Venerable Tikhon of Kaluga and Medyn (June 16/29)
On June 16/29, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of St. Tikhon, the Wonderworker of Kaluga and Medyn. Very little information about him has been preserved: the biography of the saint burned down along with the monastery in 1610, during a raid by Polish-Lithuanian invaders.
It is believed that the Monk Tikhon came from the Kyiv boyars, came to Moscow in his youth, took monastic vows at the Chudov Monastery, lived for some time in the monastery of the Monk Paphnutius of Borovsky, and was his student; Ancient inventories of some Kaluga churches mention icons depicting three saints: Paphnutius of Borovsky, Tikhon of Medynsky and his disciple Nicephorus.
Desiring solitude, the holy ascetic chose a deserted place in a dense forest 17 miles from Kaluga on the banks of the Vepreika River. From bad weather he took refuge in the hollow of a gigantic tree; this oak stood for another four centuries after the death of the saint, and in 1830 it was broken by a thunderstorm. In 1838, Abbot Geronty built a chapel over the remains of the oak tree.
The monk ate herbs and fruits, took water from a well he dug, and thanked God for everything. The fame of the ascetic attracted many people, some became his disciples, and a brotherhood gradually formed. They lived in poverty, there was not even a horse to cultivate the infertile land, the monk had to harness himself to the plow. The appanage prince of Borovsky Vasily Yaroslavich, once hunting in the forest, met the monk and, looking with an “ardent eye,” dared to swing his whip, ordering him to immediately leave his domain. The hand raised to the saint immediately became numb and remained motionless. Enlightened by the punishment, the prince begged the monk for forgiveness and received healing through his prayer. From that time on, he diligently donated to the construction of the monastery and supplied its inhabitants with everything they needed. The humility of the Monk Tikhon knew no bounds: he founded the monastery only because both the prince and the pilgrims who came to the saint asked for it.
The Monk Tikhon dedicated the first wooden church, like the monastery, to the Dormition of the Mother of God. He wisely ruled the monastery, instructed the brethren in the spirit of love and meekness, fed the hungry, welcomed strangers, and helped the offended. There is information about his appearance in the “Iconographic Original”: “Our Reverend Father Tikhon, the head of the monastery of the Virgin Mary, also in Kaluga, in the likeness of the head, the brada of Vlasiev, the monastic vestments and in the schema.”
The monk died at a very old age. In the synodikon of the Kaluga Laurentian Monastery, compiled under Tsar Theodore Ioannovich, it is noted: St. Tikhon departed to the Lord in 7000 from the creation of the world, that is, in 1492 from the Nativity of Christ. After the Moscow Council of 1549, all-church veneration was established for him.
After their discovery, the relics of the saint of God rested openly in a shrine, in the wooden Church of the Three Saints, and then in the Transfiguration Cathedral. The service to the saint was approved by the first to form the Kaluga diocese, Archbishop Theophylact (Rusanov) in 1805.
After the devastation during the Time of Troubles, the Tikhonov hermitage was restored with the participation of the first Romanovs, Tsars Mikhail Feodorovich and Alexei Mikhailovich. In 1684, the monastery was assigned to the Moscow Donskoy Monastery; Having lost its independence, it fell into decay and by 1764 there were only seven inhabitants.
The heyday began in 1837, when the monastery was headed by the Optina monks: Abbot Geronty (Vasiliev), a disciple of Elder Leo (Nagolkin), and especially Archimandrite Moses (Krasilnikov), who ruled the monastery for 37 years; he introduced the Optina charter and eldership. During these years, miracles and signs began to be recorded that were performed through prayers to St. Tikhon. Holy water from its source healed from smallpox, paralysis, tuberculosis, diphtheria, eye and even mental illnesses succumbed to it.
By the beginning of the twentieth century, Tikhonova Hermitage had reached the position of one of the largest monasteries in Russia; divine services were performed in eight churches; 236 monks were housed in five fraternal buildings, there was a hospital building with a house church, a refectory, a prosphora room, a bakery, a candle factory, utility buildings, cattle and horse yards, a house for workers, three hotels, and two hospice houses. A few miles away was the Sretensky monastery, founded in 1867.
Bolshevik authorities closed the monastery in 1918. Seven brothers were shot, the rest dispersed in all directions, served in parishes and were subjected to repression, like all priests. The monastery was destroyed, the holy spring to which the Monk Ambrose of Optina sent the sick was filled with a concrete slab, the churches were plundered, and lay people were settled in the buildings. At the end of 1920, the Transfiguration Cathedral was destroyed; the relics of the monk disappeared and to this day their whereabouts are unknown.
We must consider the revival of the monastery, which began in 1991, as a real miracle, when the source of St. Tikhon and the land around it were transferred to the Kaluga diocese. A year later, a wooden church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Life-Giving Source” and a fraternal building appeared here. Temples and other buildings were restored or rebuilt as they were gradually returned to the Church.
Miracles through prayers to St. Tikhon are performed to this day.
Kaluga residents also venerate the Monk Nikifor, the successor of the Monk Tikhon in the management of the monastery; on ancient icons he was depicted together with the monks Paphnutius and Tikhon. There is no information about his death. He was probably buried in the monastery of his mentor or in the Spasskaya Hermitage at the mouth of the Ugra, of which he may have been the founder. Archbishop Sergius also mentions the Monk Nikifor in his “Complete Monthly Book of the East.”
Venerable Tikhon of Medyn, Kaluga
Chosen wonderworker and admirable faster, great servant of Christ, Reverend Father Tikhon, who exudes many miraculous healing and mercy to our city and country, we praise you with love, the most worthy of praise; But you, as if you have boldness towards the Lord, free us from all troubles, so we call to you: Rejoice, venerable Father Tikhon, wonderworker.
Ikos 1
Creator of angels, glorified God in the Trinity, foreknowing the will of your pure heart, showing you to the world a true zealot of piety and virtues, an ascetic who has put all earthly things into his mind.
For this reason, we, conquering through love, cry out to you: Rejoice, God-bearing, heavenly man; Rejoice, earthly angel. Rejoice, dwelling place of the Holy Spirit; Rejoice, for for the sake of God you left your country for the sake of your fatherland. Rejoice, for you have moved into the desert; Rejoice, for you watered her with tears.
Rejoice, for with those you have created this fruitfulness; Rejoice, for you have enlightened these divine hymns. Rejoice, for in that disciple you gathered a flock; Rejoice, for you taught them the fear of God.
Rejoice, for even now you continually pray to the Lord for those who honor your memory; Rejoice, for you protect us from enemies visible and invisible. Rejoice, Reverend Father Tikhon, wonderworker.
Kontakion 2
Seeing that the Lord has given you speed, O Reverend Father Tikhon, the grace to grant speedy help to all who come with faith to your saints, and to perform glorious miracles, we, rejoicing that we have such a merciful helper, glorify the omnipotent God and cry out to Him: Alleluia.
Ikos 2
Having acquired the God-wise mind and seeing the vanity of this world, the Reverend Father Tikhon, thinking about heavenly things, moved into the desert, and in it the glorious temple of the divine transfiguration of the Lord and having built a monastery, you gathered that multitude of disciples.
For this reason, for the sake of faithfulness, I have learned to sing to you: Rejoice, for you were the father and mentor of your flock; Rejoice, for through humility you corrected those. Rejoice, for you had a meek custom; Rejoice, for you have gained a kindly heart.
Rejoice, for having abandoned the earthly, you have ascended to the heavenly with your mind; Rejoice, for thou hast straightened thy course to the highest. Rejoice, for you have found yourself glorious in virtues; Rejoice, for you followed the meek shepherd Christ. Rejoice, for you have fed the hungry; Rejoice, for you have given water to the thirsty.
Rejoice, for you have always had one thing before your eyes, to be with Christ; Rejoice, for you have been placed in the eternal abode of bliss. Rejoice, Reverend Father Tikhon, wonderworker.
Kontakion 3
By the strength given to you from above, Blessed Tikhon, you endured the longness of summer, desert embitterment and the need for necessities before your eyes, gratefully, and thereby found Christ in your soul. To him you sang: Alleluia.
Ikos 3
Having truly possessed you, Father Tikhon, a strong ascetic and a cheerful prayer book, and mentally looking at your wondrous deeds and labors, we, overcome by your love, touchingly cry out to you: Rejoice, for you lived like an angel on earth; Rejoice, for you have enlightened our country with purity of life.
Rejoice, for you bore the burden of the daily plague; Rejoice, for you have watered the earth of your heart with streams of tears. Rejoice, for with those evil spirits of the militia you trampled; Rejoice, for you have bridled your tongue with silence.
Rejoice, for through your good life you have shown us the image of patience and humility; Rejoice, for you have reached the height of virtues. Rejoice, for you have received the illumination of the Holy Spirit; Rejoice, for your death is truly honorable, reverend.
Rejoice, for you remain with us even after death; Rejoice, for you help those who faithfully worship you in all their needs. Rejoice, Reverend Father Tikhon, wonderworker.
Kontakion 4
A storm of bewilderment confuses our mind, how can we count your deeds, blessed Tikhon: vigil and dry eating, unceasing prayer and other virtues; but we marvel at God, who is glorified in you, and dare to sing: Alleluia.
Ikos 4
Hearing those near and far, Reverend Father Tikhon, your angelic life, and as through your prayer the many who flow with faith to the race of your relics receive healing from various ailments, gratefully remembering your many good deeds, they joyfully cry out to you like this: Rejoice, those who are ill doctor; Rejoice, fellow-sufferer of sorrows. Rejoice, you who are quick to heal in mental and physical infirmities; Rejoice, giver of oil of mercy. Rejoice, lamp shining with piety; Rejoice, as a tree blessed by the waters. Rejoice, for you have grown many branches of virtues; Rejoice, for under the shadow of your desert you received those who wanted salvation. Rejoice, for you were a warm prayer book for those in your life; Rejoice, for you have adorned your soul with good deeds. Rejoice, for you have received great grace and power from God; Rejoice, you who ask for mercy from the giver. Rejoice, Reverend Father Tikhon, wonderworker.
Kontakion 5
The God-bearing star appeared in our country, guiding everyone on the path of salvation; You soon precede those who call upon you and deliver you from all troubles and misfortunes, but you teach the faithful to cry out to the God who saves you: Alleluia.
Ikos 5
Having seen the Russian people of the God-saved country, sowing your life, which is wonderful according to God, O Reverend Tikhon, as if even in the last years you have shone upon us, but you have been honored by the ancient father of the ancients, we have worthily received the gift of miracles from God, for this sake I have learned to sing to you: Rejoice, great saint of God; Rejoice, for in this temporary life, for the sake of love for the Lord, you worked for the salvation of your soul. Rejoice, for with His help you have left the corruptible and have acquired incorruptible blessings; Rejoice, for by the grace of God you have been worthy to stand at the Throne, Master. Rejoice, for thou hast been worthy to be a partaker of eternal glory; Rejoice, thou who hast received the grace to intercede for us. Rejoice, quick helper to those who call upon you; Rejoice, ready Christian helper. Rejoice, protector of our Orthodox kingdom; Rejoice, you who have performed many miracles through the grace of the Holy Spirit. Rejoice, give sight to those blind; Rejoice, correct the walk of the lame. Rejoice, Reverend Father Tikhon, wonderworker.
Kontakion 6
Our Kaluga country preaches your labors and exploits, God-wise Tikhon, raised by you spiritually for the sake of your salvation, for the sake of which the Lord glorified you with splendid glory. In the same way, you appeared in the desert like a fruitful tree, from which we feed spiritually, thanking God and crying out to Him: Alleluia.
Ikos 6
The rise of the more Orthodox Russians of our land, the enlightenment of your perfect virtues and miracles, Reverend Father Tikhon, for which we thank God, who has given you such grace, to you, as to a warm prayer book for us, we joyfully sing, saying: Rejoice, living angel on earth; Rejoice, having removed yourself from sinful passions.
Rejoice, former image of true patience; Rejoice, you who have revealed perfect humility to us within you. Rejoice, teacher of salvation; Rejoice, lead sinners to correction. Rejoice, fulfiller of Christ's commandments; Rejoice, healer of the souls of the weak. Rejoice, you who drive away evil spirits; Rejoice, zealot of piety. Rejoice, infinite giver of mercy; Rejoice, good wishes to the executor.
Rejoice, Reverend Father Tikhon, wonderworker.
Kontakion 7
Although you were chosen to create a house for yourself by the Holy Spirit, you strove to follow the narrow and sorrowful path leading to eternal life, so that by the grace of God you have accomplished it immaculately from your youth, thereby achieving reward in the heavenly all-joyful existence, and there you sing in gratitude to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 7
The new grace of showing everyone to you, God-wise Tikhon: many and glorious miracles in the world are working for living people and are quickly assisted by your intercession. We also cry out to you like this: Rejoice, kind teacher of monks; Rejoice, you who have the desert as a quiet refuge. Rejoice, for in that same place you lived without flesh; Rejoice, for you have despised the turmoil of the world.
Rejoice, fickle vanity is like imputed dust; Rejoice, for you have elevated your mind to the worldly. Rejoice, for you have restrained your bodily senses through silence; Rejoice, for you have pleased God with those. Rejoice, thou who has acquired angelic life; Rejoice, for you have always prepared for your departure from this world. Rejoice, for you have adorned your soul with good deeds; Rejoice, faithful prayer book for people.
Rejoice, Reverend Father Tikhon, wonderworker.
Kontakion 8
A strange miracle and beyond reason: you receive grace from God, glorious, and with faith you exude the gift of healing to those who come running to you, Reverend Father Tikhon; For this reason, your sacred monastery glorifies you, where your holy body is laid, and we, offering fervent prayer here, thank the Lord who glorified you and cry out to Him: Alleluia.
Ikos 8
You are all and truly to all, Reverend Father Tikhon, you appeared wondrous: even though you bore flesh in the world, but having despised all carnal wisdom, you lived like an angel on earth. We, having seen so many of your exploits, cry out to you with grateful lips: Rejoice, companion of the angels; Rejoice, ornament of the righteous.
Rejoice, sweet-song gusset; Rejoice, organ of the Holy Spirit. Rejoice, spiritual sage; Rejoice, loving father. Rejoice, good shepherd of your flock; Rejoice, good and faithful servant. Rejoice, worker of Christ's grapes; Rejoice, for the talent given to you by God has been aggravating. Rejoice, immovable pillar of piety; Rejoice, unshakable fence of faith.
Rejoice, Reverend Father Tikhon, wonderworker.
Kontakion 9
Soothe all our illnesses and sorrows, our great intercessor, Reverend Father Tikhon, and grant us to follow your life, to impute earthly glory to nothing and to despise temporary honor; Therefore, for the sake of virtue, God glorify you in heaven, where now you stand before Him and constantly sing: Alleluia.
Ikos 9
The prophets who have spoken many times are perplexed as to how worthy it is to glorify you, O Reverend Father Tikhon, for you exude many and glorious miracles by the grace of God. We, who are conquered by love, dare to sing to you: Rejoice, enlightener of the blind; Rejoice, corrector of the lame. Rejoice, healer of the weakened; Rejoice, banisher of evil thoughts.
Rejoice, consolation for those who mourn; Rejoice, for you have stopped the blasphemous lips of the enemy. Rejoice, for you have guided weakened hearts to faith and hope; Rejoice, for through your prayers you saved those. Rejoice, for you have driven away the darkness of superstition; Rejoice, for you have directed many to the heavenly light. Rejoice, lamp, shining with virtues; Rejoice, confessor of the only true God.
Rejoice, Reverend Father Tikhon, wonderworker.
Kontakion 10
To save your soul, Reverend Father Tikhon, in your youth, having left your fatherland and country, you reached the reigning city of Moscow, and finally, for the sake of your humility, having adopted a monastic image, you settled in the desert, where you built a temple of the magnificent transfiguration and gathered a multitude of disciples, pleasing to God You labored in fasting and abstinence, enduring various temptations with gratitude and working for the Lord, standing before Him in heaven, now you cry: Alleluia.
Ikos 10
Thou hast appeared as a solid wall to all men who resort to thy intercession, O Reverend Father Tikhon, and also to us, who flow to thee and ask for thy holy help, intercede and protect from all troubles and misfortunes, for which we cry to thee like this: Rejoice, riches of the world hating this; Rejoice, beloved incorruptible treasure in heaven. Rejoice, having acquired one priceless bead of Christ God; Rejoice, lover of monastic poverty. Rejoice, for you remained inseparably with her throughout all the days of your monastic life; Rejoice, for through this you have acquired rich treasures in heaven. Rejoice, for you have attained the rank of angels, whose life you were immaculately jealous of; Rejoice, for you have brought your soul to the bridegroom Christ. Rejoice, for from Him in heaven you have received the reward of your labors; Rejoice, for you have entered into the joy of your Lord. Rejoice, for there you enjoy His eternal glory; Rejoice, Reverend Father Tikhon, wonderworker.
Kontakion 11
All Orthodox Christians send up a song of thanksgiving to Christ God, the venerable Father Tikhon, who glorifies you, for the Lord has given you many miracles, the power to heal all ailments. You stand before Him at His Throne in heaven, and you teach us all on earth in the Trinity to sing to the One God: Alleluia.
Ikos 11
Your glorious temple shines with a luminous light, O Reverend Father Tikhon, the miracle worker, having your whole coffin, like a bright lamp, so that we may see you as you enter, and reverently honoring you, we dare to say to you: Rejoice, lamp of heavenly light; Rejoice, for you illuminate us with the rays of your shrine.
Rejoice, for you enlighten our country with the brilliance of your miracles; Rejoice, for you comfort those who flow to you. Rejoice, most favorable physician of our souls; Rejoice, all-joyful consolation to those who mourn their sins. Rejoice, desperate hope of salvation; Rejoice, quick intercessor of the offended. Rejoice, true guardian of truth; Rejoice, our strong pillar and visor.
Rejoice, flame, burn up evil; Rejoice, dew-bearing cloud of grace, increasing piety. Rejoice, Reverend Father Tikhon, wonderworker.
Kontakion 12
The grace given to you from God, Reverend Father Tikhon, knowledgeable, we diligently ask you of our merciful father: now pour out your warm prayer for us sinners to the Lord, may he establish and strengthen our Russian country, may the holy church and the Orthodox faith be preserved by all the Orthodox Christians will have mercy, always crying out to Him: Alleluia.
Ikos 12
Singing our God wondrously in His saints, O Reverend Father Tikhon, and honoring your all-honorable dormition, for even after your repose you did not leave us blessed with miracles, granting us miracles, we glorify your quick help in all our needs and sorrows, and we cry out to you: Rejoice, our great prayer book; Rejoice, known propitiator of God. Rejoice, speedy helper of all Orthodox; Rejoice, quick intercessor to everyone in troubles. Rejoice, strong defender in adversity; Rejoice, you hungry feeder. Rejoice, quick doctor to all who come to you; Rejoice, source of all healings. Rejoice, great helper to the suffering; Rejoice, speedy representative everywhere and to everyone. Rejoice, praise and affirmation of our country; Rejoice, strength and strengthening for our Orthodox army. Rejoice, Reverend Father Tikhon, wonderworker.
Kontakion 13
O great and glorious wonderworker and our intercessor, Blessed Tikhon! Accept this prayer brought to you and with your favorable intercession, beg the Lord of Powers to deliver us all from all sorrows, troubles and misfortunes, and the good things to come in heaven may be granted to those who cry out to Him: Alleluia.
(This kontakion is read three times, then ikos 1 and kontakion 1)
