Theophilus of Kiev: For Christ's sake, holy fool and saint

St. Theophilus Kitaevsky, Fool for Christ's sake. Icon

Theophilus (Gorenkovsky), Kitaevsky, Kievsky
(1788 - 1853), hieroschemamonk, holy fool for Christ's sake, reverend Memory October 28, July 14 on the day of glorification in 1993 (Ukr.) and in the Cathedrals of Vinnitsa and Kiev saints

In the world, Foma Andreevich Gorenkovsky, was born in 1788 into the family of a priest in the city of Makhnov, Kyiv province. His mother did not love him, and since childhood he wandered. By the age of seven he was left an orphan, but, under the care of the Church, he was enrolled in the primary classes of the Kiev-Mohyla Academy.

In 1810, from the academy he was sent to the post of deacon in the city of Chigirin, but due to insufficient vocal abilities, he was transferred from there as a sexton to Obukhov.

Two years later he returned to Kyiv and became a novice at the Bratsky Monastery.

On December 11, 1821, he took monastic vows, receiving the monastic name Theodoret.

Over time, he became the housekeeper of the Bratsky Monastery. But with his soul he desired desert life and asked to be released to the village of Lesniki near Kiev, where, according to legend, the Monk Theodosius of Pechersk spent his fasting time. However, he was denied such a seclusion, and then he decided on a particularly difficult asceticism - the feat of foolishness for the sake of Christ.

On December 9, 1834, he accepted the schema and was named Theophilus.

According to the memoirs of contemporaries, the academic leadership did not accept the “ dirty, ragged monk Theophilos

“, but pilgrims went to him every day and deeply revered the elder, famous for his prophecies.

From 1849 until the day of his death, Hieroschemamonk Theophilus spent in the Kitaevskaya Hermitage.

Blzh. Theophilus of Kyiv, Fool for Christ's sake. Icon at the relics of a saint

Died on October 28, 1853.
Many healings took place after the death of the elder, “ for many sick and sick people, for whom human help was powerless, were enlightened in dreams, resorting to the prayer of Blessed Theophilus and, by their faith, were honored to receive healing

».

To the famous prophecies of St. Theophilus includes predictions of the founding of the Intercession Convent in Kyiv, the Transfiguration Hermitage of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra and the Holy Trinity Monastery of Jonah.

On July 27, 1993, he was canonized by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The relics of the saint were open for veneration and were constantly located in the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Kitaevskaya Hermitage.

On February 24, 2009, the relics of the saint were transferred from the Trinity Church of the Kitaevskaya Hermitage to the Church of the Twelve Apostles.

On April 1, 2015, by decision of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, his name was included in the newly formed Cathedral of Vinnytsia Saints [1].

By the determination of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church on February 2-3, 2021, the name of the Venerable Christ for the sake of the holy fool Theophilus of Kyiv was included in the month book of the Russian Orthodox Church for church-wide veneration [2].

Long-suffering childhood

From early childhood, the blessed one experienced the bitter fate of an eternal wanderer on earth. His hometown was Makhnov in the Kyiv province. Here in October 1788, the family of priest Andrei Gorenkovsky was replenished with two twins - Kalinik and Foma. The second one will later become a glorified holy elder.

This child was unusual from birth. He did not want to be fed from his mother's breast. To save him, we had to give the baby soft potato gruel and boiled turnips and carrots, which he ate willingly. Therefore, from birth, the mother disliked Foma. She herself called her child a “thump,” a “ghoul,” believing that he was replaced by witches at birth. The neighbors also added fuel to the fire, constantly whispering about him behind his back.

However, the matter was not limited to just conversations. The mother decided to drown her child, the future Saint Theophilus of Kyiv. She first ordered her maid to do this. But she, having twice witnessed how the river itself carried the baby to the other bank, repented, brought him back to the ill-fated parent. Then the mother herself went to the river where the water mill was located and threw her child under the millstones, after which she immediately ran away. And again a miracle happened.

The millstone stopped over the baby, blessed Theophilus, without harming him. The mill began to creak under the pressure of water. The miller came running at this sound and, seeing the crying child, took him out from under the millstone. Immediately after this, the mill started working again.

Seeing the mother’s hostility towards her child, the future holy elder, the father decided to remove the child from her. He found a nurse for Thomas in a remote village, who fed him with soft bread soaked in sweet water and honey. However, the father of God’s chosen child soon died. Then Thomas was happily taken in by the same miller who witnessed the miracle.

A childless rich man from a neighboring village somehow learned about the unusual child. He asked the miller to give him Foma to raise, since he did not have any children of his own. Believing that the child would be better off there, the miller did just that. But soon the rich man also died, and his widow, wanting to get married a second time, gave the boy to the care of a priest from their village. So Theophilus of Kiev, from an early age, followed in the footsteps of the Savior, Who had no place to lay his head.

A fool before the world, a saint before God

Venerable Theophilus of Kyiv

When one naive poor man asked the blessed elder Theophilus how he achieved the ability to predict the future, he replied: “You pluck out your eyelash and try to tie two knots on it.” The poor man tried, but he couldn’t tie even one, and then he said that it was too difficult. “So I got it with such difficulty,” answered the elder.

God-protected child

“You will have tribulation in the world” (John 16:33), says the Gospel, and “if they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20). These words were fully fulfilled in the life of Blessed Theophilus from the very first days of his birth. This happened in October 1788. Then, in the city of Makhnovka, Kyiv province, in the family of priest Andrei Gorenkovsky and his wife Euphrosyne, two twins were born. One of them was named Thomas - this was the future saint.

The woman was subject to superstition and began to believe that her child had been replaced.

The chosenness of the saint of God was marked from birth by the fact that he did not want to take dairy food and therefore even turned away from his mother’s breast. Euphrosyne was forced to feed him potato mush and boiled vegetables. However, what manifested itself from birth as the infant’s extraordinary asceticism, the mother understood in her own way and immediately disliked her own child. Despite the fact that her husband was a priest, the woman was subject to deep superstition, and, incited by many neighbors, she began to believe that her child had been replaced at birth. Euphrosyne herself called Thomas nothing more than a “freak” or “ghoul”, “exchanger”.

In her darkness, the woman went so far as to decide to kill her own child. To do this, she persuaded her maid to drown Thomas in the river. But when she threw the child into the river, the miracle that once happened to the prophet Moses was repeated: Thomas did not drown, but was carefully carried by the current to the other bank. This happened to him twice. Then the maid realized that the unusual child was being preserved by the Providence of God, and took him back to Euphrosyne, refusing to cause him any harm. However, even the story of what happened did not stop the embittered mother. She decided to finish the job herself.

Grabbing Thomas, Euphrosyne ran to the water mill and threw the child under the wheel. Believing that the child was dead, she hastily left. However, at the very moment when the millstones were about to crush the child, the wheel stopped. The high pressure of the retained water caused an extraordinary noise, to which the miller ran out. Seeing Thomas on the water with a wheel hanging over him, he quickly grabbed the baby in his arms, and after that the mill immediately started working again.

Euphrosyne's maid witnessed everything that happened. She told the miller everything. Then together they decided, secretly from his mother, to take Thomas to his father, telling him everything that had happened to the child. Saddened by the mother’s dislike for her son, the priest found a nurse for Thomas who would raise the baby away from home. The boy had to be fed soft bread soaked in honey water. The boy began to quickly grow stronger and grow. However, it was not long before his father died.

A wanderer from a young age

Before his death, priest Gorenkovsky asked the miller, who witnessed the miraculous salvation of the child, to take Thomas in for his upbringing. The miller happily agreed. However, rumors about the unusual baby quickly spread, and soon a wealthy peasant from a neighboring village, who had no heirs, asked the miller to give him Thomas for adoption. Wishing the best for the child, the miller agreed. And indeed for some time Thomas lived surrounded by love and abundance. But, by the will of God, this did not last long. Soon the rich man who adopted Thomas died. His widow, who wanted to remarry, gave the boy to be raised by the priest of their village.

Foma lived with his new guardian until he was seven years old. Thanks to him, he became familiar with the temple and fell in love with worship. When the boy was seven years old, the priest began teaching him to read and write. However, he soon died suddenly. The headman of the temple where the priest served decided to take Thomas back to his mother, hoping that during this time her heart would soften towards her son. However, Euphrosyne, who was chopping wood at that very time, as soon as she saw Thomas brought to her, threw an ax at him, with which she cut his right shoulder.

Meanwhile, while the boy’s wound was healing, the elder learned that a widowed priest, who was Thomas’s uncle, was serving in the Kiev-Brotherly Monastery. He became the boy's last guardian. Soon, under the supervision of his uncle, Thomas was sent to study at the lower courses of the Brotherhood Academy.

Thomas's reconciliation with his mother occurred just before her death. Stricken by a terrible illness, Euphrosyne, convicted by her conscience, was greatly tormented, and she had terrible visions. Realizing the wrath of God in this, she called Thomas to ask him for forgiveness for the evil he had done and to say goodbye. Without harboring any malice or resentment, the young man happily forgave his mother. She died in his arms.

Church service

After the death of his last guardian, Thomas was forced to earn his own living. In 1810, he began serving as a sexton in Chigirin, but in the same year he was transferred as a sexton to Obukhov. In 1812, he became a novice of the Kiev-Brotherly Monastery. Here he carried out various obediences: first in the bread room, later in the refectory, and then he served as a sexton and bell ringer.

On December 11, 1821, Thomas's cherished wish came true - he was tonsured a monk with the name Theodoret. After this, he is assigned a new obedience in the sacristy. On September 30, 1822, Theodorit was ordained a hierodeacon, and on February 6, 1827, a hieromonk. At the same time he was appointed housekeeper of the Bratsky Monastery.

Feat of foolishness

Kitaeva Pustyn

He chooses for himself a different path of asceticism - foolishness for Christ's sake

The new appointment greatly burdened Theodoret with the worldly concerns associated with him, and he wrote a petition to dismiss him from this position in order to retire to the caves in Lesniki, which were excavated by the Monk Theodosius of Kiev-Pechersk. However, the last request of the hieromonk was not satisfied. And then he chooses for himself a different path of asceticism, no less difficult - foolishness for Christ's sake.

On December 9, 1834, Theodorit was tonsured into the schema with the new name Theophilus. It is interesting that immediately after his tonsure the blessed one covered his schematic doll with various pieces and wore it like that all the time. But when, on the day of his death, all the flaps were torn off, the cockle turned out to be completely new. The old man was buried in it.

Weary of the noisy life in the Brotherly Monastery, the elder began to look for a more secluded place. And such a place of exploits temporarily became a garden near the Glubochitsa River, whose owner I.N. Dikovsky greatly revered Blessed Theophilus. And in December 1844, the elder wrote a petition to transfer him from the Brotherly Monastery to the Hospital Monastery at the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. However, instead he was assigned to the Goloseevskaya hermitage near Kiev.

The blessed one aggravated his feat of foolishness, for which he was removed to the so-called Novopasechny Garden. On April 29, 1849, Theophilus was transferred to the Kitaevskaya hermitage, where he indulged in his exploits almost until his death. The secluded area, surrounded by dense forests, hidden from prying eyes, fully corresponded to the spiritual mood of the saint. By that time, people had learned about him and came to the ascetic in droves, most of them out of curiosity, and here he could hide from them in the forests for days on end, indulging in prayer and contemplation of God.

Appearance

Memories have also been preserved about the saint’s appearance: “Hieroschemamonk Theophilus was quite tall. His fair face and clear blue eyes were by no means in harmony with the gloominess that he sometimes assumed in dealing with people. He wore his beard short and narrow, not trimming it, but plucking the hair from it.” The following was noted about his manner of speaking and demeanor in public: “He spoke dully and rather quickly, using mostly the Little Russian dialect. No one ever saw him laugh, and often cry, and these constant tears, like precious beads, served in the eyes of the Lord as atonement for our many sins.”

The old man dressed very sloppily; he generally attached little importance to appearance, caring only about the inner. He wore dirty clothes, patched with white threads, often stained with dough or soot. His shoes were also always tattered. It happened that Theophilus had a boot on one foot, and a felt boot on the other. He often tied a dirty towel around his head. Many noticed that the more untidy the elder was dressed, the more restless his inner state was. He also, never taking it off, wore a heavy iron belt with an icon of the Epiphany on it (in memory of how he was twice saved on the water as an infant).

The eccentricities of a saint

There was a lot that was strange and incomprehensible to the world in the actions and customs of Theophilus. Not only did he not take care of his appearance, but his cell was also always dirty and disorderly. The elder said that such a situation should remind him of the disorder in his own soul. All year round, wood smoldered in the stove in his cell, so in winter it was always cold there, and the walls were constantly covered with soot.

The saint’s treat was also unusual. Usually, when receiving visitors, he mixed different foods in a bowl: sour, bitter, and sweet; the first with the second and with sweets. “Because in life, sweet things are always mixed with bitter things,” explained the blessed one. However, surprisingly, this food, blessed by the elder, always turned out to be not only edible, but also tasty.

Hieroschemamonk Theophilus never took money from visitors, and if they did leave him some coins, he immediately distributed everything to the poor. The gold left behind could have been thrown over the threshold, which hunters quickly found.

The old man usually hid from people in the forest. He especially disliked “coach people,” high-ranking guests and curious people. To get rid of the latter, the blessed one often smeared the door handle of his cell with tar before their arrival. Theophilus usually instructed the secular young ladies who came to him to perform the dirtiest obediences, thereby testing their humility. Some obeyed, others left the monk with nothing.

Theophilus also behaved strangely in the temple. Before his ordination, the holy fool usually stood in the vestibule with his eyes cast down to the floor. It happened that he would go up to the choir without a blessing and begin to read the Six Psalms. In other cases, he could run into the temple at the end of Matins or just before the Cherubic Hymn at the Liturgy. He fell to his knees, raised his hands to the sky and began to pray loudly. After this, the saint just as suddenly left the temple, usually accompanied by a crowd of admirers.

It happened that blessed Theophilus “played pranks.” He could bring a whole armful of beetles, beetles and other insects to the temple and pour them directly onto the floor. What the saint symbolically wanted to show by this, we can only guess.

Obedient bull

The elder also had an unusual “novice” - a bull, which was given to him. He had that inexplicable property that he obeyed the saint in everything, understanding his will without words. Theophilus often rode this bull into the city. What was surprising was that the bull had no reins or bridle. The elder usually stood on the cart with his back to him and read the Psalter. The bull himself guessed where to go and always brought his owner to the right place.

The animal also knew how to distinguish people: kind and peaceful people from ill-wishers. He let good people into the elder’s cell, but he butted the evil ones and did not let them in.

The Elder's Insight

The fame of the blessed one was so great that no one in Kyiv began important affairs without his blessing

People went to Elder Theophilus not only for healings and help with everyday needs, but also for advice, because they knew about his insight. At that time, the fame of the blessed one was so great that almost no one in Kyiv made any serious decisions or began important affairs without his advice and blessing. Parents did not marry off or marry their children without first visiting the cell of the holy elder.

Often Theophilus either spoke in riddles or gave some incomprehensible, at first glance, meaningless things, the symbolic meaning of which was revealed later. So, one day a family came to ask for a blessing for their daughter to become a monk, describing how modest and inclined their daughter was to the monastic life. The elder did not answer anything to this, but gave them a candle without a wick for the journey. When six months later this modest woman gave birth to a child, the parents understood what such a strange gift meant.

It is known that Hieroschemamonk Theophilus predicted the founding of three monasteries in Kyiv at a time when there was nothing in their place: the Ioninsky and Pokrovsky monasteries, as well as the Transfiguration Hermitage. Regarding the first monastery, information has been preserved that, while walking in that place with one novice, the elder said that one day there would be a monastery in this place, in which, just as there are different fish in the river, large and small, so the monks will have different spiritual depths.

Particularly noteworthy is the saint’s prophecy about the founding of the Intercession Convent. Once, while walking in the very garden in Glubochitsa where he loved to do this, the elder stopped and told the owner of this garden, Dikovsky, that the place where they were standing was sacred. He also predicted that over time there would be a nunnery here, and the “royal wife” would become its founder. And indeed, in 1888, Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna, née Princess of Oldenburg, bought this land in order to establish a convent here. Later, she herself took monastic vows with the name Anastasia (Reverend Anastasia of Kiev) and became the first abbess of the Kyiv Intercession Monastery.

It is worth mentioning that royalty also came to Elder Theophilus himself. Emperor Nicholas I visited him twice. The first time, the blessed one predicted a difficult - thorny - path for him. When the Emperor visited Kyiv for the last time in 1852, he also decided to go to the desert to see Theophilus. However, the latter, seeing the royal carriage from afar, scratched his hands and face until he bled, dug up the nearest anthill and lay down in it, pretending to be dead. So he predicted Nicholas I's imminent death.

Dissatisfaction with management

When the blessed one began to serve, he saw dew falling on the Holy Gifts

Although many revered Hieroschemamonk Theophilus during his lifetime as a saint, he also had many ill-wishers. Mostly they complained and slandered the blessed one to the church authorities, for which Theophilus was often scolded. He took these complaints calmly, did not make excuses, and usually responded with words from the Holy Scriptures. And the clergy themselves were often dissatisfied with the blessed one, since they did not understand the meaning of his actions.

Firstly, the abbots of the monasteries where Theophilus labored did not like the huge crowds of people who pursued the saint everywhere. Secondly, the chaos that he created in his cell and often brought into the life of the monastery with his unpredictable behavior also confused many. Theophilus’ behavior at the altar also seemed strange when he served with any of the rulers and priests. He often stood in the wrong place, turned in the opposite direction as prescribed by the Charter, so that the Metropolitan was forced to say to the priest standing next to him: “Turn this one back.”

This was mainly explained by Theophilus’ “illiteracy.” However, the elder once admitted that this was not the reason. He knew and respected the Charter very well. But when the blessed one began to serve, he forgot about himself and saw something that no one saw: a ray overshadowing the servants in a cross shape; dew descending on the Holy Gifts. This is what involuntarily made him behave this way at the altar.

For a long time, Metropolitan Philaret of Kiev (Amphitheaters) could not receive Hieroschemamonk Theophilus until he predicted a fire in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, handing him a charred firebrand. Over time, the bishop fell in love with the saint so much that he even settled him together with the hieroschemamonk Parthenius (Reverend Parthenius of Kiev) in his Goloseevskaya dacha for a joint feat. However, this hostel burdened Theophilus so much that he tried to create complete chaos in the bishop’s chambers, and also often woke everyone up in the middle of the night by singing “Behold the Bridegroom comes at midnight.” Because of this, the ruler was soon forced to release him back to the desert.

The Repose of the Blessed

Shortly before his death - April 23, 1853 - the blessed one was moved by his superiors from the Kitaevskaya Hermitage to Goloseevo. However, he himself said: “I will go to my old place to die.” And indeed, a few months later he returned to the Kitaevskaya Hermitage. Often he prayed in the forest, kneeling on a stump or in the hollow of a huge felled oak tree, where he had a Crucifix hanging and a lamp glowing. The elder also came for prayers to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, where every Saturday he served an akathist before the Czestochowa Icon of the Mother of God.

Theophilus knew in advance about the time of his death; he said: “It would be time for me to die long ago, but Praskovya is praying for me.” A week before his death, the elder asked the novices to manure the earth and dump it near the cell for the future grave. He also had a “coffin” ready - a large box on the bell tower in which church candles were placed.

The death of the old man was also blessed. He ordered the candles to be lit, calmly lay down on the bench, which he himself had placed across the threshold of the cell, and took the cross in his hands. Then he sent one of the novices to the commander of the desert to tell them to ring the bells, since Theophilus had died. Only when the bells were already ringing was the chief surprised to learn who exactly had conveyed this command.

Another novice who remained with the elder witnessed an even more unusual phenomenon. Before Theophilus breathed his last, the roof of his cell began to slowly rise above him - this is how heaven prepared to receive the soul of the righteous. Then the roof fell back to its original place.

Theophilus died quietly and painlessly. The imprint of bliss was on his face, and a wonderful fragrance spread throughout the room. This happened on October 28 (November 10), 1853 - on the day of memory of Paraskeva, called Friday, as the elder predicted. They buried Hieroschemamonk Theophilos at the walls of the Holy Trinity Church of the monastery, next to the grave of another ascetic who had previously labored here - Elder Dosithea.

On July 27, 1993, 140 years later, Blessed Theophilus was glorified as a locally revered saint. The discovery of his relics took place, which on February 24, 2009 were solemnly transferred to the Church of the Twelve Apostles at the monastery. On February 3, 2021, the Russian Church blessed the church-wide glorification of St. Theophilus of Kyiv, Christ for the Fool's sake.

From the words and teachings of St. Theophilus

Look not this wheat among the thorns, but this one on the rich ground; and even here, take a good look to see if there is any quinoa, so that tares do not grow up, drowning out the sprouts of wheat.
If you drive more slowly, you will get further into the Kingdom of Heaven.
You cannot resist evil. It is a sin to indulge in sadness. We are exiles on earth. And exiles are not surprised by insults and insults. We are under penance with God, and penance consists of hardships and labors. We are sick in soul and body, and bitter medicines are useful for the sick.
Love, love each other with holy love and do not hold anger against each other. Do not be enticed by anything; Don’t attach your heart to anything earthly: let’s leave it all here, only good deeds will go with us to the next world.
There are now many unbelievers, and many have fallen behind the flock of Christ. Woe to them. After all, our Shepherd is the Lord. All His sheep follow Him, following His teaching and fulfilling His holy commandments. True, there are sick and weak sheep - that is, sinners - but still they follow the flock. But those who have lost faith are those who are completely behind and thrown to be devoured by wild beasts.
We must care more about the soul than about the body, pray more often and mourn our sins, and not only our own, but also our neighbor; without this, not a single human flesh will be saved.
We must pray for our enemies. For the most part, they themselves do not see what they are doing. Yes, they are even our benefactors: with their attacks they strengthen our virtues, humble our spirit on earth, and in heaven weave heavenly crowns for us. The human race becomes exhausted, the ascetics weaken in strength and are saved only by being persecuted and causing them sorrow.

Eternal Wanderer

But even this was not the end of the blessed youth’s wanderings. The future Kyiv saint lived well in the priest’s house, but over time he, too, dies. An attempt to take the boy home to his mother ended tragically - she still harbored hostility towards him. When Foma was brought home, his mother was just chopping wood. As soon as she saw the boy, she threw an ax at him, cutting his shoulder, which then took a long time to heal.

It soon became clear that the boy’s uncle, a widowed priest, lived in the Kiev-Brotherly Monastery. It was with him that the future holy elder, now a simple, useless youth, moved to live. Some time later, Thomas’s mother fell ill with an incurable disease and, finally repenting, asking for forgiveness from her son on her deathbed, she died.

And by this time the young wanderer had long ago decided to devote himself entirely to serving God. After the death of his uncle, he began to earn his own bread, first serving as a sexton in Chigirin, then as a sexton in Obukhov. In 1812, he was enrolled as a novice in the Bratsky Monastery and nine years later he was tonsured a monk with the name Theodoret. In 1822 he was ordained a hierodeacon, and after another 5 years - a hieromonk. In 1834, he accepted the schema with the name Theophilus and became a hieroschemamonk.

Looking for a more secluded place for his exploits, pursued by a large crowd of admirers, and often by the machinations of envious people, the holy elder would change the walls of different monasteries more than once. Among them were the Bratsky Monastery, the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, and the Goloseevskaya Hermitage. However, the blessed one chose the Kitaevskaya hermitage, surrounded on all sides by forest, as his favorite place for his exploits and prayer.

Holy Blessed Elder Theophilus

In the last months of his life, the elder talked more willingly with people and did not skimp on advice and instructions, bequeathing to everyone not to forget the “stinking” Theophilus in their prayers.

The monk was born into a priest's family in 1788 and was baptized with the name Thomas. From birth, the saint refused his mother's milk; his astonished mother was forced to feed him vegetable slurry. According to superstitious neighbors, the mother believed that her son was a werewolf and a freak brought by a witch, and, becoming embittered against him, she tried to drown him three times. First she ordered the maid to do this. She threw the child into the water twice, but the child, protected by God, emerged from the water and slept serenely. The maid returned the baby home in fright. The bitter mother miraculously did not come to her senses, but grabbed the child and ran to drown her herself. She threw it under the mill wheel, but it stopped, holding back the strong pressure of water. The miller ran out and took the child out of the water. The Lord protected the baby, and he miraculously remained alive and unharmed.

The father was forced to take the child from the distraught mother and first hide him with good neighbors, and later take him to be raised in the Brotherhood Monastery on Podol. Here he learned to read and write and took monastic vows. He lived first in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and was later transferred to the Kitaev Hermitage. Only many years later, the hard-hearted mother repented and with tears asked for forgiveness from her son.

Having matured, the saint took upon himself the feat of foolishness: he began to hide his exploits and virtues under imaginary madness. His clothes were shabby, patched, and stained with dough and oil. On one foot there is a tattered boot, and on the other there is a felt boot or bast shoe. I always had a dirty towel tied around my head. On his body he wore an iron belt with an icon of the Epiphany in memory of his three-time salvation from drowning. Receiving food from the brotherly meal, Father Theophilus mixed everything together - sweet with bitter, and when they were surprised at this, he explained: “After all, in life, sweet is mixed with bitter.” The blessed one always rode around Kyiv sitting on a cart with his back to the bullock, which was without harness or reins. Without exclamations or prodding, the bull was brought exactly where the blessed one wanted.

Behind all the strange and funny actions and words of the blessed one, there was undoubtedly hidden selfless love for every person. With what pain he offered up his pure prayers for every soul. The holy fool was often subjected to insults and ridicule, but he endured them with meekness and patience. He once said about this: “We must pray for our enemies. For the most part they themselves do not know what they are doing. Yes, they are even our benefactors: with their attacks they strengthen our virtues, humble our spirit on earth, and in heaven weave heavenly crowns for us. The human race becomes exhausted, the ascetics weaken in strength, and they are saved only by being persecuted and causing them grief.”

“The chief of the desert, Hieroschemamonk Job, was especially bitter against him. Assuming only “hypocrisy and superstition” in all the actions and deeds of the blessed one, he pursued the elder at every step and, causing him various annoyances and sorrows, bothered the Vladyka with constant complaints and denunciations against him. (...) The elder responded to all these accusations only with meekness, silence, presenting various Gospel arguments in parables. - Do you know how to read and write?

“If I didn’t know, they wouldn’t have made me a boss,” Job answered with a smile.

—Have you read biblical books? A?

— Not only have I read, but I also know a lot from memory.

Why did Cain kill his brother Abel? Tell! Answer! For what?

And he escorted Job out of the room and slammed the door behind him. The chief, offended to the depths of his soul, immediately reported this to Metropolitan Philaret and, listing all the unseemly foolish antics of Theophilus, asked him to remove him from the peaceful and secluded Kitaevskaya desert (...).”

Great was his feat of humility and patience beyond human strength! The saint denounced and turned sinners to the path of repentance, supported ascetics, nourished monastics and laity, healed the sick, helped the offended and prayed for everyone.

The blessed one denounced the secret and obvious sins of the pilgrims who came to him in Kitaevo, causing some to cry in repentance, while others stood on end with fear and shame. Thus, he poured a whole bowl of borscht down the hem of one lady’s new silk dress (this is how he accused her of adultery).

Another case is known. The elder could not stand tobacco smokers. One day, a certain newspaper editor, seeing Father Theophilus, blew tobacco smoke into the grated radish the old man was carrying. The blessed one splashed the dish on him in response. After this, the ungodly tobacconist began to be haunted by the smell and taste of radish, and for a long time everyone around him recoiled from him, admitting that the smoker reeked strongly of radish. Only by tearfully repenting before the ascetic did he receive forgiveness and deliverance from punishment.

Many miracles and amazing events are associated with the name of the elder. Many stories from his life seem almost fabulous to us, but they are true. It is known that the blessed one predicted the founding of the holy monastery on Mount Zverinetsky by the Venerable Jonah of Kyiv. Also, the construction in Kyiv of the Intercession Monastery and the Spaso-Preobrazhenskaya Hermitage of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra (at the Lavra Cemetery) many years before these events.

“Love,” he often repeated, “love each other with holy love and do not hold anger against each other.” Don’t be seduced by anything, don’t attach your heart to anything earthly: let’s leave all this here, only good deeds will go with us to the next world. It will be good to live in heaven with God; but God forbid you be in hell with demons! We must care more about the soul than about the body, pray more often and mourn our sins, and not only our own, but also our neighbor’s; without this, not a single human flesh will be saved. There are now many unbelievers, and many have fallen behind the flock of Christ. Woe to them! After all, our Shepherd is the Lord. All His sheep follow Him, following His teaching and fulfilling His holy commandments. True, there are sick and weak sheep - that is, sinners - but still they follow the flock. But those who have lost faith are those who are completely behind and thrown to be devoured by wild beasts. They have left the flock of Christ and do not listen to His voice, for My Sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they will follow Me. We don’t know you; get away! - He will also say to them on the day of His Last Judgment.

The monk died at the age of 65. Miraculous healings flow from his multi-healing relics. Today, the honest relics of Blessed Theophilus rest in his beloved monastery - the Kitaevskaya Hermitage, where, as before, anyone can come and turn to the saint. It is worth noting that the well-known and beloved film “The Island” was based on the life of St. Theophilus of Kyiv.

Saint's Memorial Days:

November 10 is the day of repose of Blessed Theophilos;

July 27 is the day of glorification.

Reverend Our Father Theophilus, pray to God for us!
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The eccentricities of a saint

Over time, Theophilus chose the most difficult and narrow spiritual path for himself - he became a holy fool for Christ’s sake. His life and behavior, as always happens in such cases, were distinguished by many, as we would call them today, oddities or eccentricities. The creators of the film “The Island” borrowed some of these features for the image of their hero. For example, often, wanting to avoid annoying visitors, Theophilus of Kiev lubricated the threshold of his house with resin or tar. The monk’s cell was always in disarray, which was supposed to remind of internal, spiritual disorder. On the floor there was... a coffin in which pots of food for the guests were kept.

Hiding from prying eyes, he spent long hours of prayer in the forest, on a stump or in another favorite place - the hollow of an oak tree, where he hung a crucifix and a lamp. The saint ate very sparingly, mixing everything in a bowl. During the service, he stood with his back to the people, facing the wall, always with his eyes downcast. He also performed the service in a peculiar way, “not according to the regulations.”

Another “calling card” of the holy elder was the black bull that always carried him around the city. Moreover, it is interesting that the reins were not needed. The Kiev saint sat down with his back to the animal, placed a lectern in the cart and, on his knees, read the Psalter, while the bull himself guessed the road, where to go, and always unmistakably. They also said that he, like his master, had an extraordinary instinct for people: he did not touch the good ones, he always let them into the old man’s yard, but gored the evil ones.

Venerable Theophilus of Kiev-Pechersk

Much has been said above about the “eccentricities” and “pranks” of Elder Theophilus. Why did he gain people's love? Why did people crowd around his cell day and night? Who was this mysterious ascetic who in such an unusual way predicted the fate of simple pilgrims, the bishop and the tsar himself?

As follows from the life of the elder, written by priest V. Znosko, hieroschemamonk Theophilus was born in 1788 in the city of Makhnov, Kyiv province, Rozhdestvo-Bogoroditsky district, in the family of priest Andrei Gorenkovsky. The priest's wife Euphrosyne, nee Goshkovskaya, gave birth to twins. The eldest was named Thomas, the younger - Kallinikos.

The mother immediately took a dislike to her eldest son, calling him a “scumbag” and a “ghoul.” Being in a cloud of reason, Euphrosyne made several attempts on Thomas’s life, and the father had no choice but to give his son up to other hands. Soon the priest Andrei Gorenkovsky died, and Thomas was brought up first in the family of a miller, then in the family of a wealthy peasant, then in the family of a village priest. There was no special supervision for him anywhere, the boy was left to his own devices. When his peers were making noise, running and frolicking, Foma usually sat alone. Sometimes he went into the forest and disappeared there for a day, or even two. The boy also loved going to church, and early in the morning the church watchman often found him at the locked doors. One day, Thomas met a beggar child in rags on the street and gave him his shirt, for which he was severely punished. When Thomas' teacher died, the church elder decided to take the boy to his mother. Imagine his amazement when Euphrosyne, as soon as she saw her son, pounced on him and wounded his shoulder with an ax! The headman took Thomas back and soon placed him in the Brotherhood Monastery - in this monastery there was an old man of widowed priests, who was Thomas’s uncle.

Thomas entered the elementary class of the Theological Academy at the Bratsk Monastery and studied very well. After some time, a messenger from his mother came for the boy: Euphrosyne was seriously ill and called her son to her. Before her death, the unfortunate woman’s sanity returned, and she managed to ask her son for forgiveness. Thomas buried his mother’s body and went back to the Brotherhood Monastery.

The boy's uncle soon died, and there was no one to pay for his studies. Foma was assigned as a sexton to the city of Chigirin, and then, due to lack of voice, was moved as a sexton to the town of Obukhov. In 1812, at the height of the Patriotic War, Thomas, twenty-four years old, became a novice of the Kiev Brotherhood Monastery. He kneaded dough and baked bread, and was a sexton. Already at this time the first evidence of the grace abiding in him dates back.

Not far from the Brotherhood Convent there was the Florovsky Convent, whose sisters had the custom of going to the Dnieper for water. One day, one of the novices went to the river with a bucket without permission, but slipped and dropped the key to her cell into the water. The girl burst into tears: she was now afraid to appear in front of the abbess, and did not know how to open the cell. Then novice Thomas appeared on the shore.

“Serves you right, stupid,” he said. “Next time you won’t go without a blessing.” Give me the bucket...

He bent down, made the sign of the cross over the water and scooped up the bucket.

- Now go. Here you have water and the key to the cell.

The novice looked into the bucket and, to her amazement and joy, really saw the lost key at the bottom...

In 1821, Thomas became a monk with the name Theodoret. Soon he was appointed sacristan and for his “exemplary strictly monastic life” he was elevated to the rank of hierodeacon. Five years later, Theodoret was ordained hieromonk and appointed steward of the Bratsky Monastery. But this was not at all what the ascetic wanted: he petitioned to be allowed to retire to the caves behind the Kitaevskaya hermitage, dug by Saint Theodosius of Kiev-Pechersk. Having been refused, Theodoret decided to devote himself to the great feat of foolishness for the sake of Christ. In 1834 he accepted the schema and was named Theophilus.

Many novices and students of the Academy made it a custom to laugh at the slovenly and gloomy monk and spoke mocking words to him.

“Go away,” the elder answered them. “There was a time when I studied, but now my mind has become darkened...

Others considered him their mentor. So Father Theophilus blessed Academy student Pyotr Kryzhanovsky for the feat of foolishness. For about eight years he endured mockery and reproach and died in the Kirillov hospital, having achieved high spiritual perfection, having received knowledge from above about the day of his death.

“This is how all true believers and those who love Him are saved,” Father Theophilus said about the death of Kryzhanovsky. “If we died with Him, then we will live with Him.”

The elder often visited the secluded garden in Glubochitsa. He told the garden caretaker Joseph Dikovsky:

- Pray, servant of God. The place where you live is sacred.

- How “holy” is that! – the caretaker laughed. “Here, on holidays, the city youth organize orgies.

- No, Joseph. This is a holy place, there will be a monastery here.

The elder’s prediction came true many years later, in 1888. Then the Intercession Convent was founded in Glubochitsa...

Priest V. Znosko knew the caretaker's son Nazar Dikovsky. He spoke about the elder like this: “How strong he was! Not a single disease took away... The elder loved me very much. He sees him in the garden and shouts: “Nazar, Nazar, come here!” I’ll come over. “Bless, father...” - “God bless. Why don’t you, Nazar, get married?” – “Young, father.” And then I was over twenty-seven years old. “Look, get married, otherwise in your old age there will be no one to lead you by the arm.”

Elder Theophilus predicted to Nazar that he would marry the daughter of a baker. This soon happened, and in his old age Dikovsky suffered from paralysis, and his wife looked after him like a small child.

* * *

The elder’s first cell attendant in Kitaev was a certain Ivan, a soldier who deserted from military service and committed a number of crimes. The elder once met Ivan in the kitchen and immediately listed his sins. Shocked, the deserter began to cry and then did not leave the elder.

“At the Last Judgment they will ask you: did you have hands? what did you buy with them? – Father Theophilus taught Ivan. – Were there a head and a tongue? What did you buy? And the reward will not be for the fact that you acquired something, but for what exactly

you have acquired.”

Ivan tried his best, but he lacked spiritual strength. One day they brought a large piece of balyk to the elder. Seduced by him, Ivan secretly ate the balyk and suddenly felt a sharp pain in his stomach.

The elder looked at him sarcastically.

- Be patient, be patient, brother. This little thing in the stomach is being digested...

The pain became unbearable, Ivan began to scream loudly.

– Why did you listen to the enemy? Why were you seduced by eating food that you should not have touched without blessing? - Father Theophilus said. Finally, he took pity and said a prayer, after which Ivan’s pain immediately subsided...

Soon Ivan proved his devotion to the elder. One hot summer day they went mushroom hunting together.

- Oh, there will be a thunderstorm! - Father Theophilus said, looking at the clear blue sky.

- There will be no thunderstorm, father. Not a single cloud in sight.

- Oh, it will be... It will be soon. It's already approaching... Here it is!

At this very time, three healthy guys with clubs jumped out from behind the bushes:

- Yeah, gotcha, monks! Give me money!

Father Theophilus blessed them, calmly rummaged through the basket and handed them the largest mushroom:

- Eat for your health.

- What?! Are you still laughing at us?

The robbers began to beat the old man, Ivan rushed to protect him, and in the end both were severely beaten...

After Ivan, the elder’s cell attendants were Panteleimon and Kozma. If the first was remembered by the inhabitants of Kitaev for its humility, then the second was remembered for its amazing absent-mindedness. At the same time, Kozma was an extremely religious and well-read servant, so that Elder Theophilus jokingly called him “theologian.” For whole days, Kozma was exclusively engaged in reading the Holy Scriptures and patristic books, and at the same time he forgot not only about food and drink, but also about the direct duties of his cell obedience. His absent-mindedness reached such an extent that when he once had to sign on a paper regarding the receipt of some document, Kozma not only forgot his last name, but even his first name, so that strangers were forced to remind him. Most of all, Kuzma loved books, and most of all his old, worn-out Bible, which he always carried with him on his belt and which he put under his head at night instead of a pillow. Kozma treated his elder with slavish respect and was ready to rush into fire or water at his word. Kozma’s least favorite creatures on earth were women. Having met a woman in the morning, Kozma considered himself defiled for the whole day and was certainly sprinkled with Epiphany water. All his thoughts, desires and plans were aimed solely at retiring somewhere in the forest thicket in his declining days, digging a small cave there and, settling in it, beginning the feat of spiritual salvation. And so, when he was one day thinking about such bliss, Elder Theophilus approached him from behind and unexpectedly asked:

- Kozma! Where will you live when I move to the next world?

“Where God commands,” Kozma answered in surprise. - I’ll settle down somewhere, I’ll live at the monastery...

“No, you shouldn’t be a monk,” Father Theophilus said sarcastically. - And you will live in your Bogodukhov... with the women!

Kozma even shuddered at such an evil prophecy. Outside the monastery, and with women too! For him it was tantamount to the death penalty.

However, this prediction also came true. After the death of his father Theophilus, Kozma returned to his homeland, to the city of Bogodukhov, and settled there on the outskirts, where he had a hut with a vegetable garden. There he spent a purely ascetic life and enjoyed a resounding reputation throughout the entire neighborhood as an experienced “father” in spiritual instructions and advice. Soon, through the diligence of some visiting lady, next to Kozma’s house, first a public almshouse was built, and then a convent. Kozma himself did not have to witness the heyday of the monastery, but, being a neighbor of the first sisters of the almshouse, he actually lived “with the women.”

* * *

They also told about such a case. Metropolitan singer Nikolai K. was possessed by a lustful passion, and unclean thoughts troubled him day and night. One day while walking, he met Father Theophilus and decided to turn aside to avoid meeting the ascetic.

- Hey, wait, Nikolka! - the old man shouted to him. - Come to me, let’s indulge in lewd thoughts together...

The singer, feeling convicted, fell to his knees in front of the elder with tears.

- Well, nothing... The Lord is merciful... Let's ask him together...

Father Theophilus prayed with the young man for about half an hour, then said:

- Well, now go. Unclean thoughts will no longer bother you.

* * *

The elder refused to talk to some visitors, but he helped others even in completely secular matters. So, one married couple decided to consult with him on who to marry their daughter to. The daughter had two suitors. One, a young man named Heinrich, of German blood and Lutheran religion, was rich and handsome. Having wooed first, he already received consent, and then the second groom, Ivan, appeared. This Ivan was not rich, although he was businesslike, and served as a clerk in a store... Having bought rolls, incense and candles, the parents went to the elder. Without allowing them to say a word, Father Theophilus jumped out of his cell with the words:

- For Ivan, for Ivan... Don’t you dare give it up for Henry the idiot!

The parents obeyed, and the marriage turned out to be happy.

* * *

One day a certain peasant asked Father Theophilus:

- Father, how do you know everything? How do you manage to predict people's lives?

“There is nothing difficult here,” the elder answered. – Do you want to become like that too?

- I really want to, father... Teach me.

- Well, pull out your eyelash and tie two knots on it. Once you do this, you will immediately become as smart as me.

Having thought about this advice, the peasant realized how “easy” the blessed one had received his gift...

* * *

The elder prayed a lot and sought solitude for this. In the forest, not far from the Kitaevskaya Hermitage, there was a stump. On it the elder sometimes stood kneeling for whole days. (In the 70s of the 19th century, this stump was shown to all pilgrims in Kyiv.) Sometimes Father Theophilus prayed in the huge hollow of an old felled oak tree. A crucifix hung in the hollow and a lamp was burning. It happened that the elder spent days and nights in this hollow.

Sister of mercy Alexandra Grigorievna Chernikova said:

“My mother knew Theophilus very well, was close to him and ordered me to be blessed by him. The elder was not in the monastery, and we went to look for him in the forest. I was six years old then, and my brother Shura was five. And so, when we were frolicking and playing, I saw a huge felled oak tree over the cliff of a deep ravine. “Look, Shura,” I shout, “there’s a tree with a hollow!” We looked there, and there was a thin, tall monk standing there praying. On his head is a skufa, the same as they now paint St. Seraphim, and in his hands is an open book. I was not afraid, but ran to my people and called: “Come, come here!” Father Theophilus is standing in the hollow! “The elder saw us heading towards him, he came out to meet us, his face was so bright, clear, and a blissful smile flashed on his lips. First of all, he blessed us children. He approached Shura and said:

“You are a good child, meek, sweet, obedient.” May the Lord bless you. But God needs

Then he stood in front of me, put his hands on my head, stroked it and took a deep, deep breath.

- Poor, poor child. Your lot is bitter. You will work on the earth for a whole century, but there will be no thanks from anyone.”

Father Theophilus's prediction came true exactly: Shura soon fell ill and three months later gave his pure soul to God, and Alexandra Grigorievna herself lived her life alone, working as a nurse.

* * *

Once the contractor for the construction of the Vladimir Cathedral, Kondrat Khovalkin, came to the elder. A terrible grief befell him: his daughter, the only consolation of his lonely life, died.

- Why are you grieving? - the old man told him. “Sit in your cell and say the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” All will pass.

- It’s unlikely to pass, father! The light of my life has died for me...

– The light of your life is Jesus Christ. Buy a robe for yourself - you will soon become a monk...

And so it happened: a few years later, Kondrat Kozmich actually entered the Gloseyevskaya hermitage, built a monastery hotel and began the feat of salvation...

* * *

The elder gave another interesting prediction to one young man. This young man entered the St. Michael's Monastery and was appointed assistant cellarer (head of the monastery household). For some reason the cellarer disliked his assistant and began to drive him away. The novice collected his things and, in tears, hurried to Elder Theophilus in Kitaev. He approached the cell and knocked:

– Through the prayers of the saints, our fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us...

The elder did not let him finish, opened the door and said angrily:

-Why did you come? Go, Pavel, go back now! Go, go!

The young man thought: “Here you go!” They say he is insightful, but he made me Pavel

calling. What kind of Pavel am I..."

And yet he went back. Returning to the monastery, the young man learned that Bishop Apollinaris had already ordered his return, having severely reprimanded the cellarer. The young man was allowed to return to obedience, and soon he was tonsured and given the name predicted by Theophilus - Paul

* * *

One day, the widow of the captain, Maria Kuzminichna Shepeleva, came to Kitaev with her little son Volodya, mute from birth.

Seeing them in the desert courtyard, Father Theophilus was delighted and, pointing to the boy, said:

- Yeah! The nun is coming, the nun!

Another time, the elder called Volodya into his cell and began to treat him with gingerbread with the words:

- Eat, eat... When you grow up, you will not accept gingerbread, but you will accept Christ.

The widow guessed that Father Theophilus was predicting her son’s fate as a priest in the monastic rank. She wondered: how is this possible? After all, her son was mute!

However, Father Theophilus's prediction came true. Years later, Volodya was completely healed of muteness and became not only a hieromonk, but also a famous elder...

* * *

It must be said about some of the miracles of St. Theophilus, which, like his predictions, also had the character of foolishness.

At that time, Viktor Ipatievich Askochensky taught at the Kyiv Theological Academy, later editor of the magazine “Home Conversation”. According to Nikolai Leskov’s description, he was a talented man, but he made “almost the worst use” of his abilities. In Kyiv, Askochensky led the life of a reveler and boyfriend. Leskov writes about him:

“Well-mannered and perky, he served for many as a model in the subtle science of red tape, which he practiced, however, mainly “for the merchants.” He had no success with women of real secular upbringing and did not even gain access to them. Askochensky dressed smartly, but without taste, and had neither gentleness nor manners: he was impudent and rude in conversation, very unpleasant in his manners. According to one of his Kyiv contemporaries, later a professor at Kazan University, A.O. Yanovich, he always resembled a “disguised bishop.” Askochensky walked in rococo trousers and a light hat on his steep head, and on each of his two arms hung one Podolsk young lady. He led the girls and hurled his stupid seminary witticisms at his acquaintances…”[7]

Askochensky was a passionate smoker. They said that when he was still studying at the Kyiv Academy, its rector, Father Innokenty[8], somehow took away the pipes from the students. Victor Askochensky came to the rector and boldly demanded the return of “his property.” When Father Innokenty ordered the insolent man to get out, he grabbed his chibouk from the table and broke it at the knee.

It was this young man who had to experience for himself the miraculous abilities of the Monk Theophilus. It happened like this.

One day the elder was walking along the alley of the monastery courtyard with a pot of grated radish with kvass that had just been given to him. It was then that he met Viktor Askochensky. The academy teacher was smoking a cigar and blew a cloud of poisonous smoke directly at the old man. The elder did not say anything, he just splashed his finger from the pot into the back of the departing Askochensky.

Returning home, Viktor Ipatievich sat down to dinner, but the served dish turned out to be saturated with the smell of... radish. Askochensky threw the contents out of the plate and asked to change the dish. They served it, and again the same smell! Askochensky, in irritation, attacked the cook and the household, but no one could explain to him where the smell came from. The second course was served and the same thing was repeated. The third was served, again the unpleasant smell of radish!

Having lost patience, Askochensky went to his friends. They immediately noticed to him that he smelled strongly of radish. Viktor Ipatievich asked his friends to give him something to eat, being annoyed at the sloppy preparation of a home-made dinner. Imagine his surprise when his friends’ food turned out to be saturated with the smell of radish! He went to the bakery, bought cookies, returned home and sat down to drink tea. But both the tea and the purchased cookies turned out to be saturated with the pungent smell of grated radish...

Three days have passed. The academy teacher was completely desperate to understand anything: everyone he knew talked about the unpleasant smell of radish emanating from him. Askochensky thought for a long time about the reasons for this strange phenomenon and finally remembered his meeting with Elder Theophilus. He went to Kitaev to ask for forgiveness. No one will know what the elder told him, but it is known that upon his return from the monastery, Askochensky got rid of the unpleasant smell of radish...

* * *

The elder helped people suffering from a terrible illness - demonic possession. One widow, possessed by a demon, official Maria Grigorievna N., turned to Father Theophilus. The elder helped her, but did it in an unusual way, as usual. First, he read the Gospel over the unfortunate woman, and then hit Mary hard on the head with the book, so that she even sat down, and proclaimed:

- In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I command you - come out!

And the widow immediately felt healthy.

Another time, the Kiev tradeswoman Efrosinya Mikhailovna Tsybulskaya came to him to ask for a blessing to enter the Rzhishchevsky monastery. The elder gave her the prosphora and said:

- Look, what are you thinking... Come on, look at me...

He looked into her eyes for a while, then said decisively:

- No, you will not live in a monastery.

-Where is it?

- Near the monastery, around... But you’re not allowed into the monastery itself.

- Why, father?

- Here's why: you'll scream

, and after forty-eight years God will send a priest who will save you.

Then Tsybulskaya really got sick. Already healed, she told priest V. Znosko:

“It’s a terrible, painful disease, it’s better not to remember about it. At first, it’s like nothing, I live healthy for a whole week, I work, I work, but when Sunday or a holiday comes, well, what a disaster! From the very morning, something starts to push up to your throat, and at any moment it will choke you, and it’s burning in your stomach, it’s burning like fire. The unclean spirit is there, as if in his own apartment, giving orders, and I’m screaming at the top of my lungs in pain. No matter what I did, what treatment I tried, nothing helped. The only salvation that happened was that you ran to the Lavra church and stood before the miraculous icon. At first it will seem to feel better, but as soon as the blessing of the loaves or the Cherubic hymn begins, then it will grab you! Yes, it will bake like that, there is no sponge; It seems like I would have stabbed myself with a sharp knife out of pain. Well, where can one stand in the church? You’ll run out into the yard and start running around the Lavra, screaming at the top of your lungs in pain.”

Father Theophilus often visited Euphrosyne, consoled her, and passed on prosphora. He told her: “Be patient; you are destined to be so. For these sufferings, the angels in heaven will weave a crown for you.” Euphrosyne endured, but, in her own words, if not for the kind old man, she would have committed suicide in her youth... And now forty-eight years have passed. Tsybulskaya said:

“One day I was walking through the Lavra, I walked and burst into tears. Suddenly an old, gray-haired priest came towards me: “What are you crying about, wretched one?” I stopped and told him my terrible grief. “Well, well, nothing. Calm down, don't cry. The Lord is merciful. Come closer to me, unbutton your chest." I unbuttoned it, and he tied my neck tightly with a cross cord, then he took the image of St. Demetrius of Rostov from his chest, hung it on me, looked pityingly, blessed and left: “Pray to God, servant of God.” Pray hard!“ A week passed, the holiday approached. Well, I think he'll catch it. There is nothing. I went to church, got as far as Kherubimskaya - nothing. We read “I Believe,” sang “Our Father,” but nothing. The mass ended, I returned home - nothing. The disease seemed to vanish into thin air, as if it had never existed at all. With a joyful heart I then ran to the Great Church...”

* * *

But sometimes the elder healed himself. On the outskirts of Kyiv, Shulyavka, lived a poor widow nicknamed Rudnichikha with her only daughter. Once they kept post horses and were engaged in trade, but after the death of her husband, Rudnichikha was left without any means and fell into extreme poverty. To top it all off, her daughter fell ill with a fever. The girl lay unconscious, and the mother did not even have the money to invite a doctor. The widow wanted to go several miles to Kitayev, to Elder Theophilus, about whom she had heard a lot, but she was afraid to leave the dying woman.

And suddenly there was a knock on the door. The mine worker ran to open it and was stunned: Elder Theophilus himself was standing at the threshold.

“Okay, okay,” he said. – You wanted to see me, so I came...

The elder stood near the dying woman’s bed and blessed her. The miner's wife fell at his feet and began to cry.

“Hush, hush, don’t cry,” said the elder. - Your daughter will not die. Let's cover it now...

Taking off his outer caftan, he covered the sick woman and began to pray. Half an hour later he got up from his knees and silently left the hut. The miner wanted to see him off, but then the girl raised her head and said:

-Who was it with us just now? Father Theophilus? Oh, why didn't you wake me up?

“But you were lying dying, my child.”

- At death's door? Well, lift me up now!

The patient got out of bed and walked around the room. An hour later, to the joy of her mother and to the great amazement of her neighbors, she was completely healthy...

* * *

When leaving, the elder never closed his cell. He usually did not accept money, and if he did take it, he immediately gave it to the poor. Seeing a poor man on the street, the elder called him to him, fed him, and gave him new clothes. In his cell there was kept a whole stock of all sorts of good things sent by benefactors. His own clothes were extremely worn out, and one day Mikhail Pozdnyak, an officer in the Office of the Kyiv Governor-General, ordered new clothes for him in the city, and secretly stole the old one and his comrade from his cell. When friends brought a new schema to Father Theophilus, he shook his head and said:

- Jokers... After all, you brought me to sin... I wanted to send a service to the church, but my schema was not there.

- Now put on a new one! Yours is no good!

The old man shook his head again.

- You will say the same... Who goes to the Tsar for a review without orders?

He asked for the old schema to be returned to him, and without putting on the new one, he sent it to the sacristy of the Far Caves.

The gift of insight and miracles

All important matters, be it a wedding or other enterprises on which fate depended, were decided only with the blessing of Blessed Theophilus. If they did not act according to his words, then they were always unhappy. One pious family came to the holy elder, asking him to bless their daughter for monastic tonsure. He silently brought out and presented them with a stearine candle without a wick. A few months later, this daughter gave birth to a child, then the parents understood everything.

Theophilus of Kiev became famous for his rare gift of foresight. He confessed to people like this: placing his hand on the head of the person who came, he himself listed all his sins. He always presented his prophecies in a bizarre, allegorical form. Often it was possible to understand his riddles only when what was predicted had already come true. His fame spread throughout the area.

Venerable Theophilus of Kiev, Fool for Christ's Sake

Kontakion 1

Chosen by God from your mother's womb, you were called to the feat of foolishness, preserved many times by the power of God from flooding, and putting to shame the enemy of the human race through the feat of fasting and prayer. For this reason, as we commemorate your memory, we pray to you, wonderful Father Theophilus, deliver us from enemies, visible and invisible, who call to you with love:

Rejoice, venerable our father Theophilos, by the feat of your foolishness instructing us on the path of salvation.

Ikos 1

The angels of heaven and the people of earth marveled at your God-chosen life, Father Theophilus, how you turned away your face from your mother’s milk, taking only fast food. With this sign the Lord showed people that you are God’s chosen one and are not of this world. Marveling at your fasting abstinence, with tenderness we call to you:

Rejoice, chosen one of God from the womb;

Rejoice, most honorable branch of the priest of God.

Rejoice, through your efforts of fasting you have become like the Baptist of the Lord.

Rejoice, having astonished your parents and relatives with such abstinence.

Rejoice, lover of God from childhood.

Rejoice, having faithfully kept His commandments.

Rejoice, venerable our father Theophilos, by the feat of your foolishness instructing us on the path of salvation.

Kontakion 2

Seeing you as a vessel of the Holy Spirit, chosen by God, the enemy of the human race cannot tolerate you, desiring to destroy you, the holy infant, who incited your mother to this infanticide. God, who protects His children, does not allow this atrocity to happen. For such mercy of Him towards you, we sing to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos 2

At the instigation of the devil, your mother’s mind was darkened, and she began to hate you, the blameless child. For this reason, I ordered the girl serving in the house to drown you in the river. The Angel of God will keep you unharmed. We, marveling at this miracle, cry out to you with joy:

Rejoice, vessel chosen by God and preserved by Him.

Rejoice, holy child, fearful of the devil.

Rejoice, you who endured persecution from your mother from the swaddling clothes of babies.

Rejoice, preserved from drowning by the power of God.

Rejoice, you who were chosen from your mother’s womb to serve God.

Rejoice, always guided by the Providence of God in your life.

Rejoice, venerable our father Theophilos, by the feat of your foolishness instructing us on the path of salvation.

Kontakion 3

The Lord created a glorious miracle for you, when you were cast into the river, held by the power of God on the surface of the water unharmed and, like in a soft cradle, you serenely slept on the waves. The girl who plunged you, filled with fear and tenderness, cried out to the wondrous God: Alleluia.

Ikos 3

Afraid to bring you into the house of your cruel mother, the girl, with tears of pity for you, crossed you with the sign of the cross and again threw you, sleeping, into the water. And again a miracle happened: the waves of the river, like the wings of an angel, carried you to the shore of the earth. And the maiden, like Moses, took you out of the water and carried you to your house, trembling and terrified. We, marveling at such providence of God for you, say:

Rejoice, for through you the marvelous God is glorified in His saints.

Rejoice, for your guardian angel will be your mentor.

Rejoice, for you have become like Moses, carried by the waves of the river.

Rejoice, for like Noah, God saved you from drowning.

Rejoice, by this miracle you brought those living around into fear and trembling.

Rejoice, for through you we too learn to trust in God.

Rejoice, venerable our father Theophilos, by the feat of your foolishness instructing us on the path of salvation.

Kontakion 4

Your mother raised a storm of rage and malice against you, when she saw you alive and well after drowning, and with her own hands she desired to destroy you, holy child; run, cursed, to the river and throw you into the water right under the mill wheel. Moreover, this time too, the Lord wonderfully kept you alive, so that everyone who sees this miracle would sing a song of gratitude and praise to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos 4

The psalmist said, “The Lord will keep you from all evil. The Lord will preserve your entry and departure from now and forever,” and “I will not be afraid of what man will do to me” - these words came true on you, wonderful Father Theophilus. By the power of God, the wheel of water stopped, and the water began to foam. The miller ran in amazement and, seeing you lying under the wheel, took you, like a precious gift of God, calling out to you like this:

Rejoice, valuable treasure given to me by God.

Rejoice, holy child preserved by God.

Rejoice, for the power of God appears to us in you.

Rejoice, for through you the name of God is glorified.

Rejoice, chosen vessel, granted to us to serve God and guide people to salvation.

Rejoice, for the cross of long-suffering and suffering has been prepared for you.

Rejoice, venerable our father Theophilos, by the feat of your foolishness instructing us on the path of salvation.

Kontakion 5

Fear and trembling will seize all those living around who see this wondrous miracle. Your mother, who did not understand the power of God manifested on you, became even more embittered with great cruelty and swore an oath to destroy you. Then your father, the priest of God, in order to keep you alive, hide you with your relatives. We marvel at the cunning of the murderous mother, and, glorifying the wisdom of God, we sing: Alleluia.

Ikos 5

“Evil will not come to you and no wound will come near your body, just as His angel commanded you to keep you in all your ways.” These words from the Psalter, with which you were not separated all the days of your life, gloriously came true on you, O wonderful Father Theophilus. And in memory of your threefold salvation from death, you always wear an iron hoop with the icon of the Epiphany on your body. We, rejoicing in God’s providence for you, call to you with tenderness:

Rejoice, for you were saved three times from the flood by the power of God.

Rejoice, for by this miracle you have revealed to us the Wisdom of God and put to shame the deceit of the devil.

Rejoice, having glorified the Holy Trinity by three times immersion in water.

Rejoice, for even now you stand with all the saints at the Throne of the Holy Trinity.

Rejoice, for by the constant reading of the Psalter you have delighted your soul and shown people a model of prayer.

Rejoice, Father Theophilus, wonderful miracle worker and prayer book for our souls.

Rejoice, venerable our father Theophilos, by the feat of your foolishness instructing us on the path of salvation.

Kontakion 6

Alien to the world and everything in it, you are always despised by your peers. Having endured mockery of you and cruel beatings from them, you meekly bore the heavy cross of your life. With a cry and abundant tears, running away into the wilds of the forest, you, with your infant lips, sinlessly, like an angel of God, cried out to the Heavenly Father: Alleluia.

Ikos 6

You came to this land as a wanderer and stranger, long-suffering Father Theophilus. While I was still living as your parent, you were expelled from your father’s house. And she who gave birth to you still raised her hand to kill you with an ax. A good teacher, who embraced the bloodied one, saved you from his murderous mother. And you, not having anywhere to lay your head or anything to nourish yourself with, led by the Holy Spirit, you rushed to the temple of God, where you poured out to God the sorrow of your infant soul.

For such a suffering life of yours, we please you:

Rejoice, for even now the Lord has saved you from the hands of your murderous mother.

Rejoice, too, like Boris and Gleb, who innocently shed your holy blood from your relatives.

Rejoice, for through your sorrowful life you have become like Christ, who wanders on earth.

Rejoice, for you dwell with Him and in the abodes of the Heavenly Father.

Rejoice, for all the days of your life you have endured persecution, strangulation and all kinds of misery.

Rejoice, for you have repaid evil for evil to no one and, according to the words of Christ, you have prayed for your enemies.

Rejoice, venerable our father Theophilos, by the feat of your foolishness instructing us on the path of salvation.

Kontakion 7

Although the Lord, the lover of mankind, will reveal you to suffering people as a new prayer book and denouncer of their vices, bringing you to the Kiev-Brotherly Monastery, so that through prayerful struggles you may prepare your soul to receive Divine grace. You, like a tree on streams of water, rush to study the Divine Scripture in the theological school that was there. Fulfilling the obedience of a bell-ringer, you went up to the bell tower very early, contemplating God’s creation from above, and there you indulged in contemplation of God and secret prayer, singing in spiritual jubilation to the Creator of all visible and invisible creation: Alleluia.

Ikos 7

Your new life in the monastery of saints will become sweetness to your heart. Like after the storm of the sea of life, you came to a quiet refuge, spending your God-pleasing life with the monks in obedience, vigil, kneeling and reading the Psalter. The rank of the monastery, seeing your zealous zeal for spiritual achievements, honored you with monastic tonsure and the rank of hierodeacon. Standing before the Holy Throne, you strive with great zeal to become like the angels in life. We, appeasing your deeds and love for the Sweetest Jesus, say to this:

Rejoice, for the Lord has had mercy on you and called you to the holy monastery.

Rejoice, for you have imitated the ascetic elders in obedience and prayerful labors.

Rejoice, thou who guardest thy soul unenslaved by passions.

Rejoice, conqueror of the temptations of youth.

Rejoice, you who showed us the image of patience and obedience.

Rejoice, having taught all people to work for Christ and sincerely serve him.

Rejoice, venerable our father Theophilos, by the feat of your foolishness instructing us on the path of salvation.

Kontakion 8

Not wanting the death of sinners, the Lord and your mother call you to repentance. Struck by an incurable illness, she suffered the wrath of God for the cruel persecution, repented of her crime and, with a great cry and sobs, cried out to God for forgiveness. You, being kindly, forgave her everything that happened and buried her body, returned to your monastery, singing in spiritual joy to the Provider God: Alleluia.

Ikos 8

Full of virtues and gentleness, you truly were an Angel in the flesh, most wonderful Theophilus, showing for the brethren an image of meekness and obedience, humility and chastity. Serving at the Throne of God in the sacred rank, you, like the venerable Sergius of Radonezh and Seraphim of Sarov, were honored to see the heavenly Angels serving you in the Divine Liturgy and the grace of God descending on the Holy Gifts. In awe of your holiness, we cry out to you with fear and tenderness:

Rejoice, heavenly man and earthly angel.

Rejoice, vessel filled with God's grace.

Rejoice, you constantly bear the image of Christ in your heart.

Rejoice, for His sake you crucified your flesh with passions and lusts.

Rejoice, diligent man of prayer for all who flow to you.

Rejoice, quick helper to all those who suffer and are lost.

Rejoice, venerable our father Theophilos, by the feat of your foolishness instructing us on the path of salvation.

Kontakion 9

Your whole life was filled with sorrows and sorrows, annoyances and reproaches. You, in the name of love for God, took upon yourself the feat of foolishness for Christ’s sake. And being persecuted by many, insulted and despised, you, humble in heart and meek in spirit, like Christ on the Cross, praying for your enemies and detractors, saying: “Lord, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,” and in a joyful heart always sang to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 9

Seeing the Lord your deeds, your love and mercy for suffering people, He will give you the gift of insight and healing. And you, exposing their secret and obvious fall into sin, guided them on the path of salvation, healing both their mental and physical ulcers. He himself, intensifying his exploits, day and night in the wilds of the forest, like the Monk Seraphim, prayed on his knees on a tree stump. For such deeds of yours, accept this praise from us:

Rejoice, for through your exploits you have become like the venerable father of the Kiev-Pechersk.

Rejoice, zealous guardian of spiritual and physical purity.

Rejoice, having conquered temptations from the flesh, the world and the devil through your exploits.

Rejoice, for because of your zeal and love for Christ, you received the gift of clairvoyance and miracles from Hero.

Rejoice, for you heal mental and physical ailments with a single word.

Rejoice, quick helper to those who are offended and in adversity.

Rejoice, venerable our father Theophilos, by the feat of your foolishness instructing us on the path of salvation.

Kontakion 10

You were a quick helper and comforter, Father Theophilus, not only coming to you, but also, with the reading of the Psalter, you rode on a calf around the city of Kyiv, you consoled the grieving and offended; clothing and feeding the poor, menacingly denouncing the guilty and, predicting the future as if it were the present, you turned many to the path of repentance. We, marveling at your such mercy and love for people, sing to the All-Merciful God: Alleluia.

Ikos 10

Adam was the king of creatures in paradise before the Fall, for all animals obeyed him. And to you, sinless and sanctified by the Holy Spirit, I also obey the cattle, the fish, and the birds. According to your words, the dumb animals obediently carried out your will. To the surprise of everyone, your little body, controlled by the power of God, brought you to where your holy soul desired to pray or help those in need. Marveling at God's providence for you, with tenderness the verb sitsevaya:

Rejoice, accuser of secret and open lovers of sin.

Rejoice, teacher of the lost and comforter of the sorrowing.

Rejoice, those who ask for your help are quick to fulfill.

Rejoice, having taught everyone to obey the will of God.

Rejoice, for even the beasts of evil were obedient to your words, like sheep.

Rejoice, for the boat across the Dnieper, according to your word, itself moved quickly on the water.

Rejoice, venerable our father Theophilos, by the feat of your foolishness instructing us on the path of salvation.

Kontakion 11

You offered all-congratulatory singing to the triune God all the days of your suffering life, most praiseworthy Father Theophilus. Day and night, in your cell and in the wilds of the forest, doing mental prayer, you did not leave everyone who came to you without consolation and healing, edifying them with the word of God and your foolishness. Now, standing before the Throne of the King of Glory, pray for us who honor your holy memory, and you and I together sing to God forever: Alleluia.

Ikos 11

Foreseeing the future as if it were the present, you for many people, predicting sudden death or illness, led them from a sinful life to repentance. You sometimes blessed marriage for those seeking monastic life, and monasticism for those thirsting for worldly life, so that their life would be pleasing to God and saving the soul. And Tsar Nicholas, lying bloodied in an anthill, predicted a sad outcome on the battlefield in Crimea and his death from sadness. For your care for people, we say to you with grateful lips:

Rejoice, seer of human destinies.

Rejoice, for you have predicted in Glubochitsa a place for the construction of the Pokrovsky Monastery.

Rejoice, for you indicated the place in the forest where the Preobrazhenskaya hermitage was built.

Rejoice, for the cross was erected there, like the Apostle Andrew on the mountains of Kyiv.

Rejoice, for you have sanctified the place for the Ionovsky Monastery on the Zverinetsky Mountains with your triple blessing.

Rejoice, for you predicted to Metropolitan Philaret the great fiery conflagration in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra.

Rejoice, venerable our father Theophilos, by the feat of your foolishness instructing us on the path of salvation.

Kontakion 12

Grace from God has been given to you, servant of God, to work miracles to glorify the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth. Like Christ, who miraculously fed hungry people in the desert, you fed the weary travelers coming to worship the saint of Pechersk with miraculous porridge, cooked in the forest from pebbles and grass, igniting the wood with the fire brought down from heaven by your prayer. And through your prayer you revived the dying girl, to console the weeping widow. With fear and trembling, with grateful lips, we cry out to God, who is wondrous in His saints: Alleluia.

Ikos 12

You foretold the day and hour of your blessed death and prepared your body for burial, O wonderful wonderworker Theophilus. You perfumed your cell with candles and incense for the meeting of the Angel and sent your novice to ring the bells in order to notify the brethren of the monastery that Theophilus was moving to God. And all the people wept when they buried your most honorable body, as if they were deprived of their comforter and mentor. Now that we are one hundred and forty years old, the Lord show us your might for consolation. Those who honor your memory, I will write down your face for your shrine. And we, looking with tenderness at your image, joyfully call to you:

Rejoice, great miracle worker, given by God as a consolation to us.

Rejoice, comforter of the sorrowing, protector of widows and orphans, healer of the sick and suffering.

Rejoice, for even after your repose you did not cease to perform miracles.

Rejoice, for you have given ambulance to those praying at your tomb.

Rejoice, for from now on your name will be glorified with the saints.

Rejoice, decoration of the city of Kyiv and glory of the Chinese desert.

Rejoice, venerable our father Theophilos, by the feat of your foolishness instructing us on the path of salvation.

Kontakion 13

Oh, glorious servant of Christ and wonderful miracle worker, Our Father Theophilus! Accept this little prayer of ours, offered in praise to you from us, unworthy and sinners, who at the same time honor you with love. Pray to the Lord God to deliver us from all troubles, sorrows and misfortunes, especially from the fall of sin and sudden death and eternal torment. Don't let us die without repentance. Be our guide to the Kingdom of Heaven, and there, together with you, we will sing to God forever: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

This kontakion is read three times, then ikos 1st and kontakion 1st

Prayer to St. Theophilus of Kyiv

Oh, wonderful servant of Christ, strong man of prayer and intercessor, Our Father Theophilus! You have been chosen by God from your mother’s womb to serve him and wonderfully preserved by him from all evil. For your exploits of foolishness, the Lord gave you the gift of prophecy and miracles. According to the commandment of the chief shepherd Christ, you laid down your life for the sheep of the flock of Christ. You menacingly denounced secret and open sinners and with your wise words led them to repentance and correction. You did not reject the sick and sorrowful who came to you. You were everything like a loving father and a good shepherd. And now hear us, calling you with faith and diligently falling before the race of your relics, Our Father Theophilos. Ask from the All-Merciful God the peace of our Orthodox Church in your fatherland. Give reason and convert heretics and schismatics into the bosom of the Mother Church. Our shepherds are zealous for the salvation of people, and ask people for obedience to the Holy Church and zeal to defend the Orthodox faith. Beg the Heavenly Father to give us all a gift to everyone at his request: growth in the Orthodox faith for the young, reinforcement and consolation for the old and weak, healing for the sick, intercession and unexpected joy for the orphans and helpless, correction for the lost and sinners. And ask us all for bodily health and spiritual salvation. Warm our cold hearts with the fire of Divine love. Help us correct our sinful lives, so that we can safely pass through the ordeals of fierce demons and settle in the abodes of the Heavenly Father, so that together with you and with all the saints we can sing the all-holy and magnificent name of the Most Holy Trinity: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Death of the Reverend

Blessed Theophilus predicted that he would die in his beloved Kitaev monastery. And so it happened: three months before his death, he returned there from Goloseevo. He was then 65 years old. Despite his advanced age and illness, the holy elder did not diminish his prayerful works and deeds. He spent most of his time in the forest, in his favorite hollow. Sometimes the saint walked through the forest naked, like Adam, exposing his body to the bites of mosquitoes and other insects.

The blessed one did not leave church services, he took communion every day. More and more often in conversations he mentioned Praskovya (Saint Paraskeva Friday), thereby predicting the day of his repose. He also chose the coffin for himself in advance, pointing to the box in which candles had previously been stored. Be sure to bury him in it - this was the “will” of Theophilus of Kyiv.

On the very day of death, November 10, according to the new style, having received the Holy Mysteries, for Christ's sake the holy fool came to his cell and prepared everything necessary: he lit candles and lamps, and lay down on a bench placed across the threshold of the cell. After which he ordered one of his cell attendants to go to the head of the desert and ring the bells for him. The latter did not understand at first and started ringing, but then asked the cell attendant who sent him. Having learned that Theophilus himself, the boss took it for a joke and went to check.

When they entered, the righteous man had already quietly and peacefully departed to the Lord. His second cell attendant witnessed how at the same time a cover rose over him, and the sky seemed to accept the holy elder into its arms. The monk’s cell was filled with an unusual fragrance with his last breath.

Chapter 1. About the attack in the theater

One night, rising from his bed, he began to pray like the one who said: “At midnight I got up to praise You for Your righteous judgments.” Then, filled with envy of him, the insidious devil appeared and began knocking with a terrible roar on the door of the room in which the young man lived. And so, overcome with fear, leaving prayer and throwing himself on his bed, he hid under his goat's cape. Seeing this, Satan rejoiced and allegedly said to someone like himself: “Look at this mud-eater! 1 And he is arming himself against us!” He said this and disappeared. Following this, the blessed young man, having fallen into a deep sleep, sees that he is in a theater, and on one side in front of him are many people dressed in white and other beautiful people, on the other side is a countless crowd of black Ethiopians. And between both sides there is a competition in running and wrestling. Indeed, among the Ethiopians there was one dark-skinned man of enormous size, and they wanted those dressed in white to run and fight with him, for he led the legion of Satan. And while the blessed one stood there and listened, suddenly a most beautiful young man came down from above, holding in his hand three crowns: and one was adorned with pure gold and precious stones, the other with many pearls, and the third was woven from all kinds of roses, and lilies, and plants of paradise, so that he was unfading. And such a fragrance emanated from him that the human mind cannot express. And so, seeing them, the blessed one rejoiced and wanted to know how he could get one of those crowns. And, approaching the beautiful young man, he said to him: “Tell me, for Christ’s sake, how much are you selling them for? Even if I cannot buy them right away, I will run and inform my master, and you will receive from him as much gold as you want.” Then the young man, smiling at him, said: “Believe me, O dear friend, that if you brought me the gold of the whole world, I would not give a single one of these flowers either to you or to anyone else who is called your master, for They are not from this vain world, as you thought, but from the treasures of heaven, with which those who overcome these Ethiopians are crowned. So, if you want to get one of these crowns, come forward and defeat this soot-black Ethiopian, and if you defeat him, not only these, but also others that you wish, you will receive from me.” Hearing this, blessed Andrew was inspired and said to him: “My lord, believe that I will fulfill what you told me, just tell me about their tricks.” He replied: “The Ethiopians, although daring, are cowardly and powerless. Therefore, do not be afraid of its huge appearance, for like a vegetable it is rotten and weak.” With these words, anointing him and grappling with him as if in a fight, he taught him how to withstand the Ethiopian. And he said to him: “When he lifts you up, do not be afraid, but cling to him in the shape of a cross, and you will see the glory of God.” Then Andrei came out and shouted loudly: “Here, black man, let’s fight with you!” And the Ethiopian approached and, grinning, grabbed him, but Andrei, grappling with him in a cross shape, threw him to the ground, so that he remained lying without a sound. Then great joy occurred among those dressed in white, and they lifted him into their arms and began to kiss him, anointing him with spiritual incense. And when the crowd of Ethiopians disappeared with great shame, that glorious young man appeared, presented blessed Andrew with precious wreaths and, kissing him, said: “From now on you are our friend and brother; and therefore run naked in this beautiful journey, become a fool for My sake, and I will make you partaker of many blessings in My kingdom.” Waking up, the blessed one was surprised by what he saw.

And when morning comes, he comes to me, unworthy, and confides his vision to me. Having listened to him, I was amazed, for the fragrance emanated from him invisibly, as if from the most precious world. Having thought it over together, we decided that he would expose himself to ridicule as someone possessed by a demon and a madman for the sake of the one who said: “Become mad for My sake, and you will taste many good things in My kingdom.”

Otherwise, he could not leave his earthly master.

Text of the book “Orthodox Elders: Biography, Wisdom, Prayers”

Schema-Archimandrite Theophilus Novy (Rossokha) (1928–1996)

On August 10, 1928, in the village of Kalita, Brovarsky district, Kyiv region, a boy was born into the Orthodox family of Savva Grigorievich and Praskovya Grigorievna Rossokh, who was named Peter in holy baptism.
The family of the future ascetic and elder was distinguished by true Christian piety. Taking care of the pious upbringing of his children, the father taught them from childhood to visit the temple of God. Being very young, Peter was already singing and reading in the choir. After graduating from school, Peter worked for several years in his native village and, on the advice of his beloved schoolteacher, prepared to enter the seminary.

In 1947, Peter entered the Kyiv Theological Seminary, after graduating in 1951 he was sent to the Moscow Theological Academy, which he graduated in 1955 and received the title of candidate of theology.

According to contemporaries, at the Academy he stood out for his special prayerfulness and desire for an ascetic life.

In his third year, Peter decided to devote himself to monastic life. On July 7, 1954, he was tonsured a monk with the name Paphnutius,

in honor of the Monk Paphnutius of the Kiev-Pechersk, on July 18, 1954 he was ordained a hierodeacon, and on March 7, 1955, by Metropolitan Nikolai (Yarushevich) of Krutitsky and Kolomna in the St. Nicholas Church in Khamovniki, Moscow, he was elevated to the rank of hieromonk.
From now on, he had to walk the arduous path of pastoral service and be, according to the apostle’s covenant, “an example for the faithful in word
,
in life
,
in love
,
in spirit
,
in faith
,
in purity”
(I Tim. 4:12).

With all his soul he strove to Kyiv - to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Since October 1955, Hieromonk Paphnutius labored in the Holy Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra

Believers often turned to the young hieromonk Paphnutius for spiritual advice, guidance, and consolation. However, the young hieromonk’s stay in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra was short-lived.

Having a strong love for God and being very proactive, he decided to re-photograph the icons and distribute them as a blessing. There were no icons or crosses then, but everyone wanted to have them. And when someone reported and found the icons, they told Father Paphnutius: “Go wherever you want, but you shouldn’t be in Ukraine.” Thus, three years before the closure of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra in 1958, Hieromonk Paphnutius was exiled into exile, which was destined to last 30 years. “They will lay their hands on you and persecute you. And they will bring you before kings and rulers for My name’s sake, and this will be for your testimony” (Luke 21:12-13).

Don't lose your conscience!
Conscience has no teeth, but it will bite to death... Elder Pavel (Gruzdev)

During the difficult years of persecution of the Orthodox Church, the elder managed to maintain sincere living faith, steadfastness and courage in confessing Christ.

Father Paphnutius was an accuser, and a zealous accuser. He walked towards the front. He himself was so fair and, apparently, could stand up for the truth and, despite some force, go into conflict when he saw that untruth was invading. He had a straightforward character.

While in exile, he sometimes came to Kyiv - he could not live without the venerable saints of Pechersk. And although the Lavra was already closed at that time, and the caves were museums, he still, along with excursions, penetrated into the labyrinths of the Lavra that were dear to him and there he prayed with tears to the holy saints of God.

The elder’s contemporaries said that his sermons were distinguished by simplicity and sincerity, were full of wisdom and goodness, sank deeply into the soul of everyone who heard them, becoming the light that helped them survive everyday difficulties and adversities.

The Lord gave the perspicacious old man many spiritual children. According to Archpriest Mikhail Boyko, the priests among themselves called him “the all-Russian confessor.”

In 1988, when the Kiev Pechersk Lavra was returned to the believers, Elder Paphnutius returned to Kyiv. At the same time, the first proofreading began, for which the elder subsequently had to endure a lot. Possessed by evil spirits, suffering from various mental and physical illnesses, people sought to attend a prayer service specially held by the elder for health, at which several incantatory prayers were read for the expulsion of evil spirits. The proofreading carried out by the elder attracted many people. He did such prayers for health in order to attract people to the Church, to the temple of God, so that people would begin to believe and begin to fulfill the commandments of the Lord, to accept the Body and Blood.

Remember that a servant of God should be quiet, modest, friendly...
Archimandrite Nathanael

People came to God through grief, illness and suffering. And the elder helped them follow this difficult path, easing their troubles and sorrows, and helped them come to faith and repentance.

He healed their crippled souls, cleansed them of filth, and eliminated the moral causes of the disease. And the Lord, through the prayer of the righteous man, performed healings of the suffering with the Holy Spirit.

In April 1993, Hieromonk Paphnutius was elevated to the rank of archimandrite, and in August 1993 he was appointed vicar of the Kiev Chinese Holy Trinity Hermitage

, returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1992.

After being appointed vicar of the Kitaevsky monastery

the elder continued to go to the Lavra, served all-night vigils on Saturdays, and confessed on Sundays in the Lavra
Refectory Church.
Then he began to conduct confession in Kitaevo.
The perspicacious elder knew the sins of the repentant and often absolved sins in silence, but sometimes he himself named those very sins that the person either forgot about or did not recognize as a sin.
In April 1994, the governor of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Archimandrite Pavel (Lybid), tonsured Archimandrite Paphnutius into the schema with the name Theophilus - in honor of Saint Theophilus. Thanks to the efforts of Schema-Archimandrite Theophilus, the Kiev-China Holy Trinity Hermitage was revived.

From the memoirs of the spiritual son of Elder Theophilus Sergei G. (Dnepropetrovsk): “...It happened to us to go again - along the beaten path to Kyiv, but we went almost every month, or even more often. One woman, whose husband was “taken away,” asked to come with us, she was so beautiful... She was going to the elder, then still Archimandrite Paphnutius. And so God arranged that she led us to the priest, first she talked to him in his cell, and then the two of us went to him with a question - how to live... Father met us very kindly, sat us down on chairs and instructed - how to live, what we should adhere to the Russian Orthodox Church, what to fast and how, what we shouldn’t do yoga... In general, I told him everything and let him go with God. That’s how it began - then I heard his sermon, when the Church remembered the life deed of St. Mary of Egypt, and I finally realized that the Church is my home. By the way, the woman who brought us to the priest immediately calmed down and quickly got married a second time.

One day a misfortune happened in my family. Scandals began among the parents, and my mother was, as they say, on the verge. In general, when there is misfortune, for some reason everyone immediately looks for support from outside, rather than in God, and does not try to find the cause within themselves. That's what I did too. Once again I reported to the ministry and, as usual, the expert and I thoroughly checked my report - two bottles of cognac for two would not say much about the results of our work with him. And the next morning - to the priest... I go in - he looks at me with great compassion, smiling softly and in a fatherly loving way... He says so affectionately: let me put my hand on your head. I agreed and even sobered up, so much so that I could put together a couple of sentences with my problem quite coherently. He promised to pray for our family, and asked the names of my father, mother and mine. My sister is unbaptized, he didn’t ask her name, although I didn’t tell him that she was unbaptized. He gave me tangerines, and I got ready. When he was already leaving - he said to me half seriously, half jokingly - let me put my hand on your head again. I agreed, he put it down, I thanked him and left. I have never been so sober in my life!!! Neither before nor after! I flew along the sidewalk, I heard all the birds, I saw all the branches, I saw the shining SUN! I saw blue SKY! I don't know where my wings were, but I was flying!

...Almost every time I visited Kyiv, I visited the Chinese desert, my soul always strove there, my feet always carried me there. Once another woman’s husband was “taken away”... She asked me to take her to the priest. Well, I'm lucky. We arrived and the priest was sick, they said that he was in the hospital. Having sipped a little salt, we drove back home. We were traveling on the train, I was on the top bunk, I had already begun to fall asleep (or had already fallen asleep, I don’t know) and suddenly I saw the priest - in his schema, and he was already Schema-Archimandrite Theophilus. I don’t know, but there was some kind of anxious feeling and I began to pray in my sleep - the Jesus Prayer. After some time, I learned that on this day, March 22, he introduced himself to the Lord. And the husband soon returned to this woman.

We must cultivate in ourselves the spirit of meekness, humility, kindness, long-suffering and moderation in all our actions.
Schema-Archimandrite Theophilus the New (Rossokha)

I heard that spiritual fathers, according to their imagination, ascending to the Lord, show themselves to their spiritual children. But what kind of person am I – his spiritual child? But he became my Father, that’s true, he conceived me spiritually, his word, his Love for everyone and everything. And how many others like me, restless in the cycle of passions, not remembering kinship, drowning in the whirlpool of life, he set on the path of salvation - on the only possible path - to Orthodoxy!..”

Schema-Archimandrite Theophilus died in the hospital on March 22, 1996. When the body was brought from the hospital to the monastery and preparations began for burial, those present felt a fragrance emanating from his hands. Let us cite the testimony of one monk: “... When they were dressing the priest, I leaned towards his hands - they were fragrant. Such a fragrance as from relics, the smell is so subtle and at the same time soft, strong ... "

Sayings and teachings of Elder Theophilus

You need to pray slowly, slowly and carefully. If thoughts prevail, pay more attention to the text. You need to go deeper into the text... Pray with attention, diligently... Slow down. If you do it too quickly, everything will turn around in your head and you won’t understand anything. You need to pray harder, more often.

* * *

We must cultivate in ourselves the spirit of meekness, humility, kindness, long-suffering and moderation in all our actions. And in order to have such a disposition of spirit, we must remember the general weakness of man, the general tendency to sin, especially our great weaknesses and sins, as well as God’s endless mercy towards us, which has forgiven and forgives us many and serious sins for repentance and our plea.

* * *

The Lord said: “I want mercy, not sacrifice.”

He, the much-merciful One, also wants from us mercy, mercy, kindness and patience towards our neighbors. He is always ready to help us in every good deed. If you have an evil heart, ask in repentance that He soften your heart, make you meek and long-suffering, and it will be so.

* * *

Our passions are our great illnesses. When our nature desires, fears, or otherwise becomes agitated in some way, it then suffers, suffers, worries, and comes out of that calm in which its health lies...

* * *

By sowing the seeds of love and mercy around us, we, as it were, oblige the Lord to show His mercy to us. What we give to the beggar, the hungry, the needy, what we do to the suffering, crying, consoling him - we attract the blessing of God to us. It is said in the word of God: “He who does good to the poor lends to the Lord.”

(Prov. 19, 17). And the Lord always rewards with His generous fatherly reward. Blessed is he who thinks about the poor! On the day of trouble the Lord will deliver him. The Lord will protect him and spare his life... The Lord will strengthen him on his sick bed. These are the fruits of this virtue, this sacred commandment of our Christian law of love and mercy, taught to all of us for constant fulfillment in earthly life by our Lord Savior.

* * *

Our Lord God, in whom we believe, is called in the Word of God the Father of the orphans and the needy. And how more can we earn the favor of our Heavenly Father, if not by our mercy towards the poor, the wretched, the crying, the grieving, towards all who demand and thirst from us our compassion, consolation, our help? And the one who insults the beggar, the wretched, asking for our compassion, who closes his heart to the grief of his brother, insults the Lord God Himself in the person of his younger brother...

* * *

To live as a Christian, stick to the Orthodox Church. Live a Christian life. You need to take communion once a month, drink Epiphany water at home and part of the holy prosphora in the morning...

* * *

The Gospel says: “Your faith has saved you,”

that is, the first Christians had great faith. The Lord reminded them to have a living faith and high Christian piety. So they tried to live for real. The Lord blessed them for their labors and exploits. They strongly confessed Christ, believed in Him and often gave their lives - like the holy healer Panteleimon, St. George the Victorious (the first minister of Diocletian), the Great Martyr Barbara, the Great Martyr Paraskeva, the Great Martyr Catherine and others. Here are the lights of the first Christian people! Imitate them, read them, follow them.

* * *

Visit churches more often, believe, visit the main shrines of Kievan Rus, especially the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Kiss the hands of the saints of God, imitate them in their lives. So you will be real, good Christians too. May God grant you success in everything and go from strength to strength and achieve the highest spiritual perfection.

The Power of Prayer

Prayer is the union of the mind and heart with God, a living conversation with Him, reverent standing before the life-giving source. Therefore, when praying, you must forget everything around you... True prayer illuminates and enlivens the soul... It gives strength to the soul and body, enlightens the face.

She is the golden thread connecting the creature with the Creator. It gives cheerfulness and courage in the face of various temptations, promotes success in business, strengthens faith and other virtues, contributes to the improvement of life, generates tears of repentance, and inclines to acts of mercy.

Every person is given a measure of salvation by God. To the extent that we humble ourselves, we will draw closer to God.

Prayer is the most difficult feat, and it involves a difficult struggle until the last breath. The Lord, in His mercy, still sometimes gives consolation to the prayer book so that he does not weaken.

The Monk Agathon said: “Nothing is more difficult than praying to God, and prayer until the last minute of life requires struggle

».

There is little benefit if we just read and ask how to be saved, we need to make an effort and start working, working, cleansing our hearts of passions and temptations.

When reading a prayer, you need to remember that in order for it to be more successful, try, as far as you can, to fulfill three conditions: have a clear conscience towards God, people and things.

Towards God - try to fulfill the Gospel commandments, to people - do not judge or be hostile, to things - do not use them partiality. These are preparatory conditions.

You should also know that prayer has three degrees: the first is verbal, the second is mental, and the third is mental-heartfelt. The first is pronounced with the lips, and the mind wanders, the second is mental prayer, the mind must be enclosed in the words of prayer. The third, intelligent-heart prayer, is a very rare property and is given for the deepest humility. A passionate person should not dare to pray such a prayer.

We see how people sin, but do we see how they repent...
Elder Michael (Edlinsky)

Remember also that if you work harder in prayer, then warmth of heart, by God’s mercy, will appear more often, just do not imagine that you have received something great, and hide this state from others.

It’s quite rare, but it still happens that during prayer, tears flow and your legs give way. This is God's grace, bestowed by Him on the few.

There are many prayers - for all occasions.

Venerable Anthony of Pechersk and other Pechersk fathers

Oh, our good shepherd and mentor, ever-remembered forefather of Russian monks, reverend and God-bearing Father Anthony: you are a mountain in heaven, we are below on earth, removed from you not only by place, but by our sinful impurity, but also remembering your fatherly love for your people to our relatives, we fall down and pray with tenderness and faith: help us, sinners, to be cleansed by repentance, and to be worthy of mercy and forgiveness from the Lord and our Creator. Beseech His goodness to grant us great and rich mercies: fruitful earth, goodness of the air, deep peace, sincere brotherly love, unfeigned piety, contentment for everyday needs, and may we not turn the good things given to us from His generous right hand into evil, but for the glory of His name holy and for our salvation. Preserve, O saint of God, through the intercession of your saints, in health and long life all Orthodox Christians and the Russian country, subjugating all their enemies and adversaries under their noses. Keep, O miraculous saint, with your powerful prayers your monastery and the entire Orthodox Russian country unharmed from all evil, and all the people living in your monastery and coming to worship there, receive your heavenly blessing in autumn, and in sorrows, troubles and illnesses, consolation and deliverance and grant them healing: let us gratefully glorify, praise and magnify the Lord who glorifies you, who through you has wonderfully benefited us, the Beginningless Father, His Only Begotten Son, and His Consubstantial Spirit, the Life-Giving and Indivisible Trinity, and your holy intercession forever and ever. Amen.

* * *

Our venerable and God-bearing fathers Anthony and Theodosius and all the venerable Pecherstia, the bright earthly luminary, from the dark places of the caves into the Russian land, Gloriously asked for this with many luminous angels equal to your life stars, enraged, and surprised the entire universe of high virtues with lordships and miracles of divine radiance, and now the mortal West carnally set in the grave for a time, souls with Christ, the Sun of righteousness, who is the righteous, are enlightened like the sun in the kingdom of heaven: where your prayers to God the light extending rays for your fatherland, do not forget us, your constant prayer books, in the nights of passions and sorrows that abid, from above with gratitude look upon the radiance: for, yes, in the light of your virtuous life, we are worthy to see the light of the inviolable glory of God, praising him together with you for endless centuries. Amen.

Prayer to all saints and ethereal heavenly powers

Holy God and rest in the saints, glorified by the thrice-holy voice in heaven from Angels, praised on earth by man in His saints: having given grace to each by Thy Holy Spirit according to the bestowal of Christ, and by that ordaining Thy holy Church to be Apostles, prophets, and evangelists , you are shepherds and teachers, preaching in their own words. You yourself, who act all in all, have accomplished many saints in every generation and generation, having pleased you with various virtues, and leaving us with the image of your good deeds, having passed away in joy, prepare, in it the temptations themselves were, and help us who are attacked. Remembering all these saints and praising their godly lives, I praise You Himself, who acted in them, and believing in Your goodness, the gift of being, I diligently pray to You, Holy of Holies, grant to me a sinner to follow their teaching, moreover, by Your all-effective grace, heavenly ones with them be worthy of glory, praising Your most holy name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen

* * *

Oh, blessed saints of God, all the Saints who stand before the throne of the Most Holy Trinity and enjoy indescribable bliss! Behold, now, on the day of your common triumph, mercifully look upon us, your lesser brothers, who bring you this song of praise, and through your intercession asking for mercy and remission of sins from the Most Good Lord: for we are truly honored, as if you desire everything, ask him you can. Therefore, we humbly pray to you: pray to the merciful Master to give us the spirit of your zeal for keeping His holy commandments, so that, following in your footsteps, we will be able to pass through the earthly field in a virtuous life without vice, and in repentance reach the glorious villages of paradise, and there together with you glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.

* * *

To you, oh holy things, as guiding lamps, with your deeds illuminating the path of the heavenly sunrise, I, a great sinner, humbly bow the knee of my heart and from the depths of my soul I cry: beg for me, the lover of mankind, God, may he not allow me to wander further along the paths of sin, but may he enlighten me my mind and heart with the light of my grace, as if we illuminate and strengthen it, I will be able to continue the rest of my earthly life on the right path without stumbling, and through your intercession to the Most Good Lord I will be honored, while I am a small partaker of the existence of your spiritual meal in the heavenly devil of the King of glory: Him with His beginningless Father and to the Most Holy, Good and Life-giving Spirit be glory, honor and worship forever and ever. Amen.

Memorial Days: October 28 / November 10;
July 4/27 is the day of glorification and discovery of relics (1993) Blessed Theophilus, Fool for Christ (in the world - Thomas Gorenkovsky), was born in October 1788 in the city of Makhnovka (Right Bank Ukraine) in the family of a priest.

He was one of two twins. In Holy Baptism he was named Thomas. From birth the child did not take mother's milk or dairy food in general. The amazed mother fed the baby potato slurry and boiled turnips and carrots. This circumstance became the reason first for maternal coldness, and then for hatred of her own son. The woman, blinded by anger, more than once tried to destroy the boy, ordering the maid to drown him, but the Lord, with His all-powerful right hand, saved the little one from death three times. Thus, from the very birth, the future holy fool experienced persecution and miraculous Divine intercession.

His childhood was a wandering one: in order to avoid death at the hands of his own mother, the child moved from house to house, from one benefactor to another. He learned to pray early, got used to long fasting and abstinence, and fell in love with God’s temple, where he fervently prayed to the Lord, pouring out the pain of his suffering soul before Him alone. And the pure child’s prayer was heard: the mother became seriously ill, realized her guilt, on her deathbed she asked her persecuted son for forgiveness and, blessing him, died.

For some time, Thomas studied in the lower classes of the Kyiv Theological Academy. Then he earned his living by serving as a sexton in the city of Chigirin, and then as a sexton in the town of Obukhov. At the height of the Patriotic War of 1812, he left the world and was assigned to the novices of the Kiev-Brotherly Monastery. He carried out various obediences: baker, borscht baker, assistant ward sexton and bell ringer. He served as a model of humility and obedience for the brethren. In December 1821 he was tonsured a monk with the name Theodoret. Soon after this, he was appointed sacristan, and then ordained to the rank of hierodeacon.

In 1827, Father Theodorit became a hieromonk and was appointed housekeeper. But this so honorable and thoughtful obedience did not correspond to the aspirations of his holy soul. To avoid rumors and vanity, he took upon himself the great feat of foolishness for the sake of Christ and began to hide his exploits and virtues under imaginary madness.

In December 1834, Father Theodorit was tonsured into the schema with the name Theophilus, and from that time on he died completely to the world. Neglecting all the conditions of everyday life, he did not enter into close relationships with anyone. Always with downcast eyes, calm and thoughtful, he left his cell only to go to church, without missing a single service. He stopped either in the vestibule or at the church doors and stood motionless until the end of the service. Next to him there was always a basket overflowing with pieces of various provisions, a bucket, jug or bowl, and in his hands a small Psalter. In his cell, an old coffin was waiting for him, in which the blessed one kept food and dishes. The blessed one was non-covetous to the extreme, and he distributed what he kept in his cell as a blessing to visiting visitors. And each such gift was not accidental, but had its own special meaning.

The life of an equal angel made Blessed Theophilus a bearer of Divine grace. The Lord honored His servant with the gift of clairvoyance, and no matter how much the saint hid it from people, he could not hide it. Crowds of people began to come to him at the Bratsky Monastery, and the academic authorities, who did not like the “dirty, ragged monk,” constantly complained about this to Metropolitan Philaret of Kyiv.

In 1844, the blessed one was transferred to Goloseevskaya Hermitage. Saint Philaret, who considered himself the abbot of the Goloseevsky monastery, wanted to get to know the elder better and decide on his attitude towards him. But blessed Theophilus kept to himself, not allowing anyone to look into the depths of his holy soul. Many, including the brethren, were seduced by his appearance and unpredictable actions. For a long time, Bishop Filaret did not understand him either.

Meanwhile, the fame of the blessed elder as a perspicacious saint of God grew. In the summer, crowds of pilgrims visiting Kyiv flocked to the Goloseevskaya hermitage. The Lavra monastery in Goloseevo was at that time one of the most famous monasteries in the city of Kyiv. Professors, seminarians and academicians, as well as famous clergy and secular figures hurried here to meet and talk with Bishop Philaret. People of different classes also came to Elder Parthenius, asking for prayer and advice. But most of all visitors hurried to Blessed Theophilus, who at that time was already a legendary figure.

How many times did the elder run away into the forest from annoying admirers or admirers or intensify his foolishness in order to hide his spiritual gifts from prying eyes! Having found a large felled tree, he stood kneeling on the stump for days on end, tirelessly sighing about the corruption of this age and praying for the forgiveness of the entire sinful world, which does not know what it is doing. On his body the blessed one wore an iron belt with an icon of the Epiphany - in memory of his threefold salvation from water in childhood.

In order not to remain idle for a moment, the blessed one knitted wool, knitted stockings and wove canvases, which he mainly gave to icon painters for their work. While doing needlework, he performed continuous prayer or read the Psalter by heart, which he loved very much. He made many bows every day and gave his body only the shortest rest. To do this, the elder either leaned his back against the wall or lay down on a couch, across which he placed a log, or sat on a short and very narrow bench that stood in the middle of the room, so that at the slightest doze he would fall and immediately get up to pray.

During the Divine Liturgy, the Lord honored him with His heavenly revelations. Then the Monk Theophilus froze with reverence, because of which the clergy considered him incapable of performing the Divine service.

His insight and foresight attracted many people to him. The blessed one predicted the construction of the Intercession Monastery and the Spaso-Preobrazhenskaya Hermitage in Kyiv many years before; the great losses of the Russian army during the Crimean War and the death of Emperor Nicholas I, not to mention the fate of many believers who came to him for blessing and advice. The saint denounced and turned unrepentant sinners to the path of repentance, supported ascetics, cared for monastics and laity, healed the sick, helped the offended and prayed for everyone.

Countess A. A. Orlova-Chesmenskaya did not undertake a single business without his blessing and advice.

But many of the Goloseev and Kitaev brethren did not love the blessed one. A story about this was preserved in one of the manuscripts about the life of Elder Theophilus. The brothers “attacked Father Theophilus in every possible way - from old to young, did not have proper respect for him, scolded and insulted him with various words, and especially when he showed some kind of foolishness: for example, going into the forest and collecting various food supplies in a basket for strangers, and sometimes he gave away money. And then small canorchists (canonarchs - author’s note) and simple boys met him and began to laugh at him, while others threw stones at him, and Father Theophilus, instead of anger, tamed them with his affectionate greeting and gave them money and rolls.”

There is no honor for a prophet, neither in his own country nor in his own house! People from all over the vast Russian Empire sought the blessing of the blessed elder, but their own people were persecuted and humiliated. And this despite the fact that in general the Goloseev brethren treated holy fools with great respect. Around the same years, the famous Ivan Bosy, the organizer of an almshouse at St. Andrew's Church, played the fool in Kyiv. His name was known far beyond the borders of Kyiv, and in the Goloseevskaya Hermitage he was also respected. Thus, the blessed one predicted family life for one Goloseevsky novice, Julian. This is what happened later: the novice left the monastery and got married.

They also knew another holy fool in Goloseevo: Blessed Ivan Bosogo (Kovalevsky), who lived and labored at about the same time. But neither the monastery leaders nor the brethren initially perceived the blessed elder Theophilus as an ascetic.

They went to Vladyka Philaret - one more derogatory than the other! — reports from the hermitage leaders of the Goloseevsk Hermitage about the behavior of the blessed schema-monk. If in 1845 it was noted that he was still capable of obedience, “in his behavior he was respectable, meek and humble,” then a year later a complaint was received that he was “little capable, defective, self-important and self-willed.” Another year later - “he is of little ability, goes to church and lives quietly,” and in 1848 - “he is not capable of anything at all, he is without any obedience, he is stubborn and self-willed; He is 59 years old.” In the same year, the head of the monastery, Hieromonk Kallistos, wrote to Bishop Philaret that Hieroschemamonk Theophilus “occupied the week of the next divine service and... it turned out that he, Theophilus, was completely unable to perform the sacred rites correctly and decorously.” After this, the saint forbade the elder to perform priestly services and blessed him to receive communion every Saturday in priestly vestments.

Soon after this order, the blessed one was transferred to the Novopasechny Garden, and then to the Kitaevskaya Hermitage, the monastery leader and many of the brethren disliked him. The elder never tried to please people, and therefore, feeling dislike for himself, he only increased his foolishness. This was the case in his attitude towards Metropolitan Philaret.

One summer, when Vladyka was in the Goloseevskaya Hermitage, Father Theophilus arrived there in a cart pulled by a bullock. Without stopping at the metropolitan house, the elder drove the cart straight into the garden, which horrified the desert gardener. Without saying anything, the blessed one turned the bull to the right and drove along a narrow path right under the windows of the metropolitan house. The father-gardener realized that he was in danger of being dismissed from obedience (it was difficult even for one person to walk along this path, since it was planted with vine bushes on both sides). As luck would have it, Bishop Philaret also saw the blessed one. Angry at the elder’s action, he shouted: “What kind of disgrace is this? Who dared to let Theophilus into the garden? Why did he come here? Take him away right now... He will break my grapes...” The blessed one, who had reached almost the very end of the alley, met the bishop face to face. Hearing his angry cry, the elder calmly turned the bull back: “If it’s objectionable, then don’t…” And he drove along the same alley. The shocked father-gardener later said that the amazing thing was not how the old man drove without hitting a single bush, but how he was able to turn the cart in a place where it was impossible for one person to do this. After this, Elder Theophilus again fell out of favor. A bull was taken from him and assigned to the Lavra Economy. On the same day, the economy began to lose livestock. Vladyka Filaret, having learned about this, ordered the bull to be returned to its owner.

The time will come, and Metropolitan Philaret will be convinced by his own example more than once that Blessed Theophilus is not an incapable monk, but a saint of God who has acquired the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Bishop will even invite him to settle with him and Elder Parthenius in the metropolitan house in Goloseevo to live in the Name of the Most Holy Trinity. The priest Vladimir Znosko beautifully described what came out of this good intention in his biography of the blessed elder.

“...The Bishop became so attached to the blessed one in soul that, as proof of his veneration and love, he placed Theophilus together with Hieromonk Parthenius in his chambers in the Goloseevskaya dacha.

“I have only three of you... You are a schema-monk, Parthenius is a schema-monk and I am a schema-monk... We will live in the Name of the Most Holy Trinity,” the Metropolitan said to the blessed one with fatherly tenderness, settling him with him.

But the blessed one, in order to avoid such “trinitarian” communication, at the first opportunity, made the room so damp and dirty that it ruined the wallpaper and painted floor and bred a lot of bedbugs. And not a single day passed without him throwing out some “thing.” So, for example, when the three of them sat down to a meal, Theophilus tried to spill as much as possible on the tablecloth, for which sometimes, as if by accident, he would knock over his dishes on the table and force Vladyka and Fr. Parthenia gets up from the table prematurely. If this was not enough, he pretended to be sick and began to “hiccup” loudly and often, trying to spoil the Lord’s appetite with this...

He annoyed the elder Parthenius by putting on his boots during the night's rest and, in return, discreetly offering him a bast shoe or felt boot, while he himself hid for the whole day in the forest. Or, in the silence of the night, when all the inhabitants of the dacha were immersed in deep sleep, he would jump out of bed and begin to sing at the top of his voice: Behold the Bridegroom is coming at midnight! And blessed is the servant who will be found vigilant!..

In addition, from the very first days of his move to the dacha, despite the summer time, he began to light the stove in the room and always at a time when the Metropolitan was busy with prayer or writing and at the same time blew out so much acrid smoke that the cell attendants were forced to open and doors, windows, and air vents to ventilate the room air at least a little; Vladyka himself sat all this time in the garden in agonizing anticipation...

Before the start of early mass in the house church of the metropolitan dacha, where the service was usually conducted by Elder Parthenius, Theophilus appeared there a quarter of an hour before his arrival and, dressed in priestly robes, began the service with the sexton, so that when Parthenius appeared in the church, he had only to be only a witness to church services, but not at all a participant in it...

And the holy fool Theophilus did many other things for Christ’s sake, and thereby attracted a large crowd of people to himself there...”

Therefore, in order to stop the anxiety and get rid of the influx of pilgrims into the deserts, Saint Philaret transferred the blessed one to the Kitaev monastery. There the elder lived until his death, which occurred in October 1853.

Not only Bishop Philaret, but also many of the brethren of the Goloseevskaya and Kitaevskaya deserts began to venerate the elder. For example, the Goloseevsky monk Zachary. In another handwritten biography of Blessed Theophilus, from his words it is written as follows: “When I was still a novice and was engaged in obedience in the apiary, Father Theophilus sometimes came to me, spoke edifying words to me, and I listened to his conversation with sweetness, and was often surprised by his patience. And between our conversations with him, I sometimes felt a fragrance from his body. But he noticed what I was feeling and didn’t tell me to tell anyone about it.”

Shortly before his death, Father Theophilus again lived in Goloseevsky solitude... And during this period, one event occurred that glorified the elder as a great wonderworker.

One day the blessed one called his cell attendant Panteleimon to go to the Goloseevsky forest to pray. They wandered through the forest until they were tired. On the way, the old man read the Gospel, sang psalms and knitted a stocking, and his cell attendant reaped grass with a sickle in order to feed the bull later. Tired, they finally came to the hillock, where the Spaso-Preobrazhenskaya Hermitage was subsequently built (abolished and destroyed in Soviet times - author's note). From this hillock there was a beautiful view of the Lavra. Soon Father Theophilus saw pilgrims coming from the Lavra and ordered the cell attendant to call them and collect wood chips for the fire. He himself dug a small hole in which he laid the wood chips, and secured a cast-iron pot over the hole. Lifting his eyes to the mountain, the blessed elder began to pray: “Lord!.. fire comes before You and lightning illuminates the universe... Hear, O Lord, the voice of my prayers, when I cry to You, when I raise my hands to Your holy temple... Hear, - may the poor eat and be satisfied and praise Your all-good Name!” With these words, Father Theophilus bowed to the east and made the sign of the cross over the cast iron: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit...”

After this, the wood chips caught fire and the water in the pot began to heat up. The blessed elder ordered the cell attendant to throw some grass into the pot, and he himself added a few pebbles and a piece of luda, which he brought with him. When the food was ready, the cell attendant carefully tasted the contents of the pot. It turned out that it contained semolina porridge, which, with the blessing of the blessed one, was generously poured into the traveling bowls of wanderers. At the same time, it did not decrease at all in the pot.

The blessed one foreknew about the day of his death in advance. On October 28, he partook of the Holy Mysteries of Christ and with the words, Lord, in Thy hands I commend my spirit, my spirit quietly reposed, after which the cell was filled with a wondrous fragrance. The righteous man was buried near the Trinity Cathedral of the Kitaevskaya Hermitage.

PRAYER WORDS

Troparion, tone 4

From your youth you loved Christ, blessed Theophilus,/ and you ardently desired that one work,/ you labored through unceasing prayer and foolishness in the desert of Kitai,/ as a saint of the Pechersk imitating./ For this reason we cry out to you:/ save us with your prayers,// our venerable father .

Troparion, tone 8

You have enlightened your soul with fasting, / with unceasing prayers you have made your heart a vessel of the Holy Spirit, / like our Father Theophilus, / even so, all the enemies of the militia have been strengthened how you have put him to shame/ and how you, a true victor, have received reward from Christ God.// Therefore pray for our souls .

Kontakion, tone 4

You came from the vain world/ and you dwelt in the wilds of Kitaev,/ like our Father Theophilus./ By your incessant psalmody and your foolishness/ you guided many on the path of salvation ./ For this reason we cry out to you: pray to Christ God that he may save our souls.

relics of St. Theophilus, Christ for the sake of the holy fool

Archimandrite Theophilus (Pareyan)

I have a lot in common with Romania. My books have been published in this country for more than 15 years. I came to Romania more than once for conferences, lectured at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Bucharest, and even completed my doctorate in theology at the University of Sibiu. And it all started, as already mentioned, with publishing projects. The large Romanian Orthodox publishing house “Sophia” (Sofia) has published more than a dozen of my books on the topics of Christian attitudes towards mental illness and Orthodox psychotherapy. The books were distributed well. I have received and continue to receive a large number of letters from readers. People asked questions, thanked us for the topics raised, and expressed their wishes. I have developed friendly relations with the director of the publishing house, Mrs. Mihaila Voicu, and her employees. And in 2005, at the invitation of publishers, I came to Romania for the first time to present books and meet with readers. The program of that visit was very eventful, but the organizers gave me a wonderful gift. They took me to pray at the Brancoveanu monastery in Transylvania and left me there for a couple of days.

The journey by car from Bucharest took several hours and here we are at the monastery. It was beautiful May weather. The gentle southern sun highlighted the stunningly beautiful nature of those places: snow-capped mountains on the horizon, a “sea” of greenery and flowers. I admired the surroundings and could not breathe in the heady freshness of the cleanest air...

I'll tell you about the monastery. It was founded in 1657 by the grandfather of Saint Constantine (Brancoveanu), the ruler of those places, who was martyred by the Turkish Sultan in 1714 for refusing to convert to Islam. The monastery was founded on the place where hermits and ascetics labored since ancient times. Saint Constantine erected a stone church in the monastery (1701), which has survived to this day. In 1785, the monastery was destroyed by the Austrians and was abandoned until 1935, when monastic life gradually began to be restored. Now there are about fifty inhabitants in the monastery. The patronal monastery holiday is the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

By the time of my trip to the monastery, I had already heard a lot about one amazing inhabitant of this holy monastery - Archimandrite Theophilus. Father Theophilus was well known and revered not only in Romania, but also far beyond its borders. Father was blind from birth. He was born in 1929 into a peasant family and was the eldest of four children. At baptism he was named John. Needless to say, how many tears his parents cried, feeling sorry for their blind son. Peace of mind came to their souls, according to the priest, only when they humbled themselves before the Providence of God for their son. The boy was sent to a school for the blind, and then to a lyceum. “I learned with the help of my hands,” I read in the book of Elder Theophilus, “knowledge came to me through my hands, and not through my eyes.” Looking ahead, I will say that later John learned French, German and English in this way. But the greatest influence on John during this period of his life was Elder Arseny (Boka). Under his leadership, the God-loving young man grew spiritually and learned the Jesus Prayer.

After graduating from the Lyceum in 1948, John entered the theological faculty of the University of Sibiu. Later, in his book “Who I Am,” he wrote that “... I had a strong desire to serve the Lord, to be in the company of those people who testify for the Lord and have deep faith.” Having received a theological education, John entered the monastery as a novice in April 1953. Already in the summer, or rather on August 15 of the same year, he was tonsured a monk with the name Theophilus. The diocesan bishop who ordained Father Theophilus as a hierodeacon said of him that he was “a man who does not see the light, but is in the light.” In 1983, the priest was ordained a hieromonk, and in 1986 he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite.

Lines of pilgrims flocked to Father Theophilus for spiritual advice, guidance, and consolation. Sometimes people did not even notice that the priest was blind, since they did not feel his physical disability. He saw people coming to him with spiritual eyes, deeply seeing their problems and sorrows. Father always had a joyful spirit. He was even called the “monk of joy” for this quality of his. Archimandrite Theophilus, as many people say about him, had an excellent memory. He brilliantly knew the works of the holy fathers and was a very theologically educated person. To this I will add that Father Theophilus wrote 20 books and spoke at dozens of theological conferences in Romania and abroad. Of course, I really wanted to meet this old man. And Mikhail helped me with this. She told the priest about our joint work, published books, and upcoming projects.

The next morning, before the liturgy, accompanied by the director of the publishing house, Father Theophilus himself came up to me. “God bless you,” the priest said, blessing me. We talked briefly, but it was no longer a matter of words. One could feel the Christian love, fervent prayer and high spirituality of this man. This was my first and only meeting with Elder Theophilus. On October 29, 2009, Elder Archimandrite Theophilus departed to the Lord.

I want to finish my story about him with the words of Metropolitan Lawrence of Transylvania (Stresa): “Father Theophilus was a gift from God, a joyful man, a wonderful old man, a spiritual father-comforter... He was a builder of human souls and revived many for spiritual life...”.

Eternal memory to him!

Schema-Archimandrite Theophilus (Rossokha) (1929–1996)

Elder Theophilus performed monastic and priestly feats for forty years. He had the opportunity to restore three temples and an ancient desert from ruins. He was persecuted and transferred from diocese to diocese. He himself said: “Fifteen years in Asia and twenty-five in Europe...” His life was full of labors, persecutions and sorrows, but until his last breath he performed the work of prayer for the world.

Great contemporaries, the Monk Kuksha of Odessa and Elder Theophilus (Rossokha), met several times, and the perspicacious Elder Kuksha predicted persecution and a difficult life for him.

But wherever the elder served, Orthodox Christians flocked to him. Father Pavel Bulanov, an outstanding ascetic of our time, who lived in Turkestan, said in 1982 about Father Theophilus (then Paphnutius, before being tonsured into the schema): “This lamp is the great star of our Orthodoxy. This is a great man,” and especially blessed him to pray for the possessed.

In 1988, the Kiev Pechersk Lavra opened, and the elder, who by that time had retired for health reasons, asked the then Metropolitan of Kyiv Philaret (Denisenko) to accept him into the brethren of the monastery. But the metropolitan, who has disliked the elder since the days of his joint studies at the Theological Academy, refuses him. However, the elder does not leave the monastery, he lives there, sings in the choir, and helps revive the monastery. And only after Metropolitan Philaret goes into schism, and Vladimir becomes the new Metropolitan of Kiev, the elder is accepted into the brethren of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra and he receives the blessing to carry out “readings” of the sick and infirm, and to conduct confessions.

Not only parishioners and pilgrims came to confession to the elder, but also the brethren of the monastery, seminarians, and novices. Possessing the gift of insight, the elder listened to the person as if on the run, gave brief advice - and these few words were enough to give an answer to what was troubling and tormenting.

In fact, the priest had no free time. People drove and drove towards him. With grief, joy, for advice, blessing. Near the building where the elder lived, there was a constant crowd of people waiting for their shepherd. And when the priest went out into the street, this stream of people absorbed him: everyone tried to at least touch him, to receive a blessing. Especially many people gathered on Wednesday and Saturday, that is, at the time when the priest carried out “proofreading” for the sick. The elder sits on a chair after reading the Holy Gospel and anoints people approaching him, and the room is stuffy, people are pressing from all sides, several novices are trying to hold back this human avalanche, but in vain. Any person would stand up and be indignant, but the priest only repeats: “Be humble and meek.”

The elder never insisted on anything. He unobtrusively directed people on the right path. And he always showed care, tact and humility when talking with people. In each of his advice, in each word one felt such knowledge of the human heart, such penetration into the very depths of the people's life, the spiritual life of the people, that not one of those who approached him, sometimes approaching him with eyes red from tears, left him with an unenlightened face . It was felt that everyone received their own consolation. It was precisely what he longed for, and even without his father Theophilus could not find it, his sorrowful, tormented soul...

The priest helped people with prayer, money, and food. And he did it all without anyone knowing.

At the liturgy, the priest usually remembered a lot of names. In order to remember everyone who gave him notes, he usually came in advance, even if he did not serve, placed his notes on the memorial table and took out a lot of particles. Usually novices or monastics approached him with a request to remember their loved ones: “Father, remember Andrei!”

“Andrei, Andrei, Andrei,” the elder commemorated, taking out the particles, “all Andreevs, all Andreevs, all Andreevs, all relatives, all Andreevs...

Being seriously ill himself, the elder prayed to the Lord for the health of his spiritual children. There are many known cases of healing through the prayers of the elder.

Both the brethren of the monastery and the spiritual children of the priest knew about his insight.

On April 14, 1993, Father Paphnutius was elevated to the rank of archimandrite, and on August 24 he was appointed head of the Kitaevskaya Holy Trinity Hermitage. In this once famous desert, the elder (maiden) Dosifei, the holy fool for Christ's sake, the holy hieromonk Theophilus, and others labored.

It is impossible to list the labors that the elder undertook to revive this destroyed shrine of Orthodoxy.

Immediately upon his arrival in the desert, Father Paphnutius opened a hospital-almshouse, which was entirely supported by the meager funds of the monastery, and for the sick he began to hold a special prayer service on Thursdays for the granting of mental and physical health.

But it was not only the sick who flocked to the elder in Kitaevo. In the corridor in front of his cell, crowded with people every day (sometimes the line stretched across the entire monastery courtyard), one could see a Kuban Cossack and a miner from the Luhansk region, a rural teacher and teacher of a juvenile colony, who came on foot from Odessa for advice and a blessing for the whole family to join to the monastery, a career military man and a recidivist thief, a famous writer and chairman of a collective farm, an occultist who periodically enters the astral plane, and a hieromonk from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, an extravagant barmaid from Sevastopol, who came to convey a letter from her mother (the elder’s spiritual daughter) and to be blessed to sell his apartment in the city center and buy a house in Diveevo, and a state security employee confined to a wheelchair by illness. Some of the pilgrims lived at the monastery for weeks, just to get an appointment with the seer.

On April 5, 1994, Archimandrite Paphnutius was tonsured into the great schema with the name Theophilus, in honor of Saint Theophilus, Christ for the Fool's sake.

The old man lived in poverty. In his cell he had only monastic clothes, icons, fruits and canned food, which he distributed to people who came to him.

Despite his poverty and difficult situation, help continued to come from the elder not only to his spiritual children, but also to many who did not even know about his existence. He also helped churches under construction.

Despite his illnesses, the elder was often seen in Chernigov, in Kozelets, in Feofania - he came there with his spiritual children, helped restore destroyed churches and monasteries - and helped not only with advice or financially, but often he himself took part in construction work.

At this time, the elder continued to help orphanages and poor families robbed by perestroika. The elder sent monetary contributions to many addresses of the former huge country - and this was discovered only after the death of the elder, when letters of gratitude were found in his cell.

Father Theophilus had special concern for those who are popularly called “possessed” - many such people came to the Kitaevskaya hermitage for prayer services with the elder, and he received everyone, cared for them, and prayed.

On Forgiveness Sunday of Great Lent in 1996, numerous pilgrims and worshipers who filled the Church of the Twelve Apostles of the Kitaevskaya Hermitage felt that a special, truly farewell service was being performed. When the elder came out of the altar with the cross, knelt down and began to ask the prayers for forgiveness, there was crying in the temple. Father really said goodbye to his many spiritual children. They approached one by one, and the priest, looking carefully at each, said a few words, the most important, parting words.

On March 21, the elder was advised to go to the hospital. The monastery immediately became empty. On March 22, 1996, at 4 p.m., half an hour before his dormition, the elder treated the sister of the patient, who was lying in the same room with him, to pancakes and asked them to go for a walk so that he could be left alone.

When they returned half an hour later, the elder was lying on his side, with a calm, peaceful face - as if he had fallen asleep.