Elder Ioannikiy from Chikhachevo, Ivanovo region - this is the name of Schema-Archimandrite Ioannikiy, rector of St. Nicholas Church from Chikhachevo, belonging to the Verkhnelandekhovo deanery.
In the world he was named Efimenko Ivan Danilovich. Comes from an old Cossack family, dating back to Ataman Platov (hero of the war of 1812). When he was tonsured into the minor schema, he received the name John.
With the blessing of Father Seraphim (Trinity-Sergius Lavra), he was sent as rector to the St. Nicholas Church in the village of Chikhachevo, where he has served for more than 35 years.
He was elevated to the rank of abbot, later archimandrite. Upon acceptance of the great schema, he received the name Ioannikios.
Arriving in a sparsely populated parish, the center of which was the small St. Nicholas Church, the priest did a lot to restore and expand the courtyard, attracting people to God and to prayer. After the construction of buildings for pilgrims, a refectory and other buildings at the temple, many call it a monastery, but this is not true - in the Kineshma diocese it has the status of a parish, not a monastery.
Schema-Archimandrite Ioannikiy gained wide fame as an elder from Chikhachevo, Ivanovo region. People make pilgrimages to him from different cities in Russia and abroad for advice, healing, and relief from drug addiction and alcoholism.
About 400 kilometers from Moscow, in the forests of the Ivanovo region, the small village of Chikhachevo is lost. At any time of the year, pilgrims from different cities and parts of the country gather here. They go for different things.
- To defend the service in St. Nicholas Church, the prayer in which does not stop day or night - the reading of the Gospel, the Psalter, and akathists is interrupted only during the services. They are led by Schema-Archimandrite Ioannikiy, who devoted more than 30 years of his life to serving in this church.
- For a special prayer - a reprimand against wine drinking and drug addiction.
- Confess your sins and receive a blessing, take communion, get answers to questions that haunt you.
- They go to the holy elder, known for his ability to read souls and guide them on the path of true Christian life with great love for every person.
- They come to St. Nicholas Church to Father Ioannikius, exhausted by illnesses, in the hope of a miracle of the Lord’s healing, of which many took place here.
- Collect healing water from the well dug by St. Tikhon of Lukh the Wonderworker.
- They want to submit demands, notes to pray for health, peace, healing.
Many people flock to Chikhachevo on ordinary days and on church holidays; even the local church is not always able to accommodate all those who come, but for everyone, Father Ioannikius has words that shed light on the suffering soul.
How to get to Chikhachevo
The temple in which Elder Ioannikis serves in Chikhachevo, Ivanovo region, is located far from large cities and highways. The village is located near the P-152 highway, between the settlements of Shuya and Pestyaki, and the most convenient route from Moscow runs through Shuya. There are two ways to get here from Moscow:
- Leave the city along the M7 Volga highway towards Nizhny Novgorod, drive through Vladimir and at the village of Khokhlovo turn left to Kameshkovo and Shuya.
- Take the Yaroslavl highway, drive along it to Dvorikov and turn right, then through Aleksandrov and Yuryev-polsky to Shuya.
- From Shuya, follow the P152 highway, pass Palekh, in the village of Myt turn right at the T-shaped intersection, and after 6 km turn right at the sign for Chikhachevo. About 4 km more of the road passing through the most beautiful landscapes - and you are there.
By public transport it is convenient to get first from Moscow to Ivanovo (by bus) or to Shuya (by rail, with a change in Kovrov), then you can get to Chikhachevo in the Ivanovo region by bus with directions to Pestyaki, Nizhny Novgorod (stop at the sign after the village of Myt, better warn the driver in advance). From the highway to the village it is about 4 km on foot.
A pilgrimage trip will allow you to conveniently visit Elder Ioannikis, having the opportunity to fully concentrate on spiritual issues, which should be of paramount importance in such a matter.
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About prayer.
- Pray from the heart. Take your time, read a little, but let it be from the heart. Call on the Mother of God for help more. Read 150 “Virgins” during the day. Then everything will be smooth for you, and especially for your children. - Love, pray, ask for help from the Queen of Heaven. Do not let a single day pass without singing “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice...”. At ten ask: “Forgive my whole life and save my family.” Every day sing (read) “The Zealous Intercessor...” (troparion to the Kazan Icon B.M.). — Get used to the Jesus Prayer. She leaves, and you move on. Push yourself. —Read the Jesus Prayer with attention. It was established and commanded by the Lord Himself in a farewell conversation, going to death on the cross - “Whatever you ask in My name, I will do.” This is a weapon that is stronger, neither in heaven nor on earth. She is recorded by the Guardian Angel according to the account. The whole Gospel is in it. - Ask the Lord for help and strength, and everything will be added to you. Put God in front. Before starting any business, say: “Lord, bless!”, “Guardian Angel, help!” if anyone asks, first call on your Guardian Angel, and you will give the correct, correct answer. “If you need anything, ask the Lord, pray: “Lord, give me what is good for me.” Talk to the Lord, give thanks, praise. — The more you ask, the more complicated everything will be for you. - Pray: “Lord, give me what is useful for the salvation of my soul!” - Lie down and rise with God. Thank the Lord, glorify Him: “Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee!” - Pray: “Lord, grant me prayer not only with my lips, but also with my heart.” - “Lord, if You don’t save me, I won’t be saved.” — While still in bed, in the morning, call, read, pray to the Guardian Angel: 50 times “Holy Angel of God, my guardian, pray to God for me.” At ten: Holy Angel of God, my guardian, instruct and enlighten me.” On this day, a bad person will not approach you, say the right word at the right time, you will be welcome in society, if they lie to you, you will see. The rule will take 3-5 minutes. - In every place, first call on the Guardian Angel: “Guardian Angel, instruct, teach what to do!” From his hands the Lord will seek our soul. He constantly prays for us, and is our first helper. In bed, just woke up and read 50 times to the Guardian Angel. The whole day will go smoothly; whatever you don’t take, you’ll have time. At a crucial moment, call and you will certainly get out of the situation. - Don’t know what to do right? - Ask for a Guardian Angel. A good thought will come and put it on your heart what to do. The heart will become light, there will be peace. If you are afraid and anxious, don’t do anything. — Every day call upon the saints in prayer: 50 times “All saints, pray to God for me (for us).” Don't forget to read the troparia to the saints. Be sure to troparion to the saint for this day. - Call on your saints, read troparia to them. Schema-Archimandrite Ioannikios - Pray from the heart. Take your time, read a little, but let it be from the heart. Call on the Mother of God for help more. Read 150 “Virgins” during the day. Then everything will be smooth for you, and especially for your children. - Love, pray, ask for help from the Queen of Heaven. Do not let a single day pass without singing “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice...”. At ten ask: “Forgive my whole life and save my family.” Every day sing (read) “The Zealous Intercessor...” (troparion to the Kazan Icon B.M.). — Get used to the Jesus Prayer. She leaves, and you move on. Push yourself. —Read the Jesus Prayer with attention. It was established and commanded by the Lord Himself in a farewell conversation, going to death on the cross - “Whatever you ask in My name, I will do.” This is a weapon that is stronger, neither in heaven nor on earth. She is recorded by the Guardian Angel according to the account. The whole Gospel is in it. - Ask the Lord for help and strength, and everything will be added to you. Put God in front. Before starting any business, say: “Lord, bless!”, “Guardian Angel, help!” if anyone asks, first call on your Guardian Angel, and you will give the correct, correct answer. “If you need anything, ask the Lord, pray: “Lord, give me what is good for me.” Talk to the Lord, give thanks, praise. — The more you ask, the more complicated everything will be for you. - Pray: “Lord, give me what is useful for the salvation of my soul!” - Lie down and rise with God. Thank the Lord, glorify Him: “Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee!” - Pray: “Lord, grant me prayer not only with my lips, but also with my heart.” - “Lord, if You don’t save me, I won’t be saved.” — While still in bed, in the morning, call, read, pray to the Guardian Angel: 50 times “Holy Angel of God, my guardian, pray to God for me.” At ten: Holy Angel of God, my guardian, instruct and enlighten me.” On this day, a bad person will not approach you, say the right word at the right time, you will be welcome in society, if they lie to you, you will see. The rule will take 3-5 minutes. - In every place, first call on the Guardian Angel: “Guardian Angel, instruct, teach what to do!” From his hands the Lord will seek our soul. He constantly prays for us, and is our first helper. In bed, just woke up and read 50 times to the Guardian Angel. The whole day will go smoothly; whatever you don’t take, you’ll have time. At a crucial moment, call and you will certainly get out of the situation. - Don’t know what to do right? - Ask for a Guardian Angel. A good thought will come and put it on your heart what to do. The heart will become light, there will be peace. If you are afraid and anxious, don’t do anything. — Every day call upon the saints in prayer: 50 times “All saints, pray to God for me (for us).” Don't forget to read the troparia to the saints. Be sure to troparion to the saint for this day. - Call on your saints, read troparia to them.
Schema-Archimandrite Ioannikios
Pilgrimage to Chikhachevo with Tobias
Pilgrimage trips to Chikhachevo, Ivanovo region, to Father Ioannikius, are organized by the pilgrimage service of Tobias, working with the blessing of the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos. Comfortable buses are provided for travel, in which a long journey will not seem tiring to you.
An Orthodox guide accompanying the trip will not only resolve any everyday issues that arise during the trip, but will also help you gain a deeper understanding of Christianity. If you experience uncertainty or lack of knowledge about how to prepare yourself for communion, how to behave, what to do before and after the Liturgy, during the meeting - all your questions will be met with love and understanding and explained from the position of the Orthodox Church.
Features of the pilgrimage to Chikhachevo
The Divine Liturgy in the Chikhachevsky Church, according to Athonite custom, begins at two o’clock in the morning. In the words of Father Ioannikis, “At night your sins sleep...”. Therefore, a pilgrim bus from Moscow departs in the evening to arrive at the place at the beginning of the service.
After the Liturgy and Procession of the Cross, time is set aside for submitting requests and notes so that the Schema-Archimandrite can mention you and your loved ones in his prayers.
For a conversation, the father receives pilgrims near his house, answers questions, and gives instructions.
After the conversation, there is an opportunity to draw healing water from the well of St. Tikhon of Lukh the Wonderworker.
In the temple refectory, all those who come can taste a simple, but tasty and satisfying meal prepared by workers.
Buses depart for the return journey at 8-9 am. It is possible to visit the Ivanovo textile factory.
Father Ioannikios - Elder or Priest
On the Internet you can see negative reviews about visiting the temple - they write that visitors have to sit on the floor, that the walls cannot always accommodate visitors, and the first and second things in the refectory are placed on the same plate. To this we can add that the temple itself, although maintained in good condition, does not look new and rich. You may not find here the bright painting and gilding that is common in the capital.
All this is true. And before your trip, you should determine for yourself why you are making this pilgrimage. Those who come here for help to find the way to God find it, even if they have to stand in the vestibule. Those thirsty for the impressions of a trip “to the miracle worker” are unlikely to find what they want here.
There are also rumors that the Elder from Chikhachevo, Ivanovo region, is an Old Believer, services in the temple are conducted according to some strange ritual - men and women stand on opposite sides, men are the first to approach communion, etc. Even some priests do not bless the pilgrimage here, confused by rumors.
In Chikhachevo there is an Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas, which belongs to the Verkhne-Landekhovo deanery of the Ivanovo Metropolis, and Father Ioannikiy is an Orthodox priest who firmly follows the traditions of Christianity and demands compliance with the Church Charter and rules of behavior in the Temple.
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Trip to Schema-Archimandrite Ioannikiy in Chikhachevo
There are no coincidences.
I unexpectedly found myself in the Chikhachev monastery. There are no coincidences - everything is God’s will! A woman I knew gave Elder Ioannikios’s phone number to my wife with the goal that I would call him. I put the piece of paper with the phone number somewhere in the closet... After 2-3 weeks, one familiar altar boy from the Kiknur Deanery repeated approximately the same phrase: “Go to the elder!” Said it suddenly and bluntly!
The voice of the people is the voice of God
For a long time I crumpled a piece of paper in my hands with the number of Father Chikhachevsky. The wife couldn’t stand it and said: “I’ll call myself!” I dialed the number three times, on the fourth time the priest picked up the phone... I talked and beamed with happiness! Inspired by the example of my soulmate, I immediately dialed the coveted number - busy. Busy again. I dialed the phone number again and again until I heard the long-awaited, but unexpectedly firm, calm, pleasant and weather-resistant young voice of Father Ioannikiy. “God bless you! What's your name?...Where are you calling from?...Come...dates. Our service begins at 3 o'clock (Moscow time - approx. RZ). Guardian Angel on your way! Like a bolt from the blue! How will I go? On what? With whom?
The Lord has ruled! My father-in-law gave me the car. We found fellow travelers ourselves. They went to Chikhachevo for the tenth time already, and all the way we talked with them about Father Ioanniki.
Abode
We arrived at the monastery at half past eight in the evening. I was pleasantly surprised by the excellent asphalt road that leads from the highway to the monastery. I was also pleased with the huge paved parking lot for vehicles. Upon our arrival, several dozen cars and three or four buses were already parked in the parking lot. The geography of automobile registration numbers was diverse: Moscow and the Moscow region, Nizhny Novgorod, Kirov, Chelyabinsk and Sverdlovsk regions, the Republic of Bashkortostan, Komi and Mari. And a dozen more numbers with regions unfamiliar to me.
At the entrance to the monastery territory, we were disappointed by the signs prohibiting photography and video filming. It's a pity. But I took a few pictures from behind the fence, and after arriving home I found several photos of the monastery on the Internet.
We immediately filled bottles with holy water (barrels with holy water are in the vestibule). At 20.30 monastery time (from Moscow time minus 1 hour) dinner began in the refectory. In the evening there were about five hundred pilgrims in the monastery, so they took turns entering the refectory. First the men (at the table on the right), then the women (at the table on the left). Dinner featured simple but varied dishes: various salads, mashed potatoes, cereals, soups. Delicious tea with honey is drunk from empty plates. Mugs are only for holy water, which is on the tables in liter jars. We had dinner - a conciliar prayer for the health of Schema-Archimandrite Ioannikis (this is an innovation in the Chikhachev monastery, which the brethren introduced after the elder’s recent serious illness). Then a new batch of pilgrims enters the refectory.
St. Nicholas Church in the village of Chikhachevo
The church was built at the expense of parishioners in 1813 and is located outside the village in a small grove in the cemetery. In 1856, the building's refectory was expanded and two chapels were added.
The church is brick, pillarless, combined summer and winter, single-apse, single-domed. The planning structure is four-part axial symmetrical. The temple has three altars: the central one is Nikolsky, the left one is Grigorievsky, the right one is in honor of Demetrius of Thessalonica.
The refectory ceiling rests on four arches. A wide cylindrical vault runs along them, located perpendicular to the central axis of the church. The outer naves are covered with longitudinal barrel vaults resting on the outer wall. The temple itself is covered with a high closed vault resting on the outer walls.
The walls in the interior are covered with plaster, on which oil painting is applied. The outside is whitewashed brick by brick. Roofing on wooden rafters, metal. Brick size - 24x11x7 cm.
The volumetric-spatial composition of the church consists of two verticals - a bell tower and a temple, united by a horizontally elongated refectory. Additional aisles give the appearance of greater stability. The bell tower is square in plan, three-tiered, ending in a tent with a bulbous dome mounted on a drum. Next to the church there is a one-story brick priest's house with a hipped roof covered with iron.
Dinner is over.
Everyone goes to bed. They sleep right in the temple on the floor, spreading the tourist rugs, rugs and blankets they brought with them. Those who arrived for the first time laid old clothes on the floor, which hung on the outer wall of the refectory on the side of the washbasins. The monastery strictly fulfills the requirements of the canons of the Orthodox Church. Including: Men at the right hand (right), women at the left (left); men and boys approach Father Ioannikis first for anointing, communion and the cross, as well as after the service for blessing, women and girls - after; As mentioned above, the men also enter the refectory first. But this is not gender discrimination. They simply remind women once again that, in the words of Blessed Matrona of Moscow: “The wife should be behind her husband, and not in front of him.”
In general, men in the temple sleep on the floor on the right, women on the left. They read the incessant Psalter all night. Registration for pilgrims to read the book of King David was apparently made the day before. After all, some pilgrims arrived several days before the Saturday service. Why until Saturday? Every Saturday of any fast, the priest conducts the rite of unction. That’s why he invites you to come to the monastery during fasting and on Saturday.
About forty minutes before the start of the service, a general revival began: more pilgrims arrived, about seven hundred people. Those sleeping in the temple began to get up and make their beds. Here there was a queue to the treasury (or, more correctly, the registry), which is located in the temple on the right. In the treasury you can submit notes for a proskomedia, prayer service, memorial service, as well as an absentee report. Requirements in the monastery are not cheap, as of August 2011 the prices were approximately as follows: proskomedia 5 rubles name, prayer service (simple) - 100 rubles, lecture - 10 rubles name for one day (a nun or novice at the registry will recommend ordering a lecture for 40 days - definitely Take advantage of this offer if your financial capabilities allow). Icons, books and lamp oil are not sold in the church. Just like candles. Due to the great crowd of praying people (there were about one thousand two hundred people in the small rural church that day), there are practically no candlesticks in the church. I saw them in the evening, but they were apparently removed before the service. But everyone can donate any feasible amount for candles at the altar. And candles for unction are distributed to everyone. And just before the unction. But more on that later.
I didn’t see how the priest entered the temple. Apparently quiet and unnoticeable. The nun began to read psalms from the Morning, and the priest walked around the temple with a censer and loudly exclaimed: “Happy holiday!”, to which those gathered answered in chorus: “Lord save you!” A monk walked in front of Father Ioannikis and cleared the way for the walking priest. The one who stood closer to the formed passage was blessed by the priest, placing his palm on his head with the words “Heal, Lord!” The service has begun.
I didn’t immediately recognize Father Ioanniki’s voice at the service. Unlike his usual conversation, the priest reads official exclamations and prayers, as if swallowing the words. His speech becomes similar to the speech of the Old Testament humming Moses. And for me, who knows a little about the Church Service, it was difficult to understand what they were reading at the moment. But this did not spoil the impression of the service and the perception of the service. The morning went by quite quickly. After the canon, the Saints (read at Matins during anointing) began to read the Rule for Communion (therefore, reading the Rule in the monastery in the evening is not blessed). The guards let men in first, then women, for the anointing. Some Orthodox Christians were taken out of the church onto the street. This was done so that people standing on the street could approach the anointing. The liturgy began smoothly with the reading of the Hours. The temple became very hot and stuffy. Those who came not for the first time brought folding chairs with them. Someone was kneeling. Children mostly slept in their mother's arms, or on the floor next to the wall. Suddenly the guard’s voice rang out: “Bow your heads! Father is conducting a general confession!” Between the words of the prayer, the exclamations of Father Ioannikis began to be heard: “Say your name.” “Roman, Tatiana, Nikolai, Sergius, Olga...” choral responses were heard. Due to the crowds, the service was hard to hear, but it was felt by every cell, every molecule. “The priest reads a prayer for the salvation of the souls of children killed in the womb. Women who have had abortions and men who have encouraged their women to have abortions, bow your heads!” "Say your names." “Roman, Tatiana, Nikolai, Sergius, Olga...” “Give 100 rubles to the treasury for a deep prayer for children killed in the womb!” We'll digress a little here.
Communion has begun. The men, and then the women, began to quickly approach the Chalice. “The servant of God is taking communion...” “Roman,” I quickly say, I partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, kiss the Chalice and quickly go to the table where pieces of prosphora and holy water are distributed to those receiving communion.
The liturgy ends at 5 a.m. local time. After the Divine Liturgy, there is a religious procession around the church with the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, with the singing of the troparion, with lit candles...
After the procession of the Cross, candles are distributed and the Unction begins. (All posts on Saturdays). The nun reads the seven Apostles in turn, the priest reads the seven Gospels. After each Gospel, the priest’s exclamation is heard: “Say your name!” “Roman, Tatiana, Nikolai, Sergius, Olga...” During the unction, I stood on the street - I could not enter the temple. And suddenly in the middle of Unction... "My name is…." a loud animal voice came from the vestibule. Belching, swearing, and inarticulate growling. All the people standing near the growling woman began to cross themselves. The sounds of the demoniac ceased along with the Unction. “Make way!” A guard came out of the temple along the wall, followed by Schema-Archimandrite Ioannikios. Some of the pilgrims hurried to the refectory, and the majority to the elder’s house. The priest put on an old, worn pullover over his cassock and went out to the pilgrims.
The Orthodox, who each came with their own illness, approached the priest one by one and quickly outlined the essence of their problem, receiving spiritual guidance and blessing from the elder. It would seem that the priest gave different answers to the same questions. “Father, it’s time for my grandson to go to kindergarten...” one man began to ask. At this point the priest interrupted him, saying: “No. Manage it on your own. Go to kindergarten only as a last resort!” “Father, my grandson is 7 years old. Should we send him to school this year…” asked the woman who came with me. “The boy has a father. Whatever he decides, so it will be.” “But my daughter works at school...” - “Let her change her job to a better paying one. She needs to raise her children!” When it was my turn, I stood and mumbled something inarticulate. Father put his hand on my head and said: “And God give me what I myself cannot ask for!” And I, tired, went into the car. The service in total lasted more than 5 hours.
And for those who still condemn, under the good pretext of “do not make yourself an idol,” both Father Ioannikios and the pilgrims coming to Chikhachevo, I want to quote the words of Father Ioannikios himself: “You must not look for me, but for God. Everyone go to church, pray, ask the Lord for your pain. And then you’ll come to me.”
Source: https://101face.ru/2011/09/10/shiarhimandrit-ioannikiy-iz-derevni-chihachevo.html
Places: St. Nicholas Monastery in the village. Chikhachevo
If you liked the review and you also want to visit these shrines, then we invite you to familiarize yourself with the corresponding pilgrimage tours.
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