Letters to Abbess Sergius of the Spaso-Borodinsky Monastery

Collection of letters to St. Philaret of Moscow (Drozdov) to the Abbess of the Spaso-Borodinsky Monastery Sergius (Princess Sofia Vasilyevna Volkonskaya) contains 22 letters (1852–1859). The correspondence reflects the spiritual leadership, administrative councils and paternal care of the metropolitan for the young monastery and its abbess. Letters from Saint Philaret help her establish herself in her position, complete the construction of the church and organize the life of the monastery. - spiritual guidance: instructions on patience, humility, prayer and the fight against passions; - economic issues: advice on church construction, financial management, relations with peasants; - administrative difficulties: recommendations for maintaining discipline, resolving conflicts; - support in difficult circumstances: consolation in sorrows and strengthening during trials. Thus, the saint advises that any undertaking, first of all, begin with prayer. The head of the monastery must have sedateness, patience and condescension. You need to learn to put yourself above the insults of your subordinates and stand up for the truth, for order, for the peace of others. It is necessary to beware of harshness in actions and words. In moments of indignation and anger, do not allow yourself to speak and act, but calm the passion with reasoning and prayer, and then pronounce reproof with moderation, and with condescension determine the punishment for the sinner. Letter I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII XIV XV XVI XVII XVIII XIX XX XXI XXII Abbess Sergius, to whom the letters from Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow were addressed, was the second abbess of the Spaso-Borodinsky Monastery, from 1862 to 1871. The first abbess and at the same time the founder of this monastery was Abbess Maria, (in the world Margarita Mikhailovna Tuchkova, née Naryshkina). The history of the initial founding of the Spaso-Borodinsky Monastery is very touching and instructive. The Spaso-Borodinsky Monastery was truly founded, one might say, on the blood of Orthodox Russian soldiers. It serves as a significant church monument to the bloodiest battle - the battle, as one writer put it, of giants, which took place on August 26, 1812 on the Borodino field, 9 versts from the district town of the Moscow province, Mozhaisk. On this day, in the very place where the present Spassky Monastery stands, one of the five Tuchkov brothers, the commander of the Revel regiment, the brave Major General Alexander Alexandrovich Tuchkov, the husband of Margarita Mikhailovna, died in battle. Struck by the news of this grave grief, Margarita Mikhailovna hurried, after the enemies retreated from Moscow, to the fatal battlefield, so that there, among the corpses of the dead, she could find the body of her husband, dear to her: but her searches were in vain. She only managed to find out the location of the battery where Alexander Alekseevich was fatally struck: and she immediately decided in her thoughts to build a church on this battery in the name of the unmade image of the Savior 1, so that six disabled people would live with it and that commemoration of her murdered husband would take place there. Emperor Alexander Pavlovich approved this pious idea and donated 10,000 rubles for the construction of the proposed church; but this idea was put into practice no earlier than 1818. On April 30 of this year, Moscow Archbishop Augustine gave a charter to build a church, and in 1820 the church was consecrated in the name of the Icon of Spasov Not Made by Hands. At this church, a pious, saddened widow settled with her only son Nicholas (born April 6, 1811) and devoted her life to the prayerful memory of her husband and the upbringing of her son. Having lost this last treasure of hers in 1826, 2 Margarita Mikhailovna contributed 20,000 rubles. banknotes into the safe treasury in the name of the Mozhaisk Luzhetsky Monastery so that, for interest from this capital, the hieromonks of the said monastery would conduct divine services daily in the church it built. Meanwhile, near the estate of Margarita Mikhailovna, cells of voluntary hermits from the world began to be built, partly from noble families, and partly from wealthy merchant families; Poor widows and girls, ready for honest work with prayer, took refuge with them. Thus, by 1833, up to 53 souls of such hermits and workers had gathered. Then, at the request of Margarita Mikhailovna and the representation of the Moscow archpastor, Metropolitan Philaret, the Holy Synod, with the Highest permission, allowed the gathering of the sisters to organize a communal hermitage, under the command of Margarita Mikhailovna herself. Subsequently, on January 1, 1838, according to the Highest approved report of the Holy Synod, this hermitage was converted into a second-class convent. In 1839, a small winter church was built and consecrated in the name of Righteous Philaret. In 1840 On June 28, Margarita Mikhailovna was tonsured into monasticism in the Sergius Lavra by the Metropolitan himself, with the name Mary, and on the 29th she was elevated to the rank of abbess of the monastery she founded 3. By 1851, up to 200 sisters had gathered in the monastery, and the existing churches turned out to be unable to accommodate such a number of pilgrims working in the monastery and visiting pilgrims. Therefore, Abbess Maria began the construction of a new, large-scale stone church 4; but she was not destined to wait until the completion of its construction. With the gradual increase in the number of monastics in the monastery, Abbess Maria's labors, worries and sorrows multiplied, and all this, given her advanced years, had an adverse effect on her already fragile health. Finally, from day-night prayer and ascetic deeds, she finally became exhausted and on April 29, 1852, at 73 years old, she died, pointing before her death to her successor in the person of the widow Princess Volkonskaya, who had already lived for about five years in her monastery. Princess Sofia Vasilievna Volkonskaya came from the family of princes Urusov. Her father Vasily Alekseevich Urusov, with the rank of major general, held the position of Ober-Kriegs Commissar and lived in Yaroslavl. Mother Anna Ivanovna is the daughter of foreman Semichev. After a thorough education and upbringing at home, Sofia Vasilievna, at the age of 18, married a retired hussar major, Prince Alexander Andreevich Volkonsky. Over the course of twenty years of married life, having lost four young children and finally losing her husband in 1847, she saw in these severe hardships the finger of God, pointing her to a solitary monastic life. Having buried her husband in the Spaso-Borodinsky Monastery, she decided to stay here forever. Abbess Maria cordially received the pious and highly educated widowed princess into her monastery. And this latter, 40 days after the death of her husband, put on the monastic novice robe, with all zeal she devoted herself to fulfilling the monastic obediences assigned to her. The rigor of life, with an educated mind, soon attracted the special attention of both the abbess and the sisters of the monastery. When Abbess Maria died, Princess Sofia Vasilievna was called, by the election of the sisters, to take her place and continue her work on the construction of the begun church and the internal improvement of the monastery. Although His Eminence the Metropolitan approved of this election, he was in no hurry to order the tonsure of Princess Sophia into monasticism. Not earlier than October 4 of the same 1852, she was tonsured into monasticism with the name Sergius, and on the 5th she was ordained to the rank of abbess by the Metropolitan himself. Abbess Sergius, for all her talents and high education, however, in the early days of her command did not have sufficient experience either in economic or administrative matters. Therefore, the wise and caring archpastor, Metropolitan Philaret, both verbally, during personal meetings with her, and in writing, fatherly guided her in the first steps of her leadership, as we see from the letters we print. These letters, 22 in number, cover the period from 1852 to 1859. However, the leadership of the Spaso-Borodinsky Monastery of Abbess Sergius continued beyond 1859. She remained there until 1871, and this year, on March 15, she was moved to the Moscow Ascension First-Class Monastery, where she died on October 29, 1884, at 76 years old. The authentic letters I published from Metropolitan Philaret to Abbess Sergius were received by me in January 1890 from the cell attendant of the late Abbess, the venerable nun Zinovia, through the priest of the Ascension Monastery, Fr. Alexandra Pshenichnikova. Servant of God Sophia 6 God's blessing, and peace, prosperity in good and useful things. There are no small difficulties in the affairs of your monastery: however, strengthen yourself in prayer to God for help and in trusting in His goodness. He who blessed the beginning and existence of the monastery will help its improvement if we are faithful, careful and active with humility. The issues presented to you must be resolved by the rules of business prudence. We must try to satisfy urgent needs in good time, and delay what cannot be delayed. The common meal must be ensured by the preparation of what is now timely to prepare. Concerning the construction work of the church, consult with the architect whether it should be stopped as soon as possible so as not to increase the debts. And the favorable time is already running out. Payment for building materials and work should be made primarily to those who are inconvenient to wait, if it is impossible to satisfy everyone. If there is not enough to pay everyone: deliver to me the bills of what has been paid and what has not been paid. I will look for a way to give you a loan without interest. Did you do well to stop the construction of the wooden building? Won't what is unfinished be destroyed, and won't what has been done also perish? Isn't it better to complete the construction and cover it, and leave the internal structure aside? Confer about this with Mr. Bykovsky, 7 who, as I hear, is going to see you tomorrow. You can live in a building that is inconveniently located: when it is not about the best, but about the necessary premises. You say that the bell tower, according to Villuan 8, is not dangerous: and Macaria says that, according to him, it can stand for two years if it is tied with iron. This does not mean that it is not dangerous. And is it worth the trouble to bind with iron when ruins are again foreseen in two years? Consult with Mr. Bykovsky about this diligently. The Holy Synod has authorized your tonsure. I think it’s better for this to be in Moscow. Having arranged the necessary affairs at the monastery, come at the end of this month or at the beginning of next month. Filaret M. Moskovsky. Sep. 22. 1852. God's blessing to the Venerable Abbess Sergius and the sisters. Having today completed the six-month commemoration of my predecessor 9, I am answering the letter I received from you yesterday. I am surprised at those who do not understand that people who do not have legal written forms cannot be kept in a monastery. This is prohibited by law, and punishment is prescribed in the law for violating this law. If under your predecessor there was a violation of this law, then you must thank God that this was not noticed and did not expose the monastery to criticism and responsibility; but we cannot tolerate this and continue the disorder, which the longer it continued, the heavier the responsibility would be. I told you an example, that the court imposed a heavy fine on the priest for keeping in the house without the correct written form a godson, from a village located only five miles from the house of this priest. Do your misunderstandings really want your monastery, burdened with debts, to be burdened with fines for keeping people without passports? A monastery will be punished more severely for breaking the law than a village clerk. Read this to those who do not understand; so that they come to their senses and do not burden themselves with the sin of vain murmuring. Remind also what was said by the authorities shortly after the death of your predecessor, namely, how she organized the monastery again, and, moreover, in ways that personally belonged to her, then, under these circumstances, she had some right to leniency if she disposed of it more arbitrarily than strictly legally. Now it's different. The monastery has settled down, and there are no circumstances that would justify weak supervision of the established order. But be complacent and do not be embarrassed if in some you notice an unreasonable displeasure in which they, if they come to their senses, cannot complain about the authorities who gave a legal order, and even less can they complain about you when you, of necessity, carry out what the authorities have prescribed. Filaret M. Moskovsky. Oct. 31. 1852. Reviewing the votes cast regarding the election of the abbess, which I requested shortly after the death of Abbess Maria, I found that even then the senior nuns, such as Meletia, Tabitha, etc., elected you. They must now assist you, admonish the unreasonable and maintain general peace. I am returning a copy of Zablotskaya’s certificate. Present her testimony to me, tell me how many years she has lived in the monastery, whether she behaves approvingly, and ask for permission. She will remain in the monastery; When you make a report, you will be right in what your predecessor admitted; we will look for a way to resolve the matter without trouble. You can do the same with regard to Potemkina; I think there is information about her in the Odigitrievsky hostel 10. Macaria can come to me if he finds it necessary. To make matters easier regarding written forms, consider the following: There is no need to demand that everyone be sent to the monastery. You can be content with passports, but not expired ones. You have several clergy from the local diocese. These do not need to be removed, but to write to me so that they are given certificates from the consistory for residence. If there are the same ones from other dioceses: let them ask for the same certificates from the authorities there. Particular caution is required in relation to people in tax status. It is especially surprising if they grumble about the requirement that they go to church. Let such people not only threaten to leave the monastery, but actually leave. Perhaps they don't want to be fired from some church services in order to succeed in some necessary jobs? This can be resolved by reasoning. Not going to meals is not as important as not going to church. There may be reasons for the apology. In this part, order can be restored with some gradualness. You say: what will happen if you start to eradicate the worst? “But this needs to be eradicated most of all.” What happened before you, do not enter into it unnecessarily. But in your presence, if something happens that is worse than not going to meals, you need to stop it more strongly than not going to meals. It is necessary, as far as possible, to avoid the need to suddenly act strongly on many: it is possible to counteract the revealed disorder in one person with moderate but firm measures, so that some are corrected by deeds, while others are guarded by example. Don't be exhausted by the fact that there are difficulties. It is not surprising that the enemy of souls becomes angry at good enterprises; Temptations naturally arise from this. But God is a faithful corrector of good intentions. There were sometimes murmurs against St. Sergius: but he was magnanimous and invincible; and his patience was blessed with an unshakable blessing. May the Lord strengthen you mentally and physically for the common good, which includes the benefit of your soul. Reverend Abbess Sergius, sisters and monastery, peace. Thank you for remembering me in prayer. But it would have been unnecessary for you to go to Moscow with this idea even then, if it were not on your holiday. If any word of mine, as you write, served you as a consolation, and therefore you can notice a good intention in it: then you will accept from me not with sorrow, but with impartial reflection, if such a word happens that is not entirely according to your thoughts. It’s a pity if your sisters rely too much on the unsteady thought: as it was before, so it should be. If it happened that the order was previously weakened: is it really supposed to be so? - However, you also need to take into account that few people willingly withstand a sudden decisive change, even if it were from worse to better. That is why it is necessary to move from weakening order to precision with some gradualness. There is no need to endure vices, but those who have fallen into some vicious actions, if the hope of correction has not yet been lost, must be corrected with patience, and have mercy for insufficiency. Nun Palladia 11 herself told me about some of her actions: and when I explained to her how indecent they were, and how she, as the eldest, should have shown an example of respect and obedience to her boss first of all, she admitted her guilt. Wouldn’t she get into order if you meekly told her: let’s forget the past, let’s begin to act as the circumstances require, which have come according to God’s dispensation; and if you, for your part, paid attention to her seniority? If here lies the thought of lust for power (although she also admitted her inability to rule): lust for power can be defeated by humility, of course, more conveniently than by strong exertion of power, which was difficult for Palladia - which she admits. Serafima 12 is looking for places in Moscow. I think I will allow this to free you from her, and to show respect to your late predecessor, whom she served. Tabitha declared herself sick, but not in the hospital. Perhaps this will lead to an order regarding it, which will free you from it. The relatives of the deceased are asking you to leave Evgraf 13, imagining that he has a strong thought to die at her grave. One way or another, I think that in the state of mental and physical health in which he is, if you treat him harshly, it can have such an unfavorable effect on him that he will have to repent. Meanwhile, Kirill Mikhailovich 14 so that Evgraf and Devorra 15, for whom he is interceding, would not be a burden to you economically, offers 150 rubles and silver a year for their maintenance. I would advise you to bear this burden. Devorra, in order to better keep it from disorder, can be taken to a monastery. Evgraf's unrest can be limited by supervision; and even if he is found out of order, this does not concern the monastery. I will tell you in general: whatever you find possible to do in honor of the memory of the founder of your monastery, everything will not be lost, but will bring you blessings from God and from people. This should also increase the kindness towards you of the sisters who loved her. They say the deceased forgave taxes for the peasants for 1852 as well. If this is true, then it is difficult to correct this. And if it’s not true, then report to me about their failure to fulfill their duty. I will enter into proper intercourse. It is now impossible to open a case about changing the forest to another land. Rules of your hostel 16 make a list and deliver it to me. Yuryevsky Charter 17 is not applicable to your monastery in all parts. If you want, note in it the rules that seem necessary to you, so that I can judge what to do from the previous rules and from the addition you propose. For this purpose I am sending a copy of the Yuryevsky Charter. I didn’t have time to look at the inventory of the monastery. Sim doesn't really need to rush. Having talked with nun Makaria more than before, I notice that she may be useful to you. But she says with tears that she disposed herself to a solitary life, and only on a special occasion came to your monastery. You need to pay attention to this. It is not pleasant to put a person into a position by power alone, as if in chains, and to see him acting with wounds from these chains. And such a service will not bring all the desired benefits. And it will not be durable: for if Macaria has left and asks to leave your monastery, where she was not tonsured, and to which she came on a special occasion, it will be difficult to be sufficiently convinced that this is contrary to obedience. What should be done? “One thing is already being done: she is presenting herself for tonsure.” But this is not enough. We must try to ensure that she accepts the position not only out of captivity, but also out of some conviction. For this, I think, it will be more useful for you to treat her not in everything like a subordinate, but often especially in private, like a sister, and not always only to give orders, but also to consult with her. A clever proverb: intelligence is good, but two are better. And the word of God says: “salvation is in much counsel” (Proverbs 11:14). I hope that Macaria will not abuse this trust, but the benefit that can come from this is that when she acts not only according to orders, but also according to her own conviction about the necessity of action, her thought and conscience will be calmer, and she will more comfortably come to terms with her present situation, and will not rush into solitude. So I think. May God help you to correctly discern what is useful and to achieve it in the right ways. Filaret. M. Moskovsky. Dec. 10. 1852. God's blessing and peace to the Venerable Abbess Sergius and her sisters. Thank you for your good wishes for the holiday and the new summer. May God grant you a new summer, one in which there will be fewer previous difficulties and more good outcomes. I wanted to respond to your letter of December 15th quickly, seeing that you were not dead: but lack of leisure and ill health forced me to delay. Now I’m writing with sore eyes: because I can’t put it off any longer. First, let's say what is needed for your letter. It is in vain that you accept in a spirit of suspicion what is simply said. This means sowing the seed of anxiety to yourself. You are surprised and grieved by what I wrote about Palladius and Macarius. I see no reason to be surprised or mourn. Palladia herself told me how indecently she acted, and added that she would have acted better if you had been more lenient. I denounced Palladia: and I told you that perhaps, indeed, if you had treated your former boss with more attention, she would not have done anything stupid. What's surprising? What is there to mourn about? Macaria told me with tears that she did not dispose herself to the rumors of a public position, but wanted privacy. Having advised her to be obedient, I showed you that it is necessary to arrange treatment with her in a special way so that she can more easily overcome her aversion to public office, and so that peace and benefit will come from this. Why be surprised? What to mourn? When you were not inclined to leave Evgraf and some others at the monastery: I invited you to bear this burden with the proposed allowance, and added that what you did in honor of the memory of your late predecessor would be a blessing to you. Wasn’t it natural to use this thought to strengthen your patience in bearing an unpleasant burden? What is there to be surprised about? What to mourn? Why suspect that you are being accused of disrespect for the memory of the deceased? I will tell you now that the opinion of some about your dissatisfied respect for the memory of the deceased came to me through extraneous means even when you were in Moscow for the first time. But I considered this so incredible that I did not even want to offend you by asking about it, and my action showed that I was unwilling to listen to slander and get carried away by suspicions. Regarding the early liturgy, I did not contradict you: but then, on a similar occasion, having met the murmur of the choir members in another monastery, I thought that something similar would not happen to you. It was all the more necessary to beware of this since you already have those who complain when you restore order, which was previously weakened. Therefore, I left your formal idea about the early liturgy without action, leaving this matter to your agreement with the Luzhetsky Archimandrite 18 so that it could continue according to convenience, and in case of difficulty could end without a new idea. Now about the newly discovered case. Macaria came to me two or three times in the past few days, but could not see me due to my illness. Today she submitted a petition for dismissal to her relatives, without the signature of your consent, and this is when a proposal was made to the Holy Synod about her tonsure. How to understand this? If Macaria is so fickle and rebellious: why did you approve of her to me to a high degree and present her for tonsure? If you rightly approved: why such a sudden outburst of self-will? How will your bosses trust your approval after this? I wish to avoid the trouble of demanding an explanation from you regarding this through the Consistory. Write to me privately what this means and what you think. Based on my comments about it, I think that it would be good to save it for your monastery. I could not speak to her, except for a few words when submitting a petition, and I did not want to. I want you to explain the accident to me and tell me what you think is fair and useful. Filaret M. Moskovsky. Dec. 30. 1852. I’ll say what was forgotten before now. You rightly noted that it is indecent for a nun to light a lamp on the holy altar. A nun can use the rights of a deaconess, enter the altar to the altar, and another altar 19: but only clergy can touch the altar. Stop disrupting the order. The revealed change in Macaria’s disposition and in the relationship between you and her is unexpected and incomprehensible. In the actions you described there is such an opposite of it that to explain this one involuntarily comes to the thought of whether there is an exaggeration in what you know through others. This happens even without intention, when a spirit of mistrust and suspicion arises. I have said what I need to say to Macaria, and I will say it again if I see her. But I can’t help but tell you that in your words to her there is a lot of power and judgment, and not enough condescension and mercy. Fire is not extinguished by fire, but by water. You say: “the enemy has taken great possession of her.” This is too heavy a judgment on one's neighbor. If you tried to see in her actions more misunderstandings and mistakes and some actions of passion, and, not without worry, you would think about whether there was a mistake on your part: with your humility and peace, you could more easily bring her into humility and peace. It is not in this spirit that your last words were spoken: “you are too bold,” etc. The Apostle gives us instruction and example to treat our brethren not like rulers, but like a nurse holding a baby in her arms. If he stubbornly shouts, he is brought to peace not with abuse and threats, but with affection and meekness. Do not think that I am writing this in displeasure with you. I only want to show you a way of acting, which, in my opinion, or, better, according to the teachings of the fathers, is more reliable. To return Macarius to you now seems to me doubtful and unreliable in relation to the world. Therefore, having expressed disapproval for bringing the request without the blessing of the abbess, I dismiss her for two months. Pray that God will give her the best dispositions, and that he will grant you the art of maintaining your and everyone’s peace. Filaret M. Moskovsky. Genv. 14. 1853. If according to the report in which you say that Tabitha cannot remain in the monastery, then this may make an unpleasant impression on her and, perhaps, on others. So, judge again whether she can be left, and if she cannot, then return this report to me, and if you find it possible to show her leniency and leave her, then write a report in this sense. God's blessing to the Venerable Abbess Sergius and to those who strive. I inquired privately about the debt papers of Dmitry Blagonravov 20 at the public office, and learned that those you are writing about are not on file, and they did not arrive at the public office, but there are debt papers of G. Kolesova 21 presented to your monastery. He learned that there were 300,000 rubles and silver debts; that the creditors of the first category will get two kopecks per ruble, and the creditors of the second category, to which Kolesova is included, nothing. Therefore, the money you spent on stamp paper, it seems, should be considered lost irrevocably. I am returning the papers to you because there is no basis for action on them. And I don’t think it’s possible to do anything, therefore, without having reason to doubt the information received. If your predecessor had started the case earlier, she might have had time to lay her claim on the debtor’s estate before it was transferred to other hands. I wrote to you about Tabitha and am awaiting your response. Filaret M. Moskovsky. Genv. 28. 1853. I thought that you had a collection book for building a church: but your messenger says no. In this case, you should have been reminded of this earlier. Send a request for the issuance of a collection of books, naming who should be entrusted with it from your monastery, and detailing the need. Your churches are small. The construction of a new one was undertaken by your predecessor, who relied on the significant gift of Platon Vasilyevich 22, and had hope for other benefits, which, however, did not quite justify the expectation. Mention what has been done, and that the authorities have already made a special effort to support the matter with a loan from another monastery. In this way, an inscription can be made in the book, which will also contain an appeal. Then you can write to Konstantin Vasilyevich 23, and either send a copy of the inscription on the book to him or entrust the book itself to him for a while. I wanted to visit Platon Vasilyevich: but from the beginning of the year until now, an almost continuously painful condition and other circumstances did not allow it until now. You can write to the local authorities about peasants who do not pay their dues, without stopping then because there is a case about this in the Consistory. I will require this matter to be monitored. Filaret M. Moskovsky. March 31. 1853. At the same time, one hundred silver rubles are being sent to you for the construction of the church, so that the entire monastery will pray for the health and prosperity of God’s servants Alexei and Anna. Write this contribution down in the book and notify me of receipt. God's blessing and peace to the Venerable Abbess Sergius and the sisters of the monastery. Claudia and Seraphima have been taken away from you. Therefore, now you can be calm and calmly listen to what I have to tell you. Learn to do your official duties in an orderly and careful manner. In the report about Claudius and Seraphim, you talk about their outrageous spirit and insolence, but do not present any evidence. Therefore, strict order would require the appointment of an investigation, which could not do without trouble for you. It is good that I could take the basis for solving the matter from your letter, from the words of John 24, and especially from the letters of Seraphim. But if this is not official, another boss would not rely on this, and would expose you to the difficulties of the investigation. The accusation of insolence is one of the weakest accusations. The son mentioned in the parable boldly said to his father: “I am not going” (Matthew 21:28–32); but when he did his deed better than his words, he is justified. It can easily seem that a boss is putting himself in high esteem when accusing his subordinates of insolence. Your word; “Stop pleasing the demon,” it would not be good if it was not said in church, especially not in church. Why do you need to remember him unnecessarily? Only calm and meek reproofs admonish people: the cruel ones irritate more than they benefit. The fact that the nun came alone to venerate the image is not such a disorder that it would be necessary to immediately stand up for it. You created more chaos by holding court about this during the service and using the above words. If you, having noticed Claudia’s slight disorder, had prayed about it internally, and calmly continued to listen to the service, and the next day admonished her in modest words, without mentioning the demon: then, perhaps, the matter would have ended as it should on her part. Your order for Claudia to ask for your forgiveness would not have been used by another boss. The boss must be above the insults of his subordinates, and stand up for truth, for order, for the peace of others, and not for himself. One boss, to whom a subordinate wrote offensive words in a petition, gave the following resolution: “to inform the petitioner that if he had written or said such words not to me, but to another, then I would punish him as an offender.” I think that such a decision is calmer for both the boss and more useful for the subordinate. I advise you to beware of harshness in your actions and words, and to control your words and actions with meekness and patience, with which you accept what is written here. Filaret M. Moskovsky. Gethsemane skete. June 2. 1853. God's blessing and peace to the Venerable Abbess Sergius, and to those who strive. I am pleased with your letter of the 3rd day of this July. That you accept my warnings in peace, this reassures me and gives me good hope. It is not uncommon that an attentive person in his natural character finds something that needs to be corrected and that is difficult to change. It is correct that a person resorts to God, asking for help in this. And if help is not given quickly, one must not lose heart, but continue to strike at the doors of mercy, and at the same time one must strive to restrain the unfavorable movements of the heart and will. In moments of indignation and anger, you should not allow yourself to speak and act: you must take time, calm the passion with reasoning and prayer, and then pronounce reproof with moderation, and with condescension determine the punishment for the sinner. “The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (James 3:18). Your people who returned from St. Petersburg say that the people there advise you to come to St. Petersburg yourself. Do not rush to accept this idea. The benefit of this is highly doubtful. And the time for this is not the most favorable. However, may the Lord help you in all good things, invisibly and visibly. Filaret M. Moskovsky. July 10. 1853. Regarding the sale of the house donated by Count Dmitry Nikolaevich 25 to your monastery, an order is made in accordance with what you write. Your monastery already has a debt: and it is not desirable for there to be another. But if it is necessary, and if you can borrow without interest, with payment secured by the sale of the house: you can decide on this, with the confidence that this operation will be completed without confusion. If the Consistory asks you whether they agree to pay the merchant Rastorguev: this is a rash question. The question to ask is not about consent, but about whether there is a fair and legal reason to pay. I'll look into the matter. Filaret M. Moskovsky. In Moscow. October 2. 1853. God's blessing and peace to the Venerable Abbess Sergius, and to those who strive, for a new summer, and for many to come. I hear that you continue to be burdened by your position. Consider that temptation can be endured, as the Lord will not allow “to be tempted beyond your might” (1 Cor. 10:13), if we endure and trust in him; – that the temptation endured brings benefit; and the desire to avoid temptation may not always be successful. Some, burdened by the temptations of the abbot's service, abandoned it and fell into new, no less, or greater temptations. On the contrary, as recently as today, I saw one abbot who suffered a lot from the unpeaceful state of the brethren: but because he endured, he finally won, and now both he and the brethren enjoy peace. You have freed yourself from some difficult people. I think that the dignity of your superiors is supported by the orders of your superiors. We must hope that you can and will have peace, dissolving the actions of power with patience and love, according to the words of the Apostle, “as a milkmaid warms her child” (1 Thessalonians 2:7). May the help and mercy of the Lord be with you. Peace to your parent. Peace to all beings in the monastery. Filaret M. Moskovsky. Genv. 9. 1854. May the peace and joy given by the Risen Lord be with you. Thank you for the bread consecrated by prayers and sacred memories. God bless you for your labor of love for the fatherland. I forward the lint and bandages to the Governor-General 26 on behalf of your monastery. As for the loan: we have already spent a lot. However, your job is to ask, and our job will be to think about whether it can be satisfied. Filaret M. Moskovsky .Apr. 27. 1854. Power of attorney was given to G. Blagonravov. He promised to act. God's blessing to the Venerable Abbess Sergius and the sisters. I submitted the report with which you explain your reluctance to return those expelled to the Consistory, without contradiction. But I don’t want you to know that the authorities of the Serpukhov monastery did not notice a restless spirit in them, but only noticed sadness for your monastery. If they have reformed, then they deserve pardon. If the authorities there were able to keep them in a peaceful state of mind, why shouldn’t you be able to do the same? I give you this to think about: but I don’t demand anything from you. Filaret M. Moskovsky. July 18, 1854. God's blessing to the Venerable Abbess Seriya, and to those who strive. It seems that without identification you could see that the authorities acted according to reason, without anger: because they left in action your opinion, freely expressed, and did not prefer the opinion you did not express willingly, although for their part they were more inclined to the latter. The letter written to you is not to express displeasure, but for your consideration, whether it would not be possible to provide those who have sinned, without harm to others, with leniency in the future. Filaret M. Moskovsky. Av. 2. 1854. God's blessing and peace to the Venerable Abbess Sergius and sisters. Thank you for the good memory. Congratulations on your holiday. I sent a report to the consistory about the payment of an outstanding debt to the Perervinsky monastery 27. Pay attention to the fact that the income book of the construction amount released from the treasury is kept with legal accuracy. Filaret M. Moskovsky. Dec. 2. 1855. Reverend Abbess Seriya and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. May the joy of the risen Lord remain with you, and the hope of achieving the grace of His blessed resurrection. You ask for a collection of books: but don’t say anything about how the previous one was used. Do not say anything about what is happening and expected for this summer with your church, and with the funds given for it. Do not shy away from your superiors’ attention to what they are obliged to pay attention to. F. M. Moskovsky. Apr. 30. 1856. The Holy Synod, having seen that too many people go with collection books to churches and monasteries, and often not for important needs, which for monasteries is sometimes associated with the danger of ruining souls, gave a decree 28 that collection books should be given only in case of a necessary need to build a church, without which there would be nowhere to perform sacred services. Is the church you are building really necessary when you have two, albeit small ones? Due to this incomprehensible question, it is inconvenient to decide to give you a combined book. What if the book comes to St. Petersburg and is rejected there as not agreeing with the decree? Thank God that the building is completed and covered, and therefore can wait without danger for the internal structure, you can hesitate, and then use the time of inaction as proof that help is needed. Think about these considerations that forced me to leave your request without action this time. Filaret M. Moskovsky. Nov. 17. 1856. God's blessing and peace to Abbess Sergius and sisters. I rejoice in you for the mercy of the Most Pious Empress. Lord, save the Most Pious and their faithful children. You notified me twice about receiving 1000 rubles for the construction of the church: why didn’t you notify me once about receiving a ticket for the same amount? I don’t argue against a stone floor for a new church. But what are double frames for if the construction of stoves is cancelled? I wish to understand this. Filaret M. Moskovsky. Mar. 6. 1857. Baron Lev Karlovich 29 died. His relatives wish that the branch of his family that is with you not be absent during his burial. I think it is necessary to satisfy this desire for kindred love by giving the traveler a good companion. Filaret M. Moskovsky. Apr. 28. 1859. It is allowed to give a collection book. It is difficult for me to judge from a distance the assignment of the faces of saints to some places in the church. You can follow your own reasoning and the advice of your closest clergy. Caring for candles for the church should not be excessive. Tall and thick candles, and multiplying them unnecessarily, often harm the beauty of the church. The light of a candle should signify reverence for the holy icon and make it convenient to see it: but a large candle blocks it from the viewer. One must do what is necessary and decent, and not dream of useless splendor. F. M. Moskovsky. June 12. 1859. In G.S. God's blessing to the Venerable Abbess Sergius and the sisters of the monastery. You seem to think that the consecration of your church can be on the 20th day, or before this. It’s not convenient for this to be. Around the 20th day the Highest visit to Moscow is expected 31: and even if it did not continue until the 26th day, in any case I should be in Moscow on this day. So don’t rush to 26, but look at the next days. Whether I can undertake the trip, I cannot guarantee. Yesterday I fulfilled my church duty in the Kremlin, but for the 28th day of last month I could not travel to the Novodevichy Convent. Filaret M. Moskovsky. Av. 2. 1859. God's blessing and peace to Abbess Sergius and the sisters of the monastery. Don’t blame me for not being at your celebration. It was desirable for me to communicate in prayer with you during the consecration of the church 32, which completes the structure of your monastery. But God wanted to arrange things differently. And in the local monasteries, there could not be two celebrating yesterday and now 33. Having calmed down from the labors of building a material church, continue to strive carefully to improve and beautify the non-material churches of your souls. Filaret M. Moskovsky. Sep. 15. 1859. In this name M.M. decided to build a church for the reason that she still had in her hands the church image of the Savior Not Made by Hands, which belonged to the church of the Revel regiment, which was given to her for safekeeping along with other utensils by her husband, upon separation from her within the Minsk province, where he was with his regiment before retreating to Smolensk. Nikolai Alexandrovich Tuchkov died at the age of 15, without completing the full course of study in the Corps of Pages. The consecration of Mary to the abbess was carried out according to the ancient rite of consecration to the deaconesses, with the proclamation of the words: command, command... and: axios - 3 times. The laying of the foundation stone for the church was carried out by Rev. Philotheus, Bishop of Dmitrov, Vicar of Moscow, later Metropolitan of Kiev († 1882). This letter was written to the abbess before her tonsure as a monk. Bykovsky Mikh. Dorimed., collegiate Soviet, architect at Moscow. guardianship council. Villuan A.I. – free artist †1878 That is Abbess Maria (Tuchkova), deceased. April 29th 1852 Odigitrievskoe hostel (aka Zosimova Hermitage) in Vereisky district. Founded in 1826 by Schemamonk Zosima (from the Verkhovsky nobles) †24 Oct. 1833 Treasurer and temporarily managed the monastery after the death of Abbess Maria. About her, see letters from Metropolitan. Philaret to Archimandrite. Anthony, No. 881, p. 159. Seraphima was a cell attendant for Abbess Maria. Evgraf is the uncle of the son of the late abbot. Mary, then the monastery watchman, a paralyzed old man. K.M. Naryshkin is the brother of Abbess Maria, d. with the rank of major general on January 7. 1867 Devorra is the nanny of Nicholas, the son of Abbess Mary, a Lutheran who converted to Orthodoxy and was then tonsured a monk. These rules were subsequently published in the 1st volume of the Collection, ed. on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Filaret M. M., app. No. 7, m. 1883 Charter of the Novgorod Yurievsky Monastery comp. A. Photius and printed. for the first time in 1830 Regarding the entry of nuns into the altar, see Kormch. Part 2, Ch. 57, right 11 (l. 275), – Nomocanon with a large Requirement. right 66. – Nomocanon ed. A. Pavlov, Odessa, 1872, pp. 83 et seq. Dm. Blagonravov is a lawyer. See point 12 below. Kolesova Varv. Iv. - a zealous collaborator and assistant of Abbess Maria. P.V. Golubkov, collegiate adviser, wealthy Moscow. merchant - philanthropist and publisher of foreign works about Russia. He donated 15,000 rubles for the construction of a new church in the Spaso-Borodinsky Monastery. - He passed away. 3 Apr. 1855 K.V. Prokhorov - manufacturing adviser, Moscow 1st guild merchant (†April 5, 1885). Joanna (in the world Lyubov Ivanovna Fleisher), known for her strict, fasting life. Count Dm. Nikol. Sheremetev, † 12 Sep. 1871 Ars. Andr. Zakrevsky. † 11 Jan 1866 Nikolo-Perervinsky Monastery, 7 versts from Moscow, attached to the Chudov Monastery. Uk. from 30 Sep. 1856 This decree is based on the definition of the Holy Synod of September 3, compiled by Metropolitan. Filaret. See add. volume collected opinions and reviews of Metropolitan. Filareta, Sp. 1887, No. 119, p. 429 et seq. Baron L.K. Bode, Chief Hoffmeyer, President of the Moscow Palace Office, in charge of the Kremlin Palace, † April 28. 1859 Novice Vera Alexandrovna Baroness Bode, later nun Valeria, is the dear niece of the deceased Baron. The arrival of the Sovereign Emperor in Moscow was expected (and followed) on the occasion of the renovation of the restored Romanov House. See the speech on this occasion by Met. Philaret in volume 5 of his works, p. 502. The church, founded in 1851, was consecrated on August 26, 1859 in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Most Reverend. Leonid, bishop Dmitrovsky, vicar of Moscow. On September 13th there is a church holiday in the Intercession Monastery, and on the 15th in the Nikitsky Convent.