Radonezh Sergy

(3.05.1314 - 25.09.1392)
. At the name of St. Sergius of people remember their moral revival that has made possible and the revival of political and zatverzhivaet rule that political strength is strong only when kept on the strength of moral.
. The image of the holy - as an icon, and in the public mind - always surrounded by a halo
. Many of us, for various reasons do not take. They say that the saints - such as people, why put them above ostalnyhN
As the man known in history under the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh, he would have agreed completely with this opinion. When the monks of Holy Trinity Monastery among themselves came to be called Sergiev stream originating near the walls of the monastery (as says the chronicler, the prayer of Abbot), then Sergius forbade it to them, pointing to God as the source sotvoritelya. Himself all his life he believed the worst of people.
. Slipping Away Today virtue! Cases such thoughts will not do, is not it liN But Sergei, driven by a consciousness of its nothingness, and with a permanent trust in God, made the case, I left his name in history, not only in church history
. Decide to go into the wild woods, accompanied by a brother, when you barely twenty! It was not only an extraordinary courage, but also runs counter to the then custom action
. In Russia at that time was not Desert. Monasteries were built in cities or suburbs: a dashing times people pressed closer to each other. A young pilgrim, who was then still called Bartholomew, put a tent in the middle of the wild forest ...
In complete solitude he was left to nature, harsh to the person requiring him to work hard. So the young man spent about two years. Prayer, thinking about God, hard work, meager food (he often shared his bread with the advent of the cell by wild beasts) ingrained in him that the holy spirit, to which he sought. These years have taught the monk Sergius lot.
He was the perfect employee. Perfect in the sense that it could do everything, tirelessly and for a pittance. Even when all around him had grown new cells, where they live the other monks, amazed and inspired by his example, and when he, unwittingly, was put in charge of the Monastery, Sergius worked for two. He was not ashamed nor povarstva or carpentry, tailoring and kroil clothes brother, rolled candles, cooked kutyu, grind grain, digging the garden, washing the dead ... Once, when he had finished eating, he went to one of the monks of his monastery and was hired to do him an extension to the cell - for a few pieces of stale bread
. On his humility, says another striking case.
. When Trinity Monastery has become widely known, it came from Moscow to St. Sergius's brother Stephen, in his time does not pass the life in the forest
. In the capital, he became the spiritual father of many famous people, abbot of the monastery of the Epiphany, but dropped everything and decided to return to the desert life ... One Saturday afternoon Sergei Vespers was served at the altar, and Stephen, as a lover and connoisseur of church music, sang in the choir. He walked past the reader with a book.
- Who gave you this kniguN - loudly asked Stefan.
- Abbot.
- Who is igumenN not I first sat on this mesteN - cried passionately Moscow guests. And "a different kind of spoken, adornment not Lepo Be", says the chronicler embarrassment.
Sergius all very well heard, but said nothing. After the service he left the church and, without entering the cell, just picked up and ... away from the monastery. Famed for the sake of the elder brotherly love, nurtured by its left-handed abode. He displayed absolutely incomprehensible to us today, the lack of any ambition was. I returned only after four years at the personal request of Metropolitan Alexy of Moscow, having during this time with several brothers built in the same wild forests of the Kirzhach new monastery.
. In relations with the authorities - and the church, and secular - Sergei manifests itself already as a politician and statesman
. It was predicted at the Metropolitan of Moscow, . but, . in contrast to the case, . when at the request of the brethren and with the blessing of the bishop, he nevertheless agreed to become abbot of Holy Trinity Monastery, . He did not succumb to the persuasion of his friend, nor the Metropolitan Alexy, . nor Dimitri Donskoy,
. Spiritual growth, he set higher officer.
And the spiritual authority of St. Sergius of power has successfully used the. It is not considered shameful zamiryat warring princes. (By the way, . Abbot always believed, . that bad peace is better than a good argument: even before he took the Prince Dmitri Ivanovich of Mamaia Sergius invited him to try to reconcile with Khan, . and blessed to battle, . only learned about, . that the prince made every effort for reconciliation).,
. When Sergei decided to enter into a joint life of the Trinity Monastery monks (dormitory), . abolishing, . contemporary language, . "personal subsidiary farming" of each member fraternity, . it is to appease the disgruntled, . reinforced his authority letter from the Patriarch of Constantinople, . blessing hostel in the monastery,
. Patriarch Sergius did not know, but I knew Metropolitan Alexy and his request was a letter.
My brother had to obey the will of the Patriarch. The future showed the wisdom of the Superior, . his students created new coenobite (and what other could survive in the wild zemleN) monasteries in the forest thickets on not yet mastered by the secular authority areas, . settled around the laity (as, . in his time around the Holy Trinity Monastery),
. Sergievy disciples founded 70 monasteries in the various edge. So thanks to the willingness of people to be farther away from peace and closer to God and had been colonized for a young nation new land.
Zhizneopisatel St. Sergius, Epiphanius the Wise, personally and knew that, about whom he wrote. In compiling the lives he used the story of the St. Sergius, evidence of close people to him (including Stephen reconciled with his brother and the deceased in the Holy Trinity Monastery). Epiphanius testifies:
. "Reverend Abbot, . Our Holy Father Sergius, . Elder chyudny, . adorned with all sorts of virtues, . quiet gentle disposition with, . and humble and well-intentioned, . friendly and blagouvetlivy, . comforting, . strannolyubny and peace in; <...> Acquire than all humility and boundless love unfeigned, and all is lyublyashe <...>".,
. Another contemporary calls Sergius - even during his lifetime - the holy: "That same summer the disease byst hard Reverend Abbot, Saint Sergius ..."
. From the Life we learn (from eyewitnesses, and most of St. Sergius) on fire, walk by the altar during the service Abbot, an angel sosluzhaschem Sergius, a visit to his cell Mother of God with the apostles, the miracles through the prayers of the holy
. It is safe to judge his mental state, excellent knowledge of the Scriptures. Trinity Monastery of the poor, hungry, in which liturgical books were written on birch bark, for want of parchment, with almost complete absence of manorial land into a thriving, under construction, to charity. And he grew so not because of any economic calculations.
Sergius conquered the world of the commandments of Christ, love, penance, prayer. But the secrets of his spiritual life, does not exhaust the deeds of love and unceasing prayer, remained hidden for posterity.
. St. Sergius died in 1392 and was buried against his own will, but by the will of the Moscow Metropolitan Cyprian's Church in the Holy Trinity Monastery (at the request of the brethren)
. His body was in the ground about 30 years and was izneseno from it after, . as a pious man in a thin dream come Reverend and, . by chronicler, . said to him: "Make known the abbot of the monastery of my, . that he need not have much time left my body is covered with earth, . in which water oppress him. ",
. The coffin was lifted from the ground
. The triumph of discovery of the relics took place on July 5, 1422. Even after thirty years he was the all-Russia canonized saints.
For almost five hundred years, people went to the tomb of St. Trinity Cathedral in the Monastery. In the annals of the monastery were miracles through the prayers of the holy. Reliquary zeal of pious citizens of Russia was adorned with gold and silver.
. April 11, 1919, . Friday, . 6 th week of Lent by the Soviet authorities in the presence of the governor Monastery Archimandrite Kronid and several monks have been committed by an autopsy of the relics of St. Sergius, . caused great excitement gathered in the square in front of people Lavra, . which is not allowed beyond the walls of the monastery,
. An autopsy was recorded on film under the direction of the future of the famous Soviet director Dziga Vertov. This film demonstrated later, on the orders of Lenin, in the cinemas of the country. The relics were placed in the museum laurels, in a glass coffin for public viewing. But the head of the Reverend has been saved from this fate. On the eve of Easter 1919 a priest Paul Florensky, Archimandrite Kronid and Earl Olsufiev night secretly separated the head of the Reverend from the rest of the relics. In its place was put the skull of one of Prince Trubetskoy. Chapter took possession Olsufiev. In the mid 30-ies he handed it to the storage of the young artist-restorer Paul Golubtsova. November 4 all the temples laurels were sealed, April 20, 1920 Chairman of the CPC, a decree signed by Lenin on making the laurels in the museum
The relics were once again in the monastery in 1946, when the monks came here again. Paul Golubtsov worked in 40-ies on the restoration of wall paintings in the monastery and on the eve of the opening of the relics recovered the head monastery of St.. First after 1920 liturgy was held here on the night of Passover, April 21. Raku with relics placed until the Assumption Cathedral. Later, power is again on its usual place - at the right wall of the ancient Holy Trinity Church. There is cancer today.
And Paul Golubtsov later became Archbishop Sergius of Novgorod, his life ended in retirement in the monastery, icon painting engaged. His dream was to learn how to look like St. Sergius actually. He prayed to the saint of this. I once had a dream that he was standing in front of the shrine of St. Sergius and sees Reverend lifted from her and said: "Look and remember". What I have seen the Lord embodied in their icons.