Fedor Konyukhov: a great traveler and a humble priest

Feodor Filippovich Konyukhov
(born 1951), priest, cleric of the Zaporozhye diocese, traveler, artist, writer. Born on December 12, 1951 on the shores of the Azov Sea. Father - Philip Mikhailovich, a descendant of Pomor fishermen from the Arkhangelsk province, mother - Maria Efremovna, a native of Bessarabia.

He graduated from the Odessa Naval School and the Leningrad Theological Seminary [1].

Since childhood, he showed a desire to travel and discover the diversity of the world. He carried out his first expedition at the age of 15 - he crossed the Sea of ​​Azov on a fishing rowing boat. By the age of 50, he had made more than 40 unique expeditions and ascents, expressing his vision of the world in paintings and books. He completed four circumnavigations of the world and crossed the Atlantic fifteen times.

In 1983 he was admitted to the Union of Artists of the USSR (the youngest at that time). Since 1996 - member of the Moscow Union of Artists (USA) section "Graphics", since 2001 also a member of the section of the Ministry of Agriculture "Sculpture". Author of more than 3,000 paintings, participant in Russian and international exhibitions.

Member of the Union of Writers of the Russian Federation. Author of nine books. Full member of the Russian Geographical Society.

Since 1998 - head of the laboratory of distance learning in extreme conditions (LDEL) at the Modern Humanitarian Academy.

On May 23, 2010, he was ordained a deacon by Bishop Joseph (Maslennikov) of Zaporozhye [2].

On December 19, 2010, he was ordained a priest [1].

Father Fyodor named one of the goals of his ministry to work with fans of extreme sports:
It seems to me that you must definitely be close to them, because these people need special prayer, special intercession.
The Church is obliged to remember them and pray. Why do we have many priests who care for military units, schools, hospitals, but almost no ones who work with the same climbers and fans of extreme sports? After all, this is part of our society with a special way of thinking. You need to find a common language with people who are passionate about extreme sports. And this is another dream of mine - at least in Moscow to create a parish for such people. I am sure that the small community will definitely grow. And she will become an example for others, will help a person think about why he goes to the mountains [1].

Fedor Konyukhov: a great traveler and a humble priest

The legendary traveler Fyodor Konyukhov practically did not sleep during his circumnavigation of the world in the Morton hot air balloon. For all 11 days and 8 hours, he constantly had to monitor the movement and control numerous instruments that occupied almost the entire space of the gondola. There was simply no time for sleep.

Fedor Konyukhov. Photo: Alexey Sovertkov/Russian Planet

Long before the flight, he had been honing the old monastic technique of staying awake. The technique is quite simple: the monk took a heavy key with two fingers, and when he fell asleep, the key fell, hitting the ground with a roar. In those seconds while the key fell, the monk managed to get some sleep. During the flight, Konyukhov used an iron spoon instead of a key. It was only after landing that he allowed himself to sleep for five whole hours.

Behind all the euphoria around the now legendary circumnavigation, the fact that Fyodor Konyukhov is an Orthodox priest, elevated to the rank of archpriest (senior priest), has faded into the background. In ordinary life, Father Fedor, like all priests, performs services and sacraments: he performs weddings, baptizes, performs funeral services, confesses, serves the liturgy, and delivers sermons.

In an interview with RP, he admitted: “I always remind my children and parishioners in church during the sermon that they must be romantic.” According to Father Fyodor, the Church for a person is a ship in the sea of ​​life. This is where people save their souls. His motto: “In spite of all troubles and anxieties, I am not alone on the road - I am with God.” He firmly believes that God helps him overcome all the difficulties of travel.

The last trip around the world also did not happen without God’s providence and help. When, on the final leg of the journey, the balloon began to drift towards the Arctic, the stove broke down: the wind extinguished the burners, and the temperature in the gondola dropped below -30 degrees. Water and food turned into ice stones. Only by miracle did Konyukhov manage to catch the air flow that carried the ball to the launch site and light the burners again. Only the water and food never thawed - they had to be thrown overboard as unnecessary ballast.

Father Fyodor will spend a few more days in Australia: it is necessary to resolve a lot of organizational issues related to transporting the gondola and balloon to their homeland. The flight home will take another day. But, once on his native land, he will definitely go to the Holy Alexievsk Hermitage, which is located in the village of Novoalekseevka, Yaroslavl region. In this monastery, Father Fyodor has his own cell. In the absence of the owner, numerous pilgrims are allowed there, who, for example, can see above his desk, by the window, an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker personally painted by Father Fyodor, who is holding a sailboat and Cape Horn, the southernmost point of the traveler’s expeditions.

Svyato-Alexievskaya Hermitage is a unique place. Now there are several hundred inhabitants here, living solely on subsidiary farming and private donations. The monastery has an excellent library, a museum with more than 20 thousand exhibits, including those donated by Father Fyodor, as well as an icon-painting workshop. The monastery houses a shelter for orphans - under the guidance of the monastery residents, they participate in summer archaeological excavations in Crimea and help compile the museum collection. In 1996, an Orthodox classical gymnasium named after Archpriest Vasily Lesnyak was opened, where Father Fedor teaches. Since 2001, a cadet corps has been operating at the monastery to educate future soldiers, where children study tactical and fire training from the fifth grade.

They are all waiting for Father Fedor to return from Australia. They are waiting for his stories and joint prayers in front of the shrines that accompanied Father Fyodor during his circumnavigation. They will have the opportunity to venerate the reliquary cross, which contains more than 60 pieces of relics, including the Venerable Mary of Egypt, the Venerable Gregory the Wonderworker of Pechersk, the holy righteous Feodor Ushakov, a piece of the Crown of Thorns, the Tree of the Cross of the Lord, as well as the image of the Mother of God " Guidebook,” written by Athonite monks and presented to Konyukhov by President Alexander Ruchev.

For Father Fyodor, the St. Alexis Hermitage is the place where he draws spiritual strength for his further travels. And more fantastic records await him. His plans are to rise into the stratosphere to a height of 25 kilometers to see with his own eyes how the earth really “bends” and descend into the Mariana Trench, the deepest point of the world’s oceans - 11,022 meters. When asked why he does this, Father Fyodor simply answers: “To pave the way for others.”

We remind you that you have a unique opportunity to wholeheartedly congratulate the world record holder, hero Fyodor Konyukhov Filippovich, leaving your warm wishes in his personal feed on our website: https://goo.gl/Dalhyo.

Spiritual Everest by Fedor Konyukhov

On July 23, the famous traveler and priest Fyodor Konyukhov broke the world record for circumnavigating the world in a hot air balloon, completing it in just over 11 days.

– Fyodor Filippovich, what is more important for you – to be a traveler or a priest? – When at the age of 15 I could not decide who to be - a traveler or an artist, I decided to test myself and rowed across the Sea of ​​Azov. My grandfather, a Pomeranian fisherman who lived near the Solovetsky Islands and went on an expedition with the famous polar explorer Georgy Sedov, discovered a romantic desire for travel in me. In our family of Arkhangelsk Pomors, all are sailors, fishermen or priests. I always knew that I would be a priest; I have four holy new martyrs in my family, the most famous of whom are grandfather Peter and his brother Nikolai Konyukhov. All four were village priests and were shot after the revolution. I myself graduated from theological seminary. It seemed to me that at the age of 50 I would become a priest and move to a small village where I would serve. But time passed, expedition after expedition passed... In 2008, I set off on a voyage around Antarctica, where I fought for my life for three days and vowed not to delay any more, after which I wrote a letter to His Holiness the Patriarch, received a blessing and was ordained a priest.

Ordination of Fyodor Konyukhov to the priesthood

– When you return to Russia after a trip, does your view of the country change? – The world is changing, and Russia is changing too. She is changing for the better, materially but, most importantly, spiritually. More churches are appearing in our country, more people go to church, including young people - they have already grown up with Orthodoxy. When you travel around Russia and see a broken church with a rickety dome, it touches your heart with pain and sadness, but still it warms you.

Drawing by Fyodor Konyukhov
– Where in the world are people happier? - Nowhere. Everywhere in the world people live difficult lives. Because we came into this world to save our souls. But there are no ugly places on Earth: mountains, deserts, oceans - everything is beautiful. The Lord created the face of the earth so interesting and diverse! There is no better or worse people or ugly people - the Lord created everyone in His image and likeness. Wars are ruining the planet. I visited all continents, traveled to more than a hundred countries and became convinced that the Lord God loves everyone who lives on Earth.

Around the world with the icon of the holy righteous Theodore Ushakov
- How is the will of God manifested in your life? – The will of God is providential, but sometimes it is not obvious. While traveling on the other side of the world, we bought a sail for 20 thousand euros in some handmade workshop (it was a hopeless situation). We take it away, and instead of a triple stitch reinforced with a zigzag, there is just one seam. But the sail must hold the wind and guide the ship forward. But when the boat capsized in the ocean and I couldn’t lift it, fortunately, it was this shoddy seam that burst, the water poured out through the hole and the boat rose.

Fedor Konyukhov after landing

Another case. With my friends from Canada and America we are going on yachts in the ocean. A hurricane was approaching, and God wanted the hurricane to catch their yachts with its wing, but not touch me on my not very strong yacht. They died, but I live. Although as a racer and as a sailor I was weaker than them. – Is it difficult to be alone when traveling? - Previously, this was the most difficult thing - to be alone for 200, 500 days, I was literally torn from loneliness. I've walked 380,000 miles in the ocean. This is equal to the distance from the Earth to the Moon and back that I traveled alone. When I travel, I miss the domes, the ringing of bells, the liturgy, people or voices. In the ocean you only hear sounds - the cries of birds, the sound of wind and waves. When I walk along the ocean, I listen to recordings of bells and songs of famous Russian bards - Vizbor, Vysotsky - those who sing with their hearts.

Fedor Konyukhov in Greenland

Gradually I realized that there is no loneliness on the globe. There is always someone nearby: whales, birds, dolphins. The Lord God Himself or those saints to whom you pray are present. When you are alone and left to your own devices, there is enough time for everything: thinking, reading, writing books and paintings. In the city we are prisoners of circumstances. They constantly have to do something, go somewhere, meet someone. And as a result, there is no time left to think about who we are and why we live. – Do you raise followers? – I raised sons and have grandchildren. But I have a gap in educating students. In the Urals, Vologda, and the Far East there are schools of the traveler Fyodor Konyukhov. I'm trying to grow a shift. A traveler must not just wander around the world, but be spiritually educated and educated, be an ascetic. I used to focus more on physical fitness and the economic side of travel. But if you are not ready in spirit, then all this is useless. I would like my travel schools to prepare children not only physically, but also spiritually. Because spirit and body are inseparable. In the morning after sleep, you wash your face before appearing to people, but your soul must also be washed - pray for 10-15 minutes before doing anything.

Ethiopia 2011

– Aren’t you embarrassed by participating in product promotions? “No one has ever come to me and said: take the money, I’ll finance your expedition just like that.” Goals and objectives are always set, scientific, sports, including advertising. And there are unique expeditions that perform a special mission. For example, it was necessary to cross the hottest desert in Ethiopia, 1200 km on camels, to see the Ark of the Covenant in this Christian country, where there are as many Orthodox Christians as in Russia. When I started looking for the necessary 50 thousand dollars to buy camels, 2400 bottles of water, to pay for accompanying people, translators, I agreed to help only the world famous noodle manufacturer, and I am grateful to him.

The Ethiopian Patriarch, who died in 2012, told me at a meeting that the Ark of the Covenant belongs to all religions: Jews, Muslims, Christians. These are the tablets of Moses, from Sinai, stones on which the commandments should be inscribed. The Patriarch told me: “You must do something, Fedor, so that the Ethiopian people will love and appreciate you, then the guardian will show you these stone treasures, which have been guarded around the clock for 3,000 years.”

With the Primate of the Ethiopian Church Patriarch Pavlos

That’s when it was decided to cross the hottest desert, where it’s always 56–58º and there are many dangerous places. They even advised me to take a Kalashnikov assault rifle with me. Out of 15 people, I was the only one who was white. Every two or three days the drivers and camels had to be changed, only the members of the expedition remained the same. We climbed the nine highest peaks of Ethiopia, one of which was named in honor of Emperor Nicholas II by the Russian scientist Alexander Bulatovich, who explored this country in 1876. I installed crosses everywhere, although not all areas are inhabited by Christians, and the local residents were sometimes quite militant.

– Have you managed to win the heart of the Ethiopian people? – Yes, I stayed in Ethiopia for almost the entire 2011. The Ark was taken out to me at night, today volunteers with machine guns are guarding it. Everyone was forbidden to be around. Only priests, and I am among them. They brought out the stone tablets that Moses had left behind. The golden box of the Ark was lost, but two stone tablets remained and are kept in Ethiopia.

Cross on one of the highest peaks in Ethiopia

– It’s been 40 years since you’ve been putting yourself at risk. When going around the world, are you thinking about how to stay alive? – If you want to return from an expedition alive, you need to be well prepared – physically, financially, and technically. 32 of my friends, Russian and foreign, with whom I ever went on expeditions, with whom I participated in races, today went to another world and died. I prepare very carefully. Of course, in recent years I have been preparing more spiritually and praying. If earlier I trained in gyms - I ran 50-100 km every Sunday, now I have reduced my physical training and devote most of my time to spiritual preparation and prayer. Before, I ran during the day, slept at night, and now I pray at night.

Over the course of my life, I have become convinced that faith in God is somewhat similar to love for a woman. Some people were lucky enough to fall in love in their youth, some spent their whole lives pursuing their love, while others lived their lives without loving anyone, and it seems to him that there are no special feelings; he laughs at those who say the opposite.

Fyodor Konyukhov at the repository of the Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia

I capsized on a yacht in the ocean twice. Seconds before possible death, minor sins come to light, like how you accidentally waved a stick in childhood and killed a swallow. I forgot about it, but then it surfaced and became the main question. The water is rising in the yacht, and in a few seconds I might choke and die. I have many sins that are hard to live with, but I remembered a swallow. Then I started thinking that minor sins can become major ones. It's not scary to die, but it's scary to stand before God and account for your sins.

They say that there are atheists. But a person cannot be an unbeliever, even an atheist, he still necessarily believes in something - in the political system, in money, in the law, but I believe in our God Jesus Christ. When I went to the ocean, I prayed not only to Nicholas the Wonderworker and Theodore Ushakov, but also to Mother Matrona of Moscow, Ksenia of St. Petersburg. Prayer is like poetry; if you read without a heart, you will not be heard. On every journey I always have the Gospel with me, which I reread many times.

Marina Sitnikova

REFERENCE: Fedor Filippovich Konyukhov is a traveler, writer, artist, priest of the Russian Orthodox Church. Honored Master of Sports in sports tourism, member of the Union of Artists, Union of Writers of Russia. He graduated from the Leningrad Theological Seminary, the Odessa Naval School and the Art School in Belarus. The first Russian to conquer the Grand Slam: the South and North Poles, Everest and Cape Horn. Made six voyages around the world. In 2010, on the day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra, he was ordained to the priesthood. He built two churches and nine chapels. According to Fyodor Konyukhov, he dreams of finishing traveling and serving in a small church remote from civilization.

About teachers, friends and family

– Who do you consider to be your teachers?

“Their names are engraved in my chapel.” The first is Naomi Uemura. This is a Japanese traveler. He means a lot to me. He was the first to usher in the era of solo travelers. Uemura reached the North Pole alone. After him, the Frenchman Etienne did it, and then I. I consider Uemura and Etienne my mentors. I studied how they walked and took advantage of their experience. For me, they will always remain the ideals of solo travelers. But there are travelers who traveled in a team, for me they are no less great and brave. Two years ago, Yuri Senkevich passed away. He and I were friends for thirty years. He is a real example for me. We all in the Soviet Union saw peace thanks to him. Without him, there would be no Thor Heyerdahl, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, or other famous travelers for us.

– Today, you yourself are a role model for many boys. What would you say to these young romantics? And what do you tell your children? Do any of them want to follow in their father's footsteps?

- It’s as God pleases... I know what danger is. What dangers exist in the ocean, what dangers exist on mountain slopes. Those guys whose names are carved on the boards in my chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker were younger than I am now when they passed away. I have a little son, Nikolai. And my wife and I would not want him to become a traveler, because it is dangerous. We secretly hope that there will still be a priest in our family. When I was planning my life, I wanted my path to turn out like this: first - study, then - travel, then - engage in art, and then I dreamed of becoming a rural priest in a small village. But now the years are not the same. I can no longer become a priest. But I dream of someday starting to paint icons. In the meantime, I am a secular artist, this is my profession. I paint pictures, design books, and make illustrations. Now I’m working on the design of the book “Citadel” by Exupery. This is his last work, a philosophical work. I already made the cover. I believe that I am too sinful to paint the face of the Mother of God, Jesus Christ. I still can’t get around to this. Although, when I look at the icons, I am a professional artist, I see that I can apply the paints correctly and process the board. But the hand does not rise. Hopefully this will come with time. I would be grateful to the Lord God if this happened.

– Why are you sure that you will not become a priest?

– My life turned out to be such that I was married twice. And a priest should not enter into a second marriage. True, my father says that an exception can be made, but I don’t want exceptions for myself. This is my sin, and I must answer for it.

On my father's side, all of our family are fishermen. So I followed this path. I am a professional navigator, navigator, and ship engineer. And I wanted to become a priest, because I’m scared that I could die in some kind of fuss, without comprehending what I’ve learned over the years. After all, time passes quickly, but you want to understand everything without haste. In a village, in a small parish, when you come to the service with the ringing of bells... And now there is vanity around. I want to settle down – that’s the right word for my state of mind.

– How do you want to raise your youngest son?

– Every year I sprinkle holy water on the boards with the names of my friends and at the board where Sienkiewicz’s name is written, I always say: “Yura, I wash you!” When Jacques-Yves Cousteau died, there was mourning - the national pride of France was gone. When Heyerdahl died, it was mourning for all of Norway. That’s how Senkevich was, he was our national pride. And I would like our younger generation to be brought up with such examples. When my youngest son grows up, I will show him our photographs and tell him about Yuri Sienkevich, about how he went with Heyerdahl, how we dreamed together, how thanks to him I saw the world. He showed not only me, but also thousands of television viewers the romance of travel. People like him are true role models. Young people should be raised on such ideals.