HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF SERGIUS OF RADONEZH

Sergius of Radonezh lived in Rus' in the 14th century. He fulfilled his heavenly mission as a Russian guide by indicating the tasks of the immediate and entire subsequent history of Russia: the overthrow of the Tatar yoke and the independence of the state, the end of strife and free unification under the sovereign power of the Moscow sovereign.
St. Sergius not only blessed Dmitry Donskoy for a decisive battle with the Tatars, but also helped with his direct participation to completely overcome the intolerant yoke. Both on the Kulikovo field and near Kazan, he himself miraculously appeared to the Russian heroes and with his appearance already decided their victory in advance. It was not for nothing that the Tatars, even after the death of the Monk, having taken Moscow, did not yet consider their work of ruining the Russian state to be completed, but they still went to burn the Trinity Lavra of the Monk, as was the case, for example, under Edigei in 1408. They knew very well that it was there that the ever-living banner was raised. We are not talking about the other greatest posthumous miracles of the Reverend in the liberation of the Russian land from enemies, such as the rise of Minin and the Nizhny Novgorod people in 1612, etc.
At the same time, St. Sergius gave positive beginnings to the internal life of Russia. He himself went to the rebellious princes of Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan, Tver and Rostov and by all means persuaded them to make peace with Moscow and join in common mutual service under the single power of the Grand Duke of Moscow.
At the head of his work of liberating, gathering and strengthening Russia, the Monk Sergius put his own creation in 1340 of the Church of the Holy Trinity, near which his famous Trinity-Sergius Lavra was later founded, a guarantee of the unity of the land and the independence of the Moscow state from material subordination to the East, and in the future - and from material subordination to the West.
In the Trinity, they were shown not only the most holy perfection of eternal life, but also a model for human life, a banner under which all humanity should stand, because in the Trinity, as Undivided, strife is condemned and gathering is required, and in the Unmerged Trinity the yoke is condemned and required liberation. And if in an area where the population was moving away from Tatar and other enemy pogroms, a monastery with the name of the Holy Trinity arose and flourished, then there is no doubt that in this name lay hope for the salvation of the entire earth and its independence. If he himself humbly united near Moscow, without losing anything from his spiritual wealth, if he gathered diverse tribes and languages under its power, if in this multitude he managed to find a unifying center in the autocratic power of the Moscow sovereign, then it is obvious that his Catholic, universal Orthodoxy, gathering everyone into one flock under one shepherd, without destroying nationalities and languages. It goes without saying that the entire history of the Moscow state can serve only as a beginning, only as a far from perfect expression of the Model for which St. Sergius erected a temple.
As soon as the veneration of the Holy Trinity became an outward expression of the aspiration of the Russian people for the Most Holy Model of Life, Trinity churches appeared of their own accord. Following the first Trinity Church, built in 1340 by the hands of St. Sergius himself, within one century so many of them were built that it is impossible to count them throughout the entire space of Russia. Even entire Trinity towns and villages appeared.
The importance of St. Sergius in economic terms is also important. He managed to create and develop something new for the Russian lands of the 14th century. type of monasteries - cenobitic, based not on alms, but on their own economic activities, which led to the formation of a rich and influential monastic corporation. Thanks to this, since the 14th century, monasteries and the church in general began to have more and more influence on secular power due to their increased capabilities.

As part of the Regional Christmas readings “Prince Vladimir, the civilizational choice of Rus',” a topical report was presented on the topic “The role of the family in the spiritual feat of St. Sergius of Radonezh,” which was read by the social teacher of TOGAOU SPO “Technical School of Industrial Technologies” Elizaveta Egorovna Zuikova. In her report, Elizaveta Egorovna spoke about the Orthodox upbringing of children using the example of the life of the family of the righteous saints Cyril and Mary. We present the full text of the speech.
Currently, Russia is going through one of the difficult historical periods. And the greatest danger facing our society today is not the collapse of the economy, not the change of the political system, but the destruction of the individual. Nowadays, material values dominate over spiritual ones, so young people have distorted ideas about kindness, mercy, generosity, justice, citizenship and patriotism. Young people are characterized by emotional, volitional and spiritual immaturity. The orientation of young people toward the attributes of mass, mainly Western culture has become widespread due to the reduction of true spiritual, cultural, and national values characteristic of the Russian mentality. The destruction of the family institution continues: extramarital, anti-parental and anti-family attitudes are being formed.
“The chaos and confusion of modern life, the collapse of families, social institutions, high ideas discredited due to the fault of the “human factor” - all this is a consequence of the loss of responsibility. By ceasing to be held accountable for what they have done, a person is unable to really assess the depth of the violations and the nature of the necessary corrections. Its connection with the outside world is being destroyed... the very content of life in society... The current generation is growing up and is being brought up from the cradle in a coreless, frameless atmosphere.
The younger generation has currently lost the main factor in personality development—the education of the spirit.
The relevance of the problem of spiritual and moral education is due to the fact that in the modern world a person lives and develops, surrounded by many different sources of strong influence on him, both positive and negative (this is primarily the media of mass communication and information, unorganized environmental events) , which daily fall on the fragile intellect and feelings of a young man, on his emerging sphere of morality.
Unfortunately, in the worldview of most modern people, there is no idea of religion. For modern man, religion has ceased to be a significant part of internal spiritual experience, the basis of worldview. In the consciousness and life of most of our contemporaries, it is displaced into the sphere of external elements of an archaic, at best traditional, social culture. The loss of the core role of traditional religion and changes in the understanding of the essence of spirituality in modern culture lead to the emergence of crisis phenomena in the spiritual and moral sphere.
And family life is primarily a spiritual life. And the essence of Orthodox education is that parents must, first of all, educate themselves in the love of God, based on Christian commandments. The basis of Christian education is the Christian life of the family - father and mother, in which parents create all the conditions for the child’s spiritual life to increase.
In our difficult times, the family is under special pressure from the world. The family began to forget that the head of the family is the husband, he must honor God, stand before God, the wife must humble herself before her husband, and children must honor their parents. The falling away of people from the faith led to the fact that the husband stopped honoring God, living according to His will, and began to show disobedience. The consequence of this is that the wife disobeys her husband. And two naughty people grow up with a third naughty one - a child. In our time, there are a lot of problems and tragedies because children do not honor, do not respect, do not want to listen to the parents whom God gave so that they would preserve their children and lead them to a pious spiritual life. Therefore, a conversation about education, about family is a conversation about a person’s return to God.
The Church venerates many saints who are united by marriage or who are representatives of the same family. A striking example is the life of St. Cyril and Mary of Radonezh.
Little is known about the life of Saints Cyril and Mary. They came from a noble boyar family and lived not far from Rostov the Great. The entire life of the saints was based on following God's commandments about love for God and for each other. “If you want,” the teachers of the Church told parents in ancient times, “for your children to obey you, then teach them to the word of God. The soul, destined to be the temple of God, must learn to listen and say only what arouses and maintains the fear of God.”
Good parents raised their children in humility, chastity and love. They themselves prayed fervently, turning all their aspirations to God and taught their children to pray. And the children were worthy of their parents. The family of Saints Cyril and Mary is special in the Russian Orthodox Church: five of its members were glorified by the Lord as saints.
Kirill and Maria were kind people: they helped the poor and sick, and welcomed strangers. The couple already had a son, Stephen, when God gave them another son. Long before his birth, God's Providence gave a sign about him. One day, when Mary, pregnant with him, was in church, the child, to the great amazement of all those present, exclaimed three times in a loud voice in his mother’s womb during the liturgy.
After this, Mary began to especially monitor her spiritual state, remembering that she was carrying a baby in her womb, who was destined to be the chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit. She vomited herself from all filth and uncleanness, protected herself by fasting, avoided meat, milk and fish, ate only bread, vegetables, and water.
God gave Cyril and Mary a son, whom they named Bartholomew. From the first days of his life, the baby surprised everyone with his fasting: on Wednesdays and Fridays he did not take his mother’s milk, on other days, if the mother ate meat, the baby refused his mother’s breast. Noticing this, Maria completely refused to eat meat.
Bartholomew received an Orthodox upbringing - in obedience and work. St. Cyril owned a fortune sufficient for his position, but due to the simplicity of the morals of that time, living in the village, he did not neglect ordinary rural labor, involving his sons in the work.
This was the wisdom of righteous parents. His father taught Bartholomew men's crafts: wielding an ax and saw, harnessing horses and plowing the land. Together with his mother, he worked around the house and learned to bake bread and sew clothes. Later, all this came in handy during his desert life. At the age of seven, Bartholomew was sent to study with his two brothers - the elder Stefan and the younger Peter. The brothers studied successfully, but Bartholomew lagged behind in his studies.
One day, Bartholomew's father sent him to the field to fetch horses. On the way, he met an old man - a monk. Bartholomew, having shown respect to the elder, asked to pray to God for him so that he could learn to read and write. The monk fulfilled Bartholomew's request, gave him prosphora and wanted to leave, but Bartholomew invited him to his parents. The parents greeted the guest with honor and offered refreshments. The elder, bidding farewell to them, prophetically predicted: “Your son will be great before God and people. It will become the chosen monastery of the Holy Trinity.” From then on, Bartholomew began to easily read and understand the contents of books, pray with special zeal, and go to services without missing a single service. He avoided children's games, jokes, laughter and idle talk, while strictly observing a strict fast, eating nothing on Wednesdays and Fridays, and on other days he ate only bread and water.
In 1334, the family moved to the lands of the Moscow Principality from Rostov and settled in Radonezh near the Church of the Nativity of Christ. Bartholomew's brothers got married, and he asked his parents for permission to enter into monastic life. His parents did not give him their blessing and Bartholomew humbly remained, putting aside his dream for a while, caring for his parents. After some time, Cyril and Maria themselves wished to join the monastery. Three versts from Radonezh was the Khotkovsky Intercession Monastery, which at that time was both male and female. According to the widespread custom in Rus', simpletons, princes, and boyars accepted monasticism in old age. The spirit of monasticism was communicated from the son to the parents: at the end of their lives, the righteous Cyril and Maria wished to take on the angelic image themselves.
In this monastery they spent the rest of their days in the feat of repentance, preparing for another life. But the schema-boyars did not work for long in their new rank. In 1337 they departed to the Lord in peace.
Having buried his parents, Bartholomew handed over all his property to his younger brother Peter, and together with his older brother Stefan, they retired to live in the wilderness in the forest, not far from Radonezh.
Having found a place in a deep forest, the brothers cleared a small clearing, building a hut, then a cell, and then a small church. Soon, unable to withstand the difficulties of life in a deserted place, Stefan left his brother and went to the capital, where he became a monk at the Epiphany Monastery. Bartholomew was left alone. On October 7, 1342, he took monastic vows from Abbot Mitrofan with the name of the holy martyr Sergius and began a new life for the glory of the Life-Giving Trinity. Monastic life in complete solitude was subject to great difficulties: hunger, thirst, cold, fear of animals, deprivation, despondency. This is where the skills of hard work, patience and humility that his parents raised in him came in handy.
The period of monasticism lasted approximately 12 years. Sergius took on his shoulders the main burden of labor and worries. He took part in the construction of cells for other brothers, prepared firewood for everyone, baked bread, prepared food, setting an example of hard work and caring for one’s neighbor. Soon a brotherhood of twelve monks was formed in the small monastery.
The range of Sergius’s concerns and activities increased when the Volyn Bishop Afanasy in 1354 ordained Sergius to the rank of priest, and then abbot, fulfilling the principle: “If you want to be an elder, become the least of all and the servant of all.”
Sergius was awarded the grace-filled gift of miracles. The fame of the miracles performed by St. Sergius quickly spread; sick people were brought to him from surrounding villages and from distant places. No one left the monk without receiving healing from illnesses and edifying advice.
Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy, recognizing the powerful faith and gift of prophecy in St. Sergius, asked for his blessing for the great battle against the Mongol-Tatar yoke. The Monk Sergius blessed the prince.
In the battle on the Kulikovo field on September 8, 1380, on the day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Russian soldiers won a complete victory over the Mongol hordes, marking the beginning of the liberation of the Russian land from the Horde yoke. Returning in victory, Grand Duke Dmitry hurried to the monk with gratitude for spiritual reinforcement.
Anticipating the time of his death, the Monk Sergius called the brethren six months in advance and entrusted them to his disciple, the Monk Nikon, while he himself entered into complete silence. On September 25, 1392, the Monk Sergius died. The day before, the great saint called the monks for the last time and addressed the words of the testament that his parents once told him: “Take heed to yourself, brothers. First have the fear of God, spiritual purity and unfeigned love...”
The holy relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh rest in the Holy Trinity Church of the monastery he founded and remain an inexhaustible source of grace-filled healings. The relics of his parents, schema-monk Kirill and schema-nun Maria, invariably rest in the Intercession Cathedral of the Khotkovsky Monastery.
The veneration of Saints Cyril and Mary spread throughout Russia already in the 19th century.
The church-wide glorification of Cyril and Mary as saints took place in 1992, 600 years after the repose of their son St. Sergius. Radonezh.
The man who became one of the most revered Russian saints was born precisely to Mary and Cyril, who demonstrated the height and holiness of both family life and monasticism.
The traditional Orthodox family, based on the principles of faith, love, spiritual kinship, has always been a source of high morality, internal freedom and external modesty. It was in the family, through the example of mutual respect, spiritual community and love of parents, that the child received his first spiritual experience and became a person. First of all, parents tried to implant in the children's mind a living knowledge of Jesus Christ. Children absorbed the name of the Savior, so to speak, with their mother’s milk. Along with the concept of the Redeemer, children were also instilled with His lofty teaching about the Sacraments of faith and the rules of a godly life, such as: about one God, eternal life, the power of humility and pure love for God, they talked about the duties of children to imitate the Lord in humility, to have the fear of God, to honor parents and elders, talked about patience, forgiveness of insults and kindness, modesty, modesty, humility, silence, charity and chastity. It follows that only a Christian can raise a Christian.
Saints Reverends Cyril and Mary are the patrons of the family and by their example of their lives they show us what a real Christian family is. In our time, when the correct understanding of family life is abolished, when people disperse after a year of family life, when they refuse to give birth and raise children, we need to look into the past and learn family life from our holy ancestors.

St. Sergius of Radonezh was the first Russian saint who holistically and completely expressed Russian national identity. The elder of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery united different traditions of Orthodox monasticism. Being a hermit and ascetic, a highly enlightened man, he was a supporter of the active mission of the Church. The Monastery of St. Sergius as a spiritual center, a source of economic colonization of vast lands, an impregnable fortress, influenced all aspects of the life of Rus'. Reverend Sergius was an unconditional authority for the people and authorities; in the lives he was called the builder of Rus'.

IN. Klyuchevsky called St. Sergius “the gracious educator of the Russian national spirit.” Priest Pavel Florensky characterized St. Sergius as “our special guardian and helper of the Russian kingdom”: “And if all of Rus', in its metaphysical form, is akin to Hellenism, then the spiritual founder of Muscovite Rus' embodied this Hellenic harmony perfect, truly perfect, personality with such a degree of artistic elaboration of the lines of the spiritual character of Rus' that he himself, in relation to the Lavra, or more precisely, the entire cultural area permeated by it, is, returning to the previous comparison, a portrait of a portrait, the purest expression of that spiritual an essence that comes through in diverse ways in all aspects of the Lavra as a whole.

St. Sergius of Radonezh was the first Russian saint,
which expressed Russian national identity

If The House of St. Sergius is the face of Russia, revealed by the mastery of high art, then its founder is the prototype of it, this image of Russia, the first appearance of Russia... - the face of its face, for by “face” we mean the purest manifestation of a spiritual form, freed from all layers and temporary shells, from all husks, from everything half alive and covering the clean, well-developed lines of her...

Looking into Russian history, into the very fabric of Russian culture, we will not find a single thread that does not lead to this first knot; moral idea statehood, painting, architecture, literature, Russian school, Russian science- all these lines of Russian culture converge to the Reverend. In his person the Russian people recognized themselves; his cultural and historical place, his cultural task, and only then, having realized himself, received the historical right to independence.”

In Sergius of Radonezh, the Russian people realized themselves and their destiny

D.S. Likhachev wrote about the saint: “Sergius of Radonezh was a promoter of certain ideas and traditions: the unity of Rus' was associated with the Church. The princes quarreled, led the Tatars to Russian land, like the Polovtsians once did. There was constant competition for the great reign, for the title of Grand Duke. But the Church was one. And therefore the main idea of Rublev’s Trinity is the idea of unity, so important in the darkness of our division. Dmitry Donskoy begins not with the unification of the territory, but with the unification of the spiritual and moral.

This is what is remarkable about the Moscow prince, who became the head of the Russian army. And Moscow benefited from this in the eyes of all of Rus'. She won not because, as they are trying to prove, she stood on very profitable trade routes, but because in this difficult situation led the policy of unification of the Russian land. That is, Moscow won spiritually. Moscow was not economically stronger than Tver or Novgorod, it turned out to be spiritually stronger.” And this spirituality was nourished from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

The main idea of Rublev’s Trinity is the idea of unity

Sergius of Radonezh played a decisive role in the liberation of Rus' from the Mongol yoke. Prince Dmitry Donskoy timidly avoided a decisive confrontation with the Tatars, but the blessing of St. Sergius inspired the prince to battle and inspired me to win. The act of religious consciousness turned out to be comprehensive, including awareness of the historical mission of Rus', so political will obeyed it.

A key event in liberation from the Tatar yoke, in national solidarity, in spiritual revival Russian people became the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380. From this moment on, the Russian national consciousness was formed, the revival of Russian medieval culture began, and the great Moscow state was built. “On the Kulikovo Field, the defense of Christianity merged with the national cause of Rus' and the political cause of Moscow. In the inextricability of this connection, the blessing of St. Sergius was given to Moscow, the collector of the Russian state” (G.P. Fedotov).
Divine love, revealed in fullness in the mutual love of the Divine Persons of the Holy Trinity, is the eternal outflow of love for this world.

With the victory in the Battle of Kulikovo, the formation begins
Russian national identity

Christianity is a religion of love, Orthodoxy is a focus on transforming the world with love. The Russian idea is the affirmation of conciliar love in life. The ideal of Orthodoxy is love on earth in the image of the heavenly love of the Hypostases of the Holy Trinity: “So that by looking at the Holy Trinity the fear of discord in this world can be overcome” (St. Sergius of Radonezh). “Russian Orthodoxy perceives God with love, sends up a prayer of love to Him and turns with love to the world and people” (I.A. Ilyin). Love is the force of unity of conciliar-personalistic principles and plays a huge creative role in history.

“Trinity” by Andrei Rublev expressed the ideal and the real growing sense of conciliarity among the Russian people– spiritual national unity after centuries of discord and dismemberment. “For Russian people of the late XIV - early XV centuries. the idea of a triune deity was important not only in itself, but also as a symbol of comprehensive unity and unity: heavenly and earthly, spiritual and material, God and man, and finally and above all, people among themselves; as a symbol of the destruction of all hostility and discord, as the embodiment of the ideal of endless, all-forgiving and all-conquering love.

The Russian idea is the affirmation of conciliar love in life

It is no coincidence that the icon was painted in memory of Sergius of Radonezh - a tireless fighter against the “hateful division of the world” (Epiphanius), one of the main inspirers and initiators of the unification of the Russian lands around Moscow into a single state, a living embodiment of the deepest spirituality and moral purity... With amazing clarity the ideal of man of Ancient Rus' is embodied in the icon– wise, virtuous, morally perfect, ready to sacrifice for the sake of his neighbor, spiritually and physically beautiful; the Russian person’s dream of all-encompassing love is expressed” (S.S. Bychkov).

“Trinity” was written in memory of St. Sergius and expressed the prayerful intent of both saints - St. Sergius of Radonezh and St. Andrei Rublev. “And their prayerful intention was what is called in our liturgical prayer the “union of all” under the sign of the “Undivided Trinity”... As the icon once became - victory over the “hateful enmity of this world”, a consolation for those whose hearts truly burn with a thirst for “union everyone,” indicating the path to the goal named in the so-called. The high priestly prayer of Jesus Christ Himself: “That they may all be one” (John 17:21)” (S.S. Averintsev).

The Russian idea is imbued with sound realism and
recognition of the intrinsic value of this life

Due to its careful attitude to life, the Russian idea is not prone to extremes, but is focused on finding a wise balance between disjunctive antinomies. Truth is the unity of diversity and the harmonious balance of opposites. Truth is neither on the right hand nor on the left, but on the royal path. From here The Russian idea is imbued with sound realism, recognition of the intrinsic value of this life, the value of the earthly dispensation. In the simultaneous striving for the heavenly and the earthly there is no painful gap, as many imagined. The harmony of antinomies underlies Christianity, the religion of the God-man, the religion of transfiguration and salvation in God of the entire created world.

By maintaining this existential bipolarity, and not falling into myopic spiritualism or blind naturalism, the Russian idea remains the most faithful to the truth of Christianity: the goal of life is beyond the boundaries of earthly life, but the path to it lies only within the confines of this world; This is the highest meaning of life. Religious radicalism - aspiration to the heavenly - makes the Russian idea moderately realistic in the pragmatics of life. Russian state, public, church and everyday life is organized by common sense, life wisdom and experience.

The Russian idea remains most faithful to the truth of Christianity:
the purpose of life is beyond earthly life

Saints Sergius of Radonezh, Nil of Sorsky, Seraphim of Sarov are wisely calm and lightly realistic. The instinct of persistent builders, and not radical reformers, dominates among the majority of Russian princes and tsars, among Russian workers. The main highway of Russian history leads through the search resolving conflicts and contradictions of life, searching for the narrow path of true life. Without the instinct of balance and the saving middle, the Russian people would have been crushed by trials. Manic enthusiasm stems from blind and false faith: in Josephiteism, in the oprichnina of Ivan the Terrible, among the Nikonians and schismatics, among Peter I.

All extreme goals, methods and means in Russian history there were breakdowns in the Russian idea and a betrayal of the Russian character. A careful, tense arrangement of life, and not radical changes, made it possible to create conditions for the spiritual education of people. The realism of the Russian idea is tied to its ontology; the earth is united with the sky.

The essence of the Russian idea is spiritual contemplation and active worldly activity

Sergius of Radonezh combined attitudes towards spiritual contemplation and active worldly work. After St. Sergius two traditions emerged from a single root. The influence of the contemplative mysticism of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery spread to the north, in the Volga region, and in the south - in Central Russia and Moscow, an active social orientation prevailed. Moscow monasticism is busy with cultural, social and political problems.

In the dispute between non-acquisitives (followers of St. Nil of Sorsky) and acquisitives (supporters of St. Joseph of Volokolamsk), two religious attitudes that grew from a single source collided:

renunciation of the world for the sake of spiritual self-improvement, the truth of the Kingdom of Heaven within a person and the mystical unity of the soul with God;
public service The Church and its impact on the world.

Polarization took place on the main problems of life. “The dispute was about the very beginnings and limits of Christian life and action... Two religious ideas, two religious ideals collided... The religious masses themselves were involved in this dispute” (Archarch Georgy Florovsky).

The luminaries of Russian holiness Theodosius of Pechersk, Sergius of Radonezh, Nil Sorsky were characterized by a selfless desire for truth, which opens the way to positive manifestations of national cultural identity. Orientation towards universality and universalism does not suppress the individual, but endows it with universal significance. Josephlanism was divorced from the foundations of Russian religiosity and Ecumenical Orthodoxy and introduced an alien, aggressive particularism. Totalitarian thinking, aggressive rejection of other church positions, the narrowness of the spiritual horizon led to degeneration positive in Josephiteism, for a particular truth turns into a lie when it is contrasted with the holistic truth.

In 2014, the entire Christian world celebrated the seven hundredth anniversary of the appearance on earth of the great righteous Sergius of Radonezh. In this article we will try to introduce you to the life of the great Russian abbot, we will tell you what Russia was called under St. Sergius. Let us explain why the significance of his activities in the history of our Fatherland is so great.

Birth of St. Sergius

On the sixteenth of May (new style), 1314, the future abbot of the Russian Land was born. Forty days after birth, the baby was named Bartholomew, which means “Son of Joy.” This name was rare at that time among the boyars. It was worn by one of Christ.

The estate of his parents was located in the village of Varnitsy, not far from Rostov the Great. From childhood, Bartholomew was marked by special grace. Every year, Maria and Kirill became convinced of God’s chosenness of their son.

Radonezh - the second homeland of Sergius

In 1328, the family moved to Radonezh, where Bartholomew began to show interest in monastic life and for the first time thought about entering a monastery. This idea belonged to his brother Stephen, who became a monk. Bartholomew's father was dissatisfied with this decision and tried in every possible way to dissuade his middle son from such a step.

Sergius did not upset his father and stayed with his parents to help them with the housework. In 1337, Sergius's parents died, and he, giving his part of the inheritance to his younger brother, together with the elder Stephen, began to lead the life of a hermit in a deep forest.

What was the name of Russia under St. Sergius? Our Fatherland in those days was called Russia, where from time immemorial hermitage was considered the highest degree of monastic perfection. The brothers built a cell and lived a solitary life. Stefan could not withstand the test and left his cell. Sergius was left completely alone. Soon rumors spread about the hermit as a holy man (righteous man). Monks and ordinary believers began to come to him.

A small community of twelve people formed around Sergius. They built a wooden church in the name of St. Sergius, the cult of the Trinity began. It was a community that revived the spirit of like-mindedness and brotherly love. They preached the life principle “Don’t do what you don’t want done to you.” For that time it was new and unusual. Hatred, squabbles, and greed flourished in the monasteries.

Believers began to go to Sergius to verify the existence of an “earthly miracle.” Soon they began to say that a righteous man, a messenger of God, lived next to them. Under Saint Sergius, Russia was called Rus. And at that time it was believed that the invasion of the Mongol-Tatar tribes was a punishment for her sins. Only the revival of God's mercy can help her to be saved. The community of Sergius is an indicator of a truly righteous lifestyle.

Miracles of the Holy Righteous

Christians are confident that only thanks to his great faith in the Lord and constant sincerity he received the gift of healing people who prayed to him for help. He could heal blindness with one touch of his hand, he treated the demoniac and the weak, the dumb and the lame.

One day, in one of the monasteries where the Reverend was at that time, the water ran out. He began to pray intensely to the Almighty, found a place, consecrated it with a cross, and a miracle happened - at this place a spring began to flow, which today is called Sergius.

One day late at night, the Great Righteous One prayed and read about the life of the Mother of God. A strong gust of wind blew out the lamp. Sergius was so inflamed with his spirit that the book shone with heavenly light.

Like many saints, the Reverend was endowed with the gift of providence. It was thanks to this gift that his blessing of the famous Prince Dmitry Donskoy to fight the Tatars turned out to be so effective. This victory marked the beginning of the maturation and strengthening of Muscovite Rus', as Russia was called under St. Sergius. And the Great Righteous One became its inspiration.

Sergius of Radonezh in the history of Russia

During his long and righteous life, Sergius founded twenty monasteries, and not only in Moscow. Russia under St. Sergius, with the help of monasteries, begins to develop new lands. He has many students, and with age his authority becomes unshakable.

St. Sergius played a major role in the victory of the militia on Dmitry Donskoy. There were not enough soldiers to resist the Golden Horde. It was necessary to gather a militia. It was necessary to explain to the people that it was Dmitry who came to Sergius and asked for blessings for a feat of arms. The monk blessed the warrior, and in addition, on his advice, two monks joined the Russian army.

The significance of Sergius' activities

He never took part in hostilities or fought with anyone. But in terms of the historical significance of his activities, Sergius was superior to the commanders of that time. Anyone who is interested in history knows that in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries there was a different name for Russia. Under Sergius of Radonezh, the Slavic people were united by the proud and capacious name Rus (Moscow).

The great righteous man was a true church diplomat, the greatest Christian, the creator of new monasteries, a teacher who raised many students and followers who carried his thoughts and ideas into life.

Memorial Day of Sergius

Sergius of Radonezh died on September twenty-fifth, 1392 at the age of seventy-eight years. This day is considered by Christians to be the day of remembrance of St. Sergius. At this time, people come to the monastery he founded in an endless stream. They pray and bow to the relics of St. Sergius. For a long time, on this day, Russian princes and tsars came to his relics and walked to the monastery.

After his death, Sergius was canonized as a great saint. Having lived a long and righteous life, he was able to unite the Russian princes, convince them to submit to the Prince of Moscow and act together against the Tatars.

Soul of the Russian Church

Many believers believe that even today in the Holy Trinity Lavra, which was founded by the Reverend, the soul of the Church of Rus' lives, since that is what Russia was called under St. Sergius. The Russian abbot is revered by our people and Christians around the world like no other. Therefore, staying in the Trinity Lavra is always grace. Sergius of Radonezh is our commander in visible and invisible battles. For seven centuries, Russian people have been saying about the Great Righteous One that with him we are not afraid of any trouble.

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Plan

Introduction
1. Life path of Sergius of Radonezh

1.1 Childhood of Sergius of Radonezh
1.2 General recognition

2. Government activities

2.1 Sergius of Radonezh - conciliator of Princes

3. Repose of St. Sergius of Radonezh
Conclusion
List of sources and literature

Introduction

Who does not know about the existence of the Trinity-Sergius Lara, a majestic monument of history, religion, architecture, the pearl of Orthodox Russia? The glory of the Lavra is widespread and deserved, for at its origins stood Sergius of Radonezh, the “guardian angel of the Russian land.”

The purpose of my essay is to reveal the historical significance, life and deeds of a selfless person of rare strength of spirit and faith who deserve universal worship and recognition.

What epithets were not awarded to the born Bartholomew Kirillovich Ivanchin, who went down in history under the glorious name of Sergius of Radonezh! He is the greatest of the prophets, and the people's saint, and the peacemaker, and the visionary diplomat, and the “gatherer of Rus'.”

“There are names that were borne by historical people who lived at a certain time, who did a historically known work in life, who went beyond the time when their bearers lived. This is because the work done by such a person, in its significance, went so far beyond the boundaries of its century , and became a practical commandment, a covenant, what we are accustomed to calling an ideal. This is the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh; this is not only an edifying, joyful page in our history, but also a bright feature of our moral national content.”

1. Life path of Sergius of Radonezh

1.1 The childhood of Sergius of Radonezh

Sergius of Radonezh was born on May 3, 1314 into the family of eminent Rostov boyars Cyril and Maria and was named Bartholomew at baptism. At the age of seven, Bartholomew, together with his brothers, the elder Stefan and the younger Peter, was sent to study reading and writing in a church school, but reading and writing was difficult for him. One day his father sent Bartholomew and saw under an oak tree “an old man, as if immersed in prayerful contemplation.” The elder took the reliquary from his bosom and took a piece of prosphora from it, blessed it and ordered it to eat, saying that it should become the abode of the Most Holy Trinity, in order to lead many after him to the understanding of the Divine Commandments." After these prophetic words, the wonderful Elder left.

From that time on, a premonition of the feat ahead of him seemed to awaken in Bartholomew, and with all his soul he became addicted to worship and the study of holy books.

1.2 General recognition

Around 1330, his father lost almost all his fortune and moved with his entire family to Radonezh (12 versts from the present Lavra). Kirill received an estate in Radonezh, he himself could no longer serve due to old age, he was replaced by his son Stefan, who married in Rostov; Cyril's youngest son Peter also married; only Bartholomew continued his former life, the life of a monk in the world.

Leaving the property to his brother Peter, he went to his brother Stephen, who by this time had become a widower and had also become a monk, and convinced him to go together on a difficult feat, to “seek out a deserted place”; this marked the beginning of a new, unusual feat. The brothers chose an elevated place in a dense forest, called "Makovets", located 30 miles from Radonezh, not far from the Konchura river.

The glorious Trinity Monastery subsequently arose here.

Here the brothers settled and built two log houses, one for the church, the other for housing. The church was consecrated in the name of the Holy and Life-Giving Trinity. This was the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy of the mysterious Elder. But Stefan did not endure the hardship of desert life for long and went to the Moscow Epiphany Monastery. Bartholomew was left alone. At first, Elder Mitrofan came occasionally to perform divine services, who then tonsured him into the monastic rank with the name Sergius.

Ten years later, after the founding of the Monastery, peasants gradually began to settle near it and soon surrounded the monastery with their villages. The simplicity, great-heartedness of the Reverend, responsiveness to every grief and, most of all, his unbreakable faith in the intercession of the Supreme Powers, and hence the clear, joyful cheerfulness that did not leave him in the most difficult moments, attracted everyone to him.

. They said about him that he “had the strength of two people.” After long refusals, Sergius was ordained a priest and appointed abbot of the new Trinity-Sergius Monastery by the Bishop of Pereyaslavl.

Universal recognition and veneration did not change him in any way, neither his way of life, nor his treatment of people; he treated with equal attentiveness and love both the princes who enriched his Monastery and the poor people who fed from the monastery. He always remained a simple and meek mentor, but on rare occasions he was also a stern judge.

So, in the person of Sergius the Abbot we have the image of a true Leader, entering both the internal and external lives of those who trusted him. He could be lenient, but there is no sign of connivance. There is evidence that, for all his gentleness, he was stern in confession. It was the great justice inherent in him that conquered all hearts. It can be said that the ascetic life of Sergius, introducing high moral teaching into life by his personal example, marked a New Era in the life of the Russian Land.

Thanks to the widespread establishment by him and his students of new monasteries, schools of harsh ascetic life, the morality of the people greatly increased. Entire villages and suburbs that arose around quiet monastery-schools constantly had before them a unique school of high self-denial and selfless service to one’s neighbor.

2. Government activities

Already from half of his life, the Image of St. Sergius of Radonezh entered the consciousness of the Russian people as a National Teacher, Intercessor and Encourager. Who can calculate how many people came to him with all their needs, great and small? But the fame of the holiness and wisdom of Sergius spread throughout Rus' and, against his will, promoted him to the field of state activity.

At that time, there were frequent civil strife among the princes, who disputed each other's khan's label for the grand duchy, and Metropolitan Alexy repeatedly entrusted the most difficult political assignments to the Reverend with word and conviction to pacify the feuds of the appanage princes and lead them to recognition of the supreme power of the Prince of Moscow. And so great was the charm of the Rev.’s personality that the most stubborn humbled themselves before the power and wisdom of his words.

So, at his initiative, desert living spread widely in Muscovite Rus'. In the 15th and 16th centuries, all the forests of northern Rus' were inhabited by desert dwellers, spiritual children and imitators of the Rev. More and more abodes quickly grew up around these secluded huts. In the 15th century, up to 57 desert monasteries were founded in Moscow Rus' alone. They arose in different places, becoming strongholds in the exploration by Russian people of the expanses of the North and Trans-Volga region. People went here, hid from Tatar raids and princely arbitrariness, established villages and towns, and turned forest wilds into well-groomed places. The monasteries of that time - again with the light hand of Sergius - did not oppress or oppress the peasants in any way; on the contrary, under the monastery walls people felt calmer, their farms flourished, and proximity to the monasteries opened the way to learning and books. And the moral spirit of the brethren of that time had a beneficial effect on the surrounding laity.

Legends surrounded the name of Sergius in Rus', which was awakening from the great oppression - the Tatar yoke. His deeds, actions, moral character, his code of conduct were strikingly different from what people were accustomed to, with which they had almost come to terms and to which, it seemed, there would be no end. The air of time was saturated with anger, bitterness and hopelessness. Entire generations lived in an atmosphere of anarchy, lawlessness, tyranny and robbery. The collapse of the state order, constant turmoil, raids first by the Tatars, sometimes by “our own people,” and economic devastation threatened the moral disintegration of the people.

The historical significance of monasteries in the construction of the Russian State was great, for, according to the behest of the Monk, they were founded in deserted and wild places and, of course, attracted a population for whom it was more convenient and spiritually joyful and stable to live with them. Thus, they were the true seedbeds of life and enlightenment, a kind of colonizers; They developed agriculture, construction, introduced crafts and laid the foundation of statehood on the culture of the spirit.

So, Saint Sergius appeared as the father of northern Russian monasticism, the founder of Holy Rus' and also the forerunner of future elders. But, in addition, its significance was great in the national life of the people. We saw how he repeatedly settled disputes between the princes, which threatened the young state with innumerable disasters. He also affixed his signature to the law on succession to the throne from father to son, putting an end to the internecine competition that was tearing the Russian Land apart.

But the apotheosis of the work of St. Sergius was his historical blessing for the terrible battle of Grand Duke Dmitry with the Horde. He knew what consequences his word would have, and he accepted this responsibility. And the consequence of this inspiration and encouragement was the great victory over the centuries-old oppressors - the Golden Horde. This victory was a turning point in the history of the young Moscow State, despite the still threatening attack of enemies, yet it so strengthened the people’s faith in their strength, so raised their spirit that the Moscow State was able to strengthen itself in order to develop over time into a Great All-Russian Power. The Tatars were terrible, but even more terrible and destructive for the Russian Land were the still ongoing discord between the princes.

2.1 Sergius of Radonezh - conciliator of princes

Many must have known that he flatly renounced the rank of metropolitan, that is, the head of the Russian Church, and made it clear that he did not aspire to any power at all. He saw his duty in understanding the spirit of the people, reviving and setting in motion their moral feelings.

Here it is appropriate to talk about Sergius’s participation in the political life of that time. He was not interested in daily, current political activities, was far from the strife that tore apart the family of Russian princes, and he tried not to interfere in church affairs. Sometimes, however, he intervened in politics, but only when it affected broad interests, and not internal, personal princely calculations. But even here he remained true to himself, acting with words and conviction. Sergius was close to the Prince of Moscow Dmitry Ivanovich and, undoubtedly, supported his activities to strengthen Moscow and turn it into the future new center of Rus'.

The abbot persuaded Prince Constantine to recognize the power of the Grand Duke of Moscow over himself. In 1365, he humbled Boris, who captured the Nizhny Novgorod table. Here, however, he had to use power - he closed all the churches in Nizhny Novgorod, deprived the townspeople of worship and other church rituals, and explained to them the incompetence of Boris’s actions.

So he did in 1385. book turned to the Reverend with a request to settle his relationship with the formidable and indomitable prince. Oleg Ryazansky, a long-time enemy of Moscow and an ally of Mamai and Olgerd. The whole life of this treacherous prince was spent in intrigues and campaigns; and more than once he contributed to the Khan’s invasions of the Russian Land. Dmitry sent many ambassadors to Oleg, but the arrogant prince did not want to listen to anyone. And now Sergius, already a 70-year-old old man, goes to Ryazan to establish lasting peace between the princes. The Wonderful Elder talked for a long time with the stern prince and with his fiery spirit and the words of his heart brought him into such tenderness that he persuaded him to enter into an eternal alliance with the leader. Prince Dmitry.

3. Repose of St. Sergius of Radonezh

After the spiritual height that St. Sergius reached, he did not live long. Six months before his death, the Reverend received a revelation about his outcome. Having called the brethren, he entrusted the management of the Monastery to his disciple the Monk Nikon, while he himself retired to his cell, in complete seclusion, remaining in silence.

It was Sergius who saw off Prince Dmitry Ivanovich on his last journey and, as one of his confessors, signed the will of the Grand Duke, which determined the transfer of succession from father to son, which legally ended the feuds around power and opened the way to the restoration of a unified Russian state.

Sergius of Radonezh died on September 25, 1392, at the age of 78, having foreseen his death in advance and having managed to hand over the abbot's staff to his beloved student.

Already the next generations of Russian people, whose conscious life occurred in the first decades of the 15th century, appreciated the personality of Sergius and his contribution to the fateful affairs of Rus'. “This had never happened before... he was loved by everyone because of his honest life. He was not only a shepherd to his flock (that is, the monastic brethren), but also a teacher and mentor to our entire Russian land.”

Sergius was canonized, and thanks to this act, his biographies and lives were created and his image appeared on icons.

For many years, the monastery of St. Sergius occupied first place in its influence among all Russian monasteries, being the most important spiritual and cultural center of the country.

The spiritual work preached by Sergius and his disciples was no less important in the revival of Russia than the active work of the Moscow princes on the battlefield and at the negotiating table with other princes, Lithuanian and Horde rulers.

Conclusion

The outstanding personality of St. Sergius, his highest spiritual and moral authority put him among the largest church figures in Russia. The Monk Sergius of Radonezh had the role of collecting the spiritual power of Rus' and creating the unfading image of the Holy Russian state.

It will not be an exaggeration to say that Sergius of Radonezh is one of those who created Russia and on whom it still rests. The Trinity-Sergius Monastery played an important role in the overthrow of the Tatar-Mongol yoke and the unification of Russian lands around Moscow.

In conclusion, I would like to quote the historian V. O. Klyuchevsky, who wrote in his works: “In the name of St. Sergius, the people remember their moral revival, which made political revival possible, and confirm the rule that a political fortress is strong only when it rests on strength of morals." St. Sergius of Radonezh church

Listsources andliterature

1. Klyuchevsky V.O. Historical portraits. - M.: Eksmo, 2008. - 107 p.

2. Putilov B.N. Ancient Rus' in faces: gods, heroes, people. - St. Petersburg: ABC-classics, 2001.