Venerable Dionysius of Radonezh. Dionysius
Dionysius of Valaam, Martyr
Memorial Day is established by the Orthodox Church on February 20/March 5. In the 19th century, on Valaam, in a beautiful place called the Desert of Father Abbot Nazarius, one monk had a vision. He walked across the field, heading for the monastery. It was a warm sunny day, silence reigned all around. Suddenly, someone's singing broke the peace. People came out of the forest, they moved in two rows and sang a funeral song. Each had his hands folded on his chest, his fixed gaze was sad and bright. The monk saw that their clothes were stained with blood. He froze and could not move until the vision vanished into thin air. Then the monk realized that he saw 34 martyrs killed on Valaam during the attack of the Swedes. Among them was Saint Dionysius of Valaam. On February 20, 1578, the Swedes invaded the island and, pursuing Orthodox Christians, attacked the monastery. Dionysius of Valaam was a novice. The young man was just preparing to become a monk. Together with the other 15 novices and 18 elders, he was martyred by enemies. Since then, every year in the Valaam monastery, the Divine Liturgy for their "eternal rest" is served annually. Dionysius of Vatopedi, Martyr
Memorial Day was established by the Orthodox Church on July 31/August 13. Name. prmch. Dionysius was included in the calendar according to the definition of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church of August 21, 2007. The glorification was accomplished by the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The saint lived in the 19th century. Dionysius of Byzantium, martyr
Memorial Day was established by the Orthodox Church on June 3/16. The youth Dionysius suffered for renouncing the pagan faith and accepting Holy Baptism under the emperor Aurelian in the 3rd century. He was subjected to the most severe torment and executed. Dionysius Glushitsky, hegumen At baptism he was named Dmitry, he was born in 1362 in the Vologda region. Twenty-five years later he took monastic vows with the name Dionysius. He worked in various monasteries, restoring the desolation of the monastery and building new ones. Dionysius founded the Intercession Monastery on the Glushitsa River, whose temple was decorated with icons of his writing, and the Sosnovets Hermitage. In the monasteries under the priest Dionysius, a strict charter was observed, forbidding monks to own property. The days passed in labors, the saint painted icons, was engaged in woodcarving and forging. He always showed generosity to the beggars who came to the monastery. People went to Dionysius for simple advice and guidance. Although the monastery was male, women came to it. For them, Dionysius built a temple and founded a monastic convent. Dionysius of Ephesus Saint Dionysius of Ephesus was born in the 3rd century. His parents were noble people. When the son grew up, he entered the military service of the emperor Decius. There he found true friends: Maximilian, Iamblichus, Martinian, John, Exacustodian (Constantine) and Antoninus. The friendship was supported by the fact that all seven were Christians. Envious people reported their views to the emperor. Decius interrogated the young people, and they confirmed that they believed in Christ. The emperor deprived them of their military ranks, but let them go, confident that the young men would be frightened and change their minds. But Saint Dionysius and his friends hid in a cave and began to prepare for martyrdom. There, by order of Dionysius, they were walled up. Among the stones, someone left a tablet on which the names of seven young men were written. But they did not die, but fell asleep. Their sleep lasted 200 years until the entrance to the cave was dismantled. Saint Dionysius and his friends woke up. They were surprised that the persecution of Christians had stopped. The people from Ephesus listened to their story and were convinced of its authenticity when they read a tablet that had once been left. After talking with the locals, the seven youths of Ephesus fell asleep again and were left in the cave. Dionysius of Caesarea (Palestinian), martyr
The name of two martyrs who simultaneously suffered in Caesarea of Palestine under the emperor Diocletian around 303. For faith in Christ and refusal to sacrifice to pagan idols, they were tortured and executed. Dionysius of Caesarea (Palestinian), martyr (other)
Dionysius of Corinth, martyr
The name of two martyrs who suffered at the same time in the 3rd century. Both saints were disciples of the holy martyr Kodrat. St. Dionysius and other Corinthian martyrs received instructions in Christian teaching from their teacher, the martyr Codrates. Little is known about his life, and even less about the lives of his disciples. Tradition tells us that the martyr Kodrat spent all his childhood and youth in the desert. He was taught literacy, medical art and the truths of faith by Christians, whom he met as an adult. Qodrat loved his desert life very much and spent most of his time in the mountains, indulging in prayers and silence. Only occasionally did he descend to the nearest city - Corinth to help sick people, as he achieved great success in the art of medicine. Gradually, many residents of Corinth learned about the holy martyr and began to come to him in the mountains to listen to sermons about the Savior, to receive instructions in the Christian life, many became his followers. In the fifties of the third century, the years of the persecution of Christians, the holy martyr Kodrat was given over to torture, but the suffering did not break his faith; he firmly preached Christianity until his death. His disciples were also tortured. Someone earlier, someone later, but they all suffered for Christ. None of the disciples of Saint Kodrat renounced the Christian faith before the expected tortures and death. Dionysius of Corinth, martyr (other)
Memorial Day is established by the Orthodox Church on March 10/23. Dionysius of Lampsacus, martyr
Memorial Day was established by the Orthodox Church on May 18/31. It is known that the saint suffered for Christ in the 3rd century during the persecution of Christians under Emperor Decius. Together with the holy martyrs Paul, Andrew and Peter, he refused to sacrifice to pagan idols. All of them were tortured and given to be torn to pieces by a crowd of pagans. Dionysius of Perga (Pamphylian), martyr
Memorial Day was established by the Orthodox Church on April 21/May 4. The Holy Martyr Dionysius lived in the 2nd century, was a warrior and professed paganism. Lived in Perga Pamphylia. Once, when he served on the city wall with another warrior, Socrates, they witnessed a miracle and immediately believed in Christ. They saw how the wild horses, to which the holy martyr Theodore was tied, fell dead near the city wall, while the youth Theodore remained to live and a fiery chariot descended from heaven to him. The soldiers exclaimed loudly: "Great is the Christian God!" They were immediately seized and the next day they were tormented along with Theodore, but the Lord protected all three from torment, they remained unharmed and were put to death. Dionysius of the Caves, Wood chips, hieromonk, recluse
Memorial Day was established by the Orthodox Church on May 12/25. Saint Dionysius of Radonezh was born in 1570. He lived for 63 years, served as archimandrite. He honestly worked, survived prison imprisonment, where he ended up under a slander. Fully justified, he continued his charitable deeds. The Monk Dionysius of Radonezh went from a tonsure to the rector of the Staritsky Assumption Monastery and to Archimandrite of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. The first years of his service fell on difficult years: the Time of Troubles was going on and the war with the Polish-Lithuanian invaders. By the care of St. Dionysius, hospitals and houses were built, where they provided assistance to all the wounded and destitute. In 1616 Saint Dionysius began the most important work of his life. He began work on correcting the printed breviary. He discovered gross errors in him, but those people who made them accused the Reverend of heresy. So St. Dionysius of Radonezh was imprisoned, where they wanted to kill him by depriving him of food. Fortunately, Patriarch Filaret returned from Polish captivity, who freed the prisoner and restored his dignity. Saint Dionysius of Radonezh, until his last day, continued to work on correcting liturgical books. The monk was buried in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Dionysius of Suzdal, Archbishop The Holy Martyr Dionysius of Thrace lived in the 4th century and served in the army of Emperor Julian the Apostate and worshiped pagan gods. During the torture, Saint Barbara witnessed the miracle of the healing of mortal wounds on the body of the martyr. Together with his commander Bacchus and colleague Callimachus, he openly confessed the true God. All three were executed on the spot. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Venerable Dionysius of Radonezh, in the world David Zobninovsky, was born around 1570 in the city of Rzhev. A shearer, and then rector of the Staritsky Assumption Monastery, during the events of the Time of Troubles was the closest assistant to the Patriarch of Moscow. Since 1610, the Monk Dionysius has been Archimandrite of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Under him, houses and hospitals were opened in the monastery settlements for the suffering, wounded and homeless during the Polish-Lithuanian invasion. During the famine, at his insistence, the brethren of the Lavra ate oatmeal bread and water in order to save wheat and rye bread for the sick. In 1611-1612, together with the cellar of the Trinity-Sergius monastery, monk Avraamy Palitsyn († 1625), he wrote district letters with an appeal to send military men and money to liberate Moscow from the Poles, as well as to Prince Dimitry Pozharsky and to all military people with an appeal speed up the march to Moscow.
The monastic school helped the Monk Dionysius, in the most difficult circumstances of hard times, to keep unquenchable his inner light of the commandments of Christ. The high level of monastic achievement, achieved by the monk through unceasing prayer, also gave him the gift of miracles. But he carefully kept the secrets of spiritual life from people to whom this knowledge could only harm. “Do not ask a monk about monastic affairs,” said St. Dionysius, “because it is a great misfortune for us monks to reveal secrets to the laity. so that our deeds may be unknown, so that by this the devil does not lead us into all negligence and laziness. The deep inner trials and the mysteries of the knowledge of God he comprehended can only be judged by those deeds that manifested themselves when circumstances forced the Monk Dionysius to vigorous activity.
One of such significant events was his involvement in the correction of liturgical books. Since 1616, the Monk Dionysius led the work of correcting the printed Breviary on the basis of a comparison of ancient Slavic manuscripts and various Greek editions. During the work, the spravochnikov found significant discrepancies in other books published during the interpatriarchal period (1612-1619). However, at the Council of 1618, the people responsible for these omissions accused the Monk Dionysius of heresy. Deprived of the right to serve as a priest and excommunicated from the Church, he was imprisoned in the Novospassky Monastery, where they wanted to starve him to death. Intervention in 1619 by Patriarch Theophan IV of Jerusalem (1608-1644) and Patriarch Filaret (1619-1633) who had returned from Polish captivity ended his imprisonment, and he was acquitted. The Monk Dionysius is known for his strict observance of the monastic rules, for his personal participation with the brethren in monastic work, and for organizing the monastery after the siege of the Lavra. The life and canon of the monk were written by the cellar of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery Simon Azaryin and supplemented by the priest John Nasedka, a collaborator of the Monk Dionysius in the work of correcting the Liturgical books. The Monk Dionysius reposed on May 12, 1633 and was buried in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
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Moscow. 1950-70.Rev. Dionysius of Radonezh. Nun Juliana (Sokolova). Icon. Sergiev Posad. 1950-70s. Sacristy of the Trinity - Sergius Lavra. |
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The author focuses on the life and work of the great ascetic of piety, St. Dionysius of Radonezh, as well as the cultural memory of him, preserved in Russia and passed on to posterity. For readers interested in the history and culture of Russia and the Tver land.
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The following excerpt from the book Venerable Dionysius of Radonezh in Russian history and culture (Marina Voloskova) provided by our book partner - the company LitRes.
Ascetics of piety - from St. Sergius of Radonezh
to St. Dionysius of Radonezh
§one. Predecessors of St. Dionysius of Radonezh
The great Russian land has always been famous for the ascetics of piety, who left a significant mark on the history and culture of our state. These are St. Sergius of Radonezh, Joseph of Volotsky, Tryphon of Pechenga, the saints of the Russian land Guriy, Herman and Barsanuphius, the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Job, St. Dionysius of Radonezh and many others. Knowing Russian history, it is easy to see that most of these names are associated with the Tver land.
And the path of spiritual asceticism began with St. Sergius of Radonezh. St. Sergius of Radonezh (in the world Bartholomew, May 3, 1314 - September 25, 1392) is considered one of the most revered saints from the time of Ancient Russia to the present. He founded several monasteries, and first of all the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, popularly referred to as the “abbot of the Russian land”1.
Sergius of Radonezh lived in an era when Russia was under the Mongol-Tatar yoke and fought for its independence from the Horde. “Sergius himself never took up a sword, but with his word he inspired the soldiers to victory”2.
During the Mamai invasion of Russia in 1380, Sergius of Radonezh blessed Prince Dmitry Donskoy for the Battle of Kulikovo and sent the monks Peresvet and Oslyabya with him. By this he showed that the Church, together with its people, is fighting on the Kulikovo field. The victory over Mamai on the Kulikovo field significantly strengthened the Moscow principality.
The biographer of St. Sergius of Radonezh, Epiphanius the Wise, reports that the future ascetic of the Russian land was born in the village of Varnitsy (near Rostov) in the family of the boyar Kirill, a servant of the Rostov appanage princes, and his wife Maria.
The Russian Church traditionally considers his birthday on May 3, 1314. At the age of 10, young Bartholomew was sent to study literacy in a church school along with his brothers: the eldest, Stefan, and the youngest, Peter. Unlike his brothers, who were successful in studies, Bartholomew was significantly behind in learning. The teacher scolded him, his parents were upset and admonished, he himself prayed with tears, but his studies did not move forward. And then an event happened, about which all the biographies of Sergius report. On the instructions of his father, Bartholomew went to the field to look for horses. During the search, he went out into the clearing and saw under the oak an old hermit, “holy and wonderful, with the dignity of a presbyter, handsome and like an angel, who stood in the field under the oak and prayed earnestly, with tears.” Seeing him, Bartholomew first bowed humbly, then approached and stood close, waiting for him to finish the prayer. The elder, seeing the boy, turned to him: “What are you looking for and what do you want, child?” Bowing to the earth, with deep spiritual emotion, he told him his grief and asked the elder to pray that God would help him overcome the letter. After praying, the elder took out the reliquary from his bosom and took a particle of prosphora from it, blessed it and ordered it to be eaten, saying: “That is given to you as a sign of God’s grace and understanding of the Holy Scriptures.<…>about literacy, child, do not grieve: know that from now on the Lord will grant you a good knowledge of literacy, more than that of your brothers and peers. After that, the elder wanted to leave, but Bartholomew begged him to visit his parents' house. At the meal, the parents of Bartholomew told the elder many signs that accompanied the birth of their son, and he said: “A sign of the truth of my words will be for you that after my departure, the lad will know the letter well and understand the sacred books. And here is the second sign and prediction for you - the lad will be great before God and people for his virtuous life. Having said this, the elder was about to leave and finally said: “Your son will be the abode of the Holy Trinity and will lead many after him to an understanding of the Divine commandments.”
Around 1328, the greatly impoverished family of Bartholomew was forced to move to the city of Radonezh. After the marriage of the eldest son Stephen, the aged parents took the schema to the Khotkovo-Pokrovsky monastery. After the death of his parents, Bartholomew himself went to the Khotkovo-Pokrovsky Monastery. Striving for "the strictest monasticism", for desert living, he did not stay here for long and, having convinced Stefan, together with him founded the desert on the banks of the Konchura River, on Makovets Hill, in the middle of the deaf Radonezh forest, where he built (about 1335) a small wooden church in the name of the Holy Trinity, on the site of which now stands the cathedral church also in the name of the Holy Trinity.
Unable to withstand a too harsh and ascetic lifestyle, Stefan soon left for the Moscow Epiphany Monastery, where he later became abbot. Bartholomew, left all alone, called on hegumen Mitrofan and received tonsure from him under the name of Sergius, since on that day the memory of the martyrs Sergius and Bacchus was celebrated.
After two or three years, monks began to flock to him; a monastery was formed, which in 1345 took shape as the Trinity-Sergius Monastery (later the Trinity-Sergius Lavra), and Sergius was its second abbot (the first was Mitrofan) and presbyter, who set an example for everyone with his humility and diligence. Forbidding accepting alms, Sergius made it a rule that all monks should live from their labor, himself setting an example for them in this. Gradually his fame grew; everyone began to turn to the monastery, from peasants to princes; many settled in the neighborhood with her, donated their property to her. At first, suffering extreme need in everything necessary, the desert turned into a rich monastery. The glory of Sergius even reached Constantinople: the Ecumenical Patriarch Philotheus sent him with a special embassy a cross, a paraman, a schema and a letter, in which he praised him for his virtuous life and gave advice to introduce kinovia (strict community life) in the monastery. On this advice, and with the blessing of Metropolitan Alexei, Sergius introduced the communal rule in the monastery, which was later adopted in many Russian monasteries. Highly respecting the Radonezh abbot, Metropolitan Alexei, before his death, persuaded him to be his successor, but Sergius resolutely refused.
Sergius, with quiet and meek words, could act on the most hardened and hardened hearts, very often reconciled the warring princes, persuading them to obey the Grand Duke of Moscow (for example, the Rostov prince - in 1356, Nizhny Novgorod - in 1365, Ryazan Oleg, etc. .), thanks to which, by the time of the Battle of Kulikovo, almost all Russian princes recognized the supremacy of Dmitry Ioannovich. According to the version of life, going to this battle, he, accompanied by princes, boyars and governor, went to Sergius to pray with him and receive a blessing from him.
In 1382, when the army of Tokhtamysh approached Moscow, Sergius left his monastery and went to defend Prince Mikhail Alexandrovich of Tver.
After the Battle of Kulikovo, the Grand Duke began to treat the Abbot of Radonezh with even greater reverence and invited him in 1389 to seal a spiritual testament legitimizing the new order of succession to the throne from father to eldest son.
In addition to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, Sergius founded several more monasteries (Blagoveshchensky on Kirzhach, Staro-Golutvin near Kolomna, Vysotsky Monastery, Georgievsky on Klyazma), he appointed his disciples to all these monasteries. More than forty monasteries were founded by his disciples: Savva (Savva-Storozhevsky near Zvenigorod), Ferapont (Ferapontov), Kirill (Kirillo-Belozersky), Sylvester (Voskresensky Obnorsky) and others, as well as his spiritual interlocutors, such as Stefan of Perm.
According to his life, Sergius of Radonezh performed many miracles. People came to him from different cities for healing, and sometimes even just to see him. According to the life, he once resurrected a boy who died in his father's arms when he carried the child to the saint for healing.
Having reached a ripe old age, Sergius, having foreseen his death in half a year, called the brethren to him and blessed his disciple, Reverend Nikon, who was experienced in spiritual life and obedience, to be abbess. On the eve of his death, the Monk Sergius called the brethren for the last time and addressed with the words of the testament: “Pay attention to yourself, brethren. First have the fear of God, purity of soul and unfeigned love…”4
On September 25, 1392, Sergius died, and 30 years later, on July 18, 1422, his relics were found incorrupt, as evidenced by Pachomius Logofet; July 18 is one of the saint's commemoration days.
The veneration of Sergius of Radonezh arose before the formal rules for the canonization of saints appeared. Church historian E. E. Golubinsky does not give unequivocal reports about the beginning of his veneration5. In his opinion, the general church veneration of Sergius of Radonezh became one of the actions of Metropolitan Jonah.
Currently, the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh rest in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
The most famous source of information about him, as well as a remarkable monument of ancient Russian literature, is the legendary Life of Sergius, written in 1417-1418 by his student Epiphanius the Wise, and in the middle of the 15th century significantly revised and supplemented by Pachomius Logothetes.
In the Tver diocese in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh, as we calculated from church reference books, 74 altars were consecrated in churches, churches were built and consecrated in the following settlements:
Tver (1780),
linear Sergiev Hermitage of the Bezhetsk region (1829),
With. Pestovo Forest District (1881),
With. Gubino, Kalyazinsky district (1793),
Kashin (1803),
With. Filippovo, Kimry region (1898),
With. New Eltsy, Ostashkovsky District (1867),
With. Sergievskoye, Kalininsky district (1767)
In addition, in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh, chapels were consecrated in the following districts of the Tver region:
linear Sergiev Hermitage of the Bezhetsk region (1869),
linear Sergiev Hermitage of the Bezhetsk region (1881),
linear Lutes of the Bezhetsk region,
the village of Negachevo, Rameshkovsky district (1892),
the village of Suslovo, Vesyegonsky district (1862),
village Bolshaya Kamenka, Sandovsky district (1859),
village Lvovskoye, Sandovsky district (1891),
village of Nakhodno, Vyshnevolotsky district,
Vyazmikha, Vyshnevolotsky district,
village of Sergino, Udomelsky district,
village of Manuylovo, Vyshnevolotsky district,
village of Glebtsevo, Vyshnevolotsky district,
village of Obukhovo, Spirovskiy district,
village of Starikovo, Konakovsky district (1893),
Gorki, Kesovogorsky district6.
The Monk Joseph Volotsky (in the world Ivan Sanin; November 14, 1439/1440 - September 9, 1515), a native of a noble family, in 1479, 20 kilometers from the city of Volokolamsk, founded the Assumption Monastery. Later, the monastery began to be called Joseph-Volokolamsk or Joseph-Volotsk. He was the first in the family to take the tonsure, but later all three of his brothers and father became monks. From the age of eight, he learned to read and write with the elder Arseny in the Volotsk Holy Cross Monastery. Around 1459, together with a friend from the same class, Boris Kutuzov, they decided to become monks.
Ivan Sanin first went to the Savvin Monastery in the city of Tver, but soon moved to the city of Borovsk to the monastery of Pafnutiy Borovsky. In 1477, dying, Paphnutius appointed Joseph as his successor. Appointed abbot of the monastery, he tried to introduce a strict cenobitic charter, but met with a strong rebuff from the monks. Then Joseph founded in 1479 in his homeland, in the possession of the Volotsk prince, 20 km from the city of Volokolamsk, the Joseph-Volokolamsk monastery. The monastery, led by Joseph, was distinguished by a special strictness of behavior. Joseph died on September 9, 1515.
Joseph Volotsky became famous as a talented church writer. He wrote the book "Illuminator" and several messages. The authority of Joseph, his writings created a special spiritual trend, from which came out outstanding missionaries, publicists, preachers, church hierarchs. In the second half of the XVI century. representatives of this church movement began to be called "Josephites".
In 1579, Joseph Volotsky was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church as a saint. The relics and chains of St. Joseph are kept in the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos of the Joseph-Volotsky Monastery. On June 14, 2009, a bronze monument to St. Joseph of Volotsky7 was erected next to the monastery.
In the name of the Monk Joseph Volotsky, 6 thrones were consecrated in the temples of the Tver region. In addition, in the village of Sakharovo near Tver, on the estate of Field Marshal I.V. Gurko, in 1902 a church was consecrated in the name of St. Joseph Volotsky.
The Monk Tryphon of Pechenga (in the world Mitrofan; 1495 - December 15, 1583) came from a family of a clergyman from the city of Torzhok. In 1775 the Novgorod city of Torzhok became a county town of the Tver province. From an early age, Mitrofan was "a good faster, meek, merciful." Having once heard a voice commanding him to go "to a deserted, thirsty land, where no one has yet walked", Mitrofan is poisoned with Christ's sermon to the pagan Lapps, whose life he knew from the stories of the fishermen.
Arriving on the Kola Peninsula, on the Pechenga River, to the Lapps, he studied their language and customs and began to preach the faith of Christ to them. For many years the future saint labored zealously, enduring hardships, persecution and beatings, but even under pain of death he did not depart from his apostolic service. Apparently, then he took the tonsure with the name Tryphon.
Gradually, by his wise and meek word, many pagans turned to Christ. In 1532, Tryphon built a temple and founded a monastery under him in the name of the Holy Trinity. Tryphon endured many difficulties in setting up a monastery in a wild country.
Once Tryphon, having kneaded the dough, left his cell. At this time, a big bear came in and, knocking over the sourdough, began to eat the prepared dough. Having forbidden the beast to move in the name of God and having punished it, the ascetic released the beast. Since then, neither bears nor wolves have attacked the monastery herd of deer.
Another time, Tryphon bought hand millstones for monastic needs in the city of Kolya. The path was long and tiring: it was about 150 miles to the Pechenga Monastery. All the way, the saint himself carried the millstone, and at the request of the disciples to hand over his burden to them, he answered: “It is better for me to hang a mill stone around my neck than to embarrass the brethren with my idleness.”
Showing an example of humility, the monk evaded the position of abbess, appointing his disciple as rector.
During the years of crop failure, the saint, with several monks, went to the Novgorod lands, asking for alms and sending what he collected to the monastery. Having reached old age, Tryphon rested on December 15, 1583 at the age of 88 years9. In the Russian Orthodox Church, the Monk Tryphon is revered as an intercessor and helper for those traveling on the seas.
Kazan saints Guriy (in the world Grigory Grigorievich Rugotin, c. 1500 - December 5, 1563), Herman (in the world Grigory Fedorovich Sadyrev-Polev, 1505 - November 6, 1567) and Barsanuphius of Tverskoy (in the world Ivan Vasilievich, c. 1495 - April 11, 1576) are the first bishops of the Orthodox diocese in Kazan. It is noteworthy that these three saints are associated with the Tver region. Herman was born in Staritsa, Guriy ruled the Trinity Selizharov Monastery for about a year, Varsonofy from 1567 to 1570. Bishop of Tver and Kashinsky.
The future Saint Guriy of Kazan, in the world Gregory, was born in the city of Radonezh near Moscow into a noble family. His parents were not rich, so from a young age he had to serve with Prince Ivan Penkov as the manager of the estate. From his youth, Gregory was pious, kind, humble.
He did not want to marry. Slandered before the prince in a criminal connection with his wife, Gregory was imprisoned in a dungeon. This seriously damaged his health, but strengthened and deepened his faith. In the dungeon, the prisoner wrote small books to teach children to read and write. He distributed the money for the proceeds of the alphabet to the poor.
Coming out of the dungeon, Gregory took the tonsure with the name Gury in the Joseph-Volokolamsk monastery. In 1543 he was elected hegumen of this monastery by the monks and ruled it for about nine years, and then left the abbess and lived for two years as a simple monk. Before the bishopric, Gury ruled the Trinity Selizharov Monastery in the Tver diocese for one year.
He was elected to the Kazan cathedra by lot, and on February 3, 1555, he was ordained archbishop of the new Kazan diocese. Supported by Bishop Barsanuphius, Gury contributed a lot to missionary activity. During the eight years of his hierarchship, four monasteries were built, the Annunciation Cathedral and more than ten city churches were built.
In 1561, Archbishop Gury fell seriously ill. On holidays, he was brought to church, and he sat or lay there, unable to walk or stand. Shortly before his death, he received the great schema from Bishop Barsanuphius. He died on December 5, 1563 and was buried in the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery10.
The future Saint Herman, in the world Gregory, was born in the city of Staritsa, Tver Region. Descended from the nobility. In his youth, Gregory took the tonsure with the name Herman in the Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery from Abbot Guria. In the monastery, Iknok Herman was engaged in book writing, he was acquainted with Maxim the Greek.
In 1551, the brethren of the Staritsky Assumption Monastery, having learned about the piety of their compatriot, elected him archimandrite. At their request, Herman accepted from the Bishop of Tver, Akaki, ordination to the priesthood and was elevated to the rank of archimandrite.
Having taken over the management of the monastery, Archimandrite German, with pastoral zeal, took care of its improvement, both external and internal. For the monks, he was a model of humility and meekness. He exhorted everyone to strictly observe monastic duties, and for guidance he introduced in his monastery the charter of the Monk Joseph Volotsky.
But two and a half years later, Archimandrite Herman left the Staritsky Monastery, handing over the leadership in it to his tonsure, the holy monk Job, later the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. Love for solitary deeds brought him back to his native Volokolamsk monastery, where Archimnadrite Herman was saved as a simple monk. When a new heretic Matvey Bashkin appeared in Moscow, who did not recognize the Holy Mysteries and denied faith in the Holy Trinity, Archimandrite Herman, together with his father (who had taken tonsure in the Volokolamsk monastery with the name Philotheus) was summoned to the Moscow Cathedral of 1553. The council condemned the heretic Bashkin and decided to send him for admonition to the Volokolamsk monastery to Saint Herman, a zealot of the Christian faith known for his holy life.
In 1555, after the conquest of Kazan, an episcopal chair was established there, to which the former abbot of the Volokolamsk monastery Guriy was appointed archbishop. He was instructed to arrange the Assumption Monastery in the city of Sviyazhsk. Herman was appointed rector of the new monastery of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos in Sviyazhsk at the direction of Archbishop Guria. A stone cathedral with a bell tower and monastic cells was built. The abbot himself lived very modestly, in a cramped cell under the cathedral bell tower. St. Herman was especially concerned about the collection of the monastery library. Soon his monastery became famous for its wide charity and became the center of education in the Kazan region.
On March 12, 1564, after the repose of Archbishop Guria, Herman was consecrated Bishop of Kazan. The short time of his management of the department was marked by concern for the construction of temples and the enlightenment of the region.
In 1566 St. Herman was summoned to Moscow by Ivan the Terrible and commanded that he be elected to the Moscow metropolitan see. Archbishop German at first refused the burden placed on him. The king did not tolerate objections, and he had to settle in the metropolitan chambers before being elevated to the rank of metropolitan.
At this time, talking with John the Terrible in private, he wanted to test his heart: he began to talk to him, as the primate should, about sins and Christian repentance, quietly, modestly, but with some strength. He mentioned death, the terrible judgment, the eternal torment of the evil ones. John fell into thought, left him with a gloomy face, recounted the speeches of the archbishop to his favorites and asked what they thought? Alexei Basmanov replied: “We think, sir, that Herman wants to be the second Silverst: he terrifies your imagination and hypocrisy, in the hope of taking possession of you, but save us and yourself from such an archpastor.” “You have not yet been elevated to the metropolis, and you are already taking away my freedom,” the tsar conveyed to the archbishop through his favorites and ordered that St. Herman be expelled from the metropolitan court and kept in Moscow under supervision. Philip (Kolychev) was elected Metropolitan of Moscow.
The archbishop spent about two years in disgrace. He alone raised a sincere voice for St. Philip when the tsar demanded his condemnation. November 6, 1567 died. He was buried in the church in the name of Nikola Gostunsky11.
The future Saint Barsanuphius of Tver, in the world Ivan was born in the city of Serpukhov in the family of a priest. In 1512 he was captured by the Crimean Tatars and sold into slavery. Three years later he was bought by his father, during his life in the Crimea he studied the Tatar language. Having been released, by vow, he came to the Andronikov Monastery in Moscow and received monastic tonsure with the name Barsanuphius. In the monastery, Varsonofy became famous for his virtuous life, and in 1544 Metropolitan Macarius was appointed hegumen of the St. Nicholas Pesnoshsky Monastery. In 1553, Tsar Ivan IV visited the monastery and drew attention to the talented abbot, who knew the Tatar language. In 1555, the Kazan diocese was formed and, at the direction of Tsar Varsonofy, he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite and, together with Gury and German, was sent to set up a new diocese.
In Kazan, in 1557, the Transfiguration Monastery of the Savior was founded and Varsonofy consecrated the first temple in it - a stone church in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, and later the Transfiguration Cathedral of the monastery. By 1565, the number of inhabitants of the monastery reached 100 people. Varsonofy, knowing the Tatar language and the customs of this people, conducted missionary activities. He secretly wore chains and was revered as able to heal bodily ailments, which attracted many local residents who, after his preaching, converted to Christianity. In 1563, the first Kazan bishop Guriy died, Varsonofy performed his funeral, and Herman was elected a new bishop.
In 1567, after the death of Bishop Akakiy Varsonofy of Tver, he was ordained Bishop of Tver and Kashinsky by Metropolitan Philip in Moscow. During the period of his bishopric, Barsanuphius continued the life of an ascetic, prayed at night, sewed hoods. In 1570 he returned to Kazan and settled at rest in the Transfiguration Monastery of the Savior. He died on April 11, 1576 and was buried by Archbishop Tikhon next to Archbishop Gury at the altar of the Transfiguration Cathedral of the monastery12.
Saints Guriy and Barsanuphius were canonized by decree of the first Russian Patriarch Job. Their first biography was compiled by Patriarch Hermogenes. Since 1630, the relics of St. Gury have been in the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos in Kazan.
The relics of St. Herman were found in 1595. They were located in the Sviyazhsky Bogoroditsky Monastery. In 1923, the shrine with the relics of St. Herman was opened, and after the monastery was closed in 1925, the relics disappeared. In 2000, a particle of the relics of St. Herman was found, which was hidden in the ark under the throne of the cemetery church of the Yaroslavl Wonderworkers, where it was transferred in 1929 from the abolished John the Baptist Monastery. It was divided into two parts for the Sviyazhsky and John the Baptist monasteries.
Until 1918 the relics of St. Barsanuphius were in the Transfiguration Cathedral in Kazan, and then they were transferred to the Kazan Bogoroditsky Monastery, which was closed in 1929. Since that time, the location of the relics of St. Barsanuphius is unknown. Details of his shrine have been preserved in the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan.
Saint Job (in the world Ivan, c. 1525 - June 29, 1607), the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. The Time of Troubles fell on the period of his patriarchate. After the death of Boris Godunov and the victory of False Dmitry I, Patriarch Job was arrested during a service in the Dormition Cathedral of the Kremlin and sent into exile to the Holy Dormition Monastery in his native town of Staritsa, where he died in 1607.
End of introductory segment.
He was born in the city of Rzhev and was a contemporary of the first Russian Patriarch Job. The boy was left an orphan early and was educated in a monastery, after which he was tonsured. Soon he was appointed rector of the Staritsky Assumption Monastery. Hierarch Job was exiled here as an impostor. He was met here by the Monk Dionysius, as befits a hierarchal dignity.
In 1610, Archimandrite Dionysius was elected rector of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. At that time, the country was in turmoil. Lavra was under siege. The Monk Dionysius organized the defense of the monastery. He became a co-author of an appeal to the Russian people, which stirred up the liberation movement.
The monk was also engaged in correcting liturgical books. But the enemies accused Saint Dionysius of distorting the translations. After being slandered, he was arrested and tortured. The saint endured all bullying with humility. It became possible to reconsider the sentence for St. Dionysius only after the return of Patriarch Philaret from captivity. The saint was completely acquitted. In 1633 he peacefully reposed in the Lord.
Oleg SELEDTSOV
To the 450th anniversary of the birth and
410th anniversary of delivery
archimandrite
Holy Trinity-Sergius Lavra
Today I want to talk about a wonderful Russian saint, unfortunately, undeservedly forgotten in our country. This is the spiritual heir of our father, St. Sergius of Radonezh, the miracle worker. They lived in different eras. One two hundred years after the other, but both played an outstanding role in the salvation of Russia, in the collection of Russian lands. My story is about one of the abbots of the Lavra, St. Dionysius of Radonezh.
When you arrive at the monastery, you will see that the heart of the monastery is the ancient golden-domed Trinity Cathedral. It is low and, perhaps, cramped for a huge endless stream of pilgrims. Next to it are the tall and spacious Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin and a tall baroque candle-bell tower. And how many pilgrims can accommodate a refectory temple! And yet, the Trinity Cathedral is the main shrine of the Lavra, and maybe the whole of Russia. Here in a silver shrine lie the relics of the hegumen of the Russian land - St. Sergius. At the southern wall of the cathedral, at one time a chapel was completed over the burial place of the second rector of the monastery, St. Nikon. And almost at the same time, the so-called Serapion's tent was attached to this chapel, where the relics of the saints who were at different times the abbots of the Lavra rest: Saints Serapion, Joasaph and St. Dionysius.
Who is this Dionysius? How did he deserve the honor of being laid to rest next to the great Sergius?
He was born in Rzhev. From birth he was God-loving, honored his parents and, at their insistence, got married. But this marriage was short-lived. His wife died, and after her death, Dionysius was able to fulfill his old dream - to become a monk. He took tonsure and entered the brethren of the monastery in Staritsa, where he soon became rector.
In the midst of the famous Russian Troubles, he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite, and Patriarch Hermogenes personally summoned the new archimandrite to Moscow. Dionysius was reasonable and eloquent. He was consulted not only by the patriarch, but also by Tsar Vasily Shuisky.
As soon as the Trinity-Sergius Lavra survived the great sixteen-month siege of the Polish-Lithuanian troops, Dionysius became the rector here. It was in the Trinity Monastery that the outstanding role of this saint of God in the fate of Russia was manifested.
Judge for yourself, the end of the Troubles is connected with the name of Dionysius. Few, unfortunately, remember this. Moscow, at the beginning of his rectorship in the Lavra, suffered ruin from the conquering Poles and from all kinds of robbers, who bred in abundance in our unfortunate land. Wounded, hungry and devastated people roamed the roads here and there. Great lamentation stood in Russia. Many crippled and wretched lay in the surrounding groves of the monastery and died. Whoever had even a drop of strength, sought to find shelter in the great monastery, which could not be captured by foreigners armed to the teeth and their henchmen from among their home-grown villains.
Dionysius, remembering the precepts of St. Sergius, turned the monastery into a huge hospice, as well as a hospital. “The house of the Holy Trinity is not deserted,” he said with tears, “if we start praying to God to give us reason.”
Hectic work began: the monks and laborers built houses and huts, treated the sick, and gave the dying prayer consolation. And this is in the Troubles. When even in Moscow no one thought about building hospitals and building new housing. By the way, immediately after the death of Dionysius, according to his will, hospital wards were erected in the Lavra with the Church of Zosima and Savvaty of Solovetsky - the first Russian public hospital. First!
Monks and workers traveled around the neighborhood, picking up the wounded and dying. Women tirelessly washed and sewed linen for the living and shrouds for the dead.
Siege of the Trinity-Sergius
laurels by Poles during
Troubles (1609)
Archimandrite Dionysius and his faithful assistant cellarer Abraham Palitsyn were the first to begin the great work of saving the Fatherland from turmoil. Yes, yes, it was they, and not Minin and Pozharsky. Dionysius and Abraham persuaded two hundred archers and fifty monastic servants to go to the deliverance of Moscow. This small detachment, of course, meant nothing in comparison with the forces of the Poles, but it was the beginning of that great militia, which subsequently gathered from all over Russia at the call of Dionysius.
The monastery managed to establish good relations with the Cossacks of Prince Trubetskoy. At the same time, experienced scribes were sitting in the cell of Dionysius. They drew up exhortation letters for cities and villages, calling on everyone, all the Russian people, all the peoples for whom Russia has become their home, to rise up to cleanse the Motherland from Lithuanian and Polish invaders.
Blessing of Minin and Pozharsky One of these letters inspired the feat of the Nizhny Novgorod tradesman Kozma Minin-Sukhoruk, who, together with Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky, gathered the people's militia. The same.
Since that time, Dmitry Pozharsky was in constant correspondence with Dionysius, consulted with him. Having received information that the Lithuanian hetman Jan Khodkevich moved to help the Poles to Moscow, besieged by the Cossacks, Pozharsky set out from Yaroslavl with the entire militia. On August 14, the Russian army was met with honor at the walls of the Trinity Monastery.
After a common prayer service at the relics of St. Sergius, Archimandrite Dionysius blessed the soldiers with the icon of the Life-Giving Trinity. Doesn't this remind you of anything? 1380. On the eve of the general battle, in which the fate of Russia was truly decided, another Russian prince, another Dmitry - Donskoy - goes to the Trinity Monastery to St. Sergius for a blessing.
This is how holy Russia is organized, these are the laws of Russian history: in the most critical hours, when it seems that the fate of the Fatherland has already been decided, that no one is already able to pull us out of the abyss, there is always a great prayer book and sad man who takes upon himself the responsibility of becoming a spiritual father our nation. Such is Sergius, blessing Dimitry Donskoy for the battle with the invincible Horde. Such is Joseph Volotsky, who single-handedly defeated the heresy that threatened to destroy the entire Russian Orthodox self-consciousness, the Russian national code. (Even the close relatives of the Grand Duke and the higher Russian clergy then fell into this heresy, sad as it is to say.) Such is Dionysius, who sends out appeals to the people and gives blessings to the troops.
It seemed that all of Russia was standing within the walls of the ancient monastery, listening to the sounds of the prayer service. Nizhny Novgorod, Smolensk, Dorogobuzh, Yaroslavl, Kolomna, Ryazan, Suzdal ... And the Cossacks here, and Pomors, and Siberians. Russia stands in anticipation of its fate. She froze. He prays to the all-merciful Savior to expel the enemy and heal the confusion. The monastery choir sings, the deacons proclaim the litanies. Russia is praying. Russian banners are torn in a gust of evil wind. Bad wind. Nasty. It's blowing from Moscow. Bad omen.
Sad warriors. The heads of trouble have drooped. Will Russia not be forgiven? Have God the Lord Jesus Christ, and His Most Pure Mother Theotokos, and our father, Father Sergius, the miracle worker of Radonezh, turned away from us? And do not we overcome the damned enemy? And death came to Mother Russia?
The warriors are sad, but the prayer service goes on as usual. Rector Trinity Archimandrite Dionysius lowers the pectoral cross into the font, sanctifies the water. Calm archimandrite. The service is conducted with dignity and confidence.
“From heaven send grace, Life-giver, and sanctify this water…” the choir slowly sings in an ancient znamenny chant.
Dionysius takes the sprinkler and begins to sprinkle the prince, governor, archers, militias of various classes, Cossacks and service people. And sprinkles the faithful horses, and a reliable, but formidable weapon.
And the world comes to the walls of the monastery. The storm subsided, the wind died down. The eyes of the Russian soldiers shone, they flared up with holy faith and good hope. And it seemed to the warriors that the great Sergius himself was standing invisibly, and even visible, just now they saw him in the middle of our army. Shines a smile, blesses.
They served a prayer service. They gave praise to God, His Most Pure Mother and St. Sergius. We set off on a hike. And then the wind blew again. Not evil - affectionate. Not from Moscow, but from the cathedral, from the Trinity and Sergius itself. Warm wind, fair. 
Shelves are coming. Light on the hearts. Souls rejoice. Dionysius, with the words: “God be with you, and may the great miracle worker Sergius help you stand up for the holy Orthodox faith!” He blessed every soldier who passed by.
With great enthusiasm, the militia moved to the capital. But even now the Trinity rector did not leave the Russian army without spiritual help. He blessed his faithful assistant Abraham Palitsyn to be with Prince Pozharsky. Do you remember how in his time St. Sergius blessed his monks, Peresvet and Oslyabya, to be under Prince Donskoy? Do you remember what a great role these two monks played in the Battle of Kulikovo? So now. Kelar Lavra by the providence of God is forever inscribed in golden letters in the book of Russian history. Judge for yourself.
In the midst of the battle under the walls of Kitay-Gorod, when light sabers, heavy axes, sharp reeds and rifle bullets converged in one bloody round dance, when there was where to swing, to rejoice in the troubled and drunken Russian hand-to-hand combat, when the sun was in the sky, frightened by a fierce slash, behind a black cloud its fiery-golden face was covered when the kites, mad from the thick smell of blood, tore each other's feathers to shreds, when these feathers, having fallen to the ground, interfered, like drops in the Moscow River, with the chopped feathers of the Polish flying hussars when only the wind sometimes had time to wipe the faces of deadly tired warriors wet with blood and sweat ... Then they suddenly brought the terrible news to Prince Dmitry:
- Treason, prince! Black betrayal! The Cossacks refused to go on the assault, to rescue the Orthodox brothers.
How did you refuse? What's happened? Treason? Treason!
That's all. All labor and all efforts are in vain. There will be no victory. Russia will not become free. The embarrassment won't stop. The Russian land will perish. Churches of God will turn into churches. The blue gentry will heat the stoves with holy icons. Treason.
The free Cossack women refused to go into battle. How to eat refused. For just that. For a double salary - please, but for nothing they do not want to shed free Cossack blood, then treat the Muscovite lands.
Then Abraham, the envoy of Dionysius, rushed to the Cossacks, fell on his knees before the chieftains.
- Brothers! Orthodox people! For the sake of Christ! For the sake of the Mother of God! For the sake of our father Sergius of Radonezh! You stand up for holy Russia! You drive the enemy of evil from the walls of the Kremlin. And for that, our father Sergius will not leave you. Let the monastery treasury be empty now, but I give you my word, I swear on the holy cross, on the Gospel, that I will give you for your military work all the treasures of our sacristy: all the rich Trinity vestments, expensive service vessels and iconic vestments, which are made of silver and with stones . All the treasures and shrines, all that neither Lithuania by siege nor Poles could capture in sixteen months. Just stand up with your strength of arms for holy Russia and for Christ the Tsar!
The Cossacks were ashamed, thoughtful.
- What are we? We were not born Orthodox, brothers? Doesn't the cross of Christ instead of the sun show us the way on a cloudy day and a dark night? Ali did not we kiss the holy icons of the Mother of God, swearing allegiance to our God and Russia - the lot of the Mother of God?
There is agreement. The Cossacks entered the battle, refusing to accept the treasures promised by Abraham. And by the joint efforts of the Cossacks and the militia, Moscow was liberated from foreigners.
And already on the third day in the Kremlin, in the heart of Russian Orthodoxy - the cathedral church of the Assumption of the Virgin - the Trinity rector Archimandrite Dionysius, as the most respected priest of our church, served a thanksgiving service. 
Day after day, week after week, year after year. The devil - the enemy of the human race - was looking for an opportunity to take up arms against the holy Trinity ascetic. Searched and found. This was when the new tsar, elected by the whole world, Mikhail Fedorovich, decided to correct the liturgical books. It was a difficult, delicate matter. The zealots of Russian antiquity, of ancient piety, fought to the death for every letter in the holy scripture. The most authoritative shepherd could correct the books. Dionysius became such a corrector. With zeal, the monk set about this charitable work, taking as a basis Slavic ancient manuscripts and Greek breviaries.
For a year and a half, Dionysius worked with assistants on the right. It was then that the devil brought slander on God's servant. According to this slander, according to an evil denunciation, they took Dionysius. With disgrace, with dishonor, in public, on foot, and on another day on the most worthless horse, without a saddle, in chains, in one rags they drove around Moscow. The people laughed at their yesterday's deliverer, threw mud and sand at him. He endured all this with a cheerful look, thanks to the evil scoundrels who dishonored him.
Sometimes they will bring him before mass, sometimes after mass, and they will place him bound with a heavy chain in the Metropolitan's courtyard. He stands, hearty, under the scorching sun or in the pouring rain from morning to evening. And they did not give him a piece of bread or a cup of water. And instead they gave only evil kicks and bitter spitting at the meal. He smiled and humbly thanked.
A church council was held, at which the poor sufferer was excommunicated from the Church of God and forbidden to be a priest. Dionysius was sentenced to imprisonment in the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, but due to the inaccessibility of the monastery, they kept him for the time being in the Novospassky Monastery of the capital. Here, for forty days, the sufferer was tormented on the floor in the smoke, beaten, starved, forced to make a thousand prostrations every day. He took it all down uncomplainingly. Oh, and in those days the enemy of Christ, the devil, rejoiced that he had brought so much grief to the man of God. 
But the Lord is not mocked. Fortunately, the Patriarch of Jerusalem arrived in Moscow at that time. He carefully analyzed this difficult matter and fully confirmed the correctness of Dionysius in the right of church books. And other eastern patriarchs came to the defense of the former Trinity rector. After a special trial, Dionysius was fully acquitted.
In the Staritsky Dormition Monastery, where the once great ascetic took monastic vows, two chapels were built in the Trinity Cathedral in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh and in the name of Dionysius of Radonezh. The student and the spiritual teacher are two defenders and creators of Russia, two pillars of Orthodoxy. They did not intersect in earthly life, but are forever united in the Kingdom of Heaven under the shadow of the Holy Trinity.
That is my story. This is the end and God be praised! Amen.
