Abbess Juliania (Kaleda): I always knew that grandfather Vladimir was a priest and suffered for Christ. A serious blow is being prepared for monasteries and monasticism

The first maiden abode in Moscow was the Zachatievsky Monastery. It became famous as a place where God's grace gives help in childbearing.

The monastery was founded by St. Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow, in 1360 at the request of his sisters - the first inhabitants of the monastery - the venerable abbess Juliana and the nun Eupraxia.

The first temple was consecrated in the name of the Monk Alexy, the man of God, in whose honor the monastery was named Alekseevsky. In 1514, Grand Duke Vasily Ioannovich, dreaming of the birth of an heir, built a stone cathedral church, consecrated in honor of the Conception of the holy righteous Anna. Its architect was the famous Italian architect Aleviz Fryazin Novy, who participated in the construction of the Moscow Kremlin. Since then, the monastery began to be called Zachatievsky, but the former name (Alekseevsky) has been preserved. The monastery had a cenobitic charter, was famous for the severity of life and the piety of the nuns. Reverent worship, devotion to the feat of prayer and works of mercy made him a model for the construction of other convents in the city.

During the great Moscow fire of 1547, the monastery was completely burned down, after which Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible granted land to the monastery in the Chertolye tract (where the Cathedral of Christ the Savior now stands). At the new location, the Alekseevsky Monastery was rebuilt and most of the nuns were transferred here. However, some of the sisters remained in the same place, where the remains of the founders, the Monk Juliania and Eupraxia, rested. Thus, a small monastery was formed, called the "Conception", and the nuns continued their work in the hope of its speedy restoration.

Icon "The Conception of St. Anne" in the monastery wall

Tsars, nobles and merchants

The Conception Monastery became famous among the people as a place where the Lord gave help in childbearing. The childless spouses Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich and Tsarina Irina Godunova came here to pray. In 1584 Tsar Fyodor began to rebuild the monastery according to his vow. By his command, a cathedral complex was built, including the Church of the Conception of St. Righteous Anna with chapels in the name of the heavenly patrons of the royal couple - the Great Martyr Theodore Stratilates and the Martyr Irina, as well as the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos with a chapel of St. Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow, and a hipped bell tower. Soon the pious spouses, by the grace of God, had a daughter, Theodosius.

The history of the monastery is connected with the names of other kings, as well as representatives of many noble families. Thanks to their generous contributions, the monastery was decorated in the 17th and 18th centuries. So, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich donated the Gospel in a precious salary and an altar cross-reliquary. Interestingly, his sister princesses were residents of the monastery.

In 1696, at the expense of A.L. Rimsky-Korsakov, the steward of Peter I, the front gates were built with the gate church of the Savior Not Made by Hands. The Rimsky-Korsakovs have long owned the lands in the vicinity of the monastery, and the Church of the Savior became their house church. Until 1924, it was not a monastery, but a parish. The family tomb of the Rimsky-Korsakovs and Shakhovskys was built in the basement of the church.

Anna Mikhaylovna Anichkova, a noble maiden-belitsa, also contributed to the arrangement of the monastery. Under her care, in 1766-1768, at the burial site of the founders of the monastery, Saints Juliana and Eupraxia, a small church was built in honor of the Burning Bush icon of the Mother of God. A little over a hundred years later, thanks to Akilina Alekseevna Smirnova, a woman of a merchant rank, the temple was expanded and merged with the Anninsky Cathedral, forming a chapel, which was consecrated in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.

Through trials

By the beginning of the 19th century, the monastery had changed even more. On the site of the already dilapidated Anninsky church, a new majestic church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos was erected with side chapels of St. Alexis, the Great Martyr Theodore Stratilates and the Conception of the holy righteous Anna. The bell tower has also been updated. All this is due to the efforts of Abbess Dorimedonta (Protopopova) and with the assistance of Metropolitan Platon of Moscow. The construction was carried out by highly qualified craftsmen under the guidance of famous Russian architects M.F. and M.M. Kazakov.

With the arrival of Napoleon in Russia in 1812, the monastery was devastated, but soon, by the grace of God, it was restored, and in 1846–1850 an almshouse with a church in honor of the Descent of the Holy Spirit was also built. At the beginning of the next century, the monastery was decorated with another building - a new refectory building with workshops for needlework.

Icon "Assistant in childbirth"

After the Bolsheviks came to power, the monastery was plundered, the shrines were desecrated. In 1925 the Conception Monastery was closed. Nine years later, the cathedral and the bell tower were blown up. A typical school building was built in its place. The internal buildings were demolished, the temple of the Descent of the Holy Spirit was mutilated beyond recognition. A prison and a children's colony were opened on the territory of the monastery.

Miracles continue

The revival of the Zachatievsky monastery began only in 1991. In 2010, the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin was recreated. Among the unique features of the cathedral are the floor made of stone specially brought from the Holy Land, the museum and the ossuary in the basement. At the moment, there are five temples in the monastery, including the cave temple of the Assumption.

Now 22 nuns are laboring in the monastery, headed by Abbess Juliania (Kaleda).

Every day people come to the monastery with gratitude. Through prayers to the Mother of God and the holy Fathers of God Joachim and Anna, after many years of infertility, someone had a child, someone found a job, arranged a personal life, found peace in the family. Those who were seriously ill received relief or complete healing through prayers to St. Juliana and Eupraxia.

Having come to the monastery once "quite by accident", many people begin to visit it again and again.

The special patron of the Zachatievsky monastery is the holy martyr Vladimir of Moscow Ambartsumov, the maternal grandfather of the abbess of the monastery, abbess Juliana.

He was born on September 20, 1892 in Saratov in a Lutheran family. In the late 1890s, the family moved to Moscow, where Vladimir entered a school at the Peter and Paul Lutheran Church, and then continued his education in Berlin. Upon returning to Russia in 1914, the young man entered the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of Moscow University. Here he became a member of the Christian Student Circle and converted to Baptism. After graduating from the university, Vladimir, although he was a talented physicist, left science in order to devote his life entirely to preaching the Gospel. The search for "the one thing that is needed" drew his heart to Orthodoxy. A deep inner concentration on the objects of faith, the search for the truth of God and its true confession led Vladimir Ambartsumov to a decisive transition to Orthodoxy.

At the end of 1927, on the recommendation of Archpriest Valentin Sventsitsky, he was sent to the city of Glazov to Bishop Viktor (Ostrovidov) of Izhevsk and Vokinsky. On December 4, at the Transfiguration Cathedral, Vladimir was ordained a deacon, and a week later a priest. Soon, Father Vladimir was transferred to serve in the Moscow diocese and was appointed cleric of the Prince Vladimir Church in Starosadsky Lane.

In 1937, the priest Vladimir was arrested and imprisoned in the Butyrka prison. On November 5 of the same year, he was shot at the Butovo training ground near Moscow.

At the Jubilee Council of Bishops on August 20, 2000, Priest Vladimir Ambartsumov was glorified in the host of New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church.

The Holy Martyr Vladimir is commemorated on November 5, as well as in the Cathedrals of the Moscow and Butovo Saints and in the Cathedral of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church.

In 2004, a chapel was consecrated in the Zachatievsky Monastery in the name of Hieromartyr Vladimir of Moscow.

This saint is prayed for strengthening in faith, for help in teaching. His intercession is resorted to by the parents of children who have fallen under the pernicious influence of sectarians. Hieromartyr Vladimir helps converts to Orthodoxy from other confessions.

Icon "Merciful"

In the Cathedral of the Zachatievsky Monastery, in a white-stone tent, the miraculous icon of the Mother of God "Merciful" is kept. The monastic tradition connects this image with the ancient icon of the Mother of God "Merciful Kykkskaya" ("Eleusa").

The first mention of "Merciful" is found in the inventory of the monastery of the XVIII century. Until the closing of the monastery, the image was in the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin. In 1918, the confiscation of church property began. To protect the shrines, Abbess of the monastery Maria (Korobka), under the patronage of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, founded a brotherhood named after the icon “Merciful”. Before the closing of the monastery in 1923, the miraculous image was transferred to the church of the Prophet Elijah in Obydensky Lane. Abbess Maria gathered the sisters for the last prayer service in front of the shrine. With tears, the sisters offered fervent prayers to the Mother of God, realizing that a new life full of trials was beginning.

After the closure of the monastery in 1925, many nuns were sent in stages to the camps in Kazakhstan and Siberia, others were forcibly evicted from the monastery without being provided with housing. The sisters who remained in Moscow huddled in basements and attics, eating from the labors of their own hands - they were engaged in sewing, quilting blankets. A small community secretly continued the monastic life in the world, maintaining the traditions of the monastery. Now they prayed in the Ilyinsky Church, where the miraculous image of the Mother of God "Merciful" was kept in the right aisle. Every year on November 25, on the day of the celebration of the icon, almost all the monastics of the Conception Monastery gathered in the Ilyinsky Church, and after the Liturgy at a festive meal with one of the nuns.

Abbess Juliana (Kaleda)

Report of the Deputy Chairman of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism of the Russian Orthodox Church, Abbess of the Zachatievsky Stauropegial Convent in Moscow Abbess Juliania (Kaleda) at the monastic conference "Spiritual leadership in monasteries" (Belarusian Exarchate, Savior Euphrosyne Monastery in Polotsk, May 12–13, 2016 of the year)

High and God-chosen monastic life, called by the holy fathers the life equal to the angels. It is living above the nature of the fallen, living according to the law of the Spirit, and not mortal flesh, and it requires a lot of feat and labor from those who wish to go the thorny path of fasting. But the fruits of this feat are extraordinarily fragrant and beautiful - purity of heart, the knowledge of God, and others about which the Apostle speaks: the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, goodness, faith ... Gal. 5:22).

In monastic life, there are certain foundations on which everything spiritual, and even the material building of the monastery, is based. And one of these grounds is trust in the hegumen (abbess). Saint Basil the Great, in his Ascetic Rules, writes about the abbess as a person who is completely trusted and in whom the entire sisterhood sees its true mother. In a cenobitic monastery that lives according to patristic tradition and sacred canons, the blessing of the abbess expresses the consciousness of the entire sisterhood.

Trust is primarily a psychological and sociological concept that characterizes a special state of mind, by virtue of which a person relies on the opinion, judgment of the one whom he takes for authority, and therefore refuses to independently study issues that he could investigate.

Trust is also called especially close relationships, accompanied by complete openness, readiness to express the most personal states, feelings and thoughts.

Trust is recognized by scientists as a kind of predisposition that is present and develops from birth and is a sign of a healthy personality.

Trust, for the most part, refers to the emotional sphere, it can generate many feelings and states, determine relationships with others.

However, speaking of trust in monastic life, this concept should be translated into the spiritual sphere, and then trust should be considered as a certain degree of faith, as a rejection of one’s mind, desires and will and surrender to the Object of faith. Trust (faith), thus, has a personal orientation, and this Person, first of all, Christ - the God-man.

This God-centeredness of faith is the basis of the nun's trust in the abbess, the actual content and purpose of their relationship, which is not simply human, but Divine-human. Comprehension of this God-directed relationship is the main thing for the formation of the correct inner dispensation of a nun.

During monastic tonsure, a newborn nun is handed over to her intercessor, her spiritual mother, in front of the holy Gospel, with the words: “Behold, I give you before God, mother (name), this newly tonsured sister (name), from the holy Gospel, even from the hand of Christ, pure and blameless. But you accept God for the sake of a spiritual daughter and direct me to the path of salvation, and teach, even for the benefit of the soul, above all the fear of God, how to love God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and have obedience unquestioningly to the monastic authorities , and in all the virtues teach to live, with humility and patience for everyone, and watch dangerously, so that the soul of her negligence for your sake will not perish. Imashi bo give the answer to the Lord God about him on the Day of Judgment. Whatever you accept from the holy Gospel, so be yourself and present it to Christ Himself, on the terrible day of His righteous Judgment.

In other words, in tonsure an agreement is made between the nun and the abbess before God, and an inextricable and permanent bond arises between them.

The old woman takes responsibility for the preservation of the soul, its prosperity, and the nun, like a child, should obey the abbess in everything, like Christ, be meek and good in everything, for the sake of inheriting eternal life.

Obedience, that is, obedience, cannot be lasting without trust, that is, without surrendering oneself, one's soul with all its properties, to a mentor in God. To the extent that a novice fully entrusts herself to the mentor, to that extent she quickly and successfully ascends the steps of the spiritual ladder and finds what she desires, that is, she achieves the goal of monastic life.

At the same time, it is important to remember that the center of a nun’s life is Christ, and the abbess is only an instrument in the hands of God, a guide, “God’s bell”, and always maintain this God-centeredness in relations with the sisters, fearing in every possible way to overshadow the image of Christ and turn obedience into human service.

As described in the memoirs of Abbess Arsenia (Sebryakova): “Our flock is gradually increasing; yesterday, another novice was taken under the guidance, after a whole year of testing our search and her ... Why did I so cramp the entrance to me? Because the path is very narrow. He is narrow in that he requires complete renunciation, narrow in that he does not allow a person to see support on this path either in himself or around him, narrow even more in that in me, as in the named leader, he sees a cane swayed by the wind, often bowing to the ground and almost crushed. And in a leader one always wants to see a solid rod, on which one could lean at any time. But I can’t and don’t even want to give it. It is enough if the leader indicates where to look, where to find this rod, and blessed is the soul if it finds it, this unshakable rod of support, in the one strong and never changeless, eternally living Lord.

Trust is the gate for accepting grace-filled help to the soul seeking God through the spiritual mother, but the soul must go its own way, with much labor and sobriety.

The modern mentor of many monastics who breathed new life into the monasticism of Greece, the revivalist of the Athos monastery of Simonopetra, Archimandrite Emilian (Vafidis), expresses the essence of the relationship between the novice and her spiritual mother in this way: “A visible person lives to find the invisible God, seeks divine sonship. Because of the weakness of man, we need a man who has the same image. Therefore, the Creator gives us a servant in Christ in the person of an elder, who will become the extreme pole, the beginning and the end, the axis of the life of a monk. An elder is a measure, depth and height for a monk, an example of achieving the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Therefore, monks, being subordinate in their actions to the elder, often tell him about their lives, about ups and downs, as well as about numerous passions.... To be a spiritual father (spiritual mother) means to carry out harmonious cooperation between yourself and your ward education of freedom and perfection, discipleship should not turn into service, but be a courageous and humble aspiration to God.

Rev. Theodore the Studite says that one of the attributes of kinovia, "a beautiful monastic residence", is trust in the abbot "through the revelation of the innermost desires of the heart."

There is evidence of the revelation of thoughts in women's cloisters from ancient times. We find such in the "Instruction for the nuns", inscribed with the name of St. John the Faster (582-595) and representing, in fact, the rule of the elders of the abbess, the leader of the sisters subordinate to her. “First of all,” says the “Instruction ...”, “through confession (δι έξαγγελίας), find out the thoughts of the heart and everything that has been done by each since childhood. If any of them does not want to confess, let her not be worthy of the holy image ... Then, after recognizing the mystery, accepted through repentance and confession (δι' μετανοίας κα \ έξαγορεύσεως), do not suddenly dress her in royal clothes, but after washing and cleansing, put on tunic of simplicity. The old abbess receives her sister's confession before her monastic vows, but this confession is especially important: it embraces the entire past life of the future tonsure, all her conscious moral activity.

The revelation of thoughts is a natural expression of trust, its need, and by accepting the sisters for revelation, the abbess in this way contributes to the development and growth of the flower of faith in their souls.

In revelation, an act of repentance, self-condemnation, self-abasement and nakedness of oneself before God and before the spiritual mother is performed, and at the same time an act of hope for forgiveness, for change, for salvation.

As the Rev. John of the Ladder in the "Word of Obedience": "Oh, son and novice of the Lord! Do not be seduced by the spirit of exaltation, and proclaim your sins to your teacher, not as from another person; because without self-shaming it is impossible to get rid of eternal shame. Reveal your scab to this doctor, and do not be ashamed to say to him: “Father, this is my sore, this is my wound; it did not come from anyone else, but from my own laziness; no one is to blame for it, neither a person, nor an evil spirit, nor flesh, nor anything else, but only my negligence.

Such trust in the spiritual mother has the strongest beneficial effect, as was testified by the ancient fathers and ascetic mothers. Such cases are described in the Mitherikon. So, it is said about the blessed Sarah, who instructed the young sister to abstain from wine; although she cited a sore stomach as an excuse, however, in confidence to the mentor, she promised from now on not to take wine, although she should have died. Virgins came to blessed Theodora and asked about their sinful thoughts, the nun exhorted them, with tears, bringing to memory the image of the Last Judgment and retribution, and thereby healed their ailments.

Trust, expressed in a sincere revelation of thoughts and movements of the heart, has a diverse positive effect: it teaches the art of spiritual warfare, cleanses from passions, helps to maintain spiritual jealousy, protects from a false spiritual state, keeps from sins and helps to correct life.

Trust-faith is recognized by the holy fathers as the foundation of the whole spiritual house of virtues (St. Abba Dorotheos), gives strength to the body, for “as faith blooms in the heart, so much does the body prosper in service” (St. John of the Ladder in the Sermon on obedience).

So, trust in the abbess is the basis of a nun's spiritual success, her growth in spiritual struggle, in self-knowledge and knowledge of God, it is a guarantee of the acquisition of Christian virtues and, ultimately, spiritual transformation, unity with God.

In addition to being fundamental for personal spiritual growth, trust-faith is also of decisive importance for the unity of the sisterhood, which, again, as part of the Church, is not only a human society, but a Divine-human union, a Eucharistic community, the center and head of which is the Lord Jesus Christ. Since the monastic communities have as their prototype the community of Christ with His apostle disciples, so it is appropriate for relations in the monastery to have as their model the apostolic and early Christian communities, who had one soul, one heart. The Lord Jesus Christ prayed for this unity in His High Priestly Prayer, and this unity is not conceivable without faith and mutual trust.

The sisters' trust in the abbess also multiplies the abbess's trust in the sisters who fulfill her orders, heed her instructions, and assist her in building the monastery; strengthens the strength of the abbess, gives her spiritual freedom, multiplies her spiritual gifts. As stated by St. Basil the Great: “Just as a woodworker or architect uses each of the tools of his art according to his will, and the tool does not renounce ... but yields to the hand of those who act with it, so the ascetic must, like a tool to the artist, contribute to the completion of the spiritual building, submit in everything ... "If there is such trust, such unhypocritical obedience and fidelity, then a special fertile atmosphere of spiritual freedom and spiritual victory is established in the monastery, because no sin can develop among the sisters, united by love and trust around the spiritual mother - abbess, leading them along the path of God's commandments to the Kingdom Heavenly.

Since trust determines personal relationships, the personality of the abbess, to whom the novice entrusts herself for the sake of God, is of great importance.

“Let us die now in order to live with this man who rightly leads us in life,” the brethren spoke of St. Pachomius the Great in this way.

What should be the abbess as a spiritual mother?

1. There is an ancient monastic tradition that no one dares to renounce the world unless he meets a person who carries within himself the radiance of eternity. Through such a person, a meeting with the Living God is made, faith and a desire to follow Him flare up, betraying oneself into obedience. ...The spiritual experience of the abbess, her ascetic life, enlightenment, her spiritual gifts, her Christ-like love dispose the hearts of the newcomers.

1. This sacrificial love disposes the heart of the abbess herself to compassion, and experiencing in herself the sufferings, infirmities and sins of the sisters. The abbess must take upon herself, assimilate these infirmities and sins for herself, repent of them before God as in her own, ask God for help and admonition, and with the fear of God, with spiritual reasoning, give the sister a remedy for correcting her ailments.

Then the abbess becomes God's instrument in the healing of the souls entrusted to her. Receiving the benefit, experiencing relief and joy from a trusting relationship with her spiritual mother, the sister will treat the abbess with more love and more trust, try to learn and fulfill what was said to her in instruction, and will not stumble on a stone of doubt and disappointment, having heard from the abbess rebuke or something contrary to your wishes. “The soul, attached for the sake of Christ by love and faith to the shepherd, does not depart from him even to the point of blood, especially if she received healing of her ulcers through him.”

1. The abbess, as a spiritual mother, should not be a formidable judge for the sisters, but an image of forgiveness and mercy, so that, going to her with their difficulties, perplexities, sorrows, the sisters feel protection and understanding, have no fear of being rejected, despised, ridiculed. The words of St. Theodora the Studite to Abbess Euphrosyne: “Feed the flock entrusted to you sacredly, as a spiritual mother, and not as a ruler in a human way, being herself a model in the fulfillment of the commandments. Do not demand from others beyond their strength, share your love equally among everyone, do not cling to any of the sisters by blood inclination ... "" ... Also sisters ... let them follow wisely and graze godly, breathing only you alone and recognizing you truly as their mother , and each other as non-false relatives ". Here it is important to note the need for the spiritual wisdom of the abbess in order to tirelessly restore in the sisters love and respect for other sisters, to teach them to live in harmony, yielding to each other, not allowing jealousy, envy, condemnation as contrary to love and trust in the abbess herself, as a common all spiritual mother.

1. In the relationship of the abbess to the sisters, the example for her is, first of all, the personal example of the attitude of the Lord Jesus Christ towards His disciples, who served them as a slave at the supper, washing their feet, thereby as if cleansing their sins. In one of the ancient rites of tonsure into the great schema, the abbess in the porch of the church washes the feet of the newly tonsured schema nun, thus revealing the essence of her reception as serving the pure and immaculate bride of Christ and at the same time showing her the image of her own humble residence in the great angelic image.

1. However, remembering the great responsibility before God for the souls entrusted to her, the abbess should be ready, if necessary, to give bitter medicine - to say a word of reproof, to apply severity, to impose a restriction in something, if necessary for the good of the soul. As they say in St. Basil the Great: “Therefore, the one who is entrusted with taking care of everyone, being obliged to give an account for everyone, should dispose himself in this way, knowing that ... the blood of his brother will be exacted from his hands ...” Like St. the apostle Paul writes: ...we never had ... words of flattery ... nor forms of covetousness (1 Thess. 2:5). And in the Epistle to Timothy: Stand, reprove, ... in season and out of time ... (see 2 Tim. 4:2).

1. Bearing in mind the same great responsibility, the abbess should be very attentive to the admission of new sisters to the monastery, testing their favor during the period of obedience, as well as in a personal conversation in which she who wants to be accepted into the monastery is invited to reveal to the abbess the circumstances of her life. At the same time, the abbess can understand for herself whether she is ready to take responsibility for this sister.

1. In order to set a true example of monastic life for the sisters, the abbess must constantly grow spiritually, live in obedience to the hierarchy, seek spiritual guidance and advice from spiritually experienced mentors. It is good if the abbess has a confessor who knows the situation in the monastery and can give the abbess the necessary advice, prompt.

1. Finally, perhaps the most important thing that the abbess needs is much and much prayer for the sisters to God, to whom they wish to devote themselves, and to the Most Holy Theotokos as the Heavenly Abbess of the cloisters, and to all the saints - the heavenly patrons of the monastery and sisters, and to whom the abbess has special faith and diligence.

On the other hand, since spiritual relations are primarily relations of freedom, then trusting oneself to a spiritual mother is a matter of the conscious expression of the will of a nun (novice). When faith in the spiritual mother is born, then faith in one's self damaged by sin is rejected, and the path of following, through obedience to the mentor, to Christ is opened.

1. A novice (nun) has to constantly keep and cultivate faith in God and in her spiritual mother, to truth before her in deed and word, with all sincerity revealing her heart thoughts and misdeeds.

To do this, one should constantly remember the goal of monastic life - purification from passions, the acquisition of the Holy Spirit, and learn to always walk before God, accept His will, His Providence, acting primarily through the spiritual mother. So that destructive doubt does not creep into the soul, the holy fathers command:

unforgettably and indelibly keep in your heart the virtues of the teacher (see Ladder. 4:7);

do not enter into curious studies about the actions of the abbess (see St. Basil the Great. Rules set out at length ... 48)

1. In trust in the abbess and in revelation, one should seek not protection, not protection from difficult obediences, not a special position close to the mother, but exclusively spiritual benefits, healing and salvation. “Force yourself to have a disposition towards your mother; This will calm you down a lot, although when you hear a word that is not for you, all this is useful to you ”(St. Macarius of Optina).

1. A powerful means for preserving and increasing trust between the sisters and the abbess is also a personal prayer for the spiritual mother, so that through her prayers the Lord would reveal his will and help her come to repentance and correction. There is an ancient monastic tradition of joint or personal prayer with the rosary for Mother Abbess with sisters. “Your faith and sincere love for your father (mother) mentally proclaim to God: and God ... will inform him of your love for him and, likewise, will win him over to you and make him favorable” (Ladder 4:45). Invaluable help can be provided by the sisters' private reading of the Holy Scriptures, patristic literature devoted to obedience and revelation of thoughts.

1. Of great importance is reverence and reverence for the abbess, keeping oneself from insolence in relations with the spiritual mother, as well as from discussions with other sisters of the monastic orders and actions or qualities of the abbess.

Trust cannot be introduced by administrative means. It also requires a special atmosphere in the monastery - the atmosphere of a spiritual family, where trusting relationships between mother and children are natural, and it is very important to create such an atmosphere in the monastery.

1. First of all, it is necessary that the sisters feel the love and care of the abbess for each of them, see her indifference to their spiritual and bodily needs. The abbess's sincere concern for the sisters, her presence with them in daily monastic life, kind words for each sister dispose them to perceive the abbess as a spiritual mother and trust her.

1. Of great importance is the behavior of older sisters, who are ready with their attention, peaceful, respectful treatment to win over the newly arrived, to help overcome internal constraint and excessive timidity. The personal example of the elder sisters in their respectful treatment of mother abbess, their obedience, trust in mother, silence, meekness and other monastic virtues can have an impact greater than the rules of the charter.

1. Personal conversations with the abbess who have come to the monastery are of great benefit, therefore it is good if the custom is established in the monastery to receive newcomers for a personal conversation. Despite many works on the monastery, the abbess should not neglect the new ones, postponing a closer acquaintance “for later”, since it is from the first days of her life in the monastery that the newcomer forms the rudiments of basic concepts and ideas about the monastery itself and its rules of life.

1. It happens that it is not easy for a sister to open up in a personal conversation due to natural isolation or a mental trauma experienced once, or for other reasons. Common conversations regularly held with the sisters, sometimes in an informal setting (“at tea”, in the arbor, by the fireplace), with the reading of the holy fathers or with the mother abbess telling instructive stories from life, contribute well to the establishment of trusting relationships. During these conversations, the abbess allegorically or using various examples can reveal the infirmity, mistake or sin of this or that sister, not directly denouncing, but acting “bypassing”, allowing each of them to see their misconduct, comprehend it and bring repentance.

1. If there is a confessor in the monastery who constantly confesses the sisters, then his instructions should help to strengthen trust-faith between the sisters and the abbess. In the event of a certain clash, misunderstanding, when the confessor learns from the sister what she had not told the abbess before, he can advise her to open herself to the spiritual mother or offer the sister her own mediation - if possible, in her presence. But in no case should he help the nuns to have secrets from the abbess, and he should not take on special care for the sister, replacing her spiritual mother, the abbess.

1. Mutual trust and unity are also multiplied by sisterly divine services, without the presence of pilgrims, the participation of the abbess in common obediences, joint pilgrimage trips, monastic festive events held by the matushka together with the sisters, and much more, which will prompt her loving heart and desire for the sisters to benefit spiritually.

Mutual trust does not develop suddenly, it, like a living flower, grows, develops, forms a bud, gives color and, finally, fruit. But for this, joint spiritual work is needed - abbess and novices, favorable conditions are needed, and, as in any process, periods of inhibition and oppression of growth are inevitable. It happens that it becomes difficult for a sister to open up to her spiritual mother, “disappointment” sets in, hostility may arise, unwillingness to turn to Mother Abbess, trust is diminished or lost. The reason could be:

the strict word of the abbess, not in agreement with the desire of the sister;

the “greater” attention of the abbess to other sisters;

fear of punishment, denunciation and "administrative penalties";

finally, the objective or apparent infirmities of the abbess, perceived as obstacles to a trusting relationship.

The reasons for most of these difficulties can be the immaturity of the soul, as well as the immaturity of trust itself, when it is not based on a spiritual principle - faith in God, and relationships, therefore, remain in the spiritual, emotional sphere, which means they are unstable, fickle, and most importantly, not God-centered.

We must not forget that thoughts against the abbess are instilled by opposing spiritual forces, “blasphemy from demons,” about which the holy fathers warn novices.

“Going to Mother Abbess for revelation is a good deed, God help you! Only you should know that the demons do not like those very much (St. Anatoly Optinsky).

Knowing about this battle, the abbess herself should not be embarrassed, but encourage the sisters, advising them not to be afraid of such thoughts, but to despise them. One of the Optina elders writes to the spiritual mentor, who was embarrassed that the novice confessed to her thoughts against herself: “You attribute this charge not to her, but to the enemy; and advise her not to be hurt and embarrassed by the thoughts that come to you, not even to blame them ... Let her neglect these thoughts.

The path of hegumen's service is laborious and mournful; it requires tireless diligence, long-suffering, and extreme exertion of all mental and bodily strength. What are we to lay down our hands? No. God entrusted us with this work, our way of the cross. He has honored us, and we must meet His expectations. This is no small matter, but the Lord entrusted it to us. From us, only one thing is required - to remain faithful.

“Blessed is the father and leader who endures the brothers to the end and takes care of their correction and salvation with all his heart! Such a person himself, even without great deeds, will accept the crown of life.

Being in the monastery of the Monk Euphrosyne, the mother of many nuns, I would like to recall the words of her fervent prayer to the Lord for her spiritual children: “Make them the sheep of Your court and be their Shepherd and Doorkeeper, so that not a single one of them will be stolen by the wolf - the destroyer of the devil ; be it, Lord, a weapon and a visor, so that evil does not come down on them, so that the wound does not approach the bodies; but destroy us with our iniquities, for in you we place our hopes - in God for those who know you; We praise you until our last breath."

Let us always resort to the Heavenly Abbess of all monastic cloisters, the First and Perfect Nun - the Most Holy Lady Theotokos, who is our Unsleeping Intercessor, Housebuilder and Quick Listener. With fervent and humble prayer, with a touching heart, day and night, we will cry out to the Queen of Heaven, entrusting ourselves and our spiritual daughters to Her Maternal care, may the Most Pure One enter us into the Heavenly Chamber of the Bridegroom of our souls and into the Non-Evening Light of the Kingdom of God!

Source: Website of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism "Monastic Bulletin", Mutual trust between sisters and abbess: meaning and necessary conditions

Other reports of the conference "Spiritual Guidance in Monasteries", which took place in the Spaso-Evfrosinievskiy Stauropegial Convent in Polotsk on May 12, 13, 2016, can be read

Notes:

Theodore the Studite, St. Ascetic instructions to monks. Philokalia, in 5 vols. T. 4. S. 227.

John of the Ladder, St. Ladder. Word 4 On blessed and ever-memorable obedience, 61.

Basil the Great, St. Ascetic Rules, 22.

John of the Ladder, St. Ladder. Word 4 On blessed and ever-memorable obedience, 28.

Theodore the Studite, St. Epistles 177, 193.

Basil the Great, St. Rules set out at length in questions and answers, 25.

See Elder Zosima Verkhovsky: Life and exploits. Sayings and extracts from his writings: at 2 o'clock. Repr. play ed. 1889. M.: Palomnik, 1994. Part 2. S. 14–15.

Macarius of Optina, St. Letters. Minsk: St. Elisabeth Monastery; Orthodox Brotherhood in the name of the Archangel Michael, 2002, p. 200.

Zosima Verkhovsky, St. Teaching about obedience. Word 2 // Sobriety: in 2 vols. M .: Pilgrim; Yekaterinburg: Novo-Tikhvinsky convent. T. 1. S. 523.

Moscow is 650 years old. On November 25, 2010, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill will consecrate the newly built Cathedral of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. The abbess of the monastery tells the editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate about the restoration of the monastery, archaeological excavations and the new cathedral. The full version of the interview will be published in the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchy (No. 12, 2010).

- Mother Juliana, let's start from afar: in the early 90s it was a backwater - around were old untidy houses with communal apartments and wastelands. Today this area is called the "golden mile". You walk along the lanes around the monastery and you don’t understand whether you are in Moscow or somewhere in Europe. When you started reviving the monastery, could you imagine that this place would be so transformed?

- There was a feeling, but not quite definite. When we began the restoration of the monastery, the Lord probably covered us with His grace, and everything seemed simple to us, we did not think and did not imagine what difficulties we would have to face. We walked around the territory of the future monastery enthusiastic, joyful and said: “Here we will have a cathedral ...”

This year, the Entry into the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos will be 20 years since I entered the territory of the monastery for the first time. We came here with our senior priest, then still protodeacon, Nikolai Important, and with the headman, Viktor Ivanovich Goryachev, to agree on holding the first Christmas tree for children from the Obydensky church. A typical school building stood on the site of the cathedral, the monastery gate church was preserved, and everything else that remained little resembled a monastery. Everything started from that day.

- Did you immediately decide to restore the monastery?

“Of course, there was a desire to restore the monastery here, but I was afraid to talk about it out loud, because this thought was so intimate. Therefore, at first they began to fuss about the gate church in order to attribute it to the Obydenskaya church. With the blessing, the Sisterhood was created in the name of the Merciful Icon of the Mother of God, which became a stepping stone to the future arrangement of monastic life. By the grace of God, they received a part of the northern nursing corps, settled down, first together, then three of them, a week later they took a lonely bedridden grandmother, began to look after her. To be honest, at that time we thought that we would only walk around the offices, vacate the premises and ask the Patriarch to send us the abbess along with the sisters, who would revive monastic life here. After all, it is so difficult to revive the monastery and build a temple. We had no benefactors, no means; sometimes there was not enough for bread, potatoes, and very often we did not know what we would eat tomorrow and whether we would eat at all. But there has not been a single day that the Lord has left us. There were always some kind people who brought something. And then gradually, building after building, the monastery buildings began to be freed from tenants. In 2002, the school building was handed over to us, although this seemed impossible to many. And as soon as the school was taken out and the building was dismantled, archaeological excavations began.

How did you decide to dig? This, as you know, is expensive and troublesome.

- Well, how! After all, this is the oldest female monastery of the capital city. When the school building was dismantled, the question arose that it would be good to carry out archaeological research. Many people told me that this is a pointless business, it costs a lot of money, archaeologists will come, they will start taking off centimeters with brushes, they will study everything, and everything will drag on for several years, then problems will begin, and as a result, no one will allow building on this site. They said that it would be better if we quietly, while no one came, drove excavators, quickly dug a foundation pit and built a cathedral. But I decided that I couldn't do that.

Our excavations were carried out by the Moscow Archaeological Expedition of the Institute of Archeology under the leadership of Andrey Leonidovich Belyaev. Indeed, the work was carried out for several years. And I do not regret at all that we undertook this! How many interesting things we found! All the time it felt like I myself had descended into the depths of centuries. Fragments of the floor of the very first church were found, on which St. Alexis of Moscow and his sisters, the Monk Abbess Juliana and the nun Eupraxia, stepped. They discovered a street of cells of the end of the 14th - beginning of the 15th centuries. The cells themselves burned down, but the cellars remained. During the fire, the logs fell, filled up the cellars, and therefore the ceramic dishes that were there were preserved. Huge jugs, different jars. All this is collected, glued together and will be exhibited in our museum at the monastery.

We found pre-porcelain dishes, the so-called Chinese celadon. These items came to Russia most often through the Horde, and only grand ducal persons could use it, it just didn’t happen in everyday life. Similar fragments were previously found on the territory of the Kremlin and several more fragments in Kitai-Gorod. And we have almost a whole bowl here. St. Alexis himself could bring such a cup when he went to the Horde. During the excavations, many pectoral crosses of various periods, examples, coins, even from the 14th century, were found. They found a teardrop (oil bowl) of the 14th century - a vessel that was filled with cathedral oil and placed in a coffin during burial. Moreover, we found an oil pan, very similar to the one found in the burial of the son of Dmitry Donskoy, that is, of the same time. They found leather slippers, most likely also of the XIV-XV centuries - similar shoes were found in the burial place of St. Sergius of Radonezh. A ceramic washstand of the 15th century in the shape of a ram is remarkable. There used to be such a proverb: I will get up early, I will go to the ram. Do not think what it means, early in the morning I will go to graze domestic cattle, a ram - this, it turns out, means going to wash. We found household items: combs, toothbrushes, already later, of the 19th century, from the bones of domestic animals.

Many graves were found among the remains of the foundations of cathedral churches, even in the masonry of the school. If we use the Athos tradition of determining a charitable life by the color of the bones, then we had a lot of righteous women and saints here. I read about it before, but I never saw it and didn’t even really imagine how it could be: honey-colored bones. And here, when the remains of one of the nuns were discovered, one of the sisters said: “Golden nun.” Indeed, golden-colored bones, amber, honey. Many righteous women labored here, with prayers, tears, after which the monastery stood for many centuries, and is now being restored. At the present time, with the blessing of the late Patriarch Alexy and the now living Patriarch Kirill, a temple is being built in the basement of the cathedral in the name of All the Reverend Fathers and Mothers, who shone in the feat of fasting and prayer. After all, we so want to honor the memory of everyone who once labored here, and we basically don’t know their names.

— The construction of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is nearing completion. And this is a new, very interesting project. Who is the author of the idea here and how long have you been working on this project?

— I always believed that the cathedral would be restored. I didn't have any doubts for a minute. Despite the fact that someone, apparently, from old memory, called us "enemies of the people", they threw cigarette butts at the windows, threatened to beat us with stones ...

Throughout the history of the monastery, there were four cathedrals of different architecture on the territory of the monastery. The first was a wooden church built under St. Alexis. The first stone church of the Conception of St. Anna was built in 1514 by the diligence of Grand Duke Vasily III according to the project of the famous Italian architect Aleviz Fryazin, who built the Archangel Cathedral in the Kremlin. This monastery church burned down during the great Moscow fire in 1547, during the reign of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. At the end of the 16th century, Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich built the third cathedral, which lasted until the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th century. By that time, it had fallen into a dilapidated state, was dismantled and a new one was erected in its place, already in a different style - the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin. Its authorship is attributed to the outstanding architect Matvey Fedorovich Kazakov. This temple existed until 1933, and then it was blown up. During the archaeological work, fragments of the foundations of all the cathedrals were discovered.

The last cathedral was built in the Neo-Gothic style, so many people thought that we would restore the same one. But, to be honest, I always wanted to build a temple in the Old Russian style, so that it would organically fit into the appearance of the monastery. The oldest maiden monastery in Moscow, the Cathedral in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin... I wanted it to really be so light, striving upward, bright, reflecting the virginal purity of the Mother of God. But very many then said that no one would allow the construction of a new temple in a different style. At some point, I even thought: “Well, at least this, at least Gothic. If only there was a cathedral.” And so, when the school was dismantled, one late evening I was walking around the territory of the monastery, stopped near the refectory building and looked around. The monastery already had a completely different look, the space had changed, the monastery seemed to straighten its shoulders. And I looked towards the gate church and the abbot's building (these are the most ancient buildings of the monastery), and suddenly I saw a piece of old Moscow, and I felt unequivocally that it was necessary to build here in the traditional ancient Moscow style. When I told someone about it the next day, no one believed that it was possible. But I understood: if the Queen of Heaven blesses, everything will work out. Calling on the help of the Most Holy Lady, I went to the Patriarch for a blessing, taking a photograph of the last cathedral and a miniature engraving of the previous one, the one from the end of the 16th century, and presented everything to the First Hierarch. His Holiness was very attentively examining the photographs of the last cathedral, and then suddenly looked at me and asked this question: “Mother, where do we live?” I say: "In Moscow." In response, I hear: “Mother, it means that we need to build in the Old Russian style, what else should we build with you?”

Overjoyed and encouraged by the blessing of His Holiness, I set to work. Together with the housekeeper, nun Evpraksia, they began to think about the project. We traveled to a huge number of churches in Moscow and the Moscow region, every evening we had an "architectural bureau" working for us. We'll run over, take a picture, take a look, then we'll start drawing. How many options! The cell sisters usually complained at 2-3 am, saying that it was already very late, to get up early tomorrow, maybe another time, etc. And Evpraksia and I painted everything, glued it, erased it, covered it over, hung it on the wall, looked at it, tried it on. Later we met with the architects and told them what we wanted. We have been looking for a long time to whom we can entrust such a project, we have repeatedly passed endless approvals. At first, everyone unanimously said that it was impossible to build it.

In the end, “on seven akathists” we passed one of the main councils, which decided that it was still possible to build a cathedral in the old Russian style here. Why on seven akathists? Because I went to the council, and told the sisters to read akathists one by one until I called. And at the seventh akathist everything was decided successfully. Then there was another city council, where Archbishop Arseniy was present from the Patriarchate, and Yuri Mikhailovich Luzhkov concluded by saying that since the Patriarch gave his blessing, we cannot argue, and, finally, a positive decision was made.

We talked a lot about the outside, about construction. What is monastic life in the very center of Moscow? Are you shutting yourself off from the metropolis?

- The external main event is, of course, the construction, restoration of the cathedral, the monastery. Although now it is the center of Moscow, many people, even those who are far from the Church, note that this is a special place. When I first entered here in 1990, when there was an abomination of desolation and little resemblance to a monastery, I still felt very prayerful. My sisters and I are very happy, despite the fact that, of course, it is difficult to organize a monastic life in the center of Moscow, it is difficult to build a monastery in the center of such a metropolis precisely in a deep inner sense. But we are happy that the Lord has led us to the place where our founding mothers, Saints Juliana and Eupraxia of Moscow and a host of venerable wives labored. It really strengthens and supports us.

The last abbess of the monastery, at the closing of the monastery in the 1920s, transferred all the sisters to the mercy of the Queen of Heaven, saying that from now on the Mother of God Herself is their abbess. We feel it very much. All the main events in the monastery take place on the celebration of the main shrine of the monastery - the icon of the "Merciful" Mother of God. No matter how we plan, no matter how humanly we want to do something at another time of the year, so that it is not cold, because November 25 is almost winter, but, for reasons beyond our control, the main thing falls on this day . This is the consecration of all churches, and the laying of the cathedral, and the consecration of bells, crosses, and now the consecration of the cathedral has come up. I especially remember the demolition of the gas station in front of the monastery, the return of the Merciful Icon from the Obydensky Church. The gas station had been standing since 1937, and in one night the Queen of Heaven demolished it before returning to the monastery. All this is evidence that we are only an instrument in the hands of God. The Most Pure Lady helps us, so weak and sinful, weak, to labor here. The monastic life is a hidden life, a renewal of our old man. And since the Lord has brought us here, it means that it is here that we must carry out our ministry and here, in the center of the city, among the people, be able to inwardly retire and be always with Christ. Because no one and nothing should prevent a Christian person, and even more so a monk, from being with Christ.

"Tatyana's Day" / Patriarchy.ru

Related materials

On Thursday of the first week of Great Lent, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill served Compline with the reading of the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete in the Sretensky Stauropegial Monastery

On Thursday of the first week of Great Lent, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill prayed during the statutory service at the Zaikonospassky Stauropegial Monastery

The monastic life, according to the Holy Fathers, is a life equal to the angels, taking place not according to the laws of this world, but according to other, heavenly laws, and therefore associated with the constant overcoming of external and internal temptations. In this world-denying life, monastics put all their hope in heavenly help, first of all, in the Most Pure Mother of God, the first perfect Nun, the Virgin, who showed herself a unique example of total consecration to God and heart, and thought, and will, and all bodily forces.
Bless to begin the report on topical issues of modern monasticism with the words Reverend Theodore the Studite, the great teacher of monastics: “Fathers and brothers, mothers and sisters! Let us bless the day and hour when God was pleased that we escape from the world and take monastic vows. Thanks be to God, who has called us to the blessed and wondrous way of monastic life! God also granted us monks a special great grace, consisting in the fact that, having chosen us from the midst of all, He placed us before His face in the service of His power. Look now, everyone carefully: does he walk in accordance with the calling to which he is called, and whether he really does not care about anything else, as soon as to please God ”(Theodore the Studite, St. Philokalia. Vol. IV). Thus, in the words of the Reverend Father, let us express the primary need of modern monasticism - the awareness of the main monastic principles.

At present, the concept of values ​​is becoming more and more vague in the minds of most people. The perception of the word is becoming weaker, learning from books is becoming a thing of the past; in the flow of information coming through numerous channels of modern communication, a person loses himself, and only the great grace of God is able to turn the soul to the path of repentance.
According to the words said at one of the appointments in the abbess, “People come to the monastery of their own free will. Behind the walls of the monastery is a world with many temptations. And the very fact that someone comes to these monasteries, someone crosses the line separating the monastery from the world, indicates that this is a special spiritual experience, a miracle of God that brought him to the monastery..

But Christ is always the same (cf. Heb. 13:8), and monasticism, as God's dispensation, is unchanging in its principles.
By the grace of God, church life has been reviving in Russia for more than 25 years. After the solemn celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia in 1988, the Church received freedom and it became possible to restore desecrated shrines, open temples and monasteries. This year we are celebrating the anniversary of the ancient Tolga monastery, which heralded the spring of the revival of monastic life. The number of monasteries within the Russian Orthodox Church has increased by more than 200 times! In the Soviet years, there were only five monasteries in Russia, and now there are more than 800 monastic cloisters in all the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Over the past quarter of a century, in many monasteries, abbots and abbesses, who from the very beginning revived the monasteries, have accumulated a certain spiritual and practical experience.

First of all, this is the experience of realizing the impossibility of building a monastery by human forces, on the one hand, and the all-powerful help of God, manifested in the most diverse circumstances, on the other hand. Almost all abbots and abbesses can testify to the numerous miracles of God's mercy, manifested during the restoration of the walls of ancient monasteries from the ruins or the construction of new monasteries in empty places.

Another important aspect of the lived experience is the realization of the need for a proper organization of the internal way of monastic life.
The deplorable state of the monastic complexes transferred to the Church, the unsettledness of new places for monasteries entailed the primary need to restore or arrange the external components of the monasteries - temples, fences, buildings, create conditions suitable for the life of the brethren, and organize the provision of essential needs. But after twenty or more years, it becomes obvious that it is necessary to turn to the inner, content side of monastic life, to comprehend the lived experience.

However, understanding this experience, understanding the basic principles of monasticism is possible only in the light of the Orthodox monastic tradition.
Monasticism is inconceivable without spiritual succession, without adopting and assimilating the patristic experience of the spiritual struggle for the purification of the heart from passions and the experience of grace-filled transfiguration, renewal of the inner man, his vestment in Christ. And therefore, every effort must be made to ensure that monasticism develops in line with the patristic tradition. According to the testimony of the saint of our time, the Monk Justin of Cheli (Popovich), the revival of monasticism is possible only by following the statutes of the Church and patristic tradition. Thus, during the decline of monasticism in Serbia, especially male monasticism, he wrote to one of the monastic brotherhoods: “Renewal is possible only in the literal, patristic fulfillment of monastic vows. This is the only path consecrated and witnessed by the experience of Orthodox ascetic monks. This path has given rise to countless holy and righteous monks. There is no salvation for a monk on other paths. Start fasting in your holy monastery according to the Church Charter. To Lent, unreservedly add Divine Services according to the Typicon: everything is in order, the crown of which is the daily Liturgy. And let mental prayer never cease in your hearts day or night. If you do so, then the blessing of God will undoubtedly begin to pour out on your holy abode. And the Lord will miraculously begin to multiply your brotherhood, bringing you awakened monks and Christ-hungry novices. Souls will begin to flock to such an exemplary monastery from all sides, hungry for the truth and the truth of God.
Thus, a comprehensive, deep, active study and assimilation of the patristic monastic tradition is the paramount task of modern monasticism. It is for this purpose, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, that church-wide events dedicated to monastic life are organized and held: Christmas readings, international conferences, to which people are invited for reports experienced confessors, bishops, abbots and abbesses, who themselves are living successors of the monastic tradition. Of considerable importance is the publication of articles, collections and other relevant materials in the press or on informational church websites.
Awareness of spiritual experience and the study of the monastic tradition serve to formulate the basic concepts and ways of developing modern monasticism. With the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch, work has been underway for three years on the creation of a draft regulation on monasteries and monasticism, and now this document has been prepared for sending to the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church. It contains the fundamental principles and main characteristics of the monastic life.

Organization of the prayer (liturgical) life of the monastery

On the basis of the principles already formulated, in accordance with the patristic understanding of monasticism, the most important aspect of the inner way of monastic life is its prayerful (liturgical) life. Prayer is the main activity of a monk. By prayer, the monks attract Divine grace and mercy, which sanctifies not only their souls and all life in the monastery, but also pours out richly on everyone who comes to the walls of the holy monastery, and those living near, and further to the whole world, for God gives the Spirit without measure (Jn. 3, 34).
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, in his report at the Bishops’ Council of 2013, directly stated this: “I tirelessly remind both abbots and abbesses, and all monastics, that the main work to which the inhabitants of the monasteries are called is prayer, performed during the statutory services and during the fulfillment of the monastic rule of prayer, as well as being done “at any time and for every hour.” We should strive to ensure that the majority of the monks are present at the daily service, so that the brethren and sisters always have enough time to perform the monastic rule. the personal example of the spiritual and ascetic work of the abbots and abbesses themselves should contribute.
First of all, prayer - heartfelt, unceasing - is vitally necessary for the monastics themselves, striving for life in the spirit. As writes Rev. Justin (Popovich): “In this earthly world, many things chain our hearts to the earth - to the temporal and mortal. But so that the earth and its temporary sweetness do not kill us with seductive temptations, it is necessary to constantly awaken oneself from spiritual sleep. How? First of all, prayer. For sincere prayer, coming from a pure heart, has an all-conquering resurrection power, by which our dead souls are resurrected from all spiritual deaths ... And when we strengthen our prayer with fasting, love, goodness, obedience, oh! - then it becomes truly omnipotent and all-conquering in all our battles with all the temptations of this world ... Only let us, with the help of God, remain firmly and tirelessly in standing and praying! Then our salvation will be prepared by the grace of God, according to the unchanging mercy of God, and not according to some of our merits, for as human beings we are always weak, infirm, and treacherous”.
There are various practical aspects in the organization of the prayer life of the monastery.

First of all, these are questions concerning the liturgical life of the monastery, which forms the entire structure of monastic studies and labors. -Fulfillment of a full daily circle of services, the regularity of services, special liturgical traditions and followings - all this constitutes a special wealth and heritage of each monastery, forms its, one might say, external liturgical image. At the same time, there are peculiarities of liturgical life in urban and remote monasteries, and there are differences in the organization of services in male and female monasteries.
On the other hand, it is necessary to understand that the prayer rule of monastics in their cells is a necessary condition for their spiritual growth and prosperity, it cultivates in souls the habit of prayerful standing, constancy and courage in prayerful work. The whole way of monastic life - divine services, common obediences, needlework - should nourish, inspire the personal prayer life of a monastic. Without the experience of personal cell prayer, it is very difficult for a monastic to succeed in comprehending the essence of spiritual life as life in communion with God. Here the abbot / abbess should take care of the reasonable distribution of time in the studies of the brethren.
And, finally, internal prayer, performed at any time and in any place, first of all, the Jesus Prayer, which is a kind of core, an internal pillar that supports the monk, a sword that strikes the mental enemy, a flame that scorches passions, a light that enlightens the mind, fertile dew, quenching the heart's thirst for knowledge of God. This prayer requires special attention for monastics to assimilate it.

The tradition of hesychasm - inner silence, contemplation, exhaustion of oneself in prayer for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ exhausted Himself for our salvation - is the core of monasticism. The Monk Sergius, the organizer of monastic life in Russia, was himself a profound silencer, a hesychast, who reached such a height of contemplation that his closest disciples saw the Divine light descending upon him and from him invisibly pouring outward. They also saw the Divine fire emanating from the blessing hand of St. Sergius and surrounding both the blessing and the blessed. The disciples saw in the heavenly radiance of an angel serving the humble abbot and following him relentlessly, covering him with heavenly glory.
One of the ascetics of our time, Archimandrite Emilian (Vafidis), who was the abbot of the Simonopetra monastery on Athos, testifies from the depths of his personal prayer experience: “ Our worship, our Liturgy exist as the highest manifestation of our prayer and the starting point for the continuation of prayer. Only the one who prays and keeps the name of Jesus on his lips before going to church can say that he fully participates in the Liturgy, that he understands everything. And for this, I need to get up early and bow to God, pray to Him, kneel down, explore and open my heart, aspire with all my being to heaven, pronounce the words of the Jesus Prayer. Then I will go to the temple and reach the highest point of my prayer. Then I will return to my cell and continue prayerful communion with Christ, constantly repeating His Name..

spiritual guidance

But reading alone is not enough to assimilate and succeed in prayer, for, according to the well-known modern archpastor, confessor and theologian Metropolitan Athanasius of Limassol, said during a report at the International Theological Scientific and Practical Conference in September 2013 at the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra: “The succession of the monastic tradition does not exist outside of personal spiritual succession, the transfer of spiritual experience from a mentor to a disciple-son, who absorbs and perceives the spirit of an elder with his whole being.” The succession of both external and, especially, internal monastic traditions is based on personal communication - in prayer, in confession, in following the example of a mentor.

Therefore, the issue of spiritual guidance in monasteries, spiritual education is extremely important and requires the closest attention from the abbots / abbesses. The abbot / abbess is entrusted with the care of the salvation of the souls of all those who labor in the monastery, and spiritual guidance is their most important duty. According to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at the Bishops' Council in 2013, "the abbot is called to be a father for the brethren first of all, and not an administrator, and by his personal example to strengthen the brethren in the monastic path."

At one appointment in the abbess, His Holiness the Patriarch also said about this: “Those who are entrusted with the care of monasteries should do everything to build up the monastic community, so that with their wisdom, slowness in making decisions, and calmness, help monastics ascend from strength to strength ... In order to determine what really happens with this or that monk or nuns, it is necessary not only to apply to them certain criteria related to the need for proper behavior in the monastery, but also to try to penetrate into the soul ". The abbot / abbess of the monastery personally and, if necessary, with the help of spiritually experienced monastics from the elder brethren, must first of all take care of the spiritual success of the brotherhood:
- to conduct spiritual conversations with instructions from the works of the holy fathers or with examples from the lives of the saints;
- accept brethren for personal interviews;
- to enter into their spiritual and physical needs.

Of no small importance are invitations to the monasteries for conversations with brothers/sisters of spiritually experienced ascetics, abbots and abbesses, both from well-maintained Russian monasteries and from the monasteries of the fraternal Local Churches, which, of course, should be done with the blessing of the ruling bishop.

Preparatory work with beginners, explanation of the basic concepts of monasticism
The issue of spiritual guidance is closely related to the issue of obedience. For, according to the well-known example from the Fatherland, when one young monk asked: “Why are there no elders now?” - the confessor answered: “There are elders, but God closes their mouths, so that their word does not aggravate the sin of those who listen to them, but do not fulfill them, for now there are no real novices ...” Obedience as a virtue is the greatest mystery and the ineffable gift of God. It is the fruit of faith, and from it humility is born in the soul, from humility - spiritual intelligence and knowledge of the mysteries of God, and most of all - love, which is truly, according to the word of the apostle, the union of perfection (cf.: Col. 3, 14) .
The path of obedience and humility, according to the many thousands of years of experience of the Old Testament and New Testament Churches, is the shortest path to union with Christ and the acquisition of spiritual gifts and to salvation and blessed eternal life. At the present time, when all the concepts in the world, and especially those relating to moral values, are distorted beyond recognition, to the point of opposite, in monasteries there is an acute problem of awareness by the inhabitants of the basic spiritual concepts, primarily about obedience.

This applies not only to those who come to monasteries again, but also to those who came to the monastery 20 years ago and have already taken monastic or monastic vows. Entering the monastery by the grace of God, but having no experience of church life, the current inhabitants have their own ideas about the ideals of monasticism and want to base their life in the monastery on them.
The concept of obedience as a virtue (ipakoi) is confused with the concept of obedience as a deed of service (diaconia) and is often perceived in a distorted form.

Modern novices evade obedience under the pretext of the absence of spirit-bearing mentors or hiding behind the need for reasoning in obedience, while keeping in mind their own “reasoning” and “common sense”. The opposite also happens, when obedience is performed outwardly literally, but mechanically, without penetration by the spirit of the mentor, not for the sake of Christ, but for various passionate reasons.
True obedience - as an expression of repentance, resolute self-denial and conversion to the path of God's commandments, the patience of sorrows for the sake of Christ, the binding of one's passionate movements of the mind, will and heart for the sake of gaining true freedom in Christ - is unfamiliar to today's novices.
However, without obedience, according to the words of the Monk Abba Dorotheus, “none of the passionate will see God,” and prayer is fruitless, and the soul does not grow in the knowledge of God. Therefore, for the sake of the spiritual success of monastics, and consequently, of monasteries, painstaking, patient, all-round preparatory work is necessary with newcomers who enter the monastery and wish to become monks.

Here one should take into account the special influence of the modern environment with information aggression and, at the same time, a certain vacuum in human relations. It happens that young novices, in worldly relations, are very easy to communicate with, as far as their thoughts and feelings are concerned, they are extremely closed and stubborn. Each newcomer, as a rule, needs a special, individual approach.
Abbots and abbesses of the cloisters spend a lot of work and prayerful feat in order to dispose the souls of novices to open communication about the ulcers of their souls and about turning to Christ for the means to heal these sinful ulcers. At the same time, the hegumen / abbess himself must constantly remain in the feat, in the acquisition of the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that the hearts of their novices will open the love of God, so that they desire Christ and follow Him and rush to Him in repentance through self-denial and determination to all suffering.

As His Holiness the Patriarch said during the erection of one abbess of a stavropegial monastery: “We live in a difficult time. It is especially difficult for those who give themselves completely to the service of the Lord, who leave the world for a monastery and crucify themselves with Christ through holy obedience. We know that those who come to the monasteries today are modern people who have been educated and formed in this very world. And much that is unkind in this world, to one degree or another, touched their consciousness and their heart. This poses a very big and important task, first of all, before the abbess, who must, with her wisdom and spiritual experience, overcome the gravity of the world in the hearts, especially of young novices and young nuns.

The communal way of the monastery

Relationships and the order of life in a cenobitic monastery are based on monastic vows of obedience, abstinence and chastity, non-possession, performed out of love for Christ and for the sake of union with Him. At the same time, the greatest responsibility for arranging life in monasteries lies with the abbot / abbess of the monastery. And here, according to the words of His Holiness the Patriarch, “on the one hand, you must be strict and demanding in the fulfillment of obediences and the monastic rule, but, on the other hand, never formally treat those who are entrusted to your care. And if reasonable severity is combined with sincere love, with the desire to be crucified together with those who have entrusted themselves to Christ, this will be of great benefit. Only in this way can a monastic community be built today, only in this way can a group of people united by common thoughts and common ideals be turned into a spiritual family. Namely, good family relations should characterize monastic life, should characterize the life of a holy monastery.
God grant that our cloisters be quiet havens in the stormy sea of ​​\u200b\u200blife, and many people find rest and solace for their souls in them.

At present, with the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch, direct work is underway to draw up a model charter for a cenobitic monastery on the basis of the general principles set forth in the prepared draft Regulations on Monasteries and Monasticism.
Of course, the arrangement of monastic life does not happen all at once, and this may take the life of more than one generation. In many ways, the solution of primary tasks depends on the abbots / abbesses of the monasteries, their spiritual experience, growth in prayer, striving to put into practice the basic monastic principles.

Enrichment with spiritual experience, communication with spiritually experienced mentors, abbots and abbesses of comfortable monasteries, joint meetings at general church meetings and conferences are of great importance. Therefore, again and again I would like to express my deep gratitude for the opportunity to participate in today's scientific and practical conference.

And in conclusion, I would like to once again give thanks to the Lord and His Most Pure Mother for the great gift - monastic life, which is true bliss, and for the fact that, despite many temptations and temptations, souls still continue to flow into the abodes, wounded by the love of Christ. And we prayerfully hope that, by the grace of God, our monasteries will raise many more children of the heavenly Fatherland.

____
Information about the author . Abbess Juliania (Kaleda) was born on April 8, 1961 in the family of the geologist Gleb Aleksandrovich Kaleda, later a priest, and Lydia Vladimirovna Kaleda (nee Ambartsumova), daughter of the Hieromartyr Vladimir (Ambartsumov). By the decision of the Holy Synod of May 5, 1995, she was appointed abbess of the Zachatievsky Convent in Moscow. On November 25, 1999, she was elevated to the rank of abbess by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II.
Since July 27, 2009 - Member of the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church. By the decision of the Holy Synod of March 12, 2013 (magazine No. 31), she was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism.

Report at the scientific-practical conference
"Tolga monastery: 700 years since its foundation"

In the Yaroslavl Theological Seminary, within the framework of the celebration of the anniversary of the Holy Vvedensky Tolga Convent, a scientific and practical conference “Tolga Monastery: 700 years since its foundation” was held. Abbess Juliania (Kaleda), abbess of the Moscow Zachatievsky stauropegial monastery, deputy chairman of the Synodal department for monasteries and monasticism of the Russian Orthodox Church, delivered a report, which we bring to your attention.

The monastic life, according to the Holy Fathers, is a life equal to the angels, taking place not according to the laws of this world, but according to other, heavenly laws, and therefore associated with the constant overcoming of external and internal temptations. In this world-denying life, monastics put all their hope in heavenly help, first of all, in the Most Pure Mother of God, the first perfect Nun, the Virgin, who showed herself a unique example of total consecration to God and heart, and thought, and will, and all bodily forces.

Bless to begin the report on topical issues of modern monasticism with the words of St. Theodore the Studite, the great mentor of monastics: “Fathers and brothers, mothers and sisters! Let us bless the day and hour when God was pleased that we escape from the world and take monastic vows. Thanks be to God, who has called us to the blessed and wondrous way of monastic life! God also granted us monks a special great grace, consisting in the fact that, having chosen us from the midst of all, He placed us before His face in the service of His power. Look now, everyone carefully: does he walk in accordance with the calling to which he is called, and whether he really does not care about anything else, but about pleasing God ”(Theodore the Studite, St. Philokalia. Vol. IV). Thus, in the words of the Reverend Father, let us express the primary need of modern monasticism - the awareness of the main monastic principles.
At present, the concept of values ​​is becoming more and more vague in the minds of most people. The perception of the word is becoming weaker, learning from books is becoming a thing of the past; in the flow of information coming through numerous channels of modern communication, a person loses himself, and only the great grace of God is able to turn the soul to the path of repentance.

According to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, said at one of the appointments in the abbess, “People come to the monastery of their own free will. Behind the walls of the monastery is a world with many temptations. And the very fact that someone comes to these monasteries, someone crosses the line that separates the monastery from the world, indicates that this is a special spiritual experience, a miracle of God that brought him to the monastery.
But Christ is always the same (cf. Heb. 13:8), and monasticism, as God's dispensation, is unchanging in its principles.

By the grace of God, church life has been reviving in Russia for more than 25 years. After the solemn celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia in 1988, the Church received freedom and it became possible to restore desecrated shrines, open temples and monasteries. This year we are celebrating the anniversary of the ancient Tolga monastery, which heralded the spring of the revival of monastic life. The number of monasteries within the Russian Orthodox Church has increased by more than 200 times! In the Soviet years, there were only five monasteries in Russia, and now there are more than 800 monastic cloisters in all the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Over the past quarter of a century, in many monasteries, abbots and abbesses, who from the very beginning revived the monasteries, have accumulated a certain spiritual and practical experience.
First of all, this is the experience of realizing the impossibility of building a monastery by human forces, on the one hand, and the all-powerful help of God, manifested in the most diverse circumstances, on the other hand. Almost all abbots and abbesses can testify to the numerous miracles of God's mercy, manifested during the restoration of the walls of ancient monasteries from the ruins or the construction of new monasteries in empty places.
Another important aspect of the lived experience is the realization of the need for a proper organization of the internal way of monastic life.

The deplorable state of the monastic complexes transferred to the Church, the unsettledness of new places for monasteries entailed the primary need to restore or arrange the external components of the monasteries - temples, fences, buildings, create conditions suitable for the life of the brethren, and organize the provision of essential needs. But after twenty or more years, it becomes obvious that it is necessary to turn to the inner, content side of monastic life, to comprehend the lived experience.
However, understanding this experience, understanding the basic principles of monasticism is possible only in the light of the Orthodox monastic tradition.

Monasticism is inconceivable without spiritual succession, without adopting and assimilating the patristic experience of the spiritual struggle for the purification of the heart from passions and the experience of grace-filled transfiguration, renewal of the inner man, his vestment in Christ. And therefore, every effort must be made to ensure that monasticism develops in line with the patristic tradition. According to the testimony of the saint of our time, the Monk Justin of Cheli (Popovich), the revival of monasticism is possible only by following the statutes of the Church and patristic tradition. Thus, during the decline of monasticism in Serbia, especially male monasticism, he wrote to one of the monastic brotherhoods: “Renewal is possible only in the literal, patristic fulfillment of monastic vows. This is the only path consecrated and witnessed by the experience of Orthodox ascetic monks. This path has given rise to countless holy and righteous monks. There is no salvation for a monk on other paths. Start fasting in your holy monastery according to the Church Charter. To Lent, unreservedly add Divine Services according to the Typicon: everything is in order, the crown of which is the daily Liturgy. And let mental prayer never cease in your hearts day or night. If you do so, then the blessing of God will undoubtedly begin to pour out on your holy abode. And the Lord will miraculously begin to multiply your brotherhood, bringing you awakened monks and Christ-hungry novices. Souls will begin to flock to such an exemplary monastery from all sides, hungry for the truth and the truth of God.

Thus, a comprehensive, deep, active study and assimilation of the patristic monastic tradition is the paramount task of modern monasticism. It is for this purpose, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, that church-wide events dedicated to monastic life are organized and held: Christmas readings, international conferences, to which people are invited for reports experienced confessors, bishops, abbots and abbesses, who are themselves living successors of the monastic tradition. Of considerable importance is the publication of articles, collections and other relevant materials in the press or on informational church websites.

Awareness of spiritual experience and the study of the monastic tradition serve to formulate the basic concepts and ways of developing modern monasticism. With the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch, work has been underway for three years on the creation of a draft regulation on monasteries and monasticism, and now this document has been prepared for sending to the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church. It contains the fundamental principles and main characteristics of the monastic life.

Organization of the prayer (liturgical) life of the monastery

On the basis of the principles already formulated, in accordance with the patristic understanding of monasticism, the most important aspect of the inner way of monastic life is its prayerful (liturgical) life. Prayer is the main activity of a monk. By prayer, the monks attract Divine grace and mercy, which sanctifies not only their souls and all life in the monastery, but also pours out richly on everyone who comes to the walls of the holy monastery, and those living near, and further to the whole world, for God gives the Spirit without measure (Jn. 3, 34).

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, in his report at the Bishops’ Council of 2013, directly stated this: “I tirelessly remind both abbots and abbesses, and all monastics, that the main work to which the inhabitants of the monasteries are called is prayer, performed during the statutory services and during fulfillment of the monastic prayer rule, as well as the work done “for every time and every hour.” We should strive to ensure that the majority of the monks are present at the daily service, so that the brethren and sisters always have enough time at their disposal to perform the monastic rule. This should be facilitated by the personal example of the spiritual and ascetic work of the abbots and abbesses themselves.”

First of all, prayer - heartfelt, unceasing - is vitally necessary for the monastics themselves, striving for life in the spirit. As St. Justin (Popovich) writes: “In this earthly world, many things chain our hearts to the earth - to the temporal and mortal. But so that the earth and its temporary sweetness do not kill us with seductive temptations, it is necessary to constantly awaken oneself from spiritual sleep. How? First of all, prayer. For sincere prayer, coming from a pure heart, has an all-conquering resurrection power, by which our dead souls are resurrected from all spiritual deaths ... And when we strengthen our prayer with fasting, love, goodness, obedience, oh! - then it becomes truly omnipotent and all-conquering in all our battles with all the temptations of this world ... Only let us, with the help of God, remain firmly and tirelessly in standing and praying! Then our salvation will be prepared by the grace of God according to the unchanging mercy of God, and not according to some of our merits, for as human beings we are always weak, infirm, and treacherous.”

There are various practical aspects in the organization of the prayer life of the monastery.
First of all, these are questions concerning the liturgical life of the monastery, which forms the entire structure of monastic studies and labors. -Fulfillment of a full daily circle of services, the regularity of services, special liturgical traditions and followings - all this constitutes a special wealth and heritage of each monastery, forms its, one might say, external liturgical image. At the same time, there are peculiarities of liturgical life in urban and remote monasteries, and there are differences in the organization of services in male and female monasteries.

On the other hand, it is necessary to understand that the prayer rule of monastics in their cells is a necessary condition for their spiritual growth and prosperity, it cultivates in souls the habit of prayerful standing, constancy and courage in prayerful work. The whole way of monastic life - divine services, common obediences, needlework - should nourish, inspire the personal prayer life of a monastic. Without the experience of personal cell prayer, it is very difficult for a monastic to succeed in comprehending the essence of spiritual life as life in communion with God. Here the abbot / abbess should take care of the reasonable distribution of time in the studies of the brethren.

And, finally, internal prayer, performed at any time and in any place, first of all, the Jesus Prayer, which is a kind of core, an internal pillar that supports the monk, a sword that strikes the mental enemy, a flame that scorches passions, a light that enlightens the mind, fertile dew, quenching the heart's thirst for knowledge of God. This prayer requires special attention for monastics to assimilate it.

The tradition of hesychasm - inner silence, contemplation, exhaustion of oneself in prayer for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ exhausted Himself for our salvation - is the core of monasticism. The Monk Sergius, the organizer of monastic life in Russia, was himself a profound silencer, a hesychast, who reached such a height of contemplation that his closest disciples saw the Divine light descending upon him and from him invisibly pouring outward. They also saw the Divine fire emanating from the blessing hand of St. Sergius and surrounding both the blessing and the blessed. The disciples saw in the heavenly radiance of an angel serving the humble abbot and following him relentlessly, covering him with heavenly glory.

One of the ascetics of our time, Archimandrite Emilian (Vafidis), who was Abbot of the Simonopetra Monastery on Mount Athos, testifies from the depths of his personal prayer experience: “Our worship, our Liturgy exist as the highest manifestation of our prayer and the starting point for the continuation of prayer. Only the one who prays and keeps the name of Jesus on his lips before going to church can say that he fully participates in the Liturgy, that he understands everything. And for this, I need to get up early and bow to God, pray to Him, kneel down, explore and open my heart, aspire with all my being to heaven, pronounce the words of the Jesus Prayer. Then I will go to the temple and reach the highest point of my prayer. Then I will return to my cell and continue prayerful communion with Christ, constantly repeating His Name.”

spiritual guidance

The habit of prayer requires constant exercise, practical experience, reinforced by the study of the lives and works of the holy fathers and ascetics - doers of prayer.
But reading alone is not enough to assimilate and succeed in prayer, because, according to the well-known modern archpastor, confessor and theologian, Metropolitan Athanasius of Limassol, said during a report at the International Theological Scientific and Practical Conference in September 2013 in the Holy Trinity St. Sergius Lavra: “Successions monastic tradition does not exist outside of personal spiritual succession, the transfer of spiritual experience from a mentor to a disciple-son, who absorbs and perceives the spirit of an elder with his whole being. The succession of both external and, especially, internal monastic traditions is based on personal communication - in prayer, in confession, in following the example of a mentor.

Therefore, the issue of spiritual guidance in monasteries, spiritual education is extremely important and requires the closest attention from the abbots / abbesses. The abbot / abbess is entrusted with the care of the salvation of the souls of all those who labor in the monastery, and spiritual guidance is their most important duty. According to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at the Bishops' Council in 2013, "the abbot is called to be a father for the brethren first of all, and not an administrator, and by his personal example to strengthen the brethren in the monastic path."

At one appointment as abbess, His Holiness the Patriarch also said about this: “Those who are entrusted with the care of monasteries should do everything to build up the monastic community, so that with their wisdom, slowness in making decisions, calmness, help monastics ascend from strength to strength ... For In order to determine what really happens to this or that monk or nun, one must not only apply to them certain criteria related to the need for proper behavior in the monastery, but also try to penetrate into the soul. The abbot / abbess of the monastery personally and, if necessary, with the help of spiritually experienced monastics from the elder brethren, must first of all take care of the spiritual success of the brotherhood:

Conduct spiritual conversations with instructions from the works of the holy fathers or with examples from the lives of the saints;
- accept brethren for personal interviews;
- to enter into their spiritual and physical needs.

Of no small importance are invitations to the monasteries for conversations with brothers/sisters of spiritually experienced ascetics, abbots and abbesses, both from well-maintained Russian monasteries and from the monasteries of the fraternal Local Churches, which, of course, should be done with the blessing of the ruling bishop.
Preparatory work with beginners, explanation of the basic concepts of monasticism
The issue of spiritual guidance is closely related to the issue of obedience. For, according to the well-known example from the Fatherland, when one young monk asked: “Why are there no elders now?” - the confessor answered: “There are elders, but God closes their mouths, so that their word does not aggravate the sin of those who listen to them, but do not fulfill them, for now there are no real novices ...” Obedience as a virtue is the greatest mystery and the ineffable gift of God. It is the fruit of faith, and from it humility is born in the soul, from humility - spiritual intelligence and knowledge of the mysteries of God, and most of all - love, which is truly, according to the word of the apostle, the union of perfection (cf.: Col. 3, 14).

The path of obedience and humility, according to the many thousands of years of experience of the Old Testament and New Testament Churches, is the shortest path to union with Christ and the acquisition of spiritual gifts and to salvation and blessed eternal life. At the present time, when all the concepts in the world, and especially those relating to moral values, are distorted beyond recognition, to the point of opposite, in monasteries there is an acute problem of awareness by the inhabitants of the basic spiritual concepts, primarily about obedience.
This applies not only to those who come to monasteries again, but also to those who came to the monastery 20 years ago and have already taken monastic or monastic vows. Entering the monastery by the grace of God, but having no experience of church life, the current inhabitants have their own ideas about the ideals of monasticism and want to base their life in the monastery on them.

The concept of obedience as a virtue (ipakoi) is confused with the concept of obedience as a deed of service (diaconia) and is often perceived in a distorted form.
Modern novices evade obedience under the pretext of the absence of spirit-bearing mentors or hiding behind the need for reasoning in obedience, while keeping in mind their own “reasoning” and “common sense”. The opposite also happens, when obedience is performed outwardly literally, but mechanically, without penetration by the spirit of the mentor, not for the sake of Christ, but for various passionate reasons.
True obedience - as an expression of repentance, resolute self-denial and conversion to the path of God's commandments, the patience of sorrows for the sake of Christ, the binding of one's passionate movements of the mind, will and heart for the sake of gaining true freedom in Christ - is unfamiliar to today's novices.

However, without obedience, according to the words of the Monk Abba Dorotheus, “none of the passionate will see God,” and prayer is fruitless, and the soul does not grow in the knowledge of God. Therefore, for the sake of the spiritual success of monastics, and consequently, of monasteries, painstaking, patient, all-round preparatory work is necessary with newcomers who enter the monastery and wish to become monks.
Here one should take into account the special influence of the modern environment with information aggression and, at the same time, a certain vacuum in human relations. It happens that young novices, in worldly relations, are very easy to communicate with, as far as their thoughts and feelings are concerned, they are extremely closed and stubborn. Each newcomer, as a rule, needs a special, individual approach.

Abbots and abbesses of the cloisters spend a lot of work and prayerful feat in order to dispose the souls of novices to open communication about the ulcers of their souls and about turning to Christ for the means to heal these sinful ulcers. At the same time, the hegumen / abbess himself must constantly remain in the feat, in the acquisition of the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that the hearts of their novices will open the love of God, so that they desire Christ and follow Him and rush to Him in repentance through self-denial and determination to all suffering.

As His Holiness the Patriarch said during the erection of one abbess of a stavropegial monastery: “We live in a difficult time. It is especially difficult for those who give themselves completely to the service of the Lord, who leave the world for a monastery and crucify themselves with Christ through holy obedience. We know that those who come to the monasteries today are modern people who have been educated and formed in this very world. And much that is unkind in this world, to one degree or another, touched their consciousness and their heart. This poses a very big and important task, first of all, before the abbess, who must, with her wisdom and spiritual experience, overcome the gravity of the world in the hearts, especially of young novices and young nuns.

The communal way of the monastery

According to the living experience of the Church and patristic tradition, the best conditions for spiritual progress are common monastic life.
At present, all monasteries in the Russian Orthodox Church are cenobitic. As is known, the main external criteria of a cenobitic monastery are common leadership, common divine service, common meal, common labors. The inner highest order of community life is the unity of the brethren in likening to the image of the union of the Lord Jesus Christ with the apostles, as well as to the image of the early Christian community, where everything was in common: thoughts, soul, and heart.

Relationships and the order of life in a cenobitic monastery are based on monastic vows of obedience, abstinence and chastity, non-possession, performed out of love for Christ and for the sake of union with Him. At the same time, the greatest responsibility for arranging life in monasteries lies with the abbot / abbess of the monastery. And here, according to the words of His Holiness the Patriarch, “on the one hand, you must be strict and demanding in the fulfillment of obediences and the monastic rule, but, on the other hand, never formally treat those who are entrusted to your care. And if reasonable severity is combined with sincere love, with the desire to be crucified together with those who have entrusted themselves to Christ, this will be of great benefit. Only in this way can a monastic community be built today, only in this way can a group of people united by common thoughts and common ideals be turned into a spiritual family. Namely, good family relations should characterize monastic life, should characterize the life of a holy monastery.

God grant that our cloisters be quiet havens in the stormy sea of ​​\u200b\u200blife, and many people find rest and solace for their souls in them.
At present, with the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch, direct work is underway to draw up a model charter for a cenobitic monastery on the basis of the general principles set forth in the prepared draft Regulations on Monasteries and Monasticism.
Of course, the arrangement of monastic life does not happen all at once, and this may take the life of more than one generation. In many ways, the solution of primary tasks depends on the abbots / abbesses of the monasteries, their spiritual experience, growth in prayer, striving to put into practice the basic monastic principles.

Enrichment with spiritual experience, communication with spiritually experienced mentors, abbots and abbesses of comfortable monasteries, joint meetings at general church meetings and conferences are of great importance. Therefore, again and again I would like to express my deep gratitude for the opportunity to participate in today's scientific and practical conference.
And in conclusion, I would like to once again give thanks to the Lord and His Most Pure Mother for the great gift - monastic life, which is true bliss, and for the fact that, despite many temptations and temptations, souls still continue to flow into the abodes, wounded by the love of Christ. And we prayerfully hope that, by the grace of God, our monasteries will raise many more children of the heavenly Fatherland.

Author info: Abbess Juliania (Kaleda) was born on April 8, 1961 in the family of the geologist Gleb Aleksandrovich Kaleda, later a priest, and Lydia Vladimirovna Kaleda (nee Ambartsumova), daughter of the Hieromartyr Vladimir (Ambartsumov). By the decision of the Holy Synod of May 5, 1995, she was appointed abbess of the Zachatievsky Convent in Moscow. On November 25, 1999, she was elevated to the rank of abbess by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II.
Since July 27, 2009 - Member of the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church. By the decision of the Holy Synod of March 12, 2013 (magazine No. 31), she was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism.