The Church calls St. Tikhon, Bishop of Voronezh, Zadonsk and All Russia, a miracle worker, “the collector of the treasure of spiritual wisdom,” the “Russian Chrysostom.” The example of life set by the saints serves as an example of service to the Lord and neighbors, and his works can be called priceless for us. August 26 commemorates the day of glorification and the second finding of the relics of the saint.

The beginning of the spiritual path

The secular name of the future saint was Timothy. He was born in 1724. The place of his birth was the village of Korotsko, Novgorod province. His father - Savva Kirillov - served as a psalmist in the temple. In total, there were six children in the Kirillov family. Very early, the father of a large family died, so they had to live from hand to mouth. Once, the mother even wanted to give Timofey for adoption to a childless neighbor, a former coachman, who promised to leave his property to the boy as an inheritance. However, this was prevented in time by the eldest son of a long-suffering family. Often Timothy had to be hired for a piece of bread by more affluent neighbors: from morning to night he cultivated other people's lands.

At the request of his older brother, at the age of 14, Timothy enters a religious school in Novgorod. Upon admission, he takes the surname Savelyev, obviously, as was given, according to the tradition of those times, to representatives of poor families - after his father. However, the leadership of the school gave him a different surname - Sokolovsky. It is with her that the name Timofey is most often found in the documentation of the educational institution, less often he signed the name Sokolov. Hence the confusion arose regarding the real name of the saint, who during his episcopacy was more inclined to the latter option, as the most Russian. Where did the name Sokolov actually come from? In the first known biography of the saint, belonging to Metropolitan Evgeny Bolkhovitinov, it is indicated that Timothy's father had such a nickname.

In 1740, the school at the bishop's house in Novgorod received a new status - it became a seminary. Here the young man, as one of the most capable students, continued his studies already on state support. “My comrades, the children of rich fathers, will find the furnaces of my bast shoes and will start laughing at me and waving their bast shoes at me, saying: “We magnify you, saint!” The future Voronezh bishop recalled this time.

While still in his senior year at the seminary, Timothy began teaching Greek here, and upon graduation he received a position as a teacher of rhetoric and philosophy. In 1758 he was tonsured a monk with a name in honor. This was preceded by two events, which he himself later recalled and which could have influenced the decision to take the vows. One of them was a night vision after prayer, when the heavens opened up before him for a while. The second happened during the holidays in the Alexander Monastery, where Timothy came to visit. Climbing up the bell tower, the young man leaned on the railing, wanting to get a better look at the beautiful views of the monastery. At the same moment, the railing staggered and fell to the ground, and Timothy seemed to be pushed back by someone. So miraculously he survived. However, the latest event has become an occasion for reflection on the transience of life and.

In the same year, Father Tikhon received the post of prefect of the Theological Seminary. Shortly thereafter, he was ordained first a hierodeacon, and then a hieromonk. Both ordinations were performed in St. Petersburg. In 1759, Father Tikhon was sent to Tver, where, in the rank of archimandrite, he headed the Zheltikov Monastery. However, a transfer to the Assumption Otroch Monastery soon followed, as well as an appointment as rector of the Tver Theological Seminary.

At the Voronezh department

Lots were drawn three times, and three times they got the name of Archimandrite Tikhon

Archimandrite Tikhon received the rank of bishop at the age of 37. It happened on May 13, 1761, and also not without the Providence of God. When they chose a bishop for Novgorod, they decided to do it by lot. Someone suggested adding the name of the rector of the Tver Seminary, Tikhon, to the list of seven other candidates. At first, he was not considered as a candidate because of his too young age, besides, another place was already being prepared for the archimandrite - in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. However, we decided to write it. Lots were drawn three times, and three times they got the same name - Archimandrite Tikhon.

And another important event that foretold him the bishopric preceded this. During the joint divine service, Bishop Athanasius commemorated him before the throne of God precisely as a bishop, and not an archimandrite. It happened by mistake, but soon the mistake became a reality. Archimandrite Tikhon was ordained bishop of Kexholm and Ladoga, with the appointment of a vicar of Novgorod. He held this position for about two years.

The saint took care of the high moral and spiritual character of the pastors

In 1763, the saint, at the request of the Empress Catherine II herself, was appointed to the Voronezh cathedra. He had to work hard here, since the Voronezh diocese was at that time one of the largest and most unsettled. During the four and a half years of his service, Bishop Tikhon managed to accomplish a lot here, putting things in order. The saint paid special attention to the enlightenment of the clergy, he interceded for the availability of spiritual education for children from poor families of clergy. On the basis of the Slavic-Latin school, he created the Voronezh Seminary. The saint was very concerned about the high moral and spiritual character of the pastors. To this end, he wrote and sent to the parishes a series of epistles for the clergy, written in the form of guides and edifying words. Just as zealously, the bishop monitored the spiritual state of his flock. He managed to permanently eradicate a number of pagan customs, including the cult of Yaril, which was deeply rooted in this area. In addition, Saint Tikhon had to struggle with many schismatic manifestations among the people.

The life and labors of the lord at rest

Numerous and selfless labors very quickly undermined the health of the saint, so that in 1767 he was forced to ask to be released to rest. True, this request was granted only after Bishop Tikhon wrote a letter to the Empress. He was given a pension and allowed to choose a place to live. At first, Vladyka moved to the Tolshevsky Monastery near Voronezh. He liked this place very much, first of all, for its solitude and serviceability of services. However, the climate here was unfavorable for his recovery. For this reason, in 1769 the saint moved to the Zadonsk Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery, where he would spend the last 16 years of his life.

In Zadonsk, Bishop Tikhon spends most of his time in prayer and contemplation, he regularly attended divine services, and also engaged in simple physical labor: he looked after the garden, chopped firewood, cultivated the land. Of his property, Vladyka left only the most necessary, he distributed the rest to those in need. Sometimes the bishop visited the Tolshevsky monastery, which he fell in love with, and also lived in the village of Lipovka on the estate of the Bekhteevs. The saint also met with people, but he liked to answer in writing more than to receive visitors or leave his solitude. The latter greatly disturbed peace of mind, which Vladyka highly valued. He also provided various kinds of charity, he himself visited prisoners in dungeons, talked and helped them in any way he could. Obviously, the acute material need experienced in childhood made His Grace Tikhon more sensitive to the grief of others.

Accustomed to vigorous activity, the bishop began to doubt whether he had done the right thing by retiring. Having improved his health a little, he began to seriously consider the proposal of one archbishop to head the Iberian Monastery in Valdai. Then he sent his cell-attendant to the monastery elder Aaron with the question of how best to act, in accordance with the will of God. The elder replied that "The Mother of God does not order to leave the monastery." The Lord reconciled.

Part of the time he spent reading, and he also wrote spiritual compositions and answered letters. Creations were especially close to him, many similarities can be found in the manner of writing of the two saints. The Zadonsk recluse did not publish his works during his lifetime, they were distributed in manuscripts. However, he bequeathed to the layman after his death to transfer all manuscripts to the Holy Synod for consideration. The volume of these works reaches several volumes. The most famous of the saint's writings are the books "On True Christianity" in 2 volumes and "A Spiritual Treasure Collected from the World."

The depth of the works, the importance of the topics raised in them, as well as the beauty and elegance of the style, allowed him to acquire the glory of the “Russian Chrysostom” even during the life of Vladyka. Perhaps for the same reason, a century later, he will become one of the most beloved and revered saints among such classics of Russian literature as N.V. Gogol and F.M. Dostoevsky. The images of the two elders in his works "Demons" and "The Brothers Karamazov" the latter will write precisely from the Zadonsk miracle worker.

He was able to humble himself so much that he bowed at the feet of his cell-attendant at the slightest sign of irritability.

However, in addition to external labors, no less important is the internal struggle that the ruler waged with his passions. It is known that by nature he had an extremely quick-tempered and irritable character. For some time, his cell-attendants often changed, who could not get used to and withstand the strictness of the saint. However, over time, he was able to humble himself so much that he bowed low at the feet of his cell-attendant at the slightest sign of irritability.

Another example is well known. Once, in one of the houses, the saint entered into a discussion with a free-thinking nobleman who had an unrestrained character. In conversation, the nobleman became more and more annoyed, and the lord, sensing this, tried to speak more and more quietly. However, such calmness infuriated the interlocutor even more, so that he finally, unable to stand it, dared to strike Bishop Tikhon on the cheek. Vladyka immediately threw himself at the nobleman's feet, asking for forgiveness for bringing him to such a state. And this nobleman was so struck by the behavior of the saint that he himself fell at his feet and began to beg for forgiveness. Soon that man, realizing his error, became a Christian.

Once the saint tearfully asked the Lord to grant him. After that, he met a local holy fool, and he hit the lord on the cheek with the words "do not be arrogant." In gratitude for the fact that the holy fool humbled him and helped him get rid of his arrogance forever, Bishop Tikhon began to feed him every day and appointed him a small pension. For such high humility, the Lord rewarded His saint with many spiritual gifts, twice she even appeared to him. Holy Mother of God with the apostles.

Eternal peace

As often happened with many righteous people, Saint Tikhon learned about the time of his death in advance. Even three years before his death, he knew exactly how much he had left to live. A coffin was prepared in advance, stored in a closet. Vladyka often thought about how he would appear at the Judgment of God. One day he had a dream in which he was ordered to climb up a high staircase. Not relying on his own strength, the saint at first felt fear, but the people standing at the stairs began to help him, thanks to which he easily climbed up. After another unusual sleepy vision, Bishop Tikhon lost the left side of his body. He accepted this sent sickness as the will of God.

In recent days, he often asked the Lord about the day of his death and received an answer that this would happen “on a weekly day,” that is, on Sunday. And so it happened. Vladyka Tikhon reposed on August 13 (according to the old style), 1783. It was Sunday. Shortly before that, he made his spiritual testament. The bishop asked to bury himself on the way to the altar of the Vladimir church in the monastery, so that his body would thus be trampled underfoot. However, this, of course, could not be done: they buried him under the altar of the temple, in a specially constructed crypt.

Glorification and the second finding of relics

In 1846, 63 years after the burial of the saint, during the construction of a new cathedral in Zadonsk, his body was found without traces of decay. The glorification of the saint took place in 1861. By the providence of God, this happened on the day of his repose - August 13 (26).

In 1919, the relics of St. Tikhon, by order of the Soviet authorities, were removed from the temple, for a long time they were kept as an exhibit in museums, first in Yelets, and then in Orel. For a short period (1947-1960), the shrine was allowed to be placed in the Oryol Epiphany Cathedral, where it was available for veneration by believers. After that, the relics were transferred to the local history museum of the city of Orel. And only in 1988, on the day of the memory of the saint, the second acquisition of relics took place - the shrine returned to the Vladimir Cathedral of the Zadonsky Monastery.

Selected sayings of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk

About faith

A soul that wants to receive living goodness into itself must not put obstacles in the way of Christ in this important and saving work, not turn away from Him, but always look at Him and sigh about it, and endure for Him everything that it pleases it to do.

Faith mystically unites the soul of the faithful with Christ, like a bride with a groom.

When the sun goes down, there will be night and darkness. Then people do not see anything, do not distinguish one thing from another, and walk like blind men, fall into the ditch and do not know how to evade harm. Such is the condition of those souls in whom the light of Christ has not shone!

The will of God happens even without our petition. Therefore, we do not ask God to do what He wants, but we ask that we can do what His will wants.

About virtue

Any exterior without interior is nothing. What does not exist inside, in the heart, does not exist in the essence itself. Virtue is not true virtue if it does not settle in the heart.

Every gift of God turns to our detriment, when from it we seek not God's, but our glory.

Those who work for Jesus also have their reward here. For true virtue itself is the reward of those who have it. For where true virtue is, there is love; where there is love, there is a kind and calm conscience; where there is a calm conscience, there is peace and quiet; where there is peace and tranquility, there is consolation, joy, fun and sweetness.

About sin

Another is a sin from weakness and ignorance, to which even God-fearing people are subject, and another from arbitrariness, from insolence and against conscience, a sin that cannot be otherwise than from a rebellious and fearless heart.

Remember the last four: death, judgment of Christ, hell and the Kingdom of Heaven. Always remembering and rightly thinking about it turns away from sin.

About patience

Christian victory consists in courageous patience. In the battle of this world, he wins who persecutes his enemy and strikes, but in Christian spiritual warfare this does not happen, but everything is opposite to this. Here he wins, who: persecuted - endures, offended - does not take revenge, slandered - blesses, deprived of something - does not seek, reproached - does not reproach, and whoever finds temptation and malice generously endures.

There can be no hope without patience. And where there is true hope, there is patience, and where there is patience, there is hope, because hope is subject to many temptations, just like faith.

Who in patience, in well-being and trouble will be equally constant, he will always remain in silence, peace and peace; and auspicious, sweet, similar and conformable to Christ's life will have a life; and on heavenly earth he will feel joy, and in the temporal life of eternal life he will taste sweetness.

God does not allow us to be tempted beyond our strength. The master lightly strikes a crystal or glass vessel so that it does not break, but beats hard into silver and copper; so the weak are light, but the strong are allowed the most difficult temptation.

Both patience and hope are learned in adversity. Many people think that they have hope in God, but the trouble that has come opens their hope and shows in whom they hope. From whom one seeks help and deliverance in misfortune, in that he believes his hope.

Just as happiness exalts, so misfortune humbles and leads a person to self-knowledge.

About love

We see that in the mirror it is depicted what it refers to. So it is with the human soul: what it turns to and joins with love, then it is depicted in it. In the mirror, when it turns to the sky, one sees the sky; when it turns to the earth, the earth is seen. So is the human soul: when it turns to heaven, the heavenly image is depicted in it, when it clings to the earthly with its love, the earthly and bestial image is depicted in it, and thereby it destroys its nobility and its heavenly beauty.

If you love God, then you must also love the one whom God loves, because when we love someone, we also love the one whom we love.

Just as every deed is dead and indecent without love, so every deed is enlivened by love and favorably happens to everyone. Without love, there can be no good, and where there is love, there is all good.

True love tries with joy and merriment to do good to the beloved and do good without any benefit to itself. In this she is likened to a fruitful tree, which nourishes not itself, but others with its fruits; likened to the earth, which produces fruit not for its own sake, but for our sake; likened to the sun, which is not itself, but shines on us and warms us; or better, it follows that eternal and uncreated Love and Goodness, which gives us all the blessings without any self-interest.

About enmity

Those Christians err and shirk their office, who quarrel with one another and quarrel with one another; nor can they have peace with God as long as they remain in enmity.

Our true enemy is one - the devil, who teaches people to persecute us, and so for the most part he is the cause of our misery, and not people; he drives us through people and torments us, and we must hate him, and sympathize with people for listening to him.

Enemies that persecute, slander, and reproach do us more good than evil; for although the body suffers, it benefits the soul. They also humble us, pride, and vanity, and our conceit overthrow, lead us to the knowledge of ourselves and our weakness.

What a grave sin those Christians commit who offend Christians, since this offense concerns Christ Himself, which is terrible to say; but it really is.

About beauty

“The more the soul is adorned now, the more beauty the body will be honored with after the resurrection”

God is the Beauty of all beauties, whom the holy angels and all God's saints they cannot get enough.

When you judge the beauty and infinite splendor of the majesty of God, then you will know how great, marvelous the beauty and splendor of the human soul, in which there is the image and likeness of God.

The more the soul is adorned now, the more beauty the body will be honored with after the resurrection.

About wisdom

Whoever wants to receive enlightenment from Christ must certainly acknowledge his blindness from the heart, otherwise, just as he was, he will always be blind, although he will know all Holy Scripture by heart, that is, he will know the writing, but he will not understand the power.

Christian wisdom does not consist in the knowledge of God alone, but includes in itself the immaculate life of a Christian. Nor does he know God who does not do the will of God, although he confesses Him with his lips and speaks much about Him.

The first sign of wisdom is to recognize your mistakes.

Wish, Christian, not a long life, as the sons of this age do, but wish a blessed end.

Saint Tikhon, in his biography, appears to us in all his “non-icon painting”: he is energetic and weak, meek and sharp, compassionate and exacting – and all this, not only during his hierarchship, but also at the beginning of the “calm” stage of life, was combined in him practically simultaneously. Truly, the power of God is perfected in weakness.

Another vivid illustrative example of this winged New Testament phrase is, whose talents shone after he seemed to have fallen under his physical weakness and had already been “sentenced” by doctors, but by the grace of God continued to live for many years to comfort and admonish an endless stream of people and all who read his instructions to this day. However, the example is perhaps even clearer in that his infirmities were not limited to the physical plane.

The image of the holy ascetic, providentially afflicted by bodily illness, but at the same time possessing a colossal will, firmness in faith, spiritual composure, and therefore remaining an unshakable rock among the waves of the sea of ​​\u200b\u200blife and demonic temptations, triumphant over all trials - this image was somehow formed in an ordinary church consciousness partly due to hagiographic narratives, partly due to the intuitive desire for some kind of unambiguity and stability ... or at least the illusion of this.

Of course, some ascetic eventually achieves a stable inner state as a result of his life, another in character almost from infancy (or even from the womb) was like that, however, the stage of formation (which may never be crowned with absolutely Adamantine firmness against passions and an eagle soaring above them), with all its contradictions, does not in the least tarnish the image of the saint, for the personal feat of faith, in my humble opinion, only shines brighter against the background of all sorts of infirmities, blunders, passions and falls.

The fight against vice (if this is a fight, and not a coquettish “resistance for the sake of decency”) highlights not vice, but righteousness, albeit falling under the weight of passion, albeit overturned by inattention, but invariably collected, washed, filtered (and thereby imperceptibly for oneself multiplied) and carried further.

Therefore, the characteristic "non-iconic" features of the glorified saints (not to mention those righteous people who were not worthy of canonization, but shone before the Heart Seeker) should not in the least lead to confusion. Moreover, the unretouched faces of the saints help us to see the saints of God next to us, among our neighbors, to see them among those “uncomfortable people” who “do not fit into the canon” (including established patterns of behavior) due to “irregularities character", manifested, for example, in irritability (the costs of a lively response to injustice, hypocrisy, rudeness, cruelty, cynicism, self-satisfied stupidity) or in tactlessness (the costs of compassion, responsiveness and sympathy, a tendency to altruism), in anger (the costs of aversion to evil , intransigence to lies, the ability to actively mobilize to achieve good goals and to fight danger) or, conversely, in passivity (the costs of caution, guided by the principle of "do no harm", a humble view of oneself, awareness of the "pitfalls" due to which in this situation, it is better not to move or make any gestures).

However, the "non-iconic" character traits of our saints are no excuse for us when we want to afford the same. They didn't allow themselves to. They could stumble and even fall, but they did not hesitate to discover and realize their stumbling or fall, they rejected the passions in themselves and struggled with them.

Sometimes you notice how it is a joy for another person to discover that such and such a saint or an outstanding figure was not a stranger to some kind of infirmity. ABOUT! well, if he could afford it - a holy man - what to demand from me: it is all the more excusable for me.

And even more beautiful: if St. Joseph Volotsky demanded to burn heretics, which means that this is acceptable for Christianity; if he advised blocking the mouths of those who blaspheme, “sanctifying the hand with a blow,” then you can dissolve your hands in communication with everyone who in one way or another shows a lack of understanding of our standards of piety, because they are “blasphemers by default”; if he recommended “to crush the enemies of the Fatherland and abhor the enemies of God”, therefore, we should hate the “green light” and “wet it in the toilet” (what can you do, “you can’t throw out a word from a song”, a very significant voicing of the metamorphosis of the patriotic ideal in mass consciousness), or, in translation from “fenya”, to persecute and exponentially crack down on everyone whom we will write down in the category of enemies of labor ... sorry, in the category of enemies of the Fatherland and God (we will, of course, determine the criteria at our discretion, without bothering to study Holy Fathers and religious philosophers, and if by studying, then only in order to catch something from their statements to justify their own, so to speak, concept).

In the same way, it may please some that St. Tikhon Zadonsky was, looking with the naked eye, a lump of infirmities. Not only was he physically an extremely unhealthy person, but in addition, his nervous system was in the trash. He could react very painfully to some violations of morality and piety, get excited, sharply reprimand, punish for it. Here, it would seem, is happiness for those for whom promiscuity is the norm of life: after all, if such a lamp of faith allowed itself to “break away”, then, as they say, God himself ordered me!

However, what happens to another person from bursting malice, because of the grievances accumulated over a lifetime, and also because of pride and vanity, in St. Tikhon was due to the fact that he constantly lived, as it were, with skin torn off.

That's just the point, that did not "allow"! It is one thing when passion overwhelmed us and carried us, but we came to our senses and began to resist the flow that carries us, another thing is when we allow ourselves to indulge in this flow under the pretext of some lofty motives and supposedly for the sake of achieving good goals. After all, when we, having slipped, keep our balance with all our might (and when we fall, we immediately get up), no matter how awkward it looks, this is one thing, and quite another when we allow ourselves to stretch with such a look as if it were no not a fall, but a dance figure.

It is one thing to lose balance by a person carrying an incredible weight on their shoulders, and quite another to lose balance to those who, not being extremely burdened, simply do not bother to follow their own gait and do not particularly look under their feet.

And the burden on the shoulders of St. Tikhon was huge, both because of his initially weak, and rapidly deteriorating health under the burden of ministry, and because of his spiritual burning. He really was a lamp. And the purer his light, the less for him, as they say, earthly nourishment.

If, with his outstanding natural moral and intellectual gifts, he still had at least mediocre health, it is impossible to imagine how much he could have done.

However, the earthly principle in this man of the most powerful spirit, wholly aspiring to the Heavenly Fatherland, was initially very one-sidedly developed: outstanding intellectual abilities, and at the same time extremely poor health, which affected, among other things, his mood, emotional experiences, which he had to constantly overcome, in all likelihood, with no small benefit for "raising the standard" of his spiritual activity.

Truly, the power of God is perfected in weakness. It would seem, by today's standards, who is he? - Yes, a loser!- Answer "an expert by today's standards." - Such chances were given to him from above: three times, during the drawing of lots for the place of vicar of the Novgorod diocese, his name fell out of eight candidates. The providence of God clearly pointed to his calling to the hierarchical service. And what? "Burned out at work" for four years of stay at the Voronezh Department! And then I regretted it, I wanted to return. But all you had to do was look at things realistically, not work to the limit, not try to embrace the immensity and think more about yourself, about your health, about spiritual comfort, i.e. "positive thinking".

In the language of Yevgeny Schwartz (who noticed that “such a royal position that the character deteriorates from it”), St. Tikhon should have “beware”, “learn to look at the world through his fingers”, “put aside everything” and diligently “master the art of shaking shoulders." However, he chose a different path: religious enlightenment and moral correction of pastors and flocks, the eradication of superstitions, and overcoming established vicious practices.

On this path, in four and a half years, he succeeded in many ways, however, this success cost him the chair. Chairs not in the sense of position, status, career, but in the sense of the happiness of archpastoral service to God and the Church. Moreover, he, who so loved the Divine Liturgy, and in particular the Divine Liturgy, became so weak in health that, when he was at rest, he never took Liturgis, only took communion weekly (initially, one of the reasons for his conscious refusal - the main reason, in our opinion - was dangers that happened to him, sudden fainting, which during the celebration of the Liturgy could lead to sad consequences).

Those who like to spy on the infirmities of great people, and then excuse themselves for them, let them try to imitate St. Tikhon in virtues, in his sacrifice, in devoting himself completely without a trace to his service.

Those who justify themselves, their irritability and rudeness, harshness in their treatment - by his nervous breakdowns, let them try to endure such exhausting labors that he endured for the sake of his flock; let them try to treat their neighbors with such love and meekness, as was the usual thing for him (sharp treatment was by no means a style of communication), and with the same humility as he endured ridicule from his subordinates; let them try everyone, in relation to whom they allowed themselves to show irritation, as humbly, sincerely and affectionately as he asks for forgiveness. Weak? .. Then there is nothing to dissemble and defame the memory of the saint, referring to his infirmities.

In his weakness the power of God was perfected. In ours, the name of God is blasphemed.

His early retirement is not something exceptional among the outstanding ecclesiastical writers-bishops of the Russian Church. For example, he ruled the Caucasian and Black Sea diocese for only four years, like St. Tikhon - the Voronezh diocese, and for only seven years he was the ruling bishop, first of the Tambov, then Vladimir dioceses.

At rest, unable to realize himself as a bishop, St. Tikhon, however, continues, as a wise and caring shepherd, to take care of all those who suffer and need admonition, instruction, consolation, support, including material support.

“Tikhon Zadonsky’s tense composure of spirit was combined with some kind of exceptional power of merciful attention and love,” writes archpriest. Georgy Florovsky in "Ways of Russian Theology".

All his pension during his retirement in the Bogoroditsky Zadonsky Monastery went to charity for the needy. In everything he was an example of life according to the commandments of the Gospel, an example of true monastic asceticism.

During his retirement, his loving heart and clear mind continued to bear fruit with written works, thanks to which his concern for his neighbors was not limited to his contemporaries, but also extended to his descendants. On us with you.

Days of Remembrance: July 19 (old style) - August 1 (new style), August 13 (old style) - August 26 (new style) - (repose, second finding of relics)

St. Tikhon of Zadonsk is one of the greatest theologians of the Russian Church, and in a truly patristic sense - theologizing from his own experience. Tikhon Zadonsky had to live in the 18th century - the century of atheism par excellence, where faith was understood as an ethnographic sign of the common people. In Russia, this was complicated by the profound decline of the Church after the Petrine reforms. Averintsev called Tikhon Zadonsky "the main Russian Christologist", and indeed the figure of the Savior, especially the suffering one, occupies a central place in the writings of Tikhon Zadonsky. Another characteristic feature of his work is the fear for the future of Christianity, the understanding of atheism not just as a sin, but as something fundamental in the fate of Europe. Dostoevsky was fascinated by his work: the elder Zosima (especially his theology) was written off, often verbatim, from Tikhon of Zadonsk, and not from Optintsy, as is often thought.

CHILDHOOD AND EDUCATION

The future saint was born in 1724 into the family of the poorest clerk in the village of Korotsk (Valdai district). In the world he was called Timofey Savelyevich Kirillov. Upon entering the Theological School, according to the custom of that time, the surname was changed: he began to sign Sokolovsky or Sokolov.

The father died early and the mother was left with six children: Timothy had 3 brothers and 2 sisters. The family remained in such poverty that one day the mother decided to give her youngest son to a rich coachman who wanted to adopt him. Her eldest son, Peter, who took his father's place as a clerk, begged her not to do this. " We will teach Tim to read, - he said, - and he will be a sexton somewhere! But the years passed, and Timothy often worked all day for the peasants for one piece of black bread.

In 1735, Empress Anna Ioannovna issued a decree ordering to take into soldiers all the half-educated children of representatives of the clergy. This prompted his relatives to send Timofey to the Novgorod Theological School. His mother, already ill, took him, and soon died in Novgorod. Thanks to his older brother Peter, who served as a deacon in Novgorod and took him to his dependency, in 1738 Timofey was enrolled in the school. Two years later, he was admitted to the newly built Theological Seminary, among 200 candidates, out of a total of 1000, as the most capable of science, at public expense. Since that time, he began to receive free bread and boiling water. " It used to happen that when I get bread, I’ll keep half for myself, and sell the other and buy a candle, sit down at the stove with it and read a book. My comrades, children of rich fathers, will find the furnaces of my bast shoes and start laughing at me and waving their bast shoes at me, saying: “We magnify you, saint!“».

Timothy studied at the seminary for almost 14 years, as there was an acute shortage of teachers. Despite all the difficulties, Timothy was one of the best seminary students. He excelled in the Greek language so much that he began to teach it in the same seminary, even before he graduated from it himself! After graduation, for some time he was a teacher of rhetoric and philosophy. But Timothy did not want to marry and get a job as a priest, no matter how his relatives persuaded him.

Later he said that two incidents especially turned his mind and will. Once, standing on the monastery bell tower, he touched the railing, and they collapsed from a great height, so that he barely managed to lean back. The endured danger gave him a vivid feeling of the nearness of death and the perishability of everything momentary. On another occasion, he experienced the feeling of closeness to God one night. Went out on the porch to freshen up a bit. " Suddenly the heavens opened up, - he said, - and I saw such a light that it is impossible to say with a mortal language and grasp with the mind. It was for a short time, and the heavens rose in their form. From this wonderful vision I had a more ardent desire for a solitary life ...»

Monasticism and Ordination as Bishops

In 1758 he was tonsured a monk with the name Tikhon. The following year he was appointed rector of the Tver Seminary, where he lectured on moral theology. Moreover, he read them in Russian, and not in Latin, as was customary before him. In addition to students, many strangers came to his lectures. But ahead of him was waiting for a new, even higher field ...

In 1761, on Easter Day, in St. Petersburg, members of the Holy Synod elected a bishop for Novgorod. One of the seven candidates was to be chosen by lot. The Bishop of Smolensk proposed that the name of the Tver rector Tikhon be also attributed. The First-Present Synod said: Still young...“Who wanted to make Tikhon archimandrite of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, but entered the name. The lot was thrown three times, and each time Tikhon's lot fell out. " That's right, God wants him to be a bishop' said the First Present. On the same day, Bishop Athanasius of Tver, against his will, commemorated him, still an archimandrite, at the Cherubic Hymn as a bishop: May the Lord God remember your bishopric in His Kingdom", - and only then, noticing his slip of the tongue, he added with a smile: " God bless you to be a bishop».

In great agitation, Bishop Tikhon entered Novgorod, the city in which he spent his youth. There he found his elder sister living in great poverty. He received her with brotherly love, wanted to take care of her, but she soon died. The saint was burying her, and in the coffin the sister smiled at him. In Novgorod, her grave was honored.

VORONEZH DEPARTMENT

In 1763 he was transferred to the Voronezh department. The Voronezh diocese, from Orel to the Black Sea, at that time was one of the most difficult for church administration and was considered "wild".

Catherine's reign began with the selection of church estates for the treasury. Monasteries and episcopal houses were assigned an extremely meager maintenance, which is why they fell into disrepair. The bishop's house in Voronezh completely collapsed, the cathedral was destroyed, the broken bells did not ring. Catherine's government was more tolerant of schismatics and sectarians. The schismatics were exempted from the double head salary, churches of the same faith began to appear and schismatic centers were formed in Moscow. In Ukraine, the sects of the Doukhobors, Molokans, Khlysts, and eunuchs flourished. There were many schismatics in the Voronezh diocese. There were also many Cossacks and fugitives there. The people are all violent and dissolute. The French free-thinking ideas of Voltaire and the Encyclopedists were widespread among the upper classes. Russian society was poorly educated and picked up fashionable ideas without criticism and followed them blindly, sometimes to the point of caricature. Blasphemy and stupid antics against the Church were considered a sign of an educated, progressive person. Anyone who did not preach atheism was considered a hardened fanatic and hypocrite. Even on the way to Voronezh, the saint felt very ill; and when he arrived and saw confusion and impoverishment, he asked the Holy Synod to dismiss him for retirement. The Synod did not respect this request, and the saint dutifully carried his cross.

He spent only 4 years and 7 months at the Voronezh department, but his activity as an administrator, teacher and good shepherd was great. He traveled around a huge diocese, almost all covered with dense forests or steppe, often just on horseback. First of all, he set about teaching the clergy, who were uneducated and negligent to the extreme. It is hard to believe that the priests not only did not know the service, but did not even know how to read properly, did not have the Gospel! The saint immediately ordered that, after checking, those who did not know the service and readings were sent to him. All ordered to have on hand New Testament and read it with reverence and diligence.

He preached a lot, including especially for the clergy, calling teachers from the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy for this, publishing books and sending them to the county towns of the diocese. Vladyka constantly participated in the education of future archpastors, opening Slavic schools in all cities, and then establishing two theological schools in Ostrogozhsk and Yelets. In 1765, through his efforts, the Voronezh Slavic-Latin School was transformed into a theological seminary. At the same time, the bishop was the first to ban corporal punishment of clergy in his diocese.

In the very first year of his hierarchal service in Voronezh, Vladyka Tikhon wrote a short sermon "On the Seven Holy Mysteries". Then came labor "Addition to the Priestly Office on the Mystery of Holy Repentance". This essay is of particular interest because in it the saint teaches two approaches to building a confession for the laity: feeling in a person deep repentance and contrition for his sins, the clergyman must encourage and console him, recalling the mercy and forgiveness of God in order to prevent the penetration of despondency in his heart. Otherwise, the priest needs, on the contrary, to remind the person of the judgment, of the posthumous reward, in order to arouse in him regret for sins.

He taught the people to honor God's temple and priests, and from the rich and noble he demanded mercy towards the poor. And morals began to soften. The saint called public festivities, immodest games, drunken fun on holidays a fire that devastates souls.

In formidable sermons, he denounced the atrocities of Shrovetide and especially the pagan holiday "Yarilo". This holiday began from Wednesday after and lasted until Tuesday of Petrovsky Lent. On Wednesday, from early morning, people from Voronezh and the surrounding villages went to the square outside the Moscow Gates, where fair booths with various baits were scattered. A young man in a paper cap decorated with bells, ribbons and flowers, with a whitened and rouged face, portrayed himself as Yarilo. He danced a frantic dance, and a drunken crowd danced and raged behind him. All this was accompanied by fights and swearing. And then one day - it was May 30, 1765 - in the midst of disgrace, the saint suddenly appeared on the square and, menacingly denouncing the "stinking" holiday, threatened with excommunication from the Church. He spoke with such prophetic power and fiery persuasiveness that in an instant, right there, before the eyes of the saint, the crowd smashed booths and shops to pieces and decorously dispersed to their homes. On the following Sunday, the saint delivered a denunciatory sermon in the cathedral, during which the whole church groaned and sobbed loudly. And afterward, many people came to Vladyka in his country house and, on their knees, repented with tears. The Yarile holiday was no longer repeated.

For the people of the poor and beggars to St. Tikhon always had free access. He called the poor (according to the words of Chrysostom) Christ's and his brethren. The people loved their shepherd. They said about him: We must obey him - otherwise he will complain to God«.

AT REST

In the meantime, strenuous labors upset the health of St. Tikhon. He asked for dismissal from his post and spent the last 16 years (1767-1783) of his life in retirement in the Zadonsk monastery.

All the time, with the exception of 4-5 hours of rest, he devoted to prayer, reading the word of God, charity work and compiling soulful essays. Every day he came to the temple. At home, he often fell on his knees and, shedding tears, like the worst sinner, cried out: “ Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy!» Without fail, every day he read several chapters from the Holy Scriptures (especially the prophet Isaiah), and he never went on the road without a small Psalter. All of his 400-ruble pension went to charity, and everything that he received as a gift from friends was also sent here. Often in simple monastic clothes, he went to the nearest city (Yelets) and visited the prisoners of the local prison. He consoled them, disposed them to repentance, and then endowed them with alms. He himself was extremely non-possessive, lived among the simplest and poorest environment. Sitting down at a meager table, he often thought of the poor, who did not have food like him, and began to reproach himself for the fact that, according to his reasoning, he did little work for the Church. Then bitter tears began to flow from his eyes.

The saint, by his nature, was hot-tempered, irritable, and prone to arrogance. He had to work hard to overcome these qualities in himself. He ardently cried out for help to the Lord God and began to prosper in meekness and gentleness. When he heard, passing by, how the monastic servants or the rector sometimes mocked him, he said to himself: “ So God pleases, and I am worthy of it for my sins».

Once he sat on the porch of his cell and was tormented by thoughts of conceit. Suddenly the holy fool Kamenev, surrounded by a crowd of boys, unexpectedly ran up to him and hit him on the cheek, whispering in his ear: Don't be arrogant! And a wonderful thing, the saint immediately felt how the demon of arrogance receded from him. In gratitude for this, Saint Tikhon decided to give the holy fool three kopecks a day.

Another time, in the house of a friend, he entered into a conversation with a Voltairian nobleman and meekly, but so strongly refuted the atheist in everything, that the proud man could not bear it and, forgetting, hit the saint on the cheek. Saint Tikhon threw himself at his feet and began to ask for forgiveness, which irritated him. This humility of the saint had such an effect on the impudent offender that he converted to the Orthodox faith and later became a good Christian.

But the most difficult temptation for the saint was unaccountable anguish and despondency. At such moments, it seems that the Lord is retreating from a person, that everything is immersed in impenetrable darkness, that the heart turns to stone, and prayer stops. There is a feeling that the Lord does not hear, that the Lord turns away His Face. Such a graceless state is unbearably painful, so that monks during such periods move from one monastery to another, and often completely leave the monastic feat. The saint struggled with bouts of despondency by various means. Or he worked physically, digging beds, chopping firewood, mowing grass, or leaving the monastery, or working hard on his compositions, or singing psalms. It often helped in such moments of grief to communicate with friends whom he visited for a long time, sometimes for three months or more. The friends who dispersed the clouds of spiritual sadness of Saint Tikhon were the schemamonk Mitrofan, the Yelets merchant Kuzma Ignatievich, and the elder Feofan, whom the saint called “Feofan, my joy.” The unwise, kind and naive old man often comforted Saint Tikhon with his childlike clarity and simplicity of conversation. But sometimes the gloom was excessive.

Somehow, despondency, reaching the point of despair, attacked the saint, it happened on the 6th week of Great Lent. For eight days he did not leave his cell, did not take any food or drink. Finally he wrote to Kuzma to come at once. He was alarmed and, despite the spring thaw and high water, he immediately arrived. Both the love of a friend who, with danger to his life, answered the call, and the conversation with him completely reassured the saint. And then an incident occurred, which is mentioned by all the biographers of Saint Tikhon: he unexpectedly entered Father Mitrofan's cell and found him and Kuzma Ignatievich at dinner. Both were extremely embarrassed, as they ate fish soup and fish aspic during Lenten time, which was not prescribed by the charter. The saint not only reassured them with the words “Love is higher than fasting,” but he himself tasted the fish soup, which moved them to tears.

In retirement, Saint Tikhon wrote his best spiritual works. The fruit of his reflections on nature and people, which St. Tikhon completed in retirement, were "Spiritual treasure, collected from the world" (1770) And "On True Christianity" (1776).

St. Tikhon carefully concealed his blessed gifts of insight and miracle-working. He could clearly see the thoughts of his interlocutor, predicted the flood of 1777 in St. Petersburg, and in 1778, in the year of the birth of Emperor Alexander I, he predicted many events of his reign and in particular that Russia would be saved, and the Invader (Napoleon) would die.

DEATH

Saint Tikhon dedicated the last years of his life to prayer and almost complete solitude, preparing for death. Three years before his death, he prayed every day: Tell me, Lord, my end". AND quiet voice at dawn he said: On the day of the week". Then he was told in a dream: Try for three more years«.

The saint’s clothes and coffin were prepared for death: he often came to cry over his coffin, which stood secretly from people in a closet: “This is what a man has brought himself to: being created by God immaculate and immortal, like cattle burrow into the ground!”

Shortly before his death, he saw in a dream a high ladder, which he must climb, and many people who followed him and supported him. He realized that this staircase marks his path to the Kingdom of Heaven, and the people are those who listened to him and will remember him.

The saint died on Sunday, as it was announced to him, at the 59th year of his life. August 13, 1783. "His death was so calm that he seemed to fall asleep." His close friend, Bishop Tikhon (Malinin) of Voronezh, was buried. Saint Tikhon was buried in the Zadonsk Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery.

Zadonsky Bogoroditsky Monastery

The Zadonsky Bogoroditsky Monastery, now called the Nativity-Bogoroditsky Diocesan Monastery for Men, was founded at the beginning of the 17th century. Two pious elders-schemamonks of the Sretensky Moscow Monastery, Kirill and Gerasim, arrived on the banks of the Don River with the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and founded a monastery here. The first church built by them in 1630 was dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos. From this begins the history of the monastery, which later gained the glory of Russian Jerusalem.

A few years later, Saint Tikhon appeared in a dream to the schemamonk Mitrofan and said to him: “God wants to glorify me.” The imperishable relics of St. Tikhon were uncovered in 1845, and on August 12, 1861, he was canonized as a saint. During the years of Soviet power, the holy relics of Tikhon of Zadonsk were confiscated. Their second acquisition took place in 1991. Now the relics of the Saint rest in the Bogoroditsky Monastery in the city of Zadonsk, Lipetsk Region.

7 testaments of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk
According to the materials of the Russian Seven portal (

1. Look for happiness in grief

More than once in his writings St. Tikhon emphasized the importance of victory over oneself, calling this very victory the true happiness of a Christian. “Pride, anger with meekness and patience, hatred with love” is conquered by “humility” ... If we remember this lofty goal, it becomes clear how the saint managed to rejoice in numerous disasters - after all, they helped him see the evil that lies in his heart, and therefore overcome it . We also read in Dostoevsky the words of the elder Zosima: “Life will bring you many misfortunes, but you will be happy with them ...”

2. Seek God everywhere

There is no place where God is not present, and it is good to remember this. On the one hand, to be ashamed to sin, on the other hand, so as not to seek approval from anyone but Him: “ He is in every place, but he is not confined by a place: He is with me and with you, and with every person. Although we do not see Him as an invisible spirit, we often feel Him present in our sorrows, helping in temptations, comforting in sorrows, awakening spiritual and holy contritions, desires, movements and thoughts, revealing sins in our conscience, sending us sorrows for our benefit, who comforts the repentant and those who mourn. Before Him, a person does everything that he does, before Him he speaks, before Him he thinks - good or evil.».

3. About the stupidity of sin

Sin is terrible, dark and ... stupid. After all, if you look at it with a clear eye, you will see how you gain nothing by doing it: Every person sins and thus punishes himself! His very sin is his punishment. Offends another - and is offended by himself, stung - and stung, embittered - and embittered, beats - and is beaten, kills - and is killed, deprives - and is deprived, slanders - and is slandered, condemns - and is condemned, blasphemes - and blasphemes, scolds - and is abused, seduces - and is seduced, deceives - and is deceived, humiliates - and is humiliated, laughs - and is ridiculed. In a word, whatever harm he does to his neighbor, he does more harm to himself. So the sinner fills himself with excess the measure that he measures to his neighbor!
“To sin is a human thing, but to persist in sin is a devilish thing.””, - wrote Tikhon Zadonsky, giving hope to the penitent and frightening the sinners.

4. Think before you become a boss

Bosses are a topic both simple and complex, both open and delicate at the same time. It is difficult for the boss, but it is necessary to be a real Christian, conquering his passions. " It is bad and unthinkable to command people, but to be possessed by passions,” writes the saint. Reason and a good conscience are needed for the boss in order not to be like a blind man without a road, and to create, and not to ruin society. “Honor changes the human disposition, but rarely for the better. Many would be saints if they were not honored. Think about this, Christian, and do not take on a burden greater than your strength. Tikhon Zadonsky calls the covetous people the biggest pests of society, saying that they are worse than foreign enemies. “The duty of those in authority is to save, not to destroy».

5. Don't look down

For a boss or not for a boss, it is not easy for anyone to see himself, to find and not be afraid to look into the depths of his conscience. Especially now, when many theories are intertwined without any system in a person’s head, and he knows how to look at everything from ten angles. Saint Tikhon is here, like many holy fathers, for simplicity. And in order to be written simply, he gives a clear metaphor: “ Just as those who look at a valley from a high mountain often do not see the ditches, pits, and sewage flowing through them, so it happens with the high-minded. They, looking down on themselves, see only their surface, and they do not see the disgusting impurities of their hearts, often secret, but no less ugly and vile.».

6. Measure strength by temptations

For those who have severe temptations, the saint advises to rejoice, because God will not allow a person to be tempted beyond his strength. If temptations are growing, this may mean that a person is getting stronger spiritually and can take on more. It can mean God's attention and His love. " The master lightly strikes a crystal or glass vessel so that it does not break, but beats hard into silver and copper; so the weak are light, but the strong are allowed the most difficult temptation».

7. Learn about true love

It seems that both troubles and happiness, according to St. Tikhon, are a sign of God's love for man. And if a person loves Him in return, then he loves everything that the Lord loved. And that means every person. " Such is true love - to love without any self-interest and to do good without hope of retribution.", - writes Tikhon Zadonsky. And he adds of joy: A clear sign of God's love is heartfelt joy in God. For what we love is what we rejoice in. So God's love cannot be without joy". No wonder this bright and loving pastor is prayed in despondency and for a cure for depression, asking him to teach a person to rejoice in God.

Troparion, tone 8
From youth he loved ece Christ, blessed, the image was thou in word, life, love, spirit, faith, purity and humility; the same, and settled in the heavenly cloisters, where standing before the Throne of the Most Holy Trinity, pray, Saint Tikhon, that our souls be saved.

Another troparion, tone 4
Teacher of Orthodoxy, piety to the teacher, preacher of repentance, Chrysostom zealot, good shepherd, new Russian lamp and wonderworker, you saved your flock well, and instructed all of us with your writings; adorned with the same crown of incorruption from the Chief Shepherd, pray to Him that our souls be saved.

Kontakion, tone 8
Receiver of the apostles, adornment of the saints, to the teacher of the Orthodox Church, the Lord of all, pray to grant peace to the universe and great mercy to our souls.

Brief Life of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk

Saint Ti-hon (in the world of Ti-mo-fey) was born in 1724 in the family of the poor-her-she-go with-four-no-ka se-la Ko-rots-ka (Val-dai-sko-go county) and soon after birth-de-niya lost his ro-di-te-la. His childhood and birth passed among a terrible beggar: sometimes he had a whole day to work with a living te-lei kind-no-go se-la ra-di kus-ka bread-ba. He ran from-wa-zhal to-bo-ra in the sol-yes-you and went to study in the New-go-rod-se-mi-na-riya, in someone the swarm therefore became on-becoming-no-one. Some special ben-en-sto-I-tel-stva (wonderful spa-se-ing from mortal danger and some-ry vi-de-niya ) race-by-lo-zhi-whether it to the acceptance of otherness. In 1758, he was cut in a monastery with the name Ti-khon. In the next year, he was appointed by the river-to-rum of the Tver se-mi-na-rii, where he gave lectures on moral-no-bo -th-word-view. Why did he read them in Russian, and not in la-you-no, as it were before him. In addition to the students, at his lectures, there are many other people at his lectures.

In 1761, at the age of 37, hiero-monakh Ti-khon, by explicit order from above, was elected bishop. For about two years, he was a vi-ka-ri-em in New-go-ro-de and about four-you-rekh (1763-1767) self-mo-st-I-tel-but - headed the episcopal department in Vo-ro-no-same. All the time of his episcopacy, he diligently pro-ve-to-the-val and urged-to-the-same subordinate to him the priests no-kov. In Vo-ro-not-the same, from the time of paganism, a holiday was given in honor of Yari-la, combined with a lot of all kinds of demons -chinstvo. One day, the saint, unexpectedly, but appeared on the national square amid the sa-mo-th time-ha-ra ve-se-lya and began about -li-chat demon-chin-no-kov. His word is so in-action-va-lo that the holiday is no longer renewed.

Meanwhile, the intensified labors of the ras-stro-and-whether the health of the saint-te-la Ti-ho-na. He asked for a dismissal from duty and the next 16 years (1767-1783) spent his life in retirement in the Za-Don Moscow on-st-re. All the time, with the exception of 4-5 hours from-dy-ha, he has a sacred prayer, reading the word of God zhiya, de-lam b-go-tvo-ri-tel-no-sti and com-stav-le-niyu soul-she-po-lez-nyh co-chi-no-ny. Every day, but he came to the temple. Before-ma, he often fell on a ko-le-ni and, o-li-va-essing tears, like the heaviest sinner, cried out: “Mr. -dee, goodbye. Lord have mercy!" Without fail, every day he read several chapters from the Holy Pi-sa-niya (especially ben-but pro-ro-ka Is-a-yu), in do-ro-gu never went-dil without a little Psal-ti-ri. All of his 400-ruble pension went to the blessing, and here everything that he received as a gift from the sign whom. Often in simple mo-on-sh-clothes, he went from-right to the nearest city (Yelets) and local prisons. He consoled them, ras-la-gal to po-ka-i-niyu and then on-de-lyal mi-lo-sty-her. He himself was in the highest degree-ne-no-tya-zha-te-len, he lived in the midst of my simple and poor community. Sitting down at a meager table, he often reminisced about poor people who didn’t have someone like him, pro-pi-ta-nia and na- chi-nal reproached himself for the fact that, according to his judgment, he worked a little for the Church. Here bitter tears na-chi-na-li flow from his eyes. By nature, hot and quick-tempered, he was surprisingly short-current and kindly beating. Ke-lei-ni-ku bowed to the earth, asking for forgiveness for some word offended me, and tried to always pay kindly, when someone gave him some kind of insult. Once in the house he knew me, he entered into a be-se-du with one dvor-rya-ni-n vol-teryan-tsem and meek, but so strongly in everything, he denied, without God, that the proud man-lo-century did not endure and, forgetting, hit the saint-te-la on the cheek -ke. Saint Ti-khon threw himself at his feet and began to ask for forgiveness, which led him to annoyance. This is a sm-re-nie holy-ti-te-la so in-action-va-lo on a daring insult-be-te-la that he turned to the right -glorious ve-re and after that became kind hri-sti-a-ni-nom.

Saint Tikhon gave the gift of pro-sight and the performance of miracles, read thoughts of so-be-sed-no-kov. In 1778, when he was born to them-pe-ra-tor Alexander I, the saint pre-said many events of his kingdom -nia, and in particular, that Russia is sparing, and the grip (Na-po-le-he) is dying. “The Lord God in many cases listened to him,” - pi-sal ke-lei-nick saint-te-la Ti-ho-na. Especially-ben-but the saint loved be-se-to-vat with a simple-to-ro-house, comforted him in a difficult time, po-mo-gal ra-zo -ren-nym. From the mo-on-styr-sky slo-bo-dy it is on-ve-shcha-whether de-ti. He taught them to pray, and after the be-se-dy he dressed them with day-ga-mi. Blessed-wife-end-chi-at the holy-te-la Ti-ho-na after-to-va-la on August 13-gu-hundred 1783. In 63 years, would it be from- the roofs of his imperishable relics, and in 1861 he was included among the saints. Among the written works of the saint-ty-te-la Ti-ho-on Za-don-sko-go, a special collection is used in a popular way short-of-the-teachings, full of examples from life, on-zy-va-e-my: “So-kro-vi-sche spirit, from mi -ra co-bi-ra-e-mine.

Full life of saint-ty-te-la Ti-ho-on Za-don-sko-go

When describing the life of the patristic saints, consolation-shi-tel-but and encouragement-ri-tel-but for the hearts of our earthly manifestations Russian favors-no-kov of God-them, it’s clear to-ka-zy-va-yu-shche that it’s not os-ku-de-la and God’s blessing is for us, always vos-pol-nya-yu-shchaya that os-ku-de-va-et in a weak-fight at-ro-de-che-lo-ve-che-sky. And what a celebration for the Church of the right-in-glorious, pro-glory-lyae-my faith-we-my sons-on-my own-and-mi! The Lord crowned them with the crowns of incorruptibility in the witness-de-tel-stvo of their movements and the right-of-use of that Church, which -that-paradise and before-se-le is a pillar and affirmation of is-ti-na.

Pro-is-ho-de-nie St. Ti-ho-na sa-my wretched-goe: his father, Sa-ve-liy Kiril-lov, was a deacon in Nov-go-rod-skaya gu-ber-nii, in the village of Ko- rets-ke (Ko-rots-ke) Val-dai-sko-go county, and left a widow with five little-year-old children. The future saint was born in 1724 and was called Ti-mo-fe-em. Having lost his father in infancy, he remained in the way of ma-te-ri Dom-ni-ki and the elder brother Ev- fi-mia. “How I started to remember myself,” St. Ti-chon later recalled, “in the house with our ma-te-ri (from- I don’t remember my own) there were four of us brothers and two sisters; the big brother of the deacon-to-vu sent off the duty, the middle brother was taken into the military service, and all of us, still young, were -what life is poor-but-sti ... ”With such a lo-of-the-same, Ti-mo-fey, could you, de-yat-sya, get-to-hundred -accurate about-ra-zo-va-nie, yes, for the use of the full-non-niya of the church, should-no-sti in-no-ma-rya. A certain godless, childless yam-schik loved Ti-mo-fairy and wanted to twist his mustache. He repeatedly asked Dom-no-ku about this, promising to resurrect Ti-mo-fairy as a native son. Saint Ti-khon reminisced about this: “My mother, ho-cha and from-ka-zy-va-la to him (yam-shchi-ku) - it would be a pity for her lo give-give me, - but the last under-hundred-current pro-pi-ta-niya nu-dil give it away ... I well-ro-sho remember how, having taken by the hand, she led me to the pit-shchi-ku. The elder brother was not at home at that time. When he returned, he asked his sister: “Where is ma-tush-ka?”. That from-ve-cha-la: "Po-ve-la Ti-shu yam-shi-ku." The brother, having caught up with the ma-tush-ku, stood in front of her on a ko-le-ni and said: . I’d better go with my soo in the world, but I won’t give my brother ... I’m trying to teach him how to read, then he can zhet to ka-koy-no-whether the church-vi opre-de-pouring-sya in the deac-ki or in-no-ma-ri. And ma-tush-ka in-ro-ti-lassed to my place. So the mysterious God's Pro-we-sat down from sa-mo-go from-ro-che-stvo ru-ko-vo-dil bu-du-shim ve-li-kim in motion no one. Love brother-sky saved-la Ti-ho-na, she also pri-go-vi-la in him and worthy of serving-te-la Church-vi. But, remaining in the house of the ro-di-tel-sky, he continued to-mite under the yoke of a heavy beggar-you, pi-ta-be one -ny bread-boom, and that is very voz-der-zhan-but. “When-when, would-va-lo, there is nothing to-ma-go,” he said-say-wal-ke-lei-ni-ku in the last years of his life , recalling childhood, - I went for a whole day to bo-ro-thread the earth at ka-ko-go-li-bo bo-ga-th-go pa-ha-rya so that he only pro-cor-dear me. So Ti-mo-fey worked, living in a ro-di-tel-house until four-tyr-na-tsa-ti.

In 1737, would there be two decrees-because of them-pe-ra-three-tsy An-na Ioan-nov-na, someone with all the severity of the pre-pi -sy-va-li “to make parsing and superfluous of the church-but-serving children, especially not studying, from-yes- go to military service. In the Novgorod diocese, which did not then have a bishop, the implementation of these decrees was especially zealous.

Mother from-ro-ka Ti-mo-fairy, through-you-tea-noy-to-sti from the former crop failure, although she didn’t find herself up to a hundred points -but funds to keep his son in his spiritual school, one-on-one brought him to Novy-go-rod at a race look at the bosses, de-is still saving the son from the military service. Her hopes didn’t remain in vain: already Ti-mo-fey was assigned to exclusion from the spirits-no-th rank to determine the de-le-tion in the military school, when the elder brother again took pity on him, who served with-even-no-one at one -noy from the new-go-rod-sky churches. Despite the extreme poverty, he decided to take the brother on his maintenance and begged the authorities to determine-de-pour him into the du- hov-noe teach-li-sche. And on December 11, 1738, he was enrolled in the New-go-rod-sky spiritual Slavic school at the ar-khi-here-sky do-me .

In 1740, the old-ra-ni-em but-in-the-episco-pa of the New-go-rod-sko-go Am-vro-siya du-hov-naya slav-vyan-sk school would -la pre-ob-ra-zo-va-na into the spiritual se-mi-na-riyu. From the total of a thousand thousand co-hundred students of the spiritual school of Ti-mo-fey, as one of the best u-kam, was re-re-ve-den in the newly opened se-mi-na-riyu and accepted for state-owned holding. The authorities of the Nov-go-rod-se-mi-na-rii gave him a new surname - So-ko-lov-sky. About the years of se-mi-nar-sky life, St. Ti-khon recalled later: “I continued teaching at the ka-zen-nom ko -shte and endured a great need for lack of statistics in the need for maintenance, and so it would-va-lo: when in-lu -chu ka-zen-ny bread, then from it, in-lo-vi-well, I’ll leave it for myself, and I’ll sell the other in-lo-vi-well ; I’ll buy a candle, sit on the stove with it and read a book. That-va-ri-shchi my, god-fathers de-ty, it happened, sometimes they find the heating of my paws and, laughing at me, start waving them at me, with-go-va-ri-vaya: “We-we-cha-eat you.” They also had to-ve-elk in the aftermath of the ka-dit ep. Ti-ho-well fimi-am.

The young man, who always stood ahead of all his peers, successfully passed into the higher classes. For almost 14 years he studied in se-mi-na-rii: two years gram-ma-ti-ke and four-you-re go-da - ri-to-ri-ke, philo-so-fi and bo-go-word-viyu. A long period of training is due to the fact that in the recently opened se-mi-on-rii there was a shortage of teachers.

In 1754, Ti-mo-fei graduated from se-mi-na-riu. One of the studies-to-va-te-lei so ha-rak-te-ri-zu-et the years of his stay in her: “During the time of all-general- ho-ho-ho-ho-las-ti-koy, when in sa-my se-mi-na-rii, re-pi-tav-shey-ti-te-la, pre-ob-la- yes-la over everything there is similarity-la-sti-che-study, when between word and deed, between thought and reality, there would be no -lo nothing, almost in general, when about a lot and very good-ro-sho go-in-ri-whether, but very little or with-everything why not de-la-li, the saint Za-don-sky was a man-lo-ve-com, co-ver-shen-but alien-smoke of the indicated short-stats and about-ty-in-re-who." Ti-mo-fei was na-signed pre-po-da-va-te-lem sleep-cha-la gre-che-th-language, then ri-to-ri-ki and filo -so-fi. Mo-lo-to-go teach-te-la, from-whether-chav-she-go-sya unusually-but-ven-noy ser-dech-no-stu, modesty-no-stu and bla-go-che -sti-howl life, everything is very love-be-li and respect-zha-li - and academics, and se-mi-nar-bo-government, and new-go-rod- sky ar-chi-heres.

The future saint in that period of his life more and more attached the mind and heart to God, studying the wondrous ways Him and striving for otherness and God-thinking. Pro-we-sat God-go-it-vil in it dob-lest-no-go in motion-no-ka and light-no-ka of the Russian Church and, oh-ra-nya him from the dangers, obviously indicating his you-so-pre-significance.

Saint Ti-khon, by the grace of God, acquired the ability of a special spiritual vision. One day, on a May night, Ti-mo-fey came out of the cell-lea and saw the heavens opened up and a wondrous light. Soon after the former vi-de-niya, he finally decided to become a foreigner.

On April 16, 1758, in La-za-re-vu sub-bo-tu, Ti-mo-fey So-ko-lov-sky was stri-wives in mo-na-she- stvo with the name Ti-khon. After the haircut, he was called to St. Petersburg, where Bishop Di-mitriy (Se-che-nov) ru-ko-po-lo - Ti-ho-na lived in hiero-dia-ko-na, and in the summer of the same year - in hiero-mo-na-ha. In the same year, hiero-mo-nah Ti-hon began to teach philosophy and was appointed pre-fekt se-mi-na-rii, but not for long go stay in this duty. Bishop of Tver Afa-na-siy (Vol-khov-sky), who knew well yes-ro-va-niya and the good life of Father Ti- ho-na, ho-da-tai-stvo-val about his re-re-vo-de in his diocese. By the decree of the Holy She-she-go Si-no-da of August 26, 1759, Hiero-mo-nah Ti-hon was re-re-ve-den in the ve-de-tion of Tver- sko-go ar-khi-epi-sko-pa, someone elevated him to the rank of ar-khi-mand-ri-ta and appointed him to-sto-I-te-lem Zhel- ti-ko-va mo-na-sta-rya. In the same year, ar-khi-mand-rit Ti-khon was appointed the river-to-rum of the Tver se-mi-na-rii and on-sto-i-te-lem Ot-ro -cha mo-na-sta-rya. One-now-men-but he co-sto-yal pri-sut-stvo-yu-shchim in the spiritual con-si-sto-ri and pre-po-da-va-te-lem bo-go -slovia in se-mi-on-rii.

So quickly move Ti-khon in a spirit-like way, like a lamp, someone could not stay under the spo-house. Many already had from the West, but his inner dignity, and his expectation was the highest degree of episcopacy. He spent two years in the position of the river-to-ra, and the lessons of the god-word, compiled by him for the students of his se -mi-na-rii, serve-is-is-no-va-ni-em for-me-cha-tel-noy of his book about true chris-ti-a-n- to the na-zi-da-nii of the entire domestic Church, since he himself was all imbued with the spirit of St. Pi-sa-nia and your-re-father -che-sky. Tikhon, in his deep-bo-to-mu media, never thought that he could ever-reach no episcopal, but the Providence of God mysteriously pointed to him by the supreme shepherds of the Russian Church.

One day, on the day of Easter, on the Divine li-tour-gy, during the He-ru-vim-song, he walked along with other-gi-mi pre-swe-te-ra-mi to the ar-hi-here, someone you-no-small parts of the victim-vein-no-ka, and on his usual a new pro-she-ne “For-me-for-me, v-dy-to-holy” re-priest Afa-on-this, forgetting, answered: “Epi - your congregation may the Lord God remember in His Kingdom. The humble ar-khi-mand-rit was embarrassed, but the ar-khi-pas-tyr, smiling, said to him: “God grant you be a bishop.” And on this very day, Mi-ro-po-lit Di-mit-riy, the first-ven-stu-ing member of Si-no-da, together with the Bishop of Smolensk Epi-fa-ni-em from-bi-ra-li vi-ka-ria to Nov-go-rod. Would it be already on-pi-sa-ny name-on-se-mi-kan-di-da-tov, the choice of whom they should decide on a lot of bee, when Smo-len -sky bishop asked to add to them the name of the Tver-th river-to-ra, and ho-tya mit-ro-po-lit for-metil that he still could- lod, one-to-one ve-lel for-pee-sat. Three ra-for meta-li zhre-bey, and three ra-for you-pa-gave the die-bee Ti-kho-na. “Looks, but it pleases God,” Dimitriy said, “even though I didn’t think to name him, but in ar-chi-man -d-ri-you Ser-gi-e-howl of Lav-ra.

On May 13, 1761, ar-hi-mand-rit Ti-hon was chi-ro-to-ni-san in epi-sko-pa Cake-holm-sko-go and La-doge-sko-go, vi- ka-ria of the New-go-rod-diocese, so that, managing the Khu-tyn-sky mo-na-sta-rem, to be ve-ka-ri-em ar-hi-epis-sko -pa New-th-rod-th. So on the 37th year of life, seven years later, after the end of the se-mi-nar-sko-go course and three years later, after the acceptance of mo-on-she -stva, ar-khi-mand-rit Ti-khon, by the will of God-she, was ob-le-chen ar-khi-erey-sky san.

With love, meet the new-go-rod-tsy of your-e-go-go-pas-you-rya, rise-pi-tan-no-go in their circle, to -that-ro-go from-give-on-with-you-would-respect for his mo-on-she-life. Many of his things, some of them laughed at his paws, were they already then priests and dia- Ko-na-mi in Nov-go-ro-de. With great embarrassment, they faced their own vlady-ke, expecting reproaches from him, but vlady-ka Ti-khon met them meekly, like once Joseph of his brothers in Egypt, with the word of the world: “Do not be afraid, I am God.” Bishop Ti-hon, smiling, ba-as, recalled their childhood years: “You ma-ha-li otop-ka-mi on me, and now -te ka-di-la-mi ma-hat, - and, seeing their embarrassment, p-ba-vil, - I’m telling you this joke. Sister Ti-ho-na, who lived in New-go-ro-de, vi-de-la the solemn meeting of his brother-e-th and did not dare to to appear to him, but he himself invited her the next day, and they recalled with tears the difficult years of their childhood in the region her nothing. “You, dear, never bore me,” Ti-hon told her, “because I read you like an old- my sister.” But not more than a month she lived under the shelter of her brother - he himself from-pe-wal her.

For a short time, so-de-but it would be holy-ty-te-lu to-go-to-dit in New-go-ro-de - a little more than a year. February 3, 1763, after the end of the chi-na, the bishop of Vo-ro-nezh-sko-go and Yelets-ko-go John-ne-kiya (Pav-luts-ko th), he received a new sign at the Vo-ro-nezhs-ka-fed-ru.

Vo-ro-nezh-sky diocese, in the composition of a swarm, in my opinion of the Vo-ro-nezh-sky gu-ber-nii, enter-di-whether some-ry go -ro-yes Tam-bov-sky, Or-lov-sky and Kur-sk gu-ber-niy, as well as the Earth-la Voi-ska Don-sko-go, then needed pre-ob-ra-zo-va-ni-yah. Up to 800 churches and more than 800 thousand zhi-te-lei compose-la-whether an extensive flock of the holy-te-la Ti-ho-na, but she would- la-she-on all material means, because at this very time, church property would have been taken away, and according to the new states, salaries have not yet been made from-in-di-lis. Na-pra-but wrote about that St. Ti-hon to the secular and spiritual authorities, representing for-work-no-tel-ness of his own position, decline -zo-va-niya spirit-hov-no-go, de-destruction of the same church buildings and squalor of the so-bor-noy church.

Another big misfortune in the life of the Vo-ro-nezh-sky region was a split. Shi-ro-kie steppes Until the end of the 17th century, they became a convenient and favorite place of shelter -sya by the government of old-ro-ob-ryad-tsev and sec-tan-comrade. It would not be easy to sanctify Te-ho-well, bo-ro-sya with unstro-e-no-I-mi church life. His good-eye-me-re-ni-pits were obstructed both from the side of separate persons, and from the side of all authorities sti. In this way, he had to seek for himself in the power of the above and in the strength of his spirit, in the blessed abundance of -tyr-sky own roar-no-sti.

At the same time, the saint took up and co-arranged the material temples, and re-new-le-ni-em- ko-tvo-ren-nyh, some-rye-stav-la-whether the Church of God-ga-va-go (), special attention-ma-nie at times vi-tie and right-vil-nuyu in a hundred-nov-ku school-no-du-hov-no-go about-ra-zo-va-niya. Since the cathedral council of his came to the top veterinary host, St. Ti-chon on the other year of his - being one-only-to-yes-I-no-it began to build another stone Ar-Khan-Gel Cathedral, someone had consolation to top-sew during your own management. Instead of se-mi-na-rii, he found in the ar-khi-here-sky house on a meager dependent-ve-ne-nii, but only a poor-goe teach-li-weak in the language of the first language, because in the new states they would have destroyed the same old fees from the property of the churches. St. Ti-hon tried, as far as he could, to support this school with his own funds, started other ones in the cities and , as soon as the first insignificant salary was received, he immediately took in Vo-ro-not the same full se-mi-na-riyu ( 1765) and you wrote for her spiritual teachers from Ki-e-va and Khar-ko-va, so that in a short time she reached la color-to-the-go-stand-ing. And could it be otherwise, when the shepherd himself incessantly cared for her, knowing that she would serve for moral approval -waiting for entrusting him with pastures. He often visited the classes and got to know the character of the students, acting on them with his personal presence -eat go-times-before more, rather than through before-ve-ren-ny people. He pointed out to them, which one is better to keep in a row for the education of young people, from-me-chal on-zi-yes -tel-nye places from the spiritual pi-sa-te-lei and he himself verbally taught students; from-whether-chav-shih-sya between them encouraged in a gift-ka-mi, giving a book or a dress, sometimes encouraging and de-gentle nym zh-lo-va-ni-em or took them to the full ka-zen-noe so-der-zha-nie. And on top of that, the saint established for se-mi-na-rice-tov on Sundays the open pre-da-va-nie Za-ko-on God in the so-boron temple.

The saint is all-ma-ho-ro-sho feeling-stvo-val, that for the moral-no-th-improvement-of-shen-stvo-va-niya of your pasture-you were all-de- go-ho-di-mo under-go-to-twist worthy past-you-rey, directly-ru-to-in-dya-shchih with it. Spiritual about-ra-zo-va-nie had the same decisive significance in the fight against race and sectarianism. For this reason, his first for-bo-that would have been both the organization of schools for poor children of the spirit-ho-ven-stva, and for the my-go-ho-ven-stva. Soon, according to his arrival, he wrote a special book for the spirit of the spirit under the title “Duty of a priest Che-sky about the seven Ta-in-stva ”and ra-zo-sent her to all mo-na-sta-ryams and pri-ho-ladies for a free time-yes-chi sacred no way. Book of St. Ti-ho-na would-la like a small ka-te-hi-zis, in some-rum from la-ha-elk on questions and from-ve-there teaching about each -a house of ta-in-stve with a convincing-di-tel-ny vnu-she-ni-em bla-go-go-vey-but do them. In the next-du-y-y-y-du-du-doo, he did this ka-te-hi-zis, adding-to-co-ku-beer to him more fractionally on-stav-le -tion “On the Ta-in-stvo Po-ka-ya-niya” for the guidance of inexperienced priests in the process of using-in-ve-di: how do they be-se- do-vat with people, ho-tya-schi-mi open your soul before them. Not content with that, he wrote another year later, “District message” to the spirit of his flock, inspiring pre- sw-te-ram modest and sober life, bra-to-love-to-them-noe and love-to-ho-m-we-and-on-mi-naya word-va-mi evangel-ski-mi you-so-cue duty of their rank. And on the spiritual duties, the saint tried to put persons worthy and especially tre-bo-val, so that each priest -the servant had a New Testament and read it daily. At the same time, na-cher-tal and ru-ko-vod-stvo for spiritual rights-le-ni with an increase in the observance of the right-in-su-die and with -sya-gu. So-kim ob-ra-zom, not-thing-would-be-for-something-for-bot-whether-you-ar-hi-pas-you-rem for v-zoom-le-niya after becoming -len-nyh on the spiritual guard.

Saint Ti-khon was close to the people both in his wretched pro-is-ho-de-tion, and in the first-in-the-first- but in a special way, especially ben-but loved people of a simple rank and knew how to get closer to them -in a word, someone-swarm was accessible to everyone’s heart. Co-ob-ra-zha-is with the spiritual need-do-ro-yes, good shepherd sos-ta-vil che-you-re small books under the head -vi-i-mi “A brief warning for all-gash-her pa-me-ti about death”, “Notes from St. Pi-sa-nia for ex-boo -de-niya sin-no-kov from sin-hov-no-th dream”, “Standing-le-ing in mutual duties of ro-di-te-lei and de -tey", "Flesh and spirit - their mutual struggle in man-lo-ve-ke." The saint told the priest-no-kam about-chi-you-vat these books on-ro-du instead of a hundred church teachings.

In the Vo-ro-nezh-sky region, there were still places of ancient language rituals. Particularly ben-but strongly-but-mu-shchali-sya the spirit of holiness-ti-te-la su-shche-stvo-va-ni-em "go-to-to-go-to-same-stva" in honor of the language of the deity of Yari-ly, su-ma-rabble and drunkenness during mas-le-ni-tsy.

In your-re-ni-yah, having appeared-shih-sya in Vo-ro-no-same, chi-ta-eat: so-sto-i-nii ... ras-weak-le-na, raz-bo-le-fox, tre-bu-yut doctors-events and healers-no-go-pla-sty- rya"; “christian-an-sky faith and life equal-no-th and traces do not see-yes-but”; “pre-der-zo-sti, evil-de-i-niya, on-si-lo-va-niya, anger-le-niya and others without-for-ko-niya from evil and pa-lips- more and more smart people are getting smarter and smarter ”; “Many, we-nesh-not-go-pa-che-ve-ka, people now to sickness, now to old-ro-sti, then to death from-la-ga -yut for-kai-nie ... a grave sin, and exactly the pre-flattery of the devil. The sign is the edge of no-go about the spa-se-nii of nera-de-nii and sleep of sins-no-go.

Saint Ti-chon is against this-th-no-small sa-my re-shi-tel-nye measures. One day, he himself appeared on the feast of Yari-la. Seeing the holy-ty-te-la before the battle, one “out of shame, they fled from the square of the game”, others “into ugr- ze-nii so-ve-sti "say-cha-pa-li to the feet of the holy-te-la, third" in the hot-but-sti of its-e-go-ka-i- niya is-pra-shi-va-li pro-shche-niya. Gam-rishch-nye and tor-zhishch-nye pa-lat-ki in the presence of the saint-ti-te-la would be raz-ru-she-ny.

And on another day, ar-khi-pas-tyr called to himself in the monastery of all the city's priests and the best citizens and in the community in a chi-tel-nom-word-ve explained to them everything without-ob-ra-ziya of the former torment, begging to leave him forever. In the nearest neck, wax-re-se-ne-meaning he all-for-native-meeting in the ca-fed-ral-so-bo-re and there again pro-from -carried a strong word against the language of the che-th tre-be-scha. From-lo-alive first, to what extent it is without-for-con-but and not-stand-but hri-sti-an, he recalled right-in-glory- nym that they are for-pi-san-ny in the in-in-stvo of Christ and have already renounced at Holy Baptism from sa-ta-na and his an-ge- fishing, but, having forgotten your own rank, on-chi-na-yut demon-chief-stvo-vat and from no-for-con-games to-ho-dyat, yes, to death-of-murder in order to please the dia-vo-lu, for this is a tre-be-ust-new-le-but since the time of paganism. Therefore, he turned to the priests, some of them, having become-le-we on the guard of the house of God, and reminded them to -guy their responsibility, if they do, in their own way, bez-pech-no-sti for the death of christ-an-sky souls. He didn’t hesitate to say a strong word to the secular authorities, who were present in co-bo-re, so that he would firmly use whether it’s your duty, observing for b-go-chi-ni-eat on-ro-yes. And the fathers of the families, and the elders of the townspeople pro-ve-due uve-shche-val: do not remain equal-but-souls-us-mi to that -to-mu in-zo-ru, but to keep the children of their own and their subordinates from participating in demonic needs, so as not to give tea enemies of the right-of-glory-via co-shun-stvo-vat over the Holy Church-to-view and de-glorify the s-my city, where co-ver-sha-is-sya such a blasphemous holiday, someone-ro-go unworthy name should be used from pa-my-ti on-ro-yes.

This word, ode-shev-len-noe simple-ser-de-chi-em and pas-tyr-sky jealousy, had a surprising success; ry-yes-nia in the church-vi for-the-gloom-sha-li go-los pro-po-ved-no-ka, all-ka-I-lied with co-cr-she-ni-em of the heart , and to the eternal glory of good-ro-pas-you-rya, the language of the custom-tea was forever left in Vo-ro-not-the same. It would have been the tor-est of chr-sti-an-stva and love, worthy of the first times of the pro-ve-di word of God. Ti-hon humble-ren-but b-go-da-ril God for giving him success. Just a hundred and si-loy pro-po-ve-di the saint-ti-tel Ti-khon also returned-zero to the right-of-glory-vie not one-well, you-sya-chu old-ro -ob-row-tsev. “His influence on races-kol-ni-kov would-lo-ve-li-ko, - from-me-cha-et is-to-rik. - Yes, the most-bo-more-stubborn of them, not returning-ra-tiv-shi-e-sya to lo-but right-to-glory, no doubt, honor -whether him.

Saint Ti-hon was through-you-tea-but de-i-te-len, not a single free mi-well-you have him pro-ho-di-lo on- great, but he is all too close to his-ni-small to his love-ve-abundant-no-mu heart. Taking care of the shepherds and the pa-so-my, the saint would not forget about the church bless-go-le-pie: about re-mon- those and the blessing of the arrangement of temples, about church utensils, sacred co-su-das and holy icons. Not a single festive church service would miss St. Ti-chon and leave his flock without na-zi-da-niya. In his teachings, he is especially-ben-but-chal-sya against sreb-ro-ly-biya and various types of hi-che-tion, without morality -ven-nyh uve-se-le-niy, against ros-ko-shi, sku-by-sti and lack of love for neighbors. The saint dared to ob-li-chal in all on-go-those and without-ob-ra-zia these and them in-good-by-ro-ki.

It happened, however, that the mole-to-pas-you-ryu endure and condemn for your blessed jealousy, for no luck de na-ho-dil b-go-pri-yat-nuyu soil for se-i-niya word of God. Weak people didn’t like sometimes that the saint during the general disaster on the la-gal special posts on the citizens, but the fear of offending him made him vi-no-va-sya, for already for-zh-vo-de-whether in him the pleasing of God and go-vo-ri- whether between co-battle: “It’s impossible not to listen. God b-gu-m-lu-et-sya. Indeed, but, if there were cases, when the Lord vi-di-mo on-ka-zy-val disobeyed-ni-kov. Once upon a time, Ti-khon rode in a gre-be-ne-me-shchi-ka through the village of Khlev-noe, along the Moscow road. There are rude zhi-those for a long time for-holding him, not giving a lo-sha-day under the pre-log, if they are not there, when, on-pro -tiv, would they be all-ma-bo-ga-you. Soon after that, they had almost all lo-sha-di, so they came to extreme poverty and, in a sense, w-w-w-well his own, that he insulted the che-lo-ve-ka of God. A few years later, when Ti-khon was already living in peace in Za-don-sk, they came to ask him for permission in their wine, Ms. -lu-yas, as if the meek saint had cursed them. Ti-hon lay sick and could not accept them, but ordered to tell them that he had never thought of cursing them, but only their God to-ka-hall for disrespect to your-e-pas-you-ryu.

For-hundred-yan-nye labors and for-you, from whom-ry saint-ti-tel Ti-khon never had from-dy-ha, also unpleasant -no-sti and frequent for-labor-non-niya when using-not-niya good-for-me-re-niy strongly but ras-stroy-and-whether health-ro-vie- ti-te-la. Bishop Tikhon lamented that he could not, with his former tirelessness, work for the benefit of the Church of God. And in 1767, he needed to leave the management of the eparchy and retire to rest. He would-la-know-che-for-retirement and dose-in-le-but live where he-s-s-la-et.

Not-long-govre-men-on-to-la-church-but-social-stven-naya de-I-tel-nost of holiness-ty-la Ti-kho-na on Vo-ro-nezh-skaya cafe-fed-re - four-you-re years and seven months, but even for such a comparatively short term, he left a blessing -th trace in the field of spirit-of-ho-no-th-en-thing, and in the church’s well-being, and in mis-si-o-ner-sky de le. After leaving for the state of St. Ti-khon for more than 15 years would have been in retirement in the monastery of the Vo-ro-nezhs-koy diocese: until 1769 - in Tol-shevskiy Spa-with-Pre-about-ra-female-mo-on-sta-re, and then - in the Za-Don-sky mo-on-sta-re.

The secluded Tol-shev-sky mo-na-styr for forty-rock versts from Vo-ro-ne-zha attracted attention to itself-be-to-be-ty-te-la deep-bo -koy its quiet-shi-noy among dre-mu-chih forests. He hoped that the fresh air and tranquility during rural work restore his strength, but more-lo-ti-flock of places -ness of the eye-was-for-not-bla-go-with-yat-noy for his health. For more than a year, ko-le-ball-sya the saint and, finally, on the next 1769, during the time of Ve-li-ko-go-hundred re-shil-sya ne-re-me-thread place, having chosen for his world-no-go asylum the cloister of the Za-Don, b-go-pri- yat-nuyu according to the climate, where in-dvor-ril-sya for all-gda in a small stone house, attached to the co-lo-coln sa-my mouth.

Sitting in this mo-on-sta-re, St. Ti-khon became a great teacher of Christ-ti-an-sky life. In those years, he wrote his best spiritual pro-of-ve-de-niya, in some with deep wisdom he developed ideal-al is-tin-no-go mo-na-she-stva. These are “Pra-vi-la mo-on-she-sko-go-thia” and “On-becoming-le-niya ob-ra-tiv-shim-sya from su-et-no-go world” . This ideal saint incarnated in his life as well. He strictly kept the mouths of the Church and zealously (almost daily) visited the temples of God, often he himself sang and recited on kli-ro-se, and over time, according to the media, with everything, he left participation in the performance of services and stood in al-ta-re, blah -go-go-wei-but enclosing yourself with the sign of the cross. His favorite ke-lei-ym was to read the lives of the saints and the holy fathers of yours. He knew the Psalms by heart and on the way he usually read or sang Psalms. With his life, the saint taught everyone around him how to live in order to be saved. The moving life of the holy-ty-la Ti-ho-na, his unearthly good-ro-ta approved people in the thought of you-with-whom to-hundred-in-stve christian-an-sky faith.

As his forces were strengthened, the saint began to experience heartfelt grief about his imaginary feast, as it is characteristic -but people are de-I-tel-nym, someone is out-of-the-way, but they feel themselves free. An abundance of time-me-no exactly, but just as cha-go-ti-lo his soul-shu, as once there was not enough of it for the pastor-tyr-sky for-nya-ty. It seemed to him that he was perfect but demon-po-le-zen for society, and meanwhile he gets a pension for his previous service -boo. In addition, he reproached himself even with the fact that he accepted, albeit for a short time, the rank of episcopal, considering himself unworthy stop him. Such gloomy thoughts waved his heart, and he often spoke about it to his relatives; pi-sal yes the first-ven-stvo-vav-she-mu in St. Si-no-de mit-ro-po-li-tu Gav-ri-i-lu, someone knew his personal -but also respected. Thinking to calm him down, the mit-ro-po-lit offered him to live in the control of the Val-dai-Iversky monastery, near the place of his birth di-na, but Ti-hon didn’t decide, struggling with in-mys-la-mi, one more time re-re-me-thread place, chosen by him for some. But, con-ver-shen-but in-ko-riving myself in-le God-she, firmly said: “I’ll die, but don’t get out of-here-yes! » And with this mi-well-you became calmer. Still his soo-to-and-lo the word of a simple old man, like a secret decree of the Providence of God. There was a certain Aaron in Za-don-sk, who respected them for a strict life. One day, the ke-lei-nick of the holy-te-la, having met a foreigner at the holy gates, said that the reverend-priest has an indispensable -noe-la-nie to go from Za-don-ska to the Nov-go-rod diocese. Aaron replied: “The Mother of God does not tell him to come out of here.” When the ke-lei-nik re-re-gave him the words of the old-che-sky, St. Ti-khon humble-ren-but from-ve-chal: “Yes, I’m not going from -here-yes ”- and tore the already received request-boo. So-per-shen-but from-lo-alive all the thought of re-me-shche-ni from Za-don-ska, he decided to dedicate himself completely to zhe-niyu neighbor, to be useful to the Church, although not at the cathedral of the saints.

He loved the saint be-se-to-vat with each about the spa-se-nii of the soul-shi. He co-bi-ral around himself children and taught them to pray to God, he went in a thief with peasants and taught them love for labor and fear of God, de-lil sorrow for the unfortunate. Sometimes you went to your acquaintances, and more often then, when you didn’t expect him, but you had a need for his companions. There were a lot of beggars flocking to him, and to all of them he gave me-lo-sta-nu when he returned from the church, or to the porch through the ke-lei-ni-kov, but at no time did anyone from the wretched ones. Often he himself entered into a be-se-du with my-on-styr-sky bra-ty-her, with listen-no-ka-mi and simple-mi-go-prayer -mi, let each one go to yourself under the blessings and try to hide you-co-from them as much as possible cue your dignity, so that you can open your soul before him; in this way, I met them in the yard or at my own porch in simple foreign clothes, asked about the needs and work yes, and for each he had a na-zi-da-tel-word. In addition to oral conversations, he conducted a good pe-re-pis-ku, from la-gaya thoughts in letters. When it happened that one of the neighboring peasants suffered from crop failure or heat, the good shepherd gave him if possible, so-be-so-day-ha-mi, someone-rye himself for-them-stvo-shaft at bla-go-de-te-lei. If, however, one of the bo-go-mol-tsev was ro-go-for-bore-val, then he took him to his house and kept him until you-health-ditch-le-ning, and others sent food or medicine to the house; none of the sick among the mo-on-styr-sky brethren remained without his vision. Not only did he help the simple people, but also the si-ro-there from the noble rank did not from-ka-zy-val. I use general respect-no-em, ho-da-tay-stvo-val in the courts for p-ty-ny-e-my and yes-val from myself pro-si -body letters, someone had a good influence. In this way, one can judge, to some extent, to him, everything is connected to him.

Co-stra-gave cha-before-any-be-y-pas-tyr and for-key-chen-nym in prisons for debts and for crimes and often in se- spared them. Con-clusive meetings of him as a father, and he gladly sat down between them, as if in a family circle, dis- ask-shi-val of each about his fault and tried to wake him up in him or inspire patience for re-carrying teach her.

Holy-ty-te-lu Ti-ho-well obya-for-on his birth-de-ni-em and the women's Zna-men-sky monastery in the city of El-tse. There was a big fire in 1769, from someone-ro-go, de-vi-chiy mo-on-stir burned down, and all mo-na-hee-no matter- whether pe-re-ve-de-us in Vo-ro-nezh. One-on-only after-hearing-no-tsa decided on the b-go-word-ve-tion of the holy-te-la-to-dvor-sya on the ne-pe-li-sche the former obi-there, for he foretold that, by the prayer of the departed old women, the monastery would again rise again. Listen, I found there a miserable old-ri-tsu, someone-paradise us-ro-i-la se-be cell-lea from stone-no-go in Greek ba, and little-by-ma-lu gathered a few sisters to them. With the help of the saint-ty-te-la and one of the blessings of the citizens of the Yelets co-or-di-las a small de-re-vyan -naya church in the name of the Knowing of God-ma-te-ri and about-ra-zo-va-las with her community, some-paradise and voz-ve-de -to be-la in the female mo-on-stay.

With the year, Saint Ti-khon more and more increased his movements. The saint lived in the sa-my simple ob-sta-nov-ke: he slept on a co-lo-me, on the roof of a ov-chin-ny tu-lu-pom. Tra-pe-for him it would have been very poor, but even here he went-va-ri-val, as if reproaching himself for ros-ko-shi: “Glory to God , here's some good food I have, and my brethren: another poor one sits in the same place, another eats without so-whether - wo-re to me, oka-yan-no-mu". He had the most simple clothes, because he wanted to be a foreigner and move in the full sense of the word. I never went to the ba-nu and didn’t like to have it attached to him-lu-zhi-va-li, if only once there would be a bo-len. Smite him to-ho-di-lo to the point that on-ridicule, someone often rushed after him, the saint did not ob- he paid attention, pretending that he didn’t hear them, and said after: “God is so pleased that you serve yut-sya on-up to me, - and I’m up to-one-th for my sins. He often said in similar cases: “Forgiveness is better than vengeance.” All his life, the saint “to-sa-dy, sorrow, resentment, gladly, but endured, thou sang, thinking, like a crown without trouble, by -be-yes without movement, deed without bra-ni, and scolding without enemies would not be-va-et ”(6th song of ka-no-na).

In mi-well-you is-ku-she-niy, he was roaring in the cell and, turning on the ground, prayed with a sob Gos-po-yes from-ba-wit him from lu-ka-vo-go. Most of the no-chi spent in the vigil and mo-lit-ve and only at the dis-light gave the shaft se-be cha-sa che-you-re in-koya and still about an hour after lunch. That's why you-went-dil for a pro-buzz-ku in the mo-na-styr-sky garden, going somewhere in the cha-schu de re-vieve, but even here -beat on-load-shrink-sya in god-think-lie. The fruit of his thinking about nature and about people would be your-re-niya, some-ry saint for-made for something , “So-kro-vi-sche spirit-hov-noe, from mi-ra so-bi-ra-e-mine” (1770), “On the true christ-sti-an-stve” (1776).

In-mo-ga-mi sa-mo-from-re-che-niya and love-vi-soul-sha holy-ti-te-la ascended-you-shi-lased to the co-zero-tsa-ny heaven-but th and pro-vision of the future. He predicted a lot from the su-deb of Russia, in particular, he spoke about the be-de-Russia in the Patriotic War of 1812 Yes. More than once, holy-ti-te-la vi-de-li in the spiritual-resurrection-hi-shche-nii, with a changed and enlightened face, but he for-pre-shal to talk about that.

Three years before the end of chi-we, St. Ti-khon prayed every day and with tears asked God: “Tell me, Lord po-di, kon-chi-well mine and the number of my days!”. And then one day, in the morning, he heard a quiet voice: “On the day of the week, there will be the end of your life.” This saint opened to his closest friend from Mi-ro-fa-nu. Spiritual bla-go-dat-ny world, someone-ry on-step-pa-et after the struggle, at that time already dwelt in the holy soul by - no move.

On the feast of the Nativity of Christ in 1779, the saint was in the church for the last time at the Divine Liturgy. January 29, 1782, the saint co-stated the spirit-thing-thing-thing, in someone-rum, giving glory to God for all His blessings to him, the words of the apo-sto-la Pavel expressed hope in the mercy of God and for pre-de- la-mi earthly life. The saint pre-duz-nal and pre-said his end-chi-well in three days, asking everyone that day to come to forgive him -sya. August 13, 1783, "on the day of the week," at six o'clock forty-five minutes in the morning, the soul of tel. “His death was so calm that he kind of fell asleep.” So he ended his long, hard life in the 59th year from the birth of St. Ti-hon Za-donsky.

Until the sa-mo-th day, there are many in-se-lyang and city dwellers from Yelts and Vo-ro-not-mrs. -whether to the monastery and tre-bo-wa-whether pa-ni-hid over the deceased, so there is not enough-va-lo hiero-mo-na-hov for service, and need- but there would be co-action of the surrounding priests. After from-pe-va-niya, someone-swarm co-ver-shi-moose only 20 aug-gu-hundred, body-lo-bla-wife-no-go Ti-ho-on ru- ka-mi priest-shchen-ni-kov would-lo pe-re-not-se-but under the al-tar of the cathedral church-vi in ​​special-ci-al-but with-go-tov-len- crypt for him.

Bla-go-go-vey-but would-la honor-ma pa-myat-ti-te-la Ti-ho-na in Za-don-sk not only those-mi, some-rye know -whether it is his personal, but also those, someone who only heard about him or chi-ta-whether his zi-da-tel-nye your-re-nia. Pa-ni-hi-dy about the holy-te-le, incessantly, but co-performed over his tomb, and soon after his blessed end chi-we na-cha-lis-me-me-and-heal-le-tion, witness-de-tel-stvo-vav-shie about his heavenly glory.

About-re-te-mo-shchi

On August 12, 1861, Saint Ti-khon was added to the list of saints of the Russian Church. On the next day in the city of Za-don-sk, with a huge stack of pa-lom-ni-kov from all over Russia, mit-ro-po-li-tom St. Petersburg and La Doge Is-and-do-rum (Ni-kol-sky) in collaboration with many hierarchs and spirit-ho-ven-stva would you open the power of the saint-ti-te-la Ti-ho-na. On the feast day of St. Ti-ho-na would-la co-ver-she-na so-bor-naya li-tour-gia, after someone swarm began the procession with saints mo -shcha-mi not only around the so-bo-ra, but also around the ob-the-whether Za-Don-sky, where he re-chilled from his labors. Umi-li-tel-noe zr-li-sche would-lo. The whole mo-on-styr-sky yard, all the roofs, the fence, and you-so-ko-lo-kol-nya would be uni-for-us on-ro-house, someone , holding on to each other, sat like this from early in the morning, just to take a place; yes, all de-re-vya mo-na-styr-skie would-whether you were covered by people. The people threw ubru-sy and in a lot-on for everything about the cross-no-th way; canvases and po-lo-ten-tsa le-ta-li in the air-du-hu through the go-lo-you pro-go-dy-shchih, so more than on ar-shin you-so- you (0.71 m) on-ki-yes-but they were-lo along that road-ro-ge where the procession passed, and they collected up to 50 thousand thousand ares -shin of a canvas, someone would be rose-yes-we-poor-gim, so that St. Ti-chon and on the day of his pro-glorification, as it were -va-lo during life, dressed the shaft of the poor. So the sve-til-nik was friendly at the sv-t-n-tse, “let it shine for everyone, who are in the temple.” And in the afternoon pa-my-ty holy-ti-te-la Ti-ho-na usta-nov-le-but 13/26 Aug-gu-hundred.

Second acquisition of relics

After the re-in-lu-tion of the mo-on-stay, the fate of many saints of our far-off Fatherland suffered. January 28, 1919 holy-te-la Te-ho-na. One-on-one, the remains of the saint soon returned to the same silver shrine, from-where-would you-trade-well-you ko-shun-stven-noy ru-koy. The resurrected relics of the saint until the spring of 1922 were on-ho-di-lied under the tutelage of the village of Za-don-sko-go Bo-go-ro-dits-ko-go mo-on-stay-rya, later their store-ni-te-la-mi became ras-kol-ni-ki-ob-nov-len-tsy , some with the co-action of god-bor-tsev for-hva-ti-li the holy monastery, and in 1932 the power of the holy ti-te-la Ti -ho-na-ki-well-whether Za-donsk. Holy-you-nya would-la-pe-re-da-na an-ti-re-li-gi-oz-no-mu-zey, or-ga-ni-zo-van-no-mu in the former necks of the Ve-li-ko-prince-same-church-vi El-ts, from-ku-yes-pa-whether to the Or-lov-sky kra-e-Ved-che-sky museum. There they would-be-would-whether in-pas-n-kah before the Great Patriotic War. During the battles that turned the Eagle into ru-and-us, the ve-ru-yu-shi managed to save and save the thread of the holy-you-nu. Later, with the on-step-le-ni-em of the world, the power of the holy-ty-te-la Ti-ho-on Za-don-sko-go-would you open- becoming-le-na in the ka-federal-nom Bo-go-yav-len-sky so-bo-re of the city of Or-la. It happened in 1947. One-on-one, during the new ate-and-sti-che-cam-pa-nii under N.S. Khrushche-ve-mo-schi For-the-don-of-the-won-to-creator-tsa again eyes-for-pas-there-of-places-but-of-the-edge-e-ved-che-sko th museum. Only in 1988 did the miraculously creative holy-you-nya re-re-yes-on-the-la of the Or-lov diocese. Here, in the cathedral co-bo-re of the city-ro-da Or-la, they would-be-wa-whether until 1991, when it was no-che-no- I eat mit-ro-po-li-ta Vo-ro-nezh-sko-go and Li-petz-ko-go Me-fo-diya relics of the holy-ti-te-la Ti-ho-on-the-same -really-but-returned-yes-yes, from-where-would-whether in due time is-bargaining-well-you-without-god-power - under the authority of the Power- di-mir-sko-go-so-bo-ra For-don-sko-go Rozh-de-stvo-Bo-go-ro-dits-ko-go mo-na-sta-rya. It happened on the day of pa-my-ti-ti-te-la Ti-ho-na, 13 (26) August 1991, yes. Since then, the relics of Za-don-sko-go-to-the-creator-tsa have not-beam-be-be-wa-yut in the Vla-di-mir-so-bo-re, being an unknown - to give your b-go-give with-be-ga-y-schim to the help of holy-ti-te-la with a heart full of sparks -Roy.

Prayers

Troparion to St. Tikhon, Bishop of Voronezh, Wonderworker of Zadonsk, tone 8

From youth you loved Christ blissfully, / the image of everything was the word, life, love, / spirit, faith, purity and humility, / the same and you settled in the heavenly abodes, / where you stand before the Throne of the Most Holy Throne itz, / pray, to St. Tikhon, / / be saved for our souls.

Translation: From youth, you loved Christ, blessed, you were an example for everyone in word, life, love, spirit, faith, purity, and therefore you settled in Heavenly cloisters, where, standing before the Most Holy Trinity, pray, Saint Tikhon, for the salvation of our souls.

Introparion to St. Tikhon, Bishop of Voronezh, Wonderworker of Zadonsk, tone 4

Teacher of Orthodoxy, piety to the teacher, / preaching repentance, Chrysostom zealot, / good shepherd, / new Russia a lamp and a miracle worker, / you have saved your flock well / and with your writings you have instructed all of us, / those I am crowned with the crown of incorruption / adorned by the Shepherd, / / pray to Him to save our souls.

Translation: Orthodox mentor, piety teacher, preacher, imitator, beautiful, new lamp of Russia and miracle worker, you have saved you well and you taught us all with your writings, therefore the Shepherd is adorned with a crown of incorruption, pray to Him for the salvation of our souls.

Kontakion to St. Tikhon, Bishop of Voronezh, Wonderworker of Zadonsk, Tone 8

Successor of the apostles, / adornment of the saints, / teacher of the Orthodox Church, / pray to the Lord of all, / grant peace to the universe / / and great mercy to our souls.

Translation: Successor of the apostles, adornment of the saints, teacher of the Orthodox Church, pray to the Lord of all the peace of the universe to grant great mercy to our souls.

Prayer to St. Tikhon, Bishop of Voronezh, Wonderworker of Zadonsk

Oh, great saint of Christ and miracle worker Tikhon! Hear us, many sinners, who come running to you with warm faith and tender prayer. Forever your angel-like good life on earth, we glorify your mercy in everything, we are in awe of the height of your Christian virtues, and in good time you prospered to the glory of the Lord who wonderfully glorified you. You were truly the good shepherd of the verbal flock of Christ, the mysteries of God, the virtuous builder, the pillar and adornment of the Orthodox Church, the Russian Chrysostom, pagan customs, strong to the eradicator, skillful interpreter Eve angelic teachings, zealous guardian of sacred patristic traditions, lover of monastic prayer, inspired by God to the collector of the treasure of spiritual wisdom from the visible world of this world, wisely created by God. You, like a chosen vessel of grace, did not lazily teach all those who thirsted for salvation by word, life, love, spirit, faith, purity and humility. You were a merciful defender of the orphans, the care of widows, the poor and all that is in trouble and adversity, a quick comforter, and now we are, as if you stand before the face of the Lord of glory and have great boldness towards Him; Therefore, for your sake, Father, we run and earnestly pray to you: be an intercessor for all of us at the Throne of the Most High. May He forgive our iniquity and unrighteousness; may it enlighten our mind, darkened by vanity, and direct it to the true light of the knowledge of God; may our weak hearts be saved from lustful sinful passions and pernicious wisdom of this age; may the earth be given timely irrigation of rains and fruit-bearing and all that is useful to us, even to the temporal and eternal belly, may all those flowing to the race of your incorruptible relics find peace, love and serenity. For our Church, ask the Heavenly King for mercy, prosperity, salvation, and victory and overcoming against the enemies. Protect our fatherland with peace and quiet. Save your holy abode from all temptations and teach us all to reverently and God-fearingly walk along the paths of the commandments of God, so that we may also be blessed with you and with all the saints to stand at the right hand of the Lord of forces on the day of the terrible world judgment - His. Remember, saint of Christ, Saint Father Tikhon, in your holy prayers, remember the souls of our departed fathers and brothers, may the Lord rest them in Heavenly villages; do not despise our sighing, but let us glorify the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

Second Prayer to St. Tikhon, Bishop of Voronezh, Wonderworker of Zadonsk

Oh, all-praiseful saint and saint of Christ, our father Tikhon! Having lived like an angel on earth, you appeared like a good angel and in your wondrous glorification. We believe with all our soul and thought, as you, our merciful helper and prayer, with your unfalse intercessions and grace, richly bestowed on you from the Lord, help our salvation. Accept, blessed servant of Christ, and at this hour our unworthy of prayer: free by your intercession from the vainglory and superstition that surrounds us, unbelief and malevolence. Care, quick intercessor for us, with your favorable intercession, beseech the Lord, may He add His great and rich mercy on us sinful and unworthy servants of His, may He heal the incurable ulcers and scabs of corrupt souls with His grace and our bodies, may our petrified hearts dissolve with tears of tenderness and contrition for our many sins and may he deliver us eternal torment and the fire of Gehenna; To all His faithful people, may He grant in this age peace and quiet, health and salvation, and good haste in everything, yes, a quiet and silent life lived in all godliness and purity, let us be with the Angels and with all the Saints let us glorify and sing the all-holy name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Third Prayer to St. Tikhon, Bishop of Voronezh, Wonderworker of Zadonsk

Oh, great saint of God and glorious miracle worker, our holy hierarch Tikhon! With tenderness, bowing the knee and falling to the race of your honest and multi-healing relics, we praise, glorify and magnify God who glorified thee, and to us unworthy, who showed great mercy in you, and wholeheartedly, by faith and love see those who honor your holy memory, we pray to you: bring our prayer to to the Lord who sustains and saves all mankind, to whom you are now with the face of an angel and stand with all the Saints, may he establish in his holy Orthodox Church the living spirit of right faith and piety, and all its members, pure from superstition and with faith, in spirit and in truth they worship Him, and zealously take care of the observance of His commandments, let her shepherd give holy zeal of care for the salvation of the people entrusted to them - observe the right of the believer, strengthen the weak and weak in faith, instruct the ignorant, contrary appearances ti. And more and more falling, with hope, like a child of the father to us, we pray to you, to St. Tikhon, we believe more, as if you, alive in Heaven, love us with the same love, you loved all your neighbor, forever stay on land, ask of the all-merciful Lord and to all of us give a gift to anyone who is beneficial and everything, even to the belly of the temporal and eternal useful, peace of mind, the establishment of our cities, the land of fruitfulness, deliverance from prosperity and destruction, from the invasion of foreign tribes, preservation, sorrows bringing consolation, those who are ill, healing, the fallen, restoration, return to those who err on the path of truth, striving fortification in good deeds, prosperity to those who do good, blessing as a parent, upbringing and teaching as a child in the Lord’s Passion, knowledge and piety as a mentor, ignorant admonition, orphan, poor and help and intercession to the poor, departing from this temporary life to eternal good preparation and parting words to those who have departed blessed repose. Most of all, ask us all of these, Holy Tikhon, from the Generous God, as if he had great boldness towards Him: for you, as an accuser of an eternal intercessor and a warm prayer book for us before the Lord, all glory, honor and worship befits Him . Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

Fourth Prayer to St. Tikhon, Bishop of Voronezh, Wonderworker of Zadonsk

Oh, holy hierarch, our father Tikhon! Hear us and feast on your favorable intercession to implore the Lord, may He grant His great and rich mercy on us, His sinful and unworthy servants (names) May His grace heal incurable ulcers and scabs of our corrupted souls and bodies, may our petrified hearts dissolve with tears of tenderness and contrition for our many sins and may deliver us from eternal torment and the fire of Gehenna, yes yes in the present age, peace and silence, health and salvation, may we be like this, from the Angels and with all the saints, glorify and sing the all-holy name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer to Saints Mitrofan and Tikhon, Bishops of Voronezh

Oh, the great saints of God, our strong intercessors and prayer women, the all-mighty saint of Christ and miracle workers Mitrofan and Tikhon! Hear us, who fall to you and call you with faith. Remember us at the Throne of the Almighty and pray for us unceasingly to Christ our God, for grace has been given to you to pray for us. Pray for your intercession of our All-merciful God, may He give the Church the Holy World, her shepherd - strength and zeal to strive for the salvation of people and all of us - a gift that anyone needs: the true faith, your hope I love and unfailing love, may it save us from famine, destruction, coward, flood, fire, sword, invasion of foreigners, civil wars, deadly ulcers, sudden death and from all evil; May he grant good growth in faith to the young and the infant, consolation and strength to the old and the weak, healing to the sick, mercy and intercession to the orphans and widows, correction to the erring, timely help to the needy. Do not put us to shame in our hope, make haste, like fathers of the love of children, and let us bear the yoke of Christ in complacency and patience, and govern all in peace and repentance shamelessly end your life and the Kingdom of the Heavenly Lord fight, where you are now settling with the Angels and all the saints, glorifying God, glorified in the Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Photo of the day

Today, everyone approaching Zadonsk can already see from afar the golden spire and church domes of the Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery, which is being restored from the ruins. It was here that Bishop Tikhon of Voronezh spent his last fourteen years of his earthly life in spiritual and bodily exploits.

Saint Tikhon (in the world Timothy) was born in 1724 into the family of the poorest clerk in the village of Korotsk (Valdai district), and soon after his birth he lost his parent. His childhood and adolescence passed in the midst of terrible poverty: sometimes he had to work all day for the inhabitants of his native village for a piece of bread.

He barely escaped recruitment as a soldier and went to study at the Novgorod Seminary, where he later became a teacher, first of the Greek language, then of rhetoric and philosophy. Some special circumstances (a miraculous salvation from mortal danger and some visions) disposed him to accept monasticism. In 1758 he was tonsured a monk with the name Tikhon. The next year he was appointed rector of the Tver Seminary, where he lectured on moral theology, for the first time in Russian instead of the then common Latin, and at the same time so fascinating that many outsiders gathered to listen to him.

In 1761, at the age of 37, Hieromonk Tikhon was elected bishop. For about two years he was a vicar in Novgorod and for about four years (1763-1767) he independently headed the episcopal department in Voronezh.

Never dreaming of higher hierarchical activity, Bishop Tikhon, nevertheless, was deeply aware of the immeasurable responsibility that fell on his shoulders. Overcoming bodily ailments and self-doubt, he embarked on the path of archpastoral service.

The Voronezh diocese, inherited by the Saint in 1763, was at that time one of the most difficult for church administration. The diocese was huge: from Orel to the Black Sea, and it was neglected. There were few clergy, the population, very scattered, wild and ignorant and superstitious. There were many non-believers among the upper class. The young bishop set to work ardently. He traveled around a huge diocese, almost all covered with dense forests or steppe, often just on horseback. He started schools and preaching, which did not exist before him. He taught the people to honor God's temple and priests, and from the rich and noble he demanded mercy towards the poor. And morals began to soften. Once in Voronezh, they celebrated the pagan god Yarila in the square. Suddenly the lord appears and with his fiery word stops the outrage. And the next day all the people came to him with repentance. Since then, the Yarile holiday has been discontinued forever.

Realizing that the spiritual and moral state of the people largely depends on the correct understanding of their duties by the clergy, he focused on the condition and education of the clergy. Eager to raise spiritual level priests to an appropriate height, St. Tikhon introduced a strictly statutory divine service and the fulfillment of the rites; he wrote many books to help teachers, seminarians and serving clergy, teachings to monastics, district letters aimed at streamlining church life and enlightening the flock. He printed for distribution to the priests his essay, called "The Priestly Office on the Seven Holy Mysteries", and in addition published "Addendum to the Priestly Office on the Mystery of Holy Repentance."

In the year of his arrival at the Voronezh cathedra (1763), St. Tikhon recreated the Voronezh Seminary. He personally led the seminary, constantly talked with students and attended classes, drew up special rules for seminarians, spent large amounts of money (including his own) on the maintenance and encouragement of students, invited the best graduates of theological academies and seminaries to teach, and began to create a library. Through the prayers of St. Tikhon The Voronezh Seminary firmly stood on its feet. Due to the lack of teachers in the seminary, he took care of the education of the spiritual youth. For the teaching of the people established St. Tikhon in Voronezh open teaching of the Law of God Sundays, before the liturgy, in the cathedral church. For those who, for some reason, could not listen to these teachings in person, the saint wrote Christian instructions, wrote an essay for reading "The Flesh and the Spirit." For the same reason, he wrote reflections on certain sayings of the Holy Scriptures. Preaching the rules of Christian life, St. Tikhon was at the same time a strict exposer of the vices of his day. However, for the people of the poor and the needy, St. Tikhon always had free access. He called the poor (according to the words of Chrysostom) Christ's and his brethren.

Constant hard work and various administrative concerns further upset the Saint's naturally weak health; his nature could not stand the contradictions he was acutely experiencing between the demands of the ideal of episcopal service and the reality, sometimes hostile to good undertakings. The saint felt more and more, as he himself said, "the weight of the episcopal omophorion." The idea of ​​solitude, from which he had not parted from his very youth, became even more firmly established in him.

At the end of 1767, realizing the impossibility of further diligently fulfilling his archpastoral duties, the Saint sent a petition to the Holy Synod for his dismissal from office and for permission to choose a monastery in the same diocese for his retirement. Soon the request of the Right Reverend was granted, and he retired first to the Tolshevsky Savior-Transfiguration Monastery near Voronezh, and a year later to the Zadonsk Mother of God Monastery. There he settled in a small house attached to the bell tower, where he lived until the end of his days. During these years, the Saint wrote his best spiritual works, among which were repeatedly republished in recent times "A Spiritual Treasure Collected from the World" (1770) and "On True Christianity" (1776).

All the time, with the exception of 4-5 hours of rest, he devoted to prayer, reading the word of God, charity work and compiling soulful essays. Every day he came to the temple. All of his 400-ruble pension went to charity, and everything that he received as a gift from friends was also sent here. The saint did not like to talk about worldly affairs and only during the war did he follow the military operations in the newspapers. But he never missed an opportunity to preach the word of God, neither in the monastery nor outside its walls. He especially loved the city of Yelets for the piety of its inhabitants and called it Zion. He helped the poor there, especially after the fire. He visited one poor widow every time he visited, left her money, and took her boys to his upbringing. He stayed with his friends - the merchant Yakov Feodorovich Rostovtsev and Kosma Ignatievich Sudeikin - and distributed alms through them. He especially loved the eldest son of Rostovtsev, Dimitri, who, living with his father, led an almost monastic life. The saint instructed him to sell the precious materials that were given to him, and distribute the money to the poor. Once the saint saw a perfectly healthy boy, the grandson of Rostovtsev, and said to him: "Get ready, Sasha, to the heavenly places, get ready, my dear, to the heavenly fatherland." The boy died three days later. Sudeikin was a church warden all his life, he lived near his church in voluntary poverty, because he distributed all his fortune to the poor. He set up a school near his home.

The Saint himself was extremely non-possessive, he lived among the simplest and poorest environment. Sitting down at a meager table, he often thought of the poor, who did not have food like him, and began to reproach himself for the fact that, according to his reasoning, he did little work for the Church.

The charity of St. Tikhon was not limited to Yelets and the environs of Zadonsk. He built an almshouse near Tula, entrusting it to one priest. Sent to the city of Livny Fr. Mitrofan with financial assistance.

Zadonsk stood on the main road, and the house of St. Tikhon was a real hospice. He put the sick in his own bed. He himself buried the dead and buried them. When Zadonsk turned into a city, he, avoiding noise and crowds, sometimes went to the village to his friends or just to one secluded place that he loved and where the Tikhonovsky monastery subsequently arose.

Saint Tikhon did not give his blessing to all those who wished to become monks. He used to give these persons advice to live in the world in a Christian way. But he was very concerned about those in whom he saw a real inclination towards monasticism. Thus, two of his spiritual daughters took the vows and gave them the names Margarita and Evpraksia and rebuilt the burned-out Yelets Monastery.

Saint Tikhon possessed the gift of insight and miracles, he read the thoughts of his interlocutors. In 1778, when Emperor Alexander I was born, the saint predicted many events of his reign, and in particular, that Russia would be saved, and the Invader (Napoleon) would perish. “The Lord God listened to him in many cases,” wrote St. Tikhon’s cell-attendant. The saint especially loved to converse with the common people, consoled them in their hard times, helped those who were devastated.

Saint Tikhon dedicated the last years of his life to prayer and almost complete solitude, preparing for death. At this time, Zadonsk became a city, and a prison was temporarily placed in the monastery. St. Tikhon had already completely stopped his exits, only he visited this prison at night - for the sake of consolation and care for the prisoners. Whenever possible, he worked for them. Thus, he saved two clerk brothers who had been exiled without guilt, and their position was returned to them. Three years before his death, he heard a quiet voice: "Your death will be on a weekly day." After that, he was told in a dream: "Work hard for three more years." A year and three months before his death, he was paralyzed on the left side, and he finally fell ill. Shortly before his death, he saw in a dream that he had to climb a high staircase and many people who followed him and supported him. He realized that this staircase marks his path to the Kingdom of Heaven, and the people are those who listened to him and will remember him. The last days of his life, those close to him began to come to say goodbye. As he blessed them, he whispered, "I commit you to the Lord." But two days before his death, he stopped taking it. He lay in full memory, with his eyes closed, and prayed.

Saint Tikhon died on August 13, 1783, at 6:45 am, at the age of 59. The day was Sunday. His close friend, Bishop Tikhon (Malinin) of Voronezh, was buried. St. Tikhon was buried in a specially arranged crypt under the altar of the cathedral church of the Zadonsky Monastery. Thanks to numerous testimonies of miracles performed with his relics, Tikhon of Zadonsk was canonized among the saints of Russia. Orthodox Church in 1861. On August 13, 1861, in the city of Zadonsk, in a solemn atmosphere, with a huge gathering of pilgrims from all over Russia, Metropolitan Isidore (Nikolsky) of Novgorod and St. Petersburg, concelebrated by numerous hierarchs and clergy, the relics of St. Tikhon were opened. Metropolitan Isidore, at the opening of the holy relics, said in his word: “A lamp set by God burned here, and its brilliance illuminated everyone with the life-giving light of reason and piety ... Truly it was the light of the world, the salt of the earth ... The lamp did not die out ... It was transferred to the candlestick to the Throne The Father of Lights, so that from above it illuminates not one, but all areas of the earthly fatherland ... "

Healings from his relics were countless and continue to this day.
Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk is one of the most beloved saints of the Russian people. His memory is celebrated on July 19 (August 1) and August 13 (26). The image of holiness and asceticism of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk is especially close to the ideal of a Russian person who has always revered in his archpastors sincere faith, humility, simplicity open to the world, and cordial care for people.