Our reverend father Paphnutius was born around 1395 in the village of Kudinovo near the city of Borovsk. His parents John and Photinia were pious and God-fearing people, who raised their son, named Parthenius in baptism, in the fear of God and reverence. The saint's grandfather was a Tatar Baskak who converted to the Orthodox Church. Christian faith with the name Martin and remained to live in Rus' in the village of Kudinovo granted to him.
From childhood, Parthenius loved the Lord, was quiet and humble, loved solitude and prayer, reading scripture and the lives of the holy saints of God. Therefore, when he was about twelve years old, he left the world with all its charms and temptations, and entered the Vysoky (from the name of the village of Vysokoye, located on the high bank of the Protva River) Monastery of the Intercession of the Mother of God, located near the city of Borovsk and received from Abbot Markell monastic tonsure with the name Paphnutius.
For over twenty years, the Monk Paphnutius became attached to the Intercession Monastery, having completed all the obediences and pleasing God with his labors and prayers. His teacher and mentor was the Monk Nikita of Serpukhov, who by God’s providence was brought from Serpukhov, from the Vysotsky Conception Monastery, to retire to Borovsk, to the monastery of the Intercession Mother of God. For seven years the young monk was in obedience to an experienced elder, who himself in turn was a disciple of the great saint of God, St. Sergius Radonezh.
Over the short years of work and prayer, Paphnutius turned from a young novice into an experienced monk and ascetic, and was elected by the brethren and the Borovsky prince to be abbot of the monastery. His consecration and elevation to the rank of abbot was performed by His Eminence Photius, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus'.
While administering the monastery, the Monk Paphnutius applied himself to labor, being an example to the brethren in everything, both in obedience and in prayer. Around 1440, he became seriously ill and accepted the Great Schema, preparing for his departure from this world. But the Lord God wanted something else. Paphnutius rose from illness and left the monastery with one of his disciples, in search of a new place of his service to God. He visited the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and the Optina Pustyn and other places and monasteries, everywhere praying to God and asking Him to show the place of his service to Him. And so the Lord, through the prayers and intercession of His Most Pure Mother, showed the monk a place not far from his former monastery, on the other side of the Protva River, where the Monastery of the Nativity of the Mother of God is now located. In 1444, when the brethren gathered around the ascetic and a temple was built in honor of the Mother of God , Her glorious Nativity, a new monastery was formed - the monastery of St. Paphnutius, which our father called the house of the Most Pure Mother of God. Until a very old age, over thirty years old, Paphnutius remained attached to this holy place, sanctifying it with labor and prayer, gathering and educating the brethren in the fear of God and obedience. The high authority of the monastery and its founder developed during the lifetime of Paphnutius.
Having received notification from God of his imminent departure from this world, the monk spent the remaining time in fasting and unceasing prayer, giving his final instructions to the brethren and disciples, abandoning all worldly care and communication even with the powerful of this world. Having placed all his hope for his soul and the abode entrusted to him from God on the Creator of All and His Most Pure Mother. Our reverend father Paphnutius quietly betrayed his godly soul into the hand of God on May 1 (old style) 1477 at seven o'clock in the evening, an hour before sunset, as the writer of his life testifies, having lived 82 years, pleasing God with his fasting life and gathering the brethren 95 people. The all-good God performed many miracles through His saint, leaving for centuries to descendants the Holy memory of him and an example of a God-pleasing life, preserving and reviving his monastery many times over from ruin and devastation. Even to this day, showing him as an intercessor and prayer book for everyone who comes to him with faith and love.
The church-wide glorification of Paphnutius as a saint took place at the Council of the Stoglavy in 1547 under Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow; his memory is celebrated on May 1 (14).
Troparion, tone 4:
Having enlightened your fatherland through your life, you were filled with the gifts of the Divine spirit in prayers and fasting, and, having labored well in this temporary life, you opened the mercy of compassion to all who mourn, and you were an intercessor for the poor. Thus we pray to you, Father Paphnutius, pray to Christ to save our souls.
Kontakion, tone 8:
Enlightened by God's light, father, you have acquired fasting habitation, venerable monk, a kind mentor and a good adornment for fasters. For this reason, the Lord, having seen your labors, enriched you with miracles as a gift, exuding healing. We, rejoicing, cry out to you: Rejoice, Father Paphnutius.
The life and partly the confession of miracles of our venerable and God-bearing father Paphnutius, hegumen and wonderworker of Borovsky (1394 - May 1 (14), 1477), written by his disciple Saint Vassian Sanin, Bishop of Rostov.
This Nikita was before abbot Serpukhov Vysotsky Monastery, but then, having grown old and suffering from illness eye, retired to the Borovsk monastery. However, a few years later Nikita went north and founded the Epiphany Monastery in Kostroma.For seven years Paphnutius was in obedience to the pious elder and learned from him all the monastic virtues. When Abbot Markell reposed, the brethren elected him abbot of the monastery.
Hegumen Paphnutius headed the Borovsky Vysotsky Monastery for thirteen years. Then he fell seriously and for a long time, so that during his illness he accepted the schema (the highest degree of monasticism). Upon recovery, in 1444, the monk decides to leave the monastery. He renounces the abbess and moves with one monk to a new place, three miles from Borovsk. It was located at the confluence of the small river Isterma with the Protva River, on a high bank overgrown with dense forest. Soon many of the former monks of the Vysotsk monastery moved to the monk. Cells are built, and then a wooden church in the name of Christmas Holy Mother of God. (Subsequently, a stone church was erected in the monastery; it will be decorated with icons and paintings made by the famous Russian icon painter Dionysius.) Thus a new Nativity Monastery.
The place occupied by the monastery was already outside the boundaries of the Borovsky principality. The vegetation of the former Vysotsky monastery and the flourishing of the new Rozhdestvensky monastery aroused anger on the part of the Borovsk prince Vasily Yaroslavich. Life of Saint Paphnutius, written by the saint’s disciple, the future Archbishop of Rostov Vassian Sanin, tells that the prince even sent his servants to ruin or burn the monastery of Paphnutius. One of these villains was the newly baptized Tatar Ermolai. Paphnutius However, he spoke kindly to him, and the Tatar’s disposition miraculously completely changed; he did not cause any harm to the monastery. Reconciliation between the prince and the abbot occurred after 1445, when, in an unfortunate battle for the Russians near Suzdal, Prince Vasily of Borovsk was captured by the Tatars along with Grand Duke Vasily Vasilyevich (the future Vasily the Dark). The monk prayed a lot for the deliverance of the Russian princes from captivity; Prince Vasily Yaroslavich, in turn, repented of his previous malice.
The monastery of St. Paphnutius was not distinguished by excessive severity ascetic life, similar to the lifestyle of some hermits and hermits of that time. The monk did not demand the impossible from the brethren, but he was extremely strict about observing the rules. He himself always indulged in fasting, on some days completely refusing to eat, and at other times eating only a little simple lean food, but he tried to please the brethren, often ordering them to prepare for the meal what the monks might like. (However, in the monastery, of course, they never ate meat.) And in everything else, the monk was content with the smallest. Cloth he was like that, notes his student Innokenty, author of “The Tale of the Repose Venerable Paphnutius”, which few beggars would find useful.
The saint's appearance was not very expressive: hunched and short, with a large gray beard, in poor clothes. But he had an amazing gift of influencing anyone with whom he had to communicate. “His conversation was simple,” Innocent continues his story, “it was a pleasure to talk with him not only for monks, but also for laymen and wanderers. He was never timid in the face of the prince, the gifts of the rich could not flatter him, and he commanded the powerful of this world to strictly observe the laws and commandments of God. He talked with ordinary people, as well as with great ones, and called them brothers. And no one ever left him unconsoled after a conversation with him.”
Many outstanding church figures were disciples of the Monk Paphnutius medieval Russia - Rev. Joseph Volotsky, founder of the Joseph-Volokolamsk monastery, writer and publicist, one of the most revered Russian saints; his brother Vassian Sanin, Archimandrite of Rostov, copyist of the Life of the Saint Paphnutia; elders Innocent, Isaiah and others. Direct moral influence Paphnutia This was also experienced by the famous icon painter Dionysius, who once violated the prohibition of the Borovsky abbot and because of this became severely ill.
Two features, first of all, distinguish the character of the monk. Firstly, this is the thriftiness of the owner. Paphnutius tirelessly takes care of the monastery and the monastic household. He himself works tirelessly, diligently fulfilling the most difficult monastic obediences: he chops wood, carries firewood, digs the ground, and weaves fishing nets. Young Joseph Sanin, having arrived at the monastery, finds the abbot chopping wood in the forest, and the story of the death of the monk begins with the abbot showing his disciple Innocent exactly how to fix the broken dam in the monastery pond. This diligence will become distinctive feature Russian monasteries of later times.
Another feature of Paphnutius Borovsky is his severity, even severity, first of all, in relation to those in power. He inspired reverent fear in his disciples, although he always found a word of consolation for the brethren. Elder Dosifei Toporkov, nephew of Joseph of Volotsky, subsequently recorded some of the stories of the Monk Paphnutius about long-past times - for example, about the sea in Moscow in 1327 or about the great Moscow Prince Ivan Danilovich Kalita. The great elder had the ability to recognize hidden spiritual passions and thoughts from a person’s face, and therefore nothing could hide from his gaze. The Monk Joseph of Volotsky recalled about his teacher that, when necessary, he was merciful and condescending, but at times he was stern and angry. Prince Yuri Vasilievich Dmitrovsky, former spiritual son Venerable Paphnutius, said that when he went to confession to the monk, he was overcome with such trepidation that his knees sometimes buckled. The abbot could send away even a very rich gift brought to the monastery from a prince or boyar, if he somehow caused his displeasure, he could not accept the ruler who visited him, without making an exception even for the Grand Duke. But for all that, he commanded such respect from powerful of the world this is that abundant gifts from boyars and princes generously flowed into his monastery. The patron of the Borovsky monastery was himself Grand Duke Ivan III, "sovereign of all" Rus'».
The Monk Paphnutius lived to a ripe old age. He turned 83 years old, of which 63 years he devoted to monastic deeds. The holy elder foresaw his death a week in advance. His last days were described in detail by his student Innocent, who wrote “The Tale of Death Venerable Paphnutius of Borovsky"is one of the best works of ancient Russian hagiographic literature.
The elder devoted the last weeks of his life exclusively to prayer. Earthly affairs could no longer occupy him. When he, together with his student Innocent, sees a disorder in the dam that he built at the monastery, he gives instructions to Innocent: “I cannot do this, because another, urgent matter awaits me.” And this seems surprising to Innocent, accustomed to the saint’s hourly attention to all the necessary work in the monastery. Prince Mikhail Andreevich He hurries to tell Vereisky, the constant almsgiver of the Borovsky monastery, not to come to the monastery, as was agreed earlier, “for other concerns have come to my attention.” Despite the hardships of his illness, the monk goes to church for the holy liturgy; he leans his hands on his staff with difficulty, bowing his head, but refuses to sit down. That day, at the end of Vespers, the priest began to read the requiem, as was customary in the monastery. The brethren wanted to take the abbot away, but he decided to stay: “I must listen more than others, because I need it most of all, and in the future I will no longer be able to listen.” Elder confessed and received Holy Communion; He spent all this time in severe fasting and prayer.
Having heard about the saint's illness, envoys from the princes rush to the monastery- from Prince Mikhail Vereisky, from Emperor Ivan III himself, from Metropolitan Gerontius. The elder refuses to accept them and does not even open the letter sent by the Grand Duke: “I no longer want anything from this world: I don’t want honors, and nothing frightens me in this world,” he says to Innocent. He tries to persuade the monk to answer at least the Grand Duke, for he fears his anger. “Truly I tell you,” the saint answers, “if you do not anger the One, nothing will cause you human anger. If you anger the Lord, no one can help you.” Gifts are brought to the monastery - from the princes of Tver, from Grand Duchess Sophia Paleologue, Ivan's wife, from many boyars and even from ordinary people, but the elder commands not to accept anything, but to send it back.
Innocent asks his teacher to give a bequest to the monastery: how to go after his death and who should be abbot. After a long silence, the elder gave an answer, which Innocent quotes verbatim in his Legend: “Watch yourselves, brothers, if you want to preserve the church rite and monastic order: never abandon church singing; light the candles; keep priests honestly, as I do, do not deprive them of what is due to them; let the divine services not become scarce - after all, everything is supported by them; Do not close the refectory from strangers; Take care of alms, don’t let someone ask empty-handed; avoid conversations with visiting laymen; work in handicrafts; guard your heart with constant zeal from evil thoughts; After the evening service, do not enter into conversations with each other - let everyone remain silent in his cell; from common prayer Do not shy away for any reason other than illness; Observe the entire monastery charter and church rules with humility, obedience, and silence, and, simply put, act as you see me doing. If you do not neglect all this commanded by me, the Lord will not deprive this place of all His goodness. But I know that after my departure there will be many troublemakers in the monastery, I feel that they will confuse my soul and stir up discord among the brethren. But the Most Pure One will pacify them, turn away the storm, and give peace to Her house and those living in it.”
The Monk Paphnutius died on May 1, 1477, Thursday, an hour before sunset. The next day, the brethren buried him, as he had ordered, without the laity. The grief of all the monks of the monk’s monastery was so great that no one could utter a word from sobbing or even sing the prescribed funeral songs. Only after the body was interred, the death of the saint was reported to the city, where everyone had long been in anxious anticipation. Everyone began to move: throughout the day people came to the monastery to venerate the saint. Local celebration Saint Paphnutius was established in 1531. He was especially revered in the grand-ducal family; he became, as it were, a family saint of the Moscow princes.
Tsar Ivan the Terrible was considered born through the prayers of Saint Paphnutius(his father, Vasily III, had no children for a long time and traveled to different monasteries, near and far, hoping for the intercession of their patron saints). Myself Ivan groznyj named the name of Paphnutius Borovsky among the greatest Moscow saints - Sergius of Radonezh And Kirill Belozersky. The church-wide glorification of the saint was established at the cathedral of 1547.
The Church celebrates the memory of the Monk Paphnutius of Borovsky on the day of his death, May 1 (14).
Memorial Days: 1st of May 
Rev. Paphnutius was the grandson of a Baskak Tatar. When the Tatar king Batu came to our land with his numerous army, he devastated it with sword and fire, captured the cities, destroyed the churches of God with their shrines and cut down Russian princes and leaders like trees or ears of corn, he installed Tatar rulers in it, called Baskaks. The grandfather of the Monk Paphnutius was such a Basque. During one Russian uprising against the Tatars, Paphnutius’s grandfather was forced to be baptized and was named Martin. The new follower of Christ, distinguished by his piety, had a son, John, who, upon reaching adulthood, married the maiden Photinia. John and Photinia lived in their ancestral village of Kudinov, about four versts from Borovsk, a district town in the Kaluga province. From this couple, pious and poverty-loving, the Monk Paphnutius was born around 1395, named Parthenius in holy baptism. Developing and growing physically, Parthenius at the same time improved spiritually. Successful in learning to read and write and especially in reading Divine books, the youth also learned good morals: meekness, kindness, chastity. Zealously imitating virtuous people, he sought to avoid communication with empty people.
TO when Parthenius was twenty years old, he left the house of his father, parents, relatives and friends; renounced everything worldly and entered the High Intercession Monastery near the city of Borovsk.
ABOUT t the abbot of this monastery, Markella Parthenius, took monastic vows with the name Paphnutius and was placed under the leadership of the elderly monk Nikita, former student Venerable Sergius. For seven years the Monk Paphnutius was in obedience to the pious elder and learned from him monastic virtues. He gained the common love and respect of his brethren. When Abbot Markell died, the Monk Paphnutius was elected rector of the High Monastery, after long and urgent requests from the brethren and the Borovsk prince Simeon Vladimirovich. He received dedication from the hands of the All-Russian Metropolitan, Saint Photius. The new abbot added to the exploits of the monk the care of a good and skillful shepherd of the verbal sheep of Christ and their vigilant guardian. In his life he showed an image to his flock. “Always bowing down, but leaning on the right side,” he worked incessantly for the Lord - both day and night. He used the day to carry out monastic duties, and spent the night in prayer.
WITH The Lord adorned his faithful servant with prudence, insight, wondrous revelations and other gifts of the Holy Spirit. The omniscient God gave the Monk Paphnutius the ability to recognize by human face and revealed hidden spiritual passions and infirmities to the gaze, and revealed other things to the saint in a dream. The monk took care of his brethren, like a skilled doctor healed their spiritual infirmities, like a good shepherd pulled a sheep out of a wolf’s mouth and took it on his shoulders, like a strong man bore the infirmities of the weak.
T The Monk Paphnutius served as abbot for thirteen years at the High Monastery. Then he became very ill for a long time and during his illness he accepted the schema.
P about his recovery, he left the abbess and retired together with one brother to a high, very a nice place, overgrown with dense forest on the banks of two rivers, three miles from Borovsk. This place belonged not to Borovsk, but to Sukhodolsk region. The settlement of the Monk Paphnutius in a new place occurred around 1440. The brethren began to come here to him, set up cells for themselves with his blessing and live under his saving leadership. The monastery grew, the brethren multiplied. The monks prayed to their mentor for permission to build a church. And they erected a wooden church in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The temple was consecrated by order of Moscow Metropolitan Jonah.
P the reverend was gentle in the face of insults and amazingly patient in needs, always unshakably believing in God's help. Once the Easter holiday was approaching, and there was no fish at all in the monastery. The brethren and monastery ministers were very saddened by this and even grumbled at the saint. “Do not grieve about this, brethren, and do not anger God,” the monk told them, “the All-Merciful Master, who created us and enlightened the whole world with His uprising (from the dead), will comfort us, His servants, in our sorrow and will give abundant blessings to those who fear His". Such hope in the All-Good and All-Wise Provider was not slow to bear its wonderful fruit. On the evening of Holy Saturday, shortly before Bright Night, the sexton went to a small spring to draw water for the liturgy and saw countless fish, called “sizhki” in the local dialect, slightly larger in size than herrings. At that time there was a flood of water: and there were so many of them gathered as never before. The sexton hastened to tell the saint about this. The monk glorified God and ordered the fishermen to cast their nets. And they caught so many of these fish that the whole monastery had enough of them for the entire Bright Week, both for lunch and dinner.
D The glory of the great exploits of the Monk Paphnutius spread far and wide and attracted lovers of monastic piety more and more to his holy monastery. Among them there were many people of high virtue. Such, for example, are the Monk Joseph, who was tonsured into monasticism by the hands of the saint and was later the founder of the Volokolamsk monastery, the elder Innocent, Isaiah, nicknamed Black, a relative of the saint, Vassian, the writer of his life, who was later the Archbishop of Rostov, and others.
P The reverend was a living example of an ascetic for the brethren. He was a strict faster, did not eat anything on Mondays and Fridays, on Wednesdays he allowed himself only dry food and ate very moderately on other days at a common meal. His food was, says the saint’s disciple, to please the brethren. He chose the worst for himself, both in food and in everything related to amenities. The clothes: a robe, duckweed made from sheepskin, and shoes were not suitable for any beggar. The whole life of the Monk Paphnutius was continuous work by the sweat of his brow, feat, suffering and prayer. No one had ever appeared before him at a general prayer rule, or to work. He carried out the most difficult obediences with zeal: he chopped and carried firewood, dug the ground and watered the plants in the garden. In winter, he spent his time reading and weaving fishing nets. A constant fighter against idleness, the ascetic was from his mother’s womb a faithful, impeccable friend of virginity. In the name of chastity, he did not allow anyone to touch his body, and he not only did not allow women into the monastery, but did not want to see them from afar, he did not allow women and nobles to even approach the gates of his monastery, and he strictly forbade the brethren from any talk about them .
P The reverend was distinguished by his teaching ability. He willingly talked with both monks and laymen. His speech was always simple and pleasant. The ascetic was alien to man-pleasing, he never flattered his interlocutor, was not ashamed of the face of a prince or boyar, was not softened by the offerings of the rich, but always spoke the truth, according to God's law, according to His holy commandments. He also spoke to the simple people, calling them brethren, and no one ever left sorrowful after his conversation. For many, secrets of the heart were revealed here, previously inaccessible.
P The reverend diligently taught his listeners to do alms, this queen of virtues. Alms alone, the monk said, can save a person if he lives lawfully. He pointed to examples of poverty-loving people who received rewards beyond the grave: to the Moscow Grand Duke Ivan Daniilovich Kalita, who distributed alms to the poor without refusal, to one Mohammedan, whom the Lord, for his many alms, delivered from the torments of hell, bringing him to Orthodoxy.
ABOUT One merciful man died, and the other had a revelation about his afterlife fate. The deceased was brought to the river of fire, and on the other side of the river was paradise - a wonderful place, bright and green, a beautiful garden. But the human soul cannot cross the terrible river in any way. And here are the multitude of beggars who received his alms; they lie down as a bridge across the river, and the merciful man crosses the bridge to heaven. To this story the monk adds that the souls of the righteous are carried to heaven by Angels, but the Lord revealed the fate of the righteous soul in this form for our understanding. When the brethren of the monastery multiplied, the saint, with their assistance, built a stone temple. Throughout its construction, he himself worked as a simple worker, carrying stone, water and everything necessary for the construction on his shoulders. Having erected the church, the monk decorated it with iconography and invited the best painters to do this, who painted it “wonderfully.” The monk decorated the temple with icons, books and all kinds of church utensils, so that even the princes, accustomed to church splendor, marveled.
WITH The monk believed that the beginning of eternal bliss and communion with God was still on earth. Out of a living feeling of love for God, the Giver of all blessings, in his soul there was a constant desire for God, and his heart was purified by the inner feat of repentance in calling on Jesus Christ. This mystery, according to the apostolic word: Christ in you (Rom. 8:10), revealed to him a new existence - the eternal, immortal, angelic - resurrection of the soul before the general resurrection, according to the expression of St. Simeon the New Theologian. His heart burned with unspeakable love for the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Founder of the new humanity, Savior Lord Jesus Christ. The heavenly Abbess of earthly monasticism laid the path to the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, and the soul of the saint remained in mental activity - in the attention and incessant invocation of Jesus Christ - in this hidden sacrament, the Divine activity of mental prayer. And, as a disciple of St. Sergius, he adopted and realized that mental activity is the hidden path to angelic life on earth and is the cherubic bearing of God by the soul of God the Word. In smart doing is the essence of monasticism, and in monasticism is the essence of Christianity.
U Much of the doing of the Jesus Prayer is an internal, secret doing and is the purification of the heart in sobriety, in the attention of the mind to thoughts. The Monk Paphnutius experiencedly realized that thoughts are the words of demons and the forerunners of passions, and, like darkness and a torrent, cover our heart. The Prince of Darkness brings darkness of ignorance and passions. Work, abstinence, vigilance, humility, patience, psalmody and unceasing prayer. And the memory of death and hellish torment gave rise to humility and weeping in the saint’s soul. His prayer - “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner” - was a constant cry and was connected with his breathing, and he incessantly - both during labor and in the temple - everywhere and always called on Jesus Christ in his heart. The fear of God and tenderness gave rise to tears in his soul, and this tearful stream cleansed his mental and incorporeal soul - God’s rational and beautiful creation.
WITH Leaving the animated church himself, the Monk Paphnutius was adorned by God with miraculous grace, manifested in healings, insight, revelations and other gifts of the Holy Spirit.
ABOUT The fortress of the Monk Paphnutius was surrounded by a dense forest in which many birds lived. Black-feathered crows were found here in abundance, making nests near the monastery. Looking at them, the monk admired them and gave the commandment not to catch or destroy them. Meanwhile, one day the son of the city governor was passing by the monastery of St. Paphnutius and, seeing a flock of ravens, pulled a bow and killed one of them. The young man was delighted, but soon felt that his head, turned to the side, remained motionless in such an unnatural position. Sorrow and horror replaced joy and self-satisfaction in his heart. At the same time, the consciousness of the real cause of the disaster that happened to him appeared in the young man’s soul, and after this, repentance. The son of the governor, overwhelmed by him, quickly went to the monk and, falling at his feet, asked for forgiveness and his holy prayers before the Lord for his healing. The ascetic ordered the beater to be struck and went to church. Surprised by the untimely sound of the bell, the monks quickly gathered in the church and asked the saint about the reason for the extraordinary ringing. The monk said with a smile: “God avenged the blood of the raven.” Having then performed a prayer service and overshadowed the suffering young man with the holy cross, the ascetic turned to him with the words: “By the power of the Honest and Life-giving Cross look forward." And immediately his head took a natural position. Another young man released a hawk at the raven. But the hawk, having killed the raven, itself fell dead. Thus, the hunter lost his fun.
ABOUT One night thieves came to the monastery of the monk and, having captured three monastery oxen grazing in the surrounding forest, wanted to take them to their home. And suddenly they got lost and walked like blind people around the monastery. When morning came, the thieves wanted to run away without the oxen. But the invisible power of God bound them, and they could not move away from the stolen cattle until the monastery workers searching for it found them and then brought them to the monk. He, having given them instructions not to appropriate someone else’s property, ordered the thieves to be fed and let them go in peace.
ABOUT One murmuring brother, who blasphemed everything that happened in the monastery and the saint himself, had the following vision in a dream: as if he was standing in the middle of a church with singers, the holy father suddenly came into it and, looking at him, angrily said: “This one is a blasphemer.” : take it from the church." And immediately two black Ethiopians grabbed him, dragged him out and beat him severely. Waking up, the brother felt great fear and, with tears in his eyes, hurried to the monk to ask for his forgiveness.
P Reverend Paphnutius had the gift of perspicacity: he recognized by the monk’s face what passion he was overwhelmed by, whether or not he fulfilled the prayer rule laid down for the day; I even recognized the secret and long-standing sins of people whom I saw for the first time.
B The oyarynya, the wife of Alexei Gaburin, had special respect and faith for the saint and often sent her children to him with gifts, asking for his prayers and blessings. Due to the devil's action, she fell into illness and often saw many demons that frightened her. Then some hunched, short old man with a large gray beard and in poor clothes appeared to her. The elder powerfully drove away the demons, and after that she became healthy. One day the patient heard a voice telling her: “Paphnutius, who is in Borovsk, drives away demons from you.” This happened to the noblewoman many times. Some time passed, she completely recovered and wanted to see the saint to find out if he really appeared to her and drove away demons. The noblewoman came with her servants to the monastery. But since the monastery was not accessible to women, stopping at its gates, she sent her servants to the disciples of the blessed one with a request about how she could see the monk. The monks, showing the holy elder to the servants, ordered them to show him to their mistress when he went out with the brethren to the meal, since dinner time was approaching. But the noblewoman, before any indication, seeing the monk, immediately recognized him as the elder who had appeared to her and cried out with tears: “Truly this is the one who, by his appearance, drove away demons from me and gave me healing.” Then, having given thanks to God, His Most Pure Mother and the Monk Paphnutius, she sent alms.
U One of the monk’s disciples had an eye pain. The patient, suffering greatly, searched intensely for a doctor. The saint gave him his rosary and ordered him to say the Jesus Prayer a thousand times. But forced by intense suffering, the patient barely completed half of the ordered number. Having said the prayer five hundred times and noticing the healing of his eye, the monk, out of joy, hastened to the monk to inform him of his recovery. But perspicacious old man again ordered the disciple to return to himself to complete the commanded number of prayers.
B pious laymen told the monk and the brothers sitting in his cell about the resignation of the archimandrite by the then archimandrite of the Simonov Monastery near Moscow. With this news, a conversation began about who would be Simonov's archimandrite: one named such and such, the other - another. The saint, looking at his very young newly tonsured disciple named Vassian, sibling St. Joseph (his future biography writer), and pointing to him, said with a smile: “This is the Simonov Archimandrite.” These words of the saint revealed his insight into a more distant future. Many years later, Vassian was indeed the archimandrite of the Simonov Monastery.
R The monk asked one prince to fish for three days in one place on the Oka River so that everything caught would go to the benefit of the monastery. Sending one of the servants on this fishing trip, the ascetic ordered to give him five hryvnias of money to buy vessels in which to salt the fish caught at the appointed time. The servant did not take so much money, not even hoping to fill one small vessel with fish. The monk looked at him with piercing eyes and ordered him to do as he was ordered. Then the messenger went and in three days caught 730 big fish. The prince’s fishermen did not catch that many all summer. Anticipating a miraculous catch, the saint ordered to buy so many vessels.
ABOUT One young man, having become a monk, was subjected to the tempting influence of the devil. The primordial enemy of people appeared to him in different images: sometimes in the form of an unknown beast or a black dog, and sometimes while the monk was sitting in his cell, like a bear, he walked around the cell and hit its walls. The elder ordered the young monk to read the Psalter in front of him. As soon as the young man fulfilled the order of the saint, the demonic dreams completely disappeared and he was freed from terrible ghosts.
WITH The holy life of the Monk Paphnutius, his prudence and experience in every matter, Divine and human, made it so that not only monks, but also many lay people chose him as their spiritual father. Nobles and commoners, rich and poor, virtuous and sinful, came to him, as to a skilled doctor, and everyone received useful tips and due penances. The saint had no partiality when welcoming those who came. Without fearing the strong and not sparing the proud, the ascetic was very kind to the humble.
P Reverend Joseph of Volokolamsk writes about his teacher Reverend Paphnutius that when necessary, he was merciful and condescending, but sometimes he was harsh and angry if necessary. The saint's spiritual children revered and feared him. Georgy Vasilyevich, Prince Dmitrovsky, said that when he went to confession to the monk, his knees buckled. But the spiritual children, having chosen the monk as their father, did not break off communication with him even beyond the grave. Once, having dozed off on the threshold of the church before matins, the monk saw in a dream that the gates of the monastery opened and a multitude of people with candles entered, heading towards the church, and in the middle was Prince Georgy Vasilyevich. Arriving at the church, the prince bowed to her, then to his spiritual father. The monk asked him: “Son and prince, have you already reposed?” - Yes, honest father! - “What is it like for you there now?” - asks the reverend. - “Through your holy prayers, God gave me good. Especially because when I went to Aleksin against the godless Hagarians, I repented of all my sins to you.” At this time the bell began to ring for matins and the monk awoke.
P The reverend was very merciful and loving of the poor. Preaching mercy in word, the ascetic practiced this virtue in practice. There was a severe famine in the Borovskaya country, and the monk diligently fed in his monastery the starving people who came from the surrounding villages. In this way, up to a thousand people gathered every day, even more, and the merciful ascetic depleted all the reserves of the monastery. The next year the Lord sent an increase in the fruits of the earth.
P Rev. Paphnutius lived to a ripe old age - up to 83 years, of which 63 years he spent in monastic exploits. Having renounced all earthly pleasures, living only for God and for eternity, the monk had only to free himself from everything temporary and move on to that eternal, prepared by God for those who love Him, which “eye has not seen and ear has not heard and the heart of man has not sighed.”
G The Lord revealed to the holy elder the day of his blessed death a whole week before, and the ascetic prepared to meet it peacefully and shamelessly. All these days, his disciple Innocent was with the saint, who left a description last days the life of his holy teacher.
E This happened in the spring of 1477, shortly after the holiday of Holy Easter, which was on April 6 that year.
IN Thursday of the third week of Easter (April 24), after Matins the saint went out with Innocent to the pond, which he had dug himself. They noticed that water was flowing through the dam. The monk taught Innocent how to block the path of water; then he returned to the monastery in view of the time for the holy liturgy. When the elder left, the student asked him to come to work after lunch hour. In response to this, the saint said: “It is impossible for me to come, because I have another, more necessary and urgent matter.” After the liturgy, the holy elder had a meal with the brethren, then sent for Innocent and ordered him to go to the pond. Innocent went to the saint's cell and, seeing his mentor sitting on his bed, reminded him of his work. “I have another need that you don’t know; “The present situation wants to be resolved,” answered the saint. Innocent was so embarrassed by the elder’s words that, going out to work with the three brothers, he could not do anything. Returning to the monastery, the disciple found the ascetic again sitting on his bed. The elder ordered that Prince Mikhail Andreevich be told not to come to the monastery, because another matter was ripe. On this day the saint did not go to church for either the evening or after-evening services, but ordered Innocent to perform them in his cell. The brethren approached the monk’s cell to find out why he did not show up for the service. But the ascetic did not allow anyone to enter his room and asked everyone to gather the next morning. Dismissing the disciple, the ascetic told him: “On Thursday like this I will be freed from my weakness.” The saint spent the whole night in prayer.
U On the morning of Friday, April 25, the brethren of the monastery came to the monk to say goodbye and receive a blessing from him. There were then 95 monks in the monastery, and every one of them gathered to the sick ascetic, even the weak and blind. Having said goodbye to the brethren, the monk went to the liturgy, supported by his disciples.
U It was a long-standing custom for the holy elder to fast before communion of the Holy Mysteries and spend a whole week in silence. The monk prepared with prayer for communion of the great shrine, and as soon as it began to get light, he commanded the venerable Joseph to read the rules for communion. Having partaken of the Life-giving Mysteries of Christ in the temple for Divine Liturgy On Sunday, April 27, the holy elder was brought to his cell.
« B Party, preserve the rank of the church and the structure of the monastery yourself. Don't change deadlines church prayer. Honor the priests as I do, and do not deprive them of their pay, so that the Divine service does not become scarce, for success in everything depends on it. Do not hide your meal from the stranger, take care of alms, do not let the one who asks leave with nothing. Work in handicrafts; but withdraw from worldly conversations; carefully observe fasts and holidays and have mercy and humility, and the Lord will reward you a hundredfold in this century, and in the future will grant you eternal life.
M No, brothers, who ordered the founding of this monastery? The Most Pure Queen herself deigned it. She loved this place of glorifying Her name, erected Her temple, gathered the brethren and me, a beggar, and spent a lot of time feeding and resting with the brethren. And now, when I, a mortal man, look into the coffin and cannot help myself, the Queen of Heaven Herself can arrange the usefulness of Her monastery, just as She began it. You know yourself: not by princely power, not by the wealth of the strong, not by gold and not by silver, this monastery was erected, but by the will of God and the will of His Most Pure Mother. I place all my hope in Her. With Her mercy She will cover me during the ordeal from the violence of dark and crafty spirits, and on the day of righteous judgment She will deliver me from eternal torment and count me among the elect. If I receive grace, I will not remain silent in praying to the Lord for you. And therefore, be diligent yourself: live purely, not only as you lived with me, but even better; work out salvation with fear and trembling, so that for the sake of your good deeds I may rest peacefully, so that those who came here after me will be blessed with goodness. May you find peace after your death. Let everyone remain in the rank in which they are called. Don’t exalt yourself beyond measure, it’s not good for you, but it’s also harmful to your soul. Do not be proud of your weak brothers, either in thought or in deed, but be patient with them as if you were your own members. Hey, children, hurry up to do good.”
N Thursday, May 1st, arrived, the day of the death of the Monk Paphnutius. The ascetic ordered the liturgy to be served earlier than usual. He himself thought about going to her, got ready in a hurry and said to himself: “The day has come. This day is Thursday, which I told you about before.” The student asked: “Where do you want to dig your grave?” He ordered it to be dug on the south side of the church, near the church doors. “Don’t buy me an oak coffin. - said the saint. “With this six money, buy rolls of bread and distribute them to the poor.”
P Rev. Paphnutius died on Thursday, May 1, 1477, an hour before sunset, that is, around 7 p.m. The brethren left the church and, having learned about the death of the monk, bitterly mourned him. It was already too late to bury the ascetic and, in order to fulfill his will to bury him without laypeople, the brethren buried their mentor the next day, Friday, May 2, at 5 a.m. The grief of the brethren was so great that everyone wept and shed tears: no one could sing or canon. The burial was performed by the faithful disciple of the Monk Innocent. Because of his tears, he could barely pronounce the funeral order.
TO As soon as the burial took place, they learned about the death of the ascetic in Borovsk and the whole city began to move. Not only monks and priests, but also the governors of the city and the people went to the monastery of the saint. And although the city soon learned that the saint’s body was already in the ground, people continuously came to the monastery all day and with much love they all bowed to the tomb of the deceased.
P According to the description of his contemporaries, the Monk Paphnutius was short, bent, with a gray wedge beard. In the “Iconographic Original” it is said: “Our venerable father Paphnutius, abbot of the monastery of the Most Pure Mother of God, also in Borovsk, is gray and old in the likeness, has a shorter brad than the Theologian, has become dry, has venerable vestments, and is clothed in the holy schema.”
Z and through his ascetic and godly life, the Monk Paphnutius was rewarded by God with the gift of clairvoyance, recognizing the thoughts and inner spiritual state of a person. So, for example, in one famous monk he saw the murderer of Prince Dmitry Shemyaka (this was the boyar John Kotov, who poisoned Dmitry Shemyaka in Veliky Novgorod, but then, after repentance, accepted monasticism). Often in visions the secret actions of the brethren were revealed to him.
ABOUT beater st. Even after his death, Paphnutia was one of the spiritual centers of Russian monasticism, along with other famous monasteries of that time. From it came the hierarchs of the Russian Church - Nifont, Bishop of Suzdal (a famous defender of Orthodoxy in the fight against the heresy of the Judaizers); Vassian (Toporkov), Bishop of Kolomna; Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow († 1563); and also prpp. David of Serpukhov, founder of the David Ascension Monastery († 1520, commemorated October 18/31), Daniil Pereyaslavsky, wonderworker, founder of the Pereyaslav Danilov Monastery († 1540, commemorated April 7/20); St. Levky Volokolamsky and others.
YU the burden of John Savin, who was tonsured as a monk with the name Joseph and became the founder of the Volokolamsk monastery († 1515; commemorated September 9/22 and October 18/31); subsequently the Venerable Joseph of Volotsky, who firmly preserved purity Orthodox faith, led the fight against the heresy of the Judaizers, condemned at the Council of 1504. The young monk was blessed for this feat by St. Paphnutius.
WITH among other disciples of St. Paphnutius was subsequently famous for his godly life by the elders Innocent, Isaiah, Vassian (later Archbishop of Rostov) and the perspicacious elder Euthymius.
The Life of the Monk Paphnutius was compiled in the 16th century by the tonsure of the Monk Paphnutius Vassian Savin, brother of the Monk Joseph of Volotsk.
Metropolitan Daniel of Moscow and the council of bishops blessed the singing of the canon and the reading of the life of St. Paphnutius at the service, that is, he established a local celebration for him. And at the Moscow Council of 1547, the Monk Paphnutius was canonized as a saint of the Russian Church.
The holy relics of the saint rest in the main monastery church in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the chapel dedicated to his name.
Troparion of St. Paphnutius Borovsky
voice 4
AND Having enlightened your fatherland with the grace of your life,/ in prayers and fastings you were filled with the gifts of the Divine Spirit,/ and, in this temporary life, you labored well,/ you opened the mercy of compassion to all who mourn,/ and you were an intercessor for the poor./ Thus we pray to you, Father Paphnutius, / pray to Christ God to save our souls.
Kondak of St. Paphnutius Borovsky
voice 8
B enlightened by the light of God, father,/ you have acquired fasting life, O reverend one,/ a good monk, a teacher and a good adornment for fasters./ For this reason, the Lord, having seen your labors,/ enriched you with miracles with the gift,/ flowing forth with healing./ We, rejoicing, We cry out to you:/ Rejoice, Father Paphnutius.
Prayer to St. Paphnutius Borovsky
ABOUT sacred head, earthly angel, heavenly man, great miracle worker, reverend our father Paphnutius. We earnestly resort to you with faith and love and tenderly ask: show us, humble and sinners, your holy and powerful intercession. We do not dare, for our sake, with the freedom of the children of God to ask our Lord and Master for mercy and forgiveness. But to you, a prayer book favorable to Him, we offer and pray: ask us from His goodness for gifts that are useful and saving for our souls: faith in the right, piety, strong repentance, true forgiveness of sins, perfect correction of life, and turning from evil deeds to pleasing God, etc. We anger the Lord by violating His holy commandments. Pray, holy of God, to the Almighty Creator to grant peace and piety to our Orthodox country. Preserve, servant of Christ, your holy abode, created by you, and all who live and labor in it are free from all evil. Look mercifully at the people who come running to you, and fulfill all their requests for good. To all of us, spiritual and physical health, fruitfulness of the earth, a quiet and pleasing life, a good, Christian death and a good response to Last Judgment Intercede with the All-Merciful God, for you truly have great boldness towards Him. She, Father, knows how much your prayer can do before the face of the Almighty Lord, and nothing is impossible for your intercession, unless you please; For this reason, we firmly trust in you and greatly hope for your holy prayers, that through your intercession you will lead us to a quiet refuge of salvation and heirs of the revelation of the bright Kingdom of Christ. Do not disgrace our hope, miracle-working saint. And grant us, together with you, the bliss of heaven, let us glorify, praise and magnify the great mercy towards us of the Lover of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and your good, fatherly intercession forever and ever. Amen.
What do they pray to St. Paphnutius of Borovsky for?
The Monk Paphnutius (in Holy Baptism Parthenius) was born in 1394 in the village of Kudinovo, not far from Borovsk. At the age of 20, Parfeniy took monastic vows with the name Paphnutius at the Pokrovsky Monastery on Vysokoye, near Borovsk. After the death of the abbot, Paphnutius was elected rector of the Intercession Monastery. Saint Paphnutius was awarded spiritual gifts - prudence, insight, wondrous revelations. From the face and gaze of a person, the saint saw his spiritual passions and infirmities; much was revealed to him in dreams. For thirteen years Paphnutius was the abbot of the monastery and the elder confessor; Then he was very sick for a long time and accepted the great schema. Upon recovery, he renounced the abbess and around 1444, together with one monk, retired to the banks of two rivers, three miles from Borovsk. After some time, the brethren began to come to the monk. They built cells for themselves and labored under the leadership of Saint Paphnutius. This is how the St. Paphnutiev Borovsky Monastery was founded, which became an important center of the spiritual life of our country. Father Paphnutius had the gift of working miracles and had the power to cast out demons, even while being far from the sufferer. Seven days before his death, he learned the date of his death and departed to the Lord on May 1, 1477.
The Monk Paphnutius of Borovsk is asked to intercede with the Lord for those who pray for strong faith and piety, remission and forgiveness of sins, mental and physical health, a quiet and godly life, a good Christian death, a good answer at the Last Judgment and heavenly bliss, as well as peace and piety in our Fatherland . They also specifically pray to Saint Paphnutius for the gift of a child to childless spouses (it is believed that thanks to his prayers Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible was born).
Prayer
Venerable Paphnutius Borovsky
O sacred head, earthly Angel, heavenly man, great miracle worker, like our Father Paphnus! We earnestly resort to you with faith and love and tenderly ask for your intercession. We do not dare, sin for our sake, with the freedom of the children of God, ask our Lord and Master for mercy and forgiveness. But we offer you a prayer book to Him that is favorable and we pray, ask us from His goodness for the beneficial and saving gifts of our souls: right faith, in piety strong standing, forgiveness of sins, perfect correction of life, and turning from evil deeds to pleasing God, etc., we do not anger the Lord of His holy commandments by transgressing. Pray, the Holiness of God, the Most High Creator to grant peace and piety to our Orthodox Fatherland, preserve, saint of Christ, your holy abode, created by you, and I live all Those who live and strive in it are hated from all evil. Look mercifully at the people, the race of your upcoming might, and fulfill all their requests for good. For all of us, spiritual and physical health, fruitfulness of the earth, a quiet and pleasing life, a good Christian death and a good answer at the Last Judgment from the All-Merciful God. To her, O Father, we know that your prayer can do a lot in the face of the Almighty Lord, and nothing is impossible for your intercession, and even more than it is worthy; For this reason, for the sake of strength, we trust in you and in your holy prayers, we hope that you will bring us, through your representation, to the quiet refuge of salvation and the heirs of the revealed bright Tsa The joy of Christ. Do not disgrace our hope, O miracle-working saints, and grant us, together with you, the bliss of paradise, let us glorify, praise and magnify the great mercy towards us Lover of mankind, God, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, and your good fatherly intercession forever and ever. Amen.
© Mikhail Tikhomirov
Quoted in abbreviation from the book: PRAYERS TO THE SAINTS OF GOD WITH BRIEF INFORMATION ABOUT THE LIVES AND HELP IN DIFFERENT NEEDS. – M.: Publishing house. Tikhomirova M.Yu., 2018.
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The abbot of one monastery, located near the city of Borovsk, became seriously ill. 30 years before that he had been a caring father for the brethren, but now he decided to leave his abbotship and accept the great schema - the highest degree of monasticism. He planned to spend the rest of his days in silence and repentance. However, having unexpectedly recovered, at the behest of the Mother of God herself, he settled on the other side of the river and founded a new monastery in honor of the Nativity of the Most Pure One. This monk's name was Paphnutius.
The monastery very quickly became a new center of spiritual life. Ordinary people flocked here, boyars and princes came, and everyone asked the abbot for advice and prayer. And he treated everyone - regardless of rank, wealth and position - with love. And he told everyone the truth.
One day a certain proud man came for the saint’s blessing and arrogantly asked the brethren where to find the elder. He did not know the monk by sight and, having met him by chance, pushed him and began to speak rudely.
Proud man:
- Hey, you! Show me where Paphnutius is!
Venerable Paphnutius:
- Wait, calm down, what are you doing? It seems to me that you have been possessed by a crafty and proud spirit.
Proud man:
- Should you tell me?! Who are you?! (suddenly changes intonation, guesses, gets a little scared) So you are Paphnutius?
Venerable Paphnutius:
- Yes it's me.
The proud man was confused. He jumped on his horse and galloped away, now angry with the old man, now ashamed of his rudeness:
Proud man:
- Oh, the one I considered great turned out to be different... But will he give me a blessing now? Do I need it? He's just a poor monk. No, he is a miracle worker and a saint. What should I do? I am so sinful that even the elder will not have a warm word for me now...
Soon people came running to the elder and began to talk about a certain man who rode directly on a horse into the monastery pond and did not want to get out, saying that he was going to drown himself here. The elder sighed and began to pray to the Mother of God, asking her for mercy on the unfortunate man. After some time, that man, disheveled and wet, but already calm, again came to Paphnutius.
Proud man:
- Father, let me fall at your feet. Forgive me, forgive me! Never before has it been so easy for me, so calm in my soul! Thank you, Father Paphnutius!
Venerable Paphnutius:
“Don’t thank me, child, thank the Most Pure One, she saved you from the pride and despondency that were eating you up from the inside.” The Mother of God is the mistress here. All just through her prayers.
Many more miracles were revealed to the saints. Through his prayers, food appeared for the hungry, hopeless situations were resolved, and the sick were healed.
The famous icon painter Dionysius came to do paintings in the monastery cathedral, but could not begin - his legs hurt badly. Paphnutius blessed him, and when he got to work, the illness subsided.
The life of the old man was simple and strict. He had the poorest cell and vestments, he ate little and fasted a lot, he performed the heaviest of general work - he carried stones, chopped wood, dug a garden, and at the same time he was always the first to come to prayer.
The saint spent the last week of his life in fasting and prayer, leaving his cell only for church services, and thanked God for the six days of repentance given to him before his death without fuss.
He also ordered that no one from the world be present at the funeral. The brothers buried him quietly and almost secretly. And when the news of the elder’s death began to spread, people flocked to the saint’s monastery, to bow to his grave and ask for heavenly intercession.
Now the relics of the saint rest in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, the St. Paphnutievo Borovsky Monastery he founded. And to this day, turning to Saint Paphnutius, many believers receive help and support from God in their good deeds.