To the relics of Saint Panteleimon - healer of human souls and bodies

Address: Kislovodsk, Lenin Ave., 3a

Opening hours: daily, 7:00–19:00

If you walk straight from the Cascade Stairs along Dzerzhinsky Avenue, and passing the monument to Iron Felix, turn onto Lenin Avenue, you can reach the famous temple of Kislovodsk, which is being created anew - this is the Temple of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon

. Its fate was difficult, like that of almost all churches in Russia.

Temple of the healer Panteleimon in Kislovodsk

Tourist value

The temple is interesting for its mosaic icons - there are few such churches beyond the Urals.

On the territory there is a self-flowing Panteleimon spring, which is called “Glaznoy”. Popular rumor ascribes to it amazing properties for restoring vision.

Temple of Panteleimon Temple of the great martyr and healer Panteleimon in Belokurikha. Photo by A. Gavrilov

Where are the relics of the saint today?

The healer’s holy relics scattered like life-saving particles throughout the world. Its honorable head has been carefully guarded by monks in the Russian Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos for 16 centuries. It is here that pilgrims, who have lost hope of recovery, rush to venerate the relics of their beloved patron and pray for health for themselves and their loved ones.

Not everyone can go to Greece. Thank God, in every Russian church there is an icon depicting Panteleimon. Often holy relics are placed on temple icons, in reliquaries. The saint holds a casket in one hand and a spoon in the other. And only he alone knows how to heal body and soul in the name of Jesus.

How to get there

After the Belokurikha entrance sign, you move along the street. Sovetskaya two kilometers along the main road before turning to the right (landmark - gas station on the left side). Further straight along the street. Biyskaya (without turning onto Zhdanovskaya Street) is a little more than a kilometer away. The church is on the right side.

Temple of Panteleimon Temple of the great martyr and healer Panteleimon in Belokurikha. Domes. Photo by A. Gavrilov

No Drugs

Description

The first part of the temple of the great martyr and healer Panteleimon, the eastern one, was built, like the entire temple, at the expense of the townspeople, in the shape of a quadrangle with five onion domes, one of which rises above the others. The domes symbolize Jesus Christ with the four evangelists. The shape of the onion is a symbol of the fiery tongue of the candle, “as if... crowned with a cross and pointed towards the cross.”

From the west, the second part of the temple is attached to the quadrangle - a four-story, 19-meter bell tower with a square base and an onion dome. In the western part of the bell tower is the main facade of the temple.

106 modern icons are placed in ancient frames. The iconostasis was painted by Sergei Viktorovich Vandalovsky (Kyiv).

Particularly noteworthy are the icons from the shroud made by Moscow craftsmen - the faces of the Mother of God and Jesus Christ and seven mosaic icons.

The shrines of the Church of St. Panteleimon are considered to be the icon of the royal Martyrs, icons with the relics of St. Great Martyr Panteleimon, St. Great Martyr Antipas of Pergamon, St. Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, St. Sergius the Obedient of Pechersk, as well as the Ark with the shrine.

Temple of Panteleimon Temple of the great martyr and healer Panteleimon in Belokurikha. "Eye" source. Photo by A. Gavrilov

History of the temple

The very first building of the Church of St. Panteleimon or the “Red Church” was built with donations from Kislovodsk parishioners in the Russian eclectic style ( architect G.E. Volkov

) on an elevated place, in an area called Rebrova Balka in those days.
These lands, located east of the railway station, were quickly absorbed by the fashionable dachas and hotels that were built here, to which many vacationers came for the summer. The only church of St. Nicholas at that time could not satisfy the needs of all believers. Therefore, in Kislovodsk it was decided to build another Orthodox church, which became the Church of St. Panteleimon. The decision to build it was made in 1906, fundraising began, but not enough was collected, and there were even thoughts of building just a house of worship, but the city residents wanted to have a church. Due to the slow flow of funds, construction dragged on for many years, and was completed only in 1912
.

The red-brick, single-altar, two-tier church was a quadrangle, decorated with rich relief decoration made using figured brickwork. Vertically, the building was divided by blades with square recesses and diamond rustications (processing of facade fragments with polyhedrons). The round windows of the vaults were decorated with keel-shaped zakomaras (semicircular completion of part of the wall). The temple had eight onion domes of different sizes. The ceiling of the main vaults of the church was crowned with the largest dome, located on an octagonal drum with skylights. A smaller onion dome was placed above the refectory, which was also illuminated through the light windows of the drum. Small onion-shaped domes decorated with kokoshniks were placed in the corners and sides of the cornice. The height of the temple reached 17 meters. On the western facade there was an elegant figured porch, the entrances located on the sides were made in the form of arches. Fyodor Chaliapin himself sang in this temple

, and a native of Kislovodsk, A. Solzhenitsyn, was baptized here in 1918.

In the 30s

In the last century, the new government closed the church, the domes were destroyed, and the temple premises housed a dormitory for builders, and then a medical school. At one time there was even a gym here. In 1942, during the German occupation, the temple, with the permission of the Nazi authorities, was opened to believers. Services in the temple were carried out after the end of the war until 1965, when the church was closed again and then dismantled to the ground. This was the decision of the City Council, which planned to build a new sanatorium on the hill occupied by the temple. All the property of the church was transferred to the prayer house at 26 Peshekhodnaya Street, and the parish was also transferred there. However, a new sanatorium was not built. First, a dance floor was installed on the site of the demolished temple, and then a broiler room. Gradually, a landfill simply formed in this place.

But believers came to the site of the former temple. They honored the memorable day of St. Panteleimon in 1994 by erecting a memorial cross

. In 1996, a small chapel, a small church, was erected near the cross, in which church life was resumed. July 14, 2002 marked the beginning of the reconstruction of the Panteleimon Temple. In 2021, the lower limit was completely ready and consecrated, an iconostasis was installed in it and church services are already underway, and restoration work continues.

Legends

Born into a noble family, Pantoleon was raised by his mother, Saint Evvula, in the Christian faith. After her death, his father sent him to a pagan school, where he studied the art of healing from the then famous Euphrosynus. After his fame reached Emperor Maximilian, he wanted Pantoleon to be at his palace.

The talented young man was noticed by Presbyter Eromolaus, who began to convert him to Christianity. But faith in Christ came to Pantoleon only after he healed a child bitten by a snake with a prayer addressed to Jesus. He was baptized by Eromolaus under the name Panteleimon.

After that, he began to treat people with prayer free of charge, depriving other doctors of income. This was the reason for the denunciation to the emperor, who gave Panteleimon a chance to refute it.

Panteleimon suggested that other doctors try to cure a seriously ill patient as a test. After all the doctors abandoned him, Panteleimon heals him with prayer, which causes the masses of people to convert to Christianity.

This infuriated the emperor and he decided to get rid of Panteleimon, for which he tried to apply a series of executions to him, which were in vain. Only when, according to a voice from heaven, Panteleimon asked the soldiers to cut off his head, did it take effect. But it was not blood that flowed from the wound, but milk, and the olive tree was instantly covered with fruit. The body thrown into the fire did not burn, but was subsequently buried by believers in Christ.

The Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon is revered by the Orthodox Church as a healer and as a patron of warriors. The head of Panteleimon, which was separated from him after many tortures, is located on Mount Athos in the Panteleimon Monastery, and particles of the relics are in a number of cities in Russia.

Temple of Panteleimon Temple of the great martyr and healer Panteleimon in Belokurikha. Main facade. Photo by A. Gavrilov

According to local legend, the first temple of Belokurikha was built by a certain wanderer Andrei. And he built it to atone for his past atrocities after the church refused to release them to him.

And only by building the temple with his own hands could he count on the mercy of the Almighty and remission of sins.

He appeared, after long wanderings, on the site of Belokurikha in the summer of 1766. Having built himself a hut, he began construction of the temple. And since he had no construction skills, it was hard for him.

The years passed... The temple gradually grew and became more beautiful. The master also became more skilled.

Andrey was spiritually reborn. He rethought a lot during these years of loneliness...

An elegant cross rose high above the ground. You can’t take your eyes off the temple! And construction ended on the day of St. Panteleimon the Healer.

Andrei fell asleep, having completed his righteous labors. And he dreamed of a young man who pointed him to healing springs in the temple area. Waking up, Andrei hurried to the place indicated by the young man, and saw warm springs emerging from the ground.

And people began to come to these keys. Andrei began to help them with a kind word, prayer and holy water from hot springs...

There is another legend about the Great Bell.

In ancient times, four bells were cast and consecrated with the donations of believers - the Blagovestnik and three bells. Blagovestnik, according to some sources, weighed 36 pounds, others - 40.

After the destruction of the second church, they say, three bells were taken to be melted down, and the Blagovestnik disappeared... And they seemed to forget about his existence, but he buzzed alarmingly from nowhere. Maybe four, or maybe five blows were heard by people... And it was June 22, 1941... The war began...

Temple of Panteleimon Temple of the great martyr and healer Panteleimon in Belokurikha. Photo by A. Gavrilov

Oath in a military unit

Procession

Parishioners of the hospital church about the holy great martyr and healer Panteleimon and his help to them

On August 9, we celebrated the day of remembrance of the holy great martyr and healer Panteleimon, and I want to talk about how he became the first saint to whom I turned for help for the first time in my life. It was 12 years ago in the Kharkov temple that bears his name. For the first time, I prayed on my knees at his icon for my seriously ill brother. The holy doctor helped a fellow doctor who was then dying to survive. In those days, I began to become a church member, and since February 2013, unexpectedly for myself, I became a parishioner of the Moscow hospital church in the name of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon at the Central Clinical Hospital No. 1 of Russian Railways OJSC ( https://hram-ckb1rzd.prihod.ru/main-page /) I was brought not only by the illness of my diabetic brother, but also by a fire that happened simultaneously with his illness ( http://www.pravoslavie.ru/put/62975.htm ) . Congratulations on the patronal holiday of Archbishop Mark of Yegoryevsk ( https://hram-ckb1rzd.prihod.ru/arxipastyr-nashe-blagochinie/ , who takes care of the temple, the rector of Archpriest Sergius Eliseev, the cleric of the temple Sergius Beloborodov and all the parishioners who accepted me into their family as dear.

In 1999-2000 , the first rector of the newly built church in the name of the Great Martyr Panteleimon at the Ministry of Railways hospital on the Volokolamsk highway was Father Stefan Zhila. In 2000, the very first parishioners witnessed the consecration of the temple by His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II .

Every Sunday a prayer service is held here in front of the icon of the healer Panteleimon and the ark with a particle of his relics. Almost every parishioner has their own story about how the holy healer helps them. For example, Alexey Kartsev became an altar boy according to the vow he made to the healer Panteleimon, and Ilya Chernov became the regent of the temple after leaving the sect. However, we will give the floor to them themselves.

Ilya Chernov: Once in the temple of the holy healer Panteleimon, I became regent.

I didn’t get here right away. And I didn’t find myself right away. I studied for two years to become a ship mechanic at the Moscow Academy of Water Transport (near the Kolomenskoye metro station). I left there, tried to recover, but then I realized that it was not for me. There was a period when I often changed jobs. When I worked at a construction site as an auxiliary worker, I came to the Kazan Cathedral on Red Square. Then I still didn’t understand anything, I didn’t really participate in the sacraments, I stood on the sidelines. But at some point I wanted to finally come. At first I just really wanted to sing. I came to church to listen to them sing, and to watch the service. I stood up in the corner, and I really liked the way they sang. And somehow involuntarily I began to sing in ordinary life the chants that were sung there.

I wanted to come there because I was in the “Moscow Church of Christ” sect of the Protestant persuasion. I stayed there for a year, and by the end I felt very uncomfortable there. Questions arose that people from this organization could not answer me properly. It was not possible to get out of there right away, but I still really wanted to be somehow closer to Orthodoxy. At first I went to church when there were no meetings, and then I started skipping meetings. It's very strict there - you have to be at a meeting three times a week. The sect was not totalitarian, but still they were watching. When I left, my mentor, during the last conversation, gave the reason why I left. I did not agree with this, I said that I was leaving for Orthodoxy because I believe that it is true. After this conversation it was as if I was cut off. In any case, I would not return, because I realized: Orthodoxy is the true religion. I was attracted to him. It takes a lot to explain fully why I came here. There were a lot of wonderful moments associated with my mother, whom I invited to this sect. She attended several meetings and was ready to enter, but then she met an Orthodox priest who was at a meeting in this organization. Father Daniil Sysoev, who was later killed, came there to preach. Mom met him and they became friends. She wrote such thick letters to me to get me out of the sect, but, unfortunately, I didn’t really read them. And I left when some very strong inner spiritual urge appeared to leave this organization and become closer to my parents, to real life. For me, this naturally coincided with the transition to Orthodoxy. I then met Father Oleg Stenyaev, and in one meeting he immediately answered all my questions. And then there was no longer any doubt, I firmly decided to leave there.

After the Kazan Cathedral, I first went to the Church of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God on Novoslobodskaya, where I began to sing, then I came to the Church of the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Life-Giving Spring” in Tsaritsyno Park. There he continued to sing and entered preparatory courses at the Orthodox St. Tikhon's Theological Institute, where he studied for 5 years to become a regent. He graduated from it in 2005. I didn't go to music school. For his own pleasure, he accompanied himself on the guitar and sang. And after I came to church, they took me into the choir to study church singing, and I decided that I needed to do this professionally, seriously. Before college, I studied for two years at a singing school.

He sang for a short time in other temples and, in the end, came to the temple of the healer Panteleimon. Then Elena Valchuk was the regent here on weekdays. She invited me to the service, I sang, and at the next service she said: “If you want, you can preside for fun.” I remember that at the very first service it was very scary. On weekdays I sang only a few services. Lena could not work here at holiday services then, because she was in another place. When she left, it was urgent to find a regent, and the then rector of the church, Father Gury (https://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/1651162.html) found out my phone number from her, called and asked me to act as regent. This was 11 or 12 years ago. This temple has already become a home.

Now there are 8 people in our choir who go constantly. There are only two men - Sasha Isaev and me. There is also a very good tenor Dima, but he, the villain, rarely comes. True, it happens more often lately. Over the years, someone left, someone came, but a core of four people remained, which was there from the very first time I came to the temple. How important is the relationship between people who have been together for 10 years and who can complement each other! We are happy and good with each other.

True, sometimes problems, friction, disagreement, misunderstanding arise. But we have such singers that they try to find a common language with each other, and the difficulties that arise in relationships are short-lived. Very often they really support me, help me, and pray. When my dad recently died, they all came to the funeral service in another church, which is quite far from here. It was a weekday and I simply said what happened. Even those who very much apologized that they couldn’t because of work came and sang. I have always felt their support before. Therefore, I am very grateful to both God and these people for helping.

Of course, everyone has other jobs. And I have another singing job in the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity. I live on the other side of Moscow in the Orekhovo-Borisovo Yuzhnoye district. If you go from Kashirskoe Highway along Borisovsky Proezd towards Borisovsky Ponds, then there stands this small red brick temple.

I remember my second or third Easter in the temple of the healer Panteleimon, when a real miracle from God happened. Sometimes there are situations when everyone has some problems at the same time, and there is no one to sing. This is very tense and nervous for the regent. But somehow the Lord helps and, thank God, everything works out. I remember this happened on Easter, and I didn’t know what to do. I thought that there would be no one to sing, that three people would come. It was useless to look for people, because on Easter, as a rule, everyone is already busy. I had no choice but to pray. And somehow everything happened incredibly well. When I arrived at the choir, there was a choir of four people from another church standing there. They did not have a good relationship with the rector, who took another choir instead, and these people just wanted to sing for Easter. Their regent was with them, and they asked us to sing, not for a salary, but just like that. Of course, I can’t say that we sounded great, but for the holiday the lineup turned out to be very large and good, maybe more folk, because the people who came were less professional. The Lord clearly helped here. At such moments you understand that something amazing, interesting, good is not happening through your own efforts. I'm trying to live a Christian life, but I'm not a prayer person. And yet, there have been situations in my life related to the choir, when unexpectedly, as if in advance, the Lord gives something good, and I understand that there is absolutely no merit in this. Probably, this is given so that, firstly, I do not lose heart, and secondly, to encourage me to gratitude and prayer.

Parishioner Tatyana Mikhailovna about the holy healer Panteleimon, Patriarch Alexy II and two unborn sons

Our temple is beautiful. I've been coming here since 2001, that is, for 13 years. When the ever-memorable Patriarch Alexei II consecrated the temple, there were a lot of people! This was under the first rector, Father Stefan. I have been working as a nanny for a family for many years, and I took my little pupil Yulechka (she was two years old at the time) to the Patriarch for a blessing. The Patriarch has arrived and is walking along the carpet among the people. Everyone wants to venerate both the cross and his hand. He blessed us with a child, and this, of course, is grace. Sometimes I ask the girl: “What do you remember?” She says: “I remember the beauty, there are a lot of flowers.” And I remember that when the temple was not yet opened, if I’m not mistaken, a particle of the relics of the holy healer Panteleimon was brought here. The queue was huge. Those who wanted to bow stood outside the gate. And there was a rumor that they wouldn’t let me in. How is it that they won’t let you in? And then someone came, the gates were opened, everyone rushed in a crowd. They gave us icons, and it all went away very quickly. And after that, I myself began to go to this temple (and before we went to the temple on Nezhdanova Street, where my son and I were parishioners) and brought two or three more girlfriends here. At first there were very few people. At first the rector was Archpriest Stefan Zyla. (Now he serves in the Church of the Nativity, in the village of Rozhdestveno.) And there were unctions here. I'll tell you one incident from my life. I was sick, I had all sorts of ailments: both women’s and joints. Once I got so sick that I had a temperature of 39-40 for a month and a half. Even 40.9 - that is, almost 41! But I remained in prayer, and Father Gury came to the house: he administered unction, gave communion, and brought large prosphoras from the altar, soaked in wine. And the temperature began to go away. But then, I still had a stick for a long time. Once, girls from the Sisters of Mercy School were washing the dishes after a meal. They say: “We have to leave, Mother Tanya, wash the dishes.” Of course I wash it. And I myself, I think, how am I going to stand here with a stick? God bless. And before, the meal was oh-oh-oh. These two tables, another crossbar! There were so many people, all in a stream, there were mountains of dishes. And Mother Glafira, Father Guria’s mother, says: “Tatyana Mikhailovna, will you wash the dishes?” I say: “I will.” My, my, I completely forgot about my leg. As I walked home, I leaned a little on my cane. And so about six months passed. And St. Panteleimon’s oil helped, and prayers, of course. Disease is given to us because of our sins. I think maybe it’s good that I didn’t recover so quickly, because we, as soon as we get better, are back to the old ways. And so I strengthened myself in the illness, so that later I would more joyfully accept recovery. Now, thank you, Lord, I’m running and jumping as if nothing had happened.

Why are diseases sent? For my sins. After my second son, I had two abortions - at 27 and at 29 years old. And that’s it, there was no more pregnancy. I suffered for a very long time and repented. And at the age of 30 to 35 years old, I gained courage and asked the Lord: “Lord, can I see my children, whom I did not raise, whom I did not allow to be born?” I have a dream: I’m walking somewhere, walking through a meadow. Such a blissful place. And standing not far away are two very handsome young men. They are between 30 and 33 years old. I go up to them and ask them something like how to get there or what. I say: “Oh, guys, how beautiful you are!” They say: “We are your children.” “Oh, what’s your name?” One says: “My name is Mikhail,” and the other: “And I’m Nikolai.” And they are like scientists, like professors, that is, it is clear that they are so knowledgeable, but not with our earthly knowledge, but enlightened by some higher knowledge. I woke up, cried, thanked the Lord.

Alexey Kartsev: I made a vow to the healer Panteleimon that I would serve him

I have been in our church for 10 years now. In my memory there were several priests. The first rector was Father Stefan Zhila, who built the temple. At that time I still went to the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, but I knew it. Then there was the well-known Father Gury (Fedorov), now Bishop of Arsenyevsk and Dalnegorsk. He blessed me to become an altar server. I came here in an unusual way - through a vow. My wife had a serious illness and was taken away by ambulance. And before I was involved in martial arts, there was Buddhism, and everything in the world. Therefore, there was no strong faith. Then, by the grace of God, the now deceased father Fyodor Sokolov met on my way, and he set me on the true path, thanks to which I left all this. Then I went to the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, then to the Church of the Ascension on Nikitskaya.

When my wife became ill and was taken away in critical condition, I rode the subway and prayed like a fool. I remember that everyone paid attention to me, probably because I was sincerely praying. Then I had such a serious prayer, which rarely happens. I prayed with tears. I don’t know why, but I made a vow to Panteleimon. This is the first saint I have encountered. When my eldest son Zhenya was in his mother’s womb, we went to Kyiv. We were non-believers. I don't know which temple we went to. I was smart enough, the Lord enlightened me. Someone approached my grandmother and said: “My wife is about to give birth, who should I pray to?” “Do you know how to be baptized?” I say: “Well, where from?” She explained everything to me, I prayed, and now my son, one might say, was already born with a blessing. Now he is in Optina Pustyn.

One day Zhenya got sick and had some kind of lump on his neck. This is back in Soviet times. Back then we were all Soviet. And we came across an Orthodox doctor, a believer. She said: “We doctors heal the body, but God heals the soul. All other diseases come from illness of the soul. Go to the temple and pray to the great martyr healer Panteleimon.” And so my son and I came to the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord. I don’t remember how much I prayed, but my son was healed, thank God. And so it occurred to me that Panteleimon was helping. Then, when the holy head of Panteleimon was brought to Moscow, there was a huge queue, it was impossible to get there at all. My wife and I decided to just go look at the line. We came, and by the grace of God Panteleimon invited us. We got to him without a queue. I don’t know how, but the Lord managed it in such a way that we got through. And many then looked at this line on TV and thought: “How many abnormal people we have standing in line for no apparent reason.” And after that Panteleimon became close to me. I prayed to him to heal my wife and promised that if she was healed, I would serve him. I didn’t know how and where it would be, but I just made such a vow. And then the Lord vouchsafed through good friends to come here to the priest. There were probably 12 of us gathered here. There were such touching services. The icon of Panteleimon was different. The Akathist was read. I really enjoyed being at the Akathist. I stood and also sang along.

And then miracles began - the Lord cleansed me. My father told me: “Write it all down.” I used to smoke, drink beer, in general, I was a normal, ordinary person. It didn't bother me too much. Not that he was drinking, but for his own pleasure. I was involved in sports. And then I suddenly look, since I don’t smoke. The most interesting thing is that they told me: “How did this happen?”, but I don’t even know anymore, I’ve forgotten. Didn't beg, didn't ask. The Lord simply cleansed by grace. Then the next stage was - I became uninterested in drinking beer with friends. Previously, we would sit, talk, solve crosswords, it was fun, we had a lot of friends. And one day it went away. And the third thing that happened to me was that I became disgusted with listening to swearing. Not only was it unpleasant to say, it was even unpleasant to listen to. It's all by grace. Father blessed me to go to the Theological Znamensky courses to study at the Zaikonospassky Monastery (https://www.moscow.org/moscow_encyclopedia/34_zaikonospassky_monastery.htm). He placed his hopes on me, but I did not live up to them. We were recruiting a group, mother even graduated.

I didn’t ask to be an altar boy. I attended Sunday school with my children and took them on hikes. At first I was on duty at the temple, walking around with a bandage. Then he handed over the bandage, and Father Gury called me to the altar to help. Now he has become a bishop, God bless him. He didn’t give anyone any rest, he made sure to keep everyone busy with something. Everyone had to constantly pray and be busy. In church we read the circular Psalter. It's rare that this exists. And Father Gury got everyone interested in this. He constantly took us to holy places, we lived a spiritual life. Our community here is very strong and reliable. And now we continue to be friends.

Lyudmila Smelova: I didn’t imagine that my son and husband would become altar servers

First we went to the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Tushino, and then we started going here. My son was then two years old, and he stood at the altar all the time, with his hands folded. But I could not even imagine that first my son, and then my husband, would become altar servers. Back then, my daughter Tanya went to church as a sister of mercy and took part in concerts at the school of mercy. And Vladik will fold his hands and stand for the entire service. Father Gury once said: “When you grow up, we will take you to the altar.” And at the age of seven, on Easter, the son went to the altar for the first time. Now he is 13 years old. From the age of seven he has been at the altar. And my husband Sergei became an altar server quite recently.

Previously, there was a book in the temple where miracles were recorded. Now they can’t find the book, but my grandmother told me about a parishioner Nina Afanasyevna, who had trophic ulcers on her legs. She was still working. She went to bed, her sleep was so light, and she saw Saint Nicholas appear to her in a dream and say: “Go, buy my oil and anoint yourself.” She came straight to our temple. She looks, on the icon is just the image of the saint who appeared to her in a subtle dream. He asks Mother Tikhon: “Is there oil of St. Nicholas of Bari?” He takes the oil and goes home. She anointed her with oil, wrapped her in bandages, as she usually did, and went to work. In the evening she thinks: “Now I’ll unwind the bandages,” and she looks: her bandages have fallen off, and all the ulcers have healed. What a miracle it was. And the second miracle happened to her. A sick woman came to Epiphany with a terrible cough and said: “Father, just don’t sprinkle me too much, I’m sick, I’m coughing, it’s cold outside.” And he poured more water on her than usual. She came to work, and they said to her: “Listen, what did you do for treatment? You don’t cough at all anymore.”

Lydia Geraskina: The first rector of the church in 1999-2000 was Archpriest Stefan Zhila

“I was born in the Chernigov region into a peasant family, and was brought up on the principles of folk life of that time,” says Father Stefan. He started working early to help his parents. He loved to draw, especially portraits of military leaders: Suvorov, Kutuzov and others. It was my mother who planted the seed of faith in me, and this subsequently determined my path in life. After school, he graduated from the Kiev Medical College and worked as a pharmacist and head of a pharmacy. Then there was Kiev University, Faculty of Chemistry. Listening to lectures on philosophy, chemistry, quantum physics, I realized that the world is unknowable to the human mind, that the root causes of existence lie beyond the boundaries of this world. But this is God, in whom all reasons converge, in whom all the answers to the questions of the human mind are found. And the worldview, whether material or idealistic, is only a system of views of humanity of a given era. I understood: what my mother spoke in simple language about God is the same truth that all philosophy of all times and peoples speaks about. After the lectures, I happily ran to the Vladimir Cathedral for the start of the service.”

After graduating from university, Stepan worked as a research assistant in the laboratory of the Institute of Organic Chemistry. He had published works and was preparing to defend his Ph.D. dissertation. But the desire to serve God determined his future life. “Leaving chemistry, experiments and an unfinished dissertation, in 1973 I went to Zagorsk to study at the Theological Academy,” continues the priest. — The study was desirable and interesting. Reading spiritual literature, communicating with amazing monastery elders and wonderful teachers had a beneficial influence. In 1976 I was ordained to the priesthood. Then he taught the New Testament at the seminary for about five years. And in 1991, my independent pastoral ministry began.” Archpriest Stefan was appointed rector of the Church of Peter and Paul on Novobasmannaya Street. For a long time the temple was closed; various organizations were located there. It had to be restored. Father Stefan had full understanding and support from His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, parishioners and benefactors.

In 2011, on the eve of the Nativity of Christ, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', the dean of the Assumption District of Moscow, Archpriest Stefan Pristaya, presented the rector of the Church of the Nativity in Mitino, Archpriest Stefan Gilet, with the Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir for his diligent pastoral work and in connection with 35th anniversary of priesthood.

Patriarch Alexy II

At the turn of the millennium, the staff of the Central Clinical Hospital N1 of Russian Railways turned to His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II with a request to allow the construction of an Orthodox church in honor of the Great Martyr Panteleimon on the territory of the clinic. His Holiness happily responded to this request. Within three months the parish was registered. Patriarch Alexy and the new chief physician of the hospital, Tatyana Grigorievna Mishcheryakova, together with the most senior officials of the ministry, solemnly laid the foundation stone for the temple.

At the same time, the foundation of the new main building was laid. From that day on, His Holiness took the MPS hospital under his spiritual care. Construction was completed in an incredibly short time - five and a half months. In the spring of 2000, the temple was consecrated by His Holiness the Patriarch. And in the fall of 2001, the honest head of the great martyr and healer Panteleimon arrived in Russia! Having visited many Russian churches, she spent several days in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, where crowds of believers rushed to venerate her, and then in the temple of the healer Panteleimon - in front of his image.

The temple in the name of the great martyr and healer Panteleimon was erected by the Russian Ministry of Railways through the efforts of the Baltic Construction Company. The temple was consecrated by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia on June 28, 2000. In the same year, a particle of holy relics from the St. Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos was donated to the temple.

O long-suffering and wonderful passion-bearer of Christ and our healer Panteleimon! Pray to God for us!

Recorded by Irina Akhundova

Photo by the author