Bishop Ioann Snychev. This name is known not only in large Russian cities, but also in the most seemingly God-forsaken places in Russia. This seemingly inconspicuous, thin old man became a real idol of many Russians. When the entire Russian land with its large population was drowning under the yoke of overseas preachers, who strove to erase its essence from the face of the earth, destroy its natural heritage and destroy the centuries-old traditions of the Russian people, the quiet voice of Vladika John spoke of what should be accepted in your heart only Christ and the Church. And do not listen to more deceptive theories and false sciences. Vladyka John Snychev was of amazing purity. His biography is replete with amazing events. It is especially amazing how throughout his entire life this man felt the presence of the Lord in everything: in deeds, in events and, of course, in his soul.
Joyless childhood
The future archpastor of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan John (Snychev), was born on October 9, 1927 in the village of Novaya Mayachka, Kherson region, into a family of wealthy peasants, who, a year after his birth, were forced to flee from dispossession to Western Orenburg. They settled in the village of Spassky near Sorochinsk, where they lived in extreme poverty.
Recalling the years of his childhood, Bishop John said that for a family where, besides him, there were four more children, there was only one pair of felt boots, and everyone wore them in turn. They ate mainly on what they could grow on the plot of land allotted to them, and when these meager supplies came to an end, the mother sent the children to collect nettles and quinoa, from which she made soup.
However, even despite such hopeless poverty, the Snychevs, being illiterate themselves, tried to give their children an education, and for this purpose the whole family moved from the rural outback to the city of Sorochinsk, where Ivan graduated from the seven-year school and then entered the Orsk Industrial College, where he studied the war prevented him.
Why was the word “patriot” a dirty word?
Writer Alexey Solonitsyn has long been known to readers as a prose writer who is well versed in the genre of short stories, which can be independent or can be combined into a novel. It was his stories about Vladyka John that formed into the story. That is why his book is valuable. Other books are either official biographies, or memoirs or collections that are not collected into a single narrative of memories. Solonitsyn consistently described the life of the ruler from birth to death in artistic literary language. The writer shows his fate against the background of the fate of Russia at that time. Just as difficult and even tragic was the life of the people then, just as difficult and tragic was the life of Bishop John.
Author of a book about Metropolitan John A. Solonitsyn
Particularly interesting are the plots of the story, based on the writer’s personal conversations with the Metropolitan. So, once during a television interview, Solonitsyn asked Bishop John about why the concept of “patriot” became almost abusive? Metropolitan John replied that this has been happening for a long time. US President Ronald Reagan called our country the “Evil Empire.” And they mean “Empire of Good” and therefore calls on all the best Russian minds to come to them and realize their potential. But in Reagan’s opinion, there is nothing to do in Russia—you cannot be a patriot of the “Evil Empire.” This is how, according to the Bishop, the information war against Russia has gone on, is going on, and will continue to go on.
The first grains of the Orthodox faith
Metropolitan John (Snychev) of St. Petersburg wrote about the manifestation of religious feeling in him that he felt its first signs at an early age. Despite the fact that his parents could not give him systematic spiritual education, since they themselves only occasionally attended church, already in his youth he began to think about the meaning of life and what awaits a person beyond the threshold of eternity. His whole being rebelled against the idea that after death a person is destined to fade into oblivion and disappear without a trace.
In the village where Ivan lived at the beginning of the war, there was no church, but local old women gathered in the evenings for prayer services in one of the private houses. It was at these semi-legal religious meetings that the first seeds of the Orthodox faith were sown in his soul. Soon the Lord sent to help Ioann Snychev (then just Vanya) a wise mentor and devotee of piety - nun Fevronia, who was evacuated in their area. Taking upon herself the work of the young man’s religious education, she became his spiritual mother.
HE SIGNED “YOUR GORGODIST”
I was a thirteen-year-old teenager when I first saw Vladika John. He then ruled the Samara and Ulyanovsk dioceses and came to our village of Oskino for the patronal church holiday. The church was jam-packed, and he stood at the pulpit wearing a miter, and I couldn’t see his face. The generous sun poured through the window, and from this the Vladyka stood as if in some kind of pink cloud. I didn’t exchange a word with him, but I intuitively felt that this was the man I would like to call my spiritual father. However, many years passed before my dream came true. We met when I entered the Pukhtitsa convent and Abbess Varvara sent me home to be discharged. Arriving in Samara, I went to the diocese. The Lord accepted me.
What was I talking about then? I do not remember. I only remember how good and warm my soul felt from communicating with him. But the trouble is, because of my excitement, I forgot about the most important thing - to ask him to take me as his spiritual child. Then, returning to the monastery, I decided, like other sisters, to write to Vladyka. Soon I receive an answer, and at the bottom the signature is “Your pilgrim.” And I already knew that to others he signed with the equal sign, which meant spiritual father. I wrote to Vladyka again and asked to become a spiritual child. He replied: “I don’t mind, but everything will depend on how obedient you are.” This was a holiday of the soul!
The time for tonsure into the mantle came, I ran to call Vladyka: “Vladyka, pray, I have tonsure in two hours. I'm so afraid". He answered the phone: “Don’t worry, everything will be fine.” I was also afraid that they would give me some ugly name, but I didn’t tell Vladyka about it. And suddenly I hear them say: “Nun Joanna is tonsured.” I was given the name of the Master, which means “the grace of God.”
It is a mistake to think that the Lord was always complacent. How he knew how to teach us a lesson! I remember two cases. I come to him one day, and there is tea, and I still have to get to one more place. I said from the doorway: “Master, I don’t have much time, only half an hour...” He said nothing and continued the conversation interrupted by my appearance. The topic raised in the conversation had interested me for a long time, and I decided to stay. But the Lord reminded: “It’s time for you to leave, half an hour has passed.” I persisted: “But, Vladyka, I don’t even want to leave, it’s so interesting what you’re saying.” He was adamant: “No. Leave". I walked down the street and scolded myself for being stupid, because Vladyka would have prayed and everything would have worked out where they were waiting for me.
Another time, the three of us came. One sister approached Vladyka and said: “Vladyka, I need to talk to you for about twenty minutes.” And I must say that we were all waiting for him to have a free minute. “Okay,” agreed the Lord, “let’s go.” He gave her exactly twenty minutes, as she asked. We didn't get an appointment that day. But the next day, immediately after the evening meal, Vladyka invited us to his place, and said to Elizabeth: “And you, mother, we already talked about everything yesterday.” Vladyka treated us to tea, and our conversation lasted until eleven in the evening. Afterwards I said to Elizabeth: “Let this be your wisdom—have patience. So we suffered, and the Lord sent us such consolation.”
And how he tested me when I first came to him... He did not invite me to a meal, but only in the evening for a conversation. I took it for granted, it didn’t even occur to me to be offended. In the evening after the conversation, he suddenly asks: “Well, tell me, what were your thoughts that day?” What thoughts could I have? I spent the whole day flying on wings in anticipation of the meeting. That's what she answered. “Well, think, think,” he insisted. “Remember.” “All glory to God, Master,” I answer in confusion. Then he blessed me and said: “Tomorrow I will be at the bishop’s meal.” Later I found out that he was testing my pride to see if I would be offended that I didn’t immediately receive the invitation. From then on, when I came to Vladyka on monastic matters or for advice, he always invited me to a meal.
He also forged the monastic spirit in us, making sure that we did not become too attached to our parents. One day I came to see him and hoped to go to my mother for a few more days. So I’ve been living for a week or two... Mom calls every day, crying, because she’s been waiting to meet me for a whole year. I then say: “Vladychenka, I would like to go home now.” And he: “Nothing, nothing, from here you’ll go straight to the monastery.” He bought me a ticket, and I went straight past my mother to Pyukhtitsa. This may seem cruel to some. No, he did the right thing, cutting off all family ties, forging a monastic spirit in us. This is how he lived himself.
I am grateful to the Lord that He, by His mercy, sent me such a shepherd. Nun Joanna (Smolkina)
Beginning of religious service
In 1944, Ivan, who had not yet reached adulthood, was drafted into the army, but was soon discharged due to illness. Returning to civilian life, he got a job as a sexton in the Church of Peter and Paul in the city of Buzuluk, where he met with Bishop Manuel (Lemeshevsky), which determined the direction of his entire future life.
Having become Bishop Manuel's cell attendant, Ioann Snychev was tonsured into the ryassophore (the first stage of monasticism) in June 1946, leaving his former name, and after a short time he became a hierodeacon - a monk ordained to the rank of deacon, and began serving in the St. Nicholas Cathedral. Two years later, Bishop Manuel, who by that time had become an archbishop, ordained John as a hieromonk, that is, to the rank in which a monk becomes a priest and receives the right to perform the sacraments.
The influence of a wise mentor
Soon after this, Metropolitan John (Snychev), while still a young man, began his activity in the field of religious hymnography. In those years, his spiritual mentor, Bishop Manuel, made efforts to restore the veneration of the miraculous image of the Mother of God of Tabynsk, once widely known but forgotten during the years of Soviet rule. In order to succeed in this good undertaking, the bishop instructed his former cell attendant to write a suitable akathist for the icon. Having successfully completed the assigned task, Hieromonk John (Snychev) thereby laid the foundation for his further work.
The future archpastor gained experience in preaching activities through regular communications with church parishioners. After each liturgy, he recounted to them in detail the lives of the saints, which was a very important matter, since it was then impossible to purchase printed publications of this kind.
The end of the 40s in the history of our country was marked by another period of repression against clergy. Father John’s spiritual mentor, Archbishop Manuel, also became their victim. In April 1948, a case was fabricated against him, and by a court verdict, the venerable archpastor was sent to the remote camps of Mordovia for 10 years.
Studying at the seminary and academy
Mentally grieving over the hardships that befell the teacher, but not giving in to despondency at the same time, the orphaned hieromonk left his service in the church and went to Saratov, where he entered the theological seminary. As his classmate, the future Metropolitan of Volokolamsk and Yuryev Pitirim (Nechaev), later recalled, Ioann Snychev reached such exaltation in his religiosity that he earned the nickname Vanka the Whip among his comrades.
He graduated from the seminary in 1951 and at the same time became a student at the Leningrad Theological Academy. And here, as in Saratov, the young ascetic devoted himself entirely to serving God and learning His holy truths. The successes achieved through hard work were so convincing that in 1955, upon completion of his studies, he, as a promising theologian, was retained in the department of sectology as a professorial fellow.
Once again joint works with Bishop Manuel
In 1955, when hundreds of thousands of innocently convicted people received freedom after Stalin’s death, Archbishop Manuil also returned from the Mordovian camps. Joyfully greeted by his spiritual children, among whom Hieromonk John (Snychev) remained the closest to him, he was soon appointed to the Cheboksary See. Even before his departure to the banks of the Volga, Father John, together with his teacher, put a lot of work into compiling the “Rite of the Bishop’s Funeral Service,” which became his next contribution to Orthodox hymnography.
Ministry in Cheboksary and Kuibyshev
In the fall of 1956, Father John, who by that time had been tonsured into the mantle (the second stage of monasticism), was sent to Minsk to teach a number of disciplines at the local theological seminary. However, he did not have to engage in teaching activities for a long time, since the very next year, at the request of his friend and mentor Archbishop Manuel, he was transferred to Cheboksary and there he helped the bishop in writing a number of major works on theology. For participation in this joint work in March 1959, the talented hieromonk received an award - a cross with decorations, which he received from the hands of Patriarch Alexy I.
After the appointment of Bishop Manuel as Archbishop of Kuibyshev and Syzran in 1961, he took his assistant for literary activities, Father John, to the new position, appointing him priest and keymaster of the Intercession Cathedral. Soon the hieromonk was elevated to the rank of abbot, and three years later - archimandrite.
FIRST MEETING - LAST MEETING
About two weeks before his death, Vladyka was in our church of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God. When I approached him for anointing, he looked at me with such an attentive, kind look and, blessing me, put his hand on my head. That's all. But I can’t forget either this fatherly look or the blessing hand. Something turned over in the soul or, on the contrary, fell into place. This was our first meeting.
When Vladyka passed away and I realized that I would never see him again and would not be able to ask the questions that worried me, I began to buy his books. I found answers to everything in them. And then I had a dream that Vladyka and I were standing at a huge bridge, and I bowed and said that I was reading his books. Vladyka smiled, stroked my head and said: “Good girl, read. God help you!” He said so and left across the bridge.
Soon I took monastic vows with the name Theodora. My obedience is to help prisons and orphanages with icons and crosses. One day I needed 200 crosses. Where to get? I went to the grave of Vladyka, told everything as if it were alive, and asked for help. In the evening I came to the Smolensk Church for the all-night vigil and was greeted by Father Bogdan. I said to him: “Father, pray for me: I need 200 crosses for the prisoners and for the orphanage.” Father immediately spoke with the altar boy, and he brought me a box. “Here,” he says, “Mother, they were lying in the altar, praying. Exactly 200." And this is not the only case when, after praying at the grave of the Bishop, help and consolation came to me.
And my last meeting with the Lord, I hope, is still ahead, when the Lord will call me, unworthy, to Himself. Nun Theodora , St. Petersburg
Master of Divinity
Bishop John's archpastoral service began in December 1965, when he was consecrated (elevated) to the rank of bishop. Soon followed by the defense of a dissertation at the Moscow Theological Academy, on the basis of which he was awarded the title of Master of Theology, and then placed at the head of the Cheboksary diocese.
In September 1976, Bishop John (Snychev) was elevated to the rank of archbishop and a year later made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, which at that time was a great difficulty. Along with clergy, his academic degree also increases. For the course of lectures he gave in 1988 within the walls of the Leningrad Theological Academy, Bishop John was awarded the title of Doctor of Church History.
At the head of the St. Petersburg diocese
In 1990, by patriarchal decree, His Eminence John, who by that time had been elevated to the rank of metropolitan, was placed at the head of the St. Petersburg diocese, which in those years was a real spiritual desert. As statistics from those years show, in a city of millions of people there were only 12 operating Orthodox churches, half of which were cemetery churches.
Over the next 5 years, until his death, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga John (Snychev) did a great job, as a result of which the number of operating churches in the Northern capital increased 3 times. In most of them, Sunday parish schools began operating, and a new theological school was opened in the city itself.
In addition, through the works of His Eminence John, a publishing house was founded in St. Petersburg, which began publishing spiritual literature. There, for the first time, many works that Metropolitan John Snychev wrote over the years saw the light of day. Books on theology and church history were published in large numbers. The Bishop put a lot of effort into starting to teach the Law of God in ordinary secondary schools, but difficulties arose along this path that have not been overcome to this day.
An important feature that Metropolitan John (Snychev) of St. Petersburg possessed was his openness to a wide range of people and his willingness to engage in dialogue both with fellow believers and with representatives of other faiths or atheists in general. To this end, he regularly took part in the popular television program “Temple”, and also took part in regular radio broadcasts “The Bell”.
Igor Evsin. PELENA and Metropolitan John (Snychev)
Most recently, November 2 marked the 20th anniversary of the death of Metropolitan John (Snychev). I was prompted to write this article by the grateful and bright memory of him as a person through whom I began to become a church member, or rather, to attend church. At the same time, he was completely unaware of this and did not know me at all. But I still had one single meeting with him, and it was this meeting, filled with deep meaning and anecdotal at the same time, that influenced my attitude towards attending divine services. This amazing incident occurred in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. But before we talk about it, we need to make a short introduction.
...Back in 1992, the Soviet Union, in which I was born, in which I lived and in which I was proud, collapsed. I was grateful to my Motherland for the great Victory, for great science, culture, for Korolev, for Gagarin, for Kharlamov, for Lyudmila Zykina, for Valentin Rasputin and Vasily Belov and much more...
And then everything collapsed overnight. The meaning of the “difficult present” for the sake of a “bright future” has collapsed. The belief that “the era of bright years is approaching” has collapsed. The past years have become meaningless. It was still a disappointment! And if it were not for the acquisition of the Orthodox faith, my ideological crisis would have ended in disaster.
Now I don’t remember exactly what led me to start looking for the meaning of life in a religious sphere that was completely incomprehensible to me at that time. But nevertheless, I began to read the Psalter, the Gospel, and the writings of the holy fathers. A spark of faith in God began to ignite in me (however, it never faded). And I was consoled, strengthened by the hope that everything would somehow work out both for me and in my Fatherland. By that time I was married. My wife Irina, who also experienced an ideological crisis, read spiritual literature and also went to services.
“Books, books,” she said, “but you have to go to church.” Without him you will get worse again...
“Yes, I know what’s necessary, I know...” I answered my missus, “I’m not ready for this, you know, I’m not ready.”
I’m not ready, then, somehow, maybe... I don’t know how long this spiritually dangerous state would have lasted until I attended the service of Metropolitan John (Sychev) in the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. And Irina lured me there, and lured me with cunning (may the Lord write off a hundred or two sins to her for this...)
One day she went on business to St. Petersburg and grabbed me - she needed my masculine strength, they say, to carry books that she had to purchase for the St. John the Theologian Monastery in the village of Poshupovo. And she already knew that she was going not only to “buy books,” but also to attend services at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Well, at the same time bring me to the temple. We arrived in the northern capital, spent the night with friends, where in the evening I dined on sandwiches with sausage, which at that time in Ryazan during the day was difficult to find. In the morning we again fortified ourselves with sausage and went to the Lavra. So we arrived and went straight to the cathedral for worship. I remember standing at the liturgy and not knowing what was happening. I didn’t understand any words or actions. But I tried to catch at least something, and I caught something... I heard and recognized the texts that I read in the Psalter and in the Gospel. But overall, I still didn’t understand much. And the soul sang! Why she sang to me, I didn’t think. It just felt good. My soul was light and spacious. And suddenly I saw that people were reaching out to Metropolitan John to receive communion. I stand and look. I hear the ruler looking over his head in my direction and asking:
– Those who have not yet received communion, come!
I looked around - everyone was silent. He asks again:
- Who didn’t take communion?
“So I didn’t take communion, it’s he who’s calling me,” a thought flashed through my mind, “Everyone took communion, but I didn’t...”
- I, I didn’t take communion! - with such an exclamation he rushed to Metropolitan John through the crowd and approached the chalice without even folding his hands (he didn’t know that he had to fold them before communion).
- Name? - the Bishop asked quietly, but it seemed to me, menacingly.
- Igor.
— Servant of God Igor takes communion….
This is how for the first time in my life I partook of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Of course, later in confession I told the priest about this, but he only smiled and, covering my head with the stole, forgave this involuntary sin.
That first communion became my first step towards becoming a church member. It was as if a scale had fallen from my eyes, and I saw that it was in the temple that my salvation lay.
And years later I learned that Metropolitan John also had an incident with the “veil.” It happened on the dance floor when the future ruler was only sixteen years old. According to the memoirs of Metropolitan John, when he watched the young people dancing, suddenly it was as if a veil had fallen from his eyes. And he saw not dancing, but grimacing demons standing behind them. The young man fled from the dance floor in fear and began to visit temples even more diligently.
In conclusion of my brief introduction, I will say that after the incident I described above in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, I began not only to go to church, but also to read spiritual literature more diligently. And especially the works of Metropolitan John. They simply shocked me, and once again tore the veil from my eyes, which did not allow me to see how spiritually dangerous my condition was, as well as the condition of Russian society of that time and our state as a whole. In addition, it was his works that inspired me to fight this condition within myself and in society within my means. So in 1993, I wrote the first collection of articles on spiritual topics, which was published as a separate brochure entitled “The Word of Metropolitan John.” This brochure began my active writing on spiritual topics.
Next I would like to talk about Metropolitan John himself, but I will not give a retelling of his official biography. It seems that it will be better if we learn about the life of Vladika John from himself. On June 9, 1971, on the 25th anniversary of his service in the priesthood, Metropolitan John, responding to requests from Kuibyshev parishioners, spoke about his childhood and youth as follows:
“Many of the parishioners are interested in my life, what it was like from early childhood. To avoid distorting my biography in the minds of some of you, I want to briefly talk about it.
I was born on October 9 (new style) 1927 in the village of Novo-Mayachka, Nikolaev (now Kherson) region. My parents are peasants by origin: my father is Matvey and my mother is Matrona. In 1928, they moved to live in the Orenburg region, where I began to remember myself around 1933. That year was a hungry year, and our family, which, besides me, had three more sons, lived in poverty. At that time, I was busy catching fish and gophers, collecting ears of corn in the field, and thereby helping my family.
Soon we moved to the city of Sorochinsk in the same Orenburg region. After graduating from high school in 1942, I entered the Orsk Industrial College. Moving to a new place was difficult, since we were in financial need.
In 1941, my father and two older brothers went to war, and at the age of 14 I remained in charge of the family. I had to cultivate the garden, mow hay, prepare fuel, carry water and mix dung.
In 1944, I was also drafted into the army and at the end of the war I returned back to the Orenburg region.
Religious feeling began to manifest itself in me early. I often went to church and watched with interest everything that happened there. As a twelve-year-old boy, I also visited houses where older people gathered to chant prayers and read sacred books. Then two feelings fought in me. One voice said: “Read the Apostolic Acts,” and the other: “Why do you go to these houses? There are only old ladies there.” But the first voice won, and I became interested in reading the Acts of the Apostles.
As a young man, I, like all young people, visited cinemas and dance floors. And then one day, coming to a dance (it was on the feast of the holy prophet Elijah), I saw something that struck me to the very heart and finally turned me in the other direction; I have never returned to worldly pleasures in my life...
[Here the Bishop speaks about the incident on the dance floor, which was mentioned above].
...In 1945 he was ordained subdeacon, and a year later, in 1946, he was tonsured as a ryassophore, leaving his previous name.
...Since 1949, he studied at the Saratov Theological Seminary, from which he graduated first class with a candidate of theology degree and was retained as a professor's fellow at the department of sectology.
On October 8, 1956, I took full monastic vows and was appointed a teacher at the Minsk Theological Seminary. In October 1957, by decree of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy (Simansky), I was transferred to the disposal of Archbishop Manuel of Cheboksary and Chuvashia and appointed to the position of priest of the cathedral. At that time, I helped my bishop in his work on compiling the “Catalogue of Russian Bishops for the Last 60 Years (1897-1957),” on which we worked from 8 a.m. until 1 a.m., breaking only for lunch and prayer.
...In September 1960 he was transferred to the city of Kuibyshev, to our Intercession Cathedral. The rest of my life is already known to you. If I did not present something in the way that might be necessary, don’t blame me. Amen".
In this book we will briefly describe the rest of the biography of Metropolitan John (Sychev).
In 1961, Hieromonk John was elevated to the rank of abbot, and in 1964 to the rank of archimandrite. On December 12, 1965, his consecration as Bishop of Syzran took place.
In 1969 he was confirmed as Bishop of Kuibyshev and Syzran. In 1976, Bishop John was elevated to the rank of archbishop.
In 1988, for his works on the history of the Russian Orthodox Church, he received the title of Doctor of Church History. In 1990, Archbishop John was elevated to the rank of metropolitan. Since August 1990, he headed the St. Petersburg diocese.
On November 2, 1995, Metropolitan John died suddenly. He was buried at the Nikolskoye cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. A simple wooden cross was installed on the grave of the bishop. On a modest metal plate there are modest words: “John (Sychev), by the grace of God, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga, Holy Archimandrite of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra”...
Dear reader, do not let the meagerness of the lines of his biography bother you, because to imagine the greatness of the life of Metropolitan John, a whole book is needed. Here we will say that Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga John (Snychev) was, perhaps, one of the most significant personalities in Russian history of the late twentieth century. Not as a politician and not as a prominent church figure, although the latter was inherent in him. Its significance is determined by the fact that during the spiritual degradation of Russian society of those years and during the severe political crisis that threatened the collapse of Russia, he was able to give answers to the questions “Who are we, Russian people, and why do we live?”
Metropolitan John formulated the Russian idea, the Russian ideology, which then showed our society, split for ideological reasons, the path to unification. The inspired works of Metropolitan John called on the people to reconcile, following Orthodox spiritual and moral values. As he wrote: “The revival of Holy Rus' cannot begin otherwise than with the reconstruction of a national religious and moral worldview that will unite the people around its age-old shrines.”
The significance of Metropolitan John’s works can be determined by a quotation from one of his books, which calls for the creation of a Russian Orthodox ideology. Applying this quote to the ruler, we will say that his works were aimed at “breathing new strength, the will to live, and faith in victory over enemies into the mortally tired, slandered, robbed and betrayed people.”
The ideas of national revival he formulated fully met the needs of that society. And they had a huge influence. The classic of Russian literature, writer Valentin Rasputin, said about the bishop’s works: “We could not help but know how he unites us all with his presence and prayer, what a huge burden he took on in order to lift millions out of despondency and despair and arm us with hope.” And here is what senior researcher at the Tretyakov Gallery G.P. wrote to Metropolitan John in 1993. Chinyakov “We thank you, Vladyka, and bow to you for your worthy, courageous stand for Holy Rus', our dear Fatherland. Your example strengthens in us the will to courage, patience, to serve the Russian land."
And what is it worth, for example, such a confession, which was made in one of the letters to Vladyka John. “An elderly unbeliever is writing to you. I am writing under the impression of publications in newspapers. Your articles are of great importance for the statehood of Russia, which is now going through difficult years, for the self-awareness of our people. Under the influence of your articles, I recommend that my children enroll their children, my grandchildren, in Sunday church school and, if possible, attend it themselves too... The people heed your words. Write more for him. Sonin. Dzerzhinsk."
Let us give one more quote from another letter. “A communist and an atheist, Alexander Dmitrievich Kvasov, is writing to you. I live in the village of Sukhobezvodnoye, in the Semenovsky district of the Nizhny Novgorod region. I would never have thought that I would write letters at all, much less to the hierarch of the Church. But the troubles of the Motherland and the people made this not only possible, but also an urgent need of the soul
Under the strong impression of your articles, Vladyka, I realized the harm that Catholicism, Protestantism, and various sects bring to the Russian Orthodox Church and to all our people. They reached our forest village, in which there had never even been a church, there were no zealots of the Orthodox faith. These people of other faiths are rich, they are provided with literature, they travel around the country with ensembles and experienced directors-preachers... But this is how the Orthodox people are being pulled apart, splitting into pieces, just like our Motherland - into “sovereign” lands. Is it dangerous! And so I, a communist and an atheist, together with the head of the village administration began to work on uniting Orthodox believers in the village. Now we are registering a church community, we will consecrate a new cemetery and even build a temple. That's it, dear Bishop John! Your pain for the Russian Land, for its people, your passionate word for me, a communist and an atheist, was embodied in the desire to create a church community and build an Orthodox church!”
But the more effective the word of Bishop John was, the more the enemy of the human race took up arms against him. Here is what was said in 1993 in the magazine “New Time”: “Asserting that “we can no longer afford to be divided into “whites” and “reds,” John makes it clear under what banners both “whites” and “ The Reds can unite today. Should we return to the banner with the image of St. George the Victorious?”
Oh, how the radical liberals did not want the Russian people to unite under Orthodox banners! “The public, which openly or secretly gathers around the political opposition with the blessing of a member of the Holy Synod, has lined up under the banner of defending Orthodoxy from the encroachments of “modernists” and ecumenists... This is sectarian Orthodoxy, closed in its immutability and rightness. When we hear from all sides about efforts to “spiritually, Orthodox-patriotic enlightenment of society, revive Russian self-awareness, preach mercy and love, righteousness and piety,” we feel a sense of awkwardness. These passages have nothing to do with churchliness..." (Russian Thought" (No. 4032, 1994)
And the louder the voice of Bishop John sounded, calling for the revival of Russian Orthodox ideology, the more popular his books became, the more the Russian people sought to unite around the Orthodox Church, the more bitter the opponents of the revival of Holy Rus' became. And not in newspapers, but in books, opinions were expressed that today seem like nonsense. “It’s painful and bitter to watch how the popularity of such a false metropolitan (!!! - I.E.) is increasing in the Orthodox-patriotic environment here and even abroad... A patriotic sorcerer (!!! - I.E.) in bishop’s vestments... "(R. Dobrovolsky. God's buffoons. St. Petersburg, 1994, p. 12).
There are many such quotes from the Russian and foreign press. And besides this, there were open appeals from deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation to Patriarch Alexy II with a request to stop the “Black Hundred, false messianic activities” of Metropolitan John. Thus, the address dated July 7, 1995 said: “Metropolitan John actively continues, on behalf of the Church, to spread the ideas of anti-Semitism, Black Hundreds, great-power chauvinism, and political obscurantism.” Not only that! There were also appeals to President Boris Yeltsin, in which it was proposed not only to “suppress” the activities of Metropolitan John, but to initiate a criminal case against the most authoritative Russian bishop. Thus, State Duma deputy Gleb Yakunin, in an open letter, assessed the activities of Metropolitan John as “the spread of fascist ideology... anti-constitutional and anti-Christian activity.” (“Nezavisimaya Gazeta”, May 12, 1994)
Even just from the above materials we can see what terrible pressure was put on the ruler. But he never tired of repeating: “I’m not a politician—I’m a shepherd.” And as a shepherd, he had to speak only the truth, which would contribute to the revival of Orthodox self-awareness. The truth, which concerns not only the impoverishment of the Orthodox faith, but the impoverishment of moral public life and the unrighteousness of state power. Five years after the death of Metropolitan John, the Russian Orthodox Church spoke out directly about the need to convey the truth to the people. This statement was enshrined in the “Fundamentals of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church”, adopted at the Council of Bishops in 2000. It clearly states that “The Church must indicate to the state the inadmissibility of the spread of beliefs or actions leading to the destruction of personal, family or public morality, insulting religious feelings, damaging the cultural and spiritual identity of the people.”
It will probably seem strange today, but in order to speak such a truth in the “freest” (according to today’s liberals) 1990s, one had to have courage. Metropolitan John had this quality quite inherently. Bishop of Vladivostok and Primorsky Veniamin (Pushkar) said: “He had remarkable spiritual fearlessness. After all, despite the fact that the past years of “perestroika” and “reforms” seemed to provide an opportunity to speak freely, not every bishop decided to express his thoughts and feelings so openly and boldly. There was still some fear left. And Metropolitan John spoke without regard to “public opinion”, without “fear of the Jews,” which, of course, gained him numerous opponents. However, the saint did not compromise with his conscience, serving the Truth, following the commandments of Christ and the covenant of the holy fathers: “God is betrayed by silence.”
In one of his letters to Metropolitan John, Archimandrite Agafangel (Dogadin) wrote: “A thousand thanks to you for awakening the long-suffering Russian people; you, like the prophet Elijah, with unquenchable zeal denounce the forces of satanic deceit that still ensnare the souls of “these little ones.” Many and blessed summers to you!”
Alas, Metropolitan John could not live for “many years.” In 1995, at the age of 68, he died suddenly as a result of a heart attack... And when he died, then, according to the words of Valentin Rasputin, “It became clear that he was weakened by the grave picture of the people’s suffering, the covetousness and alienation that was ruling our country, and to be perhaps what weakened him most was the anger and slander of those who hated him and did not understand him... And before he had time to transform all this enormous burden into prayer, it settled on his heart... The warmth and light of his earthly life burned out, and he immediately became lonely, cold, uncomfortable and anxious ... There will be no more of his sermons, articles, or books. But he left us so much that it should be enough to save everyone and the entire tormented Fatherland.”
After the death of Metropolitan John, the current head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, (being then rector of the Transfiguration Cathedral in St. Petersburg) in his farewell speech warmly spoke about his life and work: “There were many metropolitans before you, Vladyka, and it will not end with you this list of the Russian Orthodox Church. There were people with powerful voices, there were people who outwardly made a strong impression on those who saw them... You have a special gift, a special charisma: for all your modesty, which was always inherent in you, you were distinguished by inner calm, inner goodwill towards people...
You loved your country and suffered from its pain both for the past that happened to it and for the difficult things that it is going through now. But you, instilling in your children love for the earthly Fatherland and for your people, never preached to anyone to hate other fatherlands and hate other peoples. And in order to repay evil with evil... We have already seen an eye for an eye, this is the morality of the Old Testament.
In the New Testament it cannot transform people. And if the internal transformation to which we call every person does not come to his heart, then external efforts will be insufficient. You can paint a rotten log house with magnificent expensive paint, and then rot will break through this wonderful and expensive beauty.
And you turned to us, to our hearts, so that they would not be cold, callous, dirty, rotten, so that we would try to follow our Lord, accomplishing our salvation.”
More than two decades have passed since the statements we quoted. But even today the works of Metropolitan John have not lost their significance. His ideas were directed not only to the society of the late 19th century, but also to the needs of today's society. Modern needs of our state and our people.
It is well known that the current President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has used and continues to use the works of Metropolitan John. In one of his speeches, he quoted almost verbatim the thoughts of Bishop John from his book “Autocracy of the Spirit.” So on July 31, 2012, speaking on Seliger, in front of activists of youth organizations, the president said: “Orthodoxy has played a special role in the history of our state. I would like everyone to hear this. Why? Because before Prince Vladimir baptized Rus' and then united it, we did not have a single Russian state, and there was no Russian nation as such. Drevlyans, glades and so on. And after baptism, a single Russian nation and Russian people began to form. It was Orthodoxy that played a unifying role.”
Today you can notice that in our state policy, directions initiated by Vladimir Putin have appeared, which are based on the works of Metropolitan John, but this is a separate conversation.
Let us only note that many of the Bishop’s ideas were the basis for the declaration of the XVIII World Russian People’s Council, dedicated to the theme “Unity of history, unity of the people, unity of Russia.” This declaration speaks about the identity of the Russian people and quite rightly states that “every Russian feels a deep emotional connection with the main events of his history: the Baptism of Rus', the Battle of Kulikovo and the overcoming of the Time of Troubles, victories over Napoleon and Hitler... Based on the programmatic theses of this document, it is proposed the following definition of Russian identity: Russian […] is a person who […] recognizes Orthodox Christianity as the basis of national spiritual culture; feeling solidarity with the fate of the Russian people."
Thus, the legacy of the ruler was and is of great importance in the spiritual and moral revival of Russia. That is why in my book I propose to trace the history of that Russian idea, which is based on fundamental Orthodox values. Ideas that help remove the veil from a spiritually darkened vision. Fall away, veil!
Source IM GRAIN
Literary and journalistic activities
Bishop John became widely known for his religious, educational and journalistic activities. The most popular book in those years was the one written by Ivan Snychev, “The Autocracy of the Spirit.” In it, the archpastor pointed out those negative aspects of the “Western-style democracy” established in the country, which, in his opinion, could deprive the Russian people of their national identity and bring them to the brink of spiritual devastation.
On its pages, the Bishop, in particular, criticized the results of the perestroika process of the 90s. He pointed out that as a result of the actions of M. S. Gorbachev, a previously unified and powerful state was destroyed. He also expressed his irreconcilable attitude towards the mass culture taking root in the country, based on the “false values of the consumer society.”
At the end of the 90s, another book was published, written by Metropolitan John (Snychev) - “Russian Symphony”. It combined two of his works - “The Autocracy of the Spirit,” which was discussed above, and “Cathedral Rus'.” According to the author himself, together they represent a complete work covering the history of Russian religious chosenness. In it, he addresses those who are not indifferent to the fate of the Fatherland, and whose hearts burn with anger at the sight of the desecration of national shrines.
Literary spiritual heritage
A fighter for the purity of the Orthodox faith, the modern Chrysostom, Metropolitan Snychev, whose books became references for many priests and parishioners, left an invaluable legacy to his descendants.
The Metropolitan worried to the depths of his heart about the spiritual and moral savagery of the people; he made every effort to revive self-awareness among Orthodox believers, his instructions in books:
- "Voice of Eternity. Sermons and teachings";
- “How to prepare and conduct a fast. How to live in a modern soulless world";
- “Standing in faith. Essays on Church Troubles";
- “Autocracy of the spirit. Essays on Russian self-awareness";
- “The science of humility. Letters to monastics";
- “Spiritual staff” and others.
Book by Ioann Snychev “Standing in Faith”
The book “Russian Symphony” covers the history of the development of church chosenness in Russia. The book is filled with appeals to those people whose hearts are not indifferent to the desecration of the nation's shrines. As chairman of the Synodal Commission, he took part in the preparation and writing of troparions and kontakions for the holy martyrs and new martyrs.
Integrity that gave rise to enemies
The death of Bishop John, which followed on November 2, 1995, still causes a lot of misunderstandings, since it was accompanied by very strange circumstances. The fact is that the sharp criticism expressed by the Metropolitan against a number of representatives of the highest echelon of power of those years became the reason for the emergence of many high-ranking ill-wishers, whom Metropolitan John (Snychev) acquired for himself. The books he wrote also played a role.
Without taking the liberty of drawing any conclusions, let us turn only to a summary of the events of those days. It began with the fact that in 1995, Vladyka twice got into rather strange car accidents, as a result of which he suffered several broken ribs, but remained alive. Following this, a fire that broke out for an unknown reason completely destroyed the candle shop built by the Metropolitan on the Obvodny Canal and left the diocese without candles.
Prophetic dream
Once Ivan had a strange dream. It’s as if he’s standing in the middle of a plowed field. In his hands were extraordinary miraculous seeds. He scattered them and, surprisingly, they immediately sprouted and bore fruit. There were so many fruits that they barely fit on the field. Ivan decided to test them for maturity. To his surprise, not a single fruit was ripe yet. So, checking the fruits, he reached the middle of the field, where he saw the Life-Giving Cross lying, the same one on which Christ was crucified. Ivan's joy knew no bounds. He couldn't think of anything else. He took the Cross, put it on his back and carried it. When Ivan walked with his burden, terrible bad weather reigned, the wind blew, thunder roared, and rain poured down. When he reached his village, a nun he knew came up to him and said: “I know you, you are a holy fool...”. This dream convinced Ivan that he was truly not of this world. This was a kind of confirmation of his divine origin.
Death at a social event
Since its restoration required significant funds, Metropolitan John was forced to accept an invitation to the fifth anniversary of the St. Petersburg Bank, celebrated at the Northern Crown Hotel, since businessmen whose help the diocese desperately needed were to be present there.
At about 20:00, when everyone was awaiting the arrival of the mayor of the city, Anatoly Sobchak, the waiters began serving soft drinks and juices to the guests. Oddly enough, for some reason Metropolitan John was presented with a glass of juice on a separate tray, and after taking a sip, he put it back in its place. Meanwhile, there was excitement in the hall caused by the appearance of Sobchak and his wife.
Approaching the Metropolitan, the mayor greeted him, and his wife Lyudmila Narusova asked for his blessing. Witnesses to this scene later recalled that, raising his hand in a blessing gesture, Vladika John suddenly turned pale and froze. His fixed gaze directed somewhere past the people standing in front of him, and it seemed that at that moment he saw something inaccessible to the others. A moment later, his fingers, gripping the staff, unclenched, and Metropolitan John collapsed to the floor.
They called an ambulance, but for some unknown reason the doctors who arrived did not have any medications with them, and the only thing they could do was to ascertain death, which soon occurred from cardiac arrest. So, under very mysterious circumstances, on November 2, 1995, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga John (Snychev) passed away.
THANK GOD FOR SORROW AND FOR JOY
You know, human rumor, like a thread, will always lead to the place where you can find love and salvation. So we learned that there was such a wonderful Vladyka, John (Snychev), and everyone who prays to him for help certainly receives it. And the parishioners of the church on Mount Valdai told us about him, where I go to services with my sister and son, although we ourselves live in Sosnovy Bor. In this church I sing in the church choir, something that a few years ago I didn’t even dare to think about, I thought I wasn’t worthy.
And recently such sorrows came... I have no strength to endure: illness, and my son is having troubles at school. The disciples found out that he goes to church and also helps Father Sergius, serves as an altar boy, and they began to mock him - they kicked him, spit on his body cross. But he endured everything courageously, didn’t tell me, apparently regretted it. As soon as I found out, I told him: “You, son, don’t be afraid of anything, you have an icon of the Mother of God in your knapsack - your protection.” It’s easy to say, but how can you endure this day after day and go to class? I don’t blame these guys: no one told them what is good and what is bad, teachers only care about academic performance, they don’t have time to think about their souls. And in the midst of sorrows and illnesses, we received your newspaper “Orthodox St. Petersburg” and read that tomorrow, November 2, is the day of remembrance of Metropolitan John. In the morning, early in the morning, we gathered and came to bow to the grave of the Vladyka, asking for his intercession and healing from illnesses. We came to the grave, and the first joy was how many familiar faces were there! So we stood up for the service, prayed, and my soul really felt better. Don’t look at me crying, my soul is now singing a song that Elder Nikolai Guryanov wrote: “Glory to God for everything, thank God for everything, thank God for sorrow and joy!” Servant of God Irina
