The monastery of Borovsk. Father Vlasius is the monastery of Borovsk. The elder of the monastery of Borovsk

The history of the monastery of Pafnutiev Borovsky, as well as the fate of its founder, reflect amazing events. They are mentioned in the annals of the Russian land. Monument to the state glory and spiritual shrine is the House of the Nativity of the Most-Pure Mother of God and the great wonder-worker Pafnutia.

The initial stage of the spiritual development of the founder of the monastery

The Borovsk monastery is named after the Monk Paphnutia, who was born in the village of Kudinovo (about 4 kilometers from the town of Borovsk) in a family distinguished by piety. At the moment of baptism, the miracle worker was given the name of Parthenius. He had a grandfather, who, according to ancient traditions, was a Tatar baskak, who accepted the Orthodox faith. When Parfeniya was twenty years old, he entered the High-Pokrovsky Borovsky Monastery, where he was tonsured and given a new name - Paphnutius. The abbot, noticing the young man's heartfelt desire, appointed him a mentor - the old man Nikita, who for nineteen years was the ruler of the Vysotsky Serpukhov Monastery and went to the disciples of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

The life of the saint

In twenty years of high spiritual life, Paphnutius has grown spiritually to the level of a "learned husband". Metropolitan Photius, who oversaw all Orthodox monasteries in Russia, honored him with the honor of becoming the hegumen of the monastery. In 1444 the monk left the Pokrovsky monastery at the behest of God. He settled not far away, in a deserted place, where the river Isterma flows into Protva, three versts from Borovsk. Soon there was also created a monastery. Later, the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin was built, built at the behest of Metropolitan Jonah.

Voluntary renunciation of Paphnutia from worldly life was not extremely harsh, but he strictly observed all church deaneries, rules, regulations. Being the guardian of canons, he did not recognize Metropolitan Jonah, since he was elected, but not approved by the Patriarch of Constantinople, who stood above all monasteries in Russia.

Holy Acts of the Pathonium

The foundation date of the monastery of Borovsk is 1444. Paphnutius called him the house of the most pure Mother of God. In the chosen field the saint carried out his activity for more than thirty years. He consecrated the monastery with his prayers and labor, gathered in him a brotherhood and brought up everyone in obedience and fear before God.

After receiving Paphnuti from the Lord's notice of his imminent demise, he spent the remaining time in unceasing prayers and fasting, instructing the disciples. The Monk laid his hopes on his own soul and on his entrusted monastery on God and His Most Blessed Mother. He lived, pleasing the Lord with the life of an ascetic, 82 years old. During this time, Paphnutius gathered a brotherhood of ninety-five people.

Veneration of the saint in life

In relation to the laity, the Monk Paphnuti was stern. He refused to accept gifts and letters from the boyars and princes. Despite the fact that Orthodox monasteries were then opened in Russia in considerable numbers, it was the monastery of Paphnutia that enjoyed great popularity. He was especially venerated by some great princes, which elevated the monk to the rank of family saint. Ivan the Terrible himself was allegedly born thanks to the prayers of the elder of Paphnutius. The king named his name among a number of great saints, who were guarded by all the male monasteries in Moscow (they were also Cyril Belozersky and Sergius of Radonezh).

For 18 years, the Monk Paphnutia underwent ionic education Iosif Volotsky. Subsequently, he became a great church figure. Joseph headed the Borovsk monastery after the repose of Paphnutius in 1477.

The novices and supporters of the great saint

To the ear of Paphnutia are:

1. Joseph Vassian Sanin, who became the author of the description of the life of the Reverend.

2. The Monk David, who founded the Ascension Desert.

3. Godfather of Ivan the Terrible.

4. The Monk Daniel, who founded the Trinity Monastery on the territory of Pereyaslavl-Zalessky.

Paphnuti approved the unification under the rule of Moscow's principalities, and therefore he was supported by the heads of the feudal monarchy. In 1467, the Borovsk monastery was replenished with a stone cathedral named after the Nativity of the Virgin. To decorate it was invited the well-known icon painter Mitrofaniy. The great thinker and artist had a great influence on the formation of a special handicraft tradition in the monastery. Among those who deeply felt it, was St. Macarius. He is also a venerable old man of Paphnutius. Later Makarii headed the Russian Orthodox Church (from 1542 to 1563).

Veneration of Paphnutia after death

The elder of the Borovsky monastery betrayed his soul to God's hands on May 1 (according to the old calendar style) in 1477, in the evening, one hour before sunset.

The Lord created through his servant many miracles, leaving to subsequent generations an example of life that pleases Him. About Pafnutii the sacred memory has remained till today. By God's will his abode was repeatedly saved from ruin. At the present time, the Lord also reveals a saint as a prayer book and a priest for all people who come to Him with love and faith.

The beginning of the great history of the monastery

In the sixteenth century, Pafnutiev (Borovsky) monastery became one of the richest and most famous in Russia. It was there that in 1513, in the summer, before moving out in the direction of Smolensk, the main forces of the state army, headed by Vasily the Third, stopped. Monasteries of the Kaluga region at that time were not sufficiently protected from the invasion of attacking opponents. But this changed soon enough. Already in the second half of the sixteenth century, the Borovsk monastery was surrounded by stone walls and equipped with towers. He occupied an advantageous strategic position on the south-western approaches to Moscow. The walls and towers suffered considerably during the Great Troubles, but were restored in the seventeenth century by a native of Kashin Shaturin Trofim, who was a hereditary bricklayer and a true master of his craft.

The architecture of the monastery

At the monastery in 1511 the church of the Nativity of Christ was erected. It also built a majestic refectory. At the end of the same century the Cathedral church was rebuilt. He became one of the most perfect at the time. Five-domed, having four pillars, the Borovsk monastery had such an architecture in which the characteristic features of the Archangel Cathedral, part of the Moscow Kremlin, were clearly traced. In 1651, he was painted with frescoes, and in 1651 built a northern chapel named after St. Great Martyr Irina. The composition of the architecture of the cathedral itself was disturbed in the nineteenth century by the conversion of domes and the creation of the vestibule.

Great Losses

When False Dmitry II came to Borovsk in July 1610, called by the people of the Tushinsky thief, his troops did not have enough strength and opportunity to take the fortress-monastery. It happened only when the warlord-traitors opened the gates themselves. An unequal battle occurred in the monastery. The strength of thousands of troops were exterminated by all the local residents who took shelter in the monastery, and the brethren. Prince Volkonsky Michael, who headed the defense, was killed in battle in the Cathedral church. Archimandrites Nikon (abbot of the monastery) and Joseph, who was the defender of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, also died. The attacking soldiers stole all the riches. At the same time, letters of commendation and documents of the monastery were burnt in the fire. It was in recognition of the veneration of the memory of the feat of Prince Volkonsky and about this defense that Borovsk had its own coat of arms. It shows a symbol of fidelity - a heart with a cross in the frame of a laurel wreath.

Flowering after mournful times

After the ruin of Pafnutiev, the monastery was not only restored, but also survived the heyday. It happened in the seventeenth century. At that time, the architectural ensemble of the monastery was formed, which almost did not change until now. His visitors in the 19th century noted that he was very well-groomed, he felt a special calmness, silence and tranquility. In the 17th and 19th centuries, Pafnutiev (Borovsky) monastery was famous for its rare frescoes and icons, rich in library and sacristy. To the monastery in 1744 were attributed 11,000 peasants. Up to the present day, the names of the outstanding ascetics of that time did not reach. However, based on the kind of spirit in the monastery, how its quiet life is adjusted, one can understand how measured and quiet in the works of obedience and monastic services their life proceeded.

Prisoners

In 1666-1667 in the prison of the Borovsk monastery contained the infamous archpriest Avvakum. Then he was exiled to the prison of Pustozerye. Also in custody in the monastery prison, according to the decrees of the sovereign, was the boyar Morozova, who persisted in the schism. In addition, the prison contained her sister Urusova and the wife of the Streltsy colonel Danilov. These victims of the propaganda of the schismatics in the autumn of 1675 here and died of hunger.

Changes

The monastery flourished even after all the devastation. This could not prevent the triple raids of the army of Napoleon in 1812. Just as in 1610, then the man's monastery was plundered (photo of the monastery of Pafnutia you can see in the article) and burned the library. But the biggest ruin was ahead. In 1932 the monastery was closed. On its territory was placed a museum. Later the monastery was turned into a labor colony. Then she was equipped for the mechanization school, where she was trained in agriculture. The monastic necropolis was demolished, and in its place in 1935 the school building was erected.

Revival of the monastery could not prevent anything. And Saint Paphnutius contributed to this. On the night of May 13 to May 14, 1954, on the day of the commemoration of the Monk, the central dome of the Nativity Cathedral collapsed. The technician standing in the church belonging to the school was crushed. Restoration work began in 1960.

Establishing spirituality

The agricultural technical school was removed from the territory of the Borovsk monastery in 1991. In the summer of the same year, the first inhabitants began to come to it. Symbolic was the appointment of the first governor of the monastery abbot of Nikon (in the world of Khudyakov). He was the spiritual son of Archimandrite Ambrose. That, in turn, was the last who remained of the monastery's brotherhood, which existed before its closure. So the spiritual succession was preserved. The Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah, in which part of the relics of the Monk Paphnutius was placed, was consecrated in 1991, on the thirteenth of April. It was brought by Metropolitan of Borovsk and Kaluga Clement from the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery, where it had been preserved before.

In the summer of 1994, the cathedral finally began the long-awaited festive and solemn divine services. It built an iconostasis, consisting of three tiers, and built a chapel in honor of Paphnutia. The bells were put in place in 1996.

The sacred magnetism of the monastery

In 1994, two jubilee dates crossed - five hundred and fifty years from the inception of the monastery and six hundredth from the birth of the Monk Paphnutius. On this occasion, the Borovsky Monastery was visited by Alexy the Second - the patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. He performed a procession and solemn worship.

The place of the ancient monastery, which was founded in the middle of the fifteenth century by Pafnuti Borowski, is still picturesque and quiet to this day. Since the beginning of the monastery, it attracts, like a magnet, pilgrims from different parts of Russia and abroad (both near and far), who visit the monastery for rest from everyday burdens. They come to rest in the monastery walls from pressing problems, to throw off the burden of everyday cares from their shoulders, to enjoy the inner silence of the place, which has been nourished for centuries.

Divine services and pilgrimage

What is famous for the Kaluga region? Borovsk monastery, which is located on its territory, is a place of pilgrimage for residents of nearby settlements, as well as other cities and countries. Even from Moscow they go there to worship the relics of Paphnutius and defend the service, which is governed by Father Vlasius. Borovskoy Monastery publishes a schedule of its daily worship services in its own newspaper "Bulletin", and even on the Internet on the official website. At the monastery there is a functioning children's Sunday school. Also in the monastery you can listen to lectures for adults, carry out a joint viewing of films about the clergy and discuss them. In 2011, the Orthodox community of the Borovsk region was established in the monastery, which helps to unite young people based on the ideals of serving the community and neighbors.

Help gifted children and adolescents

In the summer period, groups of children-scouts and young artists are accepted in the monastery, who are trained in the art school of Kaluga. They carry out practical exercises in the area. Over the past few years, a children's campground patriotic Orthodox camp has been organized in the monastery, called "Stratilat". Every year more than forty people rest in it. On the basis of the camp, since 2011, the "Pafnutyevgrad" gathering has already been held three times, in which young Orthodox people took part.

Activities and celebrations of the holy place

Printing activity is actively carried out in Pafnutievsky Monastery. It publishes a magazine for children "Korablik", a newspaper for parents and teachers "Borovskiy enlightener", a weekly "Vestnik" and books of spiritual orientation. Throughout the year, pilgrims can make excursions to the monastery, where the book and icon shops, the library, work. In addition, the Borovsk Monastery is considered the largest organizer of district educational readings. This annual event for parishioners is aimed at the development of morality and spiritual values among the population. During the great holidays, such as the Memorial Day of the Monk Paphnutia and the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, tables are set in the monastery in the refectory for all comers.

Kaluga region, the monastery. Father of Blasius

Schiarkhimandrite Vlasius (in the world of Peregonians) was born on February 8, 1934. The family of the faithful was a believer. His grandmother is a schemer. She brought up Vlasy in piety and faith from an early age. This had to be concealed during the times of Soviet power. After school Peregontsev entered the medical institute of Smolensk. The future priest went secretly to pray in the cathedral.

Information was reported to the rector of the institute, after which the persecution of a believing student began. This became unacceptable for Peregontsev, and as a result he decided to leave school and leave for the Tambov region. There he met Father Ilarion (Fisherman), from which he received an offer to leave for the Transcarpathian region. Upon arrival at the monastery of St. Laurus and Flora, the former student changed his name. The reason for this decision was the announcement of his all-Union search. A few years after this, Vlasius was tonsured in the mantle of the same-named Saint Sebastian.

The beginning of the spiritual path Peregontsev

Since 1991 and up to the present time is headed by the elder Vlasiy Borovsky monastery. But how did he attain the title of schiarchimandrite? Becoming a spiritual man, the unsuccessful physician was in obedience to the cell-attendant of Father Ilarion. During the persecution of the Church, when Khrushchev was in power, the monastery was closed. Vlasiy was forced to return to Smolensk and restore the documents. Representatives of the legal authority suggested that he leave monasticism and continue his studies at the institute, but he refused. Vlasius was awarded a reception from Archbishop Gideon, who took him to his cathedral. The future schiarchimandrite began the ministry by cleaning the altar. Later he became a psalm-reader, then a regent, a deacon, after a priest and a cell-attendant. When Gideon was transferred to the diocese of Novosibirsk in 1972, his father went to Siberia with him. Later he was appointed to serve in the Tobolsky Intercession Cathedral.

The last abode of the Elder

When in 1991 the Metropolitan of Kaluga and Borovo Clement blessed Vlasy for the patronage of Pafnutiev's monastery, more and more people began to visit him. They all needed spiritual help. In 1998, the father of Vlasius Borovsky monastery left and went to Mount Athos. There, among the monks, he lived for five years. Then he again returned to Pafnutiev Monastery, where he is still. Meetings with Father Vlasy are being sought by thousands of parishioners from all over the world. Some come to the elders to get rid of incurable ailments, others - to get life advice for solving important worldly affairs. Many find spiritual support in his person. For each parishioner, Vlasy finds an intelligible simple answer.

Modern divisions

Not far from the walls of the monastery, in the pine park, on the hill there is a subsidiary farm. It is a full-fledged farm with living quarters for staff, a hayloft, a farmyard with cows, horses, pigs, a poultry house, fields and a pond.

On the first floor of the refectory of the monastery there is a prosphorona, as well as a bakery. In them for the needs of the brethren and pilgrims bread, biscuits, buns, pies are made. The bulk of the work is done manually. Also, the technology of preparing the dough for leaven without the addition of yeast, which was used in the old days, was restored.