Birth of Sergius of Radonezh. Description and photo of the icon

Name: Sergius of Radonezh (Bartholomew Kirillovich)

Age: 78 years old

Activity: hieromonk of the Russian Church, founder of a number of monasteries

Family status: not married

Sergius of Radonezh: biography

Little is known about the life of Sergius of Radonezh, a hieromonk of the Russian Church, a reformer of monasticism in northern Russia and the founder of the Holy Trinity Monastery. Everything that we know about the “great old man”, canonized as a saint, was written by his disciple, the monk Epiphanius the Wise.

Later, the life of Sergius of Radonezh was edited by Pachomius Serb (Logofet). From it, our contemporaries draw information about the main milestones in the biography of a church leader. In his biography, Epiphany managed to convey to the reader the essence of the teacher's personality, his greatness and charm. The earthly path of Sergius, recreated by him, makes it possible to understand the origins of his glory. His life path is significant in that it makes it clear how easily any life difficulties are overcome with faith in God.

Childhood

The date of birth of the future ascetic is not exactly known, some sources call 1314, others - 1322, others are inclined to believe that Sergius of Radonezh was born on May 3, 1319. At baptism, the baby received the name Bartholomew. By ancient tradition, the parents of Sergius were the boyar Kirill and his wife Maria, who lived in the village of Varnitsy in the vicinity of Rostov.

Their estate was located not far from the city - in the places where the Trinity Varnitsky Monastery was later erected. Bartholomew had two more brothers, he was middle. At the age of seven, the boy was sent to study. Unlike the smart brothers, who quickly grasped the letter, the training of the future saint was difficult. But a miracle happened: miraculously, the lad learned to read and write.

Epiphanius the Wise describes this event in his book. Bartholomew, wanting to learn to read and write, prayed long and hard, asking the Lord to enlighten him. One day, an old man in a black robe appeared before him, to whom the boy told about his trouble and asked him to pray for him and ask God for help. The elder promised that from that moment on, the lad would write and read and would surpass his brothers.

They entered the chapel, where Bartholomew confidently and without hesitation recited the psalm. Then they went back to their parents. The elder said that their son was marked by God even before the birth, when she came to the church for the service. During the singing of the liturgy, the child, being in the womb of his mother, shouted three times. On this plot from the life of the saint, the painter Nesterov painted the painting “Vision to the lad Bartholomew”.

From that moment on, books about the lives of the saints became available to Bartholomew. When studying the Holy Scriptures, the lad developed an interest in the church. From the age of twelve, Bartholomew devotes a lot of time to prayer and observes a strict fast. On Wednesdays and Fridays he fasts, on other days he eats bread and drinks water, and prays at night. Maria is worried about her son's behavior. This becomes the subject of controversy and disagreement between father and mother.

In 1328-1330, the family faced serious financial problems and became impoverished. This was the reason that Cyril and Maria and their children moved to Radonezh, a settlement on the outskirts of the Principality of Moscow. These were difficult, troubled times. In Russia, the Golden Horde ruled, lawlessness was happening. The population was subjected to regular raids and imposed an unbearable tribute. Principalities were ruled by princes appointed Tatar-Mongol khans. All this caused the family to move from Rostov.

Monasticism

At the age of 12, Bartholomew decides to take the veil as a monk. His parents did not interfere, but set the condition that he could become a monk only when they were gone. Bartholomew was their only support, since the other brothers lived separately with their children and wives. Soon the parents died, so the wait was not long.

According to the tradition of those times, before their death, they took monastic vows and schema. Bartholomew goes to the Khotkovo-Pokrovsky Monastery, where his brother Stefan is staying. He was a widow and took the tonsure before his brother. The desire for a strict monastic life led the brothers to the banks of the Konchura River in the Makovets tract, where they founded the hermitage.

In a remote forest, the brothers built a wooden cell made of logs and a small church, on the site of which the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity currently stands. The brother cannot stand the hermit life in the forest and moves to the Epiphany Monastery. Bartholomew, who was only 23 years old, takes tonsure, becomes father Sergius and remains to live in the tract all alone.

A little time passed, and monks moved to Makovets, a monastery was formed, which over the years became the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, which still exists today. Its first abbot was a certain Mitrofan, the second abbot was Father Sergius. The abbots of the monastery and the students did not take alms from the believers, living by the fruits of their labor. The community grew, peasants settled around the monastery, fields and meadows were developed, and the former abandoned wilderness turned into a settled territory.

The exploits and glory of the monks became known in Constantinople. From the Patriarch of the Ecumenical Philotheus, St. Sergius was sent a cross, a schema, paraman and a letter. On the advice of the Patriarch, kinovia is introduced in the monastery - a communal charter, subsequently adopted by many monasteries of Russia. This was a bold innovation, since at that time the monasteries lived according to a special charter, according to which the monks arranged their lives in the way that their means allowed.

Cenovia assumed property equality, food from the same boiler in the common refectory, the same clothes and shoes, obedience to the abbot and the "elders". This way of life was the ideal pattern of relationship among believers. The monastery turned into an independent community, whose inhabitants were engaged in prosaic peasant work, praying for the salvation of the soul and the whole world. Having approved the charter of "common life" in Makovets, Sergius began to introduce a life-giving reform in other monasteries.

Monasteries founded by Sergius of Radonezh

• Trinity-Sergius Lavra;
• Staro-Golutvin near Kolomna in the Moscow region;
• Vysotsky monastery in Serpukhov;
• Annunciation Monastery in Kirzhach, Vladimir Region;
• Georgievsky monastery on the river. Klyazma.

Followers of the teachings of the saint founded more than forty monasteries on the territory of Russia. Most of them were built in the wilderness. Over time, villages appeared around them. The “monastic colonization” started by Radonezhsky made it possible to create strongholds for the development of lands and the development of the Russian North and the Volga region.

Battle of Kulikovo

Sergius of Radonezh was a great peacemaker who made an invaluable contribution to the unity of the people. With quiet and meek speeches, he found a way to the hearts of people, calling for obedience and peace. He reconciled the warring parties, calling for submission to the prince of Moscow and the unification of all Russian lands. Subsequently, this created favorable conditions for liberation from the Tatar-Mongols.

The role of Sergius of Radonezh in the battle on the Kulikovo field is great. Before the battle, the Grand Duke came to the saint to pray and ask for advice on whether it was a charitable thing for a Russian person to fight against the atheists. Khan Mamai and his huge army wanted to enslave the freedom-loving, but fearful, Russian people. Saint Sergius gave the prince a blessing for the battle and predicted victory over the Tatar horde.

Together with the prince, he sends two monks, thus violating church canons that forbade monks to fight. Sergius was ready to sacrifice the salvation of his soul for the sake of the Fatherland. The Russian army won the Battle of Kulikovo on Christmas Day Holy Mother of God. This became another evidence of the special love and patronage of the Mother of God in the Russian land. The prayer of the Most Pure One accompanied the whole life of the saint, his favorite icon in his cell was “Odegetria the Mother of God” (Guidebook). Not a day passed without the singing of an akathist - a laudatory hymn dedicated to the Mother of God.

Miracles

Ascent along the path of spiritual perfection of the ascetic was accompanied by mystical visions. He saw angels and birds of paradise, heavenly fire and divine radiance. Miracles are associated with the name of the saint, which began even before birth. The first miracle mentioned above took place in the mother's womb. The baby's cry was heard by everyone in the church. The second miracle is associated with unexpectedly revealed abilities for knowledge.

The pinnacle of spiritual contemplation was the appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos, which the holy elder was honored with. Once, after a selfless prayer in front of the icon, he was illumined by a dazzling light, in the rays of which he saw the Most Pure Mother of God, accompanied by two apostles - Peter and John. The monk fell to his knees, and the Blessed One touched him and said that she had heard the prayers and would continue to help. After these words, she again became invisible.

The appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos was a good omen for the monastery and all of Russia. was coming big war with the Tatars, people found themselves in a state of anxious expectation. The vision became a prophecy, good news about a successful outcome and the coming victory over the horde. The theme of the appearance of the Mother of God to the abbot has become one of the most popular in icon painting.

Death

The sunset of Sergius, who lived to a ripe old age, was clear and quiet. He was surrounded by numerous students, he was revered by the great princes and the last beggars. Six months before his death, Sergius transferred the hegumenship to his disciple Nikon and renounced everything worldly, “began to be silent”, preparing for death.

When the illness began to overcome more and more, in anticipation of leaving, he gathers the monastic brethren and turns to them with instruction. He asks “to have the fear of God”, to preserve unanimity, purity of soul and body, love, humility and hospitality, expressed in caring for the poor and homeless. Another old man departed into the world on September 25, 1392.

Memory

After his death, the Trinity monks elevated him to the rank of saints, calling him a reverend, miracle worker and saint. A stone cathedral was built over the tomb of the saint, called Trinity Cathedral. The walls of the cathedral and the iconostasis were painted by an artel under the direction of . The old murals were not preserved; new ones were created in their place in 1635.

According to another version, the canonization of Radonezhsky took place later, on July 5 (18), when the relics of the saint were found. The relics are still in the Trinity Cathedral. They left its walls only under the strongest threat - during fires and the Napoleonic invasion. With the coming to power of the Bolsheviks, the relics were opened, and the remains were kept in the Sergievsky Museum of History and Art.

The modest Radonezh abbot gained immortality in the memory of his followers, all believers and in the history of the state. The Moscow tsars, who visited the pilgrims in the Trinity Monastery, considered the saint to be their intercessor and patron. His image was addressed in difficult times for the Russian people. His name has become a symbol of the spiritual wealth of Russia and the people.

The dates of the memory of the saint are the day of his death on September 25 (October 8) and the day of the glorification of the holy monks of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra on July 6 (19). In the biography of the saint there are many facts of selfless service to God. Many monasteries, temples and monuments were built in his honor. There are 67 temples in the capital alone, many were built in the 17th-18th centuries. There are also abroad. Written many icons and paintings with his image.

The miraculous icon "Sergius of Radonezh" helps parents when they pray for their children to study well. In the house where there is an icon, the children are under his protection. Schoolchildren and students resort to the help of the saint when they experience difficulties in their studies and during exams. Prayer before the icon helps in court cases, protects from mistakes and offenders.

Sergius of Radonezh (c. 1314-1392) is revered by the Russian Orthodox Church as a saint and is considered the greatest ascetic of the Russian land. He founded the Trinity-Sergius Lavra near Moscow, which was formerly called the Trinity Monastery. Sergius of Radonezh preached the ideas of hesychasm. He understood these ideas in his own way. In particular, he rejected the idea that only monks would enter the kingdom of God. “All the good ones will be saved,” Sergius taught. He became, perhaps, the first Russian spiritual thinker who not only imitated Byzantine thought, but also creatively developed it. The memory of Sergius of Radonezh is especially revered in Russia. It was this ascetic monk who blessed Dmitry of Moscow and his cousin Vladimir Serpukhovsky to fight the Tatars. Through his mouth, the Russian Church for the first time called for the fight against the Horde.

We know about the life of St. Sergius from Epiphanius the Wise - the master of "weaving words". "The Life of Sergius of Radonezh" was written by him in his declining years in 1417-1418. in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. According to his testimony, in 1322 the son of Bartholomew was born to the Rostov boyar Kirill and his wife Maria. Once this family was rich, but then became impoverished and, fleeing from the persecution of the servants of Ivan Kalita, around 1328 was forced to move to Radonezh, a city that belonged to younger son Grand Duke Andrei Ivanovich. At the age of seven, Bartholomew began to be taught to read and write in a church school, teaching was given to him with difficulty. He grew up as a quiet and thoughtful boy, who gradually made the decision to leave the world and devote his life to God. His parents themselves took the tonsure in the Khotkovsky monastery. In the same place, his elder brother Stefan took the vow of monasticism. Bartholomew, having bequeathed his property to his younger brother Peter, went to Khotkovo and became a monk under the name of Sergius.

The brothers decided to leave the monastery and set up a cell in the forest, ten versts from it. Together they cut down the church and consecrated it in honor of the Holy Trinity. Around 1335, Stefan could not stand the hardships and went to the Moscow Epiphany Monastery, leaving Sergius alone. For Sergius, a period of difficult trials began. His seclusion lasted about two years, and then monks began to flock to him. They built twelve cells and surrounded them with a fence. So in 1337 the monastery of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery was born, and Sergius became its abbot.

He led the monastery, but this leadership had nothing to do with power in the usual, secular sense of the word. As they say in the "Life", Sergius was for everyone "as if a bought slave." He cut cells, dragged logs, performed difficult work, fulfilling to the end the vow of monastic poverty and service to one's neighbor. One day he ran out of food, and after being hungry for three days, he went to the monk of his monastery, a certain Daniel. He was going to attach a canopy to his cell and was waiting for carpenters from the village. And so the abbot offered Daniel to do this work. Daniil was afraid that Sergius would ask a lot of him, but he agreed to work for rotten bread, which was already impossible to eat. Sergius worked all day, and in the evening Daniil "bring him a sieve of rotten bread."

Also, according to the information of the Life, he "used every opportunity to start a monastery, where he found it necessary." According to one contemporary, Sergius "with quiet and meek words" could act on the most hardened and hardened hearts; very often reconciled the warring princes. In 1365 he sent him to Nizhny Novgorod reconcile quarreling princes. Along the way, in passing, Sergius found time to arrange a wasteland in the wilderness of the Gorokhovets district in a swamp near the Klyazma River and erect a church of the Holy Trinity. He settled there "the elders of desert hermits, and they ate bast and mowed hay in the swamp." In addition to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, Sergius founded the Annunciation Monastery on Kirzhach, Staro-Golutvin near Kolomna, the Vysotsky Monastery, Georgievsky on the Klyazma. In all these monasteries he placed his disciples as abbots. More than 40 monasteries were founded by his disciples, for example, Savva (Savvino-Storozhevsky near Zvenigorod), Ferapont (Ferapontov), ​​Kirill (Kirillo-Belozersky), Sylvester (Resurrection Obnorsky). According to his life, Sergius of Radonezh performed many miracles. People came to him from different cities for healing, and sometimes even just to see him. According to the life, he once resurrected a boy who died in his father's arms when he carried the child to the saint for healing.

Having reached a ripe old age, Sergius, having foreseen his death in half a year, called the brethren to him and blessed his disciple, Reverend Nikon, who was experienced in spiritual life and obedience, to be abbess. Sergius died on September 25, 1392 and was soon canonized. It happened during the lifetime of people who knew him. An incident that never happened again.

After 30 years, on July 5, 1422, his relics were found incorruptible, as evidenced by Pachomius Logofet. Therefore, this day is one of the days of the memory of the saint. On April 11, 1919, during the campaign to open the relics, the relics of Sergius of Radonezh were opened in the presence of a special commission with the participation of representatives of the church. The remains of Sergius were found in the form of bones, hair and fragments of the rough monastic robe in which he was buried. Pavel Florensky became aware of the forthcoming opening of the relics, and with his participation (in order to protect the relics from the possibility of complete destruction), the head of St. Sergius was secretly separated from the body and replaced with the head of Prince Trubetskoy buried in the Lavra. Until the return of the relics of the Church, the head of St. Sergius was kept separately. In 1920-1946. the relics were in a museum located in the building of the Lavra. On April 20, 1946, the relics of Sergius were returned to the Church. Currently, the relics of St. Sergius are in the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

Sergius of Radonezh embodied the idea of ​​a community monastery in Russia. Previously, monks, leaving for a monastery, continued to own property. There were poor and rich monks. Naturally, the poor soon became the servants of their more affluent brethren. This, according to Sergius, contradicted the very idea of ​​monastic brotherhood, equality, striving for God. Therefore, in his Trinity Monastery, founded near Moscow near Radonezh, Sergius of Radonezh forbade the monks to have private property. They had to give their wealth to the monastery, which became, as it were, a collective owner. Property, in particular land, was needed by the cloisters, only so that the monks who devoted themselves to prayer would have something to eat. As we can see, Sergius of Radonezh was guided by the highest thoughts and fought against monastic wealth. The disciples of Sergius became the founders of many monasteries of this type. However, in the future, the dormitory monasteries became the largest landowners, who, by the way, also possessed great movable wealth - money, precious things received as contributions to the memory of the soul. The Trinity-Sergius Monastery under Vasily II the Dark received an unprecedented privilege: its peasants did not have the right to move on St. George's Day - so, on the scale of one monastery estate, serfdom first appeared in Russia.

In any Orthodox church you will always find an icon with the image of the Reverend Elder Sergius of Radonezh. A serious and thoughtful look is conveyed to us by his large famous icon. Sergius of Radonezh was truly a great miracle worker of the Russian land, to whom we and our descendants should be grateful to the end of time. However, not many people know about his merits and exploits.

In 2014, on May 3 (16), the entire Christian Orthodox world celebrated the 700th anniversary of the birth of the perspicacious elder, who already during his lifetime became famous for his holiness. Throughout Russia, he was revered by various rulers, boyars, princes and simple peasant people.

Icon of Sergius of Radonezh. A photo

Everyone knows that icons of holy clergymen help people in solving their problems. Therefore, I certainly want to know how the icon of Sergius of Radonezh helps. First of all, you need to know that only through sincere prayer and faith in this holy person and in God can people receive protection from any unpleasant life circumstances. Parents ask him for help in raising children, protecting them from evil influences, gaining humility and taming their young pride, since this is the biggest evil, from which a lot of trouble comes later. With all this, they turn to him with different requests.

The icon of Sergius of Radonezh is not noticeable in any way. Her photo, however, makes us think about whether we are doing everything right, whether we are ready to sacrifice our lives for the Motherland, as our heroic ancestors did with the help of the great seer.

Icon "Sergius of Radonezh". Significance in Orthodoxy

God gave him signs of grace, he could heal the sick. Once he even resurrected a dying son through the desperate prayers of his father. Saint Sergius could see and hear at a distance. But the most remarkable and miraculous was the appearance to the elder during the Nativity fast of the Mother of God with the Apostle Peter in 1384.

Saint Sergius of Radonezh reposed peacefully on September 25 (October 8), 1392. Exactly 30 years later, his relics were found, and today they are stored in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra near Moscow.

This holy elder is always asked for intercession in the fate of Orthodox Russia. The icon "Sergius of Radonezh" has become a real talisman for Russia from its enemies.

Childhood

Our God-bearing father Sergius was born in Rostov to pious parents Cyril and Mary, who later were also canonized as saints. The future saint was chosen for service by the Lord himself. His mother, being pregnant, stood in the service, and at this time the cry of the baby was heard three times in the womb. The people standing around also heard it, and then the priest realized that soon a faithful servant of the Holy Trinity would appear in this world. The baby, who would later be called Bartholomew, jumped up just as joyfully before the Lord and His Church, just as John the Baptist in the womb of his mother joyfully jumped up before the Most Holy Theotokos.

The born baby Bartholomew did not even then take his mother's breast on Wednesdays and Fridays. This was the beginning of his great abstinence and fasting.

adolescence

He was sent to school as a youth, but his bad memory prevented him from studying well. In this he was helped by an old monk, or, to be more precise, an angel sent by God, whom he met while walking through the oak forest. The elder promised that from now on the boy would study well himself, and then he would teach others. So the very young Bartholomew accepted the blessing, and from now on he had no problems with his studies. But instead of the usual children's games, he devoted all his free time reading Holy Scripture.

The icon of St. Sergius of Radonezh is very necessary for parents, as it can help them in raising their children. And it is simply necessary for students who find it difficult to study, who have a weak memory and attention. In general, the icon "Sergius of Radonezh" should be in every Orthodox home and in every believing family.

Radonezh

Then Bartholomew's parents moved from Rostov to Radonezh. There they rested in peace. After that, in 1337, the future saint distributed his inheritance to poor people and settled on Makovets Hill together with his brother Stefan, a monk of the Intercession Monastery at Khotkovo. They cut down a hut in this place. And so Bartholomew labored for the monastic feat away from people, and began to pray unceasingly. Soon his brother left this wild deserted monastery, unable to withstand the harsh life.

After some time, Hieromonk Mitrofan came to him and blessed the young Bartholomew for monasticism. He was then 23 years old, and they named him Sergius. Having learned about such a pious monk, other monks began to come and settle in his monastery. He kindly welcomed everyone. Together with the brethren, they first built a small chapel, which Bishop Theognost consecrated in the name of the Holy Trinity. Then, with the grace of Christ, a monastery was built. Once Archimandrite Simon came to them from Smolensk, he brought precious gifts and gave them into the hands of Father Sergius. These funds went to the construction of a large church and the expansion of the monastery monastery.

To this day, this renovated church stands in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery near Moscow, where both the holy relics and the icon of St. Sergius of Radonezh are located. This monastery is always crowded with pilgrims from all over Russia who go there to honor the memory of the holy elder and ask him for protection and patronage.

Trinity Monastery. 1355

Over time, with the blessing of the Patriarch of Constantinople Philotheus in 1355, a communal charter was introduced in the monastery of St. Sergius of Radonezh. The territory of the monastery was divided into three parts - public, residential and defensive. In the center of the monastery stood a new wooden church of the Holy Trinity. The hegumen of the monastery first became the previously mentioned hegumen Mitrofan, and after his death - the Monk Sergius of Radonezh.

Soon, the Trinity Monastery, supported by the Grand Dukes, began to be considered the center of Moscow lands. It was here that St. Sergius of Radonezh blessed the army of Dmitry Donskoy for victory in the battle with the horde of Mamai.

The Battle of Kulikovo took place on the birthday of the Virgin on September 8 (September 21, according to a new style) in 1380. The date was not chosen by chance, because the Mother of God herself patronized Russia. The monks of the Trinity Monastery Peresvet and Oslyabya, who had received the blessing of St. Sergius, entered the battlefield, once they were glorious warriors in Dmitry's squad. This was the sacred duty of every Orthodox Christian. The victory was won, many brethren perished in those days. After the battle, Dmitry Donskoy came to the Trinity Monastery to personally notify Father Sergius of the victory.

There is such an unusual miraculous icon of St. Sergius of Radonezh, where he blesses Prince Dmitry Donskoy for the Battle of Kulikovo. This icon can heal from diseases and protect real warriors from injury and death.

Kulikovo battle. 1380

Let us dwell on the Battle of Kulikovo in more detail, because it was a great battle of Russian troops led by the Moscow Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy and the commander of the Golden Horde, Khan Mamai.

Western, as they say today, occult curators and psychologists persuaded Mamai to go to Moscow and said that this war would strengthen the strength and influence of the Golden Horde, and that Mamai, as a commander, could easily compete with Tamerlane himself. The West helped its mentor with weapons, money and specialists in taking fortresses. A military contingent with Genoese infantry was even presented. All that was required of Mamai was to destroy Muscovy as soon as possible, to destroy and burn cities and villages to the ground, to make slaves of the entire Slavic population. And after this victory, it will be possible to fall on Novgorod land with all its might in order to destroy and plunder it, especially since detachments of the Lithuanian Catholic Jagiello and the Livonian knights are always ready to come to the rescue. In the spring of 1380, the Khan's steppe army moved from the Volga to the Don.

The decisive role of St. Sergius

Most historians agree that a very important and leading role in the unification of Russia in front of the advancing formidable enemy at that time, St. Sergius of Radonezh played. In that difficult moment, many Russian principalities, which had previously waged endless internecine wars, united into a single fist. St. Sergius managed to do the literally impossible - to reconcile two warring religions at that time. He showed the Vedic Rus that the true teachings of Jesus Christ had nothing to do with Western Christianity, that Christ never taught to organize Crusades, burn Vedic temples and heretics at the stake. He showed Russian Christians that true Christianity is as deep a teaching as their ancient faith, therefore there is no reason for religious enmity, since now perverted Christianity is coming from the West, where the most terrible and heinous crimes are committed under the name of Christ.

It is these unrest for Orthodox Russia that the icon “Sergius of Radonezh” hides in itself. Yet it was not in vain that he was called the "Sorrower of the Russian Land", since he never ceased to take care of her and with his unceasing prayers contributed to her spiritual uplift and liberation from the Tatar yoke.

Siege of the Trinity Lavra

So, the victory on the Kulikovo field became a turning point in the struggle for the liberation of Russia from the Mongol-Tatar yoke. However, the final release from it occurred much later - in 1480. Nomadic raids continued for a long time, in 1408 the Trinity Monastery was completely burned down. But he's in literally again rose from the ashes, and people rebuilt it again. In 1422, St. Sergius of Radonezh was also reburied.

The road from Moscow to Rostov passed through the monastery, and then to Arkhangelsk. In the Trinity Monastery, the heirs to the throne, Vasily III and Ivan the Terrible, were baptized. Over time, the monastery turned into a serious defensive fortress. It was surrounded by strong stone walls that connected 12 towers. Ivan the Terrible personally supervised this construction.

Soon, all this came in handy when defending the monastery from the numerous troops of False Dmitry II.

Rebuff to the interventionists. 1608-1609

In 1608-1609, the Sergiev Posad land rebuffed the interventionists. For 16 months there were terrible battles. The Poles wanted to rob the monastery and kill the defenders, who remained loyal to their Fatherland in times of great turmoil. Then the governors were the okolnichiy prince G. B. Roscha-Dolgoruky and the nobleman Alexei Golokhvastov. These defenders were strong in spirit, and their monastery was full of faith and was under the protection of the great miracle worker Sergius. At his coffin, everyone kissed the cross and swore that they would never surrender their monastery to the enemy. After heavy attacks and scurvy, which began due to poor nutrition, which claimed hundreds of lives over many months, only about 300 warriors remained in the monastery, although initially there were 2,400 people. Opposed these insignificant forces of the monastery from 15 to 30 thousand of the best armed forces of the Polish governor Sapieha and Lisovsky, who also had 60 guns.

On the night of one of the most decisive battles, when many thousands of Polish troops rushed to the fortress, the impossible happened. Their detachments, by some fatal mistake, heavy fog, or ridiculous orders from their superiors, shot themselves, mistaking allied detachments for enemies. And the besieged also very courageously met the enemy with fire. The next morning, joy knew no bounds, as the enemy siege weapons were abandoned, and the enemy fled. With the name of God, the support of the Mother of God and the Holy Father Sergius, the heroic Russian soldiers held on. They were sure that victory would be theirs.

There was a lot of evidence of how St. Sergius of Radonezh helped and prompted his soldiers. He even appeared in a thin dream to one monk and suggested that an enemy dig was being carried out under the monastery, and then two peasants blew themselves up and this dig, thereby accomplishing a great feat in the name of God and the Fatherland.

I would very much like to hope that the icon of Sergius of Radonezh, the prayer to this saint and his veneration, even today, will not leave Russia without his support.

Minin and Pozharsky. 1610

You can not ignore the story associated with Minin and Pozharsky. After all, it is known from history that the comrade-in-arms of the governor Prince Pozharsky in the pious cause of expelling the Catholic interventionists was the landowner and butcher by craft Kozma Minin. He was distinguished by chastity and other virtues, loving silence, he always had God in his heart. Once, the Miracle Worker Sergius of Radonezh appeared to him in a dream and ordered him to collect money and soldiers and go to Moscow, where the Polish king wanted to take the Russian throne, preparing Russia for the adoption of the union.

At first, Minin did not attach importance to his dream. The landowner thought: “Well, who am I to do such important things, and who will listen to me?” But then the dream repeated twice more, and Minin, eventually repenting of his disobedience, decided on a charitable deed. Minin and Pozharsky began to gather people throughout Russia.

On March 19, 1611, a spontaneous uprising against the interventionists began in Moscow, the Poles were unable to resist this and locked themselves in Kitai-Gorod and the Kremlin and burned Moscow. The situation was very difficult. The Poles have settled in the capital, the Swedes are seizing Russian lands in the north-west, hordes of Crimean Tatars are rampaging on the southern outskirts ...

However, on August 22-24, less than half of the troops remained with the interventionists. The Poles suffered heavy losses. The hope of owning the Muscovite state was irrevocably destroyed. So, Saint Sergius of Radonezh heard the prayers of the defenders of Russia, whose icon and cross was always to help them.

Analyzing all these events, you begin to understand that it is not in vain and not by chance that at the most difficult moment for the Russian land, every time people come across the image of St. Sergius.

I would also like to note that in Orthodox Christianity military service is a God-pleasing activity. The Church always teaches us patriotism and love for the Motherland. This meaning is embedded in the description of the icon of Sergius of Radonezh.

Conclusion

The life of the lad Bartholomew has become an example for modern children and youth, which convinces us that unpleasant external circumstances or such objective ones as ill health, learning disabilities, can either destroy life or provide a basis for the formation of a strong personality and its special character traits, which happened to our Reverend Father Sergius of Radonezh.

Icon of St. Sergius of Radonezh always hears our prayers for our families, children, parents, and therefore for the future of the Fatherland.

In central and northern Russia, St. Sergius of Radonezh (in the world Bartholomew) was born on May 3, 1314 in the village of Varnitsy, near Rostov, in the family of the boyar Kirill and his wife Maria.

At the age of seven, Bartholomew was sent to study with his two brothers - the elder Stefan and the younger Peter. At first he lagged behind in learning to read and write, but then, thanks to patience and work, he got acquainted with the Holy Scriptures and became addicted to the church and monastic life.

Around 1330, Sergius's parents left Rostov and settled in the city of Radonezh (about 55 kilometers from Moscow). When the eldest sons got married, Cyril and Maria, shortly before their death, accepted the schema in the Khotkovsky Monastery of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, not far from Radonezh. Subsequently, the widowed older brother Stefan also accepted monasticism in this monastery.

Having buried his parents, Bartholomew ceded his part of the inheritance to his married brother Peter.

Together with his brother Stefan, he retired to the desert in the forest a few kilometers from Radonezh. First, the brothers built a cell (a dwelling for a monastic), and then a small church, consecrated in the Name of the Most Holy Trinity. Soon, unable to bear the difficulties of life in a deserted place, Stefan left his brother and moved to the Moscow Epiphany Monastery, where he became close to the monk Alexy, the future Metropolitan of Moscow, and later became abbot.

In October 1337, Bartholomew took monastic vows with the name of the holy martyr Sergius.

The news of Sergius's asceticism spread throughout the district, followers began to flock to him, wishing to lead a strict monastic life. Gradually, a monastery was formed. The foundation of the Trinity Monastery (now the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra) is attributed to the years 1330-1340.

After some time, the monks convinced Sergius to accept the hegumenate, threatening to disperse if he did not agree. In 1354, after long refusals, Sergius was ordained a hieromonk and elevated to the rank of hegumen.

With deep humility, Sergius himself served the brethren - he built cells, chopped wood, ground grain, baked bread, sewed clothes and shoes, carried water.

Gradually, his fame grew, everyone began to turn to the monastery, from peasants to princes, many settled in the neighborhood and donated their property to her. Initially enduring the extreme need of the desert in everything necessary, she turned to a rich monastery.

The Trinity Monastery was at first "special": obeying one hegumen and converging for prayer in one church, the monks each had their own cell, their own property, their own clothes and food. Around 1372, ambassadors from Patriarch Philotheus of Constantinople came to Sergius and brought him a cross, a paraman (a small quadrangular board with the image of a cross) and a schema (monastic vestments) as a blessing for new exploits and a patriarchal letter, where the patriarch advised the abbot to build a cenobitic monastery following the example of a Christian communities of apostolic times. With a patriarchal message, the Monk Sergius went to Metropolitan Alexy of Moscow and received advice from him to introduce a strict communal life in the cloisters.

Soon the monks began to complain about the severity of the charter, and Sergius left the monastery. On the Kirzhach River, he founded a monastery in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos. The order in the former monastery began to quickly decline, and the remaining monks turned to Metropolitan Alexy to return the saint. Then Sergius obeyed, leaving his disciple Roman as abbot of the Kirzhachsky monastery.

Hegumen Sergius was called by Metropolitan Alexy in his declining years with a request to accept the Russian Metropolis, but out of humility he refused the primacy.

Sergius of Radonezh also acted as a wise politician, striving to pacify strife and unite the Russian lands. In 1366 he resolved the princely family dispute over Nizhny Novgorod, in 1387 he went as an ambassador to Prince Oleg Ryazansky, having achieved his reconciliation with Moscow.

His deeds and prayers before the Battle of Kulikovo (1380) are covered with special glory. Sergius of Radonezh asked for blessings for the upcoming battle, Grand Duke Dimitry Donskoy. During the battle, the monk, together with the brethren, stood in prayer and asked God to grant victory to the Russian army.

Having reached a ripe old age, Sergius of Radonezh, having foreseen his death in six months, called the brethren to him and blessed the disciple Nikon, experienced in the spiritual life, for the abbess.

Sergius of Radonezh asked the brethren to bury him outside the church, in the common monastery cemetery, but with the permission of the metropolitan, his body was laid in the church on the right side. Thirty years later, on July 5, 1422, the relics of the saint were unveiled in the presence of his godson, Prince Yuri of Galicia. At the same time, a local celebration of the memory of the monk was established in the monastery. In 1452, Sergius of Radonezh was canonized as a saint.

In 1463, the first known church was built in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh in the lord's court in Novgorod.

In addition to the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, St. Sergius of Radonezh founded the Holy Annunciation Kirzhachsky Monastery, the Rostov Borisoglebsky Monastery, the Vysotsky Monastery, the Epiphany Staro-Golutvin Monastery and others, and his disciples founded up to 40 monasteries.

Russian Orthodox Church celebrates his memory on the day of his death, as well as on July 18 (5 according to the old style), on the day of finding the relics.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

The beginning of the unparalleled scope of Orthodox asceticism in history, which happened in the XIV-XV centuries. was laid near Moscow, in the Trinity Monastery.

St. Sergius of Radonezh (1314 or 1322 - 1392) did not leave a single line behind him. Moreover, he always eschewed frank teaching. Therefore, we can say that the teaching of St. Sergius of Radonezh is his life.

The asceticism of St. Sergius of Radonezh largely influenced the entire national spirituality, for he introduced into it the most important religious and philosophical ideas for the entire Russian national consciousness.

First of all, Sergius of Radonezh, striving for “life in Christ”, introduced the idea and practice of “high living”, as a real example of moral perfection, as a kind of universal ideal. Shortly before his death, Sergius of Radonezh bequeathed to his monks “to have purity of soul and body and unfeigned love”, “to adorn oneself with humility”, “to keep one mind with each other”, “to put the honor and glory of this life into nothing, but instead from God expect retribution, heavenly eternal blessings of enjoyment.” In fact, in this testament, in a brief form, all the main components of the idea of ​​"high life" are expressed.

Preaching a “high life”, Sergius of Radonezh called on the monastic brethren, first of all, to completely renounce worldly temptations - wealth, power, hatred, violence. He believed that all these worldly concerns burden the soul and prevent the monk from concentrating on prayer. “But nothing useless should be taken care of, but we should trust and look to God, who can feed us and clothe us, and take care of all our affairs: and from him we should expect everything that is good and beneficial to souls and our bodies,” said Sergius.

Therefore, in the Trinity Monastery itself, poverty, the rejection of private property, humility and love were practiced. But, at the same time, Sergius did not welcome complete poverty or begging, which the monks of other monasteries did. The Trinity Abbot highly valued human dignity, which is given by God, and which a person is obliged to observe. Therefore, the Trinity monks practiced everyday joint labor to earn a livelihood. Moreover, if the inhabitants of the surrounding villages brought provisions to the monks, then at the behest of the abbot, they first prayed to the glory of God, then fed the guests, and lastly they themselves began to eat.

The rejection of everything worldly was supposed to help the monks keep “purity of soul”, as a necessary condition for “high life”. In this sense, Sergius of Radonezh followed the ancient monastic-ascetic tradition. The text of the Life says that in his heart (“on the heart of imea”) St. Sergius bore examples of famous ancient ascetics, the founders of the monastic tradition in general and, in particular, the cenobitic tradition - Anthony the Great, Euthymius the Great, Savva the Sanctified, Pachomius, Theodosius and others.

However, in his opinion, the achievement of spiritual purity was not associated with the practice of “torturing the flesh” in the form in which it was understood, for example, in the Kiev Caves Monastery. The Life reports that even at the time when the monks lived “especially”, Sergius led a strict fasting life, and his virtues were as follows: “hunger, thirst, vigil, dry food, sleep on earth, purity of body and soul, silence of the mouth, careful mortification of carnal desires, bodily labors, unhypocritical humility, unceasing prayer, good understanding, perfect love, poverty in clothes, memory of death, meekness with gentleness, constant fear of God. At the same time, the Life emphasizes the special significance of the idea of ​​the fear of God, by which the monk was protected from sins. However, the very fear of God is only the beginning of achievement, the beginning of every virtue.

And a little lower, the Life reports that Sergius avoided “demonic temptations” not by the practice of “torturing the flesh”, but only by strict fasting: his body and enslaved it, curbed it with fasting; and so by the grace of God he was delivered from temptations.” The most important means in the fight against temptations is a moral feat, that same “purity of the soul”, when, without resorting to physical torture, a person is able to overcome all temptations with only “arrows of purity”: “He learned to defend himself against demonic attacks: as soon as demons they wanted to strike him with arrows of sin, the monk shot arrows of purity at them, shooting in the darkness at the righteous in heart.

Consequently, in the Trinity Monastery, the ascetic feat was considered, firstly, as suffering in the name of Christ, and, secondly, as a means of “illuminating the soul,” for suffering should precisely brighten the soul, and not “torture” the body. Thus, acting as the spiritual heir of Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves, Sergius of Radonezh shifted the focus towards spiritual and moral self-improvement, abandoning the physical “torture of the flesh”. And it is not for nothing that the Life itself repeatedly emphasizes that it was precisely because of the “purity of life” that St. Sergius was awarded the grace of God.

An important condition for the “high life” were the ideas of humility and love. And Sergius of Radonezh with his whole life proved to those around him that life can only be arranged with goodness and love, because, responding evil to evil, a person gives rise to new evil. No wonder G.P. Fedotov, speaking of Sergius of Radonezh, quite rightly remarked: “Humble meekness is the main spiritual fabric of his personality.”

A necessary component of the "high life" was the idea of ​​"internal" spiritual freedom, as the highest degree of freedom in general. This idea is based on the words of Jesus Christ: “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Developed later in the writings of the Fathers of the Church, the idea of ​​“inner freedom” was vividly embodied in the life and work of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

The essence of this idea is as follows. Man, under the influence of the grace of the Holy Spirit, is able to know God's truth and embark on the path of salvation. Knowledge of the truth convinces a person of the senseless vanity of worldly concerns, but, at the same time, strengthens his spiritual strength many times over. Consequently, a person who has mastered the truth turns out to be free in relation to the surrounding world and to the evil that fills this world. Moreover, he begins to resist evil.

"Inner freedom" is highest degree freedom because a person in his thoughts and actions approaches the Divine image as close as possible. No other kind of freedom, and especially the freedom that is established in human laws, can not be compared with "internal" freedom. After all, if God's Grace lives in a person's heart, then nothing can prevent him from being free, for under the influence of this Grace, a person performs precisely those actions that are inspired by the Lord Himself.

Examples of the “inner freedom” of St. Sergius are the numerous cases when he treats princes, bishops, and many others with complete freedom. the mighty of the world this, which are given in his Life. Concerned only with serving the Lord, he turns out to be higher and freer than many who are endowed with real worldly power.

It must be said that the idea of ​​“internal freedom” eventually became very influential in Russian religious and philosophical thought and in literary and artistic creativity. This idea found its reflection and expression in almost all the teachings of Russian philosophers and in many works of Russian writers. Moreover, in the idea of ​​"internal freedom" Sergius of Radonezh expressed one of the most important qualities of Russian national self-consciousness.

St. Sergius saw one more of the conditions for a “high life” – both for an individual, and for a monastery monastery, and for society as a whole – in unanimity.

Unity of mind for an individual is the unity of the soul, fully dedicated to the service of the Lord. For the monastery, this is the unity of thoughts and actions of all the monks, who, by their feat, multiply Christ's Love on earth and set an example for other people. For society, this is the idea of ​​the unity of Russia, thanks to which Russia can only be saved.

And it is no coincidence that the monastery, founded by St. Sergius, was dedicated to the Holy Trinity. Sergius of Radonezh saw in the Trinity the highest Christian image of Unity and Love, for the hypostases of the Holy Trinity are consubstantial, not separated by relations of seniority and juniority, do not know hatred, but are filled with Love.

It should be recalled that it was the dogma of the Holy Trinity, due to the difficulty of its reasonable understanding, that gave rise to many different heresies in the history of the Christian Church. The dogma of the Holy Trinity (or - the trinitarian dogma) is one of the most important in the Christian doctrine. And, at the same time, one of the most difficult for its religious-philosophical and theological interpretation. Even the Holy Fathers of the Church, foreseeing difficulties in comprehending the dogma of the Holy Trinity, tried to clarify the mystery of the “non-convergence and inseparability” of the Divine Trinity. At the same time, they actively used images and symbols. Some compared it to the sunshine, where the sun, ray and light are simultaneously one and distinct. Others thought about the mystery and harmony of love, where person-hypostases are mutually related as Loving, Beloved and Love. Still others spoke of will, reason and action. But everyone agreed on one thing: the Holy Trinity is not a quantitative characteristic, but a quality of the Lord, incomprehensible to man, but given to him in Revelation. St. Basil the Great wrote: “The Lord, passing on to us about the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, renamed them innumerable; for he did not say: in the first, second and third, or in one, two and three; but in the holy Names gave us the knowledge of faith, leading to salvation…”

Interestingly, before Sergius of Radonezh, the dogma of the Holy Trinity was accepted in Russia as such. Even being the object of speculative religious-philosophical reasoning, the Holy Trinity was not considered as a necessary part of real life. For example, they preferred to dedicate temples to more real images: the Savior, the Mother of God, the “ambulance” Nicholas the Wonderworker, holy soldiers and the Fathers of the Church. And only in the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery the Trinity was paid much more attention - there, above the main gate at the beginning of the 12th century. Trinity Church was built. Consequently, referring to the image of the Holy Trinity, Sergius of Radonezh also acted as the heir to the tradition established by the Kiev-Pechersk monks.

But for the first time in Russian religious and philosophical thought, St. Sergius gave the idea of ​​the Holy Trinity a real, concrete sound, transformed the Christian dogma into a symbol of living unity, that unity to which all people living on earth should strive. Thus, the Holy Trinity is also a prototype of how human society in general and Russian society in particular should be built.

The image of the Holy Trinity, preached by him both as a symbol of the unity of heaven and earth, and as a symbol of the unity of earthly life, and as a symbol of the unity of the Church and as a symbol of the unity of the Old and New Testaments, fixed in the Russian national consciousness by the creation of Andrei Rublev with the icon "Holy Trinity", in soon became a guiding star for many Russian scribes.

In fact, the image of the Holy Trinity showed the whole of Russia the possible and real way to save the state. In the religious and philosophical sense, this image, as an ideal of earthly existence, opened the way for removing the dilemma itself - national or universal. This path was connected with mastering the experience of the Ecumenical Church through the strengthening and development of its own national principles in the Russian Church. Indeed, in the monastic feat of Sergius of Radonezh, the long-standing Russian traditions of a joyful, optimistic perception of the Orthodox faith, and the principles of a more mystical Eastern Christianity, found their unity. Moreover, united together, they became the basis of all further spiritual development of Russia. The idea of ​​a special path for Russia and a special plan of God in relation to Russia gradually began to win an increasing place in the hearts and minds of Russian scribes. And it is not for nothing that the coming XV-XVI centuries became the brightest times of Russian holiness. Realizing and recognizing the holiness of their worshipers, all of Russia gradually acquired holiness.

Consequently, the Holy Trinity, in whose honor the monastery on Mount Makovets was founded, became a symbol of the unity of Russia. As subsequent history showed, it was from the Trinity Monastery that Russian people, both in the 14th century and later, were waiting for impulses to revive unity in the Russian state, for these impulses came, as it were, from the Lord Himself. And the “Trinity” icon, painted by Andrei Rublev, a spiritual student of St. Sergius, was revered not as a work of art, but again, as an embodied symbol of Divine unity.

It is quite natural that the striving for a "high life" also presupposed certain definite ways of cognizing God's Providence. And in this sense, Sergius of Radonezh attached great importance to mystical knowledge.

The symbolic basis of visions lies in the Bible, which is all imbued with the idea of ​​divine visions and signs (for example, the fundamental image of the Trinity, which became the basis of the trinitarian dogma, originates, as already mentioned, in the biblical story about the appearance of three men to Abraham). Great importance The mystical language of the knowledge of God's mysteries is given in the writings of the Church Fathers, especially in the writings of Dionysius the Areopagite. Later, this tradition received special development in the Byzantine Church.

In Russia, the pan-Orthodox belief was also preserved that the knowledge of the Lord's secrets occurs with the help of mystical visions and theophany. From the 11th century known big number monuments of translated oriental literature that tells about visions, apocryphal writings were especially vivid in this sense. But the substantiation of the forms of mystical connection with the divine world is quite rare in the Russian book tradition. Moreover, the atmosphere of monastic mysticism of visions arises in Russia only from the end of the 14th - beginning of the 15th centuries. And at the origins of this phenomenon is Sergius of Radonezh. As G.P. Fedotov: “We have every right to see in St. Sergius the first Russian mystic, that is, the bearer of a special, mysterious spiritual life, not exhausted by the feat of love, asceticism and perseverance of prayer. The secrets of his spiritual life have remained hidden from us.”

In fact, in this attention to the mystical knowledge of God's mysteries, so vividly represented by the Life of Sergius of Radonezh, one can see a new and fruitful experience in the development of the traditions of the Byzantine Church by Russian religious and philosophical thought. However, the point is not only in the development of Eastern traditions, but also in the fact that these traditions were filled and supplemented with their own, Russian, reading of the miraculous phenomena themselves. And domestic religious and philosophical thought followed the path of absorbing Eastern religious mystical experience.

By themselves, the causes of visions and epiphanies could be different. First of all, epiphanies were performed miraculously, without any will on the part of man, but by the will of God Himself. At the same time, monastic communities were developing special techniques for achieving mystical trance. The beginning of this was laid by the ancient Egyptian and Syrian hermits of the III-VII centuries.

As the Life of Sergius of Radonezh testifies, epiphany to the Trinity abbot was performed repeatedly. Most often - during prayer. The brightest and most significant of them is the appearance of the Mother of God, Who, in response to the prayer of St. Sergius, promised Her patronage of the monastery built by him. Moreover, it is important that Sergius, after praying, warned the monk Micah, who was nearby, about the coming appearance of the Most Pure Mother of God: “Child! Be vigilant and stay awake, because a wonderful and terrible vision will be ours at this hour, ”said St. Sergius. important in this case and that the appearance of the Mother of God was unique in the monastic practice of that time.

It is also important in this case that the appearance of the Mother of God was unique in the monastic practice of that time. The very fact of the vision of the Monk Sergius of the Mother of God is the first evidence of the appearance of the Mother of God to the Russian monk. Later, this was seen as a clear divine sign that the Lord began to give Russia, and specifically Moscow Russia, his special protection.

According to the testimony of another monk, Simon, during the divine service, Sergius of Radonezh also appeared “divine fire”, “walking along the altar, overshadowing the altar and surrounding the holy meal from all sides.” And then, when Sergius wanted to take communion, “the divine fire curled up like a kind of shroud and entered the holy chalice (a vessel for communion. - S.P.); so the saint took communion.” The fact that St. Sergius was given miraculous mystical knowledge is also evidenced by many other facts given in his Life - the healing of the sick, the exorcism of demons, and even the resurrection from the dead.

In general, the mystical experience of St. Sergius, narrated by his Life, testifies that at the turn of the 14th-15th centuries, Russian religious and philosophical thought was already faced with the task of mastering the experience of the Christian Church in all its diverse scope. In an effort to find itself on the paths of God's Providence, Russia strove for a symbolic unity with God. And the role of Sergius of Radonezh in this is more than great.

Of no small importance is the fact that St. Sergius became one of those who gave Byzantine Christianity a national sound, transforming it into a truly popular religion. Largely thanks to Sergius of Radonezh, Russian Orthodoxy acquired those spiritual, moral and practical components that retain their life-giving force even today.

It is also necessary to say that the ascetic activity of St. Sergius of Radonezh laid the foundation for such a peculiar phenomenon in Russian Orthodoxy as eldership. Elders are monks who, with their righteous lives, proved a person's ability to moral, spiritual purification. The significance of the institution of “starhood” in Russian monasticism has changed significantly over the centuries. However, undoubted spiritual continuity was also preserved. In general, with their spiritual authority, the elders had a huge impact on the entire Russian society.

St. Sergius of Radonezh became a true "lamp" for his contemporaries and descendants - a man who managed to subordinate his whole life to the gospel commandments of love and unanimity. Avoiding the temptation to judge and edify, he taught not so much by word as by his way of life, his attitude towards others. And the people heard his silent sermon. Therefore, the life path of the “great old man”, as he was called, also looks paradoxical - all his life he fled from the society of people, and as a result became his spiritual leader. Already during his lifetime, St. Sergius of Radonezh was considered as incarnated in real person a symbol of the unity of Russia, which the Russian people so longed for in the XIII-XIV centuries.

Shortly after his death, in 1447, St. Sergius of Radonezh was canonized, and later he was revered as the heavenly patron and intercessor of the Moscow sovereigns. And not without reason it was in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery that grand-ducal and royal children were baptized.

And such great attention paid by St. Sergius of Radonezh to the idea of ​​the Holy Trinity found its expression in the icon-painting works of Andrei Rublev (1370? - 1430?). Andrey Rublev painted the Trinity icon around 1411 by order of the Trinity Monastery, possibly for the first wooden chapel built over the grave of Sergius of Radonezh.

In accordance with the centuries-old doctrinal tradition, the image of the Holy Trinity is present in Old Testament in the 18th chapter of the book of Genesis, which tells about the appearance of three angels to the forefather Abraham and his wife Sarah: “And the Lord appeared to him at the oak forest of Mamre, when he was sitting at the entrance to the tent, during the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold, three men stood opposite him…” (Genesis 18:1,2). The Lord, who took the form of three angels and appeared to Abraham, bears another name - the “Old Testament Trinity”.

The complexity of the verbal interpretation of the sacrament of the Holy Trinity already prompted the first Christians to look for other ways to comprehend this mystery, using, among other things, pictorial language. The plot “The appearance of three angels to Abraham” (or otherwise “Hospitality of Abraham”) appears quite early in iconography - for example, in the painting of the catacombs on Via Latina (4th century), as well as in early mosaics in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome (5th century .) and the Church of San Vitale in Ravenna (VI century). This plot was also widespread in Byzantine art.

AT Ancient Russia the iconography “Hospitality of Abraham” came very early, in the 11th century (a fresco in St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv). This plot is present on the southern gates of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin in Suzdal (XIII century), on the fresco of Theophan the Greek in the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior on Ilyin Street in Novgorod (XIV century), on numerous icons.

But the icon “Trinity” by Andrei Rublev becomes a turning point in the religious-philosophical and theological understanding of this iconography. According to modern researchers, only the Rublev icon can be called "Trinity" in contrast to the "Hospitality of Abraham". And the icon, made by Rublev, became, in a way, the artistic embodiment of the theological and religious-philosophical views of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

In general, this idea was first expressed by E.N. Trubetskoy: “The icon expresses the main idea of ​​the whole monastic service of the monk… He prayed that this bestial world, divided by hatred, would be filled with the love that reigns in the Pre-eternal Council of the life-giving Trinity. And Andrei Rublev showed this prayer in colors, expressing both the sadness and the hope of St. Sergius about Russia. In that direction, I reflected on the Rublev image of the Holy Trinity and P.A. Florensky: “In the icon of the Trinity, Andrei Rublev was not an independent creator, but only a brilliant implementer of the creative concept and basic composition given by St. Sergius.”

Indeed, depicting the Trinity Deity, the unity of the Old and New Testaments, the sacrament of the Eucharist and the triumph of Christian humility, the icon of the Holy Trinity is a symbol of immersion in the mystery of divine being, in its inseparability and inseparability. And this once again emphasizes the meaning of the symbol of the Holy Trinity, which Sergius of Radonezh contemplated all his life, “so that, as it is said in his life, the fear of the hated strife of this world is overcome by looking at the Holy Trinity.” Consequently, the image of the Holy Trinity is given to Russia for all time for its transformation and spiritual rebirth. Following Andrei Rublev, many icon painters began to adhere to a similar scheme for depicting the Trinity, right up to the 17th century (“Trinity” by Simon Ushakov).