jordan Epiphanius, etc. After completing the course at the Cross Theological School, young, full of strength and energy, Hierodeacon Photius was sent to his homeland, to Constantinople, to the local Jerusalem courtyard to perform secretarial and hierodeaconal duties as he possessed at the same time a quick, talented pen and a beautiful voice. The persistence and accuracy shown here in fulfilling the duties assigned to Hierodeacon Photius earned him the favor of the ruler of the Zion Church at that time, Patriarch Hierotheos, who the following year, 1874, called him back to Jerusalem and appointed him to the high and responsible post of patriarchal secretary 2. Talented, tireless, honest and very likeable in character, the young patriarchal secretary, even here, in his many-sided and difficult position, showed himself from the most excellent side, which gained him the love of the Holy Sepulchre clergy, and His Beatitude Hierotheus had such trust that he became, one might say, his right hand in the management of the Zion Church. In 1879 Fr. Photius accompanied Patriarch Hierotheus to Constantinople to attend a council on the issue of the church estates of the Holy Sepulcher in Romania. In 1880 Fr. Photius was ordained a hieromonk, and the following year he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite, remaining as before the closest and confidant of His Beatitude Patriarch Hierotheos and as a synodal secretary, exerting enormous influence on the management of the affairs of the Church of Jerusalem. The unexpected death of Patriarch Hierotheus (1874–1882) on June 11, 1882, as a result of his fall from a horse while walking 3, made the throne of the brother of God Jacob widower. In place of the deceased patriarch, on October 13 of the same year, the synodal secretary, Archimandrite Photius, was elected as successor by 13 votes to three 4, already popular at that time among the Holy Sepulchre clergy. This election, although it was greeted by both the clergy of the Zion Church and the flock with joy and caused general rejoicing, it, however, was not approved by the Sultan. The official basis for the cassation was the fact that, having been elected patriarch of Jerusalem, Archimandrite Photius did not have the canonical age (he was not thirty years old at that time), but the real and real reason for this fact lay deeper. For a long time now there had been serious troubles between our spiritual mission in Jerusalem, headed by its ever-memorable rector Archimandrite Antonin, and the Holy Sepulchre clergy, and in the last years of the reign of Patriarch Hierotheus, these relations became so aggravated that at one time they almost entailed the sad necessity of recalling the tireless and very useful head of our mission, retained in his place only by the intercession of the late Empress Maria Alexandrovna. In order to settle these misunderstandings and rough edges, our diplomacy has long had the idea of ​​elevating to the throne of the Apostle James the person most favorable to Russia and well known among us. The choice of our diplomacy settled on the young and very intelligent Tabor Archbishop Nikodim, who lived for a long time in our fatherland, as the manager of the Holy Sepulcher in Moscow and managed to gain sympathy in all spheres of our society in both capitals. Archbishop Nicodemus of Tabor, as a Russian protege (he was consecrated in St. Petersburg), showed great promise in terms of improving Jerusalem affairs in all areas, and therefore our diplomacy turned its attention to him and tried, by slowing down the canonical elections, to achieve before the Sultan the approval of his favorite candidate on the patriarchal throne. The efforts of our diplomacy were crowned with complete success, 5 and His Beatitude Nicodemus I (1883–1890) ascended the throne of the Apostle James in December 1883. The new patriarch, as if imposed on the Holy Sepulcher clergy from the outside, was greeted in Jerusalem with distrust and even direct, poorly concealed hostility, which soon began to come to light. The reason for open dissatisfaction among the subordinate clergy was given by the new patriarch himself, who, with his characteristic energy and perseverance, set about improvements in all spheres of life of the church entrusted to his leadership and, in particular, for corrections in the life of the clergy subordinate to him, among whom both licentiousness and self-will prevailed. Dissatisfied clergy began to group around Archimandrite Photius, who, with the accession of Patriarch Nicodemus to the Jerusalem throne, not only did not reconcile himself with the accomplished fact, but, not recognizing him as the legitimate patriarch, titled himself “δ εψηφίσαμενος πατριαρχης "Ιεροσυλυμων" protested against his illegal accession to the patriarchal throne in letters to all eastern patriarchs, in a word, he entered into a hostile relationship with him. Monastery of St. the blessed kings Constantine and Helen, where the clergy of the Zionist Church reside, was divided into two parties - supporters of the new patriarch and friends and adherents of Archimandrite Photius, elected patriarch, and it is difficult to even say which of them had more allies and like-minded people. To put an end to this abnormal order of things, and to destroy the nest of all hostile undertakings, Patriarch Nicodemus decided on an extreme measure: he expelled the obvious supporters of Archimandrite Photius from the Patriarchate, and he himself, under strict Turkish escort, was sent into captivity in the Sinai Monastery, with orders to the Archbishop of Mount Sinai Porfiry to vigilantly monitor the behavior of the exile and keep him under strict conditions. It was here in Sinai that we first met the future “pope and patriarch of Alexandria and universal judge.” In 1888, in the month of March, on Thursday in the first week of Lent, from Jerusalem through Cairo, Suez and Raifa, I finally arrived at the Sinai Monastery, where I was drawn by an ardent desire to personally familiarize myself with those handwritten treasures in the specialty, about which I had the most general ideas based on the works of Bishop Porfiry Uspensky, Archimandrite Antonin, Prof. Hardhausen and prof. N. P. Kondakova. Very cordially and brotherly received by Fr. Galaktion, the steward of the monastery, placed me in one of the rooms intended for pilgrims visiting the Sinai monastery. This room, which was not distinguished by either coziness or luxury of furnishings, had one valuable advantage over the other rooms adjacent to it, namely, the window overlooking the monastery’s small garden, cultivated with amazing diligence and love by the monks of the monastery, and into the narrow valley stretching in front of the monastery and leading into the sultry Rakh desert, with which so many biblical events are connected. Left to my own devices, I wandered aimlessly through the dilapidated galleries of the building for pilgrims and, having nothing to do, sat down at the window and fixed my gaze on the valley that was visible from it and which alone now connected me with the cultural world... Soon I noticed in the distance a slender and tall figure of a monk, moving towards the monastery, wearing a cassock, the flaps of which were tucked under for ease of movement. a leather belt, in a brown straw hat, from under which a white linen fell onto the face, undoubtedly protecting the traveler’s face from the burning rays of the sun. On some occasion, a Bedouin cook and servant, Fr., came into my room. Photius, seeing a monk approaching the monastery through the window, said behind my back in broken Greek: “Here comes Archimandrite Photius.” While I was in Jerusalem, for almost four months, I heard a lot about Fr. Photius and from the clergy of St. The coffin and from the late Archimandrite Antonin, and therefore, at these words of the Bedouin cook, he involuntarily perked up and began to peer more closely at the traveler, moving closer and closer to the monastery. Soon, with quick steps, Fr. walked past my room. Archimandrite Photius went to his cell, which turned out to be almost adjacent to my room in the same pilgrimage building, and I heard the report of the Bedouin cook about my arrival at the monastery. Not even ten minutes had passed after this when the tall, slender figure of Fr. appeared at the door of my cell. Photius, dressed in the same black cassock, but with a half cassock over it, a silk scarf on his head and heavy leather shoes on his feet. On his handsome face, with deep traces of having once suffered severe smallpox, there was a friendly smile, testifying to the pleasure of seeing a fresh person. After mutual greetings, Fr. Photius bombarded me with questions about who I was, where I came from, what the purpose of my visit was, how long I ended up in Sinai, where I was coming from, etc. Having learned that I was coming from Jerusalem and brought him a letter from Fr. Archimandrite Antonin, Fr. Photius, having responded with strong praise to the latter’s activities in Palestine, quickly left me and retired to his cell to read this, as well as other letters from his many friends, which were delivered to him by the Bedouins who brought me to the monastery. The situation was difficult and harsh, in the midst of which the involuntary recluse of the Sinai monastery had to live for almost seven years. The Sinai monastery, abandoned in a distant desert, squeezed by the granite rocks of Horeb, Galaktion and Epistimia and the hill of Jethro, with a piece of the eternally monotonous blue sky, in the form of a cover thrown from the peaks facing each other, is a gloomy prison, the inhabitants of which sometimes, languishing with the monotony of monotonous everyday life inside the monastery and the absence of cheerful, pleasing pictures surrounding them nature, are doomed to oppressive boredom and even fall into childishness 6 . The closest cultural point to the Sinai monastery, Suez, is a five-day direct walking distance, while riding camels requires at least six or even nine days. Communication between the monastery and Suez cannot therefore be frequent, and newspapers, magazines and letters can reach it no more than twice a month and, moreover, at significant intervals. The internal monastic life was of very little interest at this time, due to its monotony, and most importantly due to the almost complete absence in the monastery of people who were intelligent and alive in the common sense of the word. The abbot of the monastery, the most handsome and kind in character, with a bright natural mind, enriched by everyday experience and reading books of theological and literary content, Archbishop of Mount Sinai and Raifa Porfiry, on the affairs of his monastery, lived constantly in Cairo in the local Sinai courtyard, called Juvania. His place was occupied until the beginning of 1888, for the last four years, with the title of dike, tireless in the performance of his duties and theologically educated, Archimandrite Nikifor, who for seven years listened to lectures at the theological faculty in Munich and traveled widely throughout Europe, but by the time of our arrival, due to poor health, had left his difficult post and was preparing to leave for Russia as head Sinai courtyard in Tiflis in the Caucasus. The responsibilities of dike and skevophilax were assumed by the most venerable elder, the most devoted son of his monastery, which he did not leave under any circumstances, despite the tempting appointments for other monks, and therefore deeply revered and dearly loved by all, Archimandrite Gregory, to deep regret, during our time in Sinai, and passed away into eternity. Sharing with them the work of managing the monastery was her no less devoted son, “the quietest” in character and the most modest in his desires, a simple monk, housekeeper Galaktion, endowed with that natural sound mind and indestructible willpower, so brilliantly discovered by him in 1882, during the siege of the monastery by the Bedouins, when the famous Arab Pasha uprising took place in Egypt. Besides these two elders who stood at the head of the monastery, the rest of the monks, numbering about twenty souls, represented ordinary personalities and were either profound elders, or new monks who were on probation, or who accidentally ended up at Sinai, due to the hopelessness of their situation (these were both hieromonks, alternating in the performance of divine services), and who served a four-year term of life in the monastery, in order to then receive one in charge from the numerous metochs or farmsteads of the Sinai monastery and say goodbye to it forever. There is no need to have a vivid imagination to imagine what Archimandrite Photius, young, full of strength, energy and thirst for activity, felt and experienced in such an environment among such people. Beyond any doubt, a person with a weak will, with an unstable cast of his convictions, without faith in himself and in the rightness of his cause, could, under such circumstances, in these difficult times of trial, lose heart, come to despair, become melancholy and even indulge in grief to the vice of drunkenness, but Archimandrite Photius was not like that, according to the moral makeup of his convictions and character. Arriving at Sinai as a prisoner placed under the strict control of the abbot and the ruling elders, who should have limited and constrained his freedom of action to the last degree, Archimandrite Photius quickly, thanks to his sympathetic character and high moral and mental qualities, subordinated everyone to his moral influence and gained universal love in the monastery. Archbishop Porfiry of Sinai showed truly brotherly love to the prisoner of Sinai, extending to the point of sharing with him, as we well know, linen and other items necessary in everyday life. The elders of the monastery, Archimandrites Nikifor and Gregory and the monk Galaktion, loved to spend their leisure hours in pleasant conversation with Fr. Photius and little by little drew the latter into the vital interests of the monastery to such an extent that they did not undertake any business concerning the monastery without consulting him. The affection for Fr. was especially touching. Photius o. housekeeper Galaktion, who remained after the death of Fr. Archimandrite Gregory, completely alone, went to a spiritual conversation with him on every, most insignificant, issue, trying in return in every possible way to alleviate the extremely difficult financial situation of the prisoner, even from his modest means... All the other monks of the monastery - old and young - imitated the example of the elders: they showed him signs of full attention and deep respect and on all questions that interested them willingly went to him for a conversation, in full confidence that they would not be refused. And oh. Archimandrite Photius loved the brethren of the Sinai monastery, in turn, passionately and tried not to remain an unpaid debtor to them. It is enough here to recall his unfeigned grief with all the inhabitants of the Sinai monastery over the unexpected death of the ever-memorable Fr. Archimandrite Gregory, and his most ardent efforts on this occasion, associated with an emergency trip in the interests of the monastery to El Torah or Raifa. But oh. Photius tried to be useful to the hospitable monastery in other respects. The Sinai monastery, despite the remoteness of its location and the difficulty of the road to it, along with Jerusalem and Athos, has long served as an attractive point for many of our pilgrims and especially female pilgrims. Enterprising pilgrims visiting the sights and shrines of the Sinai Monastery, in most cases declare an ardent desire to speak and partake of the Holy Mysteries in the chapel of the Burning Bush. Since none of the elders of the monastery who have holy orders, nor any of the two hieromonks, knows the Russian language, then, when confessing sins, it was necessary to limit oneself to reading one prayer of permission, also in a Greek language incomprehensible to those confessing, which led to confusion for our pilgrims... Fr. Photius, realizing the abnormality of this order of things in the monastery, decided to take up the study of the Russian language, the need for which he had well understood before, during during his service in Jerusalem, but due to lack of time he could not satisfy it, so that he could later take on the duties of a confessor for our pilgrims. He carried out his determination with remarkable energy and perseverance without a teacher, being guided in the study of the Russian language only by a textbook according to the Ohlendorf method. Communication with our pilgrims and the need to help them in the distant desert was for him a school in living spoken language. And we must tell the truth that Fr. Photius, in a relatively short time, despite the difficulties that existed for him, went far in achieving his intended goal. By the time we arrived at the monastery, he already understood Russian fluently, could conduct a simple conversation in this language, read Slavic clearly and intelligently, and wrote Russian so correctly orthographically that he even amazed us. Thanks to his knowledge of the Russian language, “Father Fr. Photius" (as our pilgrims called him) became an indispensable person in Sinai for our pilgrims: through him they received everything they needed to feed them at the monastery, with his assistance, they could enter into communication with the brethren of the monastery, he confessed them, through his lips they heard an understandable word during the service, accompanied by him, some of them visited landmarks and sacred places in the vicinity of the monastery 8, he equipped a caravan for them and took care of everything necessary on the way, obtaining it from the monastery warehouses through Fr. the steward of Galaktion, and often left the monastery for a day or even two to accompany them on their difficult journey, and then parting with them, he gave the most impressive instructions to the Bedouin guides to take care of and help the pilgrims in every possible way, etc. After all this, is it necessary to say that our pilgrims, in most cases having already suffered enough of all sorts of hardships and hardships, during their long stay in Palestine, left the Sinai monastery to the depths of their souls touched by its cordiality and hospitality, and they pronounced the name of Father Photius everywhere and always with deep gratitude. With many of the Sinai pilgrims, Fr. Photius sometimes established such friendly and close spiritual ties that later, upon returning to Russia, a lively correspondence began, which did not stop for many years and quite often attracted generous contributions to the hospitable monastery for its urgent needs. Before our eyes, through Fr. Photius, donations often came to the monastery and sometimes unexpectedly generous... Arabic language about. Photius still studied at theological school, but he studied it perfectly only during his imprisonment at Sinai. He was encouraged to study this language by his complete leisure time, which he now did not want to waste in vain, and by the need for his own benefit and for the benefit of the monastery to enter into direct communication with the Bedouins, the defenders of the monastery and the rulers of the desert that surrounds the Sinai monastery, in order to feel free and independent here, among alien and semi-wild people. For constant practice in the local Arabic jargon, which differs significantly from the jargon of the Palestinian and pure Arabic spoken in Egypt and Arabia, he took as his cook and servant, a Bedouin from the local inhabitants, Akhmet, who was the most devoted slave of his beloved master and did not leave him for a single day, throughout his imprisonment in Sinai, enjoying the latter’s complete reciprocity and unlimited trust, which, it must be said, was sometimes used for evil... Through Akhmet and thanks to his knowledge of the language, Fr. Photius entered into the most friendly relations with the inhabitants of the Sinai desert and enjoyed deep respect and enviable popularity among them. “Saint Photius,” as the Bedouins called him, was a dear and welcome guest in every tent; the Bedouins, with childlike trust, turned to him to resolve all perplexed questions in their simple everyday life; he reconciled enmity between different families, settled family discord, etc. Shy Bedouin women, who usually avoid communication with men, when meeting with Fr. Photius, did not run from him, did not hide their face and eyes under the nankeen robe they wore on their heads, but boldly went to meet him, kissed his hand out of respect for him and entered into conversations with him, informing him of their troubles and needs, often asking him for medical advice for themselves, for family members and especially for children, since they considered him knowledgeable in medicine, in the hope that maybe something would fall on them. their share from his usually rather meager purse for medicines. Wild half-naked Bedouin children, seeing Fr. Photius on the monastery terrace or outside the monastery fence, whole crowds ran after him shouting: “Gat ine halau,” that is, give me something sweet. II prisoner of Sinai, himself often in need of basic necessities, and especially money, which he had, thanks only to the sending of his brother, an Athenian doctor, and the small bribe that our compassionate pilgrims gave him for confession and troubles, he distributed everything that he had at hand: money, medicine, wine, remnants of linen, dresses, sweets, lumps of sugar, etc., trying to avoid anyone deprive, do not offend anyone. In necessary cases, Fr. Photius performed the duty of a paramedic: he washed the sore eyes of the Bedouins with his own hands, applied mustard plasters, plasters, bandages to wounds, etc. After all this, can one be surprised if Fr. Photius felt as good and fearless in the wild desert as in the city, wandering with his tent near the Red Sea sometimes for an entire summer and taking advantage of sea bathing for his old and painful rheumatism. The fame of the virtues of “Saint Photius” and his love for the Arabs penetrated far beyond the borders of the Sin desert, which explains the unanimous and persistent desire of the Nazareth Christian Arabs to have as their archpastor, after Archbishop Niphon died in December 1897, no one other than the Most Reverend Photius. Here in Sinai Fr. Photius decided to take seriously the study of literary Arabic, since at that time he dreamed of writing a detailed history of the Sinai monastery, many of whose documents were written in this language. For this purpose, with the blessing of the elders of the monastery, he kept with him in the monastery one learned Khoja, who had arrived on his way from Mecca to worship Muslim shrines and in Sinai, and for several months, for an agreed fee, under his guidance he took a course in Arabic grammar. It was my intention to write the history of the Sinai monastery, Fr. Photius, as we know, did not carry it out for reasons beyond his control, but he studied the Arabic language very well at Sinai: the Most Reverend Photius not only now speaks several Arabic dialects perfectly, but reads and even writes completely fluently in Arabic, which, beyond any doubt, constitutes a most precious advantage for the patriarch of the Alexandrian church, the flock of which almost in large part knows and understands only this language. The archpastor of this church, therefore, can call his sheep by name... In captivity in Sinai, Fr. Photius had to, of necessity, refresh his knowledge of French, which he had not spoken fluently since childhood. The impetus for this was the repeated, during the seven-year imprisonment, visits to the Sinai monastery of noble foreigners - scientists and ordinary tourists. Since there was not a single person in the monastery who spoke a foreign language, Fr. Photius was the only mediator in the relations of these Western tourists with the inhabitants of the Sinai monastery, serving as a translator and guide for them in the monastery and even in its environs. In a word, the awkwardness of the initial position - a stranger among his own people, a prisoner among his guards - was gradually smoothed out, and Fr. Photius merged with the small family of Sinai monks to such an extent that he felt at home among his family, was a welcome and irreplaceable person for the monastery, and he, in turn, had the most sincere and unfeigned feelings of sympathy and gratitude for its inhabitants. We found one family in Sinai, united and living with one soul and one heart. Our arrival in Sinai somewhat disrupted the usual monotonous life of the hermits of this monastery abandoned in the distant desert. The gallery in the pilgrimage building began to serve in the evenings as a place where, after finishing a peaceful monastic day, both elders and young men gathered almost every day to talk with a new person about various subjects, and most often about politics, which all Greeks are passionate about, and about our Russian political and especially everyday life. These conversations often dragged on until the moon appeared, and stopped only because we reminded our interlocutors of the time to resume their temporarily interrupted activities. The arrival of Archbishop Porfiry of Sinai in the sixth week of fasting, who had not been in the monastery he ruled for several years, brought even more revitalization into life and gave us the opportunity to become more closely acquainted with both the wonderful qualities of the soul and heart of this archbishop, and with his touching, truly brotherly attitude towards his prisoner, Fr. Archimandrite Photius. The ensuing Holy Week was spent in almost continuous church services and in preparations for the celebration of the Holy Sunday of Christ. The first day of this holiday, which I spent for the first time away from my homeland and which I met not without sad thoughts and fears, will remain unforgettable for me forever. On the night before Easter, bowls of kerosene and bonfires burned in the courtyard of the monastery. The famous Justinian basilica with beautiful mosaics in the apse, decorated with laurels, myrtle and fresh flowers, burned with countless lights. The luxury and brilliance of the priestly vestments and ancient rich utensils gave an extraordinary effect to the marvelous basilica. After the bishop sang at the royal doors the stichera accepted in the East: “Δευτε λαβετε φως” and the lighting of a candle by each of those present at the service from the bishop’s burning candle, there was an exit for the beginning of matins and the reading of the morning gospel about the resurrection into the vestibule, where the great litany was pronounced the archdeacon and bishop verses, which are now used among us only during the consecration of churches: “Take the gates, your princes. Who is this king of glory? and so on, with answers to them from one of the clergy inside the church in front of the church doors. When, then, all the worshipers and clergy entered the church, the bishop stood in the throne on the right side and in a beautiful voice sang the irmos of the canon: “Resurrection Day,” and I took a place opposite the bishop on the left side and repeated the songs of the canon in Slavonic, and thus in two languages ​​we sang the entire matins to the end. During the Liturgy, I read the Apostle in Slavonic and, together with all the brethren, partook of the Holy Mysteries. At the end of the liturgy, straight from the church, deep in the morning, everyone went to a common fraternal meal for refreshment, which consisted of an egg, goat cheese and a cup of hot goat milk. At noon I was invited to a common fraternal meal, at the head of which the Archbishop of Sinai sat with the most honorable elders. At the end of the meal, when the goblets were filled with locally produced wine, the archbishop, without rising from his seat, pronounced a toast in honor of the workers of the monastery and expressed his heartfelt pleasure at the fact that this year he had to celebrate a bright holiday among his dear brethren in his native throwing (monastery). After the Bishop, standing, with all the techniques of a true orator, Archimandrite Photius delivered a touching speech in a sonorous voice. Congratulating the abbot-archbishop and the brethren on the feast of the bright Resurrection of Christ and expressing on behalf of the brethren of the monastery sincere joy at the appearance among them of the beloved and desired archpastor, Fr. Photius, turning to me, added that this joy was aggravated by the pleasure of seeing in my midst a representative of distant, same-religious and powerful Russia, which from time immemorial has supported this monastery with its generous sacrifices and still provides the largest contingent of pilgrims here. An animated speech about. Photius concluded with a toast in honor of the Sovereign Emperor Alexander III and the entire reigning house, the Russian Synod and the Russian people. The sweet-voiced psalt was sung with amazing trills, “Εις πολλά έτη,” and all the brothers, rising from their seats, sang along with him in unison. To the speech about. Photius, with the permission of the bishop-abbot, responded with a speech in Russian (the abbot and Father Photius understood well, and the latter translated some parts of it for the brethren) and I, touched to the depths of my soul by the attention that was unexpected for me. Having expressed deep gratitude to the abbot-archbishop and the brethren for their warm welcome and attention, I briefly outlined the history of our relations with the Sinai monastery since the 16th century. until the very last days, noting outstanding facts from the reigns of Mikhail Fedorovich, Alexei Mikhailovich and Peter I and pointing out that this monastery has always attracted the attention of especially our scientists, thanks to the remarkable collection of manuscripts here in all languages ​​and the constant kindness of the brethren to those who came to it, which I also had to clearly see during my six-week stay. After the meal, everyone headed to the cell of the archbishop-abbot to bring him congratulations on the occasion of the holiday and were treated, in the Oriental style, to glyco-nero (water with jam), Turkish coffee, wine and fruit, and then dispersed to their cells to rest. “With a blow to all seriousness” 9 at three o’clock in the afternoon everyone was notified of the beginning of Vespers, which in the East is called ἡ δεντέρα 10 ἀνάστασις (second Sunday) and is celebrated very solemnly with the reading of the Gospel in various languages ​​and with the Christification at the end of it. Since the Bishop, according to accepted custom, marches to this vespers “with glory”, in full bishop’s vestments, everyone headed to the archbishop’s cell to accompany him. When we entered the archbishop's cell, we found the bishop already in a rich brocade sakkos, studded with pearls and decorated with gold beads with images of saints, donated to the monastery, according to legend, by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, and in an ancient Russian miter trimmed with fur - a gift from Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich 11. It turned out that the archbishop, after my table speech, wanting to actually confirm everything I said, and thereby give me pleasure, ordered the skeuphylax to prepare for the evening service the vestments donated to the monastery by the Russian tsars. During Vespers, when the Gospel was read in Greek, Arabic, Latin and Romanian (one hieromonk knew this language), Fr. Photius read it in Slavic. The evening, after Vespers, was lively with mutual visits. On St. Thomas' week, the Archbishop-Hegumen wished to celebrate the liturgy in the church on the top of Mount Sinai. Since, being busy since my arrival in the library, I did not have time to visit the Divine Sinai, Horeb and other places of interest, I decided not to miss the wonderful opportunity to perform the feat, obligatory for every pilgrim to Sinai, in the company of the archbishop-abbot, Archimandrite Photius and some other monks of the monastery. During the liturgy, the role of singers was performed by Fr. Photius and I. Over the chalice at the liturgy, during the great exit, the archbishop kneeled and remembered the names of my relatives - living and deceased. At the end of the liturgy, having examined the chasm located on the left side of the temple and recognized as the chasm in which Moses saw the back of God (Exodus 33:21–23), and a small Muslim mosque standing on the spot where Moses the prophet fasted for forty days and forty nights before the law (Exodus 24:18), we sat down to drink coffee, hastily prepared by one of the novices. Under the influence of the contemplated beauties of nature and thoughts about the past biblical past, which took place on the hills at the foot of Sinai, no one wanted to disturb the deep silence that reigned around us. Our silence was interrupted by Fr. Archimandrite Photius, with a deep sigh, uttered the following tirade from the Gospel of Matthew: Jerusalem, Jerusalem, beating the prophets and stoning those sent to you (Matthew 23:37). When I turned towards Fr. Photius, then he saw tears welling up in his eyes, directed at that point on the horizon where, according to the geographical location, the desired and dearly beloved Jerusalem should be located... It became clear to everyone what thoughts, thoughts and feelings were worrying the Sinai prisoner at that moment. Wanting to break the thread of heavy thoughts about. Photius, Archbishop Porfiry invited the whole company to leave the top of Sinai in order to have time to rest and have lunch at the small monastery of forty martyrs belonging to the monastery before the hot afternoon. Since the Sinai archbishop was in a hurry to leave his monastery in order to return to Cairo on business, it was proposed that soon, after traveling to the top of Sinai, the foundation of a new fraternal tomb with a church 12 at the top in the name of St. Tryphon would be carried out to serve funeral liturgies there. The former tomb, dark and extremely poor, had fallen into complete disrepair and was in danger of falling. The need for a new tomb was well felt and understood by everyone, but there were no necessary funds for this undertaking. The impetus for the fulfillment of this cherished desire for every Sinaiite was given by the monastery's tonsure, Matthew, Bishop of Rithymnine and Aulopotamia, who lived there in retirement for a long time and left, after his death in 1884, according to his spiritual will, a small amount of money for this good cause. In the hope of the help of God and good people, the monastery decided to begin construction, having at its disposal only the most modest means. In the monastery garden, next to the old tomb, a place was allocated for a new building. It was here, on the appointed day in the third week of Easter, that all the monks of the monastery, headed by the abbot-archbishop, gathered to perform the ceremony of laying the foundation of a new church with the blessing of water. At this celebration were present, by invitation, Fr. Archimandrite Photius and I. When the blessing of water was completed and the prayers required for the foundation of a new church were read, everyone began to approach the cross that the archbishop was holding. Father Archimandrite Photius, standing at the side of the archbishop and holding a copper cauldron with holy water in his hands, sprinkled holy water on everyone approaching the cross. After the clergy who took part in the religious ceremony, I was one of the first to approach the cross and turned to Fr. Photius for sprinkling, quickly dropped five French gold coins into the pot. This unexpected contribution of mine, as a weak sign of gratitude for the cordiality and hospitality in the monastery, bewildered Fr. Photius and Archbishop Porfiry, and caused protests on their part. But I objected to this: “don’t interfere with a good cause; this is according to our Russian custom.” My act, unexpected for everyone, made a deep impression and was only the beginning of a good deed. O. Archimandrite Photius, immediately after this, taking out his wallet, put the last Turkish lira in it (22 francs) into the same pot. The other brethren, approaching the cross, followed our example and laid each according to their own strength 13 . In the evening we learned from Archbishop Porfiry that from these modest contributions, together with a generous donation for the same cause, Fr. Economy of Galaktion, a very substantial amount of money was made up (about 800 rubles in our money). This amount of donations was then replenished with quite significant contributions by our Russian pilgrims from the Saratov province (the city of Volsk), who arrived in Sinai two days after the described celebration, and heard stories about the enthusiasm of the monks of the monastery that we noted on the day of the foundation of the new church. Everyone who was in Sinai especially remembers the generous sacrifice of the novice Matryona, who, under the influence of the living stories of Fr. Photius, 25 rubles, collected with great effort for a trip to Bar-grad to the relics of St. Nicholas, donated a tomb in Sinai for the construction of a church in honor of St. Tryphon. On June 5, 1888, the local Bedouins, called the defenders of the monastery 14, celebrated the so-called “Kurban Bayram”. To celebrate it, Bedouins with their tents migrate to the Rakh valley to be closer to the monastery. On the third day of this holiday, which is considered the most solemn, the sacred camel, purchased by the pool of all members of the tribe, is slaughtered. Before the slaughter, this camel, whose mane and bridle are decorated with multi-colored ribbons and sea shells, is circled around the monastery three times with chants by the elders of the tribe, as a sign of her dedication to St. Catherine, whom the Bedouins honor as one of the wives of Mohammed, and then in the evening is stabbed to death by the most honorable elder in the tribe. With the blood of this sacred camel, the head of the family makes crosses on the forehead of each member, and then on all objects, animate and inanimate, located in or near the tent. The camel's meat is distributed in parts to all the tents, where it is boiled and eaten at dinner, which this time is prepared from quite hearty dishes 15. After dinner, laughter, talking and singing can be heard in the tents, and when the mountains surrounding the Rakh valley provide sufficient lunar shade, the youth begin dancing. Men dance on a field illuminated by the moon, and girls hide in the shadow of the mountains so that the passion of their body movements does not give rise to observers drawing conclusions not in favor of the moral purity of the intentions of the skilled dancer. The dancing and singing continue this time long after midnight. In order to personally see in detail the rite of slaughter of the sacred camel, and then take a closer look at the life of these desert children, I asked Fr. Archimandrite Photius will spend the evening and night of June 5-6 with me in the Rakh Valley. Fr. Photius responded with full readiness to my desire and gave me not only the opportunity to see everything I wanted, but, what is especially amazing for me, to observe the most touching manifestations of kindness and attention on the part of the Bedouins towards Fr. Photius and his companions. We slept the night in the open air, without any fear, just like at home. In the morning, when we returned to the monastery, the elders of the tribe escorted us with honor. During my four-month stay in Sinai and especially after Easter, when we even had a common table, I became very close friends with the prisoner of Sinai, and now the Patriarch of Alexandria Photius Peroglou. At lunch and dinner, on walks in the monastery garden and in the vicinity of the monastery, I often talked with Fr. Photius, about issues of science, religion and everyday subjects, shared his plans, discoveries and listened, in turn, to his personal sincere desires and beliefs. Thus, such intimate and friendly relations were established between us that, upon parting, the next day, after leaving the monastery, we not only kissed brotherly, but also shed real tears of regret over the sad separation... Here, at the last “forgive”, expressing each other the best and friendly wishes, we gave our word to correspond with each other and, under favorable circumstances, to meet again. Upon returning to Russia in September 1888, I tried to honestly fulfill this promise and entered into correspondence with Fr. Archimandrite Photius, which continued during 1889 and 1890. The motivation for correspondence was also some gaps in my scientific studies in Sinai, noticed already upon returning to Russia, on the one hand, and on the other, the ardent desire of Fr. Photius to have Russian books in Sinai that provide material for the history of the Sinai monastery. I sent him from Russia books by St. Porfiry, Archimandrite Antonin, Prof. N. II. Kandakov, Dr. Eliseev and others, and he himself was pleased to receive answers to his perplexities and queries. In order to thoroughly introduce our readers to the outstanding personality of the newly elected Patriarch of the Alexandrian Church, Photius Peroglou, I consider it not superfluous to cite here in full one of his first letters to me from Sinai, dated June 19, 1889. “Beloved in Christ son 16, Mr. Alexis, grace and peace be with you from God the Father. The continuous increase of sorrows and illnesses forced me even to this day to postpone my response to your kind letter of January 17, which I joyfully received at the end of February. In fact, suddenly then, from the beginning of March, having become seriously ill on the 17th, I was treated until St. Easter, when, thanks to the Lord, some improvement began in the illness that befell me, which continues, with the help of God, to this day. And although I will not free myself in any way from the troubles of this illness, however, I hasten to refer you, my dearest one, to it, so that the time of my silence does not serve as a basis for accusing me unfairly towards you of forgetting words and neglecting promises. Bringing first of all gratitude to you for your best wishes for the coming of the new year, I mutually prayerfully wish you health, strength and peace in the long days, in order to fight a good deed in a way that is generally useful and pleasing to God. However, I inform you at the same time that both your previous desire 18 and the present one, when we are already finishing the half-year, are very far, as it seems to me, from the expected fulfillment: good hopes, which you considered not unfounded, are not clear, remain in deep darkness until the present hour, not even illuminated by a weak ray of dawn. Indeed, in Jerusalem persecution reigns and the disaster continues, and every day new blows are dealt to the church. But, of course, beloved, let us attribute all this to the all-wise providence of our great God, Who alone can wisely direct for good everything that concerns the Holy Church, and grant me the strength to both endure with humility many sorrows and to submissively submit to His holy will. Of all the things in your letter that it concludes, first of all, my dear friend, I bring you great gratitude for communicating to me the kind and comforting words of the former consul in Jerusalem, Mr. Bukharov, 19 and I ask you to testify to his Excellency my heartfelt gratitude and notify me of his address, so that I can immediately express my gratitude to him. On the basis of these words, due to completely undeserved sympathy for me, you, beloved, are basing great hopes on which someone else could say quite a lot, but I, convinced by long experience that each of these expectations is difficult to achieve, will remain silent about the other reasons, but willingly and from the heart I thank you for the words you heard from the lips of his Excellency, which you need to (rejoice) not for yourself, because slander (διαβολή) and false denunciation (συκοφαντία) were not in vain, it was not in vain that they strained all their efforts against me, but for the Zion Church, in order to give her the opportunity to receive some peace, and for those very ones who proclaim themselves everywhere as defenders and friends, and, of course, leaders - the reckless miracle workers of endless iniquities in Jerusalem. But others need to think about this, but for us, it seems to me, there is no need; it is better to leave it to simple prayer. Your gratitude to my brother 20 testifies rather to the kindness of your heart than to his cordiality, because he immediately wrote to me from Athens that he was deeply saddened and, in view of the very serious grief that unexpectedly befell us, 21 was not able to show you hospitality as it should be. I conveyed your greetings to all the brothers who are here, and they all rejoice that you remember their sacred abode. O. Economist Mr. Galaktion, Deacon Niphon 22, monks Klim and Damian 23 and all the others, greeting you, wish you all the best. I rejoice that in the report of your journey to Mount Sinai you remember with praise your beloved Fr. economy 24. When, however, will we be worthy of reading this report? Has it been published? If it was published, did you send us a reprint of it? The tomb was already completed in November last year; all that remains is the decoration of the church for the most part and the covering of its portico. From what I hear, one can hope that next August or September the consecration of the new church and the transfer of the remains will take place 26. You are asking me, my dear fellow, regarding the description, or rather, the list of icons 27. A year has already passed since I promised you this list, and I had it for the most part several months ago, but now I am forced to postpone sending it for another fifteen days, of course, not in its entirety, but part of it. Then I will write more about it. You also asked for a description, or, better yet, a “statutory summary of the sequence” performed here on the week of Vai, the litany 28, the chronology of the miter 29 and the bishop’s sakkos 30, in which the Most Reverend Archbishop of Sinai and Raifa, Mr. Porfiry, was vested and celebrated Sunday Vespers on Easter. You will find an exact copy of this sequence, attached, copied by the most reverend hierodeacon Niphon from a manuscript containing the sequences of the saints and having at the end the following remark: “This notebook (φυλλάδα) was completed in the year of Christ, January 1843, 22, by the hand of the most insignificant Parthenius, a monk Sinaita. This manuscript was written on Mount Sinai.” As for the chronological dates, I am sending you on a separate piece of paper one chronological date of the miter because I was unable to see the sakkos 31. Concluding your letter, you say that you have other requests, but are postponing them until another time. If, as I hope, you will answer me to my present letter, then write to me about these requests left by you 32 so that, if, of course, I am able, I will try to address all this more quickly and thoroughly. To the student at your Academy, the former professor of the School of the Cross, Mr. Ofofil 33, although completely unknown to me, only, of course, by name, but as a brother in Christ, please tell him and convey my kiss. All this is in response. To your surprise, which is far from unpleasant, I am adding here extracts from some letters from Suez 34, from Jerusalem 35, and from Russia from Ufa 36, ​​so that you can see that not only my hermits in the desert remember you through me, but also those living in the world, Russian fans of Sinai, thanking you for your lively and fascinating conversations. May the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with you throughout your life. Amen. Your zealous prayer book in Christ, elected to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Archimandrite Photius. Sinai. June 19, 1889" Our friendly correspondence with Fr. Archimandrite Photius, which lasted two years, should have stopped naturally. The relations between Patriarch Nicodemus and the Holy Sepulcher clergy, which had become extremely strained, caused, as is known, a regrettable attempt on his life in 1888 by a monk of one of the Jordanian monasteries, and then made his life in Jerusalem so difficult and unbearable 37 that he decided to announce (July 30, 1890) a speech about his resignation, which was accepted by the Turkish Sultan on August 19 of the same year. Upon his retirement, His Beatitude Nikodim negotiated with the synod of the Zion Church a lifelong pension and the right to reside until death in the Holy Sepulcher Monastery of St. George on the island Halki near Constantinople, where he soon retired. In Jerusalem, with the removal of the patriarch, the usual excitement and anxiety in such cases began regarding the election of worthy candidates to the vacant patriarchal see. At the beginning of October, the absent Palestinian bishops of Nazareth and Acre and those of the archimandrites of the patriarchate who enjoy voting power in the elections gathered in Jerusalem to take part in the meetings of the synod on this important issue. Disputes and bickering between members of the synod about worthy candidates for patriarchs were unexpectedly complicated for many by the arrival of Archimandrite Photius in Jerusalem from Sinai, who, having learned of the resignation of Patriarch Nicodemus, left the place of his imprisonment and went to Jerusalem to personally take part, as a member of the Holy Sepulcher brotherhood, in the upcoming elections. “The arrival of the exile Photius in Jerusalem, writes an eyewitness, former psalmist of our spiritual mission in Jerusalem A.P. Popov, was a great surprise for the members of the synod and posed a very difficult question for them. Some of the members said that Archimandrite Photius had not received any permission to return from Sinai, and that his current stay in Jerusalem was illegal. To this the exile answered in the most reasonable manner that St. the synod never sent him into exile, on the contrary, seven years ago, the members of the synod unanimously (by a majority?), at three legal meetings, elected him to the Jerusalem patriarchs, that he was sent to Sinai solely by His Beatitude Nicodemus, whose present removal gives him the opportunity, like every member of the Holy Sepulchre brotherhood, to live in Jerusalem. Some members of the synod, wanting to reconcile the previous elections of Photius to the patriarchal throne with the upcoming elections of the patriarch, suggested that the former sign a document that he renounced his candidacy for patriarch. And to this Archimandrite Photius objected that he should not be the first to take up the pen and sign the paper, but the synod itself should arrange so that the previous legal elections would not have any significance. By such a response, the members of the synod were put into the most obvious contradiction of themselves: whoever they had previously voluntarily and legally elected to be patriarch, they now did not want to recognize. Reasonable answers to the synod and the sympathetic character of Archimandrite Photius ensure that his party increases more and more every day 38.” But all the bickering about. Photius and his supporters were short-lived, since they all clearly saw that there was no hope of electing Archimandrite Photius to the patriarchate. And oh. Archimandrite Photius with his followers and other members of the synod entered into an agreement among themselves and began to look for such a person as patriarch of Jerusalem who at this time would satisfy all voters, on the one hand, and on the other, would have every chance of being confirmed by the Sultan. Patriarch Gerasim of Antioch (1885–1891), whose entire initial service took place in Jerusalem, was recognized as such a desirable candidate for all parties. On February 27, 1891, this election was approved by the Sultan, and Patriarch Gerasim from Damascus moved to live in Jerusalem. One of the first acts of the new patriarch of the Jerusalem church, Gerasim, was his order to restore Archimandrite Photius, as his old colleague and even friend, to the former rank of synodal secretary. The energetic secretary, thanks to his experience, acquired in the same position under Patriarch Jerotheus, soon had a tremendous influence on the course of affairs in the patriarchal synod, became, one might say, the main engine of all the vital springs of the Zion Church, which was greatly facilitated by the boundless trust that he now enjoyed with the new patriarch 39, whose failing health did not allow him in many cases to take the initiative and direction of often complex and various affairs of the Zion Church. The influence of Fr. Photius was further strengthened when, on the initiative of the new patriarch, a control financial commission was established under the patriarchate 40), which was entrusted with the management of the Holy Sepulcher estates and income of the patriarchy, and the chairmanship of this commission, at the request of the patriarch, was entrusted to him. With characteristic energy and perseverance, Fr. Archimandrite Photius conducted affairs in this commission so skillfully that in a relatively short time, to the amazement of many, he established strict accountability in the management of the finances of the patriarchate, from which the latter often suffered from lack of money and enormous debts, and put the finances themselves in such a favorable position that they had never been in before. It goes without saying that such vigorous, tireless and versatile activity of Fr. Archimandrite Photius and his closeness to the patriarch elevated him in the eyes of the Holy Sepulcher clergy, among whom, as one would expect, he had many admirers, but perhaps more envious people and ill-wishers. From what has been said it is clear that Fr. Archimandrite Photius, in the midst of multilateral and vigorous activity, could not have much free time for intimate correspondence with former friends, and therefore our correspondence naturally had to be interrupted. We, however, did not lose sight of Fr. Archimandrite Photius and, as far as possible, monitored his activities in Jerusalem at this time. We received information about him from the letters of our pilgrims who settled permanently in Jerusalem and from the oral and printed stories of pilgrims returning to their homeland. In a letter to us from Jerusalem dated March 2, 1893, from a certain Taisiya Semyonovna Patrikeeva, a former pilgrim to Sinai in 1888 and who became well acquainted with Fr. Photius, we found the following lines dedicated to him. “On February 1, our correspondent writes, there was a consecration of the church in the Catherine (sic) monastery (nunnery). The throne was consecrated by the patriarch with his father Archimandrite Antonin (chief of the Russian mission). The sermon was spoken by Father Photius in Greek. At the end of the speech, I Fr. Photius said: “What should I tell you, father, in Russian?” And he answered me: “I’ll tell you next Sunday at the Kharlampievsky (monastery).” Yes - and I haven’t heard of it. He became very plump and proud: he apparently forgot his life in Sinai.” Knowing our correspondent as a long-time resident of Jerusalem, well acquainted with many representatives of the Holy Sepulcher clergy and with church affairs, we had no doubt that this description was influenced by rumors about Fr. Archimandrite Photius his ill-wishers, and partly his removal from communication with the outside world, to which he stood close, during the Sinai imprisonment. Another news about Fr. We read Photius with deep interest and complete pleasure in an article by Professor of the Kazan Theological Academy S. A. Ternovsky entitled: “On the last days of the life, death and burial of the rector of the Russian spiritual mission in Palestine, Archimandrite Antonin.” “During the funeral service, after the Patriarch had read the Gospel, Archimandrite Photius of the Jerusalem Church, this article says, with the greatest animation, uttered a very long and very eloquent word, in which, with the oratory of a church flourish, he depicted the teachings and administrative merits of the deceased and the grief of the Palestinian country over his death” 41 . This eloquent word in the Russian translation of the named professor was later published on the pages of the journal “Transactions of the Kyiv Theological Academy”. We consider the following to be the most important and interesting words in this speech and for characterizing the deceased Archimandrite Antoninus and the personality of the speaker himself, Archimandrite Photius: “The holy land, the promised land, the land on which peoples, tribes and languages have long been fighting over who will seem more glorious to you, the land of salvation, in which the revered sufferings and glory of our Savior took place, the blessed land, which has Nazareth and Bethlehem, the Zion Mountains and Jordan, Tabor and Galilee, Golgotha and the New Sepulchre, consecrated land, you tell us and pass on stories for the future about the exploits of the blessed man who adorned you with St. institutions, who erected fallen walls for you, who gave you divine churches, who left you teachers’ schools as a legacy. Maybe I'm exaggerating? But Nazareth and Hebron, the Mount of Olives and the Mount of Olives, Jericho and Jaffa and Palestine all confirm my words. Most of the spiritual teaching institutions adorning these places, established in the name of the piety of Russia, were erected by him, and all had support through him. St. The Mother of Churches rightly revered this man and rightly blesses his memory” 42. Such an excellent and completely fair assessment of the activities of our unforgettable rector of the Russian spiritual mission in Jerusalem, Fr. Antoninus in the mouth of the “Archimandrite of the Jerusalem Church” Photius, who was well acquainted with the wide educational and construction activities of the deceased, made in the presence of the head of the Zion Church and undoubtedly on his instructions, and in the face of a huge mass of worshipers, and in itself can be considered high and enviable praise for the deceased, but, being pronounced at the tomb of the deceased, according to the testimony of an eyewitness-professor, “with the greatest animation,” this characteristic tells us a little more. Fr. Archimandrite Photius, obviously, hovered over the coffin of Fr. Antonina not “by order only, but from a heart filled with deep gratitude to the deceased for the ardent sympathy that he showed in the sorrowful days of his life in Sinai in prison and the transmitter of whom we had to be at one time. In 1897, at the beginning of it, Patriarch Gerasim died, after a long and serious illness, and the see of the Apostle James, the brother of God, became a widow. In Jerusalem, as usual, disputes and unrest 43 began among the Holy Sepulcher clergy regarding the selection of worthy candidates to succeed the deceased patriarch. And this time, as before, the name of Fr. Photius appeared on the list of names of intended candidates, but, as might be expected, was again removed from it by the Turkish government. As a successor to the most blessed Gerasim, not without intense efforts on the part of Fr. Archimandrite Photius and his like-minded people, was elected on July 10 of the same year, the most gracious Archbishop of Philadelphia Damian, who has lived for a long time in Russia in Tiflis, as the head of the local Jerusalem courtyard, and just before the election, temporarily ruled the Bethlehem Metropolis. Among the first tasks of the new archpastor of the Zion Church was the replacement of vacant episcopal sees. One of these cathedras, namely the cathedra of the Archbishop of Philadelphia, was offered to be occupied by Archimandrite Photius, who, to the surprise of many, willingly agreed to accept this proposal and was consecrated on December 6, 1897. Election of Fr. Photius to the titular see of Archbishop of Philadelphia was, on the part of the new patriarch, first of all, gratitude for the support that Fr. Photius, upon his election to the throne. This is, on the one hand. On the other hand, the new ruler of the Zion Church wanted to encourage the tireless activity of the energetic synodal secretary. But there was, as they say, a third, not incredible, reason, by raising him to a high rank to remove him from the positions of synodal secretary and chairman of the financial commission, positions, the correction of which had hitherto been associated with the rank of archimandrite, in order to thus weaken his influence on the course of affairs in the synod and on the management of the Church of Zion. But these calculations did not come true, since the Right Reverend Photius did not refuse any of the mentioned positions, and now, as a member and secretary of the synod, he began to exert such a strong influence on the course of church affairs that he had not had before. In 1898, during the holidays, I undertook a second trip to Jerusalem for scientific purposes, since, thanks to the unrest in the patriarchal library in 1887–88, I could not comprehensively examine the liturgical monuments that interested me, and therefore I now have the opportunity to supplement the description of the Eminence Photius with new facts that I had to personally observe during this period of his activity in Jerusalem. The first meeting with Eminence Photius at this time happened by chance at the railway station in Jaffa, where the bishop came for several days, on behalf of the patriarch. The meeting was cordial, but, as required by this public place, very restrained. When I explained the purpose of my present trip to Jerusalem, the bishop said to me: “I am very glad to see you. I am all at your service. The library is in my hands." On the second day, after arriving in Jerusalem, I went to the patriarchate to pay a visit to the Eminence Photius and agree with him on the time at which I could conveniently work in the patriarchal library. But, knocking on the door of the Bishop’s cell, I heard from the mouth of his young Arab cell attendant the answer: “The Bishop is not at home.” The next day I repeated my visits both in the morning and in the evening, and each time I received the same answer from the cell attendant. This started to worry me. Then, on my third visit to the Patriarchate, I left the cell attendant my business card with a written request to the Bishop to set up a time for me to meet with him. This card had its effect, and the next day, when I knocked on the Bishop’s cell, I heard the following answer from the cell attendant: “The Bishop is in the library and is waiting for you.” When I later crossed the threshold of the doors of the patriarchal library, treasured and well known to me from my first trip, in its hallway at a table littered with whole piles of papers, I found the Most Reverend Photius with a pen in his hands. Vladyka immediately explained the reason why I did not find him in his cell several times. It turned out that the bishop, constantly busy with urgent work, in order to avoid idle visits, deliberately left his cell, in which he spent only evenings and nights, and, having ordered his cell attendant to tell visitors: “the bishop is not at home,” he retired to study in the hallway of the library, which, in addition to the peace and silence necessary for studying, also provided the convenience that it contained, even in the sultry Palestinian summer, the student does not feel unbearably stuffy. After this meeting with the Most Reverend Photius, I began my scholarly studies in the patriarchal library, devoting time to them in the mornings from 8 o’clock to 12 noon, and in the afternoon from 3 o’clock, and sometimes from 2 o’clock to 6 or 7 o’clock in the evening. I had such a number of working hours in the library thanks to the kindness and attention of the Eminence Photius, Archbishop of Philadelphia, and Nicodemus, Archbishop of Diocaesarea, who, during my three-month stay in Jerusalem, forestalled my every desire and readily provided me with their full assistance. During this time, I could become well acquainted with the tireless, energetic activity of the Patriarchal Secretary, Archbishop Photius, since it took place before my eyes. In the morning, almost every day, I found the bishop at his desk, drawing up minutes of meetings, outgoing papers, etc. About ten o'clock he was visited by members and employees of the financial commission and his secretarial assistants, with whom he conferred on current affairs and gave everyone appropriate orders; they were replaced by Greek and Arab clergy - urban and rural - with all sorts of requests and perplexities relating to their pastoral practice; Then the teachers of the Cross Theological School came to him with requests from the field of pedagogy, and, finally, noble foreigners asked him for a few minutes for conversations, knowing well that only here, with the Patriarchal Secretary, they would find a positive answer to all the questions that interested them. Vladyka hurried to the best of his ability to listen to everyone and give everyone his practical advice, and spent time on this until noon, when he retired to the patriarchal dining room for lunch. From two o'clock in the afternoon, the bishop sat down again at his desk in the library, and in order to get rid of visitors, he closed the library doors behind him, which opened only to persistent knocks. Leaving the library at about seven o'clock in the evening, I often left Bishop Photius at the same desk, with work that was sometimes transferred to his cell, robbing him of his hours of sleep and rest. The activity of the patriarchal secretary was especially vigorous on the eve of the Austrian and Russian mail, when Archbishop Photius did not leave the library all day. With such a constant and varied activity, the Eminence Photius had little free time, and therefore it is quite natural that he avoided serving the funeral liturgies at Golgotha and in the Holy Sepulcher, to what extent the titular (Jerusalem rulers) are great hunters, since this gives them a certain income and brings them closer to Russian pilgrims, who generously pay for their labors at their personal discretion... During the entire time of our stay in Jerusalem Archbishop Photius celebrated the liturgy twice, appeared several times at prayer services on Russian highly solemn days and, as a deputy patriarch, was present at the diplomatic funeral service for Elizabeth, the Austrian Empress. For the same reason, Bishop Photius did not bother to pay us a return visit to the Russian buildings of the Palestinian society, and, at all our meetings in the library, limited himself to exchanging the same. ordinary phrases of politeness: we did not have time for friendly and intimate conversations with him, and the very place of our meetings was not conducive to such conversations. Remembering well our previous relationship, I, like our correspondent Taisiya Semyonovna Patrikeeva, as well as many other Russian pilgrims, could now reproach the Eminence Photius “for pride” and for the fact that “he forgot his Sinai life,” but knowing well the character of the bishop and his everyday way of life, I did not dare to think so, and the thought of changing his feelings for me was alien to me. The most obvious facts soon showed that I was not mistaken in my confidence. The difficult years of imprisonment at Sinai, I am convinced, will never be erased from the memory of the Most Reverend Photius, and ardent gratitude to his friends during the times of his difficult trials will always live in his noble heart, no matter what high degree of hierarchical service Providence may indicate to him. Two weeks before leaving Jerusalem, I unexpectedly, through the Diocesarean Archbishop Nicodemus, received an invitation from His Beatitude Patriarch Damian every day, after finishing classes, to attend his luncheon, to which members of the synod and people close to the patriarch are usually invited. This kind invitation from the patriarch made it possible at the table and after it, when they usually drank coffee in the patriarch’s office, to get to know all the most important representatives of the Holy Sepulcher clergy and talk about church affairs. During this time, I also had a great opportunity to talk with His Eminence Photius and, out loud, to recall various episodes of our joint life in Sinai. But the eve of my departure from Jerusalem is especially memorable for me. At lunch, Patriarch Damian, with a glass of champagne, which was brought from the cell of Archbishop Photius, wished me health and success in my academic career for the benefit of St. Church, and His Eminence Photius, in an animated speech, introduced the diners to the nature of my most scientific works. All this deeply touched me, although, as it turned out later, it was only the beginning of the honors that befell me on this memorable day. After the usual coffee, when I approached Patriarch Damian to accept his last blessing and thank him for the cordial welcome and kindness shown to me, I heard the following words from him: “I ask you to visit me at four o’clock, after Vespers.” When I later appeared at the hour appointed for me and entered the patriarch’s office, I found there, to my amazement, many of the members of the synod. His Beatitude Damian invited me into the throne room, where all the members of the synod went with me. Here one of the secretaries read the synodal document about my elevation to “knights (ιππότης τού παναγίου καί ζωοδόχου Τάφου) of the most holy and life-giving Tomb,” and His Beatitude Damian placed it on my neck golden cross with a particle of the life-giving Tree. Moved to tears by the unexpected and high honor, having reverently accepted the precious gift from the hands of the archpastor of the Zion Church, I thanked the members of the synod for this honor in a few words and bowed to the ground to the patriarch. From the throne room I went straight to the cell of the Most Reverend Photius to say goodbye to him and sincerely thank him for the mercies that unexpectedly befell me, as I well understood to whom I mainly owe the high honor and the precious gift, which rarely falls to the lot of ordinary mortals. Bishop Photius responded to this by saying to me: “This is the need of my heart. You got your due." Having then wished to see the bishop in a position higher than the present one, not suspecting, of course, that he would occupy this position in the chair of the Evangelist Mark, and having accepted his last blessing, I left the patriarchate. Soon after my departure from Jerusalem, a great change occurred in the fate of the Most Reverend Photius, who, bowing to the unanimous and ardent requests of the Nazareth Christians from the Arabs, accepted the offer of the synod and the patriarch to occupy the see of the Nazareth metropolitan, widowed since December 28, 1897, from the day of the death of Metropolitan Niphon. I heard about this persistent desire of the Nazarene Christians to see the Most Reverend Photius as their archpastor, under the threat of not accepting any other Jerusalem bishop of Greek nationality, during my stay in Jerusalem, but at that time absolutely everyone doubted the consent of the Eminence Photius to occupy this see, in view of the need to leave Jerusalem and live in his residence - Nazareth. But what was impossible for individuals of less strong spirit turned out to be quite possible for such natures, tempered and devoted to their duty, to which the newly elected patriarch of the Alexandrian Church undoubtedly belongs. The Most Reverend Photius, to the surprise of all the clergy of the Zion Church, and to the great joy of the Nazareth flock, gave his consent and at the meeting of the synod on January 28, 1899, he was named “Archbishop of the cities of Nazareth and Cana of Galilee and all Galilee.” It is not surprising, therefore, that the joy of the Nazareth Christians, at the accession of the Most Reverend Photius to his metropolitan see, as an eyewitness testifies 44, knew no bounds. To meet the new metropolitan, on March 14, not only representatives and elders of Orthodox Christians of Nazareth, but Greek-Ushatas, Protestants and even Mohammedans traveled far out of town. This joy of the local residents was shared by our Russian pilgrims, who arrived in Nazareth on the day of the Annunciation, taking an active part in the procession on the occasion of his meeting in the cathedral. Not for long, however, the desired archpastor had to be among the flock who passionately loved him. Less than a year had passed since the entry into the metropolitan see of the Eminence Photius, when Providence was pleased, through the almost unanimous election of the clergy and people's representatives from among the Christians of Alexandria, to now call him to a higher service in the chair of the Evangelist Mark with the honorary title of “ecumenical judge and pope”, in a chair that, thanks to the long-term management of his very old man, the late Patriarch Sophronius, needs a man full of strength, energy and administrative experience, as, according to the unanimous opinion of the Greek press, the newly elected Patriarch of Alexandria is recognized. In the person of the Eminence Photius, he was elected to the glorious Alexandrian see, in the words of the “Church Messenger,” a man “worthy of the historical past of the Alexandrian church and the most faithful exponent of the folk-religious needs and aspirations of the local Orthodox population” 45. We hope that the newly elected Patriarch of Alexandria, having taken into his experienced hands the helm of ruling the Church of Alexandria, will not forget the neighboring archdiocese of Mount Sinai and Raifa, which once cordially sheltered him, will take it under his protection and will settle the rough edges that existed in the relations of the late Patriarch Sophronius towards it... Long live the Patriarch of Alexandria Photius for many years! Kyiv. 1900 February 23. Ταχυδρομος 1900 ετ. No. 515. We also find a very flattering review of the personality of the newly elected patriarch in the official organ of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Εκκλησιαστική αλήθεια No. 2, 1900 ετ. σελ. 9–10. According to the correspondent of Church Gazette, Fr. Photius at this time also performed the duties of a locum tenens in the Turkish “divan” or “medjeles” (the highest administrative institution in a provincial city, to which Jerusalem belongs). No. 24, 1899, p. 959 approx. **. Church News. 1882 No. 2, p. 3; No. 29, p. 9. Ibid. 1883, No. 39, pp. 12–13; No. 38 p. 6; No. 42, p. 6. To illustrate our idea, let us point out the following fact that took place within the walls of this monastery among its representative elders, just before our arrival. One of these elders came up with the strange idea of ​​calculating how much rope would be needed to throw it from Mount Galaktion and Epistimia to Mount Horeb and hang a lantern on it that would illuminate the entire monastery. This idea seemed so interesting to others that the math lovers spent two evenings doing calculations, and then, not without pleasure, they told us about the pleasant time spent doing these calculations... Church Ved. 1890, no. 25; Right Palest. collection. V. 10, St. Petersburg, 1888 p. 21. Mount Horeb, the top of Sinai, the cave of St. John Climacus, the monasteries of the Forty Martyrs and the Holy 12 Apostles and other places in the Rakh valley with which certain biblical events are associated. In Sinai, during the entire Easter week, for services they do not ring one bell and do not strike the bell, but all the bells are rung at once and all the wooden and iron bells are struck and riveted. Easter Vespers is called “η δεύτερα αναστασις” because the liturgy with Vespers on Great Saturday is called “η πρώτη αναστασις”, since at this service the verse is sung: “Rise up, God,” during which the priest, having opened the royal doors and, with a basket in his hands with daphnes and flowers, scattering them to the right and to the left among the people, he says: “Χριστός ανέστη” (“Christ is Risen”). This miter has the following Greek inscription on it: Μιχαήλ πιστῶς (sic) βασιλευς Μοσχοβιας ζρν –1642. This church was severely damaged during the terrible earthquake that occurred in Sinai on the night of December 18, 1889. Church led 1890, No. 25, p. 836 The monks of the Sinai monastery, having a common fraternal meal, receive two Turkish lira for clothing, i.e. 44 francs per year. This Bedouin tribe degenerated from those hundred Vlash families who were settled here by Emperor Justinian, the builder of the monastery, to protect the monastery from raids and robberies from other nomadic tribes on the Sinai Peninsula. These Vlachs were Christians at first, but then, under the all-powerful pressure of Islam, they converted to Islam, although they did not completely break with the traditions of the old Christian times. Nowadays their religious beliefs are a strange mixture of Christianity, Mohammedanism and partly even idolatry. The Bedouins eat very little in normal times. Every day from the monastery, five small loaves of bread are given to a male soul, even if it is a newborn baby, and two to a female soul. They cook fish soup with dough baked in ash and ground into grains. Meat and vegetables are rarely eaten. O Photius was my spiritual father during my stay in Sinai During the Sinai imprisonment, Fr. Photius suffered from attacks of severe rheumatism. Of course, it is my wish, upon leaving the Sinai Monastery, to see Fr. Photius is free in Jerusalem. Consul D. Bukharov, moved from Jerusalem to Stockholm with the title of Consul General, visited Kyiv while passing through in 1888 and saw me. During our conversations, we also talked a lot about the Sinai prisoner, Archimandrite Photius, about whom Mr. Bukharov spoke in the most flattering terms for him and even promised to put in a good word for him in St. Petersburg. I brought this review and this promise to the attention of Fr. Photia. The brother is a famous doctor in Athens. Death of the brother-doctor's wife from childbirth in August 1888 Deacon Niphon, who was ordained under me, often helped me as a copyist of manuscripts and was the only person capable of this book work. The great elders who loved to talk with me during their evening rest This report amounted to a whole book and was published under the title “Travel in the East and its scientific results” 1890. Kyiv. Pages 20 and 24 of this report are devoted to a brief description of the “quiet and hardworking” Fr. Economy of Galaktion. “While performing many other duties in his monastery, Fr. The steward, during my stay in the monastery, I wrote about him, was also considered a librarian and carried out these difficult duties with his characteristic humility and love for every task entrusted to him, as long as it tended to the benefit and glory of the monastery, from which he did not leave the world for more than thirty years, and which he promises to serve in the harsh cassock of a simple monk until the end of his life” (p. 24). O. Galaktion died four years ago, and his bones now rest in the tomb, to the construction of which he contributed generously at one time. Two copies of this report were sent to Cairo addressed to the Sinai Archbishop Porfiry, who, by letter dated February 19, 1890, notified me of the receipt of the parcel. “I received your letter dated the 21st of last month, the archbishop wrote to us in Russian, I hasten, in turn, to thank you both for your sincere congratulations (Happy Angel Day) and for the copies of your work “Journey in the East” sent to me and to Sinai. These last two copies, I don’t know, however, if (Sic) were received by the monastery.” That is, the bones of previously deceased brothers, since, according to the established custom in the East, the bones of the dead, three years after burial, are dug up and, after washing them with wine, are stored in tombs. These bones are called relics and differ from relics in our sense of the word by adding in the latter case the epithet “holy relics or holy remains.” At Sinai we were diligently engaged in describing the rich collection of old icons of a wide variety of schools and styles located in the basilica and in the adjacent paraclis or chapels. We published brief information about this meeting in our book: “Journey to the East and its Scientific Results,” pp. 96–116. Intending to describe in time all the icons located in Sinai in detail and, due to lack of time, not having had time to personally see the icons that are in the numerous paraclises of the monastery, scattered inside its buildings, we, upon leaving Sinai, asked Fr. Archimandrite Photius compiled a list of these icons and copied the existing inscriptions of artists and donors on them. O. Photius expressed his full readiness for this work, and he now speaks about it in this letter. But, unfortunately, Fr. Photius did not keep his promise in this case and did not send even half the list of these icons. At Sinai we were struck by the exceptional details of the litany performed there on Palm Sunday, at the end of Matins. Having become interested in its details, which I had never seen before anywhere in the Orthodox East, I, as a liturgist studying modern worship in the East in general, without personally having leisure in Sinai, then asked Fr. Photius copied the rite of this litany for me verbatim. O Photius fulfilled my desire by entrusting Hierodeacon Niphon to make a copy of the rite of this litany O. Hierodeacon Niphon. This litany begins with the singing of the stichera: “Today the grace of the Holy Spirit has gathered us,” during which the procession from the basilica of Emperor Justinian goes to the monastery gates (εἰς τήν πόρταν), where the first Gospel of John is read (10:1–9). When singing the stichera in tone 2, “The heavens have a throne and the earth as a footstool,” the litany is directed from there to the paraklis (small church) of the three saints (εἰς τοὺς τρείς ιεράρχας), where the second gospel of Luke (19:29–40) is read. With the stichera for tone 2, “Come this day, all the new Israel, even the church of the tongue, let us cry with the prophet Zechariah,” the litany was performed to the paracleis of the holy martyrs Sergius and Bacchus, and there the third Gospel of Mark was read (11:1–11). Then the litany goes to the paracleis in honor of the five martyrs (εἰς τοὺς πέντε μάρτυρας) with the singing of the stichera of the 2nd tone, “Prefiguring your honorable resurrection for us, you raised up the dead, by your command, the lifeless friend Lazarus,” and here it reads fourth gospel of John (2:1–8). Next, the litany was directed to the cellarium and to the meal (εἰς τη τήν μέσην κελλαρίων καί τράπεζαν), while singing stichera 2 voices “Before the six days of Passover, Jesus came in Bethany,” and there the bishop reads the fifth gospel of John (2:1–11). From the meal the procession goes to the bakery and the mill (εἰς τόν φοῦρνον καί εἰς τόν μύλον) with the singing of the “Glory” stichera: “Today the grace of the Holy Spirit has gathered us together” and is read here sixth gospel of Matthew (14:14–22). While singing “other self-vocal stichera” in tone 4 “The multitude of the people, Lord, spread their vestments along the way,” the litany approached the well of Moses (εἰς τό πηγάδι τοῦ Μοϋσέως), located behind the altar of the Burning Church bushes, and here the last seventh gospel of John is read (12:9-18). With the singing of the stichera: “I want to bring you into the holy city, Lord,” the litany returns εἰς τὸ άλκουσέγιον (?) the morning stichera are read, and we sing again the stichera: “I want to bring you into the holy city, Lord.” The date of the miter is given above with a Greek inscription. This sakkos, made from the royal outer dress, is considered a gift from the pious Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Church liturgical objects and vestments, usually stored in the skevophilakium of the monastery, can be seen only at the time when they are taken out for use during worship, but at other times they are constantly in the skevophilaky, where entry is prohibited not only to outsiders, but even to the abbot of the monastery. Skeuphylakia is at the complete disposal of its director, skevophilax. Archimandrite Photius, on my instructions, copied for me the life of the silent monk of the Lavra of St. Sava the Blessed Bishop John from the Sinai manuscript No. 494 and some historical documents. In 1890, in a letter dated May 12, through a nun of the Frolovsky Kiev monastery, at my request, he sent 5 silver rings consecrated on the relics of the Great Martyr Catherine. A current student of the Kyiv Theological Academy, currently serving at the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary as an assistant inspector. O. Theophilus works hard to translate spiritual and moral works of famous Russian theologians into Greek. Letter from Sinai pilgrim P.P. Lukyanova dated June 12, 1888, who visited the monastery during my stay in Sinai. Letter dated October 31, 1888 from T. S. Patrikieva, a Russian native, but for many years living in Jerusalem in the courtyard of the Avraamievsky Monastery, near the Holy Sepulchre, and therefore well acquainted with many persons of the Holy Sepulcher clergy. Letter dated October 17, 1888 from E.K. Pavlova. Pavlova and Patrikeeva were in Sinai at the same time and got to know me well. We find a fairly correct description of the activities of Patriarch Nicodemus during his administration of the Zion Church in Church. Vestn. 1890 No. 34, p. 559 and 1891 No. 28, p. 437. Church Vestn. 1890. No. 50, p. 820. U o. Photius and the new patriarch also established family ties at this time, thanks to the marriage of his brother, an Athenian doctor, to the niece of Patriarch Gerasim. According to all data, his brother’s marriage took place in Jerusalem, not without the influence and active participation of Archimandrite Photius in its arrangement. This commission included, in addition to the chairman, Archimandrites Polycarp, Damian (now Patriarch) and Metelius (Church Vestn. 1891, No. 27, p. 422, No. 28, p. 436). Proceedings Kievsk. spirit. Academician 1894 vol. 2, p. 164. About these unrest, see Church. Led. 1897. No. 35, p. 1250. Church Led. No. 24, 1899 p. 960. Church Vestn. 1900 No. 3. You might be interested in: