Saint Innocent of Penza: “We must obey necessity”

Innocent (Smirnov)
(1784 - 1819), Bishop of Penza and Saratov, Saint Commemorated October 10 on the day of his death, September 11 for the discovery of relics in 1998 [1] and in the Cathedral of Saratov Saints

In the world, Ilarion Dmitrievich Smirnov [2], was born on May 30, 1784 in the village of Pavlovo, Bogorodsky district, Moscow province (now the city of Pavlovsky Posad, Moscow region), in the family of a poor psalm-reader of the Resurrection Church, Dmitry Egorov [3].

From childhood he was distinguished by an exceptionally meek disposition. Therefore, at the Moscow Perervinsky Seminary he was nicknamed Smirnov for his meekness and impeccable behavior.

Having graduated from the Pererva Seminary as the best student, Hilarion was transferred to the Lavra Seminary, where he continued his education in classes: historical, philosophical, theological and foreign languages.

In 1805, even before graduating from the seminary, he, as one of the most capable students, was appointed teacher in the elementary grammar class of the same seminary. Then he was assigned to teach poetry, at the same time he was engaged in the interpretation of the Sunday Gospels and taught for the entire seminary ....

In 1809 he began teaching a philosophy course at the seminary and at the same time was appointed prefect of the seminary.

Love for science, diligence in the performance of duties, simplicity of heart, faithfulness in word - this is what characterized the young teacher.

On October 13, 1809, Hilarion, who had fallen in love with solitude from an early age, was tonsured a monk with the name Innocent by Metropolitan Platon (Levshin) in the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius. The very next day he was ordained a hierodeacon, then a hieromonk.

On August 6, 1810 he was appointed abbot of the Nikolaevsky Ugreshsky Monastery, and on October 14 he was transferred to the Moscow Znamensky Monastery.

On January 22, 1812, on the recommendation of the Commission of Theological Schools, he was offered a position as a teacher of theology at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy.

On August 30, 1812 he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite.

In September 1813, he was confirmed as the rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary and professor of theology, as well as a member of the Committee of Spiritual Censorship, while remaining at the same time a teacher of church history at the academy. During the same period, he was appointed rector of the Sergius Hermitage.

While in St. Petersburg during his priestly service in 1813-1814, Archimandrite. Innocent became famous as a wonderful preacher. His sermons were filled with the power of the word of the Gospel. He spoke with liveliness, with enthusiasm, with fervor. His fiery feelings penetrated the hearts of his listeners.

The work of Archimandrite is remarkable. Innocent as a teacher of church history. He did not follow the beaten path, but, whenever possible, checked historical data according to their sources. As a result of his tireless labors in this field, he compiled the Outline of Church History from Biblical Times to the Eighteenth Century, published in 1817 as a textbook for classical teaching. His works were no less important: “Active, Subjective and Practical Theology”, “Experience in Explaining the First Two Psalms”, “Explanation of the Creed”.

His tireless work in disseminating spiritual education was noted by the Commission of Theological Schools. In 1814, Archimandrite. Innocent was awarded the degree of Doctor of Theology.

On April 7, 1817, he was appointed a member of the Main Board of Public Schools.

From a young age, he was distinguished by the Christian virtues of humility, piety, obedience, and impeccable purity of life.
He himself was a strict judge of all his words, deeds and actions. Caution in every deed and word turned into constant spiritual vigilance. No one heard a single idle word from his lips. His face always expressed calmness of spirit, tenderness and reverence. He had an exceptional gift of insight, reading a person's inner feelings. In his life, most of all, he avoided condemnation, both from himself and from others, skillfully interrupting the interlocutor who was trying to tell him about the shortcomings of others. He shared the last thing he had with those in need. In March 1819, he was consecrated Bishop of Penza and Saratov in the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg. This appointment also had another side - under the guise of a promotion, it was a noble expulsion of Innocent from St. Petersburg. Moreover, initially, by order of the sovereign, he was supposed to be appointed to Orenburg, but at the request of the Holy Synod, due to the poor health of the appointee, Orenburg was replaced by Penza. The reason for this was the intrigue of the Minister of Spiritual Affairs, Prince. Golitsyn for the fact that Innocent spoke out against the non-Orthodox mysticism that was fashionable at that time.

The bishop dutifully went to the place of his new assignment. Continuous work in St. Petersburg to spread spiritual enlightenment exhausted his naturally weak health. In addition, one day he caught a severe cold, which aggravated his illness. However, in poor health, he eagerly hurried to his diocese.

June 21, 1819 bishop. Innocent arrived in Penza. During the short period of management of the Penza diocese, he managed to gain the trust and respect of his flock. On all Sundays and holidays, despite the weakness of his health, he himself performed the Divine Liturgy and delivered edifying teachings. His teachings, for all their simplicity, bore the imprint of spiritual grace and wisdom.

During the short period of his archpastoral activity, Bishop Innocent managed to inspect almost all the churches, began to improve the bishop's house, and personally attended exams in theological educational institutions of the diocese.

In August 1819, during a trip to Saratov, he became very ill and could no longer rise from his sick bed. Meek and patient, he did not utter a single complaint, no one heard his groan. Having weakened to such an extent that he could not even hold a glass in his hands, Bp. Innocent did not stop working on diocesan affairs.

The day before his death, October 9, 1819, he saw a vision in a dream, which he told his cell attendant about.
“It seemed to me,” he said, “that the heavens had opened. Two bright young men in white clothes, flying from a height, appeared before me and looking at me with love, took me, weak, and carried me with them to heaven. My heart was filled with unspeakable joy, and I woke up.” Reverently preparing for his departure into eternity, on October 10, 1819, he asked for the sacrament of anointing to be performed on him. After performing this sacred rite, Innocent’s tongue began to go numb, his breathing began to falter, he himself folded his arms crosswise on his chest and at 6 o’clock in the evening he quietly died. He was buried on October 13, 1819 in the Kazan Cathedral.

Canonized at the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church in August 2000 for church-wide veneration.

Prayers

Troparion for Glorification, Tone 5

(from the service compiled by priests Maxim Mitrofanov and Maxim Plyakin)

From your youth you were called humble, / in monasticism you were called purity, / you appeared as a lover of spiritual wisdom, / a teacher of ominous piety, / and a denouncer of false, destructive teachings, / for the Truth persecuted by the mad,/ preaching kindness and meekness,/ and zealously shepherding the Penza flock ,/ to the most honorable saint Innocent, // pray to Christ to make us wise for salvation.

Troparion, tone 4

The rule of faith and the image of meekness, / Teacher of Orthodoxy, / Preacher of repentance, / Chrysostom’s zealot, / good shepherd, / new lamp of Russia, / Father Innokenty, / Pray to Christ God // for our souls to be saved.

Kontakion, tone 8

(from the service compiled by priests Maxim Mitrofanov and Maxim Plyakin)

The holy and God-blessing preacher/ and the wondrous wisdom of the teacher/ you have made, O Lord, for the enjoyment of your good things and peace:/ for you have accepted labor and death more than anything else. Diya, // Glorify His saints alone.

Kontakion, voice 3

(Similar: Virgo today:) (from the service compiled by priests Maxim Mitrofanov and Maxim Plyakin)

Today, Saint Innocent of Christ stands before the Throne of God/ and from the faces of the saints he prays to God for us,/ whom we now worship with tenderness/ and exalt in psalms and songs,// we have found, they say confessor to the Eternal God.

Kontakion, tone 5

Let us praise the apostolic acts of the follower,/ the true pious teacher,/ who instructed everything with his writings,/ St. Innocent,/ for he prays to Christ God// that we may be saved.

Literature

• Troitsky D. Innocent Bishop. Penza. Penza, 1882.
• Sergius, Archbishop Historical description Moscow Znam. m-rya, s. 98.
• Smirnov History of Trinity Seminary, p. 498.
• Chistovich History of the St. Petersburg spirit. acad., p. 248.
• Elagin N. Life gr. Anna Alekseevna Orlova-Chesmenskaya. St. Petersburg, 1853, p. 27-28.
• Zhmakin N. Innocent, bishop. Penza and Saratov. St. Petersburg, 1885.
• Chistovich I.A. Spiritual leaders. enlightenment in Russia in the first half of the current century, p. 199-200.
• Brilliantov Innokenty (Smirnov) bishop. Penza and Sarat. (biographical sketch). St. Petersburg, 1912.
• Chernavsky N. Orenburg diocese, vol. II Orenburg, 1903, p. 212-216.
• Poselyanin E. Russian mobility. XVIII century, 1st ed. St. Petersburg, 1900, p. 26-38; 3rd ed. add. St. Petersburg, 1910, p. 28-40.
• Him at prayer. St. Petersburg, 1916, p. 470.
• His ideals are Christ. life, p. 202.
• Bulgakov, p. 1407, 1408.
• Tolstoy Yu., No. 230.
• Stroev P., p. 48, 193, 208, 273, 953, 979.
• Denisov, s. 417, 571.
• Golubinsky, p. 326.
• N.D., p. 70.
• Lists of bishops, No. 230.
• Biography of the Reverend. Innocent, bishop Penza and Saratov. St. Petersburg, 1845.
• Letters from Metropolitan Filareta to A.I. Muravyov, p. 1-8.
• D. B. Ugresha. M., 1875.
• Saratov. Ep. Ved., 1867, No. 7, 13.
• Penz. Ep. Ved., 1872, No. 16.
• Russian antiquity, 1876, October, p. 305-308.
• -“- 1878, August, p. 561-565.
• -“- 1880, January, p. 120; September, p. 4.
• -“- 1883, April, p. 37-60; June, p. 557-572; July, p. 134-135.
• -“- 1886, June, p. 462, 710; March, p. 593-596.
• Histor. Vestn., 1881, November, p. 562.
• -“- 1893, September, p. 734-736, 742 p/s. 2.
• -“- 1895, February, p. 641.
• -“- 1896, November, p. 673.
• Russian monk, 1916, No. 10, p. 532-534, 514 p/s; No. 11, p. 564-568.
• Russian pilgrim, 1912, No. 18, p. 267-268; No. 19, p. 279-280; No. 20, p. 295-298; No. 21, p. 314-315.
• Soulful. Reading, 1908, June, p. 368-375.
• Soulful. interview, 1895, April, p. 119, 120.
• Church Journal, 1891, No. 33, p. 517.
• Christ. Reading, 1884, March-April, p. 420; May-June, p. 771; July-August, p. 75-98.
• -“- 1890, January-February, p. 113.
• -“- 1902, June, p. 164, 166-167.
• Rus. archive, 1871, No. 12, p. 2070.
• -“- 1889, book. 2nd, p. 185 (Letters from Kiev Metropolitan Eugene to V.G. Anastasevich).
• -“- 1895, book. 1st, No. 2, p. 172; book 3rd, No. 12, p. 489, 490, 491.
• -“- 1899, book. 2nd, No. 6, p. 201, p/s. 4,
• -“- 1904, book. 1st, No. 1, p. 68 p/s. 3.
• Zh.M.P., 1945, No. 10, p. 52, 53.
• -“- 1954, No. 11, p. 15-19.
• -“- 1959, No. 11, p. 39.
• BEL, vol. V, p. 953.
• BES, vol. I, p. 944; vol. II, p. 1790.
• RBS, vol. VIII, p. 123.
• Anniversary collection, p. 299, 300.
• Review Russian. spirit. lit., p. 424-426.

Home › Shrines › Saints

Saint Innocent (Smirnov), Bishop of Penza and Saratov

Saint Innocent of Penza (in the world Hilarion Dmitrievich Smirnov; May 30, 1784, the village of Pavlovo, Bogorodsky district, Moscow province - October 10, 1819, Penza) - Bishop of Penza and Saratov, rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary.
Born on May 30, 1784 in the village of Pavlovo, located near Moscow, in the family of a poor church clergyman.

From childhood, Hilarion was distinguished by an exceptionally meek disposition. Therefore, when he entered the Moscow Perervinsky Seminary, he was nicknamed Smirnov for his meekness and impeccable behavior.

Having graduated from the Pererva Seminary as the best student, Hilarion was transferred to the Lavra Seminary, where he continued his education in classes: historical, philosophical, theological and foreign languages.

In 1805, even before graduating from the seminary, he, as one of the most capable students, was appointed teacher in the elementary grammar class of the same seminary. He was then assigned to teach poetry, while simultaneously interpreting the Sunday Gospels and teaching for the entire seminary.

In 1809, Hilarion began teaching a philosophy course at the seminary and at the same time was appointed prefect of the seminary.

Love for science, diligence in the performance of duties, simplicity of heart, faithfulness in words - this is what characterized the young teacher.

On October 13, 1809, Hilarion, who had fallen in love with solitude from an early age, was tonsured a monk with the name Innocent by Metropolitan Plato at the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius. The very next day he was ordained a hierodeacon, then a hieromonk.

On August 6, 1810, Hieromonk Innokenty was appointed abbot of the Nikolaevsky Ugreshsky Monastery, and on October 14 he was transferred to the Moscow Znamensky Monastery.

On January 22, 1812, on the recommendation of the Commission of Theological Schools, he was offered a position as a teacher of theology at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. On August 30 of the same year, Abbot Innocent was elevated to the rank of archimandrite.

In September 1813, Archimandrite Innocent was confirmed as the rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary and professor of theology, as well as a member of the Committee of Spiritual Censorship, while remaining at the same time a teacher of church history at the academy. During the same period, he was appointed rector of the Sergius Hermitage.

While serving in St. Petersburg in 1813-1814, Archimandrite Innocent became famous as a wonderful preacher. His sermons were filled with the power of the word of the Gospel. He spoke with liveliness, with enthusiasm, with fervor. His fiery feelings penetrated the hearts of his listeners.

The work of Archimandrite Innocent as a teacher of church history is remarkable. He did not follow the beaten path, but, whenever possible, checked historical data according to their sources. As a result of his tireless labors in this field, he compiled the Outline of Church History from Biblical Times to the Eighteenth Century, published in 1817 as a textbook for classical teaching. His works were no less important: “Active, Subjective and Practical Theology”, “Experience in Explaining the First Two Psalms”, “Explanation of the Creed”.

His tireless work in disseminating spiritual education was noted by the Commission of Theological Schools. In 1814, Archimandrite Innocent was awarded the degree of Doctor of Theology.

On April 7, 1817, he was appointed a member of the Main Board of Public Schools.

The inner personal life of Archimandrite Innocent was remarkable. From a young age, he was distinguished by the Christian virtues of humility, piety, obedience, and impeccable purity of life. He himself was a strict judge of all his words, deeds and actions. Caution in every deed and word turned into constant spiritual vigilance. No one heard a single idle word from his lips.

His face always expressed calmness of spirit, tenderness and reverence. He had an exceptional gift of insight, reading a person's inner feelings.

In his life, most of all, he avoided condemnation, both from himself and from others, skillfully interrupting the interlocutor who was trying to tell him about the shortcomings of others.

A remarkable feature of Archimandrite Innocent was his non-covetousness in life. He shared the last thing he had with those in need.

Thus, many wonderful qualities already adorned Innocent when the decision was made to elevate him to the rank of bishop.

In March 1819, in the Kazan Cathedral of St. Petersburg, Archimandrite Innocent was consecrated Bishop of Penza and Saratov. This appointment also had another side - under the guise of a promotion, it was a noble expulsion of Innocent from St. Petersburg. The reason for this was court intrigue. Moreover, initially, by order of the emperor, he was supposed to be appointed to Orenburg, but at the request of the Holy Synod, due to the poor health of the appointee, Orenburg was replaced by Penza.

The bishop dutifully went to the place of his new assignment. But he did not have to manage the Penza diocese for long. Continuous work in St. Petersburg to spread spiritual enlightenment exhausted his naturally weak health. In addition, one day he caught a severe cold, which aggravated his illness. However, in poor health, he eagerly hurried to his diocese.

On June 21, 1819, Bishop Innocent arrived in Penza. During the short period of management of the Penza diocese, he managed to gain the trust and respect of his flock. On all Sundays and holidays, despite the weakness of his health, he himself performed the Divine Liturgy and delivered edifying teachings. His teachings, for all their simplicity, bore the imprint of spiritual grace and wisdom.

During the short period of his archpastoral activity, Bishop Innocent managed to inspect almost all the churches, began to improve the bishop's house, and personally attended exams in theological educational institutions of the diocese.

In August 1819, during a trip to Saratov, he became very ill and could no longer rise from his sick bed.

Meek and patient, he did not utter a single complaint, no one heard his groan. Having weakened to such an extent that he could not even hold a glass in his hands, Bishop Innocent did not stop working on diocesan affairs.

The day before his death on October 9, 1819, he had a vision in a dream, which the saint told his cell attendant about. “It seemed to me,” he said, “that the heavens had opened. Two bright young men in white clothes, flying from a height, appeared before me and looking at me with love, took me, weak, and carried me with them to heaven. My heart was filled with unspeakable joy, and I woke up.”

Reverently preparing for his departure into eternity, on October 10 (23), 1819, he asked for the sacrament of anointing to be performed on him. After performing this sacred rite, Innocent’s tongue began to go numb, his breathing began to falter, he himself folded his arms crosswise on his chest and at 6 o’clock in the evening he quietly died. The burial of his body took place on October 13 (26), 1819 in the Spassky Cathedral.

Canonized as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church for church-wide veneration at the anniversary council of bishops in August 2000. On October 23, 2000, his relics were found and transferred to the Assumption Cathedral in the city of Penza.

On July 9, 2021, at a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, the text of the service to St. Innocent was approved.

Memory 10/23 October.

Troparion to Saint Innocent, tone 5:

From your youth you were called humble, / in monasticism the same name was purity, / you appeared as a lover of spiritual wisdom, / a prophet of piety to the teacher, / and false destructive teachings to the accuser, / persecuted for the Truth by the wicked, / preaching gentleness and meekness, / and zealously shepherding the Penza flock, / Most honorable saint Innocent, / pray to Christ God to make us wise for salvation.

Kontakion to Saint Innocent, tone 8:

The sacred and divine preacher / and teacher of wondrous wisdom / You have placed, O Lord, in the enjoyment of Your good things and peace, / for His labors and blessed death / more than any reception of all fruitfulness, / alone You glorify Your saints.

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