Orthodox Christianity in Imperial Russia

A Source Book on Lived Religion

Heather J. Coleman, HEATHER COLEMAN

• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9780253013187
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Denominations

From sermons and clerical reports to personal stories of faith, this book of translated primary documents reveals the lived experience of Orthodox Christianity in 19th- and early 20th-century Russia. These documents allow us to hear the voices of educated and uneducated writers, of clergy and laity, nobles and merchants, workers and peasants, men and women, Russians and Ukrainians. Orthodoxy emerges here as a multidimensional and dynamic faith. Beyond enhancing our understanding of Orthodox Christianity as practiced in Imperial Russia, this thoughtfully edited volume offers broad insights into the relationship between religious narrative and social experience and reveals religion's central place in the formation of world views and narrative traditions.

ONE

The Miraculous Healing of the Mute Sergei Ivanov, 22 February 1833

Christine D. Worobec

POSTHUMOUS MIRACLES BEFORE SAINTS’ RELIQUARIES AND AT gravesites that local believers thought contained the remains of holy individuals were ubiquitous across early modern and modern Orthodox Russia. They attested to the need and desire of communities to have their own protectors and intercessors before God in an uncertain world of illnesses, epidemics, and chronic conditions. Although miracles during or after the life of the holy person provided evidence of God’s grace and rationale for sanctification, the process for sainthood in the medieval and early modern periods was not regularized. The political objectives of the monastic institutions’ princely patrons, as well as local community and monastic interests, spawned petitions for canonization, to which the pre-modern church generally acquiesced.

Beginning with the mid-seventeenth-century church reforms and culminating in Peter the Great’s 1721 Spiritual Regulation and replacement of the patriarchate (established in 1589) by the Holy Synod to oversee ecclesiastical affairs, changes in the official recognition of saints occurred. Skepticism about certain devotional practices and beliefs among the laity and fears about false miracles and saints, as well as unregulated saints’ cults, made ecclesiastical hierarchs hesitant to acknowledge new saints and accept new miracles without verification. Such concerns were fueled by the growing strength of the Old Believer movement, which opposed the seventeenth-century church reforms, and the development of sectarian movements, along with the influences of the Protestant Reformation, Catholic Counter-Reformation, and Enlightenment. Accordingly, the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries witnessed few canonizations.

In the battle against superstitions, including what the Holy Synod viewed as excessive veneration of saints and miracle-working icons, the Russian Orthodox Church was unable to stem the disaffection of believers to Old Belief, sectarianism, Protestantism, and ultimately scientific rationalism. Consequently, in the 1830s the Synod somewhat softened its stance toward the laity’s steadfast belief in miracles in their contemporary world. It now understood that the recognition of some miracles, while still subjected to the greatest of scrutiny, could improve its chances of success in the battle for control of the faithful. That relaxation resulted in the printing of unusual miracle stories in the church’s newly established religious journals or in pamphlet form. With the explosion of print literature, by the late nineteenth century miracle tales appeared regularly in all religious publications, especially those geared toward the growing pilgrimage trade.

Generally, printed miracle stories were dramatically redacted versions of the miraculous cures. Following the medieval formula, a miracle tale recorded the name, estate, and residence of the recipient of the miracle as well as the nature of the individual’s illness prior to the miracle; the ways in which the person prepared for the miraculous event; the nature of the saint’s intervention; and finally, the type of thanksgiving the recipient bestowed upon the holy intercessor. The archival documents are much more elaborate in detailing the stories of the recipients of the miraculous cures and those of the eye-witnesses. While the components of the medieval genre remain, the testimonies include more personal information about the recipients and more detail about the miraculous cures. Some also provide insight into the verification process.

The archival file regarding the healing of the nineteen-year-old freeholder peasant Sergei Ivanov, who had been mute for nine years, at the reliquary of St. Sergius on 23 February 1833, located in the Trinity–St. Sergius Lavra (the term “lavra” denoting a monastery of exceptional importance and size) in Sergiev Posad (just over 78 kilometers northeast of Moscow) is fairly lengthy. Only a sampling of the documents is included below. In addition to Ivanov’s sworn testimony to the miracle he had witnessed and the eyewitness account from the monk who was in charge of overseeing St. Sergius’s reliquary, the monastery’s investigative council took statements from eight others, mainly staff from the monastery’s kitchen who could affirm that Ivanov had in fact been a mute. Some could attest to the miracle itself. The council also contacted Ivanov’s village elder to ensure that he had the proper passport to travel to the monastery. In the end, Metropolitan Filaret and the Holy Synod accepted the council’s recommendation that further inquiries were unnecessary, given the irrefutable signs that Ivanov had been the beneficiary of God’s grace. An imperial decree signed by Nicholas I was issued on 30 March 1833 announcing the miraculous cure, and just two months after the miracle’s occurrence an imperial censor allowed the publication of Ivanov’s oral testimony as a pamphlet.

Sergei Ivanov was typical of Russian Orthodox pilgrims in traveling on foot to a number of holy sites before receiving his miraculous healing. Walking hundreds of kilometers was part of the arduous process of fulfilling a pledge to God and various saints to visit the holy men’s and sometimes women’s shrines. Prior to his 1833 pilgrimage to the Trinity–St. Sergius Lavra, Ivanov had made a pilgrimage tour the previous spring of the holy sites in Moscow, Sergiev Posad, and finally the distant city of Kiev, which housed the first Orthodox monastic institutions in the Rus lands, including the Caves (Pecherskaia) Lavra. Such an ambitious route exemplified Ivanov’s resolve to demonstrate his sincerity in leading a committed Christian life. Other popular nineteenth-century pilgrimage tours included the locations that he visited as well as one or more of the following: the monastic complex at Solovki on the White Sea, the Valaam monastery in Karelia, the Sarov monastery in Nizhnii Novgorod province, and the Optina hermitage in Tula province.

Ivanov’s testimony describes visions of a man he probably thought was St. Sergius. Visions and dreams of saints and particular miracle-working icons of the Mother of God were not uncommon in other miracle tales, although the timing of the miraculous cures varied. Some occurred immediately after the vision; others had to wait until a visitation to the particular saint’s relics was possible. In the event of an immediate cure, the recipient of a miraculous cure was obliged to give proper thanks to the saint or Mother of God by visiting the saint’s reliquary or miracle-working icon and ordering the appropriate prayer service.

Setting up the Investigative Commission

To the Governing Council of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra¹

Most Humble Report of the Lavra’s Dean Hieromonk Innokentii

On this 23 February during the conduct of the hours [of the Divine Office] a miraculous healing before the relics of God’s St. Sergius of the peasant Sergei of the village Shchiuch’evo [elsewhere in the documents Shchuch’evo], Venetskii district, Tula province, who had been mute for nine years, occurred; accordingly, it would be good if the Governing Council would carry out the necessary investigation of this occurrence of grace and report it to the authorities.

23 February 1833

Signed Dean Hieromonk Innokentii

Oath administered to witnesses

I, the undersigned, swear and bow before the Almighty God that I will under questioning by you inform you according to God’s Christian commandment of the absolute truth, neither for the sake of friendship nor property, nor for gifts or donations, nor out of fear, nor out of envy or friendship; but I only want to and should say completely unadulterated only what I heard and saw, and I will add nothing upon pain of what awaits me on Christ’s Judgment Day when he judges the dead, and with that absolute truth I kiss the words and cross of my Savior, Amen.

Signed by the witness, the retired cavalryman [Christian name illegible] Mindin, from the Aleksandrov factory on behalf of the peasant Sergei Ivanov of the village Such'ia [sic] of Tula province because of Ivanov’s illiteracy and the Lavra Council’s steward Hieromonk Tikhon

28 February 1833

Eyewitness testimony of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra’s dean of the grave Hieromonk Innokentii before the Governing Council

Having noticed a mute man always zealously praying for about four weeks, I found out that he had the father prior’s permission to live in the brothers’ kitchen; I ordered him to come and see me sometimes since he often came to see Hieromonk Ilarii, the custodian of the brothers’ refectory, who lived with me in the same building. Extending sympathy to him, especially when I saw a pious attitude in him, I advised him to pray fervently to the Saint [i.e., Sergius] about his inability to speak. Once, seeing him visit the monk Ilarii and figuring out from his gestures that he was preparing to go home, we talked him into staying and praying to the saint. During the second week of Lent, having my turn to say prayers before the saint’s relics and seeing him, I ordered him to stand at the head of the saint’s [grave] for prayer; and at eight fifteen, during the saying of the hours [and] seeing him in such devoted prayer on his knees, I summoned him, gave him some oil from the votive lamp in front of the holy relics to drink and ordered him to kiss the relics. [As a result of] being distracted from him by other pilgrims [and having to] conduct memorial services, I did not notice what state he was in. After I served memorial services for everyone and had supper, I entered Hieromonk Ilarii’s cell, where I saw that mute noticeably enraptured by the fact that he was growing stronger in his ability to speak. Hieromonk Ilarii and I began to demand that he say his ABCs, and he talked with effort. Later, in the same manner he was able to say [the word] God, and having said this, he began to speak freely and explained that he had received this ability through the saint’s relics. He did not believe that he could in reality speak, and out of joy and with tears, could only say: “O Lord My God! Holy Father Sergius, forgive me, a sinner!”

Soon after this they called us to Vespers; I went into the Church, and the healed [man] went there also, crying and praying before his Holiness, repeating those same words. All the laypersons in the Church and the brothers, learning about the beneficial healing, joyously praised the wondrous Lord and his saints. Upon the conclusion of Vespers, I brought him to the cell of the prior, who upon seeing his excited state, did not think it appropriate to question him in detail, but [instead] ordered that prayers of thanks to the saints be said [and] ordered the healed [man] to prepare his confession so that he could partake of the holy mysteries, which was carried out with God’s help.

Dean of the Grave Innokentii so testified.

Prior Archimandrite Antonii was present for this testimony.

Sworn Testimony of the freeholder Sergei Ivanov of the village Shchuch’evo, Vinevskii district, Tula province, to the Governing Council

On 24 February 1833 the freeholder Sergei Ivanov of the village Shchuch’evo, Vinevskii district, Tula Province, after kissing the cross, testified to the following in the presence of the Governing Council:

I am 19 years old; because of my being mute I gave a silent confession² each year and partook of the holy mysteries. When I was 9, I was given over to the parish priest, Father Aleksandr, to learn to read; and during the first year of my learning I experienced a seizure in my sleep, as a consequence of which, when I awoke, I began to lose control over my tongue and as a result of that lost the ability to speak, without losing my hearing. Then I began to have more convulsions every month; during a new moon they occurred three times in thirty-six hours, in the morning, at night, and then in the morning of the next day, during which I hurt my left arm, which I could no longer lift up without feeling cramps.

I lived in that state the whole time, trying to work as far as it was possible in various places, more often than not, at soldering factories and in my village. Wishing to receive God’s grace through healing, I went after Easter of last year to Moscow and to St. Sergius; and then walked to Kiev. Having returned from Kiev and having been home one week, I saw one night in a dream that someone was talking to me: “You were at St. Sergius’s; come again to him [and] maybe you will also be able to talk.” When I awoke, I rejoiced [as one who] had taken a vow; I began to get ready to visit the Holy man. My uncle by birth and my little brother began to ask me where I was headed; with signs I showed them that I was going off to pray to God; I pointed to my earring, by which [sign] I explained that I was going to Trinity-Sergius. My uncle asked the township elder, Lavrentii Ivanov, for a pass to [allow me to] go to Trinity [-Sergius]. I arrived at the saint’s body with it [the pass].

With permission of the head [of the monastery] I lived in the kitchen where I helped the cooks in the preparation of the brothers’ repasts; I together with the other laypersons ate leftovers from the brothers’ meals; then I went also to the church to pray to St. Sergius. During my stay I often went to the father dean who always ordered me to pray and to believe in the grace of the holy man, which strengthened my hopes in the saint, steadfastly wanting a loosening of my tongue. Having lived in the hermitage almost two weeks and not seeing any improvement in myself, and after that, during the full moon during Cheesefare Week,³ having had once again a habitually strong seizure before everyone in the kitchen as before, three times, in the morning, in the evening, and in the morning of the second day, I thought, after gaining consciousness, about heading home. Both the dean and Father Ilarii counseled me to eat bread and not work. [They] tried to convince me to stay and pray some more but I was determined to leave. One night I saw someone in a dream quietly and joyfully telling me: “Why are you rushing home? Stay awhile, maybe God will give you back your tongue; you will stay and speak.” After that I stayed and began to pray zealously to the saint at night, [and] to go to his services to ask for his grace. On the Thursday of the second week, while standing at the head of the saint’s relics, by the father dean of the grave, near the end of the hours during my prayers, someone said in my ear: “Wait for an hour [and] God will give you back your tongue; you will be able to speak.” Because of that voice, I rejoiced and became afraid, I trembled all over; having collected myself, I looked around me and could not see who could have told me this information; I fell to my knees and tearfully prayed to the holy man. At that time the father dean gave me some oil from the holy lamps before the saint’s relics to drink and ordered me to kiss the holy relics. I...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half title
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• A Note on Spellings and Dates
• Maps
• Introduction: Faith and Story in Imperial Russia
• 1 The Miraculous Healing of the Mute Sergei Ivanov, 22 February 1833
• 2 The Miraculous Revival and Death of Princess Anna Fedorovna Golitsyna, 22 May 1834
• 3 Monastic Incarceration in Imperial Russia
• 4 Letters to and from Russian Orthodox Spiritual Elders (Startsy)
• 5 Sermons of the Crimean War
• 6 The Diary of a Priest
• 7 “Another Voice from the Lord”: An Orthodox Sermon on Christianity, Science, and Natural Disaster
• 8 A Ukrainian Priest’s Son Remembers His Father’s Life and Ministry
• 9 Akathist to the Most Holy Birth-Giver of God in Honor of Her Miracle-Working Icon Named “Kazan”
• 10 A Nineteenth-Century Life of St. Stefan of Perm (c. 1340–96)
• 11 Written Confessions to Father John of Kronstadt, 1898–1908
• 12 An Obituary of Priest Ioann Mikhailovich Orlovskii
• 13 Not Something Ordinary, but a Great Mystery: Old Believer Ritual in the Late Imperial Period
• 14 Orthodox Petitions for the Transfer of the Holy Relics of St. Stefan of Perm, 1909
• 15 Dechristianization in Holy Rus? Religious Observance in Vladimir Diocese, 1900–1913
• 16 Petitions to the Holy Synod Regarding Miracle-Working Icons
• 17 Missionary Priests’ Reports from Siberia
• 18 Petitions to “Brother Ioann” Churikov, 1914
• 19 Archimandrite Toviia (Tsymbal), Prior of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra: Memoirs and Diaries (Selections)
• 20 “From Ignorance to Truth”: A Baptist Conversion Narrative
• Glossary and Abbreviations
• Further Reading
• List of Contributors
• Index