Metropolitan Seraphim (in the world Leonid Mikhailovich Chichagov) was born on June 9, 1856; he is the great-grandson of the famous admiral V.Ya. Chichagov, one of the first explorers of the Arctic Ocean, and the grandson of P.V. Chichagova.

Leonid was educated first at the First St. Petersburg Classical Gymnasium, and then at the Corps of Pages, after which he was enrolled in the Preobrazhensky Regiment. At thirty-seven years old he received the rank of colonel. By this time, his literary and historical works had already been published: “Diary of the Tsar Liberator’s stay in the Danube Army in 1877”, “French artillery in 1882”, “Notes about P.V. Chichagove."

In 1879, Leonid Mikhailovich married Natalya Nikolaevna Dokhturova, the grandniece of General D.S. Dokhturov, hero Patriotic War 1812.

A military career did not satisfy Leonid Mikhailovich. From early childhood he was distinguished by deep religiosity. Having lost his parents, he said, he became accustomed to seeking solace in religion. The colonel of the Preobrazhensky Guards Regiment became the headman of the Transfiguration Cathedral on Liteiny Prospekt and donated considerable funds to the temple.

A sense of mercy and a desire to help the suffering led Leonid Mikhailovich to study medical sciences, and he subsequently wrote the book “Medical Conversations.”

In 1891, Leonid Mikhailovich announced his desire to leave military service and, to the great surprise of his loved ones, retired with the rank of army colonel, deciding to choose a different path in life - the priesthood.

His wife took this decision seriously. Father John of Kronstadt, whose spiritual son was Leonid Mikhailovich, told her:

– Your husband should become a priest, and you should not interfere with the path your husband has chosen, since in this field he will reach great heights.

After retiring, Leonid Mikhailovich moved with his family to Moscow and began studying theological sciences, preparing for ordination. On February 28, 1893, he was ordained a priest in the Kremlin Assumption Cathedral and assigned to the Kremlin Synodal Church of the Twelve Apostles.

Two years later Fr. Leonid was appointed a priest for the spiritual care of military personnel of the artillery department of the Moscow Military District.

With his characteristic energy, partly at his own expense, partly through donations, he restored the church in the name of St. Nicholas on Old Vagankovo, which belonged to the Rumyantsev Museum and remained closed for thirty years, in which he began to serve. That same year, Natalya Nikolaevna unexpectedly died, leaving four daughters, the youngest of whom was ten years old. Having entrusted the upbringing of his daughters to two trusted persons, Fr. Leonid entered the Trinity-Sergius Lavra that same year and accepted monasticism. On August 14, 1898, he was tonsured into a mantle with the name Seraphim.

After the death of the rector of the Suzdal Spaso-Evfimev Monastery, Archimandrite Dosifey, Chief Prosecutor Holy Synod Pobedonostsev appointed Hieromonk Seraphim to this post. Soon he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite and appointed dean of the monasteries of the Vladimir diocese. He found the ancient monastery crumbling, renovated it with donations he collected, and during the five years of his management brought it into a flourishing state. He made special efforts to improve the prison department of the Suzdal fortress prison: he overhauled the building and set up a library for prisoners. This attitude of Archimandrite Seraphim towards the prisoners immediately had an impact: nine hardened sectarians returned to Orthodoxy, and this allowed him to petition the Holy Synod for the release of the rest. At his request, thirteen people were released, and the prison ceased to exist.

Having become a priest, Fr. Leonid began compiling the “Chronicle of the Seraphim-Diveevsky Monastery,” which was the most significant work of his life. He himself later said the following about the reason for compiling it: “When, after quite a long civil service I became a priest in a small church behind the Rumyantsev Museum, I wanted to go to the Sarov Hermitage, the place of the exploits of St. Seraphim, who was not yet glorified, and when summer came, I went there. The Sarov desert affected me strong impression. I spent several days there in prayer and visited all the places where the Monk Seraphim labored. From there I moved to the Diveyevo monastery, where I really liked it and many things reminded me of St. Seraphim, who cared so much about the Diveyevo sisters. The abbess received me very warmly, talked to me a lot and, among other things, said that there were three people living in the monastery who remembered the monk: two old nuns and nun Pelageya (in the world Paraskeva, Pasha). Pasha remembers him especially well, who enjoyed the reverend’s love and was in constant communication with him. I expressed a desire to visit her in order to hear something about the monk from her lips. I was taken to the house where Pasha lived. As soon as I entered her, Pasha, who was lying in bed (she was very old and sick), exclaimed:

“It’s good that you came, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time: St. Seraphim ordered me to tell you to report to the Emperor that the time has come for the discovery of his relics and glorification.”

I answered Pasha that, due to my social status, I could not be accepted by the Emperor and convey to him what she entrusted to me. I will be considered crazy if I try to be accepted by the Emperor. I can't do what she asks me to do.

To this Pasha said:

“I don’t know anything, I only conveyed what the monk told me.”

Confused, I left the old lady’s cell. After her, he went to two nuns who remembered the monk. They lived together and looked after each other. One was blind, and the other was all crooked and could hardly move around the room: she had previously been in charge of a kvass factory and somehow, while moving a heavy barrel of kvass into the cellar along the steps of the stairs, she flew down, followed by the barrel, which hit her in the middle vertebrae of the spinal cord. ridge with all its weight. Both of them were great prayer books; the blind nun constantly prayed for the dead, while their souls appeared to her, and she saw them with spiritual eyes. She could tell something about the reverend as well.

Before leaving for Sarov, I visited Fr. John of Kronstadt, who, handing me five rubles, said:

“So they sent me five rubles and asked me to privately pray for a suicide: maybe you will meet some needy priest who would agree to pray for the unfortunate man.”

Arriving at the nuns, I read a note in front of the blind man, in which I enclosed five rubles given to me by Fr. John. In addition, I mentioned the name of my late mother and asked to pray for her. In response I heard:

- Come back for an answer in three days.

When I arrived at the appointed time, I received the answer:

- I had your mother, she was so small, small, and an Angel came with her.

I remembered that my younger sister died three years old.

“But the other man for whom I prayed, he’s so huge, but he’s afraid of me, he keeps running away.” Oh, look, isn't he suicidal?

I had to admit that he was really suicidal and tell me about the conversation with Fr. John.

Soon I left the Diveyevo Monastery and, returning to Moscow, involuntarily thought about Pasha’s words. In Moscow they came to my mind again, and suddenly one day I was struck by the thought that it was possible to write down everything that the nuns who remembered him said about St. Seraphim, to find other people from the reverend’s contemporaries and ask them about him, to get acquainted with the archives of the Sarov Hermitage and Diveyevo monastery and borrow from there everything that relates to the life of the monk and the period subsequent to his death. Bring all this material into a system and chronological order, then print this work, based not only on memories, but also on factual data and documents that give a complete picture of the life and exploits of St. Seraphim and his significance for the religious life of the people, than and the will of the saint, conveyed to me in categorical form by Pasha, will be fulfilled. This decision was further supported by the consideration that royal family, getting ready for evening tea, read aloud books of theological content, and I hoped that my book would be read too.

Thus the idea of ​​the “Chronicle” was born.

To carry it out, I soon took a vacation and went to Diveevo again. There I was provided with the archives of the monastery, as well as in the Sarov Hermitage. But first of all, I went to Pasha and began asking her about all the known episodes of the reverend’s life, carefully wrote down everything that she conveyed to me, and then read the notes to her. She found everything written down to be correct and finally said:

“I told you everything I remember about the monk, and you wrote it down well and correctly, but it’s not good that you praise me.”

At this time, the abbess of the Diveyevo monastery went to Nizhny Novgorod for a fair to buy a year’s supply of fish for the monastery, and when I wanted to visit Pasha in her absence, I found her completely ill and terribly weak. I decided that her days were numbered. So, I thought, she fulfilled the will of the monk and is now dying. I hastened to convey my impression to the treasurer’s mother, but she replied:

– Don’t worry, father, without the blessing of Mother Abbess, Pasha will not die.

A week later, the abbess arrived from the fair, and I immediately went to report my concerns regarding Prascovia, persuading her to immediately go to the dying woman in order to say goodbye to her and find out her last will, otherwise it would be too late.

“What are you, father, what are you,” she answered, “I just arrived, I was tired, I didn’t have time to look around; I’ll rest, put everything in order, then I’ll go to Pasha.

Two days later we went together to Pasha. She was delighted to see the abbess. They remembered the old things, cried, hugged and kissed. Finally the abbess stood up and said:

- Well, Pasha, now I bless you to die.

Three hours later I was already serving the first memorial service for Paraskeva. Returning to Moscow with the collected material about St. Seraphim, I immediately began my work. Soon I was widowed and became a monk with the name Seraphim, choosing him as my heavenly patron. “The Chronicle” was published in 1896 and presented to the Emperor, which influenced the decision on the issue of glorifying St. Seraphim.”

This “Chronicle” went through two editions - in 1896 and 1903 - and represents detailed description creation of a monastery in Diveevo - the fourth inheritance Mother of God on the ground. Based on the collected material, in comparison with the well-known works of other authors, the book most reliably reflects all the events that took place since the founding of the monasteries in Sarov and Diveevo, talks about the first founder, Mother Alexandra, and contains a biography of St. Seraphim and people close to him.

In 1902, Archimandrite Seraphim had a vision, which he subsequently told his spiritual son Archpriest Stefan Lyashevsky about: “After finishing the Chronicle, I sat in my room in one of the Diveyevo buildings and was glad that I had finally finished the most difficult period of collecting and writing about St. Seraphim . At that moment, the Monk Seraphim entered the cell and I saw him as if alive. Not for a minute did it occur to me that this was a vision - everything was so simple and real. But imagine my surprise when Father Seraphim bowed to my waist and said:

- Thank you for the chronicle. Ask me whatever you want for her.

With these words, he came close to me and put his hand on my shoulder. I pressed myself against him and said:

“Father, dear, I am so happy now that I want nothing more than to always be near you.”

Father Seraphim smiled in agreement and became invisible. Only then did I realize that it was a vision. There was no end to my joy."

Using his connections in court circles, Archimandrite Seraphim managed to meet with Emperor Nicholas II and persuaded him in favor of opening the relics.

By order of the emperor, in August 1902, Metropolitan Vladimir of Moscow, Bishops Dmitry of Tambov and Nazariy of Nizhny Novgorod, together with Suzdal Archimandrite Seraphim Chichagov and the prosecutor of the Moscow Synodal Office Shirinsky-Shikhmatov, were instructed to carry out a preliminary examination of the remains of Elder Seraphim.

An examination of the saint's remains showed that incorruptible relics No.

When discussing this issue, confusion arose in the Synod. Almost the entire Synod was against it. Where to go? For what? There are no incorruptible relics, only bones. Drive into the wilderness, into the forest!

Only the sovereign himself insisted on the opening; only Chief Prosecutor Sabler and Metropolitan Anthony (Vadkovsky) were of the same mind with him.

However, the emperor did not abandon his intention to canonize Elder Seraphim and in every possible way supported the reverent memory of him. In October 1902, he sent as a gift to the Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery a lamp to the “Tenderness” icon of the Mother of God located in the Trinity Cathedral, in front of which Father Seraphim died in prayer. The lamp, by order of His Majesty, was delivered to the monastery by Archimandrite Seraphim. On Sunday, October 20, after the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the cathedral church, Fr. Seraphim solemnly installed a lamp in front of the image of the Mother of God and lit it to the great joy of the sisters.

On January 11, 1903, a commission appointed by the Synod consisting of ten people under the leadership of Metropolitan Vladimir of Moscow began examining the remains of Elder Seraphim. Archimandrite Seraphim was also a member of this commission. The result was a detailed inspection report submitted to the royal discretion. The Emperor, having read it, wrote: “I read it with a feeling of true joy and deep tenderness.”

The report of the commission and the desire of the emperor convinced the Synod to decide on the canonization of St. Seraphim of Sarov.

The Synod decreed: “In view of the confluence expected on the day of the glorification and opening of the holy relics of the Venerable Father Seraphim, the Wonderworker of Sarov, large quantity visitors and pilgrims, it was recognized as necessary to take measures for the proper arrangement of communication routes and necessary premises... to entrust the Archimandrite of the Suzdal Monastery and the prosecutor of the Moscow Synodal Office, Prince Shirinsky-Shikhmatov, to take charge of all preparatory measures for the arrangement and bringing to a successful conclusion of complex matters related to the upcoming celebration of glorification Reverend Father Seraphim."

The works of Fr. did not end there. Seraphim, associated with the glorification of the saint. He wrote a short life of St. Seraphim of Sarov and a short chronicle of the Seraphim-Diveevsky Monastery.

Return after the Sarov celebrations to ancient Suzdal, Fr. Seraphim got busy preparatory work for the upcoming celebration of the 500th anniversary of the death of St. Euthymius, the Suzdal wonderworker, and compiled a biography of this saint. But he did not have to celebrate this anniversary in Suzdal. On February 14, 1904, he was appointed rector of the Resurrection New Jerusalem Monastery, where he stayed for a year, but during this time he managed to restore the majestic cathedral of the famous monastery.

On April 28, 1905, in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, Archimandrite Seraphim was consecrated Bishop of Sukhumi by Metropolitan Vladimir (Epiphany), Bishop Tryphon (Turkestanov) and Bishop Seraphim (Golubyatnikov).

At his consecration, the bishop defined his life path as follows: “The call of God is fulfilled in many different ways! The paths of God's Providence, which predetermine the paths of man, are unsearchable. For the third time in the last twelve years, revolutions have occurred to me that change the entire structure of my life. Although I never forgot to prayerfully stretch out my hands to God in the hope of His mercy and forgiveness, could I imagine that my initial secular path, which seemed natural and completely consistent with my birth and upbringing, which lasted for so long and with such success, was not the same? , which God intended for me? And how was I supposed to make sure of this? Undoubtedly, through trials and tribulations, for it is known that tribulations are the best heralds of the will of God, and from the beginning of the century they have served people as a sign of God’s election. Having experienced orphanhood, people's indifference, helplessness from the age of eight, and having become convinced of the need to pave my way in life through my own labor and many years of study, after completing my education, in my youth, I went through all the horrors of wartime, feats of selflessness, but was kept alive by the wondrous Providence of God. , continued his original path, enduring numerous and varied trials, sorrows and shocks, which ended in family misfortune - widowhood. Having endured so many sorrows, I was fully convinced that this world, which is so difficult to stop loving, is becoming our enemy through them and that a special one is destined for me in my life, thorny path… It’s hard to test the ways of God! Not because what is required is unconditional submission, perfect obedience and complete devotion to the will of God, bestowed by the Lord Himself; it is difficult because, as St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, says, the world, conquered by faith, captivated into its obedience, and therefore admitted into its region, certainly brought its own spirit into it; Thus, this enemy of Christ and Christianity has found himself within the confines of Christianity itself, hiding behind the name of the Christian world, he acts freely and establishes worldly Christianity for himself, tries to regenerate the sons of faith into the sons of the world, to prevent the sons of the world from being reborn into the true Christian life, and those who disobey him are armed with hatred, deceit, slander, slander, contempt and every weapon of untruth.

Therefore, the life of people taken from the world and put on the spiritual path is especially difficult and sorrowful. A similar thing happened to me. Others encircled me and led me to places where I did not expect or dream of going, and these people were, of course, of high spiritual life. When, through their holy prayers, the consciousness was revealed to me that the Lord Himself required such a change in my path for the sake of His Divine purposes, that this was necessary for my entire future life, for the trials and tribulations still destined for me, for my co-crucifixion with Christ, then despite all Despite what obstacles the world put in front of me, I fulfilled holy obedience and first accepted the priesthood, and after widowhood, monasticism. For a long time I endured condemnation for these important steps in life and kept the true reason for them in the depths of my sorrowful heart. But finally the Lord Himself justified my monasticism in my immediate participation in the glorification of the great wonderworker St. Seraphim. Now, by the all-good will of the Lord, I am called to the high service of the Church of Christ in the rank of bishop.”

The ruler, as soon as he appeared in Georgia, was faced with a formidable situation: the revolution of 1905 stirred up Georgian nationalism; and the bishop, with all his characteristic energy, began to fight against the unrest.

Bishop Seraphim did not serve long at the Sukhumi See and in 1906 he was transferred to Orel. He stayed in the Oryol diocese until 1908. During this time, the bishop was actively involved in organizing church and parish life, organizing parish councils in the diocese, entrusting them with the duties of church charity.

Subsequently, Bishop Seraphim, based on his experience in the Oryol diocese, compiled an “Appeal to the clergy of the diocese on the issue of reviving parish life.” The “Appeal” examined, point by point, all aspects of parish life, explaining in detail what the revival of parish life is, its purpose and what needs to be done to achieve the desired results.

According to Bishop Seraphim, “it is necessary to return to the church and social life of the ancient Russian parish, so that the parish community is unanimously engaged not only in education, charity, missionary work, but also in the morality of its members, the restoration of the rights of elders over the younger, parents over children, education and leadership of the younger generation , the approval of Christian and Orthodox institutions.

To revive pastoring and parish life, it is necessary, first of all, to unite pastors with their flock. Pastoral meetings and conventions can contribute to this. The revival of parish life must come from the bishop. If the latter does not unite with his assistant shepherds, then they will not unite with each other and with the parishioners; if the bishop is not imbued with this idea of ​​​​reviving the parish, does not himself talk with the pastors during the congress of the diocese, gives them the most detailed practical instructions, does not correspond with complete selflessness with perplexed priests who filially question the archpastor about their difficulties, will not publish in the “Diocesan Vedomosti" his instructions and instructions, everything that he would like to explain and introduce, then parish revival will not occur and the vital principle will not penetrate into our dead communities."

In 1907, His Grace Seraphim was appointed a member of the Synod; a year later - Bishop of Chisinau and Khotyn. In Chisinau, as earlier in Orel, he took up the revival of parishes, already having rich experience. The Bishop toured the diocese, talked with clergy, monks, laity and students.

The story of the expulsion of Elder Barsanuphius (Plikhankov) from Optina Hermitage and his transfer to the Golutvin Monastery dates back to this time. According to I.M. Kontsevich, Bishop Seraphim took an active part in it on the side of the elder’s persecutors. According to the story of priest Vasily Shustin, the spiritual son of Fr. Barsanuphius, the situation was different: “There were people whom the wisdom of Father (Fr. Barsanuphius - I.D.) did not allow to live, and the enemy did not sleep. A certain Mitya Kosnoyazyny from the city of Kozelsk settled in the monastery. He was a drunkard and secretly corrupted monks. The priest could not tolerate this and evicted him from the monastery. Now a whole legion has openly taken up arms against the priest... One of the women from the St. Petersburg religious and political circle of Countess Ignatieva came to Optina and collected all the accusations that she could think of against the priest. Bishop Seraphim (Chichagov) who came to Optina whitewashed the priest, but the matter of his recall from Optina had already been decided somewhere. Father Barsanuphius had to leave the monastery..."

Bishop Seraphim served in Chisinau until 1912, when he was appointed Archbishop of Tver and Kashin.

The revolution of 1917 found Archbishop Seraphim in St. Petersburg; Having returned to Tver, he learned that the diocesan congress had voted to remove him from the diocese and the Synod, led by Chief Prosecutor Lvov, sent him into retirement.

Archbishop Seraphim was elected a member of the Local Council of 1917/18. After the Council, he was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan with an appointment to Warsaw, but due to the prevailing political situation he was unable to go to his destination, settled in Moscow and served in various churches.

During the First World War, almost all Orthodox clergy were evacuated from Poland to Russia. After the conclusion of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty, the question arose about the return of the clergy and property to Poland Orthodox Church. Metropolitan Seraphim submitted an application to the Council of People's Commissars with a request to allow him and the clergy to travel to Poland, but was refused. Soon the civil war began, and all efforts to move to Poland had to be postponed. Vladyka settled in the Chernigov monastery near the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, where he lived, almost without leaving, until the end of 1920. In January 1921, he received an order from the Synod on the need to speed up the return of the Orthodox clergy and church property to Warsaw. He had heard rumors about the plight of the Orthodox population of Poland, which during the war had almost lost its churches and clergy. The Metropolitan turned to the manager of the Council of People's Commissars, Gorbunov, and the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs with a request to clarify the issue of sending him to Poland. And I received an answer that the case could be considered upon the arrival of the official Polish mission in Moscow. In the spring of 1921, representatives of Poland arrived in Moscow; the bishop visited them and explained the need for the clergy to return to Poland. Immediately after visiting the Poles, he was searched and two letters were confiscated: one to the head of catholic church in Poland to Cardinal Kapowski, the other to Archpriest Wroblewski, who represented the interests of the Orthodox clergy in Warsaw. On May 11, 1921, the Bishop was summoned for questioning by the Cheka to a certain Spitsberg for explanations regarding the letters.

After the departure of the Metropolitan, Spitsberg concluded that in no way should Chichagov be allowed to go to Poland, where he would act “as an emissary of the Russian patriarch” and “coordinate against the Russian working masses abroad the front of the overthrown Russian landowners and capitalists under the flag of the “team of friends of Jesus.” Spitsberg demanded that Metropolitan Seraphim be imprisoned in the Arkhangelsk concentration camp. The head of the 7th department of the Special Operations Directorate of the Cheka, Samsonov, and his deputy, Agranov, agreed with this. At the same time, a secret employee of the Cheka reported that the bishop was campaigning against the confiscation of church valuables. On June 24, 1921, a meeting of the judicial Troika of the Cheka took place, consisting of Samsonov, Apeter and Feldman, who decided: “To imprison citizen Chichagov in the Arkhangelsk concentration camp for a period of two years,” but did not order his arrest and transfer. And the bishop continued to live in freedom and serve in the churches of Moscow, while the term of imprisonment had already begun to count; The metropolitan was arrested only on September 12, 1921 and placed in Taganskaya prison.

Immediately after his arrest, Natalya and Ekaterina Chichagov began to petition Kalinin to mitigate their father’s fate. They asked the authorities to release him or at least keep him in custody in Moscow, given his age and illness. Kalinin wrote that he could be left in a Moscow prison for “approximately six months.” On January 13, the head of the 6th secret department of the Cheka, Rutkovsky, by order of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, drew up a conclusion on the “case” of the metropolitan: “With the strengthening of the position of the revolutionary Soviet government in the conditions of the present time, gr. Chichagov is powerless to undertake anything significantly hostile against the RSFSR. In addition, taking into account his old age of 65 years, I believe that the deportation order for 2 years will be applied conditionally, releasing gr. Chichagova L.M. from custody." On January 14, 1922, the Presidium of the Cheka decided to release the Metropolitan from custody; On January 16 he was released. Throughout the winter, Vladyka was seriously ill.

However, the GPU had no intention of releasing him - and here neither the age nor the illness of the saint mattered, but only the goals of the institution itself. He was persecuted and exiled not because of illegal actions, but in an effort to cause as much damage to the Church as possible. On April 22, 1922, Rutkovsky gave a new conclusion on the “case” of the Metropolitan: “Taking into account that Belavin, together with the Synod, is still pursuing a reactionary policy against the Soviet regime and that in the presence of the famous reactionary Chichagov in the Synod, the clergy loyal to the authorities do not dare openly show their loyalty due to fear of reprisals from Chichagov, and also the fact that main reason subsequent release of Chichagov from punishment, his allegedly acute painful condition does not find an excuse after his release and does not in the least prevent Chichagov from engaging in the affairs of the administration of the clergy, I believe... Leonid Mikhailovich Chichagov... to be detained and sent in a staged manner to the disposal of the Arkhangelsk provincial department for resettlement, as administrative exile for a period of June 24, 1923.”

On April 25, the judicial panel of the GPU, chaired by Unschlicht, sentenced Metropolitan Seraphim to exile in the Arkhangelsk region.

In May 1922, the bishop arrived in Arkhangelsk in the midst of arrests and trials in cases of confiscation of church valuables. And immediately the GPU set out to interrogate him to find out his opinion on the measures relating to the confiscation of church valuables. The Metropolitan was ill, could not appear at the GPU and expressed his judgment in writing. “Living aloof from church administration and its orders,” he wrote, “I only observed events from afar and did not participate in the issue of confiscating valuables from churches to help the starving population. Everything written in the modern press accusing bishops and clergy of lack of sympathy for the donation of church valuables for public needs filled my heart with cruel resentment and pain, for my many years of service experience, close acquaintance with the clergy and people testified to me that in Orthodox Russia there cannot be a believing Christian, much less a bishop or priest, who values ​​dead valuables, church decorations, metal and stones more than living brothers and sisters suffering from hunger, dying from exhaustion and disease... It was felt that it was someone’s fault that this happened fatal misunderstanding..."

The Metropolitan lived in Arkhangelsk until the end of April 1923, and then, with the permission of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, he moved to Moscow; He did not take part in any church affairs, he went to the Danilov Monastery for services with his confessor Archimandrite Georgy Lavrov and Archbishop Theodore (Pozdeevsky), he himself visited almost nowhere and received few people.

Much in the life of the seventy-year-old elder was connected with the Monk Seraphim of Sarov. Even now, twenty years after the saint’s canonization, the GPU blamed him for organizing the celebrations: “April 16, 1924, gr. Chichagov Leonid Mikhailovich was arrested by the secret department of the OGPU based on available materials: in 1903, Chichagov was entrusted with the leadership and organization of the opening of the relics of Seraphim of Sarov ... "

The arrested metropolitan gave explanations to the investigator of the GPU Kazansky regarding his participation in the discovery of the relics of St. Seraphim: “I took direct part in the discovery of the relics of Seraphim of Sarov by order of the Synod, approved by Nicholas; the latter learned about my proximity to the Diveyevo Monastery from former princess Militsa Ivanovna. I know that Seraphim was a particularly revered saint among the Romanovs. About 5 years before the discovery of the relics of Seraphim, I wrote from various sources “The Chronicle of the Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery.”

The investigation was interested in whether the Chronicle contained any hints of revolutionary events, of contemporary unrest in the state, in the Church and in society in connection with the story that the Antichrist would not cross the ditch dug with the blessing of St. Seraphim. The Bishop answered: “Speaking of “grooves”... I mean Seraphim’s order to dig ditches and his predictions in connection with the future history of the Lavra, which should be built on this dug-in place, about the fate of this Lavra and the ditches in the days of the Antichrist. But my book does not contain any hints of unrest in the state, in the Church, in society.”

On May 8, 1924, Patriarch Tikhon submitted a petition to the OGPU for the release of Metropolitan Seraphim, who was in Butyrka prison, elderly and sick, for whose loyal attitude to the existing civil authorities he, Patriarch Tikhon, vouches.

The letter was received by Tuchkov the next day and left without consequences, things went on as usual. Finally, on July 17, 1924, the OGPU commissioner Gudz proposed to release Metropolitan Seraphim from custody, and he was soon released. At this time, the authorities ordered the bishops living in Moscow to leave the city. Vladyka wanted to settle in the Diveyevo monastery, but the abbess of the monastery, Alexandra (Trakovskaya), refused him this.

Metropolitan Seraphim was received by Abbess Arseny (Dobronravov) at the Resurrection-Feodorovsky Convent, located near the city of Shuya Vladimir region.

Vladyka came with his daughter Natalya (ordained as Seraphim), who was very close to her father and helped him a lot during his imprisonment and exile.

The Metropolitan often served in the monastery, and on Sundays and holidays Always. After such services, a festive dinner was held, at which Metropolitan Seraphim was present.

An excellent connoisseur of singing and himself a composer of sacred music, Metropolitan Seraphim paid great attention to the church choir, learning chants with the monastery singers and conducting rehearsals.

Blessed were the years he lived in the monastery. A rare peace reigned among the sisters, who loved and revered their abbess as the first ascetic and the most humble person in the monastery. And what a pleasure it was to listen to the Metropolitan when he read the second part of the “Chronicle of the Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery,” which describes the events that preceded the canonization of St. Seraphim. The Chronicle described in detail the turmoil that occurred in the Synod when the time came to glorify St. Seraphim throughout the Church. Before the revolution, the manuscript was not allowed for publication by censorship, and after the revolution, Christian printing ceased. “Chronicle” was subsequently arrested during one of the searches and disappeared.

In 1928, Metropolitan Seraphim was appointed administrator of the St. Petersburg diocese. During the two years that he lived in the monastery, everyone got used to the bishop and fell in love with him. Participation in worship services and life itself are a lot knowledgeable metropolitan, a participant in the solemn canonization of St. Seraphim, memories of meetings with people who knew the reverend, and reading the “Chronicle” greatly embellished the monastic life, which was much sorrowful in the present conditions. The farewell was touching and sad. The nuns understood that they were parting with him forever. Together with the bishop, Abbess Arsenia released the nuns Sebastian and Vera, who helped him in the monastery and subsequently helped him with housework until his arrest.

At a time when other bishops hesitated in recognizing the canonicity of the authority of Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky), Metropolitan Seraphim recognized it immediately. A man of order, accustomed to thinking in terms of a strict hierarchy, he considered the restoration of centralized power the most important thing. In relation to power, the ruler adhered to the principle: “The law is harsh, but it is the law.”

He celebrated his first liturgy in St. Petersburg at the Transfiguration Cathedral on Liteiny Prospekt, where he had once been the headman.

The Metropolitan's residence was in the Novodevichy Convent. In the very first week of his reign, he gathered the priests of the city here and, pointing out to them that “church politics is not their business and it is not for them to condemn the bishops,” began to reprimand them for the disorders that he managed to notice during the liturgy. He categorically prohibited confession during the liturgy, as well as general confession.

The Bishop served every Sunday in one of the churches in the city or suburb. After the service he preached. In brief and strong words he explained the meaning of the Sacrament, how powerful prayer is after the transubstantiation of the Gifts:

“The Holy Spirit,” said the Metropolitan, “transubstantiates the Gifts on the throne, but He also descends on each of us, renews our souls, mental strength, every prayer, if it is pronounced with all the heart, will be fulfilled.”

And when the Metropolitan, after blessing the Gifts, knelt down, falling to the throne, all those praying fell on their faces.

He saw particular importance in preserving the Sacraments, as they were commanded by church tradition and the holy fathers. Priest Valentin Sventsitsky wrote about the bishop that in his report he was against general confession, by the way, said: “No general confession existed either in antiquity or subsequently, and it is not mentioned anywhere throughout the history of the Orthodox Church... The establishment of general confession is a clear replacement of the New Testament Sacrament with the Old Testament rite.”

On Fridays, in the Znamenskaya Church near the Moscow Station, where the chapel of St. Seraphim was located, the Metropolitan read an akathist to the saint. He read it by heart, and after the akathist he talked with the people.

Bishop especially revered the Queen of Heaven and often spoke about Great love Mother of God to the Russian land. “This love appeared in numerous icons of the Mother of God in Holy Rus'. But our sins and iniquities grew: the Mother of God retreated from us, and the holy miraculous icons of the Queen of Heaven disappeared, and until there is a sign from the saint miraculous icon Mother of God, I don’t believe that we are forgiven. But I believe that such a time will come and we will live to see it.”

All his life, the Metropolitan fought for the purity of Orthodoxy. Saint righteous John Kronstadt shortly before his death, blessing him in last time, said:

“I can die in peace, knowing that you and His Eminence Hermogenes will continue my work, you will fight for Orthodoxy, for which I bless you.”

Throughout his life, Vladyka was involved in charity work. While still in the military, he drew attention to the helplessness of those in the military department whose health had deteriorated during their service. He established a charitable society to help military personnel who were unable to serve due to illness and were forced to retire before acquiring the rights to a pension.

Metropolitan Seraphim took care of orphans whose parents died in the war. The bishop’s extensive free medical practice was aimed at alleviating the suffering of the afflicted. During Russo-Japanese War With his blessing, ambulance trains were formed, and he himself collected donations.

Attaching great importance to the revival of parish life, Bishop Seraphim considered it necessary to organize schools, libraries and canteens through parish councils.

Having himself tasted the bitterness of bonds and exile, he buried Archbishop Hilarion (Troitsky) who had died in prison with love and reverence. His body was given to his relatives in a roughly put together coffin. When the coffin was opened, no one recognized the bishop, his appearance was so changed by imprisonment and illness. Bishop Seraphim brought his white vestments and white miter. After vesting, the archbishop's body was placed in another coffin. The funeral service was performed by Metropolitan Seraphim himself, co-served by six bishops and many clergy.

Bishop Seraphim had many spiritual children. His letter from exile (Arkhangelsk, 1922) to his spiritual son Alexei Belyaev has been preserved. Here is an excerpt from it: “We are all human beings, and it is impossible for the sea of ​​life not to foam with its shame, the dirt not to float out and thereby cleanse the depths of the whole element.

You, be only with Christ, the only Truth, Truth and Love, and with Him everything is beautiful, everything is clear, everything is pure and comforting. Move away with your mind and heart, your thoughts from the evil that rules over the graceless, and take care of one thing - to keep within yourself, by faith, divine grace, through which Christ and His peace dwell in us.

It is impossible not to see this evil; but it is quite possible not to allow it to distract from God’s truth. Yes, it exists and is terrible in its manifestations, but how unhappy are those who obey it. After all, we do not refuse to study the truth and listen smart people, because there are crazy people among us in the hospital and in the wild. Such facts do not turn you away from life; therefore, we should not be led astray from the path of truth and goodness by the fact that at times the evil force manifests its earthly power. God cannot be mocked, and man will reap whatever he sows.

Learn inner prayer so that it is not noticed by your appearance and does not confuse anyone. The more we are occupied with inner prayer, the fuller, more reasonable and more joyful our life in general. And time passes more unnoticed, faster. For this purpose, the Jesus Prayer and our own short sayings“help me, Lord” or “protect and strengthen”, or “teach” and so on.

He who prays internally looks at everything external indifferently, absent-mindedly, for this prayer is not mental, but heartfelt, separating him from the surface of the earth and bringing him closer to the invisible Heaven.

Learn to forgive everyone their shortcomings and mistakes and in view of their submission evil force, and, undoubtedly, an abnormal state of mind. Tell yourself:

“Help him, Lord, for he is spiritually sick!” Such consciousness will prevent condemnation, for only someone who is perfect and does not make mistakes can judge, knows everything, and most importantly, knows for sure that a person acts not according to the circumstances that have developed around him, but according to his own will, according to his passion.”

The Metropolitan served in St. Petersburg for five years; On October 14, 1933, by decree of the Synod, he was retired. On October 24, he performed his last service in the Transfiguration Cathedral and left for Moscow in the evening. At first, Vladyka lived at the residence of Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky) while they were looking for housing. At the beginning of 1934, he settled in Malakhovka, and then moved to Udelnaya station, where he rented half a dacha. These were two small rooms and a kitchen. In one room the bishop’s bedroom was set up, with a large number of books, icons and a working desk. Another room is reserved for the dining-living room. There was a dining table, a harmonium and a sofa; On the wall hung a large image of the Savior in a white tunic, painted by the bishop.

The last months of the Metropolitan’s life in Udelnaya were calm and serene. The most sorrowful thing was old age and the diseases associated with it. He suffered greatly from hypertension, shortness of breath, and recently from dropsy, so he could hardly move and hardly left the house. During the day, spiritual children came to him, others came from St. Petersburg; Metropolitans Alexy (Simansky) and Arseny (Stadnitsky) visited Vladyka, coming to meetings of the Synod. In the evenings, when everyone had left, the Metropolitan sat down at the harmonium and played well-known sacred music for a long, long time or composed it himself. And then peace and tranquility spread everywhere. The life of grace was coming to an end. There wasn't much left. And what else can you do, how else can you work for the Lord when you have weaknesses and illnesses? And he wanted only one thing - to be close to the monk, whom he had once served.

But what can he bring to those abodes where he lives, having crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts all his life? Only martyrdom. The first Christian crown.

The Metropolitan was arrested in the late autumn of 1937. He was eighty-four years old, and several last days he felt completely ill, so the NKVD officers found it difficult to take him away in a prisoner’s car - they called ambulance and taken to Taganskaya prison. They decided to kill him. The interrogation was a formality. On December 7, the NKVD Troika decided to shoot Metropolitan Seraphim.

In total, on that day, the Troika NKVD in the Moscow region sentenced several dozen people to death. The condemned were divided into several parties. On the first day, December 9, five people were shot, the next day forty-one people, the next day five more people and among them Metropolitan Seraphim. They were shot not far from the village of Butovo near Moscow in a then spacious oak grove, which was fenced on all sides with a solid fence. Observation platforms were built on the oak trees, from where the guards of the zone kept an eye on it so that during the executions and then during the burial, strangers did not approach there. A brigade of executioners carried out the executions, and sometimes the authorities came to shoot.

Shortly before his arrest, Metropolitan Seraphim said: “The Orthodox Church is now going through a time of testing. Who will remain faithful now Holy Apostolic Church- he will be saved. Many are now leaving the Church due to persecution, others are even betraying it. But it is well known from history that there were persecutions before, but they all ended in the triumph of Christianity. So it will be with this persecution. It will end, and Orthodoxy will triumph again. Now many suffer for their faith, but this is gold that is purified in the spiritual crucible of trials. After this there will be as many holy martyrs who suffered for the faith of Christ as the entire history of Christianity cannot remember.”

After the arrest of Metropolitan Seraphim, two of his cell attendants remained, nuns Vera and Sebastiana. Nun Vera was arrested a few days after the arrest of the Metropolitan. Nun Sebastiana did not want to leave her and followed her voluntarily. Both were sentenced to imprisonment in a camp. Sevastian’s mother died there, and Vera’s mother returned five years after the end of her prison term and died in 1961 with her relatives in the Vyatka region.

Hegumen Damascene (Orlovsky)

“Martyrs, confessors and devotees of piety of the Russian Orthodox Church of the twentieth century. Biographies and materials for them. Book 2." Tver. 2001. pp. 423–450

Notes

Chichagov Pavel Vasilievich (1765-1849), admiral, naval minister, member State Council, since 1811, commander-in-chief of the Black Sea Fleet, as well as the Danube Army in Bessarabia, Moldova and Wallachia. At the conclusion of the Peace of Bucharest, the governor of Bessarabia and the governor-general, the author of works on Bessarabian history in the first years after the annexation of this region to Russia. From 1814 until his death he lived abroad.

Not to be confused with the famous blessed Pasha of Sarov, who died in 1915.

Notes about Fr. John of Kronstadt and about the Optina elders. Publication of the Orthodox Missionary Book Publishing House, Belaya Tserkov, Kingdom of S.H.S., 1929.

This refers to the renovationists, with the help of which the GPU hoped to destroy the Russian Orthodox Church.

Nowadays Ivanovo region.

Subsequently he became a priest. He died on December 15, 1987 in the Pukhtitsa convent, where he lived in retirement for the last few years.

Now the image is in the Moscow Church of the Prophet Elijah in Obydensky Lane.

In Butovo, executions and burials began to take place at the end of 1936. Before this, those executed were buried in vacant plots of Moscow cemeteries. At first, a “shooting range” was set up in Butovo to accustom the population of the surrounding villages to shooting. The arrangement of the execution sites was carried out by the acting commandant of the NKVD for the Moscow region A.V. Sadovsky. The executions were led by the head of the URKM Semenov M.I. and the head of the NKVD Administration for the Moscow Region, I.D. Berg. The executions were carried out by a special group, which included the acting chief of security for the Butovo zone, S.A. Shinin, as well as F.Ya. Chesnokov. and Ilyin I. The sentenced were brought in in paddy wagons, sometimes forty to fifty people per car. In total, three to four hundred people were brought in per day. Burials were made in ditches about five hundred meters long each. Small groups of those shot were buried in pits. After the execution, the zone guards removed the corpses and filled up the ditches / Archive of the KGB for Moscow and the Moscow region. Arch. No. P-67528. L. 2-5, 283-285, Archive of the KGB for the Omsk region. Arch. No. 271080/.

Source: http://www.fond.ru

Hieromartyr Metropolitan Seraphim ( Chichagov)

Saint Seraphim (in the world Leonid Mikhailovich Chichagov) was born on January 9, 1856 in St. Petersburg, in the family of artillery colonel Mikhail Nikiforovich Chichagov and his wife Maria Nikolaevna. The family of the future saint belonged to one of the most famous noble families of the Kostroma province. Due to the fact that the father of the future saint, Colonel M.N. Chichagov served in the Artillery Training Brigade; the infant Leonid received the Sacrament of Holy Baptism on January 20, 1856 in the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky at the Mikhailovsky Artillery School. The fact that the place where the future Saint Seraphim entered church life was a church that belonged to the military department turned out to be very symbolic for the entire subsequent life of the saint. Indeed, like his ancestors, Saint Seraphim began his service to God as service to the Tsar and the Fatherland on the battlefield, and it was this service as a warrior that became for him, like for his ancestors, the first experience of selfless service to God in the world.

Having found himself a participant in almost all the main events of the bloody Russian-Turkish War, promoted to lieutenant on the battlefield in the guard and awarded several military awards, L. M. Chichagov repeatedly (as happened, for example, during the transition through the Balkans and in the battle of Philippopolis) showed high personal heroism.

The providence of God, which saved Lieutenant L.M. Chichagov from death and wounds on the battlefields, led him, soon after returning to St. Petersburg in 1878, to a meeting with the great shepherd of the Russian Orthodox Church, Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt, who resolved many of the young officer’s spiritual questions and became the indisputable spiritual authority for all subsequent years. the future saint, who from that time on made many of his most important life decisions only with the blessing of the holy righteous John of Kronstadt.

An important event that marked the further spiritual formation of 23-year-old L.M. Chichagov, became his marriage on April 8, 1879 with the daughter of the Chamberlain of the Court of His Imperial Majesty Natalia Nikolaevna Dokhturova. Bearing in mind that Christian marriage is, first of all, a small Church, in which it is not pleasing each other, much less the prejudices of the big world, but pleasing God is the basis of family happiness, L. M. Chichagov managed to introduce the principles of traditional Orthodox piety. It was these principles that formed the basis for the upbringing of four daughters - Vera, Natalia, Leonida and Ekaterina, who were born into the Chichagov family.

Having learned during the war to deeply empathize with the physical suffering of wounded soldiers, L.M. Chichagov set himself the task of mastering medical knowledge in order to help his loved ones. Subsequently, a significant result of many years of medical experiments of L.M. Chichagova became the system of treating the body with drugs that he developed and tested in practice. plant origin, the presentation of which took two volumes of the fundamental work “Medical Conversations”.

At the same time, systematic theological studies entered L. M. Chichagov’s life, as a result of which the officer, who had not even received a seminary education, would turn into an encyclopedically educated theologian, whose authority would eventually be recognized by the entire Russian Orthodox Church. God's providence steadily failed L.M. Chichagov to the decision to accept holy orders, prepared by all his previous development.

But it was precisely on the eve of this providentially predetermined decision that L.M. Chichagov had to experience one of the most serious temptations in his life. His beloved wife Natalia Nikolaevna opposed her husband’s decision to leave military service and devote herself entirely to serving God as a clergyman. The reasons that prompted this very pious woman to oppose the good will of her husband were rooted both in the entire spiritual structure of the high society of St. Petersburg that surrounded her, and in the very difficult everyday situation in which the Chichagov family was at that time. Raised by her husband to always strictly follow her duty to her family, N.N. Chichagova at some point contrasted this too humanly understandable duty to her family with the Providence of God about the calling of her husband.

Blessed L.M. Chichagov to receive holy orders, the holy righteous John of Kronstadt, understanding the complexity of the impending life change for the Chichagov family and very well imagining the full burden of the mother’s burden for any real shepherd, considered it necessary to have a personal conversation with N.N. Chichagova to convince her not to resist the will of God and to give her consent to her husband taking holy orders. The words of the wise Kronstadt shepherd and the blessing given to her to become a mother, also loyalty to her future priestly calling and deep love N.N. helped her husband to her. Chichagova overcame her doubts, and she agreed to share the burden of his new ministry with her husband.

Hieromartyr Metropolitan Seraphim

On April 15, 1890, by the Highest order L.M. Chichagov was dismissed, after which the family of L.M. Chichagova moved to Moscow in 1891, which remained the Orthodox capital of Russia during the Synodal era. It was here, under the shadow of Moscow shrines, that L.M. Chichagov began to reverently prepare to take holy orders. On February 26, 1893, in the Moscow Synodal Church of the Twelve Apostles L.M. Chichagov was ordained to the rank of deacon. Presbyteral consecration followed two days later, on February 28, in the same church.

The trials of the first year of Father Leonid's priestly service were aggravated by the unexpected serious illness of his wife, Mother Natalia, which led to her untimely death in 1895, depriving the mother of four daughters, the eldest of whom was 15, and the youngest 9 years old. Father Leonid brought the body of his deceased wife to Diveevo and buried him in the monastery cemetery. Soon a chapel was erected over the grave, and near the burial place of Mother Natalya, Father Leonid prepared a place for his own burial, which, however, was never destined to receive the relics of the future martyr.

On February 14, 1896, priest Leonid Chichagov, by order of the Protopresbyter of the Military and Naval Clergy, was “assigned to a church in Moscow for private institutions and artillery institutions of the Moscow Military District.”

Turning to a life of prayer inevitably drew Father Leonid to the walls of the monastery, especially since for several years Father Leonid considered the compilation of the “Chronicle of the Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery” to be one of the most important obediences in his life, which revealed to him not only the history of one of the most remarkable monastic monasteries of the Russian Orthodox Church. Church, but also the monastic exploits of one of the greatest ascetics of Holy Rus' - St. Seraphim of Sarov. The birth of the idea of ​​compiling this chronicle, which was of decisive importance for the entire future life of the future archpastor and marked from the very beginning by miraculous manifestations of God's Providence about this work, was described by Father Leonid as follows. “When, after quite a long period of public service, I became a priest of a small church behind the Rumyantsev Museum, I wanted to go to the Sarov Hermitage, the place of the exploits of St. Seraphim, who was not yet glorified at that time, and when summer came, I went there. The Sarov Desert made a strong impression on me. I spent several days there in prayer and visited all the places where the Monk Seraphim labored. From there I moved to the Diveyevo monastery, where I really liked it and many things reminded me of St. Seraphim, who cared so much about the Diveyevo sisters. The abbess received me very warmly, talked to me a lot and among other things said that there were three people living in the monastery who remembered the monk: two elder nuns and nun Pelagia (in the world Paraskeva, Pasha)... I was taken to the house where she lived. Pasha. I had barely entered her when Pasha was lying in bed (she was very old and sick); exclaimed: “It’s good that you came, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time: St. Seraphim ordered me to tell you to report to the Emperor that the time has come for the opening of his relics and glorification.” I answered Pasha that, due to my social status, I could not be accepted by the Sovereign and convey to him what she entrusted to me... To this Pasha said: “I don’t know anything, I only conveyed what the monk commanded me.” Confused, I left the old lady’s cell.”

The spring of 1898 was the time when Father Leonid made a final decision about his future fate. Leaving his four daughters, who had already grown up somewhat after the death of their mother, in the care of several trusted persons called upon to monitor their receipt of further education and upbringing, Father Leonid on April 30, 1898 received resignation from the protopresbyter of the military and naval clergy and in the summer of the same year he was enlisted among brethren of the Holy Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Of particular significance for the newly tonsured hieromonk was the name Seraphim when he was tonsured into the mantle on August 14, 1898.

By decree of the Holy Synod on August 14, 1899, he was appointed rector of the Suzdal Spaso-Evfimiev Monastery with subsequent elevation to the rank of archimandrite.

In 1902, through the efforts of Archimandrite Seraphim, the Chronicle of the Seraphim-Diveevesky Monastery, first published in 1896, was republished. This second edition of the Chronicle was of particular significance for the canonization of St. Seraphim of Sarov, revealing to all of Russia the greatness of the saint’s grace-filled gifts, which responded miraculously in the lives of his many spiritual children.

At the insistence of the Sovereign, in August 1902, a commission headed by the future hieromartyr Metropolitan Vladimir (Epiphany) of Moscow, which included Archimandrite Seraphim, carried out a preliminary examination of the relics of St. Seraphim.

On January 29, 1903, an event occurred that at that time was eagerly and hopefully awaited not only by Archimandrite Seraphim and other participants in the solemn opening of the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov, but also by many faithful children of the Russian Orthodox Church, who were already honored to join in the prayerful veneration of the saint, accompanied by numerous miracles. The Holy Synod adopted an act on the basis of which the Sarov elder Seraphim was canonized as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church.

On February 14, 1904, Archimandrite Seraphim was appointed rector of one of the seven stauropegial monasteries of the Russian Orthodox Church - the Resurrection New Jerusalem Monastery. After spending only a year in the Resurrection Monastery, Archimandrite Seraphim sealed his abbess with the restoration of the famous Resurrection Cathedral.

However, by the Providence of God, Father Seraphim was destined for a new church ministry, perhaps the most difficult for the clergy of the Russian Church in the 20th century, which began at that time and marked its beginning with an abundance of spiritual and historical turmoil. On April 28, 1905, in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, the future holy martyr, Metropolitan Vladimir (Epiphany) of Moscow, in the concelebration of Bishops Tryphon (Turkestan) and Seraphim (Golubyatnikov), consecrated another future holy martyr, Archimandrite Seraphim, as Bishop of Sukhumi.

Already the first place of episcopal service of the Sukhumi Saint Seraphim, the ancient Orthodox Iveron land, became for him a place of testing in connection with the events that occurred as a result of the revolutionary turmoil that broke out in Russia. From that time until the end of his days, the episcopal service for St. Seraphim was inextricably linked with a courageous stand for purity Orthodox faith and the unity of the Russian Church, which the Hieromartyr Seraphim, being the successor of the military glory of his valiant ancestors, realized as a warrior of Christ on the field of spiritual battle.

On February 6, 1906, Saint Seraphim was sent to the Oryol See, where he came to the conviction that became decisive for his entire subsequent archpastoral activity, that the full development of diocesan life is possible only on the basis of active parish communities.

On September 16, 1908, a decree was adopted on his appointment to the Kishinev department. Once again, as had happened more than once in the life of Saint Seraphim, having successfully begun another church activity, he did not have the opportunity to directly participate in its completion.

With deep heartache Having left the Oryol See, Saint Seraphim arrived in the Chisinau diocese on October 28, 1908, the state of which exceeded the bishop’s worst expectations.

A difficult test for Bishop Seraphim, shortly after his move to Chisinau, was the death in December 1908 of the holy righteous father John of Kronstadt, who all these years continued to be the spiritual father of the saint.

The three-year creative activity of Saint Seraphim at the Kishinev See not only led to a genuine transformation of the diocese, but also received the highest praise both in the Holy Synod and from the Sovereign. And maybe, the best characteristic What was done by Bishop Seraphim in the Chisinau diocese was the Supreme Decree of the Sovereign to the Holy Synod of May 16, 1912, addressed to the saint. “Your priestly ministry, marked by zeal for the spiritual and moral development of the flocks successively entrusted to you,” said the Highest Decree, “is marked by special efforts to improve the Chisinau diocese. Through your care and concern, church schools are multiplying in this diocese, the preaching activity of the clergy is intensifying and the religious education of the Orthodox population of Bessarabia is rising... In expression of the Royal favor to your merits, I... considered it fair to elevate you to the rank of Archbishop... Nicholas.”

In 1912, Archbishop Seraphim’s service at the Kishinev See was coming to an end, and by the determination of the Holy Synod he was appointed Archbishop of Tver and Kashin.

The situation in the church life of the Tver diocese was much better than in all those dioceses in which Saint Seraphim had to serve before. Therefore, the important experience of reviving parish life, which the bishop acquired during the previous years of episcopal service, could be realized in the Tver diocese in its entirety.

The harbinger of trials of civil unrest for the saint, as well as for all of Russia, was the First World War that began in 1914, to which the Bishop responded not only as an archpastor who knew how to ease the sorrows of people who suffered from the war, but also as a former Russian officer who was well aware the needs of Russian soldiers who defended their Fatherland in the most difficult conditions of the bloodiest of all wars then known to mankind. Calling for perseverance and at the same time mercy, sermons and collections of donations for wounded and maimed soldiers, inspired prayers for the victory of the Russian army and participation in events to organize assistance to refugees and to equip hospitals and ambulance trains with the necessary means, and finally, calls for the diocesan clergy to join the ranks military clergy, and parish clerks should not shy away from military service- this is not a complete list of the deeds of St. Seraphim during the entire period of the war.

When, in the March days of 1917, the abdication of the Sovereign called into question the very continued existence of the monarchy, and the Holy Synod considered it necessary to support the Provisional Government as the only legitimate body of supreme power in the country, Saint Seraphim, continuing to submit to the highest church and state authorities, did not hide his negative attitude to the changes that have taken place in Russia.

The intensification of revolutionary unrest in Russia in the fall of 1917 and the seizure of power in Petrograd by the Bolsheviks had disastrous consequences for the development of events in the Tver diocese. Realizing that the majority of the clergy and laity of the diocese continued to remain faithful to Saint Seraphim, some members of the diocesan council, elected on dubious canonical grounds back in April 1917, decided to resort to the help of the Bolshevik authorities in Tver to expel the saint, who at that time openly expressed their atheism. mood and did not hide their hatred of Bishop Seraphim as “a church obscurantist and a Black Hundred monarchist.” On December 28, 1917, the Religious Department of the Tver Provincial Executive Committee of the Council of Workers', Peasants' and Soldiers' Deputies issued an order to expel Archbishop Seraphim from the Tver province.

Wanting to protect the saint from the outrageous reprisals of the Bolsheviks, His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, a few days before the dispersal of the Local Council, on September 17, 1918, managed to make a decision at a meeting of the Holy Synod to appoint Bishop Seraphim to the Warsaw and Privislensky see, which was located in the territory of Poland free from the power of the Bolsheviks.

The growing civil war and the Soviet-Polish war that then began made it physically impossible for Bishop Seraphim to leave for the diocese entrusted to him, and until the end of 1920 the saint remained outside his diocese, staying in the Chernigov monastery of the Holy Trinity-Sergius Lavra and finding spiritual support in such a consonant and for many years, because of his episcopal service, the prayerful and ascetic life of a monastery monk was inaccessible.

In January 1921, shortly after the end of the Soviet-Polish War, Bishop Seraphim received a synodal order on the need to speed up the return of the Orthodox clergy and church property to the Warsaw diocese due to the plight of the Orthodox population of Poland, which had lost many churches during the war. Elevated at that time by His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon to the rank of metropolitan, Saint Seraphim turned to the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs, where he was told that the issue of his departure to Poland could be considered only after the arrival of the official Polish mission in Moscow. However, soon after the negotiations of Bishop Seraphim with Polish diplomats who arrived in Moscow, in the spring of 1921, the Cheka authorities conducted a search of Saint Seraphim, as a result of which letters to the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland, Cardinal Kapowski, and who represented the interests of the Orthodox clergy in Warsaw were confiscated Archpriest Vrublevsky.

As a result, on June 24, 1921, Saint Seraphim, who did not suspect anything about the danger approaching him, was given the first official sentence in his life, adopted at a meeting of the judicial troika of the Cheka, which took place without the presence of the saint, and decided to “imprison citizen Chichagov in the Arkhangelsk concentration camp for a period of two years.” However, Bishop Seraphim, who was under the secret surveillance of the Cheka, continued to remain at large, awaiting permission to leave for the Warsaw diocese, and was unexpectedly arrested on September 21, 1921 and placed in the Tagansk prison.

On January 13, 1922, the head of the secret department of the All-Russian Cheka, Rutkovsky, on behalf of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, drew up a new conclusion on the “case” of Bishop Seraphim: “With the strengthening of the position of the revolutionary Soviet government in the conditions of the present time, gr. Chichagov is powerless to undertake anything significantly hostile against the RSFSR. In addition, taking into account his old age, 65 years old, I believe that the deportation order for 2 years will be applied conditionally, releasing gr. Chichagova L.M. from custody." On January 16, 1922, by order of the Presidium of the Cheka, the saint, already seriously ill, left Tagansk prison.

On April 22, 1922, in the 6th department of the Secret Department of the Cheka, another conclusion was prepared on the never-ending “case” of Metropolitan Seraphim. Based on this conclusion, the judicial panel of the GPU, chaired by Unschlicht, on April 25 sentenced Bishop Seraphim to exile in the Arkhangelsk region.

After spending about a year in exile in Arkhangelsk, Saint Seraphim returned to Moscow. However, on April 16, 1924, the bishop was again arrested by the GPU, who this time accused him of organizing the glorification of St. Seraphim of Sarov in 1903. The investigation of Saint Seraphim, who found himself in the Butyrka prison, had already been going on for about a month, when in May 1924 His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon submitted a petition to the OGPU for the release of the 68-year-old bishop, in which he vouched for his loyal attitude to the existing state power. At first ignored by the head of the 6th department of the Secret Department of the OGPU, Tuchkov, this petition, two months later, nevertheless contributed to the release of St. Seraphim, who, nevertheless, at the request of the authorities, soon had to leave Moscow.

At this time, the saint had to endure a new test, which this time fell upon him not from the persecutors of the Church, but from the abbess of the Diveyevo Monastery, so dear to his heart, Alexandra (Trokovskaya), whose election as abbess more than 20 years ago was facilitated by Saint Seraphim himself. After the bishop, expelled by the authorities from Moscow, turned to Abbess Alexandra with a request to give him refuge in the Seraphim-Diveevsky Monastery, the Abbess refused the persecuted confessor.

Rejected by the monastery, near which the saint had been hoping to find his final rest for more than 30 years since the burial there of his wife Natalia Nikolaevna, Bishop Seraphim, together with his daughter Natalya (in the monastic name of Seraphim), was accepted by Abbess Arsenia (Dobronravova) into the Resurrection Feodorovsky Monastery, located near Shuya .

At the end of 1927, having said a touching farewell to the nuns of the Resurrection Feodorovsky Monastery, Bishop Seraphim forever left the monastery that had given him hospitable refuge in order to take part in the activities of the Provisional Patriarchal Holy Synod. The support of such an authoritative church hierarch, known for his firmness and uncompromisingness, as Saint Seraphim, was extremely important for Metropolitan Sergius, who at that time was increasingly reproached by his opponents from among the Orthodox episcopate for unacceptable concessions to state power. And it is very significant that the metropolitan see to which Bishop Seraphim was appointed by the decree of the Deputy Patriarchal Locum Tenens Metropolitan Sergius and the Provisional Patriarchal Synod on February 23, 1928, was in the Leningrad diocese, from where the loudest reproaches to Metropolitan Sergius for these unacceptable concessions were heard.

Saint Seraphim marked his stay in the diocese by the fact that, in conditions of cruel and comprehensive restrictions on church life by state authorities, he based his archpastoral service on the reverent performance of Sunday and holiday services and inspired preaching in city and suburban churches. “As long as the Divine Liturgy is celebrated, while people begin to receive Divine Communion, one can be sure that the Orthodox Church will stand and win, that the Russian people will not perish in the evil of sin, atheism, malice, materialism, pride and impurity, that our Motherland will be reborn and saved . Therefore, Metropolitan Seraphim convinced, our Motherland will be saved. Therefore, Metropolitan Seraphim urged the clergy and flock, think most of all about the preservation, celebration and continuous service (daily, even multiple times at different altars) of the liturgy. If she exists, there will be both the Church and Russia.”

In 1933, the 77-year-old Saint Seraphim, who had devoted all his strength to the Leningrad diocese, was approaching the end of his archpastoral service as the ruling bishop. The Bishop’s bodily infirmities and the ever-increasing hatred of the state authorities in Leningrad towards him, which made the imminent arrest of Saint Seraphim very likely, prompted Metropolitan Sergius and the Provisional Patriarchal Holy Synod to issue a decree on October 14, 1933, dismissing the Bishop. Having served on October 24 in the temple of his youth - the Transfiguration Cathedral - Divine Liturgy, Saint Seraphim left his hometown forever.

After returning to Moscow and briefly living in the residence of Metropolitan Sergius in Baumanovsky Lane, in 1934 Saint Seraphim found his final refuge in two rooms of a country dacha, located near the Udelnaya station of the Kazan railway.

Like many other new martyrs of the Russian Orthodox Church, the last feature of St. Seraphim’s earthly existence was bloodily outlined in 1937, which marked the beginning of a five-year period incomparable to anything in the world. Christian history mass extermination of Orthodox Christians. However, even in this series of many tens of thousands of martyrdoms, the death of Bishop Seraphim turned out to be filled with special ascetic greatness and dignity. Arrested by NKVD officers in November 1937, the bedridden 82-year-old saint was taken out of the house on a stretcher and taken to the Tagansk prison, due to the impossibility of transporting him in a prisoner's car or in an ambulance.

On December 7, 1937, the “troika” of the NKVD in the Moscow region, which had already passed several dozen death sentences on that day, adopted a resolution to execute Metropolitan Seraphim. Almost 50 sufferers sentenced to death were shot over the course of several days in the village of Butovo, located not far from Moscow, in which an oak grove surrounded by a solid fence was to become an anonymous cemetery for many thousands of victims of communist terror. December 11, 1937 from last group Those sentenced to death were also shot by the holy martyr Seraphim.

Troparion to Hieromartyr Seraphim (Chichagov), Metropolitan of Petrograd, tone 5

IN the host of the King of Heaven / having loved the earthly, / the fiery servant of the Holy Trinity appeared to you. / The instructions of the Kronstadt shepherd / composed in your heart, / given by God in many ways Knowing your gifts/ you increased for the benefit of the people of God./ Teacher of piety/ and champion of the unity of the Church ,/ you were deemed worthy to suffer even to the point of blood./ Hieromartyr Seraphim,/ pray to Christ God // to save our souls.

Kontakion to Hieromartyr Seraphim (Chichagov), Metropolitan of Petrograd, tone 6

WITH Arov’s miracle worker bears the same name,/ you had a warm love for him,/ you wrote about the exploits and wonders of that world by writing,/ you inspired the faithful to his glorification,/ and thanked with the honorable visit/ of the Most Revered One you were honored./ With him now, Hieromartyr Seraphim,/ in As you enter the heavenly devils, / pray to Christ God / / for the seraphim’s joy to be a partaker of us.

Prayer to Hieromartyr Seraphim (Chichagov), Metropolitan of Petrograd

ABOUT Great and wonderful servant of Christ, Hieromartyr Seraphim! Accept now our humble song of thanksgiving and beg the Almighty God in the Indivisible Trinity to send us peace and prosperity, may our empire be preserved from ruin. With your love and wisdom, lead the people of Russia to catholic unity and protect them from heresies and schisms. By the power of your intercession, patience in sorrows and illnesses was granted to us. Oh, all-praiseworthy Saint of Christ! Ask the All-Merciful God to grant us repentance before the end, so that we may be worthy to see the face of His ineffable kindness, praising the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen.

Life according to the book: Life of the Hieromartyr Metropolitan Seraphim (Chichagov). - St. Petersburg: “Satis”, 2000. P. 4-108.

December 11, 2018

Evening
To the Lord, I cried: stichera, tone 1.
Similar to: Praises of the Martyr:

Most praiseworthy, Hieromartyr Seraphim, / neither the prison exhausted you, / nor the famine to die, / nor the bitterness and wounds crushed, / in order to separate you from the love of God / and the God-given flock. / Likewise, holy Christ, pray / to grant our Church / peace and great mercy.
All-praiseworthy Hieromartyr Seraphim, / enduring suffering from your brothers in the flesh to blood, / thought within yourself, / that for the sake of the Lord we are put to death, / and our struggle is not against flesh and blood, / but to the ruler of the darkness of this world. / Likewise, holy Christ, pray/ to grant our land/ peace and great mercy.
Most glorious Hieromartyr Seraphim, / you made a bloodless sacrifice / first, reverently, / after, as if you were full of fruit, / you offered yourself a living sacrifice, / praying, that the sin of fighting against God of our people will be forgiven. / And now, holy Christ, pray / to grant to the people of Russia / peace and great mercy.
Glory, the same voice:
Glory to the Russian Church/ and the adornment of our fatherland,/ Hieromartyr Seraphim,/ with the power given to you by God,/ you rebuked the godless scoffers,/ and, like fierce wolves, you drove away from your flock/ and you put the devil to shame,/ your blood, like Abeleva,/ from our land cries out silently./ For this sake, be faithful in Heaven’s intercession for us/ and pray for our souls to be saved.
And now, Theotokos: Worldwide glory:
Entrance. Prokeimenon in the afternoon. And reading.

In those days, / speaking as an apostle to the people, / the priests and the governor of the church and the Sadducees came upon them, / stinging them, for teaching them the people and proclaiming the resurrection of the dead about Jesus, / and laying their hands on them and making them observant until the morning, / It was already evening. / And those who heard the word of faith multiplied / and the number of the men was as great as five thousand. / And in the morning their prince / and the elder and the scribe were assembled to Jerusalem, / and Anna the bishop, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander ,/ and Elitsa Besha from the family of the bishop/. And, placing them in the midst, he asked: / by what power or in what name did you do this? / Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke to them: / princes of mankind and the elders of Israel, / if we are tormented today because of the good deeds of man, / about By this means you have been saved,/be wise to all of you and to all the people of Israel,/as in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,/Whom you crucified, Whom God raised from the dead,/For this reason this one stands before you in health./This is the Stone rooted from you , building, / being at the forefront, and there is no other salvation. / There is no other name under Heaven, given among men, / in which it is fitting for us to be saved.
Acts of the Apostle reading (chapter 4):
In those days, / when the Jews saw the boldness of Peter and John, / and realized that a man was unlearned and simple, I marveled, / and I knew them to be best with Jesus. / Seeing the healed man standing with him, / I have nothing to say against the saying./ Having commanded him to go out of the crowd,/ we contended with each other, saying:/ what shall we do to this man?/ For a deliberate sign came to him,/ to all who live in Jerusalem,/ and we cannot refuse,/ but let it not extend to people, / let us rebuke him / who should not speak about this name, not one of men. / And having called them, / commanded them not to preach at all / but to teach about the name of Jesus. / Peter and John, who answered to them, rested :/ if there is righteousness before God/ you should listen more than God, judge,/ we cannot, even though we have seen and heard, not speak./ They, having forbidden them, let me go,/ having found nothing, how to torment them, for the sake of people ,/ as everyone glorified God about what had happened,/ for many years now there had been a multiplication of forty people,/ on whom this miracle of healing took place.
Acts of the Apostle reading (chapter 4):
In those days, / the former apostle was released, / came to her own people and announced, / the bishops and elders decided to come to them. / They, having heard, / unanimously raised a voice to God and said: / Master, You, God, created heaven and the earth, and the sea, and everything that is in them, / Even the mouth of David, your youth said: / the nations are staggering, / and people have learned in vain? / The kings of the earth have stood, / and the princes have gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ. / Having truly gathered in this city against Your Holy Youth, Jesus, Whom You anointed, / Herod and Pontic Pilate with the tongues and people of Israel, / did, so that Thy hand and Thy counsel were made beforehand. / And now, Lord, look upon the reproaches them / and grant to Thy servant to speak Thy word with all boldness, / always to stretch out Thy hand to Thee for healing, / and to be a sign and a wonder in the holy name of Thy Servant Jesus. / And those who prayed to them, moved the place where they gathered, / and all was fulfilled Holy Spirit/ and I speak the word of God with boldness.
The poem contains stichera, tone 6.
Similar to: Tridneven:
You were an unshakable pillar of the Russian Church, / enduring fierce persecution, / you labored day and night in prayer, / Hieromartyr Seraphim, / guiding your flock to Christ with the fire of jealousy and the spirit of meekness, / thereby we honor you with love.
Verse: Your priests will be clothed with righteousness/ and your saints will rejoice.
You were faithful to God and the Church even in death, / Hieromartyr Seraphim, / now, from the faces of the new martyr and confessors of Russia, / standing before Christ the King, / praying diligently with them / to grant us peace / and great mercy.
Verse: Honorable before the Lord is the death of His saints.
Your mental and physical suffering / and death for Christ, free from the godless / opened for you, Holy Seraphim, / the gates of eternal life / and strengthened your brothers to confess Christ. / In the same way, you prayed to Him forever, / that Orthodoxy may be established in Rus' forever.
Glory, voice 4:
The angels marveled at your suffering/ and the Heavenly Church joyfully received you,/ worthy of praise Seraphim./ Now, thy sacred hands/ stretched out to the Throne of the Holy Trinity,/ remember the Russian land,/ which thou hast loved,/ praying for the salvation of those who piously glorify thee.
And now, Mother of God, the same voice:
Look upon the prayers of Thy servant, O All-Immaculate One,/ and deliver from all sorrows the Russian land,/ Thy named house/ and consecrated with the blood of the new martyr./ May we not be ashamed, O Sovereign Lady,/ Those who call upon Thee,/ For Thou art Orthodox help,/ joy and protection,/ and the salvation of our souls.
Troparion, tone 3:
An unshakable pillar of the Russian Church, / the rule of piety, / the life of the Gospel, / the Hieromartyr Seraphim, / who suffered for Christ’s sake even to the point of blood, / pray to Him earnestly, / as the Author and Finisher of salvation, / to establish Holy Rus' in Orthodoxy / until the end of the age.
At Matins
According to the 1st verse of the sedalene, tone 6:
Through the fire of torment, as a faithful witness, you passed, / Blessed Seraphim, / for this sake, from the faces of the saints of the Russian land, / you triumph in the Heavenly Fatherland. / Help us to be faithful to Christ / and to save our souls.
Glory, even now, to the Mother of God:
O, All-Singing Virgin, / We know You as the Cover of the Russian Land, / For You, sinners, imams intercede, / You are the treasurer of salvation in adversity, / The One All-Immaculate One.
According to the 2nd verse of the sedalens, voice 2:
Through your illnesses and sufferings, Hieromartyr Seraphim, / you have glorified God / and you have appeared as a faithful intercessor for us. / For this reason, we cry out to you with love: / do not cease to pray for those who honor your holy memory.
Glory, even now, to the Mother of God:
Warm prayer book,/ Intercessor of the Christian race,/ accept the prayers of Thy servants/ and cover Orthodox Rus' with the cover of Thy goodness.
Magnification:
We magnify you,/ Hieromartyr Seraphim,/ and honor your honest sufferings,/ which you endured for Christ to establish Orthodoxy in Rus'.
Selected Psalm:
God is our Refuge and Strength.
Lord, raise up Your power and come to save us.
Verbs about Your testimonies before the kings and do not be ashamed.
All the nations have gone after me, and in the name of the Lord I have resisted them.
For your sake we are killed all day long, counted as sheep of the slaughter.
The Lord is my strength and my song and be my salvation.
According to the polyeleos sedalene, voice 1:
Good sufferer and servant of the Mysteries of God, / Hieromartyr Seraphim, praise and affirmation to the Russian Church, / now, celebrating your memory, / to God, who glorified you, we cry out in gratitude: / glory to Him who gave you strength in suffering, / glory to Him who crowned you, / glory to Him who saves us with your prayers.
Glory, even now, to the Mother of God:
Warm Representative and zealous Intercessor,/ in the time of godlessness from the final destruction/ delivered the Russian land through omnipotent intercession to Thy Son./ And now do not forsake us with Thy prayers, Lady Theotokos.
Degree 1st antiphon of the 4th tone. Prokeimenon, tone 4: I passed through fire and water/ and brought you to rest. Verse: You are kindled as silver is liquefied. Every breath: Gospel of Matthew, conceived 36.
According to Psalm 50, stichera, tone 6:
When the Lord forgave our sins,/ fratricide, persecution and desecration of the faith of Christ,/ you, Hieromartyr Seraphim,/ you appeared to the Russian Church as an unshakable pillar/ and, having shed your blood for Christ,/ you preserved your flock in unity./ Now, on Standing before the heavens with the faces of the new martyrs, pray for our souls to be saved.
Canon, voice 4.
Song 1
Irmos: Sea of ​​the dark abyss/ with damp feet/ ancient Israel, who walked on foot/ with the cross-shaped hand of Moses/ defeated the power of Amalek in the desert.
Having obeyed the will of God,/ you accepted the rod of holiness, Hieromartyr Seraphim,/ and, having suffered for Christ even to the point of death,/ you appeared as a faithful son to the Church.
You bravely endured exile and separation from your flock, Hieromartyr Seraphim, / but nothing can separate you from the love of God.
You fearlessly preached repentance to people, O Hieromartyr Seraphim, / so that they may turn their hearts to God / and only rely on Him in sorrows and deprivations.
Theotokos: Mother of God, / Thy House, Holy Rus', prays to Thee: / deliver Thy people from all need and eternal condemnation.
Song 3
Irmos: Your church rejoices in You, O Christ, calling:/ You are my Fortress, O Lord,/ and Refuge and Confirmation.
When the test of your faith came, Hieromartyr Seraphim, / you accepted suffering for Christ as a gift of grace / and you stained the Russian land with your blood.
When persecution came from the godless, / an unshakable pillar of the Russian Church appeared, O Hieromartyr Seraphim, / the saints, like a relative, calling for help. / With them you are now glorified together.
Even though you were killed in body, Hieromartyr Seraphim, / even though you were put to shame by the spirit of the devil’s wiles, / having Christ as Refuge and Confirmation.
Theotokos: We pray to you, the Representative, Most Pure Virgin: / turn our sorrow into joy / and deliver us from present sorrows, our Intercessor.
Sedalen, voice 3:
We have accepted the covenants of the confessors and holy martyrs of Christ, / you have laid down your soul for the Orthodox faith, O holy one, / by which the Russian Land is established. / For this sake, I prayed, Hieromartyr Seraphim, / for the love of those who honor you as faithful to Christ until the end of your life.
Glory, even now, to the Mother of God:
The imams have no other refuge than You, Mother of God,/ our zealous Intercessor of our fatherland:/ everyone who honors You finds hope.
Song 4
Irmos: You are exalted, having seen the Church on the Cross, / the Righteous Sun, / a hundred in its rank, / worthily crying out: / glory to your power, Lord.
Let not the pagans dare to say: Where is your God? / For the blood of the new martyrs cries out from our land: / Lord our Lord, how wonderful it is your name throughout the Russian land.
In the same way the tree desires the springs of water, / you, the passion-bearing Seraphim, / you flowed to life-giving suffering for Christ, / in the image the face of the Russian land is ever sacredly renewed.
All that is earthly, imputing Christ for nothing, / in word and life, the Hieromartyr Seraphim, taught the faithful: / in God we will create strength / and He will humble those who suffer us.
Theotokos: The invincible wall and the omnipotent cover Russian new martyr Thou hast appeared, O Most Holy Virgin, / and thus we magnify Thee.
Song 5
Irmos: You, Lord, are my Light/ came into the world,/ the Holy Light, turning from the darkness of ignorance/ those who sing of You with faith.
Like a ray of the Sun of Truth, you appeared, O Hieromartyr Seraphim, / and through your suffering you dispelled the darkness of godlessness over our Fatherland.
When godlessness strives to hide you in prison, Hieromartyr Seraphim, / The Lord revealed you as His confessor to the entire end of the Russian Land.
The sacred lamp of the Russian Church, Seraphim, / shines unquenchably with the blood of martyrdom and stands before the Throne of God, / praying for those who honor you.
Theotokos: Who was inexpressibly born of the Virgin, O Lord, / preserve Thy Church through Her prayers, / The voices of the Orthodox glorifying Thee.
Song 6
Irmos: I will devour Thee with a voice of praise, O Lord, / The Church cries out to Thee, / having been cleansed from the blood of demons, / for the sake of mercy from Thy side / with the flowing Blood.
Let us take the spiritual sword, which is the word of God, / you crushed the godless machinations, O Hieromartyr Seraphim, / and you extinguished all the kindled arrows of the evil one / with the shield of the Orthodox faith.
Having lived piously among the saints / and patiently endured the torment of the path, / you have found a greater reward in Heaven, O Hieromartyr Seraphim, / where you always rejoice and rejoice in the Gospel.
Nothing can separate you, God-loving one, from the love of Christ: / neither sorrow, nor persecution, nor death, / for you have overcome all this by the power of the Lord who loved you, Hieromartyr Seraphim.
Theotokos: We sing to You, warm Representative and Intercessor of Christians, All-Singing Mother of God, / as with all the saints of the Russian land, pray to Your Son and our God to grant us great mercy.
Kontakion, voice 2:
Let us praise, faithfully,/ Seraphim, a great saint/ and glorious among martyrs,/ a champion of Orthodoxy and a zealot of piety,/ the red vegetation of the Russian Land,/ who through suffering has reached Heaven/ and there warmly prays to Christ God/ to save our souls.
Ikos:
Show off and rejoice, Russian Church, / like a fruitful vine that has grown the sacred sufferer, / who has strengthened the hearts of the faithful through victorious torment, / who has fulfilled the commandments of the Lord and has always taught the Gospel: / come, children, listen to me, / do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot soul kill, / fear rather than the one who is able to destroy your soul and body in Gehenna. / Moreover, Hieromartyr Seraphim, pray to Christ God to save our souls.
Song 7
Irmos: In the cave of Abrahamstia, the youths of the Persians/ loved piety more than they cried out with fire:/ blessed art thou in the temple of Thy glory, O Lord.
Like the three youths in the cave of Babylon who were embraced in flames by prayer, I did not burn out, / so you, Hieromartyr Seraphim, in the fires of torment, by grace, you preserved your faith. / For this reason, now with the new martyrs of Russia you rejoice: / Blessed are you, God of the fathers of our land.
Just as the youths of old, in the unburnt cave, did not bow to the golden image, / so you, Hieromartyr Seraphim, are unburnt by the fire of torment, / you fearlessly denounced atheism, crying out to the new martyrs of Russia: / Blessed art thou, God of the fathers of our land.
Offering yourself a living sacrifice and a burnt offering to the Creator, O Hieromartyr Seraphim, / with the New Martyrs of Russia you sang: / You who are mighty, repent, for the God of the fathers of our land is with us.
Theotokos: Even more than the mind and nature of God, having given birth to God, the inexperienced Mary, / who reveres Thee from enemies visible and invisible, / for Thou art the land of our fathers, an invincible Power.
Song 8
Irmos: Daniel stretched out his hand, / the gaping lions in the den, / extinguished the fiery power, / girded with virtue, / the zealous youths crying out to: / bless all the works of the Lord, the Lord.
The Russian land, mercilessly burned by godless persecution,/ you have watered with your tears and blood, O Hieromartyr Seraphim,/ for this reason you have increased the fruits of faith, the children of the church.
You were not afraid of the malice of the tormentors,/ having conquered you with the fire of Divine love,/ you also acquired the grace to pray for us, O Hieromartyr Seraphim, most worthy of praise.
Blessing your persecutors, blessed Seraphim, / you fervently prayed for them, so that they would repent / and together with their faithful brothers they would bless the Lord.
Theotokos: Seeing Christ being put to death, the Many-sung Lady,/ and seeing the fulfillment of Simeon’s prophecy, weeping and crying out:/ Blessed art thou, O God, unto the ages.
Song 9
Irmos: The uncut stone / from the Uncut Mountain, You, Virgin, / was cut off as the cornerstone, / Christ, the aggregator of the dispersed nature, / thus, joyfully, we magnify You, the Mother of God.
You were killed by the hands of the lawless,/ you offered an auspicious sacrifice and a free slaughter to God, holy Seraphim of God./ With that, we honor your memory with gratitude.
The Lord, fulfilling His vision for the Church of Russia,/ made you an intercessor, the Hieromartyr Seraphim./ Likewise, we prayed to Him,/ that we may abide in piety and save our souls.
Oh, the abyss of God’s goodness! / For God gave to His beloved faith for the sake of suffering, / and you, Hieromartyr Seraphim, / like the red fruit of the saving sowing, chosen from the Russian land.
Theotokos: Destroy all the advice against us, Mother of the Most High God, / and fill with joy those who trust in You, / and may we all diligently preach Your intercession.
Svetilen:
Filling your flock with the bread of the word of God/ and giving the wine of sacred wisdom to drink,/ you dissolved these gifts with the warmth of your love, Hieromartyr Seraphim,/ and now with your lofty preaching you preach to the children of the Russian Church:/ come to the Lord and be enlightened,/ and your faces will not be ashamed.
Glory, even now, to the Mother of God:
Oh, we glory in You, Mother of God, / and to God Your Imams Intercession, / stretch out Your invincible hand / and crush the enemies of the Russian Church.
On praises stichera, tone 4.
Similar: You gave a sign:
Thou hast given a sign/ of the land of Russia, O Lord,/ of Thy holy martyr, Seraphim,/ as if by this I begged,/ to turn away Thy righteous wrath,/ and Holy/ and God-loving Rus' will not perish/ through the intercession of the new passion-bearer.
Offering the sacrifice of praise / ever before the Lord, / to the Hieromartyr Seraphim, / at the end of yourself / as a living and holy sacrifice, / you presented as pleasing and perfect, / and therefore we rightly cry out to you: / make our prayers favorable / for the well-being of the Russian Church.
To the Representative of the Church of Russia,/ Hieromartyr Seraphim of all worth,/ I will take away in vain the Face of the Lord in Heaven,/ do not despise a single thing/ from Her little children,/ but joyfully accept our repentance/ and pray ever/ for the sons of Russia to be saved.
Glory, voice 8.
Similar to: Oh, glorious miracle:
Oh, glorious miracle! / Like a plant in the midst of thorns, / you flourished in your suffering for Christ, / Hieromartyr Seraphim, / so that the light of Orthodoxy will not be eclipsed in our land / for the revelation of the tongue and the glory of the Russian people. / And now, dwelling in the villages of paradise, / unfadingly fragrant / to those who imitate your faith.
And now, the voice is similar to the same:
Oh, glorious miracle!/ The Queen of heaven and earth/ begged from our holy relatives,/ to this day she covers the Russian land/ and mercifully enriches her image with her image./ O. Sovereign Lady!/ Do not stop for the future/ in establishing Orthodoxy in Rus' / pour out mercy and miracles for ever. Amen.
The doxology is great. And let go.
At the Liturgy
Blessed are the 3rd and 6th songs from the canon. Prokeimenon, tone 7: Honest before the Lord / the death of His saints. Verse: What will I repay to the Lord for all who have repaid me? Apostle to the Romans, conception 99 (8, 28-39). Alleluia, tone 2: Your priests will be clothed with righteousness/ and your saints will rejoice. Verse: God is our Refuge and Strength, Helper in the sorrows that have come upon us greatly. Gospel of Luke, beginning 106, (21, 12-19). End: In your patience your life will be gained. Involved: In eternal memory the righteous will be:
Prayer
Oh, chosen one and saint of Christ, Hieromartyr Seraphim, unshakable pillar of the Russian Church, good vegetation and red fruit of our land, representative and mentor of your relatives!
During the persecution of the godless, you brought forth the saving confession of the Orthodox faith from the treasury of your soul, and you appeared to the faithful as a good shepherd, laying down your soul for Christ and His sheep and driving away the fierce wolves.
Now look upon us, your unworthy children, who call upon you with a tender soul and a contrite heart. Pray to the Lord God to forgive our sins and deliver us from the bonds of hell and eternal torment. Confirm us in the holy faith, teach us to always do the will of God and keep the commandments of the church. Be our shepherd - the rule of faith, a warrior - a spiritual leader, a good doctor for the sick, a comforter for the sad, an intercessor for the persecuted, a mentor for the young, a compassionate father and a warm prayer book for everyone, for by your prayers may Holy Rus' be preserved in Orthodoxy and constantly glorified in in it is the name of the Most Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Most Orthodox people are accustomed to thinking that suffering for the faith of the righteous, that is, physical torment and subsequent death, took place only in ancient times, during the era of persecution of Christians and the formation of the Christian religion. Not at all: the status of holy martyr was assigned to pious ascetics who deserved it, and already practically in our days, namely in the last century. A striking example of this is, whose memorial day the Church celebrates annually on December 11.

Years of adolescence and youth

The saint was born in the northern capital on January 8, according to other sources - January 9, 1856. His father was Colonel Mikhail Chichagov. Not only did he hold an important military post, but this man also belonged to a famous aristocratic family. The roots of the latter were in the Kostroma province. There is no information about the mother of the holy martyr. The baby that was born was named Leonid and baptized almost a month after birth in the church in the name of St. Alexander Nevsky.

At the age of ten, the boy lost his father. He began his education by studying at the First Classical Gymnasium in St. Petersburg. However, the student of the said educational institution Leonid did not stay long - only a few years. The reason for this was the enrollment of the future metropolitan in the Corps of Pages of His Imperial Majesty. When this happened, Leonid was 13 years old.

Thanks to the institution mentioned above, where the saint spent years, he was able to receive both general and specific military education. In addition, Leonid discovered numerous vices of the court and the virtues of the latter, which turned out to be just mirages. This probably played a dominant role in the formation of the young man’s goals: Leonid longed to enter military service and devote his life to it. By the way, in the Corps of Pages the boy received exclusively church education in the best Orthodox traditions.

Service for the benefit of the Motherland

Gradually, the young page's dreams came true. After graduating from an educational institution at the imperial court, Leonid became a second lieutenant and in the fall of 1875 he was part of His Majesty’s Preobrazhensky Regiment. Almost immediately after this, the young man had the opportunity to test his strength. A year later, the Russian-Turkish war broke out. Second Lieutenant Chichagov found himself in an army operating on the Balkan Peninsula. We must pay tribute to the future saint: he repeatedly demonstrated courage and heroism on the battlefield. In the interval between bloody battles, Leonid Chichagov received the rank of lieutenant and several awards of military significance.

Strange as it may sound, the more the courage and successes of the brave nobleman were noted, the less he gravitated toward continuing his life in a military vein. Thoughts about death, the spiritual meaning of life and the earthly existence of man increasingly appeared in Leonid’s head. He was concerned with thoughts about why people are forced to suffer. The young man’s heart burned on the battlefield with sincere, pure love for Christians, of whom there were many among his compatriots who fought shoulder to shoulder with him. Therefore, when Lieutenant Chichagov returned to his native land, he had a meeting with Saint John of Kronstadt. The famous shepherd clarified many spiritual issues for the young man and, one might say, set him on the true path.

At the age of 23, Leonid got married. His wife was Natalia Dokhturova, the daughter of the imperial chamberlain. Two eminent noble families united. However, in the young family it was not high society, but purely Orthodox orders. In accordance with Christian canons, the couple raised their later daughters: Vera and Leonida. Ekaterina and Natalia.

Despite the fact that the future metropolitan often communicated with his spiritual father at that time and indulged in deep thoughts about God, he continued to build his military career. In the spring of 1881, Leonid was promoted to staff captain. In France he was awarded the highest order. Subsequently, Chichagov received more than a dozen honorary awards.

Spiritual activity

Since the idea of ​​serving the Lord did not leave the mind young man at rest, in October of the year indicated above, he took up the post of ktitor of the Sergius Artillery Cathedral. Chichagov did a lot for this temple, both spiritually, educationally, and financially.

In addition, the future saint showed interest in medicine and acquired knowledge of the treatment of various ailments with the help of medicinal plants. From the pen of the saint came the two-volume book “Medical Conversations.” A certain time of its Everyday life Leonid Chichagov devoted himself to studying theology.

In 1890, having received the blessing of John of Kronstadt, the saint left his military career. Immediately after this, Leonid moved to Moscow. And three years later, the former officer achieved what fate had been steadily leading him to all this time: he was ordained to the rank of deacon, and a little later - presbyter.

In the very first year of serving the Lord, Leonid suffered a misfortune: his wife Natalia fell ill with a serious illness. Unfortunately, it was not possible to save my mother, and in 1895 the woman left the earthly world. Chichagov buried the body of his wife in Diveevo. Although the saint was worried about the death of his other half, this did not affect his spiritual activity in any way. The future metropolitan actively restored churches, often at his own expense.

Leonid treated the memory of Saint Seraphim of Sarov with special reverence and respect. It was thanks to Chichagov that the relics of the good old man were discovered and glorified: the righteous man was able to convince the emperor of the need to do this. He also wrote a work called the “Chronicle of the Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery,” after which he was ordained an archimandrite. Through the efforts of Leonid Seraphim of Sarov, he was canonized. An akathist written by Chichagov dedicated to the elder and the life of the saint also saw the light of day.

In 1898, the saint entered the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, among the brethren of the monastery. This was Leonid’s decision - he had suffered enough to fully realize the enterprise he had planned a long time ago. And so on August 14, 1898, Chichagov was tonsured as a monk. So he received a new name - Seraphim.

Following this event, the saint was elevated to the position of rector of the Spaso-Evfimiev Monastery, located in Suzdal. For five years, Father Seraphim faithfully served the monastery entrusted to him. During this time, the monastery entered a period of prosperity.

Subsequently, Seraphim’s spiritual career took off sharply. In April 1905, he became Bishop of Sukhumi, in February 1906 - Bishop of Oryol and Sevsky, two years later - Bishop of Chisinau, etc. Finally, in 1948, the saint became Metropolitan of Warsaw.

With the Bolsheviks coming to power, Father Seraphim's life changed dramatically. He was made a prisoner in the Tagansk prison, where the saint stayed for 4 months. This was followed by exile to the north. And in 1937 the holy martyr was shot.

Metropolitan Seraphim (in the world Leonid Mikhailovich Chichagov) was born in 1856. Great-grandson of the famous admiral V.Ya. Chichagov, one of the first explorers of the Arctic Ocean and grandson of P.V. Chichagov, Minister of the Navy, Commander-in-Chief of the Black Sea Fleet since 1811, Leonid was enrolled after graduating from the 1st St. Petersburg Gymnasium in the Corps of Pages. At the age of 37 he received the rank of colonel. Leonid Mikhailovich married Natalya Nikolaevna Dokhturova, the grandniece of General D.S. Dokhturov, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812.

A military career did not attract Leonid Mikhailovich; more and more often he thought about devoting his life to God. In 1891, he announced that he was resigning and choosing a different path in life - the priesthood. With the blessing of St. John of Kronstadt, whose spiritual child was Leonid Mikhailovich, he was ordained in Moscow in the Kremlin Assumption Cathedral to the rank of priest and assigned to the Kremlin Church of the Twelve Apostles. Later, having restored the church in the name of St. Nicholas on Stary Vagankovo, he began to serve in this church. At this time, his beloved wife died. Having entrusted his four daughters to worthy educators, Father Leonid went to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, where he accepted monasticism. In 1898, he was tonsured into the mantle with the name Seraphim, and soon elevated to the rank of archimandrite, appointed rector of the Suzdal Spaso-Evfimiev Monastery and dean of the monasteries of the Vladimir diocese.

When Leonid Mikhailovich became a priest, he began compiling the “Chronicle of the Seraphim-Diveevsky Monastery,” which was the most significant work of his life. The Chronicle was published in 1896. Archimandrite Seraphim presented it to Emperor Nicholas II, which accelerated the decision on the glorification of St. Seraphim of Sarov.

At the end of the “Chronicle”, Archimandrite Seraphim had a wonderful vision - the Monk Seraphim of Sarov appeared to him, thanked him for the “Chronicle” and ordered him to ask him for this work whatever his soul desired. Archimandrite Seraphim replied that he wanted only one thing - to be close to the Monk Seraphim. The Monk Seraphim smiled in agreement and became invisible.

In 1905, in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, Archimandrite Seraphim was consecrated Bishop of Sukhumi. In subsequent years, Saint Seraphim worked at the Oryol, Kishinev, and then Tver departments.

Archbishop Seraphim was elected a member of the Local Council of 1917–1918. After the Council he was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan with an appointment to Warsaw. But Metropolitan Seraphim was unable to go there due to the unfolding revolutionary events. Vladyka settled in the Chernigov monastery near the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

In 1921 he was imprisoned in Tagansk prison, and in 1922 he was sentenced to exile in the Arkhangelsk region. The Metropolitan stayed in Arkhangelsk until 1923, after which he was allowed to move to Moscow, but not take part in any church affairs. A year later, the Metropolitan was again arrested and imprisoned in Butyrka prison. Patriarch Tikhon submitted a petition to the authorities for the release of the elderly and sick Metropolitan Seraphim from prison. Vladyka was released from custody and settled in the Resurrection Feodorovsky Convent near the city of Shuya, Vladimir Region. Bishop Seraphim lived in the monastery for two years, and all the sisters fell in love with him for his kind and sympathetic heart.

In 1928, Metropolitan Seraphim was appointed administrator of the St. Petersburg diocese and left for St. Petersburg. He celebrated his first liturgy in the Transfiguration Cathedral, where he had once been an elder. Vladyka served in St. Petersburg for five years, and in 1933 he was retired and moved to the Moscow region (first to Malakhovka, and then to Udelnaya station). Here, at the dacha, the sick metropolitan was visited by spiritual children. Many Orthodox people arrived in Udelnaya from other regions and came to the bishop for advice, instructions and blessings. The bishop spent his nights in vigil and prayer to the Lord. He often turned to St. Seraphim Sarovsky, remembering his miraculous appearance.

In 1937, arrests of the clergy became more frequent, and Metropolitan Seraphim was preparing to suffer for Christ. Vladyka was arrested on November 30, 1937. The Metropolitan was 84 years old at that time, he was very ill and could not move without assistance. Vladyka was taken out of the house on a stretcher and taken to Taganskaya prison. On December 7, Metropolitan Seraphim was sentenced to death.

On December 9, Metropolitan Seraphim was shot along with other martyrs for Christ's faith at the NKVD training ground in the village of Butovo near Moscow.

In 1997, the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church canonized him as a new martyr.

“Our Hieromartyr Father Seraphim, pray to Christ God for us!”