Church-wide veneration of the Glinsky elders. What were the Glinsky elders like? Elder of Glinsk Schema-Archimandrite Andronik (Lukash)

Few, very few monasteries manage to harmoniously combine the path of contemplative life and the path of active life. Glinskaya Hermitage succeeded. She was able to combine in herself the prayerful silence of her monasteries and the inexorable, addressed to all who came, preaching and helping those in need with their daily bread, for at the forefront there was the tradition of the great founder of modern Russian eldership, the Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky: love for God begins with love for one’s neighbor. The monastery appeared in 1557 on the border between the Moscow and Lithuanian principalities on the territory of the Kursk province (now Sumy region).

The birth of the monastery is associated with a miracle - this miracle was the appearance of the icon of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on a tall pine tree, and it was witnessed by peasant beekeepers. Soon, from under the roots of this pine tree, a spring began to flow, which had the grace of healing from mental and physical ailments. And near the pine tree, the monks who came from the nearby Sophronie Hermitage and the Putivl Molchensky Monastery began to build their cells. After a while, a wooden Church was built - this small monastic settlement became the beginning of the Glinsk Hermitage. The miraculous icon of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, called Pustynno-Glinskaya, has a small size of approximately 15 by 20 cm. Over time, the icon was clothed in a gold chased chasuble decorated with precious stones. But in 1922 the icon was lost. From the time of its foundation until the beginning of the 19th century, the monastery fell into decline. And only with the arrival of St. Philaret (Danilevsky) to the monastery in 1817, the monastery began to flourish and be decorated. Hegumen Filaret is quite rightly called the “renewer” of the Glinsk Hermitage - both in the material sense, and most of all in the spiritual. Hegumen Philaret received monastic tonsure in Sophronievo, the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos of the Desert from the rector of the most experienced elder, friend and prayer partner of Paisius Velichkovsky - the Venerable Archimandrite Theodosius (Maslov). For 15 years he labored in the Sophronius Hermitage, where he became familiar with the true elder tradition of his patristic spiritual experience from his mentor and teacher. Arriving in the Glinsk hermitage, Father Filaret, thanks to tireless and blessed work, transformed the monastery into a flourishing and well-appointed monastery. The monastery was decorated not only with its buildings, but with the most significant and precious for the monastics, a strict charter in the likeness of Athos and a gracious eldership, which soon glorified the monastery throughout Orthodox Rus'. Hegumen Filaret became the founder of the diverse tradition of Glinsky spiritual singing, and wrote several collections of music with his own hand. It is important to add to this that not only the father of the Glinsk Hermitage was Abbot Philaret, but also the founder and benefactor of several other monasteries (Sofronievo, Buzuluk, Ufa, Yekaterinburg, etc.). The disciples of Father Philaret directly revived the Svyatogorsk Monastery (now the Holy Dormition Svyatogorsk Lavra), where the original monastic brethren consisted mainly of Glinsky monks, led by his student hieromonk, later Archimandrite (now Reverend) Arseny (Mitrofanov). One of the elder’s disciples, the Monk Macarius (Glukharev), was an educator of Altai. A disciple - a follower of the great elder Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky - begins the Glinsk tradition of caring for the elderly, the significance of which is significant for all of Orthodoxy and goes far beyond the boundaries of the life of one monastery.

The 19th century showed the world many Glinsky elders and ascetics. Some of them were in the priesthood, others were simple monks. They all have one thing in common - a tireless struggle against the flesh, the world and the devil. For this selflessness in the feat, the Lord abundantly bestowed grace-filled gifts on the Glinsky elders. The Glinsky eldership was strict in the spirit of the exploits of the ancient ascetics.

So, for example, the monk Theodotus (Levchenko) lived in the monastery for 70 years, and all these years he carried out obedience in the monastery kitchen. He slept for several hours on the stone floor, and the rest of the time he prayed and prepared food for the brethren. He acquired such great humility that he acquired childish gentleness and simplicity. And now, in the place where the Monk Theodotus labored, those possessed by demons are receiving healing.

The Venerable Schema-Archimandrite Iliodor (Golovanitsky) is the great Glinsky elder. From the beginning of his entry into the monastery, he was marked by obvious signs of God's favor, but he endured many sorrows and injustice from his neighbors. He became the founder of the Spaso-Iliodorovsky skete monastery. Many times the posthumous fate of the deceased brethren was revealed to the elder, as well as other miraculous visions. The monk was greatly revered by the Optina monks, who carefully preserved his letters on spiritual topics in their archives.

Reverend Archimandrite Innocent (Stepanov), the abbot of the monastery, was known for his mercy and love for people. The Lord, seeing his love and compassion, sent him gifts of healing, insight and spiritual wisdom.

Rev. Hieromonk Vasily (Kishkin). Frequently visiting the Zadonsk monastery, he became an interlocutor with Saint Tikhon, and then became his student. The saint instructed him in confronting passions and taught him the enlightenment of the spiritual mind. After 60 years of desolation, he revived the Beloberezh hermitage. He lived an ascetic, attentive life, engaged in smart work, and benefiting the brethren, and everyone who flocked to the doors of his cells, and gave spiritual advice and instructions. He edified the brethren, consoled the faint-hearted, humbled the proud, reconciled those at war with his kindness and tried most to eradicate drunkenness and inspired the brethren to avoid anger and remain in mutual love, so as not to serve as a temptation to the world, but at the same time he did not escape the enemy’s temptations and was envious others were expelled from the monastery and went to the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage, where he died.

The Venerable Hieroschemamonk Macarius (Sharov) is a true teacher of moral theology and spiritual work. He vigilantly monitored the state of his soul, nourished it with the thought of God and prayer. Being the dean of the monastery, he seemed to divide his love into two equal parts: he gave one part of it to the abbot, to carry out whose orders he considered it a sacred duty of obedience, the ascetic gave the other part of his love to the brethren, among whom there were those who either through false modesty or pride, self-pity, sometimes out of stubbornness they refused to fulfill this obedience or order. He was all love, nothing could disturb his Christian patience, his complete spiritual calm; everything was subjugated by him to the deepest humility.

Venerable Monk Dosifei (Kolchenkov) With rare constancy and patience, the elder cut off all reasons for violating the feat of silence he had accepted, not only internal, but also external. He carried out the feat of abstinence to fight lust. He constantly crucified his flesh with passions and lusts, desiring through many sorrows to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The sexton's obedience lasted 26 years until his death; was distinguished by complete zeal, reverence and fear of God. For such long service in churches dedicated to the Queen of Heaven, the ascetic was honored to see the Blessed Virgin Mary at the altar. Father Dosifei was honored to hear angelic singing at the death of Elder Theodotus. He had the gift of insight and healing.

The venerable monk Martyriy (Kirichenko) was one of the outstanding Glinsky ascetics and was distinguished by high feats of selflessness. Extreme poverty, fasting abstinence, cruel self-harmfulness of his body, continuous vigil over himself all his life, incessant psalmody and prayers and other ascetic deeds accompanied him all his life in the monastery. To occupy his mind during silence, he memorized the entire Psalter and, during every activity, sang the psalms orally, if no one was there, or quietly, to himself. He always tried to keep his mind in memory of the Divine. He observed the feat of abstinence and non-covetousness that he had taken upon himself.

The rector of the Glinsk Hermitage, Archimandrite Isaiah (later the Venerable Schema-Archimandrite Ioannikiy (Gomolko)) was distinguished by concentration and self-absorption. The distinctive features of his spiritual life were inner composure, attention to every movement of the soul, and preservation of the mind, without which true asceticism is impossible. Through many labors, with heart disease and with the help of God, the ascetic acquired composure of thoughts and continuous heartfelt crying for his sins. Even his face bore the imprint of constant self-collection. The elder pointed out that sobriety applies not only to the area of ​​the mind, but in general to our entire being. Seeing how great the benefit the monastery received from the godly elder, the enemy intensified the fight against him. Archbishop Stefan (Arkhangelsk), who did not personally know Schema-Archimandrite Ioannikios and believed the slanderers, sent a petition to the Holy Synod to dismiss Schema-Archimandrite Ioannikios from the post of rector, and on March 12, 1912, a corresponding determination was made by the Holy Synod. Of course, God wished that the elder, in addition to all his exploits, also endured unrighteous persecution. When Archimandrite Ioannikios left the monastery, there was a strong spring flood of rivers around the Glinsk Hermitage, the water rose high, and the elder left the monastery, crossed the water and, in front of everyone, walked along it like dry land, repeating the miracle once performed by the Monk Ioannikios the Great. Thus the Lord glorified His saint and revealed to everyone the holiness of his life and the injustice of the accusations brought against him.

The Venerable Schemamonk Arkhip (Shestakov) was distinguished by his non-covetousness and desire for mortification, for which he suffered a lot of sorrow from his loved ones. Silently, doing his job, humbled and subjected to humiliation, he drew little attention to himself, and if he did, it was like a holy fool. He was extremely abstinent in talking, eating and seeing. The elder stopped the idle talk of others by loudly pronouncing the Jesus Prayer or forcing someone to read the Holy Scriptures. When they asked him something he shouldn’t, he answered: “Forgive me, for God’s sake, I don’t know anything,” and began repeating loudly: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” In general, in his words, deeds, movements, and most importantly - in his heartfelt feeling, there was always the fear of God. He also had the gift of healing.

Rev. Schemamonk Evfimy (Lyubimchenko). His internal and external exploits are hidden from us by the unknown, with the exception of some very small information. The brethren turned to him for instructions regarding the fight against passions. In his youth he overcame the passion for fornication. He was always the first to enter at the beginning of the service, and at the end of the long desert service and all the services he was the last to leave, therefore, he had little time left for rest and eating. It was a living Typikon of the Glinsk Hermitage.

Rev. Schemamonk Luke (Shvets). The ascetic attended all services without fail and, despite their length, always stood until the end. Loving his neighbors, Father Luke consoled the grieving and sick, admonished those who sinned, and corrected the evil ones; He persuaded those who wanted to leave the monastery to stay, and his word had power. A gracious peace reigned in his heart. The sad ones left the elder cheerful, the mourners consoled. Father Luke prayed for his students and endured temptations. He filled his free time with reading patristic books and contemplation of God, and used the Jesus Prayer. The Mother of God appeared to him. The deaf ascetic covered up the feat of his silence. He had the gift of insight.

The 19th century became a century of dawn and development for the Glinsk Hermitage. The heart of the monastery became its elders, and this heart suggested what the monastery should be: not only a house of prayer, but also a haven of mercy. A guest house and a hospital for the brethren and pilgrims, and a “House of Mercy” for peasant children were built in the monastery. The monastery provided assistance to everyone who came with need and illness. The brethren of the monastery did not forget about the work of preaching and evangelism among the people. Pustyn was actively involved in book publishing. A missionary circle was created at the monastery in the name of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, which was engaged in debunking false teachings and various philosophical trends of the 20th century.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Glinsk Hermitage was a true beacon of spirituality for Orthodox Rus', but the revolution destroyed everything that had been created. In 1922 the monastery was closed. It is now difficult to say how many Glinsky monks suffered martyrdom when the monastery was closed. But the rest of them did not remain free, but ended up in camp imprisonment. All of them suffered for Christ and their faith, but not one of them renounced it or broke down.

In 1942, the desert reopens and the surviving Glinsky monks return there “to their native ashes” (literally...), who, amid hunger and devastation of the war, try to restore the monastery and begin their monastic feat again. The soul of the monastery becomes the elders: the first rector, Schema-Archimandrite Nektary (Nuzhdin), Schema-Archimandrite Seraphim (Amelin), later the abbot, and confessor of the brethren and pilgrims, Schema-Archimandrite Andronik (Lukash) and Schema-Archimandrite Seraphim (Romantsov). They, who came to Glinskaya even before the revolution, retained the “old Glinskaya leaven”; they continued the traditions of eldership. Insight, kindness, concern for every lost soul, the unusually humble and anger-free abbot Seraphim (Amelina), the always smiling and slightly foolish elder Andronik (Lukash), the strict and demanding confessor of the pilgrims Seraphim (Romantsov) - this is what contributed to the influx new inhabitants and numerous pilgrims came to the reviving Glinsk hermitage. In the godless years, the Glinsk Hermitage, until its closure, remained the only “center of eldership, a spiritual spring” for the Orthodox of the Soviet Union.

The authorities could not tolerate this and in 1961 the monastery was closed again. Most of the monks moved to Georgia and Abkhazia, where they were supported by the former Glinsky monk, schema-metropolitan Seraphim (Mazhuga).

The third revival of the Glinsk Hermitage begins in 1994, when the entire complex of the Glinsk Hermitage was returned to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and in 1996, by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Glinsk Hermitage monastery was given the status of stauropegia. The Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine Vladimir (Sabodan), became the Holy Archimandrite of the monastery.

Since 1994, through the efforts of the brethren and benefactors, the monastery began to be revived. On the site of the destroyed churches, new Iversky and Nikolsky churches were built, the living quarters for monks and the refectory were restored. The decoration of the monastery courtyard was the chapel above the Holy Well. At the site of the appearance of the icon of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a chapel was erected in honor of the saints and righteous Godfathers Joachim and Anna.

Now the monastery is experiencing a new rise. In 2006, the second shrine of the monastery was returned after the appearance of the icon of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary - the Savior Not Made by Hands. But the most significant event not only in modern history, but also during the existence of the monastery was the canonization of 16 ascetics of piety, the elders of the Glinsk Hermitage: Archimandrite Innocent (Stepanov), Abbot Philaret (Danilevsky), Hieromonk Vasily (Kishkin), Hieromonk Macarius (Sharova) ), monk Theodotus (Levchenko), monk Dosifei (Kolchenkov), monk Martyriy (Kirichenko), schema-archimandrite Iliodor (Golovanitsky), schema-archimandrite Ioannikiy (Gomolko), schema-archimandrite Seraphim (Amelina), schema-monk Arkhip (Shestakov), schema-monk Luke (Shvets), Schemamonk Evfimy (Lyubimchenko) canonized on August 16, 2008 and Schema-Metropolitan Seraphim (Mazhugi), Schema-Archimandrite Seraphim (Romantsov) and Schema-Archimandrite Andronik (Lukash) on August 21, 2010.

Several thousand pilgrims arrived at these celebrations from different parts of not only Ukraine, but also from the cities of our vast Holy Rus' (Russia, Belarus, Moldova) and even from Congo (Africa).

The inhabitants of the Glinsk Hermitage conduct extensive educational, missionary and charitable activities. The monks provide care for the pupils of the nearby boarding school. Shalygino, they run an Orthodox page in the local newspaper. Since October 26, 2006, the festival of sacred music “Glinski Dzvoni” has been held annually in the city of Glukhov. Also, since November 2006, International scientific and practical conferences dedicated to the history of the monastery and current problems of Orthodoxy and modernity have been held annually. Special assistance in these types of activities is provided by the Children's Spiritual Center opened in the city of Glukhov on the basis of the monastery courtyard. In 2001, His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir consecrated the built Transfiguration Church in the village. Yampole is a farmstead of the Glinsk Hermitage.

As has been the custom since ancient times, the foundations of monastic life are prayer and work. Not only the monks themselves work for the Glory of God, but also the pilgrims. The monastery cultivates several tens of hectares of land, has its own vegetable garden and greenhouses of several hectares, and has its own pond for fish farming. In addition, there is a cowshed and a poultry house, an apiary.

The Glinsk Hermitage is being reborn again. And this reveals an undeniable spiritual truth: a holy place, consecrated by prayer and the work of ascetics, nothing can destroy. It will always attract new Christians who are ready to follow their Lord, overcoming any difficulties

Schema-Archimandrite Seraphim (Romantsov Ivan Romanovich) was born on June 28, 1885 in the Kursk province, Krupetskaya vol., in the village of Voronok, into a peasant family. He graduated from the parochial school. After the death of his parents he entered the Glinsk Hermitage. From 1910 to 1914 he held the position of novice. In 1914 he was drafted into the army and participated in the First World War in 1916. was wounded and after recovery returned to the monastery.

In 1919, in the same place, in the Nativity of the Virgin Hermitage, he was tonsured a monk with the name Juvenaly. He was ordained by the rector of the Glinsk Hermitage, Archimandrite Nektary. Hieromonk Aristoclius (Wind), who taught him sincere daily confession, became his elder. The grace of God allowed him to taste the sweetness of spiritual life and thereby suppressed the taste for everything earthly.

Under the guidance of the Glinsky elders, he patiently endured temptations and acquired the skill of complete obedience and humility. “Ardent prayer,” he said, “protected me in all the difficult circumstances of my life.”

In 1920, Bishop Pavlin of Rila ordained monk Juvenal as hierodeacon. After the closure of the Glinsk Hermitage, 1922, Father Yuvenaly settled in the Dranda Dormition Monastery (Sukhumi diocese).

In 1926, the elder was awarded the rank of hieromonk. Bishop Nikon ordained him. Then he tonsured him into the schema.

In 1928 The Dranda Monastery was also closed. According to the recollections of his spiritual children, Elder Seraphim lived for some time in the desert on the Sukhaya River, not far from Sukhumi, under the leadership of Hieromonk Savvaty. Until 1930 lived in the vicinity of Almaty and worked as a watchman in an apiary.

In 1930, the elder was convicted and imprisoned in the Belbaltlag concentration camp (for the construction of the White Sea-Baltic Canal). Was released in 1934.

The life of Father Seraphim was truly ascetic and hermitic. He devoted himself entirely to prayer and contemplation of God. In winter, he lived with the pious Kazulin family, who helped him a lot. Growing spiritually, Father Seraphim did not leave others without spiritual guidance. At night he performed divine services, confessed and received communion, preached, gave soul-saving instructions, and turned everyone who came to him to the path of salvation.

From the memoirs of Nadezhda Grigorievna Kazulina: “...Dad moved our family to his brother in the Toktogul Mountains, and I was sent to Tashkent to study. In Tashkent I lived under the guidance of the elder of the Glinsk Hermitage, Father Seraphim (Romantsov). He left the camp in 1934 very exhausted, without a passport, and our family hid him for 12 years. He would either live with us in Tashkent, or we would take him to his father’s brother in Kyrgyzstan, in the Toktogul mountains, then to another brother in Tash-Kumyr..." Almost a year Elder Seraphim served in the Tashkent Cathedral.

In 1947 O. Seraphim returned to the Glinsk hermitage. He lived on the second floor of a two-story tower, for which he was called a “stylite man.” In 1960 appointed abbot. He stayed in the monastery until its secondary closure.

Father Seraphim was a most experienced confessor, an expert in all the innermost movements of the human heart, the owner of spiritual treasures, which he acquired through a long and difficult feat.

The elder’s special spiritual gift was the ability to accept confession and call people to openness. Father Seraphim knew how to make one feel that earthly life is only a feat of temporary wandering on the path to eternal life; he called people to a Christian, perfect, sublime life. All his instructions had as their goal holiness in the sense of detachment from everything worldly. Father Seraphim's pastorate was multifaceted. Most of all, he sought to bring his spiritual children to humility, about which he wrote: “...The most necessary thing for salvation is true humility, the inner conviction that you are worse and more sinful than everyone and everything, but this is the greatest gift of God, and it is acquired through much labor. Then a person in his soul feels such a calmness that is inexplicable by any human words.

A truly humble person, if he has any gifts from God - prayer, or tears, fasting, then he carefully hides everything, for human praise, like moths, eats away everything." In his letters and instructions, Father Seraphim constantly warned against judging his neighbors.

The elder’s day began at 2 a.m., when he fulfilled his cell rule, then he attended religious services, after which he devoted himself entirely to serving his neighbors: he received pilgrims, assigned them to live in the desert, confessed, resolved all emerging issues, and until late in the evening. At night I answered letters. He copied himself and blessed spiritual children to copy passages from the works of the holy fathers, which he then sent out. Father Seraphim had very little time to rest, but even this time he used to pray for his flock.

After the closure of the Glinsk Hermitage, schema-abbot Seraphim moved to Sukhumi.

Never before had the Sukhumi Church been as crowded as under Father Seraphim. He not only received people, but also sent out many letters, answering questions from his spiritual children.

As a shepherd, he lived in Christ, was established in true holiness, was a true martyr, and was a worthy bearer of the grace of Christ. In 1975, Schema-Abbot Seraphim was ordained Schema-Archimandrite. He was ordained by Metropolitan Elijah of Sukhumi and Abkhazia in Sukhumi.

Until his death, the elder served at the throne of God.

The spiritual nourishment of the community was received by Schema-Archimandrite Seraphim Romantsov (1885-1976), who lived after the closure of the Glinsk Hermitage in 1961, initially in Ochamchiri, with one of the parishioners of the village of Ilori, then moved to Sukhumi, where he visited back in the 20s, asceticizing in the Dranda Monastery in Abkhazia.

On December 18, 1975, during the all-night vigil, Father Seraphim felt unwell. He went to bed. All the time the elder read the Jesus Prayer aloud, and when he got tired, he asked others to continue reading it. For two weeks he received the Holy Mysteries of Christ every day. On December 31, the elder closed his eyes and no longer spoke to anyone.

The canon on the outcome of the soul of Elder Seraphim was read by Abbot Isaiah. All those present stood in reverent silence around the bed of their spiritual father, not daring to break the silence during the sacrament of separation of the soul from the body.

The news of the death of Schema-Archimandrite Seraphim spread to many places in our homeland; it filled the hearts of his spiritual children with deep sadness.

On January 2, the coffin with the body of Schema-Archimandrite Seraphim was placed in the Cathedral of Sukhumi. For three days the readings of the Gospel and the service of memorial services did not stop. And all this time the cathedral was filled with the spiritual children of Fr. Seraphim, who came to say goodbye to their mentor and prayer book.

On January 4, the 28th Sunday after Pentecost, before the Nativity of Christ, the holy father, Metropolitan Elijah, co-served by many clergy, celebrated the Divine Liturgy and funeral service for the deceased monk. The Metropolitan said a heartfelt funeral eulogy, in which he described the elder as a man of a truly Christian soul, a humble worker and a grace-filled man of prayer.

After a long farewell, the coffin with the body of the deceased was carried by the priests around the altar and the entire church during the funeral bell and taken to the St. Michael's Cemetery in the city of Sukhumi. At the gates of the cemetery, the procession was met by the parables of the cemetery church, led by the rector, Archpriest John Andryushchenko, who after the litia said a funeral oration, calling the gracious old man a lamp burning on the candlestick of Christ. While singing "Eternal Memory" the body of Fr. Seraphim was buried.

On February 9, 1976, on the fortieth day after the death of Schema-Archimandrite Seraphim (it was the day of the celebration of the transfer of the relics of St. John Chrysostom), in the Sukhumi Cathedral, Metropolitan Elijah with priests who arrived from different places - the spiritual children of Fr. Seraphim performed a memorial service and said a word. Addressing the deceased as if he were alive, Vladika Elijah said: “Pray for us, Father, to God, because you have gained boldness before Him.” After the funeral service, a funeral liturgy was performed in the cemetery church. Until late at night, memorial services were held at the elder’s grave. The believing people did not disperse for a long time. For many Orthodox Christians the loss of Fr. Seraphim. But they were consoled by the thought that he did not die, but only departed into that world about which the seer said: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord; to her, says the Spirit, they will rest from their labors, and their works will follow them” ( Rev. 14, 13).

Troparion to the Glinsky Saints, tone 4:

Our reverend and God-bearing fathers Glinstii, / who established the eldership in the monastery through the teachings of the ancient fathers, / who acquired the love of Christ through prayer, meekness, fasting and humility / with obedience: / during the days of persecution in the dispersion for the Orthodox faith, / like the stars in heaven who illuminated the entire universe / and brought to Christ. / Pray to the Lord / to have mercy and save our souls.

During the Nativity of the Virgin Mary revolution, the Glinsk Hermitage, located in the Sumy region a few kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian border, destroyed almost everything. Schema-Metropolitan 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, the numerous schisms in society and the Church, the Glinsky ascetics, through their behavior and service, set a personal example of how to live and pray correctly.

Road to the desert

The youth Zechariah 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 monks. Since the family in which he lived was poor, he was soon sent to study in a sewing workshop at the Glinsk Hermitage. And in 1912, as a 16-year-old boy, he was enrolled in the Glinsk Hermitage as a novice.

The young man Alexey Lukash, later Elder Andronik, first crossed the threshold of the Glinsk monastery in 1906. The brothers 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 with sighs to the Queen of Heaven, asking to accept me into the number of monks equal to the angels, which She had acquired for the unceasing praise of Her Son. He gave the Mother of God a mysterious promise to serve Her, to endure everything, to 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, due to his modesty, told 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 Glinsk Hermitage.

Father Seraphim (in the world Simeon Amelin), who became the rector of the desert in 1943, comes from simple Kursk peasants. After the death of his mother, Simeon’s father began to insist that he get married, but the young man strived for spiritual achievement. In 1893, at the age of 19, he left home and entered the Glinsk Hermitage. The father was initially dissatisfied with this, but when he arrived at the monastery, he softened and told his son: “Once you have become a monk, then live your life, don’t leave here.”

They lived in the monastery according to the Athos Rule and each new novice 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 follow the elder’s instructions.

The Monk Filaret (Danilevsky) (rector of the Glinsk hermitage from 1817 to 1841), who wrote the charter of the hermitage and laid the foundations of its monastic life, believed that the spiritual revival of the monastery was possible only with complete trust in him as a shepherd, who based all his instructions and advice on the Gospel commandments and patristic experience. He introduced strict monastic rules: he removed from the monastery the women who had previously looked after the livestock, he strictly ensured that the monks did not go to visit, did not talk idle talk, did not waste time, did not acquire unnecessary things, did not get carried away with luxury items that sometimes ended up in their everyday life from friends or relatives.

During the difficult years of general devastation, when the whole country was experiencing terrible persecution of faith and the Church, the traditions and school of eldership of the Glinsk Hermitage were not interrupted. From the very beginning of the First World War, the Glinsk Hermitage tried to actively help all those affected. The monastery sent monetary and material donations to the Red Cross, as well as books about holy ascetics, and strengthened the morale of soldiers. All three future elders, except Seraphim (Amelina), together with other novices of the Glinsk hermitage, were mobilized and fought. During the war, Father Andronik was captured 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 approximately the same time, but also performed obedience together. In addition, they all took monastic vows in the Glinsk Hermitage after the revolution, but before its closure in 1922. Usually, at that difficult time, the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Nektariy, before tonsure, warned those wishing to live like the angels that the monastery might be closed in the near future. “If anyone wants,” he said, “can take monastic vows, but whoever is not ready for the upcoming trials can refuse.” But none of the young men refused.

Desert inhabitants of the Caucasus Mountains

After the closure of the Glinsk Hermitage in 1922, Father Zinovy ​​(Mazhuga) and Father Seraphim (Romantsov) moved to blessed Iberia. They are accepted into the Drandovsky Assumption Monastery near Sukhumi.

The Caucasus Mountains, like the Egyptian desert, have long served as a place for ascetic deeds of Christians who dedicated themselves to God. This region was consecrated by the apostolic sermon and the martyrdom of the disciple of Christ, the holy apostle Simon the Canaanite, St. John Chrysostom and the martyr Basilisk. Years passed, centuries passed, but these mountains were always a welcome refuge for those whose souls longed for solitary prayer. Unable to openly profess their faith, monks and laymen who sought to follow the commandments left the cities for the mountains, where ascetics settled many centuries ago. Here the desert dwellers set up cells and, imitating their great predecessors, performed monastic work and nourished believers from nearby villages and everyone 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 Drandovsky Monastery was closed. Soon many of the monks were arrested, including the Glinsky elders.

Confessors of Faith

It is surprising that the paths of the Glinsky 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 Glinsk Hermitage. Father Seraphim was sent to Tashkent, and they wanted to send Father Zinovy ​​there too. While in the isolation ward, Hieromonk Zinovy ​​fell ill with malaria. He was admitted to the infirmary. One young doctor twice convened a council of doctors and proved to them that Father Zinovy ​​could not be sent to Central Asia due to illness. He told his colleagues: “Do you need labor or dead people in Tashkent? If Zinovy ​​Mazhuga goes there, death awaits him.” And so it happened, Father Zinovy ​​was sent to the Urals.

Father Andronik served his sentence since 1923, first in the Siberian Mariinsk, and then in the Urals. One day, a barely alive Bishop Irinarch (Sinkov) was brought to the camp, who soon died. Father Andronik was a nurse at that time and helped others in any way 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, burying the archpastor in a separate coffin. For this, in 1936, Father Andronik was awarded a pectoral cross by the Deputy Patriarchal Locum Tenens, His Beatitude Metropolitan Sergius.

Branch of the Glinsk Hermitage

In the camp, Zinovy’s father’s health deteriorated greatly, and after his release in 1942, he went for treatment to Georgia, where his documents were stolen. By the Providence of God, there he met the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Kallistratus, who allowed him to serve as a supernumerary priest at the Zion Cathedral in Tbilisi from 1942 to 1944. All further ministry of Hieromonk Zinovy ​​took place on the territory of Georgia.

When the Glinsk hermitage opened its doors again in 1942, the surviving elders returned to their native monastery. Among them were Father Seraphim (Amelin), who, after the closure of the Glinsk Hermitage, lived in the village of Kovenki in the Kursk (and after 1938 - Sumy) region and was engaged in carpentry and plumbing work. In 1943, Hieroschemamonk Seraphim was confirmed as rector of the Glinsk Hermitage and elevated to the rank of abbot.

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 monastery was closed for the second time in 1961, the Glinsky ascetics found shelter with Father Zinovy, who at that time became a bishop in Georgia. Only Father Seraphim (Amelin), who died three years earlier, did not come to Tbilisi.

Alexander Nevsky Church in Tbilisi has become a real “island of Russia”. Vladyka Zinovy ​​united everyone around him. The entire flow of people, which previously went to the Sumy region, now headed 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 they all have a different approach to people and business. Vladyka Zinovy ​​stood out for his administrative position and his episcopal authority. Father Andronik 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 great condescension, gave all possible penance, and took the rest upon himself. This is how he was in the monastery, in prison and outside the monastery. Elder Seraphim approached the repentant sinner more strictly, more demandingly. But the common people loved them all equally and rewarded them with their love to each according to their dignity.”

Miracle Workers

Like the ancient elders who labored in the Egyptian desert, the venerable Glina fathers were awarded by God the gifts of miracles and insight into future events. They foresaw a lot in the destinies of their spiritual children and 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 Alexandrian Church. This was in the 1950s. The high delegation was accompanied by Bishop Pimen (later Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'). After the Liturgy in one of the Tbilisi churches, the delegations lined up for mutual greetings. Suddenly, Elder Zinovy ​​approached the Primate of the Alexandrian Church and asked him to give up his seat, and very persistently (later the Bishop recalled that he acted at that moment not of his own free will and understood the inappropriateness of his behavior). This surprised everyone extremely, but, given the situation, they did not find out the reasons, but obeyed his demand. Some time after they gave way to the persistent archimandrite, an icon suddenly fell out of the top row of the iconostasis and fell directly on the head of Father Zinovy. The blow was so strong that the entire hood on the victim was torn. Elder Zinovy ​​himself escaped with a slight faint, without any complications. Everyone present in the temple witnessed this event. The guests' indignation and dissatisfaction with the archimandrite gave way to sincere respect and gratitude - everyone understood that thanks to Father Zinovy, big troubles were avoided. None of those present doubted the miraculousness of what happened. The bishop 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 old man the day of his death. Saint Zinovy, on the last night of his earthly life, said the following words to the cell attendant: “I’m leaving you tomorrow.” The cell attendant exclaimed in grief: “Vladyka, how can I live without you? I will die without you." The Bishop tenderly consoled him: “I’m leaving, but even there (pointing to the sky) I will pray for you.” This answer softened the elder’s farewell words and encouraged his cell attendant.

In all the memories of people close to the elder, not only the insight of Bishop Zinovy ​​is visible, but also his love for his flock, care for every soul entrusted to him. For example, once, while in the village of Burdine together with his cell attendant Alexander, he said to him: “How good it would be if you also followed the spiritual line.” To which the cell attendant objected that he was very shy, and pastoral service required constant communication with people. Saint Zinovy ​​replied: “You should go to the seminary. They teach all this there.” In 1985, several years after the death of Vladyka, Alexander entered the Moscow Theological Seminary, was ordained a deacon by Archbishop Alexander (Timofeev), and the next year by His Holiness Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II in the Zion Cathedral - a priest. After graduating from the Moscow Theological Academy, he remained there as a teacher and assistant inspector. Now Archpriest Alexander Chesnokov is a cleric of the Ekaterinodar and Kuban diocese.

Through the prayers of Elder Andronik (Lukash), many amazing things also happened in the Glinsk Hermitage. One day it was hot for a long time, 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 Blessed Virgin Mary in the field and lit candles. Father Peacock read litanies, Father Andronik asked the Lord for rain. He asked in the same words as in the Trebnik: “Give rain to a thirsty land, O Savior!” - turning with confidence to God, who is present nearby and cannot fail to hear and fulfill the request. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky. It would seem that there is no hope, but God heard the prayers of the suffering and granted rain.

Such an incident was also remembered in the holy monastery. 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 to his knees: “Forgive, Lady, those who dared to do this!” No complaints, no indignation against those who blaspheme the shrine, no threats with God’s judgment, but prayer for those who have committed lawlessness.

Father Andronik was distinguished by extraordinary meekness and humility. He revered the bishops as Christ Himself, and when the ruling bishops visited the Glinsk monastery, he himself served them: he brought food, heated the stoves, and wiped the floors.

Father Seraphim (Romantsov), appointed rector of the desert by Father Seraphim (Amelin), tried in the conversation not so much to speak himself as to answer questions. He taught me to pray always, as soon as conditions allow. Receiving many people, he understood everyone, 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 and his living conditions, he individually imposed a prayer rule. For some, he added akathists and canons to the daily obligatory prayers, or advised them to read the Psalter more often, while for others, on the contrary, he blessed them 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 would 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 this and to balance one’s strengths. Father Seraphim did not give any 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 recite 30 rosaries: 20 - the Jesus Prayer and 10 - “Most Holy Theotokos, save us sinners.”

The elders were very loved and revered. In the last years of his life, Bishop Zinovy ​​often sat in his cell by the window. If the elder was not there, then people passing by would kiss the bars of his window.

Now the relics of the Venerable Andronik (Lukash) and Seraphim (Romantsov) have been transferred to the Glinsk Hermitage, and the relics of the Venerable Schema-Metropolitan Seraphim (Zinovy ​​Majuga) rest in the Alexander Nevsky Church in the city of Tbilisi. All these reverend fathers entered the Council of Glinsk Elders, but for now they are locally revered saints. However, their spiritual children, living not only in Ukraine, but throughout the world, really hope that the universal glorification of the elders will take place in the near future.

Zinovy ​​Chesnokov

The Glinsky elders were canonized as saints in 2009 by the Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The memorial date is September 9 (September 22 according to the present day). On August 21, 2010, their solemn glorification took place in the Glinsk Hermitage with a gathering of many pilgrims, clergy and laity. The rite of glorification was performed with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill by His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev 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 proposal 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., prot. Great Elder Saint Metropolitan Zinovy ​​of Tetritskaro // Orthodox voice of Kuban. 1995. No. 7 (55). P. 6.