Донесение Святейшему Правительствующему Синоду Первенствующего Члена оного Антония, митрополита Санкт-Петербургского и Ладожского от 21 июля 1903 года

Thank the Lord! The great and joyful celebration for our Orthodox Church of the discovery of the holy and multi-healing relics of St. Seraphim, the Wonderworker of Sarov, took place on last July 19, according to the previously established rite, with appropriate splendor. A new grace-filled lamp has kindled in the Russian Church, the God-blessed Seraphim, who, like our God-bearing fathers Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk and Sergius of Radonezh, will enlighten the light of Christ’s truth and confirm the Orthodox Russian people in the faith. The joy that flowed for the Orthodox Church from the celebration that took place in the Sarov monastery was aggravated by the presence at this celebration of the crowned Leader of the Russian people, the Most Pious Sovereign Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich, who wished, together with His people, to offer prayerful veneration to the righteous elder at the very site of his great exploits. His Majesty deigned to arrive at the Sarov Hermitage at 5 ½ o'clock in the afternoon on July 17, accompanied by Their Imperial Majesties Empresses Alexandra Feodorovna and Maria Feodorovna, as well as Their Imperial Highnesses Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna with Her August Husband, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich with Consort of Grand Duchess Elisaveta Feodorovna, Grand Dukes Nikolai Nikolaevich and Peter Nikolaevich with Consort of Grand Duchess Militsa Nikolaevna and Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna with Her August Husband. When meeting the Sovereign Emperor at the holy gates of the monastery, I made a short welcoming speech. Having listened to a short prayer service in the Assumption Cathedral Church of the Desert, His Majesty wished to immediately venerate the venerable remains of St. Seraphim, for which I was led, together with all the Highest Persons who had arrived, into the church of Saints Zosima and Savvatius, where the coffin with the venerable remains was located. The Ministers of Internal Affairs, the Imperial Court and Communications, as well as many other high state dignitaries, arrived at the Sarov Monastery to attend the celebrations. Of the Eminences, except those appointed by the Holy Synod, none took part in the Sarov celebrations, due to the complete lack of premises for them in the monastery. A great multitude of pilgrims of every kind, rank and status, from all areas of our vast fatherland, even the most remote - Siberia and the Caucasus, gathered for the celebrations. Among them were a considerable number of sick and wretched people who came to pray to St. Seraphim for the granting of healing to them, and many, by their faith, received it. A few days before the start of the celebrations, precisely on July 3, the oak coffin with the honorable remains of St. Seraphim was taken out of the grave and transferred, at the end of the Liturgy I performed, with a procession of the cross to the Church of Saints Zosima and Savvatius; here, in the altar of the church, under my personal supervision, with the active participation of the Right Reverends Nazarius and Innocent, Archimandrite Seraphim and a few other persons invited by me, the transfer of the venerable remains of the saint into a new cypress coffin took place over the course of three days, July 3, 4 and 5. July 16 was the actual day the celebrations began. On this date, at 12 o'clock in the afternoon, a rare sound of the large monastery bell followed, convening pilgrims for a solemn requiem in the Assumption Cathedral. The requiem was celebrated by the bishop's service, and at the litanies and exclamations the names of the Most Pious Sovereigns Emperors and Sovereigns Empresses were remembered, starting with Empress Elisaveta Petrovna up to Emperor Alexander III inclusive, the names of the deceased Eminences of Tambov, the builders and abbots of the Sarov Hermitage, the parents of St. Seraphim - Isidore and Agathias and the ever-memorable hieromonk Seraphim. On the same day in the evening, in the cathedral churches of the desert - the Assumption and the Mother of God "Life-Giving Source" - the bishop's service also celebrated a funeral all-night vigil - parastas for the ever-memorable hieromonk Seraphim. On July 17, from early morning, pilgrims filled the monastery square in large numbers inside and outside the walls of the monastery. On this day, religious processions from two Seraphim monasteries - Diveyevo and Ponetaevskaya - were expected to arrive in Sarov. To meet the religious processions, at 7 o'clock in the morning, a procession of the cross, accompanied by the Right Reverend Innocent, left the gates of the Sarov monastery, and, crossing the Satis River bridge, stopped not far from the forest at the so-called Execution Place. Those religious processions arrived here at about 8 o’clock in the morning, and all of them, joining together, formed one majestic procession, heading towards the walls of the monastery. The splendor of the procession was greatly contributed by representatives of banner-bearing societies who arrived for the celebrations from different cities of Moscow, Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Tula, Nizhny Novgorod and Ryazan provinces. All of them brought one or two banners as a gift from their societies to the monastery, many of which were distinguished by the value and artistry of their work. Upon the arrival of the united religious procession at the monastery, the good news for the late liturgy began. In both cathedral churches, the liturgy, and after it the requiem service, was performed by the bishop's service. In the Assumption Cathedral, at the end of the liturgy, His Grace Nazarius pronounced a word dedicated to the memory of St. Seraphim. On the same day in the evening, upon the arrival of Their Imperial Majesties, funeral all-night vigils for the ever-memorable Hieromonk Seraphim were performed in the cathedral and other monastery churches by specially appointed clergy. At 11 o'clock in the evening, when the monastery square was free of people, specially appointed archimandrites, silently, moved from the Church of the Transfiguration the old oak coffin-block of St. Seraphim to his former place of residence, to the grave, to which there was a descent along a small stone staircase. The grave is currently lined with thin marble slabs and is made open on one side, so that the coffin standing in it behind a glass partition can always be clearly seen. On July 18, Their Imperial Majesties deigned to attend the early liturgy in the Assumption Cathedral, in its chapel church in the name of St. Anthony of Pechersk, and they partook of the Holy Mysteries; Confession was received the day before from the hieroschemamonk of the desert, Simeon. On the same day, there were many communicants and pilgrims in the monastery churches. At 9 o'clock in the morning, the last funeral liturgy began in the Assumption Cathedral, which was performed by specially appointed clergy. At the end of the liturgy, the bishop's service also celebrated the last memorial service for the ever-memorable hieromonk Seraphim. Their Imperial Majesties and Their Imperial Highnesses deigned to arrive at the cathedral for the funeral service. Before the funeral service began, I made a speech. The memorial service ended with a lithium at the grave of St. Seraphim, to which a procession of the cross left the cathedral for this purpose. All the Highest Persons present in the cathedral also took part in it. Upon the return of the procession to the cathedral, I consecrated the precious shrine, built by the zeal of Their Imperial Majesties, for the holy relics of St. Seraphim. At 4 o'clock on the same day, small vespers was celebrated in the Assumption Cathedral, and at 6 o'clock in the evening the large bell began ringing, calling pilgrims to the all-night vigil. This was the first church service at which St. Seraphim began to be blessed and glorified among the saints of God, and at which his holy relics were opened for the veneration of the people. In view of the importance of the upcoming service, tens of thousands of pilgrims rushed to the gates of the monastery. But there was no way to let everyone into the monastery at once, and therefore only a part of the people was allowed in in such numbers that there would be no oppression during the transfer of the holy relics. Upon arrival at the Assumption Cathedral of Their Imperial Majesties and Their Imperial Highnesses, the all-night vigil began. The service was conducted according to the newly compiled “Service to our Reverend Father Seraphim, the Wonderworker of Sarov.” While the lithium stichera were being sung, a procession of the cross left the cathedral and headed to the church of Saints Zosima and Savvatios, where the coffin with the honorable remains of St. Seraphim was located. The church was entered by the bishops and clergy appointed to bear the coffin, as well as Their Imperial Majesties and Their Imperial Highnesses and several other persons who accompanied the procession. All those who entered the church knelt before the coffin, which contained the honorable remains of the saint. For this, the coffin was carried out of the church by the bishops and His Majesty the Sovereign Emperor, with the participation of the Grand Dukes and archimandrites appointed for this purpose, and placed on a stretcher, which was lifted onto the shoulders and carried by the Sovereign, bishops, Grand Dukes and archimandrites. Raised high, the coffin was visible from everywhere to the people, who stood like a living wall with lighted candles along the entire path of the procession. A majestic and deeply touching procession began. Many cried out of heartfelt emotion, and some women even sobbed: prayerful sighs addressed to the Venerable Father Seraphim were heard everywhere; Many peasant women along the procession of the coffin placed their handicrafts under it: pieces of canvas, embroidered towels, yarn, etc. The religious enthusiasm of the people reached a high degree. After the coffin with holy relics was carried around the Winter and Summer Assumption Cathedrals, with stops for the recitation of litanies, the coffin was brought into the Assumption Cathedral and placed in the middle of it in a specially prepared place. Between the kathismas, the Right Reverend Innocent pronounced a word corresponding to the celebration taking place. At Polyeleos, the coffin was opened by me, and the holy relics of St. Seraphim were opened. The clergy sang praises to the saint. All those present in the cathedral fell to their knees, mentally uniting with the singing clergy in pleasing and glorifying the saint. After reading the Gospel, the bishops kissed the holy relics, and then all the Highest Persons present in the cathedral deigned to come and kiss the holy relics. The people were allowed into the cathedral to kiss the holy relics throughout the night in the presence of specially appointed clergy. The next day, July 19, at 8 o’clock in the morning the bell service began for the late liturgy in the Assumption Cathedral. The Liturgy was performed by all the bishops present at the celebration. At the beginning of the liturgy, Their Imperial Majesties and Their Imperial Highnesses deigned to arrive at the cathedral. At the small entrance with the Gospel, while singing “Come, let us worship,” the clergy lifted the coffin with holy relics on their shoulders and, carrying it around the holy altar, placed it in the prepared shrine. Following the prayer behind the pulpit, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrius spoke. Following this, a solemn prayer service began for the Reverend Father Seraphim. After singing the troparion to the saint, the coffin with the holy relics was taken out of the shrine by the clergy and carried out of the cathedral in a procession around the same monastery churches. His Majesty the Sovereign Emperor and Their Imperial Highnesses the Grand Dukes deigned, just as the day before, to take part in carrying the coffin on a stretcher. The people looked with deep reverence at the carried shrine, and again, just like the night before, crying, sobs, and prayerful sighs were heard from among them. Upon the return of the procession to the cathedral, the prayer service to the monk ended with the usual many years. The celebrations that took place in the Sarov monastery were marked by many wondrous manifestations of God's grace: through the prayerful intercession of the Venerable Father Seraphim, the blind received their sight, the deaf heard, the dumb spoke, the lame walked. At the source of Father Seraphim, several, sometimes more than ten, cases of healing were performed daily. On one such day, up to 15 crutches left by the healed lame were collected near the source, and the people burned these crutches on the banks of the Sarovka River, as if clearly testifying to the power of the prayerful intercession of the Venerable Father Seraphim. At the source, everyone could see one of those healed with their own eyes and hear from him a sincere, simple story about healing. Among the cases of healings recorded and, as far as possible, verified, the following attract attention. 1) A peasant boy, Vasily Iovlev, 12 years old, who came to Sarov from the village of Ilisskoye, Kurchinskaya volost, Minusinsk district, Yenisei province, together with his grandmother, was mute from birth, for which he had a certificate from the local parish priest. He bathed at the spring of our venerable father Seraphim and after that began to speak. 2) Peasant woman of the Simbirsk province, Ardatov district, village of Tazneeva Agrippina Tabaeva, 18 years old, blind from birth, bathed three times in the spring of St. Seraphim and, after the second time of bathing, began to see sunlight, trees and other objects. 3) A peasant of the Vyatka province, Sloboda district, Sochnevskaya volost, the village of Nikolskoye, Mikhail Tifkin “did not own,” as he put it, “for 23 years, there were tumors on both sides of which, and his head hung on it like on a sponge.” Having bathed in the spring of St. Seraphim, he saw that the tumors on his neck had fallen off and his head had firmly established itself on it. 4) A tradesman from the city of Spassk, Ryazan province, Vasily Bogomolov, 50 years old, lay paralyzed for 7 years, without legs; tongue and hearing were also paralyzed. They brought him to the spring of St. Seraphim and bathed him, after which he began to hear, speak and walk; threw away the crutch. 5) Living 40 versts from the city of Verny, widow Anna Ivleva, 43 years old, suffered from blindness for 19 years. Despite the difficulty for her to leave home, since she had four young orphans in her care, she still went to Sarov and walked 900 miles. After bathing in the spring of St. Fr. Seraphim, she began to see well. All the described cases occurred at the spring of St. Seraphim, but there were already cases of healing at his holy relics. Here is one of the most remarkable incidents that occurred during the late liturgy on July 19 in the Assumption Cathedral. Among those praying in the cathedral was Mrs. Maslennikova, who had arrived from Moscow; With her was her sick 12-year-old daughter, who had not spoken a word for about two years. She was treated by several specialist doctors, but they could not help her. When the coffin with holy relics was carried during the small entrance, Mrs. Maslennikova touched the coffin with a handkerchief and then wiped the face of her sick daughter with it, and the latter, to the great joy of the mother, immediately spoke, and then was led by her mother to receive the Holy Mysteries. So marvelously and clearly the Lord showed His mercy through His newly glorified saint. Regarding the celebration that took place in the Sarov Hermitage, I received the following telegram from the Eminences present in St. Petersburg: “With heartfelt tenderness, prayerfully participating together with the Most Pious Sovereign, the host of saints and all Holy Russia in the bright celebration of the church glorification of the new saint of God, the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, we humbly ask your Your Eminence to lay down at the feet of Their Majesties feelings of boundless devotion and prayerful wishes, so that the Lord, through the intercession of the Monk Seraphim, will forever protect the Sovereign, the Reigning House and the Russian Power in unshakable peace and unchangeable prosperity. We joyfully welcome Your Eminence to the accomplishment of a great and holy deed. Exarch Archbishop Alexy, Archbishop Gury, Bishop Tikhon, Bishop John, Bishop Markell, Bishop Sergius, Bishop Constantine, Bishop Antonin.” This telegram was submitted by the Comrade Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod, on July 19, to the most merciful discretion of His Imperial Majesty, and the Sovereign Emperor, on the most submissive report of the Comrade Chief Prosecutor of the Synod, deigned to write with his own hand: “Please express My gratitude and feelings of joy and great consolation on the occasion of the newfound mercy of God Russian Land." Published according to the publication: Church Gazette, 1903, August 2, No. 16. P. 305–310.