Russia, Kaluga Folder, and its rivers, North side of the Oka, along M Trail.kmz

Russia, Kaluga Folder, and its rivers, North side of the Oka, along M Trail

Kaluga district (East European Plain)
Kaluga Oblast ; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated September 2 ; Venerable Hilarion of Optina, Commemorated on September 18; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated on October 12; Icon of the Mother of God the "Multiplier of Wheat", Commemorated October 15 ; Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-Chernigov, Commemorated on February 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Pereyaslavl-Zalesski, Commemorated on April 7; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9;

Kaluga governance
Kaluga governance; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated September 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ;

Vyatichi, 9th - 12th Century, Slavic People of the Oka Basin, Kaluga and Ryazan
Vyatichi, 9th - 12th Century, Slavic People of the Oka Basin; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 27;

Russia, Kaluga History Folder

Russia, Kaluga, 800, Vyatichi, 9th - 12th Century, Slavic People of the Oka Basin
Vyatichi, 9th - 12th Century, Slavic People of the Oka Basin; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 27;

Russia, Kaluga, 1373-1410, Vladimir the Bold, Prince with Dimitri Donskoi
Kaluga, 1373-1410, Vladimir the Bold, Prince with Dimitri Donskoi, aka Serpukhov prince Vladimir Andreevich the Brave; St Athanasius of Serpukhov, Commemorated on September 12;

Russia, Kaluga, 1380, Battle of Kulikovo Field
Battle of Kulikovo; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30; Memorial Saturday of St Demetrius;

Russia, Kaluga, 1480, Great stand on the Ugra river
Kaluga, Great stand on the Ugra river, 1480 ; Great Stand on the Ugra River was a standoff between the forces of Akhmat Khan of the Great Horde, and the Grand Prince Ivan III of Muscovy in 1480 on the banks of the Ugra River, which ended when the Tatars departed without conflict. It is seen in Russian historiography as the end of Tatar/Mongol rule over Moscow.[1] 1 Background 2 Campaign 3 Reasons for Akhmed's withdrawal 4 Results 5 See also 6 Sources and footnotes 7 Further reading main Russian defense line ran along the Oka River from Kaluga east toward Nizhny Novgorod. At Kaluga the Oka bends sharply from north to east and the defense line was extended westward along the Ugra River. The land west and south of Kaluga was claimed by Lithuania. At this time Ivan III was uniting the lands north of the Oka. At the same time the Golden Horde was breaking up and the steppe remnant came to be called the Great Horde. IV Jagiellon of Poland-Lithuania was allied with the Great Horde, while Russia was allied with Crimea against the Horde. 1472 Akhmed of the Great Horde raided the Oka at Aleksin but was driven off. 1476 Russia officially stopped paying tribute to the Tatars. late 1479 Ivan quarreled with his brothers, Andrey Bolshoy and Boris of Volotsk, who began intriguing with Casimir. This internal conflict may have influenced Akhmed's decision to attack. Stand on the Ugra River is located in Central Federal DistrictNizhny NovgorodNizhny Novgorod Ugra River. Yellow and Red: Oka River. red squares are military centers during the war. X's are Ivan's bases at Kremenskoye and Borovsk. base at Vorotynsk was just south of the Ugra-Oka junction late May news of the pending invasion reached Moscow. Nesin[2] says it was the largest Tatar army in the fifteenth century. One faction wanted to flee north, but was overruled. In June Ivan sent troops south to the Oka: to Serpukhov under his son Ivan the Young, to Tarusa under his brother Andrey the Less and Ivan himself to Kolomna. Tatar scouting parties soon appeared south of the Oka. Russian outposts reported that Akhmed was tending northwest so Russian troops were moved west toward Kaluga. Forces from Tver moved toward the Ugra. Around 30 September (date uncertain) Ivan returned to Moscow to meet with his bishops and boyars and major decisions were made. The quarrel with his brothers was settled and their troops began moving toward the Oka. The state treasury and royal family were moved north to Beloozero and some cities were evacuated. Vasily Nozdrovaty and the exiled Crimean khan Nur Devlet were sent east down the Oka and Volga to attack Akhmed in the rear.[3] Meanwhile, Akhmed had moved northward between the upper Don and Oka and at an uncertain date made camp at Vorotynsk just south of the Ugra-Oka junction on the west side of the Oka. Here he waited for Casimir, who never came. Casimir was tied down fighting the Crimeans in Podolia, but he may have had other reasons. On 3 October Ivan moved to Kremenskoye (then called 'Kremenets' [4]) to watch the front. Nesin[5] gives the Russian front as 60 versts (kilometers), but does not specify its start and end points. 6–8 October Akhmed moved his troops up to the Ugra. Fighting began at one o'clock on the eighth and continued for almost four days. All attempts to cross the river failed, largely because of Russian firearms and because the river was wide enough to make Tatar arrows ineffective. The battlefield extended five kilometers along the Ugra from its mouth westward. Akhmed withdrew two versts (kilometers) south to a place called Luza (location?). He then tried to secretly move his troops to a place called 'Opakhov', but his movement was detected and the crossing blocked. Ivan began negotiations with Akhmed which led nowhere but gave Ivan time to bring up more troops. Both sides spent the next month watching each other across the river, this being the standoff proper. was getting late in the season and both sides knew that once the river froze solid it would no longer be a barrier. Akhmed could concentrate his forces and break the thin Russian line at any point. Ivan's best plan was to pull back and concentrate his force. On 26 October Ivan began moving troops from the Ugra northeast to Kremenskoye and then east to Borovsk. Here he had a good defensive position to protect Moscow and could strike in any direction if Akhmed chose to advance. Instead of advancing, on 8 November Akhmed began to withdraw. News of the retreat reached Ivan on 11 November. On his retreat, Akhmed raided 12 Lithuanian towns, including Mtsensk. His son Murtaza raided some villages south of the Oka until the Russians drove him off. On 28 November Ivan returned to Moscow. In January 1481 Akhmed was killed by Ibak Khan. for Akhmed's withdrawal[edit] wrote "It should have been an odd image: two armies ran away from each other, not pursued by anyone", but it is now clear that the two withdrawals were independent. motive is clear, but Akhmed's motives are a matter of guesswork.[6] Casimir's failure to appear is clearly important. Nesin thinks that a major factor was the end of Ivan's quarrel with his brothers and the resulting additional troops. The impending Russian winter was a consideration. The longer the standoff lasted the more troops Ivan could bring up while Akhmed's reserves were few and far away. The Tatar horses, and the sheep they drove with them for food, gradually consumed the local fodder. There are reports of disease in his army. Akhmed may have thought Ivan's withdrawal was a ruse to draw him into an ambush, a common steppe tactic. Even if there were no ambush, he would have to fight an army in a prepared position, or try to bypass it. The Tatars preferred hit-and-run raids and Akhmed may not have wished to attack a concentrated army. The sources do not explain why he did not try to outflank the Russian line by moving west. His wise, but seemingly cowardly, withdrawal probably contributed to his death a few months later. January 6, 1481, Akhmat Khan was killed in a clash with the Nogais under Ibak Khan, a princeling from the Khanate of Sibir. In 1502, Crimea destroyed the Great Horde as an organization thereby removing the buffer between Russia and Crimea and leading to a series of Russo-Crimean wars that lasted until 1784. national history, the Ugra Standoff is taken as the end of the so-called "Tatar Yoke". Modern writers are more skeptical and see it as an important landmark in the gradual expansion of Russia and the gradual decline of the Mongol Empire. the most important result of the Russo-Crimean alliance was its effect on Lithuania. In 1480–1515, Muscovy (Russia) expanded out of its Oka-Volga cradle west to Smolensk and southwest across the Ugra and down the west side of the Oka as far as Novgorod-Seversky. Russo-Kazan Wars 1438-1552; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in memory of Saving of Moscow from the Invasion of Khan Achmed, Commemorated on June 23;

Russia, Kaluga, 1512, Crimean Tartar War at Kaluga, Laurence, Fool for Christ
Crimean Tartar War at Kaluga 1512; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated on August 10; Laurence, the Fool-for-Christ and Wonderworker of Kaluga, lived at the beginning of the XVI century at a distance of half a verst from old Kaluga, near a forest church dedicated to the Nativity of Christ, set upon a high hill. was a long underground entrance from his dwelling place to the church, where he attended services. He also lived at the home of the Kaluga Prince Simeon. It is thought that Blessed Laurence was descended from the noble Khitrov family, since his name is at the head of their memorial at the Peremyshl’sk Liutykov Monastery in the Kaluga diocese. Laurence went barefoot both winter and summer, dressed in a shirt and sheepskin coat. By his ascetical struggles he had risen to such heights of virtue that during his lifetime, he was glorified by gifts of grace. He healed many diseases of the eyes through his prayers. the Crimean Tatars attacked Kaluga in May 1512, Blessed Laurence, then in the Prince's home, suddenly shouted in a loud voice: “Give me my sharp axe, for the curs are attacking Prince Simeon and I must defend him!” Saying this, he grabbed the axe and left. Suddenly, he was on board a ship next to the Prince. The Holy Fool Laurence inspired and encouraged the soldiers, and at that very hour they defeated the enemy. he is depicted on icons with an axe in his right hand, set upon a long handle. It is certain that Prince Simeon (+ 1518), who owed his life to Blessed Laurence, built a monastery on the site of the Saint’s ascetical struggles and dedicated it to him. Laurence reposed on August 10, 1515, on his Name Day. The Saint is also commemorated on July 8, perhaps in remembrance of his first posthumous miracle in Kaluga in 1621.1 that year, the paralyzed boyar Lev Andreevich Kologrivov, who could not move his hands and legs, and was unable to speak, was placed near the tomb of Saint Laurence. During a Moleben, as the Gospel was read, the paralyzed man spoke and began to believe. Raising his right hand, he made the Sign of the Cross; then he stood up, went to the tomb and attached himself to it. By the end of the Moleben, he was able to speak normally, and became perfectly healthy. Laurence seems to have been glorified in the second half of the XVI century. Tsar Ivan the Terrible wrote the following on a deed granting land to the monastery in 1565: “To the Monastery of the Nativity of Christ, where Laurence, the Fool-for-Christ lies." the Napoleonic invasion of Russia, the intercession of Blessed Lawrence for his native land was shown in a vivid manner. Kaluga became "the limit of the (French) offensive and the beginning of the enemy's retreat and destruction," according to an inscription on the Maloyaroslavets monument commemorating the battle on October 12, 1812. August 2018, some of Saint Laurence's relics were discovered in a storeroom of the Moscow Central Museum of the Armed Forces. On August 10/23, a portion of the holy relics was given to the Monastery in Kaluga where the body of Saint Laurence was once buried.

Russia, Kaluga, 1512-1515, Laurence, Fool f Christ, Kaluga, sharp axe, suddenly board prince's ship, inspired soldiers
Russia, Kaluga,1512, Laurence, Fool for Christ at Kaluga; Crimean Tartar War at Kaluga 1512; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated on August 10; Laurence, the Fool-for-Christ and Wonderworker of Kaluga, lived at the beginning of the XVI century at a distance of half a verst from old Kaluga, near a forest church dedicated to the Nativity of Christ, set upon a high hill. was a long underground entrance from his dwelling place to the church, where he attended services. He also lived at the home of the Kaluga Prince Simeon. It is thought that Blessed Laurence was descended from the noble Khitrov family, since his name is at the head of their memorial at the Peremyshl’sk Liutykov Monastery in the Kaluga diocese. Laurence went barefoot both winter and summer, dressed in a shirt and sheepskin coat. By his ascetical struggles he had risen to such heights of virtue that during his lifetime, he was glorified by gifts of grace. He healed many diseases of the eyes through his prayers. the Crimean Tatars attacked Kaluga in May 1512, Blessed Laurence, then in the Prince's home, suddenly shouted in a loud voice: “Give me my sharp axe, for the curs are attacking Prince Simeon and I must defend him!” Saying this, he grabbed the axe and left. Suddenly, he was on board a ship next to the Prince. The Holy Fool Laurence inspired and encouraged the soldiers, and at that very hour they defeated the enemy. he is depicted on icons with an axe in his right hand, set upon a long handle. It is certain that Prince Simeon (+ 1518), who owed his life to Blessed Laurence, built a monastery on the site of the Saint’s ascetical struggles and dedicated it to him. Laurence reposed on August 10, 1515, on his Name Day. The Saint is also commemorated on July 8, perhaps in remembrance of his first posthumous miracle in Kaluga in 1621.1 that year, the paralyzed boyar Lev Andreevich Kologrivov, who could not move his hands and legs, and was unable to speak, was placed near the tomb of Saint Laurence. During a Moleben, as the Gospel was read, the paralyzed man spoke and began to believe. Raising his right hand, he made the Sign of the Cross; then he stood up, went to the tomb and attached himself to it. By the end of the Moleben, he was able to speak normally, and became perfectly healthy. Laurence seems to have been glorified in the second half of the XVI century. Tsar Ivan the Terrible wrote the following on a deed granting land to the monastery in 1565: “To the Monastery of the Nativity of Christ, where Laurence, the Fool-for-Christ lies." the Napoleonic invasion of Russia, the intercession of Blessed Lawrence for his native land was shown in a vivid manner. Kaluga became "the limit of the (French) offensive and the beginning of the enemy's retreat and destruction," according to an inscription on the Maloyaroslavets monument commemorating the battle on October 12, 1812. August 2018, some of Saint Laurence's relics were discovered in a storeroom of the Moscow Central Museum of the Armed Forces. On August 10/23, a portion of the holy relics was given to the Monastery in Kaluga where the body of Saint Laurence was once buried.

Russia, Kaluga, 1748, Appearance of Kaluga Icon, She spit on it & bad things happened t her, Molieben, healings, 1812 war hero
Russia, Kaluga, 1748, Appearance of Kaluga Icon, She spit on it and bad things happened to her, Molieben, then many healings, War hero in 1812; Kaluga Cathedral of the Holy Trinity; Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God appeared in 1748 in the village of Tinkova, near Kaluga, at the home of the landowner Basil Kondratevich Khitrov. servants of Khitrov were cleaning out junk from the attic of his home. One of them, Eudokia, noted for her temper, was given to rough and even indecorous language. Her companion was modest and serious. discovered a large package covered in a linen cloth. Undoing it, the girl saw the picture of a woman in dark garments with a book in her hands. it to be the portrait of a woman monastic and wanting to bring Eudokia to her senses, she accused her of being disrespectful to the abbess. jeered at the scolding words of her companion, and becoming increasingly angry, she spit on the picture. she became convulsed and fell down senseless. She also became blind and mute. Her frightened companion reported what had happened to the household. next night, the Queen of Heaven appeared to Eudokia’s parents and told them that their daughter had behaved impertinently toward Her and She ordered them to serve a Molieben before the insulted icon, then sprinkle the invalid with holy water at the Molieben. the Molieben Eudokia recovered, and Khitrov took the wonderworking icon into his own home, where it granted healing to those approaching it with faith. the icon was placed in the parish temple of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Kaluga. At the present time it is located in the cathedral church of Kaluga. this icon the Mother of God has repeatedly manifest Her protection of the Russian land during difficult times. The celebration of the Kaluga Icon on September 2 was established in remembrance of the deliverance from a plague in 1771. second celebration was established October 12, in memory of the preservation of Kaluga from the French invasion of 1812. 1898, a celebration was established on July 18 in gratitude to the Mother of God for protection against cholera. icon is also commemorated on the first Sunday of the Apostles’ Fast. Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated on October 12; Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1748 (September 2). 1812 many Russian and French soldiers beheld the Kaluga icon of the Mother of God, standing in the air. also it was around Kaluga and Maloyaroslavl. such appearances the Russian armies were always victorious. vision was also granted to the peasant Paraskeve Alekseeva.

Russia, Kaluga, 1771, Kaluga Icon (Ugra River Mouth, Oka River 4), responsible for deliverance from 1771 Plague
Russia, Kaluga, 1771, Kaluga Icon (Ugra River Mouth, Oka River 4), responsible for deliverance from 1771 Plague; Kaluga; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated September 2 ; Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God appeared in 1748 in the village of Tinkova, near Kaluga, at the home of the landowner Basil Kondratevich Khitrov. servants of Khitrov were cleaning out junk from the attic of his home. One of them, Eudokia, noted for her temper, was given to rough and even indecorous language. Her companion was modest and serious. discovered a large package covered in a linen cloth. Undoing it, the girl saw the picture of a woman in dark garments with a book in her hands. it to be the portrait of a woman monastic and wanting to bring Eudokia to her senses, she accused her of being disrespectful to the abbess. jeered at the scolding words of her companion, and becoming increasingly angry, she spit on the picture. she became convulsed and fell down senseless. She also became blind and mute. Her frightened companion reported what had happened to the household. next night, the Queen of Heaven appeared to Eudokia’s parents and told them that their daughter had behaved impertinently toward Her and She ordered them to serve a Molieben before the insulted icon, then sprinkle the invalid with holy water at the Molieben. the Molieben Eudokia recovered, and Khitrov took the wonderworking icon into his own home, where it granted healing to those approaching it with faith. the icon was placed in the parish temple of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Kaluga. At the present time it is located in the cathedral church of Kaluga. this icon the Mother of God has repeatedly manifest Her protection of the Russian land during difficult times. The celebration of the Kaluga Icon on September 2 was established in remembrance of the deliverance from a plague in 1771. second celebration was established October 12, in memory of the preservation of Kaluga from the French invasion of 1812. 1898, a celebration was established on July 18 in gratitude to the Mother of God for protection against cholera. icon is also commemorated on the first Sunday of the Apostles’ Fast.

Russia, Kaluga, 1776-1837, Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, from Serpukhov, Kaluga (Nara River Mouth and Oka River 6)
Russia, Kaluga, 1776-1837, Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, from Serpukhov, Kaluga (Nara River Mouth and Oka River 6); Serpukhov; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; spiritual mission was organized in 1793, made up of monks of the Valaam Monastery. They were sent to preach the Word of God to the native inhabitants of northwestern America, who only ten years before had come under the sovereignty of Russia. Saint Herman was among the members of this Mission. Herman came from a family of merchants of Serpukhov, a city of the Moscow Diocese. His name before he was tonsured, and his family name are not known. (The monastic name is given when a monk takes his vows). He had a great zeal for piety from youth, and at sixteen he entered monastic life. (This was in 1772, if we assume that Herman was born in 1756, although sometimes 1760 is given as the date of his birth.) First he entered the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage which was located near the Gulf of Finland on the Peterhof Road, about 15 versts (about 10 miles) from Saint Petersburg. Healing the Saint Sergius Hermitage there occurred the following incident to Father Herman. On the right side of his throat under his chin there appeared an abscess. The swelling grew rapidly, disfiguring his face. It became difficult for him to swallow, and the odor was unbearable. In this critical condition Father Herman awaited death. He did not appeal to a physician of this world, but locking his cell he fell before an icon of the Mother of God. With fervent tears he prayed, asking of Her that he might be healed. He prayed the whole night. Then he took a wet towel and with it wiped the face of the Most Holy Mother, and with this towel he covered the swelling. He continued to pray with tears until he fell asleep from sheer exhaustion on the floor. In a dream he saw the Virgin Mary healing him. Herman awoke in the morning, he found to his great surprise that he was fully healed. The swelling had disappeared, even though the abscess had not broken through, leaving behind but a small mark as though a reminder of the miracle. Physicians to whom this healing was described did not believe it, arguing that it was necessary for the abscess to have either broken through of its own accord or to have been cut open. But the words of the physicians were the words of human experience, for where the grace of God operates there the order of nature is overcome. Such occurrences humble human reason under the strong hand of God’s Mercy. at Valaam five or six years Father Herman continued to live in the Saint Sergius Hermitage, and then he transferred to the Valaam Monastery, which was widely scattered on the large islands in the waters of the great Lake Ladoga. He came to love the Valaam haven with all his soul, as he came to love its unforgettable Superior, the pious Elder Nazarius, and all the brethren. He wrote to Father Nazarius later from America, “Your fatherly goodness to me, humble one, will be erased out of my heart neither by the terrible, unpassable Siberian lands, nor by the dark forests. Nor will it be wiped out by the swift flow of the great rivers; nor will the awful ocean quench these feelings. In my mind I imagine my beloved Valaam, looking to it beyond the great ocean.” He praised the Elder Nazarius in his letters as, “the most reverend, and my beloved father,” and the brethren of Valaam he called, “my beloved and dearest.” The place where he lived in America, deserted Spruce Island, he called “New Valaam.” And as we can see, he always remained in spiritual contact with his spiritual homeland, for as late as 1823, that is after thirty years of his life within the borders of America, he wrote letters to the successor of Father Nazarius, the lgumen Innocent. Barlaam, later lgumen of Valaam, and a contemporary of Father Herman, who accepted his tonsure from Father Nazarius, wrote thus of the life of Father Herman. “Father Herman went through the various obediences here, and being ‘well disposed toward every thing’ was in the course of events sent to Serdobol to oversee there the work of quarrying marble. The Brothers loved Father Herman, and awaited impatiently his return to the cloisters from Serdobol. Recognizing the zeal of the young hermit the wise elder, Father Nazarius, released him to take abode in the wilderness. This wilderness was in the deep forest about a mile from the cloister: to this day this place has retained the name ‘Herman’s.’ On holy days, Father Herman returned to the monastery from the wilderness. Then it was that at Little Vespers he would stand in the choir and sing in his pleasant tenor the responses with the brethren from the Canon, ‘O Sweetest Jesus, save us sinners. Most Holy Theotokos, Save us,’ and tears would fall like hail from his eyes.” First Mission to America the second half of the 18th century the borders of Holy Russia expanded to the north. In those years Russian merchants discovered the Aleutian Islands which formed in the Pacific Ocean a chain from the eastern shores of Kamchatka to the western shores of North America. With the opening of these islands there was revealed the sacred necessity to illumine with the light of the Gospel the native inhabitants. With the blessing of the Holy Synod, Metropolitan Gabriel gave to the Elder Nazarius the task of selecting capable persons from the brethern of Valaam for this holy endeavor. Ten men were selected, and among them was Father Herman. The chosen men left Valaam for the place of their great appointment in 1793. (The members of this historical mission were: Archimandrite Joseph (Bolotoff); the hieromonks Juvenal, Macarius, Athanasius, Stephan, and Nectarius; hierodeacons Nectarius and Stephen; and the monks Joasaph and Herman.) a result of the holy zeal of the preachers the light of the evangelic sermon quickly poured out among the sons of Russia, and several thousand pagans accepted Christianity. A school for the education of newly-baptized children was organized, and a church was built at the place where the missionaries lived. But by the inscrutable providence of God the general progress of the mission was unsatisfactory. After five years of very productive labor, Archimandrite Joasaph, who had just been elevated to the rank of bishop, was drowned with his party. (This occurred on the Pacific Ocean between Kamchatka and the Aleutian Islands. The ship, Phoenix, one of the first sea-going ships built in Alaska, sailed from Okhotsk carrying the first Bishop for the American Mission and his party. The Phoenix was caught in one of the many storms which periodically sweep the northern Pacific, and the ship and all hands perished together with Bishop Joasaph and his party.) Before this the zealous Hieromonk Juvenal was granted the martyr’s crown. The others died one after another until in the end only Father Herman remained. The Lord permitted him to labor longer than any of his brethren in the apostolic task of enlightening the Aleutians. New Valaam — Spruce Island America, Father Herman chose as his place of habitation Spruce Island, which he called New Valaam. This island is separated by a strait about a mile and a quarter wide from Kodiak Island on which had been built a wooden monastery for the residence of the members of the mission, and a wooden church dedicated to the Resurrection of the Savior. (New Valaam was named for Valaam on Lake Ladoga, the monastery from which Father Herman came to America. It is interesting to note that Valaam is also located on an island, although, this island is in a fresh water lake, whereas, Spruce Island is on the Pacific Ocean, although near other islands and the Alaskan mainland.) Island is not large, and is almost completely covered by a forest. Almost through its middle a small brook flows to the sea. Herman selected this picturesque island for the location of his hermitage. He dug a cave out of the ground with his own hands, and in it he lived his first full summer. For winter there was built for him a cell near the cave, in which he lived until his death. The cave was converted by him into a place for his burial. A wooden chapel, and a wooden house to be used as a schoolhouse and a guest house were built not too distant from his cell. A garden was laid out in front of his cell. For more than forty years Father Herman lived here. Herman’s Way of Life Herman himself spaded the garden, planted potatoes and cabbage and various vegetables in it. For winter, he preserved mushrooms, salting or drying them. The salt was obtained by him from ocean water. It is said that a wicker basket in which the Elder carried seaweed from the shore, was so large that it was difficult for one person to carry. The seaweed was used for fertilizing the soil. But to the astonishment of all, Father Herman carried a basket filled with seaweed for a long distance without any help at all. By chance his disciple, Gerasim, saw him one winter night carrying a large log which normally would be carried by four men; and he was bare footed. Thus worked the Elder, and everything that he acquired as a result of his immeasurable labors was used for the feeding and clothing of orphans and also for books for his students. clothes were the same for winter as for summer. He did not wear a shirt; instead he wore a smock of deer skin, which he did not take off for several years at a time, nor did he change it, so that the fur in it was completely worn away, and the leather became glossy. Then there were his boots or shoes, cassock (podrasnik), an ancient and faded out cassock (riasa) full of patchwork, and his headdress (klobuk). He went everywhere in these clothes, and at all times; in the rain, in snowstorms, and during the coldest freezing weather. In this, Father Herman followed the example of many Eastern Ascetic Fathers and Monks who showed the greatest concern for the welfare and needs of others. Yet, they themselves wore the oldest possible clothes to show their great humility before God, and their detachment from worldly things. small bench covered with a time-worn deerskin served as Father Herman’s bed. He used two bricks for a pillow; these were hidden from visitors by a skin or a shirt. There was no blanket. Instead, he covered himself with a wooden board which lay on the stove. This board Father Herman himself called his blanket, and he willed that it be used to cover his remains; it was as long as he was tall. “During my stay in the cell of Father Herman,” writes the creole Constantine Larionov, “I, a sinner, sat on his ‘blanket’-and I consider this the acme of my fortune!” (‘creole’ is the name by which the Russians referred to the children of mixed marriages of native Indians of Alaska, Eskimo and Aleuts with Russians.) the occasions when Father Herman was the guest of administrators of the American Company and in the course of their soul-saving talks he sat up with them until midnight. He never spent the night with them, but regardless of the weather he always returned to his hermitage. If for some extraordinary reason it was necessary for him to spend the night away from his cell, then in the morning the bed which had been prepared for him would be found untouched; the Elder not having slept at all. The same was true in his hermitage where having spent the night in talks, he never rested. Elder ate very little. As a guest, he scarcely tasted the food, and remained without dinner. In his cell his dinner consisted of a very small portion of a small fish or some vegetables. His body, emaciated as a result of his labors, his vigils, and fasting, was crushed by chains which weighed about sixteen pounds. These chains are kept to this day in the chapel. Telling of these deeds of Father Herman, his disciple, the Aleut Ignaty Aligyaga, added, “Yes, Apa led a very hard life, and no one can imitate his life!” (The Aleutian word “Apa” means Elder or grandfather, and it is a name indicative of the great affection in which he was held). writing of the incidents in the life of the Elder deal, so to speak, with the external aspects of his labor. “His most important works,” says the Bishop Peter, “were his exercises in spiritual endeavor in his isolated cell where no one saw him, but outside the cell they heard him singing and celebrating services to God according to the monastic rule.” This witness of the Bishop is supported by the following answers of Father Herman, himself: “How do you manage to live alone in the forest, Father Herman? Don’t you ever become lonesome?” He answered, “No I am not there alone! God is here, as God is everywhere. The Holy Angels are there. With whom is it better to talk, with people, or with Angels? Most certainly with Angels.” Herman and the Native Alaskans way in which Father Herman looked upon the natives of America, how he understood his own relations with them, and how he was concerned for their needs he expressed himself in one of his letters to the former administrator of the colony, Simeon Yanovsky. He wrote, “Our Creator granted to our beloved homeland this land which like a newly-born babe does not yet have the strength for knowledge or understanding. It requires not only protection, because of its infantile weakness and impotence, but also his sustenance. Even for this it does not yet have the ability to make an appeal on its own behalf. And since the welfare of this nation by the Providence of God, it is not known for how long, is dependent on and has been entrusted into the hands of the Russian government which has now been given into your own power, therefore I, the most humble servant of these people, and their nurse (nyanka) stand before you in their behalf, write this petition with tears of blood. Be our Father and our Protector. Certainly we do not know how to be eloquent, so with an inarticulate infant’s tongue we say: Wipe away the tears of the defenseless orphans, cool the hearts melting away in the fire of sorrow. Help us to know what consolation means.” Elder acted the way he felt. He always interceded before the governors on behalf of those who had transgressed. He defended those who had been offended. He helped those who were in need with whatever means he had available. The Aleuts, men, women and children, often visited him. Some asked for advice, others complained of oppression, others sought out defense, and still others desired help. Each one received the greatest possible satisfaction from the Elder. He discussed their mutual difficulties, and he tried to settle these peacefully. He was especially concerned about reestablishing understanding in families. If he did not succeed in reconciling a husband and wife, the Elder prevailed upon them to separate temporarily. The need for such a procedure he explained thus, “it is better to let them live apart, or believe me, it can be terrible if they are not separated. There have been incidents when a husband killed his wife, or when a wife destroyed her husband.” Herman especially loved children. He made large quantities of biscuits for them, and he baked cookies (krendelki) for them; and the children were fond of the Elder. Father Herman’s love for the Aleuts reached the point of self-denial. Epidemic Strikes ship from the United States brought to Sitka Island, and from there to Kodiak Island, a contagious disease, a fatal illness. It began with a fever, a heavy cold, and difficult respiration, and it ended with chills; in three days the victim died. On the island there was neither a doctor nor medicine. The illness spread rapidly through the village, and then throughout the nearby areas. The disease affected all, even infants. The fatalities were so great that for three days there was no one to dig graves, and the bodies remained unburied. An eyewitness said, “I cannot imagine anything more tragic and horrible than the sight which struck me when I visited an Aleutian ‘Kazhim’. This was a large building, or barracks, with dividing sections, in which the Aleuts lived with their families; it contained about 100 people. Here some had died, their cold bodies lay near the living; others were dying; there were groans and weeping which tore at one’s soul.” “I saw mothers over whose bodies cold in death crawled a hungry child, crying and searching in vain for its food...My heart was bursting with compassion! It seemed that if anyone could paint with a worthy brush the full horror of this tragic scene, that he would have successfully aroused fear of death in the most embittered heart.” Father Herman, during this terrible sickness which lasted a whole month, gradually dying out towards the end, visited the sick, never tiring. He admonished them in their fear, prayed, brought them to penance, or prepared them for death. He never spared himself. Herman as a Spiritual Teacher Elder was concerned in particular for the moral growth of the Aleuts. With this end in mind a school was built for children-the orphans of the Aleuts. He himself taught them the Law of God and church music. For this same purpose he gathered the Aleuts on Sunday and Holy Days for prayer in the chapel near his cell. Here his disciple read the Hours and the various prayers while the Elder himself read the Epistle and Gospel. He also preached to them. His students sang, and they sang very well. The Aleuts loved to hear his sermons, gathering around him in large numbers. The Elder’s talks were captivating, and his listeners were moved by their wonderous power. He himself writes of one example of the beneficial results of his words. “Glory to the holy destinies of the Merciful God! He has shown me now through his unfathomable Providence a new occurrence which I, who have lived here for twenty years had never seen before on Kodiak,” he wrote. “Recently after Easter, a young girl about twenty years of age who knows Russian well, came to me. Having heard of the Incarnation of the Son of God and of Eternal Life, she became so inflamed with love for Jesus Christ that she does not wish to leave me. She pleaded eloquently with me. Contrary to my personal inclination and love for solitude, and despite all the hindrances and difficulties which I put forward before accepting her, she has now been living near the school for a month and is not lonesome. I, looking on this with great wonder, remembered the words of the Savior: ‘that which is hidden from the wise and learned is revealed to babes’” (Matthew 11:25). woman lived at the school until the death of the Elder. She watched for the good conduct of the children who studied in his school. Father Herman willed that after his death she was to continue to live on Spruce Island. Her name was Sophia Vlasova. writes about the character and the eloquence of the talks of the Elder thus: “When I met Father Herman I was thirty years old. I must say that I was educated in the naval corps school; that I knew many sciences having read extensively. But to my regret, the Science of sciences, that is the Law of God, I barely remembered the externals—and these only theoretically, not applying them to life. I was a Christian in name only, but in my soul and in reality, I was a freethinker. Furthermore, I did not admit the divinity and holiness of our religion, for I had read through many atheistic works. Father Herman recognized this immediately and he desired to reconvert me. To my great surprise he spoke so convincingly, wisely—and he argued with such conviction—that it seemed to me that no learning or worldly wisdom could stand one’s ground before his words. We conversed with him daily until midnight, and even later, of God’s love, of eternity, of the salvation of souls, and of Christian living. From his lips flowed a ceaseless stream of sweet words! By these continual talks and by the prayers of the holy Elder the Lord returned me completely to the way of Truth, and I became a real Christian. I am indebted for all this to Father Herman; he is my true benefactor. “Several years ago,” continues Yanovsky, “Father Herman converted a certain naval captain G. to Orthodoxy from the Lutheran Faith. This captain was well educated. Besides many sciences, he was well versed in languages. He knew Russian, English, German, French, Italian and also some Spanish. But for all this he could not resist the convictions and proofs of Father Herman. He changed his faith and was united to the Orthodox Church through Chrismation. When he was leaving America, the Elder said to him while they were parting, “Be on guard, if the Lord should take your wife from you then do not marry a German woman under any circumstance. If you do marry a German woman, undoubtedly she will damage your Orthodoxy.” The Captain gave his word, but he failed to keep it. The warning of the Elder was prophetic. Indeed, after several years the Captain’s wife did die, and he married a German woman. There is no doubt that his faith weakened or that he left it; for he died suddenly without penance.” on Yanovsky writes, “Once the Elder was invited aboard a frigate which came from Saint Petersburg. The Captain of the frigate was a highly educated man, who had been sent to America by order of the Emperor to make an inspection of all the colonies. There were more than twenty-five officers with the Captain, and they also were educated men. In the company of this group sat a monk of a hermitage, small in stature and wearing very old clothes. All these educated conversationalists were placed in such a position by his wise talks that they did not know how to answer him. The Captain himself used to say, ‘We were lost for an answer before him.’ “Father Herman gave them all one general question: ‘Gentlemen, What do you love above all, and what will each of you wish for your happiness?’ Various answers were offered ... Some desired wealth, others glory, some a beautiful wife, and still others a beautiful ship he would captain; and so forth in the same vein. ‘Is it not true,’ Father Herman said to them concerning this, ‘that all your various wishes can bring us to one conclusion—that each of you desires that which in his own understanding he considers the best, and which is most worthy of his love?’ They all answered, ‘Yes, that is so!’ He then continued, ‘Would you not say, Is not that which is best, above all, and surpassing all, and that which by preference is most worthy of love, the Very Lord, our Jesus Christ, who created us, adorned us with such ideals, gave life to all, sustains everything, nurtures and loves all, who is Himself Love and most beautiful of all men? Should we not then love God above every thing, desire Him more than anything, and search Him out?’ “All said, ‘Why, yes! That’s self-evident!’ Then the Elder asked, ‘But do you love God?’ They all answered, ‘Certainly, we love God. How can we not love God?’ ‘And I a sinner have been trying for more than forty years to love God, I cannot say that I love Him completely,’ Father Herman protested to them. He then began to demonstrate to them the way in which we should love God. ‘If we love someone,’ he said, ‘we always remember them; we try to please them. Day and night our heart is concerned with the subject. Is that the way you gentlemen love God? Do you turn to Him often? Do you always remember Him? Do you always pray to Him and fulfill His holy commandments?’ They had to admit that they had not! ‘For our own good, and for our own fortune,’ concluded the Elder, ‘let us at least promise ourselves that from this very minute we will try to love God more than anything and to fulfill His Holy Will!’ Without any doubt this conversation was imprinted in the hearts of the listeners for the rest of their lives.’ “In general, Father Herman liked to talk of eternity, of salvation of the future life, of our destinies under God. He often talked on the lives of the Saints, on the Prologue, but he never spoke about anything frivolous. It was so pleasant to hear him that those who conversed with him, the Aleuts and their wives, were so captivated by his talks that often they did not leave him until dawn, and then they left him with reluctance;” thus witnesses the Creole, Constantine Larionov. Description of Father Herman writes a detailed description of Father Herman. “I have a vivid memory,” he said, “Of all the features of the Elder’s face reflecting goodness; his pleasant smile, his meek and attractive mien, his humble and quiet behavior, and his gracious word. He was short of stature. His face was pale and covered with wrinkles. His eyes were greyish-blue, full of sparkle, and on his head there were a few gray hairs. His voice was not powerful, but it was very pleasant.” Yanovsky relates two incidents from his conversations with the Elder. “Once,” he writes, “I read to Father Herman the ode, ‘God,’ by Derzhavin. The Elder was surprised, and entranced. He asked me to read it again. I read it once more, “Is it possible that a simple, educated man wrote this?” he asked. “Yes, a learned poet,” I answered. “This has been written under God’s inspiration,” said the Elder. Martyrdom of Peter “On another occasion I was relating to him how the Spanish in California had imprisoned fourteen Aleuts, an d how the Jesuits were forcing all of them to accept the Catholic Faith. But this Aleut would not agree under any circumstances, saying, ‘We are Christians.’ The Jesuits protested, ‘That’s not true; you are heretics and schismatics. If you do not agree to accept our faith then we will torture all of you.’ Then the Aleuts were placed in cells until evening; two to a cell. At night the Jesuits came to the prison with lanterns and lighted candles. They began to persuade the Aleuts in the cell once again to accept the Catholic Faith. ‘We are Christians,’ was the answer of the Aleuts, ‘and we will not change our Faith.’ Then the Jesuits began to torture them, at first the one while his companion was the witness. They cut the toes off his feet, first one joint and then the other joint. And then they cut the first joint on the fingers of the hands, and then the other joint. Afterwards they cut off his feet, and his hands; the blood flowed. The martyr endured all and steadfastly insisted on one thing: ’I am a Christian.’ In such suffering, he bled to death. The Jesuit promised to torture to death his comrades also on the next day.... But that night an order was received from Monterey stating that the imprisoned Aleuts were to be released immediately, and sent there under escort. Therefore, in the morning all were dispatched to Monterey with the exception of the martyred Aleut. This was related to me by a witness, the same Aleut who was the comrade of the tortured Aleut. Afterwards he escaped from imprisonment, and I reported this incident to the supreme authorities in Saint Petersburg. When I finished my story, Father Herman asked, ‘And how did they call the martyred Aleut?’ I answered, ‘Peter; I do not remember his family name.’ The Elder stood up before an icon reverently, made the sign of the Cross and pronounced, ’Holy newly-martyred Peter, pray to God for us!’” Spirit of Father Herman’s Teaching order to express the spirit of Father Herman’s teaching, we present here a quotation from a letter that was written by his own hand. “The empty years of these desires separate us from our heavenly homeland, and our Love for these desires and our habits clothe us, as it were, in an odious dress; it is called by the Apostle ‘the external (earthy) man’ (1 Corinthians 15:47). We who are wanderers in the journey of this life call to God for aid. We must divest ourselves of this repulsiveness, and put on new desires, and a new love for the coming age. Thus, through this we will know either an attraction or a repulsion for the heavenly homeland. It is possible to do this quickly, but we must follow the example of the sick, who wishing for desired health, do not stop searching for means of curing themselves. But I am not speaking clearly.” desiring anything for himself in life, when he first came to America, he refused in his humility the dignity of hieromonk and archimandrite, deciding to remain forever a common monk, Father Herman, without the least fear before the powerful, strove with all sincerity for God. With gentle love, and disregarding the person, he criticized many for intemperate living, for unworthy behavior, and for oppressing the Aleuts. Evil armed itself against him and gave him all sorts of trouble and sorrow. But God protected the Elder. The Administrator of the Colony, Yanovsky, not having yet seen Father Herman, after receiving one of those complaints, had already written to Saint Petersburg of the necessity of his removal. He explained that it seemed that he was arousing the Aleuts against the administration. But this accusation turned out to be unjust, and in the end Yanovsky was numbered among the admirers of Father Herman. an inspector came to Spruce Island with the Administrator of the Colony and with company employees to search through Father Herman’s cell. This party expected to find property of great value in Father Herman’s cell. But when they found nothing of value, an employee of the American Company, Ponomarkhov, began to tear up the floor with an axe, undoubtedly with the consent of his seniors. Then Father Herman said to him, “My friend, you have lifted the axe in vain; this weapon shall deprive you of your life.” Some time later people were needed at Fort Nicholas, and for that reason several Russian employees were sent there from Kodiak; among them was Ponomarkhov; there the natives of Kenai cut off his head while he slept. Temptations of Father Herman great sorrows were borne by Father Herman from evil spirits. He himself revealed this to his disciple, Gerasim. Once when he entered Father Herman’s cell without the usual prayer he received no answer from Father Herman to any of his questions. The next day Gerasim asked him the reason for his silence. On that occasion Father Herman said to him, “When I came to this island and settled in this hermitage the evil spirits approached me ostensibly to be helpful. They came in the form of a man, and in the form of animals. I suffered much from them; from various afflictions and temptations. And that is why I do not speak now to anyone who enters into my presence without prayer.” (It is customary among devout laymen, as well as clergy, to say out loud a prayer, and upon hearing a response ending with Amen, to enter and go to the icon in the room to reverence it, and to say a prayer before greeting the host). Gifts from God dedicated himself fully for the Lord’s service; he strove with zeal solely for the glorification of His Most Holy Name. Far from his homeland in the midst of a variety of afflictions and privations Father Herman spent several decades performing the noblest deeds of self-sacrifice. He was privileged to receive many supernatural gifts from God. the midst of Spruce Island down the hill flows a little stream into the sea. The mouth of this stream was always swept by surf. In the spring when the brook fish appeared the Elder raked away some of the sand at its mouth so that the fish could enter, and at their first appearance they rushed up the stream. His disciple, lgnaty, said, “it was so that if ‘Apa’ would tell me, I would go and get fish in the stream!” Father Herman fed the birds with dried fish, and they would gather in great numbers around his cell. Underneath his cell there lived an ermine. This little animal can not be approached when it has had its young, but the Elder fed it from his own hand. “Was not this a miracle that we had seen?” said his disciple, Ignaty. They also saw Father Herman feeding bears. But when Father Herman died the birds and animals left; even the garden would not give any sort of crops even though someone had willingly taken care of it, Ignaty insisted. Spruce Island there once occurred a flood. The inhabitants came to the Elder in great fear. Father Herman then took an icon of the Mother of God from the home where his students lived, and placed it on a “laida” (a sandy bank) and began to pray. After his prayer he turned to those present and said,“Have no fear, the water will not go any higher than the place where this holy icon stands.” The words of the Elder were fulfilled. After this he promised the same aid from this holy icon in the future, through the intercessions of the Mother of God. He entrusted the icon to his disciple Sophia; in case of future floods the icon was to be placed on the “laida.” This icon is preserved on the island to this day. the request of the Elder, Baron F. P. Wrangel wrote a letter to a Metropolitan (his name is not known) which was dictated by Father Herman. When the letter was completed and read, the Elder congratulated the Baron upon his attaining the rank of admiral. The Baron was taken aback. This was news to him. It was confirmed, but only after an elapse of some time, and just before he departed for Saint Petersburg. Herman said to the administrator Kashevarov, from whom he accepted his son from the font (during the Sacrament of Baptism), “I am sorry for you, my dear ‘kum.’ It’s a shame; the change will be unpleasant for you.” In two years, during a change of administration, Kashevarov was sent to Sitka in chains. the forest on Spruce Island caught fire. The Elder, with his disciple Ignaty, in a thicket of the forest made a belt about a yard wide in which they turned over the moss. They extended it to the foot of the hill. The Elder said, “Rest assured, the fire will not pass this line.” On the next day, according to the testimony of Ignaty, there was no hope of salvation (from the fire) and the fire, pushed by a strong wind, reached the place where the moss had been turned over by the Elder. The fire ran over the moss and halted, leaving untouched the thick forest which was beyond the line. Elder often said that there would be a Bishop for America; this at a time when no one even thought of it, and there was no hope that there would be a Bishop for America. This was related by Bishop Peter, and his prophecy was fulfilled in time. “After my death,” said Father Herman, “there will be an epidemic, many people shall die during it, and the Russians shall unite the Aleuts.” And so it happened. It seems that about a half a year after his passing, there was a smallpox epidemic; the death rate in America during the epidemic was tremendous. In some villages, only a few inhabitants remained alive. This led the administration of the colony to unite the Aleuts; the twelve settlements were consolidated into seven. “Although a long time shall elapse after my death, I will not be forgotten” said Father Herman to his disciples. “My place of habitation will not remain empty. A monk like me, who will be escaping from the glory of men, will come and he will live on Spruce Island, and Spruce Island will not be without people.” (This prophecy has now been fulfilled in its entirety. Just such a monk as Father Herman described lived on Spruce Island for many years; his name was Archimandrite Gerasim, who died on October 13, 1969. This monk took on himself the responsibility of taking care of the Chapel under which the Elder Herman was first buried. Metropolitan Leonty, soon after his elevation to the primacy of the Russian Orthodox Church in America, made a pilgrimage to Spruce Island, and the grave of Saint Herman.) for the Future Creole Constantine, when he was not more than twelve years old, was asked by Father Herman, “My beloved one, what do you think; this chapel which they are building now, will it ever stand empty?” The youngster answered, “I do not know, Apa.” “Indeed,” said Constantine, “I did not understand his question at that time, even though the whole conversation with the Elder remains vivid in my memory.” The Elder remained silent for some time, and then said, “My child, remember, in time there will be a monastery in this place.” Herman said to his disciple the Aleut Ignaty Aligyaga, “Thirty years shall pass after my death, and all those living on Spruce Island will have died, but you alone will remain alive. You will be old and poor when I will be remembered.” And indeed after the death of Father Herman thirty years passed when they were reminded of him, and they began to gather information and facts about him, on the basis of which his Life was written. “It is amazing,” exclaims Ignaty, “how a man like us could know all this so long before it happened! However, no, he was no ordinary man! He knew our thoughts, and involuntarily he led us to the point where we revealed them to him, and we received counsel from him.” “When I die,” the Elder said to his disciple, “you will bury me alongside Father Joasaph. You will bury me by yourself, for you will not wait for the priest. Do not wash my body. Lay it on a board. Clasp my hands over my chest, wrap me in my mantia (the monk’s outer cloak), and with its wings cover my face and place the klobuk (monastic head covering) on my head. If anyone wishes to bid farewell to me, let them kiss the Cross. Do not show my face to anyone....” Repose of Father Herman time of the Elder’s passing had come. One day he ordered his disciple Gerasim to light a candle before the Icons, and to read the Acts of the Holy Apostles. After some time his face glowed brightly and he said in a loud voice, “Glory to Thee, O Lord!” He then ordered the reading to be halted, and he announced that the Lord had willed that his life would now be spared for another week. A week later, again by his orders, candles were lit, and the Acts of the Holy Apostles were read. Quietly, the Elder bowed his head on Gerasim’s chest; the cell was filled with a sweet-smelling odor; and his face glowed, and Father Herman was no more! Thus he died in blessedness, he passed away in the sleep of a righteous man in the eighty-first year of his life of great labor the 25th day of December 1837. (It was the 13th of December according to the Julian Calendar, although there are some records which state that he died on November 28th and was buried on December 26th). sent with the sad news to the harbor returned to announce that the administrator of the colony Kashevarov had forbidden the burial of the Elder until his own arrival. He also ordered that a finer coffin be made for Father Herman, and that he would come as soon as possible and would bring a priest with him. But then a great wind came up, a rain fell, and a terrible storm broke. The distance from the harbor to Spruce Island is not great—about a two hour journey—but no one would agree to go to sea in such weather. Thus it continued for a full month, and although the body lay in state for a full month in the warm house of his students, his face did not undergo any change at all, and not the slightest odor emanated from his body. Finally, through the efforts of Kuzma Uchilischev, a coffin was obtained. No one arrived from the harbor, and the inhabitants of Spruce Island alone buried the remains of the Elder in the ground. Thus the words which Father Herman uttered before his death were fulfilled. After this the wind quieted down, and the surface of the sea became as smooth as a mirror. evening, above the village Katani (on Afognak) an unusual pillar of light which reached up to heaven was seen above Spruce Island. Astonished by the miraculous appearance, experienced elders and the Creole Gerasim Vologdin and his wife Anna said, “It seems that Father Herman has left us,” and they began to pray. After a time, they were informed that the Elder had indeed passed away that very night. This same pillar was seen in various places by others. On the night of his death a vision was seen in another of the settlements on Afognak; it seemed as though a man was rising from Spruce Island into the clouds. disciples buried their father, and placed a wooden memorial marker above his grave. Father Peter Kashevarov, the priest on Kodiak, says, “I saw it myself, and I can say that today it seems as though it had never been touched by time; as though it had been cut this day.” witnessed the life of Father Herman glorified by his zealous labors, having seen his miracles, and the fulfillment of his predictions, finally having observed his blessed falling asleep, “in general, all the local inhabitants,” Bishop Peter witnesses, “have the highest esteem for him, as though he was a holy ascetic, and they are fully convinced that he has found favor in the presence of God.” 1842, five years after the passing away of the Elder, Archbishop Innocent of Kamchatka and the Aleutians, was near Kodiak on a sailing vessel which was in great distress. He looked to Spruce Island, and said to himself, “If you have found favor in God’s presence, Father Herman, then may the wind change.” It seems as though not more than fifteen minutes had passed, said the bishop, when the wind became favorable, and he successfully reached the shore. In thanksgiving for being saved, Archbishop Innocent himself conducted a Memorial Service (Panikhida) over the grave of the blessed Father Herman. Holy Father Herman of Alaska, pray unto God for us! HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; of Alaska (born 1756 or 1760 in Serpukhov, Russia – December 13 or November 15, 1837 on Spruce Island, Alaska) one of the first Eastern Orthodox missionaries to the New World, and is considered by Orthodox Christians to be the patron saint of the Americas. was born in the town of Serpukhov near Moscow around 1756. Herman is his name in monasticism; his birth name is unknown. 16, he entered the Russian Orthodox monastic life at the Trinity-St. Sergius Hermitage near St. Petersburg. he was tonsured a monk, though he was never ordained to the priesthood. request was made for a mission into the Alaskan territory. Herman was selected to go, along with seven other monks. and the other monks arrived on Kodiak Island on September 24, 1794. monks converted the native Aleuts, and as time progressed they found themselves protecting the natives from exploitation and abuse. of this moral stance the monks themselves were abused, arrested and physically threatened. time, enduring hardship, inclement weather, illness and more, Herman stood as the only remainder from the original band of missionaries, the others either being martyred for their faith, dying of natural causes or returning to Russia. eventually built a hermitage on Spruce Island, about a mile and a quarter from Kodiak Island. small chapel was built as well, along with a school and guest house. local people would visit him often. He devoted his life to prayer and to performing those services he could do as a simple monk who had not been ordained to the priesthood. died on November 15, 1837, but was not buried on Spruce Island until December 13 because a priest could not come to serve the funeral, and was forgotten until the first investigation of his life in 1867 by Bishop Peter of Alaska. was named a saint by the Orthodox Church in America on 9 August 1970. (more at Wikipedia)

Russia, Kaluga, 1808-1860, Macarius of Optina, elders w spiritual life, published ascetical lives, prepare soul for temptations
Russia, Kaluga, 1808-1860, Macarius of Optina Monastery, Kaluga (Zhizdra River 1) always looking for elders w lofty spiritual life. in cell w Father Athanasius to help bad leg 10 yrs till 1825, read & published copies of ascetical lives, Glinsk Hdeacon Samuel mental prayer, at Optina Fr Leonid had struggled spiritual foes, preparing soul for temptations; Optina Monestary ; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated September 7 ; future Saint Macarius was born in 1788 into the noble Ivanov family, and was baptized with the name Michael in honor of Saint Michael of Tver (November 22). parents Nicholas and Elizabeth had an estate in the village of Shepyatino in the Dimitrov district in the Orel province. also owned property in other provinces, including the village of Zhelezniki in Orel Province where they lived. Ivanovs moved to Moscow in 1794 so Elizabeth could receive medical treatment for tuberculosis. ’s beloved mother died on January 21, 1797, and was buried in the Saint Andronicus monastery. nine-year-old Michael moved to the village of Karachev to live with his sister Daria and her husband Simeon Peredelsky, who had been elected to the District Court of Karachev. Michael received his primary education there in the local parish school. 1801, Michael and his two brothers moved into the house of his aunt Anna M. Verevkina, where they were educated along with her own son. 1802, when he was fourteen, Michael and his brother Alexis were hired as assistant bookkeepers in the District Treasury of Lgov. the job was difficult, Michael carried out his duties with precision and care that he attracted the attention of the provincial authorities. 1805 Michael was appointed as head of the Financial Board (Treasury) in Kursk. he was not working, he liked to spend his time reading or playing the violin. Michael’s father died on March 17, 1806 after a long illness, and was buried near the parish church at Turischev. visited the Ploschansk Hermitage, twenty-four miles from his family’s estate in Schepyatino, in October of 1810. there he wrote to his brothers saying that he was leaving the estate to them, for he intended to remain at the hermitage. His only condition was that they donate 1000 rubles to build a stone church at Turischev where their father was buried. closest to Michael never knew whether his visit to Ploschansk was accidental or premeditated. He did seem inclined to the monastic life, but perhaps he did not make a final decision to become a monk until he had observed the monastic life at Ploschansk. entered the Ploschansk Hermitage of the Theotokos at the age of twenty-two. It had no large buildings, no great wealth, and was far from populated areas. Perhaps he was attracted by the unpretentiously humble circumstances of the place. There were fifty monks at the Hermitage, led by Hieromonk Joannicus. was enrolled as a novice a month after arriving at Ploschansk, and was tonsured as a rassophore on December 24, 1810 with the name Melchizedek. did not mind the privation and hard work at the Hermitage, but there were no Elders there capable of offering spiritual guidance. that Elders of lofty spiritual life were living in the forests of Bryansk, and in the monasteries of the Orel and Kursk dioceses, Father Melchizedek longed to meet them and profit from their teaching. However, the opportunity did not arise for some time. 1814, he went on pilgrimage to Kiev, where he venerated the relics of various saints. the way back, he met some experienced Elders and was able to converse with them. Paul, who came from a family of Rostov merchants, and who was tonsured on Mount Athos, became the new Superior of Ploschansk in 1815. noticed Father Melchizedek’s zeal for the monastic life, and for fulfilling his obediences. March 7, 1815 Father Paul tonsured him as a monk with the new name Macarius. A few days later, on March 12, Bishop Dositheus of Orel and Sevsk ordained Father Macarius as a hierodeacon. Athanasius (Zakharov), a disciple of Saint Paisius Velichkovsky (November 15) was visiting Ploschansk in 1815. He had lived at White Bluff Monastery and Florischev Hermitage in the Vladimir Province. at Ploschansk, Father Athanasius fell off a bench and dislocated a joint in his leg. He went to Cholnsk Monastery in 1816 and partially recovered, but he could no longer walk without a crutch. 1817 he returned to Ploschansk, and Father Macarius moved to his cell to take care of him. Athanasius had a great influence on the spiritual development of Father Macarius, who revered him as his Father and teacher. seven years he had lived in the Neamts Monastery, where he was tonsured by Saint Paisius Velichkovsky. Athanasius finished the course of his earthly life on October 17, 1825, and died in the arms of Father Macarius. He had lived at Ploschansk for ten years, and Father Macarius derived much benefit from his Elder’s example. Athanasius had copies of the translations of the ascetical Fathers made by Saint Paisius, he himself had translated the Life of Saint Gregory of Sinai, the Catechetical Homilies of Saint Theodore the Studite, the homilies of Saint Gregory Palamas, and many other profitable writings. only did Father Macarius read and copy these translations and absorb the wisdom contained in them, he later published them for the benefit of others. Macarius was ordained to the holy priesthood by Bishop Dositheus of Orel and Sevsk on May 27, 1817. Igumen Paul retired to the bishop’s residence at Kaluga in 1818, he was replaced by Hieromonk Seraphim, a disciple of Father Basil (Kishkin), the Superior of White Bluff Hermitage. Seraphim brought good order to Ploschansk, instructing the monks in the spiritual life. Father Seraphim’s blessing, Father Macarius made a pilgrimage to Kiev in 1819 with Hierodeacon Palladius. they met Archimandrite Anthony, who later became Archbishop of Voronezh and Zadonsk. On the way back to Ploschansk, the two visited Glinsk Hermitage. Macarius became acquainted with Hierodeacon Samuel, who was experienced in mental prayer. Father Athanasius had never spoken to him of this activity, Father Macarius was gratified to meet someone who could speak about it from personal experience. 1824, Father Macarius went to Rostov to venerate the relics of Saint Demetrius (September 21 and October 28). that same trip he visited Optina Monastery and its new Skete for the first time. of Father Macarius’s spiritual guides passed away within a short time: Elder Athanasius in 1825, and Igumen Seraphim in 1826. Marcellinus was appointed as Superior of Ploschansk in addition to his duties as Bishop Gabriel’s steward. He continued to live at Orel for two years, while the Ploschansk Hermitage was administered by Father Anatole, the treasurer. Macarius was made dean of the Hermitage on June 10, 1826. January of 1827, he was assigned as confessor at the Holy Trinity Convent of Sevsk. began his period of spiritual direction and spiritual correspondence which lasted until his death. He did not assume such a role on his own, but only in obedience to the will of the bishop. 1828 Father Leonid (Nagolkin) came to Ploschansk from the Saint Alexander of Svir Monastery with several disciples. Macarius thought that the arrival of Father Leonid was the answer to his prayers, for Father Leonid was a man of great spiritual wisdom. This holy Elder, who had struggled against many visible and invisible foes, was able to give useful advice to those who were experiencing temptations. understood from personal experience that those who wish to serve the Lord must prepare their souls for temptation (Sirach 2:1). agreed to Father Macarius’s repeated requests to accept him as a spiritual son and disciple. When Father Leonid moved to Optina in 1829, Father Macarius kept in touch with him through letters. Macarius visited Optina and Father Leonid in 1831 on his way to Petersburg, where Bishop Νikodemos of Orel was serving his term in the Holy Synod. appointed Father Macarius as treasurer and steward, much to the latter’s chagrin. Father Macarius did not care for the bustle of the city, and longed to return to the tranquility of the monastery, yet he remained in his position out of obedience to the bishop. serving for almost a year in Petersburg, Father Macarius returned to Ploschansk Hermitage. On the way back, he visited Father Leonid again at Optina. He also submitted a request to Father Moses to be admitted to the Skete at Optina as soon as this might be arranged. The desired transfer from Ploschansk to Optina did not take place until January 14, 1834. Macarius had lived at Ploschansk for twenty-three years, and always retained a certain fondness for the place for the rest of his life. Father Macarius finally arrived at Optina on February 5, 1834. the age of forty-six, Father Macarius placed himself at the feet of Father Leonid, humbling himself and demonstrating complete obedience. At first, he helped the Elder with his correspondence, but later his responsibilities increased. In October of 1836 he was appointed as confessor for the monastery. After Father Anthony was assigned to Saint Nicholas Monastery in Maloyaroslavets as abbot, Father Macarius succeeded him as Superior of the Skete on December 1, 1839. Father Macarius’s relationship with Father Leonid did not change because of his new position. He never did anything without consulting Father Leonid, and always attributed any success he achieved to the blessing and prayers of his Elder. Macarius remained humble and obedient to Father Leonid until the Elder’s death on October 11, 1841. Even when Father Leonid was transferred from the Skete to the Monastery in 1836, Father Macarius visited him every day to ask his advice on various matters. his final illness, Father Leonid told his spiritual children to go to Father Macarius for spiritual counsel. Seeing in Father Macarius the same spiritual gifts possessed by Father Leonid, people recommended him to their friends and acquaintances. As a result, the number of Father Macarius’s disciples grew larger every year. He was also assigned as instructor of the new novices, and of those who were about to be tonsured. Macarius received visitors from morning until night, and also kept up an extensive spiritual correspondence. Sometimes he was exhausted by the crowds of people, and by the number of letters he had to write. His humility and love for people who were afflicted in body and in spirit would not permit him to curtail his activities, however. Macarius had always loved reading and studying patristic literature. At Ploschansk, he had copied many translations done by Saint Paisius Velichkovsky which were in the possession of Schemamonk Athanasius. His knowledge and understanding of the Fathers increased at Optina under the guidance of Father Leonid, a disciple of Father Theodore of Svir, who was himself a disciple of Saint Paisius. Father Anthony, abbot of the Skete and Father Moses, abbot of the Monastery, both encouraged the study of patristic books. Conditions for the publication of these manuscripts, translated and corrected by Saint Paisius, were quite favorable, for Optina possessed the best copies of these writings. 1845, Ivan V. Kireyevsky, the editor of The Muscovite, asked Father Macarius to write a biography of Saint Paisius for his magazine. In 1846, Father Macarius was visiting the Kireyevskys at their estate, and the discussion turned to the lack of spiritual books offering instruction in the Christian life. Natalia Kireyevsky, the spiritual daughter of Father Macarius since 1838, happened to have some manuscripts of ascetical literature. They both asked Father Macarius, “What prevents us from offering these spiritual treasures to the world?” the beginning of 1847 a biography of Father Pasius Velichkovsky, with extracts from his writings, was published. Over the course of time, sixteen books of patristic literature were published under the Elder’s supervision, including works by Saint Nilus of Sora, Saints Barsanuphius and John, Saint Simeon the New Theologian, and Saint Isaac of Syria. 1853, Father Macarius resigned as Superior of the Skete of Saint John the Baptist, and was succeeded by Father Paphnutius. This took place on November 30, exactly fourteen years from the time Father Macarius had first assumed the office. 1859, one of Father Macarius’s spiritual daughters, was at the point of death. Maria asked Father Macarius to pray that God would spare her life so that she could see her son again. The Elder told her that she would recover, and that they would both die around the same time. The old woman told her friends of this prediction, saying, “Beware my death, for it is connected with the Elder’s death.” Maria died on August 23, 1860 in the presence of Father Macarius and Father Leonid Kavelin. August 26, the Elder became ill with ischuria. A doctor who happened to be at Optina saw him and treated him with drugs. Father Macarius felt worse that evening, and so they sent for a certain nobleman’s personal physician. That doctor was not available, so Father Kavelin went to another doctor to ask for advice. Father Macarius showed no improvement, so he received Holy Unction and the life-giving Mysteries of Christ. On September 2, he received two gifts which delighted him. One was an enamel icon of the Vladimir Mother of God from Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow, which he wore on his breast. The other was a cross containing a relic of the Cross of Christ. Elder felt weaker on September 4, and received Holy Communion after Vespers. During his illness the brethren who cared for him read the daily rule of prayer for him at the proper times. He also asked them to read certain portions of the writings of the holy Fathers. September 5, Father Macarius was moved from his small bedroom into the larger reception room where the air was fresher. During the night the ninety-year-old Schemamonk Hilarion reposed, and the church bell was rung three times according to the custom of the Monastery, indicating that one of the brethren had departed. Many of Father Macarius’s disciples and some visitors in the guesthouse thought that the bell tolled for him. They became alarmed until it was announced that Father Hilarion had passed away. Elder experienced shortness of breath on September 6. He received Communion, and was visited by two doctors, but there was nothing they could do for him. Father Macarius felt worse that evening, and received Holy Communion a second time around 8:00 P.M. Around midnight he talked with his confessor for about half an hour, receiving absolution and forgiveness of his sins. Macarius asked to have the prayer for the dying read, which he heard while sitting in a chair. The Canon and Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos were also read, and the Canon to the Sweetest Lord Jesus Christ was read during Matins. During these readings it appeared that the Elder’s sufferings were alleviated. the night Father Macarius asked to be moved several times from the bed to the chair. He was calm and peaceful, and thanked those around him for caring for him. At 6:00 the next morning he received Holy Communion for the last time. 7:00 on the morning of September 7, 1860, Father Macarius departed to the Lord while the Ninth Ode of the Canon for the Departure of the Soul from the Body was being read. Two years before his death, he was secretly tonsured into the Great Schema. Therefore, a schema which had been blessed on the Lord’s Sepulchre was placed on his body. Several Panikhidas were offered for his soul throughout the day. Macarius was laid to rest on September 10, in a grave prepared for him opposite the altar of the Saint Nicholas chapel in the main church. He was buried to the right of the grave of Father Leonid, his friend and fellow ascetic. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13,1996. The work of uncovering the relics of Saints Leonid, Macarius, Hilarion, Ambrose, Anatole I, Barsanuphius and Anatole II began on June 24/July 7, 1998 and was concluded the next day. However, because of the church Feasts (Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, etc.) associated with the actual dates of the uncovering of the relics, Patriarch Alexey II designated June 27/July 10 as the date for commemorating this event. The relics of the holy Elders now rest in the new church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Optina Elders were glorified by the Moscow Patriarchate for universal veneration on August 7, 2000.

Russia, Kaluga, 1812, Appearances of the Kaluga Icon, seen by French invaders.
Russia, Kaluga, 1812, Appearances of the Kaluga Icon, seen by French invaders.; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated on October 12; The Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1748 (September 2). In 1812 many Russian and French soldiers beheld the Kaluga icon of the Mother of God, standing in the air. Thus also it was around Kaluga and Maloyaroslavl. During such appearances the Russian armies were always victorious. This vision was also granted to the peasant Paraskeva Alekseeva.

Russia, Kaluga, 1832-1891, Saint, Ambrose of Optina, starets and hiroschemamonk
Russia, Kaluga, 1832-1891, Saint, Ambrose of Optina, starets and hiroschemamonk; Optina Monestary ; Venerable Anatole II of Optina, Commemorated on July 30; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated September 7 ; Venerable Hilarion of Optina, Commemorated on September 18; Venerable Ambrose of Optina, Commemorated October 10 ; Ambrose of Optina Michailovich Grenkov was born Nov. 23, 1812 in the Russian province of Tambov. His parents raised him strictly and with fervent piety. Since he was of a priestly family, it was no surprise when he entered the Tambov theological seminary in 1830. He did well in his studies and was ranked among the top students. a year before graduation Alexander became seriously ill. He promised that if God healed him, he would become a monk. Although his prayer was answered, Alexander seemed to forget his promise. graduation from the seminary he took a position as tutor to the children of a certain landowner and remained with this family for a year and a half. After this he became a teacher at the local parochial school. day in 1839 Alexander and a friend visited the famous hermit Father Hilarion to ask him what they should do with their lives. Alexander was surprised when he was told to go to the monastery of Optina Pustin, where they had great need of him. In September of that same year, however, he seemed to be prepared to continue with his teaching career. night he was invited to spend a pleasant evening with some friends. His conversation was witty and brilliant, and all his jokes and puns were on the mark. Although his hosts were amused and impressed by him, Alexander was disgusted by his own frivolity. Perhaps his unfulfilled promise to become a monk weighed on his conscience. next morning he quit his job and arrived at Optina in October of 1839. After a trial period he decided to remain in the monastery and dedicate his life to God. He received the monastic tonsure in 1842, and was given the name Ambrose in honor of Saint Ambrose of Milan (December 7). Ambrose knew the famous spiritual directors Elder Leonid and Elder Macarius. He was the cell attendant of Elder Macarius, who undoubtedly influenced the young monk’s spiritual development. as a priest in 1845, Father Ambrose’s reverence and piety in celebrating the divine services were noticed by the other monks. His health began to decline shortly afterward, and he had to ask to be relieved of all duties. In 1846 he was so ill that the Mystery of Holy Unction was administered to him. He bore his illness without complaint and slowly regained his strength. By 1848 he was able to walk with the aid of a cane. Ambrose began to help Elder Macarius with his correspondence and in preparing the Russian edition of Saint John Climacus’s LADDER OF DIVINE ASCENT, which was published by the monastery. Father Macarius had to go to Moscow in 1852, he designated Father Ambrose to take his place until his return. Father Ambrose never gave his personal opinions when he was asked for advice, but always referred people to the writings of the Fathers. If someone did not understand the text he was given to read, Father Ambrose would explain it in simple terms. Macarius died in 1860 without naming anyone to succeed him as Elder. By divine providence, all the other possible candidates either died or were appointed as abbots of other monasteries. This left Father Ambrose as the undisputed spiritual director of the monastery. In his role as Elder, Father Ambrose had to receive many people each day to hear confessions and give advice. He used to say, “The Lord has arranged it so that I would have to talk to people all my life. Now I would be happy to remain silent, but I cannot.” average day in Saint Ambrose’s life began at 4 A.M. when his cell attendant came into his cell to read the morning Rule of prayer for him. After this he would wash and have some tea, then he would dictate replies to the many letters he received every day. Visitors would be lining up even as he was having breakfast. Sometimes he would take a break after two hours, but more often he would continue seeing people until noon when he had his lunch. lunch he would go out into the next room and greet more visitors. People would call out questions and he would give an appropriate response. He took a short rest at 3 P.M. then talked to people until the evening. At 8 P.M. he had dinner then received more visitors until 11 P.M. At that hour the evening Rule of prayer was read, and Father Ambrose begged forgiveness of the brethren whom he may have offended by thought, word, or deed. After three or four hours of sleep it would all begin again. This routine would fatigue a strong man. It is remarkable that Saint Ambrose, who was often in poor health, was able to keep it up for so many years. all over Russia, people flocked to the venerable Elder. The writer Tolstoy visited him on at least three occasions, and left impressed by the wisdom of the holy monk. Fyodor Dostoevsky came to Optina in 1878 after the death of his son Alyosha and was profoundly affected by his meeting with Saint Ambrose. The novelist used Father Ambrose as a model for Starets Zosima in The Brothers Karamazov. saint founded Shamordino convent in 1884. This convent, which was near Optina, opened its doors to women who were poor, sickly, or even blind. Most convents were very poor and had to rely on the incomes of women who had a certain personal wealth in order to remain open. Saint Ambrose made it possible for any woman who wished to become a nun to follow this path of salvation. began to decline after the death of the first abbess, Mother Sophia. Saint Ambrose went there in June 1890 to straighten out the convent’s affairs. He was unable to return to Optina due to illness, then winter made it impossible for him to travel. Father Ambrose continued to see visitors at Shamordino, even though his health continued to deteriorate in 1891. September, it was clear that he had not long to live. He fell asleep in the Lord at 11:30 A.M. on the morning of October 10 1891. Throngs of people attended his funeral and also his burial at Optina. Fathers Joseph, Anthony, Benedict, and Anatole succeeded him as Elder until the monastery was closed after the Russian Revolution. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13,1996. The work of uncovering the relics of Saints Leonid, Macarius, Hilarion, Ambrose, Anatole I, Barsanuphius and Anatole II began on June 24/July 7, 1998 and was concluded the next day. However, because of the church Feasts (Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, etc.) associated with the actual dates of the uncovering of the relics, Patriarch Alexey II designated June 27/July 10 as the date for commemorating this event. The relics of the holy Elders now rest in the new church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Optina Elders were glorified by the Moscow Patriarchate for universal veneration on August 7, 2000. Ambrose was glorified in 1988 by the Patriarchate of Moscow as part of the Millennium celebration of the Baptism of Rus. Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of Optina, Commemorated on October 11 ; Venerable Leonid of Optina, Commemorated on October 11; Icon of the Mother of God the "Multiplier of Wheat", Commemorated October 15 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated November 19 ; Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Venerable Moses of Optina, Commemorated on June 16; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25;

Russia, Kaluga, 1848-1910, Writer Leo Tolstoy, admired Rouseau
Russia, Moscow, 1848-1910, Writer Leo Tolstoy; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26;

Russia, Kaluga, 1857-1911, St Joseph (Litovkin) of Optina, Ambrose' assistant, also head of Shamordino C and Optima M
Kaluga's St Joseph (Litovkin) of Optina, 1857-1911; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Joseph of Optina was born on November 2, 1837 in the village of Gorodishcha in the province of Kharkov. His name in the world was John Litovkin, and his parents Euthymius and Maria were simple but pious people. They were generous to the poor, and often lent money to those in need even when there seemed little chance that it would be repaid. Euthymius also loved to receive monks who came to his door collecting alms for their monasteries. Invariably, he would give each one five rubles for the needs of the monastery. Litovkins had six children, and they often read to them from spiritual books, especially from the Lives of the Saints. The second of their three sons (the future Saint Joseph) was baptized with the name John in honor of Saint John the Merciful (November 12). Instead of providing them with earthly wealth, the couple endowed their children with heavenly treasures, raising them in piety, obedience, and in the fear of God. learned to read even before he started school, taught by his older sister Alexandra at home. He was a sickly child, nearsighted and hard of hearing in one ear. He also met with various accidents. Once he was knocked down by another child and bit off the tip of his own tongue. Another time he was scalded with boiling water. In spite of all this, he was a happy and affectionate child. His father knew there was something special about John, and others also believed that God’s special favor was upon the boy. he was only four, John’s beloved father died, and his mother had to raise the children herself. he was eight, John was playing with some friends, and suddenly froze on the spot. He raised his arms and his head toward the sky, then fell down unconscious. They carried him home and put him to bed. When he awoke, they asked him what had happened. He told them that he had seen the Queen of Heaven in the air. “What makes you think you saw the Queen?” they asked. “Because she had a crown with a cross,” he replied. that time on, the boy became more quiet and thoughtful, and started to avoid children’s games. Soon after this, the family moved into a new home. There was a great fire in the village, and John prayed that the Mother of God would protect their house from the flames. The Livotkin home was spared, even though everything around it was burned. 1848, their mother died during an outbreak of cholera. John was only eleven at the time. His older brother Simeon and his sister Anna were both married before their mother passed away, and his sister Alexandra had gone to the Borisovsk monastery in Kursk Province to become a nun. Simeon became the head of the family, although his drinking problem made him rather unreliable. Simeon took care of John for a while, and their younger brother Peter went to live with Anna. Simeon decided to leave home, and so John was placed in the care of various people, including a tavern keeper and a grocer. to endure conditions in the homes of such people, John went to live with a cousin who was a deacon in Novocherkassk. He ate nothing on his journey, for he was ashamed to beg, and people did not offer him any food on their own. When he arrived at the church where his cousin served, John sat down outside and waited for the Liturgy to end. Two women with rolls passed by and took pity upon him. One of them gave him a warm roll, which the boy regarded as manna from heaven. stayed with his cousin for a brief time, then moved on to other places, taking various jobs to support himself. Later in life he was asked whether he had ever had a girlfriend when he was living in the world. He shook his head and said, “Since I was nearsighted, I couldn’t really see anyone at a distance, and I was too shy to approach anyone up close.” living in the world John was often unhappy, and he found consolation in prayer and in church services. One day he received a letter from his sister, Mother Leonida, suggesting that he enter the skete at Optina, which was blessed with experienced Elders. Then the desire to leave the world and embrace the monastic life began to grow within him. that John was planning to make a pilgrimage to the Kiev Caves, the man for whom he was working offered him his daughter in marriage. Years later Father Joseph would say, “It’s always that way. As soon as one begins to think of following the path to salvation, obstacles and temptations begin to appear.” his employer’s permission, John started out for Kiev. On the way, he stopped to visit his parents’ graves and the place where he had spent a happy childhood. He stayed briefly at the Dormition Monastery in Kharkov’s Holy Mountains, but he did not wish to remain there. Finally he went to the Borisovsk Women’s Hermitage to visit his sister, Mother Leonida. She had spoken to Saint Macarius of Optina (September 7) of her concern for John. He told her not to worry, because John would become a monk. Leonida’s Eldress, Schemanun Alypia, overheard some of their conversation and said to John, “Forget about Kiev. Go to the Elders at Optina.” Mother Leonida gave him a look indicating that John should obey. traveled to Optina with some nuns of the women’s monastery at Belev, driving the cart for them. Saint Macarius had already departed to the Lord in 1860, and was succeeded as Elder by his disciple, Saint Ambrose (October 10). Knowing of John’s monastic inclinations, the nuns jokingly introduced him as “Brother John.” Saint Ambrose replied solemnly, “This Brother John will prove useful to us, and to you.” March 1, 1861 John found himself standing before the Elder Ambrose, telling him of his life, and asking for a blessing to go to Kiev. Father Ambrose told him to remain at Optina, forseeing the blessings he would bring to Optina, and to the women’s monasteries which were under the guidance of the Optina Elders. Taking Saint Ambrose’s words as an indication of God’s will, John murmured, “May it be blessed.” like all new novices, was given an obedience in the kitchen. He was assigned to help the cook in the skete. From the very start, John demonstrated perfect obedience and humility. Life in the monastery was everything he had hoped it would be, and he was glad to leave the tumult of the world behind. June the Superior of the Skete, Father Paphnutius, asked John if he would like to move in with the Elder Ambrose as his cell-attendant. The next day he moved to the Elder’s quarters, where he remained for the next fifty years. As happy as he was to be near the Elder, he was disturbed by the constant flow of visitors. He felt that there was no time to pray or go to church, and began to have misgivings. He was tempted by the thought that perhaps he would be better off in Kiev or on Mount Athos, and did not notice that Father Ambrose had entered the cell. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder and heard the Elder say, “Brother John, it’s better here than it is on Athos. Stay with us.” realized that his thoughts had been sent by the Enemy of our salvation, and he fell down at Father Ambrose’s feet in repentance. April 15, 1872 he was tonsured as a rassophore (wearer of the rassa), then on June 16, 1872 he was tonsured as a monk, receiving the name Joseph in honor of Saint Joseph the Hymnographer (April 4). He was unexpectedly ordained as a deacon in 1877 in a way which demonstrated that God was directing the course of his life. December 7 (Father Ambrose’s nameday), Igumen Isaac served Liturgy in the skete church. Later, he visited Father Ambrose to offer his congratulations, and the cell-attendants Father Joseph and Father Michael served them tea. The Superior asked Father Ambrose about a monk whom he proposed to recommend for ordination to the diaconate. The Elder said that the time was not right for that particular monk, recommending someone else instead. Noticing Father Joseph standing nearby with a tray, Father Isaac smiled and said, “Well Father, you don’t want my candidate, and I don’t want yours. Let’s ordain Father Joseph.” it was that Father Joseph was sent to Kaluga, where he was ordained by Bishop Gregory on December 9. It was customary at Optina that a newly-ordained deacon or priest would serve every day for forty days. Father Joseph’s health did not permit him to fulfill the forty days, however. He developed an inflammation on his right side, and he nearly died. Joseph’s life continued as it had before, but with more responsibilities. He had no cell of his own, but continued to sleep in the reception room, which the Elder used each day until almost 11 P.M. Father Ambrose frequently tested his cell-attendant in order to give him the opportunity to acquire patience and humility, following the instructions of Saint John of the Ladder (Book 4, paragraphs 27 and 28). Ambrose built the Shamordino Convent about eight miles from Optina, and on October 1, 1884 Bishop Vladimir of Kaluga came for its opening. At the Liturgy that day, Father Joseph was ordained as a priest and from that day forward the nuns regarded him as their priest, and he became the spiritual director of the convent after the repose of Father Ambrose. Joseph now became the Elder’s senior cell-attendant, and tried to protect him and also to placate the visitors who grumbled about having to wait for so long to see Father Ambrose. In spite of his duties, Father Joseph found time to read spiritual books. He particularly loved the PHILOKALIA and the writings of the Fathers. In these books he found spiritual wisdom, which he shared with those who came to him for advice. Joseph’s inner life was known only to God, but his advice to others indicates that he practiced unceasing prayer of the heart. Forseeing that Father Joseph would serve as Elder after him, Father Ambrose blessed some people to start going to Father Joseph for their spiritual needs. Joseph attended Saint Ambrose for thirty years, until the Elder’s death on October 10, 1891. Father Ambrose prepared Father Joseph for eldership, teaching him by word and by example. He would also refer some visitors to Father Joseph for advice. There was such oneness of mind between them that when people would ask Father Joseph about something and then ask Father Ambrose about the same thing, they would receive the very same answer. Joseph’s health was not good, and he was susceptible to colds in winter. In February 1888 he became very ill and took to his bed, and he received the Mystey of Holy Unction. The doctor recommended that he be moved to the infirmary for treatment, but Father Joseph did not wish to leave Father Ambrose. The Superior of the skete insisted on the transfer, however. The ride to the monastery in a sleigh during cold weather only made his illness worse. Joseph was tonsured into the schema (the highest level of monasticism) during the Liturgy on February 14. The next day, prayers for the Departure of the Soul were read for him, and people came to bid him farewell. A novice, sitting behind a screen, heard Father Joseph praying aloud. Peering through a slit in the screen, he saw Father Joseph gazing at an icon of Christ and lifting up his hands. This novice went to the infirmary later and heard someone behind the screen say, “Be patient, my dear one, only a little remains.” He looked behind the screen, but saw no one there except Father Joseph. Later, Father Ambrose told people that Father Joseph had seen the Mother of God during his illness. Though he had been quite near death, he got well. his recovery, Father Joseph began to hear confessions on a regular basis, since this was becoming too difficult for Father Ambrose. He blessed people to go to Father Joseph “not just once, but always.” the summer of 1888, Father Ambrose blessed Father Joseph to go on a pilgrimage to Kiev. After nearly thirty years, he was able to fulfill his desire to visit the holy places of Kiev. On his way back to Optina, he stopped to visit his sister Mother Leonida at Borisovsk. Ambrose usually spent three weeks during the summer at the Shamordino Convent, accompanied by Father Joseph. In June of 1890 Father Joseph began to prepare for the journey, but Father Ambrose said, “I’m not taking you this time, you’re needed here.” He ordered Father Joseph to move into his cell and to transfer a large “Surety of Sinners” Icon (March 7 and May 29) into the reception room. Father Joseph had a premonition that Father Ambrose would never return. he missed the Elder, Father Joseph resigned himself to the situation. He did go to Shamordino once a month to visit Father Ambrose, however. In the absence of Father Ambrose, many monks who confessed to him began to go to Father Joseph. During the Nativity Fast Father Ambrose started sending his spiritual children at Shamordino to confess to Father Joseph as well. This was difficult for the nuns, who were used to Father Ambrose. Even when he heard a nun’s confession himself, Father Ambrose would send her to Father Joseph for the prayers of absolution. In this manner, he indicated that he was entrusting his spiritual children to no one but Father Joseph. September 1891 Father Ambrose became ill, but no one thought it was serious. On October 8, he was so critical that they sent for Father Joseph. That evening the service of Holy Unction was performed, and the next morning Father Joseph gave Father Ambrose Communion for the last time. Saint Ambrose reposed on the morning of October 10, and no one grieved more than Father Joseph. Even in his sorrow, however, he comforted and consoled others. any outside influence or pressure, the monks of Optina began coming to Father Joseph just as they had come to Father Ambrose. When the nuns of Shamordino asked to whom they should go for spiritual direction, Father Isaac told them, “At Optina all we have Father Joseph as our common Elder, and he must be yours as well.” the next twenty years, Saint Joseph received visitors, gave spiritual counsel to those who asked for his advice, and even performed miracles of healing for the afflicted. Out of humility, Father Joseph never said anything on his own authority, but quoted the words of Father Ambrose, or gave examples from his life. He spoke very little, and then only to answer a question which had been put to him. Some laymen, and even some of the monks, were annoyed with him because he did not say more. monk had the thought that since Father Joseph was filled with spiritual wisdom and was so familiar with the writings of the Fathers, he could have said many beneficial things to people. The Elder explained this to him, quoting Saint Peter of Damascus, who said that one should not say anything helpful unless asked by the brethren, because then the resulting benefit would come from their free choice. Even concerning something which might be useful for salvation, the ancient Fathers would not speak without being asked, considering unsolicited advice as idle talk (Vol. 3 of the English PHILOKALIA, p. 186). greatest care was for the Shamordino Convent, which remained unfinished, and for the spiritual welfare of its nuns. The Superior of the convent now turned to Father Joseph to consult him about everything related to the life of the convent, and would do nothing without his blessing. He went there twice a year, during the Apostles’ Fast, and during the Dormition Fast, to hear the confessions of the sisters. In the winter, they would visit him at Optina for Confession. Soon he was obliged to give up traveling to Shamordino because of his health. Joseph was officially appointed as confessor for the Optina brotherhood near the end of 1893 when Father Anatole became ill and could not fulfill this duty. Many of the monks had already been confessing to Father Joseph, but now they all came to him. January 25, 1894 Saint Anatole, the head of the skete, fell asleep in the Lord. Archimandrite Isaac and the bretheren unanimously chose Father Joseph to succeed Father Anatole as Superior of the skete. Although he never sought this honor, Father Joseph accepted his election with all humility. He discharged his duties, not by issuing orders, but with paternal love and humility. Superior, he could have chosen to serve only on major Feast Days when the priests concelebrated, and designated one of the priests of the skete to serve on other days. He often served as a simple monk, however, with only one deacon to assist him. the last years of his life, Father Joseph grew weaker and was often ill. In May of 1905 he felt that he lacked the strength to carry out his duties, and he asked to retire as Superior of the skete. He also had to give up hearing the confessions of visitors, since this exhausted him. His spiritual children were saddened by his decision, but the monks and nuns continued to come to him with their spiritual wounds and afflictions. 1911 Father Joseph was weak and ill, but began to feel somewhat better during Great Lent. He was unusually joyful during Holy Week, which led some to believe that he had had some sort of vision. On April 11, the third day of Pascha, Father Joseph developed a fever and stopped seeing visitors. The following week, a doctor diagnosed him with maleria, declaring that there was no hope for recovery. April 20 the wonderworking Icon “of the Sign” was brought to his cell and a molieben was served. In the afternoon, the Kazan Icon and the rassa of Saint Seraphim were brought to him. Two days later, he requested that the skete brotherhood be permitted to come to him so that he could bid them farewell and ask their forgiveness. Then he asked that the Shamordino nuns also be allowed to come. Joseph stopped taking food from April 28 on, nourishing himself only with the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Up until the time of his death, he was conscious and lucid, answering questions and dictating replies to letters. On May 8 he felt a little better, then became weak again. On the morning of May 9 he received Holy Communion, then at four in the afternoon he received some people for a final blessing. evening the Elder lay resting on his bed with his eyes closed, and his face shone with an unearthly radiance. At 10:45 he drew his last breath and departed to the Lord with a smile on his face. the body was prepared for burial, panikhidas were served one after another for the departed Elder. The saint appeared to some of the brethren in dreams both that night and on subsequent days. body was placed in a coffin at six o’clock the next morning and was carried to the skete church. Following the Liturgy, a panikhida was served, then the casket was brought to the monastery church of Saint Mary of Egypt. The monks began taking turns serving panikhidas for Father Joseph until his burial. miracles took place on the day Saint Joseph was laid to rest at the feet of Father Ambrose. Even today, he continues to intercede with God and to work miracles for those who entreat him with faith. Joseph became a great Elder because first he had been a great disciple. He was obedient to his Elder Father Ambrose in all things, and never contradicted him. Because he renounced his own will, refrained from judging others, and reproached himself for his own sins, Father Joseph acquired humility and the grace of God. He also obtained from the Lord the discernment to recognize every sort of spiritual illness, and how to treat it. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13,1996. The work of uncovering the relics of Saints Leonid, Macarius, Hilarion, Ambrose, Anatole I, Barsanuphius and Anatole II began on June 24/July 7, 1998 and was concluded the next day. However, because of the church Feasts (Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, etc.) associated with the actual dates of the uncovering of the relics, Patriarch Alexey II designated June 27/July 10 as the date for commemorating this event. The relics of the holy Elders now rest in the new church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Optina Elders were glorified by the Moscow Patriarchate for universal veneration on August 7, 2000.

Russia, Kaluga, 1884-1892, Multiplier of Wheat Icon, Optina Monastery, MOG, St Ambrose, crop failure famines, but rain w icon
Russia, Kaluga, 1892, Multiplier of Wheat Icon; Optina Monestary ; Icon of the Mother of God the "Multiplier of Wheat", Commemorated October 15 ; Icon of the Mother of God, the “Multiplier of Wheat”, was painted at the blessing of the Elder Ambrose (October 10) of the Visitation Optina wilderness monastery. Ambrose, a great Russian ascetic of the nineteenth century, was ardent with a childlike faith towards the Mother of God. In particular, he revered all the Feastdays of the Mother of God, and on these days he redoubled his prayer. the icon, “Multiplier of Wheat,” Saint Ambrose blessed the Shamordino women’s monastery established in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, which he had founded not far from the Optina monastery. this icon, the Mother of God is depicted sitting upon the clouds, and Her hands are extended in blessing. Beneath her is a compressed field, and on it amidst the grass and flowers stand and lay sheaves of rye. Ambrose himself decreed the day of celebration, October 15, and called the icon “Multiplier of Wheat”, indicating by this, that the Most Holy Theotokos “is a Helper for people in their labors for the acquiring of their daily bread.” his blessed repose, Saint Ambrose ordered many copies of this icon and sent them to his spiritual children. the Akathist to this icon, the Elder composed a particular response, “Hail, Full of Grace, the Lord is with You! Grant unto us unworthy ones the dew of Your grace and the showing forth of Your mercy!” Ambrose’s burial took place on October 15, the Feastday of the icon. first miracle from the holy icon was witnessed in 1891, when throughout Russia there was a famine because of crop failure. In the Kaluga district and on the fields of the Shamordino monastery, however, grain was produced. 1892, already after the death of Saint Ambrose, his attendant John Cherepanov sent a copy of the icon to the Pyatnitsa women’s monastery in Voronezh district. In this locale there was a threat of drought and famine, but soon after a Molieben was celebrated before the icon “The Multiplier of Wheat”, rain fell and ended the drought. Venerable Ambrose of Optina, Commemorated October 10 ; Ambrose of Optina Michailovich Grenkov was born Nov. 23, 1812 in the Russian province of Tambov. His parents raised him strictly and with fervent piety. Since he was of a priestly family, it was no surprise when he entered the Tambov theological seminary in 1830. He did well in his studies and was ranked among the top students. a year before graduation Alexander became seriously ill. He promised that if God healed him, he would become a monk. Although his prayer was answered, Alexander seemed to forget his promise. graduation from the seminary he took a position as tutor to the children of a certain landowner and remained with this family for a year and a half. After this he became a teacher at the local parochial school. day in 1839 Alexander and a friend visited the famous hermit Father Hilarion to ask him what they should do with their lives. Alexander was surprised when he was told to go to the monastery of Optina Pustin, where they had great need of him. In September of that same year, however, he seemed to be prepared to continue with his teaching career. night he was invited to spend a pleasant evening with some friends. His conversation was witty and brilliant, and all his jokes and puns were on the mark. Although his hosts were amused and impressed by him, Alexander was disgusted by his own frivolity. Perhaps his unfulfilled promise to become a monk weighed on his conscience. next morning he quit his job and arrived at Optina in October of 1839. After a trial period he decided to remain in the monastery and dedicate his life to God. He received the monastic tonsure in 1842, and was given the name Ambrose in honor of Saint Ambrose of Milan (December 7). Ambrose knew the famous spiritual directors Elder Leonid and Elder Macarius. He was the cell attendant of Elder Macarius, who undoubtedly influenced the young monk’s spiritual development. as a priest in 1845, Father Ambrose’s reverence and piety in celebrating the divine services were noticed by the other monks. His health began to decline shortly afterward, and he had to ask to be relieved of all duties. In 1846 he was so ill that the Mystery of Holy Unction was administered to him. He bore his illness without complaint and slowly regained his strength. By 1848 he was able to walk with the aid of a cane. Ambrose began to help Elder Macarius with his correspondence and in preparing the Russian edition of Saint John Climacus’s LADDER OF DIVINE ASCENT, which was published by the monastery. Father Macarius had to go to Moscow in 1852, he designated Father Ambrose to take his place until his return. Father Ambrose never gave his personal opinions when he was asked for advice, but always referred people to the writings of the Fathers. If someone did not understand the text he was given to read, Father Ambrose would explain it in simple terms. Macarius died in 1860 without naming anyone to succeed him as Elder. By divine providence, all the other possible candidates either died or were appointed as abbots of other monasteries. This left Father Ambrose as the undisputed spiritual director of the monastery. In his role as Elder, Father Ambrose had to receive many people each day to hear confessions and give advice. He used to say, “The Lord has arranged it so that I would have to talk to people all my life. Now I would be happy to remain silent, but I cannot.” average day in Saint Ambrose’s life began at 4 A.M. when his cell attendant came into his cell to read the morning Rule of prayer for him. After this he would wash and have some tea, then he would dictate replies to the many letters he received every day. Visitors would be lining up even as he was having breakfast. Sometimes he would take a break after two hours, but more often he would continue seeing people until noon when he had his lunch. lunch he would go out into the next room and greet more visitors. People would call out questions and he would give an appropriate response. He took a short rest at 3 P.M. then talked to people until the evening. At 8 P.M. he had dinner then received more visitors until 11 P.M. At that hour the evening Rule of prayer was read, and Father Ambrose begged forgiveness of the brethren whom he may have offended by thought, word, or deed. After three or four hours of sleep it would all begin again. This routine would fatigue a strong man. It is remarkable that Saint Ambrose, who was often in poor health, was able to keep it up for so many years. all over Russia, people flocked to the venerable Elder. The writer Tolstoy visited him on at least three occasions, and left impressed by the wisdom of the holy monk. Fyodor Dostoevsky came to Optina in 1878 after the death of his son Alyosha and was profoundly affected by his meeting with Saint Ambrose. The novelist used Father Ambrose as a model for Starets Zosima in The Brothers Karamazov. saint founded Shamordino convent in 1884. This convent, which was near Optina, opened its doors to women who were poor, sickly, or even blind. Most convents were very poor and had to rely on the incomes of women who had a certain personal wealth in order to remain open. Saint Ambrose made it possible for any woman who wished to become a nun to follow this path of salvation. began to decline after the death of the first abbess, Mother Sophia. Saint Ambrose went there in June 1890 to straighten out the convent’s affairs. He was unable to return to Optina due to illness, then winter made it impossible for him to travel. Father Ambrose continued to see visitors at Shamordino, even though his health continued to deteriorate in 1891. September, it was clear that he had not long to live. He fell asleep in the Lord at 11:30 A.M. on the morning of October 10 1891. Throngs of people attended his funeral and also his burial at Optina. Fathers Joseph, Anthony, Benedict, and Anatole succeeded him as Elder until the monastery was closed after the Russian Revolution. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13,1996. The work of uncovering the relics of Saints Leonid, Macarius, Hilarion, Ambrose, Anatole I, Barsanuphius and Anatole II began on June 24/July 7, 1998 and was concluded the next day. However, because of the church Feasts (Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, etc.) associated with the actual dates of the uncovering of the relics, Patriarch Alexey II designated June 27/July 10 as the date for commemorating this event. The relics of the holy Elders now rest in the new church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Optina Elders were glorified by the Moscow Patriarchate for universal veneration on August 7, 2000. Ambrose was glorified in 1988 by the Patriarchate of Moscow as part of the Millennium celebration of the Baptism of Rus.

Russia, Kaluga, 1884-1891, Multiplier of Wheat Icon, Optina Monastery, Kaluga, sheaves of rye, reversed crop failures
Russia, Kaluga, 1884-1891, Multiplier of Wheat Icon, Optina Monastery, Kaluga (Zhizdra River 1), sheaves of rye, reversed crop failures; Shamordino Women's Monastery, 1884; Optina Monestary ; Icon of the Mother of God the "Multiplier of Wheat", Commemorated October 15 ; Icon of the Mother of God, the “Multiplier of Wheat”, was painted at the blessing of the Elder Ambrose (October 10) of the Visitation Optina wilderness monastery. Ambrose, a great Russian ascetic of the nineteenth century, ardent with a childlike faith towards the Mother of God. particular, he revered all the Feastdays of the Mother of God, on these days he redoubled his prayer. the icon, “Multiplier of Wheat,” Saint Ambrose blessed the Shamordino women’s monastery established in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, which he had founded not far from the Optina monastery. this icon, the Mother of God is depicted sitting upon the clouds, Her hands are extended in blessing. her is a compressed field, on it amidst the grass and flowers stand and lay sheaves of rye. Ambrose himself decreed the day of celebration, October 15, and called the icon “Multiplier of Wheat”, by this, that the Most Holy Theotokos “is a Helper for people in their labors for the acquiring of their daily bread.” his blessed repose, Saint Ambrose ordered many copies of this icon and sent them to his spiritual children. the Akathist to this icon, the Elder composed a particular response, “Hail, Full of Grace, the Lord is with You! Grant unto us unworthy ones the dew of Your grace and the showing forth of Your mercy!” Ambrose’s burial took place on October 15, the Feastday of the icon. first miracle from the holy icon was witnessed in 1891, when throughout Russia there was a famine because of crop failure. the Kaluga district and on the fields of the Shamordino monastery, however, grain was produced. 1892, already after the death of Saint Ambrose, his attendant John Cherepanov sent a copy of the icon to the Pyatnitsa women’s monastery in Voronezh district. this locale there was a threat of drought and famine, but soon after a Molieben was celebrated before the icon “The Multiplier of Wheat”, rain fell and ended the drought. Venerable Ambrose of Optina, Commemorated October 10 ; Ambrose of Optina Michailovich Grenkov was born Nov. 23, 1812 in the Russian province of Tambov. His parents raised him strictly and with fervent piety. Since he was of a priestly family, it was no surprise when he entered the Tambov theological seminary in 1830. He did well in his studies and was ranked among the top students. a year before graduation Alexander became seriously ill. He promised that if God healed him, he would become a monk. Although his prayer was answered, Alexander seemed to forget his promise. graduation from the seminary he took a position as tutor to the children of a certain landowner and remained with this family for a year and a half. After this he became a teacher at the local parochial school. day in 1839 Alexander and a friend visited the famous hermit Father Hilarion to ask him what they should do with their lives. Alexander was surprised when he was told to go to the monastery of Optina Pustin, where they had great need of him. In September of that same year, however, he seemed to be prepared to continue with his teaching career. night he was invited to spend a pleasant evening with some friends. His conversation was witty and brilliant, and all his jokes and puns were on the mark. Although his hosts were amused and impressed by him, Alexander was disgusted by his own frivolity. Perhaps his unfulfilled promise to become a monk weighed on his conscience. next morning he quit his job and arrived at Optina in October of 1839. After a trial period he decided to remain in the monastery and dedicate his life to God. He received the monastic tonsure in 1842, and was given the name Ambrose in honor of Saint Ambrose of Milan (December 7). Ambrose knew the famous spiritual directors Elder Leonid and Elder Macarius. He was the cell attendant of Elder Macarius, who undoubtedly influenced the young monk’s spiritual development. as a priest in 1845, Father Ambrose’s reverence and piety in celebrating the divine services were noticed by the other monks. His health began to decline shortly afterward, and he had to ask to be relieved of all duties. In 1846 he was so ill that the Mystery of Holy Unction was administered to him. He bore his illness without complaint and slowly regained his strength. By 1848 he was able to walk with the aid of a cane. Ambrose began to help Elder Macarius with his correspondence and in preparing the Russian edition of Saint John Climacus’s LADDER OF DIVINE ASCENT, which was published by the monastery. Father Macarius had to go to Moscow in 1852, he designated Father Ambrose to take his place until his return. Father Ambrose never gave his personal opinions when he was asked for advice, but always referred people to the writings of the Fathers. If someone did not understand the text he was given to read, Father Ambrose would explain it in simple terms. Macarius died in 1860 without naming anyone to succeed him as Elder. By divine providence, all the other possible candidates either died or were appointed as abbots of other monasteries. This left Father Ambrose as the undisputed spiritual director of the monastery. In his role as Elder, Father Ambrose had to receive many people each day to hear confessions and give advice. He used to say, “The Lord has arranged it so that I would have to talk to people all my life. Now I would be happy to remain silent, but I cannot.” average day in Saint Ambrose’s life began at 4 A.M. when his cell attendant came into his cell to read the morning Rule of prayer for him. After this he would wash and have some tea, then he would dictate replies to the many letters he received every day. Visitors would be lining up even as he was having breakfast. Sometimes he would take a break after two hours, but more often he would continue seeing people until noon when he had his lunch. lunch he would go out into the next room and greet more visitors. People would call out questions and he would give an appropriate response. He took a short rest at 3 P.M. then talked to people until the evening. At 8 P.M. he had dinner then received more visitors until 11 P.M. At that hour the evening Rule of prayer was read, and Father Ambrose begged forgiveness of the brethren whom he may have offended by thought, word, or deed. After three or four hours of sleep it would all begin again. This routine would fatigue a strong man. It is remarkable that Saint Ambrose, who was often in poor health, was able to keep it up for so many years. all over Russia, people flocked to the venerable Elder. The writer Tolstoy visited him on at least three occasions, and left impressed by the wisdom of the holy monk. Fyodor Dostoevsky came to Optina in 1878 after the death of his son Alyosha and was profoundly affected by his meeting with Saint Ambrose. The novelist used Father Ambrose as a model for Starets Zosima in The Brothers Karamazov. saint founded Shamordino convent in 1884. This convent, which was near Optina, opened its doors to women who were poor, sickly, or even blind. Most convents were very poor and had to rely on the incomes of women who had a certain personal wealth in order to remain open. Saint Ambrose made it possible for any woman who wished to become a nun to follow this path of salvation. began to decline after the death of the first abbess, Mother Sophia. Saint Ambrose went there in June 1890 to straighten out the convent’s affairs. He was unable to return to Optina due to illness, then winter made it impossible for him to travel. Father Ambrose continued to see visitors at Shamordino, even though his health continued to deteriorate in 1891. September, it was clear that he had not long to live. He fell asleep in the Lord at 11:30 A.M. on the morning of October 10 1891. Throngs of people attended his funeral and also his burial at Optina. Fathers Joseph, Anthony, Benedict, and Anatole succeeded him as Elder until the monastery was closed after the Russian Revolution. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13,1996. The work of uncovering the relics of Saints Leonid, Macarius, Hilarion, Ambrose, Anatole I, Barsanuphius and Anatole II began on June 24/July 7, 1998 and was concluded the next day. However, because of the church Feasts (Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, etc.) associated with the actual dates of the uncovering of the relics, Patriarch Alexey II designated June 27/July 10 as the date for commemorating this event. The relics of the holy Elders now rest in the new church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Optina Elders were glorified by the Moscow Patriarchate for universal veneration on August 7, 2000. Ambrose was glorified in 1988 by the Patriarchate of Moscow as part of the Millennium celebration of the Baptism of Rus.

Russia, Kaluga, 1891-1918, Hiermrtr Nikodemos, Bishop of BelgorodBelgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1), historian
Mongol, Scythia, 1891-1918, Hieromartyr Nikodemos, Bishop of Belgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1), from line of missionary priests itNorth, 1896 Superintendent of Petersburg TSchool & ctaker Pedagogical Courses, many awards, 1899 tKaluga arector KSpiritual seminary, 1909 r Olonets Seminary, taught students obey authorities, at least for awhile, Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom which he wrote in college, but genius write for genius, 1911 Bishop, 1913 BoBelogorod&Vicar of Kursk, composer church hymns, as spiritual writer&Church historian, author of books about ascetics of Arkhangelsk and Olonets, compiler Biographies of the National Ascetics of Piety ot XVIII-XIX centuries, he wrote of Lives of the Saints of the St. Petersburg.and Vologda dioceses, as well ascetics Solovki Monastery, 1911 -he worked hard on discovery relics St. Joasaph of Belgorod, composed prayers, wrote miracle cases, 1918 martyred; Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 28; Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod (in the world Alexander Mikhailovich Kononov) was born on June 18, 1871 in Arkhangelsk province, son of Father Michael Kononov and his wife Claudia. Kononov family traces its roots back to the XVII century, and there were many remarkable priests who served as missionaries in the north. Kononov graduated from the Arkhangelsk Theological Seminary and the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. 1896 he was tonsured as a monk with the name Νikόdēmos, in honor of Saint Νikόdēmos of Kozha Lake (July 3), and he was ordained as a Hieromonk. the same time, he was appointed Superintendent of the Alexander Nevsky Theological School in St. Petersburg, as well as the caretaker of the St. Petersburg Pedagogical Courses. his work, Father Νikόdēmos received many awards. In 1901, he received a Bible from the Synod "in encouraging his love for children, which he showed in his deeds and in truth." On August 30 of that same year, he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite. three years, Father Νikόdēmos was sent to Kaluga as rector of the Kaluga Spiritual seminary, in 1909 he was appointed as rector of the Olonets Seminary. this time Archimandrite Νikόdēmos received thanks from the Kaluga bishop for his "vigilant labors, recently incurred, his impact on the excitable minds of the pupils, so that they stopped fermenting and the thought, if not forever, then for a long time - not to obey the lawful orders of the authorities," as the bishop declared in expressing his gratitude. Holy Synod blessed Archimandrite Νikόdēmos to compose an Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom, which was printed by the Synod for ecclesiastical use. Νikόdēmos had originally written the Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom while he was still a student of St. Petersburg Theological Academy. at that time the censor had rejected the Akathist in approximately these terms: "An Akathist to a genius ought to be written by a genius, not by some unknown Hieromonk." 1911, at St. Petersburg, Father Νikόdēmos was consecrated as a bishop by Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) of Moscow and Kolomensk. 1913, Bishop Νikόdēmos became Bishop of Belgorod, and Vicar of the Kursk Diocese. the time of his pastoral activities, Vladyka was a composer of Church hymns, he composed Akathists to his patron Saint Νikόdēmos of Kozha Lake Monastery, Tryphon of Pechenga (December 15), and the Monastic Martyr Job the Gorge-dweller, wonderworker of Solovki (August 5). a spiritual writer and Church historian, Bishop Νikόdēmos was the author of books about the ascetics of Arkhangelsk and Olonets, he was also one of the main compilers of the multi-volume work "Biographies of the National Ascetics of Piety of the XVIII-XIX centuries." book "Elder Father Naum of Solovki, the Ascetic of Karelia" was published in 1910. addition, he wrote several collections of Lives of the Saints of the St. Petersburg.and Vologda dioceses, as well as those of the ascetics Solovki Monastery. also wrote a history of Eldership. worked hard in connection with the discovery of the holy relics of St. Joasaph of Belgorod (on September 4, 1911). his service in the Diocese, he composed two prayers to Saint Joasaph, as well as his great opus "The Life, Glorification and Miracles of Saint Joasaph." the direction of Bishop Νikόdēmos, and with his direct participation, three volumes of consistory cases related to the activities of Saint Joasaph were published. chambers in the Holy Trinity Monastery were reconstructed, and a unique museum of Saint Joasaph was created, which contained an extensive collection of documents. 1918, on the second day of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Belgorod Hierarch was arrested right in the altar of Trinity Cathedral by the Red Commissar Saenko, for preaching against robbery and violence. the request of the faithful who demanded Vladyka's release, the local Chekists "released" him for one day, and those who those who requested it were arrested. of the groups of believers protesting against the Bishop's arrest was led by the wife of a priest, the head of the second women's gymnasium, Maria Dmitrievna Kiyanovskaya, who was arrested as a "leader of a counter-revolutionary demonstration" and was shot. next day, Vladyka was arrested again. days after his arrest on the orders of Commissar Saenko, Bishop Νikόdēmos was shot secretly and was buried in a common grave outside the city. the capture of Belgorod by the Volunteer White Army (six months after Vladyka's execution), his grave was opened. Medical examination of the remains found that in addition to the presence of a non-lethal gunshot wound in the Saint's chest, there was a skull fracture caused by a heavy blow with a blunt object, a huge bruise at the top of the head, and a break in the laryngeal cartilage, indicating that he had been strangled by someone. holy relics of Saint Νikόdēmos were given due honors, and were buried at Holy Trinity Monastery near the shrine of Saint Joasaph of Belgorod. October 29, 2017, Metropolitan John (Popov) performed the rite of the great consecration and the first Liturgy in the church dedicated to the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos (Kononov), located in the Belgorod Metropolis at the place where the relics of the Saint were found. This coincides with the 100th anniversary of the start of the persecution of the Church, and the fifth anniversary of the discovery of the relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos. Belgorod;

Russia, Kaluga, 1905-1929, Hilarion, Vereiya, Kaluga, theologian, preacher, church defender, writer, 2 of 9 yrs freedom
Russia, Kaluga, 1905-1929, Hilarion, Vereiya, Kaluga, theologian, preacher, church defender, writer, after 1920 only 2 of 9 yrs freedom; Vereiya; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ; holy New Martyr Archbishop Hilarion (Vladimir Alexievich Troitsky in the world), an outstanding theologian, an eloquent preacher, and a fearless defender of Christ’s holy Church, was born around 1885. Hilarion wrote many books and articles on various topics, including “The Unity of the Church.” His Master’s thesis, “An Outline of the History of the Church’s Dogma,” was over five hundred pages long, and was a well-documented analysis of the subject. the Council of 1917 he delivered a brilliant address calling for the restoration of the Moscow Patriarchate, which had been dissolved by Tsar Peter I in the eighteenth century. When Saint Tikhon (April 7) was chosen as Patriarch, Saint Hilarion became his fervent supporter. Hilarion was consecrated as bishop on May 20, 1920, and so the great luminary was placed upon the lampstand (Luke 11:33). From that time, he was to know less than two years of freedom. He spent only six months working with Patriarch Tikhon. was arrested and exiled in Archangelsk for a year, then he spent six years (1923-1929) in a labor camp seven versts from Solovki. at the Filomonov Wharf he and at least two other bishops were employed in catching fish and mending nets. Paraphrasing the hymns of Pentecost, Archbishop Hilarion remarked, “Formerly, the fishermen became theologians. Now the theologians have become fishermen.” Hilarion was one of the most popular inmates of the labor camp. He is remembered as tall, robust, and with brownish hair. Personal possessions meant nothing to him, so he always gave his things away to anyone who asked for them. He never showed annoyance when people disturbed him or insulted him, but remained cheerful. the summer of 1925, Vladika was taken from the camp and placed in the Yaroslav prison. There he was treated more leniently, and received certain privileges. For example, he was allowed to receive religious books, and he had pleasant conversations with the warden in his office. Saint Hilarion regarded his time at the Yaroslav Isolated Detention Center as the best part of his imprisonment. The following spring he was back at Solovki. 1929 the Communists decided to exile Archbishop Hilarion to Alma-Atu in central Asia. During his trip southward from the far north, Saint Hilarion was robbed and endured many privations. When he arrived in Petrograd, he was ill with typhus, infested with parasites and dressed in rags. When informed that he would have to be shaved, he replied, “You may now do with me whatever you wish.” He wrote from the prison hospital, “My fate will be decided on Saturday, December 15. I doubt I will survive.” Hilarion died at the age of forty-four in the hospital of a Petrograd prison on December 15, 1929. His body was placed in a coffin hastily made from some boards, and then was released to his family. The once tall and robust Archbishop Hilarion had been transformed by his sufferings into a pitiful white-haired old man. One female relative fainted when she saw the body. Seraphim (Chichagov) provided a set of white vestments for the late Archbishop. He was also placed in a better coffin. Seraphim presided at the funeral of Saint Hilarion, assisted by six bishops and several priests. The saint was buried at Novodevichii Monastery. Hilarion is commemorated on December 15 (his repose in 1929); May 10 (his glorification in 1999); the Third Sunday after Pentecost (All Saints of St. Petersburg); July 11 (The Finding of his relics in 1998); and on the Sunday nearest to August 26 (All Saints of Moscow).

Russia, Kaluga, 1908-1931, Nikon of Optina
Russia, Kaluga, 1908-1931, Nikon of Optina; Optina Monestary ; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25; Nikon was born on September 26, 1888, the son of Metrophanes and Vera Belyaev, and was named Nicholas at his Baptism. His parents, who were both very devout, belonged to one of Moscow’s merchant families. Belyaev family received a visit from Saint John of Kronstadt when Nicholas was in his first year. He blessed Vera and gave her a signed photograph of himself. Nicholas and his brother John loved going to church and reading the Holy Scriptures and other spiritual books. When John and Nicholas decided to embrace monasticism, they cut up a list of Russia’s monasteries from an old book, and Nicholas was asked to pick one of the strips after praying to God. The strip he selected read, “The Optina Hermitage of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple, Kozelsk.â€ Until that moment, neither of them had ever heard of this monastery. brothers traveled to Optina on February 24, 1907 with their mother’s blessing, and were accepted into the monastery on December 9, the commemoration of the “Unexpected Joyâ€ Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. was assigned as secretary to Father Barsanuphius, the Superior of the Skete, in October 1908. Except for reading and serving in church, this became his chief monastic obedience for the rest of his life. Saint Barsanuphius (April 1) foresaw that he would become an excellent monk as well as a worthy disciple. Nicholas was devoted to the Elder, and followed his will in all matters. Father Barsanuphius gave him the benefit of his knowledge and experience, guiding him to ascend the spiritual ladder of virtues. was tonsured into the Lesser Schema on May 24, 1915 with the new name Nikon in honor of the martyr Saint Nikon (September 28). He was ordained as a deacon on April 30, 1916, and as a priest on November 3, 1917. Father Nikon could not help but remember the prophecy of Father Barsanuphius made several years before the Russian Revolution. Saint Barsanuphius foresaw times of difficulty for monasteries when Christians would be persecuted and suffer martyrdom. He predicted that he himself would be dead before this happened, and that Father Nikon would live through those terrible times. Nikon was arrested and jailed on September 18, 1919 without the benefit of a trial, just because he was a monk. He was later released and permitted to return to Optina, where the monks had formed a farming cooperative. Soviets closed the cooperative in 1923, and the monastery was turned into a museum. Two monks were allowed to stay and work in the museum, while the others were expelled and told to go wherever they wished. Father Nikon was blessed by Father Isaac to serve in the church dedicated to the Kazan Icon and to receive visitors. When people came to him for advice, he always quoted the words of the Optina Elders. last church at Optina was closed early in 1924, and Father Nikon was obliged to leave in June. He went to live at Kozelsk with Father Cyril Zlenko. There he continued to receive visitors and offer spiritual counsel, sharing money and food with those who were too old, or too sick to work. Father Nikon was a wise spiritual Father, who was able to help people overcome their shame and reveal the sins which had troubled them for a long time. People would leave Father Nikon feeling cleansed and renewed. Nikon, Father Cyril, and Father Agapitus Taub were arrested and thrown into prison in June of 1927. Father Nikon and Father Agapitus were sent to the “Kemperpunktâ€ camp, where Father Nikon was assigned the duty of guarding the storehouses. Nikon wrote to his spiritual children from the camp with cheerful words of encouragement. Although he accepted his imprisonment as God’s will, it was nevertheless difficult for him to endure. When their prison term ended, the two monks were sent into exile at Archangelsk. Before leaving the camp, Father Nikon was examined and found to have tuberculosis. The doctors advised him to request that his place of exile be changed to a place with a more suitable climate. asked the advice of Father Agapitus, who told him not to make such a request. At Archangels, Father Nikon lodged in the home of an elderly woman who gave him little rest or peace. Every week he had to travel three kilometers to present himself before the authorities in the city of Pinyega. shoveling snow at the beginning of Great Lent, Father Nikon’s leg began to hemorrhage, and he developed a high fever. His landlady did not feel any pity for him, but told him that he must leave her house so that the others would not become infected with tuberculosis. Father Nikon was visited by Father Peter, who had once lived at Optina. He begged Father Peter to take him in, which he did. Father Peter cared for the Elder to the best of his ability. For the last two months of his life, Father Nikon received Holy Communion almost every day, and his sufferings seemed to grow less severe. He often dictated letters to his spiritual children to Father Peter. One day, Father Nikon saw Saint Macarius of Optina (September 7) in a vision and told Sister Irene to pull up a chair for him. She was slow to obey him so he said, “Forgive her, Father, for she is not very experienced.â€ June 25, 1931 Father Nikon was so weak that he could not speak. Archimandrite Niká¸—tas was called to bring him Communion, and to read the Canon for the Departure of the Soul. That night the Elder fell asleep in the Lord at the age of forty-three. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13,1996, glorifying them for universal veneration on August 7, 2000. Unexpected Joy Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on December 9; Unexpected Joy Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is painted in this way: in a room is an icon of the Mother of God, and beneath it a youth is kneeling at prayer. The tradition about the healing of some youth from a bodily affliction through this holy icon is recorded in the book of Saint Demetrius of Rostov, The Fleece of Prayer [See Judges 6: 36-40]. sinful youth, who was nevertheless devoted to the Theotokos, was praying one day before the icon of the All-Pure Virgin before going out to commit a sin. Suddenly, he saw that wounds appeared on the Lord’s hands, feet, and side, and blood flowed from them. In horror he exclaimed, “O Lady, who has done this?â€ The Mother of God replied, “You and other sinners, because of your sins, crucify My Son anew.â€ Only then did he realize how great was the depth of his sinfulness. For a long time he prayed with tears to the All-Pure Mother of God and the Savior for mercy. Finally, he received the unexpected joy of the forgiveness of his sins. “Unexpected Joyâ€ icon is also commemorated on January 25 and May 1.

Russia, Kaluga, 1938, Saint Isaac II (Bobrikov), Optina Monastery, Kaluga, died as a martyr
Venerable Isaac II of Optina, Commemorated on December 26; Isaac II (Bobrikov) died as a martyr on December 26, 1938. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13, 1996, glorifying them for universal veneration on August 7, 2000. Optina Monestary ;

Russia, Kaluga, Oka River 1, Orlov Folder

Oryol, Kaluga (Orel, Oka River 1)
Oryol (Orel, Oka River 1) ; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated August 27 ; Icon of the Mother of God œAssuage My SorrowsÂ, Commemorated on October 9; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated September 7 ; Saint Nikḗtas of the Roslavl Forests, Commemorated on March 29;

Orel Diocese, Kaluga
Orel Diocese; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated August 27 ; Icon of the Mother of God œAssuage My Sorrows, Commemorated on October 9 ; Venerable Leonid of Optina, Commemorated October 11 ; Saint Nikḗtas of the Roslavl Forests, Commemorated on March 29;

Russia, Kaluga, Oka River 2, Upa River Folder, Tula

Upa River

Upa River Source (near Novomoskovsk)

Upa River 1 (Tula)

Tula, Kaluga, Russia (Upa River 1, Muravsky Trail 7)
Tula, Russia (Upa River 1); œChernigov-GethsemaneÂ Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 1; Synaxis of the Saints of Tula, Commemorated on September 22 ; Venerable Leonid of Optina; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ;

Yasnaya Polyana, home of Writer Leo Tolstoy, near Tula, Kaluga
Yasnaya Polyana, home of Writer Leo Tolstoy; Russia, Moscow, 1848-1910, Writer Leo Tolstoy; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26;

Upa River 2

Upa River Mouth (Oka River 2)

Russia, Kaluga, Oka River 3, Zhizdra River Folder, Optima and Shamordino

Zhizdra River

Zhizdra River Source (Lower Valdai Hills)

Zhizdra River 1 (Kozelsk and Optina Monestary)

Optina Monastery, Kaluga (Zhizdra River 1) 1821
Optina Monestary ; Venerable Anatole II of Optina, Commemorated on July 30; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Venerable Anatole II of Optina; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated September 7 ; Venerable Hilarion of Optina, Commemorated on September 18; Venerable Ambrose of Optina, Commemorated October 10 ; Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of Optina, Commemorated on October 11 ; Venerable Leonid of Optina, Commemorated on October 11; Icon of the Mother of God the "Multiplier of Wheat", Commemorated October 15 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated November 19 ; Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Venerable Moses of Optina, Commemorated on June 16; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25;

Kozelsk, Kaluga (Zhizdra River 1, near Optima Monastery)
Kozelsk; Venerable Anatole II of Optina, Commemorated on July 30; Venerable Eleazar of Anzersk Island, Solovki, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25;

Dolgomost, near Smolensk, referred to, Seige of Kozelsk, 1239
Dolgomost and Kozelsk near Smolensk, Seige of Kozelsk, 1239; Martyr Mercurius of Smolensk, Commemorated on November 24; Background[edit] Taking the city of Torzhok on 5 March 1238 after a two-week siege, the Mongols continued to Novgorod. However, they failed to reach the city, mainly because they had difficulties moving in the woods, and after advancing around 100 kilometers at the unknown place designated in the chronicles as the Ignach Cross, they abandoned the plans to conquer Novgorod, turned south, and divided into two groups. Some of the forces led by Kadan and Storms passed over the Eastern route through the Ryazan land. The main forces led by Batu Khan passed through Dolgomost 30 km east of Smolensk, then entered the Chernigov Principality on the upper Gums, burned Vshchizh, but then abruptly turned to the northeast, bypassing the Bryansk and Karachev, at the end of March 1238 went to the Kozelsk on the Zhizdra River.

Zhizdra River 2 (Shamordino Monastery and Convent)

Shamordino monastery, Kaluga (Zhizdra River 2) 1884
Shamordino Manastery ; Icon of the Mother of God the "Multiplier of Wheat", Commemorated October 15 ; Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1;

Shamordino Convent, Kaluga, 1884
Shamordino Convent; Venerable Ambrose of Optina, Commemorated October 10 ; Icon of the Mother of God the "Multiplier of Wheat", Commemorated October 15 ; Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1;

Zhizdra River Mouth (Oka River 3)

Russia, Kaluga, Oka River 4, Ugra River Folder, City of Kaluga

Ugra River

Ugra River Source (Valdai Hills)

Batyushkova, Valdai Hills, Uga River Source, Kaluga 55°11'48" N , 35°0'36" E
Batyushkova 55°11'48" N , 35°0'36" E; Devpeteruv Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on February 28;

Ugra River Mouth (Oka River 4)

Kaluga (Ugra River Mouth, Oka River 4)
Kaluga; Venerable Anatole II of Optina, Commemorated on July 30 ; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated August 10 ; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 27 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated September 2 ; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated September 7 ; Venerable Hilarion of Optina, Commemorated on September 18; Venerable Leonid of Optina, Commemorated October 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated October 12 ; Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Pereyaslavl-Zalesski, Commemorated on April 7; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Venerable Tikhon of Kaluga Or Medin, Commemorated on June 16; Venerable Moses of Optina, Commemorated on June 16; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in memory of Saving of Moscow from the Invasion of Khan Achmed, Commemorated on June 23; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Kaluga Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Home of the Kaluga Icon
Kaluga Cathedral of the Holy Trinity; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated on September 2; Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God appeared in 1748 in the village of Tinkova, near Kaluga, at the home of the landowner Basil Kondratevich Khitrov. Two servants of Khitrov were cleaning out junk from the attic of his home. One of them, Eudokia, noted for her temper, was given to rough and even indecorous language. Her companion was modest and serious. discovered a large package covered in a linen cloth. Undoing it, the girl saw the picture of a woman in dark garments with a book in her hands. Considering it to be the portrait of a woman monastic and wanting to bring Eudokia to her senses, she accused her of being disrespectful to the abbess. jeered at the scolding words of her companion, and becoming increasingly angry, she spit on the picture. Immediately, she became convulsed and fell down senseless. She also became blind and mute. Her frightened companion reported what had happened to the household. next night, the Queen of Heaven appeared to Eudokia’s parents and told them that their daughter had behaved impertinently toward Her and She ordered them to serve a Molieben before the insulted icon, then sprinkle the invalid with holy water at the Molieben. the Molieben Eudokia recovered, and Khitrov took the wonderworking icon into his own home, where it granted healing to those approaching it with faith. Later, the icon was placed in the parish temple of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Kaluga. At the present time it is located in the cathedral church of Kaluga. this icon the Mother of God has repeatedly manifest Her protection of the Russian land during difficult times. The celebration of the Kaluga Icon on September 2 was established in remembrance of the deliverance from a plague in 1771. A second celebration was established October 12, in memory of the preservation of Kaluga from the French invasion of 1812. In 1898, a celebration was established on July 18 in gratitude to the Mother of God for protection against cholera. The icon is also commemorated on the first Sunday of the Apostles’ Fast.

Kaluga, 1748, Appearance of the Kaluga Icon in Kaluga
Kaluga, 1748, Appearance of the Kaluga Icon in Kaluga; Russia, Kaluga, 1812, Appearances of the Kaluga Icon, seen by French invaders.; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated on October 12; The Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1748 (September 2). In 1812 many Russian and French soldiers beheld the Kaluga icon of the Mother of God, standing in the air. Thus also it was around Kaluga and Maloyaroslavl. During such appearances the Russian armies were always victorious. This vision was also granted to the peasant Paraskeva Alekseeva.

Kaluga, 1812, Appearances of the Kaluga Icon, seen by French invaders.
Russia, Kaluga, 1812, Appearances of the Kaluga Icon, seen by French invaders.; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated on October 12; The Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1748 (September 2). In 1812 many Russian and French soldiers beheld the Kaluga icon of the Mother of God, standing in the air. Thus also it was around Kaluga and Maloyaroslavl. During such appearances the Russian armies were always victorious. This vision was also granted to the peasant Paraskeva Alekseeva.

Russia, Kaluga, Oka River 5, Protva River Folder, Vereiya and Borovsk

Protva River

Protva River Source (Valdai Hills)

Vereiya, Kaluga
Vereiya; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ;

Protva River 1 (Vereya)

Borovsk, Kaluga (Protva River 1.5)
Borovsk; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Pereyaslavl-Zalesski, Commemorated on April 7; Venerable Paphnutius the Abbot of Borov, Commemorated on May 1;

Protva River 2 (Borovsk and Maloyaroslavl)

Russia, Kaluga, Oka River 5, Protva River 2, Luzha River Folder

Luzha (Vepreika) River

Luza River Source (Valdai Hills, Kaluga)

Luzha (Vepreika) River Mouth (Maloyaroslavl, Protva River 2)

Maloyaroslavl, Kaluga (near Luzha River Mouth)
Maloyaroslavl; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated October 12 ; Venerable Tikhon of Kaluga Or Medin, Commemorated on June 16;

Medin (a district of Kaluga)
Medin (a district of Kaluga); Venerable Tikhon of Kaluga Or Medin, Commemorated on June 16;

Baryatinsky District, Kaluga - Prince Daniel Baryatinsky
Baryatinsky District, Kaluga - Prince Daniel Baryatinsky; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœElets-ChernigovÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ;

Bor of Kaluga in Zhukovsky District (Protva River 2.5)
Bor of Kaluga in Zhukovsky District; Icon of the Mother of God “the Seeker of the Lostâ€, Commemorated on February 5;

Protva River 3 (Protvino)

Protva River Mouth (Oka River 5)

Russia, Kaluga, Oka River 6, Nara River Folder, Serpukhov

Nara River

Nara River Source

Nara River 1

Nara River Mouth (Oka River 6, Serpukhov)

Serpukhov, Kaluga (Nara River Mouth and Oka River 6)
Serpukhov; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; St Athanasius of Serpukhov, Commemorated September 12 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated November 17 ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Inexhaustible ChaliceÂ, Commemorated on May 5; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Serpukhov monastery of St Athanasius, Kaluga, 1373
The monastery of St Athanasius was built near the city of Serpukhov, on the high bank of the River Nara ; Vysotsky (of the heights) Monastery at Serpouchoff; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; St Athanasius of Serpukhov, Commemorated September 12 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated November 17 ;

Vysotsky (of the heights) Monastery at Serpouchoff, Kaluga, 1373
Vysotsky (of the heights) Monastery at Serpouchoff; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; St Athanasius of Serpukhov, Commemorated September 12 ;

monastery of St Athanasius, Kaluga, 1373
The monastery of St Athanasius was built near the city of Serpukhov, on the high bank of the River Nara ; Vysotsky (of the heights) Monastery at Serpouchoff; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; St Athanasius of Serpukhov, Commemorated September 12 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated November 17 ;

Russia, Kaluga, Muravsky Trail Folder, M Trail 6-9 from Livny and Tula to Serpukhov Crossing at Oka 6

Muravsky Trail
Muravsky Trail To avoid major river crossings, the route followed the high ground between the basins of the Dnieper and Don, making an almost straight line from the Dnieper bend to Tula. It ran mostly through thinly populated tallgrass steppe country ('MuravÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂƒÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â¡' is an old Slavic word for prairie or grassland) avoiding forests, marshes and river crossings. ;

Muravsky Trail 1 (Perekop)
Muravsky Trail To avoid major river crossings, the route followed the high ground between the basins of the Dnieper and Don, making an almost straight line from the Dnieper bend to Tula. It ran mostly through thinly populated tallgrass steppe country ('MuravÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂƒÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â¡' is an old Slavic word for prairie or grassland) avoiding forests, marshes and river crossings. ;

Muravsky Trail 2 (Parallel to the Sea of Azov)

Muravsky Trail 3 (east of Dnieper 6 and west of Donets 3)

Polovetsians (Cumans) Chuhuiv, Muravsky Trail 3
Polovetsians (Cumans) Chuhuiv, Muravsky Trail 3; Martyr and Confessor Michael the Wonderworker of Chernigov, Commemorated on September 20;

Muravsky Trail 4 (west of Donets River Source)

Muravsky Trail 5 (Stary Oskol)

Muravsky Trail 6 (Livny)

Muravsky Trail 7 (Tula)

Tula, Kaluga, Russia (Upa River 1, Muravsky Trail 7)
Tula, Russia (Upa River 1); Synaxis of the Saints of Tula, Commemorated on September 22 ; Venerable Leonid of Optina; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ;

Muravsky Trail 9 (Serpukhov, crossing at Oka River 6)
Muravsky Trail To avoid major river crossings, the route followed the high ground between the basins of the Dnieper and Don, making an almost straight line from the Dnieper bend to Tula. It ran mostly through thinly populated tallgrass steppe country ('MuravÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂƒÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â¡' is an old Slavic word for prairie or grassland) avoiding forests, marshes and river crossings. ;