“Oh, Senka is coming, I’m afraid of him.” The life of St. Simeon of Pskov-Pechersk
“Oh, Senka is coming, I’m afraid of him. Senka is burning,” the demoniacs shouted only from a distance when they saw a frail old man, bent over with age, who could hardly move, leaning on two sticks. They hissed, hid under benches, and ran away in all directions. When they tried to bring the demoniac to the elder, he wriggled and struggled, so that several strong men could hardly restrain him.
Elder Simeon walked the path of life along the road trodden by the Monk Seraphim of Sarov. With his simplicity, love for everyone who came, holiness of life, insight and gift of miracles, the elder was very close in spirit to the Sarov ascetic. The Mother of God, who came to the Monk Simeon more than once, said that she would take him to Her on the day of remembrance of the Monk Seraphim - January 15 (NS). But when the abbot of the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery found out about this, he came to the elder with a request that he die a little later, because it would be difficult for the brethren to combine worship, the blessing of water and the hassle of funeral services on the feast of the Epiphany. Elder Simeon, for the sake of obedience, agreed and promised that he would die later.
Having prayed to God and the Mother of God and asking them for a reprieve, the monk went to Heaven on January 18, on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany, and was buried after the Epiphany holidays.
Elder Simeon (Zhelnin). Photo: alexandrtrofimov.ru
Vasily Ivanovich Zhelnin (that was the name of the elder in the world) was born on March 1, 1869 in a simple peasant family. In his youth, having read about the life and exploits of St. Seraphim, he decided to imitate him and follow the same path of humility, prayer and asceticism. In 1896, Vasily became a novice of the Pskov-Pechersk monastery. In 1900, he was tonsured a monk with the name Vassian and a little later ordained a hierodeacon, and then a hieromonk.
Showing natural ingenuity and deep intelligence, he did a lot to strengthen the economic needs of the monastery. The combination of a prayerful spirit and a practical mind made him the main contender to become the abbot of the Pechersk monastery. To prevent this from happening, Father Vassian takes a schema with the name Simeon (in honor of Simeon the God-Receiver). Thus, he chose the path not of economic activity, but of prayerful feat. By this time his age was already approaching sixty years.
Father Simeon in the field. Photo: alexandrtrofimov.ru
After being tonsured into the schema, the elder was given a damp, dark, semi-basement cell with a small window, where he lived until the end of his days. On the very first night, a whole crowd of evil spirits came to visit him. They started shouting at the elder, chasing him, tugging at him: “Why did you come here? Go away, we won’t give you life here.” The elder only crossed himself and prayed during such attacks. These “guests,” according to the elder, visited him at first almost every night, until he learned by the grace of God to drive them away so that they themselves began to fear any meeting with him.
The prayerful and spiritual feat of Hieroschemamonk Simeon was hidden from the world and people. He performed all his exploits secretly, so that not a single soul knew what kind of work was behind the measure of deification that he achieved. Father Seraphim (Rosenberg), the closest spiritual child of Elder Simeon, recalled that he repeatedly felt some wonderful subtle fragrance coming from the elder’s cell, clearly not from incense.
The elder’s cell attendant also saw an unearthly light flowing from the cracks of the schema-monk’s door, as well as a certain Wife in a monastic robe who came to the elder, accompanied by two husbands dressed in long oriental robes. Mother also heard the elder saying something to the Mother of God, and She answered him.
Elder Simeon's cell. Photo: alexandrtrofimov.ru
Most of the memories about the life of Hieromonk Simeon relate to information received from his spiritual children, who, through the example of their lives, experienced the action of that great grace that rested on the monk. It is known that the elder served the early liturgy every day and was a constant practitioner of the Jesus Prayer. The old man did not read newspapers, did not listen to the news, but at the same time he knew everything that was happening in the world. Even before his death, on the eve of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Father Simeon said: “There will be no Third World War now, they will fight coldly.”
He could respond to letters addressed to him when they had not yet been delivered to him. The elder was close in spirit to all the holy fools who accomplished their difficult feat in the vastness of the then USSR. I revered Natalia Vyritskaya (1890-1976), Ignatius Yakovlev (1880-1971) and other blessed saints of God, still little known in the Orthodox world.
The main quality of Elder Simeon was love. He loved not only God and people. The elder loved animals, nature, he even treated every blade of grass and flower with reverence. Nature also reciprocated his feelings. Through the prayers of the hieromonk, a good harvest could be reaped even on very poor soil that was not suitable for fruiting. Easter joy was the constant state of the elder’s soul.
“With all sorts of vanity, smallness, ignorance and blindness, people darken the great gift of life given to them by God. And life is joy, joy, great joy,” said Father Simeon. He loved and appreciated the beauty of life and the beauty of the world created by God. “In every flower and leaf I saw the Lord himself and I was happy to live with Him,” he recalled towards the end of his life.
Venerable Simeon of Pskov-Pechersk (Zhelnin). Photo: elitsy.ru
With his prayer, the elder saved many people from suicide, from inevitable death. One can give many examples of miraculous healings from fatal diseases through the prayers of the elder (see the book “St. Simeon. The Truth is Always Simple” by Georgiy Malkov. M. 2014).
The doctors were very surprised by the healing of the deaf-mute boy, who, from the point of view of science, would never be able to speak or hear, because he was born that way. When his mother and son came to Elder Simeon at the monastery, he looked at her sternly and asked: “Were there any curses?” She replied that she didn’t remember. The monk blessed the child to give communion every day and to come to his cell for prayer. After returning home, a few days later the boy began to hear and then speak. Previously, doctors recognized him as mentally disabled, but after healing he graduated from school with honors.
A similar miracle happened to a woman who suffered from an incurable eye disease for 15 years. There are many such examples from the life of the elder.
Elder Simeon on the day of adoption of schema. Photo: alexandrtrofimov.ru
No less surprising were the numerous cases of the elder’s obvious foresight. One day a pilgrim knocked on the elder’s cell. He, without looking at her, said: “Get out, your mouth is full of firebrands.” It turned out that she set fire to her neighbor’s bathhouse out of envy and revenge. His house caught fire from the bathhouse, and then the whole village. Father Simeon saw the past and future of every person who turned to him.
A story from one of the elder’s spiritual daughters helps us better understand the spiritual world that surrounds us. Anna (that was her name) came to Father Simeon from Leningrad. Entering the corridor that was located in front of the elder’s cell, she saw many people sitting there. The corridor had no windows and was lit by a kerosene lamp.
It was difficult to understand what kind of people they were. Their faces were gloomy and looked like the heads of birds of prey with hooked beaks and evil eyes. Anna asked them: “Are you going to the elder too?” But no one answered her. “Probably some foreigners who don’t know Russian,” she thought. But for some reason it was scary to be among them.
Pskov-Pechersky Monastery. Photo: alexandrtrofimov.ru
Anna slipped into the elder’s cell and began to wait at the door. At that time, Father Simeon had a woman with him. She complained to the elder about the children, about life, about the fact that she was going to sue her sons, about something else. Father Simeon told her:
- After all, you are well-fed, clothed, shod, you live with your son, who supports you. There is no need to sue anyone or complain about God.” But she continued her murmur and began to list all the grievances against her husband and children. The elder paused and said:
“You see how your sins torment you—how many of them you brought here.” Come on, I'll show you.
Father Simeon took the woman by the hand and led her into the corridor.
“You see how many of them have gathered here,” he showed, pointing to the visitors.
Then the elder stamped his foot and shouted at those sitting:
- Well, get out of here. After these words, they seemed to melt into thin air and disappear. Turning to the woman, he said:
“Now you are free from your pursuers.” Go and live with God.
Elder Simeon with his spiritual children. Photo: alexandrtrofimov.ru
Already a very old man, whose age was approaching ninety years, Father Simeon did not abandon his feat. He received people, confessed, prayed, blessed, sometimes no longer having the strength, lying in bed. The elder received his last communion from the hands of an Angel. When Father Seraphim (Rosenberg) came to him to give him communion, he saw Father Simeon shining like the sun.
“I’ve already joined,” he said. Although, according to the elder’s cell attendant, no one came to him.
The last days of the saint’s life were filled with grace-filled miracles, which are impossible for an atheist to believe. Father Simeon took care to remove the penances he had imposed on some of his spiritual children before his death. In some incomprehensible way, all those who he needed gathered in the monastery. When the elder’s cell attendant asked one of them how he ended up here, he replied:
“I don’t know how I got here, and I don’t know how I’ll get back from here.”
This man lived in Leningrad. After the penances were resolved, Father Simeon said:
- Well, now I’ll calmly leave.
The house above the cave cell in which Elder Simeon received visitors. Photo: alexandrtrofimov.ru
The funeral service of the elder took place on January 21, 1960, with a crowd of people from all over the USSR. Dozens of priests gathered at the elder’s grave. Considering the huge number of miraculous healings and help through prayers to Hieroschemamonk Simeon, which were also collected after his death, the Synodal Commission for the Canonization of Saints of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2003 decided to glorify Father Simeon as a saint. And today there is no end to testimonies about the gracious help of St. Simeon of Pskov-Pechersk to all who resort to his prayers and intercession.
Troparion to St. Simeon
Vulnerable to the love of Christ, you followed this in the Gospel: as an ancient ascetic, adorned with reverence, you appeared as a glorious inhabitant of the monastery of the Mother of God at the caves built by God, and, receiving spiritual grace from above, granting healing to the faithful, blessed Simeon, do not cease to pray for those who honor you.
Venerable Silouan of Athos (1866-1938) – Holy Mount Athos
Both the great ascetics and the young monks who prayed in the cells of the monastery of St. Panteleimon on Mount Athos agreed that St. Silouan of Athos “achieved the measure of the Holy Fathers.”
The future great elder was born into a family of Tambov peasants in 1866 and from his youth dreamed of becoming a monk. The parents did not oppose their son’s decision, but insisted that he first undergo military service in St. Petersburg. Immediately after the end of the service, Semyon - that was the name of the Monk Silouan before his monastic tonsure - went to Holy Mount Athos and entered the monastery of St. Panteleimon, also called Rossikon.
The Monk Silouan lived in the monastery for 46 years, but despite this he remained “unseen” for most of the brethren - he rarely received visitors and had little contact with the monks, but those who had the good fortune to turn to him with their questions and problems always received consolation, support and the wisest answers - the answers of a person to whom the Will of God has been revealed.
This is how Saint Nicholas (Velimirovich) recalled the Monk Silouan: “He was not strict with the sins of others, no matter how great they were. He spoke about God’s immeasurable love for the sinner, and led the sinful person to the point of severely condemning himself. This wonderful confessor was a simple monk, but rich in love for God and his neighbors. Hundreds of monks from all over the Holy Mountain came to him to warm themselves with the fire of his fiery love. But especially the Serbian monks from Hilandar and Postnica loved him. In him they saw their spiritual father, who revived them with his love..."
Elder Zosima (in schema Zechariah) (1850-1936) - Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius
Elder Zosima, who labored in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, was gifted with very special spiritual gifts - both the Lavra monks and the numerous pilgrims who came here from hundreds of cities were more than once surprised at how easily and freely both the past and the future of any visitor were revealed to him. Eyewitnesses say that the old man’s prophetic gift was simply fantastic - he could accurately predict what would happen to a person who came to him and how an unfavorably developing situation could be corrected.
The elder instructed his spiritual children not to treat prayer without due attention and to constantly develop the ability to pray with real benefit for the heart and soul. “My conscience testifies,” said the elder, “that St. Sergius with raised hands stands at the throne of God and prays for everyone. Oh, if you knew the power of his prayers and love for us, you would turn to him every hour, asking for his help, intercession and blessings for those for whom our hearts ache, for our relatives and loved ones living here on earth and those already there - in that eternal life."
Elder Herman (1844-1923) - Zosimova Pustyn
The confessor of Grand Duchess Elisaveta Feodorovna and the sisters of the Martha and Mary Convent, the highest dignitaries of the state and many church hierarchs, Elder German did as much for the development and prosperity of Zosima Hermitage as perhaps no other monk of those who labored here did for it. The fame of this amazingly perspicacious and philanthropic elder was so loud that thousands of Orthodox pilgrims from all over Russia flocked to Zosimova Hermitage, and not one left without good advice from the wise monk.
Elder Herman taught his spiritual children to be strict with themselves, explaining that being strict with oneself is an opportunity to gain God’s mercy. “... the Lord has mercy on me only because I see my sins: my laziness, my negligence, my pride; and I constantly reproach myself for them - so the Lord helps my weakness...” he said.
