“Varvara Vasilievna, help!...”

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Blessed Varvara Skvorchikhinskaya, as during her earthly life, helps in troubles and sorrows.

... The prayer service at the central shrines of the Orthodox exhibition “Blessed Samara” has ended, but people are in no hurry to leave. I still want to stand at the shrines, pray, and grieve for the Great Martyr Panteleimon. A nun in a strict black robe walks past - either to the shrines, or to the counter with spiritual books. Something indescribably dear can be seen in this silhouette, and I look after her, without taking my eyes off. As if sensing his gaze, the nun turns around. AND…

- Mother Vera!...

- Olenka!...

We run towards each other, joy fills our hearts. For five whole years I did not see Mother Vera (Ionova), whom I had met so many times before in the Marfo-Mariinsky monastery in the village of Ira, in Bashkiria. On my last visit, I learned that nun Vera is now practicing asceticism in the village of Skvorchikha - in 2011 she was appointed eldest in the monastery under construction in honor of Blessed Varvara Skvorchikha, glorified in 2001 among the locally revered saints of the land of Ufa. For now, there is a monastery in Skvorchikha in honor of Blessed Varvara Skvorchikhinskaya.

“There are only five sisters in the monastery, but it’s okay - we manage with God’s help, with the help of Varvara Vasilievna...” Mother told me.

I don’t ask who Varvara Vasilievna is: Blessed Varvara Skvorchikhinskaya, without any show of humility, asked to be called that. And not because I got used to it over the years of teaching, but for a completely different reason: “When they call me by my patronymic, they call me my father!” - said the righteous woman. Varvara Vasilievna Arkhangelskaya was the daughter of a modest village priest, she taught at school until the day when the teachers were told: “No more talking about God! So explain to your children that there is no God.” - “How is it - no? - Varvara Vasilievna asked. -Where did He go? Yesterday it was, today it is, but tomorrow it won’t be?!”

From the Life of Blessed Varvara Skvorchikhinskaya.

Varvara Vasilyevna Arkhangelskaya - Saint Varvara Skvorchikhinskaya.

Blessed Varvara was born on November 20, 1890 in the family of a village priest Vasily Alexandrovich Arkhangelsky. At the age of twelve she entered the Ufa Diocesan Women's School, and in 1909 she graduated from school with the right to the title of home teacher. Varvara’s voice was “pure, clear, like an angel, pleasant, ringing, loud, young.” She worked in rural schools and often invited the priest to lessons. In 1929, talking about God in schools was prohibited, and Varvara became a recluse. She labored in seclusion for more than 35 years. From the first years of going into seclusion, she received people who needed help and advice, and during the difficult time of persecution of the Church, she resisted unbelief and atheism.

Varvara wore an old sweatshirt, a cotton dress, stockings and rubber galoshes on her feet, and sometimes in the hot summer she put on felt boots. Blessed Varvara lived in a barn, open to the winds and blizzards, without heat and light, in the stuffiness of the summer, in the rain in the fall and spring, in the mud and cold, in the winter in the snow and frost. For many years the ascetic lived in complete darkness, almost never coming into the light of God. During the day she prayed in the barn, and at night she went out to her fontanel for prayer. During all these years, the blessed one had never been to church, but she was repeatedly visited in retreat and given communion by priests. Through the prayers of Blessed Barbara, many miracles occurred during her earthly life and after her death on February 14/27, 1966.

are in the monastery in the village.
Skvorchikha Ishimbaysky district of Bashkortostan. The life of Blessed Barbara is worth finding and reading in its entirety from the first to the last page - it reads like a fascinating story about the fortitude of a small and fragile girl, a “doll,” as the villagers called her. And about those miracles of God’s mercy that happened through her prayers.

But over the past three years, Varvara Skvorchikhinskaya has shown many cases of miraculous help. You won’t read about them in life yet, but all this happened - and is happening now.

"She loved children very much"

“Varvara Vasilievna loved children very much and now answers prayers for them,” Mother Vera began the story. — We were with the ark with the relics of Blessed Barbara in the village of Avzyan. And almost every day a girl and her grandmother came to the relics. A girl with Down syndrome, and not even speaking. And this girl kept taking bags of Varvarushka’s crackers from us without asking. Well, the girl is harmless. Let him take it... And a few days later the grandmother comes and cries with joy: “The granddaughter has spoken! In the morning she said: give me a cracker! And then she began to say - it’s so clean, so beautiful! We have never heard such beautiful words, where did she get them from!”

Here you go!…

We were in another Bashkir village - I forgot the name, but we traveled a lot to different villages. One resident of this village was preparing for the birth of a baby, but in the seventh month of pregnancy she had to have a caesarean section - there was no way out, otherwise both she and the child would die. The pressure was extremely high. And they performed a caesarean section on her, and the dying baby was placed in intensive care. The young mother and her husband went to church, to the relics of Blessed Barbara. Our sisters saw that the woman could not stand, it was hard for her, they asked what was wrong with her. She burst into tears: the baby was about to die in the hospital. My husband and I came to ask Varvara Vasilyevna for help... One of the sisters sighed: I should baptize the boy! But it’s already evening, and he may not live to see the morning. And what is this if not a miracle? The priest of this temple comes out of the altar. It's already evening - evening! - What was he doing there so late? The Lord delayed. Sisters to him: “Father, we need to baptize the dying baby!” The mother had doubts: strangers are not allowed into the intensive care unit. But the priest answered resolutely: they will let him in! He was in a car, took his parents with him and drove off. And not only was he allowed in, but his mother was allowed to enter. The father baptized the child and anointed him with myrrh, but he did not dip him in the font, but sprinkled him. Mom later told me: the priest anoints the baby, and he tickles his tiny heel, and this tiny baby pulls his leg back and smiles, and the priest laughs...

The head of the monastery, nun Vera, is building a monastery in Skvorchikha in honor of Blessed Varvara Skvorchikhinskaya.

That same night, the attending physician dreamed that someone was saying: “You chose the wrong treatment for such and such a child. We need to do this, this and this.” In the morning he came and immediately prescribed the correct treatment. The baby is on the mend. Then the couple came to Skvorchikha, crying, joyful, and the sisters said: thank not us, but the Lord and Varvara Vasilievna! This was an amazing case.

Another woman came to us from Orsk, Orenburg region. Her daughter could not give birth to a child for eight years: miscarriages after miscarriages. Only when they began to pray to Varvara Vasilievna, order akathists at the relics - the forty days would end, she ordered again, and anointed her daughter with the oil blessed on the relics - only after that she carried and gave birth to a healthy child. The girl was named Varvara.

A couple came to us from Novy Urengoy. Natalia is a very believer, a church member, but her husband was not so strong in faith then. They were married for fourteen years without children. And the doctors made a diagnosis like a death sentence: there are no children and there never will be. These spouses prayed at the holy relics, washed themselves in the spring and left.

More than two years have passed. There was some kind of holiday, I went to Salavat for the Bishop’s service. They call from the monastery: “Mother, they came here from Novy Urengoy, they want to talk to you.” - “I can’t talk now, the service will start soon!” Natalia picks up the phone herself: “Are you in Salavat? We’ll be there now!” He's coming. “Look, our son Sashenka! He is already one and a half years old. But the doctors did not leave us any hope: they said there would be no children. Through Varvara Vasilyevna’s prayers, Sashenka was born!”

Maria from the Chelyabinsk region had a very difficult pregnancy. She was questioned about cancer. And the doctors also said: I wish I could hold out for at least seven months! She calls and cries: “I feel bad, what should I do?” - “Anoint yourself with blessed oil with prayer...” And she carried the child until she was nine months old, and a healthy child was born. The most amazing thing is that the girl was born on February 27, the day of Varvara Vasilievna’s repose! In Salavat, in the Assumption Cathedral, there was a festive Liturgy, and this girl was born at just that time. And Maria said: “It’s a sin not to call her Varvara!” Another Varvarushka is growing...

They also call us and ask: pray to Blessed Varvara Skvorchikhinskaya, our son Pavel is going to enroll in St. Petersburg. To some university associated with the navy. It’s hard to get in there—it’s such a competition! But they ask: pray, maybe Varvara Vasilievna will help! And what: he did it! Moreover, I entered on a budget, which no one expected at all.

“I keep order here”

Many years ago, the rector of the Church of the Mother of God of Kazan in the village of Verkhotor, Archpriest Valentin Popov (then he served in Ishimbai) organized a religious procession to the place of the appearance of the Tabyn Icon of the Mother of God, and since then, every year on the Ninth Friday of Easter people go to the Holy Keys. The procession of the cross is diocesan, but even people from Moscow come to it, who knows.

So, the crusaders always walk past the Skvorchikha. We will heat their bathhouse, do their laundry, feed them and give them something to drink. Some spend the night in our monastery. And one pilgrim said:

“I see grandma standing by the road.” Thin, small, old. Why did they leave her alone on the road! There's no one around. We caught up with her, she bowed to the icon of the Mother of God. And why - I don’t know, only I said: hello, Varvara Vasilievna! And she bowed to her grandmother. When we stopped to rest, I asked if anyone had seen where my grandmother had gone. Others also saw her when they approached the place. And then no one saw her anymore. There weren't many people walking, they should have seen whether she left with someone or stayed by the road. No - no one saw...

One also elderly pilgrim came to our monastery. Coming from

along the path to

. The path is not very wide, if there are two of you, you have to follow each other. And he sees the old lady coming. We said hello, walked together, and started talking.

“I say that I came to venerate the relics, now I’m going to the source for holy water, it helps me a lot.” “Do you live here?” - I ask my grandmother. “Yes,” he answers, “I live here.” - "What are you doing here?" - “I keep order.”

The pilgrim looked around, but no one was there. Grandma is old and couldn’t leave so quickly.

Often another woman comes to us. She and her husband’s son Alyoshenka died very young in a car accident. His mother prays with us, orders prayers, and brings alms to her sisters. And here she says:

“I’m sitting in the shade on a bench by the spring and crying about my son. And a little further away the monastery sisters are sitting. A grandmother in a white scarf sat down next to me and asked: “Well, why are you crying so much?” - “But of course, our only son died!...” And she reassures: “Don’t cry, he’s in a very good place!” I don’t let up: “After all, he was the only one we had!...” But the grandmother continues: “Don’t cry for your son, but rejoice. He’s in such a good place!…” She talked like that, consoled him and went on her way. I go up to the sisters and say: “What a good grandmother spoke to me just now! The little voice is so pleasant and comforting!” And they are perplexed: “What grandmother?” - “Yes, there she was, sitting next to me on the bench, wearing a white scarf!” - “There was no one, you were sitting alone! And we were still surprised at you among ourselves: she’s crying and talking to herself...”

Varvara Vasilievna is the patron of teachers and students, because she herself was a teacher before accepting the feat of foolishness. And then one teacher - she comes to us all the time - one day embarrassedly says to me: “Don’t think about it, I’m of sound mind and sober memory, I’m not registered. I don’t know how to tell you, but I was told to convey this to you...”

A prayer book that belonged to the Skvorchikha recluse is carefully preserved in the monastery.

I can’t quote her words, they were spoken for me, to admonish me. This woman saw Varvara Vasilievna in a subtle dream, as if the blessed one was going to a source. She is dressed in black, like a monk's robe, and in her hands is a large key. And with such an intonation of voice, which happens to those in power, she says: “Tell Mother Vera these words...” And she added: “I am the mistress here, I look after everything here.”

For three days after this conversation, the awe in my soul did not subside.

I feel like an instrument in the hands of Blessed Barbara. That's for sure! The fact that we have built so much in our monastery in three years is not my merit. It's all herself. She explains and helps. Sends the right people at the right time. And the key in her hands was just to show that she really was the owner there.

Varvara Vasilievna is strict with me, she takes care of me. But when I feel really bad, when I don’t know what to do or how to fix something I did wrong, I go straight to her. I ask her for advice and help: tell me what to do, what to do. And a good thought will definitely come, everything will be resolved in the best way.

Rescue is on the way

Varvarushka also helps on the way, like Nicholas the Wonderworker, whom she greatly revered during her lifetime. She helps not only through prayers to her, but even to those who did not know her and never prayed to her - only out of love for people. One day in Ufa, at an Orthodox exhibition, a young woman comes up, looks, looks at the icon and portrait.

- And who is this?

- This is our Ufa miracle worker, blessed Varvara Skvorchikhinskaya...

She immediately dials the number and calls someone:

- Natasha, come to the exhibition urgently! I'll show you who saved you!

And she said that her friend was driving somewhere, and something happened to her on the road that they don’t want to talk about. And before that, she herself dreamed of a woman in whom she was already at the exhibition, and at that very time, when we were talking with her, she recognized Varvara Vasilievna. And Varvara Vasilyevna says: “Urgently run to the temple, light a candle (I don’t remember, it seems, the Mother of God) and order a prayer service for the traveling Natalia. Urgently!" She got goosebumps, she immediately woke up, jumped up - and went to church, and did everything as ordered. And then Natalia arrives and shares with her friend that a big misfortune almost happened to her on the way. A miracle saved! “Someone saved me, I don’t know who!” And now her friend called her to show who saved her from trouble.

Lyuba, a herbalist, comes to the Intercession-Ennatsky Monastery to collect herbs. He comes not for the sake of herbs - to pray. And they went by car in winter. Suddenly there was such a snowstorm that you couldn’t see anything two steps away. Everything was covered with huge snowdrifts. The cars are standing still and cannot move. “We,” says Lyuba, “have prayed to everyone. You may not believe it, but as soon as they began to read the akathist to Blessed Varvara, our car was immediately lifted by some force and carried through the snowdrifts, and we found ourselves on a hard and relatively clean road.”

"She's still with us"

Also at the exhibition in Ufa, a primary school teacher shared with us her case of Varvara Vasilievna’s miraculous help. She had heart surgery. And while she was on sick leave, the school principal called her. Not to offer support with a kind word, to wish him recovery, but to demand that he write a letter of resignation. “Now you will be sick all the time, and the students will remain homeless... You are not needed at school! I’ve already found a person to take your place.”

Bishop Nicholas of Salavat and Kumertau serves the festive Liturgy in the summer altar of the church in honor of Blessed Varvara Skvorchikhinskaya.

But where should she go, she really loves her job and loves children. And this teacher knew about Varvara Vasilyevna, she had both an icon of Blessed Varvara and an akathist. I began to pray to her earnestly. And not much time passes, the same director calls: “Go to work, urgently!” She came to school with joy, and here she was even more pleased. Dali and the office are very well renovated, and the class itself is much stronger than she had. And during the entire school year she never went on sick leave.

And such cases do happen. An older woman comes up: “Oh, Varvara!...” And to me: “Look, look - do you see, man? This is Borka, my son!” So interesting...

And her son was a bitter drunkard and got to such a point that even the doctors could not get him out of his drinking bout; he was taken to intensive care. They call her - get ready, he won’t survive. She begged: “Varvara Vasilyevna, help, heal Borka! It’s a pity for the son!...” And he survived! He says: “Here - now look how healthy he walks!”

At parting, Mother Vera gave me some butter from the relics of Blessed Varvara Skvorchikhinskaya for my daughters and invited me to come:

- It's not that difficult to get to us. You can travel from Samara to Orenburg by train, and from there by bus to Ishimbay. And from Ishimbay to Skvorchikha it’s only eighteen kilometers. There are minibuses... Pray at the holy relics, take a swim in the spring.

I know for sure that Varvara Vasilyevna not only lies with her relics in our monastery in Skvorchikha, she is still with us and with everyone who prays to her. Responds to prayers, helps and blesses.

Recorded by Olga Larkina

Blessed Varvara Skvorchikhinskaya

The humble scribe weaned the children and appeared to the laity of her wretched kin - a confessor of the faith, an ascetic of foolishness, who remained in prayer both nights and days.

It’s hard if life is cold and sleepless, And housing is not housing: a closed cage, If in a cage that has been blown away for years, the oppressed body has to endure suffering.

But it was easier for the soul, it became more spacious. The recluse shone, her thoughts were pure. And God took her, took her to the heavenly Fatherland - the Immaculate Virgin, the bride of Christ.

She flew away like a swallow, a fast bird, But in Varvara’s little forest the nightingales sing. The fontanelle helps with holy water: People heal their ailments.

The one who accomplished the great feat with diligence is known by Russian villages and cities. And with prayer to her, and with her magnification, Saint Barbara is always venerated.

The maiden tries again to save souls. The villainous enemy has been put to shame more than once. At the Throne of the Most High the Intercessor now bows to God for sinful people.

Georgy Preobrazhensky.

Reverence

Popular veneration of the blessed one has not weakened over the years. In 2000, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus', the relics of Varvara Skvorchikhinskaya were found; now they are located in the Mother of God-Tikhvin convent in the village of Priyutovo, Belebeevsky district of the Republic of Bashkortostan. In 2001, Patriarch Alexy II gave his blessing to glorify the ascetic among the locally revered saints of the Ufa diocese, the rite of glorification was performed by the Archbishop of Ufa and Sterlitamak. Nikon (Vasyukov). In 2002, the abbot of the Enat Monastery of the Intercession, Abbot Simeon (Kuvaytsev), compiled an akathist to the blessed one, read in the churches of the Ufa diocese; icons of Varvara Skvorchikhinskaya were painted.

In the village of Skvorchikha (Ishimbaysky district, Bashkortostan, Russia) a convent is being built in honor of St. Blessed Varvara Skvorchikhinskaya.[2]

Reverend who received a certificate of clairvoyance from the KGB