In the 80s and 90s of the last century, when I came to Sukhumi, I always tried to pray at the grave of Elder Seraphim; Father Andronicus.
24.01.2018 The labors of the brethren of the monastery 2 380
Many books and articles written in the desert itself have been written about the life and exploits of the inhabitants of the Glinskaya Hermitage. A huge contribution to the compilation of biographies was made by the Glinsky monks, pupils and spiritual children of the elders, about whom they wrote memoirs, spreading their spiritual instructions and teachings to subsequent generations. Thanks to their labors, we are fully given the opportunity to draw from the treasury of the Glinsk monastery and learn from the example of the life of some of its inhabitants - spirit-bearing elders who labored in the holy monastery, and use their pastoral advice and guidance in spiritual life.
"In December 2017, the Consecrated Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. The main thing for me, as Chairman of the Synodal Commission for the Canonization of Saints, is that the Consecrated Council blessed the church-wide veneration of the famous ascetics of piety - the Glinsky Elders, including their names in the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church. Previously, they were canonized as saints by the Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Glinsky elders have long been widely revered outside of Ukraine in many dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church, and their reckoning among church-wide saints is especially dear to me.
In his youth, in the 80s and 90s, when he came to the Caucasus, to Sukhumi, he always tried to pray at the grave of Elder Seraphim (Romantsov). I heard stories of local hermits about Father Seraphim when I lived for some time in the desert in the mountains of Abkhazia. They told about the Spirit-bearing Bishop Zinoviy (Mazhuga) and Father Andronicus (Lukash).
Even then, in Soviet times, the Glinsky elders were considered great elders and ascetics. And later the veneration became general church. They prayed to the Glinsky Elders in the Caucasus, in Ukraine, and now, after being included in the calendars, in every parish of the Russian Orthodox Church.
And then the day came when the Lord vouchsafed them to participate in the preparation and glorification of them in the Cathedral of the Glinsky Elders. The soul rejoices! Reverend Fathers of Glinsky, pray to God for us!"
HISTORY OF THE CLAY DESERT
In Russia, the Glinsk Hermitage was famous for its eldership, just like the Sarov and Optina Hermitages.
The Glinsk Hermitage was founded in the 16th century on the site of the appearance of the icon of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, 40 versts from the city of Putivl, 160 from Kursk and 12 from Glukhov (now it is the Sumy region of Ukraine). During this period, our land was tormented by the Mongol horde, as well as the civil strife of the Russian princes. It was during this difficult time for Russia that the Queen of Heaven gave her people consolation and strengthening in faith through the appearance of Her miraculous icon and the foundation of the holy monastery. Constant wars, crop failures, epidemics, fires led people to think about the vanity of worldly life, and many went to deserted, forested places. Here they, alone with God, spent time in prayer deeds.
The name of the first inhabitant of the Glinskaya Hermitage remained unknown. It is only known that he settled near the newly appeared icon, later named Pustynno-Glinskaya, in honor of the princes Glinsky, who owned this area (hence the name Glinskaya Christmas-Bogoroditskaya Hermitage), and built a chapel for it. People resorted to the grace-filled help of the newly-appeared shrine. And many, wishing to imitate the exploits of the first ascetic of the desert, remained here forever.
The ascetic life of the abbots and brethren of the Glinsk Hermitage and the care of the elderly attracted new ascetics to the monastery. The diocesan authorities, noticing the moral highness of the Glinsk monks, transferred them to other monasteries in order to establish a truly spiritual life there. Schema-Archimandrite John (Maslov) wrote that the holy monastery was "a hotbed of good asceticism in different, even very remote places of our fatherland". Her enormous educational activity influenced the spiritual and moral education of the people and contributed to the development of literacy. The glory of the monastery spread beyond the borders of our country.
But difficult times have come for Russia and the Glinsk Hermitage, whose rector at that time was a worthy successor to other God-wise rectors - Archimandrite Nektary (Nuzhdin). During the war with Germany in 1914-1918. The monastic brethren provided the army and the people, first of all, with spiritual assistance, offering to God an intensified prayer for the granting of victory over enemies, helping with the word of a sermon, explaining the teaching of the Church on war, and in deed - going to the active army for spiritual nourishment and material support for the soldiers.
Pustyn, despite the long war and the revolutionary upheaval of 1917, continued to live a full-fledged spiritual life, being a support for people in all respects until its closure in 1922.
After the closure of the monastery, a children's town named after Lenin was formed, which existed until 1928. Then, alternating, other various structures were organized. The property of the monastery was plundered. The library, which is of particular value, was also plundered, but Archimandrite Nectarius managed to save some of the books. miraculous icon The Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos was taken by members of the Church Council - citizens of the village of Shalygino.
Some of the monks moved to the monasteries that were still open, but soon those were also closed by the Soviet authorities, other monks began to serve in parishes, which were also very few, the rest lived in the world, engaged in various crafts. Most of the brethren went through camps and exile.
In 1942, during the Great Patriotic War, the monastic life in the Glinskaya desert began to glow again. The monastery was opened under Father Nektary, who was also its renovator. By God's providence, Archimandrite Nectarios was not arrested and managed to save part of the monastery's property.
It was the only monastery that opened in Russia at that time. The news of the opening of the monastery quickly spread, and its former monks, as well as spiritually experienced monks from other closed monasteries, began to gather in the Glinsk Hermitage, most of whom were returning from exile and camps. During the restoration of the monastery, the main attention was paid to the revival of the spiritual traditions of the Glinskaya Hermitage. And the monastery became the center of the revival of eldership.
Interesting data about the Glinskaya Hermitage and the activities of its inhabitants are given in archival documents of the Soviet era: Pilgrims from different cities and regions send money to the monastery by mail, and local believers also donate. square meters on big holidays it was full". Another archival document says: “the monastery ... it is famous not only in Ukraine, but also in more distant lands and regions Soviet Union, as evidenced by the visits, although rare, of pilgrims from Tashkent, Chuvashia, Arkhangelsk and others, not to mention the nearest regions of the European part of the USSR ... Moreover, visiting the monastery, they help the monks in their work ... "
And the authorities did everything to close the deserts again. Soon it was decided to remove the monks from the desert, and to transfer its buildings and inventory to the Sosnovsky Home for the Invalids. On July 14, 1961, the monastery was surrounded by the authorities in order to prevent pilgrims. The monks were taken to railway station, forbidding them to take even money with them. The Sosnovsky home for the disabled was subsequently transformed into a boarding house for psychochronics.
After the closing of the monastery, the monks continued their service to the Church and people, but already in different parts of the country.
Many exiles from the great Glinsk desert found refuge in the Iberian land. Among them were such keepers of the living tradition of eldership as Metropolitan Zinovy (Mazhuga), Schema-Archimandrite Andronik (Lukash), Schema-Archimandrite Seraphim (Romantsov).
“Pray to the Mother of God and read “Virgin Mary” as often as possible.
By the providence of God, after the first closing of the holy Glinsky monastery (1922), one of its monks came to Georgia - Zinoviy (Mazhuga). Here he earned great love and respect from the locals, primarily for his impeccable monastic life.
Once, when Metropolitan Zinovy arrived from Tbilisi to Sukhumi, the inhabitants of the Greek village of Georgievka invited the elder to visit their village and, having received his consent, arranged a holiday on the occasion of his arrival. People brought their children under the blessing of the lord. And the chairman of the village council of Georgievka even warned the elder about the danger of arrest. Then the old man was sheltered in her house alone Greek family risking their safety and even their lives. 
In Iveria, Vladyka Zinoviy came in handy with the craft that he had learned back in the Glinskaya Hermitage in a tailor's workshop, passing his obedience there. He sewed clothes for the poor residents of Georgievka for nothing, and people, seeing the kindness and righteousness of the elder, entrusted the salvation of their souls to his wise pastoral guidance.
Vladyka had great prayerful zeal for the Most Holy Theotokos. So, answering the question of one hieromonk about what needs to be done in order to remain faithful to Christ and how to endure trials if persecution of the Church begins again, Vladyka said: "Pray Mother of God and as often as possible read “Our Lady of the Virgin”. Whoever reads this prayer is kept Holy Mother of God...».
About the Jesus Prayer, he taught that one should not strive for high degrees and high concentration of thought, but one should, in the simplicity of the heart, pray to the living God, Who is close to us, like our soul. He also taught that the Jesus Prayer is instilled only in a humble heart. He advised me to use moments of solitude and disperse extraneous thoughts with the Jesus Prayer. The elder considered this kind of prayer higher than reading books.
Vladyka Zinovy was an ascetic in the world. So, having already become a metropolitan, he continued to live in two small rooms. The Jesus Prayer was his unceasing inner work, which did not stop even during conversations. He prayed mostly at night, and during the day he served the Church and people.
Around the church, he gathered monastics who performed various obediences, mostly singing and reading on the kliros.
Vladyka often gave secret alms to people. At the Liturgy, he took out many particles for those whom he knew and for whom they asked to pray. Every day he was present at all divine services, giving the people around him an example of Christian asceticism with his whole life.After the second closure of the Glinskaya Hermitage (1961), many of its inhabitants moved to Bishop Zinovy, who replaced the hegumen for them. Some of them stayed near the bishop in Tbilisi, at the Alexander Nevsky Church, where the elder served at that time. Some went to mountain hermitages. Others labored in the parishes. And Vladyka helped them all both spiritually and materially. The monks knew that Vladyka would not leave them and would always help and support them. Thus, many Glinsky monks remained in Georgia for the rest of their lives.
Here, on the holy land of Iveron, the elder died, staying with his flock, as the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II said, "... not only in spirit, but also in body ..."
Let not my mouth speak the deeds of men
In Tbilisi, in the house of Metropolitan Zinovy at the church of St. Alexander Nevsky, another Glinsky elder lived - Schema-Archimandrite Andronicus (Lukash). Here, shutting himself up in the house and going out only to the temple, he privately performed all the services according to the charter of the Glinsky monastery, and in breaks he read the Psalter. For a visible reminder of the main feats of spiritual life: prayer and inner silence, the elder placed two inscriptions under the glass. The first with the words of the Jesus Prayer, and the second with a verse from the psalm: Let not my mouth speak the deeds of men(Ps. 16:4). These inscriptions became the elder's testament to his spiritual children and a lesson for the visitors whom he nourished in the tradition of the Glinsky Monastery. The Jesus Prayer, which was protection, consolation, joy and a source of hope and strength for Father Andronicus, he also taught his spiritual children.
The elder was always cheerful in body and spirit. Spiritual joy always emanated from him, spreading to the people around him. Already here, on earth, he lived with his heart and mind in the eternal world, but when people came to Father Andronicus for advice, he did not reject those who came and held soul-saving conversations with them. The elder did not talk about worldly things, but tried to direct the mind of a person to inner life, to show that the main thing is not what is outside of us, but what is inside of us. Knowing that the judging person is subjected to the same passion that he saw in another person, Father Andronicus forbade anyone to condemn. Therefore, the elder bequeathed to his children: “Be blind, deaf and dumb,” meaning insensitivity to worldly passions and not condemning them in others. He also said: “Know yourself, and it will be with you,” that is, see your sins, repent of them and fight against what hinders prayer.
When they asked him about the spiritual life, he answered himself, and when the question concerned the Church, he sent the questioners to Bishop Zinovy.
Father Andronicus was merciful at Confession, he rarely gave penances, because he loved people very much. After his death, Patriarch David said the following on the elder’s grave: “ Father Andronicus, you loved all people and you had no enemies. Pray for us at the Throne of God."
External exploits of solitude and fasting are an aid to obedience, and not the foundation of monasticism.
Another prominent inhabitant of the Glinskaya Hermitage, who moved to Georgia after its closure - Schema-Archimandrite Seraphim (Romantsov). Having received a huge spiritual experience in the Glinsky monastery, he was able to transfer it to the Iberian land in the hearts of people striving for a truly Christian life. The elder chose the city of Sukhumi as his place of residence. main goal his arrival here, he called the spiritual nourishment of the hermits who lived in Lesser Svaneti, a few tens of kilometers from the city - in the mountains, in the forest.
Archimandrite Seraphim, being an experienced doer of the Jesus Prayer, considered obedience necessary condition for her. He taught that if a person acquires the skill of this prayer through hard work, but does not heal the soul by obedience and does not abandon his will, then the prayer will turn out not to be the sacred Jesus prayer that the holy fathers wrote about, but only words, because a proud mind cannot be combined with in the name of the humble Jesus. He also taught that in order to acquire the Jesus Prayer, one needs to struggle with the passions. He taught that prayer should not be divorced from life. He considered it useful to combine prayer with breathing. He also believed that the monks must necessarily perform the "five hundred".Father Seraphim, at the age of 70, often visited hermits, overcoming a long and difficult path. He invested in them his pastoral experience, prayer work, and, most importantly, his paternal love. And the hermits themselves came to their spiritual mentor at night, fearing trouble, provocations from the authorities, and the expulsion of the elder. He, like a child-loving father, always received his children, holding conversations with them, sometimes for whole nights. Those of the hermits who obeyed Father Seraphim as a mentor, unquestioningly fulfilling his blessings, followed an even path, were distinguished by spiritual prudence and a peaceful disposition of the spirit. The elder, in turn, helped them with his prayer. Those who lived arbitrarily, took on an unbearable feat without his blessing, fell into severe temptations.
He taught about the grace of God that without it a person is not able to overcome temptations and struggle with sin. Only the grace of God can curb sin and make a person victorious in the spiritual struggle. Therefore, the main task of the ascetic is the acquisition and preservation of grace. But grace works only in a humble heart. To acquire it, like air, obedience is necessary. Father Seraphim did not consider a monk without obedience a monk. He considered the external exploits of solitude and fasting to be an aid to obedience, and not the basis of monasticism.
The elder spoke about the temptation of modern monks, that they are looking for far-sighted elders, but they do not trust an experienced monk, that they demand miracles from the elders, like the Pharisees from Christ. For novice monks, he advised to study physical labor, tiring the body and being an antidote to carnal passions and exaltation.
The elder, being outwardly severe towards his children, was inwardly loving. He had the gift of penetrating human soul. He spoke about what a person needed, regarding his salvation. In his stories, he called people to repentance, without naming specific names, he warned against falling. Understanding the complexity of the situation, when the monks in the Iberian land lived outside the monastery, Father Seraphim was indulgent towards them at Confession. But this indulgence did not turn into indulgence of passions, and the elder demanded a fight against sin, and a determination not to repeat sins. He believed that monasticism in the world requires more obedience than in ordinary monastic life. And one of the signs of obedience he called the spiritual joy that a true novice always carries in his heart. Another sign of obedience is the pacification of thoughts and the surrender of oneself to the providence of God through one's elder.
At the beginning of his stay in Sukhumi, the elder went to Cathedral, where he received people for confession, and here numerous pilgrims of the Glinsky monastery reached out to him. At Confession, he solved spiritual issues, gave advice and instructions. Father Seraphim taught to see God's will in everything and to obey it. The soul of Archimandrite Seraphim was drawn to communion not with learned monks, whom he also respected, but with prayer books.
The elder gave great importance continuity of monastic life and even outside the monastery, including the charter of worship, daily Confession, revelation of thoughts. Often his spiritual friend, Schema-Archimandrite Andronik, came to him from Tbilisi. Both elders tried to preserve the unity of the Glinsky brotherhood, which was scattered throughout the country. And the Glinsky monks could always find shelter, guidance and consolation, both with Vladyka Zinovy, and with Father Andronicus and Father Seraphim.
The elders worked tirelessly for the glory of God, serving the Church of Christ and the people. Among the inhabitants of the Glinskaya Hermitage, as the book “Glinskaya Mosaic” says: “... there was no division into important and unimportant work, honorable and low, worthy of their rank and title or humiliating them. Where necessary, there they were in the first place, the elders. They knew how to do everything quickly, sensibly, silently, probably with prayer.” And this concern for each other, for each person, their sacrificial life was a light for people that awakened in people's souls an awareness of their sinfulness, a desire to purify themselves and change themselves in better side. The elders fulfilled the words of the Lord by the example of their whole lives: ... But let it not be so among you: but whoever wants to be great among you, let him be your servant; and whoever wants to be first among you, let him be your slave (Matthew 20:26-27).
Vitaly Lyakhovsky
On one of the quiet streets of old Tbilisi, there is a Russian Orthodox Church, consecrated in the name of the holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky. On the day of his memory, December 6 this year, the parish celebrates the 150th anniversary of the founding of the temple. We continue the story about the history of this church, where the last Glinsk elders found their refuge.
His Holiness Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II It is no coincidence that he named the Alexander Nevsky Church"branch" Glinskaya Hermitage, an ancient monastery founded in XVI century.
The Glinskaya Hermitage was closed more than once in atheistic times. This happened for the first time in the 1920s. The elders, for whom the monastery was famous, were saved in Georgia, which became their second homeland. In the Alexander Nevsky Church, the Glinsk elders served the Lord: Metropolitan Zinovy (Mazhuga), Seraphim in schema; Schema-Archimandrites Seraphim (Romantsov), Andronik (Lukash) and Vitaly (Sidorenko).
For almost four centuries, the Glinsk Monastery had a powerful impact on the spiritual life of all of Russia. Hermitage was famous for the severity of the truly ascetic charter and the height of the spiritual life of the inhabitants. The hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church considered the Glinsk hermitage to be a true school of monastic work,« school of Christ", and the elders -" decoration of monasticism». It was one of those rare monasteries in Russia in which the care of the elderly was approved by the charter. The biographies of only the most famous Glinsk ascetics make up the three-volume Glinsky Paterik. With their ascetic life and activity, the Glinsky Elders exerted a moral influence on all strata of Russian society. Numerous pilgrims from all over Russia rushed to them in order to strengthen their spiritual powers.
The godless times have come. In 1922 the monastery was closed for the first time. The elders escaped in the Caucasus, continuing to maintain close ties with the Glinsk hermitage, which was opened in 1942, but not for long, in 1961 it was again abolished.
Blessed Iberia, the first inheritance of the Mother of God, received the elders. Believers from Russia constantly came to them for spiritual support, and in Georgia they were affectionately called"grandfathers". Here, in Georgia, Orthodoxy has been carefully preserved. The authorities did not pay attention to the community of the Alexander Nevsky Church, and this was for the good.
Schema Elizabeth, the spiritual daughter of Schema-Archimandrite Vitaly, recalls:« It was 1975, I was 24 years old. Father Seraphim (Romantsov) blessed me to move to Georgia and serve in the Russian Alexander Nevsky Church. I was tonsured as a monk by Father Vitaly, who became my spiritual mentor.
Schema-Archimandrite Vitaly, an elder from Glin, having moved to Tbilisi, served in our church for 20 years. He was a miracle worker, who, by the grace of God, performed spiritual and physical healings, and maintained high spirituality in the monastery.
The Lord vouchsafed me to be at the last minutes of my life both Vladyka Zinovy and Father Vitaly. Father Vitaly in the last days of his life could not talk, but what strength was in him! He prayed fervently and gave himself completely to God. Believers constantly come to the graves of the elders and receive spiritual support.
I remember the terrible 90s, when there was no electricity, gas, and sometimes food in Tbilisi. At this time, the church supported people, gave not only physical food, but also spiritual food, helped them find a foothold and not fall into bitterness and despair. Our temple even today feeds the poor, for this a dining room is open.
Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov« Offering to monasticism» described the vanity of our time and how the enemy will take away love and faith from people. People will rush about and search unsuccessfully for the truth. And the truth is in faith, obedience, humility, trust in the will of God.
Many people come to our church, even those who do not know the Russian language. Somehow I see: a woman approached the grave of Father Vitaly and addresses him in Georgian. We started talking, and she said that the elder had called her and promised to help. What language do you speak, I ask? And I hear in response:“In Georgian! »
We must be able to understand and protect each other - this is the basis of love. Our temple is one and a half centuries old, and all this time prayers for peace and mutual understanding have been heard here.
My mentor passed away on December 1, 1992. The coffin with his body stood in the temple until December 6, the day of memory of the holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky. People walked and walked to bow to the deceased elder. And on that day, December 6, a miracle happened. When the permissive prayer sounded, Father Vitaly opened his hand and accepted the prayer. There is a video of this miracle. A few years before his death, the elder predicted this event:« For the prayer of my children, I will throw my hand out of the coffin».
I am happy that for 18 years I was the spiritual child of Father Vitaly during his lifetime. But even after the death of the elder, our spiritual connection was not interrupted. I always feel his prayer».
On the grave of Father Vitaly near the Alexander Nevsky Church in Tbilisi, there are always flowers as a token of gratitude ...
Tatiana EROKHINA,
especially for the newspaper"Blessing"
In the photo: Sheikhumene Elizabeth at the grave of Father Vitaly, Glinskaya Hermitage.
The Clay Hermitage… For centuries this monastery was for our compatriots the personification of the highest Christian asceticism and moral courage. Along with the Kiev-Pechersk and Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the Glinsk Hermitage served the general national spiritual and educational cause and was a kind of university for senile care in Russia. This monastery was distinguished by a particularly strict charter.
Two liturgies were celebrated here: an early one from half past six in the morning and a late one. According to the 12th chapter of the Glinsk Charter, an akathist was read four times a week: on Tuesday - to the Holy Great Martyr Barbara, on Thursday - to St. Nicholas, on Saturday - to the Most Holy Theotokos, on Sunday - to the Savior or the Mother of God in front of the miraculous icon.
During the services, all the benefactors of the monastery were commemorated. Eating and drinking after evening rule monks were not allowed. It was allowed to deviate from the rule only with the blessing of the elder, but after eating food, the monk served small compline with evening prayers. At half past one in the night, the monk got up for matins, which lasted until half past five in the morning and longer. Vespers began at four o'clock in the evening, supper was at five o'clock, and compline was at six. Only at seven or eight o'clock in the evening for most of the monks came free time which they could dispose of as they wished. Usually it was spent reading patristic books, fulfilling the cell rule, talking with the elder, etc. And at midnight they got up again to pray.
Here in 1957 Father Ippolit entered as a novice, where he worked in various monastic obediences.
The history of this desert had many sad pages. The monastery shared the fate of many churches in Russia. In 1922 the monastery was closed and for a long time remained in disrepair. It was opened only during the Great Patriotic War in 1942. All that remains of the monastery is heaps of garbage, fragments of plaster, brick, and roofing iron.
At the time when Father Ippolit (then novice Sergius) was ascetic in this monastery, the rector of the Glinskaya Hermitage was Schema-Archimandrite Seraphim (Amelin).
Father Seraphim gave a lot of strength to the restoration of the monastery. The rest of the inhabitants of the monastery also had to work hard. The whole burden of everyday cares fell on the monks and novices: the kitchen, the preparation of firewood, the repair of premises, etc. But prayer remained the main thing for the monks.
The Glinskaya Hermitage is only comparable to Optina in terms of the number of elders, in terms of the feats they accomplished here. Close contact with the elders shaped the character of the future father Ippolit, he learned from them all the best: humility, tireless prayer, diligence. I would like to tell about these wonderful ascetics, about prayer books of the Russian land. Father Seraphim (Amelin) is one of them.
The main evidence of the elder's extraordinary inner appearance was the blessed light that illuminated his face. He pointed to the spirituality that differed wonderful world and silence. Father Seraphim kept this silence, afraid to break it with anything. When communicating with Father Seraphim, one could joyfully remain silent, which is extremely rare with other people. In the silence of any corner, arranged by the cares of Father Seraphim, there was always the opportunity to pray, work, be silent and enjoy the light, feeling protected by the prayers of the elders. Everything external melted, went into oblivion. Schemaarchimandrite Seraphim (Amelin) was endowed with God's gift insight.
Spiritual father of Father Ippolit - Schema-Archimandrite Andronicus (Lukash), - was also a perspicacious elder, a great prayer book, distinguished by extraordinary meekness and humility. The elder gladly received everyone, teaching that by good deeds, obedience, in meekness and humility, they should fulfill the commandments of the Lord. Father Andronik said: “Live below the grass and quieter than the water - and you will be saved!” For him, all people were saints, he worried and prayed for everyone.
Father Andronik was born in the Poltava province on February 12, 1889 in a family of peasants, at baptism he was named Alexy. From childhood, the boy loved God so much that he was burdened by the vanity of this world. Mother often told her son about monasteries and ascetics, and from early childhood Alexei burned with love for monastic life. But, not daring to go against the will of his parents, the boy obeyed them in everything. At the end of school, his father arranged for him as a volost coachman. One day Alexei met a wanderer who, seeing the youth's attitude towards monastic life, told him about the monasteries of the Russian land, about their charters and customs. Alexei heard about the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Valaam, Sarov, Optina, Glinskaya and other holy monasteries. After some time, Alexey makes a firm decision to go to the monastery. Mother, having learned about the decision of her son, barely holding back tears, took off her little pectoral cross and blessed Alexei with it, secretly from her father.
In 1906, Alexei crossed the threshold of the Glinsky monastery for the first time. The new monk passed his obedience in the hotel, in the laundry, in the kitchen. Everywhere he showed himself to be a tireless worker, silent and humble. Three years later he was transferred to the Spaso-Iliodorov Skete, not far from the monastery. Life there was especially strict. And in such solitude, at the obedience of the cellar, the novice Alexy joined the ascetic life.
From here he was called to active service, which lasted three and a half years in Poland, after which Alexy immediately returned to his native monastery, where he carried out his obedience in the apiary. Some time later, the first World War. In 1915, together with other young monks of the Glinsk Hermitage, Alexy was mobilized. At the very first military operation, he was taken prisoner along with the remnants of the platoon, then sent to a camp, from which he was transported to Austria, where he stayed for three and a half years.
In the autumn of 1918, he was released and returned to the Glinsk monastery, where in 1921 he took monastic vows with the name Andronik. The years spent in the monastery left an indelible mark on Father Andronicus and contributed to his spiritual development. Here the beginning of a highly spiritual ascetic life was laid.
With the rising of the sun, he got up for obedience, which he performed diligently and with great zeal. And he spent the night in constant prayer with many kneeling. In food and drink he was abstained, from the property he kept only the most necessary: church and work clothes, a hard bed, on which he lay down for a short time of rest, without undressing. Subsequently, wherever he was, he always firmly fulfilled his monastic vows. His whole life was directed towards one goal - the salvation of his soul and the soul of his neighbor.
After the closure of the Glinskaya Hermitage, Bishop Pavlin (Kroshechkin) took monk Andronicus into his cell-room and in 1922 ordained him a hierodeacon. In 1923, Hierodeacon Andronik was exiled to Kolyma on charges of counter-revolutionary activities. In exile, Father Andronicus was a hospital attendant. He cared for the sick with sincere compassion and love, washing them himself. Everyone loved him, and the exiled Uzbeks even called him "mother."
Once, the deceased Bishop Irinarch (Sineokov-Andreevsky) was brought to the hospital.
“They brought him on a wagon, the wagon was short, his head was hanging… So thin, only bones…” Elder Andronik later recalled. He washed him and begged the doctor to give the bishop a large coffin for the burial, which had been in the hospital for several years, then he covered the coffin with a sheet, made an omophorion from a towel, put his hat on the bishop, put the rosary in his hands.
Father Andronik wrote to Bishop Pavlin that the Lord granted him to bury Vladyka Irinarkh. For this, in 1936, the Patriarchal Locum Tenens, His Beatitude Metropolitan Sergius, Hierodeacon Andronik was awarded a pectoral cross.
After some time, Father Andronik, together with Bishop Pavlin, moved to the city of Perm. In 1928, in Moscow, Hierodeacon Andronicus was ordained a hieromonk, against his will. In 1929, during his illness, Hieromonk Andronik assumed a great angelic image - a schema, with the same name - Andronik (in honor of St. Andronik of Moscow).
In 1939 Father Andronik was convicted a second time and exiled to Kolyma. For almost a year he was kept in prison, summoned for interrogations, threatened and cruelly tortured until he lost consciousness...
On September 28, 1948, Elder Andronik returned to the Glinsk Hermitage. His soul, cleansed by many sorrows, was overflowing with the grace-filled gifts of the Holy Spirit, and this spirit-bearingness attracted people to the elder. He fulfilled the commandment of love for enemies by deed and acquired in his heart greatest gift God's grace - Christian love for one's neighbor. Humility and meekness reigned supreme in his soul. The wise spiritual mentor father Andronicus, comforting others, unmistakably foresaw internal state man and showed him the surest path to salvation. His leadership was particularly gentle and kind. This attracted both the brethren and many pilgrims to the elder. Through his prayers, not only spiritual wounds were healed, but also bodily illnesses.
In 1955 Father Andronicus was elevated to the rank of shihigumen. After the closure of the Glinskaya Hermitage in 1961, Schemagumen Andronik labored in Tbilisi under the spiritual guidance of Metropolitan Zinovy (Mazhuga), who loved and revered the elder very much. In 1963, with the blessing of Patriarch Alexy I, the elder was elevated to the rank of archimandrite. Since 1963 Schema-Archimandrite Andronik served in the church of Alexander Nevsky in Tbilisi. In November 1973, he lost his speech and left-hand side body. The elder died quietly and peacefully on March 21, 1974. He was buried in Tbilisi, where many pilgrims still come to honor his memory.
Oral traditions store information about those who received and receive grace-filled help after the death of Elder Andronicus through his prayers.
In his youth, Father Ippolit came for a blessing to enter the Theological Seminary. The elders replied:
– Here you have a seminary and an academy.
- Father, you will die, who will be the elder after you? Father Ippolit once asked Elder Andronicus.
“Yes, you will be an old man,” Father Andronicus replied.
One day, the novice Sergius (Father Ippolit) fell seriously ill with lobar pneumonia. The disease worsened so much that medical intervention did not help, the condition worsened, and death was already expected. Elder Andronicus performed the sacrament of unction over the sick man, communed the novice and began to pray for him. On the third day, the novice Sergius got up completely healthy.
Father Andronik was reverent all his life, constantly feeling his prayerful support.
The ascetic sisters Anisia, Matrona and Agafia, who labored and died in the village of Yaltunovo in the Shatsk district of the Ryazan region, whose feat, according to the elder Schema-Archimandrite Vitaly (Sidorenko), was higher than monastic, loved and honored Schema-Archimandrites Seraphim (Amelin) and Andronik (Lukash). The sisters spoke of the Glinsk ascetics as great elders of our time.
The revolution in the Nativity of the Virgin of the Glinskaya Hermitage, located in the Sumy region, a few kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian border, destroyed almost everything. Schematropolitan Seraphim (Mazhuga), Schema-Archimandrites Andronik (Lukash), Seraphim (Romantsov) and Seraphim (Amelin) and other elders went through many trials: expulsion from the monastery, deprivation and ordeal in Soviet camps. But, despite all the difficulties, despite the numerous schisms in society and the Church, the Glinsk ascetics, by their behavior and service, set a personal example of how to live and pray correctly.
Road to the desert
The youth Zakharia Mazhuga, who many years later became Metropolitan Zinovy and two years before his death took the schema under the name Seraphim, after the death of his parents lived in the family of his cousin Paraskeva. At this time, he often secretly ran to the monastery and was already familiar with some of the inhabitants. Since the family in which he lived was poor, he was soon sent to study at a sewing workshop near the Glinskaya Pustyn. And in 1912, at the age of 16, he was enrolled in the Glinsk hermitage as a novice.
The young man Alexei Lukash, later Elder Andronik, first crossed the threshold of the Glinsk monastery in 1906. The brethren made a strong impression on him. Subsequently, he recalled: “I was overwhelmed with great joy, my spirit was alarmed, and with my mind I turned to the Queen of Heaven with sighs, asking me to be accepted into the number of monks equal to the angels, which She acquired for the unceasing glorification of Her Son. He gave the Mother of God a mysterious promise to serve Her, endure everything, endure until the end of his days, after which he felt joy in his heart and hope for Her mercy.
Little is known about Father Seraphim (Romantsov), who, out of his modesty, spoke little about himself: in holy baptism he received the name John, and after graduating from the parish school and the death of his parents in 1910, he also settled in the Glinskaya Hermitage.
Father Seraphim (in the world Simeon Amelin), who became the rector of the desert in 1943, comes from ordinary Kursk peasants. After the death of his mother, Simeon's father began to insist that he marry, but the young man strove for a spiritual achievement. In 1893, at the age of 19, he left home and entered the Glinskaya Pustyn. At first, the father was dissatisfied with this, but, having arrived at the monastery, he relented and said to his son: “Since you have become a monk, then live, do not leave here.”
They lived in the monastery according to the Athonite rule, and each newcomer was handed over to the God-wise elders, who were supposed to teach the newly arrived spiritual life. The novices, in turn, were obliged to be guided by the instructions of the elder.
The Monk Filaret (Danilevsky) (rector of the Glinsk Hermitage from 1817 to 1841), who wrote the charter of the hermitage and laid the foundations for its monastic life, believed that the spiritual revival of the monastery is possible only with complete trust in him as a pastor, who based all his instructions and advice on the gospel commandments and patristic experience. He introduced strict monastic rules: he removed from the monastery women who had previously looked after cattle, strictly ensured that the monks did not go to visit, did not talk idle, did not waste time in vain, did not acquire too much, were not fond of luxury items that sometimes fell into their everyday life from friends or relatives.
In the difficult years of general devastation, when the whole country was going through terrible persecution faith and the Church, the traditions and the school of the elders of the Glinsk Hermitage were not interrupted. From the very beginning of the First World War, Glinskaya Pustyn tried to actively help all the victims. The monastery sent monetary and material donations to the Red Cross, as well as books about holy ascetics, and strengthened the fighting spirit of the soldiers. All three future elders, except for Seraphim (Amelin), along with other novices of the Glinskaya Hermitage, were mobilized and fought. During the war Father Andronik was taken prisoner and sent to a camp in Austria. He returned to his native monastery only three and a half years after his release.
It turns out that all the elders not only entered the Glinsk Hermitage at about the same time, but also carried obediences together. In addition, all of them took monastic vows in the Glinskaya Hermitage after the revolution, but before its closure in 1922. Usually, at that difficult time, the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Nektary, before taking the vows, warned those wishing to live an equal angelic life that the monastery could be closed in the near future. “If anyone wants,” he said, “he can take the tonsure, and whoever is not ready for the upcoming trials can refuse.” But none of the young men refused.
Desert dwellers of the Caucasus mountains
After the closure of the Glinskaya Hermitage in 1922, Father Zinoviy (Mazhuga) and Father Seraphim (Romantsov) moved to blessed Iveria. They are taken to the Drandovsky Assumption Monastery near Sukhumi.
The Caucasus Mountains, like the Egyptian desert, have long served as a place of ascetic deeds of Christians who dedicated themselves to God. This region was consecrated by the apostolic preaching and the martyrdom of Christ's disciple, the holy Apostle Simon the Zealot, St. John Chrysostom and Martyr Basilisk. Years passed, centuries passed, but these mountains have always been a welcome refuge for those whose soul longed for solitary prayer. Not being able to openly confess their faith, monks and laity, striving to follow the commandments, left the cities for the mountains, where ascetics settled many centuries ago. Here the hermits equipped cells and, imitating their great predecessors, performed monastic work and fed the believers from the nearest villages and all those who came to them with faith.
But at that difficult time, the monks were not given rest even in the mountains. They were constantly raided, so the clergy were forced to leave their cells. In 1928 the Drandovo Monastery was closed. Soon many of the monks were arrested, among them were the Glinsk elders.
Confessors of the Faith
It is surprising that the paths of the Glinsk ascetics constantly crossed in different parts of the country. Father Zinovy was arrested in 1930 and kept for seven months in the Rostov distribution center, where he met with Father Seraphim (Romantsov) and other fathers of the Glinskaya Pustyn. Father Seraphim was sent to Tashkent, where they also wanted to send Father Zinovy. While in the isolation ward, Hieromonk Zinovy fell ill with malaria. They put him in the infirmary. One young doctor twice convened a council of doctors and proved to them that because of his illness, Father Zinovy could not be sent to Central Asia. He told his colleagues: “Do you need labor force or dead people in Tashkent? If Zinoviy Mazhuga goes there, death awaits him.” And so it happened, father Zinovy was sent to the Urals.
Father Andronik was serving a sentence since 1923, first in the Siberian Mariinsk, and then in the Urals. Once, a barely alive Bishop Irinarch (Sinkov) was brought to the camp, who soon died. Father Andronik at that time was a nurse and helped others as much as he could. Having tied a towel around his neck, on which he drew a cross with charcoal, which replaced the epitrachelion, he buried the deceased, buried his body in the ground, burying the archpastor in a separate coffin. For this, in 1936, the Deputy Patriarchal Locum Tenens, His Beatitude Metropolitan Sergius, father Andronik was awarded a pectoral cross.
Branch of the Glinskaya Hermitage
In the camp, Father Zinovy's health deteriorated greatly, and after his release in 1942, he went to Georgia for treatment, where his documents were stolen. By God's Providence, there he met the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Kallistrat, who allowed him to serve as a supernumerary priest at the Sioni Cathedral in Tbilisi from 1942 to 1944. All further service of Hieromonk Zinovy took place on the territory of Georgia.
When in 1942 the Glinsk Hermitage opened its doors again, the surviving elders returned to their native monastery. Among them were Father Seraphim (Amelin), who, after the closure of the Glinskaya Hermitage, lived in the village of Kovenki in the Kursk (and after 1938, in the Sumy) region and was engaged in carpentry and metalwork. In 1943, Hieroschemamonk Seraphim was approved as rector of the Glinsk Hermitage and elevated to the rank of igumen.
After the war, in 1947 and 1948, Father Andronik from Kolyma and Father Seraphim (Romantsov) from Tashkent returned to the desert. Hieromonk Zinovy was not destined to return to the Glinsk Hermitage. But later it turned out that after the second closure of the monastery in 1961, the Glinsk ascetics found shelter with Father Zinovy, who at that time became a bishop in Georgia. Only Father Seraphim (Amelin), who had died three years earlier, did not come to Tbilisi.
The Alexander Nevsky Church in Tbilisi has become a real "island of Russia". Vladyka Zinovy united everyone around him. The entire human flow, which used to go to the Sumy region, now went to the capital of Georgia. So many brethren, spiritual children and believers came to Vladyka that His Holiness Patriarch Elijah said: “Vladyka, you have a branch of the Glinsk Hermitage.”
Archpriest Mikhail Didenko, cleric of the Alexander Nevsky Church in Tbilisi, writes in his memoirs about the elders: “Three elders, but everyone has a different approach to people and business. Vladyka Zinovy stood out for his administrative position and his hierarchal authority. Father Andronicus is a slave to everyone. On his lips, like Seraphim of Sarov, my dear, my dear - Christ is Risen! He treated the repentant sinner with love and with great indulgence, gave all possible penance, and took everything upon himself. So he was in the monastery, in prison and outside the monastery. Elder Seraphim approached the penitent sinner more strictly, more demandingly. But the common people loved them all equally and repaid them with their love to each according to their dignity.
miracle workers
Like the ancient elders who labored in the Egyptian desert, the venerable Glinsk Fathers were awarded from God the gifts of wonderworking and insight into future events. They foresaw a lot in the fate of their spiritual children, warned them against possible troubles.
As a member of the Holy Synod of the Georgian Church1, Father Zinovy once participated in a meeting with the Primate of the Church of Alexandria. This was in the 1950s. The high delegation was accompanied by Bishop Pimen (later Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia). After the Liturgy in one of the Tbilisi churches, the delegations lined up for mutual greetings. Suddenly, Elder Zinovy approached the Primate of the Church of Alexandria and asked him to give way to him, and very insistently (later, Vladyka recalled that he acted at that moment against his will and understood the inappropriateness of his behavior). This was extremely surprising to everyone, but, given the situation, they did not begin to find out the reasons, but obeyed his demand. Some time after the persistent archimandrite had given way, an icon suddenly fell out of the upper row of the iconostasis and fell exactly on the head of Father Zinovy. The blow was so strong that the hood on the victim was completely torn. Elder Zinovy himself escaped with a slight fainting spell, without any complications. Eyewitnesses of this event were all present in the temple. The indignation and dissatisfaction of the guests with the archimandrite gave way to sincere respect and gratitude - everyone understood that thanks to Father Zinovy, big troubles had been avoided. None of those present doubted the miraculousness of what had happened. Vladyka himself said later that the Providence of God and the guardian angel through him secured the life of the head of the Alexandrian Church.
The Lord revealed in advance to the perspicacious elder the day of his death. Saint Zenobius, on the last night of his earthly life, said to his cell-attendant these words: "I'm leaving you tomorrow." The cell-attendant exclaimed in sorrow: “Vladyka, how can I be without you? I will die without you." Vladyka kindly consoled him: “I am leaving, but even there (pointing to the sky) I will pray for you.” This answer softened parting words the elder and cheered up his cell-attendant.
In all the recollections of people close to the elder, one can see not only the foresight of Bishop Zinovy, but also his love for his flock, his concern for every soul entrusted to him. For example, once, while in the village of Burdin, together with his cell-attendant Alexander, he said to him: “It would be nice if you also went along the spiritual line.” To which the cell attendant replied that he was very shy, and pastoral ministry required constant communication with people. Saint Zenobius answered: “You should go to the seminary. They teach it all there." In 1985, a few years after Vladyka's death, Alexander entered the Moscow Theological Seminary, was ordained a deacon by Archbishop Alexander (Timofeev), and next year His Holiness Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II in Sion Cathedral - as a priest. After graduating from the Moscow Theological Academy, he remained there as a teacher and assistant inspector. Now Archpriest Alexander Chesnokov is a clergyman of the Yekaterinodar and Kuban diocese.
Through the prayers of Elder Andronik (Lukash), many amazing things also happened in the Glinskaya Hermitage. For a long time it was hot, and Father Andronik began to gather everyone for a prayer service in the field. The pilgrims placed a list of the revered icon of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the field, and lit candles. Father Pavlin read litanies, father Andronicus asked the Lord for rain. He asked with the same words as in the Treasury: “Give rain to the thirsty land, Savior!” - with confidence turning to God, who is present nearby and cannot but hear and fulfill requests. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky. It would seem that there is no hope, but God heard the prayers of the afflicted and gave rain.
In the holy monastery, such an incident was also remembered. The image of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" was brought to the desert. The icon was cut with a knife. Father Andronik, seeing her, fell on his knees: “Forgive, Mistress, those who dared to do so!” No complaints, no indignation against the blasphemers of the shrine, no threats of God's judgment, but a prayer for those who have done iniquity.
Father Andronicus was distinguished by extraordinary meekness and humility. He revered the bishops as Christ Himself, and when the ruling bishops visited the Glinsky monastery, he served them himself: he brought food, heated the stoves, and wiped the floors.
Father Seraphim (Romantsov), appointed by the rector Father Seraphim (Amelin) as the confessor of the desert, tried in conversation not so much to speak himself as to answer questions. He taught to pray always, as soon as conditions permit. Receiving many people, he understood each one, gave advice on any issue, in accordance with the Holy Scriptures and the works of the holy fathers. Depending on the state of mind of each person, his living conditions, he individually imposed prayer rule. For some, he added akathists and canons to the daily obligatory prayers or advised to read the Psalter more often, while for others, on the contrary, he blessed to reduce morning and evening prayers to a minimum, but with the condition that during the day or on the way to work and back they find time and read everything else . Speaking about the great benefits of prayer at night, Father Seraphim at the same time warned not to abuse it and measure their strength. Father Seraphim did not give unbearable rules or difficult obediences, he correlated them with the abilities and capabilities of a person. He said that in the mountains of Abkhazia, instead of the five hundred, it was obligatory to read 30 rosaries: 20 - the Jesus Prayer and 10 - "Most Holy Mother of God, save us sinners."
The elders were very loved and revered. IN last years During his life Vladyka Zinovy often sat in his cell by the window. If the elder was not in place, then people, passing by, kissed the bars of his window.
Now the relics of Sts. Andronicus (Lukash) and Seraphim (Romantsov) have been transferred to the Glinsk Hermitage, and the relics of St. Schematropolitan Seraphim (Zinovy Mazhuga) rest in the Alexander Nevsky Church in Tbilisi. All these venerable fathers entered the Cathedral of the Glinsk Elders, but so far they are locally venerated saints. However, their spiritual children, who live not only in Ukraine, but throughout the world, very much hope that the general glorification of the elders will take place in the near future.
Zinovy Chesnokov
The Glinsk elders were canonized as saints in 2009 by the Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The date of memory is September 9 (September 22, New Style). On August 21, 2010, their solemn glorification took place in the Glinskaya Hermitage with a confluence of many pilgrims, clergy and laity. The rite of glorification was performed with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir of Kyiv and All Ukraine. Bishops and clergy of the Ukrainian, Russian and Georgian Churches were present.
Notes:
1 Archimandrite Zinovy was included in the Holy Synod of the Georgian Church at the suggestion of the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Melchizedek III (Pkhaladze) on June 11, 1952. See: Archive of the Georgian Patriarchate. Folder No. 365. Document No. 3999 (Personal file of Metropolitan Zinovy). L. 15.
2 Chesnokov A., arch. The Great Elder Hierarch Metropolitan Zinovy of Tetritskaro // Orthodox voice of the Kuban. 1995. No. 7 (55). S. 6.
“No matter how much you write about the elders, no matter how many books you publish, the secret will remain a secret,” experienced people say. True, one of the authors of the novelty of the book series “Ascetics of Piety of the 20th Century” was fortunate enough to spend many years in the very immediate vicinity of the now illustrious elder of the Glinskaya Hermitage, in schema, Seraphim, first as a subdeacon, and then as a cell attendant. Archpriest Alexander Chesnokov, who, in collaboration with his son Zinovy, named in memory of the illustrious metropolitan, wrote a book about his communication with the future saint and about the elders in general.
Father Alexander, you were personally acquainted with three now glorified Glinsky Elders: Metropolitan Zinovy (Mazhuga), Seraphim in schema, Schema-Archimandrite Andronik (Lukash), Schema-Archimandrite Seraphim (Romantsov). What did they have general qualities?
All prayer books, doers of the unceasing Jesus Prayer. They talk with you and sort out the rosary beads: smart prayer goes on constantly. You have to get to this point! Not everyone gets to talk and continue to pray in the heart through the mind at the same time.
What else is common? Kindness. Always tried to help themselves, without waiting for requests. Loving. And what was noticed: they went through a long, very difficult life, through exile, persecution, and various kinds of insults. But they never talked about it, only sometimes they told, more for edification, about cases from life in exile. Always in an act of love, and more good stories were told.
Here's what's interesting: having gone through exile, they retained love for God, love for their neighbor. No bitterness, no cruelty. We tried to remember only the good things about life in prison, and about Everyday life the way the Lord led them.
More honesty. Honesty to God, honesty to service is also a characteristic feature. Even far from the monastery, they served according to the monastic order, which did not burden anyone, because the grace of prayer that they carried was transferred to those around them. People tried to visit the elders as much as possible, both at divine services and simply by coming to them. They received gifts, became somehow blessed, as he said, the tonsure of Metropolitan Zinovy. He recalled that, even after a brief conversation with the elders, people already received grace-filled gifts that gave them strength for later life, for further overcoming obstacles and remained in memory for a long time. This happened because the elders later prayed for the one with whom they came into contact.
- Is His Holiness and Beatitude Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II a vows of Metropolitan Zinovy?
During the tonsure of the future patriarch, Vladyka Zinovy said in his welcoming speech: “I tonsured the future patriarch,” although His Beatitude Ilya was then still a seminarian. The Catholicos-Patriarch himself recalled this in our conversation at the meeting and said that he still feels heavenly help masters.
- His Beatitude Elijah also claimed that Metropolitan Zinovy set up a "branch" of the Glinskaya Hermitage in Tbilisi...
In 1961, the Glinsk Hermitage was finally closed, and the elders united around Bishop Zinovy. Three of them: Metropolitan Zinovy himself, Seraphim in schema, Schema-Archimandrite Andronik (Lukash), Schema-Archimandrite Seraphim (Romantsov) - in the future went to God with common glorification and together were canonized in 2009.
Vladyka Zinovy helped many people. He could, leaving the temple and seeing a standing monk, approach him with a blessing and quietly leave money for further living. And everyone knew that he supported everyone. The time was very difficult, one might say - theomachy, but everyone could find shelter in it. And later, already a bishop, a ruling bishop, he could ask the Georgian Patriarch for a lot of things: many were appointed to parishes, and they served in the Georgian Church. And there were indulgences in comparison with the Russian Church, although they were also authorized and so on.
“You knew Bishop Zinovy from childhood, didn’t you?”
My mother and I came to the church where Metropolitan Zinovy served. He noticed everyone, bestowed gifts on everyone. He always had in his pocket either a candy or a “ruble” - a coin of 50 kopecks, which he set aside and then distributed (then this money had a price). Naturally, the children, when they saw him, ran to get a gift. But there was no jealousy, because he gifted everyone equally.
At the service, we became closer during the reading of the Gospel, when he took off the miter and let one of the children hold it. There was even a little struggle among us here, because everyone wanted it. However, he himself indicated who to keep.
His cell was near the temple; there was a mesh on the window, a small hole was cut in it, and there was always consolation from the bishop, a gift: whether the neighbors came up or the kids ran up. When he was not at home, they even kissed the sashes of the window, receiving such a blessing from the elder himself. Through his prayers, many miraculous things happened.
- Why did Vladyka so generously seek to support everyone?
This is also a general tendency of all Glinsky elders: they are very generous. We tried to distribute to everyone according to the needs of everyone. Vladyka always said, even to me: “Be generous, do not be greedy, and the Lord will always send. The more you give, the more the Lord sends." He told how, for example, in the morning he gave material values, and by the evening they brought four times more: “Here, for your needs, distribute it yourself.”
I saw with my own eyes how Vladyka helped all the people who applied with requests, and some did not even apply, and he himself foresaw their needs.
Where did the elders draw their spiritual strength from?
Received at ordination. In the sacrament of the priesthood, the Lord gives such gifts of grace that if a person prays correctly, celebrates divine services correctly, celebrates the sacrament of the Eucharist correctly, then the Lord, the impoverishing Supplementary, replenishes those gifts.
The fathers, near whom we then took nourishment, are now canonized as saints: the Lord took them to heavenly abodes. They went through a difficult period of persecution, trials, and endured many things in life, and “he who endures to the end, he will be saved” (Matt. 10:22). So it happened with these elders, who never scolded anyone, neither their persecutors, nor their offenders, but in everything they relied on the will of God. If this happens, then this is the Providence of God. With such a mood, with such enthusiasm, of course, it is easier to live, it is easier to carry your cross, despite the difficulties that are encountered on life path.
Are there elders now?
And now there are elders. And now it's their turn, don't start. People need nourishment. Although sometimes, maybe an old man is not needed? Just turn to the priest with whom you are confessing, or pray well, turn to the first person you meet and you will receive an answer to your question. It is necessary that you yourself work hard, pray yourself, and already according to your inner state of heart, the Lord will give an answer. Exactly the same here. You will recognize an old man, you will not know - this is what your inner state and desire will be.
Even during the period of persecution, when churches collapsed, closed, many were in exile, even then souls striving for God, who wanted and looked for elders, found, came from all over the world, despite closed borders, when they did not let in or let out. I’m just not talking about the Union: they came from all over and took care of themselves, and there was no such thing that Bishop Zinovy did not accept someone. Someone with reasoning, someone with an explanation, they met everyone, and talked, and tried to feed them so that they would leave comforted. And others asked: “Where to? Where are the elders? What are the elders now ?!
When the Glinskaya Hermitage, which was closed in 1922, was briefly opened in 1942, many people came, including one woman who later left her memoirs. And the elders, besides the fact that they were engaged in spiritual nourishment, had to revive the deserts in a purely human way, they had to deal with economic affairs, they had to feed themselves and numerous pilgrims. And this woman stopped in the middle of the courtyard and inwardly asked - such a mental question was born: “Where can you find these elders ?!” Then the future Schema-Archimandrite Andronik (Lukash) runs past and suddenly says to her: “Books should be read.” Like this. Her question has already been answered. She didn't even have time to ask, but he was already answering.
A lot of literature is being published now. And in our book “The Feat of a Holy Life. Holy Elders of the Glinskaya Hermitage. XX century” contains a very rich spiritual material, because these are the memories of not one person, but a collection. Of course, this is a drop in the ocean of those who came, came, fed, found spiritual support. But this drop can also be a great consolation.
