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Venerable Onuphrius the Great A certain Paphnutius, a monk of one of the desert monasteries of Egypt, wrote down the following. One day he wished to go into the inner desert and see the ascetics there. Taking some bread and water for the road, he headed into the desert and four days later he reached one cave that had a window: it was closed. Paphnutius knocked in vain; no one gave feedback. Then he opened the door and saw the old man sitting and as if sleeping. Having touched him, he found him dead long ago, covered him with his mantle and buried him there with prayer. In the morning I went further and a few days later I saw a cave, next to it a date tree and a small source of water. Towards evening I saw the hermit himself, returning from the desert, without clothes and only in his hair. After mutual greetings, the hermit told Paphnutius about himself that he first lived in a common monastery in Favaida and worked in weaving linen; then he decided to work alone and, having built himself a cell near the city, ate the fruits of his hands, and gave from the abundance of his labors to those in need. But one woman came and led him into sin; Soon repenting, he left everything and fled into the desert, where he found this cave. The clothes became dilapidated with time, but hair grew on the body and served instead of clothing. Paphnutius asked for his prayers, and they parted. After spending some time in the monastery, Paphnutius again went into the desert and, reinforced by help from above, on the seventeenth day he reached a high mountain and sat down to rest. And then he sees that a hermit is coming, overgrown with thick hair; the hair on his head and beard extended to the ground and covered him like clothing. He also sat down to rest and, seeing Paphnutius, said to him: “Come to me, man of God! Because I am a person like you and I live in this desert for the Lord’s sake.” And he told about himself that his name is Onuphrius, he has been living in the desert for sixty years, having never seen a single person. And before that he lived in a monastery near the city of Ermopolis. But having a desire to work in the desert, he took some bread and set off at night; upon entering the desert, he was afraid and was already thinking of returning to the monastery, but an angel who appeared encouraged him and promised not to retreat from him. Onuphry continued his journey and finally, seeing the cave, approached the entrance and said, according to custom: bless! He saw the holy elder and lived with him for many days, learning the rules of desert life. Then the elder took him far away to a small cave and said: “This is the place that the Lord has prepared for you to live!” He stayed with Onufriy for thirty days, teaching him virtues, and after that he visited him every year; Having come for the last time, he died, and Onuphrius buried him near his home. After that, Onuphrius told how at first, after coming to the desert, he suffered from hunger and thirst, from cold and heat, and how then the Lord sent His angel to bring him a little bread and water every day, which lasted thirty years. Then new help was given to him; he found a source of water and a date tree near his cave. “Where are you from?” asked Paphnutius, “do you partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ?” “The Angel of the Lord communes me,” answered St. Onuphry. He led Paphnutius to his cave and after prayer their pious conversation continued. And at the end of the day they saw bread and water in front of them, and tasted food. In the morning, after the morning singing, Paphnutius, seeing Onuphrius’s changed face, was afraid, but he said: “The Lord sent you to bury my body; when you return to Egypt, remember me!” Having said goodbye to Paphnutius and prayed, he lay down on the ground and died. Heavenly light shone on the righteous man and the angels lifted up his soul; and Paphnutius covered the body with the hem of his clothes and put it in a large stone like a coffin, which he covered with other stones. He began to pray to the Lord to allow him to live in this place and wanted to enter the cave, but suddenly the cave collapsed, the tree and the spring dried up. Realizing that it was not God’s favor for him to live there, Paphnutius prayed and went on his way. This was around 400 AD. Venerable Peter of Athos Comforting and not in vain is the belief of the Orthodox Church in the communion of the dead with those living in the earthly world, in the help provided to people by saints who have passed on to God. And how naturally this belief is explained! Isn’t it characteristic of those whom Divine love animated during their earthly life to love with even more complete and perfect love in that world that contains all perfection... And if “love does not die,” then it eternally exists in the souls that have departed from the world to those who are in the world and brings them together with the closest connection; is expressed by their participation in the fate of their brothers still languishing on earth. Their participation is prayer, and the prayer of the righteous propitiates God, and thus the saints, praying and interceding for those living on earth with a more perfect prayer than that which can be prayed by the weak and not yet freed from slavery to sin, help people achieve the propitiation of God. Among the countless confirmations of this gratifying belief, the incident from the life of St. Peter of Athos, remembered today by the Church, is also remarkable. Peter was a Christian, a Greek by birth, the rank of his parents is unknown, but he himself was a commander when in 667 he waged war with the Arabs in Syria and, captured, was imprisoned in the fortress of Samara (on the Euphrates River). For many years he languished in severe captivity; He earnestly prayed to God for his liberation and at the same time resorted to the help and intercession of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker before God. Saint Nicholas, our ambulance, appeared to Peter in a dream vision and encouraged him with the promise that the Lord would send him liberation, and at the same time urged him not to weaken in prayer... After some time, Saint Nicholas appeared to the prisoner again, repeated to him what he had said the first time, and advised him to pray in the right way. Simeon the God-Receiver, saying that he would pray to God for him, as having great boldness with God. Meanwhile, in the midst of severe suffering, Peter did not grumble, but began to carefully examine himself: was he not the cause of his disaster, had he not deserved it in some way? - And he remembered that once upon a time he made a vow to leave the world and enter monasticism, but still did not fulfill his promise... And, recognizing himself as guilty, he complacently and even with gratitude endured his grief, as a just punishment sent down to him... And in his soul he again made a vow to devote himself entirely to serving God, if only he could wait until he was released, and in tearful prayer he ran to St. Nicholas, asking him to be an intercessor and a surety about him before God. And the vigilant prayer of the believer did not go unanswered. For the third time, the wonderworker Nicholas appeared to Peter, this time together with Simeon the God-Receiver, and miraculously they released him from his bonds and took him out of prison; Indeed, “in 676, on the occasion of the exchange of prisoners, Peter was released and went to Rome, in 681 he came to Athos, where, after many years of exploits, he died in 734. His relics were transferred to the monastery of Clement, where they were hidden from the iconoclasts; Around 880, they were again opened and placed in the Kareysky Mother of God Church of Protat temporarily. In 969, on the occasion of unrest on Athos, the silent ones of the Clement Monastery took them to the Thracian village of Fotokomi and gave them to the bishop of that place for 100 gold coins” 111. There were many miracles from them, an eyewitness of which, among other things, was the monk Nicholas, one of the life writers of the saint, who heard about the life of Peter from eyewitnesses or contemporaries” 112. † Repose of St. Arseny Konevsky In 1373, in the Novgorod Fox Monastery, near Khutyn, a young man named Arseny was ordained as a monk. It is unknown where he is from and whose son he is; but because he already knew how to forge copper products, it is clear that he was raised by kind parents. He patiently underwent various obediences in the Fox Monastery and lived for 11 years. Then he went to Mount Athos and here in one of the monasteries he labored for three years. He prepared various copper utensils for the Svyatogorsk elders free of charge and thereby gained their love. Returning to Russia, he received from Abbot John an icon of the Mother of God and the rules of the hostel, with the commandment to found a monastery in the far north. Having visited the Fox Monastery and received the blessing of his abbot, he set off to wander through the cold north. He lived on Valaam, then sailed to the mouth of the Gorodetskaya River (Voksy in Finnish); Here, behind the storm, he remains for a long time and prays with tears, that the Lord Himself will indicate the place for the desired monastery. The storm subsides; the wanderer boards the canoe; but the voyage had barely begun when a storm arose again and brought the wanderer to the island of Konevets. The monk put up a cross and remained here for his exploits. This was in 1393 113. Having built a chapel at the height of the island, Arseny led a hermitage life. His life on the cold and wild island was difficult, difficult, but he endured and labored in prayer. - In vain did the monk Lavrenty convince him to return to Valaam at the call of Abbot Sila. He decided, with the help of God, to transform the island of serving lies into an abode of holiness and truth. Before his settlement on Konevets, coastal residents used the island for horse pasture. They believed that their cattle remained here safe and sound because they were protected by spirits living under a huge stone, and as a sign of reverent gratitude they left one horse at the stone every autumn. The horse was dying of hunger in some slum, and they believed that it was favorably accepted as a sacrifice by the spirits. That’s why the huge stone was called the Horse-stone, and the island was called Konevy or Konevets. The Monk Arseny, having learned about such a pagan superstition of the people from the fisherman Philip, even at the beginning of his settlement on the island, approached the stone with prayer, sprinkled it with holy water, and the spirits - the teachers of lies - flew off in the form of ravens to the Vyborg shore into the large lip, which is still called: Devil's Lakhta 114. This legend does not contradict undoubtedly known events. back in 1227, the Korels of these parts were baptized 115 and from that time, of course, they adopted the Russian language from the Russians, but not everyone parted with the beliefs of paganism. Even in 1554, Archbishop Macarius wrote that in the Vodskaya Pyatina, in the entire Korelsky land to Horse Waters and beyond Lake Ladoga, idolatrous superstitions and reverent respect for stones, hills, and lakes remain in force 116. The Monk Arseny labored in his monastery for five years, showing himself to the superstitions that their spirits, benefactors and punishers, did not dare touch him. In 1398 He transformed his monastery “on Konevsky Island” into a hostel monastery and built a church in honor of the Nativity of the Mother of God, depicted on the icon that he brought with him from Athos. This was done with the blessing of Novgorod Archbishop John 117. Under Archbishop Simeon, the Monk Arseny again went to Mount Athos to ask for prayers and blessings for his new monastery. Without him, the brethren suffered lack of everything and were ready to leave the established monastery; but Elder Joachim, who arrived on the island at the beginning of Arseny’s settlement on it, prayed earnestly for them at the height of the island. “Tell the mourning brothers that Arseny will soon deliver them all food,” the Mother of God said to the elder in a dream. And sure enough: soon the Monk Arseny returned and brought with him rich supplies of everything necessary, on two ships. This height has since been called holy. In 1421, an extraordinary flood of Lake Ladoga 118, which washed away some of the buildings of the poor monastery, forced the Monk Arseny to build a monastery in its current location, where little by little he built a stone church with wooden cells and a fence. Archbishop Euthymius, who entered the see from Lisichaya Mountain, greatly assisted the monk in establishing a new monastery. Konevets then became famous for many in Novgorod. Pious Novgorodians began to visit the monastery secluded on the island and delivered their benefits to it. Boyar Mikhail Kobylka presented the monastery with rich alms. Arseny, following the rule of hospitality, cordially treated visitors in his cell. But the perspicacious Simon said to Arseny: the demons rejoice when the abbot treats the laity. From that time on, the monk treated visitors only at a fraternal meal. – Saint Euthymius also visited Arseny on Konevets and presented his hood as a sign of spiritual friendship. – The bay where the Vladyka was met and seen off was called Vladychnaya Lakhta. This bay, long covered with sand and stones, is now overgrown with grass, but retains its historical name. According to the chronicle, the saint visited Zavolochye in 1446 119. The founder of the monastery and educator of a wonderful country, who had matured in spiritual life, died in the arms of his loving brethren on June 12, 1447 120. His body was laid in the porch of the church, where a chapel was soon built in the name of St. Onuphrius. Elder Moses and the fishermen were caught in a storm on the lake in the autumn; those who perished turned to the Lord in prayer, calling on Blessed Arseny for help; A wonderful old man appeared, overshadowed them with a mantle, and the boat arrived safely at the shore. At another time, Arseny appeared in a dream to a blind man and ordered him to go to worship the Konevskaya Icon of the Mother of God; The obedient blind man received his sight at the icon. The Konevsky monk Leonty, relaxed in all his limbs, received healing at the saint’s grave. – In 1573, the monastery unexpectedly escaped from the Swedes, who were ravaging Karelia; A voice said to the captured Athanasius: “if you want to leave, take with you the image of the Savior found here”; when the prisoner, together with another similar man, was already at sea in the boat, both fell asleep from fatigue and both saw the Monk Arseny, who said: get up, a serpent is swimming on the sea. Those who awakened saw a German ship heading towards them, and taking to the oars in time, managed to escape from danger 121. † Repose of Rev. Onufriy Malsky The Monk Onuphry founded a monastery in honor of the Nativity of the Mother of God on Malakh, 4 versts from Izborsk and 56 versts from the city of Pskov, and died on June 12, 1592. According to the Handwritten Saints, he is a new miracle worker; His relics rest hidden in the Church of the Nativity, in which the chapel is dedicated to his name. His monastery was abolished in 1764 122. † Repose of Rev. Stefan Ozersky The father of Blessed Stephen served at the court of the Bearded princes - the branch of the Yaroslavl princes; in the house of a pious parent, the son received a decent upbringing 123. He believed that monasticism began in the Glushitsky monastery, where he spent several years. Then he wandered through the northern deserts, lived for some time in Tikhvin and, carried away by his love for silence, returned to his native Vologda borders: on the eastern shore of Lake Komelskoye, at the source of the Komelya River, 35 versts south of Vologda, he built himself a cell and then a chapel, and in it there were icons of the Mother of God and St. Nicholas, and began to struggle, unknown to people and known by one God. - He endured many needs and sorrows in his desert: the rude fisherman, fearing that the monk would take over the fishing in the lake, either showered him with cruel abuse, or outraged him with indecent songs. “The supply of bread Stefan brought was small - and he was in danger of a complete lack of food. “More than two years later, two trappers accidentally found him and shared their travel supplies with him. From them he learned the path leading to the Belozersk road and villages: otherwise he could not, and forced by extremes, get to residential areas. After that, trappers began to visit Stefan, and others recognized him from them. After three years of solitary sojourn in the desert, two brothers came to Stefan to share the labors of the desert, then several more appeared with similar desires. Even before that, on a summer night, he prayed fervently in the chapel, so that the Mother of God would bless his place for the monastery of prayers; Then in a vision he was informed that the monastery should be built in honor of St. Nicholas. The zealots of desert life asked the elder to build a church of prayer. With one of them he went to Moscow to ask the Metropolitan for a blessing to build a church and monastery. M. Daniel lovingly received the elder, whom he had previously heard of, placed him in his cell and then introduced him to Grand Duke Vasily Ioannovich. Stefan, ordained to the rank of priesthood and abbot, received from the metropolitan, along with a charter, books, vessels and clothes for the church, and from the Grand Duke a charter for the land. The church and monastery were built by the hands of hermits. – This was in 1534. So the true servants of God considered it necessary to perform a bloodless sacrifice in the desert and receive the Holy Mysteries. “They didn’t talk about it like the dark superstitions do.” Rev. Cassian writes: “we should not abstain from partaking of the Mysteries of the Lord because we recognize ourselves as sinners; on the contrary, we must resort to them more and more often with thirst for the strengthening and purification of the spirit. “It is much fairer, with that humility of heart, by which we believe and clearly realize that we can never worthily touch the Holy Mysteries, to partake of them every Sunday, rather than, having ascended with vain self-conviction, to think that in a year we are worthy to partake of them” 124. – The Monk Stephen, during his solitary stay in the desert, followed the ancient hermits. - “Everyone who monks in the deserts, says Basil the Great (in Nikon of the Black Mountain in word 53), where there is no priest, holds communion for themselves.” In old age, on the eve of his death, the Monk Stefan dressed himself in the prepared funeral attire and was brought to church and received the Holy Mysteries from the hand of the liturgical presbyter, then returned to his bed and died quietly. According to the original, “St. Stephen, like the builder of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on the lake, sat on top of his hair with a little gray hair” 125. He died blessedly on June 12, 1542 126 “He who sows to his flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; “But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life,” teaches the Apostle (Gal.6:8). - Spiritual life, strongly developed in the soul, is not afraid of death - it makes itself felt through miraculous deeds even beyond the grave. Vologda merchant Gabriel, who knew Rev. Stephen during his life and benefactor of his monastery, sailed by water on his trade affairs; A terrible storm arose and the waves threatened to swallow the boat. Gabriel began to call on the help of the saints of God and among them Blessed Stephen. And suddenly he saw a holy old man in his boat, who told him: “Do not be afraid, son of humility, the Lord sent me to save you from drowning.” "Who are you?" asked Gabriel, who was horrified both by the vision and by the apparent death. - “You gave a lot of alms to the monastery of St. Nicholas, on Lake Komedsky, and to me, its humble builder Stefan,” answered the one who appeared and disappeared, and then the storm subsided. In the same year, 1542, when Blessed Stephen died, his monastery was devastated by the Tatars, and when it was restored, a wooden church was built over the tomb of the founder of the monastery, which was later replaced by a stone one. At the same time, during the construction of the wooden church, an icon of St. Stephen and was placed over his tomb, and the other was placed in the church. The monastery was closed in 1764. In memory of the Rev. Stephen, June 12, there is a large crowd of people here every year 127. Recently, the church was assigned to the Vologda nunnery, which was thus put in a position to open a common meal for all sisters. So Rev. Stephen began to nourish the weak and poor women of prayer 128. † Memories of St. Vassian and Jonah of Solovetsky Rev. Vassian and Jonah were formed in the spiritual life by the instructions of St. Philip, when he was abbot of the Solovetsky monastery. How their advancement in spiritual life took place, no news has been preserved; but by their incorruption it is certain that they have achieved a high degree of spiritual perfection. The very last feat of their lives testifies that they were children of obedience. – In 1561, by the will of the holy abbot, Vassian and Jonah set out on ships for lime on solid ground. On the way back from the mouth of the Dvina, a storm broke up the ships; The bodies of the drowned Vassian and Jonah were thrown onto the eastern shore of the Unskaya Bay 129. The peasants of Unsky Posad found the incorrupt bodies of the saints and at first wanted to transport them to their posad, but it stood 25 miles from that place, and they buried them where they found them. Mamant, the elder of the Sergius Lavra, who managed the salt pans in Uisky Posad, obeying a miraculous vision in a dream, on June 12, 1599, built a chapel over their relics. Then a hermit set up a cell for himself near the chapel, others came to him, and miracles were performed at the relics of the righteous from time to time. Monk Ephraim built a church and went to Vologda to get the antimension, but was killed by the Poles. 5 years after the unrest raised by the impostors subsided, the church was consecrated in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Pertomin monastery was formed 130. Here is one of the many experiences of the afterlife activities of the saints of Pertomina! In their monastery they felt a lack of hay needed for livestock. More than others, the pious novice Nikita grieved over his need, grieved and prayed for help. One night after prayer he fell asleep. And here come the Rev. Vassian and Jonah. “You called us,” they say; but we were not in the monastery - we were hunting for hay for the cattle; “God is sending you plenty of hay, don’t grieve; tell the brethren – the hay has been bought, let them send it to nearby settlements.” When they sent them to the Unskaya volost, they bought up to 90 carts and for an unprecedented price, 6 money per cart 131. Nowadays, the relics of St. Vassian and Jonah rest hidden in the stone church of the Assumption of the Mother of God, consecrated in 1691. Peter I escaped here from a storm that overtook him on the way from the Solovetsky monastery to Arkhangelsk; Having stayed in the monastery for three days, he himself built a huge cross with his own hands, carried it on his shoulders from the monastery to the shore and placed it with the Dutch inscription: “This cross was erected by Captain Peter in the summer of 1694 132. † Memory of Rev. Onufria and Auxentia of Vologda According to the RCP. description of the Vologda saints, “Reverend Fathers Onuphrius and Auxentius, also in the Pepper Hermitage, who was in 7007 (1499).” The Pertsova Hermitage, closed since 1764, was located halfway from Gryazovets to the Arsenieva Hermitage, 35 versts from Vologda. – In 1499, the blessed hermits settled for the first time in the local, then extremely silent, forest place. With patience for needs of all kinds, they performed the feats of monasticism. – Their relics rest hidden in the Church of the Holy Trinity, now a parish 133. Such is the information about the life of Peter of Athos, transmitted by Rev. Porfiry according to the Vatopedi manuscript of 1422 in his “History of Athos” (see “Month of the East”, Archim. Serg., vol. II, part 2, p. 166). About the miracles of St. Peter of Athos, see “Paterikon of Athos”, part I, p. 9. Glory to the Mother of God 3. 2, p. 70. 71. According to Novgorod. RKP., “6901 (1393) Elder Arseny came to the island of Konevets.” Description Blush. muv., p. 43. The inscription on the icon, inscribed in 1699: “By the grace of God - the once former reverend. Father Arseny on St. Good grief Afonstei, work there for a while and receive the blessing from the abbot. John St. Mount Athos and this venerable icon of the Most Pure Mother of God in the summer of 6901 and from there his blessing with St. St. came to the great Novgorod with an icon. Arseny Ko Archbishop. John Novgorod, received his blessing and left for Lake Nevo on Konevsky Island and settled there with St. icon, already received in the holy mountain. And creating a church in the name of the Nativity of St. Mother of God and the monastery" East Ave. Hier. IV, 624. East. Hier. 4, 626–628. Histor. image of the beginning of the Konevsky monastery. St. Petersburg 1817 Collection l. III, 238. IV, 624. Charter of 1717 in history. Hier. IV, 618. Collection l. IV, 125. About St. Evfpmii Mar. 11. RKP. Saints: “pr. Arseny Abbot Konevsky reposed in L. 6900 (1392) months. Sep. at 9 a.m." Sep. 6th day of the discovery of his relics; 1392 is the year of his arrival at Konevets. In the Dictionary of Saints 1836 and Press. Macarius's year of death is shown as 1444. This is contrary to the chronicle. See example 90. According to the source. Hier. 4, 616. 618, reposed in 1447 on June 12th. In the Oten calendar of 1718, the memory of June 12th, written in the cathedral chronicler, “in the summer of 6955 under Archbishop Euthymius of Novgorod” Histor. image Konev began. about. St. Petersburg 1817, pp. 9–11. In 1610, the Konevsky monks, after the conquest of Karelia by the Swedes, moved to the Derevyanitsky monastery and returned to Konevets in 1718, and the Kovevo icon of the Mother of God was returned to Konevets only in 1798. East. Hier. IV. 619–626. Macaria ancient 2, 91. East. Hier. 5, 47. Compiled. about mon. 455. – In 1662, “there are 19 courtyards behind the Nativity Malsky Monastery.” RKP. life of the Rev. Stefan. Buslaeva Words. and art. 2, 352. In the RKP. The calendar shows the day of death of “St. Stefan Abbot of Komel Nikolaev Monastery." – June 12th, but the year is not shown. – In a note about the Vologda calendar † June. 12th 1542 East. Hier. 5, 362. 364. Description. mon., p. 75. Vologda. epar. Ved. 1864, pp. 1. 8. 13. 73. Solovetsky Chronicle, p. 19. Description. Solovets. mon., p. 77. M. 1836 Dictionary of Saints 1836, p. 66. Description. Solov. monastery 78. Minister's Journal. enlightenment 1863 January 69. East. Hier. 5, 509–516. Svedep. about mon. 12. 13. Magazine. East. Hier. 5, 517. Consolidated. about the monastery 71.