20. Хозяйственные пожелания

“Having calmed down from the labors of building a material church, continue to labor diligently” (20:41) The great holy Hierarch is known not only for his spiritual advice, but also for his wishes and matters of an economic nature. In his letters, he appears as a zealous owner, constantly taking care of both the needs of the brethren and the external splendor of the holy monastery, not leaving without attention even what seems the slightest. It is noteworthy that he offers his instructions only as wishes, without making them unconditionally binding - a lot of scope is left for the actions of the governor. Even more remarkable is that the Saint considers St. Sergius to be the main owner of the holy monastery. “Thank you,” he writes, “to our patron Saint Sergius, that the economy of the Lavra, with increasing costs, is not in poverty. In fairness, I also thank you for your varied care” (9:62). The guiding signs for the Saint as the owner were: do not build in winter; do not start construction without having material grounds for it; supervise the account: “It is hardly good to build in winter, and it seems that it will be good to build in March, when the winter route for transportation will not end, and the cold will no longer be winter” (8:99). “Decide to build with alms? But is this reliable? Wouldn't it be even less reliable to maintain a monastery? But won’t the precariousness of existence be an obstacle to joining a monastery?” (10:119). “Incurring debt to build a farmstead is a very dubious matter. The hope of forgiveness is wrong, and it is not good to enter into a debt with the hope of not paying it. In my opinion, it is better to have neither a farmstead nor a debt, than to have with a farmstead the burden and worry of debt” (3:29). “Proper supervision of the account is needed both against the sin of infidelity and against the sin of vain suspicion” (8:216). The attentive owner monitors the splendor of the holy church so that everything best matches the holiness of the place: lamp, lamps, chandeliers, especially the iconostasis, paintings on the wall, sacristy: “It came to mind, is the lamp made for the image of the Holy Trinity? – It’s been a long time getting ready. It's time to do it" (7:26). “I don’t know what to do with the altar lamp. I don’t want to leave unclean silver and I don’t really want to expand the enterprise. Something is wrong with time. Would you mind making an estimate of what it should cost to repair and what to redo again?” (7:27). “Glory to the mercy of God, through the prayers of St. Sergius, covering the monastery! And for us, Father Viceroy, it would be a good idea to awaken to caution. When remodeling buildings, the need for a firewall should have been seen, and then it would have been more convenient to do what was needed. “The scribes of the cathedral should not have scattered papers out of place, and the treasurer should have known that even a sober watchman could doze off, and therefore for the watchman’s candle he should have been given a wide-bottomed candlestick with raised edges of the bottom and ordered to pour water into its tray” (7:340). “The proposed chandeliers - the roads and the appearance are more indoor than church... Can you manage to correct the old one so that it is not completely ugly” (19-1:160). “The iconostases, it seems, were painted again in the Lavra, they are colorful and heavy. In terms of location, wouldn’t it be better for them to have a simpler and calmer appearance?” (10:229). “In the Trinity Cathedral, the choir is blocking the iconostasis, and it is better to remove one chandelier” (7:53). “Resuming the wall paintings in the Trinity Cathedral as before is truly safer... In renewing the old, antiquity itself justifies. God will bless you to continue this as much as possible” (7:153). “Thank you for the protective orders for the sacristy. I would add that, according to the current times, not to allow anyone curious into the sacristy, but only people of honorary rank, those who have done good to the monastery, and besides these, unless for special respect” (7:363). Regarding the construction of churches itself, the holy Hierarch notes that nowadays there is a fashion to get carried away with the Gothic style, which he does not approve of: “And now I don’t know what to say about the structure, not knowing what you have done so far. Gothic taste seduces us hardly for the better. This is the architectural fashion of the present time, and fashion will soon pass. Then they will perhaps say: it’s funny that foreign, foreign, unnatural taste is taken for exemplary. But it's not that important. The important thing is that the Gothic taste imposed on us will make the structure more expensive and less durable due to small and protruding decorations. In my opinion, a good structure for the desert is one that is cheap and durable for its purpose. For this, take the taste you want” (3:28). Saint Philaret draws attention to the fact that “the law requires an architect, a plan and an estimate. “Whoever builds according to the architect’s decision puts bricks on the architect’s head, and he who builds without an architect puts bricks on his own” (7:361). About the brick factory at Bethany he writes to the abbot of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Athanasius: “Perhaps it would not be useless to buy (it), but will you and the treasurer be able to go after it and will you not pay money for nothing, as recently for the Lavra? “Take good counsel in the Council” (17:128). The Saint also expresses a number of other economic wishes: “Leave the arches of the northern porch of the meal” - just correct it (7:35); make a new floor, but do not paint it - it will be fresh, “than with oil” (7:27); the windows to the chancel should be enlarged or “made oblong” to allow for more light (10:228); in the refectory of the church “you can put a grate and not allow anyone beyond it except the servants” (7:379); The Bethany building should be plastered as soon as possible (7:25); repaint the walls of the Refectory Church and the refectory (3:374); doors are well protected from the cold (18:44); proposes a heating project for the Assumption Cathedral (10:6–7, 8); about painting the domes of the same cathedral recommends consulting with those in the know (17:133); expresses doubt whether it is necessary to “encircle the entire roof of the fence with gutters” - this is “not so easy and hardly useful” (8:245). There is a word from the Saint about how one should treat new buildings, but undergoing redevelopment, and old ones that have fallen into disrepair, in a businesslike manner: “If someone sewed new clothes yesterday, and today they tore a hole in it and put a patch on it, I wouldn’t like it. I also don’t like breaking through a wall in a newly built building, on which, moreover, lies a vault, in order to make a staircase to the choir” (8:337-338). “Don’t allow it to be destroyed prematurely. If we say: we will not repair the dilapidated house, next spring we will move to a new one, and the dilapidated one will be broken; then winter will come before spring and make us repent that we decided to live somehow without repairs” (7:133). “The stoves in my rooms need to be remade, as you write, one of the new tiles, and the other of the two old stoves... Just make sure it’s warm” (17:18-19). “The venerable ancient furnaces are not easy to dare lay hands on, but it seems that they have lived up to that” (7:27). “Help me, Your Eminence (Bishop Vitaly of Dmitrov - K.S.), to resolve the confusion: is it better to repair the church in the Ugreshsky Monastery or build a new one. It is undesirable to embark on a large enterprise unless necessary, but the proposed correction project will not be cheap, so what if it still turns out to be unsuccessful” (18:45). The saint believes that the brethren should have their own bathhouse. – “A bathhouse in the south is a luxury, but in the north it is a necessity. Fix your bathhouse; and since it may be especially needed in winter, then do it now without any special idea” (7:22). And the Saint has his own opinion about paint color: “I don’t argue about colors. Just make sure there is no red or yellow in my room” (36:36). Saint Philaret rejoices that the Lavra Guest House is orderly and clean, and that the hostel is friendly. – “Significant visitors to the Lavra praise that in our guest house the rooms are well located, clean, equipped with the necessary things, and the hotel is well maintained. Thank you; and give thanks for me to the host” (9:416–417). Daily bread for the brethren and for the needy is also the concern of the Moscow Boss: “Having tasted the bread with potatoes and found in it both the appearance and taste of bread, and only noticing the presence of potatoes by the slight maltiness, I immediately thought that either there were not enough potatoes here, or there was little of it left in the bread from processing. In that case, I thought, what is there to fight for? Isn’t it better to give at dinner simply a reduced portion of ordinary bread and, in return, an increased portion of potatoes, cooked in its own way? Your letter received for this confirms my conjectural conclusions. It seems that it is necessary to stop production that is busy and of little use” (7:377–378). “I agree to buy flour for the poor, if you find it necessary to buy a thousand pounds. And arrange the distribution with care, so that pretend poverty does not take away from true poverty” (7:338). The Saint’s soul also hurts about the fact that the forests of Lavra, around Moscow and in other places are being cut down: “I want to get down to business with the forest. Tell me to write to me how many people live in the Lavra, ... how many stoves, ... how much firewood is consumed daily. Similar information about the monastery" (10:33-34). “I remember I used to tell people that they don’t take care of the forests near Moscow, who could draw a generally useful conclusion from this. And, it seems, it would be easy to understand what was understood before, with a greater abundance of natural wealth. I will look for an opportunity to talk about this, although they may answer you and me, it’s none of your business” (7:267). “More than once I happened to hear that the Sarov elders were grieving and fearful on the occasion of the Holy Synod’s proposal to lease out their forests, and I thought of bringing this to your attention (Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod A.P. Tolstoy. - K.S). Now I see a messenger from them to you on this matter - and I take advantage of this opportunity. Sarov forestry is organized with prudence and is aimed at various benefits for the monastery, as well as at preserving and regenerating the forest. Why remake something good? The monastery takes care of its own - the tenant will not take care of someone else's for someone else's benefit... Various abuses, cuttings, and fires occurred from neighboring forest tenants; and from them the evil spread to the Sarov dachas, which, as a result, suffered especially severely from the fires. What can we expect if tenants - as harmful as neighbors - become the owners of the monastery forests?.. Please pay attention to these considerations. Maybe they are suitable for more than just the Sarov desert” (19–2:94–95). Even such a seemingly insignificant matter - digging a ditch - stops the attention of Saint Philaret: “I hasten to respond to your project about the ditch, so as not to stop you in your work. I am afraid that the ditch, running so close to the building, will harm the foundation, especially the new one. If you are convinced that my fear is not justified, then do as you suggest” (7:32). In the field of vision of the Saint are various workers of the Holy Lavra: the treasurer, the housekeeper, the stove maker: “The treasurer composes books, although he is not called to do so, and does not want to delve into the position of whether there is reason in the report that he signs” (7:359). “The housekeeper’s salary should be increased, and so much, I doubt whether it’s necessary. Why does everyone want to be the “authorities”, as was the case under the estates? We must be obedient. Before you present it formally, send me a table of all the senior positions, who gets what and from where” (7:380). “We must thank God that the dilapidation was revealed, and that they did not wait for the ceiling to fall and crush someone. Give the stove maker who discovered the dilapidation ten rubles as a reward, and if he is poor and a decent person, then twenty-five” (7:174). The disaster that befell the holy monastery - a fire - is perceived by the holy Hierarch as a visit from God, admonishing and calling for caution: “Let us give thanks to the mercy of God that the visit was sent to admonish, but not very disastrously. Use the fiery eloquence of the fire to instill caution in the brethren. Stove and fiery work should never be done in the evening. The stove ash can be taken out in the morning; and the oven must be heated at least before Vespers. This is necessary both against fire and waste. And why is there ash on the porch? Why are there wood chips on the porch? The fear of fire always comes to mind when I see the monks’ porches filled with firewood” (9:233). All economic affairs, whatever they may be, do not take the Saint away from the main thing - the order and beautification of the soul. “Having calmed down from the labors of building a material church,” he concludes, “continue to labor attentively in the improvement and beautification of the immaterial churches of your souls” (20:41). You might be interested in: