Connections between Rus' and Mount Athos under Saint Cyprian (Tsamblak) of Kiev and their influence on the peculiarities of the veneration of the Holy Trinity

Throughout the entire 14th century, which was accompanied by innumerable hardships of the Tatar-Mongol yoke, the only highest church hierarch who did not submit to the power of the Golden Horde was St. Cyprian, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus'. Having devoted his life to serving God and having won the crown of holiness, he entered Russian history as a prominent political figure of his era, writer, translator and editor.

The early period of the life of the future saint

Very little is known about the childhood and adolescence of Metropolitan Cyprian, and most of the biographical material from this period is built on hypotheses that have very shaky foundations. Thus, it is assumed that he was born around 1330 in the capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom - the city of Tarnov. There is also an opinion that, by his origin, he was a scion of the ancient boyar family of Tsamblakov, which is also not documented.

The year he took monastic vows is also unknown; it is only assumed that this event took place in the Kilifarevo Monastery, which is still the largest spiritual center in Bulgaria. Nevertheless, information has been preserved that in 1363 Cyprian left the monastery, and together with his confessor, the Monk Theodosius, and three other monks, he went first to Constantinople, and then to Athos, where he labored in one of its monasteries.

The process of spiritual formation of the future Moscow Metropolitan Cyprian was greatly influenced by his acquaintance and long-term communication with the Patriarch of Constantinople Philotheus Kokkin, for whom he served as a cell attendant. Under his guidance, he learned the basic skills of asceticism and became accustomed to constant inner prayer.

Metropolitan Cyprian

Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus' - 1379, 1389–1406.

Metropolitan Cyprian (c. 1330 - September 16, 1406) - Metropolitan of Kiev, Russia and Lithuania (1375-1380), Metropolitan of Minor Rus' and Lithuania (1380-1389), Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus' (1389-1406), the only one of the metropolitans of Vladimir -Moscow Rus' of the 14th century, Christian politician who did not submit to the power of the Golden Horde, writer, editor, translator and book writer. He is revered in the Russian Orthodox Church in the ranks of saints. Saint Cyprian was born around 1330 in the city of Tarnovo, the capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. It is assumed that he belongs to the boyar Bulgarian family of Tsamblakov, but the only basis for such a statement is contained in the “Funeral Sermon to Metropolitan Cyprian,” written by Gregory Tsamblak: “Brother to our father.” This phrase is considered sufficient reason to consider Cyprian to belong to this noble family. However, from the context of the document itself, it is difficult to say what the author meant by calling him “our father’s brother.” The full text reads as follows: “... Because your father and I weep, guilt is due to you, brother to our father.” Obviously, what is meant is Cyprian’s spiritual relationship with the Bulgarian Patriarch Euthymius of Tarnovsky. The year of Cyprian's tonsure is unknown. It is believed that he began his monastic path of Christian service in the Kilifarevo monastery of St. Theodosius of Tarnovo. There is no doubt about his closeness with the disciple of St. Theodosius and the future Patriarch of Bulgaria, the Kilifarian tonsure, Saint Euthymius of Tarnovo. Apparently, Cyprian left Bulgaria quite early and went first to Constantinople, and then to Athos, where he labored in one of the Athos monasteries. Sircu makes the assumption that he arrived in Constantinople together with his teacher, the Monk Theodosius, among the four students who accompanied him, among whom was Euthymius, that is, in 1363. In Byzantium, Cyprian became close to another prominent representative of hesychasm, Philotheus Kokkin, Patriarch of Constantinople in 1354-1355 and 1364-1376. He was his cell attendant and performed the duties of an apocrisiary under him...

Cyprian of Kyiv

On February 12, 1378, Metropolitan Alexy died.
According to the cathedral resolution, Cyprian had to extend his powers to the entire metropolis. On June 3, from Lyubutsk he writes to abbots Sergius of Radonezh and Theodore Simonovsky about his intention to arrive in Moscow. However, by the will of Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich, he was not allowed into Moscow and, moreover, he was robbed and, after a short imprisonment, expelled from the principality in disgrace. Cyprian hastened to the protection of Dmitry and Vladimir Olgerdovich and on June 23 wrote a second letter to abbots Sergius and Theodore, in which he proved the inadmissibility of installing a metropolitan “by will” and anathematized Prince Dmitry Ivanovich. In February, Cyprian went to Constantinople for “his truth.” His path lay through Bulgaria, where he was warmly welcomed by the Bulgarian Patriarch Euthymius and the population of Tarnovo. In April-May 1379 he arrived in Constantinople. Here he witnessed a new coup taking place in the capital of the empire, and also took part in the council that condemned and deposed Patriarch Macarius. In July, Cyprian participated in a meeting of the Synod and on October 6, 1379, as Metropolitan of All Rus', signed the decree of the patriarchate. Metropolitan Michael (Mityai)
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Even during the life of Saint Alexy, Moscow was looking for an alternative to the disgraced metropolitan. And such a candidate, pleasing to court circles, was the confessor of the Grand Duke, the “white” priest, known under the name Mityai. To the chagrin of this rather secular man, he was tonsured with the name Mikhail and immediately appointed archimandrite of the Spassky Monastery, which caused a dull protest from the monastics. Soon after the death of Metropolitan Alexy Mityai occupied the metropolitan chambers and donned the metropolitan vestments. However, an attempt to place him in the cathedra with the title of Metropolitan of “Great Rus'” in addition to the Patriarch of Constantinople encountered a sharp protest from Bishop Dionysius of Suzdal. Dionysius's reasonable remark that such a metropolitan would be illegal forced Mityai to go to Constantinople. Mityai went to Constantinople through Sarai, where he enlisted the support of the Temnik Mamai, who ruled the horde. In the summer of 1379, Dionysius of Suzdal also went to Constantinople, secretly from the Grand Duke, in order to prevent the elevation of Mityai to metropolitan. But while the named metropolitan was getting to the empire, power changed again in Constantinople. The overthrown Emperor John V and his second son Manuel, managing to escape from custody, with the help of the Venetians and Emir Murad I, regained Constantinople. However, the boyar candidate for metropolis never managed to set foot on the shores of Constantinople: on September 29, Mikhail-Mityai died on the Constantinople roadstead. The failed metropolitan was buried in Galata, an area of ​​the capital that belonged to the Genoese, with whom the deposed Emperor Andronicus also took refuge at that time. Metropolitan Pimen
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Despite the death of their candidate, the retinue accompanying him decided, using the empty “charters” signed by the Grand Duke, to achieve the installation of a metropolitan from among their ranks. Having borrowed a significant sum from the Genoese, the embassy obtained from the new Patriarch Nile the appointment of hegumen of the Pereslavl monastery Pimen as Metropolitan of Kyiv and Great Rus'. Cyprian, who in the conciliar act is characterized only as the “second Roman,” was condemned, but remained Metropolitan of Lithuania and Little Rus', with the condition that after his death Pimen would extend his power to the western dioceses. The Grand Duke did not want to recognize Pimen as metropolitan. When Pimen and his retinue approached Kolomna, the Grand Duke ordered him to be captured and sent to Chukhloma, where Pimen remained in captivity for a whole year, then he was transferred to Tver. The Patriarch of Constantinople wrote to the Grand Duke more than once and convinced him to accept Pimen to Moscow and remove Cyprian. In 1381, Cyprian established veneration of the holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky. In 1382, there was a quarrel between the Grand Duke and Cyprian; the prince removed him from the metropolis. Cyprian was removed from Moscow, and Pimen was returned from exile and took the throne of the Metropolis of All Rus'. Together with Cyprian, hegumen of the Serpukhov Vysotsky Monastery Afanasy went to Lithuania. A few months later, a new candidate for the metropolis was elected - Suzdal Archbishop Dionysius. Pimen, however, continued to serve; in Vladimir he dedicated Stefan Khrap to Perm and Theognost to Ryazan. Metropolitan Dionysius
, from 1383 to 1385 Archbishop Dionysius of Suzdal and the nephew of St. Sergius Theodore Simonovsky led an irreconcilable struggle against Pimen. According to the Trinity Chronicle, in June 1383, Archbishop Dionysius, together with Abbot Theodore, was sent by the Grand Duke to Constantinople to resolve issues “about the administration of the Russian Metropolitanate.” Sending Dionysius to Constantinople, the prince, with his letters, asked the patriarch to appoint Dionysius to the Russian metropolis, and wrote many accusations against Pimen. The Patriarch fulfilled the request of the Grand Duke, installing Dionysius as Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus', and for the trial of Pimen he sent two of his metropolitans to Russia, who arrived in Moscow in the winter of 1384. Having examined Pimen's case, they found him guilty and declared him overthrown. Returning to Moscow through Kyiv, Dionysius was detained by the Lithuanian prince Vladimir Olgerdovich, who announced that since the Moscow prince had voluntarily expelled Metropolitan Cyprian, the prince of Kiev, imitating him, was detaining Dionysius. John Meyendorff quite reasonably assumes that Dionysius, while remaining in his former rank, should have temporarily ruled the metropolitanate until the conciliar decision. Only after this, without violating the canons this time, could he be made metropolitan. While in prison, St. Dionysius spent time in prayer and heartfelt contrition. On June 26, 1385, Metropolitan Dionysius died and was buried in the Kiev Pechersk Monastery. The next change of patriarch in Constantinople in February 1389 had a positive effect on the fate of Cyprian: Anthony, his longtime supporter, became the new patriarch. Therefore, the restoration of Cyprian to the status of Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus' took place rapidly, already in February. Pimen was deposed. The conciliar definition affirmed the unity of the metropolis “henceforth for all ages,” and emphasized the special interest in this of the emperor, “the guardian and defender of law and benefit.” Cyprian must remain in the metropolis for the rest of his life. And on May 19, Grand Duke Dmitry died. On April 13, Pimen again went to Constantinople to seek “his truth,” but, having experienced many troubles in Constantinople and evaded the council court, he died in Chalcedon. He was buried, like Mityai, in Galata, on Genoese-controlled territory. In 1395 Tamerlane invaded Russia. Moscow Prince Vasily Dmitrievich, wishing to inspire himself and strengthen his army, instructed Metropolitan Cyprian to order the bringing of the God-loving icon of the Mother of God from Vladimir to Moscow along with the Vladimir icon to save Rus' from the Tatar hordes. On the day of the meeting of the icons at the walls of Moscow, the Most Pure Mother of God appeared to Khan Tamerlane in a dream and commanded him to leave the Russian borders, and the Tatars fled in fear - Rus' was saved. After this miracle, they decided to leave the Vladimir Icon in Moscow as God’s blessing and protection of the new capital, and the Bogolyubsk Icon was returned to Vladimir for the consolation of believers and placed again in the Bogolyubsk monastery. And Vladimir was given an exact copy of the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God, written by the hand of Metropolitan Peter. At the site of the “meeting” (meeting) of the Vladimir Icon by Muscovites, the Sretensky Monastery was founded, which gave its name to Sretenka Street.

"The Presentation of the Vladimir Icon." 15th century

At the beginning of the 15th century, the metropolitan often lived in the village of Golenishchevo near Moscow and was engaged in book activities there.
In 1404-1405 he was in Lithuania and was present at the meeting of Jogaila and Vytautas in Milolub. In January 1406 he returned to Moscow. Four days before his death, Cyprian dictated a Spiritual Letter, which he ordered to be read at his burial. Reposed on September 16, 1406. His body was transferred from Golenishchev to Moscow and interred in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin. “This Metropolitan, who described the lives of his predecessors Peter and Alexy, was a zealous collector of the chronicles of his new fatherland, which have come down to us under the name Degree Books. In the Pokrovsky district of the Vladimir province, 90 or 100 versts from the city of Vladimir, there is the Seneg or Senezh churchyard - a most deserted place, surrounded by forests, lakes and swamps. Here was the favorite shelter of Metropolitan Cyprian, where he founded a church in the name of the Transfiguration of the Lord on Lake Saint (Plat. Ist. part 1. p. 268) and where he indulged in scientific studies. He died of old age on September 16, 1407 in the village of Golenishchevo near Moscow. But four days before his death, Cyprian wrote that touching and instructive letter, which, according to his will, having been read at his grave, was read afterwards at the graves of other Hierarchs and was placed with them in the coffin. The list from it is placed here. “In the name of the Holy and Life-Giving Trinity. I am a sinner, humble Cyprian, Metropolitan of Kiev and all Russia, seeing that old age has come upon me, I have fallen into frequent and various illnesses, by which I am now supported, by love for mankind from God we punish my sins for the sake of illnesses that have multiplied on me now, as if sometimes never But what else are they proclaiming to us, except death and the terrible judgment of Savior! It is worth considering that in the will there is something that needs to be expressed in part by this writing. First of all, I confess the Holy, God-given Apostolic Faith and Orthodoxy, true piety in the Holy Trinity, and the other sacred Apostolic commandments of the Holy Church of God, to observe the whole and immovable tradition of That by grace, as it is written in my confession, which I gave, always at the beginning of the Holy Order, ordained according to custom and the statute of the Apostles and the Holy Fathers of Divine commandments. For the Apostles have been appointed by God, and the Apostles have been appointed by the Apostles, and the Apostolic heirs have been, and after those Apostles have instructed the Saints according to the God-given Apostolic Rule; The sitsezh and less of the sinful Holy Spirit, grace, according to the statute of the Holy Apostles and the sacred rules, was dedicated by his sacred Bishop, the Patriarch of the Ecumenical and under the pious Tsar of Constantinograd, the most Orthodox. And the little ones will depart from this life after my repose, and the little ones are still alive, and together I offer pure forgiveness to everyone about the Holy Spirit. To these Most Holy Ecumenical Patriarchs, who have previously reposed and are still living, and to the Most Holy Metropolitans who have reposed and are still living, I give the usual love and the last final kiss and forgiveness, and I myself ask to receive the same from them. To the noble and Christ-loving Holy Dus beloved son Grand Duke Vasily Dmitrievich of all Russia, I give peace and blessing and the last kiss, and with his mother and with his brothers and his Princess and with his children and their Princesses and their children; I also give peace and blessing and the last kiss to all the Grand Dukes of Russia with their Princesses and with their children; I also leave peace and blessings to all the local princes, princesses and children. Likewise, to the God-loving Bishops who exist under the borders of our Church in the Russian Metropolis, who have previously passed away and are still alive, I give forgiveness and blessing and love; and I ask you to receive the same from them. As the priest, the sacred order, and the elders serve at the throne of the Lord, I give forgiveness and blessing and love to everyone. To the pious Prince, small and great, and to all the others who have previously passed away in our years, I also give forgiveness and blessing and I pray to the Lord God that He may forgive them all their sins, great and great, as men have sinned. I leave peace and blessing to the great and lesser boyars, with their wives and their children, and to the entire Christian people; As a monk all together, the monks live in different places and I leave peace and blessings to all the ecclesiastics. If I have imposed penance on someone through inattention, or a blessed guilt, but did not seek permission and in that oblivion death was committed, or someone I taught, but disobeyed, I have everyone in the Holy Spirit resolved, forgiven, and blessed, and I pray to the lover of mankind, let him go them. Before his years had expired, he was appointed Metropolitan and acquired the number of the thirtieth year flowing towards the passing month of Decemvri on the 2nd day; and in the summer that has passed, if anyone has complained about me, or has clearly rebelled from the rank of Bishop, or who has copulated with them from the worldly, and those who have come to know me from them and have come to me confessed and received forgiveness and permission, forgiveness is the essence and blessings from that hour, and may the Lord God not count sin against them, but forgive them. And those who were either ashamed of me, or came into oblivion, and put it in negligence, or fearing me, or for the poverty of their minds, or hardened by the enemy’s slander, everyone who is from the sacred, or from the monks, or from the world, male and female, may they be forgiven and they are blessed, and may their sin not be counted against them: for this is mine, and I have stumbled, and this is my area to resolve. The Elites loved us and had mercy on us for the Lord's sake in our needs and in the ways and in various lands of Christ's people, nobles, boyars, husbands and wives, may they also be forgiven and blessed and have mercy from God, the lover of mankind, may the Lord reward you according to their hearts. I command my soul and the milk of the Holy Mother of God for the Holy Spirit to my beloved son, Grand Duke Vasily Dmitrievich of all Russia, as it grieves her; so do the boyars and their servants and young people, young and old, as they please and take care. And I offer everyone forgiveness, grace and peace from the Lord our God Jesus Christ with you all and my blessing and I ask the same from everyone. This letter was written by the three Saints (on Golenishchevo) on the 12th day of September, 15th Indictment; but I did not sign my weakness for the sake of my own” (Ancient monuments in Vladimir Klyazemsky. Work by V. Dobrokhotov. 1849.). Vladimir period:
Maxim, Peter.
Moscow period:
Theognostus (1328-1353), Alexy (1354-1378), Mikhail (Mityai), Pimen, Dionysius (1383 - 1385), Cyprian (1389-1407), Photius, Gerasim, Isidore of Kiev, Jonah

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Confrontation between the Moscow and Lithuanian principalities

From the biography of Metropolitan Cyprian it is clear that his further fate was largely determined by the political processes that took place within the Old Russian state, so they should be discussed in more detail. It is known that the second half of the 14th century was filled with the struggle of the Moscow and Lithuanian principalities for the unification under their rule of all Russian lands, including those that formally belonged to Hungary, Poland and Moldova.

This caused serious concern on the part of the Patriarch of Constantinople, who sought with all his might to preserve the Kyiv Metropolis under his control, which in the current situation was divided between warring principalities. Taking a pro-Moscow position and expressing support for Metropolitan Alexy, he provoked the Lithuanian ruler, Prince Olgerd, to resort to the threat of converting all Orthodox Christians living in his lands to Catholicism.

Wanting to reconcile the warring parties and preserve the unity of the Kyiv Metropolis, the primate of the Church of Constantinople sent, according to the chronicle, Metropolitan Cyprian (then still his cell attendant) to Lithuania to search for ways to reconcile Prince Olgerd with the Moscow rulers, both spiritual and secular. It was an extremely difficult diplomatic mission, which he managed to carry out brilliantly.

Envoy of the Ecumenical Patriarch

Thanks to his negotiations with the Russian and Lithuanian princes, at which Cyprian spoke not on his own behalf, but as a representative of the Patriarch of Constantinople, that is, the Ecumenical Patriarch (these titles are identical to this day), it was possible to implement a number of measures that made it possible to find a solution acceptable to both parties . Moreover, as a result of his activities, an all-Russian coalition led by Moscow was formed, and Lithuania took part in the anti-Tatar movement that was gaining strength.

During his diplomatic trip to the Russian principalities, the future Metropolitan Cyprian met with many outstanding religious and public figures of that era, one of whom was St. Sergius of Radonezh. He met him when he accompanied Metropolitan Alexy of Moscow, the de facto ruler of the state, on his trip to Pereslavl-Zalessky. He also visited the monasteries of northern monks who were very close to him in spirit.

Prayers

Troparion, tone 4

Who is from God above perfected by Divine grace/ and adorned with good morals,/ enlightened by the Holy Spirit,/ having accomplished holiness in the passion of God,/ made worthy of the swift grace of the Divine Spirit,/ passing The Church of God of the Russian Metropolis, / having overcome everything by fasting, endured unrest, overcome persecution, / always calling on St. Peter the Metropolitan for help, / and having this helper, / and following in his footsteps. / An acceptable servant, / keeping the commandments of God, we instruct with the Spirit of God, / enlightening “I am a faithful people with the teaching of your words, / adorn your life with mercy, / We will take the yoke of the Lord from childhood, / and love Christ above all. / For this sake, I am honored by the bishop’s seat, / and, like the shining sun, I came from the Serbian land, / and to all ends Ru The Russian lands shone with virtue,/ the luminary appeared to the world,/ and passed away to the Lord from sowing life to eternal rest, / the great bishop of God, Metropolitan Cyprian, / teacher and mentor of the Russian land, / always standing before the throne of the Most Holy Trinity, / pray to the Lord It is important / about the bishops and about all Christians, / / ​​may he save you for the sake of your soul our.

Troparion, tone 4

Orthodoxy to the teacher,/ enlightenment to the zealot,/ the beauty of the Bulgarian country/ and Russia’s glorious lamp,/ our holy father Cyprian,/ pray to Christ God// to preserve our faith until the end of the world ka.

Kontakion, tone 2

The unconquerable pillar of Orthodoxy, the affirmation of the faith of Christ, the beautifier of the churches, the wise teacher, Serbian education, Russian prosperity, we are inflamed by the love of the Lord, Holy Spirit I have appeared to my house/ and brought my soul, like a blameless sacrifice, to the Lord,/ most wonderful and honorable Cyprian, Saint of Christ, / For this reason, dwell in the vastness of paradise, / stand before Christ in the face of the saints, / Pray to Him and save the city and people from the filthy presence, / for let us call you // ra Pout, Father Cyprian, to the wise teacher.

Kontakion, tone 6

To the Saint of Christ,/ good shepherd,/ teacher of heavenly wisdom,/ lamp of spiritual light,/ most wonderful Cyprian,/ do not cease to pray for your flock,/ for those who love and honor you,// strong intercessor of our city.

Rejected Metropolitan

However, the peace established thanks to the efforts of Cyprian turned out to be fragile. Very soon, Prince Mikhail of Tver put forward claims to supremacy and forced Moscow to retaliate. The collapse of the coalition of Russian lands was largely facilitated by foreigners, in particular representatives of the commercial circles of Genoa, who were interested in strengthening the Horde and instilled anti-Moscow sentiments everywhere. To top off the troubles, the Lithuanian prince Olgerd abandoned his earlier obligations and openly opposed Moscow.

Under these conditions, Patriarch Felofios of Constantinople ordained his faithful servant Cyprian as Metropolitan of Kyiv and Lithuania and decided, after the death of Metropolitan Alexy, to make him the head of the entire Russian Church. This was a very incorrect decision, since during the lifetime of Metropolitan Alexy Cyprian was appointed to the department already occupied by him.

The fruits of the patriarch's indiscretion were felt very soon - neither in Kyiv, nor in Vladimir, nor in Moscow itself, the powers of his protege were recognized. Even after the death of Metropolitan Alexy in 1378, Bishop Cyprian was unable to take his place, having been rejected by the majority of church hierarchs.

Dmitry Donskoy, between two metropolitans.

In the summer of 1378, Metropolitan Cyprian of Kiev and All Rus' arrived in Moscow with the aim of taking his see in connection with the death of Metropolitan Alexy.
But Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich Cyprian did not allow Cyprian into Moscow, since the place was occupied, and his confessor Mityai had already sat on the metropolitan table. Moreover, Cyprian and his retinue were robbed and subjected to great dishonor by the boyar Nikpfor. The rejected Cyprian, in a rage, writes an angry letter to abbots Sergius of Radonezh and Theodore Simonovsky, ending with the words “But since I and my holiness have been subjected to such dishonor, by the power of grace given to me from the Most Holy and Life-Giving Trinity, according to the rules of the holy fathers and divine apostles, those who are involved my detention, imprisonment, dishonor and desecration, and those who gave advice on this, may they be excommunicated and unblessed by me, Cyprian, Metropolitan of All Rus', and cursed, according to the rules of the holy fathers! The former head of the Ris Church, Alexy, was very active and had enormous influence both in the horde and in the western-eastern principalities. But the Orthodox flock in southern and western Rus', absorbed by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, remained without his supervision. The Lithuanian princes did not want a pro-Moscow metropolitan. Moreover, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania bordered on the Moscow and Ryazan principalities, and most of its population was Orthodox. Alexy tried to subjugate the local clergy and even arrived in Kyiv for this purpose, but was thrown into prison by order of Grand Duke Olgerd and only escaped two years later. Olgerd sought to place his protege at the head of the Orthodox Church, and he succeeded. While Alexis was still alive, Patriarch Philotheus of Constantinople ordained Cyprian as Metropolitan of All Rus'. Alexei, who stood at the head of the church in Rus' for twenty-four years, although he was a holy wonderworker, death overtook him too. Having learned about the death of his competitor, Cyprian headed to Moscow. But Dmitry Ivanovich, who strived for authoritarian rule, did not want to share power with the church hierarchs. He arbitrarily installed his confessor Mityai as Metropolitan, and Cyprian received a turnaround. To approve Mityai, a council of bishops was convened in Moscow. But Bishop Dionysius of Suzdal did not want to see the monk Mityai in such a high rank. Declared the illegality of the installation of the High Hierarch without the will of the Ecumenical Patriarch. The prince was forced to send his favorite to the patriarch. It was possible to obtain the ordination of Mityai from Patriarch Nile only by purchasing this rank for him. And Dmitry, fearing that the Lithuanian princes would outbid the patriarch, handed Mityai blank princely charters with a seal where the reward could be entered. But Mityai did not reach the patriarchate. He died on the ship one step away from triumph and a certain Pimen took his place at the head of the delegation. And instead of the expected Mityai, Metropolitan of All Rus' Pimen arrived in Moscow. But in vain the newly made high priest waited for Dmitry Ivanovich to greet him with open arms. Tolley didn’t like Pimen, or maybe he promised the patriarch a lot of princely goods, or maybe Dmitry didn’t believe in the natural death of his comrade and associate Mitya. But the Grand Duke Pimen only expelled him, preferring to return his enemy Cyprian to Moscow. But it was not possible for two such strong and independent personalities to get along in a place, and Dmitry soon replaced Cyprian with Pimin. After the death of Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy under his son Prince Vasily, Cyprian took the chair in Moscow and remained there until his death. He realized his goal and united all Russian Orthodoxy under the authority of a single metropolitan, which was another huge step towards the rise of Moscow.

In the Grand Duke's disgrace

Nevertheless, after a long and exhausting struggle, in which secular and spiritual authorities at all levels were involved, he little by little managed to regain his position. As for the members of the episcopate, in their eyes he raised his own authority by achieving the return to the Church of lands illegally taken from it by the boyars.

However, the Moscow See remained out of reach for him, mainly due to opposition from the Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich (Donskoy), who intended his protege, Metropolitan Mityai, to fill this position. He went to Constantinople to receive a blessing from the Ecumenical Patriarch, but died on the way under unclear circumstances.

At the head of the Moscow Metropolitanate

The internal political situation in the state, which had largely changed by the end of the 70s, helped Cyprian overcome the negative attitude towards himself on the part of the Grand Duke of Moscow Dmitry Ivanovich and representatives of the higher clergy. From passive submission to the Golden Horde, Rus' moved to active resistance, which resulted in the famous Battle of Kulikovo in 1380.

During this period, many boyars and clergy who tried to pursue the pro-Tatar line fell into disgrace and were executed, and at the same time those who advocated the overthrow of the hated yoke were elevated. Metropolitan Cyprian was one of them. In a letter sent to the Pskov prince Andrei Olgerdovich and his brother Dimitri, he blessed them to fight the Horde. The Grand Duke became aware of this, and soon after the victory in the Battle of Kulikovo, he invited Cyprian to take the vacant position of head of the Moscow Metropolis.

Having risen to the highest level of church power, he was primarily concerned with strengthening the memory of those who in former times had successfully worked for the good of the fatherland. This is how the Life of Metropolitan Peter, compiled by Cyprian, became famous - the first of the primates of the Russian Church who chose Moscow as his place of residence and thereby contributed to its rise among other cities. He also established the veneration of Prince Alexander Nevsky, who had not yet been canonized at that time.

New turn of events

The subsequent period in the life of Metropolitan Cyprian of Moscow brought him a lot of mental anguish and experiences, which, like his unexpected rise, were a consequence of the changed internal situation. In 1382, the Tatar Khan Takhtamysh captured and plundered Moscow, after which Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy, who barely escaped death, was forced to resume paying tribute. The pro-Tatar party, whose representatives pursued mainly their personal rather than state interests, again raised its head and gained strength.

Through their efforts, Cyprian was removed from the chair he occupied, which went to another contender, Metropolitan Pimen. A stubborn litigation began between them, for the resolution of which both went to Constantinople. Slandered by enemies and deposed, Metropolitan Cyprian of Moscow found himself in an extremely difficult situation, from which he was helped only by the death of the Ecumenical Patriarch Nikon and the accession to the throne of his successor Anthony, who knew him well and had good feelings for him.

Cyprian returned to Moscow in March 1390 and again occupied the department that rightfully belonged to him. The church unrest had ended by this time, and the unity of the metropolitanate was violated only by the waywardness of the Novgorodians, who did not recognize the authority of the Patriarch of Constantinople and did not accept the metropolitan appointed by him. However, the troops of the Moscow prince sent in 1393 brought clarity to their rebellious minds, and general harmony was restored.

Saint Cyprian, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus'. Part 2

First part "

But let us return again to the moment at which we interrupted our narrative.
The Grand Duke wanted to see his protege, Archimandrite Mikhail, at the Moscow see. He even thought about establishing Mikhail-Mityai, bypassing the Patriarchate of Constantinople, right in Moscow, and with the rank of Metropolitan no longer of Kyiv, but of Great Rus'. But this could not be accomplished canonically, and Mityai went to Constantinople to be ordained, where by this time there was no longer Patriarch Philotheus, but Patriarch Macarius was his antipode by conviction. Cyprian also went there, and it is significant that he went a different way than Mityai, apparently knowing that Mamai would not let him through.

On the way, Cyprian wrote and sent several letters to abbots Sergius of Radonezh and Theodore Simonovsky. In these messages, he reproached the Muscovites for failing to support their legitimate metropolitan in the conflict with the prince and, describing his misadventures, expressed indignation at the prince’s behavior, but at the same time wrote that he revered him as the Grand Duke of All Rus' and prayed for him and his family .

On the way to Constantinople, Cyprian stopped in Bulgaria, in his hometown of Tarnovo. How he was greeted there is very colorfully recalled in the “Eulogy to Cyprian,” which was delivered after the death of the saint by his nephew Gregory Tsamblakos. Grigory, apparently, was present at this event as a boy, and the impression of this celebration remained with him for the rest of his life. The “Eulogy” talks about how then, in 1379, literally the whole city came out to meet their famous countryman: “Men and women, rich and poor, old people and children, healthy and sick - everyone tried to touch his sacred clothes, his legs or arms, and those who did not have time remained at a distance and from afar received blessings, healing, and spiritual admiration from him.”

And then events happen that are truly worthy of an adventure novel. The contenders for the throne of Metropolitan of All Rus' resolutely headed to Constantinople. When the protege of Grand Duke Dimitri, Mikhail-Mityai, crossed the Black Sea and was already approaching Constantinople, visible in the distance, he fell ill right on the ship and suddenly died. The retinue accompanying him, with a sizeable metropolitan treasury, was in complete confusion. However, after consulting, they decided not to return to Moscow without the metropolitan, but to quickly elect another candidate from among the clergy who accompanied Mityai. After heated debates, Pereyaslav Archimandrite Pimen was elected.

The Muscovites buried Mityai in Galata, on territory that belonged to the Genoese (which once again indicates that the Genoese were interested parties in this story), and headed to Constantinople, where Saint Cyprian had already arrived. However, in the capital at this time the power changed again. John V Palaiologos again became emperor, but Patriarch Philotheus was no longer alive. In his place was Patriarch Nil, who, although he held the same views as Philotheus, was a much less outstanding personality.

The Moscow delegation decided to present the matter in such a way that Pimen was the envoy of the Grand Duke. Stormy intrigues and bribery began. Huge sums of money were borrowed from the Turks and Genoese against princely bills. Patriarch Nilus pretended to believe the Moscow delegation, although in the presence of Cyprian this was simply impossible.

Nevertheless, the cowardly representatives of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, apparently generously bribed, nevertheless decided to get out of the difficult situation in this way: the Patriarch announced that he would ordain Pimen as Metropolitan of Kyiv and Great Rus', and Cyprian as Metropolitan of Lithuania and Little Russia. Saint Cyprian did not wait for the act of ordaining Pimen and left for Lithuania. This was in the summer of 1380.

However, at this time an event was brewing in Rus' that would turn the entire course of European history - on September 8, 1380, the Battle of Kulikovo took place.
It influenced not only the general course of history, but also the fate of individual historical figures. In 1381, Grand Duke Dimitri sent Simon's abbot Theodore to Kyiv "according to Cyprian" with an invitation to Moscow. (Pimen was still in Constantinople at that time.) Why did such a change occur in the attitude of the Moscow prince to the metropolitan? The famous Orthodox historian Archpriest John Meyendorff in his book “Byzantium and Moscow Rus'” writes that such a change can only be explained if we assume that Cyprian rendered some significant service to the Moscow prince in his victory on the Kulikovo Field.

One such service is known. With the blessing of Saint Cyprian, the Lithuanian princes Andrei and Dmitry Olgerdovich, just before the Battle of Kulikovo, in 1379–1380, went into the service of the Grand Duke of Moscow. Their participation in the Battle of Kulikovo significantly influenced its victorious outcome.

But perhaps there was another, more important service. It is known that Mamai had a powerful ally - the Lithuanian prince Jagiello Olgerdovich, with whom Mamai was supposed to unite on the Kulikovo Field. If Jagiello had united with Mamai, the outcome of the battle would inevitably have been different. But Jagiello was late for the battle! Was this an accident?

Cyprian was in Lithuania at that time. Cyprian's personal contact with Jagiello is a well-known fact. Is it possible to imagine that the tirelessly active metropolitan, for whom the unification of Rus' was the work of his whole life, at this fateful moment for Rus' remained aloof from the events taking place?

There is another possibility to explain the change that has taken place - a petition to the Grand Duke of the Trinity Abbot Sergius. After the Battle of Kulikovo, the authority of St. Sergius increased and became indisputable.

But, one way or another, Metropolitan Cyprian on the feast of the Ascension of the Lord in 1381 was solemnly greeted in Moscow and recognized as the Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus'.

In the autumn of the same year, 1381, Pimen returned to Moscow from Constantinople. True, he, just like Cyprian in his time, was not allowed to reach Moscow. In Kolomna he was captured and thrown into prison. Some of his retinue were even executed for arbitrariness.

Metropolitan Cyprian, recognized by Moscow, immediately got down to business. He established in Moscow the veneration of Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky, who, on the one hand, was the direct ancestor of Dmitry Donskoy, and on the other, the winner of the crusaders. At the moment, Lithuania was in a state of fierce struggle with this knightly order.

At the same time, Cyprian wrote the life of Metropolitan Peter. In this life, he raised many issues of the relationship between the church and princely authorities, which were also relevant for himself. He also compiled a service for this Moscow saint, a commendation and a prayer canon.

However, the situation soon changed dramatically again. Mamai was defeated, but if this had an impact on the Golden Horde, it was most likely in the direction of its strengthening. Khan Tokhtamysh, an irreconcilable enemy of Mamai, who owned a huge territory on the left side of the Volga, finished off Mamai on Kalka in 1381 and united his possessions with the right-bank steppes and the Crimea. Tokhtamysh, of course, had no intention of recognizing Moscow not as a tributary, but as a political partner.

In August 1382, the Tatars approached Moscow, took it and subjected it to devastating destruction. Demetrius was forced to capitulate and again recognize the power of the Golden Horde over himself. At that moment, it seemed that the Battle of Kulikovo had lost its significance and the victory was in vain.

Cyprian was the first Russian metropolitan who never traveled to the Horde and never had any relations with the Tatars. In the changed situation, he was a completely unsuitable figure for Moscow. Cyprian again had to leave Moscow and go to Kyiv, that is, to Lithuania. Moreover, we must not forget that from a canonical point of view, not everything was perfect with Cyprian. Still, Pimen was ordained Metropolitan of Kyiv and Great Rus' in Constantinople. Dimitri made peace with Pimen and gave him the metropolitan see in Moscow, although not all the Moscow clergy agreed with this.

The period from the autumn of 1382 to the spring of 1390 is called in the history of Rus' the period of church unrest.

We do not have the opportunity or need to describe all the intricate vicissitudes that took place at that time around the metropolitan see: the trips to Constantinople of Cyprian, Pimen and other contenders for the metropolitan throne and the participation of the Grand Duke of Moscow in all this. Let's just say that the situation was finally resolved only with the death of its main participants.

Grand Duke Dimitri Donskoy died on May 19, 1389 in Moscow.
His body found peace in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. Metropolitan Pimen, before reaching Constantinople, died on September 11, 1389. He was buried in the same Genoese Galata where Mitya was.

On August 15, 1389, on the day of the Dormition of the Mother of God, Vasily Dmitrievich was elevated to the Grand-Ducal throne of Moscow in Vladimir.

But back in February 1389, that is, during the lifetime of Grand Duke Demetrius and Metropolitan Pimen, the new Patriarch of Constantinople Anthony deposed Pimen and confirmed Cyprian’s rights to the see of Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus'.

On October 1, 1389, on the Intercession of the Mother of God, Cyprian left Constantinople. On March 6, 1390, during the Cross Worship Week of Lent, he arrived in Moscow, accompanied by Greek and Russian clergy. Here he was lovingly met by the new Moscow prince Vasily Dmitrievich with his mother, Princess Evdokia Dmitrievna, and with all the boyars. Moscow finally unanimously recognized and accepted the already 60-year-old Cyprian. This was followed by the 17-year reign of Cyprian, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus', before God at the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.

***

This extremely fruitful period in the history of the Russian Church and all Russian culture will be discussed further.

Once at the metropolitan see in Moscow, Cyprian remained faithful to his main strategic idea and the tradition of Patriarch Philotheus - the strengthening of Ecumenical Orthodoxy and the struggle for the unity of the Orthodox community. He persistently demanded that in Russian churches at the liturgy, first of all, the name of the “most pious and most faithful” Emperor of Constantinople, who was the sacred symbol of the Roman Empire, was commemorated. Thus, Saint Cyprian formed the idea of ​​succession by the Moscow princes of the historical mission of the Orthodox emperors.

Being an outstanding expert on Orthodox worship in Constantinople, Athos, and Bulgaria, the saint began active work to correct and bring to the unity of liturgical practice in the Russian Church. Metropolitan Cyprian himself copied such liturgical and doctrinal books as the Psalter, the Service Book, the Breviary, the Ladder of John of Sinai, the works of Dionysius the Areopagite, and translated some prayers and canons of Patriarch Philotheus from Greek into Slavic. It was Metropolitan Cyprian who brought to Rus' and disseminated for reading the interpretation of the Gospel of St. Theophylact of Bulgaria.

The latest research tends to believe that not without the literary influence of Cyprian, the famous works of the Kulikovo cycle arose: “Zadonshchina”, a lengthy edition of the chronicle “The Tale of the Battle of Kulikovo”, “The Tale of the Invasion of Tokhtamysh”, “The Tale of the Life and Death of Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich” , Russian Tsar" and the original work "List of Russian cities, distant and close." It is also expected that Metropolitan Cyprian will participate in the creation and editing of the Moscow chronicle of 1408, known as the “Trinity Chronicle”.

In subsequent centuries, church historical tradition attributed to the authorship of Cyprian such works as “The Helmsman”, “The Book of Degrees”, etc., which is refuted by modern historical science. However, the very fact of the existence of such legends suggests that in historical memory the personality of Metropolitan Cyprian was imprinted as a kind of legendary-ideal image of a highly learned hierarch with absolute authority. A similar thing happened earlier with St. John Chrysostom, to whom it was customary to attribute the authorship of many nameless teachings.

But we know for certain that it was Metropolitan Cyprian who approved in Rus' the veneration of St. Gregory Palamas on the 2nd week of Lent, as well as the anathematization of heretics on the week of the Triumph of Orthodoxy.

In modern philological science, the era of Cyprian in Rus' is usually called the time of the “second South Slavic influence.” It was precisely in those years that the Balkan countries plunged into the darkness of Turkish rule for many centuries. On July 19, 1389, a tragic battle took place on Kosovo Field. In 1393, the capital of Bulgaria, Tarnovo, fell to the Turks. As a result, the emigration of cultural forces from the Balkans to Rus' began. The second “golden age” of Bulgarian literature extended its existence in Rus'. Of course, the presence of the Bulgarian Cyprian at the primatial see contributed to this cultural phenomenon.

The emergence of a new direction was observed at this time in Rus' not only in the field of literature, but also in the fine arts. It can hardly be associated with Balkan influence. Rather, it was the result of a universal spiritual upsurge before the death of the Eastern Roman Empire, but in the conditions of a resurgent Rus'.

An impressive sign of a new direction in visual creativity is that it ceases to be nameless. Dazzlingly shining stars light up in the sky - such brilliant personalities as Theophanes the Greek, Daniil Cherny, and Reverend Andrei Rublev. They differ sharply from the masters of the previous era by the highest, so to speak, professionalism, both purely artistic and philosophical and theological. And the manuscripts that have reached us from that time speak for themselves. They are unsurpassed masterpieces of Russian book writing.

Interesting, for example, is the history of the famous front manuscript, the so-called Kyiv Psalter.
In the postscript to it there is a direct indication that it was written in Kyiv by Protodeacon Spiridonius by order of Bishop Michael in 1397. Referring to this postscript, Ukrainian scientists tried to connect this manuscript with the Little Russian culture of that time.

However, a thorough analysis of the manuscript, its linguistic features, handwriting and the entire artistic structure leaves no doubt that the manuscript belongs to Moscow culture. It was at this time, in 1396–1397, that Metropolitan Cyprian lived in Kyiv for a year and a half. He lived surrounded by a large retinue that came with him from Moscow. Spiridonius, apparently, was the protodeacon of the Moscow Metropolitan Assumption Cathedral and at the same time a skilled calligrapher, and Vladyka Mikhail, the former Bishop of Smolensk, at that time had already been transferred to Moscow and was among the clergy close to Metropolitan Cyprian.

In general, with the accession of Saint Cyprian to the metropolitan see, all the best artistic forces of Rus' gathered in Moscow. It was in 1390 that Theophanes the Greek came to Moscow from Novgorod. And it is clear that by order of Metropolitan Cyprian, together with his associates Daniil Cherny, Andrei Rublev and Prokhor from Gorodets, he painted the Kremlin cathedrals.

These universal masters apparently also took part in decorating manuscripts. Thus, in the first years of the 15th century they made miniatures for the famous manuscript of the Khitrovo Gospel.

Contemporaries assessed Cyprian’s influence on the life of Rus' as follows: “With his blessing, the Russian land deeply accepts peace,” and “with his book correction and teaching it brightens more than the dawns of the sun and is watered as if from an ever-flowing source.”

But in addition to purely spiritual activities, the first hierarch of the Russian Church had to deal with the affairs of church administrative management. And Metropolitan Cyprian handled these matters confidently and economically. He actively visited the most important spiritual centers and cities of his diocese, installed bishops, monitored the observance of church canons, and was involved in legal proceedings.

The Metropolitan did not shy away from participating in solving political problems. The main concern of Saint Cyprian as a politician was the reconciliation and unification of all the principalities located on the territory of his diocese. With his blessing, on January 9, 1391, the marriage of Grand Duke Vasily Dmitrievich with the Lithuanian princess Sofia Vitovtovna took place.

Many powerful people in this world, sometimes even at odds with each other, treated Metropolitan Cyprian with unfailing respect and trust. This is the Moscow prince Vasily Dmitrievich, and the Tver prince Ivan Mikhailovich, and the Lithuanian princes Vytautas and Jagiello... (In February 1386, Jagiello converted to Catholicism and became the Polish king Vladislav, but this did not interfere with his friendship with Metropolitan Cyprian.)

***

In the summer of 1395, an event took place that left the deepest mark on the spiritual and historical life of the Russian people, becoming an eternal example of faith and trust in the Providence of God and the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Terrible news came to Moscow: the hordes of Tamerlane (Timur), an invincible and cruel conqueror, were moving towards the city from the south. Invincible in the truest sense of the word: throughout his long life he did not suffer a single defeat. Tamerlane conquered Persia, Iraq, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Mesopotamia, Georgia, India and Syria. By the end of Tamerlane's life, in 1405, his possessions stretched from east to west from the Black Sea to the Ganges River, and from north to south - from the Aral Sea to the Arabian Sea.

In 1395, this formidable conqueror of almost all of Asia Minor and the Caucasus went to Rus', reached the Ryazan borders, ravaged the city of Yelets and, heading towards Moscow, approached the upper reaches of the Don. Grand Duke Vasily Dmitrievich courageously went out with the Moscow army to Kolomna to meet the enemy, but everyone understood that the forces were too unequal.

At this great and decisive moment in history, the question arose about the existence of not only Moscow, but the entire Russian state. Metropolitan Cyprian of Kiev and All Rus', who headed the Russian Orthodox Church, understood this like no one else. Having blessed Prince Vasily on his campaign, he called on Muscovites to repentance, fervent prayer and nationwide fasting. Then, by Divine inspiration, he sent an embassy to Vladimir, consisting of clergy and boyars, for the greatest shrine of Rus' - the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God.

For ten days, the icon was carried to the capital in a grand religious procession.
Throughout the entire journey, the icon was surrounded by a huge mass of people who, on their knees, tirelessly cried out: “Mother of God, save the Russian land!” Moscow, led by the Metropolitan, the family of the Grand Duke, the clergy and boyars, met with tears the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos on Kuchkovo Field. Today, the street along which the procession from Vladimir then took place is called Sretenka (from the Slavic word “sretenka” - “meeting”), and the gates that later appeared on the site of Kuchkov Field during the construction of the White City began to be called Sretensky.

All of Rus' prayed in those days before the icon of the Mother of God for salvation from imminent death.

And a miracle happened.

Tamerlane reached the city of Yelets and, due to circumstances incomprehensible to historians, did not go further to Moscow, although an almost defenseless city lay in front of him - easy prey and military glory. This happened on August 26, 1395.

In the chronicles, this mysterious act of Tamerlane, however, is explained as follows: at the very hour when the residents of Moscow met the icon and prayed in front of it, Tamerlane was dozing in his tent. Suddenly, in a dream, the Majestic Wife appeared before him in a radiant radiance, Who threateningly commanded him to leave the Moscow borders. Waking up in horror, Tamerlane called his advisers and began to find out what this vision meant. They answered him that the Majestic Wife is the Mother of God, the great protector of Christians. That is why, according to the chronicles, Tamerlane, driven by fear, turned south the next day.

At the meeting place of the Vladimir Icon, Metropolitan Cyprian founded the Sretensky Monastery, and the day of August 26 (September 8 according to the new style) has been celebrated since then as the day of the salvation of Moscow and Russia from the hordes of Tamerlane.

This whole dramatic story is quite well known to Orthodox people, but less known is its continuation, which was also the result of popular prayers and had an extraordinary influence on the entire course of Russian history. Turning south from Moscow, Tamerlane began the grandiose defeat of the Golden Horde. All the steppe cities, then hostile to Rus', were plundered and destroyed within one year. Khan Tokhtamysh, who burned Moscow in 1382 in revenge for the defeat on the Kulikovo Field, fled to Lithuania. After this total defeat, the Golden Horde virtually ceased to exist as a steppe civilization, as a single state. For Rus', this event was of enormous importance.

***

The 15th century has arrived. Bishop Cyprian was already a 70-year-old man, tired from many years of intense struggle and continuous labor. In the last years of his life, he increasingly liked to retire to his country residence near Moscow, located at the confluence of the Setun and Ramenka rivers. Today this place can be seen in Moscow near Mosfilmovskaya Street. It, surrounded by modern houses, has amazingly preserved its original condition, remaining almost as it was in the time of Cyprian. There is only no Church of the Three Saints. But three kilometers from this place, another church was built in the 17th century - the Life-Giving Trinity in Golenishchev. The country residence of the Moscow high priests, then already patriarchs, was moved here in the 17th century.

The last work of Metropolitan Cyprian was his visit to the western regions of the metropolis in 1404–1405. It is known that Vytautas met him in Vilna with great honors and that Saint Cyprian was present at the special meeting of Jogaila and Vytautas in Milolub.

On January 1, 1406, Saint Cyprian returned to Moscow and on September 16, 1406, he died at his country residence. Before his death, he wrote the famous prayer of permission, which was read over his coffin.

Metropolitan Cyprian was buried in the southwestern corner of the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, according to his own will.

On May 29, 1472, during the construction of the new and dismantling of the old Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin, the relics of St. Cyprian were found and transferred to the new cathedral. This year is considered the year of his glorification.

***

To conclude our reflections, I would like to draw attention to the fact of a strange underestimation of the personality and activities of Metropolitan Cyprian. Sometimes in the works of church historians this is expressed simply by the brevity of references to him, as, for example, by N.D. Talberg. In the “History of the Russian Church” by Metropolitan Macarius, quite a lot of space is devoted to Saint Cyprian, but the assessment of his activities is rather restrained than positive. In A.V. Kartashev we even find reproaches against the saint.

The Russian Orthodox Church has a special feast of the Moscow saints (October 5, old style). The number of saints venerated on this day has changed over time. At first there were three of them: Peter, Alexy, Jonah. Then, in the 17th century, under Patriarch Nikon, Metropolitan Philip was added and, finally, in 1913, Patriarch Ermogen. Today is the day of the five Moscow saints. However, in churches today you can hear the names of other recently glorified Moscow saints: Metropolitan Macarius, Patriarchs Job and Tikhon, and sometimes Metropolitans of Moscow Philaret and Innocent. But the name of Cyprian is almost forgotten.

In Rus', during the time of St. Cyprian, the highest rise of Russian spiritual culture was undoubtedly observed. Perhaps it was precisely the radiance of such glorious names of that time, such as St. Sergius of Radonezh, Andrei Rublev, St. Stephen of Perm, Theophan the Greek, Epiphanius the Wise, and the numerous host of disciples of St. Sergius - that overshadowed in our consciousness the personality of the primate of the entire Russian Church, relegating him to second place. plan? Or maybe the universal scale of this personality simply did not fit within the framework of Moscow statehood? But thanks to this, apparently far from being understood by everyone, “universal scale”, it was in the era of Cyprian that the spiritual formation of the Russian state, the birth of Great Rus', took place.

In the 20th century, historians did a great deal of work to understand the historical processes of past centuries and especially to penetrate into the meaning of the cultural and spiritual life of Ancient Rus'. As a result, in the works of such major scientists of the twentieth century as G. M. Prokhorov and Archpriest John Meyendorff, the personality of Metropolitan Cyprian begins to be revealed as an outstanding church figure and one of the greatest people of that difficult era.

The 600th anniversary of the repose of the outstanding Moscow Saint Cyprian reminds us of his ecclesiastical feat and the height of this feat and calls for spiritual activity, which is so necessary in our 21st century, which is plunging into insensibility and indifference.

Activities to unite Christian churches

At the end of the 14th century, the threat of an Ottoman invasion loomed over Byzantium and a number of other Christian states, and the only way to avoid it was to unite everyone’s efforts. The obstacle in this case was not so much political differences as the religious confrontation between Catholicism and Orthodoxy.

In this regard, Metropolitan Cyprian advocated the speedy unification of these two directions of Christianity, but not under the authority of the Pope, as representatives of the so-called Uniate party demanded, but on the basis of a jointly developed concept that would eliminate all the theological contradictions that had arisen between them. To do this, he proposed convening a church-wide council, in which representatives of all Christian states could take part. Cyprian devoted the last years of his life to solving such a complex, but extremely urgent task at that time.

Completion of life's journey

In 1400, the Metropolitan moved his residence from the capital to the village of Golenishchevo near Moscow, where he did a lot of work translating the works of the holy fathers of the church into Church Slavonic, as well as working on his own works, both theological and purely secular in nature. It is noted that the socio-political content of Metropolitan Cyprian’s literary activity covered a wide range of issues.

In particular, from his pen came several documents concerning the claims of the Polish-Lithuanian princes to the western regions of Russian lands. This question worried him so much that in 1404 he personally went to Lithuania and, being present at negotiations between princes Jagiello and Vytautas, convinced them to refrain from decisive action.

Saint Cyprian, Metropolitan of Moscow, reposed in the Lord on September 16, 1406. From the village of Golenishcheva, his ashes were transported to Moscow and after a solemn funeral service they were buried in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin. In 1472, during the reconstruction of the cathedral, the incorrupt relics of the righteous man were discovered and reburied next to the grave of his successor in the management of the Russian Church, Metropolitan Photius. Official canonization took place only in 1808.

Saint Cyprian of Moscow

Klaipeda historian A.V. Fomin is soon to publish a book about Orthodox saints associated with Lithuania. One of the chapters is dedicated to Metropolitan Cyprian, whose memorial day we celebrate this LK week, September 29. When you read this work, I really hope that you will not miss the mentioned chapter, if only because a professional historian presents it in more detail than the format of a newspaper article allows me. Let it (my note) be a preparatory, warm-up, so to speak, material for you to perceive Andrei Fomin’s book.

It is a shame that the personality of this great man, although sufficiently studied by historians and philologists, is very superficially known to the Orthodox masses. There is not a single temple or church chapel in his honor in Lithuania. And there are few of them in Russia. On the outskirts of Moscow, in Chertanovo, there is a small wooden Cyprian church and on Mosfilmovskaya Street an even smaller chapel, consecrated in his honor.

Now, when, by the will of politicians of all ranks and stripes, people are provoked to look for enemies and kill each other, the example of Metropolitan Cyprian can become a banner for those who strive for peace and the unification of kindred peoples.

The era in which Saint Cyprian lived evokes awe in a history buff. Dmitry Donskoy, Prince Algirdas, Sergius of Radonezh, Battle of Kulikovo. XIV century. Rus' as a single whole does not exist. The reason for this is not fragmentation into small principalities. Those days are almost over. All Russian lands are part of two states: the Moscow Principality and Lithuania. The border between them, quite unstable, runs 200 km from Moscow. Bryansk, Chernigov, Kyiv, Kozelsk are Lithuania. Novgorod, Pskov, Vladimir, Kaluga and further to the east - Moscow.

But faith is common. Orthodoxy. And at the head of the Church there is a single metropolitan for the two countries, who is appointed by the Patriarch of Constantinople. True, Algirdas is making attempts to divide the single metropolis into two. And once again he demands from Patriarch Philotheus a separate metropolitan for the Orthodox lands of Lithuania. Philotheus does not want the creation of a new metropolis and opposes it in every possible way. Moreover, there is already a Metropolitan Alexy in Rus'. But the political situation does not allow ignoring the demands of the Grand Duke of Lithuania. Moreover, Alexy cannot control the dioceses in Lithuania - all attempts to go there are stopped by Algirdas. And the patriarch makes a paradoxical move: he appoints a temporary metropolitan for Lithuania with the condition that after the death of one of them, the second will head the united Russian Church. Cyprian became this second.

Little information has been preserved about him before this period. It is only known that he was a Serb or Bulgarian, born in 1330, received an excellent education, labored on Mount Athos, and then was Philotheus’s secretary and carried out his diplomatic assignments. And he came to Lithuania with the same mission in 1373. He had to reconcile Dmitry and Olgerd.

But on December 2, 1375, Cyprian became Metropolitan of Kyiv, Russia and Lithuania. And Alexy bears the title of Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus'. Dmitry (the future Donskoy) does not want to recognize Cyprian, and the wise Alexy tries in every possible way to protect his “competitor”. Sergius of Radonezh actively helps him in this.

While at the See of Lithuania, Cyprian takes part in the glorification of the Vilna martyrs Anthony, John and Eustathius, and makes a lot of effort to reconcile the next outbreak of hostility between the Lithuanian and Moscow princes.

In 1378 Saint Alexy died. It would seem that the turmoil is over. For twelve years, two elements did not allow Cyprian to begin his metropolitan duties: the constantly changing government, secular and ecclesiastical, in Constantinople (after all, metropolitans are supplied to Rus' from there) and many competitors in Rus' itself.

Cyprian goes to Moscow. But Dmitry sees in him a protégé and spy of Algirdas and decides to make his confessor and favorite Mityai metropolitan. He goes for initiation to Constantinople, but dies on the way.

At the same time, another candidate appears - Bishop Dionysius of Suzdal. He also goes to the patriarch. But the Grand Duke intercepts him. Only with the guarantee of Sergius of Radonezh does Dmitry release Dionysius, taking his word not to go to Constantinople. Dionysius did not keep his words, thereby letting Sergius down.

The third candidate for the metropolitan see was Archimandrite Pimen, who negotiated this position from the new Patriarch Nile for a bribe. Dmitry exiles the newly minted metropolitan and calls on Cyprian. But not for long. In 1382 he again returned him to Kyiv. This is repeated several times. Either Dmitry calls Cyprian to Moscow, then he drives him away. The department passes first to Pimen, then to Dionysius, then again to Cyprian. Humiliation and torment end only after 10 years. In 1390, Donskoy dies, and his son Vasily ascends to the Moscow throne.

Basil is an old “debtor” of Cyprian. In 1387 he brings Vasily to Lithuania from Moldova, where he was hiding, having fled from the Horde. Here the Metropolitan betroths the prince to Vytautas' daughter Sophia. Their marriage took place in 1391, when Vasily became the Moscow prince. In 1392, the Polish king Vladislav (Jogaila) was forced to recognize the autonomy of Lithuania, which was now headed by the father-in-law of the Moscow prince.

Over the last “peaceful” 16 years of his life, Cyprian has done a lot for the united Russian Church. He established the veneration of Alexander Nevsky, created a new edition of the life of Metropolitan Peter, Alexy's predecessor. He is friends with Sergius of Radonezh, Andrei Rublev, Theophan the Greek, whom he probably brought to Rus'. This is understandable, because they were all hesychasts (we have mentioned this monastic movement more than once). Rublev’s famous “Trinity” was written on the initiative of Cyprian.

While still in disgrace, he asks Algirdas for the prisoners, and fights in every possible way for the church unity of Rus', realizing that two metropolises are a temporary phenomenon.

He began correcting church books. A man of high literary culture, an expert in the rules, the saint was especially concerned about the ordering of worship and monastic life. He sent various rites and statutory notes to the dioceses, corrected errors noted in liturgical books, translated the liturgical book from Greek, compiled the lives of saints, instructions on liturgical practice, and rewrote patristic works. At that time, in the absence of printing, this work was a real feat.

His main concern was the preservation of Orthodoxy throughout the metropolitan area. He even managed to annex Galicia and Moldavia to it. On the initiative of Cyprian, the Vladimir Icon was moved to Moscow when Timur entered Russian lands in 1395. This event is celebrated on September 9 (August 26, O.S.). He was the only Russian metropolitan who never traveled to the Horde and actively pursued a policy of unifying Christians in the face of the threat of Ottoman conquest.

The saint died on September 16 (29 AD) 1406 and was buried in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. His relics were found during the reconstruction of the cathedral on May 27, 1472 and rest next to the relics of St. Photius of Moscow, the successor of St. Cyprian in the administration of the Russian Church.

As stated at the very beginning, there is no temple in honor of Cyprian of Moscow in Lithuania, and there never will be. Building a new Orthodox church in our country is a thoughtless luxury. But if one of you, dear readers, is vouchsafed by the Lord to build a chapel somewhere in the country (and such precedents are known), name it in honor of our today’s hero.

Peter Fokin, psalmist of the Church of the Sign

Charter of Metropolitan Cyprian

Having completed his earthly journey, Bishop Cyprian left behind a rich literary heritage, which, as mentioned above, included both religious works and works of a socio-political direction. Particularly famous among them was the so-called Charter of Metropolitan Cyprian of 1391.

It is a detailed written response to the complaint of the serfs who were the property of the Konstantinovsky monastery located near Vladimir. In a message addressed to him, they complained about the unbearable burden of duties imposed on them by Abbot Ephraim, as well as other forms of exploitation.

It is clear from the text of the document that before making and publishing his decision, Metropolitan Cyprian conducted a detailed investigation into the merits of the complaint presented to him. For this purpose, he sent his representative to the monastery - a certain Akinfiy, who asked the old-timers about whether the size and form of the currently established duties were the result of the arbitrariness of their abbot, or whether they corresponded to the previously established tradition. He conducted a similar survey among the residents of Vladimir, who often visited the monastery, and, importantly, among the serfs themselves.

As a result of the investigation, Akinfiy established that the abbot, against whom the complaint was received, did not introduce anything new into the previous order, demanded from the tax-paying peasants the same as his predecessors, and, thus, the subject of discussion may not be his actions, but himself previously established custom. That is why the duties of the peasants, according to the charter of Metropolitan Cyprian, were recognized as completely legal, and the complaint they filed remained without consequences. However, in all likelihood, there were consequences, but not for the abbot, but for the complainants themselves.