Crazy Palaga
In the monastery the ascetic was called “mad Palaga.” Pelageya almost never went into her cell. She only ate bread and drank water. I spent most of the day outside. In the monastery, her eccentricities continued (she threw bricks into a pit with dirty water, kneaded mud, ran around the monastery screaming and swearing), and many sisters were openly angry with the blessed one.
Only later did it become clear that with such behavior the blessed one was “speaking” about the difficult times of Diveyevo, the turmoil that began after the death of St. Seraphim and the threat to the way of life and the spirit of the monastery, which the elder who founded it commanded.
But there were those who, even then, having talked with the blessed one, having received an answer to their question, understood that her mind was spiritual, not earthly, and her prayer was effective and reached God. And if the question is serious, Pelageya gives an answer, although allegorical, but brief and reasonable. Often - insightful. Over time, blessed Pelageya had many spiritual children. And they were not embarrassed by the behavior of the blessed one, because the life of saints is always a mystery, which only God and man know.
Hit Heal
One of her favorite spiritual children was the artist M.P. Petrov. He recalled how the blessed one hit him on his paralyzed hand and his hand became healthy. The amazed artist forgot everything he wanted to ask. The saint herself answered his questions: she told the past, and she indicated some of the smallest details that no one except Petrov himself knew about. She even passed on the text of the letter he wrote that day. Petrov was so shocked that he knelt down and kissed the saint’s hand. From that day on, he visited her often.
Meeting with Seraphim of Sarov
Seraphim of Sarov.
image from the site https://www.5-tv.ru/ After the wedding, Pelageya and Sergei went to Elder Seraphim in Sarov. Father Seraphim spoke with Pelageya alone for about an hour, as the life of the blessed one says, compiled according to the “Chronicle of the Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery” by Metropolitan Seraphim (Chichagov).
The Monk Seraphim saw off the future blessed one with the words: “This woman will be a great lamp!”, bequeathing her to live in the Diveyevo Monastery and “take care of the sisters,” praying for them, denouncing lies and revealing the truth. Prediction about. Seraphim's dream came true years later.
The bishop's denunciation
Saint Pelageya boldly denounced the perpetrators. It also hit the bishop himself. Once, when the bishop was riding after the Easter service, he saw Pelageya, whom he treated with respect, stopped his horse, handed her a prosphora: “Here, servant of God, you have the prosphora of my service!” Pelageya turned her back in response.
The Bishop understood that he was dealing with the blessed one, but decided to insist. He again offered to take the prosphora. Then Pelageya stood up abruptly and hit the bishop on the cheek. At the same time, she shouted: “Where are you going?!” (referring to the incorrect judgment of the bishop in the analysis of the affairs of the monastery).
The bishop realized his sin and invited her to hit her on the other cheek (like a bishop!). Pelageya said that it was enough that she hit him on one cheek, sat down and continued to roll her eggs on the ground.
Stern stepfather
In 1809, a daughter was born to the wealthy Arzamas merchant Ivan Surin and his wife Praskovya Ivanovna.
But soon the good father died. A year after her husband's death, the young widow remarried. The stepfather disliked his wife’s children from her first marriage, beat, scolded, drove them away from their mother, and then ordered them to be raised by their grandmother out of sight.
One day Pelageya became very ill. And when she got up, she sometimes began to behave strangely, and since then many considered her “spoiled.”
When Pelageya turned 16 years old, she was betrothed to a wealthy tradesman, Sergei Serebrennikov. Pelageya’s mother wanted to get rid of the “fool” as quickly as possible. Pelageya did not want to get married, so when she met her groom, she acted out as much as she could, but the groom noticed that she was pretending and took her, despite the dissuasions of her godmother.
Sisters' attitude
Blessed Pelageya Diveevskaya.
Drawing. Image from the website hram-troicy.prihod.ru The sisters treated the blessed one differently: some revered her, others mocked her, considering her “deceived.” After all, in appearance the blessed one was not an exemplary sister, observing proper order. She didn’t stand decorously at services, she looked disgraceful, and she felt ashamed of the monastery in front of the pilgrims. But the fact that Father Seraphim decided for her to live here is something that anyone already remembers.
But the more harm they caused her, the more lovingly Pelageya treated her offenders. And more than once the nuns were convinced of the power of the ascetic’s prayers.
One of the sisters did not know how to relate to Pelageya and began to ask the Lord for an answer.
Then the sister had a dream where she saw the blessed one: two angels accompanied Pelageya through the monastery courtyard. So the nun became convinced of Pelageya’s righteousness and wanted to tell her about her dream. But as soon as the sister entered the blessed one’s cell, Pelageya strictly forbade her to tell anyone about her dream.
Finally in Diveevo
Diveevo.
Modernity. Image from the site https://diveevo-palomnik.ru/ A few years later, the husband’s patience ran out: he brought her to his mother-in-law and said that he could no longer live with Pelageya. Pelageya's mother went to Saint Seraphim of Sarov for advice. The monk ordered Pelageya to be released to the monastery in Diveevo - such was the will of God. The mother did not listen and everyone’s torment continued for another four years: Pelageya wandered around the city in rags, praying on the porch at night, her husband suffered, her mother was angry.
Finally, Pelageya’s relatives allowed her to go to Diveevo. Before leaving Arzamas forever, the saint bowed low to her relatives, asked forgiveness for the suffering they had caused and promised that she would not return again, and they were free.
Family life is not going well
Pelageya's husband hoped that the prayers of Fr. Seraphim will help his wife “settle down” and family life will improve. But life did not get better. Children died in infancy, there was no understanding in relationships. The husband, who loved his wife in his own way, wanted a quiet life of prosperity and comfort, the wife showed no interest in either him or the house.
And the eccentricities did not stop: Pelageya could put on the most expensive and beautiful outfits, cover her head with a dirty rag and appear in this form in the square or in the temple. Her husband beat her for shame, starved her and even put her in a cage, but she did not resist.
Years later, Pelageya recalled: “Sergushka searched for the mind in me and broke my ribs; I didn’t find my senses, but I broke all my ribs.”
Some people felt sorry for the “spoiled” one and gave her alms, but Pelageya spent everything they gave her on church candles and helping the poor.
It happened that the husband, at the request of Pelageya and in the hope of healing (he considered her “mental”), sent his wife with kind people on pilgrimages to monasteries. But the wife spent all the money given by her husband on alms, gave away her things and returned home “unhealed.”
“Mother, forgive me!”
One day a husband came to Saint Pelageya. Sergei suggested that she return home: “You’re going to be a complete fool; Let’s go to Arzamas.” Pelageya bowed low to him and answered: “I didn’t go to Arzamas, and I won’t go, even if you rip all my skin off!” Sergei did not appear in Diveevo again.
A couple of decades passed, and one day the sisters saw how the blessed one abruptly stood up from her place and, as if bent over in pain, began to scurry around her cell with a groan. With tears in her eyes, Pelageya sobbed: “Oh, father! After all, that's what you are! He’s dying, but how is he dying?! No communion!”
The blessed one demonstrated in this way what was happening at that time with her husband. He fell ill with cholera and, writhing in pain, walked around his room saying:
“Oh, Pelageya Ivanovna, mother! Forgive me for Christ's sake! I didn’t know that you were enduring for the Lord’s sake! And how I beat you! Help me! Pray for me!"
Sergei really died without Communion. Saint Pelageya prayed for the repose of the soul of her deceased husband all her life. She sincerely forgave him and wished him spiritual salvation.
Iron pillow
After 20 years of living in Diveyevo, Pelageya once told her cell attendant Anna that Father Seraphim appeared to her and told her to remain silent and stay in her cell. From then on, the saint hardly spoke and avoided communication with people. Instead of a pillow, the blessed one placed an iron chain under her head while sleeping. Pelagia went to sleep on the floor near the front door or sat there on her mat. It turned out that the sisters who entered the cell unwittingly stepped on the blessed one or spilled water on her.
