Hagiographic and historiographic in the essay by Boris Zaitsev “Reverend Sergius of Radonezh. St. Sergius of Radonezh (collection)

Foreword

St. Sergius was born over six hundred years ago, died over five hundred. His calm, pure and holy life filled almost a century. Entering it as a modest boy Bartholomew, he left one of the greatest glories of Russia.

As a saint, Sergius is equally great for everyone. His feat is universal. But for a Russian, there is just something that excites us: a deep consonance with the people, a great typicality - a combination in one of the scattered features of Russians. Hence that special love and worship for him in Russia, silent canonization as a folk saint, which is unlikely to have fallen to another. Sergius lived in the time of the Tatars. Personally, she did not touch him: they covered the forests of Radonezh. But he was not indifferent to the Tatars. A hermit, he calmly, as he did everything in life, raised his cross for Russia and blessed Dimitry Donskoy for that battle, Kulikovo, which for us will forever take on a symbolic, mysterious connotation. In the duel between Russia and the Khan, the name of Sergius is forever connected with the creation of Russia.

Yes, Sergius was not only a contemplative, but also a doer. A just cause, that's how it was understood for five centuries. All who have been to the Lavra, venerating the relics of the monk, have always felt the image of the greatest goodness, simplicity, truth, holiness, resting here. Life is untalented without a hero. The heroic spirit of the Middle Ages, which gave birth to so much holiness, gave its brilliant manifestation here.

It seemed to the author that now the experience - very modest - was especially appropriate now, to the best of his ability, to restore in the memory of those who know and tell the unknowing about the deeds and life of the great saint and lead the reader through that special, mountainous country where he lives, from where he shines to us like an unfading star.

Let's take a look at his life.

Paris, 1924

SPRING

Sergius's childhood, in his parent's house, is in a fog for us. Nevertheless, a certain general spirit can be caught from the messages of Epiphanius, a student of Sergius, his first biographer.

According to ancient legend, the estate of Sergius's parents, the Rostov boyars Kirill and Maria, was located in the vicinity of Rostov the Great, on the way to Yaroslavl. Parents, "noble boyars", apparently, lived simply, they were quiet, calm people, with a strong and serious way of life. Although Kirill accompanied the princes of Rostov to the Horde more than once, as a trusted, close person, he himself did not live well. It is impossible to speak of any luxury, licentiousness of the later landowner. Rather, on the contrary, one might think that domestic life is closer to that of a peasant: as a boy, Sergius (and then Bartholomew) was sent for horses in the field. This means that he knew how to confuse them and turn them around. And leading to some stump, grabbing the bangs, jump up, triumphantly trot home. Perhaps he chased them at night too. And, of course, he was not a barchuk.

Parents can be imagined as respectable and fair people, religious to a high degree. It is known that they were especially "hobbyist". They helped the poor and willingly accepted wanderers. Probably, in a sedate life, wanderers are that searching beginning, dreamily resisting everyday life, which also played a role in the fate of Bartholomew.

There are fluctuations in the year of the saint's birth: 1314-1322. The biographer muffled, contradictory talks about this.

Be that as it may, it is known that on May 3, a son was born to Mary. The priest gave him the name of Bartholomew, after the day of the celebration of this saint.

The special shade that distinguishes him lies on the child from early childhood.

Bartholomew was given seven years to study literacy, to a church school, together with his brother Stefan. Stefan studied well. Science was not given to Bartholomew. Like Sergius later, little Bartholomew is very stubborn and tries, but there is no success. He is distressed. The teacher sometimes punishes him. Comrades laugh and parents admonish. Bartholomew cries alone, but does not move forward.

And now, a village picture, so close and so understandable six hundred years later! The foals wandered somewhere and disappeared. Father sent Bartholomew to look for them, probably the boy is not only in the times of the Tatars. Personally, she did not touch him: they hid him wandering around the fields, in the forest, perhaps, near the shore of Lake Rostov and called them, patted them with a whip, dragged halters. With all the love of Bartholomew for loneliness, nature, and for all his daydreaming, he, of course, conscientiously performed every task - this feature marked his whole life.

Now he - very dejected by failures - found not what he was looking for. Under an oak tree I met "an elder of the Chernoryets, with the rank of presbyter." Obviously, the old man understood him.

What do you want, boy?

Bartholomew, through tears, spoke about his grief and asked to pray that God would help him overcome the letter.

And under the same oak stood the old man for prayer. Next to him is Bartholomew - a halter over his shoulder. Having finished, the stranger took out the ark from his bosom, took a particle of prosphora, blessed Bartholomew with it and ordered him to eat it.

This is given to you as a sign of grace and for understanding.

Holy Scripture. From now on, you will master literacy better than brothers and comrades.

What they talked about next, we do not know. But Bartholomew invited the elder home. His parents received him well, as usual wanderers. The elder called the boy to the prayer room and ordered him to read the psalms. The child responded with incompetence. But the visitor himself gave the book, repeating the order.

And the guest was fed, at dinner they told about the signs over his son. The elder again confirmed that now Bartholomew would begin to understand Holy Scripture well and would overcome reading. Then he added: "The lad will one day be the abode of the Most Holy Trinity; he will lead many behind him to the understanding of the Divine commandments."

From that time on, Bartholomew moved on, already read any book without hesitation, and Epiphanius claims that he even overtook his comrades.

In the story with his teachings, failures and unexpected, mysterious success, some features of Sergius are visible in the boy: there is a sign of modesty, humility in the fact that the future saint could not naturally learn to read and write. His ordinary brother Stefan read better than he did, he was punished more than ordinary students. Although the biographer says that Bartholomew overtook his peers, but the whole life of Sergius indicates that his strength is not in the ability to science: in this, after all, he did not create anything. Perhaps even Epiphanius, an educated man who traveled a lot around St. places, who wrote the lives of Sts. Sergius and Stefan of Perm, was above him as a writer, as a scientist. But a direct connection, living, with God, was indicated very early in the incapable Bartholomew. There are people outwardly so brilliantly gifted - often the last truth is closed to them. Sergius, it seems, belonged to those to whom the ordinary is hard, and mediocrity will overtake them - but the extraordinary is fully revealed. Their genius is elsewhere.

And the genius of the boy Bartholomew led him in a different way, where science is less needed: already on the threshold of youth, the hermit, the faster, the monk stood out brightly. Most of all he loves services, church, reading sacred books. And surprisingly serious. This is no longer a child.

The main thing is: he has his own. He is not pious because he lives among the pious. He is ahead of others. He is led by a calling. No one forces you to asceticism - he becomes an ascetic and fasts on Wednesdays, Fridays, eats bread, drinks water, and he is always quiet, silent, affectionate in his manner, but with some seal. Dress modestly. If he meets a poor man, he gives the last.

Excellent relationship with family. Of course, his mother (or maybe his father) had long felt in him

The roots of the literary activity of Boris Konstantinovich Zaitsev (1881-1972) are in the "Silver Age" of Russian culture. On the eve of the Great War of 1914-1918, he was already well known to the domestic public: Zaitsev's books were repeatedly reprinted, his plays were shown in theaters, and his critical articles were printed in newspapers. In a word, it was a rather prominent figure in the cultural life of Russia at the beginning of the century. In 1922, the writer leaves his homeland forever, leaves for Germany, and since 1924 continues to work in the literary field.in France.

The difficult life of a refugee, as, indeed, the life of any person, was filled with its sorrows and joys. Only, perhaps, in a foreign land they were perceived more sharply, more painfully, with some, perhaps, bright force.

I would like to recall one brightly joyful event in the life of Russia in exile. Far 1928. Congress of Writers and Journalists of the Russian Diaspora in Belgrade. As if the last surge of dying - so as to stand as a Great monument of glory and reproach to the "slanderers of Russia", - but eternal Russian culture.

In the heart of the blessed memory of King Alexander I Karageorgievich, Russia occupied a special place - the second Fatherland - and that says it all! Serbia accepted our exiles into her mother's womb. But not only those Russians who found their refuge here were patronized by King Alexander. He was a real philanthropist for figures of Russian culture scattered throughout Europe: Bunin and Shmelev, Gippius, Remizov, Kuprin, Zaitsev, who lived in Paris, and many others felt his constant support. The Belgrade Forum brought together writers from many countries of the Russian Diaspora. On September 29, King Alexander awarded fourteen writers the high Order of St. Savva, among them was Boris Konstantinovich Zaitsev. It seems that it was for him, an Orthodox man, that this award was of particular importance; and for us this fact is filled with a special meaning - just like that, simply, in an earthly way, the great Serbian hierarch touched the chest, heart, soul of the writer ...

The story "Reverend Sergius of Radonezh" (1925) -one of the first works by Zaitsev, which saw the light in a foreign land, and this is no coincidence.

Being far from his homeland, the writer, perhaps even more strongly, even more painfully felt the fundamental, indestructible connection with Russia, with Orthodoxy, with his people. It was natural to want to talk about it, to speak out, to confess love for the Fatherland. It was precisely such a confession that his historical and philosophical book about Sergius of Radonezh became.

Anticipating the story about Sergius, the writer first gives a close-up view of the saint: “... for a Russian, there is in him something that excites us: a deep consonance with the people, a great typicality - a combination in one of the scattered features of Russians. Hence that special love and worship for him in Russia, silent canonization as a folk saint, which is unlikely to have fallen to another. It is through Sergius, who is a national ideal, that Zaitsev introduces the French reader to the Russian people. “It seemed to the author that now the experience is especially appropriate ... to restore in the memory of those who know and tell the ignorant the deeds and life of the Great Saint and lead the reader through that special, mountainous country where he lives, from where he shines to us with an unfading star”, the writer noted in the preface.

The book consists of ten chapters, in the titles of which the direction of Sergius's spiritual evolution is already read, which led to the result of earthly life - "above man." There is no place for the author's fiction in the story (let us note that, in general, Zaitsev's style is characterized by "pure realism": he did not like to invent, but he always described what he had experienced, felt, seen), everything is subordinated to a strict fact, the unbending legislator of the story about the life of Sergius. The source, the material basis of the work was the first life of Sergius, written by Epiphanius, later processed by the Serb Pachomius. Zaitsev does not report anything new, unknown from the life of Saint Zaitsev. However, the book is read almost in one breath: dryish, restrainedThe narrative is captivating, the work as a whole has a certain attractive power. What is the secret?

Firstly, of course, the figure of Sergius himself, the spiritual image of the amazing person of Holy Russia, attracts; there is some inexplicable, but eternal craving for him in the Russian heart, everything connected with Sergius invariably attracts the soul, fills it with high peace, light, inexpressible joy ... Reflecting on the significance of St. Sergius for the Russian people, V. O. Klyuchevsky wrote in particular: “There are names ... which have already lost their chronological significance, stepped out of the time limits when their carriers lived. This is because the deed done by such a person, in its significance, went so far beyond the limits of its century, its beneficial action so deeply captured the life of subsequent generations, that everything temporary and local gradually fell from the person who did it in the consciousness of these generations, and it has turned from a historical figure into a popular idea, and its very deed from a historical fact has become a practical commandment, testament, what we used to call an ideal. The name of Sergius, according to the historian, is "a bright feature of our moral national content."

Secondly, the philosophical layer of the story, the writer's reflections on this or that event, its assessment is of interest. It is here, at this level, that we read the individual author's understanding of Sergius, his personal experience of the spiritual, civil feat of the monk. It is here that the foundations of the writer's worldview, his philosophy of history, are revealed to us. The author's digressions, as if flesh, clothe the strict event-based "backbone" of the saint's life. Philosophical reflections, as it were, interrupt the description of Sergius's life, slow down the plot of the story - in fact, Zaitsev moves in this case in line with the Pushkin tradition. Two main themes of digressions can be distinguished in the story: assessment (through an act or event) of Sergius's personality and an attempt to comprehend the paths of Russian history. In the discussions on the first topic (especially in the initial chapters of the book), one can read the author's desire to discern the future saint behind this or that human act, to guess the prospect of the movement of the personality, to foresee it. So, for example, talking about the difficulties in the teaching of the lad Bartholomew, the writer says: “In the story with his teachings, failures and unexpected, mysterious success, some of the features of Sergius are visible in the boy: there is a sign of modesty, humility in the fact that the future saint could not naturally learn to read and write<…>... a direct connection, living, with God, was indicated very early in the incompetent Bartholomew<…>... already on the threshold of youth, a hermit, a faster, a monk stood out brightly ”.

Assessing Bartholomew's relationship with his parents, the author concludes that he was an "obedient son", but “...inwardly, over these years of adolescence, early youth, he naturally accumulated the desire to leave the lower and middle world for the higher world, the world of unclouded contemplation and communion directly with God”. And further - about the decision of Bartholomew to leave the world: “It is possible that the pensive Bartholomew, trying to leave, felt that he was starting a big business. But did he clearly imagine that the feat he had conceived concerned more than one of his soul?<…>Probably not. He was too modest, too immersed in communion with God.

The author reflects, but does not impose his position on the reader (which confirms the presence of introductory words in his judgments), and as if invites us to think, thereby encouraging us to follow the story more actively, to feel and comprehend Sergius's life path more deeply, to understand the movements of his soul. And he does it quite naturally, organically - the reader's response in this case is logically predetermined.

Each of the chapters of the book opens a new stage in the life of the saint, it is, as it were, the steps of a ladder along which Bartholomew-Sergius ascends to God.

So, the chapter "The Hermit" tells about the tonsure of Bartholomew, naming him Sergius, about the period of his seclusion. The story is told in a very laconic style, the events are literally enumerated... But the author's voice intrudes into the strict biography of the saint - a digression about an ascetic feat. And again the reader is invited to reflect: “One might think that this is the most difficult time for him (Sergius).<…>If a person so sharply strains upwards, so subdues the variegation of his line of God, he is subject to ebb, and decline, fatigue. And after the story about the temptations of the hermit, again a purely authorial - a simple human question: “Will he survive, in a formidable forest, in a wretched cell?” But, as if recollecting himself, the writer replies: “He is stubborn, patient, and he is “God-loving”. Cool and transparent spirit. And with him Divine help, like a response to gravity. He overcomes".

Describing the emergence of the Trinity Monastery, Zaitsev rather dryly sets out the facts of his life. But the restraint of the retelling is already as if inspired by the previous reflections on the ascetic feat of Sergius, it is replenished by the conclusion that concludes the chapter: “So from a solitary hermit, a prayer book, a contemplator, a figure grew up in Sergius<…>... this is already the rector of a small community, apostolic in terms of the number of cells, apostolic in the spirit of early Christian simplicity and poverty, and in terms of the historical role that it was supposed to play in the spread of monasticism ".

Talking about the activities of Abbot Sergius (chapter "Hegumen"), the writer highlights such a feature of him as diligence, which the saint also demanded from the inhabitants of the monastery. And then follows a curious, in our opinion, comparison of Sergius with Francis of Assisi: “According to the well-known testament of the Apostle Paul, he demanded labor from the monks and forbade them to go out for alms. This is in sharp contrast to St. Francis. The Blessed One of Assisi did not feel the ground beneath him. All his short life he flew, in a bright ecstasy, above the earth, but he flew “to the people”, with the preaching of the apostles and Christ, coming closest to the image of Christ himself. Therefore, in essence, he could not establish anything on earth ... And labor, that industriousness, which is the root of attachment, is not essential for him.

On the contrary, Sergius was not a preacher, neither he nor his disciples wandered around the Great Russian Umbria with a fiery speech and a mug for alms. Fifty years he quietly spent in the depths of the forests, teaching by himself, "quietly doing", but not by direct missionary work. And in this "doing" - along with the discipline of the soul - an enormous role was played by that black labor, without which both he himself and his monastery would have perished. St. Sergius, Orthodox in the deepest way, planted in a certain sense Western culture (labor, order, discipline) in the Radonezh forests, and St. Francis, having been born in a country of superabundant culture, seemed to rebel against it.” As an artistic device, as a desire to shade the image of Sergius, this opposition is, perhaps, justified. However, it is difficult to agree with the writer's reasoning, in particular, that work, order and discipline are the attributes of predominantly Western culture. After all, the whole story tells about Sergius precisely as a phenomenon of Russian spiritual culture, and by no means exceptional, not the only one, which Zaitsev himself confirms by comparing the monk, for example, with Theodosius of the Caves.

And isn’t Vladimir Monomakh talking about inner discipline—the discipline of the spirit and reason—in his famous Teachings to children: “If, while riding a horse, you are not doing business, then, in case of ignorance of other prayers, constantly repeat: Lord, have mercy. It's better than thinking about trifles." Isn't it humility, simplicity of life, self-sacrifice, manifested by Russian saints, that testify to it? Is it not about the industriousness of the Russian people, finally, that Nekrasov, for example, speaks in his poem “Who should live well in Russia” ...

Another thing is that the meaning of these very “labor, order and discipline” is different in the cultures of the West and the East, and this stems mainly from the difference in psychology, worldview of the bearers of these cultures. At one time, the German scientist W. Schubart proposed an interesting typology of European peoples: he attributed the Romanesque and Germanic peoples to the Promethean, heroic type. Such a person “sees chaos in the world, which he must shape with his organizing power; he is full of lust for power; he moves farther and farther away from God and goes deeper and deeper into the world of things. The Slavic peoples - and especially the Russians - belong, in his opinion, to the Johannine, messianic type (i.e., following the ideals given in the Gospel of John). A person of this type “feels himself called to create a higher Divine order on earth ... He wants to restore around himself the harmony that he feels in himself ... The Messianic person is inspired not by a thirst for power, but by moods of reconciliation and love. He does not divide in order to dominate, but seeks the divided in order to reunite it. By the way, the whole course of the writer's thoughts about St. Sergius only confirms the above judgment of Shubart. As for the "active" Catholic missionary work, it just lies in the mainstream of the "Promethean" tradition, so it's another question whether Francis "rebelled" against his culture.

Concluding this chapter with a story about a providential incident with bread, the writer moves on to the next (“St. Sergius, miracle worker and mentor”), leading the reader to a conversation about the miracles of the saint. But this conversation is preceded by the author's thoughts about what a miracle is. “This is, of course, the greatest storm of love that bursts from there, to the call of love that comes from here". It must be assumed that this statement is one of the essential elements of Zaitsev's philosophy of being, that is, the main vector of human life is spiritual growth: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock, and it will be opened to you. After all, he writes further that Sergius “In the early period of asceticism, he did not have visions, did not work miracles. Only a long, difficult path of self-education, asceticism, self-enlightenment leads him to miracles and to those bright visions that illuminate maturity.<…>In this respect ... Sergius' life gives an image of a gradual, clear, internally healthy movement ". And already at the end of the chapter, he summarizes: “... the striving for purification and “direction” firmly sits in the living soul. Before our eyes, endless pilgrimages to Optina were made - from Gogol, Tolstoy, Solovyov, with the most complex inquiries of the soul, to women - whether to marry off a daughter, and how it is better to live with a husband. And in the revolution, and to simple priests, the Red Army came to repent - both in blasphemy and in murders.

Building a story about the life of Sergius according to the life of Epiphanius, the writer, naturally, omits something from the life, briefly mentions something, the same episodes in which, in his opinion, the character of the monk is most deeply revealed, his main traits, he literally retells verbatim. And in the very selection of the material (and not only in its interpretation by the author), of course, one can read the individual, Zaitsev's understanding of Sergius - there is also a subjective, evaluative moment. Perceiving the name of Sergius as a national idea, as "eternally active moral engine"(Klyuchevsky), Zaitsev highlights precisely those signs of the saint's personality, which, building up, connecting, give an almost tangible idea of \u200b\u200bthe Russian folk ideal.

Thus, in the chapter “Horms and Thorns,” three events from the life of the monk are told: a visit to the monastery by a peasant who sought to get acquainted with Sergius and did not want to recognize the famous abbot in the “poor, wretched old man”; a vision of Sergius, connected with the life of the monastery and strengthening him in the correctness of the choice of the foundations of the dispensation of the monastery (the chapter deals with the introduction of a hostel in the future Lavra), and, finally, the departure of Sergius from the monastery.

In the first case, the monk's extraordinary modesty and humility are emphasized (and this is more than once in the story) as the main features of his moral character. After all, at the end of the story, summing up, the writer again reminds: “Sergius came to his Makovitsa as a modest and obscure young man Bartholomei, and left as a glorified old man”. In the second, there is a living relationship with God (it was achieved through humility). The third case is quite special. Ser-gius meets with a sharp manifestation of the pride of his own brother and leaves the monastery without saying a word to anyone. Here is how the writer regards this act of the saint: “From the point of view of the ordinary, he took a mysterious step. The abbot, abbot and “leader of souls” seemed to have retreated.<…>He did not give up to anyone, did not retreat before anyone. How can we know his feelings, opinions? We can only respectfully assume that the inner voice said so. Nothing external, formal. A clear, holy faith that "it will be better this way."<…>If passions are kindled, someone is jealous of me ... then let me leave, I don’t seduce and don’t kindle.<…>If God commands me so, then He already knows - there is nothing to think about.. Of course, Zaitsev, by his own admission, only suggests the reverend's train of thought, trying to materialize, as it were, to reveal the reasons for his departure. The conclusion that the writer makes is not at all without foundation, but stems from the entire context of the life of the saint and at the same time is consonant with the Christian worldview of the author. Get away from temptation: And if your right hand offends you, cut it off and throw it away from you, for it is better for you that one of your members perish, and not your whole body be cast into hell; not to be a temptation yourself - isn't this one of the imperatives of the Orthodox folk ideal - one of the components of B.K. Zaitsev's philosophy of being.

The chapter ends with a story about the return of the hegumen of Radonezh to the monastery four years later. And here is the summary of the event: “Sergius won - simply and quietly, without violence, as he did everything in life.<…>He acted here ... like a saint. And reached the top. ... he also elevated Orthodoxy itself, preferring freedom and love to external discipline”. So, the writer singles out two more constant values of the Russian spiritual and moral code - freedom and love, manifested in the guise of a reverend.

The central episode of the chapter "St. Sergius and the Church" is Sergius' refusal from the metropolitan see, all other narrative material is distributed around him. In this case, in addition to the facts of the life of the saint, the author draws on many events of Russian history of the XIV century, which allows him to create a concise panorama of the church-state life of Russia in the Sergius era in a small chapter. A similar artistic and visual trend deepens in the next chapter - "Sergius and the State", where the conversation logically continues on a topic that is still relevant today - Church and politics. This chapter reveals quite fully the philosophy of history of Boris Zaitsev.

Slowly creating the image of Sergius, as if highlighting the figure of the saint from different angles, the writer is now trying to consider him against the backdrop of the socio-political life of Russia in the XIV century. It should be noted that in this chapter the share of life materials is significantly reduced, it mainly consists of the author's reasoning about the construction of the Russian state, the collection of lands around Moscow, and Sergius' participation in these events. “The reverend was never a politician... For his simplicity and purity, he was given a fate far from political intricacies. If you look at his life from the side of touching the state, most often you will meet Sergius - a teacher and encourager, a peacemaker. The icon that they take out in difficult times - and they go to it themselves ”.

Demonstrating the role of Sergius in the construction of the state, Zaitsev, in particular, tells about the peacemaking journey of the monk to the Ryazan prince Oleg, an old enemy of Moscow. Let's take a closer look at how this episode is made in the story.

First a short message: In the deep autumn of 1385, the saint walks to Ryazan…”, then a description of the malevolent Oleg, in a restrained but capacious style, characteristic of the story as a whole, and an exclamation-total: “Be that as it may, Sergius won, an old man from Radonezh, who measured two hundred miles with his seventy-year-old feet through the mud and impassability of Russian autumn!”.

With the word of Christ's love, with the Orthodox faith, Sergius Oleg wins. Confirming this idea, the writer resorts to a contrast in the description of the prince (“... a strong, treacherous, tempered in difficult times prince like the Tverites”) and the monk (“an old man from Radonezh”), as if emphasizing the “poverty of spirit” of the latter, in front of whom powerless pride.

So, cooperating with the princes of Moscow in the creation of Derzhavnaya Russia, Sergius acted not by political means, but heeding the "voice of God", which, in the words of Zaitsev, "went to him so freely." In other words, the writer affirms the idea that one can truly “move” history, set it in the right direction, and create only by raising a “truthful voice for truthful deeds” - and this is precisely the core thesis of his philosophy of history.

A significant place in the chapter is given to discussions about the politics and struggle of Prince Dimitri for the unification of the Russian lands around Moscow. And finally, one of the most important earthly deeds of Sergius is a blessing to the prince for the Battle of Kulikovo.

It seems that this is the peak of the "Church and Politics" problem, however, history has long resolved it - the reverend raised "a truthful voice for a truthful cause." But let's look at the text: “... Sergius<…>… faced a difficult task: blessings on the blood. Would Christ bless for a war, even a national one?<…>If a tragic business is going on in tragic land, he will bless the side he considers right. He is not for the war, but since it happened, for the people and for Russia, the Orthodox. As a mentor and comforter, the Paraclete of Russia, he cannot remain indifferent.”. So, this "tricky" problem unfolds in its real, only correct aspect - the Church is always with the people. The Church, as the Body of Christ, is itself a people. It is about this course of thought of the writer that his answer testifies.

Describing the morning before the Battle of Kulikovo, Zaitsev creates a concise, but rather voluminous picture. At the beginning, only the date (exclamation sentence): "September 8, 1380!" Then sparing landscape touches: “Gloomy dawn, Don and Nepryadva, Kulikovo field…” (in the Russian mind, these are not just toponyms, but philosophical categories of national history full of special meaning – hence the restrained solemnity of the narrative), and suddenly – a large, expressive brushstroke : "... and the spirit of the Word about Igor's Campaign", conveying the very atmosphere of what is happening - a device designed for the "cultural" reaction of the reader, determining his perception, giving the opportunity to feel, get used to, "enter" the event. Behind this brief statement (“the spirit of the Word ...”) one can read the height and tragedy of what is happening, the continuity of the sacred tradition of military duty and, as it were, the uncertainty of the outcome of the battle, although it was predicted by Sergius (the element of doubt, by the way, is completely excluded for the genre of life, because the emotional perception in it is measured by the "golden measure" of faith). And then - the exclamation of the author, his assessment of what is happening: “How deep, tense and serious everything is!” Then, like a summary of events, follows a description of the preparations for the battle in the camp of Demetrius: “Before the battle they pray. They read the letter of the reverend to the rats. And again restrained landscape strokes: “Autumn mists, slow dawn, coldly silver. Dew, morning cold. But here is the drawing of a line in anticipation of the battle - a philosophical statement of the inevitability of fate: “They are going to die. Sadness and fate - and inevitability. Clearly there is no going back."

Zaitsev also describes the fight itself extremely sparingly, literally in a few words recalling its most striking episodes. And, nevertheless, it creates a visible, three-dimensional image of what is happening: “A general battle began, on a gigantic, at that time, ten-verst front. Sergius correctly said: "Martyr's wreaths are woven for many." There were a lot of them.". And it is in the words of the reverend that the main figurative and semantic load is found. Here is the "center of gravity" of the whole picture - the soldiers who fell on the Kulikovo field were worthy of the crowns of martyrs who suffered for the faith of Christ and laid down their lives for their friends.

"Clash of worlds" - this is how Boris Zaitsev defines the Battle of Kulikovo. Struggle in the name of Christ and fight against Christ. Perhaps this is the main result of the writer's reflections on the fateful battle for Russia and, at the same time, the dominant of his philosophy of history. From the mysterious moment of the incarnation of the Savior, the "appearance of Christ to the people", from that moment humanity could no longer remain in (before that, perhaps excusable) ignorance. I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me, the Lord said. Outside the Highest Truth there is no life, no truth, no love, creativity, inspiration, creation, no heroism and self-sacrifice, no feat, no light, no path. Outside Her, darkness is pitch-black, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. The righteous walk the narrow path of God, which, like a life-giving ray, with the Quiet Light, enlightens the seething streams of human history. The righteous are the essence of heaven-dwellers. But the wicked disappear like dust thrown up by the wind (from the face of the earth). The history of Christian Russia, its sacrificial, piercing ups (up to this day) is both an offering to God and a gift from God.

What did this victory give the young Muscovite state? Why was it so important then on the Don to say your word to the world? Answering these questions, the writer comprehends the great event of Russian history in the following way: “The victory itself is grandiose, and its significance is primarily moral: it has been proven that we, the European, Christian world, are not slaves, but strength and independence. The people who won on the Kulikovo field could no longer remain a tributary of the Tatars.. In this battle, it was as if an explosion of Russian self-consciousness took place, it will mature and grow stronger in further struggle, nourish future generations, it will triumph on the Ugra ... Such is the result of the blessing of the reverend, the result of the “true word” (this imperative of history, according to Zaitsev).

The writer also reminds us that since the time of the Battle of Kulikovo, panikhidas for the dead have been served throughout Russia on Dmitrov Saturday. This is how the debt of the people's memory is repaid to the defenders of the Fatherland (it is wonderful that on this day all the soldiers who died for the Motherland at different times are remembered, it is regrettable that this list is growing in our days; but is there anywhere else, except for the "uncivilized "Russia, such a custom of noble grief ?!), and, of course, this is a high act of national Russian morality.

Reflecting on the ideal of the Russian people, depicted in the story "Reverend Sergius of Radonezh", let us turn once again to the words of Klyu-chevsky, as if complementing Zaitsev's judgments: “The moral wealth of the people is clearly calculated by the monuments of deeds for the common good, by the memories of the figures who have contributed the greatest amount of good to their society. With these monuments and memories, the moral feeling of the people grows together; they are its nourishing soil; in them his roots; tear it away from them, it will wither like cut grass. They nurture not popular conceit, but the idea of the responsibility of descendants to great ancestors, for a moral sense is a sense of duty.

Creating the image of Sergius, the author widely uses the technique of contrast, which is greatly enhanced, as if exposed, literally becomes “black and white” by the end of the story. This is especially clearly seen in the chapter "Evening Light", which shows that boundary of the venerable earthly path, where, in the words of Leskov, life ends and life begins. “People of struggle, politics, war, like Dimitri, Kalita, Oleg, often feel burdensome and tired towards the end of their lives.” Sergius at the end of his days - "living schema". “Behind is the active cross, it is already at the height of the contemplative cross…<…>The saint is almost outside. So enlightened, imbued with the spirit, still alive, transformed, that it is already higher than a person.. And this “higher than man”, as far as it is possible to convey in words, Zaitsev re-creates (following the author of his life), talking about the miraculous visions of Sergius.

The sad, elegiac notes of the description of the death of the monk, who concludes the chapter, are replaced by a powerful, solemn chord - Sergius and Russia, Sergius for Russia ... (chapter "Deed and Appearance"): “Five hundred years later, looking at his image, you feel: yes, Russia is great. Yes, the holy power is given to her. Yes, next to the power, the truth, we can live. In difficult times of blood, violence, ferocity, betrayal, meanness - the unearthly appearance of Sergius satisfies and supports.<…>Sergius silently teaches the simplest: truth, straightforwardness, masculinity, work, reverence and faith.

Of course, the writer addressed these final words of the story, first of all, to his contemporaries - Russian people who, by the will of fate, found themselves in a foreign land, trying to maintain the cheerfulness of the spirit of their compatriots, help them to adequately go through the thorns of exile life, help them to remain Russian. But in the same way, these words are addressed to us, readers of the beginning of the 21st century ...

Boris Zaitsev is a famous Russian writer and publicist of the early 20th century, who ended his life in exile. He is widely known for his works on Christian themes. Especially critics note "The Life of Sergius of Radonezh", where the writer outlined his point of view on the life of the saint.

Boris Zaitsev: biography

The writer was born into a noble family on January 29 (February 10), 1881 in the city of Orel. Father often took little Boris with him to work at mining plants. However, most of his childhood was spent in the family estate near Kaluga, Zaitsev later described this time as an idyllic observation of nature and communication with relatives. Despite the well-being of his family, Zaitsev also saw a different life - the ruined nobility, the slowly developing factory production, the gradually emptying estates, the deserted peasant fields, the provincial Kaluga. All this will later be reflected in his work, showing how much this situation influenced the formation of the personality of the future writer.

Until the age of 11, Zaitsev was homeschooled, then he was sent to the Kaluga real school, from which he graduated in 1898. In the same year he entered the Moscow Technical Institute. However, already in 1899, Zaitsev was expelled from the educational institution as a participant in student unrest.

But already in 1902, Boris Konstantinovich entered the Faculty of Law, which, however, also did not graduate. This is due to the fact that the writer leaves for Italy, where he is fascinated by antiquities and art.

The beginning of creativity

Zaitsev Boris Konstantinovich began to write at the age of 17. And already in 1901 he published the story "On the Road" in the magazine "Courier". From 1904 to 1906 he worked as a correspondent for the Pravda magazine. In the same magazine, his stories "Dream" and "Mist" were published. In addition, the mystical story Quiet Dawns was published in the New Way magazine.

The writer's first collection of short stories was published in 1903. It was dedicated to describing the life of the noble intelligentsia, vegetating in the backwoods, the destruction of noble estates, the devastation of fields, the destructive and terrible city life.

Even at the beginning of his career, Zaitsev was lucky to meet such eminent writers as A.P. Chekhov and L.N. Andreev. Fate brought the writer to Anton Pavlovich in Yalta in 1900, and a year later he met Andreev. Both writers were of great help in the beginning of Zaitsev's literary career.

At this time, Boris Konstantinovich lives in Moscow, is a member of the Literary and Artistic Circle, publishes the Zori magazine, and is a member of the Society of Russian Literature Lovers.

Journey to Italy

In 1904, Boris Zaitsev went to this country for the first time. This country greatly impressed the writer, later he even called it his spiritual homeland. He spent a lot of time there in the pre-war years. Many Italian impressions formed the basis of Zaitsev's works. Thus, in 1922, a collection called "Raphael" was published, which included a series of essays and impressions about Italy.

In 1912, Zaitsev married. Soon his daughter Natalya is born.

World War I

During the First World War, Boris Zaitsev graduated from the Alexander Military School. And as soon as the February Revolution ended, he was promoted to officer. However, due to pneumonia, he did not get to the front. And he lived during the war in the Pritykino estate with his wife and daughter.

After the end of the war, Zaitsev and his family returned to Moscow, where he was immediately appointed chairman of the All-Russian Union of Writers. Also at one time he worked part-time at the Writers' Cooperative Shop.

Emigration

In 1922, Zaitsev fell ill with typhus. The disease was severe, and for a speedy rehabilitation, he decides to go abroad. He receives a visa and goes first to Berlin, and then to Italy.

Boris Zaitsev is an émigré writer. It was from this time that the foreign stage in his work began. By this time, he had already managed to feel the strong influence of the philosophical views of N. Berdyaev, and this dramatically changes the creative direction of the writer. If earlier the works of Zaitsev belonged to pantheism and paganism, now they have a clear Christian orientation. For example, the story "The Golden Pattern", the collection "Renaissance", essays on the life of the saints "Athos" and "Valaam", etc.

The Second World War

In himself, Boris Zaitsev turns to his diary entries and begins to publish them. So, in the newspaper "Vozrozhdenie" his series "Days" is published. However, already in 1940, when Germany occupied France, all Zaitsev's publications ceased. For the rest of the war, nothing was said about the writer's work in newspapers and magazines. Boris Konstantinovich himself remained aloof from politics and war. As soon as Germany was defeated, he again returned to the old religious and philosophical topics and in 1945 published the story "King David".

Last years of life and death

In 1947, Zaitsev Boris Konstantinovich began working in the Parisian newspaper Russkaya Mysl. In the same year he became chairman of the Union of Russian Writers in France. This position remained with him until the last days of his life. Such gatherings were common in European countries where the Russian creative intelligentsia emigrated after the February Revolution.

In 1959, he began a correspondence with Boris Pasternak, while simultaneously collaborating with the Munich almanac Bridges.

In 1964, the story "The River of Time" by Boris Zaitsev was published. This is the last published work of the writer, completing his career. A collection of the author's short stories with the same title will be published later.

However, Zaitsev's life did not stop there. In 1957, his wife suffers a severe stroke, the writer remains with her inseparably.

The writer himself died at the age of 91 in Paris on January 21, 1972. His body was buried in the cemetery of Saint-Genevieve-des-Bois, where many Russian emigrants who moved to France are buried.

Boris Zaitsev: books

Zaitsev's work is usually divided into two large stages: pre-emigrant and post-emigrant. This is due not to the fact that the place of residence of the writer has changed, but to the fact that the semantic orientation of his works has radically changed. If in the first period the writer turned more to pagan and pantheistic motifs, described the gloom of the revolution that took possession of the souls of people, then in the second period he devoted all his attention to Christian themes.

It should be noted that the works relating specifically to the second stage of Zaitsev's work are most famous. In addition, it was the emigrant time that became the most fruitful in the life of the author. So, over the years, about 30 books were published and about 800 more works appeared on the pages of magazines.

This is mainly due to the fact that Zaitsev concentrated all his energies on literary activity. In addition to writing his works, he is engaged in journalism and translations. Also in the 50s, the writer was a member of the Commission for the translation of the New Testament into Russian.

The trilogy "Gleb's Journey" was especially famous. This is an autobiographical work in which the writer describes the childhood and youth of a person who was born at a turning point for Russia. The biography ends in 1930, when the hero realizes his connection with the holy great martyr Gleb.

"Reverend Sergius of Radonezh"

Boris Zaitsev turned to the lives of the saints. Sergius of Radonezh became a hero for him, on the example of which he showed the transformation of an ordinary person into a saint. Zaitsev managed to create a more vivid and lively image of the saint than he is described in other lives, thereby making Sergius more understandable to the average reader.

It can be said that the religious searches of the author himself were embodied in this work. Zaitsev himself understood for himself how a person can gain holiness through a gradual spiritual transformation. The writer himself, like his hero, went through several stages on the way to realizing true holiness, and all his steps were reflected in his work.

Foreword

Let's take a look at his life.

Paris, 1924

SPRING

Sergius's childhood, in his parent's house, is in a fog for us. Nevertheless, a certain general spirit can be caught from the messages of Epiphanius, a student of Sergius, his first biographer.

There are fluctuations in the year of the saint's birth: 1314-1322. The biographer muffled, contradictory talks about this.

Be that as it may, it is known that on May 3, a son was born to Mary. The priest gave him the name of Bartholomew, after the day of the celebration of this saint.

The special shade that distinguishes him lies on the child from early childhood.

Now he - very dejected by failures - found not what he was looking for. Under an oak tree I met "an elder of the Chernoryets, with the rank of presbyter." Obviously, the old man understood him.

What do you want, boy?

Bartholomew, through tears, spoke about his grief and asked to pray that God would help him overcome the letter.

This is given to you as a sign of grace and for understanding.

Holy Scripture. From now on, you will master literacy better than brothers and comrades.

From that time on, Bartholomew moved on, already read any book without hesitation, and Epiphanius claims that he even overtook his comrades.

Excellent relationship with family. Of course, the mother (or maybe the father) had long felt something special in him. But it seemed that he was too exhausted. She begs him not to force himself. He objects. Perhaps, because of his gifts, disagreements and reproaches also came out (just an assumption), but what a sense of proportion! The son remains just an obedient son, life emphasizes this, and the facts confirm it. Bartholomew found harmony, in which he was himself, without perverting his appearance, but without breaking with also, obviously, clear parents. There was no ecstasy in him, as there was in Francis of Assisi. If he were blessed, then on Russian soil this would mean b: holy fool. But precisely foolishness is alien to him. Living, he reckoned with life, with his family, the spirit of his native home, just as the family reckoned with him. Therefore, the fate of flight and separation is inapplicable to him.

And internally, during these years of adolescence, early youth, he naturally accumulated the desire to leave the lower and middle world for the higher world, the world of unclouded contemplation and direct communion with God.

This was to be realized in other places, not where he spent his childhood.

PERFORMANCE

It is difficult to say when human life was easy. You can make a mistake when naming the light periods, but it seems that you can’t make a mistake in the dark ones. And without risk you will begin to assert that the fourteenth century, the times of the Tatar region, lay like a stone on the heart of the people.

True, the terrible invasions of the thirteenth century ceased. Khans won, ruled. Relative silence. And yet: tribute, Baskaks, irresponsibility and lack of rights even before the Tatar merchants, even before the Mongol rogues, not to mention the authorities. And just a little - a punitive expedition: "always the army of Akhmulov was," "the great army of Turalykov," which means: atrocities, violence, robbery and blood.

But even in Russia itself, a painful and difficult process was going on: "gathering up the land." Yuri and Ivan (Kalita) Danilovichi "collected" the Russian land with not very clean hands. The deep sadness of history, the self-justification of the rapists - "everything is in the blood!" Did Yuri understand or not, when during his time in the Horde his rival, Mikhail of Tverskoy, was under the yoke for a month, that he was doing the work of history, or Kalita, treacherously ruining Alexander Mikhailovich? "High politics", or simply "raised" their Moscow fiefdom - in any case, they were not shy about means. history for them. In a hundred years, Moscow is unshakable...

Reverend Sergius of Radonezh

According to ancient legend, the estate of the parents of Sergius of Radonezh, the boyars of Rostov Cyril and Mary, was located in the vicinity of Rostov the Great, on the way to Yaroslavl. Parents, "noble boyars", apparently, lived simply, they were quiet, calm people, with a strong and serious way of life.

Although Kirill accompanied the princes of Rostov to the Horde more than once, as a trusted, close person, he himself did not live well. It is impossible to speak of any luxury, licentiousness of the later landowner. Rather, on the contrary, one might think that domestic life is closer to that of a peasant: as a boy, Sergius (and then Bartholomew) was sent for horses in the field. This means that he knew how to confuse them and turn them around. And leading to some stump, grabbing the bangs, jump up, triumphantly trot home. Perhaps he chased them at night too. And, of course, he was not a barchuk.

Parents can be imagined as respectable and fair people, religious to a high degree. They helped the poor and willingly accepted wanderers.

On May 3, a son was born to Mary. The priest gave him the name of Bartholomew, after the day of the celebration of this saint. The special shade that distinguishes him lies on the child from early childhood.

And now, a village picture, so close and so understandable six hundred years later! The foals wandered somewhere and disappeared. Father sent Bartholomew to look for them, probably the boy had wandered like this more than once, through the fields, in the forest, perhaps by the shore of Lake Rostov and called them, patted them with a whip, dragged halters. With all the love of Bartholomew for loneliness, nature, and for all his daydreaming, he, of course, conscientiously performed every task - this feature marked his whole life.

Now he - very dejected by failures - found not what he was looking for. Under an oak tree, I met "an elder of the Black Sea, with the rank of presbyter." Obviously, the old man understood him.

What do you want, boy?

Bartholomew, through tears, spoke about his grief and asked to pray that God would help him overcome the letter.

This is given to you as a token of grace and for the understanding of Holy Scripture. From now on, you will master literacy better than brothers and comrades.

And the guest was fed, at dinner they told about the signs over his son. The elder again confirmed that now Bartholomew would begin to understand Holy Scripture well and would overcome reading.

After the death of his parents, Bartholomew himself went to the Khotkovo-Pokrovsky Monastery, where his widowed brother Stefan was already monastic. Striving for "the strictest monasticism", for desert living, he did not stay here for long and, having convinced Stefan, together with him founded the desert on the banks of the Konchura River, on Makovets hill in the middle of the deaf Radonezh forest, where he built (about 1335) a small wooden church in the name of Holy Trinity, on the site of which there is now a cathedral church also in the name of the Holy Trinity.

Unable to withstand a too harsh and ascetic lifestyle, Stefan soon left for the Moscow Epiphany Monastery, where he later became abbot. Bartholomew, left all alone, called on a certain hegumen Mitrofan and received tonsure from him under the name of Sergius, since on that day the memory of the martyrs Sergius and Bacchus was celebrated. He was 23 years old.

Having performed the rite of tonsure, Mitrofan introduced Sergius to St. Secrets. Sergius spent seven days without going out in his “church”, praying, “tasting” nothing, except for the prosphora that Mitrofan gave. And when the time came for Mitrofan to leave, he asked his blessings for the desert life.

The abbot supported him and reassured him as much as he could. And the young monk was left alone among his gloomy forests.

Images of beasts and vile reptiles arose before him. They rushed at him with a whistle, gnashing of teeth. One night, according to the story of the monk, when in his “church” he “sang Matins,” Satan himself suddenly entered through the wall, with him a whole “regiment of demons.” They chased him away, threatened, attacked. He prayed. (“Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered…”) The demons disappeared.

Will he survive in a formidable forest, in a wretched cell? The autumn and winter blizzards on his Makovice must have been terrible! After all, Stefan could not stand it. But Sergius is not like that. He is stubborn, patient, and he is "loving God."

So he lived, all alone, for some time.

Sergius once saw a huge bear near the cells, weak from hunger. And regretted it. He brought a loaf of bread from the cell, gave it - from his childhood, after all, he was, like his parents, "strangely acceptable." The furry wanderer ate peacefully. Then I started visiting him. Sergius always served. And the bear became tame.

But no matter how lonely the monk was at that time, there were rumors about his hermitage. And now people began to appear, asking to be taken to them, to be saved together. Sergius responded. He pointed to the difficulty of life, the hardships associated with it. Stefan's example was still alive for him. Still, he gave in. And took a few...

Twelve cells were built. They surrounded it with a tyn to protect it from animals. The cells stood under huge pines and firs. The stumps of freshly felled trees stuck out. Between them, the brethren planted their modest garden. They lived quietly and harshly.

Sergius set an example in everything. He himself cut cells, dragged logs, carried water in two water carriers uphill, ground with hand millstones, baked bread, cooked food, cut and sewed clothes. And he must have been a good carpenter by now. In summer and winter he walked in the same clothes, neither frost took him, nor heat. Bodily, despite the meager food, he was very strong, "had strength against two people."

He was the first in the service.

So the years went by. The community lived unquestionably under Sergius. The monastery grew, became more complex and had to take shape. The brethren wanted Sergius to become abbot. And he refused.

The desire to be abbess, - he said, - is the beginning and root of the love of power.

But the brethren persisted. Several times the elders “approached” him, persuaded him, persuaded him. After all, Sergius himself founded the hermitage, he himself built the church; who should be abbot, celebrate the liturgy.

The insistence turned almost into threats: the brethren declared that if there was no abbot, everyone would disperse. Then Sergius, spending his usual sense of proportion, yielded, but also relatively.

I wish, - said, - it is better to study than to teach; it is better to obey than to rule; but I fear the judgment of God; I do not know what is pleasing to God; the holy will of the Lord be done!

And he decided not to argue - to transfer the matter to the discretion of the church authorities.

Metropolitan Alexy was not in Moscow at that time. Sergius, with two of the elders of the brethren, went on foot to his deputy, Bishop Athanasius, in Pereslavl-Zalessky.

Sergius returned with a clear assignment from the Church - to educate and lead his deserted family. He took care of it. But he did not change his own life as abbess at all: he rolled candles himself, cooked kutya, prepared prosphora, ground wheat for them.

In the fifties, Archimandrite Simon from the Smolensk region came to him, having heard about his holy life. Simon was the first to bring funds to the monastery. They allowed the construction of a new, larger church of the Holy Trinity.

Since then, the number of novices began to grow. The cells began to be placed in a certain order. Sergius' activities expanded. Sergius did not cut his hair immediately. He observed, studied intently the mental development of the newcomer.

Despite the construction of a new church, the increase in the number of monks, the monastery is still strict and poor. Everyone exists on their own, there is no common meal, pantries, barns. It was customary that a monk spend time in his cell either praying, or meditating on his sins, checking his behavior, or reading St. books, rewriting them, iconography - but not in conversations.

The industriousness of the boy and young man Bartholomew remained unchanged in the abbot. According to the well-known precept. Paul, he demanded labor from the monks and forbade them to go out for alms.

Sergius monastery continued to be the poorest. The necessities were often lacking: wine for celebrating Liturgy, wax for candles, lamp oil… Liturgy was sometimes postponed. Instead of candles - torches. Often there was no handful of flour, no bread, no salt, not to mention seasonings - butter, etc.

In one of the attacks of need, there were dissatisfied people in the monastery. Starved for two days - murmured.

Here, - the monk said to the monk on behalf of everyone, - we looked at you and obeyed, and now we have to die of hunger, because you forbid us to go out into the world to beg. Let's endure another day, and tomorrow we will all leave here and never return: we are unable to endure such poverty, such rotten bread.

Sergius turned to the brethren with an admonition. But before he had time to finish it, a knock was heard at the monastery gates; the porter saw through the window that they had brought a lot of bread. He himself was very hungry, but still he ran to Sergius.

Father, they brought a lot of loaves, bless them to accept. Here, according to your holy prayers, they are at the gate.

Sergius blessed, and several wagons loaded with baked bread, fish and various food entered the monastery gates. Sergius rejoiced and said:

Well, you hungry ones, feed our breadwinners, invite them to share a common meal with us.

He ordered to hit the beater, everyone to go to church, serve a thanksgiving service. And only after the prayer he blessed to sit down for a meal. The loaves turned out to be warm, soft, as if they had just come out of the oven.

The monastery did not need now, as before. And Sergius was still just as simple - poor, poor and indifferent to the benefits, as he remained until his death. Neither power nor various "differences" occupied him at all. A quiet voice, quiet movements, the face of the deceased, the holy Great Russian carpenter. In it are our rye and cornflowers, birch trees and mirrored waters, swallows and crosses and the incomparable fragrance of Russia. Everything is raised to the utmost lightness, purity.

Many came from afar just to look at the reverend. This is the time when the "old man" is heard throughout Russia, when he approaches Met. Alexy, settles disputes, performs a grandiose mission to spread monasteries.

The monk wanted a stricter order, closer to the early Christian community. All are equal and all are poor equally. Nobody has anything. The monastery lives in a community.

The activity of Sergius was expanded and complicated by innovation. It was necessary to build new buildings - a refectory, a bakery, pantries, barns, housekeeping, etc. Previously, his leadership was only spiritual - monks went to him as a confessor, for confession, for support and guidance.

All able to work had to work. Private property is strictly prohibited.

In order to manage the more complex community, Sergius chose his assistants and distributed duties among them. The first person after the abbot was considered the cellar. This position was first established in Russian monasteries by St. Theodosius of the Caves. Kelar was in charge of the treasury, deanery and economy - not only inside the monastery. When the estates appeared, he was also in charge of their lives. Rules and court cases.

Already under Sergius, apparently, there was their own arable farming - there are arable fields around the monastery, partly they are cultivated by monks, partly by hired peasants, partly by those who want to work for the monastery. So the cellar has a lot of worries.

One of the first cells of the Lavra was St. Nikon, later abbot.

The most experienced in spiritual life were appointed as confessors. He is the confessor of the brethren. Savva Storozhevsky, the founder of the monastery near Zvenigorod, was one of the first confessors. Later, Epiphanius, the biographer of Sergius, received this position.

The ecclesiarch supervised the order in the church. Lesser positions: paraecclesiarch - kept the church clean, canonarch - led the "kliros obedience" and kept the liturgical books.

So they lived and worked in the monastery of Sergius, now already glorified, with roads laid to it, where it was possible to stop and stay for a while - whether for ordinary people or for a prince.

Two metropolitans, both wonderful, fill the age: Peter and Alexy. Hegumen Ratsky Peter, a Volhynian by birth, the first Russian metropolitan, based in the north - first in Vladimir, then in Moscow. Peter the first blessed Moscow. For her, in fact, he laid down his whole life. It is he who travels to the Horde, obtains from Uzbek a protective letter for the clergy, and constantly helps the Prince.

Metropolitan Alexy - from the high-ranking, ancient boyars of the city of Chernigov. His fathers and grandfathers shared with the prince the work of managing and defending the state. On the icons they are depicted side by side: Peter, Alexy, in white hoods, faces darkened from time to time, narrow and long, gray beards ... Two tireless creators and workers, two “protectors” and “patrons” of Moscow.

Etc. Sergius under Peter was still a boy, he lived with Alexy for many years in harmony and friendship. But St. Sergius was a hermit and a "prayer book", a lover of the forest, silence - his life path is different. Is he, from childhood - departed from the malice of this world, to live at court, in Moscow, to rule, sometimes to intrigue, to appoint, dismiss, threaten! Metropolitan Alexy often comes to his Lavra - perhaps to rest with a quiet person - from struggle, unrest and politics.

Saint Sergius came into life when the Tatars were already breaking down. The times of Batu, the ruin of Vladimir, Kyiv, the battle of the City - everything is far away. There are two processes going on, the Horde is decomposing, the young Russian state is getting stronger. The horde is crushed, Russia is united. The Horde has several rivals vying for power. They cut each other, postpone, leave, weakening the strength of the whole. In Russia, on the contrary, it is an ascent.

In the meantime, Mamai advanced in the Horde and became khan. He gathered the entire Volga Horde, hired the Khivans, Yases and Burtases, conspired with the Genoese, the Lithuanian prince Jagello - in the summer he laid his camp at the mouth of the Voronezh River. Jagiello was waiting.

The time is dangerous for Dimitri.

Until now, Sergius has been a quiet hermit, a carpenter, a modest abbot and educator, a saint. Now he faced a difficult task: blessings on the blood. Would Christ bless for a war, even a national one?

On August 18, Dimitri, with Prince Vladimir of Serpukhov, princes of other regions and governors, arrived at the Lavra. Probably, it was both solemn and deeply serious: Russia really gathered. Moscow, Vladimir, Suzdal, Serpukhov, Rostov, Nizhny Novgorod, Belozersk, Murom, Pskov with Andrey Olgerdovich - for the first time such forces have been moved. Moved not in vain. Everyone understood this.

The prayer began. During the service, messengers arrived - the war was going on in the Lavra - they reported on the movement of the enemy, warned to hurry. Sergius begged Demetrius to stay for the meal. Here he said to him:

The time has not yet come for you to wear the crown of victory with eternal sleep; but for many, without number, wreaths of martyrdom are woven to your employees.

After the meal, the monk blessed the prince and the whole retinue, sprinkled St. water.

Go, don't be afraid. God will help you.

And, bending down, he whispered in his ear: "You will win."

There is something majestic, with a tragic tinge, in the fact that Sergius gave two hermit monks as assistants to Prince Sergius: Peresvet and Oslyabya. They were warriors in the world and went to the Tatars without helmets, shells - in the form of a schema, with white crosses on monastic clothes. Obviously, this gave the army of Demetrius a sacred crusading appearance.

On the 20th Dimitri was already in Kolomna. On the 26-27th, the Russians crossed the Oka, Ryazan land advanced to the Don. On the 6th of September it was reached. And they hesitated. Whether to wait for the Tatars, whether to cross?

Senior, experienced governors suggested: wait here. Mamai is strong, Lithuania is with him, and Prince Oleg Ryazansky. Demetrius, contrary to the advice, crossed the Don. The way back was cut off, which means everything forward, victory or death.

Sergius these days was also in the highest rise. And in time he sent a letter after the prince: “Go, sir, go ahead, God and the Holy Trinity will help!”

According to legend, Peresvet, long ready for death, jumped out to the call of the Tatar hero, and, having grappled with Chelubey, struck him, he himself fell. A general battle began, on a gigantic front for those times, ten miles away. Sergius correctly said: "Martyr's wreaths are woven for many." A lot of them were woven.

The monk, at these hours, prayed with the brethren in his church. He talked about the course of the battle. He called the fallen and recited prayers for the dead. And in the end he said: "We won."

Sergius came to his Makovitsa as a modest and obscure young man, Bartholomew, and left as a most illustrious elder. Before the monk, there was a forest on Makovitsa, a spring nearby, and bears lived in the wilds in the neighborhood. And when he died, the place stood out sharply from the forests and from Russia. On Makovitsa stood a monastery - the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, one of the four laurels of our country. Forests cleared around, fields appeared, rye, oats, villages. Even under Sergius, a deaf hillock in the forests of Radonezh became a light-attractive for thousands. Sergius founded not only his own monastery and did not act from it alone. There are countless abodes that arose with his blessing, founded by his disciples - and imbued with his spirit.

Trinity Sergius Lavra

So, the young man Bartholomew, having retired to the forests on "Makovitsa", turned out to be the founder of a monastery, then monasteries, then monasticism in general in a vast country.

Leaving no scriptures behind him, Sergius allegedly does not teach anything. But he teaches precisely with his whole appearance: to one he is a consolation and refreshment, to another - a mute reproach. Sergius silently teaches the simplest: truth, straightforwardness, masculinity, work, reverence and faith.

About prp. Sergius of Radonezh, see also.