Monastery St. Savva Storozhevsky in Zvenigorod is destroyed due to an abnormally warm winter

According to the words of St. Silouan of Athos, praying for people means shedding blood. But a worldly person prays little, said the ascetic, but a monk prays constantly. “Thanks to the monks, prayer never stops on earth; and this is the benefit of the whole world; for the world stands by prayer, and when prayer weakens, then the world will perish,” asserted the elder, our compatriot, who labored on Holy Mount Athos at the end of the 19th - first half of the 20th century.

Monks, looking for a place of strict solitude, where they could devote all their strength to the acquisition of unceasing prayer, went to monasteries. In former times, many of them lived under the spiritual guidance of elders, abandoning their will, desires and completely relying on the will of their spiritual leader. Today it is difficult to find both elders and silent places. And yet the monasteries in our monasteries are being revived. Some, however, take on the functions of subsidiary farming of the monastery. But there are monasteries in which the sprouts of spiritual life - vigilance and prayer, reading the Holy Fathers - make their way through the “thicket” of the hectic worries of modern life.

How the monastery of St. Savva, created at the Savvino-Storozhevsky stauropegial monastery, is developing, we talked about this with the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Savva (Fateev), the monastery leader, Abbot Theodosius (Chinadel), and hieromonk Korniliy (Gaponenko), who labors in the monastery.

The abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Savva (Fateev):

– Before I talk about the present day of the monastery, I must turn to the origins of its revival. It, like all the shrines of the Russian Orthodox Church handed over to it in different years after decades of atheism, was difficult. The monastery, built a kilometer from the monastery in 1862 on the site of a cave (which, according to legend, was dug by the Monk Savva himself and where he spent the last two years of his life in fasting and prayer), was in a deplorable state. During the years of Soviet power, out of 17 buildings, 15 were destroyed. Only the Small Skete and a two-story building remained, turned into a military dormitory. People also lived in the church of St. Savva. In 1998, celebrations were to take place in honor of the 600th anniversary of the monastery and the return to it of the venerable relics of St. Savva of Storozhevsky, the Zvenigorod wonderworker. The brothers put a lot of effort into finishing the so-called conservation work by the fall. And on August 24, 1998, the first Divine Liturgy after the godless period was held in the skete church.

“But later it turned out to be dangerous to perform services here.” I remember how the Orthodox media reported with alarm about the intensification of landslide processes: the monastery was gradually sliding towards the Storozhka River, and fundamental blocks were falling out of the base of the church altar. Did the whole world save the monastery?

– Indeed, the whole world. It was just on the eve of the second significant date - the 600th anniversary of the repose of St. Savva. And His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, knowing the state of affairs, called for the restoration of the national shrine, giving the monastery its former significance, its former splendor and spiritual value. Many benefactors responded. One of them, Moscow businessman Gennady Petrovich Bulgakov, undertook to completely restore the dormitory building, which was in a dilapidated state. Thanks to the assistance of Alexander Georgievich Gladyshev, who at that time was the head of the Odintsovo district, a fence was made for the monastery, a two-lane road leading to it, as well as paving stones near the monastery building and the temple. An even greater merit of Alexander Georgievich is the strengthening of the creeping western slope with the help of underground concrete pillars. The repair and construction company "Resma" did a conscientious job: its highly qualified workers carried out the restoration of the temple inside and out. A colossal job has been done!

– And then the cave of St. Savva was restored, where do people now go and go to pray to the Zvenigorod miracle worker?

- Yes. The source of St. Sava was also renewed and a bathhouse was built.

- Father, please tell me, on what basis is the monastery commander appointed?

– It is important that this is a person striving for prayerful work. A person who acutely feels responsibility both for the spiritual life of the monastery (so that the prayer rule is performed there every day), and for maintaining the appearance of the monastery in proper condition. When I was appointed acting abbot of the monastery in February 2006, Father Theodosius was already the monastery commander. And all these years I have seen that, in addition to being a man of prayer and a good preacher, he tries to exactly fulfill the blessing of the governor, and does nothing without a blessing.

– Who else labors in the monastery of St. Sava?

– Hieromonk Korniliy (Gaponenko) is a quiet monk focused on internal work, devoting a lot of time to prayer and reading the Holy Fathers; monk Arseny (Kanygin), who also strives for prayer. Feeling that the prayer rule performed in the monastery was not enough for him, that he wanted to think about his soul away from the worldly bustle created by pilgrims, he began to ask to go to the monastery. We tested it for a long time, because the Holy Fathers did not recommend that the brethren immediately leave the cenobitic monastery and spoke out against haste in such matters. After some time, the Spiritual Council of the monastery decided to bless Father Arseny for the monastery life. And recently we blessed another resident there - monk Savvaty (Trifonov). There are few chores there: in winter, for example, you need to remove snow, in summer and autumn you need to take care of a small vegetable garden and several beehives, and prepare firewood for the cold season. So there is enough time left for deep prayer.

– Father Savva, is there access to the monastery for lay people who want answers to spiritual questions?

– Lay people are not allowed into classical monasteries, based on the rules of strict communal regulations. We have, one might say, a somewhat non-statutory rule: every Saturday lay people also come to the Divine Liturgy at the skete church of St. Savva.

The head of the hermitage, Abbot Theodosius (Chinadel):

– The temple in the name of St. Savva of Storozhevsky, built over the saint’s prayer cave, stands in a ravine, and sandy slopes hang over it. The church was consecrated by the zealous guardian of Orthodoxy, Saint Philaret (Drozdov) in May 1858. The monastery was once visited by Emperor Alexander II, Empress Maria Alexandrovna, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and the Venerable Martyr Elisaveta Feodorovna. It's scary to think that we could lose this shrine! There are many reasons for the critical condition of the building. One of them was a violation of the water drainage system. Deep wells were dug in the sandy slopes so that spring waters would flow there and not put pressure on the foundation, but after the 1917 revolution these wells were abandoned. The church vaults began to crack. It was necessary to carry out large-scale engineering and repair work.

They began to carry them out, as a result of which it was possible to thoroughly strengthen the foundation of the church. The mountain itself had to be drilled in many places and tubes about ten to twelve meters long had to be driven in there, and the solution had to be poured into them. This was done so that the mountain would not creep and put pressure on the temple. Also, so that the mountain would not put pressure on the ground, so much of this sand was removed from under the temple, which stood on the sand - in carts, by hand! A basement was made under the temple, which reduced the load on it. But these are engineering subtleties. The main thing is that the temple was saved! And the two-story stone fraternal building was overhauled, its “stuffing” was completely changed.

- Father, we managed to strengthen the walls, we managed to defeat the devastation. How is spiritual life strengthened in the monastery?

– Spiritual building has turned out to be the most difficult thing these days. The impoverishment of monasticism and mentors of smart work is a reality of the time that cannot be discounted. And yet, falling into the mortal sin of despondency because of this is also impermissible. Despite the fact that the enemy of the human race directs the world toward distracted attention, which catastrophically removes a person from God, modern monasticism has the opportunity to pray intimately and improve spiritually. And the monk who strives for Christian perfection must take full advantage of this opportunity.

Hieromonk Korniliy (Gaponenko):

– I am firmly convinced that first of all we should strive to educate ourselves, and then instruct other people. One must strive to first go through the path of spiritual warfare, which everyone who wants to bear the good yoke of Christ enters. I’m reading “The Diaries of Saint Righteous John of Kronstadt” and I see: being the same person as us, he achieved holiness through a constant struggle with sinful passions. Every day, every hour, he fought so that the Gospel commandment would be fulfilled, and he won!

Our monastery has a good library, the collection of which amounts to 6.5 thousand volumes. But in my monastery I have my own reference books, which I read and re-read and notice amazing things (although the will of God is always amazing): when I make an effort to act as the spirit-bearing fathers advise in their writings: the venerable one who lived in the 6th century Abba Dorotheos or the famous Russian ascetic, spiritual writer of the 19th century St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), or almost our contemporaries the Valaam elder schema-abbot Ioann (Alekseev) and Abbot Nikon (Vorobiev) - everything turns out as they say. If I act contrary to their advice, I get the opposite. That is, their works, reflections, and letters were truly written under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And the Lord tests me in practice: did I understand what I read only with my mind or did my heart also agree? How many times has the Lord sent me such life trials so that all this is consolidated in practice!

On this day we witnessed an unpleasant scene that marred our acquaintance with the monastery of St. Savva of Storozhevsky. Near the two-story building on the territory of the monastery (there are the monks’ cells, the house church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, where services are held on the days of memory of the great saint of God), excited loud voices were heard. Three men walked leisurely along the path and talked about restaurant bills and types of whiskey. What kind of silence is there? The abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Savva, said that, apparently, it is necessary to allocate some space inside the fenced territory of the monastery (and this, according to him, is a considerable territory), where lay people could not enter, so that the monks would not suffer from the unceremoniousness of the outside world and would preserve your internal structure.

When asked how he sees the future of the skete, Father Savva replied that, God willing, night services will begin to be held in the skete, as on Athos. At night, prayer will ascend into the sky from that blessed corner of the Russian land, where the first abbot of the Storozhevsky monastery, Saint Savva, a disciple of St. Sergius of Radonezh, more than six centuries ago dug himself a cramped cave for silent living and performed a feat of prayer.

Interviewed by Nina Stavitskaya
Photographer Vladimir Khodakov

In one of the most picturesque corners of the Moscow region, near ancient Zvenigorod, under the canopy of centuries-old linden trees the white walls of an Orthodox monastery lie. Over the six centuries of its existence, the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery has experienced many events. The arrival of St. Savva on the Zvenigorod land and the gathering of the first brethren to this day remain a legendary and unattainably bright period in the history of the monastery. The stable, secure situation in the 15th-16th centuries was destroyed by fires and robberies of the Time of Troubles. The heyday of the monastery under the first Romanovs gave way to economic decline in the 18th century, and the prosperous state of the 19th century was replaced by the ruin of Soviet times. But, despite the devastation, the prayers of the churches and the blessed past attracted the Orthodox here.
“Even in the most difficult years of trials, our long-suffering people found consolation in prayer and believed in the revival of the spiritual principles and faith of Christ in our Fatherland. These prayers are now coming true, and we are witnesses to the resumption of monastic life in many holy monasteries and, in particular, in the monastery , founded by the Monk Savva Storozhevsky,” noted His Holiness Patriarch Alexy at the celebrations of the 600th anniversary of the founding of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery on August 22, 1998.
From that moment on, a new page was opened in the chronicle of the monastery.
...The chambers of the abbot of the monastery, whose duties are now performed by Abbot Savva, are located in the ancient building of the palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The interior of the reception room is monastically modest, but cozy. Through the small windows in the thick palace walls, the rays of the setting sun peek into the office. Hegumen Savva offers a hospitable gesture to make himself more comfortable. His busy schedule carved out ten minutes for conversation.

- Your Reverence, it is known that next year the 600th anniversary of the death of St. Savva of Storozhevsky will be officially celebrated. But according to some assumptions, the date of the saint’s repose is 1406. How would you comment on these discrepancies?
- We can talk about the opinion of some historians, according to which the death of the Monk Sava dates back to December 1406. There are probably reasons and arguments for such a statement. The search continues, painstaking research in archival documents continues. This process is undoubtedly not over yet, but is it worth dragging out the dispute on this issue?
In the main thing - the highest assessment of the Monk Savva Storozhevsky in the spiritual history of our Fatherland, in the formation of Russian statehood - secular historians, cultural workers and the church community are unanimous. Therefore, we accepted the invitation to participate in a scientific and historical conference dedicated to the memory of the saint, which will be held by the Zvenigorod Museum at the end of this year.
- What are the arguments in favor of the statement that the death of the Monk Sava followed in 1407?
- Very compelling. The history of the Church is, first of all, the history of the deeds and exploits of the holy righteous and ascetics. It is natural, therefore, that one should expect both from church history and from the church historian - “after careful examination of everything first,” as the Evangelist Luke writes (Luke 1:3) - a pious narration of events. And here, first of all, church tradition is important to us. And according to it, the date of repose of St. Savva of Storozhevsky falls on December 3/16, 1407. In this context, it is appropriate to remember that the 500th anniversary of the saint’s death was widely celebrated throughout the Russian Empire in 1907.
As an argument, we can cite lines from the Word of St. Dmitry of Rostov “The Repose of St. Savva of Storozhevsky”: “Having taught peace and the last kiss to everyone, Saint Sava, in a good confession, handed over his soul into the hands of God on the 3rd day of December in the year 1407.” . The same date is given in the most popular book of the authoritative Russian spiritual writer of the 19th century, Count Mikhail Vladimirovich Tolstoy, “Stories from the History of the Russian Church”; it is also adhered to by such experts on the history of Zvenigorod as S. Smirnov, B. Ognev, N. Voronin, Yu. Robinov. The list goes on.
- Father Savva, please tell us more about the upcoming celebrations.
- With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Rus', the celebration of the anniversary will take place at the general church and state level. A preliminary program of events for the entire 2007 has already been drawn up. They will begin in January with a theatrical Christmas performance, which will be presented by pupils of the Social Rehabilitation Center of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery. Thematic exhibitions, scientific conferences, a festive evening in the Hall of Church Councils of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, and a bell ringing festival will be offered to the public. There are also sports and children's projects.
We hope that on the day of remembrance of the repose of St. Savva, December 16, 2007, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy will perform a festive service at the monastery and sum up the results of the anniversary year. We intend to show that the spirit of St. Sava, the model of church-state and internal monastic relationships he developed, is alive to this day. I would like to emphasize that the anniversary events prepared by the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery are intended not only for Orthodox believers and people interested in Russian history. They will also be of interest to those who deal with the problems of church-state relations, who are trying to assess the role and place of the Church at the present stage of development of Russian society. Who, after all, is not indifferent to the fate of the Fatherland in the coming millennium.
The fate of the state was often intertwined with the existence of our monastery. Since its foundation, the monastery has served as an example of church-state relations, mutually beneficial cooperation between the clergy and secular authorities. Thus, the Monk Savva instructed and encouraged Prince Yuri Dmitrievich, prayed for him, and he, with great respect and reverence, provided all possible support to the new monastery. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, whose life was saved through the prayerful intercession of St. Sava, elevated the monastery to the status of a Lavra, expanded and decorated it, often stayed here for a long time and even personally led the monastic choir. The sister of Peter I, Princess Sophia, took refuge in Storozh during the Streletsky rebellion, and in gratitude built a spacious Church of the Transfiguration in the monastery. The Holy Great Martyr Elizaveta Feodorovna was very favorable to the monastery and often visited the monastery incognito, donating a special lamp to the relics of the Monk Sava.
But here is an example from today’s life - on the day of the Nativity of Christ in 2004, the monastery was visited by the head of our state V.V. Putin. Constant attention to the monastic needs is provided by His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II, who is the rector of the monastery. Often our guests are ministers and regional heads. The monastery has developed reliable, fruitful cooperation with the Government of the Moscow Region, the administration of the Odintsovo district, and the Zvenigorod authorities.
Thus, supporting each other, relying on moral commandments, spiritual and secular authorities can and should jointly build the edifice of Russian statehood and strengthen the spirituality of the Russian people. It is in such a union that the indestructibility and originality of our earthly Fatherland lies. It is no coincidence that in his Anniversary Message, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy cites words from the service that call St. Savva “the savior of Moscow, the strengthening of the kingdom, and the orphan refuge of all.”
- You mentioned that there is a Social Rehabilitation Center at the monastery. Could you tell us more about it?
- For us, this is a particularly important, one might say, open-ended project, within the framework of which the monastery operates a shelter for “problem” teenagers. However, we do not deny guardianship to children from simply low-income families. Children, deprived of childhood due to life circumstances, sometimes with destinies that are not childishly distorted, are our common pain and concern. Those who have found shelter under the roof of a monastic shelter are always well-fed, clothed, shod, receive a normal education and upbringing, and most importantly, grow spiritually and become stronger under the vigilant pastoral guidance. In terms of social service, the monastery brethren also care for military personnel, prisoners, and the elderly. In addition, the monastery has established theological courses, a pilgrimage center, and a publishing department...
Our conversation is interrupted by an insistent phone call. Father Superior apologizes - nothing can be done, there is no more time to talk...
The celebrations marking the 600th anniversary of the repose of St. Savva of Storozhevsky will cease, a series of majestic services will end, and solemn chants will fall silent. The life of the brethren will return to its previous, peacefully prayerful direction. But the flame of love, hope and spiritual joy will warm and strengthen in the hearts of thousands of Orthodox Christians - those who, with prayer and all possible help, helped the monastery to hold celebrations and glorify the Lord, glorified in His saints. And the realization will come that the Orthodox ascetics of past centuries are our faithful companions and helpers in the coming third millennium.

Interviewed by I. Tarasevich

The need to take urgent measures to save the monastery of St. Savva of Storozhevsky was reported by the housekeeper of the Savvino-Storozhevsky stauropegic monastery, abbot Peter (Dergunov). The buildings of the monastery are being destroyed: due to the abnormally warm winter months, landslide processes have intensified. According to Fr. Peter, the foundation blocks fall out of the base of the altar of the temple of St. Savva. “There is a danger that the altar of this temple and the cave of St. Sava, located under it, can be destroyed,” Father Peter.

The abbot of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, Abbot Savva (Fateev), also expressed concern about the condition of the monastery buildings: “The monastery is gradually sliding towards the Storozhka River. If now we do not attend to solving this problem - strengthening the foundations of the monastery buildings, then we may even lose the greatest shrine of Russian Orthodoxy. We also have a conclusion from experts that due to the thaw of November-December 2006, the process of destruction of the monastery only worsened,” said Abbot Savva.

As Abbot Peter said, in recent years, extensive restoration work has been carried out in the monastery - the monastery was preparing for a memorable date: the 600th anniversary of the repose of St. Savva, which is celebrated in 2007. “Over the past years, the main funds of benefactors have been directed mainly to the restoration of the monastery itself. The monastery was in our position as a “modest relative” - in 1998, when the 600th anniversary of the founding of the monastery was celebrated, conservation work was carried out there. But over the past 8 years, work has been sporadic, because... there were clearly not enough funds to restore the monastery,” the economist noted.

The monastery invited employees of the restoration association “Engineering Geology of Historical Territories”, who examined the condition of the Small Skete and gave a “strict conclusion” ordering urgent measures to be taken within six months. Contractors from well-known restoration organizations were found and they drew up estimates of about 120 million rubles. According to Fr. Peter, this amount is “real, but exorbitant for the monastery,” which, with the help of benefactors, maintains an orphanage (35 boys aged 4 to 17 years), constantly helps the disabled, elderly, street children, and all these social programs are only expanding. However, the monastic brethren do not lose hope and pray for the restoration of the monastery.

The monastery was built a kilometer from the monastery in 1862 at the expense of the merchant Tsurikov on the site of a cave, which, according to legend, was dug by the saint himself. Savva and in which he spent the last two years of his life in fasting and prayer. Temple in the name of St. Savva of Storozhevsky was consecrated by Metropolitan Philaret (Drozdov). Gradually being completed, the monastery by the beginning of the twentieth century. included only 17 buildings: these were stone cells at the temple, a two-story fraternal building with the house church of St. Nicholas and a refectory, wooden cells for monks and pilgrims, and utility rooms. This entire area was surrounded by a brick wall with towers. According to Fr. Peter, the monastery was intended “for the spiritual life of the elderly brethren, who prayed there and worked in their own garden and garden.” During the years of Soviet power, 15 buildings were destroyed, leaving only the Small Skete and a two-story building, turned into a military dormitory. Currently, the brethren live in the monastery under the command of the monastery leader, Abbot Theodosius, but it is prohibited to perform services in the temple due to the critical condition of the building.

“It is necessary to gather all efforts - the brethren, historians, restorers, those in power - in order to prevent the destruction of the shrine and monument of federal significance,” concluded Fr. Peter.

According to the website of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, in the anniversary year of 2007, the following work is planned to be carried out at the monastery of St. Savva: drainage of storm water, terracing of the surrounding terrain with strengthening of slopes and construction of retaining walls in the area adjacent to the monastery, drainage of the upper part of the slope, strengthening of the foundation and walls , waterproofing, etc.

Most recently, the restoration of a national shrine - the monastery of St. Savva of Storozhevsky in Zvenigorod, was called by His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II, while in December 2006 in the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery at the opening of the anniversary year dedicated to the memory of St. Savva, abbot of Storozhevsky, Zvenigorod and all Rus''s miracle worker. “The anniversary celebrations of 2007 should take place not only in the monastery, but also in the revived monastery of St. Sava, which must be restored and to which it must be given its former significance, its former splendor and spiritual value,” noted the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church.

On January 29, for the opening of the XV Christmas International Educational Readings, an icon with images and particles of the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh and his disciple St. Savva of Storozhevsky was brought to the foyer of the State Kremlin Palace, and an exhibition dedicated to the 600th anniversary of the repose of St. Savva, the miracle worker of Zvenigorod and all Russia, was presented. .

On February 1, the day of the discovery of the relics of St. Savva of Storozhevsky, after the Divine Liturgy in the Savvino-Storozhevsky Stavropegic Monastery, a church-scientific conference “St. Savva - “took to Moscow, establishment of the kingdom, a refuge for all sinners” opened, dedicated to the 600th anniversary of the repose of the saint.

The Russian land was rich in many prayer books. One of the most famous contemporaries of St. Sergius of Radonezh is his student Savva Storozhevsky. To this day he enjoys well-deserved fame and love of believers.

Life story

When he was still a young man, he came to the monastery because he decided to devote his whole life to the Lord. His thoughts even then were only in the Kingdom of Heaven, so the saint always left the temple later than all the brethren. Such devotion to Christ could not go unnoticed. The monks made Savva Storozhevsky their confessor - this is a very honorable duty and great responsibility.

• Very quickly, others became aware of the monk’s spiritual gifts. Princes and ordinary people began to come to him - everyone asked for wise advice in spiritual life. Although the monk loved to pray in solitude, he did not always succeed.
• The monk was constantly at work - he himself carried water from the river, setting an example for other residents of the monastery. After all, laziness and idleness are the beginning of many sins.
• The prince instructed the wise priest to found a new monastery, which he did. The monastery was built and consecrated in honor of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary.

Already during his lifetime, the monk possessed the gift of foreseeing future events. For example, he predicted Prince George's victory in battles with the Bulgarians. A few months later, this happened; first of all, the warriors came to thank their mentor.

The old man died at an advanced age. The chronicles do not precisely indicate the date of his birth. He died in 1407. The Church glorified him as a saint more than a hundred years later. The relics of Savva Storozhevsky are currently located in the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, which was founded by the saint himself.

Holy monastery

Although there are a great many monasteries in our country, there are the most famous ones. They are glorified thanks to the great ascetics who lived within their walls. Such a monastery is the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery. The famous place of pilgrimage is located in Zvenigorod; the monastery was founded at the end of the 14th century.

It all started at the request of a local prince with one wooden church that stood on Mount Storozhe. At first, Savva lived there alone in his cave, but like-minded people gathered around him.

• The monastery was located in a strategically important place, protecting the Moscow region from the western side. Many representatives of the royal family liked to pray here - Ivan the Terrible, Alexei Mikhailovich and others.
• After the death of the great monk, a special road was built here, along which kings came to the monastery to pray. Now this is the Rublevo-Uspenskaya highway.
• The monastery housed great shrines - the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God.
• The monastery successfully survived many terrible times, but during the years of the Bolshevik revolution it was still closed.
• There was a huge bell here, whose message could be heard even in the capital, but the Bolsheviks destroyed it.

The revival of monastic life began in 1995; today several dozen monks live here.

Reverence

In Orthodox culture, it is customary to purchase images of saints for the home. People believe that these shrines are able to protect them and give them peace of mind. The icon of Savva Storozhevsky is painted in the traditional oriental style.

An old man with a long beard, slightly curly gray hair, and an open forehead, looks directly at the person praying.

• A monk is depicted on a golden background - this is a symbol of the heavenly abodes where the souls of the righteous will dwell. The Orthodox Church believes that there are saints there who, with their prayers, can help those living on earth.
• The monastic mantle is thrown over the vestments, it symbolizes the angelic soul of those who renounce the sinful world.
• With his right hand, the mentor blesses the believers, and in his left hand he holds a scroll (a symbol of wisdom and enlightenment by the Holy Spirit).

Before the image, you can not only say a prayer to the saint, but also sing an akathist to Savva Storozhevsky. This will help to overcome passions, to focus on what is really important - the life of the spirit, its education in Christian virtues.

To venerate the holy relics, believers try to make a pilgrimage to the Church of Savva Storozhevsky, which is located in Zvenigorod. There you can visit the monastery, which is located a little away from the monastery, among the forest. It was above the ravine where prayer feats were performed that the temple was erected. This was done to preserve the memory of the ascetic of the Orthodox faith. Funds for construction were donated by one worthy merchant.

Here the tradition of a procession of the cross was begun, which takes place on the day of church memory of the saint. Many famous people came here to pray. Today the monks try to lead the same strict life, the example of which was set by the Monk Savva. It is believed that through the prayers of the monk one can be healed from illnesses of the body, find peace of mind, and find the right path in life. Through the prayers of St. Sava, have mercy on us, Lord!

Text of the Orthodox prayer to Savva Storozhevsky

O most honorable and sacred head! Citizen of heavenly Jerusalem, abode of the Most Holy Trinity, Reverend Father Savvo! Having great boldness towards the All-Merciful Master, pray for the flock of your fence and for all your children in spirit. Do not remain silent when you cry to the Lord for us and do not despise those who honor you with faith and love. By your intercession, ask the King of those who reign for the peace of the Church, under the sign of the militant cross, for the bishop's splendor, for the good monastics in their labors; protection of this holy monastery, this city and all cities and countries; serenity and peace to the world, deliverance from famine and destruction; comfort and reinforcement for the old and weak, good growth in faith for the young and infants, solid training in the Gospel teaching, and abiding in purity and chastity; mercy and intercession to widows and orphans, joy and return to the captives, healing to those who are sick, peace to the faint-hearted, correction to those who have gone astray, those who sin with a spirit of contrition, those in need, and to all who require grace-filled help, timely help. Do not disgrace us, who come to you with faith, make haste, like a loving father to your children, for us to bear the yoke of Christ in complacency and patience, and guide us all in peace and repentance, to end our lives shamelessly and settle down with hope in the heavenly abode. Where you, through your labors and struggles, are now living with the Angels and Saints, in vain and glorifying God, glorified in the Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Savva Storozhevsky - temple, icon, relics was last modified: June 6th, 2017 by Bogolub

July 7th, 2012

1. Zvenigorod antiquity

So, by a happy coincidence, my journey began from Mozzhinka, where, as already written in the first part, one of the Dyakovo settlements was located. Unfortunately, it was not possible to find its exact location according to the instructions in the “Archaeological Map of Russia”... partly due to the fact that the bank of the Moscow River in the near Moscow region is a tasty morsel for all sorts of rich people, partly because. that the dachas of the Russian Academy of Sciences, located in Mozzhinka, are now fenced with all kinds of fences, and finally, for the most part due to the fact that the road to the proposed settlement went through an impassable windfall on the slope of a ravine, which, combined with a sleepless night, the scorching sun and a heavy backpack, was a significant aggravating factor circumstance. The name of this place - Mozzhinka - attracts attention with its non-Slavic sound. Could it shed light on the linguistic affiliation of the more ancient inhabitants of the region? E. M. Pospelov traces the name to the Russian non-calendar name Mozzha ("Geographical names of the Moscow region. Toponymic dictionary.", Moscow, 2007, p. 367). However, one of the local residents who was in our Kupala company told us that the village was named after the Mozzha River, as well as a funny folk toponymic legend that this was because robbers once lived here, “braining” everyone’s heads. We will not focus on this version (it’s like Yakhroma from the princess who exclaimed “I’m lame!” and other stories that have nothing to do with reality). Unfortunately, apart from a single oral testimony, I was unable to find information about the Mozzhe stream that flows here... But there is the Mozzhinka River, which flows at the junction of Bashkiria, Tataria, Udmurtia and Perm. Is it possible that this toponym has a Finno-Ugric origin? In this case, I won’t undertake to judge.

The photograph does not convey the steepness of this ravine very well.

Then there was a four-kilometer trek to the Zvenigorod Gorodok through the territory of the city itself, along the main road, frankly speaking, without much pleasure, and in the city itself my attention was attracted only by this monument: to Prince Yuri Dmitrievich, the son of Dmitry Donskoy, under whom at the end of the 14th century - At the beginning of the 15th century, the city reached its greatest “flourishing” as a specific administrative and trade center, and to “saint” Savva, the founder of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, with the favor of the same Prince Yuri. This mournful monument personifies our eternal Russian “symphony of authorities,” connecting spiritual tyrants and worldly oppressors ever since. how Russian life was poisoned by the creation of a centralized state and forced baptism into Orthodoxy, carried out on the initiative of the same state... since then, the cross and the scepter have stretched hand in hand over all the sorrows of our land.

On the approaches to Gorodok - the historical center of Zvenigorod, the site of the first princely fortress on the site of the city, Krasnaya Gorka Street is wedged perpendicular to the bed of the Moscow River, going sharply upward. The name, of course, is not accidental. This is the case when the street name directly inherits from a local geographical feature, which is confirmed by the steep rise of this street. In Rus', red hills were called hills that were freed from snow cover in the spring earlier than others and served as a place for pagan folk celebrations. Both in the Moscow region and in many other regions of our country, the name Krasnaya Gorka is quite widespread. This place, significant for the spiritual life of our ancestors, is directly adjacent to the former fortress from the east; there were also urban settlements nearby, located behind the fortress wall.

Climbing Krasnaya Gorka

The Town itself, also known as the Zvenigorod Kremlin, is a small area on a rather steep hill, surrounded on three sides by ravines, and on the fourth by a sharp slope into the Moskva River valley. The town has preserved ancient churches, a well-preserved fortress rampart, which seems downright huge against the backdrop of the melted ramparts of more ancient settlements. Here again the already mentioned fatigue, backpack and heat, along with thirst, made themselves felt sharply. It was just an altered state of consciousness. It seemed to me that I was in the shoes of a medieval wanderer, walking around hundreds of miles of my native land with my dusty boots, not looking for anything, but walking towards and meeting, and again on the way...
Having passed beyond Gorodok, I found myself in a labyrinth of deep ravines, overgrown with dense forest... I marveled at how this city managed to be taken twice by the Tatars and once by the Poles in the Time of Troubles, how their cavalry and foot regiments did not get bogged down in this labyrinth, and were not cut short by the gloomy breaks of the fortress rampart?

By the way, several springs flow directly from the slopes of this hill, which are revered by the people as sacred and healing. There is an approach to the “front” spring, flowing from the side of the road and the main entrance to the Town, and all the conditions for collecting water, which is what the thin but never-ending flow of visitors does there. To be honest, the water from there seemed tasteless and reeked of hydrogen sulfide... Two springs in a more remote place, on the western slope of the hill, produce a much purer and more pristine impression.

Ramparts on Gorodok, view from the inside

One of the springs on the western slope

Now the path lay to the site of the second Dyakovo settlement, which, according to the instructions in the “Archaeological Map”, should have been located “300 meters west of Gorodok, at the branch of the highway to the Svyazist village, 100 m from the riverbed, at the confluence of the ravine into valley"... However, at the supposed place, again it was hardly possible to discern traces of the ancients. perhaps it completely disappeared under the road asphalt and boarding house development. Only a gloomy, blackened wooden statue of the Soviet era, depicting a hero, like a gloomy ancient idol, rises approximately in the place where the ancient “Dyakovites” lived.

I could barely make my way to the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery. It seems that everything was +35, they praised the Sun well the day before! But after a short half-asleep rest at a bus stop in Savvinskaya Sloboda, also, by the way, a very ancient settlement, the same age as the monastery, I began to climb the mountain, at the top of which pointed fortress towers and domes could be seen... To explain why I had to conquer the peaks at every step , as if I were in the Alps, and not on the plain, I’ll clarify that my path generally ran along the course of the Moscow River, along its left bank, where immediately beyond the gentle valley, a little further from the river, a long ridge of hills begins, also running along the river . Many historical sights are located on these hills...

As you may have already guessed, I didn’t venerate any relics, nor did I light a candle :-) though I sinfully bought fresh bread and mead at the church shop, since I hadn’t eaten since the night - I hadn’t drunk (by the way, the prices are holy the fathers are very unmerciful)... I visited the local history museum again and refreshed my memory. This time I looked especially closely at the few exhibited finds from the “house of the dead”, since, to my shame, for the first time I paid due attention to the fact that one of the few Dyakovo funeral monuments is located right here. Then I enjoyed the view from the local observation deck near the monastery wall, the view was truly magnificent, and there was also the coveted shade.

View from the monastery hill. You can imagine the vastness that opens up from the towers!

Collection of finds from the Dyakovo archaeological culture in the Zvenigorod Museum of Local Lore. And in the upper left corner are finds from that very “house of the dead”. The bronze pendants and miniature clay vessels described in the first part of my story

House of the Dead and Fortification on Storozhka

However, the main motive for my visit to the monastery was not the museum or the bread, but the fact that it served as a guide for me to find the most ancient Dyakovo settlement on Zvenigorod land. According to the archaeological map, the Place lay one kilometer north-northwest of the monastery, on the cape of the left bank of the Storozhka. I must say that after two unsuccessful attempts to find the sites of other settlements, I already strongly doubted the success of my enterprise... Here a consultation with the museum curator helped me a little, who suggested where it was easier to walk along the river bank. The left bank of the lodge is, not to say, a steep, but quite noticeable slope several tens of meters long, leading to the very bottom of the river valley. Along the top of this slope there is a road from the monastery to the monastic monastery, the holy spring and the rest house. This greatly facilitated the search - since there could not be a settlement at the very bottom (this does not happen at all. And the map indicates a height of 27-30 meters above the river), you won’t be able to make much money on the slope either, I could only look for suitable flat areas near the river. slope and surrounded by ravines. I didn’t succeed the first time, but then... my gaze fell on the path leading away from the road to the ravine, but at the same time slightly upward, and behold, joyful anticipation gave way to euphoria. when it became clearly visible how the path jumps over the swollen shaft and leads further to a very characteristic area, surrounded on all sides except one by ravines. This is it! Here lived worthy people of bygone years, I stood and looked down at the long wooded slope in the same place where they stood one and a half thousand years ago, in the same place where, centuries later, their descendants brought the ashes of their venerable ancestors. An amazing feeling comes over me every time. when I'm in places like this.

This time, however, my joy was greatly spoiled by a ladle of tar in the form of garbage and an alcohol table, which introduced a feeling of homeless people and desecration into the general atmosphere. We should organize a cleanup there! Having climbed around the settlement and been there for some time, I understood. that we should come back here in a more focused mood...

The path crosses three ramparts, which thousands of years ago were designed to stop the enemy when approaching from the side unprotected by ravines.

Fun table. No, it’s great, of course, but why here and why not at least take the trash with you?!

An excavation pit in the center of the site of the ancient settlement. Perhaps this is where the “house of the dead” was located

Repairing the bridge at Storozhka and leaving

The chronological principle inexorably requires me to put one of the most interesting episodes of the trip at the very end. This time it turned out to be an indecently large number of letters, and then I feel with bitterness that my writing style is becoming more and more heavy and cumbersome from year to year... But I hope someone still reads these lines.

So, from the settlement I went to the holy spring, next to which, as I was told, there should have been a bridge over the river and then I could go to the station of the Ring Railway (BMR), where there was supposed to be an evening train...

But as I was approaching, I saw it. that the bridge had been turned out of place, a crowd of men were busy around, among them a couple of monks and a priest, and a little further away picturesque aunties in headscarves were walking and wailing... I almost mechanically decided to pass by and look for a ford upstream. not that. so that I wouldn’t want to help figure out the bridge. It’s just that I really don’t feel comfortable “in the same boat” with the priests. I have a number of reasons for this. But one of the aunts noticed me and called for help. saying at the same time that the bridge was “carried away by water” (I don’t know, really, what kind of flood they have there at the end of June, that water carries away bridges?). Well, there was no option to refuse, and I joined the collective work. The team was the same: a crowd of about fifteen alcoholic-gopnik-looking peasants with a South Russian or Ukrainian accent, led by the already mentioned representatives of the priesthood. Who were these men? Monastery workers or someone else? It remains a mystery to me. The head was Father Theodosius, abbot of the monastery of St. Sava, there is even something about him on the Internet. He appears to be an Afghanistan veteran. He appeared to me as such a rude, rustic and slightly exalted old man with a gray beard. It was interesting to observe his relationship with the others: he clearly enjoyed a certain authority, although rather precarious and informal.
The activity consisted of pushing and rolling to place in its place a walkway made from three massive, almost impossible to lift, logs and plank flooring... For a long time nothing worked, in the end they somehow put it in place before the tractor arrived. During this time, I managed to get a slap on the wrist from Father Theodosius, either for negligence. or for swearing. In general, the work is not easy. A very bitter episode for me was the moment when, having despaired of coping only with their hands, they decided to place logs under the bridge in order to roll along them. Well, of course, the “crowns of God’s creation”, not seeing the slightest value in the plants, began to cut down living trees on the shore. Now I regret it and my friends reproach me for being embarrassed to photograph Theodosius cutting along the shore with a chainsaw in his hands. Along the way, aunties with scarves ran up to the river and asked Theodosius to bless them, which was quite funny. I didn’t tell them anything about the trees. It was clear that from this audience I would receive ridicule at best. But then, the bridge became passable and, having embarrassedly listened to Father Theodosius’s praises and gratitude addressed to me, I went to the station with mixed feelings.

On the left, in the background, already across the river, are the brick buildings of the skete of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery. view from the station

The station is a separate story. Dyudkovo station. It is unusual - it is on the Great Moscow Circular Railway, which connects all radial railway lines from the capital and along which mainly freight trains travel. However, electric trains also run three times a day (in different areas in different ways). The stations here are low, the slabs are on the ground. Electric trains consistently run late, and at the entrance, the assistant driver asked me from the step of the cab where I was going - at stations where no one was standing and no one needed to get off, the train simply did not stop. In general, the feeling of a remote railway somewhere very, very deep in the outback... I remembered how last summer I jumped on a train almost on the move in Central Karelia, at the Khimola station... after disembarking from that train, the adventures were over - all I had to do was just get to bed and finally fall into a deep sleep...