Russia, Moscow, 1700-1799, 18th Century Folder, Wars with Sweden, Turkey, Persia, and Mongols.kmz

Russia, Moscow, 1700-1799, 18th Century Folder, Wars with Sweden, Turkey, Persia, and Mongols

Russia, Moscow, 1701-1721, Great Northern War (with Protestants and Sweden)
Moscow, 1700-1721, Great Northern War (with Sweden); Moscow Tsar, 1721-1725, Peter the Great; Icon of the Mother of God of Domnitsa, Commemorated on September 8;

Russia, Moscow, 1701-1731, Priest, Innocent of Irkutsk
Moscow, 1700-1731, Priest, Innocent of Irkutsk; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26; Uncovering of the relics of St Innocent the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on February 9;

Russia, Moscow, 1707-1727, Tsarina, Catherine I of Russia, from maid to tzar story
Moscow, 1725-1726, Tsar, Catherine I of Russia; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30;

Russia, Moscow, 1709, Battle of Poltava, Great Northern War, Russian Victory
Battle of Poltava; Great Northern War; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17 ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24;

Russia, Moscow, 1710-1711, Russo-Turkish War (1710-1711), Pruth R Campaign, Swede King to Moldovia
Moscow, 1710-1711, Russo-Turkish War (1710-1711), Pruth River Campaign;

Russia, Moscow, 1721, Nishtad Peace, Treaty of Nystad. August 30, 1721, GN War
Nishtad Peace, Treaty of Nystad. August 30, 1721; Great Northern War 1700-1721; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30;

Russia, Moscow, 1721-1725, Peter 1 the G, Expansion and Navy in Azov, Black, White, and Baltic Seas
Moscow Tsar, 1682-1725, Peter the Great, Tsar of All Russia ; the Great (9 June [O.S. 30 May] 1672 - 8 February [O.S. 28 January] 1725)[b] ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from 7 May [O.S. 27 April] 1682 until his death in 1725, jointly ruling before 1696 with his elder half-brother, Ivan V. a number of successful wars, he expanded the Tsardom into a much larger empire that became a major European power and also laid the groundwork for the Imperial Russian Navy after capturing ports at Azov and the Baltic Sea. led a cultural revolution that replaced some of the traditionalist and medieval social and political systems with ones that were modern, scientific, Westernised and based on the Enlightenment.[1] Peter's reforms had a lasting impact on Russia, and many institutions of the Russian government trace their origins to his reign. He is also known for founding and developing the city of Saint Petersburg, which remained the capital of Russia until 1917. Repose of the Venerable Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on July 22 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28; First finding of the relics of St Metrophanes the First Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on August 7 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on September 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Lesna, Commemorated on September 14 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Rudens, Commemorated on October 12; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Joy of All Who SorrowÂ, Commemorated on October 24; St Demetrius of Basarabov, Commemorated on October 27; St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19; Venerable Anthony of Iezerul-Vilcea Skete, Commemorated on November 23 ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev, Commemorated on December 14 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unexpected JoyÂ, Commemorated on January 25; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated on February 5; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; New Martyr Argyra, Commemorated on April 30; Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Unexpected JoyÂ from Andronikov, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Macarius the Archimandrite of Obruch (Kanev), Commemorated on May 13; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10; Second Translation of the relics of St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on June 23 ; Righteous John the Youth of Meniugi, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; Righteous Procopius the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Ustiug, Vologda, Commemorated on July 8;

Russia, Moscow, 1721-1725, Emperor Peter 1 the G, Cultural Revolution, Westernization, no beards, anti church
Moscow Tsar, 1682-1725, Peter the Great, Tsar of All Russia ; the Great (9 June [O.S. 30 May] 1672 - 8 February [O.S. 28 January] 1725)[b] ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from 7 May [O.S. 27 April] 1682 until his death in 1725, jointly ruling before 1696 with his elder half-brother, Ivan V. a number of successful wars, he expanded the Tsardom into a much larger empire that became a major European power and also laid the groundwork for the Imperial Russian Navy after capturing ports at Azov and the Baltic Sea. led a cultural revolution that replaced some of the traditionalist and medieval social and political systems with ones that were modern, scientific, Westernised and based on the Enlightenment.[1] Peter's reforms had a lasting impact on Russia, and many institutions of the Russian government trace their origins to his reign. He is also known for founding and developing the city of Saint Petersburg, which remained the capital of Russia until 1917. Repose of the Venerable Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on July 22 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28; First finding of the relics of St Metrophanes the First Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on August 7 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on September 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Lesna, Commemorated on September 14 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Rudens, Commemorated on October 12; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Joy of All Who SorrowÂ, Commemorated on October 24; St Demetrius of Basarabov, Commemorated on October 27; St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19; Venerable Anthony of Iezerul-Vilcea Skete, Commemorated on November 23 ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev, Commemorated on December 14 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unexpected JoyÂ, Commemorated on January 25; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated on February 5; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; New Martyr Argyra, Commemorated on April 30; Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Unexpected JoyÂ from Andronikov, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Macarius the Archimandrite of Obruch (Kanev), Commemorated on May 13; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10; Second Translation of the relics of St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on June 23 ; Righteous John the Youth of Meniugi, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; Righteous Procopius the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Ustiug, Vologda, Commemorated on July 8;

Russia, Moscow, 1721-1917, Russian Empire, third largest in history, 1 British and 2 Mongol
Moscow, 1721-1917, Russian Empire; Moscow, 1700-1721, Great Northern War (with Sweden); Moscow Tsar, 1721-1725, Peter the Great; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14;

Russia, Moscow, 1722-1723, Russo-Persian War (1722-“23) Caspian, Caucasus North and South, C Iran to R
Moscow, 1722-1723, Russo-Persian War (1722-“23) Russia over Persia to control Caspian and Caucasus (Georgia) for Orthodoxy, Peter the Great; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1727-1730, Tsar, Peter II of Russia, Orphan, hunting, feasting, end of R line
Moscow, 1727-1730, Tsar, Peter II of Russia; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30;

Russia, Moscow, 1730, Trinity Lavra of St Sergius Icon, Appearance of Mother of God to heal cantor
Trinity Lavra (Monestary) of St Sergius; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; Holy Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God is located at the Holy Trinity Sergiev Lavra in the Smolensk church on the left side of the Royal Doors. this icon in 1730 there a cantor, whose hands were bent and rigid to the back, received healing. The Mother of God appeared to him in a vision and healed him. This occurrence was attested to by physicians. Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God "Chernigov-Gethsemane", Commemorated September 1 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; St Athanasius of Serpukhov, Commemorated on September 12 ; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated October 6 ; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrhgusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated October 26 ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10; SERGIUS, ABBOT OF HOLY TRINITY (25 SEPT 1392) ; Repose of the Venerable Sergius, Abbot and Wonderworker of Radonezh, Commemorated on September 25; Venerable Sergius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 7; Icon of the Mother of God of Yaroslav-Smolensk, Commemorated October 12 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, November 17 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated December 3 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10 ; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated Janaury 25 ; ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of œthe LadderÂ, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping œIlyin ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on April 16 ; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; Venerable Micah the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on May 6 ; Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius ™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19 ; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1 ; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Bassian the Monk of Pertomsk, Solovki, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Andronicus the Abbot of Moscow and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on June 13; Venerable Andrew Rublev the Iconographer, Commemorated on July 4; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5; Synaxis of the Saints of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 6 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1730-1740, Tsar, Anna of Russia, influenced by uncle Peter the G
Moscow, 1730-1740, Tsar, Anna of Russia; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; Child Schemamonk Bogolep, Commemorated on July 29; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10; Icon of the Mother of God "œXenophon Hodigitria"Â, Commemorated on January 21; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30;

Russia, Moscow, 1732-1778, Rousseau, modern thought, Facist, Nazi, Marxist, progressive
Switzerland, 1732-1778, Rousseau, enlightenment, modern political, social thought, Facism, Naziism, Communism, democracy, progressive; Rousseau; 28 June 1712 - 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolution and the development of modern political, economic and educational thought.[1] Discourse on Inequality and The Social Contract are cornerstones in modern political and social thought. Rousseau's sentimental novel Julie, or the New Heloise (1761) was important to the development of preromanticism and romanticism in fiction.[2][3] His Emile, or On Education (1762) is an educational treatise on the place of the individual in society. Rousseau's autobiographical writings—the posthumously published Confessions (composed in 1769), which initiated the modern autobiography, and the unfinished Reveries of the Solitary Walker (composed 1776–1778)—exemplified the late-18th-century "Age of Sensibility", and featured an increased focus on subjectivity and introspection that later characterized modern writing. befriended fellow philosopher Denis Diderot in 1742, and would later write about Diderot's romantic troubles in his Confessions. During the period of the French Revolution, Rousseau was the most popular of the philosophers among members of the Jacobin Club. He was interred as a national hero in the Panthéon in Paris, in 1794, 16 years after his death. Absolved From Being Good-Mannered: The Romantic Totalitarianism of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, May 20, 2021 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1734-1916, Orenburg Cossacks, Ural River, Kazakhastan, Siberia, Orthodox
Russia, 1734-1916, Orenburg Cossacks; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1;

Russia, Moscow, 1735-1739, Austro-Russian-Turk War) Crimea, Hapsburgs w Russia, Black Sea, R g Azov, bad for Austria
Moscow, 1735-1739, Austro-Russian-“Turkish War (1735-“39); Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15;

Russia, Moscow, 1740-1741, Tsar, Ivan VI, emperor at 2 months old, first cousin Elizabeth's Coup
Moscow, 1740-1741, Tsar, Ivan VI of Russia ; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30;

Russia, Moscow, 1741-1761, Empress, Elizabeth, popular, no executions, constrctn projects, westrn enlightenment, icons
Moscow, 1741-1761, Empress, Elizabeth ; Elizabeth Petrovna (29 December [O.S. 18 December] 1709 -“ 5 January 1762 [O.S. 25 December 1761]), also known as Yelisaveta or Elizaveta, was the Empress of Russia from 1741 until her death in 1762. She remains one of the most popular Russian monarchs because of her decision not to execute a single person during her reign, her numerous construction projects, and her strong opposition to Prussian policies.[1] second eldest daughter of Tsar Peter the Great, Elizabeth lived under the confused successions of her father's descendants since her half-brother Alexei's death. The throne was first passed to her nephew Peter II, who died in 1730 and was succeeded by her first cousin Anna. After the brief rule of Anna's great-nephew, Ivan VI, Elizabeth seized the throne with the military's support and declared her own nephew, the future Peter III, to be her heir. her reign, Elizabeth continued the policies of her father and brought a remarkable Age of Enlightenment in Russia. Her domestic policies allowed the nobles to gain dominance in local government while shortening their terms of service to the state. She encouraged Mikhail Lomonosov's foundation of the University of Moscow, the highest-ranking Russian educational institution. Her court was one of the most splendid in all Europe, especially regarding architecture: she modernized Russia's roads, encouraged Ivan Shuvalov's foundation of the Imperial Academy of Arts, and financed grandiose baroque projects of her favourite architect, Bartolomeo Rastrelli, particularly in Peterhof Palace. The Winter Palace and the Smolny Cathedral in Saint Petersburg are among the chief monuments of her reign.[1] led the country during the two major European conflicts of her time: the War of Austrian Succession (1740-“48) and the Seven Years' War (1756'“63). She and diplomat Aleksey Bestuzhev-Ryumin solved the first event by forming an alliance with Austria and France, but indirectly caused the second. Russia enjoyed several victories against Prussia and briefly occupied Berlin, but when Frederick the Great was finally prepared to surrender in January 1761 (1762?), the message was sent only to find the Empress dead. St Tikhon the Bishop of Voronezh and Wonderworker of Zadonsk and All Russia, Commemorated August 13; 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. 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. Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Isaakov, Commemorated September 8 ; Isaakov Icon of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared in the year 1659, not far from the village of Isaakievo. The peasants wanted to take the icon to their own village, but they were not able. They then turned to the priest, and he got vested, and in the company of choir and people with church banners, went to the place of the appearance of the icon of the Mother of God. the branches of a willow tree was the icon, radiating an extraordinary light like the sun. After the singing of a Molieben the priest reverently took the icon with the tree branch and carried it to the Isaakievo village into the parish church. the following day the icon was not in the church. It was at the place where it was first found. At this place of the appearance of the wonderworking icon they built a chapel, around which a skete was formed. the blessing of Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Yaroslavl and Rostov, at the place of the chapel there was built in 1662 a wooden church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. In the year 1758 a stone church was built in place of the wooden, into which they transferred this icon. Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated on October 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; Tsarskoe Selo Sign Icon of the Mother of God an ancient wonderworking icon, was brought by way of a present to Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich by one of the Eastern Patriarchs, supposedly by Saint Athanasius of Constantinople (October 28). Tsar Peter I transferred the icon, together with other sacred items from Moscow, to his new capital city. the year 1747, a church was built for the icon at Tsarskoe Selo. Moliebens were served before it during times of national catastrophe, for example, during a plague in 1771, and of cholera in 1831. Through the intercession of the Mother of God, the terrible epidemics only barely touched Tsarskoe Selo. Prayers before the Tsarsko Selo Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “of the Sign,â€ were also offered entreating the Mother of God’s help during fires and shipwrecks. the icon, Cherubim shade the head of the Mother of God. More recent copies of the icon depict the Apostle Peter, Saints Zachariah, Alexis the Man of God, and Righteous Elizabeth. St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated on January 24; Translation to Moscow of the Icon of the Mother of God œAssuage my sorrowÂ, Commemorated on January 25; “Assuage my Sorrowsâ€ Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was glorified at Moscow by many miracles in the second half of the eighteenth century, particularly during a plague in 1771. The icon had been brought to Moscow by Cossacks in 1640 in the reign of Tsar Michael (1613-1645), and placed in the church of Saint Nicholas in the Pupishevo district of Moscow. perhaps after a fire and the rebuilding of the temple, the icon was carelessly put in a bell tower. However, the abundant mercies manifested by the Mother of God would one day bring about a renewed veneration of this holy icon. Feast of the wonderworking icon on January 25 was established in 1760 to commemorate the healing of a sick woman who had seen the icon in a vision. A voice instructed her to go to the church of Saint Nicholas in the Pupishevo district of Moscow where she would find this icon. “Pray before it, and you will receive healing.â€ obeyed and went to Moscow, where she found an icon, darkened by age and dust, in the church’s bell tower. When the sick woman saw the face and inscription she cried out, “It is She!â€ The woman, who previously had been unable to move her arms and legs, walked out of church on her own after a Molieben was served before the icon on January 25. 1760 an honored place was set aside for the Icon in the church, and later a chapel was built for it. The Church Services and the Akathist for the Icon date from this period. Copies of the “Assuage my Sorrowsâ€ Icon are to be found in some churches of Moscow and other cities. The church of Saint Nicholas at Pupishevo was destroyed in the 1930s, but by the grace of God the Icon has survived. It is now in the church of Saint Nicholas near Kuznetskaya Sloboda. “Assuage my Sorrowsâ€ Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on September 25 and October 9. Icon of the Mother of God œthe Seeker of the LostÂ, Commemorated on February 5; time immemorial the Russian people, with faith in the all-powerful help of the Most Holy Theotokos, considered the title “Seeker of the Perishingâ€ to refer not only to those who are dying, but to those whose souls are in danger of spiritual death. are no reliable accounts of the origin of the “Seeker of the Perishing" Icon. There are, however, several wonderworking icons of this name, through which the Theotokos showed her mercy to persons at the very brink of death. the mid-eighteenth century, in the village of Bor (Kaluga Gubernia), the pious peasant Theodotos Obukhov lost his way in a blizzard on the Feast of the Lord’s Baptism. The horse became exhausted and paused on the edge of an impassable ravine. Seeing no way to save himself, Obukhov lay down in his sleigh, where he began to freeze. these terrible moments, he prayed with all his being, asking the Queen of Heaven for help, and he vowed that if he were rescued he would have a copy of the “Seeker of the Perishingâ€ Icon painted and donate it to his parish church. She heard his prayer and helped him in a marvelous way. A certain peasant in the nearby village heard a voice outside his window saying, “Take him.â€ He went out and saw the half-frozen Obukhov on his sleigh. When he recovered his health, Obukhov fulfilled his vow and commissioned a copy of the Icon from the Saint George church in the city of Volkhov (Orlov Gubernia). From that time the Bor “Seeker of the Perishingâ€ Icon was glorified by many manifestations of grace and miracles. are other “Seeker of the Perishingâ€ Icons: one manifested itself in 1770 in the village of Malizhino (Kharkov Gubernia), and delivered the people from cholera three times. There was another in the village of Krasnoe (Chernigov Gubernia), and another from Voronezh and Kozlov (Tambov Gubernia). In the year 1835, at the Moscow Alexandrov Orphanage Institute, a church was dedicated to the “Seeker of the Perishingâ€ Icon. particular interest is the “Seeker of the Perishingâ€ Icon in the Church of the Glorious Resurrection in Moscow. This Icon had been transferred from the church of the Nativity of Christ to the Palashev alley. Its final owner had become widowed and was on the verge of complete poverty. Fervent prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos saved him from despair and arranged matters for his daughters. This man felt that he was not worthy to have this wonderworking Icon in his house, so he gave it to the church. 1812 the Palashev church was pillaged by the French. The desecrated Icon was found among the rubble, broken into three pieces. After the Icon was found, numerous miracles of healing took place. Brides entering into marriage pray before this Icon so that their marriage might be a happy one. People come to it, overwhelmed by drunkenness, perishing in poverty, or suffering from illness, and they turn to the Icon in prayer as to a Mother with her perishing children. Icon has several names. In Slavonic it is called (Recovery of the Perishing, Seeker of the Perishing, Seeker of the Lost). In Greek it is known as (Seeker of the Perishing). St Kristo the Gardener of Albania, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Icon of the Mother of God of Akhtyr, Commemorated July 2 ; Akhtyr Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared on July 2, 1739 in the village of Akhtyr in the area of Kharkov, east of Kiev. Basil Danilov, a righteous man of strong faith, was the priest of the Dormition church in Akhtyr. He wanted to try out a new scythe, and so he went out to a field by the church. As he began to cut the tall grass, Father Basil noticed an icon of the Mother of God shining with a radiant light. Dropping the scythe, he fell to his knees and began to pray, then took the icon to his home. icon remained in the priest’s home for three years. No one could spend the night in the same room as the icon, because an inexplicable fear would force them to leave. night the Theotokos appeared to Father Basil in a dream, reproaching him because he had not cleaned the icon in the three years since he had found it. When he awoke, he dusted the icon off and washed it with water, then went back to sleep. That night he had another dream in which he saw himself going to the river in order to pour out the water he had used to wash the icon. The Mother of God appeared to him again and ordered him to return home with the water, explaining that it would cure people of malaria and fever. Father Basil’s daughter became ill with malaria, he gave her some of the water to drink and she was healed. Others also received healing in this way. The priest decided that the icon should not remain in his home, so he took it to the church. iconographer named John was commissioned to restore the icon. When his son was suffering from malaria, John remembered how the water used to wash the icon had cured people of that disease. Therefore, he washed the icon and gave his son some of the water to drink. The young man was healed at once, and there were many other miracles after this one. miracles of the Akhtyr Icon were investigated no less than three times. In 1751 the Holy Synod determined that reports of the miracles were true, and declared the icon to be wonderworking. Elizabeth had a stone church built in Akhtyr for the icon, and she personally donated two thousand rubles. Saint Joasaph of Belgorod (September 4 and December 10) blessed the cornerstone. The church was consecrated in the year 1768. Nicholas I ordered that on the Saturday before Pentecost the Akhtyr Icon should be taken from the Protection Cathedral and carried in procession to the Akhtyr-Holy Trinity Monastery. The icon was brought back to the cathedral during the week of All Saints. Unfortunately, the icon was stolen from the Protection Cathedral on April 1, 1905. Many copies of the Akhtyr Icon were made before it was stolen. July 2 many churches bless water in remembrance of the healings which took place after the Mother of God ordered Father Basil Danilov to wash the icon. icon is rather unusual, and does not seem to have an earlier prototype. It is painted in a Western style, and shows the Theotokos with an uncovered head. The Crucifixion of Christ is depicted in much smaller proportions, and the Virgin seems to be gazing directly at the Cross. Her hands are held with the palms together, and the fingers pointing upward, which is not a typical gesture of prayer in Orthodox iconography.

Russia, Moscow, 1741-1743, Russo-Swedish War, Vyborg, near St Pete, Russian def V
Moscow, 1741-1743, Russo-Swedish War (1741-“43) ; Moscow Empress, 1741-1761, Elizabeth ; Icon of the Mother of God of Domnitsa, Commemorated on September 8;

Russia, Moscow, 1744-1783, Saint, Tikhon of Zadonsk, writer, teacher, builder, Voronezh, Novgorod, Tver, Petersburg
Moscow, 1744-1783, Saint, Tikhon of Zadonsk; St Tikhon the Bishop of Voronezh and Wonderworker of Zadonsk and All Russia, Commemorated on August 13; Tikhon of Zadonsk, Bishop of Voronezh (in the world Timothy), was born in the year 1724 in the village of Korotsk in the Novgorod diocese, into the family of the cantor Sabellius Kirillov. (A new family name, Sokolov, was given him afterwards by the head of the Novgorod seminary). His father died when Timothy was a young child, leaving the family in such poverty that his mother was barely able to make ends meet. She wanted to give him to be raised by a neighbor, a coachman, since there was nothing with which to feed the family, but his brother Peter would not permit this. Timothy often worked a whole day with the peasants for a single piece of black bread. a thirteen-year-old boy, he was sent to a clergy school near the Novgorod archbishop’s home, and earned his keep by working with the vegetable gardeners. In 1740, he was accepted under a state grant set up for the Novgorod seminary. The youth excelled at his studies. Upon finishing seminary in 1754, he became a teacher there, first in Greek, and later in Rhetoric and Philosophy. In the year 1758, he was tonsured with the name Tikhon. In that same year they appointed him to be prefect of the seminary. 1759, they transferred him to Tver, elevating him to be archimandrite of the Zheltikov monastery. Later, they appointed him rector of the Tver seminary and, at the same time, head of the Otroch monastery. election as bishop was providential. Metropolitan Demetrius, the presiding member of the Holy Synod, had intended to transfer the young archimandrite to the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. On the day of Pascha, at Peterburg, Archimandrite Tikhon was one of eight candidates being considered for selection as vicar-bishop for Novogorod. The lot fell on him three times. the same day, during the Cherubic Hymn, Bishop Athanasius of Tver, without realizing it, commemorated him as a bishop while cutting out particles from the prosphora at the Table of Oblation. On May 13, 1761 he was consecrated Bishop of Keksgolma and Ladoga (i.e., a vicar bishop of the Novgorod diocese). 1763, Saint Tikhon was transferred to the See of Voronezh. During the four and a half years that he administered the Voronezh diocese, Saint Tikhon provided constant edification, both by his life and by his numerous pastoral guidances and soul-saving books. wrote a whole series of works for pastors: Concerning the Seven Holy Mysteries A Supplement to the Priestly Office Concerning the Mystery of Repentance An Instruction Concerning Marriage saint considered it essential that each priest, deacon and monk have a New Testament, and that he should read it daily. In an Encyclical, he called on pastors to perform the Holy Mysteries with reverence, with the fear of God, and love for one’s neighbor. (An Explanation of Christian Duties was often republished in Moscow and Peterburg during the eighteenth century). Voronezh the saint eradicated an ancient pagan custom, the celebration in honor of Yarila (a pagan god associated with the fertility of grain and cattle). In the outlying districts where military units of the Don Cossacks were dispersed, he formed a missionary commission to restore sectarians to the Orthodox Church. 1765, Saint Tikhon transformed the Voronezh Slavic-Latin school into a seminary. He invited experienced instructors from Kiev and Kharkhov, and planned the courses for it. He exerted much attention and effort to build up both the churches and the school, and to guide pastors to understand the need for education. saint was unflagging in his efforts to administer the vast diocese, and he often spent nights without sleep. In 1767, poor health compelled him to give up running the diocese and withdraw for rest to the Tolshevsk monastery, at a distance 40 versts from Voronezh. 1769, the saint transferred to the monastery of the Theotokos in the city of Zadonsk. Having settled into this monastery, Saint Tikhon became a great teacher of the Christian life. With deep wisdom he set forth the ideal of true monasticism in his Rule of Monastic Living and his Guidances to Turn from the Vanity of the World, and in his own life he fulfilled this ideal. He kept strictly to the precepts of the Church. Zealously (almost daily) he visited the temple of God, and he often sang and read in the choir. In time, out of humility, he altogether ceased participating and serving, but merely stood in the altar, reverently making the Sign of the Cross over himself. He loved to read the Lives of the Saints and the works of the Holy Fathers. He knew The Psalter by heart, and he usually read or sang the Psalms on his journeys. saint underwent much tribulation because he had to leave his flock. When he recovered his health, he thought about returning to the Novgorod diocese, where Metropolitan Gabriel had invited him to head the Iveron Vallaisk monastery. But when his cell-attendant mentioned this to the Elder Aaron, he declared: “Are you mad? The Mother of God does not direct him to move away from here.” The cell-attendant conveyed this to His Grace. “If that is so,” said the saint “I shall not move away from here,” and he tore up the invitation. Sometimes he journeyed to the village of Lipovka, where he celebrated church services at the Bekhteev house. The saint journeyed also to the Tolshev monastery, which he loved for its solitude. fruition of all his spiritual life were the books that the saint wrote while in retirement: A SPIRITUAL TREASURY, GATHERED FROM THE WORLD (1770), and ON TRUE CHRISTIANITY (1776). saint lived in very simple circumstances: he slept on straw, covered by a sheepskin coat. His humility was so great that he paid no attention to the workers who laughed at him as he walked about the monastery, pretending that he did not hear it. He used to say, “It is pleasing to God that even the monastery workers mock me, and I deserve it because of my sins.” He often said, “Forgiveness is better than revenge.” a fool named Kamenev struck the saint on the cheek saying, “Don’t be so haughty.” The saint, accepting this with gratitude, gave the fool three kopeks every day for the rest of his life. his life the saint “in troubles, and sorrows, and insults... joyfully endured, mindful that there can be no crown without the victory, nor victory without effort, nor effort without struggle, nor struggle without enemies” (Ode 6 of the Canon). towards himself, the saint was indulgent towards others. On the Friday before Palm Sunday, he entered the cell of his friend the schemamonk Metrophanes, and he saw him at table together with Cosmas Ignatievich, of whom he was also fond. There was fish on the table, and his friends became upset (fish is not permitted during Lent, except for Feast days). The saint said, “Sit down, for I know you. Love is higher than fasting.” To further calm them, he ate some of their fish soup. especially loved the common folk, and comforted them in their grievous lot, interceding with the landowners, and moving them to compassion. He gave away his pension, and gifts from admirers, to the poor. his deeds of self-denial and love of soul, the saint advanced in contemplation of Heaven and foresaw the future. In 1778, he had a vision in his sleep: the Mother of God stood in the clouds, and near Her were the Apostles Peter and Paul. On bended knees, the saint prayed to the All-Pure Virgin for the peace of the whole world. The Apostle Paul loudly exclaimed: “When they shall say, peace and safety; then sudden destruction will come upon them” (I Thess. 5:3). The saint fell asleep in trembling and in tears. The following year, he again saw the Mother of God in the air and several people near Her. The saint knelt down, and near him four others in white garments also fell to their knees. The saint entreated the All-Pure Virgin for someone, that She would not leave him (the saint did not tell his cell-attendant who the four people were, nor for whom the request was made). She answered, “Let it be as you ask.” Tikhon prophesied much about the future, particularly the victory of Russia over the French in 1812. More than once they saw the saint in spiritual rapture, with a transformed and luminous face, but he forbade them to speak about this. three years before his repose he prayed each day, “Tell me, O Lord, of my end.” And a quiet voice in the morning dawn said, “It will be on a Sunday.” In that same year, he saw in a dream a beautiful meadow with wondrous palaces upon it. He wanted to go inside, but they said to him: “In three years, you may enter. For now, continue your labors.” After this the saint secluded himself in his cell and admitted only a few friends. clothing and a grave were prepared for the time of his death. He often came to weep over his coffin, while standing hidden from people in a closet. A year and three months before his death, in a vivid dream, it seemed to the saint that he was standing in the monastery church. A priest of his acquaintance was carrying the Divine Infant, covered with a veil, out of the altar through the Royal Doors. The saint approached and kissed the Infant on the right cheek, and he felt himself stricken on the left. Awakening, the saint sensed a numbness in his left cheek, his left leg, and a trembling in his left hand. He accepted this illness with joy. before his death, the saint saw in a dream a high and twisting ladder and he heard a command to climb it. “At first, I was afraid because of weakness,” he told his friend Cosmas. “But when I started to go climb, the people standing around the ladder lifted me higher and higher, up to the very clouds.” “The ladder,” said Cosmas, “is the way to the Heavenly Kingdom. Those who helped were those you have helped by your advice, and they remember you.” The saint said with tears, “I thought so, too. I feel that my end is near.” He frequently received the Holy Mysteries during his illness. Tikhon died, as was revealed to him, on Sunday August 13, 1783, at the age of fifty-nine. The first uncovering of his relics occurred on May 14, 1846. Tikhon’s glorification took place on Sunday August 13, 1861.

Russia, Moscow, 1748, Kaluga Icon Appearance, She spit on it and bad things happened, Molieben, then many healings
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.

Russia, Moscow, 1761-1762, Emperor, Peter III, German Born, pro Prussian, removed by troups in Coup
Russia, Moscow, 1761-1762, Emperor, Peter III, German Born, pro Prussian, removed by troups in Coup;

Russia, Moscow, 1762-1796, Empress, Catherine II the Great, removed husband, Enlightened, Golden Age
Moscow, 1762-1796, Empress, Catherine II the Great ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kostroma, Commemorated July 28 ; 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 Tikhon the Bishop of Voronezh and Wonderworker of Zadonsk and All Russia, Commemorated August 13; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated on September 7 ; Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated on September 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Gerbovets, Commemorated on October 1 ; Righteous Admiral Theodore Ushakov of the Russian Naval Fleet, Commemorated on October 2; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; Icon of the Mother of God "Assuage My Sorrows"Â, Commemorated on October 9; Icon of the Mother of God "œIn Giving Birth, you Preserved your Virginity"Â, Commemorated on October 17; St Peter of Cetinje, Commemorated on October 18; Martyr Oprea of Salistie in Romania, Commemorated on October 21; St John of Galesh, Commemorated on October 21; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Joyful"Â, Commemorated on November 7; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated on January 2; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 16; Translation of the relics of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 23 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated on January 24; Translation to Moscow of the Icon of the Mother of God "œAssuage my sorrow"Â, Commemorated on January 25; New Martyr Theodore, Commemorated on January 30; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Seeker of the Lost"Â, Commemorated on February 5; Uncovering of the relics of St Innocent the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on February 9; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Michael of Chernigov, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Translation of the relics of St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on June 30 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œOur Lady of Sitka", Commemorated on July 8;

Russia, Moscow, 1762-1796, Empress, Catherine II, Nobles, no longer having to fight or lead, Built Mansions
Moscow, 1762-1796, Empress, Catherine II the Great ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kostroma, Commemorated July 28 ; 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 Tikhon the Bishop of Voronezh and Wonderworker of Zadonsk and All Russia, Commemorated August 13; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated on September 7 ; Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated on September 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Gerbovets, Commemorated on October 1 ; Righteous Admiral Theodore Ushakov of the Russian Naval Fleet, Commemorated on October 2; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; Icon of the Mother of God "Assuage My Sorrows"Â, Commemorated on October 9; Icon of the Mother of God "œIn Giving Birth, you Preserved your Virginity"Â, Commemorated on October 17; St Peter of Cetinje, Commemorated on October 18; Martyr Oprea of Salistie in Romania, Commemorated on October 21; St John of Galesh, Commemorated on October 21; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Joyful"Â, Commemorated on November 7; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated on January 2; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 16; Translation of the relics of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 23 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated on January 24; Translation to Moscow of the Icon of the Mother of God "œAssuage my sorrow"Â, Commemorated on January 25; New Martyr Theodore, Commemorated on January 30; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Seeker of the Lost"Â, Commemorated on February 5; Uncovering of the relics of St Innocent the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on February 9; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Michael of Chernigov, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Translation of the relics of St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on June 30 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œOur Lady of Sitka"Â, Commemorated on July 8;

Russia, Moscow, 1765-1817, Saint Theodore Ushakov, Admiral, Sanaxar Monastery Patron
Moscow, 1765-1817, Saint Theodore Ushakov, Admiral; Righteous Admiral Theodore Ushakov of the Russian Naval Fleet, Commemorated on October 2; Theodore, one of Russia'™s greatest naval heroes of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, was born in 1745. unvanquished Admiral was the terror of his country'™s enemies, and the deliverer of those whom the barbarians had taken captive. He served during the Russo-Turkish War (1787-”1791), and also fought against the French. Although he fought many naval battles in the Black Sea and in the Mediterranean, he never lost a single one, and he was never wounded. Theodore once visited the Greek island of Kerkyra (Corfu), where he venerated the relics of Saint Spyridon of Tremithus (December 12), and gave support and encouragement to the Orthodox Christians in that place. his naval reforms were unpopular with his superiors, Saint Theodore was forced to retire in 1807 by Tsar Alexander I. Having neither wife nor children, the admiral settled in the town of Alekseevo near the Sanaxar Monastery, where he regularly attended services on Sundays and Feast Days. During Great Lent he would stay in the monastery, fasting with the monks and attending the services. Nathaniel of Sanaxar regarded Saint Theodore as œa neighbor and a significant patron of the monastery. In addition to his generous gifts to the monastery, the admiral frequently gave alms to the poor and needy. He never sought earthly glory or riches, but spent his life in serving God and his neighbor. Theodore died in 1817 at the age of seventy-two. After navigating the sea of life with all its storms and struggles, he entered the calm harbor of eternal rest. He was buried at Sanaxar Monastery beside the church. The monastery was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1991, and Saint Theodore’s grave was found in 1994. Theodore was glorified by the Orthodox Church of Russia in 2004, and a reliquary in the shape of a naval vessel was made to enshrine his holy relics. holy Admiral Theodore should not be confused with his relative Saint Theodore (Ushakov) of Sanaxar Monastery (February 19 and April 21), a monastic saint who lived from 1719 to 1791. Theodore is honored as a great military leader who defended Russia just as Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23) and Saint Demetrius of the Don (May 19) did before him. One of the Russian Navy’s atomic cruisers has been named for him, and a movie has been made about his life and career. The composer Khachaturian has also written a musical piece called œAdmiral Ushakov.

Russia, Moscow, 1768-1774, Russo-Turkish War, Moldovia, Ochakov, Crimea, Black and Azov Seas
Moscow, 1768-1774, Russo-Turkish War (1768-“74) ; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated on January 2;

Russia, Moscow, 1772-1836, Herman of Alaska, miracle MOG healing, hesychast, peacemaker, prophet, animals, light pillar
Moscow, 1772-1836, Priest, Herman of Alaska; 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. Saint 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. ‘It is 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, and 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. O Holy Father Herman of Alaska, pray unto God for us! HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on December 13; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated on January 2; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19;

Russia, Moscow, 1774-1833, Saint, Seraphim of Sarov, acquire a peaceful spirit, and thousands saved
Russia, Mordovia, 1774-1833, Saint, Seraphim of Sarov ; Seraphim of Sarov (30 July [O.S. 19 July] 1754 (or 1759) - 14 January [O.S. 2 January] 1833), born Prokhor Moshnin, is one of the most renowned Russian saints and is venerated both in the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. is generally considered the greatest of the 19th-century startsy (elders). Seraphim extended the monastic teachings of contemplation, theoria and self-denial to the layperson. He taught that the purpose of the Christian life was to acquire the Holy Spirit. Perhaps his most popular quotation amongst Orthodox believers is "Acquire a peaceful spirit, and thousands around you will be saved." was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1903. Alongside his veneration in the Catholic calendar, Pope John Paul II also referred to him as a Saint.[1] Mordovia; Passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas, Commemorated on July 17; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Commemorated on July 19 ; of the Relics of Saint Seraphim, Wonderworker of Sarov: The glorification of Saint Seraphim of Sarov (January 2), took place in 1903, seventy years after his repose. July 3, 1903 Metropolitan Anthony of Saint Petersburg, assisted by Bishop Nazarius of Nizhni-Novgorod and Bishop Innocent of Tambov, transferred the saint’s relics from their original burial place to the church of Saints Zosimus and Sabbatius. Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra provided a new cypress coffin to receive the relics. This cypress coffin was then placed inside an oak coffin and remained in the church until the day of the saint’s glorification. noon on July 16, the first day of the festivities, Metropolitan Anthony offered a Memorial Service for the ever-memorable Hieromonk Seraphim in the Dormition Cathedral. Services also took place in the monastery’s other churches. next day Metropolitan Anthony and Bishop Nazarius served a Memorial Liturgy in the Dormition Cathedral. At 5:00 that afternoon, the bells of Sarov began to ring, announcing the arrival of Tsar Nicholas and his family. Metropolitan Anthony greeted them and then led them to the Dormition Cathedral for a Service of Thanksgiving. royal family attended the early Liturgy on July 18th and received the Holy Mysteries. Later that morning, the final Memorial Service for the repose of Hieromonk Seraphim’s soul was offered in the Cathedral. These would be the last prayers offered for him as a departed servant of God. From that time forward, prayers would be addressed to him as a saint. At 6 P.M. the bells rang for Vigil, the first service with hymns honoring Saint Seraphim, and during which his relics would be exposed for public veneration. the time of the Litia during Vespers, the saint’s coffin was carried from the church of Saints Zosimus and Sabbatius and into the Dormition Cathedral. Several people were healed of various illnesses during this procession. During Matins, as “Praise ye the Name of the Lord” was sung, the coffin was opened. After the Gospel, Metropolitan Anthony and the other hierarchs kissed the holy relics. They were followed by the royal family, the officiating clergy, and all the people in the cathedral. July 19, the saint’s birthday, the late Liturgy began at 8 o’clock. At the Little Entrance, twelve Archimandrites lifted the coffin from the middle of the church, carried it around the altar, then placed it into a special shrine. The long awaited event was accompanied by numerous miraculous healings of the sick, who had gathered at Sarov in large numbers. More than 200,000 people came to Sarov from all across Russia. festivities at Sarov came to an end with the dedication of the first two churches to Saint Seraphim. The first church to be consecrated was over his monastic cell in Sarov. The second church was consecrated on July 22 at the Diveyevo convent. 1991, Saint Seraphim’s relics were rediscovered after being hidden in a Soviet anti-religious museum for seventy years. Widely esteemed in his lifetime, Saint Seraphim is one of the most beloved saints of the Orthodox Church.

Russia, Moscow, 1774-1833, Tenderness Icon of St Seraphim, anointed w oil from icon's lampada, they received healing
Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery, Mordovia, 1774-1833, Tenderness Icon of St Seraphim, anointed with oil from the icon's lampada, they received healing Seraphim-Diveyevo Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God belonged to Saint Seraphim of Sarov, and was the icon he kept in his cell. saint anointed the sick with oil from the lampada burning before this icon, and they received healing . Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Commemorated on July 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tenderness from Seraphim-Diveyevo, Commemorated July 28 ; Seraphim-Diveyevo Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God belonged to Saint Seraphim of Sarov, and was the icon he kept in his cell. saint anointed the sick with oil from the lampada burning before this icon, and they received healing . holy ascetic reposed while praying before the icon on January 2, 1833. Father Niphon, the Superior of the monastery, gave the holy Tenderness icon to the sisters of the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery. Icon of the Mother of God œSeraphim-Ponetaevka, Commemorated on November 27 ; Seraphim-Ponetaevka Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign was painted in the year 1879 by the nuns of the Seraphim-Ponetaevka women’s monastery, not far from Arzamas, near the village of Ponetaevka. The monastery was named after Saint Seraphim of Sarov by the founder of the monastery, a sister of the Diveyevo community. years after it was painted, the icon became known for its numerous miracles and became the chief holy item of the monastery. When the sisters were praying during the services, they noticed distinct changes in the countenance of the Mother of God: Her All-Pure face became bright and life-like. Numerous pilgrims thronged to the icon, and many were healed from blindness and crippling. In all, about seventy instances of healing were noted. Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated January 2 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated January 24 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1779, Kostroma Icon survives fire at Theophany monastery
Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1779, Kostroma Icon survives fire at Theophany monastery; Kostroma Hodēgḗtria Icon of the Mother of God was painted in 1672 on the wall of the southwest tower of the Kostroma Theophany monastery. In 1779 a great conflagration occurred at the monastery, and the tower was all enveloped by flames, but the holy Icon of the Mother of God did not suffer from the fire. In the year 1824 a church was built at the tower. Kostroma Hodegetria Icon of the Mother of God was painted in 1672 on the wall of the southwest tower of the Kostroma Theophany monastery. In 1779 a great conflagration occurred at the monastery, and the tower was all enveloped by flames, but the holy Icon of the Mother of God did not suffer from the fire. In the year 1824 a church was built at the tower. Theophany Convent and monastery; Icon of the Mother of God of Kostroma, Commemorated on July 28 ; Kostroma Hodēgḗtria Icon of the Mother of God was painted in 1672 on the wall of the southwest tower of the Kostroma Theophany monastery. In 1779 a great conflagration occurred at the monastery, and the tower was all enveloped by flames, but the holy Icon of the Mother of God did not suffer from the fire. In the year 1824 a church was built at the tower. Kostroma Hodegetria Icon of the Mother of God was painted in 1672 on the wall of the southwest tower of the Kostroma Theophany monastery. In 1779 a great conflagration occurred at the monastery, and the tower was all enveloped by flames, but the holy Icon of the Mother of God did not suffer from the fire. In the year 1824 a church was built at the tower. Blessed Simon of Yurievets, Commemorated November 4 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1781-1796, Saint Juneval of Alaska, Kodiak, Nushek, Kenai Bay, Kushokwim Mouth, Quinahgak, Baptised many
Moscow, 1781-1796, Saint Juneval of Alaska; Martyr Juvenal of Alaska, Commemorated on September 24; Juvenal, the Protomartyr of America, was born in 1761 in Nerchinsk, Siberia. His secular name was John Feodorovich Hovorukhin, and he was trained as a mining engineer. In a letter to Abbot Nazarius of Valaam (December 13, 1819), Saint Herman says that Saint Juvenal “had been an assistant at our monastery and was a former officer.” his wife died in 1791, John entered a monastery at Saint Petersburg (Saint Herman’s Letter of December 13, 1819) and was tonsured with the name Juvenal. Three years later, he went to Alaska as a missionary. 1794, the hieromonks Juvenal and Macarius spent two months in the area around Kodiak teaching the inhabitants about Christ and baptizing them. They traveled in small boats of hide in all sorts of weather, dividing up the territory among themselves. Saint Herman tells of a conversation he heard one day as he walked with the hieromonks to a small hill on the south side of the harbor. They sat down facing the sea, and spoke of various things. Soon they began to discuss where each of them should go to preach. Aflame with zeal and eager to set out on their journey, a friendly argument ensued between Father Macarius and Father Juvenal. Father Macarius said he intended to go north to the Aleutian Islands, and then make his way to the Alaskan mainland, where the inhabitants had invited him to visit. The monks had a map of Captain Cook’s which indicated that some Russians were living near a certain river in that particular area, and Father Macarius hoped to find them. Juvenal interrupted, saying that he believed that the Alaskan mainland was his territory. “I beg you to yield to me and not offend me in this,” he told Father Macarius, “since the ship is leaving for Yakutan. I shall begin preaching in the south, proceeding north along the ocean, cross the Kenai peninsula, then from the port there I shall cross to Alaska.” Macarius became sorrowful and said, “No, Father. Do not restrict me in this way. You know the Aleutian chain of islands is joined to Alaska, therefore it belongs to me, and also the whole northern shore. As for you, the southern part of America is sufficient for your whole lifetime, if you please.” he listened to their apostolic fervor, Saint Herman says he “went from joy to rapture” (Letter to Abbot Nazarius, May 19, 1795). 1795, Father Juvenal baptized over 700 Chugatchi at Nushek, then he crossed Kenai Bay and baptized the local people there. In 1796, according to native oral tradition, Saint Juvenal came to the mouth of the Kuskokwim near the present village of Quinahgak, where he was killed by a hunting party. (There is a forged diary attributed to Ivan Petroff which gives a slanderous version of Father Juvenal’s death, and alleges that he was martyred at Lake Iliamna.) precise reason for Saint Juvenal’s murder by the natives is not known. However, they later told Saint Innocent something about his death. They said that Saint Juvenal did not try to defend himself when attacked, nor did he make any attempt to escape. After being struck from behind, he turned to face his attackers and begged them to spare the natives he had baptized. natives told Saint Innocent that after they had killed Saint Juvenal, he got up and followed them, urging them to repent. The fell upon him again and gave him a savage beating. Once more, he got to his feet and called them to repentance. This happened several times, then finally the natives hacked him to pieces. Thus, the zealous Hieromonk Juvenal became the first Orthodox Christian in America to receive the crown of martyrdom. His unnamed guide, possibly a Tanaina Indian convert, was also martyred at the same time. is said that a local shaman removed Saint Juvenal’s brass pectoral cross from his body and attempted to cast a spell. Unexpectedly, the shaman was lifted up off the ground. He made three more tries with the same result, then concluded that there was a greater power than his own at work here. Years later, a man showed up at the Nushagak Trading Post wearing a brass pectoral cross exactly like the one worn by Saint Juvenal. column of light arose from his holy relics and reached up to Heaven. It is not known how long this phenomenon continued. Juvenal, in his tireless evangelization of the native peoples of Alaska, served the Church more than all the other missionaries combined.

Russia, Moscow, 1783-1917, Georgia in the Russian Empire
Georgia, 1783-1917, Georgia in the Russian Empire; Saint Hilarion the New of Georgia, Commemorated on February 14; the Russian annexation of Kartli-Kakheti, the imperial court of the tsar increased diplomatic correspondence with the court of King Solomon II. king was urged likewise to unite the Imeretian Kingdom to Russia. Solomon summoned a council of noblemen, and it was decided that Imereti would remain independent, while maintaining friendly relations with Russia until the king’s death. However, it was agreed that since King Solomon had no heir, after his repose the court of the imperial tsar would acquire jurisdiction over the region. the political climate in Georgia became increasingly tense, and the ability of the Imeretian court to govern was severely undermined. court was suddenly besieged with cases of envy and treason, and it became necessary for the king to flee to Turkey. Protopresbyter Ise Qanchaveli accompanied King Solomon II to his place of exile and remained with him to the end of the king’s life. the king’s death in 1815, Fr. Ise received an amnesty from Tsar Alexander I (1801-1825) on behalf of the king and his court. Ise himself planned to go into reclusion in the village where he was born, King Solomon’s widow, Queen Mariam, summoned him to Moscow where she was being held in “honorable captivity.â€ Fr. Ise brought to her a piece of the Life-giving Cross of our Lord, which had belonged to King Solomon, and the queen preserved her husband’s treasure in the court church. life at the imperial court was tiresome for the God-fearing Fr. Ise, so he exchanged his clothing for beggars’ rags and set off for Mt. Athos in the year 1819.

Russia, Moscow, 1786-1833, Seraphim of Sarov, Hesychast, visions, bright light, Jesus, silence, animals, clairvoyant
Moscow, 1786-1833, Saint, Seraphim of Sarov ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Commemorated on July 19; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated on January 2; Seraphim of Sarov, a great ascetic of the Russian Church, was born on July 19, 1754. His parents, Isidore and Agathia Moshnin, were inhabitants of Kursk. Isidore was a merchant. Toward the end of his life, he began construction of a cathedral in Kursk, but he died before the completion of the work. His little son Prochorus,the future Seraphim, remained in the care of his widowed mother, who raised her son in piety. the death of her husband, Agathia Moshnina continued with the construction of the cathedral. Once she took the seven-year-old Prochorus there with her, and he fell from the scaffolding around the seven-storey bell tower. He should have been killed, but the Lord preserved the life of the future luminary of the Church. The terrified mother ran to him and found her son unharmed. Prochorus, endowed with an excellent memory, soon mastered reading and writing. From his childhood he loved to attend church services, and to read both the Holy Scripture and the Lives of the Saints with his fellow students. Most of all, he loved to pray or to read the Holy Gospel in private. one point Prochorus fell grievously ill, and his life was in danger. In a dream the boy saw the Mother of God, promising to visit and heal him. Soon past the courtyard of the Moshnin home came a church procession with the Kursk Root Ico,n of the Sign (November 27). His mother carried Prochorus in her arms, and he kissed the holy icon, after which he speedily recovered. still in his youth Prochorus made his plans to devote his life entirely to God and to go to a monastery. His devout mother did not object to this and she blessed him on his monastic path with a copper cross, which he wore on his chest for the rest of his life. Prochorus set off on foot with pilgrims going from Kursk to Kiev to venerate the Saints of the Caves. Elder Dositheus (actually a woman, Daria Tyapkina), whom Prochorus visited, blessed him to go to the Sarov wilderness monastery, and there seek his salvation. Returning briefly to his parental home, Prohkor bid a final farewell to his mother and family. On November 20, 1778 he arrived at Sarov, where the monastery then was headed by a wise Elder, Father Pachomius. He accepted him and put him under the spiritual guidance of the Elder Joseph. Under his direction Prochorus passed through many obediences at the monastery: he was the Elder’s cell-attendant, he toiled at making bread and prosphora, and at carpentry. He fulfilled all his obediences with zeal and fervor, as though serving the Lord Himself. By constant work he guarded himself against despondency (accidie), this being, as he later said, “the most dangerous temptation for new monks. It is treated by prayer, by abstaining from idle chatter, by strenuous work, by reading the Word of God and by patience, since it is engendered by pettiness of soul, negligence, and idle talk.” the blessing of Igumen Pachomius, Prochorus abstained from all food on Wednesdays and Fridays, and went into the forest, where in complete isolation he practiced the Jesus Prayer. After two years as a novice, Prochorus fell ill with dropsy, his body became swollen, and he was beset with suffering. His instructor Father Joseph and the other Elders were fond of Prochorus, and they provided him care. The illness dragged on for about three years, and not once did anyone hear from him a word of complaint. The Elders, fearing for his very life, wanted to call a doctor for him, but Prochorus asked that this not be done, saying to Father Pachomius: “I have entrusted myself, holy Father, to the True Physician of soul and body, our Lord Jesus Christ and His All-Pure Mother.” asked that a Molieben be offered for his health. While the others were praying in church, Prochorus had a vision. The Mother of God appeared to him accompanied by the holy Apostles Peter and John the Theologian. Pointing with Her hand towards the sick monk, the Most Holy Virgin said to Saint John, “He is one of our kind.” Then She touched the side of the sick man with Her staff, and immediately the fluid that had swelled up his body began to flow through the incision that She made. After the Molieben, the brethren found that Prochorus had been healed, and only a scar remained as evidence of the miracle. at the place of the appearance of the Mother of God, an infirmary church was built for the sick. One of the side chapels was dedicated to Saints Zosimas and Sabbatius of Solovki (April 17). With his own hands, Saint Seraphim made an altar table for the chapel out of cypress wood, and he always received the Holy Mysteries in this church. eight years as a novice at the Sarov monastery, Prochorus was tonsured with the name Seraphim, a name reflecting his fiery love for the Lord and his zealous desire to serve Him. After a year, Seraphim was ordained as hierodeacon. in spirit, he served in the temple each day, incessantly praying even after the service. The Lord granted him visions during the church services: he often saw holy angels serving with the priests. During the Divine Liturgy on Great and Holy Thursday, which was celebrated by the igumen Father Pachomius and by Father Joseph, Saint Seraphim had another vision. After the Little Entrance with the Gospel, the hierodeacon Seraphim pronounced the words “O Lord, save the God-fearing, and hear us.” Then, he lifted his orarion saying, “And unto ages of ages.” Suddenly, he was blinded by a bright ray of light. up, Saint Seraphim beheld the Lord Jesus Christ, coming through the western doors of the temple, surrounded by the Bodiless Powers of Heaven. Reaching the ambo, the Lord blessed all those praying and entered into His Icon to the right of the royal doors. Saint Seraphim, in spiritual rapture after this miraculous vision, was unable to utter a word, nor to move from the spot. They led him by the hand into the altar, where he just stood for another three hours, his face having changed color from the great grace that shone upon him. After the vision the saint intensified his efforts. He toiled at the monastery by day, and he spent his nights praying in his forest cell. 1793, Hierodeacon Seraphim was ordained to the priesthood, and he served the Divine Liturgy every day. After the death of the igumen Father Pachomius, Saint Seraphim received the blessing of the new Superior Father Isaiah, to live alone in a remote part of the forest three and a half miles from the monastery. He named his new home “Mount Athos,” and devoted himself to solitary prayer. He went to the monastery only on Saturday before the all-night Vigil, and returned to his forest cell after Sunday’s Liturgy, at which he partook of the Divine Mysteries. Seraphim spent his time in ascetical struggles. His cell rule of prayer was based on the rule of Saint Pachomius for the ancient desert monasteries. He always carried the Holy Gospels with him, reading the entire New Testament in the course of a week. He also read the holy Fathers and the service books. The saint learned many of the Church hymns by heart, and sang them while working in the forest. Around his cell he cultivated a garden and set up a beehive. He kept a very strict fast, eating only once during the entire day, and on Wednesdays and Fridays he completely abstained from food. From the first Sunday of the Great Fast he did not partake of food at all until the following Saturday, when he received the Holy Mysteries. holy Elder was sometimes so absorbed by the unceasing prayer of the heart that he remained without stirring, neither hearing nor seeing anything around him. The schemamonk Mark the Silent and the hierodeacon Alexander, also wilderness-dwellers, would visit him every now and then. Finding the saint immersed in prayer, they would leave quietly, so they would not disturb his contemplation. the heat of summer the righteous one gathered moss from a swamp as fertilizer for his garden. Gnats and mosquitoes bit him relentlessly, but he endured this saying, “The passions are destroyed by suffering and by afflictions.” solitude was often disturbed by visits from monks and laymen, who sought his advice and blessing. With the blessing of the igumen, Father Seraphim prohibited women from visiting him, then receiving a sign that the Lord approved of his desire for complete silence, he banned all visitors. Through the prayers of the saint, the pathway to his wilderness cell was blocked by huge branches blown down from ancient pine trees. Now only the birds and the wild beasts visited him, and he dwelt with them as Adam did in Paradise. They came at midnight and waited for him to complete his Rule of prayer. Then he would feed bears, lynxes, foxes, rabbits, and even wolves with bread from his hand. Saint Seraphim also had a bear which would obey him and run errands for him. order to repulse the onslaughts of the Enemy, Saint Seraphim intensified his toil and began a new ascetical struggle in imitation of Saint Simeon the Stylite (September 1). Each night he climbed up on an immense rock in the forest, or a smaller one in his cell, resting only for short periods. He stood or knelt, praying with upraised hands, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” He prayed this way for 1,000 days and nights. robbers in search of money or valuables once came upon him while he was working in his garden. The robbers demanded money from him. Though he had an axe in his hands, and could have put up a fight, he did not want to do this, recalling the words of the Lord: “Those who take up the sword will perish by the sword” (Mt. 26: 52). Dropping his axe to the ground, he said, “Do what you intend.” The robbers beat him severely and left him for dead. They wanted to throw him in the river, but first they searched the cell for money. They tore the place apart, but found nothing but icons and a few potatoes, so they left. The monk, regained consciousness, crawled to his cell, and lay there all night. the morning he reached the monastery with great difficulty. The brethren were horrified, seeing the ascetic with several wounds to his head, chest, ribs and back. For eight days he lay there suffering from his wounds. Doctors called to treat him were amazed that he was still alive after such a beating. Seraphim was not cured by any earthly physician: the Queen of Heaven appeared to him in a vision with the Apostles Peter and John. Touching the saint’s head, the Most Holy Virgin healed him. However, he was unable to straighten up, and for the rest of his life he had to walk bent over with the aid of a stick or a small axe. Saint Seraphim had to spend about five months at the monastery, and then he returned to the forest. He forgave his abusers and asked that they not be punished. 1807 the abbot, Father Isaiah, fell asleep in the Lord. Saint Seraphim was asked to take his place, but he declined. He lived in silence for three years, completely cut off from the world except for the monk who came once a week to bring him food. If the saint encountered a man in the forest, he fell face down and did not get up until the passerby had moved on. Saint Seraphim acquired peace of soul and joy in the Holy Spirit. The great ascetic once said, “Acquire the spirit of peace, and a thousand souls will be saved around you.” new Superior of the monastery, Father Niphon, and the older brethren of the monastery told Father Seraphim either to come to the monastery on Sundays for divine services as before, or to move back into the monastery. He chose the latter course, since it had become too difficult for him to walk from his forest cell to the monastery. In the spring of 1810, he returned to the monastery after fifteen years of living in the wilderness. his silence, he shut himself up in his cell, occupying himself with prayer and reading. He was also permitted to eat meals and to receive Communion in his cell. There Saint Seraphim attained the height of spiritual purity and was granted special gifts of grace by God: clairvoyance and wonderworking. After five years of solitude, he opened his door and allowed the monks to enter. He continued his silence, however, teaching them only by example. November 25, 1825 the Mother of God, accompanied by the two holy hierarchs commemorated on that day (Hieromartyr Clement of Rome, and Saint Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria), appeared to the Elder in a vision and told him to end his seclusion and to devote himself to others. He received the igumen’s blessing to divide his time between life in the forest, and at the monastery. He did not return to his Far Hermitage, but went to a cell closer to the monastery. This he called his Near Hermitage. At that time, he opened the doors of his cell to pilgrims as well as his fellow-monks. Elder saw into the hearts of people, and as a spiritual physician, he healed their infirmities of soul and body through prayer and by his grace-filled words. Those coming to Saint Seraphim felt his great love and tenderness. No matter what time of the year it was, he would greet everyone with the words, “Christ is Risen, my joy!” He especially loved children. Once, a young girl said to her friends, “Father Seraphim only looks like an old man. He is really a child like us.” The Elder was often seen leaning on his stick and carrying a knapsack filled with stones. When asked why he did this, the saint humbly replied, “I am troubling him who troubles me.” the final period of his earthly life Saint Seraphim devoted himself to his spiritual children, the Diveyevo women’s monastery. While still a hierodeacon he had accompanied the late Father Pachomius to the Diveyevo community to its monastic leader, Mother Alexandra, a great woman ascetic, and then Father Pachomius blessed Saint Seraphim to care always for the “Diveyevo orphans.” He was a genuine father for the sisters, who turned to him with all their spiritual and material difficulties. Seraphim also devoted much effort to the women’s monastic community at Diveyevo. He himself said that he gave them no instructions of his own, but it was the Queen of Heaven who guided him in matters pertaining to the monastery. His disciples and spiritual friends helped the saint to feed and nourish the Diveyevo community. Michael V. Manturov, healed by the monk from grievous illness, was one of Diveyvo’s benefactors. On the advice of the Elder he took upon himself the exploit of voluntary poverty. Elena Vasilievna Manturova, one of the Diveyevo sisters, out of obedience to the Elder, voluntarily consented to die in place of her brother, who was still needed in this life. Alexandrovich Motovilov, was also healed by the monk. In 1903, shortly before the glorification of the saint, the remarkable “Conversation of Saint Seraphim of Sarov with N. A. Motovilov” was found and printed. Written by Motovilov after their conversation at the end of November 1831, the manuscript was hidden in an attic in a heap of rubbish for almost seventy years. It was found by the author S. A. Nilus, who was looking for information about Saint Seraphim’s life. This conversation is a very precious contribution to the spiritual literature of the Orthodox Church. It grew out of Nicholas Motovilov’s desire to know the aim of the Christian life. It was revealed to Saint Seraphim that Motovilov had been seeking an answer to this question since childhood, without receiving a satisfactory answer. The holy Elder told him that the aim of the Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit, and went on to explain the great benefits of prayer and the acquisition of the Holy Spirit. asked the saint how we can know if the Holy Spirit is with us or not. Saint Seraphim spoke at length about how people come to be in the Spirit of God, and how we can recognize His presence in us, but Motovilov wanted to understand this better. Then Father Seraphim took him by the shoulders and said, “We are both in the Spirit of God now, my son. Why don’t you look at me?” replied, “I cannot look, Father, for your eyes are flashing like lightning, and your face is brighter than the sun.” Seraphim told him, “Don’t be alarmed, friend of God. Now you yourself have become as bright as I am. You are in the fulness of the Spirit of God yourself, otherwise you would not be able to see me like this.” Saint Seraphim promised Motovilov that God would allow him to retain this experience in his memory all his life. “It is not given for you alone to understand,” he said, “but through you it is for the whole world.” knew and esteemed Saint Seraphim as a great ascetic and wonderworker. A year and ten months before his end, on the Feast of the Annunciation, Saint Seraphim was granted to behold the Queen of Heaven once more in the company of Saint John the Baptist, the Apostle John the Theologian and twelve Virgin Martyrs (Saints Barbara, Katherine, Thekla, Marina, Irene, Eupraxia, Pelagia, Dorothea, Makrina, Justina, Juliana, and Anysia). The Most Holy Virgin conversed at length with the monk, entrusting the Diveyevo sisters to him. Concluding the conversation, She said to him: “Soon, My dear one, you shall be with us.” The Diveyevo nun Eupraxia was present during this visit of the Mother of God, because the saint had invited her. the last year of Saint Seraphim’s life, one of those healed by him saw him standing in the air during prayer. The saint strictly forbade this to be mentioned until after his death. Seraphim became noticeably weaker and he spoke much about his approaching end. During this time they often saw him sitting by his coffin, which he had placed in the ante-room of his cell, and which he had prepared for himself. saint himself had marked the place where finally they would bury him, near the altar of the Dormition cathedral. On January 1, 1833 Father Seraphim came to the church of Saints Zosimas and Sabbatius one last time for Liturgy and he received the Holy Mysteries, after which he blessed the brethren and bid them farewell, saying: “Save your souls. Do not be despondent, but watchful. Today crowns are being prepared for us.” January 2, Father Paul, the saint’s cell-attendant, left his own cell at six in the morning to attend the early Liturgy. He noticed the smell of smoke coming from the Elder’s cell. Saint Seraphim would often leave candles burning in his cell, and Father Paul was concerned that they could start a fire. “While I am alive,” he once said, “there will be no fire, but when I die, my death shall be revealed by a fire.” When they opened the door, it appeared that books and other things were smoldering. Saint Seraphim was found kneeling before an icon of the Mother of God with his arms crossed on his chest. His pure soul was taken by the angels at the time of prayer, and had flown off to the Throne of the Almighty God, Whose faithful servant Saint Seraphim had been all his life. Seraphim has promised to intercede for those who remember his parents, Isidore and Agathia.

Russia, Moscow, 1787-1792, Russo-Turkish War, Crimea, Moldovia
Moscow, 1787-1792, Russo-Turkish War (1787-“92) ; Righteous Admiral Theodore Ushakov of the Russian Naval Fleet, Commemorated on October 2; Theodore, one of Russia’s greatest naval heroes of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, was born in 1745. unvanquished Admiral was the terror of his country’s enemies, and the deliverer of those whom the barbarians had taken captive. He served during the Russo-Turkish War (1787—1791), and also fought against the French. Although he fought many naval battles in the Black Sea and in the Mediterranean, he never lost a single one, and he was never wounded. Theodore once visited the Greek island of Kerkyra (Corfu), where he venerated the relics of Saint Spyridon of Tremithus (December 12), and gave support and encouragement to the Orthodox Christians in that place. his naval reforms were unpopular with his superiors, Saint Theodore was forced to retire in 1807 by Tsar Alexander I. Having neither wife nor children, the admiral settled in the town of Alekseevo near the Sanaxar Monastery, where he regularly attended services on Sundays and Feast Days. During Great Lent he would stay in the monastery, fasting with the monks and attending the services. Nathaniel of Sanaxar regarded Saint Theodore as “a neighbor and a significant patronâ€ of the monastery. In addition to his generous gifts to the monastery, the admiral frequently gave alms to the poor and needy. He never sought earthly glory or riches, but spent his life in serving God and his neighbor. Theodore died in 1817 at the age of seventy-two. After navigating the sea of life with all its storms and struggles, he entered the calm harbor of eternal rest. He was buried at Sanaxar Monastery beside the church. The monastery was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1991, and Saint Theodore’s grave was found in 1994. Theodore was glorified by the Orthodox Church of Russia in 2004, and a reliquary in the shape of a naval vessel was made to enshrine his holy relics. holy Admiral Theodore should not be confused with his relative Saint Theodore (Ushakov) of Sanaxar Monastery (February 19 and April 21), a monastic saint who lived from 1719 to 1791. Theodore is honored as a great military leader who defended Russia just as Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23) and Saint Demetrius of the Don (May 19) did before him. One of the Russian Navy’s atomic cruisers has been named for him, and a movie has been made about his life and career. The composer Khachaturian has also written a musical piece called “Admiral Ushakov.â€ Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15;

Russia, Moscow, 1787-1817, Admiral, Fyodor Ushakov, won every engagement
Moscow, 1787-1817, Admiral, Fyodor Ushakov ; Fyodorovich Ushakov ( 24 February [O.S. 13 February] 1745 - 14 October [O.S. 2 October] 1817) was the most illustrious Russian naval commander and admiral of the 18th century. He is notable for winning every engagement he participated in as the Admiral of the Russian fleet. Righteous Admiral Theodore Ushakov of the Russian Naval Fleet, Commemorated on October 2; Theodore, one of Russia'™s greatest naval heroes of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, was born in 1745. unvanquished Admiral was the terror of his country'™s enemies, and the deliverer of those whom the barbarians had taken captive. He served during the Russo-Turkish War (1787-”1791), and also fought against the French. Although he fought many naval battles in the Black Sea and in the Mediterranean, he never lost a single one, and he was never wounded. Theodore once visited the Greek island of Kerkyra (Corfu), where he venerated the relics of Saint Spyridon of Tremithus (December 12), and gave support and encouragement to the Orthodox Christians in that place. his naval reforms were unpopular with his superiors, Saint Theodore was forced to retire in 1807 by Tsar Alexander I. Having neither wife nor children, the admiral settled in the town of Alekseevo near the Sanaxar Monastery, where he regularly attended services on Sundays and Feast Days. During Great Lent he would stay in the monastery, fasting with the monks and attending the services. Nathaniel of Sanaxar regarded Saint Theodore as œa neighbor and a significant patron of the monastery. In addition to his generous gifts to the monastery, the admiral frequently gave alms to the poor and needy. He never sought earthly glory or riches, but spent his life in serving God and his neighbor. Theodore died in 1817 at the age of seventy-two. After navigating the sea of life with all its storms and struggles, he entered the calm harbor of eternal rest. He was buried at Sanaxar Monastery beside the church. The monastery was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1991, and Saint Theodore'™s grave was found in 1994. Theodore was glorified by the Orthodox Church of Russia in 2004, and a reliquary in the shape of a naval vessel was made to enshrine his holy relics. holy Admiral Theodore should not be confused with his relative Saint Theodore (Ushakov) of Sanaxar Monastery (February 19 and April 21), a monastic saint who lived from 1719 to 1791. Theodore is honored as a great military leader who defended Russia just as Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23) and Saint Demetrius of the Don (May 19) did before him. One of the Russian Navy'™s atomic cruisers has been named for him, and a movie has been made about his life and career. The composer Khachaturian has also written a musical piece called œAdmiral Ushakov. New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22;

Russia, Moscow, 1788-1790, Russo-Swedish Wa, Sweden (allied w Turks) domestic r, fake d, Baltic sea battles
Moscow, 1788-1790, Russo-Swedish War (1788-“90) ; Moscow Empress, 1762-1796, Catherine the Great; Icon of the Mother of God of Domnitsa, Commemorated on September 8; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15;

Russia, Moscow, 1795, Battle of Krtsanisi, Tiblisi, Persian V, Muslim Traitors, Russia did not help per treaty
Georgia, Battle of Krtsanisi, Tiblisi, 1795, Muslim Traitors inside the gates ; Battle of Krtsanisi was fought between the Qajar Iran (Persia) and the Georgian armies of the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti and Kingdom of Imereti at the place of Krtsanisi[10] near Tbilisi, Georgia, from September 8 to September 11, 1795, part of Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar's war in response to King Heraclius II of Georgia’s alliance with the Russian Empire.[11] battle resulted in the decisive defeat of the Georgians, capture, and complete destruction of their capital Tbilisi,[8] as well as the temporary absorption of eastern parts of Georgia into the Iranian Empire.[3][4][12][13] the Qajars were victorious and Agha Mohammad Khan kept his promise to Heraclius (Erekle) that if he would not drop the alliance with Russia and voluntarily reaccept Iranian suzerainty they would invade his kingdom, also showed that Russia's own ambitions and agenda were set as the most important reason for Russia not to intervene at Krtsanisi, even though the latter had officially declared in the Treaty of Georgievsk of 1783 that it would protect Erekle's kingdom against any new Iranian ambitions to re-subjugate Georgia. in order to restore Russian prestige, Catherine would launch a punitive campaign against Iran the next year, but it was shortly recalled after her death. following years remained turbulent and were known as a time of muddle and confusion. Reestablishment of Iranian rule over Georgia did not last long, for the shah was assassinated in 1797 in Shusha, and the Georgian king had died the year after. Georgia laying in ruins and the central rule in Iran being concerned with the next heir to the throne, it opened the way for Georgia's annexation by Russia several years later by Tsar Paul. Iran could not permit or allow the cession of Transcaucasia and Dagestan, which were integral parts of Iran for centuries, the consequences of the Krtsanisi battle directly led to the bitter Russo-Persian War (1804-1813) and Russo-Persian War (1826-1828), in which Fath Ali Shah, Agha Mohammad Khan's successor, attempted to reverse Russian military advances and restore Iranian authority north of the Aras and Kura rivers.[14] After these wars, Iran ceded Transcaucasia and Dagestan to imperial Russia per the Treaty of Gulistan (1813) and the Treaty of Turkmenchay (1828).[14] Georgia, composed of the kingdoms of Kartli and Kakheti, had been in the early modern era under Iranian suzerainty since the 1510s.[15] 1744, Nader Shah had granted the kingship of Kartli and Kakheti to Teimuraz II and his son Erekle II (Heraclius II) respectively, as a reward for their loyalty.[16] Nader Shah died in 1747, they capitalized on the chaos that had erupted in mainland Iran, and declared de facto independence. After Teimuraz II died in 1762, Erekle II assumed control over Kartli, and united the two kingdoms in a personal union as the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti, becoming the first Georgian ruler to preside over a politically unified eastern Georgia in three centuries.[17] about the same time, Karim Khan Zand had ascended the Iranian throne; Erekle II quickly tendered his de jure submission to the new Iranian ruler, however, de facto, he remained autonomous.[18][19] 1783, Heraclius placed his kingdom under the protection of the Russian Empire in the Treaty of Georgievsk. In the last few decades of the 18th century, Georgia had become a more important element in Russo-Iranian relations than some provinces in northern mainland Persia, such as Mazandaran or even Gilan.[20] Peter I, Catherine, the then ruling monarch of Russia, viewed Georgia as a pivot for her Caucasian policy, as Russia's new aspirations were to use it as a base of operations against both Iran and the Ottoman Empire,[21] both immediate bordering geo-political rivals of Russia. top of that, having another port on the Georgian coast of the Black Sea would be ideal.[20] A limited Russian contingent of two infantry battalions with four artillery pieces arrived in Tbilisi in 1784,[18] but was withdrawn, despite the frantic protests of the Georgians, in 1787 as a new war against Ottoman Turkey had started on a different front.[18] the next several years, Russia would be too occupied with Turkey (due to the 1768-74 war), Poland, and the European consequences of the French Revolution to give Georgia much attention. the consolidation of the Qajar dynasty under Agha Mohammad Khan, who had become the new owners to the Iranian throne and therefore the new heirs to the geo-politically rivalling empire that had been bordering Russia for centuries, did not divert Catherine from preoccupations in the west.[18] 1791, when Agha Mohammad Khan was in Tabriz, Erekle asked General Gudovich, commander of the Russian Caucasian Line, for renewed military aid, but the government in St.Petersburg did not judge it expedient to send troops again to Georgia.[18] 1792, Gudovich told Erekle that he would receive only diplomatic support in the advent of any Iranian onslaught.[5] Despite being left to his own devices, Heraclius still cherished a dream of establishing, with Russian protection, a strong and united monarchy, into which the western Georgian Kingdom of Imereti and the lost provinces under Ottoman rule would all eventually be drawn.[8] consequences of these events came a few years later, when a new dynasty, the Qajars, emerged victorious in the protracted power struggle in Persia. head, Agha Mohammad Khan, as his first objective,[22] resolved to bring the Caucasus again fully under the Persian orbit. For Agha Mohammah Khan, the resubjugation and reintegration of Georgia into the Iranian Empire was part of the same process that had brought Shiraz, Isfahan, and Tabriz under his rule.[18] He viewed, like the Safavids and Nader Shah before him, the territories no different than the territories in mainland Iran. was a province of Iran the same way Khorasan was.[18] As the Cambridge History of Iran states, its permanent secession was inconceivable and had to be resisted in the same way as one would resist an attempt at the separation of Fars or Gilan.[18] was therefore natural for Agha Mohammad Khan to perform whatever necessary means in the Caucasus in order to subdue and reincorporate the recently lost regions following Nader Shah's death and the demise of the Zands, including putting down what in Iranian eyes was seen as treason on the part of the wali of Georgia.[18] an interval of peace amid their own quarrels and with northern, western, and central Persia secure, the Persians demanded Heraclius II to renounce the treaty with Russia and to reaccept Persian suzerainty,[22] in return for peace and the security of his kingdom. Ottomans, Iran's neighboring rival, recognized Iran's rights over Kartli and Kakheti for the first time in four centuries.[5] Heraclius appealed then to his theoretical protector, Empress Catherine II of Russia, pleading for at least 3,000 Russian troops,[5] but he was not listened to, leaving Georgia to fend off the Persian threat alone.[8] Nevertheless, Heraclius II still rejected the Khan's ultimatum.[23] invasion[edit] capture of Tbilisi by Agha Muhammad Khan. A Qajar-era Persian miniature from the British Library. August 1795, Agha Mohammad Khan crossed the Aras river with a 70,000-strong army.[5] This force was divided in three: the left wing was sent in the direction of Erivan, the right one parallel to the Caspian Sea into the Mughan across the lower Aras towards Dagestan and Shirvan, while the Shah headed the centre force himself, advancing towards the fortress of Shusha in the Karabakh Khanate, which he besieged between 8 July and 9 August 1795.[7] His right and left wing forced the Khans of Ganja and Erivan into alliance respectively.[24] Having abandoned the siege of Shusha due to stiff resistance,[25] which was further aided by Georgian crown prince Aleksandre,[5] the Khan of Karabakh, Ibrahim Khan, eventually surrendered to Mohammad Khan after discussions, including the paying of regular tribute and to surrender hostages, though the Qajar forces were still denied entrance to Shusha.[25] Since the main objective was Georgia, Mohammad Khan was willing to have Karabakh secured by this agreement for now, for he and his army subsequently moved further.[25] While at Ganja, having secured Shirvan, he was joined by Javad Khan Qajar and the rest of his right wing contingent.[24] At Ganja, Mohammad Khan sent Erekle his last ultimatum, who received it in September 1795: Highness knows that for the past 100 generations you have been subject to Iran; now we deign to say with amazement that you have attached yourself to the Russians, who have no other business than to trade with Iran... Last year you forced me to destroy a number of Georgians, although we had no desire at all for our subjects to perish by our own hand...It is now our great will that you, an intelligent man, abandon such things... and break relations with the Russians. If you do not carry out this order, then we shall shortly carry out a campaign against Georgia, we will shed both Georgian and Russian blood and out of it will create rivers as big as the Kura....[5] According to the author of the Fārsnāma-ye Nāṣeri, Ḥasan-e Fasāʼi, a contemporary Qajar era historian, Agha Mohammad Khan had declared in the letter: Ismail I Safavi ruled over the province of Georgia. When in the days of the deceased king we were engaged in conquering the provinces of Persia, we did not proceeed to this region. As most of the provinces of Persia have come into our possession now, you must, according to ancient law, consider Georgia (Gurjistan) part of the empire, and appear before our majesty. You have to conform your obedience; then you may remain in the possession of your governorship (wali) of Georgia. If you do not do this, you will be treated as the others".[26] advisors divided, Erekle ignored the ultimatum, but, sent couriers to St.Petersburg. Gudovich, who sat in Georgievsk at the time, instructed Erekle to avoid "expense and fuss",[5] while Erekle, together with Solomon II and some Imeretians headed southwards of Tbilisi to fend off the Iranians.[5] Mohammad Khan at the same time marched directly on Tbilisi, with half of the army he crossed the Aras river with, though other estimations mention 40,000[7] instead of 35,000,[5][6] and attacked the heavily fortified Georgian positions of Erekle and Solomon on the southwestern limits of the city. Abandoned by several of his nobles, Heraclius II managed to mobilize around 5,000 troops, including some 2,000 auxiliaries from neighbouring Imereti under its King Solomon II, a member of the Georgian Bagrationi Dynasty and thus distantly related to Heraclius II. The Georgians offered a desperate resistance and succeeded in rolling back a series of Persian attacks on September 9 and 10. After that, it is said that some traitors informed the Persians that the Georgians had no more strength to fight and the Qajars army cancelled their plan of going back to Persia, which they previously had. Early on September 11, Agha Mohammad Khan personally led an all-out offensive against the Georgians. Amid an artillery duel and a fierce cavalry charge, the Persians managed to cross the Kura River and outflanked the decimated Georgian army. Heraclius II attempted to mount a counterattack, but he had to retreat to the last available positions in the outskirts of Tbilisi. By nightfall, the Georgian forces had been exhausted and almost completely destroyed. The last surviving Georgian artillery briefly held the advancing Persians to allow Heraclius II and his retinue of some 150 men to escape through the city to the mountains. The fighting continued in the streets of Tbilisi and at the fortress of Narikala. In a few hours, Agha Mohammad Khan was in full control of the Georgian capital which was completely sacked and its population massacred. Among those killed in the city was the archbishop of Tbilisi, Doistheus.[27] The Persian army marched back laden with spoil and carrying off some 15,000 captives.[8][9] The Georgians had lost 4,000 men in the battle, the Iranians 13,000; a third of their total force.[5] eye-witness, having entered the city several days after the bulk of the Iranian troops had withdrawn, described what he saw: therefore pursued my way, paved as it were, with carcases, and entered Tiflis by the gate of Tapitag: but what was my consternation on finding here the bodies of women and children slaughtered by the sword of the enemy; to say nothing about the men, of whom I saw more than a thousand, as I should suppose, lying dead in one little tower! (...) The city was almost entirely consumed, and still continued to smoke in different places; and the stench from the putrefying, together with the heat which prevailed, was intolerable, and certainly infectious.[7] Entrance of the Russian troops in Tiflis, 26 November 1799, by Franz Roubaud, 1886 his return, after the conquest of Tbilisi and being in effective control of eastern Georgia,[4][12][28] Agha Mohammad was formally crowned Shah in 1796 in the Mughan plain, just like his predecessor Nader Shah was about sixty years earlier.[4] As The Cambridge History of Iran notes; "Russia's client, Georgia, had been punished, and Russia's prestige, damaged." Heraclius II returned to Tbilisi to rebuild the city, but the destruction of his capital was a death blow to his hopes and projects. Upon learning of the fall of Tbilisi General Gudovich put the blame on the Georgians themselves.[29] To restore Russian prestige, Catherine II declared war on Persia, upon the proposal of Gudovich,[29] and sent an army under Valerian Zubov to the Qajar possessions on April of that year, but the new Tsar Paul I, who succeeded Catherine in November, shortly recalled it. Mohammad Shah was later assassinated while preparing a second expedition against Georgia in 1797 in Shusha[29] and the seasoned king Heraclius died early in 1798. Reassessment of Iranian hegemony over Georgia did not last long; in 1799 the Russians marched into Tbilisi.[30] The next two years were a time of muddle and confusion, and the weakened and devastated Georgian kingdom, with its capital half in ruins, was easily absorbed by Russia in 1801.[8][23] As Iran could not permit or allow the cession of Transcaucasia and Dagestan[14] the consequences of the Krtsanisi battle would also directly lead up to two wars between the nations. The Russo-Persian War (1804-1813) and Russo-Persian War (1826-1828) would eventually forced the cession of the aforementioned regions to Imperial Russia per the Gulistan and Turkmenchay of 1813 and 1828 respectively. Persian Qajar Shah, 1789-1797, Aga Mohammad Khan Qajar ; Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated on September 12 ; thousand Persian soldiers marched toward Georgia in the year 1795. The Georgian king Erekle II (1762-1798) and his two thousand soldiers declared war on the invaders as they were approaching Tbilisi. Georgians won the first skirmish, but many perished in the fighting. The enemy was shaken and was preparing to flee the battleground, when several traitors reported to Aqa Muhammed Khan that King Erekle had lost nearly his entire army. betrayal decided the fate of the battle: the one hundred fifty soldiers who remained in the Georgian army barely succeeded in saving the life of King Erekle, who had willed to perish on the battlefield with his soldiers. of Tbilisi was engulfed in flames. The plunderers murdered the people, set fire to the libraries, destroyed the print shop, and vandalized the churches and the king’s palace. They slaughtered the clergy in an especially cruel manner. history has not preserved the names of all those martyrs who perished in this tragedy, but we do know that a certain Metropolitan Dositheus of Tbilisi was killed because he would not abandon his flock. While the invaders simply killed most of the clergymen, from Saint Dositheus they demanded a renunciation of the Christian Faith. They commanded him to defile the True and Life-giving Cross of our Lord. But the holy hieromartyr Dositheus endured the greatest torments without yielding to the enemy, and he joyfully accepted death for Christ’s sake. The invaders slaughtered Christ’s devoted servant with their swords. Dositheus was martyred on September 12 in the year 1795.

Russia, Moscow, 1795, Battle of Krtsanisi, Aga Mohammad, Cruel rapacious Qajar Persian, d Georgia
Persia, 1789-1797, Persian Qajar Shah, Aga Mohammad Khan Qajar ; Mohammad Khan Qajar (14 March 1742 - 17 June 1797), also known by his regnal name of Agha Mohammad Shah, was the founder of the Qajar dynasty of Iran, ruling from 1789 to 1797 as king (shah). chieftain of the Qoyunlu branch of the Qajar tribe, Agha Mohammad Khan was enthroned as the king of Iran in 1789, but was not officially crowned until March 1796, having deposed Lotf Ali Khan of the Zand dynasty in 1794. Mohammad Khan Qajar was famously the eunuch Monarch, being castrated as a young adult upon his capture by Adel Shah Afshar, and hence was childless. He was assassinated on 17 June 1797, and was succeeded by his nephew, Fath-Ali Shah Qajar. Mohammad Khan's reign is noted for the return of a centralized and unified Iran and for relocating the capital to Tehran, where it still stands today. He is also noted for his cruel and rapacious behavior, particularly during the re-subjugation of Georgia. He sacked the capital Tbilisi, massacred many of its inhabitants, and moved some 15,000 Georgian captives back to mainland Iran. Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated on September 12 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1796-1801, Emperor, Paul I of Russia, overshadowed by mother Catherine II, hated French, assinated
Moscow, 1796-1801, Emperor, Paul I of Russia ; I (1 October [O.S. 20 September] 1754 - 23 March [O.S. 11 March] 1801) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination. he was the only son of Peter III and Catherine the Great, although Catherine hinted that he was fathered by her lover Sergei Saltykov.[1][2] remained overshadowed by his mother for most of his life. He adopted the laws of succession to the Russian throne—rules that lasted until the end of the Romanov dynasty and of the Russian Empire. also intervened in the French Revolutionary Wars and, toward the end of his reign, added Kartli and Kakheti in Eastern Georgia into the empire, which was confirmed by his son and successor Alexander I. was de facto Grand Master of the Order of Hospitallers from 1799 to 1801 and ordered the construction of a number of Maltese thrones.[3] Righteous Admiral Theodore Ushakov of the Russian Naval Fleet, Commemorated on October 2; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; Venerable Leonid of Optina, Commemorated on October 11; Translation of a Particle of the Life Giving Cross from Malta to Gatchina, Commemorated on October 12 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated on October 12; Icon of the Mother of God œIn Giving Birth, you Preserved your VirginityÂ, Commemorated on October 17; St Peter of Cetinje, Commemorated on October 18; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on December 13; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated on January 2; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on January 7; When the Russian Tsar Paul I (1796-1801) became Grand Master of the Maltese Order in honor of the holy Prophet John, the right hand of the Baptist, part of the Life-Creating Cross and the Philermos Icon (October 12) of the Mother of God (from Mt Philermos on the island of Rhodes) were transferred in 1799 from the island of Malta to Russia [because of the Napoleonic threat], to the chapel at Gatchina (October 12). In the same year these sacred items were transferred into the church dedicated to the Icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands at the Winter Palace. A special service was composed for this Feast. ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated on January 24; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated on February 14; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 29; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas. Commemorated on March 31;

Russia, Moscow, 1799, Transfer of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, from Malta to Winter Palace
Russia, Moscow, 1799, Transfer of the Right Hand of John the Baptist the Russian Tsar Paul I (1796-1801) became Grand Master of the Maltese Order in honor of the holy Prophet John, the right hand of the Baptist, part of the Life-Creating Cross and the Philermos Icon (October 12) of the Mother of God (from Mt Philermos on the island of Rhodes) were transferred in 1799 from the island of Malta to Russia [because of the Napoleonic threat], to the chapel at Gatchina (October 12). In the same year these sacred items were transferred into the church dedicated to the Icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands at the Winter Palace. A special service was composed for this Feast. Moscow, 1796-1801, Emperor, Paul I of Russia ; Translation of a Particle of the Life Giving Cross from Malta to Gatchina, Commemorated on October 12 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated on October 12; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on January 7; When the Russian Tsar Paul I (1796-1801) became Grand Master of the Maltese Order in honor of the holy Prophet John, the right hand of the Baptist, part of the Life-Creating Cross and the Philermos Icon (October 12) of the Mother of God (from Mt Philermos on the island of Rhodes) were transferred in 1799 from the island of Malta to Russia [because of the Napoleonic threat], to the chapel at Gatchina (October 12). In the same year these sacred items were transferred into the church dedicated to the Icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands at the Winter Palace. A special service was composed for this Feast. ;

Russia, Moscow, 1799, The Healer Icon, dreadful I, putrified tongue, prayer, guardian angel, bedside MOG
Georgia, 317, The Healer Icon original icon known as “Tselitel’nitsa,” or “The Healer” was from the Tsilkan church in Kartali, Georgia. It was painted at the time of Saint Nino (January 14). is another icon with the same name in the Alexeev women’s monastery in Moscow, and many miracles took place before it at the end of the eightheenth century. Saint Demetrius of Rostov (September 21 and October 28) relates a story about this icon in his book THE BEDEWED FLEECE. cleric of the Navarninsky church, Vincent Bulvinensky, was in the habit of venerating the icon of the Mother of God whenever he entered the church. He would also recite the following prayer before the icon: “Hail, Virgin Theotokos full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed is the womb which bore Christ, and the breasts which nourished the Lord God, our Savior.” time, he found himself suffering from a dreadful affliction. His tongue began to putrefy, and he passed out from the pain. When he came to himself, he prayed his usual prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos. soon as he had finished his prayer, he saw a handsome young man at the head of his bed. The sufferer realized at once that this was his guardian angel. The angel looked at him with pity, calling on the Mother of God to heal him. Suddenly, the Theotokos appeared and healed the sick man who was so devoted to Her. He got out of bed and went to church, taking his place on the cliros for the service. Those present were astonished to see his recovery. miracle inspired the painting of “The Healer” icon depicting the Mother of God standing at the bed of the sick man. Tsilkani Church, (Probably near Ksani Fortress, Ksani River 2); Icon of the Mother of God €œthe Healer€, Commemorated on September 18 ; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia, Commemorated December 2; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7;