Correspondence with bishops of the Church

Contents I. Saint Philaret (Drozdov), Metropolitan of Moscow Saint Philaret of Moscow. Arrangement of the exhortation song of St. Gregory the Theologian Letter from St. Philaret (Drozdov), Metropolitan of Moscow, to His Grace Stefan (Romanovsky), Bishop of Vologda and Ustyug Letters from St. Philaret (Drozdov), Metropolitan of Moscow, to St. Ignatius No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5 No. 6 No. 7 No. 8 No. 9 No. 10 No. 11 Letters of St. Ignatius to St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 II. Saint Philaret (Amphiteatrov), Metropolitan of Kiev Letters of Saint Philaret (Amphiteatrov), Metropolitan of Kyiv, to Saint Ignatius No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5 No. 6 No. 7 No. 8 No. 9 No. 10 No. 11 No. 12 No. 13 No. 14 III. Your Eminence Archbishops Platon of Kostroma and Nil of Yaroslavl Letters of St. Ignatius to the Eminence Nil (Isakovich) No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5 No. 6 No. 7 No. 8 No. 9 No. 10 No. 11 No. 12 No. 13 No. 14 No. 15 No. 16 No. 17 No. 18 No. 19 No. 20 No. 21 No. 22 No. 23 No. 24 No. 25 No. 26 No. 27 No. 28 No. 29 No. 30 No. 31 No. 32 No. 33 No. 34 No. 35 No. 36 No. 37 No. 38 No. 39 Appendix to the article “The Eminence Plato of Kostroma and Nil of Yaroslavl” Holiday in Yaroslavl IV. Letters of St. Ignatius to Metropolitan Anthony (Rafalsky) of Novgorod and St. Petersburg No. 1 No. 2 V. Letter of St. Ignatius to Metropolitan Isidore (Nikolsky) of Novgorod and St. Petersburg and response to it No. 1 No. 2 VI. Letter of Saint Ignatius to Bishop Benedict (Grigorovich) VII. Letter from Saint Ignatius to Archbishop of Kursk and Belgorod Iliodor (Chistyakov) VIII. Letter from His Grace Nicholas (Sokolov), Bishop of Kaluga, to St. Ignatius Brianchaninov and his response No. 1 No. 2 IX. Archbishop Irenaeus (Nesterovich) Letter from the Most Reverend Irenaeus (Nesterovich) to Saint Ignatius X. Two letters from Archbishop of Kherson and Tauride Gabriel (Rozanov) to Saint Ignatius and the response of the Saint (to the first of them) No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 XI. Letters of the Most Reverend Theodotius (Ozerov), Bishop of Starorussky, to St. Ignatius No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 XII. Archbishop of Turkestan and Tashkent Zephaniah (Sokolsky) Letter of St. Ignatius to Archimandrite Zephaniah (Sokolsky) XIII. Letter from the Most Reverend Smaragd (Kryzhanovsky), Archbishop of Oryol, to Saint Ignatius XIV. Letter from Saint Ignatius to His Grace Alexy (Rzhanitsyn), Bishop of Tula XV. Correspondence of St. Theophan the Recluse with St. Ignatius No. 1 Letter of St. Theophan the Recluse No. 2. Answer of St. Ignatius I. Saint Philaret (Drozdov), Metropolitan of Moscow Continue your prayers for me, so that God will give me not only a white outer covering, but also a heart and deeds, purified by His grace. Filaret, Metropolitan of Moscow Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov, due to his official position, entered into relations with many hierarchs of his time. Among them, in terms of the significance of the relationship and its duration, the first place belonged to the outstanding church figure, Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow. Very little of their correspondence has survived. But even this little significantly complements what has been written about their relationship. The outstanding church figure and spiritual writer Filaret (in the world Vasily Mikhailovich Drozdov) was born on December 26, 1782 in the city of Kolomna, where his father served as a deacon in the Cathedral. In 1803, he graduated from Trinity Seminary and was left there as a teacher of Greek and Hebrew, and then also poetry. November 16, 1808 - tonsured a monk and called to St. Petersburg to teach at the seminary, in 1810 - transferred to the Academy as a bachelor and from March 11, 1811 he was rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and archimandrite (at 29 years old). In 1821, at the suggestion of Prince A.N. Golitsyn, he was appointed to the Moscow See, and on August 22, 1826, on the day of the coronation of Nicholas I, he was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan. Metropolitan Philaret met Father Ignatius Brianchaninov in 1833. This year, heading home to the Pskov province, Mikhail Vasilyevich Chikhachev arrived in St. Petersburg. The God-loving Countess A.A. Orlova-Chesmenskaya sheltered him there for several days. Chikhachev told her how difficult it was for him and Abbot Ignatius in the Lopotov Monastery, how harmful the climate there was for their health. Anna Alekseevna advised him to introduce himself to Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow, who was in St. Petersburg. The Metropolitan “very graciously received the young novice, fatherly affectionately listened to his frank story about the plight of Abbot Ignatius, asked him questions, from which he concluded that the Bishop was not unaware of their previous life, as well as the merits of Abbot Ignatius, to whom he offered, through Chikhachev, the abbot of the Nikolo-Ugreshsky third-class monastery of the Moscow diocese, and then only for the first time time, promising to deliver him an even better place later.” And the very next day a decree was sent to Vologda to His Eminence Stephen about the transfer of Abbot Ignatius to the Moscow diocese. But, as you know, the Sovereign Emperor Nicholas I himself took up the fate of Abbot Ignatius, and Metropolitan Philaret, with a personal letter, summoned him not to Moscow, but to St. Petersburg, and invited him to stay in his courtyard. There they met. Abbot Ignatius wrote to his parents about this. “Meanwhile, I continue to live at the Trinity Compound,” he writes in a letter dated January 1, 1834, “taking advantage of the special favors of Metropolitan Philaret, which is a rarity in this day and age. With a strong commitment to the Orthodox Church, he combines Christian activity and a natural, insightful analytical mind. Every day, if I’m not called away, I have dinner with him, and he is so indulgent that he talks with me for a very long time about spiritual subjects.” It is difficult to say what the fate of Saint Ignatius would have been if he had remained in the monastery under the jurisdiction of Metropolitan Philaret. Perhaps the Moscow ruler would have favorably guided him to higher positions, as was the case with His Eminence Leonid (Krasnopevkov), 2 and he would not have had to endure the sorrows that befell him due to the proximity of the capital. Or perhaps, given his independent, independent character, it would have been even more difficult for him because of the constant direct guardianship that the Metropolitan exercised over the monasteries of his diocese 3 . Meanwhile, the relationship established during the first acquaintance continued. Metropolitan Philaret very favorably accepted the proposal of Archimandrite Ignatius to appoint his friend Hieromonk Hilarius as rector of the Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery, and promoted the appointment, at his own suggestion, of Father Damascene as rector of the Valaam Monastery; in 1837 he invited him to become one of the censors and accepted his refusal with understanding; reacted positively to his idea “to transpose the book of Abba Dorotheus into a more commonly used language”; in his letters he repeatedly repeated that “your communication with my humility is very comforting to me.” It is also clear from the letters that during Metropolitan Philaret’s stay in St. Petersburg, Archimandrite Ignatius did not miss the opportunity to see him. Unfortunately, the last surviving letter dates back to 1842, although other sources indicate that correspondence continued until at least 1856. In 1847, Archimandrite Ignatius, having received leave for treatment, went to the Nikolo-Babaevsky Monastery. Along the way, he stopped in Moscow for several days. “The Metropolitan of Moscow is very kind,” he wrote from there to his governor in Sergius Hermitage, “he has grown old.” Archimandrite Pimen (Ugreshsky) in his “Memoirs” described their meeting in more detail. “Metropolitan Philaret treated him [Archimandrite Ignatius] with great kindness, gave him the most honorable and cordial welcome, repeatedly received him and visited him in the house of I. A. Maltsev, where he stayed, and, inviting him to dinner, gathered the highest Moscow clergy to introduce him to him.” And when Archimandrite Ignatius was getting ready to go to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Metropolitan Philaret wrote to the viceroy, Archimandrite Anthony: “You will have Archimandrite Ignatius of the Sergius Hermitage. Receive him with brotherly love. Talk to him about the Athonite hieromonk Joseph, whom he sees differently than you showed me before” 4 . Of course, even after returning from vacation, Archimandrite Ignatius visited and introduced himself to Metropolitan Philaret more than once during his stay in St. Petersburg. And the fact that correspondence continued between them, sometimes on important church issues, is evidenced by another letter to Father Anthony dated April 28, 1852: “Here is another letter, which, by the grace of Svyatoslavsky, reached me a year later, and, of course, left the writer displeased with my silence. You see what Fr. Archimandrite of the Sergius Hermitage Ignatius wrote a book against the book of Thomas a à Kempis and wants me to see it and encourage him to publish it. I don’t hope that if I read the book, I could write something about it that he would like. The idea of ​​writing an edifying book specifically against Thomas à Kempis 5 seems strange to me. It seems to me that it is most convenient to continue the silence in which I have remained involuntarily until now. But this gives him a reason for displeasure. Without reading the book, if I say that I don’t hope to agree with it, it will be harsh, and maybe I can say even less softly when I read the book.” In May 1856, Archimandrite Ignatius, on his way to Optina Pustyn, stopped in Moscow for a short time. There is an entry about this in the diary of Fr. Archimandrite Leonid (Krasnopevkov): “Before leaving, the carriage rolled up to the porch. Who? Father Archimandrite of the Sergius Hermitage. I heard that the day before he dined with the Vladyka, and I thought how to see him, but here he is.” From the letter of the Saint to Archimandrite Leonid dated December 17, 1856, one can see that Metropolitan Philaret agreed with Metropolitan Gregory of St. Petersburg when he proposed to elevate him to the rank of bishop: “I sincerely thank you for your letter of December 11. It was very pleasant for me to see from him the disposition of the Saint of Moscow towards me. I believe that as a result of his relationship with the Most Reverend Gregory of Petersburg, a representation about me followed from this latter to the Holy Synod. But God alone knows what is useful to man and human society, and therefore arranges the fate of people according to his wise providence.” And almost a year later, in November 1857, on the way to Stavropol, Bishop Ignatius stopped by Moscow. Archimandrite Leonid wrote in his diary on November 28, 1857: “Reverend Ignatius visited Vladyka twice, yesterday he dined with him and in the evening he visited me as if I was sick.” Metropolitan Philaret wrote to Father Anthony about his first visit on November 27, 1857: “Today I had a new Bishop of the Caucasus. He feels good and gets down to business with determination. I have already chosen a new rector of the seminary and an inspector and secretary for the consistory. He rejoices at the favor of the Bishop of Novgorod towards him. But there is also sad news that he confirms. Regarding the Optina monks taken to the Jerusalem mission, he thinks that it would be better to keep them under the experienced leadership of Elder Macarius in order to use them to maintain and spread good monasticism in Russia. Maybe it's true. There could be others for Jerusalem.” P.P. Yakovlev also adds that in Moscow, the Most Reverend Ignatius had an attack of his illness, during which the Metropolitan sent his doctor to him and visited him himself. In subsequent years, His Grace Ignatius, in his letters to Fr. Leonid (Krasnopevkov) was constantly interested in the health of Metropolitan Philaret: “Notify me about the health of Your Eminence Metropolitan and yours.” And he thanked for the messages: “I sincerely thank you for the notification about the health of His Eminence the Metropolitan. It is no wonder that the perspicacious old man leads the most solitary life: from the silence of his cell he sees those clouds that accumulate on the horizon”; “I thank you very much for the news about Your Eminence the Metropolitan. May the all-merciful Lord strengthen his strength at this difficult time, in which many different storms are beginning to play.” At first, upon his arrival in Stavropol, His Grace Ignatius expressed satisfaction with his move: “Although this place is new and almost everything needs to be set up; although I suffer from an unusually harsh winter, from special inconvenience indoors, I am calm and therefore content.” But very soon he began to notice opposition to his orders for the improvement of the Diocese from the rector of the seminary and some members of the Consistory. The main stumbling block between him and the rector of the seminary, Archimandrite German, was the issue of teaching the Ossetian and Tatar languages, “commonly used among mountain peoples.” In 1859, during Bishop Ignatius’s trip around the diocese, Rector Herman made an unauthorized order to cancel the teaching of these languages ​​at the start of a new course, replacing them with the study of French and Latin. In the fall of 1859, Rector Herman was transferred to the same position in Samara. In the “Complete Biography of St. Ignatius of the Caucasus” it is written: “During Bishop Ignatius’s stay in the Caucasus, Metropolitan [Filaret] took under his protection a party of persons who had united to oppose the bishop [Ignatius], under the main leadership of Archpriest Krastilevsky and the rector of the seminary Epiphanius Izbitsky” 6 . Epiphany Izbitsky, from the nobles of the Kyiv province, of the Roman Catholic faith, who had recently converted to Orthodoxy and monasticism, after the departure of Archimandrite Herman to Samara, took his place in Stavropol. At first, “he showed great activity in his position” and Bishop Ignatius brought him “into better relations with the local authorities of the civil department.” But feeling confident in his position, he, allegedly taking advantage of the patronage of Metropolitan Philaret, began to intrigue against the Bishop and generally behave unworthily. And here is what Bishop Ignatius himself writes about Epiphanius to His Eminence Leonid: “I keep your letter as a treasure. This is the treasure. It shows the most faithful relationship of the Bishop to the Rector and the Rector to the Bishop. Since the wise and experienced Saint of Moscow established these relationships for himself and constantly maintains these relationships, I considered it my duty to adhere to them and to constantly maintain them in my relations with Archimandrite Epiphanius. The other day I considered it my duty to show a beneficent letter to the Archimandrite, so that he could see from the letter the way of thinking that they have in Moscow about the duties of the Rector to his Diocesan Bishop.” In the next letter: “Oh. Rector Epiphany wrote a letter of petition to Mr. Synodal Chief Prosecutor about his removal from here due to his inability to endure the local climate. I advised him to write to him and to the High Hierarch of Moscow, which, as he says, he did. And I wrote to His Eminence, asking Him not to leave Fr. Epiphany. At the same time, Fr. The rector submitted a note to the Seminary Board about his illness; Despite this pain, I asked him to visit me from time to time, believing that my conversation, which has no other merit than good intentions, could calm his spirit, which he really needed. Having seen that he falls into complete frenzy and self-forgetfulness while being subject to a temper, that he is brought into this state by others and does not notice it, I concluded that he is incapable of the position of Rector. Recently he himself expressed this thought: thank God if he speaks sincerely. Understanding your inability is a great blessing! I very well understand how you write that one High Hierarch tried and is trying to introduce a new element into the Higher Hierarchy. This opinion was shared by our late Metropolitan Gregory. But it seems that one Person of Your Eminence is destined to justify the election and thought of the Moscow High Hierarch.” Regarding the actions of Archpriest Krastilevsky, a member of the Consistory, Bishop Ignatius had to appeal to the Holy Synod more than once. The meaning boiled down to the fact that Krastilevsky, having a naturally willful and daring character, under the predecessor of Bishop Ignatius, “had the skill to rule unlimitedly over the Bishop, the Consistory and the diocese.” Bishop Ignatius entered the Holy Synod with a proposal to dismiss Krastilevsky from the title of member of the Consistory, and this proposal was satisfied. But Krastilevsky, “as a very insidious person and quite knowledgeable about the matter, chose the path of intrigue, enticing strangers to act in his favor.” Based on such circumstances, His Grace Ignatius sent a message to the Holy Synod in which he presented the need to move Krastilevsky to another diocese. The “Complete Biography of St. Ignatius” states that “The Right Reverend Metropolitan Philaret soon clearly took the side of the bishop’s enemies” 7, and that “Krastilevsky’s wife found access and protection for her husband from Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow” 8. The successful influence of their intrigues was expressed in the fact that the attitude of Bishop Ignatius “remained without consequences.” From this statement one gets the impression that the 77-year-old “visionary elder” Metropolitan Philaret, with all his enormous employment, with his responsible attitude towards his rank, with frequent ailments, had nothing to do but patronize some archpriest in his intrigues against Bishop Ignatius. L. A. Sokolov, however, in his monograph fully reproduces documents that indicate that the attitude sent by His Eminence Ignatius to the Holy Synod did not go unnoticed and that Metropolitan Philaret did not at all take the side of his enemies: “On November 17, 1860, Count A.P. Tolstoy wrote to S.P. Urusov, who was in Moscow at that time: “transmitting to Your Excellency the draft Synodal Protocol prepared for Archpriest Konstantin Krastilevsky, I humbly ask you to submit it to the discretion of His Eminence Metropolitan Philaret and ask for his opinion: should petitions be refused at all? diocesan Right Reverends to remove clergy from the dioceses entrusted to them simply because there is no legal evidence to accuse these persons” 9 . Even in his youth, Metropolitan Philaret was distinguished by his prudence in judicial and administrative matters. “He took a very reasonable approach to solving important issues related to the sentencing of offenders” 10. All the more cautiously and judiciously did he approach the matter that concerned such a person close to him as the Most Reverend Ignatius. He studied the documents very carefully and on November 24, 1860, sent the following conclusion to Count A.P. Tolstoy: “Returning to Your Excellency the protocol on the case of Archpriest Krastilevsky, I am enclosing a note. It was written yesterday evening, during the reading of the case, and therefore some details may require verification, especially since the protocol of some parts of the case shows only the titles, and not the content. In the thirties, I still believed that the lot of the bishopric might reach Archimandrite Ignatius and suggested that Bishop Seraphim introduce him to the Consistory to familiarize himself with the affairs. But this was not done, and now Ignatius is a bishop without prior preparatory knowledge. Whatever decision the Holy Synod makes on this matter, in my opinion, such an incomplete resolution as in the protocol is unsatisfactory. After it, the archpriest can say that the Holy Synod did not pay attention to this or that. It is necessary to convince the guilty archpriest of guilt by a clear statement of shortcomings and irregularities, and to indicate to the Eminence the best order of affairs so that errors are not repeated, which are especially harmful when, without reaching the Holy Synod, they do not receive correction. The rule to remove a clergyman at the request of the Bishop, without clear evidence of guilt, would be a burden to the subordinates and a temptation to the Bishops. If a restless one, perhaps irritated by the restless actions of the Bishop, goes to bother another Bishop, for which this one will be burdened with the burden that the other one throws from his shoulders. The first reason for the removal of Archpriest Krastilevsky to another diocese seems to be that he seized power in the diocese during the time of His Grace Ioannikis. But if this is true, then it ended with the removal of the Right Reverend who allowed this, and therefore a new order is not needed, both because the archpriest has already been removed from the Consistory, and because the current Right Reverend, with his legal firmness, will, of course, not allow illegal influence. The second reason: the archpriest is credited with the path of intrigue and the formation of a party. But there is no clear evidence of this in the report of the Right Reverend. The third reason: the archpriest placed his wife among the figures. But her actions are visible in the file, as it is presented from the Right Reverend, only those that she asked for a passport from the diocesan authorities, and, not receiving it, took a certificate from the police instead. The last action is not entirely in order, but it is forced by the Consistory’s refusal of a passport and does not constitute an important disorder in the diocese. The fourth reason: the archpriest was involved in the murder of caretaker Ustinsky. This matter is important, but since this testimony is based only on a note from Vasiliev’s secretary, who himself was condemned by the Holy Synod, no conclusion can be drawn from this. If the Eminence considers this accusation to be unfounded, then he must subject it to investigation. Fifth reason: verbal feedback from Archimandrite Gerasim. It has no legal effect in an official matter. Sixth reason: the archpriest has the most cruel heart. But God, the Knower of the Heart, knows the heart: a person must judge by proven actions. The seventh reason: the report of Secretary Grigorevsky. A report without an inquiry is not legal evidence, and the report does not show any crime of the archpriest. Eighth reason: the archpriest screamed in the presence. This cannot be the reason for the expulsion of the archpriest from the diocese. Moreover, there is no Consistory journal about this. So, if this was the case, then the secretary is to blame for not inviting the members to compile a journal about this, and also for indecently calling the archpriest a woman. Moreover, the secretary revealed a misunderstanding of the law when he wrote that according to the law, passports are issued only to widows and girls: the law does not prohibit issuing a passport to the archpriest for pilgrimage, with the consent of the husband. Ninth reason: letter from the archpriest. In this letter, the archpriest’s judgment is unfair that the Consistory, at his request for a passport for him, was obliged to issue a passport to his wife. But this is also not such an illegality for which the archpriest should be expelled from the diocese. That the archpriest, partly modestly, partly with impatience, hints at the possible need to seek consolation elsewhere, and this generosity of the Right Reverend, of course, does not recognize as requiring persecution. Tenth reason: the archpriest did not go to the two successively assigned places to him. This is disobedience to superiors, unless there are special circumstances. Therefore, it was necessary for the archpriest to be held accountable for disobedience, to legally determine to what extent he was guilty, but this was not done. Eleventh reason: the archpriest, even under the current Bishop, is leading the diocese into hesitation. This is a terrible accusation. But the evidence shows one case, the failure of the rector and the inspector to sign the protocol, and their acceptance of the report from Archpriest Krastilevsky. This case is not so important to confirm the above accusation. However, the rector and inspector must be asked why they did not sign the protocol and why they decided to accept the report from the archpriest without having the right to do so. But while the presentation of the Right Reverend does not have legal clarity and force to accuse Archpriest Krastilevsky, this archpriest himself puts himself under accusation through the petition of his wife. In this petition there is only one subject about which the archpriest had the right to speak, this is her conviction for leaving without a passport. But she mixes in various matters into which she has neither the right nor the need to enter. She writes about her husband's affairs, which he can and should defend himself. She writes down the resolution of the Eminence and the Decrees of the Holy Synod, which no one announced to her and which she could only learn through illegal means. She writes anonymously and without evidence that the Most Reverend Ignatius, without studying their character, exacted undeserved favors from bad people. She allows herself to second-guess the actions of her superiors, such as, for example, that Popov was promoted to archpriest from second-class students, and that the Decree of the Holy Synod does not explain the reasons for the dismissal of her husband from the Consistory. That this petition is not the work of the archpriest, but the archpriest himself, this is undoubted because the petition is filled with circumstances that she could not know and which are known to her husband, such as, for example, that he was in charge of the court table for 10 months, that the Right Reverend told him that he had nothing to justify himself, and so on. If it is true that the archpriest, to whom the Right Reverend retained the seniority of his place in the meetings by resolution, actually became lower than the priest in the church, then this is an ill-intentioned act, having no other purpose than to arouse a murmur against the Right Reverend, who allegedly does not respect the title of Archpriest and well-deserved distinctions. And it is worthy of condemnation that the archpriest submitted a report to the rector and the inspector. Due to his experience, he could not help but know that they did not have the legal right to accept it, but he took this indirect path and led the inexperienced into temptation. The stated circumstances of the case lead to the following conclusions: 1) Explain to the Eminence that his ideas lack the clarity and evidence required by law, and recommend that he adhere to the legal order with greater precision, and base accusations on proven cases, and not on vague remarks about the characters and properties of persons. 2) The archpriest, who in fact has discovered a disposition to cause difficulties to his superiors in indirect and wrong ways, would not be an unnecessary precaution to take to another diocese. If this does not please the Holy Synod, then at least it is necessary to tame him with a severe reprimand in the presence of the Consistory for the above actions, with confirmation that he acted straightforwardly and did not go beyond the limits of the law. 3) Reprimand or reprimand the secretary for the above inaccuracies. 4) Allow the Eminence to take from the rector and inspector an explanation of why they did not sign the definition and why they accepted the report from the archpriest, and present it to the Holy Synod with an opinion. 5) Considering Article 284 of the Charter of the Consistories, was it not premature for the Eminence to remove the rector and inspector from the presence. Determining this will depend on the view of the Holy Synod on the matter. The law does not subject people to liability for voting in court if they disagree with others. November 24. 1860" 11. L. A. Sokolov writes about this conclusion: “Of course, standing on a formal business point of view in assessing the case of Archpriest Krastilevsky, we cannot but admit that the remarks of the Bishop - Metropolitan Philaret - are correct, and the actions of the Bishop - Ignatius are swift and persistent without relaxation caused by human weakness and the past merits of flawed persons. Indeed, from a formal point of view, in the case of Archpriest Krastilevsky, we find many judgments about this person, based on general “observations about the characters and properties of persons” and little factual validity, except perhaps in the case of a complaint about Krastilevsky’s actions from the deputation of highlanders in Mozdok. In office work, formal legality, of course, was not fully observed, although we personally do not doubt the directness and correctness of Bishop Ignatius’s actions. And the incompleteness and some uncertainty of the paperwork about Krastilevsky is explained, in our opinion, not by the fact that, as the wise Vladyka Philaret thinks, Vladyka Ignatius was not a member of the Consistory, for he studied clerical work sufficiently during all kinds of investigations in the monasteries of the St. Petersburg diocese, etc., but rather by the fact that Vladyka Ignatius, under power, decisiveness and perseverance of his character, in the case of deep conviction in the correctness of his view, as was the case in Krastilevsky’s case, and the principle of the issue affecting the matter of faith and the Christian life of his neighbors, he did not want to take into account legal conditions, resolving the issue on moral, and not nomistic, grounds.” To this it should be added that His Eminence Metropolitan Philaret, having found that formal legality was not observed in relation to the Holy Synod by His Eminence Ignatius, he himself determined those actions of Krastilevsky in which he reveals “a disposition to cause difficulties to his superiors in indirect and wrong ways” and for which “it would not be an unnecessary precaution to take him to another diocese” or “at least to tame him with strict reprimand in the presence of the consistory for the above actions.” Saint Ignatius, most likely, did not know what course his attitude towards Krastilevsky had taken, nor did he know about the imprisonment of Metropolitan Philaret, but judged his actions based on all sorts of rumors spread by ill-intentioned people, most likely by Krastilevsky himself and his henchmen. However, he was never as categorical as the authors of his “Biography”. He wrote to his brother, P. A. Brianchaninov: “I am peaceful towards the actions of the Moscow Metropolitan and others; for they are not accomplished without God’s permission, and God leads a person to spiritual goals in ways that, in appearance, have the character of troubles and misfortunes. Glory to the wisdom of our All-Good God." And soon all these matters ceased to worry him: on August 5, 1861, according to his request, his retirement took place. On October 5, 1861, he wrote to Pyotr Alexandrovich: “By the grace of God, I arrived safely on September 30 in the evening in Moscow, stayed with the Most Reverend Vicar [that is, with Fr. Leonid Krasnopevkov], who, as well as the Metropolitan, was received very kindly.” During a meeting with Metropolitan Philaret, he expressed to him the thoughts that worried him about the education of youth preparing to serve the Church - in the same spirit as he spoke and wrote about this to His Eminence Leonid 12. Vladyka Metropolitan recognized the words of His Grace Ignatius as fair, and justified his non-interference in spiritual and educational matters by his old age and distance from the spiritual and administrative center. The day after his meeting with the Metropolitan, His Grace Ignatius had an attack of his illness; he was forced to see a doctor and stay in Moscow for two weeks. His Eminence Leonid wrote in his diary: “The Eminence did not look into the Lavra. The governor told the Metropolitan here that the retinue of His Eminence Ignatius had passed by. "Which?" he asks. “Black Dog and Hieromonk.” Probably the Metropolitan could not resist expressing this to Ignatius, and therefore he passed by the Laurus.” The retirement of Bishop Ignatius gave rise to many different rumors. But the perspicacious elder, Metropolitan Philaret, correctly understood the motives that guided him. After meeting with him, he wrote to Archbishop Alexy of Tver: “Reverend Ignatius unexpectedly expelled himself from service. Others say that this is for a while, until the opening of a higher department. But it seems to me that those who could legitimately withdraw from the difficulties of time in order to listen to God and their soul are happy. The Eminence says that he gave in to his ever-present love for the contemplative life and that his state of health helped him decide. His appearance shows less health than before. And he had to undergo some short treatment in Moscow” 13. This was the last meeting of the two saints in earthly life. But His Grace Ignatius always preserved reverent memory of the elder Metropolitan. “During your stay in Moscow,” he wrote to his brother on June 14, 1862, “it does not bother you to visit the Metropolitan and the Vicar and accept their blessing, like the Saints.” And to the Most Reverend Leonid - January 3, 1863: “With special consolation I read the description of the relationship of the Sovereign Emperor and the Empress to the Most Reverend Metropolitan. This good is social good. God united the Kings and Priests for the benefit of humanity wandering on earth, instructing the former to arrange the temporary prosperity of human society, and the latter to prepare this society for migration to eternity and bliss in eternity. Representatives of both ministries must be in unanimity, as called to this unanimity by God Himself, and act out of their pious unanimity” 14. The year 1867 arrived. In August, the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Metropolitan Philaret’s ministry was planned. After a conference with His Eminence Leonid, who headed the Commission for preparing the celebration, Archimandrite Pimen (Ugreshsky) sent a letter to Saint Ignatius, in which he asked if he would like to take part in the work of the Commission. On April 24, 1867, His Eminence Ignatius replied: “Equally, I am very grateful to you for notifying me that on August 5th of this year, fifty years of service of His Eminence, Metropolitan Philaret, will be completed as a bishop. It is highly desirable that the address to His Eminence from the cenobitic monasteries be completed satisfactorily. The matter itself shows that the preparation of the address should be entrusted to a person: 1) who knows monastic life; 2) someone who knows the actions of the Metropolitan in favor of monasticism in general according to the Synod; 3) who knows the actions of the Metropolitan in the Moscow Diocese; 4) who knows his private actions. An address can be strong only by the number and merit of facts.” Six days after this letter, on April 30, 1867, Saint Ignatius passed away into eternity. And six and a half months later, on November 19, Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow passed into eternity. Saint Philaret of Moscow. Arrangement of the exhortation song of St. Gregory the Theologian The last work of life is near, And I already see in the distance the executions of bitter evil: Wrathful Tartarus, flame of fire, Now hidden in darkness, manifest there in shame. But, Blessed One, have mercy and, although it is late, grant me The rest of my life is good according to Your will. I have suffered much, O God the King, Heavy scales of judgment would not bring me down, I will bear my lot on myself, Surrendering oneself as a victim to sorrows that consume the spirit. To you who are to come, here is a cherished word: Life is resolved into dust 15. Letter from Saint Philaret (Drozdov), Metropolitan of Moscow, to His Eminence Stefan (Romanovsky), Bishop of Vologda and Ustyug 16 Your Eminence Vladyka, Worshipful Brother in the Lord! From the Decree of the Holy Synod, which followed these days, Your Eminence knows that the Lopotovsky Abbot Ignatius was transferred from the Moscow Diocese to the Ugreshsky Monastery, and now the need has arisen to call him to St. Petersburg on business. Concluding from the recent decree of the Holy Synod that it should still be in Vologda, I humbly ask Your Eminence for the following order: 1) Hurry up to accept the Lopotov Monastery from the Ugresh Hegumen Ignatius. 2) Upon fulfillment of this, send him in the proper manner not to Moscow, but directly to St. Petersburg, so that upon arrival he will appear to me at the Trinity Compound. 3) Pay the money for travel assigned to him for this trip, and if there is a delay in issuing it from the Treasury Chamber, in this case, issue the money for travel according to rank and according to calculation to St. Petersburg, borrowed from the amounts available in the jurisdiction of Your Eminence, and notify me about the amount of money issued for the return of it. Regarding this, I will await notification from Your Eminence, remaining with the true and perfect respect of Your Eminence, most humble servant Filaret, Metropolitan of Moscow. His Eminence Stephen Bishop Vologda and Ustyug and Cavalier. Letters of St. Philaret (Drozdov), Metropolitan of Moscow, to St. Ignatius 17 Reverend Father Abbot. The fate of God, having placed me in relationship with you through service, at the same time opens up the opportunity for us to recognize each other by sight. I am glad of this: I only care that this journey would not be difficult for you at this time of year, due to your health, as I heard about it: but it is necessary that you be in St. Petersburg; and I cannot change this. You can come directly to me. May God bless you and guide you on the path of peace. So that you, Most Reverend Father Archimandrite, may calm the thought of Fr. Hilaria 18, I inform you that I wrote to the Most Reverend Vologda after I talked about this with you, the next morning; and then I received his petition, and gave orders to Moscow in case of his arrival. The peace of the Lord be with you. Most Reverend Father Archimandrite! Hierodeacon Heraclius did the good deed that he gave me the opportunity to have a letter from you. I just wish to hear better about your health than about illness, although, however, illness in the ways of Providence is not evil, as it is said: because of the multitude of my illnesses in my heart, Your consolations have made my soul glad. With mutual frankness, I will tell you about Heraclius that during his service with me, I did not notice any evil or disorder in him: but in cases of promotion to hieromonasticity, the caretakers closest to him twice introduced not him, but others, finding them more worthy, although they were not older than him. I took this evidence into account, having no reason to suspect it of bias. Now the question is: is Heraclius coming to you out of an insulted desire of the highest degree or out of a desire for good instruction? Maybe because of this last one; or perhaps through the first God leads him to the last. In any case, I agree to fire him. Solve this matter as you please. I invoke God's peace and blessings upon you and those who are with you. Having promised you through Fr. Mikhail, that I will correct myself from my impolite silence, I am writing this small word to keep my word. I always accept your memories of me with gratitude, just as I remember you with love. If it were possible to send thoughts without using the labor and time to write them, you would often have mine. Find me this method; Until then, hesitate to be angry at my failure to write, or at least until the time when you can tell me your reproof to my face, which, perhaps, will not be made possible through debt. With true respect there is Your Reverence's zealous servant Now I met you in your letter, and am consoled by your memory of me. This is opportune for me, among other things, because, out of obedience to the sacred will of the Most Pious Sovereign, I see the path to a new capital; and the comfort of remembrance is reassuring with the comfort of face-to-face conversation. Thank you for connecting the memory of me with prayer. My weakness needs this help. What your humility says about stumbling on the path of spiritual life - this attention is good, and useful, and in itself is protective. May the grace of God, with the understanding of the path of the Lord given to you, direct your procession to salvation and the guidance of those entrusted to you, with firm and unshakable feet, according to the commandments of God, with the testimony of the word of God and the Spirit of God, co-witnessing the believing spirit and praying purely. Praying for this, I invoke God’s blessing upon you with sincere love and respect. With respect I read the reflections in your letter, Most Reverend Father Archimandrite. But whether I should agree with your conclusion, this requires further reflection. However, the idea of ​​giving you a new work does not belong to me alone, and it may not be destroyed by me alone. This matter is in no hurry. There will be time to think and, perhaps, talk about this with you again. Yesterday, in my eyes, you guessed the pain, which in the evening became severe, and has not yet gone away. Health to you and God's peace. I thank Your Reverence for helping common concerns. News about Fr. Palladiums are comforting. May the Lord increase good things and weaken temptations. For the Valaam monastery, a leader is desirable, not just an external doer; but also a spiritual ascetic who can teach the brethren the understanding of salvation. – Your thoughts and considerations will be useful to me for my reflections; but I do not consider it right to get so involved in the matter that I would propose someone else as rector, not only in the Holy Synod, but also in a conversation with the Bishop. Whatever he asks about, I won’t refuse to discuss with him. I lovingly invoke the Lord's peace to you and your brotherhood in Christ. Constantinople, which was under Nektarios, after Carthage: because this is the order in the second rule of the Council of Trull. The Church is not only universal, embracing Orthodox Christians in all places, but also all-time. Therefore, the Greek name Catholic, in which there is no concept of place, and which therefore implies the universality of place and time, better expresses the name of the universal Church. Luther’s words are so terrible and vile that I don’t know whether it’s good to desecrate an Orthodox page with them, and whether it wouldn’t be better to tell the reader: look at such and such a book, but I don’t want to write devil-inspired words. I sent a note to the rule about the Angels to you yesterday: but when they didn’t find you, I gave it to Archimandrite Plato, who wanted to send it to the printing house early now. Request a note sheet. This is the end of the Council of Carthage. I respect the one who chose you as mediator, as well as his entire family; and I wish to fulfill his wish. But I’m afraid to give decisive hope in execution, because we do not have the power to move arbitrarily, as secular authorities do. If they had told me the reason, they would probably have given me more strength to carry out the task with which I sincerely wish [to console] kind and respected people. I invoke God’s blessing on you, I entrust myself to your prayers. Before that, I was so occupied by the thought that I had not been answering your two entertaining letters for a long time, that just these days, in a dream, someone told me about your arrival, and to the question, where should you stay? – I answered: from me. While this does not happen in reality, I am pleased with my answer in a dream, which is not without truth in the sense that I then received your third letter. It is a pity if the good direction of the current Valaam Abbot is not quite therapeutic for the diseases brought to the monastery. Your visits and communications should help this, with a power of attorney and authority from the highest authority. There is a lot of evil from those in charge to the monasteries. It seems that it is necessary to think about establishing some monasteries especially as correctional ones, with decent rules and methods. The idea of ​​​​translating the book of Abba Dorotheus into a more commonly used language, may God help you in action, with care that the language is both simple and accurate. Were the wisdom and deeds of the monk Porfiry worth the labor that you used to present them? Since it has been clear for quite some time that he does not subordinate his wisdom to your leadership, then, in my opinion, it is high time to free your monastery from his arbitrariness and St. Petersburg from his teachings. As before, I complain to you about myself as sick and therefore not very active. Now, my and your holiday is approaching, and I still don’t know whether I will be able to take the journey to the Lavra. I call upon you with love the peace and blessings of God. O. To the Treasurer, my kind remembrance and bow. M. M. A.’s frank and animated conversation with a desire for good left a good memory in me. May the Lord comfort Him with temporal and eternal consolation. Although you forbid me, Most Reverend Father Archimandrite, to write, I cannot not respond in this way to the pleasant traits of the brotherly love of the hand guided. Your communication with my humility is very comforting to me, and for me it would not only be pleasant, but, I hope, it would also be edifying to share prayer and conversation with you and to see the dispensation of your brethren. But I am a slave of both my occupations and my infirmities, and therefore I am not able to promise you what I do not want to refuse. Accept my desire and gratitude, and may the Lord build the fulfillment. I lovingly invoke God's blessing and peace to you and your brethren. Letters of Saint Ignatius to Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow 19 Your Eminence! Most Gracious Archpastor and Father! When I had the good fortune to be with you and you were pleased to ask whether I was zealous to participate in the Censorship of spiritual books, the suddenness of the question did not allow me to submit a satisfactory answer for the consideration of Your Eminence. I would like to supplement it with these lines. I find the work of a censor very burdensome for both my soul and my body. On the body: I ​​must go to St. Petersburg at least once a week for general meetings with other members of the censorship committee. Very often I will have to appear for explanations to the members of the Holy Synod; in case of their ill health or absence, I must return again. For a person living in the Capital and enjoying good health, this is convenient and easy; but for me, with a strong nerve disorder, as a country resident, it is immeasurably burdensome. I pay dearly for every trip to the city; I have to lie down all day, I’ll become so weak, all my bones will ache! To my liking: I decided to accept monastic life not for the purpose of earthly ambition, but rather for the purpose of tonsure; on the contrary, I had to, not without a strong spiritual struggle, abandon the ambitious views and ghosts that appeared to me in all their splendor in my worldly life. If I add to this the love of my parents, then I can say: how many valuable donations I have made in order to inherit a solitary cell, then the village in which priceless beads are hidden! Having secluded myself (more or less) in my cell for ten years and distracted my mind from the diversity and multiplicity of objects - already feeling that many memories have frozen in me - I cannot, without obvious mental distress, plunge into the sea of ​​external worries, judgments, debates, trips - into the life of a traveler. I am extremely burdened by my very stay in the Sergius Hermitage, and the only reason I do not bother asking the Sovereign Emperor to leave it is so as not to be completely ungrateful to Him - I remain silent for the time being, waiting for the finger of God to show me a time appropriate for solitude. I earnestly pray to the Lord for this. – They also deigned to ask: what am I doing? Excuse me, I don't have any extra time. Not to mention how much of it is stolen from me by the weakness of my body, the worries of the monastery, and most of all, travel. I ask and convince Your Eminence: just as your gracious disposition and power of attorney inspired you with the idea of ​​entrusting me with the mentioned position, so may the same gracious disposition and attention to my weaknesses, spiritual direction and most humble request convince you to leave the sinful Ignatius to weep over his sins. Enough, enough for my condemnation at the Last Judgment of Christ of my own sins and the Abbot's yoke, unworthily worn. – I ask for holy prayers and forgiveness for the verbosity. His Vu, Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow Gracious Archpastor and Father! Allow me, at the eleventh hour, to congratulate you on the bright feast of the Resurrection of Christ and greet you with the most joyful greeting: Christ is Risen. Since the time I learned that you must spend this summer in St. Petersburg, I cannot help but worry about your health, which you are stocking up on during the summer for the whole year. It seems that the Sergius Hermitage could replace Moscow, more than other environs of St. Petersburg, in terms of air, if you were deigned to spend this summer there. The rooms are dry, quite sufficient for your unpretentiousness, a special kitchen, stalls for six horses, a shed for a carriage, a special, separate and spacious room for the Secretary, the same for a cell attendant, there are plenty of strawberries in the garden. I ask and pray, Your Eminence Vladyka, do not reject this most earnest invitation! There is no need to say how much the brethren and I would be consoled by your presence. Our joy would be shared by all those who are committed to you and who are ready to meet you, take care of your summer stay, as if about a sure guarantee of your health. Your Eminence Vladyka! I ask for your Archpastoral Blessing and prayers. With true high veneration and devotion, I have the honor to be Your Eminence the Most Gracious Archpastor and Father, the most humble novice Here I found the young Hieromonk Daniel with very good abilities, but with drunken weakness, for which he was expelled from the Kyiv Academy; at Konevets he behaves rather abstinently. I invited him to start translating the Holy Fathers, and with consolation I saw his readiness for such work. Our monasticism is in dire need of the book of St. Abba Dorotheus, which, according to Paisius Nyametsky, is the first book that should be in the hands of the novice. This thought was shared by all experienced monasticism, and even by Theophan of Novoezersk himself, 20 although the spirit of the Novoezersk brotherhood was and is completely contrary to the spirit of this book, which bases the entire edifice of monastic virtues on the revelation of thoughts. In the Sergius Hermitage, I distributed this book as much as I could, buying for it and the book published with it by Ephraim the Syrian; despite the fact that we have up to twenty copies, and still need them; In particular, beginners are burdened with the Slovenian dialect. As the work of Abba Dorotheus is in my Dutch library in Greek and Slovenian, so I would think to occupy Daniel with translating them into the Russian language, of course, for the benefit of the treasury, if this work finds the patronage of Your Eminence, for which I ask for your gracious notification, although through my Treasurer: for knowing the many activities of yours, I would not want you to bother your hard-working hand Yours. Now I am revising the book of St. Isaiah the Hermit, and I am very comforted by the abundant spiritual benefits that accrue from it. Oh, when would our monastics, instead of newspapers and the life of Napoleon, focus on Dorotheus, Isaiah, Macarius and other active Fathers. For this I entrust myself and the brotherhood of Fatherly love, the Archpastoral blessing and the prayers of Your Eminence, with the deepest respect and devotion I have the honor to be Your Eminence’s most humble novice I have the honor to introduce to you the newly elected Treasurer of the Sergius Hermitage, Hieromonk Ignatius. II. Saint Philaret (Amphitheaters), Metropolitan of Kyiv And the white veil of the head requires purity of heart - and decorated with flowers reminds of the adornment of the soul with all Christian virtues. Filaret, Metropolitan of Kiev N. S. Leskov in his story “Trifles of Bishop's Life” quotes the words spoken by the Sovereign Emperor Nicholas I: “There is no need to worry much about church administration: as long as the wise Filaret [Drozdov] and the pious Filaret [Amphitheaters] are alive, everything will be fine” 21 . Saint Philaret (in the world Fedor Georgievich Amfitheatrov; April 17, 1779 - December 21, 1857) was born in the village of Vysokoye, Oryol province, into the family of a priest. In 1798 he graduated from the Oryol Seminary and was tonsured in the same year. In 1802 he was the rector of the Oryol Seminary, in 1804 - the Orenburg Seminary, in 1810 - the Tobolsk Seminary; in 1814, inspector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and in the same year - doctor of theology, in 1816 - rector of the Moscow Theological Academy. In 1817 he was archimandrite of the New Jerusalem Monastery; in 1819 - Bishop of Kaluga, in 1825 - Ryazan, in 1826 - Archbishop. In 1828 he was transferred to the Kazan department, in 1836 - to the Yaroslavl department. Since 1837 he has been Metropolitan of Kyiv. While teaching at the Moscow Academy, he compiled a complete system of Dogmatic Theology from his academic lectures. From that time on, between him and the rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, Philaret (Drozdov, the future Moscow High Priest), “that internal sincere spiritual connection was established, which continued unchanged throughout their lives.” During the stay of His Grace Philaret (Amphiteatrov) at the Kaluga See, Optina Pustyn found in him “an unforgettable benefactor for centuries.” Having decided to create a Skete there, he instructed the abbot, Abbot Daniel, to choose a place convenient for him in the apiary (where the merchant Bryuzgin, a constant benefactor of the Desert, built cells) and invited monks there, known for their ascetic life. The Most Reverend Philaret spent only seven months at the Yaroslavl See: from September 17, 1836 to April 18, 1837. All this time he was supposed to be in St. Petersburg as a member of the Synod. He ruled the diocese in absentia, nevertheless he was involved in its affairs quite diligently, as can be seen in the example of the Southern Dorotheevsky Hermitage. It was at this time that his active correspondence began with Archimandrite Ignatius Brianchaninov regarding the transfer of Hieromonk Bartholomew to the Southern Hermitage, who was recommended by the latter to occupy the position of rector there 22. In subsequent years, the correspondence between Metropolitan Philaret of Kyiv and Archimandrite Ignatius was of a purely friendly nature: to the previously published 13 letters of Metropolitan Philaret, another one from the “Complete Life of St. Ignatius” has been added in this edition. Saint Ignatius wrote: “The Most Reverend Philaret, Metropolitan of Kiev, a shepherd who has the anointing of grace, told me the following gracious words: “Those mentors are commendable who lead not to themselves, but to God.” He also wrote: “This Archpastor is the best of all Russian Bishops.” In addition to other positive qualities, His Eminence Philaret was distinguished by his extraordinary, “true” kindness and genuine “humility.” N. S. Leskov in the above story gives a number of examples of this kindness of his. Saint Ignatius also wrote about him: “Good old man.” In the biography of St. Ignatius there is a story about one incident that characterizes Philaret of Kyiv: “Once an archimandrite came to visit the Metropolitan. The latter, having met him and invited him to sit down, hesitantly says to him: “I don’t know whether to confess?” - “What?” – asked the archimandrite, smiling. “Well, fearing exaltation because of honors from people, for the sake of humility, I sewed myself a fly cassock 23 and updated it today.” The Archimandrite took the half of this cassock, spat on it, rubbed it and said to the Eminence: “Walk in gold, but think about the Church! This is your obedience and your humility.” And on his advice, the Metropolitan took off his fly clothes” 24. Seventeen years before his death, in 1840, Metropolitan Philaret (Amphitheaters) adopted the schema with the name Theodosius. But he was a schema-monk only in his private life, hidden from prying eyes. In public life he remained the Metropolitan of Kiev to the end. Letters of St. Philaret (Amphiteatrov), Metropolitan of Kiev, to St. Ignatius 25 Most Reverend Father Archimandrite, Beloved brother in the Lord! I really regret that your illness continues for so long and deprives me of the pleasure of seeing you for so long. I pray to the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ to restore your health to the exploits of Holy Great Lent, on the advent of which, as the most desired time for our souls, I earnestly congratulate you. At his request, the rector of the Southern Dorotheev Hermitage was recently dismissed from the post of Builder. For the time being, I entrusted its management to the Petrovsky abbot Cyprian, until Father Hieromonk Bartholomew arrived to us from the Beloberezh desert. Do me a favor, brother, write a brotherly admonition to him, so that he, having placed his trust in the Lord God, does not deny the calling from above to take care of the brotherhood of the Holy Monastery of Yuga. Please let me know if he writes to you about his consent. If he had invited with him as many brethren as he pleased, I would have received them all with perfect love. It is highly desirable to plant the grapes of truly monastics in the flock entrusted to me; its branches will spread to other countries of the North. Help me in this matter for the Lord's sake. In the second week of Lent, I want to ask the Holy Synod to directly determine Fr. Bartholomew as rector of the Southern Hermitage, but I’m afraid I wouldn’t refuse. Give me your advice - for you know this old man well. Invoking upon you and all your holy brethren the blessing of God with sincere reverence and pastoral love, I have the honor to remain forever Your Reverence's most zealous servant Filaret, Archbishop of Yaroslavl. Please also attach my letter to Fr. Bartholomew, to assure him, inform him that the appropriate amount of money in excess will be sent to him for travel expenses. I invoke God's blessing on you. From the letter attached herewith, please see that Fr. Bartholomew wished to accept the obedience of the abbot in the Southern Desert. That is why I appointed him to this title according to the decree of the Holy Synod. I ask you to encourage him with the hope of God’s all-powerful help. And I, for my part, will entrust him to the special patronage of the new Yaroslavl Archpastor - filled with zeal for piety. Invoking God's blessing upon you with pastoral love, I am and will remain And the white veil of the head requires purity of heart - and decorated with flowers reminds of the adornment of the soul with all Christian virtues. Pray, Father, with all the brethren dear to Christ, that my service to the Holy Church may appear shamelessly before the face of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ. About Fr. Bartholomew, and now I will write to His Eminence of Yaroslavl - and I will always remember him for his truly monastic obedience. Invoking God's blessing upon you, with sincere reverence and pastoral love, I have forever to remain Your Reverence's most zealous servant Filaret, Metropolitan of Kiev. Beloved brother and co-servant in the Lord! At your request, I will do everything that depends on me. The servants of the altar of the Lord should be encouraged both as a reward for their labors and as encouragement to others. With all my heart I share your cross with you. Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, our only joy and hope, who by Himself sanctified the way of the cross and eternal life for us sinners, may He send down the consolation of the Holy Spirit into your kind and pious heart. For those who love God, everything will work out for good. Calling upon you and the monastery entrusted to you the blessing of God, with sincere reverence and pastoral love I am and will continue to be Your Reverence's most zealous pilgrim I can’t find a way to intercede about the Skete of Nile Sorsky for reasons known to you. It should be postponed until more favorable circumstances. Most Reverend Father Archimandrite Ignatius! Dear brother and co-servant in the Lord! I offer my most sincere gratitude to Your Reverence for the memory of my unworthiness at the advent of a new year of grace of the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ. I received your pious writing with spiritual pleasure - there is no greater joy, imam, beloved, than to see the brothers in Christ Jesus succeeding in the exploits of monastic eternal life and ripening to the inheritance of eternal life. I thank the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope, who gave you the strength to endure your sorrow complacently. Through many sorrows we must enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Looking to the Author and Finisher of our faith, Jesus, who, instead of the joy set before Him, endured the cross. A whole cloud of saints, now celebrated by the Church, followed Him to show us sinners the path leading to the Kingdom of Heaven. And my unworthiness always has before my eyes holy caves, fragrant with the Holy Spirit - in them rest so many saints of the Russian Church, saints of God, incorruptible, honest relics. Looking at them, I appreciate our vain life, so far removed from their ascetic holy life - like earth from heaven. Pray, God-loving brother, that the Lord will vouchsafe to touch in no small part their godly life - until we call into eternity. I greet you with the advent of the most desired time for monks, the holy and sanctifying Pentecost. May you, Lord, accomplish the feat of holy fasting in a spirit of prayer and celebrate the bright feast of the Resurrection of Christ in the joy of the saints. Calling upon you and the monastery entrusted to you the blessing of God, with sincere reverence and pastoral love I am and will remain Your Reverence's most zealous servant I offer Your Reverence my most sincere gratitude for the memory of my unworthiness. I received the letter delivered by the brother of your monastery, Father Ignatius, and read it with spiritual joy - seeing your success in monastic life in patience and pious deeds. Strive, brother, on this way of the cross, looking at the way of life of our venerable and God-bearing fathers, who paved our way to salvation. Calling on you and on the monastery entrusted to your care the blessing of God, with sincere reverence and pastoral love I have forever Most Reverend Father Archimandrite Ignatius! Beloved brother in the Lord! I received your scripture to me from the humble servant of God Avdotya Terentyeva. For your love for my unworthiness I offer you my sincere gratitude. My first, everlasting, warm, although unworthy, prayer is to the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ and the Most Holy Theotokos, our zealous Intercessor, for the mother of our Orthodox Church, who gave birth to us by the Holy Spirit and raised us to trust in the inheritance of eternal life. Establishment of those who hope in You, Lord, establish the Church that You have acquired through Your venerable Blood. He, the All-merciful One, with His all-seeing and merciful eyes looks upon His militant Church on earth; the waves of this world often rise up against this holy ship - they overwhelm, but do not sink. His helmsman sometimes appears to be at rest - but is always awake - and under His almighty wave, after the storm, the silence of greatness always comes. That's my faith. Brought by the unknown destinies of God to the holy mountains of Kyiv, I only ask from the Lord that I may live in the heavenly house of the Most Holy Theotokos, behold the beauty of Her Holy Abode, and visit Her Holy Church all the days of my life. If anyone loves anything else, let him love himself as he wants - it is good for us to cleave to the Lord - I am extremely honest with your friends, God - their holy and incorruptible relics rest in the holy caves of the blessed mountains of Kiev. Calling upon you and the monastery entrusted to your care the blessing of God, with sincere reverence and pastoral love I am and will remain Your Reverence's most zealous servant and worshiper Filaret, Metropolitan of Kiev. Most Reverend and Most Gracious Father and Brothers! For your memory of my unworthiness I offer my most ardent gratitude. Forty-four times I celebrated the day of my monastic Angel, but due to the poverty of my soul, it is unlikely that I will begin a truly monastic life according to God, although I greatly desire this. The holy caves, in which lie the sacred remains of so many true angelic ascetics, are always before my eyes - but how far is our vain and sin-filled life from their reverend and holy life! Just as the sky is distant from the earth, so their exploits are from our accursed laziness. May their prayerful intercession for us before God cover our extreme unworthiness. I am sincerely rejoicing in you, brother, that even in a non-solitary place, you maintain solitude as much as possible - which is as necessary for monastic life as the soul is for the body. Please send me a translation into Russian of the monastic rules of Nil Sorsky. Perhaps, with God’s help, it will be possible to turn them into useful instruction for monastics, which is in great need. It’s a pity that your vision was impaired at such a young age; perhaps this disorder could be due, among other things, to the fact that in the short summer you are surrounded by the sea - and in the long winter by an immense expanse of snow - like a shroud covering dead nature. To preserve vision, the All-Wise and Most Good Creator covered the earth with greenery. Our grass was green until the first of December, and even now there is almost no snow. And as soon as the sun shines through, the greenery immediately opens, and at the beginning of March we expect the opening of a beneficial spring; our vision enjoys the greenery for nine months. And God forbid you don’t know how to count. However, I advise you on your endless autumn and winter nights to read the Gospel of the largest print, read continuously, do not think that you already know it, no, brother; You will learn from experience that the more you read in a prayerful spirit, the more your thirst for reading will be aroused, even sometimes your reading will not be interrupted by sleep - it is not for nothing that the Scripture says: Enlarge your mouth, and I will fill it. “My mouth was opened, and the spirit was attracted.” Understand what I say, may the Lord give you understanding about everything. I greet you with all my brethren in Christ on the upcoming great feast of the Nativity of Christ our Savior, and on the new summer of his grace. I entrust myself to the prayers of your brotherhood, and invoke God’s blessing on all of you. I ask you to deliver a letter to the address of a God-fearing servant of the Lord known to you. Truly Christ is Risen! Accept from my heart, beloved brother, who loves you with the love of Christ, a mutual greeting on the still ongoing feast of the Resurrection of the sweetest Jesus Christ, our hope, our life, our light, joy and glory. With all my heart I pray to our God and Savior, who has risen from the grave, that He may create your good and pious heart into an everlasting abode with her, peace that surpasses all understanding, your life, and light and joy - in the midst of the shadow of death, and the darkness and sorrows of this collapsing age. I rejoice greatly, seeing from your writings the progress of your soul in life according to God. Do not weaken, brother, in your deeds of piety and virtue, following the living path renewed for us by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and emboldened by so many holy ascetics, witnesses of the truth. It is very good that your heart has been filled with the writings of the holy fathers, who have gained their very experience for us sinners, who have shown the path of spiritual life and salvation. They all advise walking this path step by step, starting from the bottom step, without stopping to climb the ladder leading to heaven. Keep this instruction of theirs, brother, and the Lord God will help you complete your serene ascetic journey into the Kingdom of Heaven. I am very grateful to your reverence for so well-intentionedly consoling my unworthiness in my true sorrows on the cross. Pray for me - not to get rid of them - for I fervently desire that the sorrows of the cross continue until my death for the ultimate cleansing of my poor soul from the defilements of sin, but that my bearing of the cross will be favorable to the Lord God and my Savior, the Sweetest Jesus Christ. Since my testimony of the truth, I have found a great gain for myself, that the Providence of God has placed me in the need for all kinds of solitude and unceasing prayer. I would like to willingly lay down the burden of the flock - but for this I await the will of the Chief Shepherd of our eternal Lord Jesus Christ, which, it seems, will not be slow to follow. However, in everything be His holy will! I send to your reverence and the monastery entrusted to your care a blessing from the holy mountain of Pechersk - and from all the venerable Pechersk - wishing for all the brethren in Christ Jesus our Lord, the most blessed part of the inheritance of the life of our Venerable and God-Bearing Fathers Anthony and Theodosius, the first monastic leaders in Russia. Your Reverence's most zealous pilgrim Memorial Day of St. Theodosius of Pechersk. Reverend Father and beloved brother in the Lord! I offer my most earnest gratitude to your reverence for the memory of my unworthiness on the day of my Angel. I certainly hope that through your love in Christ Jesus our Lord, our hope, on the day of St. Philaret I did not forget in your prayers the great sinner Philaret. I have already celebrated the day of my monastic Angel fourty-five times already, but I have not yet begun my monastic life according to God. And the time of the death of temporary life and the beginning of eternal life is very, very close. The stay of my unworthiness on the holy mountains of Kyiv and almost incessantly looking at the venerable ascetics, the God-bearing fathers of the Pechersk, I consider the unspeakable mercy of God for me, a sinner - but remembering their holy serene deeds, I condemn our vain and fruitless life. Oh, how desirable it would be to devote at least the last days of wandering on earth to true silence in prayer and contemplation of God. Although, by the goodness of God, in the holy place here I have enough time for prayer, having protected myself from everything that does not belong to the necessary matters of the service, it is still very difficult to gather myself for the prayers of the saints. The Monk Anthony, our first leader of Pechersk, and then withdrew into a silent cave, when only about twenty brethren had gathered - so did the monks value silence, knowing by experience its priceless price, what will we sinners do in the midst of a multi-rebellious world? The continuous prayerful reading of the Psalter and the Holy Gospel is very soul-saving. The most boundless love of the Heavenly Father could not give our souls a better gift than this great gift of His mercy. Do not stop, beloved brother, from this sweet feat until the end of your life. When the words of the Holy Spirit dwell in your heart, then your prayer will become unceasing - neither food, nor sleep, nor the work of the service will interfere. I read a lot of holy books, and now, in my old age, the Psalter and the Gospel, as the essence of the Old and New Testaments, constitute such pleasant and nourishing reading for my soul that I no longer find any special need to read anything, but read only at leisure. In these times when there is a shortage of true monks, your recluse is truly a rare acquisition. I don't remember when I had it. If the prayer of Jesus Christ has taken root in his simple and kind heart, then he needs nothing more for spiritual food. It is a pity that at the present time this image of the feat of prayer has been abandoned almost everywhere. Will the spirit of true monasticism, this crown of true Christianity, ever return from heaven to earth! - salt of the earth. According to His untested and always merciful destinies, God visited His pious servant Paraskeva Mikhailovna with a serious illness. With all my heart I pray to the Lord to help this good Christian woman on her sick bed. Calling on yourself and on the holy monastery entrusted to your care with your brethren the blessing of God, with brotherly love in Christ Jesus I am and will remain I greet Your Reverence on the Feast of the Nativity of Christ and Happy New Year. Reverend and most beloved Father and my brother! I greet you, beloved, with this sweet voice of those who truly believe in the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ. I greet you from the heart, and with all my soul I wish to have Him who raised us from the dead through sins, so that His joy will be filled and overflowing in your good and pious heart. So filled that your heart has no need for any earthly joy. So that the inseparable sorrows on the way to the Kingdom of Heaven turn for your heart into sources of joy in Christ Jesus in His sorrows and His sufferings for the sake of our salvation. So, beloved, brother, a vessel filled with pure, sweet, life-giving drink - do not let any extraneous liquid into yourself. Let your heart be all, all, all filled with the sweetest Jesus Christ, our life, our peace, our joy, life-giving drink and the all-sanctifying food of our souls. May you truly understand the communion of His passion and the power of His Resurrection in our souls. Then truly impute all your skills and gain Christ. For this is why we have left the world, so that we may be crucified with Christ and sing to Him our God. We celebrate the mortification of death, and the hellish destruction of the other life of the eternal beginning. And through this life they only live together, in whose hearts the Holy Spirit of Christ lives and acts. Christ is Risen! Our God-loving brother Fr. Apollos 27 arrived in time at the Holy Lavra for the great canon of repentance. During the fifth week of Pentecost, Holy Great Week he liturgized with us every day. Now he moved to the nearby caves with the monks of Pechersk themselves, according to his election. Let him pray for the healing of his ailments and be imbued with the holy air from the abodes of the saints of God fragrant with the holy spirit. Here, spring is already beginning to smell like the first flowers. And I, a great sinner, after a long absence during the winter, took root in my beloved secluded desert. Oh, how much my soul longs for a complete retreat into this desert for prayerful silence! Here she finds peace and is nourished by the thought of God, unentertained by the vanities of the world. But apparently the time has not yet come, but my time is near. I call on you and on the holy monastery entrusted to your care the blessing of God with sincere respect and brotherly love in Christ Jesus, our hope, I am and will be Beloved brother in the Lord Jesus Christ, Father Archimandrite! I offer Your Reverence my most sincere gratitude for the memory of my unworthiness on the day of my Angel. Accept from my heart, which loves you, my most sincere greetings on the Day of Your Angel, and even more so on the upcoming great holiday of the Nativity of Christ our Savior and on the new summer of His grace. I wish and pray to the Lord God, the Sweetest Jesus, that the fiery love of Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer for Him may enter your kind and pious heart, beloved brother! With this love, your shrine will not be cold in the north. And as soon as you feel cold, immediately warm your heart with the life-giving words of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And always carry His sweetest and all-saving name in your heart, may it be inscribed in your heart with the unbreakable reed of the Holy Spirit. I, unworthy, received many mercies from the Lord God, but most of all I thank His goodness for two mercies: that he delivered me from my youth from the bonds of this world through monasticism and that, by the unknown destinies of His Providence, I was honored to have residence in the holy monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Merciful Mother of monks, in the caves of our venerable Pechersk fragrant with the Holy Spirit. One desire of my heart remains, so as not to lose a part with them in the eternal abodes of the Heavenly Father. I wish you to be resolved soon and be with Christ. For the forty-seventh time I celebrated spiritually in my solitary desert the day of my monastic Angel - it’s time to go to the Heavenly Father. I am afraid of such an old age, in which one can lose even a small reserve for eternity, and it is too late to increase it. The will of the Lord be done in everyone, but the Lord hardly grants us anything without prayer. I didn’t have time to write to you from Fr. Apollos, for he was going at that time to survey the diocese. This brother behaved very well among us, perhaps he received something for his soul. May the Lord God bless him in his new place. Invoking the blessing of God on you and on the monastery entrusted to your care, with sincere respect and pastoral love, I am and will be Your Reverence’s most zealous worshiper Reverend and God-loving brother Abba Ignatius! I received your letter on my sick bed, which is already the seventh day. I don’t know whether the Lord God will raise me up or call me to himself. My only desire is to be with Christ, having served Him faithfully and truly for fourty-seven years. Yesterday the Lord God vouchsafed me to receive permission from my spiritual father for all my sins and to partake of His Holy Life-Giving Mysteries. In the same way, the trees of the springs of water desire, my soul desires for you, O God. When I come and appear before the face of God!.. However, this is my desire, and life is in the hand of God. My illness does not seem to lead to death, perhaps from excessive stress in fulfilling the tasks of service and the rules of monasticism. I haven't had a vicar for four months now. And tired members require rest - the monastic doctor is approaching Holy Lent - may the Lord God heal our mental and physical ailments. I entrust myself to your holy prayers, Your always zealous worshiper Please be completely calm about your letters - it is my custom to destroy them immediately after answering. None exist. I don’t know if I’ll be able to see Countess Gudovich tomorrow, because I’m very weak and have a severe headache. If I can’t, then excuse me to her. And don’t be impatient with patience. The Lord is near - He will come and steadfastly, and through the patience of good deeds, a hundredfold and seventy times a hundredfold, will reward with His bounty those who love Him and those who do good to Him. III. Your Eminence Archbishops Platon of Kostroma and Nil of Yaroslavl I have never encountered such love in any person from the clergy. On October 13, 1861, Saint Ignatius arrived at the Nikolo-Babaevsky monastery of the Kostroma diocese, which was given to him to manage after his retirement. “I am very pleased with my position. The monastery is secluded, stands on a dry place, very healthy, with excellent springs, near the Volga itself. Here you can become alien to the world,” he wrote to N.N. Muravyov-Karsky on November 16, 1861. 28 According to his brother, Pyotr Aleksandrovich Brianchaninov, the feeling of contentment did not leave Saint Ignatius during his entire stay in the Nikolo-Babaevsky Monastery. This feeling of contentment was undoubtedly favored by external circumstances, namely, the fact that both sees - Kostroma and Yaroslavl, with which the Babayevsky Monastery had to enter into different relationships (with the first - by subordination, with the second - by location), were occupied by hierarchs who themselves were outstanding people, alien to petty squabbles and intrigues, from which Saint Ignatius was tired to the point of exhaustion. The Kostroma diocese at that time was ruled by Archbishop Platon (in the world Pavel Simonovich of Thebes; 1809–1877) - a graduate of the Moscow Theological Academy, former rector of the Moscow Seminary, spiritual writer, whose monograph “Orthodox Moral Theology” went through five editions, and also wrote a number of works: “A Look at the History of the Russian Church” (1834), “Historical description of the Trinity Kozlov Monastery” (1849), “Foundation of the Pereyaslav Trinity Danilov Monastery” (1853) and others. Fate once brought Archimandrite Ignatius and Bishop Plato together: in 1856, Metropolitan Gregory of Kazan, who had just been called to the Novgorod and St. Petersburg metropolitanate, intended to consecrate Archimandrite Ignatius as bishop in Novgorod, not knowing that this place was already intended for Bishop Plato. But this involuntary conflict of interests did not in any way affect their relationship in the future. Professor of the Moscow Theological Academy P. S. Kazansky, who knew Archbishop Plato well, wrote to him on September 28, 1861: “Fr. The governor once instructed me to convey to you his advice - to maintain good relations with Ignatius. I didn’t write this because you will do this even without advice” 29. Documents characterizing their relationship in more detail have not been preserved, since the archive of the Nikolo-Babaevsky Monastery was lost in two fires: in 1870, the monastery library and the documents stored in it burned down, and a hundred years later, a fire that occurred in the State Archive of the Kostroma Region destroyed the remains of the monastery archive. However, all the actions of Archbishop Platon in support of the Nikolo-Babaevsky Monastery during the life of St. Ignatius and after his death testify to the most favorable relations on both sides. This impression is complemented by the letters of Archbishop Plato. Thus, in a letter to Saint Ignatius dated May 12, 1865, he wrote: “Rarely, due to the multitude of my affairs, can I supply my soul with the Patristic writings. Yesterday, having found a few free minutes, I picked up the Philokalia and, in the midst of reading, St. Peter of Damascus gave me your ascetic writings. I immediately take them in my hands and hear in them the sounds of Patristic harmony, enjoying the spirit of the ancient Fathers. Some of your writings were known to me before. He revealed first of all: “My cry.” This is how St. feels. Ephraim. Accept, Holy Master, my deepest gratitude for delivering your works to me. May they serve for the good of the Church, like the works of St. Tikhon, and may the Lord grant you a part of St. Tikhon and the Reverend and God-Bearing Fathers. In the Church you left a monument to your work. Now I recommend your writings to the entire diocese. May the thirst for acquisitions and zeal for reading your ascetic writings be revived among all the clergy” 30. And in a letter to Pyotr Aleksandrovich Brianchaninov dated April 17, 1870, congratulating him on the holiday of Holy Easter and calling him a believing and creative son of the Church, Archbishop Platon wrote: “As soon as things and people give me an opportunity and an opportunity, I take into my hands the patristic writings, including the Most Reverend Ignatius. Reading them, I was mentally transported to you and now I want to convey my thoughts to you. There are few bishops left among us like His Eminence Ignatius. It is necessary to preserve the memory of his life for centuries or future names. You, Most Honorable Peter Alexandrovich, have the responsibility to collect all possible information about the life and activities of the Right Reverend Ignatius. You know the places and people where you can get information. Collect every legend, every information. This responsibility is imposed on you not only by connection with the deceased, but also by the Church. No one can replace you in this case. Do not delay for an hour this task entrusted to you by the Church. People pass away, and now it is impossible to do what yesterday was not worth doing. Write down what you yourself heard from the deceased. Collect and save all his letters. May the Lord help you to fulfill this obedience not only of love, but of duty.” Also in a letter dated November 22, 1870: “You know how much I value the writings of the godly Saint Ignatius, and you will understand with what impatience I will await his “Fatherland” from you. There are now few such elders among us; a different spirit is already blowing, and they blame us for the monastic direction; and monasticism is the strength and beauty of Orthodoxy and, I can say, life. Do not forget, Most Reverend Peter Alexandrovich, my request for a collection of all the information available to you about the Most Reverend Ignatius. If time and circumstances do not allow everything to come to light now, then everything will be useful at another time. You are obliged to accept this obedience: not as a brother only, but as an Orthodox Christian who desires the good of the Church” 31. All the more benevolent and friendly can be called the relations of Saint Ignatius with the Vladyka of Yaroslavl, Archbishop Neil, which this time is confirmed by the letters of the Saint himself. His Eminence Neil, Archbishop of Yaroslavl and Rostov (in the world Nikolai Fedorovich Isakovich; 1799–1874), upon graduating from the St. Petersburg Theological Academy in 1825, was appointed inspector of the Chernigov Seminary and professor of theological sciences, and in 1828 was transferred to the same position at the Kyiv Theological Academy. In 1830 he was appointed rector of the Yaroslavl Avraamiev Monastery with the rank of archimandrite and rector of the Yaroslavl Seminary. In 1835, he was consecrated Bishop of Vyatka and Slobodsk and for the first time showed his apostolic activity towards the enlightenment of Gentiles and the return to the fold of the Church of those who had fallen away from Orthodoxy. In 1838 he was transferred to the Irkutsk Department, under the leadership and which at that time was the most extensive territory in the world from the borders of China to the Northern and Great Oceans, including the northeastern corner and the islands of America. On April 13, 1840, he was elevated to the rank of archbishop. “And in a new field, Vladyka showed himself to be a worthy successor to St. Innocent.” His activities in this region are characterized by enormous energy, great passion and interest in achieving his goal - raising the spiritual, moral, and also living standards of the population, both Orthodox Russian and non-Orthodox. During the period from 1838 to 1853, many churches were built, a new seminary house was built in Irkutsk, a school for girls of the clergy, 260 versts from Irkutsk the Nilova Hermitage was founded, for the maintenance of which he donated a significant amount and until his death he sent benefits, and also donated significant funds for the new cathedral in Irkutsk. To bring the services into proper form, they assigned pastors from the Great Russian provinces, established missionary camps and educated missionaries, from among whom a number of archpriests subsequently became famous, including an outstanding figure of the Russian Church, the Archbishop of Kamchatka, and then the successor of Metropolitan Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna Innocent (Veniaminov). Thanks to this active work of the Most Reverend Nile, “the schism was supposed to subside and populous parishes were formed beyond Baikal, based on the rights of the same faith.” He worked even more on the conversion of the pagans, of whom more than 400 thousand lived here: Tungus, Chukchi, Kamchadals, Yakuts, Buryats and others. He built up to 70 churches for converts. His special concern was to give them the Holy Scriptures in their native language. To do this, he studied the Mongolian and Buryat languages ​​and translated some liturgical books and texts (which were transcribed into sheet music by the outstanding musician A.F. Lvov). “With these works I left an unforgettable memory in Siberia.” On December 24, 1854, His Eminence Neil was transferred to the Yaroslavl See. In the Yaroslavl diocese, he was also energetically engaged in the construction and renovation of churches, he did especially a lot in this direction for the Rostov Kremlin and the metropolitan house, and in Yaroslavl he carried out a major restructuring of the bishop's house; the number of schools at monasteries and churches under it increased to 311 with 6584 students, libraries at churches - to 876 (more than in any of the dioceses of Russia). In 1856, His Eminence Neil was summoned to St. Petersburg for two years to attend the Holy Synod. During this time, he was honored to take part in the coronation of Their Imperial Majesties Sovereign Alexander Nikolaevich and Empress Maria Alexandrovna in the Moscow Assumption Cathedral, and participated in the consecration of St. Isaac's Cathedral. In 1867, he, together with eleven archpastors of the Russian Church, brought congratulations to Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow on his fifty years of archpastoral service, and on November 19 of the same year, together with Metropolitan Arseny of Kyiv and six archpastors, he participated in the funeral service and burial of the great hierarch of Moscow, whom he deeply loved and respected. And in the rank of Archbishop of Yaroslavl, His Eminence Neil continued to translate theological books into the Buryat and Mongolian languages. He also worked on the final editing of his book "Buddhism", which was published in 1854 and has not lost its significance to this day, as the first study on this topic; and then - by preparing his diary entries made during a trip to Siberia, from which the book “Travel Notes of Archbishop Nile” was compiled, published in Yaroslavl in 1874. “God's providence, which called me to the turn of pastoral service, showed me a field of activity in the distant outskirts of our vast Fatherland. From the banks of the Volga to the Angara, and from the Lena to Nercha, Shilka, Onon and Arguni, I was a wanderer and a worker,” he introduced the book. Written in a vivid language, it is easy to read and vivid pictures about the inhabitants, their morals, their methods of survival, their relationship to the preached Christian faith, as well as bureaucratic arbitrariness in these places remote from the center characterize an entire era in the history of Siberia. The book testifies to the author’s wide education: he comments on other paintings with quotes from Latin writers, in some cases he quotes stanzas from Horace, which he immediately translates, preserving their poetic form; and in other cases he gives his conversation with local residents in their native language, written in the Russian alphabet. “We reached Irkutsk,” he concludes the book, “after spending ninety-five days traveling.” Saint Ignatius met Archbishop Neil while still an archimandrite of the Sergius Hermitage. Thus, mentions of him are found in his letters to the abbot of the Southern Dorothea Hermitage, Bartholomew. For example, in a letter dated August 3, 1857, he reports: “From the second to the third of this August, the Most Reverend Nile spent the night in the Sergius Hermitage.” During his stay in St. Petersburg to attend the Holy Synod, His Grace Nil took part in the consecration of Archimandrite Ignatius Brianchaninov as Bishop of the Caucasus and Black Sea. Correspondence between them began immediately after the arrival of Saint Ignatius in Babayki. The first of his 39 surviving letters, sent on January 15, 1862, testifies to the already established relationship, and in a letter dated June 12 of the same year, Bishop Ignatius thanks “the Most Gracious Archpastor ... for that love, for that sincerity, in whose embrace I was during my stay in Yaroslavl.” This letter, by the way, clarifies the date given in the Biography of St. Ignatius’s trip to Kostroma and Yaroslavl. Other letters testify to the favorable attitude of the Most Reverend Nilus towards all the activities of St. Ignatius in the monastery, in particular, his assistance in raising funds for the construction of a new church that had begun. In this regard, noteworthy are the letters dated February 14 and 23, 1866, in which Saint Ignatius consults with the Most Reverend Nil about a stone found near the monastery. The fact is that, while in Yekaterinburg, the Most Reverend Neil visited the “Grinding Factory, or Lapidary Factory, as it is called here. The stones most commonly used at the factory are: multi-colored jaspers, agates, porphyries, topazes, or more precisely rock crystals, and rauchtopazes. Zircon, garnet, and amethyst bets are shown here as first-rate ones.” Fascinated by stones here, the Reverend Neil assembled a “mineralogical cabinet of remarkable collection and high value,” which he bequeathed to St. Petersburg University. Of course, the Most Reverend Nil showed his mineralogical cabinet to Bishop Ignatius, who could appreciate it... The last letter of Saint Ignatius to the Most Reverend Nile was written on April 18, 1867 - 12 days before his death. Letters of Saint Ignatius to His Eminence Nil (Isakovich) 32 Your Eminence, My sacristan told me that Your Eminence deigned to inform him of your disposition to allow those from the Yaroslavl Seminary who wish to enter the Babaevsky Monastery to enter it. And this is exactly what I wanted to ask you about during a personal meeting. I hasten to explain to you my assumptions on this subject. With the current development of education in Russia, it is necessary that monasticism working in monasteries have an education corresponding to its purpose. Experience has proven that this can be achieved by attracting educated young men into the brotherhood. Having completed obedience and tasted the fruits of humility, they become useful members of the Christian society, actually explaining to him the benefits of true monasticism. Anyone who completed a course of seminary studies and several who completed a course in secular educational institutions entered the Optina Pustynya of the Kaluga diocese. By adding practical monastic education to school education, they gave Optina Pustyn, one of the poorest monasteries, the dignity of the first monastery in Russia in religious and moral terms and donated many translations of ascetic writers to Russian spiritual literature. Many pious people correspond with the monks of Optina Pustyn and are guided by their edifications. If God blesses, I would like to establish a refuge for educated people in the Babaevsky Monastery, a refuge that meets their needs. They will find polite treatment, simple but carefully prepared food, simple but sufficient clothing. They will find a confessor (who arrived with me) who will tell them the initial monastic rules, teach them the revelation of thoughts, the rejection of their own understandings and inclinations. For those who prove worthy, a conversation with me is quite accessible. On these grounds, I wish with love to accept those who have completed their course at the Yaroslavl Seminary, who want to devote themselves to monastic life and correspond to it with their good behavior. I am also ready to accept those who, having not completed the course, but being worthy in behavior and abilities, wish to bend themselves under the good yoke of monasticism. I am convinced that Your Eminence will be pleased to contribute to my miserable work, which has the goal of public benefit. Committing myself to your holy prayers, with feelings of great respect and complete devotion, I have the honor to be Your Eminence, my most humble servant Bishop Ignatius. January 15, 1862 Please accept my most ardent congratulations on the upcoming All-Holy Easter and my all-joyful greeting: Christ is Risen! I sincerely wish Your Eminence the longed-for health and all true and perfect blessings. I spent the winter very difficult, experiencing various seizures, many of which, of course, were a consequence of treatment with mineral waters. When the weather is completely warm, I hope to take a trip to Yaroslavl for the long-awaited meeting with Your Eminence. I hope to take advantage of your reciprocal advice on managing the monastery, namely on arranging relations with the Holy Synod, which I also ask you to do here in advance. Committing myself to your holy prayers, with feelings of perfect reverence and sincere devotion, I have the honor to be Your Eminence, Most Gracious Archpastor and Father, my most humble servant Bishop Ignatius. March 31, 1862 In the hope of your most merciful disposition towards me, a sinner, I allow myself to disturb you with my most humble request. On May 9, on the day of St. Nicholas, there is a significant crowd of people at the Babaevsky monastery, but there are not yet enough choir members. Therefore, Your Eminence, you will do a true favor if you allow several of your singers to come to the Babaevsky Monastery on this day to assist in the splendid celebration. I am very grateful to you for your letter of April 20! You are right about my current situation: it is normal for me in the direction that I took while still in secular life and in which I spent my first years in secluded communal monasteries. My stay in the Sergius Desert was extremely burdensome for me, and in recent years it became unbearable due to increasing pain. Your Eminence, Most Gracious Archpastor and Father Bishop Ignatius. April 29, 1862 Since the opportune time has come for the fulfillment of my sacred duty to be with Your Eminence, I humbly ask you, as someone who is very busy, to notify me, as being occupied only with my illness, when I can visit you, least distracting you from your affairs? I would like to fulfill my duty during the first week of the coming fast, because from the second I plan to begin drinking iron-sulfur waters. Committing myself to your Holy prayers, with feelings of perfect respect and sincere devotion, I have the honor to be Your Eminence, Most Gracious Archpastor and Father, your most humble servant I bring to Your Eminence my all-perfect gratitude for that love, for that sincerity, in whose embrace I was during my stay in Yaroslavl. They poured into my heart and filled it with consolation. May the merciful Lord reward you according to your love! Committing myself to your holy prayers, with feelings of all-perfect reverence and sincere devotion, I have the honor to be Your Eminence, Most Gracious Archpastor and Father Bishop Ignatius. June 12, 1862 Please accept my most sincere congratulations on the upcoming holidays and the New Year, and my most earnest wish for Your Eminence all true and perfect blessings. Upon my return from Yaroslavl, probably due to the influence of the wet weather that had set in, I felt very unwell and several times admitted that I was close to death. Given this state of health, my present solitude is priceless! It gives me the necessary peace of mind and body. I live completely separately from the world, and this gives me the most pleasant opportunity to wish from the sincerity of my heart all the true blessings to all the Fathers and Brothers who work in the midst of the world. We are all short-term wanderers on earth, and everything we acquire on earth is acquired for the shortest possible time. I entrust myself and the monastery entrusted to me to the holy prayers and Blessing of Your Eminence. With feelings of complete respect and sincere devotion, I have the honor to be With what wonderful words does Your Eminence’s letter of June 19th to me, the unworthy, begin. “My guilt,” you say, is inexcusable before Your Eminence.” Just as this guilt lies in the fact that you once and forever planted in your heart love for me, a sinner, with which I am consoled and enjoy, then I wish with all my heart that this guilt would remain in all its strength. By the goodness of God, the Tsarevich's visit to the Babayevsky Monastery was pleasant 33. At that time, as always, I was very weak and doubted that the reception would be a success. It was a success by the grace of God. Justice demands that I bear witness to Babaev’s Abbot 34, who reassures me in all respects and whose experience in such cases as the Tsarevich’s reception served a lot in arranging this reception. Other brothers, especially those who came with me, contributed to the establishment of order. – It is very comforting to hear from Your Eminence about the attention that the Sovereign Tsarevich showed to the clergy and the Church. The Church of St. John the Baptist especially attracted his attention. It is especially useful for the destined Russian Tsar to see closely the position of all classes. The clergy most need this, because previously they were most removed from the Royal gaze. Elagin, a famous writer, a zealot of Orthodoxy, and an accuser of Herzen, visited our monastery the other day. He reported information that His Eminence Kirill was being transferred from Jerusalem to Kazan due to some troubles with the Greek clergy, that there would be no Russian bishop in Jerusalem, but an archimandrite, and that Hieromonk Leonid Kavelin 35 from Optina Hermitage was being appointed there. They write here that Muravyov 36, the former Caucasian Viceroy, has been summoned to St. Petersburg, where an apartment has been assigned for him in the Winter Palace. Kronstadt will be fortified perfectly. The Russian army has been brought to the greatest improvement, especially the riflemen. – Everything is in the hand of God! But there must also be wars and hearing about wars, according to the prophecy of the Word of God. Humanity is in decline, and therefore not only individuals rebel against each other, but nations also rebel against each other. Many peoples intend to rebel against Russia, but they will not do anything harmful, they will only develop forces and exalt it, just as Napoleon I did for it. If he had not served as a thunderstorm for Europe and had not diverted all its attention to himself, then Europe would not have allowed Russia to take possession of Finland, Bessarabia and Poland. Committing myself to your holy prayers, asking for the continuation of your love for me in the Lord with constant feelings of perfect respect and sincere devotion, I have the honor to be Your Excellency, Most Gracious Archpastor and Father The Nikolaev Babaevsky Monastery has the necessary need to build a new cathedral Church. And since the monastery’s own funds were insufficient to carry out such a task, it turned out to be necessary to resort to collection. Do not refuse, Your Eminence, the collector of the monastery, Hieromonk Paisius, this letter-bearer, to allow the collection in the Yaroslavl diocese, which will do the monastery a true favor. Entrusting myself and the monastery entrusted to me to your holy prayers, with a feeling of perfect reverence and sincere devotion, I have the honor to be His Eminence Neil, Archbishop of Yaroslavl and Rostov, In response to the attitude of Your Eminence on November 1 of this year, I have the honor to inform you, Most Gracious Archpastor, that I, heartily regretting the illness that has befallen you, am ready to serve you by helping you in the ordination of proteges, as far as my poor health allows. At the same time, I have the honor to inform you that the protege Nikolai Sokolov, who was sent to me, was ordained by me as a deacon on November 5, and as a priest on November 8. Wishing Your Eminence a speedy and complete recovery, and entrusting myself to Your Holy prayers, with feelings of great respect and perfect devotion, I have the honor to be His Eminence the Most Reverend Neil, Archbishop of Yaroslavl and Rostov and Cavalier. P.S. I am enclosing the following note to Your Eminence regarding the treatment of a cold, out of my sincere love for your person and wishing you a speedy and complete recovery. My illness began with a cold in my feet in 1823. From that time on I constantly felt worse and worse. In 1846, at the beginning of October, while traveling around the deanery, I again caught a cold in my legs, and they were taken away from me. For six months I did not leave my room. They treated me with various rubbings, sassparlia decoction, pine and sulfur baths. The treatment brought me only some relief; At the same time, significant depletion of strength was also caused. In 1858 and 1859 I took advantage of the Caucasian waters and swimming in the sea. This treatment drove the disease out of me, produced a special relaxation, but did not bring healing. Due to terrible exhaustion, I left the service. On the way from the Caucasus to the Babaevsky Monastery, I again caught a cold in my feet, which led me, one might say, into a desperate situation. When I no longer hoped that any medicine would benefit me, then a certain resident of Kostroma visited me and, having learned that I was suffering from a cold, offered me the medicine with which he was cured of a similar severe cold, according to the instructions of the Kostroma doctor Didriks. The doctor of the Strelinsky Palace told me about this remedy back in St. Petersburg, but he could not give me thorough instructions in treatment, having no experience of this treatment, but knew about it superficially, by hearsay. Here I received satisfactory instruction, and, to my greatest surprise, the remedy turned out to be more effective, more convenient and easier than all the means I had previously used. Its effect is similar to the effect of the Caucasian waters, but incomparably stronger - it produces not relaxation, but strengthening. The remedy is as follows: take the strongest grain alcohol, infuse it in a warm place with ordinary table salt, adding a full tablespoon per glass. Wipe cold areas and the entire body with this infusion twice a day, and when the illness eases, once at night. Action of the remedy. First, pain appears in the cold areas, sometimes a slight rash and swelling appear. Then profuse sweat begins to occur. There is also an effect on the stomach. After the last two actions, relief begins to be felt. If the sweat increases enormously, stop rubbing for several days. You should wipe not only sore spots, but the whole body. Rubbing the entire body has a beneficial effect on the entire body, eliminating the thinness from which the body acquires a tendency to catch a cold. Your Eminence has this tendency. Sore areas can be wiped more often, about twice a day, and the whole body can be wiped once. The proteges Mikhail and Alexander Shiryaev, who were brought to me, were ordained by me, the first as a priest, and the second as a deacon. Notifying Your Eminence of this and committing myself to Your Holy Prayers, with feelings of excellent respect and complete devotion, I have the honor to be Your Eminence Neil, Archbishop of Yaroslavl and Rostov The henchmen who were sent to me, Deacon Matthew the Theologian and Animpodist Smirnov, were ordained by me, the first as a priest, and the second as a deacon. Informing Your Eminence of this and committing myself to Your holy Prayers, with feelings of excellent respect and complete devotion, I have the honor to be December 16, 1863 Please accept my most sincere congratulations on the coming of the Nativity of Christ and the New Year, and my most earnest wish to Your Eminence for longed-for health, many years and all the blessings, temporary and eternal. I was glad to hear that you are already serving. With all my heart I wish that the illness that happened to you will serve as a means to free your physique from bad juices, and thereby give you better health than before. December 20, 1863 I bring to Your Eminence my sincere gratitude for your expressed disposition to allow your Trustee to exchange tickets for the Babayevsky Monastery for cash, which, given the current situation of this monastery, emerging from the ruins, is needed on this basis in the second half of the coming January 1864. I intend to instruct the Abbot of the Babayevsky Monastery to appear to Your Eminence, with special regard from me, to act on the further orders of Your Eminence. Committing myself to Your Holy Prayers, with feelings of excellent respect and perfect devotion, I have the honor to be Your Eminence, Most Gracious Archpastor and Father, your most humble servant December 24, 1863 My protege Nikolai Mukhin, who was brought to me, was ordained a deacon. I bring to Your Eminence my most sincere congratulations on the upcoming Feast of Holidays and the Triumph of all Celebrations, greeting you with the all-joyful greeting “Christ is Risen,” and wishing you all the true and perfect blessings from the all-powerful right hand of the All-Good Lord. Entrusting myself and the monastery entrusted to me to your Holy Prayers with feelings of excellent respect and complete devotion, I have the honor to be The attached silk material in the amount of 19 arshins was sent from Stavropol in the Caucasus to the abbot of the Tolgsky monastery during the life of His Grace Irenaeus 37. By mistake this parcel was delivered to me. Therefore, I forward the above-mentioned silk material to Your Eminence for your Archpastoral disposition. Committing myself to your Holy Prayers, with feelings of perfect reverence and sincere devotion, I have the honor to be The Yaroslavl Spiritual Consistory forwarded to the Nikolaev Babayevsky Monastery the dismissal certificate of Peter Rodionov, a tradesman of the Moscow province, the city of Podolsk, with the registration of the Moscow Treasury Chamber for it. I consider it my most pleasant duty to bring to Your Eminence my complete gratitude for such an order. Entrusting myself and the monastery entrusted to me to your Holy Prayers, with feelings of perfect respect and sincere devotion, I have the honor to be Please accept my most sincere congratulations on the upcoming great holiday of the Nativity of Christ and the New Year, with the most earnest wishes to Your Eminence for long-awaited health and all true and perfect blessings. The past year of 1864 was very difficult for me. From the second week of Great Lent, I felt particularly painful attacks that lasted all summer and kept me in my cell almost hopelessly. Now I’m taking decoction on the advice of one of the Moscow doctors who visited me in the fall. I still feel particularly relaxed and somewhat drowsy from decoction, and a significant amount of scrofulous and rheumatic sputum is separated. Next, I don’t know what God will give. Here! I’ve been spending my fourth year at Babayki. Meanwhile, great changes have taken place in the Caucasus, by which the power of Russia has been greatly exalted. They write to me from there that in the western half of the Caucasus, towards the Black Sea, where the most warlike highlanders lived, more than 100,000 Cossacks were settled, and the insignificant remnants of the highlanders voluntarily joined these Cossacks and accepted the Christian faith. Greeks leave Asian Turkey in large numbers and settle in the Caucasus. The hand of God's Providence is leading Russia to its important political destination, which the statesmen of Europe foresee, which they tremble, and which they try in vain to put obstacles in place. They won't be able to do anything. The giant goes his own way, but tramples down obstacles like brushwood. December 20, 1864 Please accept my most sincere congratulations on the upcoming Feast of Holidays and the bright Resurrection of Christ! Please accept my all-joyful greeting “Christ is Risen” and my heartfelt wish for Your Eminence all true and perfect blessings. I spent the winter very hard, mostly in bed. What the coming summer will bring! Fate made you one of the first sponsors for the construction of the Cathedral Church in the Babaevsky Monastery. Also, fate gave for the construction of this Church the most successful project 38 - a project that, being news in Russian church architecture, was also borrowed, in its nature, from the most ancient churches of Palestine. Finally, the church is being built by an incomprehensible Fate. How is it built? I can't give an answer. I found the monastery in a state of destruction, ruin and in debt, the construction of the Church was begun with the tiniest means, but at present half of the building has been built in rough form, and by the end of summer we hope to have it bricked. Here the finger of God and the zeal of pious people are at work. Do not refuse, Your Eminence, to extend your patronage to me and the monastery entrusted to me, which has already received a lot from your favorable attention. Committing myself to your Holy Prayers, with feelings of excellent respect and perfect devotion, I have the honor to be I don’t know how to thank Your Eminence for the unusual love in our time that you show me and the Abode entrusted to me. You surprise me and together strengthen in me the feelings of reverence and devotion that I have always had for your Person. Callistus describes to me with delight your Archpastoral attention and action. Archimandrite German, my former rector in the Caucasus, and now the governor of the Nevsky Lavra, asked me not to leave his relatives with a petition to Your Eminence. Hoping for your ineffable mercy, I allowed myself to bother you with a request, if it can be fulfilled, to grant Deacon Vladimir Chistyakov, married to Herman’s own niece, a priestly position in the village of Rozhdestvene, in the lakes, Danilovsky district, to fill the vacancy that opened with the death of priest Nikolai Farforovsky. I ask for your Holy Prayers for me, a sinner. After the icon of St. Nicholas left for Yaroslavl, my right leg, which always hurt, especially hurt: I could barely wander around the room. With feelings of great respect and complete devotion, I have the honor to be September 29, 1865 When I took over the management of the Nikolaev Babaevsky Monastery, I found a custom according to which the Miracle-Working Icon of St. Nicholas had long been raised in some villages of the Yaroslavl diocese, lying beyond the Volga, opposite the monastery. Regarding this, I have the honor to address Your Eminence and to receive your Archpastoral permission to follow this pious custom. Now residents of some villages, which had never seen the icon before, express a desire to accept it. Submitting this to the discretion of Your Eminence, I have the honor to ask for your Archpastoral permission to grant the request of the sheep of your flock. Your answer - if it is favorable to Your Eminence to give it only verbally - I humbly ask you to inform the bearer of this letter, Pyotr Alexandrovich, who wishes to personally both testify to your person his own high regard, and to express to you my deepest gratitude for your unparalleled attention to me and to the Abode entrusted to me. I cannot find words to express before Your Eminence my sincere gratitude for the unparalleled affection and attention you have shown me, a sinner. Your Christian and pastoral love brings both comfort and nourishment to my heart. I am sincerely glad that a relative of Father Herman turned out to be worthy of the mercy of Your Eminence. October 17, 1865 Having collected the necessary information on the case of the visit to the city of Yaroslavl by the Babaev Miracle-Working Icon of St. Nicholas of Christ, I have the honor to present about this a formal attitude towards the person of Your Eminence, entrusting everything completely to your discretion and order. I did not mention the fact that the Icon is being invited to some villages and district towns of the Yaroslavl diocese and I leave it to Your Eminence to say or remain silent about this in the presentation to the Holy Synod. Do me the favor: do not be burdened to notify me that your submission has been sent to the Holy Synod, so that I can promptly write specific letters there and ask for attention to the matter. Entrusting myself and the monastery entrusted to me to your Holy Prayers, with feelings of excellent respect and complete devotion, I have the honor to be To my considerable surprise, in the St. Petersburg magazine “Home Conversation”, in issue 46 of November 13, there appeared an article “Holiday in Yaroslavl.” I very much regretted this, recognizing the article as untimely and harmful to the cause. She compromises me too! Who will believe that the article was published not only without my consent, but also without my knowledge, completely contrary to my spirit? The article clearly exposes my desire for fame. Mrs. Samarina, my relative and the writer of the article, is not the first time, with her impermissible interference in the affairs of the Babaevsky Monastery, she treats me with a cobblestone to the forehead. Let anyone understand the article as they wish: I am not to blame if others arbitrarily dispose of my personality and seduce people who are disposed to temptation; May God's mercy cover me and those who may be tempted in this circumstance, may it cover the matter itself! But before Your Eminence, I considered it necessary to explain myself. Undoubtedly, the writer meant to do a favor! However, one cannot deny the truth of the words of Krylov, the fabulist: an obliging fool is more dangerous than an enemy. Very true! Many experiments have proven this to me. From the well-known article of The Day, you can see how the spirit of the times looks with hostility at the church hierarchy and intensifies to throw dirt at it. In our time, prudence and caution are especially needed. Undoubtedly, deviations and abuses occur in church administration, as they happened everywhere. It does not follow from this that the overthrow of hierarchies is the only means of correction, any more than that correction requires libels of the editor and staff of The Day in the Protestant spirit. For this we need a means established and legitimized by the Apostles: the Council of Hierarchs. When I visited Your Eminence in 1862, at the beginning of summer, I informed you of information that had reached me back in the Caucasus, that journalists intended to attack the church hierarchy. In my opinion, The Day’s article is only a ringing bell, a big ringing ahead. I sincerely wish that this opinion of mine was wrong. Please accept my most ardent congratulations on the upcoming great Feast of the Nativity of Christ and on the very day of the Feast. I am transported to you with the most pleasant, heartfelt feeling and, as if personally, I bring you this congratulation. You put me in this attitude because of your love for me. I have never encountered such love in any person from the clergy. May the merciful Lord preserve your life for many years in the longed-for health and fill it with all the blessings. Entrusting myself and the Monastery entrusted to me to your Holy Prayers, with feelings of excellent reverence and complete devotion, I have the honor to be December 25, 1865 With this, I am sending you a paperweight made from a stone found near the monastery. You, as a connoisseur, will determine the meaning of this stone, unusually dense, but at the same time soft and very convenient for finishing. We wanted to make four pillars out of it for the main dome, but we didn’t have enough money; they knocked him down a lot. Also, near the monastery itself, they found a ridge of granite, like Serdobl, with a blue tint, especially pleasing to the eye: from this they made a plinth under the entire church, 13 vershoks in height. You need to see this church! You are one of her first patrons. For this reason, you have been chosen by the Mother of God, in whose name the church is being built, and who is Herself, not us, the Giver of this only building in this region. Sorry for the bad letter: I can’t see well in the evening. With your most respected letter dated February 18th, I received a copy of your submission to the Holy Synod. I cannot find words to sufficiently express my gratitude to Your Eminence for the unparalleled fatherly love that you show me. Only God can reward such love, may He reward you with the abundant outpouring of His bounties on your person. I completely agree with Your Eminence that the stone found comes closest to jasper. In its natural form it is blue in color. When it was polished for the first time, it retained this color, but with further polishing, the blue color disappeared and a greenish color appeared. Huge stones of this breed lay near the place where the church is being built; necessity forced them to put them in a quarry, which would have cost four times as much if the stone had been transported from distant places. This jewel was previously sold for crushed stone! Now, at least, the dignity of special strength has been achieved for the rubble due to the size of the stones placed in it. The remaining stones are kept buried in the ground. I would imagine, if funds allow and if God prolongs life, to make an ark in the lower church from this stone and under it a pedestal or semi-column - in a word, a pedestal, whatever you can think of. Of course, all these utensils must be very heavy; but in the lower church you can put a rubble under it, on which you can place a pedestal. The idea for the shape of the ark itself is given to me by the chapel built in St. Petersburg by the architect Gornostaev 39 by order of the Empress. This chapel is recognized as an excellent piece of architecture; it was built upon my departure from the Northern capital. You probably have a memorial book for 1866: in the book the chapel is depicted in the third engraving. However, such a thought, of necessity, should be just around the corner: first you should start carefully finishing the building, and then start decorating. The ark I am planning should cost well over 500 rubles. If the assumption is true, then this ark will be a true rarity. Your Eminence has acquired extensive knowledge of geology. Although I studied it systematically, I should only be your student, and I could learn much, much from you. A great thing is experimental knowledge based on theoretical knowledge. Entrusting myself and the Monastery entrusted to me to your Holy Prayers, with feelings of excellent respect and complete devotion, I have the honor to be February 23, 1866 Trusting in your special favor, I allow myself to disturb you with my most humble request. In my next ministry, it is appropriate for me to promote my abbot 40 to archimandrite, but the archimandrite’s cross has not yet been sent, why do me a favor, order from the places under your jurisdiction to issue such a cross to this letter-bearer, my cell attendant, monk Nikandr, and allow me to hold it until it is sent from St. Petersburg. Pyotr Aleksandrovich writes to me on February 27 that Count Tolstoy, bidding farewell to him, said among other things about the positive assignment of the award to him on the recommendation of Your Eminence. Let this information be kept secret between us. Committing myself to Your Holy Prayers, with feelings of excellent respect and perfect devotion, I have the honor to be Your Eminence, Most Gracious Archpastor and Father Please accept my most sincere congratulations on the upcoming Feast of Holidays and the Triumph of all Triumphs - the Bright Resurrection of Christ. Sincerely wishing you the longed-for health and all true blessings, I greet you with an all-joyful greeting: Christ is Risen. Entrusting myself and the Monastery entrusted to me to Your Holy Prayers, with a feeling of excellent respect and perfect devotion, I have the honor to be Your Eminence, Most Gracious Archpastor and Father, the most humble novice With complete gratitude I return the cross, which was not used, since I received my own from St. Petersburg on the 19th. I humbly request that the receipt from my cell attendant, monk Nikandr, be given to the bearer of this letter, the treasurer, Hieromonk Arsentius. By the special grace of God, on the day of the visit of the Nikolo-Babaevsky Monastery by Their Imperial Highnesses 41, I felt some relief from the illness and was able to meet the August Guests, although not in the same way as healthy people are greeted. My fading gaze was revived by the sight of the beautiful faces of the Sons of the King, faces like the rising sun or a blooming rose. And the sheep of Your Eminence's flock, accompanying Their Highnesses, entered my cells, where I considered it my duty to report to the Sovereign Heir about their zeal: it was received very favorably. August 16, 1866 Please accept my sincere, heartfelt gratitude for all your mercies to the Monastery of St. Nicholas of Babaevskaya and to me, a sinner, for the mercies that are countless. With your benevolent assistance, we hope to finish the external brickwork in the coming summer of 1867. Bless, Most Gracious Archpastor, Hieromonk Callistus to visit those villages of the Yaroslavl diocese that he visited last year, since some of these villages have already expressed a desire to receive the Icon of St. Nicholas. Entrusting myself and the Monastery entrusted to me to your Holy Prayers, with a feeling of excellent respect and complete devotion, I have the honor to be October 17, 1866 Pyotr Alexandrovich goes to St. Petersburg, where he will stay almost until the New Year, and maybe even the beginning of it. Earlier, during a meeting with the Count, I asked him to reward Apollinarius Platonovich, about whom the proposal was not successful solely because the Count had by that time been made the Minister of Public Education and left matters of secondary importance without attention. You will probably repeat your performance. I asked Pyotr Alexandrovich to supervise this matter. If Your Eminence has anything to add to this, then do not refuse to tell Pyotr Alexandrovich. Committing myself to your Holy Prayers, with feelings of great reverence and perfect devotion, I have the honor to be October 22, 1866 Please accept my most sincere congratulations on the upcoming day of Your Angel and my most earnest wish to Your Eminence for the longed-for health and all true blessings. I bring you, Holy Master, my most sincere gratitude for the favorable reception you gave to my pupil, the Abbot of the Babayevsky Monastery. The love of Your Eminence serves as both consolation and edification for me. Such love in our age of selfishness is a true miracle. The cathedral church being built in the Babayevsky Monastery was arranged in this way with the assistance of Your Eminence. December 6, 1866 Please accept my most sincere congratulations on the upcoming great holiday of the Nativity of Christ and on the upcoming New Year, with the most earnest wish to Your Eminence for many years of long-awaited health and all true and perfect blessings. Committing myself to Your Holy Prayers, with a feeling of perfect reverence and sincere devotion, I have the honor to be Your Eminence, Most Gracious Archpastor and Father, your most humble servant December 25, 1866 Hoping for your gracious attention and unlimited condescension towards me, I allow myself to again bother you about assistance in the construction of the Cathedral Church in the Babaevsky Monastery, about which I have the honor to convey a formal message. In St. Petersburg, a cross was ordered for a large dome, more than five fathoms in diameter and more than four in height. Bronze cross, in Byzantine character; The drawing is also considered news in St. Petersburg, although in essence it is an imitation of ancient models, not a blind imitation, improved in accordance with the modern state of art. I forward a copy of [the drawing] from the cross to Your Eminence. Look with love, through the eye of the Ktitor, take comfort in the fact that the merciful Lord is prospering the matter, and return the drawing to the bearer of this letter. The rafters for the head are iron; they have already been made in St. Petersburg. I am amazed how this church is built with our insignificant means. It is underpinned by an invisible Hand. She also sends benefactors; between them the first person is Your Eminence. February 15, 1867 I bring you my sincere gratitude for the assistance you have now provided and are constantly providing to the creation of the Church in the name of the Iveron Mother of God in the Monastery of St. Nicholas of Babaevskaya 42. Moved by a feeling of sincere gratitude, I personally conveyed and wrote to Mr. Synodal Chief Prosecutor about how much I owe to Your Eminence. I allowed myself more than that: I asked the Count to accept my petition in support of your representation about the person who was used by you to act in favor of the Babaevsky Monastery. Due to this last circumstance, I still have no comforting news. Unfortunately, there were opponents. Now, when a favorable opportunity arises, I repeat my petition for the fourth time, and I consider it my duty to inform Your Eminence about its consequences. Entrusting myself and the Monastery entrusted to me to Your Holy Prayers, with a feeling of excellent respect and perfect devotion, I have the honor to be Your Eminence, Most Gracious Archpastor and Father, the most humble servant Please accept my most sincere congratulations on the upcoming Feast of Holidays and the Triumph of all Triumphs: the Bright Resurrection of Christ. I greet you with the all-joyful greeting “Christ is Risen,” and most earnestly wish Your Eminence the longed-for health and all true blessings. April 18, 1867 Appendix to the article “The Eminence Platon of Kostroma and Nil of Yaroslavl” On October 17, Yaroslavl unanimously celebrated the passing of the holy, miraculous icon of St. Nicholas, brought there from the Babaevsky Monastery on September 12. On this day, before 6 o'clock in the morning, pilgrims began to gather in the cathedral, and all the streets represented a continuous chain of people walking and driving in this direction. The icon was accompanied by five people from the Babaevskaya monastery; their reverent service, harmonious singing and attention to everyone without exception charmed the Yaroslavl people and greatly contributed to their zeal. After a late mass in the cathedral, which was celebrated by His Eminence Neil with two archimandrites and other concelebrants, a countless number of people accompanied the icon to the pier. On the shore of the [Babaevsky Monastery] stood the clergy in full vestments, waiting for the holy icon; Loud, solemn singing was heard: we magnify you, Holy Hierarch Father Nicholas. These minutes cannot be described. The sickly but majestic elder, the Most Reverend Ignatius, in full bishop's vestments, stood with a censer among the faces of the singers. Four deacons brought the holy icon to the bishop. If the saint of God himself, Nicholas, had then disembarked from the ship instead of his holy icon, then, it seems, the sight of His Grace Ignatius could not have been more imbued with the consciousness of the holiness and greatness of that moment: he was all prayer! A litiya was performed opposite the gates of the monastery, and the icon was brought into the church and placed in its usual place. Then the Right Reverend stood in his holy place, and the prayer service began. After singing the solemn hymn: We praise God to you, the bishop addressed those present with the following speech: God-loving citizens of the God-saved city of Yaroslavl! Our Lord Jesus Christ promised that the cup of ice water given in the name of His disciple would not remain without reward. You, brethren, having accepted the miraculous icon of St. Nicholas, this true disciple of Christ, undoubtedly accepted the greatest Pleasant of God; the honor given to an icon refers to the person depicted on the icon. The great teachers of the Orthodox Church teach us this. You, brothers, did not offer the disciple of Christ a cup of cold water, but you offered hearts filled with fiery faith and love. You expressed love and faith and carried it out with actions. The stay of the holy icon in your city was an uninterrupted celebration, which was depicted as an uninterrupted divine service. The Lord promised a reward for the cup of cold water given in the name of His disciple; The Lord promised to reward everyone according to his deeds. In the right hand of the Lord the scales and measures are the most faithful, the most accurate. If a cup of cold water does not destroy its reward, the presentation of which requires only the labor of drawing it; all the more will zeal be rewarded, expressed in abundance and strength. It is impossible not for this to happen: the promise was pronounced by the almighty and all-holy Lord. Brethren! may your families and homes be blessed! may your everyday pursuits be blessed! Moreover, may your feat for the salvation of your souls be blessed and prosperous! A person leaves all earthly acquisitions and advantages on earth when he leaves earth for eternity: we enter into eternity only with our virtues or sins. Brethren! rotating in earthly worries, do not forget about heaven, do not forget about the hour of departure from earthly life. At this hour, each of us will experiencefully understand the full justice of the Savior’s words: what good is it for a person, even if he gains the whole world, but loses his soul! 44 In this terrible hour, what will a man give as a ransom for his soul? We store up the ransom in good time on earth: it is compiled and gradually accumulated by living according to the commandments of the Gospel, amen. Everyone stood with extraordinary reverence, listening to the words of the saint, who, pronouncing his blessings with the power of prayer, overshadowed those present. You should have seen his face at that time, speaking more powerfully and eloquently than any words... We accepted the blessing of our bishop as the blessing of the greatest saint of God and miracle worker Nicholas. IV. Letters of Saint Ignatius to Metropolitan Anthony (Rafalsky) of Novgorod and St. Petersburg 45 Although I know the humble way of thinking instilled in you by your Christian feelings about the day of your Angel, although you dissolve its joy with sad memories, yet your children, the sheep of your pasture, given and entrusted to you by the Chief Shepherd and the Lamb of God, must meet and see off this day in spiritual joy, sending up warm prayers to the Lord, may he prolong the years of your life in desired health and well-being for the well-being of the Russian Church. So we, unworthy monks of the monastery of St. Sergius, pray for this to the almighty and merciful Lord; We beg his saint to make up for the lack of our prayers with his strong prayers for our Shepherd. Sending such wishes to Heaven, we cannot help but turn to you, Your Eminence Vladyka, with our most ardent congratulations, which we bring with the liveliest feelings of love, gratitude, and respect! Accept with your usual condescension and favor this greeting from the Abbot and the brotherhood of the Sergius Hermitage. It would be my sacred duty to personally bring congratulations to Your Eminence, but illness does not allow me to leave my rooms. Entrusting myself and the monastery to the Archpastoral blessing and your prayers, with the deepest respect and complete devotion I have the honor to be Your Eminence His Eminence Anthony, Metropolitan of Novgorod and St. Petersburg Your Eminence Anthony Metropolitan of Novgorod and St. Petersburg Dean of the monasteries of the St. Petersburg Diocese, Abbot of the first-class Trinity St. Sergius Hermitage My constant painful state has increased over the past two years to such an extent that I consider myself completely unable to continue to hold the positions I occupy as Dean of seven male and one female monasteries of the St. Petersburg Diocese and Rector of the first-class Trinity-Sergius Hermitage; and therefore I find it necessary to seek shelter among the hospital monasteries of a monastery that, due to its healthy location and favorable climate, would contribute to some maintenance and, perhaps, correction of my disordered health. Choosing the Nikolaev Babaevsky Monastery, located in the Kostroma Diocese, for such a subject, I dare to turn to Your Eminence with the most humble request: Please, Your Eminence Vladyka, condescending to my extremely upset state, to request permission from where I should be dismissed from my positions as Dean and Superior and for permission to be placed as a sick person in the Nikolaev Babayevsky Monastery of the Kostroma diocese. To certify the reality of my painful condition and that the exact measure I am prescribing is necessary for me, I enclose for the consideration of Your Eminence the authentic Certificate of the Strelinsky Palace Department of the medical-surgeon Collegiate Assessor Butuzov, who used me, approved by the life physician, the actual state councilor Arend, given to me this year on March 17th. Your Eminence's most humble servant Anthony (G. A Rafalsky; 1789–1848) – since 1843, Metropolitan of Novgorod and St. Petersburg. Metropolitan Anthony, from the first day of his assumption of office, was hostile towards Archimandrite Ignatius Brianchaninov. His enemies tried to bring to his attention the consequences of the “Barant case” 46 in a misleading form and assure him that the ban on the Archimandrite’s departure from the Sergius Hermitage is still in effect today. The prevailing circumstances were then resolved only after a report on them from the St. Petersburg Military Governor-General A. A. Kavelin to the Sovereign Emperor. However, “envy worked” to aggravate the hostility of the Metropolitan, who already did not like the desire of the Abbot of St. Sergius Monastery for more independent activity according to his own convictions. On the initiative of Metropolitan Anthony, the Holy Synod drew up a proposal to transfer Archimandrite Ignatius as rector to the Solovetsky Monastery in order, under the guise of promotion, to remove him away from the capital and from the beneficent participation of the Sovereign in it. Not everyone, however, supported this proposal. The Eminences of Kursk, Kharkov, Poltava and others, who were then in session, gave their voices in defense of the Archimandrite. Archbishop Gideon of Poltava 47 spoke as follows: “We want to exile the praise and adornment of our monasticism according to some earthly reports and, like the Sanhedrin, to sentence the righteous to execution because he acts towards us in disagreement with our concepts, does not wait for us for several hours in the hallway when he does not find us at home, and makes similar insults to our concept of our dignity, a concept that does not agrees with his concepts of his duties regarding us.” With such attitude towards him from his superiors, Archimandrite Ignatius could not remain in the Sergius Hermitage: his nerves failed, his already poor health was undermined. On April 1, 1847, he wrote to Metropolitan Anthony a “Most humble request” for his resignation. As you know, this request was not supported by the Emperor. Instead of the desired dismissal, Archimandrite Ignatius was granted an eleven-month leave to the Nikolo-Babaevsky Monastery for treatment. And five months after his return to Sergius Hermitage, Metropolitan Anthony passed on to another world. V. Letter from Saint Ignatius to Metropolitan Isidore (Nikolsky) of Novgorod and St. Petersburg and his response 48 I have the honor to present to the favorable and pious attention of Your Eminence my work - a book entitled “Ascetic Experiences”. The book sets out those concepts of spiritual achievement that I gleaned during my long-term contemplation of monasticism, both in its living representatives and in the writings of the Holy Fathers. Given the current situation of monasticism in Russia and, together, the state of society in spiritual and moral terms, a close acquaintance of both monasticism and society with the correct way of asceticism turns out to be especially necessary and useful. The respect for bodily achievement when left only to itself, the respect paid in times of simplicity, has passed away. It passed for the very natural reason that monks, engaged exclusively in physical feats, cannot give a proper answer in monastic life either to themselves or to their brethren living in the middle of the world. Moreover, the practice of physical feats, to the extent that the ancient monks were engaged in them, has now become very, very weakened due to the general decline in strength and health in man. This activity no longer reproduces athletes who would surprise themselves by discovering something supernatural. Spiritual feat forms true, conscious monks, and it is this that modern education evokes, so to speak, in the field of activity. He, he alone, can introduce into the monasteries and maintain a strictly moral order in the monasteries, providing the brotherhood with accurate, correct, deep concepts of Christianity, providing the brotherhood with reasonable freedom combined with reasonable spiritual submission. Forming spiritual strength and connection in the brotherhood, he, he alone, can equip the monk with full armor to repel modern teachings hostile to the Church, giving the monk a sense of harmony between the Gospel teaching and the properties of the human soul. He introduces the monk to correct self-view and the consciousness of his fall and the need for a Redeemer that flows from this self-view. The most physical feat, brought to its normal meaning by a spiritual feat, acts in the ascetic with a special beneficence, to which he is alien when he acts alone. The favor and patronage shown by Your Eminence to monasticism, your zeal and zeal for maintaining it and raising it to the success destined by church tradition, inspired me with the boldness to present to your eyes the book I compiled. A copy of it, as well as a note about the places of sale at its price - the price was set by the bookseller, who printed the book at his own expense - will be provided to Your Eminence by my brother, Pyotr Aleksandrovich Brianchaninov. Perhaps it will be pleasing to Your Eminence, after reviewing the book, to provide Archpastoral assistance in distributing it in the monasteries of your dioceses. Asking for your Archpastoral blessing and entrusting myself to your Hierarchal prayers, with feelings of deepest respect and complete devotion, I have the honor to be …Having received volumes 3 and 4 of Your Eminence’s works today, I hasten to express my sincere gratitude to you for your useful works, which testify to your deep study of the soul-saving teachings of the God-wise ascetics of piety and true leaders in monastic life. At the same time, I cannot help but express my sincere regret that your weakening forces refuse to serve your strong spirit in continuing your exploits in that spiritual and scientific field, in which we have not seen such zealous workers for a long time. May the grace of God, working its power in human weaknesses, add days upon days and years upon years for the benefit of the Holy Church. Rejoice in the Lord and remember in your prayers your respectful and sincerely devoted servant Isidore, Metropolitan of Novgorod His Eminence Isidore (in the world Y. S. Nikolsky; 1799–1892) – from 1844 to 1858, Exarch of Georgia, 1858–1860. – Metropolitan of Kyiv; from July 1, 1860 Metropolitan of Novgorod and St. Petersburg. In the summer of 1858, Bishop Ignatius undertook a tour of the eastern half of his diocese. In early August, he arrived from Kislovodsk to Georgievsk to meet there Metropolitan Isidore, who had been moved from Tbilisi to Kyiv. The saint’s biography contains his own diary entry for August 5, 6, 7 and 8: “Until two o’clock in the morning the Metropolitan talked with me and the civil governor, Lieutenant General Volotsky 49 . Almost only the Metropolitan spoke, and only about secular subjects, and he spoke with great eagerness. On the 8th, he got up in the morning at six o’clock and began talking with me alone for about ten minutes about subjects relating to the Caucasian diocese and the Church in general. In this shortest time, he touched on many subjects, showed on many of them the most ordinary and even the most insufficient knowledge, a direction of mind with a superficial look and Caucasian self-confidence. He is about sixty years old - a little over a year or two. He is less than average in height, but not the smallest either. His head sits in his shoulders, his neck is very short. He is a manly man in his manners, but very sharp - his eyes dart around. He constantly distinguished himself by his sharpness in the field of his ministry. Sami is still very fresh, although rumor has proclaimed him everywhere to be very sickly. The Metropolitan expressed his displeasure at the Russian nobility for their slowness in dismissing the peasants" 50 . Bishop Ignatius told Metropolitan Isidore, among other things, that in order to encourage the seminary teachers and the most worthy students, he invited them in the evenings on holidays for spiritual and edifying conversations. At the same time, they were offered tea, fruit or something sweet. The Metropolitan considered this treatment of his subordinates too familiar and did not hesitate to reproach the Bishop in an irritated tone. His tone was so indecent that Lieutenant General Volotskoy, who was present during the conversation, was forced to calm him down. Isidore retained his irritation against Bishop Ignatius even when he took the place of Metropolitan of Novgorod and St. Petersburg, which, of course, aggravated the Saint’s desire to retire. However, Metropolitan Isidore, judging by his letter, accepted the literary works of Saint Ignatius very favorably. But the Saint found out about this six days before his death. VI. Letter from Saint Ignatius to Bishop Benedict (Grigorovich) 51 To the Most Reverend Benedict, Vicar of St. Petersburg and Knight of various orders First-class Trinity-Sergius Hermitage Having been asked by Your Eminence regarding the lithographed copy of the Prophetic books of the Old Testament translated into Russian from Hebrew, about which copy it is indicated that I have it, I have the honor to answer the following. Last year, 1841, during the Academy's vacation, I invited Michurin, a student of the Theological Academy, to rewrite the book of St. Isaiah the Hermit, which I translated from Latin. When he rewrote the book, I began to read it with him to check; during this reading, a conversation inconspicuously began, in which he told me that at the Academy they were translating various passages from the Holy Scriptures into Russian and that these lectures were lithographed. I wished to have a copy for myself, which was delivered to me by the student Michurin at the end of the holidays, and since I had other things to do, I began reading this copy no earlier than at the onset of autumn, and began little by little with Slovensky. Having found that this translation differs from the Slovenian Bible and therefore can make a harmful impression on the initial brethren who have free access to my office to read paternal books that belong to me and are placed in an open cabinet and the same bag, I decided that it was best to destroy the lithographed copy and burned it, just as I do with other books, from the reading of which I expect a harmful influence on the brethren. For myself, I did not see the need for it, having the Holy Scriptures, except Slovenian, in Greek, Latin and French. No one from the brethren managed to learn about this book, except for the monk Hilarion, to whom I entrust supervision of [nrzb. ] beginners and reading them, and in whose presence I committed this book to burning. I did not have any other such lithographed copies, except for the one mentioned, and currently do not have them; There are also no written translations of the Holy Scriptures into the Russian language, which I have the honor to inform Your Eminence. Your Eminence's most humble novice His Eminence Benedict (Grigorovich) - suffragan bishop, until the end of 1833, filled the position of rector of Sergius Hermitage. On January 1, 1834, by decree of the Holy Synod, he surrendered Pustyn to Archimandrite Ignatius Brianchaninov. In exchange, he was given a salary of 4,000 rubles in banknotes. VII. Letter from Saint Ignatius to Archbishop of Kursk and Belgorod Iliodor (Chistyakov) 52 I bring you my most sincere, heartfelt gratitude for your merciful, Christian participation in my circumstances! Seeing such your participation, I allow myself to bother you with these lines; according to your very participation, accept them favorably, consider what is stated in them in the light of spiritual reasoning with which the Lord has gifted you. In the decree of the Consistory, the following resolution of the Most Reverend Vicar of St. Petersburg was prescribed for me, demanding a recall from me: “The Consistory has to ask the rector of the Sergius Monastery, Archimandrite Ignatius: if he would like to take advantage of temporary leave for treatment, and in this case, Archimandrite Ignatius in his recall has to recommend the person who can be reliably entrusted with the correction of those lying on Archimandrite duties until his return upon recovery.” Every business, in my opinion, has its own natural course, from which it is difficult to evade, which is facilitated by the most obstacles. You will not condemn me if I say that I see in human affairs the invisible but powerful action of God's Providence, which, according to the teachings of St. Isaac of Syria, especially watches over those who have left the vain world to seek God, their Savior; “Thy destinies will help me,” sang the divinely inspired David. In the resolution of the Most Reverend Vicar, I found and continue to find instructions that I give exactly the review that I gave, a review that agrees with the petition for my dismissal, submitted not in a moment of emotional excitement, but contrived over the years and therefore having the character of firmness and thoroughness. By the fact that it seems to me to indicate a person trustworthy to manage the monastery during my absence, concerns about the welfare of the monastery and responsibility for everything that may arise are left to me. When appointing such a person, it is impossible for me to offend my Viceroy by removing him from the assignment; it is impossible to eliminate him, because he alone could, under favorable circumstances, support the Sergius Hermitage in the form in which it is now; It is impossible to point to him based on the known relations of the Most Reverend Vicar towards him, who can bind and distort all his orders with his orders, and upset the monastery; and lay the blame for the disorder he himself caused on the Viceroy. According to similar orders from His Eminence, I cannot remain the rector of Sergius Hermitage any longer, even if my illness did not force me to retire. Having said this, I’ll stop spreading the word! I am very glad that my illness gives me a good reason to retire and saves me from the disgusting verbosity that should consist of justifications and accusations, which is so contrary to the teaching of Christ that it torments my soul, although it has somewhat tasted the sweetness of peace flowing from keeping the commandments of the Meekest Lord Jesus Christ. – The resolution of the Right Reverend Vicar preserves, in the most natural course of affairs, which, however, reveals a heartfelt guarantee, the general nature of his behavior towards me. This is a figure, these are words from which some kind of mask is formed, which at first, superficial glance seems to be something. Take a closer look at it - you will see lifelessness, cardboard, whitewash, rouge, ill-will, ill-intention. Again I leave it to spread. “Let not my mouth speak of the deeds of men,” let not my thought grovel in the dust of the earth, let it not wander in human considerations, dark and producing only confusion, “let it remember the wonders of God and the destinies of His mouth, as He is our God, His destinies throughout the whole earth.” I will tell Your Eminence simply and directly: my illness requires my complete removal from the Sergius Hermitage forever. Circumstances favor removal. I see the destinies of God in this, I see the hand of God benevolent to me, leading me into solitude - “let me see my sin and take care of it.” In my eyes, people are on the sidelines. The Providence of God is at work, in whose right hand people are instruments. Tools are blind when they take pleasure in their blindness. From the sight of God's Providence, my heart maintains deep peace towards circumstances and people. And the peace of the heart is a witness to the holy Truth! When, on the day of St. Sergius, you, the holy Master, were in the Sergius Hermitage for sacred rites, then in a sincere spiritual conversation I told Your Eminence that I had an absolute intention to shirk my position in serene solitude. For this purpose I left the world. With this constant goal I am completing my twentieth year in the monastery. I always desired deep solitude and was afraid of it. Recognizing that he was not mature enough for it, he was afraid to enter into it on his own. But when it is indicated by the Providence of God, then bless me, who comes in the name of the Lord! As someone who is already leaving the abbotship of the Sergius Hermitage, I can speak with frankness about the relationship of my heart to this monastery. I’ve been spending fourteen years in it - and my heart has not attached itself to anything in it; I don't like anything about her. Only for some brothers do I have true love! It seems that as soon as I leave the Sergius Hermitage, I will forget it. I took care of her arrangement as if it were my duty; I forced myself to love the Sergius Hermitage, just as at the Engineering School I forced myself to love mathematics, to find a taste in the study of its dry truths, which often turn into intricate nonsense. Standing on the south, surrounded by all the objects of varied, fierce temptation, this monastery does not at all correspond to the needs of monastic life. If only there were some kind of God-pleasing institution here and white clergy with it! I don’t like the monastery - Sergius Hermitage! And I was not in her mind: striking me with incessant colds and hemorrhoidal diseases produced by the local gusty winds and chalky water, it was as if she was constantly telling me: you are not capable of being my resident, get out! I will accept every decision of the Holy Synod with reverence and gratitude: whether they dismiss me completely, or whether they say that they will dismiss me until I recover, I am grateful for everything. One day I could put it in some order, but another time I’m not capable of such work! “It was necessary to form hearts, raise new monks from young men, and replace old-timers who had become ossified in their skills with them. This takes time, it takes years, it takes moral and physical strength: they are exhausted: repeating the same work is impossible for them! A body exhausted by illness requires rest and calm; the soul, having seen enough of the vanity of everything temporary, wants to be with itself; Eternity opens before her, she prepares for the path of her fathers, she finds a need, an extreme need for this preparation; the time of the rest of my life shortened and disappeared before her. To eternity! To eternity! There are eyes, thoughts, and heart! Some people frighten me with the inconveniences that the retired life of not only abbots, but also bishops, is associated with. I answer: there is no kind of life without its sorrows; but I looked at monastic life in detail, not only from above, but also from below, spending many years as a novice. Exactly, I had to see some abbots who seemed to live on peace, but on the thing itself, on anxiety in the full sense. Again I saw other abbots for whom leaving office and living in retirement was a means to achieving extreme peace of mind and body. As an example of the latter, I can imagine Father Theophan, Archimandrite of Novoezersk 53, who died in Bose and was known for his piety: I had the good fortune to see him, I had the good fortune to talk with him. In my opinion, borrowed from the teachings of the venerable Teachers of monasticism, confirmed by my own observations, a rector living in retirement, if he loves to study in the Law of God, if he chooses Mary’s part as his lot, and is careful from any participation in Marfina’s part, then he will spend his days quietly, serenely, especially in a deserted and communal monastery. I have an adviser, whose advice guides me in my behavior under present circumstances. I’m captivated by his advice, I’m carried away by it! “Blessed ones,” he says, who girded their loins to the sea of ​​sorrows with simplicity and untested love for the sake of God, and did not give in. These are soon saved to the haven of the Kingdom, and rest in the villages of those who have labored well, and are consoled from their suffering, and rejoice in the joy of their hope... Those who meditate on many thoughts, and want to be wise, and give themselves over to the conversion of thoughts and fears, and prepare themselves, and despise harmful guilt, Many of these are found sitting at the doors of their houses. Like rekshii: The sons of giants saw tamo, and bekh before them like pruzi. These are those who, at the time of their end, are found on the path, always wanting to be wise, but not wanting to make a beginning. The ignoramus floats with the first warmth and floats on, not caring for the body at all... Take heed to yourself, lest the abundance of your wisdom be the creeping of your soul and the snare before your face: but trusting in God, with courage lay the beginning of the path filled with blood, lest you ever find yourself poor and naked in the mind of God. Be afraid and wait for the winds, not to have a sow... For this sake, do not become overly wise at all, but give place to faith in your thoughts, and remember the many days, and the future and inscrutable ages that exist after death and judgment, and weakness will not ever enter into you... Begin every good work with courage, and do not approach it with double-mindedness him, and do not doubt in your heart about the hope of God... But believe in your heart, for the Lord is merciful, and gives grace to those who seek Him, like a rewarder, not according to our work, but according to the zeal of our souls and Faith. The verb is: as I believed it, let it be for you” (St. Isaac of Syria. Homily 58). My present situation is very similar to what I was in when I left worldly life. Many judged and talked about him; but rare - with the right look at the subject. Can renunciation of the world be understood and interpreted by those who are completely captivated by the world, immersed in mind, heart, and body in the pleasures of the world? The teaching of the Fathers of the Church took me out of the world: it helped me endure the sorrows of the world, it calls me into solitude, so that I can peer into eternity before entering its immeasurable regions. As I read, I see in myself that, having been in solitude, I will become completely incapable of any kind of external duties!.. solitude acts like poison: it kills. You show such abundant affection for me that I consider it unnecessary to ask you for anything. Having revealed to Your Eminence my state of soul and body, I leave everything else to your consideration. You, as someone who has practical spiritual information, so alien to people of only secular education and direction, can provide me with significant help by giving my circumstances a direction that corresponds to my goals, making it easier for me to strive for them, and therefore the very achievement of them. By this you will do me a benefit that is not earthly, a benefit so worthy of the Saint of Christ, a benefit whose reward is in heaven! Asking for your holy prayers and Archpastoral blessing, with feelings of deepest respect and complete devotion, I have the honor to be your most humble novice Archbishop of Kursk Iliodor (in the world Ivan Borisovich Chistyakov; 179? – February 2, 1861) was born in the village of Voskresensk, Kaluga province, in the family of a priest. In 1816 he graduated from the Kaluga Seminary, in 1820 from the Moscow Theological Academy and in the same year he was tonsured. In 1821 - hierodeacon, then hieromonk, in 1825 - archimandrite; in 1827 - rector of the Novgorod Seminary and abbot of the Anthony Monastery; in 1832 - Bishop of Kursk and Belgorod, March 24, 1844 - Archbishop. In 1860 he was retired. At the beginning of 1847, Archbishop Iliodor, while attending a meeting at the Holy Synod, visited Sergius Hermitage and talked with Archimandrite Ignatius. He was one of the few who expressed sympathy for Archimandrite Ignatius, who was at that time in difficult circumstances (which he talks about in a letter). On August 14, 1847, already from the Nikolo-Babaevsky Monastery, Archimandrite Ignatius wrote to his abbot in the Sergius Hermitage: “When we meet, take the trouble to say my most zealous bow to the Most Reverend Iliodor and gratitude for his disposition towards me.” In 1857, Bishop Ignatius Bryanchaninov, on his way to Stavropol, visited Kursk at the invitation of His Grace Iliodor and served the Liturgy there on December 15. VIII. Letter from His Grace Nicholas (Sokolov), Bishop of Kaluga, to St. Ignatius Brianchaninov and his response 54 Most Reverend Father Archimandrite Ignatius! Dear Sir! At your request, novice Alexey Gerasimov, now hierodeacon Apollinaris, was released in peace by me to your holy monastery. Young, capable people would also be needed in the local monasteries. My intention was to transfer Apollinaris to my home. But when Providence called him to a better field, then, without arguing, I beg the Lord, may he, Apollinaris, always be pleasing to you and for the benefit of the desert entrusted to your management. With sincere respect, I have the honor to be Nicholas, Bishop of Kaluga. Your Eminence! Most Gracious Archpastor! The magnanimous condescension of Your Eminence, which was shown by dismissing Apollinaris to the Sergius Hermitage, and rewarding me with the most respectable lines, certainly requires deep gratitude from me. I offer it with all my sincerity! Bringing, I again ask for your Archpastoral blessing and the holy prayers with which you deign to overshadow, who have the honor of being, with true devotion and high veneration of Your Eminence, the most humble servant St. Petersburg. Sergiev Pustyn His Eminence Nikolai (Sokolov; † 1851) - from the rector of the Tambov Seminary, on June 8, 1831 he was elevated to the rank of Bishop of Dmitrov; October 2, 1834 - Kaluga. IX. Archbishop Irenaeus (Nesterovich) Archbishop Irenaeus (Nesterovich; ca. 1785 – May 18, 1864) – graduate of the Kyiv Theological Academy, tonsured and elevated to hieromonk in 1813; in 1817 - archimandrite; in 1820 – rector of the Chisinau Seminary; in 1826 - Bishop of Penza; from July 26, 1830 - Archbishop of Irkutsk. He was remembered by his contemporaries and went down in history because of his unusual behavior. Soon after arriving in Siberia, he clashed with the Irkutsk police chief Alexander Nikolaevich Muravyov 55 and with Governor General Lavinsky. On January 13, 1831, A. N. Muravyov wrote to his good friend, Stefan Dmitrievich Nechaev, who at that time held the position of Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod: “I will mention something about the local Archbishop Iriney, who, on the one hand, is trying with all his might to correct the Irkutsk diocese. He uses means [that] seem to me indecent to a bishop, such as: swearing and noise during services, stopping mass for various petty comments and instructions... even going beyond the bounds of decency, clenching his fists and making body movements that resemble fights and beatings. ... A great admirer of Photius 56, an archimandrite somewhere in Novgorod, he scolds everything that is not Photius and not from Photius” 57. On June 28, 1831, the Highest decree was issued to remove Irenaeus from the administration of the diocese. Suspecting the authenticity of the synod's decree on this occasion, His Grace Irenaeus refused to leave Irkutsk and even began to sow confusion among the population. I had to resort to force. “The Emperor wanted this order to be carried out quickly, decisively and without publicity, and asked Benckendorff if he had people capable of doing this. Benckendorff pointed him to Nikita Petrovich Brianchaninov 58, and when he appeared before the Sovereign, he remained satisfied, remarking: “This one will take him out” 59. Indeed, Nikita Petrovich coped with the task perfectly: he safely delivered Archbishop Irenaeus to the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery of the Vologda Diocese, which was assigned to his location with 1,200 rubles of support per year - and also remained on friendly terms with the disgraced bishop. From the letter below from Archbishop Iriney to Archimandrite Ignatius Brianchaninov, it is clear that he did not want to stay in the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery, where he was, as it were, imprisoned. But only a few years later, the authorities, based on Irenaeus’ explanations, came to the conclusion that his actions in Irkutsk were caused by a temporary clouding of mental abilities. He was allowed to officiate and was given control of the Tolgsky monastery, in which His Grace Ignatius visited him in May 1862 and where he died. Letter of His Grace Irenaeus (Nesterovich) to Saint Ignatius 60 Your Reverence, most venerable Benefactor! I am writing to you on the most important day for you, on the day of your Angel Ignatius the God-Bearer. May your days shine with the glory of Heaven for the glory of the Holy Church on earth, through intercession with the Lord, His Pleasant, Your Angel. And may the blessings of the Nativity of Christ our God and His mercy in the New Year abound for you for many years to the same extent as your God-Bearer abounded in the days of his exploits on earth. But maybe I'm bothering you. Listen again, you are my Benefactor, therefore, you will not want to not take part in an important circumstance of my life. I would like to move to the south, namely to Bessarabia, to Chisinau, to the local Lord, my old Benefactor Demetrius 61. The Saint of God agrees to accept me into his Bishop's House for residence. He is already in his old age, and I could fulfill His Godly commands: perform sacred services and assist Him in translations into the local language. The Archpastor wrote on November 23, 1838, to His Eminence Metropolitans Seraphim and Philaret, and I wrote on December 20, too. We both asked for Their mercy. For the memory of the Pleasant of God - your angel, do me a favor: intercede, according to the greatness of the kindness of your soul, with these great Archpastors - and further with whomever follows - so that I can be transported to Chisinau to Vladyka Demetrius, by whom Christ God and They desire the destinies. I beg you, do not abandon my most humble request and do not refuse to write two or three words to me. Repeating my spiritual desires for all the best from the Lord for you, through the prayers of the Pleasant of God Ignatius, and my most humble request, with true high veneration and deepest devotion, I have the honor to be your most humble servant Vologda, Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery X. Two letters from Archbishop Gabriel (Rozanov) of Kherson and Tauride to Saint Ignatius and the response of the Saint (to the first of them) 62 Most Reverend Father, Dearest Co-Servant in the Lord! Your bow, attributed to me in your letter to Mikhail Leontyevich 63, I accepted with admiration. I’m not florid, but I say this truthfully. How miraculous he is! The curtain was pulled aside, I saw; and instantly transported from the Black Sea to the limits of the White Sea. I enter the modest and dignified shelter of my unforgettable friend Alexander Semenovich, am enlightened by his conversation, enjoy the treat; and satisfied with myself as well as possible. But what are these young tender branches around us? What kind of pigeon chicks are they? What lovely Cherubs are these? These are my friend’s dear children; including you, most honorable Father! These are the objects to which time your bow to me raises my thoughts! And so, thanking you for this, I wish for nothing more than for you to continue to send me such joy in the future. Your light shines before men, deeds shine and the church is glorified through You. Being far away, I see and testify all the more clearly. The second reason for me to admire your memory of me. To add to my joy, if you decide to honor me with a letter, then inform me about the condition of your Father. Your mother passed away. I know this. But who are you among your brothers, like bees flying around me in the garden, in the greenhouse, across the fields and meadows? Where is the beloved Senyusha? One of your brothers, who served as an adjutant under Muravyov, visited me in Yekaterinoslavl. But time was short! That’s why I didn’t have time to extract from him the information that was most necessary and most pleasant for me. Hoping to be pleased through intercourse with you, for which I ask you, I have the honor to remain Your Most Reverend, dear brother in Christ, Most Obedient Servant and Admirer Gabriel, Archbishop of Kherson and Tauride. Tomorrow, God willing, I will turn 58 years old, how old are you and your Father? The last one, I think, is the same age as me. The same goes for Pavel Alekseevich Shipilov. But after a letter another letter will be born; if everything familiar and cute is counted. I'll put it off until your response. Most Gracious Archpastor! I still can’t come to my senses from your letter: I am comforted, intoxicated with consolation! I read your letter, re-read it, I rejoice, and again I am drawn to reading the letter with an insatiable desire. How! Neither the distance of time, nor the change of many different circumstances, nor new friendships could weaken in you that merciful, sincere affection that you received towards my parent and our entire family! It seems that time, which destroys, or at least greatly weakens, impressions in you, has only given them more life and strength. This is a miracle, an amazing miracle, you have shed heavenly joy into my heart! May God reward you for the feeling of heavenly sweetness that you poured into my heart with a letter breathing with love! I hasten to inform you that your letter found my Parent in those moments when he wanted to go back to Vologda from the Sergius Hermitage, where he came for two weeks to meet with me after a five-year separation. He read the letter, he wept from the countless, heterogeneous feelings that had accumulated in his heart, he asks for your Archpastoral blessing and prayers. I am the eldest of the children, Dimitri, who has previously enjoyed your special favor, about which you used to tell Alexander Semenovich: give him over to monasticism! The beloved Senyusha and his other brother serve in the Semenovsky regiment. The fourth brother, second in seniority, is the one who had the good fortune to be with you in Ekaterinoslavl. Three sisters, two married, one widowed. When I entered the rank of Novices, I hurried to the Oryol diocese, abundant in monasticism, hoping to find in its Shepherd 64 both Patron and Mentor. - I reach the Oryol limits and do not find what I am looking for. Providence was pleased by small sorrows to provide me with a little experience, so much needed in life, especially monastic life. I am 32 years old, my parents are 54; the same or a little more for Pavel Alekseevich Shipilov, who is expected here one of these days. Both my parent and Pavel Alekseevich Shipilov are already old men, covered with gray hair. Shipilova Elizaveta Nikolaevna, having lost her two older children, her son, the kind and gifted Alexei, who was killed in battle, and her daughter, who died suddenly, was extremely damaged in health. Her only consolation is her only son Leonid, whom you hardly know. This is the smallest part of my report, which I present to you, and I hope to add to it in the future. I repeat my gratitude a hundred times for such a tender memory of you. Entrusting myself to your prayers and blessings, I have the honor to be Your Eminence, Most Gracious Archpastor and Father, most humble novice His Eminence Gabriel, Archbishop of Kherson and Tauride Dearest co-servant and prayer leader in the Lord! The giver of these traits is an ardent admirer of Your Reverence. Because my zeal for you is like fire: then, on occasion, his departure to S.P. I could not help but write to you, most honorable sir. This subject: I congratulate you on this New Year. As much as we have to grow, may the Lord grant you to grow and rise. An obvious witness can tell you that if you ask about me, please. And who can describe your well-being (I don’t want to present you in any other way) to me, except you yourself? And so I ask you most sincerely, so that you notify me about the condition of your father, brothers and, if possible, all that through which Vologda is still dear to me. I would be arrogant if I said that in St. Petersburg I don’t need either a mediator or a benefactor. Let me continue to come to you with my requests and with the hope of your favorable gaze on them. However, I have the honor to be, Most Reverend Father, Your Most Obedient Servant and Admirer Gabriel, Archbishop of Kherson. His Eminence Gabriel (in the world Vasily Fedorovich Rozanov; 1781–1858) - tonsured a monk in 1811, in 1814 - rector of the Vologda Seminary, in 1820 - rector of the Tolga Monastery; in 1821 - Bishop of Oryol, in 1828 - Archbishop of Yekaterinoslav, in 1837 - of Kherson and in 1848 - of Tver. On February 15, 1857 he was retired. While serving in and around Vologda (1814–1820), he was friends with the family of A. S. Brianchaninov. XI. Letters of His Grace Theodotius (Ozerov), Bishop of Starorussky, to St. Ignatius 65 Dearest Brother in Christ! I sincerely thank you for your love, and for the elegant expression of it, and for the writing, which I had the honor of receiving yesterday. Your comparison of the reed cane with the state of our spirit is wonderful. For my part, I will add to this that straightening for the most part depends on ourselves, with the grace of God constantly acting on us. What about examples? Until now, I remember with spiritual pleasure those two or three hours that I spent with you in Khutyn, expanding my soul with your frank conversation. After that, I don’t think I spoke again. Think about this state of man - not a dumb creature. Well! I also bring you my gratitude for your love, and with excellent respect and brotherly love in Christ I have the honor to be Your Most Reverend Beloved Brother, my most humble servant Theodotius, Bishop of Old Russia. P.S. I was going to write to you now after Bright Week and thank you for your kind treatment of my Treasurer. But I didn’t know where to write to you. O. Apollos says that to Strelna. This is what I follow now. You once praised the Treasurer of the Novoezersky Monastery. Last Lent I saw it, and found it consistent with your kind review of it. Now I recommend him to the Abbots of the Oten Monastery. Contribute to this; but keep quiet about this note. Theodotius, E Starorussky. P.S. Please convey my kind regards to Fr. Mikhail. Well, an important thing has been done: the Novoezersky Treasurer has been approved as the Builder of the Savoishersky Monastery. Don't you think that the purpose of this letter is to thank you for your assistance? Not at all. Otherwise I wouldn’t be a Novgorodian. Even St. Petersburg people are a people! It’s the fifth day after the celebration, and no one has written a line to me about what you had there. Such! – If we don’t write, then it’s a completely different matter. Sometimes I would write, but there is no good paper. At worst, how can you write to good people? -You have a different matter. Paper is a sight for sore eyes! I would even ask someone to send such pieces of paper, if only I wouldn’t be ashamed. Let's see if they'll send it without asking - they themselves didn't guess. I'm kind of sad. That's why it's written that way. Well, what should I do? Apparently, I should write thank you for helping to make the builder. Thank you! – P.S. I humbly ask Your Eminence to convey my sincere respect to the good Fr. Mikhail. His Eminence Theodotius (Ozerov, † 1858) – graduated from the St. Petersburg Theological Academy in 1823; in 1837 - rector of the Ryazan Seminary; from July 11, 1837 - Bishop of Starorussky; from August 7, 1842 - Bishop of Simbirsk. XII. Archbishop of Turkestan and Tashkent Zephaniah (Sokolsky) The only official letter from St. Ignatius Bryanchaninov preserved in the archives of P. P. Yakovlev to Archimandrite Zephaniah, the future Archbishop of Turkestan and Tashkent, does not at all characterize all of their relationships, described, in particular, by their contemporary Archpriest Mikhail Putintsev 66 . Archbishop Zephaniah (Sokolsky, † November 26, 1877), upon graduating from the St. Petersburg Theological Academy in 1827, was tonsured a monk and appointed inspector of the Vologda Seminary; from 1831 to 1835 he was inspector of seminaries, and from 1835 he was archimandrite and until 1847 he was rector of seminaries in different dioceses; from February 11, 1848 - he was the rector of the embassy church in Constantinople, from October 2, 1855 until 1860 - in Rome. On February 10, 1863, he was promoted to Bishop of Novomirgorod and on November 12 of the same year - Bishop of Turkestan and Tashkent. In 1828, while in Vologda, Fr. Zephaniah met and became friends with Dmitry Aleksandrovich Bryanchaninov. A special reason for their rapprochement was the love of reading the patristic works. “Their dream was to retire to some remote monastery,” where they wanted to work in the unknown, in the most difficult obediences. On June 28, 1831, Hieromonk Zephaniah led Dmitry Alexandrovich to be tonsured. Subsequently, His Eminence Zephaniah often said: “Acquaintance with Brianchaninov was one of the memorable and dear acquaintances for me, for the sincerity and sincerity with which it was distinguished.” Their dreams of the desert were not destined to come true: the holy pulpit awaited both of them. “Reverend Zephaniah stood guard over the Church of Christ in the midst of a rebellious world until the end of his life and died in a country where there is not a single monastic monastery and where he was the only monk.” In 1845, being a member of the Consistory, Fr. Zephaniah visited Archimandrite Ignatius in the Sergius Hermitage. “Seeing the rich furnishings of his cell, he asked: “Well, Fr. Ignatius? Where are our dreams of the desert, of strict exploits and hardships? Archimandrite Ignatius silently led him to one of the remote rooms of his abbot’s house, and what did the questioner see there? - Bare walls, one poor icon with an unquenchable lamp in front of it, a wretched matting on the floor, and that’s all! Archimandrite Zephaniah understood this silent answer from his friend: all the luxury, all the splendor of Fr. Ignatius was only external, but in reality he was an ascetic in the true meaning of the word.” Letter of Saint Ignatius to Archimandrite Zephaniah (Sokolsky) 67 Venerable Father Archimandrite Zephaniah! Accept the repentance of a sinner who humbly bows his head before you and before the other fathers, members of the Consistory of the expedition in which you are sitting. The matter is as follows: Ivan Vasilyev’s son Tokarenko, dismissed from the Cossacks of the city of Poltava, submitted on January 30, 1845 a petition addressed to His Eminence to appoint him, Tokarenko, to the brotherhood of the Sergius Hermitage. Seduced by his excellent voice - a tenor, which was the only thing we lacked, I broke my rule, according to which, before a year, I do not agree to express my consent to the inclusion of commoners among the brotherhood of the monastery entrusted to me. I wrote my consent on Tokarenok’s petition. And now, to my extreme insult, this... (I don’t want to use condemnatory words!) he begins to break down and ask to give him back his dismissal permit! - I ask you to apologize for my rashness; also take the trouble to excuse me before the other members of the Fathers. With a feeling of perfect respect and devotion, I have the honor to be Your Reverence’s most humble novice 1845 February 12th day XIII. Letter from the Most Reverend Smaragd (Kryzhanovsky), Archbishop of Oryol, to St. Ignatius 68 Your Eminence, Most Beloved Brother in Christ! I most earnestly greet you on your elevation to the rank of Bishop of the Russian Church and entry into the Divinely Trusted Diocese. With all my soul I wish success in all good things both to the newly installed worthy Archpastor and to the entire Caucasian flock. Your spiritual ray has long been infused with the living water of the Gospel teaching and the example of holy ascetics, and I am absolutely confident that with the grace of God it will now grow the most fragrant flowers for the Church of Christ. Thank you very much for your letter dated January 20th and I ask for your condescending apology for not knowing the time of your passage through Orel; I was only away from home for three days to the Diocese. And it was necessary for me to lose my most precious meeting with you in these very three days! God's will be done! Your diocese is somewhat known to me, especially because it was once located in Astrakhan, where I was a pastor and had the opportunity to receive some information about the Caucasus and the Black Sea region, moreover, your seminarians studied under me in Astrakhan. The Black Sea region, they say, is the best corner in your Diocese. But in general, with a small number of churches, the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. May the Lord make you wise and instruct Your Eminence on how to build the House of God there, which is the living Church of God, the pillar and affirmation of the truth. For my part, I know how difficult it is for a shepherd in newly discovered dioceses, for I myself opened the Polotsk diocese in Belarus and lived in a Jewish house, and suffered all other misadventures that occurred from lack of funds and people. I hope that the Merciful Lord will appreciate your once corny labors in planting the Orthodox Church in that region. I will tell you about myself that my health is already failing due to old age, for I am sixty-two years old from birth - the limit of my earthly wandering is near. Pray, Holy Master, for our unworthiness. And I, standing at the Throne of God, will not fail to forget your holy name and face. Asking for the continuation of your favor towards me, I have Your Eminence to forever remain your lowest favorable servant. 1858, February 11th His Eminence Smaragd (in the world A.P. Kryzhanovsky, 1796–1863) – in 1819 master of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. In the same year he was tonsured; in 1821 - inspector of the Kyiv Theological Academy; in 1824 - archimandrite; in 1826 - rector of the Kyiv Seminary, in 1828 - Bethany, then Kyiv Academy; in 1830 - rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy; from September 20, 1831 - Bishop of Revel, from May 14, 1833 - Polotsk, from June 15, 1836 - Archbishop, from 1837 - Mogilev, in 1840 - Oryol, in 1858 - Ryazan. According to the biographies of Saint Ignatius, the Most Reverend Smaragd “was sincerely favorably disposed” towards him, as evidenced by the letter cited above. N. S. Leskov included His Grace Smaragd among the heroes of his “Trifles of Bishop's Life.” However, he himself wrote: “In our house they did not like the black clergy in general, and the bishops in particular.” XIV. Letter of Saint Ignatius to His Grace Alexy (Rzhanitsyn), Bishop of Tula 69 Most Gracious Archpastor, Father and Brother! I don’t know how to thank you for the love you show to me, unworthy: I am consoled by it and touched to the depths of my soul. The Tula wanderers have not yet arrived here, and when they arrive, I will try to arrange them so that they do not regret their movement. There is a vacant position for an assistant secretary in the Caucasian Consistory: would anyone who has completed a course at the Tula Seminary, a person with abilities and morality, wish to take this position? If Your Eminence accepts the work and recommends this place to a trustworthy and needy person, then I will accept it from your hand with full trust and love. Forgive my insolence before you: accept it as a sign of my sincere devotion. His Grace, the Metropolitan of Kiev 70, on his journey through the Caucasian Diocese, criticized all my actions, even touched upon my behavior. At first this upset me, but after that, by the grace of God, I calmed down, remembering that I was already finishing my earthly course and that all such sorrows made it easier for me to answer, already close to me, before the Terrible and Unflattering Judge. In order not to make mistakes in his actions, a person must completely abandon all activity. Otherwise, a person, due to his natural limitations and sinfulness, must necessarily be subject to mistakes, and all the greatest saints and greatest geniuses, without exception, were subject to mistakes. Recognizing oneself as infallible is self-delusion; demanding infallibility from one’s neighbors is a demand that is alien to meaning. I ask all my neighbors to be patient with my many weaknesses and shortcomings. By the great mercy of God, I am very pleased with my current situation, although there are inevitable troubles in earthly life. However, these troubles are completely insignificant compared to the troubles in St. Petersburg. They upset me, and I grieve! What to do: you can’t do without it. The clergy, in general, are good, and, it seems, they are quite pleased with me. In mid-October I moved into my house, small but very comfortable: it is in the character of the Gethsemane cells of the Moscow Metropolitan. And this Elder got it from Isidore! but those present were not tempted by Filaret: they found the harsh criticism of the beneficiary against his benefactor strange. In this regard, Isidore acted in exactly the same way in St. Petersburg, when he visited the capital during his transfer from the Moscow vicars to the Polotsk See. Requesting your Archpastoral blessing for myself and the flock entrusted to me and entrusting myself to your Holy Prayers, with feelings of excellent respect and perfect devotion, I have the honor to be Ignatius, Bishop of the Caucasus and Black Sea. His Eminence Alexy (in the world Rufin Ivanovich Rzhanitsyn; 1813–1877) - was born in the Vologda province, graduated from the seminary there, then graduated from the Moscow Theological Academy; in 1837 - tonsured a monk; in 1843 - rector of the Moscow Seminary and abbot of the Zaikono-Spassky Monastery; in 1847–1853 – Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy; in 1853 - Bishop of Dmitrov, from July 20, 1857 - of Tula, from 1867 to 1876 - Archbishop of Ryazan; in 1877 - Tverskoy and Kashinsky. On December 5, 1857, Bishop Ignatius, on his way to Stavropol, arrived in Tula, was very favorably received by Bishop Alexy, celebrated the liturgy and on the 7th set off further (see also This edition, vol. 6, pp. 698 and 706). XV. Correspondence of Saint Theophan the Recluse with Saint Ignatius Letter from Saint Theophan the Recluse I express my sincere gratitude to Your Eminence for your dear gift. – Even without a gift, it is a gift to the Orthodox. Perhaps he will revive those who have fallen asleep. And let this grace of awakening accompany every book and let every soul penetrate when reading it. With all the goodness that emanates from books, I will refrain from helping to spread them until I am convinced of the validity of my opinion about the materiality of the soul. “I consider this idea unorthodox and dangerous.” – The evidence you provide is in no way convincing. - But you were convinced by them. “And now I’m taking a closer look at them, to see if any side will open up in them that can illuminate this dark subject in me.” Often you don’t see a case because it’s unusual. And for me this is first-hand news. – The soul is ethereal. “Who is it that thinks among us, prays to God, longs for heavenly things, and for that sake gives up everything earthly and material? - With matter, no matter how you refine it, spiritual phenomena do not fit in at all, and nowhere have I heard such a teaching - thinkers have two methods: some think that the soul is purely spiritual - and light; and others believe that it - in itself spiritual - has a light shell, from which it is not separated - neither in the body nor outside the body. Angels have a similar shell. These shells are what is seen in the Angels and departing souls. Reasonable spiritual functions and actions belong to pure spirit - the soul. – I always adhered to this last thought. The ease of explanation of phenomena and visions made me stick to it. But now I am shaken by it and am inclined to the first because there is no need for this shell. She can be attracted to the power of the spirit - physical, as prevailing over everything material, whenever necessary - this. – And the spirit exists, and this is the physical side of everyday life, although the purely spiritual side stands among all those that exist – and it acts on them, according to the power granted to it in creation. “You don’t have to stick to any of this; but not for the sake of the materiality of the soul. Behold my confession to you! Bless and pray for me, a great sinner. I was completely fussed. - And very often I rush to your path. - Once upon a time this would work out! – I don’t see the gate due to my myopia. Sometimes you are ready to take up the pen and write a petition about it; Yes, something is bothering me in my chest. – And I remain with one desire. “We’ll sit by the sea and wait for the weather.” “And the sins just weigh me down, and the passions just hit me on the sides.” Lord have mercy on us. I wish you all the best from the Lord. With deep reverence and complete devotion, I have the honor to be Your Eminence's most humble servant No. 2. Answer of St. Ignatius I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you for your frank letter dated May 28th. I answer it with the same frankness. Upon my entry into the ascetic life and then into the monastery, although various experiences characteristic of this path happened to me, I had an indefinite concept of the soul and spirits, recognizing and calling them, according to the general superficial understanding, disembodied and immaterial; there seemed no need to enter into further consideration. I entered the monastery in 1827, and began to study Scripture and the Fathers much earlier—one might say, from childhood. Since 1843, independently of me, necessity has forced me to delve more deeply and accurately into the meaning of the soul and created spirits. Anthony the Great rightly said that this knowledge is extremely necessary for ascetics. Those ascetics who, in their ascetic deed, are led by the finger of God into battle with spirits, especially need it. And it has significant benefits for everyone: it is better to become acquainted with the world of spirits before death, rather than at the onset of death, as many became acquainted with to their greatest surprise and horror. Contrary to the concepts borrowed from Western dreamers, experience proves the fidelity of the teachings of the Fathers with all decisiveness. The dark and mysterious is made very clear and simple. – As for the word ether, chemistry uses this word to call matter completely different from the gases that belong to the earth, incomparably subtle, but indefinite, completely unknown to people. Its existence is recognized for the necessary reason that the space behind the earth’s atmosphere, like any space in general, cannot be alien to matter. In the proper sense - immaterial One, unencompassed by space - God. Created spirits are incorporeal in relation to us. But their nature, like the nature of the soul, remains uncertain for us due to the impossibility of defining it. Science recognizes the impossibility of defining our body, as well as all bodies that have organic force - life. Descartes' dream of the independence of spirits from space and time is a decided absurdity. Everything that is limited necessarily depends on space. Your flock uses your edifying words and example abundantly. If God’s Providence placed you on the candlestick, why leave it without God’s calling? Maybe in due time this calling will be revealed! Perhaps all circumstances will unanimously express it! Then leave your pulpit peacefully; then you will go peacefully to your cell - the threshold of eternity. While staying in your cell, you will not be disturbed by the thought of cell temptations that these temptations followed the warning of the will and instructions of God. Sorry for the word of love! I entrust myself to your holy prayers. My strength and health have become extremely poor, beyond belief; but the merciful Lord postpones the call to His judgment, knowing my unpreparedness and giving me time for repentance. With feelings and away. Your Eminence the Most Gracious Archpastor and Father, most humble novice Saint Theophan the Recluse (in the world Georgy Vasilyevich Govorov; January 10, 1815 - January 6, 1894) - the son of a priest, was born in the Oryol province, after graduating from the Oryol seminary he entered the Kyiv Theological Academy; tonsured in 1841; in 1842 - master, in 1844 - bachelor of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. In 1847 he was appointed a member of the mission in Jerusalem; in 1853, upon his return, he again taught at the St. Petersburg Academy; in 1855 - archimandrite. In 1856 he was rector of the embassy church in Constantinople, in 1857 he was rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy; in 1859 - Bishop of Tambov, in 1863 - Bishop of Vladimir. On June 17, 1866, Saint Theophan, in accordance with the petition he submitted, was dismissed. His departure amazed many: a learned theologian, a talented hierarch of the Church, he abandoned a successful career and appeared as a “true hermit of the first centuries of Christianity,” secluding himself in a cramped cell in the Vyshenskaya monastery, which he chose while still Bishop of Tambov. Many wondered what forced him to go into seclusion at the age of 52. He himself explained that the reason for this was, first of all, the desire to freely engage in spiritual and literary work for the benefit of the Church and neighbors, and for himself - the desire to be alone with God. He lived in seclusion for 28 years, the first six receiving visitors, the rest - ceasing all communication with the world, except written. The result of his many years of work was a collection of creations that made up an entire library. His most popular and most significant work, according to the scientific assessment of Orthodox theologians, was “The Path to Salvation” (a short essay on asceticism). This work, which is the motto of all his ascetic-literary activities, by his own admission, was created by him with the participation and under the guidance of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov. “Let to Salvation”, as well as “Letters on Christian Life” were the result of the scientific studies of Fr. Feofan at the Department of Moral Theology at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, as the Right Reverend author himself has repeatedly testified to. In a letter to one of his correspondents dated June 16, 1888, Bishop Theophan wrote: “We have read the path to salvation. Good... And read it again sometime. Here everything that I have written is being written and will be written. These are my lessons to students of the St. Petersburg Academy. The abstract has been revised from Fr. Archimandrite Ignatius, after the former Bishop Brianchaninov, and approved by him. This was in 46-47.” From these words of Bishop Theophan, one can see how significant the authority of Bishop Ignatius, who did not go through the theological school, was for this learned Orthodox theologian, if he declares this more than 40 years after the advice given to him. Elsewhere, expressing his view on the issue of prayer and the conditions for acquiring a prayerful mood, Bishop Theophan, in support of his view, again refers to the authority of His Grace Ignatius. And according to the general assessment of the entire personality of Saint Ignatius, His Grace Theophan expresses an opinion about the Godliness of the life of Bishop Ignatius. The above letter from Theophan the Recluse to the Right Reverend Ignatius was written almost 20 years after their St. Petersburg meetings and is a response to the first and second volumes of “Ascetic Experiences”, as well as “Words on Death,” which were sent to him. It is clear from the letter that its author did not immediately accept the position of St. Ignatius that the spirit and the Angel, as created phenomena, are ethereal bodies L. A. Sokolov, who examined in detail in his monograph the disagreements that arose between the two saints, wrote: “A contemporary of the Right Reverend Ignatius in his life, Saint Theophan the Recluse has considerable similarities with him in personality, in the structure of life and in the content and subjects of spiritual and ascetic writings. Both named Saints, from the days of their youth until their death, retained the same inclination towards a spiritually contemplative life; alienating the world in its sinful aspects, both were ready to serve the good and spiritual salvation of man; Both ascetics are similar to each other in terms of love for nature, affection towards people, simplicity of living conditions, the importance of family ties, non-acquisitiveness, ascetic lifestyle and a constant tendency to be a hermit. In the life of both ascetics, the main content was the accomplishment of spiritual salvation, the understanding of Christian life and ways to tune in to it; Their external good deeds and spiritual deeds were directed towards this most important goal in their life; both supported and nurtured their Christian spirit by the constant reading of the Jesus Prayer, the remembrance of death, the eternal torment of the sinner, the consciousness of the omnipresence of God, and the examination of their conscience. The same close affinity is noticeable in the spiritual-ascetic character and content of the literary works of Bishops Ignatius and Theophan, and, with the exception of the question of the nature of spirits, it seems that there are no other questions and subjects of Orthodox Christian knowledge on which the ascetic saints would not agree with each other. <…> Speaking at the end of 1867 and 1868. against the thought of Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov about the gaseous nature of the soul and Angels and arguing that the soul and Angel are not something corporeal, but pure spirit, His Grace Theophan 1) directs his decisive affirmation of the complete and pure spirituality of the spirit exclusively to the essence or nature of the spirit, and not to its appearance or the phenomenal side of being; 2) in this decisive statement, most of all, he means possible harmful results, thoughtlessness and delusions of those who have little understanding in theology in guiding the views of Bishop Ignatius. Proving the idea of ​​the complete incorporeality, pure spirituality of the nature of angels and the human soul and in this respect diverging from the conclusions of the author of the “Tale on Death” and “Additions” to it, His Grace Theophan, in explaining the phenomena of Angels and souls of dead and living people, which were noted in abundance by Bishop Ignatius, also assumed some kind of subtle ethereal shell. At the end of 1869, sending his book “Soul and Angel - not a body, but a spirit” to Kyiv to Archpriest N.I. Florinsky, His Grace Theophan writes: “The dispute is about the soul. My entire book is aimed at proving that the nature of the soul and angel cannot be material. But nature is another matter, and the way of being is another. Whoever does not want to accept a soul without a shell, let him accept this shell, in addition to the nature of the soul, which must be spiritual. Having assumed a thin, ethereal shell, it will receive a form and be satisfied!” As can be seen, the disagreement on the issue of the spiritual world between Bishop Ignatius and Theophan did not in the least shake the latter’s high respect for the former, which in itself already prompts us to incline to the conclusion that in this case, on the issue of the spiritual world, we are dealing not so much with a disagreement, but with a thoughtlessness or misunderstanding, which could easily be completely eliminated by a personal conversation or even correspondence of the ascetic Bishops, if it did not arise after the death of Ignatius Brianchaninov” 72. Accompanying articles, notes, selection and preparation of letters to O. I. Shafranova. About him, see this edition, vol. 6, p. 693–724. For example, from September 1847 to March 1853, Bishop Philaret visited the monasteries of his diocese more than 150 times. Letters from Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow to the Governor of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Anthony. Part IV. M., 1884. P. 66. See note: This edition, vol. 5, p. 493. Complete biography of St. Ignatius of the Caucasus. M., 2002. P. 208. Sokolov L. A. Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov. His life, personality and moral and ascetic views. Part 1. Kiev, 1915. P. 225. Metropolitan John (Snychev). The life and work of Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow. Samara, 1997. P. 226. Sokolov L. A. Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov. His life, personality and moral and ascetic views. Part 1. pp. 225–228. See this edition, vol. 6, p. 712, 731. Letters from Moscow Metropolitan Philaret to Archbishop Alexy of Tver. M., 1883. P. 238. This edition. T. 6. P. 742. Based on the book: Metropolitan John (Snychev). The life and work of Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow. P. 577. RSL OR. F. 425. K. 2. No. 2. About him, see this edition, vol. 6, p. 659 Theological Bulletin. 1912. September – December. pp. 628–638. Letters No. 1 and No. 2 – RSL OR. F. 425. K. 1. No. 2. Letter No. 3 – RSL OR. F. 425. S 4. No. 11 – published for the first time. Feofan Novozersky... – See p. 168–175 N. S. Leskov. Collected works. T. 6. M., 1957. P. 457. Mukhoyar is a cheap paper fabric mixed with wool or silk. Complete biography of St. Ignatius of the Caucasus. P. 205. Theological Bulletin. 1913. March. pp. 405–417. Paraskeva Mikhailovna Tolstaya. – About her, see this edition, vol. 8, p. 95, letter No. 3. (Further – vol. 8) ...God-loving Fr. Apollos... - About him, see p. 290–292 This edition. T. 5. P. 472. L. A. Sokolov. Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov. His life, personality and moral and ascetic views. Kiev, 1915. Part 2, pp. 22–23. L. A. Sokolov. Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov. His life, personality and moral and ascetic views. Part 1. P. 4. Yaroslavl Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve, f. YaMZ-1542; the letters were transferred by the Museum to the Publishing House named after. St. Ignatius of Stavropol at the Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles at the Lazarevskoye Cemetery and by this Publishing House were transferred for publication in this edition. – Note. O. Shafranova. . About the visit of the Tsarevich, see This edition, vol. 3, p. 584 Future Archimandrite Justin (Tatarinov I. G.) ...hieromonk Leonid Kavelin... - About him, see This edition, vol. 6, p. 532 Muravyov... - About him, see This edition, vol. 5, p. 425–435 His Eminence Irenaeus... - About him, see p. 95–96 The church was designed by I. I. Gornostaev (1821–1874), academician of architecture; see also note. us. 313 ...architect Gornostaev... - A. M. Gornostaev, uncle of I. I. Gornostaev; about A. M. Gornostaev, see p. 578–579 O. Justin (Tatarinov I.G.) – spiritual son of St. Ignatius; about him, see p. 308–321 On August 14, 1866, the Sovereign Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich (future Emperor Alexander III) and Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich visited the Nikolo-Babaevsky Monastery The church in the name of the Iveron Mother of God in the Nikolo-Babaevsky Monastery was consecrated on September 8, 1877 Home conversation. SPb., 1865. No. 46. P. 1344–1345; see letter of the Saint No. 25 to the Most Reverend Nile. What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? (Matthew 16:26) RSL OR. F. 425. K. 3. No. 2. Complete biography of St. Ignatius of the Caucasus. pp. 148–151. Archbishop Gideon (in the world Georgy Ivanovich Vishnevsky; 1797–1849) - from 1834 - Bishop of Poltava and Pereyaslavl, from 1844 - Archbishop. L. A. Sokolov. Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov. His life and moral and ascetic views. Part 2. Applications. Kiev, 1915. pp. 257–259. Alexey Alexandrovich Volotskoy (1806–1875) - senator, lieutenant general, governor of the Stavropol Territory, a native of Vologda, a good friend of St. Ignatius since childhood. Complete biography of St. Ignatius of the Caucasus. P. 219. RSL OR. F. 425. K. 3. No. 4. Letters from Bishop Ignatius to various persons. Vol. 1. Sergiev Posad, 1913. pp. 51–56. Father Theophan, Archimandrite of Novoezersk... - See p. 168–175 RSL OR. F. 425. K. 1. No. 6. About him, see this edition, vol. 5, p. 426. Russian archive. M., 1893. Book. 2. P. 135. Nikita Petrovich Bryanchaninov is the fifth cousin of St. Ignatius. Proceedings of the Kyiv Imperial Theological Academy for 1914 No. 9–12. Kiev, 1914. P. 81. RSL OR. F. 425. K. 3. No. 46. Published for the first time. Dimitry Sulima - priest in 1797, archpriest in 1800, bishop of Bendery in 1811; from June 18, 1821 - Archbishop of Chisinau. Died in 1844 RSL OR. F. 425. K. 3. No. 17 and No. 35. (First published in the book “Wandering to the Gates of Eternity.” M., 2001). M. L. Magnitsky (1778–1844) – figure of public education, poet, publicist; I knew Saint Ignatius from the time he studied at the Engineering School That is, in Bishop Gabriel - see below RSL OR. F. 425. K. 1. No. 7. Soulful reading. April. M., 1878. P. 490. RSL OR. F. 425. K. 1. No. 8. RNB RO. F. 1000:1924. 171. RGIA. F. 832. Op. 1. No. 15. Metropolitan Isidore of Kyiv - about him, see p. 86 RNB RO. F. 1000:1924. 171. Biography of Bishop Ignatius. App. No. 1. Sokolov L. A. Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov. His life, personality and moral and ascetic views. Part 2. pp. 116–119.