The most humble report of the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod K. Pobedonostsev for the Department of the Orthodox Confession for 1896 and 1897

Contents Extraordinary events in the Church and state Celebration of the sacred coronation Discovery of the relics of St. Feodosius Uglitsky Solemn anniversary celebrations in memory of historical events and persons Extraordinary events in the Church and state The first of the reporting years, 1896, was marked for our domestic Church and the Russian state by two extraordinary events. On May 14, the sacred coronation of Your Imperial Majesty and Sovereign Empress took place, and on September 9, the opening of the honest and multi-healing relics of St. Theodosius of Uglitsky, Archbishop of Chernigov. Both of these events are full of deep significance for the life of the Russian people. In the sacred act of coronation, under. presided over by the first Member of the Holy Synod, Metropolitan Palladius of St. Petersburg, took part: metropolitans - Ioannikiy of Kiev and Sergius of Moscow, Exarch of Georgia Archbishop Vladimir, archbishops: Anthony of Finland, Flavian of Kholm-Warsaw, Tikhon of Irkutsk, Jerome of Lithuania, Kazan Vladimir and Gustin of Kherson, Bishop Vissarion of Kostroma, Bishop Gury present in the Holy Synod, and Tikhon, Bishop of Mozhaisk. Particularly memorable is the participation, along with the hierarchs of the Russian Church, of representatives of all four Eastern patriarchs. On this day, the Russian Church and the Eastern Church, or better yet, the entire Orthodox-Eastern Church merged in one common prayer in one church. Representatives from the Ecumenical Patriarch were members of the Patriarchal Holy Synod of Constantinople, Metropolitan Philotheus of Nicomedia and Metropolitan Basil of Anchiale, from the Patriarch of Jerusalem - Archbishop Damian of Philadelphia, from Alexandria - Metropolitan Ignatius of Libya and from Antioch - Metropolitan Germanus of Cilicia. – The representative of the Serbian Metropolitan, Archimandrite Veniamin, was also present at the service during the sacred coronation. The All-Russian celebration of the coronation was brightly celebrated throughout Russia, in the Reigning City of St. Petersburg, in cities and villages, with solemn services, public prayers in squares, and processions of the cross. – In many parishes, especially rural ones, schools after church were the main central place for coronation festivities. In commemoration of the sacred Coronation and to perpetuate the memory of this event, various classes and societies and individuals in cities and villages brought numerous donations to churches, to causes of charity and education. The clergy of the Vologda diocese, at the suggestion of their archpastor, the Right Reverend Alexy, expressed their readiness to contribute to the diocesan care of the poor of the clergy annually a certain sacrifice, throughout the God-blessed reign of Your Imperial Majesty, for the formation of a special charitable capital, with the interest from which almshouses and shelters could be opened and maintained at male and female monasteries elderly, poor, incapable of work and homeless orphans of the spiritual department. The annual contribution of this victim is up to 3,000 rubles. The monasteries of the diocese, for their part, offered free accommodation for over 70 people, with heating and lighting, but not even with all the contents. This is how the diocese made a good start in providing for those numerous members of the clergy who are deprived of the opportunity to have shelter and care in their families. The most abundant donations for the churches of God, for their construction or decoration were the following: The headman of the Nizhny Novgorod Cathedral, the local 2nd guild merchant P. Sotnikov, renovated and decorated this cathedral at his own expense, spending over 50,000 rubles on it. – Parishioners of the Church of the Intercession with. Bobrov, Rylsky district, Kursk city, donated their capital of more than 47,000 rubles for the construction of a new stone church in the named village, and the headman of the same church, peasant A. Alushin, for his part, donated 10,000 rubles for the same item, and 10,000 rubles - for eternity, for the decoration of the new church that was to be built. – The headman of the Church of the Epiphany in Novy Oskol, Kursk province, P. Panchenkov built a new iconostasis in the church and made repairs worth 25,000 rubles. – The widow of Major General Klokachev donated 20,000 rubles. for the construction of a new church in the village of Viserinany, Beletsky y., Bessarabian province. – Residents of the village of Kiselevka, Zvenigorod district, Kyiv province, owner of the Kiselevsky estate, widow of Adjutant General A. Isakov and the board of the Kiselevsky beet sugar and refineries built a new wooden church in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, donating 14,000 rubles for this. - Parishioners of the church. Katsmazov, Mogilev district, Podolsk province, donated over 10,000 rubles for the construction of a new church in their parish. – The trustee of the newly established Bekrenevsky monastery, Donskaya diocese, cornet I. Stefanov donated 10,000 rubles. for the construction of a church in the said monastery. – Chisinau tradesman I. Danko donated 10,000 rubles. for the construction of a church in the village of Joltai, Bendery y., Bessarabian province. – Parishioner of the Kostroma All Saints Church personal. honor citizen P. Sergeev made a silver altar vestment for this church, costing 6,000 rubles. - Bells were cast or ordered: for the Tikhonov Kaluga hermitage at 1,500 pud., for the Holy Trinity Monastery, which is near the city of Kyiv, at 1,200 p., in the village. Vozdvizhenskoye, Klinsky district, Moscow province, 1000 poods, to the Simbirsk Resurrection Church at 700 poods too much. – In the year Tula and Orel by local inhabitants - in the first N. Musatov, and in the second I. Konkov declared his readiness to build two-class parochial schools: Musatov donated 15,000 rubles for this purpose, and Konkov – 6,000 rubles. – In the Poltava diocese, in the Pereyaslav district, four societies in the villages of Andrushey, Vyunitsy, Velikaya and Malaya Karatuli, passed sentences on the construction and opening of four parochial schools, with women’s departments, and allocated money and materials of up to 7,000 rubles for the construction. – In 25 parishes of the Lithuanian diocese, clergy and parishioners donated up to 8,000 rubles. for bells, icons and various accessories of church services. – Peasants from 15 volosts of the same diocese of Kobrin district donated 1,775 rubles for the establishment of libraries in 14 public and 12 parochial schools. - Parishioners Golovachsky, Grodno district, decided to collect up to 1200 rubles. for the construction of a parochial school, and the parishioners of the village. Derechinkovsky, the same district, decided to establish a church-school, for which they allocated 1 1/2 acres of land and already at first collected up to 800 rubles. – Honorary trustee of the Nikolaev almshouse in the city. Tule Popov donated capital for the construction of a two-story building with 20 beds at the almshouse, in which 10 people will be cared for using the donor’s funds. In commemoration and in memory of the sacred Coronation of Your Imperial Majesties, for both reporting years, the following departments of the Orthodox confession alone built: 23 churches, 5 chapels, 8 prayer houses, 2 bell towers, 194 bells, 22 church fences, 32 iconostases, 480 icon cases, icons and vestments for them, 73 altarpieces and external crosses, 308 banners, 56 chandeliers, 89 lamps, 46 shrouds and tombs for them, premises were opened or built for 95 parish schools and literacy schools, 3 temperance societies and 6 almshouses and shelters were established. On September 9, 1896, a great and deeply joyful celebration took place for the Russian Church - the discovery of the multi-healing relics of Archbishop Theodosius of Uglitsky, the Chernigov miracle worker. The Orthodox Russian people, honoring the memory of the deceased Saint Theodosius from the day of his repose, flocked in large numbers to his grave to offer prayers for the repose of his soul, with hope for his prayerful help before God. Believers were drawn to veneration of the saint by memories of his high ascetic life and the healings of various ailments that took place at his grave. A number of miraculous manifestations of God's grace at the tomb of St. Theodosius were revealed by the healing of his successor in the Chernigov see, Archbishop John Maksimovich, later Metropolitan of Tobolsk, from a serious illness. Confidence in the holiness of the deceased Theodosius, through the miraculous healings that took place at his tomb, grew and became stronger among the Orthodox people. The Holy Synod instructed His Eminence of Chernigov to collect and deliver information about the life and exploits of St. Theodosius of Uglitsky. Upon receipt of such information, St. The Synod considered it timely to proceed with the necessary orders to verify the incorruption of the remains of Saint Theodosius and the miraculous actions performed on the believers at his tomb. The immediate examination of this case by the Synod was entrusted to the Right Reverend Metropolitan of Kyiv Ioannikiy and the local Bishop Anthony, who, together with the vicar of the Chernigov diocese and some other clergy, on July 5, 1895, arrived in the cave at the Boris and Gleb Church and, after the funeral service, carried out a detailed examination of the coffin, clothes and the body itself Saint, and it turned out that the body remained incorrupt, despite being in the flow for 200 years. in the cave. Regardless of this, persons were invited who had experienced miraculous healings on themselves or their relatives with the gracious help of St. Theodosius. Testimonies about the reality of the miracles performed on them were collected from these individuals, under oath and assault. 49 such events were examined, of which 12 were recorded in the books of the cathedral. The Holy Synod, having examined with all possible care all the circumstances of the case, came to full conviction in the truth of the incorruptibility of the body of Saint Theodosius and in the authenticity of the miracles performed through him, and in the most submissive report expressed the following opinion: 1) in the blessed memory of the deceased Theodosius, Archbishop of Chernigov, canonize the saints, glorified by the grace of God, and the incorruptible recognize his body as holy relics and 2) compile a special service for Saint Theodosius, and until the time of its preparation, send him a service common to saints, establishing for the celebration of the days of his repose and the opening of his relics. On my most submissive note, in which the said report of the Synod was submitted, Your Imperial Majesty, on the 13th day of April 1896, deigned to write with my own hand: “I agree. I read it with emotion." In fulfillment of this will, the Holy Synod entrusted the Most Reverend Metropolitan of Kyiv, together with the Bishop of Chernigov, with the solemn opening of the relics of St. Theodosius, performing this on September 9, 1896. The Eminences of Volyn, Kherson, Samara and Gdov arrived in Chernigov for the opening ceremony; Many high-ranking military and civilians, over 100 clergy and up to 100 thousand fans gathered. The celebration began with the celebration, at 12 noon, September 5, of a solemn requiem service in all city churches for His Holiness Patriarch Adrian, who consecrated St. Theodosius as bishop, for the most pious sovereigns, emperors and empresses from Peter I to Alexander III inclusive, for the parents of the saint, Priest Nikita and Maria, and for all the deceased Archpastors of Chernigov. That same day, in the evening, the relics of the saint were dressed in new bishop's robes. Then, on September 6, in the evening, also in all churches, an all-night vigil for St. Theodosius was celebrated, and on September 7, the funeral divine liturgy and the last requiem for St. Theodosius were served. On September 8, an all-night vigil was celebrated in the cathedral by all the former archpastors in Chernigov and with the participation of numerous clergy. During the singing of lithium stichera, there followed an exit from the cathedral with a procession of the cross to the Boris and Gleb Cathedral, where the relics of St. Theodosius rested. Approaching the cave, the procession stopped; the clergy appointed to bear the tomb, led by the Metropolitan of Kyiv and other bishops, entered the cave; here, after the sprinkling of St. With the water of the tomb and coverings, the bishops transferred the relics of St. Theodosius into a new cypress coffin, lined with silk, and locked it with a lock. Upon completion of this, the coffin with the holy relics was carried out of the cave and together with them the return procession of the procession to the cathedral began. When the coffin appeared, a crowd of thousands of pilgrims, with lit candles in their hands, with exclamations and sobs of prayer addressed to the saint, reverently sank to their knees. After the coffin with the relics was carried around the cathedral, it was brought into the church and installed in the middle of it, on a prepared dais. At the appointed time according to the ceremony, the coffin was opened by Rev. Metropolitan, and the clergy began to sing hymns to the saint, during which the people stood with lit candles and prayed on their knees. At the end of the all-night vigil, the church remained open all night, with the purpose of giving all pilgrims the opportunity to venerate the Holy One. relics, and the archpastors and clergy anointed them with St. oil. On September 9th, the day of the celebration of the opening of St. relics, the divine liturgy was performed by the highest clergy with special solemnity. At the small entrance with the Gospel, the clergy lifted the coffin from St. relics, they brought him through the royal doors into the altar and placed him first before the throne, and then on a high place on an elevation, so that the saint resting in the tomb could be seen by the pilgrims who were in the church. The Metropolitan and the bishops stood on either side of him, like concelebrants. At the end of the liturgy and the Most Reverend Ioannikios pronounced the words corresponding to the celebration, St. the relics were again carried into the middle of the church; a prayer service to Saint Theodosius began; while singing the troparion to the saint of God, the clergy raised the coffin with the relics and carried it around, as the day before, with a procession around the Transfiguration Cathedral. Then the holy relics were again brought into the cathedral and inserted together with the coffin into the diligently prepared st. owls N. Tereshchenko and his wife had a rich silver-gilded shrine, which they placed on a platform built on the right side of the cathedral between the columns. After the protodeacon proclaimed: “Back and back, on bended knee, let us pray to the saint and wonderworker Theodosius,” the Metropolitan read a prayer to the saint, after which the kiss of St. began. relics. During the days of the discovery of the relics of St. Theodosius, striking cases of miraculous healings of the sick from serious and chronic illnesses were revealed. People spoke of many cases of such healings. Some of these cases were reported by the healed to the cathedral clergy, and the latter made records of the assault of the healed themselves and the witnesses of these healings. The miraculous healing of one weakened peasant who did not rise from his bed for 15 years stood out especially sharply; he was brought in his arms to St. relics and here he stood on his feet and publicly gave praise to God. No less striking were the following cases: one deaf-mute boy, 12 years old, spoke and began to hear, and another, 6 years old, deprived of sight, regained his sight. Graceful healings from the healing relics of the saint of God have not ceased to manifest themselves to this day. On the day of the opening of the holy relics, the Right Reverend Metropolitan of Kyiv, along with other persons, sent a telegram to Your Imperial Majesty, to which Your Majesty deigned to respond: “I heartily thank all those who gathered for the opening of the relics of St. Theodosius for their prayers. May the grace of the Lord God be upon our dear Russia.” During the reporting period, the following anniversary celebrations were celebrated: in 1896: 500th anniversary of the blessed death of St. Stephen of Perm, 100th anniversary of the discovery of the holy relics of St. Theodosius, the Wonderworker of Totem, 300th anniversary of the birth of Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, 100th anniversary of the birth of Emperor Nicholas I and 100th anniversary of the death Empress Catherine II; in 1897: the 400th anniversary of the death of the Hieromartyr Macarius, Metropolitan of Kyiv, the 400th anniversary of the existence of the Korniliev-Komelsky Monastery, the Vologda Diocese, the 300th anniversary of the discovery of the holy relics of St. Anthony the Roman, the 300th anniversary of the stay of the miraculous icon of the Pochaev Mother of God in the Pochaev Lavra, 300th anniversary of the Holy Spiritual Church in Vilna, 150th anniversary of the founding of the Kostroma Theological Seminary and 100th anniversary of the birth of Moscow Metropolitan Innocent. April 26, 1896 marked 500 years since the blessed death of St. Stephen, Bishop of Perm, enlightener of the Zyryan region. The celebration of this day was celebrated with particular solemnity in the Vologda and Perm dioceses, where the missionary activity of St. Stephen was primarily concentrated. So, on the eve of the celebration, on April 25, funeral liturgies were performed in all the churches of the designated dioceses for the deceased bishops of Perm and Vologda, and during the all-night vigil the life of St. Stephen was read, with magnification and an akathist to this saint. The Holy Synod determined that during divine services in churches of the same dioceses the name of Saint Stephen should henceforth be read after the names of the Moscow Saints Peter, Alexy, Jonah and Philip. On April 26, solemn liturgies were performed in all churches, and after them - prayer singing and religious processions to those places that were imprinted with one or another exploit of St. Stephen. In the city of Veliky Ustyug, the homeland of Saint Stephen, in commemoration of his apostolic labors, the Orthodox Stephen-Procopius Brotherhood was established at the local Procopius Cathedral, which set its main task to fight the schism, confirm the population in the Orthodox faith and spread religious and moral education among the people. In the same city, a parochial school was established, with the name of St. Stephen’s, and in the village. Ust-Vyma, Yarensky district, where the saint of God showed special zeal for enlightening the pagan Zyryans with the faith of Christ and where he founded the first Christian churches, monasteries, schools, a hospice and a bishop's see, the existing two-class parochial school was named Stefanovskaya. At the Vologda Bishop's House, in memory of the enlightener of the Zyryans, a parochial school and a church ancient depository were opened, in which all the material monuments preserved within the diocese dating back to the time of the educational works of St. Stephen were opened. The 500th anniversary of St. Stephen was solemnly celebrated in Moscow, where the relics of St. Stephen rest at the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral on Bor. In St. Petersburg, in the building of the Duma, a solemn meeting of members of the local committee of the Orthodox missionary society was held, with a large gathering of people. In the same Vologda diocese, on September 2, 1896, another church celebration took place on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the holy relics of St. Theodosius, the Wonderworker of Totem. Since the saint's origin belonged to the city of Vologda, and his monastic exploits took place in the city of Totma, the celebration of the anniversary mainly took place in these cities. In Vologda, on the eve of the holiday, all-night vigils were held in all churches with a litany, and on the very day of the celebration, early liturgies with prayers were held. A religious procession took place with miraculous and locally revered icons from the cathedral to the Spasovsegrad Monastery, where the divine liturgy and prayer singing to St. Theodosius were served, with the participation of the entire city clergy. In the city of Totma, where the holy relics of the saint rest, the celebration was distinguished by its special splendor. The ceremony was attended by His Eminence Alexy of Vologda and His Eminence Nathanael, former Bishop of Arkhangelsk. At the liturgy, the names of the sovereign benefactors of the monastery were raised: Emperors Peter I, Paul I, Alexander I, Nicholas I, Alexander II and III, as well as the names of deceased archbishops and bishops. In memory of the celebration, an almshouse with 10 beds was opened for elderly and orphaned clergy from the Totemsky district, with the name of it Feodosievskaya and with the maintenance of those in need at the expense of the monastery. Totemsky zemstvo, in memory of the celebration, acquired icons of the saint both for zemstvo schools and for parochial schools. In addition, the zemstvo set up a nursery shelter at the Totemsky salt plant for children left by their mothers without supervision and care during summer working hours. On July 12, 1896, in Moscow, on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the birth of Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, funeral liturgies and memorial services were performed in all churches. Particularly solemn was the service in the Znamensky Monastery, on Varvarka, where the house of the Romanov boyars is located and where Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich was born on July 12, 1596. In the Arkhangelsk Court Cathedral in the Kremlin, where the tomb of Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich is located, the funeral liturgy and requiem service were performed by the court clergy. In the Alexander Nevsky Chapel, on Moiseevskaya Square, in Moscow, the parish clergy served a memorial service for the famous associates of Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich - Prince Dimitry Pozharsky, Nizhny Novgorod citizen Kozma Minin and Ivan Susanin. The same funeral service for Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich took place in all churches in the city of Kostroma and in the Ipatievsky Monastery. On June 25, 1896, on the centenary of the birth of Emperor Nicholas I, solemn funeral services were held in all parish churches in the capital. From St. Isaac's Cathedral after the requiem, a religious procession was held to the monument of Emperor Nicholas I. Here the Metropolitan of St. Petersburg, in the presence of Your Imperial Majesties, performed a prayer service proclaiming many years to Your Majesty and the entire reigning House, eternal memory to Emperor Nicholas I and many years to the victorious army and the entire God-protected Russian state. On November 6, 1896, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the death of Empress Catherine II, during whose reign the Northwestern Territory was finally annexed to Russia, funeral liturgies were celebrated in all churches of the Lithuanian diocese. The commemoration of the Great Empress was carried out with special splendor in the city of Vilna. May 1, 1897, in Kyiv and Vilna solemnly celebrated the 400th anniversary of the martyrdom of St. Macarius, Metropolitan of Kyiv, who was killed as a martyr during the difficult times of the Union. His holy relics rest incorruptibly in the Kiev St. Sophia Cathedral. In commemoration of the same event and together in memory of the sacred Coronation of Your Imperial Majesties, in one of the outskirts of the city of Kyiv, the foundation stone of a church school was carried out, established by the Kyiv Religious and Educational Society with donations collected from various institutions and individuals. On June 10, 1897, the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the existence of the Korniliev-Komelsky monastery, Gryazovets district, Vologda diocese took place. On this day, from ancient times, the monastery remembers, according to legend, the coming of the Monk Cornelius to the place of his exploits in the Komel forest in 1497, during the reign of John III. In memory of the anniversary celebration, the monastery of the saint accepted for its full support 5 persons from the supernumerary and orphaned poor clergy. August 1, 1897 marked 300 years since the discovery of the relics of St. Anthony the Roman. This event was solemnly celebrated in Novgorod, in the monastery of St. Anthony, who miraculously arrived in the Novgorod region in 1106. The relics of the saint were discovered in 1597, during the reign of Theodore Ioannovich. On September 8, 1897, the 300th anniversary of the presence of the miraculous icon of the Most Holy Theotokos on Mount Pochaev, Volyn diocese, was celebrated. Exactly 300 years ago, the Orthodox owner of the borough of Pochaev, Kremenets district, living on her estate near Pochaev, Anna Goyskaya, saw repeated manifestations of the miraculous power of the said icon, given to her in gratitude for her hospitality, in 1559, by the Greek Metropolitan Neophytos, who was then passing through Volyn, and then for 38 years located in her home chapel - and considering herself unworthy to possess such a shrine, she invited the bishop, priests and monks, and solemnly, in front of a large crowd of people, transferred it to Mount Pochaevskaya. From then until the present time, for three centuries, this holy icon has remained in the Pochaev monastery, showing the power of grace on everyone who prays before it with faith. Having moved this precious shrine and installed it in the stone Assumption Church that already existed then, Anna Goyskaya, instead of the simple desert monastery in caves that had previously existed on the Pochaev mountains, laid the foundation of a cenobitic monastery at the mentioned church and issued a deed of gift to this monastery for various lands in the Pochaev estate that belonged to her. This monastery subsequently experienced many difficult trials; in 1675 it was attacked by the Tatars, and in 1721 it was captured by the Uniates and converted into a monastery of the Basilian order. During the Polish rebellion of 1830, the Pochaev Basilian monks took an active part in this rebellion, providing the rebels with money and printing proclamations and various kinds of appeals in their printing house. In view of such anti-state agitation, this monastery, according to the Highest behavior in 1831, was closed and returned to the jurisdiction of the Orthodox clergy. In 1833 he was elevated to the rank of Lavra. His Eminence Metropolitan Ioannikiy of Kiev, Archpriest John Sergiev from Kronstadt and other honorable persons arrived for the holiday. The celebration began with the arrival of several religious processions from nearby and distant villages at the Pochaev Lavra. At the end of the service and after the Metropolitan blessed the people's meal, prepared at the expense of the Lavra, for 2000 people, an anniversary act took place in the vast hall of one of the monastery buildings. To the telegram sent by the Kiev, Podolsk and Volyn Governor-General with a report on the celebration, Your Imperial Majesty deigned to honor the Governor-General with the following response: “I am heartily touched by the prayers of those gathered in the Pochaev Lavra and I ask everyone to convey My gratitude for the expressed feelings.” The celebration of the 300th anniversary of the first construction of a church in Vilna in the name of the Holy Spirit took place on October 3, 4 and 5, 1897. The said church was built and consecrated by the Vilna Holy Spiritual Brotherhood in 1597, and soon the Holy Spirit Monastery arose under it, which remained during the time of union the only Orthodox church institution in Vilna; This church, first made of wood, and from 1832 of stone, served as a strong stronghold of Orthodoxy and the protection of the Russian people in the region. In memory of the anniversary celebration, the Holy Trinity Brotherhood opened a special school of church singing in the house it owned to train both psalmists and singing teachers in parochial schools, with an annual leave for this school: 1,500 rubles from fraternal funds, 300 rubles from the Holy Spiritual Monastery. and from the income of the diocesan candle warehouse, 500 rubles each. In addition, it is proposed to build a third church-school in Vilna in the western suburbs of the city - Lukishki. The 150th anniversary of the founding of the Kostroma Theological Seminary was celebrated on September 25, 1897. On the occasion of the centenary of the birth of Metropolitan Innocent of Moscow on August 26, funeral services were held in all churches in Moscow, as well as in the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg. In memory of this anniversary, the Missionary Society in Moscow decided to establish 10 scholarships named after Metropolitan Innocent in a two-year church-teacher school being opened in the saint’s homeland, in the village of Anginskoye, Irkutsk diocese.