The special attitude of the Old Believers to rites and strictness in prayer. Difficulties in organizing

Metropolitan Kornily led a solemn procession to the village of Grigorovo, where the holy Hieromartyr Archpriest Avvakum was born.

On July 16, a solemn service was held at the Church of the Holy Hieromartyr and Confessor Avvakum in the village of Bolshoy Murashkino, Nizhny Novgorod Region, culminating in a procession and blessing of water in the village of Grigorov.

The divine service, which began with the meeting of the primate, was accompanied by exalted singing and reading. The temple could hardly accommodate the believers, many were standing on the street.

During the hours, the priest-bearer Alexei was placed as a reader at the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in Orekhovo-Zuevo.

Metropolitan Cornelius was co-served by: Priest Nikola Egorov, Rector of the Church of the Hieromartyr Habakkuk, Priest Vasily Kadochnikov (Yegoryevsk), Priest Nikola Tataurov (Perm), Priest John Zabotin (Bolshoe Nepryakhino), Priest Vasily Terentiev (Kostroma), Priest Konstantin Lukichev (Molokovo), Priest Alexei Antyushin (Bezvodnoe), Priest Roman Karyakin (Chernukha), Priest Alexander Karabanov (Gorodishchi), Priest German Chunin (Vyatka), Priest Gennady Smirnov (Lyskovo), Protodeacon Andrey Morzhakov, Deacon Vasily Andronikov (Moscow), Deacon Davyd Toran (Nizhny Novgorod) ), Deacon Georgy Zakolyukin (Chernukha), Deacon Nikola Tataurov (Perm).

The choirs were led by the children of Fr. Nikola Egorova reader Anthony and Evstoliy. The singing of young voices accompanied the entire procession and created a special prayerful atmosphere.

Despite the hot weather, about four hundred pilgrims took part in the procession.

The believers traveled a significant part of the way over rough terrain, making only one stop in a small forest, where everyone was offered water to strengthen their strength on the way.

Residents of the villages through which the procession went, left their houses to look and pray. The procession, having reached the village of Grigorov, traditionally ended with the blessing of water at the monument to Archpriest Avvakum.

After the prayer service, the pilgrims returned to the temple on prearranged buses. A festive meal was held in the dining room, during which very strong words of support and gratitude were heard from Fr. Nikola Egorova:

Dear brethren and sisters, just a week ago the following thought came to me: “Is it really necessary to organize this procession at all?” And now I am completely convinced of the need for this procession and I can say: "It is necessary, it is necessary." I see many people gathered here to pray to the holy hieromartyr and glorify God, and the fire of hope flares up in the heart again. Everyone needs prayer, and it is after such a great prayer that something always changes for the better.

The special guest of the procession was Fr. Alexander Karabanov from the village of Gorodishchi, Luhansk region, which is located in the war zone.

We pray a lot, and the Lord keeps us in such a way that we don’t have any damage, but if you go ten minutes from the Settlements, then the rout begins there. Such is the power of prayer that no one died in our area. Prayer is needed, and especially such large prayers as this procession, - said Fr. Alexander.

Great support in the procession was provided by the administration of the village of Bolshoy Murashkin - the procession was accompanied by police officers and ambulances.

In the evening, an evening of spiritual chants took place, at which spiritual verses and songs about love for the motherland were performed by youth choirs.

Religious processions are very significant for every Christian and Russian people in general. What is the history of the processions? For what purpose are they carried out? What traditional processions are held in the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church? What are the features of the Old Believer processions? How are they organized? The answers to these and other questions are given in the published report by Igor Lapin (ROCC). The material was presented at the conference "The Procession: History, Modernity and Development", which was held in Moscow on January 26, 2016.

Procession to the village of Grigorovo. Photo page "Rpsc Bolshoye-Murashkino"

1. The history of religious processions in the church

1.1. The history of the formation of the crusade movement in Christianity

The history of religious processions dates back to the Old Testament times, when the Jews solemnly transferred the main shrine - the Ark of the Covenant. Solemn processions with a cross at the head entered the composition of Christian traditions in antiquity. In addition to the ubiquitous religious processions (on Holy Pascha and at the consecration of the temple), there were religious processions in the church on many other spiritually significant occasions.

In Russia, religious processions were borrowed from the Greeks and existed throughout the history of the Russian Church. The church history of Russia itself began with a procession to the Dnieper for the baptism of the people of Kiev. Chroniclers have preserved numerous examples of religious processions in subsequent times - starting from the great Russian princes Yaroslav I the Wise, Izyaslav I, Vladimir Monomakh, who carried the relics of the holy princes Boris and Gleb.

1.2. The history of the revival of religious processions in the Russian Orthodox Church

After the split of the Russian Church, the Old Believers experienced serious persecution by the authorities. During this difficult time, people did not have the opportunity to freely organize religious processions, but, despite this, the Old Believers performed them. People did not leave the tradition, wanting to be strengthened by this great cause.

A special rise in the number of religious processions held took place after the historic event - signing the decree on religious tolerance in 1905. With the advent of the Bolsheviks, there was a clear decline in activity in this charitable cause.

But, according to the recollections of the "old-timers", in the Soviet years, despite the attitude of the communist authorities to faith, many people continued to make religious processions, but already secretly. Despite the fact that it was less solemn, people, taking great risks, still preserved this tradition.

A great revival of the crusade movement occurred with the adoption of the primatial dignity Metropolitan Andrian. Vladyka saw the importance of this movement and supported the beginners in every possible way.

1.3. Goals and objectives of the processions

The main purpose of the procession is the glorification of the Lord and His great saints, as well as prayerful unity, the bearing of difficulties and the provision of mercy to all those in need.

The tasks of the procession are, first of all, bringing people together for a common prayer, testing the spirit and body and leaving all the vain worldly things, raising their thoughts and feelings to the Creator.

2. Processions in the Old Believer Church

In Russia today there are about 10 Old Believer religious processions.

2.1. Velikoretsky cross procession (held from August 9-13 in Vyatka, now Kirov)

Probably, many have heard about the existence of the Velikoretsky procession from the city of Kirov to the village of Velikoretskoye from June 3 to 8, held Russian Orthodox Church. But not many people know that the Old Believers also have the Velikoretsky procession, which is held from August 9 to 13 in honor of the Nativity of St. Nicholas, which is August 11, and in memory of the transfer of the Velikoretsky image from Vyatka to Moscow.

The Velikaya River procession moves from the city of Kirov (Vyatka), 2009

Old Believer Velikoretsky procession was revived in 2002 on the initiative and with the personal participation of Bishop Andrian, Bishop of Kazan-Vyatka, later Metropolitan of All Russia.

Since the revival of the procession, its route has clearly developed. It consists of four days of travel and one day of celebration in the village Velikoretskoe, at the place where the Velikoretskaya icon of St. Nicholas was found on the day of his Nativity. In four days, pilgrims travel more than 150 kilometers.

History of the Velikoretsky Cross Procession

In 1383, on the high bank of the Velikaya River, the image of St. Nicholas appeared to the peasant Agalakov. Soon, healings and miracles began from the icon. The rumor about the appearance of the miraculous image quickly spread around the area, people came to the place of the appearance of the icon, thanked God for the shrine granted to them, received spiritual consolation and healing. Together, the peasants built a chapel on the site of the appearance of the icon, and later the construction of the temple began - a more worthy place for the miraculous image.

In 1392, the Vyatchans, having learned about the miraculous image, convinced the residents of Velikoretsky, and transferred the image from the banks of the Velikaya River to the city of Khlynov, having vowed to return the image to the place of its appearance every year (at that time and until 1780, the center of the Vyatka region was called Khlynov). Thus, one of the oldest traditions of the Vyatka land was born - the Velikoretsky procession.

The fame of the miraculous icon reached the capital. In the 16th century, at the behest of Tsar John IV, the icon was brought from Khlynov to Moscow. Along the way, the sick were healed from it and miracles were performed.

By decree of the tsar, one of the chapels of the St. Basil's Cathedral, which was then under construction, was consecrated in honor of the Velikoretsk icon of St. Nicholas, and lists were made from the icon. Since that time, throughout Russia, the veneration of the image of St. Nicholas on the Great River begins.

Today, the Old Believer Great River procession is about 300 pilgrims from all over the world. This is an opportunity to overcome one's weaknesses, more than 150 kilometers of hard way over rough terrain. It is deep prayer and beautiful choir singing. This is a small feat that believers accomplish year after year.

Great Cross Procession. Return back. 2009

2.2. Procession to the village of Grigorovo, Nizhny Novgorod region (from the village of Bolshoye Murashkino)

“My birth is in the Nizhny Gorky limits, beyond the Kudma River, in the village of Grigorov. My father was the priest Peter, my mother was Mary, the monk Martha ”- from the life of Archpriest Avvakum.

Village Grigorovo- motherland Hieromartyr and Confessor Habakkuk, a small village in the Nizhny Novgorod region, in which the disgraced archpriest was born and raised.

Bolshoye Murashkino is a large village that belonged since 1648 to Gleb Ivanovich Morozov, the husband of the confessor of the Orthodox faith, boyar Morozova, in monasticism Theodora.

On July 5, 1991, the solemn opening of the monument to Archpriest Avvakum took place in the village of Grigorovo.

Religious procession "In the footsteps of Avvakum" to the homeland of the famous archpriest. Photo of the page "Rpsc Bolshoye-Murashkino"

On July 15, 2007, the first religious procession took place. It began from the temple in the name of the holy martyr and confessor Avvakum, which is in the village. Bolshoy Murashkino, and ended at the monument to Archpriest Avvakum, in the village of Grigorovo. It has become a good tradition. The procession runs along a forest road and is about twelve kilometers long.

2.3. Procession Vereya - Borovsk (Moscow region)

On September 24, the holy church honors the memory Holy Martyr and Confessor Theodora (Boyar Theodosia Morozova), Martyrs Princess Evdokia, Justina and Marya. Confessors of the Orthodox faith were imprisoned in prison, and then in an earthen pit in the center of Borovsk, where they were buried. In remembrance of the feat of the martyrs, believers make a procession to the place of their imprisonment, where today there is a chapel.

Procession from Vereya to Borovsk. Photo by Vitaly Moskvichev

2.4. Ural procession to the resting place of the martyrs Konstantin and Arkady of the Shamar miracle workers (village of Shamary, Sverdlovsk region)

Brothers Konstantin and Arkady lived in the middle of the XIX century, belonged to the chapel agreement. Realizing that “without the priesthood there is no salvation,” they joined the Old Believers, who accepted the Belokrinitsky hierarchy. And after that they continued to ascetic labors and prayers in the forest cell. Out of anger and envy, a local resident killed the brothers. It happened in winter, at the end of January. And the monks were found by a pious woman who came to visit them on Peter's Day. For almost half a year they lay covered with branches, but the bodies remained incorruptible!

The official canonization of the venerable martyrs took place at the end of the 20th century, in 1996, after the consecration of a newly built church in the village shamari.

Procession in Shamary. A photo rpsc.ru

Gradually, a tradition developed to visit the tomb of the martyrs, located 25 kilometers from Shamar. With the blessing of Metropolitan Andrian, this procession began.

2.5. Siberian religious procession to the places of Old Believer sketes (Gar village)

Since 2004, in the village Gar of the Tomsk region Passes the Procession from the Old Believer Church with. Gar to the place of the former location of the famous Tomsk sketes. Old Believers, the so-called Tomsk, or Michael-Arkhangelsk, sketes located 200 km from the city of Tomsk. It was a significant spiritual center, in which prominent figures of the Old Believers lived at different times. In the 1930s, the monasteries were devastated: some of the monks were killed, some fled. In memory of the deeds and sufferings for the faith of the ancestors, this procession is made annually to the place of the foundation of the sketes, also founded Metropolitan Andrian.

Procession in the Tomsk taiga to the Michael-Arkhangelsk sketes (Gar)

3. Features of the Old Believer processions

3.1. Old Believer today: his attitude to the procession (traditionality)

Old Believers is a living history that has survived to this day. Everyone knows that a country that has forgotten its culture, history, traditions is doomed to extinction. Many have the impression that Old Believers- these are people who live deep in the forests, rejecting all means of civilization and not making contact with non-believers. It's mostly a myth, overall old believer today- this is the same Christian who lived in the distant 17th century. The Old Believers were always honest not only to those around them, but also to themselves in the first place, did not make any compromises for the sake of the blessings of this world, did not seek a kingdom on earth, but sought the Kingdom of Heaven.

We try to keep the original purpose of this action - fervent prayer. Each believer, coming to the procession, is very happy to communicate with fellow believers, but he comes, first of all, to pray in a special setting, to go the spiritual path, preserving the traditions that have developed in the church.

3.2. The special attitude of the Old Believers to rites and strictness in prayer

Both Divine services in Old Believer parishes and religious processions are performed clearly according to the charter without any abbreviations or omissions. Old Believers always follow the order and order in prayer, considering this an important aspect for the salvation of the soul. After all, the holy fathers, having the grace of God, composed services not so that we could change them, but so that through this everyone could achieve spiritual perfection.

From this comes a strict attitude to personal prayer, a sincere effort to curb one's feelings, desires and turn to God.

3.3. Self-organization of all spheres of the procession

For more than three and a half centuries, the Old Believers exist independently, a little apart. All organizational activities of religious processions, in all areas, are carried out by the communities on their own, with the exception of security issues, when the authorities allocate a traffic police squad and rescuers. As for the rest, the members of the community work for the glory of God in order to provide the conditions necessary for holding the procession, and by common efforts they try to improve these conditions.

4. Difficulties in organization

4.1. Nutrition

During the procession, this issue is resolved charitably and food for pilgrims is completely free. On the eve of the procession, community members also buy all the products on their own, prepare food, which is then delivered to the pilgrims on the personal transport of one of the parishioners. In general, food is a big burden for the organizers and constitutes a significant part of the costs.

4.2. Accommodation

The issue of overnight accommodation is also acute, since all the pilgrims who come to the procession spend the night on the church territory and often there are not enough tents for an overnight stay.

4.3. Health care

The issue of medical care also cannot be called problem-free, since there is no qualified doctor in the column, it is too expensive. In particular, in 2005, during the Velikaya River procession, the ever-memorable Metropolitan Andrian, who made a great contribution to the organization and revival of all the current Old Believer processions, reposed, there was no medical care then.

4.4. Security

The issue of safety concerns, first of all, road traffic. In this regard, things are going well in most cases. As a rule, a traffic police outfit stands out. But there are also negative examples. So, in 2015, during the Vereya-Borovsk procession, at the site in the Kaluga region, the outfit was not allocated, there were neither rescuers nor the traffic police. Pilgrims in a fairly large number simply walked towards moving cars, and most of this religious procession takes place along the road. And it was very unsafe.

5. Ways to solve problems

5.1. Support from the authorities

The support of local authorities is also necessary, the authorities can contribute to a greater extent to solving organizational issues that are within their competence.

5.2. Support from government agencies (traffic police, Medical Service, Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation)

With the support of the authorities, it is necessary to improve the issue of ensuring road safety, the medical service, as there are problem areas in this area.

5.3. Financial support

All of the above problems are difficult to improve, of course, without financial support. Therefore, communities are often looking for benefactors who want to help carry out religious processions. If they don’t find it, then they organize everything on their own, as often happens.

6. Summing up

Summing up, we can say that religious processions are very significant for every Christian and in general for a Russian person. And we must do our best to preserve these traditions and try to improve the conditions for their provision.

Report " The practice of holding religious processions in the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church»,
read at the conference Procession: history, modernity and development”, held on January 26, 2016,
courtesy of the site site by the author.

At the direction of the Presidential Administration, since the end of last year, TV and print media began to talk about the life and life of people of the old faith, and all this is timed to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the birth of Avvakum. In his homeland, in Grigorovo, a documentary was filmed. A film crew from Moscow was also in our museum, where we told them about the history of the Old Believers in Murashkino. The ultimate goal of this project is to unite two Orthodox churches - ROC (Russian Orthodox Church) and ROOC (Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church).

In the series of these articles, I will describe both the history of Russia and the history of Bolshoy Murashkino, since the history of our village (by the way, at the time I am describing, the village of B. Murashkino was a city) is an integral part of the history of Russia.

40 years before the split

This year marks 405 years since the appeal of Moscow residents to all Russians.

The appeal was kept in the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior of Bolshoy Murashkin (what was left of the church is located in the park, near the fountain). Previously, it was considered that this was the appeal of Minin and Pozharsky, but in the archive I found documents that it was written by Moscow residents and dated 1611, and not 1612, as previously thought. A copy of this document was found in the archives by K. Fedorov, the author of the book “Big Murashkino Before and Now”, 1891 edition, republished in our time by Alexander Karpenko.

The Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior was built on the site of a monastery in 1821, where this appeal was kept for more than two hundred years, and how it got into the church is unknown, since there were no studies, and no one asked this question.

Here is his text (spelling and punctuation preserved):

"A proclamation from the inhabitants of Moscow to all Russians for the deliverance of Moscow from the Poles

We are writing to you, the Orthodox common peoples of the Moscow state, to our gentlemen, our brothers Orthodox Christians, our brothers, disgraced, captives, whose fathers, mothers, wives and children have remained in their last impoverishment and have no where to bow their heads to us and to the entire Christian family, write to us. Moscow, so you have nothing for yourself, only for the one God Almighty, seeing the end of destruction for the Orthodox Christian who has come .... Those who perished from the enemies of all Orthodox Christianity, that our brothers wrote to us and we sent the same letter to you, and when you see you will become conscious of a non-healing ulcer, we inform you: and we hear aloud to ourselves in Moscow with a vision, final destruction comes, for God the Judge of the living and dead on our contemptible and tearful sobbing, be with us in common at the same time against our enemies and your common ones. Remember if the root at the base is strong, then the tree is motionless, there will be no root - what will it stick to. Here is the image of the Mother of God, the eternal intercessor of the Christian Mother of God, the Evangelist Luke wrote her, and the great saints and guardians, Peter, Alexei and Jonah the miracle workers, or you Orthodox Christians will not put yourself in anything and say ......,) only then for the sake of not being with us in general, suffer with great strength, no one will give his helper, the Merciful God, and do not believe any blasphemous and flattering word in order to be spared, and now we ourselves see the Christian faith changing into Latinism and the desecration of the churches of God ... "

It should be noted that the years 1611-1612 were the times of Polish occupation, famine, devastation, anarchy. Patriarch Hermogenes is imprisoned, suffers hunger and humiliation. From the basement of the Chudov Monastery, he sends appeals to all cities and villages with a call to defend the Orthodox faith, expel the Poles, not accept the kingdom of impostors and raise the people to liberate Russia and Moscow.

It is known that at that terrible time the country was saved by two people - Kozma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky. And this liberation began 400 kilometers from the capital, in Nizhny Novgorod.

Before the beginning of the reign of the Romanov dynasty (1613 - Mikhail Fedorovich), two years remained. The Russian people were one whole. He was baptized and kept the laws of God in the same way as it was accepted at the baptism of Russia (988). 42 years remained before the church reform and the split of the Russian people.

Times of Troubles

After the death of Tsar Fedor (in January 1598), the ancient Rurik dynasty ceased. Dark times are coming in Russia - the Time of Troubles: the election of Boris Godunov, suspected of the murder of the heir to the throne of the young Dmitry; unprecedented famine and pestilence; death of Godunov; the invasion of the Poles into Russia and the impostor False Dmitry, planted by the Poles on the Russian throne; general impoverishment, cannibalism and robbery ... Then, in the days of troubled times, Filaret Romanov was returned from exile and elected Metropolitan of Rostov (later Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia).

After the expulsion of the Poles from Moscow and the death of the false tsar, in 1613 the Great Zemsky Sobor finally ends the terrible era of the interregnum and the Time of Troubles. The son of Metropolitan Filaret, Mikhail Romanov, who was at that time in the Kostroma Ipatiev Monastery, was unanimously elected to the kingdom.

The date of foundation of the new dynasty became a turning point in the history of Russia. The accession to the throne of Mikhail Romanov, elected to the throne by the Zemsky Sobor, put an end to the Time of Troubles and gave impetus to the further consolidation of the country. 40 years remained before the church schism between Orthodox Christians.

And what was at that time in Murashkino? It is difficult to say with accuracy, but it is known that Murashi also took part in the militia of 1812.

Since 1478, sheepskin and fur production has been born here, brought by exiled working people from Novgorod Severny, where there was a riot led by Martha Boretskaya (the Moscow-Novgorod war of 1477-1478, the last military conflict between the Grand Duchy of Moscow and the Novgorod Republic, culminating in the fall of Novgorod and the annexation of it and the territories controlled by it to Moscow). The rebellion was crushed. The republic that existed for three centuries was liquidated. Marfa Boretskaya herself was exiled to Nizhny Novgorod, where she was tonsured a nun in a convent. Ordinary Novgorodians were exiled throughout Russia, including to Bolshaya Murashkino, where they brought the secrets of leather and fur crafts. Potash production begins to develop (potash is ash for tanning leather).

In 1620 (21), it has not been established exactly, in the village of Grigorovo, a boy named Avvakum was born in the family of a priest. Having by nature a sharp mind and a phenomenal memory, he began to read a lot. The years spent in the Makaryevo-Zheltovodsky monastery were not in vain, where a large amount of literature was available to him. Talking about his childhood, Avvakum in his autobiographical book “The Life of Archpriest Avvakum, Written by Himself” says that despite the fact that his father, although he was a priest, did not lead a very sober lifestyle. His mother, on the contrary, was a very pious woman, and it was she who instilled in him a high spiritual morality. Avvakum was brought up that one must live as it is written in God's Scripture and not deviate a single step from the faith. And so he lived all his life.

Svetlana MARTAZOVA

(To be continued)