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People's saint - images of St. Seraphim of Sarov. Blog of the art director of Neskuchny Garden Dmitry Petrov

Father Seraphim Already during his lifetime, people considered him a saint; you can turn to him with prayers on any issues.
In front of his icon, it is very useful to pray for spiritual help in moments of despair or loss of strength due to the troubles that have befallen you. The saint believed that the most serious Christian sins are sorrow and despondency, so sincere prayers to him can help you overcome these adversities and gain strength.
While still alive St. Seraphim, came to him large number people for help in protecting themselves from temptations, and the priest helped them, gave the stumbled people consolation and hope for resolving their problems. Until now, he hears us sinners, and with holy prayers before the Lord he helps all who repent.
The oil that is consecrated by his holy relics often helps the sick.
There is an opinion about Seraphim of Sarov that his help can be manifested in trade matters. He helps those people who strive not only for personal enrichment, but primarily engage in charity work, help their neighbors, the poor, sick people, and donate funds to the Holy Orthodox Church.

It must be remembered that icons or saints do not “specialize” in any specific areas. It will be correct when a person turns with faith in the power of God, and not in the power of this icon, this saint or prayer.
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THE LIFE OF REVEREND SERAPHIM OF SAROV

The Monk Seraphim of Sarov was born on July 19, 1759 in the city of Kursk into a merchant family. At baptism he received the name Prokhor.
At the age of three, Prokhor's father died, who shortly before his death took out a contract for the construction of the temple St. Sergius, all the work to continue the work was taken by his wife Agafya. One day she went to a construction site with little Prokhor, who during the inspection stumbled and fell from a high bell tower. The mother was very frightened, but when she went downstairs, she saw her son healthy and unharmed, in which she saw the special care of God.
Around the age of ten, Prokhor became very ill, his life was even under threat, but in a dream he had a vision - the Queen of Heaven appeared to him and promised to heal the boy. Then the miraculous icon of the Sign was carried in Kursk in a religious procession Mother of God. Agafya carried out her sick son, he venerated the icon, and from that moment he began to recover quickly.
His older brother traded and began to teach Prokhor to this activity, but the boy’s soul yearned for God, he visited church every day, woke up early in the morning to go and listen to Matins. Prokhor learned to read and write early; from childhood, his favorite pastime was reading. Scripture and Lives of the Saints. His mother saw what her son was doing and was very happy about it.

When the young man reached the age of seventeen, he definitely decided that he would leave the world, asked for blessings from his mother and devoted himself to monastic life.
First, the monk went to the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, where he met one perspicacious recluse, Dosifei, who saw in Prokhor a faithful servant of Christ. The recluse said that his place was in the Sarov desert and blessed the young man to go there for salvation.
On this advice, nineteen-year-old Prokhor Moshnin ended up in Sarov on November 20, 1778, where he was received by Elder Pachomius, who was the rector of the desert.
Constantly in prayer, Prokhor was a diligent performer of all the obediences that were assigned to him, he was among the first to come to services, in his cell he carefully read the holy spiritual books, and especially loved the Gospel, the Apostolic Epistles and the Psalter. He slept a little. But his soul longed for an even more strict life, and one day, having received a blessing from the elders, God's chosen one began to go into the forest to pray. The brethren were amazed at the power of holy deeds that Prokhor showed.
Prokhor was ill for a very long time, almost three years, but every time the monks offered him treatment, he rejected their offer, trusting in God’s mercy. And so, when Prokhor’s condition became critical, the Mother of God Herself appeared to him and again, as in childhood, healed him. After some time, the cell in which this miraculous visit took place was demolished, and in its place a temple and a hospital building were erected.
On August 13, 1786, at the age of 28, Prokhor was tonsured as a monk with the name Seraphim. In December 1787, Seraphim was ordained to the rank of hierodeacon. For 6 years, almost without interruption, he was in ministry. He hardly rested, often forgot to eat, but God gave him special powers.
One day during Divine Liturgy Seraphim received an extraordinary vision: the saint saw the Lord Jesus Christ in glory, shining with an indescribable light. He was surrounded by angels, archangels, and there were also cherubim and seraphim around. He walked through the air from the church gates, stopped near the pulpit and blessed everyone with His holy hands.
In 1793, the future saint was ordained to the rank of hieromonk.
After the death of Elder Pachomius, Venerable Seraphim, with his blessing spiritual father Elder Isaiah, left the monastery.

On November 20, 1794, he went to live in a secluded cell, which was 5-6 kilometers from the monastery in the forest on the banks of the Sarovka River. The cell had only one room with a stove. The monk made a vegetable garden near his home, and later began to raise bees. Seraphim's clothes were very simple, even wretched - a worn kamilavka, a robe made of white fabric, leather mittens, stockings and bast shoes on his feet. On his chest there was always a cross, with which his mother blessed him, and behind his shoulders was a knapsack, which always contained the Holy Gospel.

The zealous ascetic of Christ spent all his time in prayer and reading holy books. During cold weather, he collected firewood to heat his cell, and in the summer he worked on the land, growing vegetables in the garden, which he ate.
Before Sundays and holidays, the Monk Seraphim of Sarov went to the monastery, where he listened to Vespers, All-Night Vigil or Matins and received Holy Communion. Then he communicated with the monks, then took bread for a week and again returned to his lonely forest cell. At first he ate dry bread, and later, Holy Father Seraphim intensified his fast even more and even refused bread. The monk ate only vegetables that he grew in his garden.
Various temptations befell him. One day the Monk Seraphim of Sarov was attacked evil people, who demanded money that he allegedly received from the laity. The old man, of course, had no money; he meekly crossed his arms across his chest and said: “Do what you need.” The robbers attacked the ascetic, tied him up and severely beat him. After that, they broke into the cell, where they found some potatoes and one icon. Thinking about the Monk Seraphim that the hermit of Sarov had been killed, the villains became very frightened and ran away. When the saint regained consciousness, he immediately thanked the Lord God for this suffering and prayed for the forgiveness of the attackers, somehow freed himself from his bonds and in the morning, bloodied, reached the monastery. The doctors examined the wounds and were very surprised that the old man was alive - his head was broken, his ribs were broken, he lay exhausted for a long time, refusing even to eat.

And again Father Seraphim had a vision: the Most Holy Theotokos with the apostles Peter and John the Theologian approached him and said towards the doctors:

“Why are you toiling?” and to the monk: “This is from my generation!”

After these words, Father Seraphim refused doctors and left his life in God’s hands. On the ninth day, his strength began to return and the elder was able to get out of bed. But for five whole months he was still in the monastery, restoring his strength, after which he returned to his cell again.
People learned about the reverend father, and they began to come to him for help. The elder tried to avoid some people because by that time he already knew how to recognize needs, and those who were really in need, he accepted and gave advice and instructions. Many people saw how the elder fed a big bear from the hands - they even knew about the hermit Seraphim wild animals and they loved him.
The devil tried very hard to stop Seraphim’s ascetic feat, tempting and plotting him. So he made loud animal roars near the cell, or made it so that the saint imagined that behind the doors of his home a large number of people were trying to break into him or destroy the hut. Seraphim was saved only by prayer and strength Life-giving Cross The Lord's.
More than once the priest was tempted by the spirit of ambition, offering him to become an abbot or archimandrite of some monastery, but he strove for real asceticism and each time rejected such offers.
For three years the holy monk did not speak, keeping a vow of perfect silence. For a thousand days and nights he, like St. Semyon the Stylite, stood on a stone and prayed to God in the words of the publican:

“God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”

With courage, Father Seraphim endured winter cold, summer heat, rain, mosquitoes and flies. He left it only to take food.
No one knew about this feat until the Reverend himself told about it.
The saint weakened to such an extent in these exploits that he could no longer come to the monastery himself. Therefore, on May 8, 1810, after sixteen years in the forest, he left the hermitage forever and returned to the monastery, where he began a new feat of seclusion.

During the first five years of his stay in the monastery, he did not go out anywhere at all, no one even saw how the elder took the food that was brought to him. Then he opened the door of his cell, but still did not talk to people, having taken a vow of silence.
In his cell there was an icon of the Mother of God, with a burning lamp in front of it, and a stump of a stump was for him instead of a chair. And in the entryway stood an oak coffin, near which the elder prayed, preparing for the transition to eternal life.
When 10 years of such silent seclusion had passed, St. Seraphim of Sarov opened his lips again to serve the world and the doors of his cell opened for people. He was visited by many noble persons and statesmen, to whom he gave instructions and taught how to live with loyalty to the Church and the fatherland.
In November 1825, Seraphim had a dream about the appearance of the Mother of God, who allowed him to come out of seclusion. After which he began to visit the monastery and, in addition, helped raise the women's monastic community of Diveyevo, which was founded by the landowner Melgunova in 1780.
A year and ten months before the end of his earthly life, Seraphim of Sarov was honored with the twelfth holiday in his life - the appearance of the Mother of God, which was like an omen of his blessed death and imperishable glory.
On January 2, 1833, cell attendant venerable elder, Father Pavel, felt the smell of burning coming from the cell of St. Seraphim. He always had candles lit, he said:

“As long as I am alive, there will be no fire, but when I die, my death will be revealed by fire.”

When the doors were opened, everyone saw the lifeless body of the Monk Seraphim, which was in a position of prayer, and the books and other things in the room were smoldering.
The body of the saint was placed in an oak coffin prepared during his lifetime; the burial took place according to right side cathedral altar.

For many years since the death of the saint, people came to his burial place and, through the prayers of St. Seraphim of Sarov, received healing from various mental and physical illnesses.

DISCOVERY OF THE RECENTS OF SAINT SERAPHIM

In 1903, on August 1, the canonization of the Venerable Venerable Seraphim of Sarov took place. On his birthday, his relics were solemnly opened and transferred to a prepared shrine.

More than three hundred thousand people gathered in Sarov for this holiday.
On July 16/29, 1903, funeral all-night vigils - Parastases - were held in the Sarov Hermitage for the ever-memorable hieromonk Seraphim.
July 17/30 was committed religious procession from the Diveyevo Monastery to the Sarov Monastery. All the way, the participants in the procession performed the canon of the Mother of God and sacred chants. Lithiums were celebrated in chapels along the way.
To meet the religious procession, a religious procession came out from Diveevo to the relics of Seraphim of Sarov. When they met, Bishop Innokenty of Tambov overshadowed the people in four directions miraculous icon Mother of God "Tenderness" while singing " Holy Mother of God, save us».
After this, the united religious procession headed to Sarov.
On the evening of July 18/31 All-night vigil Saint Seraphim was glorified among the saints. When the coffin was opened, everyone, including the Sovereign Emperor who was present, knelt down. Greatness began to sound

“We honor you, Rev. Father Seraphim...”

Historians claim that there had never been such holidays in Russia before this day.
The instructions of Seraphim of Sarov were left to the world, some of which were written down by himself, and some by those who heard them from his lips.
In 1903, “ Conversation by St. Seraphim of Sarov about the purpose of Christian life", which took place in November 1831, shortly before his death.
In addition to the teachings about Christianity, it contains a new explanation of the holiest of many important passages of Holy Scripture.

SOME MIRACLES ACCORDING TO THE PRAYERS OF SERAPHIM OF SAROV

No one knows how many real miracles the Lord God performed through Seraphim of Sarov and how many more will be performed in the future.

First A miracle happened when Prokhor (that was the name Seraphim of Sarov had by birth) accidentally fell from the high bell tower of the temple, but as if nothing had happened, he got back to his feet without any injuries. At the age of ten, the Mother of God appeared to the sick Prokhor in a dream and healed him of a fatal illness.

In the monastery Prokhor fell ill with dropsy and became completely swollen, but after Holy Communion the Most Pure Mother of God appeared to him in the light and healed him again, touching his thigh with her staff.

The Monk Seraphim of Sarov had a brother Alexei, to whom he predicted for 48 years exact date his death.

One day A deacon came from Spassk to Sarov and falsely accused another priest. When he came to the saint, he saw his deception and drove him away, saying:

“Go, oathbreaker, and do not serve.”

After these words, the deacon could not conduct services in church for three whole years (his tongue became mute) until he admitted to lying.

Seraphim of Sarov the animals obeyed. The Sarov monk Peter said: “Approaching the cell, I saw that Father Seraphim was sitting on a log and feeding the bear standing in front of him with crackers. Amazed, I stopped in fear behind a large tree. Immediately I saw that the bear went from the old man into the forest. St. Seraphim saw me with joy and asked me to remain silent about the bear until his dormition.”

The miracle of the appearance of the Seraphim spring.
On November 25, 1825, the Monk Seraphim saw the Mother of God with the apostles Peter and John on the banks of the Sarovka River. The Mother of God hit the ground with her staff and a fountain of water came out from under the ground, and then She gave instructions on the construction of the Diveyevo monastery.
Taking tools from the monastery, Father Seraphim himself dug a well for two weeks, from the water of which miraculous healings occurred and still occur.

U St. Seraphim of Sarov had the gift of clairvoyance. He repeatedly answered letters without even opening them. After his death, many such sealed letters were discovered.

People have seen it more than once, like Father Seraphim, began to pray, and then, suddenly, rose above the ground. Daria Trofimovna, a sister from Diveevo, was once honored to see this miracle, but according to the order given by Father Seraphim, she remained silent about it until his death.

There is evidence when, through the prayers of St. Seraphim of Sarov, life was restored to incurable patients.

“If they reproach you, don’t reproach them. They drive you - be patient. Blame - praise. Condemn yourself - God will not judge you that way. Submit your will to the will of the Lord. Never flatter. Know good and evil in yourself: blessed is the man who knows this. Love your neighbor; your neighbor is your flesh. If you live according to the flesh, you will destroy both soul and flesh. And if it’s God’s way, you’ll save both of them.”

St. Seraphim of Sarov

GREATNESS

We bless you, Reverend Father Seraphim, and honor your holy memory, teacher of monks and interlocutor of Angels.

VIDEO

Icon of Seraphim of Sarov feeding a bear - a copy on canvas of an ancient icon from the album of images of Holy icons, released by E.I. Fesenko in late XIX century.

Saint Seraphim of Sarov with early childhood dedicated himself to God. When he turned 19, he asked his mother to bless him to enter a monastery. The mother blessed her son with a large copper cross for his monastic feat, and until his death he then wore this maternal cross on his chest.

The Sarov monastery, where Seraphim came, was surrounded on all sides by a large dense forest. Here, in the thicket of the forest, he built himself a small hut and, far from the world, began to spend his days and nights in prayer. Often St. Seraphim endured cold and hunger and every need. He spent many years like this. When he finally opened the doors of his cell, people began to come to him in droves and asked for his prayers. They brought wax candles to the saint so that he would place them in front of the icons during his prayer: after all, candles burn in front of the icons, like the souls of people before God. And day and night, so many candles burned in this small cell that even in winter, on the coldest, frostiest days, it was hot from them: the stove was never heated.

“I cannot,” said Saint Seraphim, “several times in my prayer remember before God the names of everyone who asked me to pray for them, because there are too many of them; and I light their candles and pray: “Lord, remember all those people, Your servants, for whose souls I, poor one, lit these candles and lamps for You!”

Saint Seraphim continually prayed to God. From this, his heart flared up with more and more love. And he loved not only God, but also all of God’s creation, all of nature created by God. And he so cleansed himself from all sin by constant prayer and remembrance of God that his life became similar to the life of the first people in paradise, where animals obeyed man and did no harm to each other or to man.

At night, animals came to the saint’s cell: bears, wolves, hares, and foxes, even snakes, lizards and other reptiles crawled up. Saint Seraphim left his cell and began to feed them from his basket, in which he kept a week's supply of bread. No matter how many animals came to the elder, there was always enough bread for everyone.

And this is what happened one day:

One nun came to Saint Seraphim and saw him sitting near his cell on a stump of a tree, and standing next to him huge bear. She froze with fear and screamed at the top of her voice: “Father! My death!” and fell. Elder Seraphim, hearing her voice, hit the bear lightly and waved his hand. Then the bear, like a reasonable one, immediately went in the direction where Fr. Seraphim pointed, into the depths of the forest. The nun, seeing all this, trembled with horror. Elder Seraphim approached her and said: “Don’t be horrified, don’t be afraid!” She still continued to shout: “Oh, my death!” To this the elder replied: “No, mother, not death, and death is far from you. But this is joy!” And then he led her to the very log on which he had sat before. Having prayed, he sat the nun on the log and before they had time to sit down, suddenly the same bear came out of the thicket of the forest, approached St. Seraphim and lay down next to him. His legs. The nun, seeing such a terrible beast near her, was at first in great fear and trepidation. Father Seraphim treated him without any fear, like a meek lamb, and even began to feed him with bread from his hands. Then the nun began to eat little. - gradually cheer up. The face of the great old man was especially wonderful at this time. It was bright, like an angel’s, and joyful.

Finally, when the nun had completely calmed down, and the elder had fed almost all of his bread, he gave her the remaining piece and ordered her to feed the bear. But she answered: “I’m afraid, father: he’ll eat my hand off!” Elder Seraphim looked, smiled and said: “No, mother, believe that he will not eat your hand.” Then she took the bread that was given and fed it all with such joy that she wished she could feed it more, because the beast was meek with her, through the prayers of the saint.

When the Monk Seraphim saw that the nun’s fear had completely passed, he said: “Do you remember, mother, a lion served the Monk Gerasim on the Jordan, and a bear served poor Seraphim (as he always, in his humility, called himself). So the animals are listening to us! And you, mother, are despondent! Why should we be sad? Now, if I had taken scissors, I would have cut his hair.”

That's what love does! There is no greater power in the world than love! Only love holds the world together, only love moves life.

St. Seraphim of Sarov is one of the most revered saints in Rus'. The life of Seraphim of Sarov tells how miracles began to happen to him already in childhood, and having become a monk, the Monk Seraphim began to manifest them himself - first of all, with the incredible feats he performed: for example, he prayed on a stone for three years and almost did not eat at the same time food. Or he fed wild animals that flocked to him from all over the forest and became meek next to them.

But St. Seraphim is also one of those saints who left behind not only the tradition of his own ascetic life, but also teachings (if not a whole teaching): about grace. He taught: Christianity is not a set of ethical rules where it is important to simply be good person, and a higher goal - having acquired the grace of the Holy Spirit, change the very nature person. And then the person will be sanctified, and the world around him will be transformed in the most miraculous way!

Venerable Seraphim of Sarov feeds a bear

Teachings of St. Seraphim of Sarov

To some extent, teachings are truly the most important thing that Saint Seraphim of Sarov left behind.

“Acquire a peaceful spirit and thousands around you will be saved,” this is one of the most famous sayings of St. Seraphim of Sarov, which simply and briefly conveys the whole essence of his teaching.

Finding peace in the soul and acquiring grace: here main goal for a Christian, and not the fulfillment of the commandments. Fulfilling the commandments is natural for a person, and this must be done in any case, but a person has a higher purpose on earth than simply doing good deeds and not offending loved ones. This goal is deification: that is, a change in the nature of the soul is already here - on earth.

In fact, the Monk Seraphim of Sarov tried to convey the ideas of hesychasm - the “Greek” teaching, one of whose apologists was St. Gregory Palamas in the 14th century, and which is being built to this day on Holy Mount Athos. The idea of ​​hesychasm is based on the doing of the mind, and not just actions.

The Monk Seraphim of Sarov reminded that the life of a Christian begins not with actions, or even with thoughts, but even earlier - with the nature of his soul. That's why Orthodox Christian he must follow not only his thoughts (because all actions come from them), but direct his hopes and aspirations further - to the state of his soul. A soul that cries for the Holy Spirit and finds its true integrity and true healing only through the acquisition of Grace and thus in Christ.

Well, keeping the commandments and a pious life are just one of the best tools for achieving this highest goal - acquiring a “peaceful spirit.”

Seraphim of Sarov: years of life - when he lived

The Monk Seraphim of Sarov lived in the 18th–19th centuries. He was born in 1754 and died in 1833.

He lived for 78 years, and during this time the country in which he lived - Russian Empire- survived six emperors and changed a lot: becoming from large state a real Empire that was able to ultimately defeat Napoleon himself.

The rulers who were “found” by Saint Seraphim of Sarov: Empress Elizabeth; Peter II; Catherine II; Peter III; Alexander I; Nicholas I. Although, of course, the Monk Seraphim himself thought least of all about the kings of the earth and thought more about the Eternal Kingdom, which is what his life tells about.

Seraphim of Sarov: short biography

Biographies of saints in the Church are usually called “lives.” The life of St. Seraphim is quite comprehensive, because the elder led a very simple lifestyle and sought monasticism from his youth.

Therefore, the brief life of Saint Seraphim can be summarized in just a few phrases:

  • born 1833;
  • at the age of 22 he left home and became a monk,
  • ten years later he was tonsured a monk,
  • all monastic life spent in the forests near the Sarov monastery or in seclusion in the monastery itself
  • and died at the age of 78.

However, the life of any ascetic is made up not of external facts, but of the routine of life and the structure of internal life - which is difficult to describe on the pages of books or a website. And the life of Seraphim of Sarov was filled with inner deeds, which showed that with true unity with the Lord, human strength is truly inexhaustible, and grace can sanctify a person so that wild animals will come to him to worship, and no robbers - neither heavenly, nor even more so earthly ones will not be afraid of him!

Miracles of St. Seraphim of Sarov

Miraculous phenomena began to occur to the Monk Seraphim when he was still a seven-year-old boy, Prokhor. He fell from the bell tower to the ground, but remained alive.

His holy life made the most formidable animals meek. The monk said that wolves, hares, foxes, snakes and mice, and even a big bear came to him at night. And he fed everyone, and miraculously there were enough treats for everyone. “No matter how much bread I took,” said the ascetic, “it miraculously did not decrease in the basket!”

Like any saint, the Monk Seraphim of Sarov did not strive to work miracles, and in any miraculous phenomenon I saw first of all the generosity and Love of God and an example of how boundless the world becomes during life with Christ.

The attacks of the devil intensified. At first they manifested themselves in a mystical way - during prayer, Elder Seraphim could be thrown up and thrown back to the ground - these were the demons “having fun.” And one day, during his exploits in the forest, he was attacked by real robbers. It was the devil, seeing the spiritual strength of the elder, who now attacked, using earthly “improvised” tools - people - to break the monk’s spirit in such an “earthly” way.

The robbers beat the monk, broke his ribs, fractured his skull and inflicted many other wounds. The wounded Seraphim of Sarov was found some time later, and the doctors were surprised: it was unclear how he remained alive. The monk himself said that on one of these days the Mother of God appeared to the monk, and this finally calmed him down, helped him surrender everything to the will of God and thereby save his life.

The appearance of the Mother of God to St. Seraphim of Sarov is also one of the miracles that happened to him more than once. According to legend, there were twelve of them. The first - in childhood, when Prokhor was 9 years old - the boy was seriously ill and the Mother of God promised to heal him. It was after this that he decided to become a monk. And the last appearance happened a couple of years before his death - when the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him surrounded by John the Baptist, John the Theologian and 12 virgins.

The exploits of St. Seraphim of Sarov

The future Elder Seraphim accomplished his first visible feat even before he was tonsured a monk - when he went on foot from Kursk, where he was born and lived, to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra: to venerate the relics of the Pechersk saints and receive a blessing for monasticism. He did not travel by train, he did not travel by car, and he did not fly by plane. In those days, pilgrimage was not a comfortable “tourism”, as it is now, but truly a feat.

But of course, most of all he became famous for the asceticism he carried out while already a monk. From the very beginning, he stood out from the brethren by his strict rules. And he spent 30 years of his life either as a hermit in the forest - a few kilometers from the Sarov monastery, or in the monastery itself, but in seclusion.

His way of life in the forest seems incredible. Saint Seraphim could wear the same clothes all year round, he wore chains, and at times he ate only grass.

His most famous feat is the feat of pillaring, when he stood in prayer alternately on two stones for a thousand days and a thousand nights.

He began to receive visitors only in the last years of his life - and it was then that people learned about Seraphim of Sarov and glorified him as a saint during his lifetime.

The relics of Seraphim of Sarov: where are they located?

The relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov are now kept in the Seraphim-Diveevsky Monastery. There you can worship them.
Diveyevo Monastery is located in Nizhny Novgorod region. From Moscow, for example, you can get by train to Nizhny Novgorod and then by bus to Diveevo. You can see the bus schedule

By car: 450 kilometers from Moscow.

There are hotels and private houses at the monastery and you can always find somewhere to stay, but it is better to book accommodation in advance - especially during high holidays. Church holidays or on the days of the saint's memory.

And in Moscow there is a Podvorye Diveyevo Monastery- it is located a two-minute walk from the Prospect Mira-Ring metro station - if you follow the path to the Garden Ring. The courtyard with a house church inside is located right on Prospekt Mira:

Days of memory of Seraphim of Sarov

Days of memory of Seraphim of Sarov in the Orthodox Church:

  • August 1(it's his birthday)
  • January 15(day of death).

Icon of Seraphim of Sarov

And this is what one of the most common images of St. Seraphim looks like. (The picture shows an icon that is kept in the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius):

St. Seraphim of Sarov is one of the most revered saints in Rus', so his icon can be found and venerated in almost every church.

Reverend Father Seraphim, pray to God for us!

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Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, a great ascetic of the Russian Church, was born on July 19, 1754. The saint's parents, Isidore and Agafia Moshnin, were residents of Kursk. Isidore was a merchant and took out contracts for the construction of buildings, and at the end of his life he began the construction of a cathedral in Kursk, but died before the completion of the work. The youngest son Prokhor remained in the care of his mother, who raised a deep faith in her son.

After the death of her husband, Agafia Moshnina, who continued the construction of the cathedral, once took Prokhor with her there, who, having stumbled, fell from the bell tower. The Lord saved the life of the future lamp of the Church: the frightened mother, going downstairs, found her son unharmed.

Young Prokhor, having an excellent memory, soon learned to read and write. Since childhood, he loved to attend church services and read the Holy Scriptures and Lives of Saints to his peers, but most of all he loved to pray or read Holy Gospel in solitude.

One day Prokhor became seriously ill and his life was in danger. In a dream, the boy saw the Mother of God, who promised to visit and heal him. Soon a religious procession with the icon of the Sign passed through the courtyard of the Moshnin estate Holy Mother of God; his mother carried Prokhor out in her arms, and he venerated the holy icon, after which he began to quickly recover.

Even in his youth, Prokhor made the decision to completely devote his life to God and enter a monastery. The pious mother did not interfere with this and blessed him on the monastic path with a crucifix, which the monk wore on his chest all his life. Prokhor and the pilgrims set off on foot from Kursk to Kyiv to worship the Pechersk saints.

The schemamonk elder Dosifei, whom Prokhor visited, blessed him to go to the Sarov hermitage and save himself there. Returning briefly to parents' house, Prokhor said goodbye to his mother and family forever. On November 20, 1778, he came to Sarov, where the wise old man, Father Pachomius, was then rector. He kindly received the young man and appointed Elder Joseph as his confessor. Under his leadership, Prokhor underwent many obediences in the monastery: he was the elder’s cell attendant, worked in the bakery, prosphora and carpentry shop, carried out the duties of a sexton, and performed everything with zeal and zeal, serving as if the Lord Himself. Permanent job he protected himself from boredom - this, as he later said, “the most dangerous temptation for new monks, which is cured by prayer, abstinence from idle talk, feasible handicraft, reading the Word of God and patience, because it is born from cowardice, carelessness and idle talk.”

Already in these years, Prokhor, following the example of other monks who retired into the forest to pray, asked for the blessing of the elder in free time also go into the forest, where he prayed the Jesus Prayer in complete solitude. Two years later, novice Prokhor fell ill with dropsy, his body became swollen, and he experienced severe suffering. The mentor, Father Joseph, and other elders who loved Prokhor looked after him. The illness lasted about three years, and not once did anyone hear a word of grumbling from him. The elders, fearing for the life of the patient, wanted to call a doctor to him, but Prokhor asked not to do this, telling Father Pachomius: “I have given myself, Holy Father, to the True Physician of souls and bodies - our Lord Jesus Christ and His Most Pure Mother...” , and wished to be communed with the Holy Mysteries. Then Prokhor had a vision: the Mother of God appeared in an indescribable light, accompanied by the holy apostles Peter and John the Theologian. Pointing his hand at the patient, Holy Virgin She said to John: “This one is from our generation.” Then she touched the patient’s side with the staff, and immediately the liquid that filled the body began to flow out through the hole formed, and he quickly recovered. Soon, on the site of the appearance of the Mother of God, a hospital church was built, one of the chapels of which was consecrated in the name of the Monks Zosima and Savvaty of Solovetsky. The Monk Seraphim built the altar for the chapel with his own hands from cypress wood and always partook of the Holy Mysteries in this church.

After spending eight years as a novice in the Sarov monastery, Prokhor took monastic vows with the name Seraphim, which so well expressed his fiery love for the Lord and desire to serve Him zealously. A year later, Seraphim was ordained to the rank of hierodeacon. Burning in spirit, he served in the temple every day, constantly praying even after the service. The Lord vouchsafed the monk visions of grace during church services: repeatedly he saw the holy Angels concelebrating with the brethren. The monk was granted a special vision of grace during the Divine Liturgy on Maundy Thursday, which was performed by the rector, Father Pachomius, and Elder Joseph. When, after the troparions, the monk said, “Lord, save the pious,” and, standing at the royal doors, pointed his orar at those praying with the exclamation “and forever and ever,” suddenly a bright ray overshadowed him. Raising his eyes, the Monk Seraphim saw the Lord Jesus Christ walking through the air from the western doors of the temple, surrounded by Heavenly Ethereal Forces. Having reached the pulpit. The Lord blessed all those praying and entered the local image to the right of the royal doors. The Monk Seraphim, looking in spiritual delight at the wondrous phenomenon, could not utter a word or leave his place. He was led arm in arm into the altar, where he stood for another three hours, his face changing from the great grace that illuminated him. After the vision, the monk intensified his exploits: during the day he worked in the monastery, and spent his nights in prayer in a deserted forest cell. In 1793, at the age of 39, St. Seraphim was ordained to the rank of hieromonk and continued serving in the church. After the death of the abbot, Father Pachomius, the Monk Seraphim, having his dying blessing for a new feat - living in the desert, also took the blessing from the new abbot - Father Isaiah - and went to a desert cell a few kilometers from the monastery, in a dense forest. Here he began to indulge in solitary prayers, coming to the monastery only on Saturday, before the all-night vigil, and returning to his cell after the liturgy, during which he received communion of the Holy Mysteries. The monk spent his life in severe exploits. Your own cell prayer rule he performed according to the rules of the ancient desert monasteries; never parted with the Holy Gospel, reading the entire New Testament, also read patristic and liturgical books. The monk learned many church hymns by heart and sang them during his work hours in the forest. Near the cell he planted a vegetable garden and built a beekeeper. Procuring food for himself, the monk kept very strict fast, ate once a day, and on Wednesday and Friday completely abstained from food. In the first week of Holy Pentecost, he did not take food until Saturday, when he received Holy Communion.

The holy elder, in solitude, was sometimes so immersed in inner heartfelt prayer that he remained motionless for a long time, neither hearing nor seeing anything around him. The hermits who visited him from time to time - schemamonk Mark the Silent and hierodeacon Alexander, having caught the saint in such prayer, quietly withdrew with reverence, so as not to disturb his contemplation.

IN summer heat the monk collected moss from the swamp to fertilize the garden; mosquitoes mercilessly stung him, but he complacently endured this suffering, saying: “Pasions are destroyed by suffering and sorrow, either voluntary or sent by Providence.” For about three years the monk ate only one herb, snitis, which grew around his cell. In addition to the brethren, lay people began to come to him more and more often for advice and blessings. This violated his privacy. Having asked for the abbot’s blessing, the monk blocked the women’s access to him, and then everyone else, having received a sign that the Lord approved of his idea of ​​complete silence. Through the saint’s prayer, the road to his deserted cell was blocked by huge branches of centuries-old pine trees. Now only birds, which flocked in large numbers to the saint, and wild animals visited him. The monk fed the bear bread from his hands when bread was brought to him from the monastery.

Seeing the exploits of the Monk Seraphim, the enemy of the human race armed himself against him and, wanting to force the saint to leave silence, decided to frighten him, but the saint protected himself with prayer and the power of the Life-giving Cross. The devil brought “mental warfare” upon the saint—a persistent, prolonged temptation. To repel the onslaught of the enemy, the Monk Seraphim intensified his labors by taking upon himself the feat of stylite mongering. Every night he climbed a huge stone in the forest and prayed with raised hands, crying: “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” During the day, he prayed in his cell, also on a stone that he brought from the forest, leaving it only for a short rest and strengthening his body with meager food. The saint prayed like this for 1000 days and nights. The devil, disgraced by the monk, planned to kill him and sent robbers. Approaching the saint, who was working in the garden, the robbers began to demand money from him. The monk at that time had an ax in his hands, he was physically strong and could have defended himself, but he did not want to do this, remembering the words of the Lord: “Those who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:52). The saint, lowering the ax to the ground, said: “Do what you need.” The robbers began to beat the monk, broke his head with a butt, broke several ribs, then, having tied him up, they wanted to throw him into the river, but first they searched his cell in search of money. Having destroyed everything in the cell and finding nothing in it except an icon and a few potatoes, they were ashamed of their crime and left. The monk, having regained consciousness, crawled to his cell and, suffering severely, lay there all night. The next morning, with great difficulty, he reached the monastery. The brethren were horrified when they saw the wounded ascetic. The monk lay there for eight days, suffering from his wounds; Doctors were called to him, surprised that Seraphim remained alive after such beatings. But the saint did not receive healing from doctors: the Queen of Heaven appeared to him in a subtle dream with the apostles Peter and John. Touching the head of the monk, the Most Holy Virgin granted him healing. After this incident, the Monk Seraphim had to spend about five months in the monastery, and then he again went to a desert cell. Remaining bent forever, the monk walked, leaning on a staff or hatchet, but he forgave his offenders and asked them not to punish them. After the death of the rector, Father Isaiah, who had been his friend since the saint’s youth, he took upon himself the feat of silence, completely renouncing all worldly thoughts for the purest stand before God in unceasing prayer. If the saint met a person in the forest, he fell on his face and did not get up until the passerby moved away. The elder spent about three years in such silence, stopping even from visiting the monastery on Sundays. The fruit of silence was for St. Seraphim the acquisition of peace of soul and joy in the Holy Spirit. The great ascetic subsequently spoke to one of the monks of the monastery: “...my joy, I pray to you, acquire a peaceful spirit, and then thousands of souls will be saved around you.” The new abbot, Father Nifont, and the elder brethren of the monastery suggested that Father Seraphim either continue to come to the monastery on Sundays to participate in divine services and receive communion at the monastery of the Holy Mysteries, or return to the monastery. The monk chose the latter, since it became difficult for him to walk from the desert to the monastery. In the spring of 1810, he returned to the monastery after 15 years in the desert. Without breaking his silence, he added seclusion to this feat and, without going anywhere or receiving anyone, he was constantly in prayer and contemplation of God. While in retreat, the Monk Seraphim acquired high spiritual purity and was granted special grace-filled gifts from God - clairvoyance and miracle-working. Then the Lord appointed His chosen one to serve people in the highest monastic feat - eldership. On November 25, 1825, the Mother of God, together with the two saints celebrated on this day, appeared in a dream vision to the elder and commanded him to come out of seclusion and receive weak human souls that required instruction, consolation, guidance and healing. Having been blessed by the abbot for a change in his lifestyle, the monk opened the doors of his cell to everyone. The elder saw the hearts of people, and he, as a spiritual doctor, healed mental and physical illnesses with prayer to God and a word of grace. Those who came to St. Seraphim felt him great love and they listened with tenderness to the tender words with which he addressed people: “my joy, my treasure.” The elder began to visit his desert cell and the spring called Bogoslovsky, near which they built a small cell for him. When leaving his cell, the elder always carried a knapsack with stones over his shoulders. When asked why he was doing this, the saint humbly answered: “I torment him who torments me.” In the last period of his earthly life, the Monk Seraphim took special care of his beloved, brainchild - the Diveyevo women's monastery. While still in the rank of hierodeacon, he accompanied the late rector Father Pachomius to the Diveyevo community to see the abbess nun Alexandra, a great ascetic, and then Father Pachomius blessed the monk to always take care of the “Diveyevo orphans.” He was a true father for the sisters, who turned to him in all their spiritual and everyday difficulties. Disciples and spiritual friends helped the saint to care for the Diveyevo community - Mikhail Vasilyevich Manturov, who was healed by the monk from a serious illness and, on the advice of the elder, took upon himself the feat of voluntary poverty; Elena Vasilievna Manturova, one of the Diveyevo sisters, who voluntarily agreed to die out of obedience to the elder for her brother, who was still needed in this life; Nikolai Alexandrovich Motovilov, also healed by the monk. N. A. Motovilov recorded the wonderful teaching of St. Seraphim about the purpose of Christian life. In the last years of the life of the Monk Seraphim, one healed by him saw him standing in the air while praying. The saint strictly forbade talking about this before his death.

Everyone knew and revered St. Seraphim as a great ascetic and wonderworker. A year and ten months before his death, on the Feast of the Annunciation, the Monk Seraphim was once again honored with the appearance of the Queen of Heaven, accompanied by the Baptist of the Lord John, the Apostle John the Theologian and twelve virgins, holy martyrs and saints. The Most Holy Virgin talked for a long time with the monk, entrusting the Diveyevo sisters to him. Having finished the conversation, She told him: “Soon, My beloved, you will be with us.” At this appearance, during the wondrous visit of the Mother of God, one Diveyevo old woman was present, through the prayer of the monk for her.

IN last year During his life, the Monk Seraphim began to noticeably weaken and spoke to many about his imminent death. At this time, he was often seen at the coffin, which stood in the entryway of his cell and which he had prepared for himself. The monk himself indicated the place where he should be buried - near the altar of the Assumption Cathedral. January 1, 1833 St. Seraphim in last time came to the hospital Zosimo-Savvatievskaya Church for the liturgy and took communion of the Holy Mysteries, after which he blessed the brethren and said goodbye, saying: “Save yourself, do not lose heart, stay awake, today crowns are being prepared for us.” On January 2, the monk’s cell attendant, Father Pavel, left his cell at six o’clock in the morning, heading to church, and smelled a burning smell coming from the monk’s cell; Candles were always burning in the saint’s cell, and he said: “As long as I am alive, there will be no fire, but when I die, my death will be revealed by fire.” When the doors were opened, it turned out that books and other things were smoldering, and the monk himself was kneeling before the icon of the Mother of God in a position of prayer, but already lifeless. During prayer, his pure soul was taken by the Angels and flew up to the Throne of God Almighty, whose faithful servant and servant the Monk Seraphim was all his life.

Wild animals feel the love coming from the great righteous and pay them the same. The lion, being next to the saint, amazes random witnesses with its humility, and the bear - with its meekness.

Saint Gerasimos of Jordan and the lion. Artist Elena Cherkasova.

The Monk Gerasim labored in a monastery not far from Jerusalem. One day he was walking through the desert and met a lion. The lion was limping because he had splintered his paw, it was swollen, and the wound was full of pus. He showed the monk his sore paw and looked at him pitifully, as if asking for help.
The elder sat down, took the thorn out of his paw, cleaned the wound of pus and bandaged it. The beast did not run away, but stayed with the hermit and since then followed him everywhere. The elder gave the lion bread and porridge, and he ate.
In the monastery there was a donkey on which they carried water from the Jordan, and the elder ordered the lion to graze it by the river. One day the lion went far from the donkey, lay down in the sun and fell asleep. At this time, a merchant with a caravan of camels was driving past. He saw that the donkey was grazing unattended and took him away. The lion woke up and, not finding the donkey, went to the old man with a despondent and sad look. The Monk Gerasim thought that the lion had eaten the donkey.
- Where is the donkey? - asked the old man.
The lion stood with his head down, like a man.
- Did you eat it? - asked the Monk Gerasim. “Blessed be the Lord, you will not leave here, but will work for the monastery instead of a donkey.”
They put a harness on the lion, and he began to carry water to the monastery.
Once a warrior came to the monastery to pray. Seeing that the lion was working as a beast of burden, he took pity on him and gave the monks three gold coins - they bought another donkey with them, and the lion no longer went to the Jordan for water.
The merchant who took the donkey away soon passed near the monastery again. He was transporting wheat to Jerusalem.
Seeing a donkey walking with camels, the lion recognized him and, roaring, rushed towards the caravan. The people were very frightened and began to run, and the lion took the bridle in his teeth, as he always did when tending the donkey, and led him along with three camels tied to each other to the monastery. The lion walked and rejoiced and roared loudly with joy. So they came to the old man. The Monk Gerasim smiled quietly and said to the brethren:
“We shouldn’t have scolded the lion, thinking that he ate the donkey.”
And then the elder gave the lion a name - Jordan.



Lion helping St. Zosima dig a hole.

Elder Zosima, who lived in the Jordan Monastery of St. John the Baptist, by the providence of God, was honored to meet in the desert with the Venerable Mary of Egypt, when she was already an old woman. He was amazed by her holiness and gift of insight. Once he saw her during prayer, as if rising above the earth, and another time, walking across the Jordan River, as if on dry land.
Parting with Zosima, the Monk Mary asked him to come again to the desert a year later to give her communion. The elder returned at the appointed time and gave communion Venerable Mary Holy Mysteries. Then, coming to the desert another year later in the hope of seeing the saint, he no longer found her alive. The elder buried the remains of St. Mary there in the desert, in which he was helped by a lion, who often accompanied the saint and who, with his claws, dug a hole for burying the body of the righteous woman. This was approximately in 521.


Sergius of Radonezh and wild bear. Artist Sergey Efoshkin.

Living alone in the wilderness of the forest, the Monk Sergius once saw a large bear in front of his hut. The monk realized that the beast was not so much fierce as hungry. Then he brought out a crust of bread and placed it on a stump in front of the bear. After eating the treat, the bear retreated into the forest. But from then on, the beast began to often come to the dwelling of St. Sergius, waiting for the prescribed treat.
The Monk Sergius thanked God for sending him a fierce beast for consolation. He fell in love with his forest friend and began to share the last piece with him, and sometimes he gave his entire lunch to the beast, as if he did not understand fasting. The wild beast obeyed St. Sergius and was gentle with him, like a sheep.

Venerable Pavel Obnorsky (disciple of Sergius of Radonezh).
When Sergius Nuromsky (also a student of Sergius of Radonezh) one day came to visit Paul, an amazing picture was revealed to him.
“...Flocks of birds hovered around Paul, some of them sat on his head and on his shoulders, and he fed them from his hands; a bear stood right there, waiting for food from the hermit; foxes and hares ran around, expecting the same thing..."


Seraphim of Sarov and the wild bear. Artist Alexander Krutik.

Father Seraphim always came to the monastery on holidays and Sunday services.
“... then he returned to his desert, taking meager food for a week. He not only used this food himself, but shared it with every creature. At midnight, bears, wolves, hares and foxes gathered at his cell, and in general different animals, which were in the Sarov Forest; Even snakes, lizards and other reptiles crawled up.
Having fulfilled the rule of Pachomius the Great, the ascetic, at the end of the prayer, left the cell and began to feed them. Sarov hierodeacon Alexander Kursky was a witness to this spectacle. Surprised by this, he asked the Elder: “How does he get bread for so many animals?” To this, Father Seraphim answered him that in his basket he always has as much bread as is needed to satisfy them.”