Legal abbess. On the echo about the Alekseevsky monastery

In Moscow, according to the recent decision of the Holy Synod, a new convent is opening - Alekseevskaya in Krasnoe Selo. Archpriest Artemy VLADIMIROV, who will apparently become its confessor, talks about the specifics of the new monastery.
As lovers of antiquity know, the Moscow Alekseevsky monastery was founded by St. Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow, for his sister and her companion - now Saints Eupraxia and Juliana. (They are buried on Ostozhenka Street in the active Conception Convent). The Alekseevskaya monastery changed its location twice and is now located in Krasnoe Selo. This then suburban place was chosen with the blessing of Metropolitan Philaret (Drozdov) in the first third of the 19th century.

20 years have passed since the revival of parish life here, the center of which was the Church of All Saints. And all these years, our thoughts (of the priesthood and parishioners) revolved around one subject - the possibility of reviving the monastery. The first church almshouse in Moscow, St. Tsarevich Alexy, who escorted fifty of her nuns to the Heavenly Abodes, among whom were many nuns who were tonsured in Soviet times and prepared for their exodus to eternal life.

Over the course of twenty years, the parish has gathered many souls longing for the monastic life. I believe that the future of our monastery is bright and joyful. Largely because nun Ksenia (Chernega), who, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, will become her abbess, grew up in this parish. From a student at the Moscow Law Institute, she rose to become the head of the legal service of the Moscow Patriarchate. It was to her that His Holiness the Patriarch entrusted the complex matter of reviving the monastery in legal terms - the churches of the Alekseevsky Monastery were scattered on opposite sides of the overpass, which cut the monastery into two parts. This overpass lay right over the bones of nuns and representatives of the Moscow nobility, cultural and artistic figures buried in the monastery cemetery.

Our large and interesting parish will become the basis of the life of the monastery. There are already more than a thousand people there. We have gathered a lot of talented people - Moscow is not lacking in “neither lyricists nor physicists.” There are about 20 sisters in our community who are little by little establishing their footsteps on the paths of monastic life. So we hope that the monastery will slowly grow. We are cheered by the hope for the unhurried revival of the ancient Alekseevsky convent; it will take place under the direct leadership of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, who awarded it the status of stauropegial.

What will be the character of the monastery? Future will tell. But, judging by the experience of our educational and publishing activities, the monastery, as befits a city monastery, will direct its main efforts to education and spiritual service to its compatriots. At the same time, everyone understands that it would not be very wise for the nuns of the monastery to limit themselves to office studies only. Fortunately, we have almost four hectares of land in Krasnoye Selo and the same amount in Sokolniki with the Church of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk. His Holiness the Patriarch, having united all our lands under the cover of the monastery, outlined a rough plan for its development. In Sokolniki, with God's help, a new almshouse must be built that meets the needs of the time. And in Krasnoe Selo it is planned to create a place for future nuns.

According to the thought of His Holiness the Patriarch, in addition to the black sisterhood, that is, monastic sisters, the monastery will open its gates to the white sisterhood. We are talking about all the willing girls and women who, perhaps, are not yet ready or do not have the opportunity to live in the monastery, but would like to be useful to it. But now any Orthodox monastery in Russia is involved in feats of mercy. The application of forces can be a boarding school for orphans or a school for teaching and conducting lessons of goodness and piety, or a medical institution, where with great gratitude both staff and patients will always meet sisters with the signs of the cross of mercy on their foreheads.

In any monastery, the atmosphere is formed, firstly, by the person in charge, the abbess, and the sisters correctly selected by her; and, of course, the confessor, who will help her lead, and the confessor of the monastery. If there are no unexpected decisions, then, apparently, I will be offered the obedience of a confessor, and I express my firm confidence that, together with Mother Ksenia, we, happily complementing each other, will be able to take into account all the extremes and shortcomings I have identified in order to protect ourselves from them. We have to not so much start from the opposite, but rather build with the hope of God’s help.

I think that the best way to set up a monastery fits into the words of the proverb “the slower you go, the further you will go.” We should not suffer from “plans galore”, i.e. gigantomania, and I think that in the next twenty years (God bless everyone with life and health!) we are not in danger of turning into a women’s monastery. It was not by chance that I said that our monastery will include both monastics and the white sisterhood. From time immemorial in Rus' there were such concepts as “chernetsy and beltsy”. I hope that our monastery will be popular in the sense that it should rise with the support of the entire parish. It includes a parochial secondary school, an almshouse, and a large number of already established families with their offspring and pets. Therefore, if we do not set our one-sided task of increasing the number of nuns (after all, a monastery is not an incubator with quails), then life itself will make its own adjustments and give us an understanding of whether we are following the right path.

And second: no one should force anyone to become a monk - after all, “a slave is not a pilgrim.” We need to move along the path of spiritual life without grumbling and self-pity, but with joy and gratitude. And just as it is wrong to jump out and get married overnight, but you should test and recheck your feelings with each other, so, of course, “precocity and short-termism” are not good for the monastery. Let the soul slowly test its strength. Any parishioner, if she wishes, can work in the white sisterhood. In the end, this is our favorite parish, where many made their confession for the first time, received communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ... If a girl or woman has found her niche here as a designer or icon painter, works in the refectory, almshouse, then little by little God grace will tell you whether the monastery has become her home, whether she finds here “the Divinity and inspiration, and life, and tears, and love”...

After all, the main task of the monastery, as well as the parish, is to create an atmosphere of love in mutual service to Christ. If the atmosphere is bright, and people learn to spare each other, learn to cultivate delicacy and friendliness; if the sacrifice of service is sweet for them - then they - “and candles in their hands!” And on the contrary, if a person feels (God forbid!) that, while staying in the monastery, he is degrading, becoming wild, growing stale, withering like a burdock, then let him run, his heels sparkling, as Lermontov’s Mtsyri did! Because it is not the place that makes a person, but the person who makes the place. I am convinced that life itself is the guarantor and criterion of truth. “Living life is not a field to cross.”

However, I hope that among our parishioners there will be many such obvious and secret fireflies, who know that vita brevis est (lat.) Life is short, and everything earthly quickly passes. All that remains is faith, hope and love, serving which in the monastery is a truly blessed lot and holy destiny...

The image of the modern Moscow Patriarchate is shaped not only by Patriarch Kirill and “priests in Mercedes.” He also has a female face: her name is Ksenia (Chernega) - abbess, abbess of the Moscow Alekseevsky Monastery and chief lawyer of the patriarchy. It is she who increasingly speaks out on key issues on behalf of the Russian Orthodox Church. She does not need the stern criticism of the patriarch, who threatened the clergy on September 21: “If anyone still has doubts about whether it is necessary to do everything that the patriarch teaches, leave all doubts! And strictly do what I command! If you don’t agree, retire!” The abbess is firmly built into the vertical of patriarchal power.

Fresh sensation and its “clarification”

This modest mother in a black cassock and apostolate is associated with many “information occasions” that the patriarchy releases into the media space. One of these just appeared last week. A sensation has spread across the Russian media: in the wake of the fight against “Orthodox extremists” opposing the film “Matilda”, the Patriarchate is calling for the adoption of a law prohibiting organizations outside the structure of the Russian Orthodox Church MP from using the words “Orthodoxy”, “Orthodox” and derivatives in their names from them. The logic of the initiative is that organizations calling for setting fire to cinemas and creating other extremism call themselves Orthodox and thereby cast a shadow on the patriarchy. But the patriarchy condemns them and is ready to help the state in every possible way in the fight against them!

There was a whiff of a “monopoly on Orthodoxy” in the air, but in Russia, in addition to the Moscow Patriarchate, several more “alternative” churches and Old Believer communities that profess Orthodoxy were registered. A similar monopoly exists, for example, in Georgia, where a concordat was signed between the state and the Georgian Patriarchate. “Alternative” Orthodox Christians in this country exist semi-legally, or even completely underground. In Russia, such churches also do not feel at ease: their churches are taken away from them, and their publications are recognized as “extremist.” According to Abbess Ksenia, “a whole block” of organizations are registered in the country, the names of which include “Orthodox,” although “these organizations have no connection with the Church.”

But “informational reasons” sometimes appear in order to refute them. The call for a “monopoly on Orthodoxy” sounds too provocative after two demonstrative meetings between Vladimir Putin and the head of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church, Metropolitan Cornelius (in March and May of this year). The call to ban this church from being called Orthodox is now perceived as opposition and disloyalty.

And so on September 18, the legal service of the Patriarchate issued an “explanation” signed by the same Ksenia: “The position of the service is not to prohibit the use of the word “Orthodox” in the names of religious organizations not associated with the Russian Orthodox Church, but to limit the use of information about religious affiliation in the names of those commercial and non-profit organizations that have nothing to do with religion and religious communities.” And thanks for that.

Although the question remains in the air, who will determine (and by what criteria) which organization is “related” to religion and which is not?

Great is Artemis of Moscow!

Our heroine, the chief lawyer of the Patriarchate and at the same time the abbess of the convent in Krasnoe Selo (Krasnoselskaya metro station) Ksenia (Chernega), was born in Moscow in 1971 and received a good legal education. In 1998, she defended her dissertation “The Legal Model of Charity and Charitable Organizations: Civil and Sociological Aspects” at the Moscow State Law Academy. By that time, she had already been working for five years in a religious organization with a completely non-religious name - “Legal Service”. This unusual religious structure served mainly the parish of the Church of All Saints in Krasnoe Selo, transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1991 and led by the charismatic young priest Artemy Vladimirov. The future abbess became his spiritual child even before the opening of the church in Krasnoe Selo, when Fr. Artemy served in the Church of the Resurrection of the Word in Bryusov Lane.

There, a very specific community (mostly girls) began to form around him, which church wits call “Artemis of Moscow” (by analogy with the pagan Artemis of Ephesus, vividly mentioned in the New Testament book of the Acts of the Apostles (chapter 19, verses 23-40)). The specifics of the community are a direct continuation of the specifics of Fr. Artemy, a graduate of the Faculty of Philology of Moscow State University, extremely artistic, impressive and witty, but at the same time strictly ascetic and clearly a fool (the priest loves to speak in riddles and jokes, which delights his admirers, convincing them of the prophetic gift of his spiritual father).

The choice of monasticism is not very typical for the followers of Fr. Artemia. By Abbess Ksenia’s own admission, Patriarch Kirill, to whom she applied for tonsure back in 2009, was surprised at this intention, but not because he knew his chief legal adviser well, but because he considered her work difficult to be compatible with monasticism - too vain. Our heroine also acknowledges this problem in an interview with the website of the Russian Orthodox Church department for monastic affairs in February 2016: “I don’t always find the strength to get up early. I don’t manage to attend the Liturgy every day.”

Despite the high spirituality of the parish of Fr. Artemy, the press sometimes received echoes of scandals associated with various types of business activity around this temple. With the angelic Fr. Artemia was a very practical headman who monetized symbolic capital. Legal services for these business projects were, in particular, provided by the religious organization “Legal Service,” whose experience quickly found itself in demand at the highest church level.

But we will return to this later, but for now a few words about the secular career of Ksenia Chernega. In 2003, as a young candidate of science, she became a professor (!) of the Department of Civil Law and Process of the Faculty of Law of the Academy of Labor and Social Relations. Almost simultaneously, Ksenia was invited to the position of legal consultant of the Patriarchate, and in 2010 she was invited as a professor by two universities at once - the Moscow Academy of Economics and Law and the Orthodox Institute of St. John the Theologian. In 2009, she took monastic (initial) vows and headed the legal service of the Moscow Patriarchate. She took full monastic vows in 2013 and at the same time was elevated to the rank of abbess of the revived Alekseevsky Monastery, created on the basis of the parish of Fr. Artemia.

Purely formally, the elder now became subordinate to his spiritual daughter: his status was lowered from abbot to confessor of the monastery.

Beliefs and capabilities

In one of her interviews, Ksenia admitted her special veneration for Nicholas II and members of his family: “This is what makes the Emperor close to me, since I personally am a gentle person by nature, and the obediences entrusted to me require firmness and endurance. Emotional outbursts, tears, and heart-to-heart conversations typical of the female sex are unacceptable. Mother admits that she spends her rare minutes of free time reading and re-reading books about the royal martyrs. It is all the more surprising that the Orthodox community has not yet heard any harsh statements from her about “Matilda.”

The abbess is skeptical about the level of church-state cooperation in modern Russia: “We are very far from “merging” with the state,” she believes, but immediately stipulates that there is no equality of rights for religious associations in Russia: “Equality” is in the legal in the sense of this word, it does not imply equality at all... Therefore, from time to time in the State Duma initiatives of deputies are renewed to supplement the legislation with norms classifying religious organizations into “traditional” and “non-traditional.”

For example, the following fact speaks about the impressive lobbying capabilities of the abbess. Knowing in advance about the impending mass demolition of small tents and cafes in Moscow, mother Ksenia was able to push through the State Duma (!) an amendment to Article 222 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, allowing the demolition of unauthorized buildings without a court decision. Unauthorized buildings for religious purposes were excluded from the scope of this article.

The chief lawyer of the Patriarchate is also the ideologist (not the most important, of course, since the initiative came from the patriarch) of criminal prosecution for “insulting feelings” - one of the most vague innovations in legislation in recent years, which has given rise to an entire professional class of “offended believers.”

Of course, such a significant thing as the “opicalization” of school education (introduction to the course of the subject “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”) did not pass by the chief lawyer of the Patriarchate. In an interview in 2012, M. Ksenia categorically denied the effect of the “Leninist decree”: “Some deputies seriously argued that in Russia the public school is “allegedly separated from the church,” and therefore the study of the fundamentals of religious culture in Russian schools is unacceptable. However, the principle of separation of school and church is a thing of the past long ago and irrevocably.”

Reporting on her legislative successes in 2015, the abbess highlighted amendments to the law “On Non-Profit Organizations”, which free religious organizations from submitting too complex reports. Amendments to the law on freedom of conscience, adopted at the same time, significantly reduced the powers of judicial authorities to inspect the financial and economic activities of the church. And by the law of the city of Moscow, religious organizations were exempted from the trade tax if trade is carried out in churches or on temple territories.

The priority in the work of the chief lawyer under Patriarch Kirill is, of course, the struggle for the transfer to the ownership of the Russian Orthodox Church of valuable real estate objects (such as St. Isaac's Cathedral), but so that the ROC has as few obligations for the maintenance of these objects as possible. First of all, for this it is necessary to reduce the influence of museums and other cultural institutions on the relevant sites. “We believe,” said M. Ksenia in February 2015, “that if an architectural ensemble is recognized as a religious and historical place, then liturgical activities should become a priority. And all other types of activities on the territory of the ensemble - museum or tourist - should be auxiliary and carried out to the extent that they do not interfere with the liturgical activities of religious organizations ... "

Novaya wrote twice this year about one of the most egregious stories with “church real estate” in which M. Ksenia is involved. The All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIIRO) in Moscow, on Verkhnaya Krasnoselskaya Street, was unlucky. The complex of its buildings with a total area of more than 8,000 square meters ended up on the historical territory of the Alekseevsky Monastery, where Mother Ksenia is the abbot. Returning this object, built under Soviet rule, is a matter of professional honor for the abbess as a lawyer.

The Moscow Alekseevsky nunnery is an ancient monastery, known since the 14th century. During its existence, the monastery changed its location and name three times, but invariably bore the name Alekseevsky - in honor of St. Alexy the man of God, patron saint of the founder of the monastery.

Conception Alekseevsky Old Maiden Monastery

The monastery was founded around 1360 with the blessing of St. Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow, at the request of his younger sisters Juliania and Eupraxia (canonized as saints in 2001). The place for the establishment of the first women's monastery was chosen on Ostozhenka, where there were lands that belonged to St. Alexis by right of Metropolitan of Moscow. The Moscow River flowed nearby, then still wide and deep, with forests and groves stretching around. It is important that the monastery was located not far from the Kremlin walls, which served as protection in case of enemy invasion. There was also the village of Semchinskoe with the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Initially, a small wooden church was built in the monastery in the name of St. Alexis the man of God. Small and cramped, it was lit by narrow mica windows. In addition to cells and services for monastics, there was also a cemetery here, and everything was surrounded by a single fence. Then a cathedral church was built in honor of the Conception of St. Righteous Anna. According to the cathedral church, the monastery was called Zachatievsky, according to the throne in the name of St. Alexy the man of God - Alekseevsky, and in seniority over other convents that arose after him in Moscow - Old Maidens'.

In the XIV century. Church and civil life formed one whole - Holy Orthodox Rus'. The sovereigns accepted the schema before their death, the schema-monks died in battle. The Orthodox Church shone brilliantly with the ecclesiastical and state merits of its High Hierarch Alexy, revered not only in Rus', but also in Constantinople, and in the Tatar steppe uluses. The Russian land gathered around the Moscow prince Dmitry Donskoy, grew stronger, settled under his hand, and the fruit of this was the glorious Battle of Kulikovo.

A hostel was introduced in the newly built monastery. The first abbess of the monastery was Juliania, who died in 1393. By this time, both Metropolitan Alexy (1374) and Dmitry Donskoy (1389) had already passed away. The monastery survived, together with Moscow and many cities, the devastating invasion of Tokhtamysh (1382). The annual commemoration of Sergius of Radonezh (1392) had not yet ended when the monastery suffered the loss of its beloved abbess Juliana. A year later, her sister, nun Eupraxia, also died.

The reverend sisters were buried in the monastery. The beneficial principles of the pious abbess bore spiritual fruit even after her death. The good qualities that constituted the merits of the monastic life of the sisters of the Conception Alekseevsky Old Maidens' Monastery during the life of the founder, for a long time and after the death of the abbess, acquired primacy for this monastery in the general opinion.

On Ostozhenka, the monastery existed for almost 200 years and survived many disasters: fires, and even an earthquake, during which the monastery walls cracked. In 1451 the monastery was plundered by the Tatars.

Mention of the monastery is found in the chronicle of 1473. Due to the fact that, by order of the Grand Duke of Moscow John III, the abbess of the monastery was invited to clothe in new vestments the relics of the Grand Duchess Maria (monastically Photinia), the wife of the Grand Duke of Moscow Simeon the Proud, found in the vestibule of the Church of the Savior on Bor in the Kremlin.

The will of Prince Mikhail Vereisky has also been preserved, according to which in 1486 he donated one of his villages “to Saint Oleksiy in the monastery...”. This meager information completes the information about the monastery from the day of its foundation until 1514, that is, almost until the end of the first half of the reign of Grand Duke Vasily III.

The chronicle under this year mentions the construction of the stone church of Alexius the Man of God by the Italian architect Fryazin Aleviz after a devastating fire. And after a terrible fire in 1547, Tsar Ivan the Terrible moved the monastery closer to the Kremlin in the Chertolye tract (now Volkhonka Street).

After the monastery was moved to a new location on Ostozhenka, a small monastic community remained, but by 1584 it was transformed into the Conception Monastery, which has its own rich history and still exists today.

Alekseevsky Monastery in Chertolye XVI - XVII centuries.

Information about the date of the movement of the monastery from Ostozhenka to the Chertolye tract is contradictory. In some sources it is 1547, in others – 1571. The fact is that in the period between 1547–1571 no mention of the monastery was found in any document. It is only known that after the devastating fire of 1547, the monastery, by the will of Emperor John IV, was moved to Chertolsky Hill (the place where the Cathedral of Christ the Savior now stands).

From here the entire space from the Sparrow Hills along the Moscow River to the Kremlin and further to the Andronikov, Krutitsky and Simonov monasteries opened up to the eye.

Moscow was now vast, beautiful and rich. The Kremlin boasted not only stone walls with tall, slender towers, but also the majestic buildings of John III, stone cathedrals, and a palace with the Palace of Facets.

In a new location - within the White City and near the Kremlin - the monastery took on the character of a city; the number of its visitors has increased significantly. However, the monastery settlement stood on the border of Moscow oprichnina, and this neighborhood, of course, could not be safe for the monastery.

And in the new place the monastery suffered many disasters. In 1611, during the Time of Troubles, the Alekseevsky Monastery was devastated by the Poles and burned down. It would seem that his story should have ended. However, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, on the advice of Father Patriarch Philaret, in 1625 built a new warm stone church of St. Alexy of the Man of God with the chapels of the Tikhvin Mother of God and the Conception of St. Anna. The monastery was restored. Four years passed, and again a strong fire (1629) destroyed all the buildings of the monastery.

In March of the same year, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich gave birth to an heir, Alexei, named in honor of the Venerable Alexis, the man of God. The Emperor again allowed the old monastery to be rebuilt in the same place. Already in 1634, masons Ontip Konstantinov and Trifon Sharutinov built in the monastery an architectural miracle of medieval Orthodox Moscow of the pre-Nikon era - the famous two-tented temple, which was consecrated in the name of the Transfiguration of the Lord with the Tikhvin and Conception chapels, and the other altar in the name of St. Alexy the man of God (from where and the name of the monastery came - Alekseevsky).

The 17th century was a time of prosperity for the monastery. Tsars Michael and Alexei revered Saint Alexis, they diligently cared for the welfare of the monastery, donated a lot, visited the monastery, especially on the day of St. Alexia the man of God. According to the books of royal exits, it is clear that Mikhail Fedorovich was at the saint’s feast eight times over the course of twelve years (1646–1676), and Alexei Mikhailovich was twenty-five times over the course of thirty years (1646–1676).

The Alekseevsky Monastery was famous for the gifts presented to the monastery by the royal family and other noble people. So, in front of the image of St. Alexy hung a beautiful silver lamp, donated to the monastery in 1629 by the first Tsar of the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich, in honor of the birth of his heir to the throne, the future Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Gifts were sent to the Alekseevsky Monastery by Patriarch Filaret, Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna, mother of Peter I, and Prince Romodanovsky, and unknown laymen. These were crosses, utensils, Gospels, censers, silver bowls of water, and vestments. In the Alekseevsky Monastery there was a miraculous icon of the Georgian Mother of God, which was celebrated annually on October 15 in memory of the deliverance of Moscow from the pestilence in 1655.

In 1674, the monastery received ownership of land in the wasteland of the Setun camp. The monastery had land and peasants in Kolomna district. In 1722, the village of Degunino, Moscow district, was assigned to the monastery. The monastery quilted duvets and embroidered intricate items. According to the 1744 register, 1,586 peasants were registered in the monastery. The monastery was rich. However, troubles did not leave her: in 1737, like never before, the monastery burned down, and, like more than once, it was restored again.

In 1764, with the approval of the states, the monastery was enrolled in the second class with the confiscation of lands and peasants. The ancient Alekseevsky Monastery had many legends - both written and oral. It is known that the wife of the future Patriarch Nikon took monastic vows in the monastery under the name Taisiya, when her husband persuaded her to become a nun and took monastic vows himself. It was here, in the monastery cemetery, that nun Taisiya was buried. Princess Evdokia Urusova, the sister of the noblewoman Morozova, a champion of the Old Believers, was imprisoned in the monastery.

Prince A. Shakhovskoy, an associate of Peter I, Prince Shcherbatov and many other famous people were buried in the cathedral church. During Napoleon's invasion, enemy grenadiers destroyed the monastery. All buildings, except the cathedral church, were damaged by fire. Church property was buried in the refectory of the church under the floor and in the treasurer's cell. Above the pits where the property was hidden, the nun Magdalene set up benches for the sick and elderly. As you know, the enemies did not even approach the beds, afraid of the epidemic and infection. The buried property survived. After the occupiers left Moscow, the monastery was relatively quickly restored and brought back to its former splendor, which was taken care of by His Eminence Augustine, Archbishop of Moscow, who had special zeal for the house of St. Alexy the man of God, his namesake.

In 1837, a difficult hour of testing came for the monastery. Emperor Nicholas I decided to build the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on the site of the Alekseevsky Monastery in memory of the victory of Russian weapons and in gratitude to God for the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812, and to transfer the monastery to the outlying Krasnoe village to the parish Church of the Exaltation of the Cross that stood there. It was ordered to demolish all buildings, including the unique cathedral church. For the ancient Alekseevsky Monastery, which stood on Chertolsky Hill for 300 years, it was necessary to start all over again in the third place - in Krasnoe Selo.

Abbess Antonia (Troilina)

In the world Troilina Alexandra Nikolaevna was born on May 23, 1821 in Moscow, into the pious family of a merchant of the 2nd guild, honorary citizen Troilin Nikolai Ivanovich and Maria Vasilievna Sinelnikova. In addition to her, the family had older children: Nikolai, Maria and Pelagia. My father was involved in extensive charitable activities. My mother was deeply religious.

Mother Antonia's elder sister, Pelagia Nikolaevna Troilina, when Prokhorov was married, always provided her with significant financial assistance. When Alexandra was 2 years old, her mother died. Until the age of 11, the girl was raised at home, after which she entered a private boarding school, where she was one of the best students and received an excellent education, including religious and moral education.

Alexandra did not like social life and sought solitude. By the age of 18, she decided that the best means of salvation and perfection was begging.

The father did not support such reasoning and did not approve of his daughter’s aspirations. For this reason, Alexandra had a nervous breakdown and fell ill. During her illness, she had a dream in which she saw an unfamiliar abbess. The girl remembered the facial features of the majestic nun.

Having visited the Spaso-Borodinsky Monastery three months later, Alexandra recognized the mysterious nun she had dreamed of in the abbess of this monastery, Mother Maria Tuchkova. The girl threw herself at the feet of Mother Maria with a request to be accepted into the monastery. Abbess Maria left Alexandra to stay in the monastery and wait for the blessing of her father, who did not agree with his daughter’s decision, to become a monk. However, after consulting with Metropolitan Philaret, whom he revered very much, the parent gave his blessing.

Alexandra joined the ranks of the sisters of the Spaso-Borodinsky Monastery, leaving the world at the age of 19 at the beginning of 1841, receiving the new name Anthony in honor of St. Anthony of Pechersk. She became the cell attendant of Abbess Maria, who replaced her mother, and bore the obedience of the clerk of the monastery. Tuchkova’s confessor, Metropolitan Philaret, took care of Anthony and observed her spiritual growth.

In 1858, at the age of 37, nun Antonia took monastic vows. In 1859, Metropolitan Philaret transferred nun Anthony to the sacristan to the Anosin Boris and Gleb Monastery.

On October 22, 1861, on the day of the celebration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, nun Anthony was promoted by Metropolitan Philaret to the rank of abbess and appointed abbess of the Passionate Monastery, which was at that time in a state of decline. Through the efforts of Abbess Antonia, residential buildings were built in the monastery and an almshouse was established.

In 1871, Mother Antonia was transferred to the Alekseevsky Monastery. First of all, mother introduced a communal rule in the monastery, freeing the monastics from external worries and cares. Also in the fall of 1871, a school for South Slavic girls was opened. The Slavic Charitable Committee, which organized the training of folk teachers for the South Slavic countries, elected Abbess Antonia as its honorary member in the Ladies' Department. The school operated at the monastery for twelve years. The pupils were fully supported by the monastery, while providing a good education.

For services to the education of the Slavs, Serbian Prince Milan Obrenovic granted Abbess Antonia a state award - the Order of Takov, second degree. In 1879 and 1882, Abbess Antonia was awarded two Red Cross badges for her outstanding services in helping wounded soldiers.

In 1874, the Holy Cross Church was restored, landscaped and painted. In 1878-1879 Through the efforts of my mother, a new two-story building with a small church in the name of Archangel Michael was erected for elderly sisters with an almshouse and a hospital. With the care of Mother Anthony, a prosphora and a gate chapel were built in the monastery, the iconostases of the churches were updated and gilded, and water was installed. In 1891, All Saints was built. An ash sewing workshop was organized at the monastery, and icon painting and embossing workshops were set up.

Abbess Antonia was engaged in extensive charitable activities. She helped prisoners, the military, Orthodox brotherhoods, churches and monasteries. May 31, 1880. Mother was awarded a gold pectoral cross with precious stones. Subsequently there were more awards: a total of 4 crosses (one from the Holy Synod, three from the office of His Majesty).

Mother Antonia died of pneumonia on Sunday at half past five in the morning, October 5, 1897, when the bell was ringing for morning prayer. The body of the deceased was transferred to the temple, which was not closed around the clock.

Requiem services were served in all Moscow monasteries and in many parish churches. The funeral service and burial were performed on October 7 by Metropolitan Sergius, co-served by many archpastors and pastors of the Orthodox Church. With great honors, Abbess Anthony was buried at the southern doors of the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross, near the altar of the Simeon chapel.

When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory, and all nations will be gathered before Him; and will separate one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on His left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand: Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry, and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you accepted Me; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer Him: Lord! when did we see you hungry and feed you? or to the thirsty and gave them something to drink? when did we see you as a stranger and accept you? or naked and clothed? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and came to You? And the King will answer them: Truly I say to you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did it to Me (Matthew 25: 31-40).

Why do you think the Lord calls His disciples, whom He places at His right hand, justifies and has mercy on, sheep? On His left side are goats with horns, hooves, unkempt and unpleasant creatures, and He calls the true disciples sheep. Why?.. What are they like, sheep? Any five-year-old child will say: “Sheep are obedient, white, clean, meek.” Are the sheep running away from the shepherd, hiding from him somewhere behind the trees? No, as soon as they hear the ringing of the shepherd’s bell, they immediately rush to him.

This is what the true disciples of Christ are like – obedient, pure, meek. And certainly doing works of gospel mercy, which we definitely need to remember. What will the Lord ask of us at the Last Judgment? Have we learned a second foreign language? Do we know the multiplication table by heart? Mom and Dad will ask us about this. But the Lord will ask about something else: have we done works of gospel mercy?

The first couple of such things: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty. Don’t leave a person in trouble, don’t ask him about his beliefs or religion; If you see someone who is hungry and thirsty, feed and drink. When I was still a young priest, two old sisters often handed me money in an envelope, and on the envelope it was written: “To the canteen for the poor.” They never missed an opportunity to make a contribution. One day I asked: “Why are you sacrificing like this?” “And they answered: “Mom taught us.” We lived in a village near Moscow, there was hunger and cold, but we lived well - my father was a worker (priest). Then my father was shot, but people still often knocked on the door and asked for alms. Mom was already partially paralyzed, she lay there and just asked: “Who’s there?” We answered: “We came for alms, we gave them the dried humpbacks left over from last week.” And my mother said: “No, return him and give him fresh bread, we’ll get by somehow.”

The following acts of mercy: dress someone who is freezing, cover their nakedness, share an extra pair of shoes; welcome the stranger into your home. Here, of course, prudence is needed: wanderers are different, and their habits are strange. But this commandment also applies to family, loved ones, and friends. For example, Maslenitsa: some people think that this is a time of celebration and fun - but this is not entirely true. Maslenitsa is a time when we must show each other special hospitality, communicate, so that all the thorns come out of our hearts. If you quarrel with someone, invite him to visit you or to a cafe, treat him: a shared meal softens grievances and reconciles people.

And finally, visit the sick person who is in prison, that is, show attention to people who are especially waiting for help. In ancient times, mothers baked Easter cakes and pies for the holidays, dressed in a festive manner and visited prisons (in our opinion, pre-trial detention cells) with their children. The child took such a cake and passed it through the bars to the prisoner, learning the works of evangelical mercy.

If the day has passed and we have not done any of these good deeds, then the day is almost wasted.

March 2019

THE MEETING OF THE LORD

After the Bethlehem shepherds worshiped the newborn Divine Child and named Him Jesus, the forty-day-old Lord was brought to the Jerusalem Temple.

Here Elder Simeon and Anna the prophetess, filled with the grace of God, met Him. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they uttered wondrous testimonies about the Infant God as the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of the world...

Who among us would not wish for such a moral state for ourselves in our older years? After all, it presupposes clarity of mind, peace of heart, openness of the soul to perceive the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit...

What can Christian youth learn from these Old Testament righteous people?

First of all - a PURE and impeccable LIFE. Both of them kept their virginity like the apple of their eye. Saint Anna, having entered into an honest, immaculate marriage, was faithful to her chosen one even after his death.

Saint Simeon, being righteous, was distinguished by his amazing longevity. This means that he honored his parents in word and deed, which is why he lived to an old age. RIGHTEOUSNESS also consists in completely dissolving communication with people with sacrificial love, never offending anyone or causing the slightest damage to anyone.

These saints were distinguished by PIENCY, that is, complete dedication to God. Anna pleased the Almighty with FASTING and PRAYER, serving in the temple day and night; Simeon, having acquired the spirit of unceasing prayer, consecrated the main milestones of his life by VISITING THE JERUSALEM TEMPLE, where he was granted insights from above.

All of the above made the righteous CARRIERS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, Who sanctified their thoughts, guided their intentions, inspired them with godly actions, revealing the secrets of Providence.

That is why Saints Simeon and Anna were humble and obedient, meek and peaceful, silent and prayerful, wise and courageous, loving and joyful, and combined with attentiveness and insight the gift of true clairvoyance and prophecy...

Let us take care, my dears, to please God from a young age with faith and repentance - and the Lord Jesus Christ, by His mercy, will grant us a venerable old age, replete with the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

"YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD"

The Nativity of Christ is approaching, the celebration of the appearance of the Living God on our sinful earth... The wonderful Star of Bethlehem pointed to Him, the sinless Child, to the Persian Magi; shepherds were sent by Angels to Him, the newborn Son of Mary, who carried out their watch, protecting the sheep from night predators.

That is why this unique night is so radiant, because Divine radiance emanates from the newborn Savior to all ends of the universe. These are the rays of His perfections - omnipotence, wisdom, goodness... In our hearts they are reflected by sparkles of moral qualities - virtues - bright thoughts, feelings, words, actions. The more alive our faith, the purer our heart, the more sincere our prayer, the brighter the spark of this or that virtue flares up. Let's talk about a few of them.

Firstly, this is faith itself - the conviction of the mind and heart that the Lord sees and hears us, constantly giving us His invisible help. In order for faith to be alive, sighted, and ardent, you need to constantly mentally turn to God (“Lord, help, enlighten, have mercy, instruct!”), like a child to its father, with trust and reverence.

Secondly, kindness, mercy, compassion for people. By cultivating compassion and caring, cordiality and hospitality in our hearts, we will imperceptibly draw closer to God and will constantly feel His support.

And finally, thirdly, chastity. In our time, it is especially important for the younger generation to protect themselves from corruption and to maintain the purity of soul and body. Parents should adhere to mutual marital fidelity, avoiding the sin of adultery. Moral and spiritual life is possible only with strict observance of chastity. Those who did not resist it are called upon to correct their lives by going through confession with the participation of an Orthodox priest.

In order for Christ's rays of faith, mercy and purity to shine in us, let us not forget about humility - the awareness of our limitations and weaknesses... “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble,” says the Holy Scripture.

May our souls, dear readers, be bright and joyful - and may we celebrate the Nativity of the Savior in the radiance of God’s grace!

Archpriest Artemy Vladimirov,

confessor of the Alekseevsky convent,

teacher, member of the Writers' Union of Russia

"Sinners in pots."

Lesson at the school at the Alekseevsky Monastery. October 18, 2018

What an unpleasant discovery! In the hearts of first-graders, evil thorns grow in pots - complacency, disobedience, name-calling, sloppiness... An urgent operation is needed to remove them! Let us learn to provide ourselves and each other with this medical service. And may everything be fine!

"Serving Russia in a monastery school."

Lesson at the Alekseevsky Monastery school. 09.20.18.

Challenges of modern history, the history of the Alekseevsky Monastery, the tasks of students and ways to solve them.

DMITROVSKAYA PARENTS SATURDAY

For our people, baptized in the name of the Trinity, the days of remembrance of the dead are especially holy.

The Dmitrov memorial service was established at the initiative of St. Sergius of Radonezh in memory of the Russian soldiers who fell on the Kulikovo field in 1380.

Since then, on this day, we have been praying with special reverence for the repose of the Russian soldiers who gave their lives for the faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland.

The Church has always equated their feat with martyrdom for Christ. Defending the Motherland in times of war is the sacred duty of a real man. Paying attention to physical training, cultivating courage and readiness for sacrificial service to others is an integral task during the student years.

What are the qualities of a true defender of the Fatherland?

This is, firstly, the ability to overcome cowardice and fear. Maintaining composure on the battlefield, ingenuity and prudence are life-saving. On the contrary, panic in most cases destroys a soldier. Christians draw moral strength from prayer, which helps keep the mind bright, concentrates the will and instills in the heart good confidence in the help of the Heavenly Father.

Secondly, the Russian warrior is strong in his sense of fraternal unity with his comrades. Mutual support, coherence of common actions, readiness to come to the aid of a fellow fighter are one of the main conditions for victory.

And finally, generosity, nobility and mercy. War is a cruel business. How important it is not for a battle participant to lose his human image, not to turn into a beast, when it comes to the attitude towards prisoners of war! A Christian always remembers that the Lord commanded us to love. She teaches us to put our lives on the battlefield in a fearless fight against the enemy, but the same love encourages us to show mercy to people who can no longer resist us.

Remembering the souls of soldiers at the cathedral prayer on parental days, we, dear boys and young men, will do this with reverence - and those who gave their lives for their Motherland will share their valor with us, so that none of us will be “excruciatingly painful for the years spent aimlessly.” .

CONGRATULATIONS TO STUDENTS ON THE FEAST OF THE COVER OF THE Blessed Virgin Mary

My dear young friends!

You know that at the dawn of Russian history, the boats of the pagan Slavic army were scattered by a storm that broke out on the Bosphorus.

The surviving Russian princes - Askold and Dir - accepted holy baptism, recognizing in their defeat the strong hand of the Almighty, to whom the besieged Greeks then prayed with great faith. From that time on, our ancestors began to venerate the Chosen Voivode - the Most Pure Virgin Mary. After all, as you know, the second Rome - the city of Constantinople - is dedicated to Her.

“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble,” says the Holy Scripture. Little by little, God's Providence began to elevate Rus' until it led it to great glory, making it a powerful and flourishing kingdom.

Subsequently, our people repeatedly faced difficult trials. And every time the Russian people humbled themselves before the disasters that befell them, the Lord again exalted our Fatherland, giving it a high purpose - to proclaim the truth and love of Christ to the world.

Today Russia is going through difficult times. She will have to recover from the terrible shock of the nineties, when the Soviet state collapsed due to godlessness.

This catastrophe cost the lives of many millions of our compatriots. Our country itself is on the brink of an abyss. But God raised up sovereign men who set out to restore what had been trampled upon.

It is you, the generation of two thousand, who should be participants in the world historical process for the benefit of our Motherland. That is why the young men and women of Russia in the 21st century need to study and work hard to become worthy of their great ancestors.

But the main thing is to cultivate in your heart from youth an Orthodox faith, ardent and sighted, which could move mountains.

Constantly offering sincere prayers to the Mother of God, asking Her for help and intercession, guard like the apple of your eye, my dears,

purity of soul and body.

Know that the grace-filled cover of the Creator departs from an unchaste and vulgar person. Anyone who sins with foul language or is dishonest, sits aimlessly for hours in front of the computer and wastes precious time, killing it without regret in virtual networks riddled with temptations, becomes spiritually blind.

Such people are called ordinary people, “users and losers,” losers in life. This is not what Providence expects from us.

The Most Pure Virgin and the saints of the Russian Land call our youth to truly great achievements...

However, only a sincere believer, kind and meek, chaste person can be the chosen one of the Divine will.

May the Lord bless you, our dear schoolchildren, for righteous labors for the glory of His holy name under the luminous cover of the Queen of Heaven!

Archpriest Artemy Vladimirov, confessor of the Alekseevsky monastery, teacher, member of the Writers' Union of Russia

"Daddy, daddy, a dead man was dragged into our nets."

Lesson from Archpriest Artemy Vladimirov at the school at the Alekseevsky Monastery. 12/29/16.

Father talks about the dangers that await an inexperienced traveler in the space of social networks, calls on parents, teachers and priests to fight for the purity of children’s souls, reveals the ways and mechanisms by which the “computer looking glass” traps the fragile children’s psyche in its networks.

PEACE TO YOU, SCHOOLCHILDREN!

Dear friends, autumn is coming to us again, and with it the new school year...

More and more yellowing crowns are appearing, the evenings are getting colder, August, the last month of summer, passes the baton to September.

But this is not a reason for sadness, not at all... Life is dear to us with its diversity and changes. The time of learning is truly wonderful! Why? Because each of us is gifted with the ability and at the same time the need to know. Anyone who is deprived of the opportunity to learn or voluntarily denies himself learning is unhappy. Just as a bird misses the element of air, and a flower misses the sunshine, so our mind is drawn to knowledge of the world around us and the main laws of existence.

Like a sponge that absorbs water, the soul of a child thirsts for new impressions and information, skills and abilities, the most valuable of which are collected by people in the sciences and arts.

The school is designed to open the door to you into an unknown but attractive world of knowledge.

First of all, I would like to say about the LESSONS OF LIFE, goodness and truth, faith and love, which every teacher, every parent should teach in deed and word, serving children as a good, edifying example. Learn, my friends, these lessons always, trying to imitate

everything good that you see around you, and turning away from the bad and tempting.

I hope you have already found your way to the ORTHODOX TEMPLE, where the sacraments of Confession and Communion are performed. I believe that for many of you the Gospel has become a reference book, and the image of our Lord Jesus Christ, as if alive, has been imprinted on your heart.

The science of science is the SKILL OF PRAYER, when in the morning we ask for the blessing of the Heavenly Father for good deeds, and in the evening we repent of unwittingly committed sins and mistakes of the past day.

The lessons of RUSSIAN LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE are very important for us. Without them, it is impossible to learn to think correctly and express your thoughts in words. If you, my dears, do not love serious reading, do not get acquainted with the prose and poetry of great Russian writers, then you will remain illiterate and defective people. Let Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin become your high friend and patron...

Take care of the purity of your speech, avoid dirty words and vulgar expressions! Know that earthly, human happiness largely depends on how chaste our thoughts and words are. Let literary characters - from epic heroes to heroes of books about the Great Patriotic War - be your constant companions.

By studying HISTORY, we learn to love our Fatherland. Without knowledge of its shrines, the main historical milestones in the destinies of the Motherland, it is impossible to become real people worthy of their great ancestors. Russia is an amazing country, given from above to bring faith and truth to the peoples of the earth. Serving Russia is the highest calling that makes a person happy.

Don't forget, friends, that the queen of all exact sciences is MATHEMATICS. Comprehend, with patience and constancy, its laws and rules in order to form the mind, make it strong and insightful, and learn to think logically. Exact sciences are the best allies of a person who seeks to streamline his life, wants to act successfully, “with feeling, with sense, with order”...

Let's not be lazy in learning FOREIGN LANGUAGES. We will need them as a tool in communicating with people of other countries and cultures; they will make this communication fruitful and enjoyable.

MUSIC is very important for the development of a harmonious personality. Anyone who has not only mastered playing a musical instrument, but also makes others happy with it, and who also loves SINGING, will always be the soul of society, a person whose friendship will be appreciated by many...

PHYSICAL EDUCATION is the key to your health in all subsequent years. It's a shame to be a weakling, unable to endure physical activity. Who will respect a relaxed and lazy person? Truly, “sun, air and water are our best friends!” Accustom yourself to a healthy lifestyle from childhood, play sports - and you will live to be 100 years old...

Boys - you are the future defenders of the Fatherland, girls - you are future mothers! Take care of your health, it is a precious gift of God.

We adults, of course, know about your craving for the Internet. But it is very dangerous if you do not know how to use it wisely, getting carried away by games and bad sites.

Study COMPUTER SCIENCE to use the computer for good - to extract and collect information that is truly necessary. But remember: no gadget will ever replace a book, and an adding machine is your own mind with its ability to remember, calculate and solve creative problems.

May the Lord bless everyone, both teachers and students, at the beginning of the school year! I believe that it will be full of sound, colorful and joyful for us. See you in school corridors and classrooms, in sports and assembly halls, dear schoolchildren!

Your Archpriest Artemy Vladimirov, teacher, member of the Union of Writers of Russia

How to help a child of a metropolis in the 21st century survive and save his soul? (04/12/2018)

Conversation with teachers and parents of students at the Alekseevsky Monastery school on Thursday of Holy Week.

"Fighting qualities of the Russian soul." Lesson from Archpriest Artemy Vladimirov

A lesson whose purpose is to bring children out of a state of relaxation, make them think about the value of time, determine life priorities and goals, and focus on ways to achieve them.

Lesson by Archpriest Artemy Vladimirov at the school at the Alekseevsky Monastery with middle and high classes (04/21/2016).

CHRIST IS RISEN!

Dear friends! The words of this Easter greeting are imbued with truly Divine power and unfailing joy.

When you pronounce them with faith in God and love for people, every time a miracle happens that is clear to the mind and heart - it’s as if your soul gains wings!

The vain thoughts that envelop the consciousness instantly disappear, like a fog that melts and dissolves without a trace in the air at the first rays of the summer sun. The heart is freed from the yoke of sadness and despondency, irritability and addiction to earthly things.

Demons—fallen, disembodied spirits invisible to the eye—at the first mention of the glorious victory won by the Lord Jesus over death, run away from the disciple of Christ.

The Easter greeting helps us rise above our own passions, softens and enlightens the hearts of our neighbors, and attracts the angels of God to people. It brings down a luminous cloud of the Holy Spirit on Christians, protects them from troubles and misfortunes, and fills them with a feeling of great gratitude to the Creator for His benefits to the human race.

In the greeting “Christ is Risen!” contains the essence of the Gospel gospel preached in all corners of the universe.

Do not be ashamed, dear friends, of this evidence of the omnipotence, wisdom and goodness of God. When meeting and parting, morning and evening, in church and at home, do not tire of sanctifying your lips with the words:

"Christ is Risen! Truly risen!” Amen.

"How to avoid falling into the jaws of computer addiction." Lesson from Archpriest Artemy Vladimirov at the school at the Alekseevsky Monastery.

Father tells us what careless and immoderate communication with the “virtual world” leads to, about the difficult mental state of someone who has become addicted, and about the means by which children and parents must jointly resist “computer disease.”

WEEK OF THE CROSS

The middle week of Great Lent is consecrated by the removal from the altar of the crucifix, which is placed in the middle of the temple. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the morning service, the statutory veneration of the cross is performed with the familiar singing: “We bow to Your Cross, O Master, and glorify Your holy Resurrection.”

Approaching the instrument of our salvation, we kiss the feet of the crucified Savior depicted on it. The life-giving grace of the Holy Spirit flows from the cross. Before us is the tree of life itself, planted in the middle of God’s Paradise! Love, crucified and resurrected, has produced wondrous fruits for each of us - the Most Pure Body and Blood of Christ, the consumption of which gives the faithful disciples of Jesus eternal life.

By reverently communing with the immortal Source, we become those “birds of heaven” who take refuge in the evergreen foliage of this heavenly tree. Friends, begin to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ more often, having first cleared your conscience with a thorough confession!

Who among you would not like to gain the snow-white wings of prayer and love? Who would not want to rise into the sky of pure and bright thoughts?

When going to bed, do not forget to kiss with warm gratitude the pectoral cross, which protects a Christian from all troubles and misfortunes. The Cross of the Lord is a source of peace and joy, a formidable weapon against evil passions and fallen unclean spirits. By fervently making the sign of the cross, we attract the Guardian Angel to ourselves, become dear to the Mother of God and receive from the Lord the strength to bear our cross with patience, hope and joy.

We magnify, we magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, and we honor Your Holy Cross, by which You saved us from the work of the enemy!

LENT

Great Lent is a special, blessed time, which is sometimes compared to the light breath of spring.

As soon as you enter the temple “in the sad days” of the Holy Pentecost, you seem to see in front of you a full-flowing river with clear and cool water...

Majestically and slowly it rolls its crystal waves into eternity, carrying with it immortal human souls.

The heart immediately calms down, calms down, the mind is freed from bad and vain thoughts. A stream of prayer imperceptibly begins to babble in my soul...

With difficulty we force ourselves to enter the temple, but we no longer want to leave... It’s so good in it!

Here, at the lectern with the cross and the Gospel, stands the priest in a cassock, stole and cuffs. I immediately want to go up to him and tell him all my sins. The priest says a prayer over us - and grace will descend on our souls. “And you believe it, and you cry, and it’s so easy, easy!”

And at the end of the service, the Holy Chalice with Communion will be taken out of the altar. Let us fold our hands on our chests and, with childlike faith, approach the priest to receive the Body and Blood of Christ.

After communion, wings seem to grow behind your back, all people seem kind, and life seems beautiful, miracle of miracles!

And the Lenten food during the meal is so delicious that you always want to ask for more.

But the most wonderful thing is that lies ahead - Easter, the Holy Resurrection of Christ! I wish I could live to see it...

Well, for now, the first days of Lent. There is time for correction and learning.

Hello, spring Pentecost!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Dear workers of our school, teachers and students! I cordially congratulate you on the bright days of Christmas!

Every time we wait for the arrival of Christmas night, not without trepidation. More than two thousand years ago, “the great mystery of piety was accomplished - and God appeared in the flesh.”

Entering the temple, decorated with fir branches, looking at the festive icon, we feel and realize that we are being blessed by the Infant Jesus Himself!

The Newborn Savior is the Power and Wisdom of the Heavenly Father, as the holy apostles call the Son of God.

For this purpose, He became a Man in order to sanctify the main milestones of our lives - infancy and adolescence, youth and manhood...

Dear boys and girls! As you worship the Lord and bring Him praise, remember that the Savior accepts gifts from us only on one condition.

We must have bright thoughts and a pure heart. Let only truthful and kind words come from our lips, and let no dirt ever touch our tongue.

A true Christian has a clean body and righteous deeds; like the Lord Himself, His faithful disciple pours out love to everyone, pleases everyone, serves everyone...

I would really like the celebration of Merry Christmas to unite you and me into a single family and help us forget and erase grievances and mutual grief; adults would be made children, and the younger generation would impart the gifts of humility and meekness, wisdom and love!

See you, dear friends, in the temple of our monastery! Please don't forget to bring your wonderful, joyful smiles with you!

Archpriest Artemy Vladimirov, confessor of the school at the Alekseevsky Convent.

WORD BY THE CONFESSIONAL TO THE STUDENTS OF THE SCHOOL AT ALEXEEVSKAYA CONVENT

Our dear children, students of the secondary school at the Alekseevsky monastery!

Did you know that in the very building where you come to study every day, in the 19th century a school was established with a primary parochial school course for 17 orphan girls and daughters of the clergy?

Schoolgirls studied the humanities and exact sciences, but above all they acquired a right way of thinking and life, that is, they comprehended the foundations of the Orthodox faith and piety.
The teaching was conducted by sisters of the monastery who had pedagogical knowledge and experience.

As you can guess, the students of that era were far from the vices that, unfortunately, are very common today among the younger generation: I mean self-will and theft, foul language and unchaste thoughts that often overwhelm the lazy and ignorant...

The main feature of the educational process in the monastery school was the full employment of children during the day and the wise organization of their leisure time. No one was idle or loitering. In addition to lessons, students helped the sisters of the monastery in gold-embroidery workshops, mastered various crafts, preparing themselves for adult life. Of course, systematic reading was one of the main activities; it developed the mind and contributed to the mastery of the Russian literary language. On Sundays and holidays, schoolgirls visited the churches of the monastery and prayed together with its nuns, began the sacraments of Confession and Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ...

I really want, friends, that while studying at our wonderful school, you do not waste time, but wisely use every hour and every day to acquire the knowledge you need so much. Try not only not to succumb to temptations, but also to stop and cut short others if one of the schoolchildren behaves inappropriately.

Today it is not enough to study well, you also need to be strong in faith and a person confirmed in goodness in order to serve Russia in the way that has always been characteristic of its true sons and daughters. Kindle a spark of curiosity in yourself, joyfully open new horizons, deepen your knowledge , combining student work with sincere prayer to our Lord Jesus Christ! Remember that the years of discipleship are the most joyful and happiest in life. “With prayer to God and love for people” is our motto!

Today you should think about what you want to become in the future; While still at school, you need to try to find your calling and decide on your choice of profession. Happiness lies in finding yourself through serving God and the Fatherland, fully revealing your talents and good qualities of the soul.

I call upon you, my little friends, God’s blessing!

Teachers carefully count the “chickens” dear to their hearts, stretched out, tanned and still just as mischievous and restless.

Parents look with joy at their offspring, formally dressed, ready for the start of the new school year.

Today we will gather again in the school building as one big family to little by little begin the main task of our lives - the feat of learning.

And he will demand a lot from us: conscious discipline, the ability to build relationships with peers, and careful attitude to textbooks, uniforms, and school property; control over one’s word, attention and diligence, and most importantly, unfeigned piety.

With prayer to God and love for people - this is our motto!

Today, may the grace of God overshadow all of you, adults and children, teachers and students, and we, all together, will work to turn school everyday life into a true celebration of friendship, knowledge and joint creativity.