Relics and veneration
In May 1846, on the occasion of the construction of a new church in the Zadonsky Monastery in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, it became necessary to dismantle the dilapidated stone church and altar, under which the deceased archpastor was buried, and move his coffin for convenience to another place. Then it was discovered that the crypt where the saint rested had collapsed from ancient times, the coffin lid was crushed by bricks, and the coffin itself was close to destruction. The bishop's vestment, in which the Right Reverend Tikhon was buried, despite being in a damp place for half a century, was found intact and almost unchanged in color. His body was also found incorrupt and remaining in the position and form in which the saints of God rest in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. As a result, the body of the saint was placed in a new tomb, placed in the warm monastery church. At the same time, Archbishop Anthony (Smirnitsky) of Voronezh reported to the Holy Synod twice, bringing to general attention the miracles performed at the tomb of St. Tikhon and the general desire for the discovery of the relics of this hierarch. The Right Reverend Anthony wrote about the same thing to Emperor Nicholas I. In 1860, the Right Reverend Joseph (Theological) confirmed the previous reports of Archbishop Anthony and testified about the miraculous healings that had once again taken place at the tomb of St. Tikhon.
Finally, after studying the life of the saint, collecting information about the miracles performed and re-examining the incorruptibility of the remains, on May 25, 1861, Tikhon of Zadonsk was glorified as a saint. On August 13 of the same year, the grand opening of his holy relics took place.
After more than half a century of staying in the temple, where many pilgrims flocked, the main shrine of Zadonsk was confiscated from the believers. During the Soviet era, the relics of the saint were preserved in museum storerooms. On August 13, 1991, the second discovery of the relics of St. Tikhon followed.
The healings from his relics were countless and continue to this day. Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk is one of the most beloved saints by the Russian people.
| St. Tikhon Zadonsky. Icon |
Memorial Day of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk
July 19 / August 1
Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk, Bishop of Voronezh (in the world Timothy), was born in 1724 in the village of Korotsk, Novgorod diocese, into the family of sexton Savely Kirillov. (A new surname, Sokolov, was assigned to him later by the authorities of the Novgorod Seminary). From early childhood, after the death of his father, he lived in such need that his mother almost gave him up to be raised by a neighbor, a coachman, since there was nothing to feed the family. Eating only black bread and then very restrainedly, the boy hired himself out to rich gardeners to dig beds. As a thirteen-year-old boy, he was sent to a theological school at the Novgorod bishop's house, and in 1740 he was accepted for government support into a seminary established in Novgorod. The young man studied excellently and, upon graduating from the seminary in 1754, was retained there as a teacher, first of Greek, then of rhetoric and philosophy. In 1758 he took monastic vows with the name Tikhon. In the same year he was appointed to the position of prefect of the seminary. In 1759 he was transferred to Tver with his elevation to the rank of Archimandrite of the Zheltikov Monastery. Then he was appointed rector of the Tver Seminary and at the same time abbot of the Otroch Monastery. On May 13, 1761, he was consecrated Bishop of Kexholm and Ladoga (vicar of the Novgorod diocese). The dedication was providential. The young archimandrite was supposed to be transferred to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, but in St. Petersburg, during the election of the Novgorod vicar, on Easter, his name was taken out of 8 lots three times.
On the same day, His Grace Athanasius of Tver, against his will, remembered him at the Cherubim Song (at the altar) as a bishop.
In 1763 the saint was transferred to the Voronezh see. For four and a half years, ruling the Voronezh diocese, Saint Tikhon constantly edified it with his life and numerous pastoral instructions and soul-saving books. He wrote a number of works for pastors: “On the Seven Holy Mysteries”, “Addition to the Priestly Office”, “On the Sacrament of Repentance”, “Instructions on Marriages”. The saint especially demanded that every clergyman have the New Testament and read it daily. In his “District Epistle” he called on pastors to reverently perform the sacraments, to be mindful of God and to show brotherly love. (“The Instruction on Every Christian’s Own Duties” was republished many times in Moscow and St. Petersburg already in the 18th century). In Voronezh, the saint eradicated an ancient pagan custom - a celebration in honor of Yarila. Within the location of the Don Cossack army, he opened a missionary commission to convert schismatics to the Orthodox Church. In 1765, Saint Tikhon transformed the Voronezh Slavic-Latin school into a theological seminary and, inviting experienced teachers from Kyiv and Kharkov, developed educational programs for it. He had to put in a lot of effort and labor to set up churches, schools, instruct and enlighten the shepherds, and convince them of the need for education. Governing a vast diocese, the saint did not spare his strength, often spending nights without sleep. In 1767, due to poor health, he was forced to leave the administration of the diocese and retire to the Tolshevsky Monastery, which was located 40 versts from Voronezh. In 1769, the saint moved to the Bogoroditsky Monastery in the city of Zadonsk. Having settled in this monastery, Saint Tikhon became a great teacher of Christian life. With deep wisdom, he developed the ideal of true monasticism - “Rules of Monastic Life” and “Instructions for those who have turned from the vain world” - and embodied this ideal in his life. He strictly observed the statutes of the Church, zealously (almost daily) visited the churches of God, often sang and read in the choir, and over time, out of humility, completely abandoned participation in the services and stood at the altar, reverently protecting himself with the sign of the cross. His favorite cell pastime was reading the lives of saints and patristic works. He knew the Psalter by heart and usually read or sang psalms on the way. The saint endured many temptations, lamenting the forced abandonment of his flock. Having recovered his health, he was going to return to the Novgorod diocese, where Metropolitan Gabriel invited him to take the place of rector at the Iveron Valdai Monastery. When the cell attendant announced this to Elder Aaron, he said: “Why are you raging? The Mother of God does not order him to leave here.” The cell attendant conveyed this to the Right Reverend. “If so,” said the saint, “I will not leave here,” and tore up the petition. Sometimes he went to the village of Lipovka, where he himself performed divine services in the Bekhteevs’ house. The saint also went to the Tolshevsky Monastery, which he loved for its solitude.
The fruit of his entire spiritual life were the works that the saint completed in retirement: “Spiritual Treasure Collected from the World” (1770), as well as “On True Christianity” (1776).
The saint lived in the simplest surroundings: he slept on straw, covering himself with a sheepskin coat. His humility reached the point that the saint did not pay attention to the ridicule that often rained down on him, pretending that he did not hear them, and said afterwards: “God so pleases that the ministers laugh at me - I deserve it for my sins.” my". He often said in such cases: “Forgiveness is better than revenge.”
One day the holy fool Kamenev hit the saint on the cheek with the words “don’t be arrogant” - and the saint, taking this with gratitude, fed the holy fool every day.
All his life the saint “thou joyfully endured vexation, sorrow, and insult, thinking that there is a crown without victory, a victory without feat, a feat without battle, and there is no battle without enemies” (canto 6 of the canon).
Strict with himself, the saint was lenient with others. One Friday before the Vaiy holiday, he entered the cell of his friend Schemamonk Mitrofan and saw him at the table with Kozma Ignatievich, a resident of Yelets, whom he also loved. There was fish on the table. Friends were embarrassed. The good saint said: “Sit down, I know you, love is higher than fasting.” And to calm them down even more, he tasted the fish soup himself. He especially loved the common people, consoled them in their difficult times, interceding before the landowners, whom he constantly admonished to be merciful. He gave all his pension and the offerings of his admirers to the poor.
Through exploits of self-denial and love, the soul of the saint rose to the contemplation of Heaven and insights into the future. In 1778, in a subtle dream, he had the following vision: the Mother of God stood on the clouds and the apostles Peter and Paul were near her; The saint himself, on his knees, asked the Most Pure One for continued mercy to the world. The Apostle Paul said loudly: “Whenever they proclaim peace and confirmation, then all destruction will suddenly attack them.” The saint woke up in trepidation and in tears. The next year he again saw the Mother of God in the air and several faces around her; the saint fell to his knees, and four men dressed in white robes fell to their knees near him. The saint asked the Most Pure One for someone, so that he would not move away from him (who these persons were and for whom the request was made, the saint did not tell the cell attendant), and She answered: “It will be according to your request.” Saint Tikhon predicted many of the destinies of Russia, in particular he spoke about the victory of Russia in the Patriotic War of 1812. More than once the saint was seen in spiritual admiration, with a changed and enlightened face, but he forbade talking about it. Three years before his death, he prayed every day: “Tell me, Lord, my death.” And a quiet voice at dawn said: “On the day of the week.” That same year, he saw in a dream a beautiful ray with wonderful chambers on it and wanted to enter the doors, but they told him: “In three years you can enter, but now work hard.” After this, the saint locked himself in a cell and received only rare friends. The saint had clothes and a coffin prepared for his death: he often came to cry over his coffin, which stood hidden from people in a closet. A year and three months before his death, in a subtle dream, the saint imagined that he was standing in the side chapel of the monastery church and a familiar priest carried a veiled baby from the altar to the royal doors. The saint approached and kissed the Child on the right cheek, and he hit him on the left. Upon awakening, the saint felt numbness in his left cheek, left leg and shaking in his left hand. He accepted this illness with joy. Shortly before his death, the saint saw in a dream a high and steep staircase and heard the command to climb it. “I,” he told his friend Kozma, “at first was afraid of my weakness. But when I began to ascend, the people standing near the stairs seemed to be lifting me higher and higher towards the very clouds.” “The staircase,” explained Kozma, “is the path to the Kingdom of Heaven; those who helped you are those who benefit from your instructions and will remember you.” The saint said with tears: “I think the same thing myself: I feel the approach of death.” During his illness, he often received Holy Communion.
Saint Tikhon died, as it was announced to him, on Sunday August 13, 1783, at the 59th year of his life. The glorification of the saint also took place on Sunday, August 13, 1861.
Troparion, tone 8
From your youth you loved Christ, O blessed one, / you were the image of all in word, life, love, / in spirit, faith, purity and humility, / and you also dwelt in the Heavenly abodes, / where you stood before the Throne of the Most Holy Trinity, / pray to Saint Tikhon, / our souls will be saved.
Kontakion, tone 8
The successor of the apostles, / the adornment of the saints, / the Orthodox Church teacher, / the ruler of all, pray / to grant greater peace to the universe / and great mercy to our souls.
Prayers
Troparion, tone 8
From your youth you loved Christ, O blessed one, / you were the image of everything in word, life, love, / spirit, faith, purity and humility, / and you also dwelt in the heavenly realms believers,/ where we stand before the Throne of the Most Holy Trinity, // pray to St. Tikhon , save our souls.
Troparion, tone 4
Teacher of Orthodoxy,/ teacher of piety,/ preacher of repentance,/ Chrysostom zealot,/ good shepherd,/ new Russia, luminary and miracle worker,/ thou hast shepherded thy flock well/ and With your writings you have instructed all of us,/ also adorned with the crown of incorruptibility/ from the Chief Shepherd, // pray to Him to save our souls.
Kontakion, tone 8
The successors of the apostles, the adornment of the saints, the teacher of the Orthodox Church, the Lord of all, pray/ to grant universal peace/ and great mercy to our souls.
