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Zephaniah, from the tribe of Simeon, who lived in the 7th century BC, a contemporary of the prophet Jeremiah and the prophetess Huldama, lived under King Josiah and, preaching repentance to the people of Judah, contributed to the pious king in his efforts to eradicate idolatry. Honored with Divine revelations, he prophesied about the disasters coming to the inhabitants of Judea and its neighbors: Gaza, Ascalon, Crete, the Moabites, the Ammonites, and especially the Ninevites: “And I will stretch out My hand against them,” he proclaims to the people what was revealed to him by the Spirit of God, “I will destroy from this place the remnants of Baal, the name of the priests and the priests, and those who have departed from Lord, they did not seek the Lord and did not inquire about Him. And I will punish those who say in their hearts: The Lord does neither good nor evil.” “The great day of the Lord is near, it is near... the voice of the day of the Lord is already heard; Then even the bravest will cry out bitterly! The day of wrath is this day, the day of sorrow and distress, the day of desolation and ruin, the day of darkness and gloom, the day of clouds and darkness...” “Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them in the day of the Lord’s wrath, and the whole land will be consumed by the fire of His jealousy; for He will bring destruction, and sudden destruction, upon all the inhabitants of the earth.” “Search yourselves carefully, search yourselves, O unbridled people, before the fiery wrath of the Lord comes upon you...” “Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth, who do His laws; seek truth, seek humility; perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s wrath.” And naming the nations and cities subject to the Lord’s punishment, the prophet continues in the name of the Lord: “The remnant of My people will take them as a spoil, and those who are left of My people will receive them for an inheritance. This is to them for their arrogance, for mocking and magnifying themselves over the people of the Lord of Hosts.” “The Lord will be terrible to them, for He will destroy all the gods of the earth, and He will be worshiped, each from his own place, by all the islands of the nations.” “And He will stretch out His hand to the north and destroy Asshur and turn Nineveh into ruins, into a dry place like a desert. And flocks and all kinds of animals will rest in its midst; a pelican and a hedgehog will spend the night in her carved decorations. This is what a triumphant city will be, living carelessly, saying in its heart: “I am, and there is no other besides me.” And so, it became a ruin, a den of beasts! Anyone passing by him will whistle and wave his hand...” “Woe to the unclean and defiled city, the oppressor!.. It does not listen to the voice, does not accept instruction, does not trust in the Lord, does not draw closer to its God. Its princes in its midst are roaring lions, its judges are wolves of the evening, not leaving a single bone until the morning. His prophets are frivolous and treacherous people; its priests desecrate the shrine, trample the law..." “I said: “Fear only Me, accept instruction!” and his habitation shall not be destroyed, nor shall the evil befall him, which I have decreed concerning him; and they diligently tried to spoil all their actions.” But along with the threat of God’s wrath, Zephaniah also predicts God’s mercy towards the entire human race. “And so wait for Me,” he conveys in the name of the Lord, “until the day when I arise for desolation, for I have determined to gather the nations, to call together kingdoms, to pour out on them all the fury of My wrath; for the whole earth will be consumed by the fire of My jealousy. Then again I will give clean lips to the nations, so that everyone will call on the name of the Lord and serve Him with one accord. From the countries beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, my worshipers, the children of my scattered ones, will bring me gifts.” “On that day you will not disgrace yourself by all your deeds in which you have sinned against Me; for then I will remove from among you those who boast of your nobility, and you will no longer exalt yourself on My holy mountain. But I will leave among you a humble and simple people, and they will trust in the name of the Lord.” “The remnant of Israel will not commit iniquity, nor will they speak lies, nor will any deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they themselves will graze and rest, and no one will disturb them.” “Rejoice, daughter of Zion! Triumph, Israel! Rejoice and rejoice with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has canceled your sentence! I drove away your enemy." “The Lord, the king of Israel is in your midst!” - the divinely inspired prophet announces the coming of the Messiah, - “you will no longer see evil.” “On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Fear not,” and to Zion, “Let not your hands fail!” “The Lord your God is in your midst, He is able to save you; He will rejoice over you with joy, He will be merciful in His love, He will triumph over you with rejoicing.” Venerable John the Silent, Bishop of Colonia John, a native of Nicopolis in Roman Armenia, was orphaned in his eighteenth year, and used the part of his parents’ estate to build a church in the name of the Most Holy Virgin in Nicopolis and, having become a monk (in 472), labored at that church with other ten monks, enslaving the flesh to the spirit and taming the passions. And he was a wonderful man in his good life, a skillful mentor and a wise abbot of the brethren. When he reached twenty-eight years of age, the bishop of the city of Colonia (now Kogilasar, 60 versts from Nikopol) died, and the citizens turned to the Metropolitan of Sebaste with a request to appoint a successor to him. The name of John, abbot of the Nikopol monastery, was on everyone’s lips, and the metropolitan, having summoned him as if on another church matter, consecrated him to the Colonial See (481). Having accepted church rule, John did not change his character and customs, did not deviate from the rules of monastic life, and was for others an example of a good life. In the tenth year of his episcopacy, the husband of his sister Pazinik became the ruler of Roman Armenia, who began to embitter and confuse the Church of Colonia, interfering in spiritual affairs, forcibly removing from the Church those who sought refuge in it, not allowing church guards to take care of church property. John many times humbly begged him to stop violence and dirty tricks; finally, after the death of his sister, he was forced to go to Constantinople to ask for protection from Emperor Zeno (in 490) and, with the help of Patriarch Euthymius, succeeded in his petition. Upon his return, having considered the rumors and much rebellion in the world, he decided to leave the bishopric and serve God in silence. Therefore, having celebrated the Divine Liturgy and dismissed the presbyters and clergy, he secretly went to the seaside and, boarding a ship, headed towards Jerusalem. Having lived for some time in the Jerusalem hospice house in the name of the Holy Great Martyr George, as one of the beggars, John, by special inspiration, went to the desert monastery of the Monk Sava; this was in the thirty-eighth year of his life. There were then up to one hundred and forty brethren in the monastery. The Monk Savva received John and entrusted him with the monastery steward for the labors and works of the monastery, and assigned him as a steward to the builders of the hospice - to cook food, carry water, serve stones, etc. And two years later he was made the head of the hospice and served the brothers with humility, meekness and love. Having then undergone other obediences, he acted in everything like a sincere servant of God, and six years after entering the Lavra he was made a steward. After this I wanted the Rev. Savva make him a presbyter, as a worthy and perfect monk. And so, taking John with him, he went to Jerusalem to Patriarch Elijah (494–517) and asked him to ordain John. John, seeing that he could not hide his dignity, asked the patriarch to listen to him in private and, vowing not to reveal to anyone what he heard, he said: “Holy Father! I was the bishop of the city of Colonia, but since my sins multiplied, I left the bishopric and fled; Now, as if I am strong in body, I serve my brothers, so that their prayers will help my weak soul.” The Patriarch was horrified and, calling Savva, said to him: “John revealed to me some of his secret affairs, because of which he cannot be a presbyter; let him now remain silent, and let no one bother him.” Rev. Savva was very upset, thinking that he was mistaken in John; he spent a whole week in prayer and heard a voice: “The bishop cannot be a presbyter again.” John spent the rest of his life in cell silence and died at the age of one hundred and four years, in 558. † Venerable Savva of Zvenigorod “You appeared as a good plant of the desert, venerable one, having chosen a pure life in your youth, followed your spiritual teacher and, according to his instructions, directed your whole mind to heaven. And you were a smart teacher of your flock. That is why Christ enriched you with miracles, just as it is fitting for a bright lamp to be. Savvo, our father! Pray for our souls to be saved" 25. This is how the Church sings: St. Savva! In his young years, having parted with the world, blessed Savva came to the desert to the wondrous Sergius and here he became a monk. Under the guidance of a great mentor, he learned obedience, humility, purity of thoughts and body, and strict fasting. He avoided conversation with others and loved conversation with the Lord; I tried not to remain idle, but either took part in church singing, or did handicrafts or some kind of work. He seemed simple in the eyes of people, but acquired spiritual wisdom; he often cried about the poverty of his soul and trembled before the severity of God's judgment 26. Through such exploits he grew in spiritual life and even “in the monastery of Sergius he was the confessor to the entire brotherhood, a venerable elder and very teaching” 27 . In 1380, Grand Duke Dmitry Ioannovich, after his victory over Mamai, came to the monastery of St. Sergius to bring thanks to the Lord, who granted victory, and to fulfill his vow. Before going to Mamaia, he said to Sergius: “Father! If God helps me and I return healthy, I will build a monastery in honor of the Dormition of the Most Pure Mother of God.” Now he asked the monk to find a convenient place for the monastery. The saint walked around the deserted places and he liked the secluded island, washed by Dubenka, Dubna and Bystritsa, in the northwest of the Lavra, which is now on the borders of the Tver and Vladimir provinces. The monk invited the Grand Duke and, in accordance with his wishes, the Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God and a common monastic life were founded here. The monk made his disciple Savva, a husband, says Blessed Epiphanius, “greatly virtuous” 28, the head of the desert. Here, in the quiet desert, Rev. Abbot Savva lived as before, in the simplicity of a strict ascetic: he ate only plant foods, wore rough clothes, slept on the floor and shed tears about sins 29. When in the monastery of Sergius Nikon, having taken over the management of the monastery after his death († 1391), soon wished to live in silence, Sergius’s disciples begged the Rev. Savva took over the management of the monastery, founded by their common mentor. This was in 1392 30. The monk tended Sergius's flock with zeal. He left here the memory of his caring superiors by the fact that, following the example of his mentor, he brought out a source of clean water with prayer behind the northern wall of the monastery 31. But the lover of silence was burdened by power over the crowded monastery; He could not help but be disturbed by the fact that, according to the appointment of his great mentor, Blessed. Nikon must shepherd Sergius' flock. Meanwhile, Prince Yuri Dmitrievich of Zvenigorod, the brother of the Grand Duke, who often visited the monastery of Sergius and did many benefits to it, knew the saint well. Abbot Savva: he had him as his confessor. Having decided in his heart to establish a monastery in his inheritance, the prince invited the reverend. Savva to visit his house to teach the blessing of God. The elder agreed. The prince revealed his secret desire and begged the saint to take upon himself the establishment of a monastery near Zvenigorod, on Mount Storozhevskaya. The monk examined the place, and he liked it very much 32. Having fallen before the icon of the Mother of God, with tears he asked for Her protection for the deserted place and remained on a secluded mountain. This was in 1399 33. On the mountain the saint built himself a hut and near it built a small wooden church in honor of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. Soon rumors of his high life called to him many who were looking for a silent life. The monk lovingly received those who came to him and set up a hostel. In 1399, Prince Yuri had, by the will of the Grand Duke, to go to war with the Bulgarians. Before setting out on a campaign, the pious prince came to his spiritual father for a blessing. The holy elder prayed for him, blessed him with the cross and said: “Go, prince, the Lord is with you; you will defeat your enemies and return healthy.” Yuri with his troops, his own and those of the Grand Duke, took several cities over the course of three weeks: the great Bolgars, Zhukotin, Kazan, Kremenchug and others and returned to their homeland with rich booty 34 . The prince now thanked the Venerable with joy. Savva for his successful prayer. The humble elder attributed happiness to the mercy of God and to the virtues of the prince, especially to his charitable love. The prince hastened to prove his gratitude with his deeds - he delivered various benefits and gifts to Savva’s monastery. The beautiful stone church in the Savvina monastery remains to this day a monument to the works of the Venerable. Savva and the charity of Prince Yuri 35. By deed of May 4, 1409, Prince Yuri Dmitrievich donated “to the house of the Most Pure Father Abbot Savva and his brethren” three villages with villages and the houses of peasants who would live in the ceded lands, freeing them from their taxes and court 36. Despite the rich benefits of his spiritual son, the monk himself did not stop working for the monastery. Having surrounded the monastery with a wooden fence, he himself dug a well under the mountain, which to this day supplies excellent water to the monastery; and for his silent exploits he dug himself a cave cell in a ravine, a mile from the monastery 37. The robe in which the monk served before the throne of God is still intact in the monastery; it is white taffeta, with a dark mantle embroidered with streams of silver and silk 38 . The Apostle wrote: “Be ever more perfect in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58). This is how he lived himself and also encouraged his disciples. He reached a ripe old age and died peacefully on December 3, 1406 39 . Many years after the death of Blessed Sava, as the description of the saint’s miracles compiled in the middle of the 16th century says, abbot Dionysius, having finished the evening rule, went to sleep. And then the elder appears to him and says: “Dionysius! Get up and paint my face on the icon.” - “Who are you and what is your name?” – asked Dionysius. “I am Savva, the head of this place,” answered the one who appeared. Dionysius, struck by the vision, called upon the old elder Avvakum, who in his youth had seen blessed Savva alive, and asked him what the saint’s appearance was like. Savva? Habakkuk told about its appearance and growth. “This is exactly how the one who told me to paint his face appeared to me today,” said Dionysius. Since the abbot was a skilled icon painter and a pious man, he then painted an icon of the saint. - Under the same abbot, a demoniac was healed in the monastery of Savva. But more remarkable was the third event under Abbot Dionysius. The brethren of the monastery murmured against the abbot and made a denunciation of him to the Grand Duke John. Dionysius was frightened by the strict prince, was afraid to appear to him and turned with prayer to the Venerable. Savva. The monk, who appeared in a dream, said to Dionysius: “Why are you grieving, my brother? Go and speak boldly, without fear of anything: the Lord is your helper.” That same night the monk appeared to those who grumbled against the abbot. “Then did they leave the world,” he said sternly, “to live as monks with a murmur? You grumble, but the abbot prays: what will prevail? Neither humility nor the grace of God lives in obstinate hearts.” After the dream, they told the vision to each other in great confusion. Having come to the Grand Duke, they could not tell anything true against the abbot and remained in shame. Comparing this legend about the miracles of the monk with other monuments, we must assume that the miraculous events of the time of Abbot Dionysius occurred no earlier than 1480 and no later than 1490 40. In all likelihood, from the same time in the monastery of Sava, as in the monastery of Sergius, where he was abbot, reverent veneration of the Monk Sava began. This was both in the everyday life of the Sergius Lavra and in the continuation of the description of miracles 41. Under Abbot Callista, a demon-possessed man was brought to the tomb of the monk. The first time he ran from the monastery into the forest and climbed a tree there. When they brought him to the monastery with difficulty, the abbot began to sing a prayer service to the monk at his shrine, and the demoniac became quieter and quieter, and then he was completely healed. - One monk, who suffered from pain in his eyes to the point that he could not look, prayed with tears at the tomb of the monk for the healing of his pain and wiped his eyes with the covering that lay at the tomb of the monk. Another said mockingly: “It will only make your eyes dirty.” The one with the diseased eyes was immediately healed, but the one who laughed was blind. The latter came to his senses and began to cry and pray for forgiveness of his sin and was also healed. One layman was healed of illness up to three times; the illness returned every time he returned to his home. Realizing from the fact that the monk was calling him to himself forever, after the third time he did not return to the house and lived in the monastery of the monk in good health 42 . Once abbot Misail was very ill. Sexton Gury went to ring for matins. The noble elder asks him: “Is the abbot healthy?” “He is sick,” said Gury. “Tell him,” said the elder, “let him call St. for help. Mother of God and the head of the monastery Savva and will be healthy; and open the doors for me.” The sexton, not knowing what kind of person he was, did not want to open the door. But he went himself through the opened doors. The sexton, in fear, called his comrade and began to reproach him: “Why did you leave the doors unlocked?” The comrade replied that he had locked the doors. When they both approached the doors, they found them locked. “After Matins, the sexton told his brother and the abbot what he had seen and heard. The abbot ordered to be carried to the tomb and here after the prayer service he recovered. Hegumen Misail also wrote in a legal act of 1539 that he bought land “in the house of the Most Pure and Wonderworker Savva” 43. Hegumen Afanasy, known from the charters of 1542–1555. 44, was a pious man and a strong believer. The same was his cellarer Gerontius. “The memory of the venerable father Savva has come,” says Markel, “the cellarer Gerontius took the blessing from the abbot and went to tell them to prepare festive food on the day of the saint’s memory.” But the vessel with oil broke. When the cellarer, having told abbot Athanasius about this, added that there was oil in the other vessel, but there was too little of it, the believing abbot replied: “We must place our trust in the Lord and in His saint, the wonderworker Savva, who can multiply even a little; let them prepare the food.” Indeed, there was not only enough oil for food, but there was still plenty left 45. Many other miracles took place through the prayers of the Monk Sava and in subsequent times 46 . The most remarkable of them was under Tsar Alexy. Monk Leonty asked God to send him suffering in order to earn a crown. At the end of his usual prayer, an old man with a gray beard and somewhat hunched over, from whom light poured out, enters his cell; he touched the lips of the impudent prayer book, and Leonty fell to the floor unconscious. - The brethren, having learned that Leonty was lying unconscious, and recognizing him as someone who had lost his mind, poured water on him; but he remained in the same condition, so they prepared him for the funeral. But little by little the patient began to show life in himself and on the first day of Easter he came to his senses, but remained without a tongue. At Fomin's Matins on Sunday, an elder approached him and, pushing him, said: “Get up, why are you sitting?” During the reading of the second kathisma the same thing happened, and this time Leontius’s language was resolved. "Who are you?" – Leonty asked the one who appeared. The elder said something to instruct Leonty, but Leonty, in fear, could not keep his words in his memory. After Matins, he ran straight from the church to Archimandrite Varlaam, fell at his feet in tears of admiration and said: “Bless, father!” Then, in the presence of his brother, he told how his illness began and what happened to him. This happened in 1650, when Varlaam, the first of the abbots of the monastery, was promoted to archimandrite. The Monk Savva once saved the life of Tsar Alexy himself. - During an animal hunt, for which Alexey Mikhailovich was a passionate hunter, a huge bear ran at the lonely king; the defenseless king considered himself dead; but the old man unexpectedly appeared and drove the bear away. To the king’s question: “Who saved him?”, the elder answered: “Savva, monk of the Storozhevsky monastery.” - In the monastery among the living monks, as the king learned, there was not a single Savva at that time - and the king realized that the reverend had saved him. Savva. In 1652 (January 19), at the request of Tsar Alexy, the solemn opening of the relics of the Monk Savva followed 47. Service on December 3rd. in menaeum, M. 1645, Rumyantsev No. 397. Markello's Life of St. Savva at Tsarskoe No. 135. 264. Tolstoy No. 2. 190, printed Μ. 1646 Nikon. l. 4. 235. Epiphanius in the life of St. Sergius: “hand over the abbess from your disciples in the name of Savva, a husband of great virtue.” Markell: “I came to the calling river Dubenka, - I created a church in the name of the Dormition and chose from the flock my disciple this blessed Savva, about whom this story is told.” About the place of the Dubenskaya Hermitage in the reading. Moscow total ist. 1860, book. 1. Markello's Life of St. Savva. Markello's Life of St. Savva; lengthy life of St. Nikon. There and here it is said that Nikon “abie leave the flock.” Simon Azaryin in the description. miracles, ch. 12. Preface to miracles ed. in time total ist., book. X, mixture, p. 8. According to the inventory of the Sergius Lavra of 1642, behind the Stable Gate, which is now Kalichya, near the stable yard there is a pond “and keep aside the well of the wonderworker Savva.” The well is still called Savvin; it is near the Resurrection Church in Kakuev. Marcellus: “As the heavenly paradise is planted with fragrant flowers, I have found this place and loved it dearly.” According to these words, Savva came to Storozha in the summer. According to Markell, St. Savva was abbot of the Sergius Monastery for about six years; track. from 1392 to half of 1398 onwards. Ave. 12. Markello's Life of St. Savva; Karamz. 5, 166. Artsybasheva vol. 2, book. 3, p. 153. Markello's Life of St. Savva; the construction of a stone church is also mentioned in the service of St. Savva. Travel of P. Macarius 1656: “cathedral church. in honor of the birth Rev. The Virgin Mary is contemporary with St. Savva Ave.; the original one was wooden and small in size.” In the history Hier. 2.550 it is said that the stone church of the Storozhevskaya monastery was built on the model of the Trinity St. Sergius monastery. But the latter was built in 1422, and Ave. Savva died in 1406, next. Storozhevsky Church could serve as a model for Trinity, and not vice versa. Ch. Menaion December 3. Smirnova described. Savvina Monastery, approx. 20. Smirnova described. Savv. mon., pp. 59, 60, approx. 108. In the inventory of 1684, the full vestment of St. Savva was shown, except for the chasuble, vestment, epitrachelion, armbands and belt. The inventory of 1662 shows “the canon of the wonderworker Savva.” But, unfortunately, he is now not in Sava’s monastery. RKP. Life of Tolstoy 2. No. 190. RKP. Saints: “Rev. Savva, abbot of Storozhevsky of Zvenigorod, miracle worker, was a disciple of St. Sergius, reposed in L. 6915 months December on the 3rd day." By a charter dated January 30, 1490, given to Storozhevsky Abbot Dionysius, Zvenigorod Prince Andrei Vasilyevich determined what and when to collect duties from monastic villages (Ist. ac. 1. No. 100). Prince Andrei Vasilyevich, who owned Zvenigorod and Uglich since 1491, lost all the rights of a sovereign prince; in 1491 he gave several charters for the Savvina Monastery and one in 1470 (Smirnov’s description of the Savvina Monastery, p. 14. I 15, notes 31–33. 139. 144). In a letter of 1490, by the way, he wrote “what was the duty for the cellarer and the cellarer, and you were not ordered to collect duties.” Was it not this limitation on the income of the kelar and podkelarnik that raised a storm of murmurs against the abbots? Dionysius? G. Smirnov admits a strange thing - he exhibits two abbots of Dionysius, one around 1430, showing him as an icon painter who painted the image of Savva; dates the other to 1490 and puts him on trial before the. prince But Marcellus not only has no basis for the idea of ​​two Dionysias, on the contrary, in the description of the first appearance of Sava, he says: “many years passed after the repose of St. Sava,” and so on. according to him, abbot. Dionysius the icon painter lived many years after St. Savva, and not some 25 years; otherwise he was the same Dionysius, who in 1490 was on trial before the. prince In the daily life of the Lavra, written in 1555, on December 3. reads: “on the same day, Savva Storozhevsky’s doxology.” Mr. Smirnov has an abbot. Callistus was installed as the successor of Euphrosynus, known in 1454 and precisely on the basis of the recording of Solomonida Barteneva (p. 81, pr. 141). - But Barteneva only says that she gives it to the abbot. Kallista Mikhailovskoye settlement in the form in which her late husband bought it from Storozh. Abbot Euphrosynus. And according to Markell’s description of the miracles of St. Savva's abbot. Callistus was after the abbot. Dionysius, i.e. after 1490. In his spiritual charter of 1515, Ave. Joseph of Volokolamsk recognizes “Callistus, the former abbot of Storozhevsky,” capable of managing the monastery. It is clear that Callistus was abbot of Storozhevsky 1495–1512. Smirnova described. Savvina Mon., p. 86. In the desk document of 1592 to Abbot Herman we read: “Reverend Father Savva of Storozhevsky” (Juridical accreditation No. 383). In the charter Apr. 28 N 1595 “of the Venerable Abbot Savva of the Storozhevsky Monastery, the builder Nathanael” (Ist. ac. 1. No. 248). Cellar Simon, in his description of the new miracles of St. Sergius, conveys several cases in which St. Savva appears miraculously, either alone or together with St. Sergius. Smirnova described. Savvina Monastery, p. 92, pr. 172, pp. 26–32, pr. 75.