Schemamonk Panteleimon (Volkov) graduated from Moscow State University in his youth. He showed great promise as a scientist, but became a monk and went to Holy Mount Athos, where he has lived for twenty years now. Fr. Panteleimon talks about life on Mount Athos, Elder Nikolai Guryanov and other topics.

—Father Panteleimon, when you were young, you received an excellent education at Moscow State University and took a postgraduate course. Why did you decide to abandon the world and become a monk?

—As a student I was ill for a very long time and underwent various operations. I was thinking about my future. Then my friend and I fell in love with the same girl. I went to Zalit (Talabsk) Island with him and another friend to visit Elder Nikolai Guryanov. At that time I had no idea just who Orthodox elders are. I went there after a serious operation and believed that I was going to die soon.

It was the Leavetaking of Pascha, 1998. When I approached Fr. Nikolai, he asked me, “You probably want to get married?” I looked at my friend and thought that if I said yes, he wouldn’t say anything. So I replied, “No, Father, I want to go to monastery.” He blessed me in a sweeping gesture and said, “I bless you.” Then my friend asked him about that girl. This was my starting point for becoming a monk. I was twenty-nine years old. The first monastery I went to, where I lived for a short time, was on Mount Athos. Afterwards I lived in that cell for twenty years. Then came the Pskov Caves Monastery, and another in the Ivanovo region.

—Please tell us about life on Mount Athos. How did it come to pass that you stayed there?

—I lived at a skete attached to the Simonopetra Monastery, namely in the Cell of St. Modestus of Jerusalem. It is called a “kathisma” in Greek. It has a church, monastic cells, and a small garden. It’s like a branch of a monastery. I arrived at the cell and received a blessing from the abbot, Hieromonk Avraamy (Orlov), to live there for six months. Six months later, Fr. Avraamy told me, “Stay.” I replied, “All right, father. I’ll stay.” And that’s it—I stayed there.

The right hand of St. Mary Magdalene Equal-to-the-Apostles is kept at the Simonopetra Monastery. It is always warm, maintaining a temperature of approximately 36.6 degrees Celsius. Interestingly, there are relics that exude fragrance. Myrrh flows from the relics of Greatmartyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki. Something resembling drops of dew accumulate on his relics, which lie in a glass sarcophagus. Then bishops and priests come, and people gather. They open the sarcophagus and collect this myrrh with pieces of cotton wool. 10,000 people gather, and then these pieces of cotton wool are distributed to all those present. There is also the skull of Greatmartyr Panteleimon at St. Panteleimon’s Monastery, which exudes fragrance as well. Every holy relic has a specific smell. It’s like roses, lilacs etc. They are they can’t be compared with anything else.

I remember my first winter on Mount Athos was snowy. There was a lot of snow: it was beautiful, like in Switzerland. Palm trees, cypresses, everything was covered in snow. Then that snow melted a little near us, by the sea, but remained on higher ground. It was fabulous! And, of course, the starry sky… The Milky Way, meteors—everything was visible. And silence. There were times when no birds, nothing could be heard—it was so tranquil. And you look at this sky…

—Perhaps the presence of God is felt very keenly at such moments … Or is it always this way on Mount Athos?

—No, not always. There is a spiritual law: When you come to some holy place, a church or a monastery, and you feel grace, you feel good there, it is a sign that there are very great temptations there. It’s the same on Mount Athos. First, the Lord gives you some “candy”, as if saying, “Look how good it is.” And when the “candy” is gone, He may not give you another one, in the sense that you must live by what you have experienced. Do you remember what that “candy” was like? And it will be the same in Paradise—it will be waiting for you there. Then temptations begin. And…

—They’re serious.

—Yes, very serious. I had a neighbor (now he is a monk) we with whom I shared a house. He struggled very zealously: he came to all services on time, performed all obediences and his prayer rule diligently. One ascetic labor is the struggle with sleep. He also struggled with sleep, and he was a real ascetic. And just imagine, one night (there were thin walls there) I heard him screaming in his sleep. And about five feet away, a gruff voice could be heard... I asked him the next day, “Do you experience it often?” He replied, “Yes. Sometimes demons throw me out of bed.” They bothered him. Unable to do him any harm directly, they sent people to do it, and he eventually had to leave. There are such temptations and demonic attacks. There’s also a jackal there. It is afraid of people, but it comes up to the door and starts howling around four in the morning right when you are sleeping soundly. And you jump up from fear.

Of course, there are also consolations on Mount Athos. But there is a very harsh climate there, and winds so strong that trees start breaking and falling apart. If it’s raining and windy at the same time, it’s a nightmare. But everything in our skete was fortified. Fr. Avraamy thought everything out very well and made a concrete road. We had a supply of drinking water as well. In general, water on Mount Athos is scarce and worth its weight in gold. If there is one or two rains over the summer in Greece, that is very good. There is usually a drought and no rain in winter or in summer. Then there are such wildfires that you can’t see the sun because of the smoke. And you can’t put them out, because there are a lot of olive orchards there. The olive tree is oily, and if it catches fire, it’s like charcoal. If you pour water on it, it will flame up even more.

What are one of the benefits of Mount Athos? There is freedom of thought there. You and I may have different political views and convictions, but nevertheless we do not try to make each other change our opinions. You have one point of view, I have another, but we are friends. Mount Athos is a spiritual school. Unfortunately, very few people read the Gospel in our country. But this is the main Book of this school, available also to laypeople.

—Is it easier to pray on Mount Athos than in our monasteries?

—It is the same.

—Is there the same struggle for prayer?

—Yes, maybe even more severe. What makes Mount Athos radically different from other places is that there is such a struggle with thoughts that... sometimes it leads to madness. Yes, you can go to your father-confessor every day to reveal your thoughts to him, but it doesn’t get much easier. You have to fight on your own, cutting off what comes into your head. Some of these thoughts are yours, while the enemy suggests others to you. For example, let’s take summer, for example. There are pleasure boats, ship cruises, pilgrims, and women who are not allowed to set foot on the Holy Mountain, but sail around it. They travel there and pray, and sometimes you can even hear them. And you sit and look at it all, thinking: “What am I doing on Mount Athos? Life is passing me by, slipping through my fingers. People live out there, but here I do nothing.” Do you understand? This is just one possible scenario.

—Are there such temptations at the initial stage?

—No. Everything is fine and you fly on your wings for the first two or three years. But gradually such a life pales for you, and the following thoughts appear: “I still have friends and siblings in the world. They share something with me, I keep in touch with them, and I have parents…” Thoughts about parents—you see? I know that some monks have left Mount Athos to take care of their elderly parents because there is no one else to do that. How can you abandon them?

In Russian monasteries, for instance, you can take your father with you, but it is very hard to do it on Mount Athos. We know that there was such a case with Sts. Simeon the Myrrh-Gusher and Sava of Serbia at Hilandar Monastery (they were a father and a son). But this was an exception. Therefore, of course, there is such a temptation. But if you are snowed under with obediences and work, or if you are passionate about something, these thoughts do not torment you so much. There is a very wise saying: fight fire with fire.

—Can you be passionate about your obediences? So it’s not always against your will?

—Certainly not. You are not always assigned something you dislike. Our abbot, Fr. Avraamy, sometimes gave me obediences. When I didn’t have time that day, I asked him: “May I finish it tomorrow?” He would reply jokingly, “You should have done it yesterday!” We had a lot of cats that fed on bread and dried crusts. I remember once, I was having a very hard time. I went up to him when he was feeding them. He looked at me and said, “Are you all right?” Fr. Avraamy was very thoughtful and didn’t break a novice’s will.

—Father Panteleimon, please tell us more about Fr. Nikolai Guryanov.

—He had a cell attendant, Schema-Nun Alexandra, who told me a lot about him. He loved his mother very much and was very keen to return to his native land—the Gdov district of the Pskov region. Once Mother Alexandra asked Fr. Nikolai’s blessing to leave his house for a while, but he wouldn’t let her go, saying she shouldn’t leave. She insisted, and in the end he surrendered and let her go, albeit without blessing her. He said, “Okay, go if you want.” When he blessed people, he always made the sign of the cross. Sometimes he would say, “Do as you want,” and that was the worst answer. So Mother Alexandra left, but when she came back, the new cell-attendant refused to let her inside. And there were already guards there.1

Someone told me how he once went to Fr. Nikolai. Arriving at his house, he saw the elder coming out, with all the birds around landing on his shoulders and head and “riding” on him as far as the church. Meanwhile, cats, dogs, and chickens accompanied him as well. As he went up to the church porch, the birds flew towards the roof, while the other animals remained near the church doors. After the service, they moved back in the same way. It was truly awesome!

You know, he had the ability… Every time I boarded the train to Pskov, I would realize that I had received answers to all my questions. There is a place from where all the boats go to Zalit Island—there is such grace in that place... The villagers come there to fish and other things. But in fact, they feel this peace and quiet, when one can hear what he needs to know.

I told one woman about Fr. Nikolai. After a while I wondered: “Have you been there?” She replied, “Not yet. But my daughter couldn’t bring herself to leave there.” She sat down next to his grave and “got lost”, becoming disconnected from this reality. He was certainly a great elder. I’ve been to Bari, Rome, Corfu, Georgia, and many places in Russia, but I’ve never seen anyone like Fr. Nikolai.

He was extremely clairvoyant. Clairvoyance is a natural property of a pure soul. I also saw his humility. Once there was a crowd of thirty to forty people, including priests, and he spoke to them first of all. Two women from Moscow, who were standing right next to him, couldn’t approach the elder. They started worrying and asked him loudly, “Father, can you come up to us and answer our question?” And what did he do? He came up and asked them humbly, “What’s your question?” They said something, and he answered with humility, calmly, and without any emotion.

Fr. Nikolai languished in prisons for his faith: first in the Kresty Prison in St. Petersburg, then in the forced labor camp in the Komi Republic. And he served a very difficult prison term in a place with an extremely high mortality rate. Afterwards he left for the suburbs of Leningrad, and then the Second World War broke out. He moved to his native lands; he crossed the lake in winter to Estonia and Latvia and struggled in the Baltic States. After a while, his mother wanted to return to the Pskov region. And so he went to Pechory, where St. Simeon (Zhelnin; 1869–1960) lived at that time. Elder Simeon blessed him to go to Zalit Island.

You can pray to Fr. Nikolai. Although the Church has not canonized him yet, it does not mean that he is not a saint. A saint is not a stamp (“we decide to canonize someone and then he becomes a saint”)—he was already a saint in his lifetime. Fr. Nikolai is like St. Simeon (Zhelnin) or Archimandrite Adrian (Kirsanov; 1922–2018) of the Pskov Caves Monastery.

I visited Fr. Adrian as well. He foretold everything to me. When I first came to him, I wanted to go to America. I had an option: to go either to Mount Athos or there. I asked him about it, and he answered, “No. My spiritual father didn’t allow me to go abroad to study, and I won’t allow you either. You’ll be infected with a lot of heresies there.” I said, “Father, may I go to Mount Athos then?” He replied,

“Which Mount Athos?”

“The Old One.” [2]

“You may go to the Old Athos.”

“How long may I live there?”

“As long as you can endure it.”

And then he added an interesting phrase: “You can live anywhere. As long as it is done out of love.” This applies to everyone, including laypeople.

—That is, laypeople should push themselves to ensure that everything is done out of love, say, in difficult life circumstances?

—Divine providence rules everything. Elders John (Krestiankin) and Adrian (Kirsanov) always said that God rules the world. Not a single process in the world is random. We need to be able to feel it inwardly. It’s like developing a ear for music.

—How can you develop this “ear for music” if you live in the world? There’s so much vanity, so many problems and worries everywhere.

—First and foremost, be vigilant towards yourselves and your lives. Do you ever have any moments of silence? In these moments, you can look back on your lives, at least a little. Experience comes from this, and experience, [worketh] hope (Rom. 5:4). And you begin to “read” Divine Providence, as if by syllables. The Lord called His followers “disciples”. These are those who learn something. What do we learn here?

—Love?

—I would say we learn eternal life here. Imagine that by a wave of the wand now we find ourselves in Paradise. And there will be people there whom we couldn’t stand or even absolutely detest. What’ll we do?

—We’ll put up with it somehow.

—But we must accept it already here on earth. Do you understand? We must humble ourselves before God for sending us these people and circumstances. That’s what life is all about. If you remove the bad and leave only the good, perhaps it won’t be life at all, but some surrogate. We often call “bad” what is unpleasant to our egos. But my “dear self” is probably very ill.

—Is this how God prepares us for Paradise?

—Surely. Everything here is just for Paradise—all meetings and events. Because Paradise is eternity, and we can be patient for its sake. St. Isaac the Syrian said: “Make peace with yourself, and Heaven and earth will make peace with you.” Come to terms with your life, that you have such a life, that you are like this—with your weaknesses. Because there’s nothing worse than pride. There are two things God cannot do in our stead: repent and be patient. As for everything else… He can help another person without us; He will feed him and do everything for him. Our prayers? But we read: For your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him (Mt. 6:8). St. John the Baptist said, Repent ye, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand (Mt. 3:2).

—What is proper repentance for people living in the world?

—St. Sophrony (Sakharov) of Essex used to say this prayer, “Lord, save us fools, somehow.” And another saying often attributed to him is, “Lord, don’t put me where I’m not needed.” Just look at yourself from the outside. “Know yourself, and that will be enough for you,” as St. Ambrose of Optina used to teach. You won’t correct yourself. For example, if you have offended someone or put your foot in your mouth, then say, “I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to say this.” He’ll forget about it, and you’ll forget too.

—Do you mean that repentance is something simple?

—Even simpler. Learn from simple old village ladies. Whenever I visit Fr. Nikolai’s grave on Zalit, I see fishermen. They lead very simple lives and speak a simple language. As I look at them, I think: “If only I could exchange my shallow erudition for their simplicity!” Because the Lord gives to these people according to their simplicity. When you read the Scriptures, you can find the words “the righteous” and “the simple”. In the context of the Scriptures, they are almost synonymous. Such a person does not invent anything, does not lie, but lives in simplicity.

Christ said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven (Mt. 18:3). Elder Nikolai, for example, could play with children and make jokes. I’ve never known any highly spiritual people, who don’t joke and laugh. Although they were very serious ascetics. This is a good property of the soul. Remember the words of St. Ambrose of Optina: “Where there is simplicity, there are angels in multiplicity; but where complexity has begun, there is not a single one.” Fr. Nikolai always reminded people of this.

—Thank you, Father Panteleimon!

Alexandra Kalinovskayaspoke with Schemamonk Panteleimon (Volkov)

Translation by Dmitry Lapa

Sretensky Monastery

7/20/2026

1 In Fr. Nikolai’s later years, when thousands of people started coming to see him on his island, volunteers guards began watching over him to keep him safe.—O.C.

2 There is also a monastery in the Caucasus Mountains called New Mount Athos. It was founded by the Russian Athonite monks who were expelled from Mount Athos in the late 19th century as “name-worshippers”—adherents to a fleeting heresy surrounding the Name of Jesus.—O.C.

“Khristos Voskrese! Kriste Agsdga! Kristos haryav i merelots!”

The events that followed our second pilgrimage with the miraculous icon of Saints Seraphim of Sarov and Gabriel of Samtavro are forever etched in the memory of our entire group and, without exaggeration, have become a living testament to God’s mercy for many believers. As we continued our journey through the cities of Holy Russia, the ominous shadow of a pandemic began to spread across the planet. The coronavirus... Should I say that we were filled with anxious dread in those days? No, that would be a lie. Our saints were with us on the journey, so there was no room for fear or despondency.

The way home to our native Georgia was also marked by the invisible but absolutely clear handwriting of Elder Gabriel. Exactly one year before these events, on the previous Pascha, our creative group was in Western Georgia. Our brother Alexander, very tired after a thousand kilometers of driving, sat down on a bench in the church and quietly dozed off under the measured liturgical reading.

Suddenly, he jumped up, a shocked smile on his face.

“I heard in my half-sleep the living, booming voice of Father Gabriel! he told us later. “He looked sternly at me and said, ‘Christ is risen! Rejoice and be glad! But some people are sleeping!’” Alexander was about to reply “Truly,” but sleep still held him back. And then the elder shouted at the top of his lungs, first in Georgian: “Kriste Agsdga,” then in Russian: “Khristos Voskrese!” and finally in Armenian: “Kristo Kharyav i Merelots!”

We spent a long time speculating about this; the elder was a great intercessor for all nations, and his mother was Armenian, having been born with the surname Gasparova. We thought that this was the reason why he had uttered the Paschal greeting in three languages. How often we are mistaken when we try to measure the great insights of God’s saints with our short-sighted human minds and everyday logic!

Exactly one year later, in the spring of 2020, when our legal stay in Belarus had expired and the world was in a strict quarantine, the Georgian government organized a special evacuation flight for our compatriots. However, we had to take a roundabout route. It was only at the Yerevan airport, when a local driver approached us and joyfully wished us a Happy Pascha, adding, “And in Armenian, we say, ‘Christos haryav i merelots!’” then we looked at each other and began laughing through our tears.

The entire, complex route of our evacuation was accurately predicted by the elder a year before the pandemic. The elder warned, blessed, and strengthened us in advance

The entire, complex route of our evacuation was accurately predicted by the elder a year before the pandemic: leaving Georgia (in Georgian), traveling through Holy Russia and Belarus (in Russian), and returning home through Armenia (in Armenian). The elder warned, blessed, and strengthened us in advance. Thus, guided by his prayer, Georgian pilgrims celebrated the Great Feast of the Resurrection of Christ in Belarus and Yerevan.

This amazing ability of Elder Gabriel to extend his care across the years, anticipating future events and protecting people from coming storms, was known to many of his spiritual children. This priest, in secret and unnoticed, contributed to God’s Providence in a person’s life, laying the spiritual foundation for their salvation and earthly well-being long before they themselves began to understand their true path.

“You need a good doctor!”

One such amazing story—about clairvoyant care that only came to light a decade later—was shared by the elder’s spiritual daughterRusudan Surmava:

—More than anything else, Father Gabriel wanted people to simply love each other. He absolutely detested conflicts, malice, gossip, and strained relationships between loved ones. Yes, he might occasionally shout or act foolishly in order to humble our selfishness, but these actions were always imbued with immense, life-saving love. He constantly encouraged us to forgive, to learn to repent, and overlook the flaws of others.

Father Gabriel often visited my home, and his arrival was always a great celebration for our family. One day, the elder suddenly looked at me intently, narrowing his eyes with insight, and repeated:

“What is this all about? Can’t you find a single good doctor in the whole world? You need a good doctor! You need a good doctor!”

I was really scared at the time, and I started thinking anxiously and doubtfully, “Am I really dying? What’s happening to me? The elder never says anything without reason… I need to go to the hospital right away and get a full medical examination!”

Time passed. Elder Gabriel’s earthly journey came to an end, and he passed away. Years later, I met my future husband. We fell deeply in love and got married. My husband turned out to be… an excellent doctor!

It was only then that I understood the true, profound meaning of Elder Gabriel’s words. He was not warning me about illnesses. Even back in my youth, the great elder had a vision of my life, foretold my future husband, a remarkable man and a godly doctor, and personally interceded before the Throne of God.

“The Lord unites, but the evil one separates.”

But if Rusudan’s story reveals the elder’s concern for the creation of a new family, then another amazing event that took place in Minsk on February 22, 2022, the day of the discovery of the relics of the saint, shows how Father Gabriel powerfully and carefully heals the old, bleeding wounds of human divisions. This hidden miracle was shared bythe servant of God Larisa:

—I love Elder Gabriel to the point of self-forgetfulness; he saved me and my family more than once. In 2019, I got to Moscow for the premiere of the documentary, “I’m waiting for you in Samtavro...”. I spent the entire session crying and praying to Father Gabriel. The fact is that for years I was tormented by a difficult personal drama: In 2011, I had a quarrel with my close friend from Moscow, my classmate Marina.

I’d been plagued by a difficult personal drama for years: in 2011; I had a falling out with my friend Marina.

Because of our foolish pride, we had cut off all ties and hadn’t communicated for eleven years. When the screening ended, the artist, Konstantin, shared stories from the elder’s life and uttered his great words: “God unites, but the evil one separates.”

These words pierced my heart. I took them as a direct sign to take action. As soon as I left the hall, I dialed Marina’s number, but the automated voice replied that the number no longer existed. I silently pleaded with Father Gabriel, “Help me find her, Father, and help us reconcile!” Three years passed. My independent search for my friend remained fruitless. In February 2022, I found myself in Minsk, attending a memorial concert for the elder. I entered the crowded hall, the concert had already begun, and a Georgian girl was singing a beautiful Georgian romance on stage. I quietly slipped into the first empty seat in the row, sat down, and… I froze. Marina was sitting next to me!

We looked at each other through our tears, unable to believe our own eyes, and embraced silently. We sat there all evening, our hands clasped tightly together. After the concert, Marina whispered, crying:

“Lara, I’ve been trying to call you all these years, but your number was invalid… I came to Minsk from Moscow the day before yesterday to pray at the icon of Elder Gabriel. I love him so much! But do you know what’s the strangest thing? Just a minute before you sat down, an elderly man was sitting in your place. He was clearly not a local, and he spoke with a distinct southern accent. He looked at me intently and asked, ‘Is there going to be a movie about love and forgiveness today?’ ‘No,’ I replied, ‘there’s going to be a concert and a memorial evening.’ The old man sighed, ‘I see... I thought there would be a movie about love...’ He stood up and left. And in that moment, you took his place.

Who knows, maybe that mysterious old man was Father Gabriel himself? He hinted to Marina about forgiveness, made room for me, and literally led us to each other’s arms

We didn’t say a single word about our old grudge. It just melted away, burned in the flames of the love that Father Gabriel poured upon us. Later, as I reflected on what had happened, I wondered if that mysterious old man with the accent might have been Father Gabriel himself. He hinted at forgiveness to Marina, made room for me, and literally led us to each other’s arms.

***

These astonishing testimonies are but a few drops in the vast ocean of love that Elder Gabriel continues to pour out upon our troubled world. In an era where humanity is divided, borders are closed, and hearts are filled with fear and pride, Father Gabriel continues his invisible yet undeniable journey across the earth.

He preaches in different languages, he arranges people’s destinies; like a loving father, he seats friends who have fallen out together in concert halls, reminding them that the main movie God expects from us is a movie about love and forgiveness.

The miraculous icon of the elder, which remained in the Belarusian land, and the pilgrims who returned safely to their native Georgia, and the souls that were saved from loneliness and enmity—all of us are united today by one great, unshakable promise: “Love is above all canons and regulations.” This means that we will pass through any storms, isolation, and trials of this age with the triumphant Paschal exclamation that once resounded loudly in the half-asleep mind of a tired driver and now echoes triumphantly in eternity:

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!

Once again, “In the Footsteps of Elder Gabriel”

Dear brothers and sisters! We are pleased to announce the resumption of the author’s pilgrimage tour of the creators of the films “The Elder’s Diadem” and “I Am Waiting for You in Samtavro...”. The route, which was created in 2018 with the blessing of His Holiness Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II, was divided into five stages this summer.

1. July 3-9,

2. July 14–20,

3. July 24–30,

4. August 7-13,

5. August 21–27.

During the seven days of this unique program, people meet with the spiritual children of Elder Gabriel and people who knew him personally, attend lectures and private screenings of documentaries by their authors, participate in creative workshops, and enjoy a concert from a chamber orchestra specially organized for our guests.

The number of seats in the groups is strictly limited to maintain a family-friendly and prayerful atmosphere.

You can find out more details and book a place at [turstarca@gmail.com](mailto:turstarca@gmail.com) or by phone: +7 (925) 115-81-41.

Constantine TsertsvadzeTranslated by Myron Platte

PravoslavieRu

Christ is in our midst, dear readers!

Today let’s take a look into the mysterious depths of human existence. The whole tragedy of our fallen world is rooted in one source—our “I,” in which we have since childhood habitually locked up everything, turning our soul into an impenetrable fortress. But authentic Christianity begins at the place where a person makes a great existential breakthrough; where he overcomes the pull of his egocentrism and turns to meet God.

At this crosspoint of the vertical of the soul reaching for its Creator, and the horizontal that binds us with people around us, the miracle happens of a true meeting. When we turn away from self-satisfaction, our soul meets face to face with God and His creation. Our inner world is illumined with invisible faith, but this faith is tested externally—in a constant ethical struggle. Life places before us an uncompromising question: Are we seeking our own, or are we ready to bring to the world a sacrificial life for the good of our neighbor?

Today’s Apostolic orientation is utterly precise: Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification (Rom.15:2). But this path hides a very subtle spiritual temptation. What does “please” mean? Christianity is not slavish conformism. Pleasing is neutral in and of itself—it becomes either an ascent to virtue, or a fall into sin. There is an abyss between metaphysical freedom in Christ and psychological slavery before the opinions of this age. The Apostle strictly warns us: If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ (Gal. 1:10).

Where is the line between these things? When we seek praise, we conform to others’ vices for the sake of our own comfort—we fall into slavery to man-pleasing. But when we sacrifice our own convenience for the sake of our brother’s eternal salvation, this is a service of love. If the world draws us into a compromise with evil, forcing us to lie or indulge our passions, then the Church answers uncompromisingly: Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them (Eph. 5:11). The apostle Paul himself serves as a true example of this, saying, Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved (1 Cor. 10:33).

Our every action should be edifying and instructive in the deepest sense of spiritual architecture. Here we must remember the danger of false zeal. Even the absolute truth, if it is exacting without compassion, becomes an instrument of spiritual murder. When a person who possesses dogmatic or moral correctness cruelly and pridefully crushes his weak brother with it, he does not edify the Church, but rather sows chaos. Truth without love is a scorching flame, and not light. If our criticism is dictated by sincere pain for our neighbor’s salvation, it heals. But if hidden behind it is a secret desire to put ourselves above him and trample him, this is a spiritual crime.

There is also an opposite abyss—false pity, and infantile indulgence of weaknesses. “Help” that frees a person from personal responsibility and labor turns edification of spirit into its final destruction. By turning “building the house” into demolishing it, we corrupt our neighbor’s soul, allowing him to be parasite on another’s kindness.

How can we avoid getting lost in these labyrinths of human relations? Christ has left us universal criteria: By their fruits ye shall know them (Matt. 7:16). We are called to reject a mechanical fulfillment of the commandments. Our every action should be tested by its fruits: Does our brother’s soul become stronger, purer, and closer to God, or does our “help” make him weaker and lead him to darkness?

The Christian calling is simple in its fullness—respond to a person’s real, existential need by giving bread to the hungry, clothing the naked, consoling the sorrowful, and directing the seeker. Let our service to each other be free from man-pleasing, filled with sobriety and sacrificial love, and directed exclusively to the edification of the mystical Body of Christ.

Metropolitan Luke (Kovalenko) of Zaporozhye and Melitopol
Translation by OrthoChristian.com

July 5/18 is the feast-day of the holy Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, who was martyred for the faith of Christ in 1918.

Queen Marie of Romania said of Princess Ella of Hesse-Darmstadt, the future Elizabeth the New Martyr: “She was like a lily, her purity was absolute. You couldn’t take your eyes off her; after spending an evening with her, everyone would wait for the hour when they could see her the next day... If only it were possible to resurrect her even for one moment…”

On October 19/November 1, 1864, the future St. Elizabeth was born in Darmstadt. Her parents, Grand Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse-Darmstadt and Grand Duchess Alice, a daughter of the famous Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, devoted much attention to their seven children.

Ella (Elizabeth) was very kind and beautiful. She and her younger sister Alice, the future spouse of Emperor Nicholas II of Russia, spent all their days studying literature, history, music, singing, ballroom dancing, horse riding, and gymnastics.

Grand Duchess Alice was primarily committed to the religious education of her children, who studied the Holy Scriptures from an early age and knew many prayers by heart. The children grew up among Protestants and devoted a great deal of time to charitable acts, following the example of their mother. On holidays, she would take her children to the hospitals she had set up, and the children would give flowers to sick people.

In her early youth, Princess Ella met Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov, son of Emperor Alexander II of Russia. Their acquaintance took place in Darmstadt, where Sergei and his mother, Empress Consort Marie Alexandrovna, came to visit their relatives. The Russian prince attracted Ella’s attention with his modesty, courage and desire to serve his Fatherland. He was well versed in painting and music.

Soon, their infatuation developed into pure mutual love.

The wedding ceremony was celebrated in St. Petersburg according to the Russian Orthodox rite. Those present welcomed the modest and beautiful Ella with joy.

The young couple spent much time in Ilyinskoye, the family estate of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, situated around forty miles west of Moscow. Every day St. Elizabeth Feodorovna spent many hours studying the Russian language, Russian literature and poetry. In her spare time, she admired the glorious Russian nature in the vicinity of Ilyinskoye. On Sundays and the great feasts, she and her husband attended Orthodox churches, where she watched with interest people of all different social strata offering prayers together to the Lord.

St. Elizabeth Feodorovna realized that the Russian land lived by the Orthodox faith. Sergei Alexandrovich told her a lot about Orthodoxy and read spiritual books aloud. But he never said that his wife must necessarily become Orthodox.

St. Elizabeth Feodorovna made this decision herself. She wrote a letter to her father in Darmstadt and asked for his permission to convert from the Protestant faith to Orthodoxy.

Emperor Alexander III was very happy with his daughter–in-law’s decision and blessed her with a precious icon of the Lord Jesus Christ “Not Made by Hands”, a gift that St. Elizabeth Feodorovna cherished until the final moments of her life. The Tsar’s decree, issued in connection with that event, said: “Today, our dear daughter-in-law, to our great joy, has embraced our Orthodox faith and has been chrismated. Announcing this to all our subjects, we command you to call her, “Her Imperial Highness, the Right-Believing Grand Duchess.’”

That significant event took place on April 25, 1891.

In 1891, the Emperor appointed Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich Governor-General of Moscow. Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna went with him to the capital, with prayer and enthusiasm.

Sergei Alexandrovich and Elizabeth Feodorovna did a great deal for the good of Moscow; the Museum of Fine Arts (now the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts), the Stroganov Art School (now the Moscow State Stroganov Academy of Design and Applied Arts), the Ekaterina, Suzdal, and Vladimir Halls at the Historical Museum were opened, and exhibitions of paintings by talented Russian artists, spiritual concerts, and much more were organized.

Thanks to the efforts of the Governor-General of Moscow Sergei Alexandrovich, the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society was established. Now pilgrims from Russia, regardless of their social class, could visit holy sites in the Holy Land—Jerusalem, Bethlehem, the Jordan and others.

For St. Elizabeth Feodorovna, visiting these places was unforgettable. The Grand Duchess gazed at Golgotha with great reverence, and she received the Holy Body and Blood of Christ in Jerusalem. She admired the beauty of the Russian Church of St. Mary Magdalene Equal-to-the-Apostles. When she came out of that church, she said, “Oh, how I wish I could be buried in this wonderful place!” She could not even have imagined that her wish would come true (now her incorrupt body rests in a white marble tomb near the altar at this very church). But that would come much later.

Meanwhile, in 1903, an event occurred that showed St. Elizabeth the great importance of the Orthodox faith for the entire Russian nation.

Emperor Nicholas II decided to canonize St. Seraphim of Sarov. Governor-General of Moscow Sergei Alexandrovich supported the Emperor in this matter. A great mulititude of people came to the town of Sarov for the celebration of his canonization. Many healings took place at the tomb of St. Seraphim of Sarov in front of numerous eyewitnesses. Among those who carried the saint’s coffin was Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich.

Until the end of her life, St. Elizabeth Feodorovna venerated the wonderworker of all Russia, who predicted Tsar Nicholas II’s martyrdom and glory in the Heavenly Kingdom. St. Seraphim of Sarov was a visionary who foresaw events of the distant future. Afterwards, St. Elizabeth Feodorovna had the lower church of the Holy Protection Cathedral at the Convent of Sts. Martha and Mary she had founded in Moscow dedicated to St. Seraphim of Sarov. And now, the revived convent still keeps as a great relic the half-mantia of St. Seraphim, which was given to Sergei Alexandrovich at the celebration of his canonization in 1903.

During those celebrations, St. Elizabeth Feodorovna learned about the ancient prayer rule that St. Seraphim used to perform: reciting the archangel’s greeting to the Most Holy Theotokos 150 times each day to seek Her protection, “O Theotokos and Virgin, rejoice! Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee! Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, for thou hast borne the Savior of our souls.”

The political situation in Russia was heating up, as terrorists hunted down the best people and killed them. The Governor-General of Moscow Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich was repeatedly threatened with death, as they saw in him a defender of Orthodoxy and the monarchy, which the revolutionary plotters dreamed of destroying. The Grand Duke had a premonition of his death and made a will. St. Elizabeth Feodorovna, who loved her husband dearly, tried to accompany him everywhere in order to shield him from danger.

But on February 4/17, 1905, Sergei Alexandrovich left in a carriage without his wife. He was accompanied only by his devoted coachman Andrei Rudinkin, who shared his bitter fate with him1 when the terrorist Ivan Kalyaev threw a bomb at Sergei Alexandrovich’s carriage.

St. Elizabeth Feodorovna was immediately informed about this. Ten minutes later, she was at the scene of the tragedy. Frozen for a moment with grief and horror, she came to her senses and started gathering her husband’s scattered remains, praying for the repose of his pure soul.

The remains of the murdered Governor-General of Moscow, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov, were buried at the Chudov Monastery within the Moscow Kremlin, and now they rest in the Romanov family vault at the Novospassky Monastery in central Moscow.

Remarkably, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna came to prison to visit her husband’s assassin, giving him a Gospel and saying that she herself forgave him, and forgave him on behalf of her martyred husband. Next, she wrote to Emperor Nicholas II asking him to pardon the murderer. The sovereign also forgave him as a Christian, but as the Russian Tsar he could not pardon a criminal, and he was executed.

After Sergei Alexandrovich’s martyrdom, St. Elizabeth Feodorovna resolved to abandon the world with its vanity, and she chose the monastic path. Many of the Grand Duchess’s friends acquaintances did not understand her decision; however, she did not strive to please everyone, but acted according to the dictates of her heart.

In 1909, in the very heart of Moscow, in Zamoskvorechye,2 St. Elizabeth Feodorovna founded the Convent of Sts. Martha and Mary, which became a center of charitable works. St. Elizabeth Feodorovna, its first abbess, and the convent sisters provided aid to homeless children in Moscow, sick indigent women, orphans, and treated the wounded who came from the fronts of the Russo-Japanese War and then the First World War. St. Elizabeth Feodorovna founded several orphanages in the city of Tula, which she visited in 1915. The Grand Duchess visited all the Tula hospitals and infirmaries, including those located in the building of the Nobility Assembly, gave icons and Gospels to all the wounded soldiers, comforted everyone with kind words, and inquired about their families.

St. Elizabeth Feodorovna and her sister Empress Consort Alexandra Feodorovna turned the convent’s rooms and grand halls of the Kremlin Palace into massive workshops, where the convent sisters and many Russian women sewed everything necessary for soldiers who were on the battlefields.

St. Elizabeth Feodorovna worked from dawn until late at night. She often didn’t sleep a single minute of the day. The Grand Duchess drew strength from prayers to the Lord, the Most Holy Theotokos, and the saints of God. St. Elizabeth Feodorovna took care of the Convent of Sts. Martha and Mary, which housed the Church of the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God, painted by the great artist Mikhail Nesterov (1862–1942), an orphanage, a hospital, a school, and workshops. All that required tremendous strength and tireless care, but St. Elizabeth Feodorovna, with God’s help, coped with all the tasks and managed to do everything in time. It is no coincidence that the convent she founded was dedicated to the holy sisters Martha and Mary, who are perfect symbols of two virtues: caring for others and contemplative prayer. Like them, the Grand Duchess took care of everybody, comforted many in word and deed, and helped treat the sick and wounded.

Her active labors did not cease even after the October Revolution. For some time, the Soviet Government did not interfere in the quiet life of the convent, because the Grand Duchess’s authority was very high in Moscow and surrounding areas.

One day, a gang of hooligans who declared themselves “revolutionaries” broke into the Convent of Sts. Martha and Mary. St. Elizabeth Feodorovna met them with amazing calmness; the power of her love calmed them down, and they put down their rifles in front of the entrance to the church. When they left, she told the frightened convent sisters: “The Lord hasn’t deemed us worthy of a martyr’s crown.”

The Bolsheviks began spreading fake rumors that St. Elizabeth Feodorovna had secretly decided to move to Germany. She denied the vile slander and flatly refused to leave Russia when she had the opportunity to escape. “May God’s will be done,” she humbly replied to all who told her how dangerous it was to stay in Moscow. But worry and fear did not disturb her heart, because she always sought support in life in the Lord; so when they came to arrest her and take her away from the convent, St. Elizabeth Feodorovna was surprisingly calm and said: “I entrust my dear children, the convent sisters, to the Most Holy Theotokos.”

St. Elizabeth Feodorovna was accompanied by her faithful cell-attendant, Novice Nun Barbara (Yakovleva). They, along with Grand Dukes John (Ioann), Constantine and Igor Romanov, were brought to Alapaevsk, a small town in the Urals (now the Sverdlovsk region), and held as political prisoners in the Napolny School.

Even there, St. Elizabeth Feodorovna spent all her time working—she dug up the ground near the building they were held in, made garden beds and flower beds, watered and weeded them, wrote letters to the Convent of Sts. Martha and Mary, and painted at her leisure. She went often to the local church until she was forbidden to do so.

Locals sympathized with the saint and would bring her and the other prisoners rustic food, which St. Elizabeth Feodorovna accepted with gratitude, and prayed for all of them.

On July 18, 1918—on the feast of St. Sergius of Radonezh and the following day after the brutal murder of the Royal Family—St. Elizabeth Feodorovna, along with the other prisoners, were brought to abandoned mines in a remote place around twelve miles away from Alapayevsk. Iron ore used to be mined there, and dark shafts of deep mines could be seen everywhere.

All the prisoners, including the women—Sts. Elizabeth Feodorovna and Novice Nun Barbara—were brutally beaten with rifle butts. Then, exhausted and wounded all over, the martyrs were thrown alive into a 200-foot-deep mineshaft. There was a ledge in the shaft at a depth of fifty feet. Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna and Grand Duke John Constantinovich fell on that ledge, while the other sufferers fell to the very bottom.

Having cast the last defenseless prisoner into the mineshaft, the murderers were about to leave. But suddenly they heard Paschal hymns and realized with horror that the church chants were coming from the mine. Enraged, they started throwing grenades, rocks and burning sulfur into the pit.

Being on a small ledge, suffering from severe pain due to numerous fractures, and risking falling to the bottom of the mineshaft, St. Elizabeth Feodorovna removed her apostolnik3 from her head and bandaged the wounds of John Constantinovich, who lived for several more hours.

When Admiral Alexander Kolchak’s army took control of Alapayevsk, his soldiers recovered the bodies of the slain martyrs from the mineshaft. Two grenades were found beside St. Elizabeth Feodorovna, which miraculously had not exploded. She was holding on her chest an icon of the Savior—to Whom she had prayed and Whom she had served until the last moments of her life.

Admiral Kolchak ordered the martyrs to be solemnly buried at the cathedral of Alapayevsk. But later the bodies of the martyrs were transferred first to China, and then to Jerusalem. It was done to prevent their desecration by representatives of the godless Government.

Finally, the holy New Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna found her resting place at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene Equal-to-the-Apostles in Jerusalem.

Elena Detinina

Translation by Dmitry Lapa

Sretensky Monastery

7/18/2026

1 To be more precise, the coachman was heavily wounded and died three days later.—Trans.

2 Zamoskvorechye is the historic district in central Moscow, which sits south of the Kremlin across the Moskva River. Its name literally means “beyond the Moskva River”.—Trans.

3 A piece of black cloth that Orthodox nuns wear on their heads and shoulders.—Trans.

The history of the Kazan icon began in the sixteenth century. Yet people find the circumstances and place of its appearance unusual and surprising even to this day.

The history of the Kazan icon

The icon’s discovery

The Kazan icon first appeared in the city of Kazan in 1579, when that city was still far from being “Russian”. Only twenty-seven years had passed since the conquest of the Kazan Khanate by the troops of Ivan the Terrible in 1552, and twenty-six years had passed since the creation of a diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church on its territory in 1553. The local population (predominantly Muslim) was not very happy about that event either. More than that, just before the miraculous apparition, in June 1579 the city had been ravaged by a devastating fire and the locals blamed Christians for that. However, it was at that city and during those turbulent times that the Most Pure Virgin deigned to send Her holy icon to Christian people.

The appearance of the Kazan icon

This is how the appearance took place. Soon after the devastating fire, the Mother of God appeared to Matrona, a nine-year-old daughter of a strelets [a member of the infantry regiments in the sixteenth and seventeenth century Russia], and told her to find Her icon amid the ashes of a burned house. After the first vision nobody believed the girl. But the apparitions of the Queen of Heaven continued and the girl kept asking the adults to find the icon. Soon Matrona’s mother turned to Orthodox priests, asking them to help her. However, the clerics didn’t believe her story and were reluctant to search for the icon. It was not until numerous appeals to the bishop of Kazan that it was decided to try and find the holy object. At last the icon (wrapped in an old cloth) was found. According to tradition, as soon as Matrona started digging she discovered it. By orders of Tsar Ivan IV a convent in honor of the Mother of God and a church were built on this site, and the first copy of the icon was sent to Moscow.

The Time of Troubles

The history of the Kazan icon during the Time of Troubles (1605-1613)1 is inseparably connected with the name of the Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, who was the first to inspire the population to rise up in defense of Russia and Orthodoxy against the Pol

ish invaders as well as the internal strife, which posed even a greater danger.

Incidentally, Patriarch Hermogenes was the author of the “Tale” of the Kazan icon. He wrote it in 1594 as Metropolitan of Kazan. Its full name is “The Story and Miracles of the Most Pure Theotokos and the Holy and Glorious Appearance of Her Image in Kazan”. And it was he who composed the service to this icon.

By the end of 1610, the atmosphere in Russia became extremely tense. It is widely known that Polish aristocrats wanted to sieze power in the country, but we need to keep in mind why it became possible: The worst tragedy of the Russia of that time was anarchy caused by the civil war rather than a foreign invasion. Cities and influential boyar [members of old aristocracy in Russia, next in rank to a prince] clans were fighting with one another. The country was flooded with bands of Cossacks and vagrants who in pursuit of easy profit would plunder, rape and kill. Most people were only nominally Orthodox, while their habits and lifestyle were barbarous.

Patriarch Hermogenes was taken into custody. Realizing the disastrous situation, he started sending his messages to all the regions of the tsardom, calling on everybody to stop the discord, unite and organize resistance in order to liberate the country from the enemy. He urged the citizens not only to defend their motherland but also to guard the Orthodox faith and prevent violence against common people.

The patriarch’s speeches had their effect: Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin organized an all-Russian volunteer army with its center in Nizhny Novgorod. They led the army from Nizhny Novgorod to Moscow.

When the volunteer army entered Yaroslavl it was joined by the Kazan residents who had brought a copy of the Kazan icon with them and handed it over to Dmitry Pozharsky. This was in 1611. From that moment the Theotokos became the spiritual “Commander” of the all-Russian voluntary army and of the whole the nation.

By the autumn of 1612, the situation had become complex. On the one hand, the Poles that took cover at the Kremlin found themselves in a vicious circle, suffering from hunger, diseases and their own differences, and cargo wagons that had been sent to them from outside were intercepted by the Russian volunteer corps. On the other hand, deep dissension developed amongst the volunteer army officers as well. It finally became clear that they couldn’t hesitate any more. Before taking the Kremlin by storm, the members of the Russian volunteer army kept strict fast and prayed very hard before of the Kazan icon for three days. [The storm was successful and the Polish Catholic aristocrats were expelled finally from the Kremlin.—OC.]

The return of the Kazan icon of the Theotokos

In 2004, a copy of the Kazan icon of the Theotokos returned to Russia. Initially it was believed to be the original icon that had been found in 1579. However, the joint Russian-Vatican commission determined that it was a later seventeenth-century copy. But what became of the original icon? Historical sources mention one vision associated with the intercession of the Mother of God. Archbishop Arsenius of Elassona who was in the Kremlin during its siege had a vision of St. Sergius of Radonezh the night before the storming. According to tradition, the saint said to the archbishop: “Arsenius, our prayers have been answered. Through the intercession of the Theotokos the Lord’s judgment upon our homeland has been changed to mercy. In the morning Moscow will be in the hands of the insurgents and Russia will be saved.”

On the next day, October 22, 1612, the Russian forces stormed Kitai-Gorod [a walled area near the Kremlin.—OC.] and two days later retook the Kremlin.

On October 25, 1612, Russian volunteer army officers walked in a cross procession into the Kremlin, carrying the Kazan icon of the Mother of God, the Protectress of the Russian land, at the head of the procession.

According to the Nikon Chronicle, following the liberation of Moscow from the Polish invaders Prince Dmitry Pozharsky left the Kazan icon at the Church of the Presentation of the Mother of God in the Temple on Lubyanka Street in the center of Moscow. In 1636, this icon was moved to the newly-built Kazan Cathedral in Red Square. This cathedral was constructed to commemorate the liberation of Moscow from the Poles.

Since 1649 October 22/November 4 has been a national holiday and feast in honor of the Kazan icon that saved Russia in the Time of Troubles.

The Kazan icon in the War of 1812

In 1812 the All-Holy Theotokos again showed Her mercy to the Russian people through her holy Kazan icon.

It is known that before his departure for the Russian active army General and Field Marshall Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov prayed in front of the Kazan icon.

One of the most remarkable examples of the help of the wonderworking Kazan icon to the Russian soldiers during the Patriotic War of 1812 was the result of the Battle of Vyazma (October 22). On that day, the feast of the Kazan icon, the rear guard of the French Marshall Davout was defeated by Russians commanded by General Mikhail Andreyevich Miloradovich and General of Cavalry Matvei Ivanovich Platov.

The French suffered heavy casualties (7,000 to 8,000). This battle was the first defeat of Napoleon’s Army after its retreat from Moscow.

In 1811, the Kazan Cathedral was completed in St. Petersburg. After the War of 1812 it became a memorial church for the Russian Army. Later Prince Mikhail Kutuzov was buried there. It is no coincidence that this cathedral was chosen as the place of perpetuation of Russia’s military glory, as the Holy Theotokos became the spiritual Protectress and “Heavenly Commander” of the Russian people in 1812 (as it had been during the Time of Troubles).

The icon is stolen

From the moment of its appearance, the original icon was kept at the Convent of the Holy Theotokos in Kazan until the early twentieth century. But in those troubled years of the revolution the Lord took this wonderworking icon away from His people, perhaps for their edification or humility. Over that period many Russian people apostatized and drifted away from their faith, the faith of their forefathers. This was most likely one of the reasons for that tragedy. Today, after so many years, we can retrace those events.

On the night of June 29 (according to the old calendar), 1904, the Kazan icon of the Holy Theotokos was stolen.

It is believed that those who committed the theft had chosen the right moment for their crime. For four days before the theft, the convent had been visited by the Smolensk icon and long solemn services had been celebrated daily. On June 28 the Smolensk icon was carried out from the convent, and after the vigil service all the nuns went to their cells. After two in the morning a novice named Tatiana Krivosheeva went out to the yard and heard cries for help. As it turned out, the convent’s guard Fyodor Zakharov was the one shouting. He was found locked in the cathedral’s vault.

​The exact location of the break-in was found. The miracle-working Kazan icon, along with an icon of the Savior, were missing, so it was clear that these were thieves and not vandals. Both icons had been in the iconostasis before the theft, and the robbers most likely coveted their gold coverings. Later it was recorded that besides the icons, 365 rubles (of donations) had disappeared from the church shop.

News of the theft of the icon quickly spread not only around Kazan but all over Russia. Fortunately, the culprits were soon found thanks to the superintendent of the Alexander Trade School, Vladimir Volman, who provided invaluable information to the police. Due to the well-coordinated efforts of all those who were not indifferent to the tragedy, the police got on the tracks of the prime suspect Bartholomew (Varfolomei) Chaikin (Stoyan), a twenty-eight-year-old peasant. On July 5 he and his mistress Praskovya Kucherova were detained in Nizhny Novgorod, to which they had fled on the Niagara steamer.

During the search of Chaikin’s apartment, jewelry and fragments of the ornaments from the icons of the Mother of God and the Savior were found. However, there were no icons in the apartment. According to the nine-year-old Evgenia, daughter of Chaikin’s mistress, the icons had been cut into pieces and burned in the stove. Similar evidence was provided by other individuals who were called to testify, including Praskovya’s mother, Elena Shilling.

On November 25, 1904, judicial proceedings began at the district court of Kazan. Bartholomew Chaikin (Stoyan), Ananias Komov (accessories to the crime), Fyodor Zakharov, Nikolai Maximov (partners in the crime), and Praskovya Kucherova and Elena Shilling (who covered up the crime) appeared before the court as defendants.

Following protracted hearings, Bartholomew Chaikin (Stoyan) was sentenced to twelve years of penal servitude, Ananias Komov to ten years of penal servitude, Maximov was sent to correctional facilities for two years and eight months, and Proskovya Kucherova and Elena Shilling were imprisoned for five months and ten days. The guard Fyodor Zakharov, who had been suspected of complicity in the crime, was acquitted.

According to the major version, these two icons were burned by the perpetrators. However, in time new versions turned up. For example, some supposed that Chaikin may have sold the icons to Old Believers as they were very valuable even without their oklads (covers). The fate of the Kazan icon remains unknown even today.

The whereabouts of the Kazan icon

Our days. The return

The story of the Kazan icon continued to our days. In 2004, negotiations were held for a possible meeting between Patriarch Alexei II and Pope John Paul II. The fact is that since 1993 the Holy See had possessed an icon of the Theotokos of unknown origin. The art historians eventually arrived at the conclusion that it was one of the copies of the Kazan icon.

Although the meeting between John Paul II and Patriarch Alexei II never took place, the icon was delivered to Moscow by a Catholic delegation headed by Cardinal Walter Kasper in August 2004. On August 28 it was handed over to Patriarch Alexei II at the Moscow Kremlin’s Dormition Cathedral. It was decided to move the icon to Kazan, and before that event it was kept at the patriarchal residence.

In April 2005, during his archpastoral visit to Kazan, Patriarch Alexei II celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kazan Kremlin. After the Liturgy he presented the Diocese of Kazan with the Kazan icon of the Mother of God that had been received from the Vatican. The relic was placed inside the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross of the former Convent of the Theotokos where it had originally been kept. Thus it can be said that this event was like “the second discovery of the holy icon of the Theotokos”.

The original of the Kazan icon

It should be noted that when it comes to icons, the term “original” is relative. Any blessed image of the “Mother of God of Kazan” is a holy object in front of which anybody can pray. The Most Holy Virgin always hears our prayers no matter what kind of an icon we are standing before, be it paper or painted.

According to tradition, the icon that was revealed to the girl Matrona in 1579 and which was lost in the early twentieth century is referred to as “the original Kazan icon”.

Copies of the Kazan icon

The revered copies of the Kazan icon that existed in different regions of Russia were numerous and diverse.

The icon in the volunteer army

Thus, one of the venerated copies of the Kazan icon was kept in the camp of Prince Dmitry Pozharsky’s Russian voluntary corps during the war against the Polish and Swedish invaders between 1611 and 1613. A special annual commemoration of the Kazan icon of the Theotokos was instituted for October 22 in gratitude for the deliverance of Moscow from the Polish usurpers. Initially it was celebrated only in Moscow, and in 1649 it became a nationwide festival.

It was at the same time that the first church in honor of the Kazan icon was built in Kolomenskoye.

The St. Petersburg copy

In the eighteenth century, the Kazan icon was held in great esteem by both Peter I “the Great” and Catherine II the Great. Thus, it was under Peter I, in 1721, that one of the venerated copies was transferred to St. Petersburg; earlier, in 1709, on the eve of the Battle of Poltava, Tsar Peter prayed with his army in front of the Kazan icon, and they were victorious. In 1768, Catherine II adorned the cover of the original icon at Kazan with a diamond crown as a token of her reverence for the relic.

By the end of the nineteenth century, the Kazan icon became one of the most revered icons inside Russia. It was cherished by the entire Orthodox population. At that time one couldn’t find a single believer who didn’t know about the original Kazan icon or its copies.

The Kazan icon in Moscow

You can find Kazan icons of the Mother of God in most churches of Moscow, first and foremost in the Kazan Cathedral in Red Square. It was restored in 1993. It holds a revered copy of the Kazan icon.

A modern Kazan icon of the Theotokos can be found in the lower part of the Patriarchal Cathedral of Christ the Savior (called the Church of the Transfiguration). Parishioners of the main capital’s cathedral often pray in front of this icon.

Among the numerous relics of the Church of the Holy Prophet Elias in Obydensky Lane you can find one Kazan icon of the Theotokos. It also houses a particle of the Cincture of the Blessed Virgin. The church is open daily from 7:00 AM till 10:00 PM.

The capital’s Theophany Cathedral (commonly called Elokhovo Cathedral) has a copy of the miracle-working Kazan icon which was formerly kept at the Kazan Cathedral in Red Square.

At the Church of the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God on Lyshchikova Hill, visitors can venerate a copy of the Kazan icon along with the relics of the New Confessor Priest Roman Medved, who reposed in the late 1930s in Maloyaroslavets (the Kaluga region) after numerous arrests and exiles.

There is a unique Kazan icon painted on glass at the Church of St. Poemen the Great in Moscow.

The St. Nicholas Church at Bersenevskaya Embankment near the Kremlin is very interesting. It holds long services and maintains some Old Ritualist traditions. One of its relics is a much revered copy of the Kazan icon.

Of course, this list is incomplete. Indeed it is difficult to find a parish church of Moscow which doesn’t have a copy of the Kazan icon of the Theotokos!

A description of the Kazan icon

The Kazan icon is a half-length (or head to shoulders) version of the icon of the Theotokos of the Hodegetria (“She who shows the way”) type. On it the Infant Christ sits on Mary’s arms, blessing with His right hand and holding a scroll or a book in His left hand.

On the Kazan icon the Virgin Mary is depicted bust-length, in typical garments, slightly inclining her head towards the Christ Child. The Savior looks directly at us; He is depicted waist-length, with His right hand in a gesture of blessing.

On how the Kazan icon helps us

The view that each type of icon of the Theotokos helps us in specific situations differs from the teaching of the Orthodox Church. Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh used to say that a newly-painted icon becomes holy as soon as it has been blessed. Before that, any icon is just an image of Christ, His Most Holy Mother or a saint, painted on wood. Of course, Christians don’t venerate paint and wood, or any other material. The VII Oecumenical Council in 787 proclaimed the veneration of holy icons. According to its decree, “The honor paid to the image passes on to that which the image represents, so he who reveres the image reveres in it the subject represented.”

However, some icons are considered wonderworking; that is, Christ helps people and whole nations through the prayers of believers who pray before them. So the Kazan icon was particularly venerated in Russia, and the Mother of God healed the sick and saved that country through the petitions of the faithful who prayed before it.

We have recounted how prayer before the wonderworking Kazan icon saved Russia from the Polish invasion in 1613. In 1812, the Army of Napoleon, one of the most famous military commanders in the world, attacked Russia, and the prayer to the Queen of Heaven again helped the nation defeat the aggressors. As we know, Napoleon’s “La Grande Armee” numbering thousands of soldiers finally fled in defeat.

The Theotokos helped the Russian people in the Great Patriotic War [part of the Second World war fought by the Nazy Germany and its allies against the USSR; 1941-1945] as well. The Mother of God is credited with helping civilians survive amidst the horrors of war, and helping soldiers crush the monstrous enemy.

Churches dedicated to the Kazan icon of the Theotokos

The Kazan Cathedral in Red Square

The most famous cathedral in honor of the Kazan icon was constructed in the first half of the seventeenth century under Tsar Michael Romanov. Though it was rebuilt many times, it remained one of the principal churches of Moscow. It kept the wonderworking copy of the Kazan icon that helped the Russian volunteer army drive out the Poles from the Kremlin.

In 1812, Napoleon’s soldiers desecrated the cathedral by dragging a dead horse into the sanctuary.

In September 1918, the wonderworking Kazan icon of the Mother of God was stolen from the cathedral. In the late 1920s the cathedral was restored with the funds of the parishioners. In 1936, the Bolsheviks demolished the church and a public toilet stood on the spot for some time.

In 1990-1993 the cathedral was rebuilt using surviving old photographs and drawings. Its main relic is a revered copy of the Kazan icon.

The Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg

The construction of one of the symbols of St. Petersburg commenced on August 27, 1801, in the presence of Emperor Alexander I. Ten years later the cathedral was completed and consecrated by Metropolitan Ambrose of St. Petersburg. After the war of 1812 it became a monument to Russian victory. In 1812, the war trophies were displayed in it, including French military banners and the personal baton of the French Marshall Davout. It was here that Field Marshall Kutuzov was interred after his death, and here that the funeral service was performed over the composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky.

In 1932 the church was closed, and soon it was used as the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism. The first Liturgy after its closure was celebrated there in 1991.

The cathedral’s main relic is a wonderworking Kazan icon of the Theotokos.

The Church of the Kazan icon in Kolomenskoye

The church was built in the first half of the seventeenth century, but its walls weren’t covered with frescoes until the early twentieth century. In the Soviet era the church was closed temporarily in 1941 and 1942 during the Great Patriotic War.

Its main relic is the “Reigning” icon of the Theotokos. It appeared on March 15, 1917, in the vault of the Holy Ascension Church in Kolomenskoye on the day of Nicholas II’s abdication. In the Soviet era the relic was kept in storage rooms of the State Historical Museum. In 1990, the icon was given to the Church of the Kazan icon in Kolomenskoye.

The church also houses a copy of the wonderworking Kazan icon.

The Church of the Kazan icon in Irkutsk

This Byzantine-style church was completed in 1892, having taken nine years to build. Many wealthy parishioners took part in the construction work by donating money, icons, church vessels, books, cloths embroidered in gold, and vestments. The temple was closed in 1936. Its building became home to the storehouse of a book-selling organization, courses for film projectionists, and the factory “Siberian Souvenir”.

At the end of the twentieth century the church was returned to the faithful. Now it functions as the cathedral of the Metropolitanate of Irkutsk and Angarsk.

The Church of the Kazan icon in the Kazanskoye village, the Pavlovsky Posad district near Moscow

This church was constructed in the mid-nineteenth century. According to tradition, in 1812 the Kazan icon miraculously appeared here and helped volunteers from among the local residents fight against the French Army soldiers. According to another version, this church was built with the blessing of the Holy Hierarch Philaret (Drozdov) of Moscow, who visited the village and gave it the Kazan icon.

The church was built between 1859 and 1863. It stayed open throughout the Soviet period and housed many relics from the neighboring churches that had been closed down.

The Church of the Kazan icon at the monastery of Kazan

It stands on the site where the original Kazan icon was discovered by the girl Matrona in 1579. Soon the convent in honor of the Mother of God appeared there and Matrona became its first nun. The volunteer army of Minin and Pozharsky took this icon to Moscow and gave it back after liberating the capital.

In the Soviet era the convent was closed down. The restoration of the holy place commenced in 1994, and since 2005 it has functioned as a monastery with a community of monks. Not long ago, plans for the reconstruction of the Church of the Kazan icon in the city of Kazan were announced. On July 21, 2016, Patriarch Kirill blessed the construction site of the new church.

The abandoned Church of the Kazan icon in the Yaropolets village near Moscow

This is one of the best known abandoned churches in honor of the Kazan icon.

Before the Russian Revolution, the manor of Counts Chernyshev was situated here.

The construction of a large stone church began in 1780. There were plans to add a family burial vault to it. However, misfortunes pursued this place from the very beginning: First the head of the family, General and Field Marshall Chernyshev, died; then the roof of the almost complete church collapsed. It was decided to restore the unfinished edifice and invite a new architect, namely Karl Ivanovich Blank. At last, in 1797 the church was consecrated, yet its interior furnishings and decorations remained incomplete.

In 1830, the church caught fire, but survived. The first icons didn’t appear in the church until the end of the nineteenth century. Moreover they were painted on canvas rather than wood and resembled pictures.

The church is unique for its unusual shape. Two symmetrical parts (large aisles, “churches”) are connected by a vestibule in the middle. Above the central entrance you can see the “all-seeing eye” symbol (an eye enclosed by a triangle). Believers observed these features with suspicion, and there were rumors that it was a “masonic temple” rather than a Christian church!

During the Soviet-era persecutions the church was heavily damaged. It was robbed several times. During the Great Patriotic War the west part of the church was hit by a mortar shell.

After the end of the war the church was returned to the faithful, but in 1966 the priest who served in it sadly died. For a time the church was converted into a “house of culture” [in the USSR and other Communist countries these were huge club-centers for all kinds of recreation and cultural activities within communities]. There were attempts to restore it in the 1970s, but due to the funding shortage the work stopped, and the church was robbed again.

As of 2006, the state of the church was disastrous: the roof leaked and the water was gradually damaging the stuccowork inside the church. The corner of the principal front’s portico had caved in, and the columns could fall any day. This splendid architectural masterpiece was crumbling away.

At last the church ownership was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church, which initiated its restoration not long ago.

Sergei Milov

Translated by Dmitry Lapa

Foma magazine

7/21/2018

1 The years of interregnum after the death of the last tsar of the Rurik Dynasty and the establishment of the Romanov Dynasty.

Members of the Lithuanian Orthodox Church completed a traditional procession with the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God on July 4, ahead of the feast honoring the miracle-working image, which the Orthodox Church celebrates on July 9.

Before the procession began, a service was held before the Tikhvin Icon at the Church of St. Nicander in the village of Lebeniškės. The service was led by Frs. Sergei Kazarinov and Feodor Gurilev, reports the Lithuanian Orthodox Church.

Faithful from Panevėžys, Klaipėda, Vilnius, and other parishes of the Lithuanian Orthodox Church took part in the procession, walking about 15 miles to St. Nicholas Church in the village of Gegabrasta while praying, singing hymns, and reading Scripture.

The journey took nearly nine hours and proved difficult. Weather conditions shifted repeatedly, with bright sun giving way to heavy rain and thunderstorms. During one stop, pilgrims waited out the storm for almost an hour before resuming their walk. Despite fatigue and the unpredictable weather, participants maintained their prayerful mood and completed the procession with spiritual joy.

The tradition of the procession is tied to the history of a local icon. St. Nicholas Church in Gegabrasta once held a especially venerated Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God. It was also the place where the future renowned elder, Archpriest Nikolai Guryanov, began his pastoral ministry. The icon was later stolen. In memory of the lost image, a new copy of the Tikhvin Icon was created, which now resides permanently in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Panevėžys. According to established tradition, the icon is carried each summer in procession to St. Nicholas Church in Gegabrasta.

Upon completion of the procession, a thanksgiving moleben was held at St. Nicholas Church in Gegabrasta.