The monastery of the Virgin Mary Xylurgu is one of the most ancient on Athos, located on the eastern slope of Holy Mount Athos in a dense oak grove, among the austere beauties of desert nature. The name “Xylurgu” was given to the monastery of the Mother of God by the Greeks (it means a carpenter, woodworker), because the Russian monks, as immigrants from the north, were skilled carpenters, i.e. wood craftsmen, and their first buildings in the monastery of the Mother of God were wooden . Unfortunately, they have not survived to this day. The first mention of Russian monks on the Holy Mountain is associated with the monastery of Xylurgu.

In the middle of the 12th century. The Xylurgu monastery was well organized both from the spiritual and material sides. The number of brethren in it was constantly increasing, and the monastery could hardly accommodate all the Russian monks. Therefore, the Holy Kinot, at the request of Abbot Lawrence, in 1168 handed over to the monks the Thessalonian monastery, which was empty by that time, and the monastery of Xylurgu was converted from a monastery into a monastery and remains so to the present day.

The cathedral church of the monastery was consecrated in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is one of the most ancient temples on the Holy Mountain. Another small church is in the name of St. John of Rylsky. The third temple was consecrated in 1890 in the name of the Slavic enlighteners Sts. Cyril and Methodius and is located above the refectory.

In the Assumption Church of the skete there is kept a miraculous Icon of the Mother of God "Sweet Kiss". It was donated to the monastery in 1802. The icon received its name because the Mother of God is depicted on it kissing the Infant Christ, who bowed to Her. On the lips of the Infant God, who embraced the Mother of God with his left hand, is the smile of Divine love. With a bright gaze and the same smile of love, the Mother of God supports Her Son with her right hand. The holiday of the miraculous icon “Sweet Kiss” is established on St. Thomas Week. On this day there is always a religious procession with a miraculous image. An akathist is sung daily before this icon of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Among the temple shrines one should name: the antimension of the late 17th century; part of the relics of saints: app. Andrew, Luke, Matthew, James Zebedee, St. John the Merciful, Nikephoros and Tarasius of Constantinople, martyr. Minas, Mamanta, Christopher, St. John Kushchnik, Isaac of Dalmatia, Evdokim of Vatopedi, Jacob of Iveron, prmts. Paraskeva and other saints of God.

The monastery of Xylurgu is located about 12 km north of Old (or Nagorny) Rusik.

Skit Xylurgu

The ninth part presents historical and modern photographs of the monastery monasteries Old (Nagorny) Rusik, Xylurgu and Krumitsa (Khrumitsa)

Old (Nagorny) Rusik, Xylurgu and Krumitsa (Khrumitsa)

Old (Nagorny) Rusik

The Old (Nagorny) Rusik monastery on Mount Athos is closely connected with the founding of the New (Coastal) St. Panteleimon Monastery, which was moved in the 17th century to the sea, where it remains to this day. The monastery is considered the second monastery of Russian monasticism on the Holy Mountain by the time of its foundation (XII century, after the monastery of Xylurgu). It is located in the middle of the eastern slope of the Athos ridge in a small fertile valley.

Russian writer and traveler of the early 18th century.

Vasily Grigorievich Barsky-Grigorovich (in monasticism - Vasily; pseudonyms: Vasily Kyiv, Grigorovich, Barsky, Plaka, Albov; 1701 - 1747) gave the following description of it: “This monastery is located ... from the sea ... - by an hour, from Kary and Protat - two hours. It is found in a mountain field to sit between the heights and the seashore... created to eat in a place equal, and healthy, and cheerful, and extremely secluded and silent, with hay fields and abundant waters, which flow into the monastery from afar with wooden gutters...” And further: to the middle XI century the monastery “was crowded and had primacy among the minor monasteries, both in vastness and in splendor”; however, by the end of the 12th century.

„...During the XII-XV centuries. Serbian rulers were kritors of the Russian monastery. Around 1186, captivated by the legends of the Holy Mountain, the young prince Rastko secretly went to the mountainous Rusik, where, at his own request and with the blessing of the abbot, he secluded himself with the elder in the chapel of St. John the Baptist at the monastery feast, took on an angelic image with the name of Savva. His father's envoys tried in vain to return the young man to his parental home.

St. Savva, already dressed in monastic vestments, appeared in the small window of the feast and threw off his royal robes from the tower” (6, p.44).

Skit Xylurgu

Renewal of the pier (tower) of St. Savva Serbsky in the northeastern fence of Old Rusik was simultaneously continued with work in the eastern wing in 1969 -1971. At the top of the tower is the chapel of St. Savva, Archbishop of Serbia (1, p. 326). It was built on the site of the “Chapel of the Forerunner”, in which Rastko, the third son of the Serbian Župan Stefan the First Neman, was tonsured a monk and received the name “Sava” after tonsure.

According to legend, Xylurgu is considered the oldest Russian Orthodox monastery. In the XI - XII centuries. The first Russian monks flocked here, who came to seek salvation on Holy Mount Athos (See: 7). Xylurgu is traditionally considered the first Slavic monastery on Mount Athos (Ibid., p. 78).

The monastery of Xylurgu (Treemaker; monastery of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary; Panagia Xylurgu) is located on the eastern side of Holy Mount Athos.

“The monastery is located on a mountain height among a dense oak forest, between the monasteries of Vatopedi and Pantokrator. In ancient times, on this site there was a monastery dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos, and it was called the “Monastery of Xylurgu” (Woodmaking)” (6, p. 38).

“The first Russian monastery on Mount Athos was dedicated to the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary and was called the “Abode of Woodworking” (7, p. 79). In everyday life it was simply called “Theotokos”. In ancient times, the monastery had a single temple. Accurate historical information about the founders and builders of the monastery has not been preserved.

Our most important shrine is the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, called the “Sweet Kiss,” which was donated to our monastery in 1802. In Greek it is called "Glycophylussa". And our icon got its name because the Mother of God is depicted on it kissing the Infant Christ. After the service, we lead each group of pilgrims to our miraculous icon, on behalf of the monastery we hand each of them a postcard with an image of the icon, a brochure about Xylurgu, as well as oil from the lamp. In the middle of our yard there is a huge stump from a cut cypress tree, and from under its root grows a mighty grapevine. So, the old Greek monks told me that in Xylurgu, sometimes at night, right on the top of this once tall and only cypress tree here, our miraculous icon was visible, from which a glow emanated.

The feast of the miraculous icon “Sweet Kiss” is established on the second week of Easter, the Apostle Thomas. On this day we always make a religious procession with our miraculous image. Thank God, we always have pilgrims on this holiday. Our icon is truly miraculous. This year alone we have recorded two miraculous incidents from the image.

The monastery of Xylurgu and its devotees are described in detail in the book “Parakalo”, published in 2010 in Samara (See: 24).

In 1820, a paraklis in the name of St. John of Rylsky appeared in the Xylurgu fraternal building, and in 1885 a new two-story fraternal building with a paraklis in the name of St.

Cyril and Methodius.

Skit Krumica . Hermitage Krumitsa (also “Khrumitsa”, “Kromitsa”, “Kromnitsa”, “Krumnitsa”) is located on the western border of the peninsula, near the Isthmus of Athos

The monastery is famous for its vineyards and vegetable gardens. Initially, there was only one small cell with the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary.

The surrounding area of ​​the monastery is very picturesque. Since 1850, vineyards have been laid out on the Krumitsa site, oilseeds and orchards have been planted, and apiaries have been established. Krumitsa supplied the monastery with wine, olive oil, honey and wax (5, p.104-105).

In 1882, a large temple was erected in the monastery in honor of the icon of the Mother of God of Kazan, and a few years later - an almshouse where old and sick monks lived in retirement. For those members of the brethren who desired a solitary and silent life, separate cells were arranged (5, p.105). According to the style of painting, the painting, located in the collection of the St. Panteleimon Monastery, of the Krumitsa monastery dates back to the first decade of the 20th century (1, p. 328). The monastery, according to the researcher (Ibid.), received its name from the old monastery of Archontissa Chromantis, located on this territory. To the south of the skete, about one kilometer, is the cell of St. Basil, in which V. G. Grigorovich-Barsky spent the night on Saturday, October 2, 1725, on the first day of his visit to Athos (Ibid.).

should

Literature.

1. Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Berlin.

Bildlexikon des heiligen Berges Athos von Paul M. Mylonas.

Band I., Teil I. Atlas der zwanzig souverönen Klöster. Heft II. Photographische Documentation der Landschaft und Klöster. - Wasmuth, 2000.

2. Bildlexikon des Heiligen Berges Athos von Paul M. Mylonos. Band I, Teil I. Atlas der zwanzig souveränen Klöster. Topographie und historische Architektur. Heft III. Der Atlas: Karten und Tafeln.

12. Petrunina O.E. Mount Athos question in 1912-1917. based on materials from Russian diplomatic sources. - Zh.: Bulletin of the archivist. 2002, No. 1. P. 64-82.

13. Athos church calendar for 2007. - Holy Mount Athos: Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery, 2006. - 302 pp., VIII c.

14. The Most High Protection over Mount Athos, or Tales of the miraculous saints and icons that became famous on Mount Athos. Ed. 9th - Moscow. 1902.

15. Psalter with explanation by the holy fathers and teachers of the Church.

3rd ed. - Holy Mount Athos: Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery, 2001. - 800 p.

16. Elder Silouan. Publication of the Sretensky Monastery. - M.: 2004. - 640 p.

17. Athos church calendar for 2008. - Holy Mount Athos: Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery, 2007. - 262 p.

18. Gardner I. A. Athos. Impressions and memories.-- Saratov: Publishing House of the Saratov Diocese, 2011. - 272 p.

19. Ulyanov O. G. 1700-year-old fate of the main Russian shrine on Holy Mount Athos of the St. Panteleimon Monastery. . - Electronic resource: www.icon-art.info

20. Kholodyuk A. An old olive tree stood in that place. From the history of Athos. - Electronic resource: www.russian-inok.

21. Athos archive of the twentieth century. Documents of the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery. 1917-1941.—Brussels, 2014. -- 352 p.

22. Great Guard: Life and works of the blessed memory of the Athonite elders Hieroschemamonk Jerome and Schema-Archimandrite Macarius / Author.-comp. Joachim (Sabelnikov), hieromonk. M., 2001. Book. 1., p. 316.

23. Kholodyuk A. A hidden page in the history of the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery on Athos.-- See: http://ruskline.ru/analitika/2015/08/13/potaennaya_stranica_v_istorii_russkogo_svyatopanteleimonova

24. Parakalo: Notes of a pilgrim who visited the Holy Mountain / Ed. A. V. Gromova. - Samara: Russian echo.

- 2010. - 400 p.

It should be noted that Xylurgu (Greek ξυλουργός - carpenter or woodworker) is the oldest Russian Orthodox monastery not only on Athos, but also in the world, founded shortly after the Baptism of Kievan Rus. Even the name “Treemaker” testifies to its Russian roots, because only the Russians initially built their homes, temples and monasteries from wood, while the Greeks built from stone.

According to legend, the ancient Russian Holy Dormition Monastery “Xylurgu” was founded on Athos under the care of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir of Kyiv († 1015) and his wife, the Byzantine princess Anna († 1012) shortly after the adoption of Christianity in Rus'. From The Tale of Bygone Years we learn that after baptism, Grand Duke Vladimir sends an embassy to Jerusalem and Constantinople. Soon, two monasteries with the same name appeared near Jerusalem and on Holy Mount Athos: the Russian Mother of God Monastery. The Russian monastery in the Holy City ceased to exist three centuries later, but the monastery on the Holy Mountain still exists.

The Cathedral Church of the Russian Holy Dormition Mother of God Monastery on Mount Athos “Xylurgu” is dedicated to the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. As is known, the Kiev-Pechersk monastery founded by the Monk Anthony upon his return from Athos, as well as the cathedral church of the monastery, were also symbolically dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God.

The foundation of a monastery in honor of the Dormition on the Kyiv Mountains and the construction of the majestic Dormition Church, carried out with the blessing of St. Anthony, apparently were symbolic projections of their prototype - the Holy Dormition Russian Svyatogorsk monastery “Xylurgu” and its cathedral church on Holy Mount Athos, where, according to legend, the future Abba and “chief of Russian monasticism” grew spiritually and took monastic vows. Thus, the Monk Anthony tried to transfer the idea of ​​sacralization of space to the newly converted land of Kyiv, to create, so to speak, a “Russian icon” of Saint Athos - as the Lot of the Mother of God in Rus'. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery, even at the dawn of its formation, began to be called “the third Lot of the Mother of God” and “Russian Athos”. As the Orthodox theologian Archpriest Lev Lebedev wrote on this occasion, “according to Orthodox teaching, the image, through its symbolic similarity to the prototype, becomes the owner of the same blessed energies as the prototype, mysteriously but really contains the presence of the prototype. This also applies to the architectural image. The energies of the primitive can also act in it... The development and embodiment of this idea in visible architectural images and names of various places is perhaps the most striking feature of the church-theological and popular consciousness of Rus'.”

It is no coincidence that in the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon, inheriting the Athos tradition, in the context of the construction of the monastic Assumption Cathedral in Kyiv, the transfer of the Kiev-Pechersk monastery founded by St. Anthony and the capital Kyiv under the direct patronage of the Mother of God is noted: “I want to reward myself with a church in Rus', in Kyiv... I’ll come and see the church myself and I want to live in it.” Thanks to this dedication to the Mother of God, says Prof. V. Richka, the capital of Rus', was perceived by medieval public consciousness as a God-chosen and God-protected city - the House of the Mother of God, as a sacred symbol and the heart of Holy Rus', thereby ensuring the spiritual unity of the entire Russian land.

Thus, it was the Athos Holy Dormition Monastery “Xylurgu” that became the “primeval” center of sacralization of the Kiev-Russian land, inheriting which, through spiritual unity and kinship with it, the “image”, “icon” of Holy Mount Athos was recreated on the Kiev mountains – Holy Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, and the Kiev-Russian land itself received the right to such a responsible name – Holy Rus'.

In this regard, he rightly notes confessor and first epitrope of the Russian Monastery of St. Panteleimon on Mount Athos Hieromonk Macarius (Makienko):

“There are spiritual threads that apparently connect the Kyiv Lavra with the place of the exploits of its founder on the Holy Mountain - the Assumption Church, at the throne of which he took monastic vows, as well as the commandment from the abbot’s father to go to Rus'. The Great Assumption Church of the Pechersk Monastery, built according to the model shown by the Queen of Heaven by the Greek architects, is not a symbolic projection of the first Russian temple of the first Russian monastery on the Holy Mountain, in which the founder of Russian monasticism and the founder of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra labored?

It is amazing the significance that this cathedral acquired for the Russian land. The Assumption Church becomes the main cathedral of Rus', the cathedral par excellence, an all-Russian shrine - after all, no other Russian church is called like it: the Great Assumption Church. This name makes it similar to the Great Church of Hagia Sophia of Constantinople and the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem. It is noteworthy that Sophia of Kiev - the official central cathedral of Kievan Rus, the see of metropolitans - did not receive such an honorary name. The secret, as it seems to us, lies not only in the miraculous features of the construction of the Pechersk church - such miracles often happened during the construction of other churches - but in the symbolic meaning that it bore and carries as a connecting link between the two Destinations of the Mother of God - Holy Russia and the Holy Mountain - and emphasizing the continuity of the first from the second."

Speaking about the ancient Russian Holy Dormition Monastery “Xylurgu” on Athos and the existing legend that the Monk Anthony of Pechersk labored and took monastic vows in this monastery, in the cathedral church of the Dormition of the Mother of God, it is important to note that this particular monastery was the center and school of Russian monasticism in Saint Athos. It is doubtful that Russian converts (including young Antipas from Lyubech) who did not speak Greek would settle in foreign Greek monasteries on the Holy Mountain. That is why, soon after the Baptism of Rus', a Russian monastery was founded on Athos.

The first known written mention of this ancient Russian monastery on the Holy Mountain dates back to 1016. Under this date in one of the Svyatogorsk documents stored in the library of the Great Lavra of Athanasius of Athos, there are signatures of the abbots of all Svyatogorsk monasteries. Among them is the following inscription: “Γεράσιμος μοναχὸς ἐλέῳΘεοῦ πρεσβύτερος καὶ ἡγούμενος τῆς μο νῆς τοῦ ῾Ρῶς μαρτυρῶν ὑπέγραψα ἰδιοχείρως.” It is translated like this: “Gerasim is a monk, by the grace of God presbyter and abbot of a Russian monastery. Handwritten signature."

Thus, the first known and documented mention of the ancient Russian monastery on Mount Athos and its abbot dates back to 1016. There is no doubt that this was the Holy Dormition Monastery of the Mother of God “Xylurgu”.

Nesterenko V. I. "Xylurg. Farewell to St. Anthony to Rus'"

It was here, according to legend, that the founder of ancient Russian monasticism, a native of the Chernigov land, the Monk Anthony of the Pechersk, took monastic vows, and later from here, with the blessing of the elders of the monastery, he transferred the Athos charter to Rus', founding the Kiev-Pechersk Holy Dormition monastery according to the Athos model, which became center and school of ancient Russian monasticism and enlightenment for all of Rus'. “Lord, may the blessing of the Holy Mount Athos and the prayer of my father, who tonsured me, be in this place”, - said the Monk Anthony at the site of the founding of the Kiev-Pechersk monastery.

St. Anthony Pechersky. Fresco from the Church of All Athonite Saints of the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery on Holy Mount Athos

Who was this great elder abbot, who tonsured the saint and whose blessing played such a decisive role in the fate of not only the Pechersk monastery, but also the entire Russian Church and Rus' itself? This question remains open. However, most likely, he was the same reverend elder Gerasim, “presbyter and abbot of the Russian monastery,” the first abbot of the Xylurgu monastery, who left his signature on the above-mentioned act of 1016.

From hagiographies it is known that the Monk Anthony (in the world Antipas; born 983) arrived at Athos at a very young age (c. 1000). Already in 1013, he returned to Kyiv for the first time from the Holy Mountain. Having spent a short time in Kyiv, in 1015, as a result of internecine unrest after the death of Saint Prince Vladimir and the murder of Saints Boris and Gleb, he again returned to Athos, where he labored until his final return to Kyiv (according to some sources this happened after 1030, according to others - after 1051).

Be that as it may, it is obvious that the founder of ancient Russian monasticism began asceticism on the Holy Mountain before 1013. In those days, such journeys from Rus' to Athos were impossible to make independently. Therefore, undoubtedly, the Monk Anthony should have been accompanied on such distant and unsafe journeys by other companions. All this confirms that the first Russian monks appeared on Mount Athos long before 1013. Apparently, it was they who made up the brethren of the first ancient Russian Athonite monastery in 1016, the abbot of which was the aforementioned Gerasim. Apparently, it was he who was the spiritual mentor and elder of young Anthony, who tonsured him as a monk and later blessed him to found a “representative office” of the Russian Svyatogorsk Monastery of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary in Kyiv.

The successor of the Venerable Abbot Gerasim was, apparently, Abbot “Rusika” Theodulus, who left his signature on the mutual act of the monasteries of Esphigmen and Xylurgu for the year 1030 (the names of their abbots are mentioned here: Theoktistus and Theodulus. - See: Acts of the Russian Monastery on Holy Athos Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon. Kyiv: KPL Printing House, 1873. P. 3). An analogue of this charter is still kept in the archives of the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery on Athos. It was probably under the new abbot Theodulus that the Monk Anthony finally returned to Rus' and founded the Kiev-Pechersk monastery here in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God, in imitation, and perhaps at the initial stage, as a “monastery” or “representative office” of the Athos Holy Dormition Mother of God monastery "Xylurgu".

It is known that the Russian monastery on Mount Athos initially had the status of a Royal monastery, which not all monasteries had at that time. Perhaps the monastery was a gift from the Byzantine emperors to the prince of Kyiv. The Russian monastery had the right to directly contact the emperor himself, bypassing the Protat of the Holy Mountain. Since 1030, he has been given the title of Hegumenarium (Act 1), and in the royal decree of 1048 he is called Lavra (Act 3). Already during this period, “Rusik” had a developed economy and employed workers. He had a pier, ships, arable land, a mill, and his own road from the pier to the monastery.

From the beginning of the 11th century, the Holy Dormition Monastery “Xylurgu” began to carry out its mission of spreading the Athonite spiritual heritage in Eastern Europe. In addition to St. Anthony of Pechersk, there were other ascetics who carried the Athonite tradition to the Slavs. Based on the life of Saint Moses Ugrin († 1043), it can be argued that after 1018 a Russian hieromonk was sent to Poland from Athos, who tonsured Moses there as a monk. In 1225, on the Pochaevskaya Mountain, the Russian saint of the Holy Mountain, the Monk Methodius, founded the future famous Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra. The place where it is located is still called the Holy Mountain. In the 11th-13th centuries, some Athonite monks settled in the chalk mountain on the bank of the Seversky Donets, laying the foundation of another Assumption Lavra, also later called Svyatogorsk.

All three famous monasteries are connected with the Holy Mountain, named, like the Xylurgu monastery, in honor of the Assumption and marked by the special providence of the Mother of God. All of them were founded by Russian ascetics of Holy Mount Athos and at approximately the same period of time - in the pre-Mongol period. The sources do not indicate exactly which monastery of the Holy Mountain they came from. But the time of their mission coincides with the heyday of ancient Russian monasticism in the monastery of Xylurgu on Mount Athos. Therefore, most likely, all these Russian Holy Mountain residents came from one ancient Russian Lavra on Mount Athos - the Holy Dormition Monastery of the Mother of God “Xylurgu”.

During this period, the Russian Svyatogorsk monastery was so often replenished with new inhabitants from Rus' that, no longer able to fit into the original monastery, it began to acquire impoverished and deserted cells and small monasteries in the area. In 1169, the Russian inhabitants of Svyatogorsk bought the nearby ancient monastery of Thessalonians from the Greeks in the name of the holy healer Panteleimon. So the main part of the Russian brethren from Xylurgu at the end of the 12th century moved to the larger monastery “Thessalonian” (now known as “Old Rusik”, or “Mountain Rusik”), which is on the old road connecting Kareya with the present Russian on Mount Athos of St. Panteleimon monastery At the same time, the Holy Kinot allocated cells to the Russian monastery in the capital of Athos - Kareya. As for the former location of the monastery - Xylurgu, it did not remain abandoned. The monastery was converted into a monastery, which remained under the jurisdiction of the Russian monastery. It still belongs to the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos.

An interesting fact: when the Russian monastery on Mount Athos moved to a new, more convenient location in 1169, here, according to tradition, the Assumption Cathedral, which was symbolically important for Rus', was recreated here, which had a special spiritual meaning in the Russian church consciousness. On this occasion, in the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery on Athos they note:

“The following facts can indirectly testify to the significance of the Assumption Cathedral of the Xylurgu Monastery for Russian monasticism. When the Russian brethren moved to a more spacious monastery of the “Thessalonian” (Old Nagorny Rusik) in 1169 under Abbot Laurentius, the Assumption Cathedral of the Mother of God Monastery will be reproduced there too. And more than six centuries later, at the beginning of the 19th century, under Abbot Savva, when a new, so-called Coastal Rusik, was erected, the Assumption Church will again be moved there too, while maintaining the status of a cathedral.”

Reflecting on why this temple is important for Russian monasticism, located both on the Holy Mountain and in the Fatherland, the Russian Monastery on Athos draws attention to the fact that it is memorable “precisely because the first Russian lamp on Athos was lit in it; by the fact that at the altar of this cathedral the founder of Russian monasticism, the Monk Anthony, took monastic vows; because it was from here that he accepted and transferred the blessing of the Holy Mount Athos to the Russian land and thus forever united Rus' and Russian Athos with bonds of spiritual, blessed continuity.”

So, it was the Russian Holy Dormition Monastery of the Mother of God “Xylurgu” on Mount Athos that became the spiritual and historical link that closely connected the newly enlightened Kievan Rus and Holy Mount Athos. From it, 1000 years ago, Orthodox monasticism was first transferred and established in Rus' by St. Anthony of Pechersk. Under his influence, the formation of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery took place, which turned out to be a kind of “hotbed” of the Athonite heritage and Orthodox monasticism, books and enlightenment in Rus'. Since then, Athos and its spiritual traditions have played an extremely important role for many centuries in the development of the spirituality and culture of the East Slavic Orthodox peoples, influencing their identity and uniqueness. Actually, it was Holy Mount Athos and its heritage that had a fundamental and beneficial impact on the formation of the mystical-ascetic image of the original Old Russian Orthodoxy, as well as Holy Rus' itself. In which, we repeat, the decisive role was played by the Russian Holy Dormition Mother of God Monastery “Xylurgu” on Athos, which gave St. Anthony of Pechersk and many other ascetics and enlighteners to Kievan Rus.

TO 1000 -anniversary Russian monastic presence on Athos
(1016-2016).
Russian monasteries on Athos.

Holy Mount Athos is the earthly destiny of the Mother of God.

Temple on top of Holy Mount Athos.

Cross on top of Holy Mount Athos.

View of Mount Athos from the top of the Holy Mountain.

Russian Athos St. Panteleimon Monastery.

The Russian monastery on Mount Athos is a truly unique spiritual and cultural treasure, simultaneously belonging to both Holy Rus' and the Holy Mountain. It is rightfully considered the oldest Russian spiritual stronghold in the Lot of the Mother of God, on Holy Mount Athos.

The first known written mention of ancient Russian monasticism on Mount Athos dates back to 1016. Under this date in one of the Svyatogorsk documents stored in the library of the Great Lavra of Athanasius of Athos, we find the signatures of the abbots of all the monasteries of the Holy Mountain. Among them is the following inscription: “Gerasim is a monk, by the grace of God, presbyter and abbot of the Rosov monastery. Handwritten signature."

Schema-Archimandrite Jeremiah (Alekhine), b. October 9 (22), 1915
In April 1975 he arrived on Athos. Since then, he zealously and relentlessly labored on the Holy Mountain. Since 1979 - abbot of the Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos.

Ossuary of the monastery.

St. Panteleimon Monastery is under the canonical jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople; its inhabitants are required to accept citizenship of the Hellenic Republic, which is given automatically upon entry into the monastery.

The library and archive complex of the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos, being the place where the monastic collections of manuscripts, books, archival documents, notes, photographs, etc. are concentrated, is an invaluable center for the preservation and study of Russian and pan-Orthodox spiritual culture and heritage.

In addition to the library and archive, there is another remarkable place where a pilgrim should definitely visit - this is the unique museum complex of the monastery, dedicated to the thousand-year heritage of Russian monasticism on Mount Athos.

At the Holy Gates of the Russian Svyatogorsk Monastery, a chapel in the form of a canopy with a source of water and an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Painted in Light” was built and consecrated in 2011. Thus, the brethren of the monastery honored the place where the Abbess of Holy Mount Athos miraculously appeared in 1903.

The monasteries of the Mother of God (Xylurgu), Stary Russik, New Thebaida and Krumnitsa are assigned to the St. Panteleimon Monastery.

Skete of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Panagia Xylurgu) (Treemaker)- a communal skete belonging to the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos. The monastery of Xylurgu is located on the eastern slope of the Holy Mountain in a dense oak grove, among the austere beauties of desert nature, one hour’s journey from Kareya.

Skit Xylurgu.

Skete Old, or Nagorny, Rusik- the second monastery of Russian monasticism on Mount Athos in terms of its foundation (after the monastery of Xylurgu). Old Rusik is considered the place with which the founding of the first Russian monastery of St. Panteleimon on Holy Athos is connected, which in the 17th century was moved to the sea, where it remains to this day.

Skete Old Russik.

Skete New Thebaid belongs to the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery on Athos and is located on the picturesque mountain slopes above the sea near the territory of the Serbian monastery of Hilandar.

Skete New Thebaid.

Krumica(you can also find the name “Kromitsa”, “Kromnitsa”, “Krumnitsa”) - a small monastery from the St. Panteleimon Monastery. Located near the mainland border of Athos, adjacent to the Hilandar monastery. The skete is known far beyond the borders of Athos for its vineyards and vegetable gardens, thanks to which the St. Panteleimon Monastery feeds the monastic brethren and numerous pilgrims.

Krumnitsa.

Not far from the center of Kareya is located what was not so long ago Russian St. Andrew's Skete- a communal monastery, belongs to the Vatopedi monastery. In 1972, the last monk of the Russian community, Father Sampson, died, and the monastery was empty for twenty years. In the early nineties of the last century, Greek monks began to come here, and in 2001, a small community was headed by a new Greek abbot, and the monastery was transferred to the Vatopedi monastery. The monastery is larger in area than many monasteries and its majesty is not diminished by the dilapidated buildings, which are now being repaired and restored by Vatopedi with the active assistance of donors from Russia.

St. Andrew's Skete.

Skete of Elijah the Prophet- a communal monastery, assigned to the Pantokrator monastery and is located a 25-minute walk from the monastery. It was created in 1757 by the outstanding Slavic educator Paisius Velichkovsky (1722-1794), the famous translator of patristic writings from Greek into Russian.

By the end of the 20th century, several Zealot monks belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad lived in the monastery. On May 20, 1992, for refusing to commemorate Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople at services, the rector Archimandrite Seraphim, together with all the brethren (4 people), in the presence of Metropolitan Athanasius (Papas) of Iliopolis, Metropolitan Meliton (Karas) of Philadelphia and the rector of the Pantokrator monastery, Archimandrite Vissarion, were expelled by the Greek police from the skete, deported from the territory of Athos and initially found refuge in the monastery of Saints Cyprian and Justina. Currently, a small Greek monastic community lives in the Elias Skete.

Elijah Skete.

In 2016, it will be 1000 years since the first written mention of the existence and activity of the ancient Russian monastery on Holy Mount Athos, through which spiritual and cultural relationships were carried out between Russia and the center of Orthodox monasticism and spirituality on Athos. Despite all the difficulties that our Fatherland is going through today, this anniversary is very important. After all, a true revival of society is possible only through turning to one’s own spiritual heritage and origins, where Russian Svyatogorsk monasticism has always occupied one of the most important places.

(In preparing the article, materials from the sites www.pravoslavie.ru, www.afonit.info, www.blagosloven.ru, www.afonru.ru, www.monasterium.ru were used).

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This year Athos is attracting special attention: Russia and Greece are celebrating the millennium of the presence of Russian monks on the Holy Mountain. It is believed that the first Russian monks arrived on Athos at the end of the 10th - beginning of the 11th century. The first written mention of Russian monasticism on the Holy Mountain dates back to 1016.

Today there are 20 monasteries on Mount Athos, among them 17 Greek, one Russian - St. Panteleimon, as well as Serbian and Bulgarian. The oldest monastery is the Great Lavra (Laurel of St. Athanasius) - founded in 963.

The special way of life of the Athonite monks only strengthens their reputation as unsociable and taciturn, but TASS managed to talk to one of them.

Monk Ermolai, originally from Georgia, has been living in a Russian monastery on Mount Athos for 15 years. He was in Moscow for only a few days on business related to the preparation of the anniversary edition of the 25-volume encyclopedia of the history of Athos and its outstanding inhabitants: according to one of his obediences, monk Ermolai is in charge of the library and archive of the St. Panteleimon Monastery. Having only one free day on this trip, he nevertheless kindly agreed to tell the story of his settlement in the ancient monastery and the difficult choice that he had to make before that, as well as about everyday life at Athos.

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT ATHON

You can only get to the Holy Mountain by sea

Holy Mount Athos is located on the Chalkidiki peninsula in northeastern Greece. It is washed on three sides by the waters of the Aegean Sea. The height of the mountain is 2033 m. The peninsula is covered with dense forests and riddled with ravines. People get here mainly by sea or by helicopter. You can also get to Mount Athos by land, but only on foot and in exceptional cases, for example, if there is an emergency or a strong storm at sea. The fact is that, in addition to the difficult terrain, Athos is separated from the rest of the world by a strictly guarded border, surrounded by a high fence.

Many pilgrims and guests of Athos climb to the top of the Holy Mountain, where the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord is located and a massive metal cross is installed - one of the Athos shrines. The ascent is carried out on foot with special sticks or on mules. There are two main paths leading up: one is steeper and shorter, the other is flatter and longer. The average ascent time is 6-8 hours.

A world without women

One of the most famous customs of the monastic mountain is avaton (the ban on women appearing on the island). This rule was enshrined under Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos at the beginning of the 15th century. Maintaining the ban was one of the conditions for Greece's entry into the European Union.

Today, violation of this law in Greece provides for criminal liability - up to a year in prison.

To visit the Holy Mountain, men must obtain diamonitirion - special written permission. Diamonitirion is not given to women.

According to legend, in 48 the Mother of God, together with the Apostle John the Theologian, went to Cyprus. On the way, their ship encountered a storm and was carried to the shore of Mount Athos. The Virgin Mary, delighted with the beauty of this place, asked God for Athos as her inheritance. According to the covenant of the Mother of God, no woman except Her can set foot on the land of the Holy Mountain.

Despite the ban, women visited Mount Athos. During the hostilities, the monks received refugee families on the peninsula. However, after the cessation of unrest, all those who arrived left the Holy Mountain. Incidents with the appearance of women on Mount Athos have occurred in our time. In 2008, a group of Moldovans was detained, including four women. As it turned out, they ended up on the peninsula while trying to illegally enter Greece from Turkey.

Monastic state

In the administrative structure of Greece, Athos is separated into a special unit - the Autonomous monastic state of the Holy Mountain (Aion Oros) with its capital in Karya (Karya).

Management is carried out by the Holy Kinot, which consists of representatives of 20 monasteries, elected for one year.

The executive power of Athos is represented by the Holy Epistasia. All monasteries are divided into five groups of four monasteries. Every year one of the groups makes up the Holy Epistasia.

Athos is under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople.

The Greek police monitor order on the peninsula. The state of Greece has its own governor on the Holy Mountain. Its activities are supervised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Athonite monks enjoy some customs and tax benefits, which is enshrined in the Charter of the Holy Mountain. For example, taxes are not levied on income from the sale of goods and products produced on Mount Athos.

Reminder for the pilgrim

Monasteries of Athos

Wearing shorts on the Holy Mountain is strictly prohibited. You can only enter the service wearing long-sleeved shirts. Outside monasteries, it is allowed to wear a shirt with short sleeves.

To avoid difficult situations, do not travel around Mount Athos alone. Almost all monasteries close the gates around 18:00. After this, you risk being left on the street.

There are poisonous snakes and scorpions on Mount Athos. But the monks do not bless the killing of any living creature on the holy land.

In the southern part of Athos there is an area that the locals call Karuli (“chains”) - a rocky place where hermit monks settle. Getting here is not easy and dangerous: you have to walk along a steep cliff along a narrow path, holding on to chains nailed to the rock, at an altitude of more than 100 meters above sea level. No one is responsible for the safety of the traveler here, as the signs at the beginning of the trail warn about.

Accommodation and meals in monasteries and hermitages are free. The pilgrim makes donations at will. Other services (transport, etc.) on Mount Athos are paid in euros.

It is prohibited to remove ancient icons and books, as well as any antiques, from the territory of the Holy Mountain. You can only export souvenirs and religious items purchased in monastery shops.

Video filming is prohibited on Mount Athos. When boarding the ferry, your camera may be confiscated. Not all monasteries allow photography. For filming, permission must be obtained from a number of authorities, including the blessing of the Sacred Cinema. It may be given or it may be refused. Permission is usually issued for filming in large monasteries.

On Athos, swimming in the sea is not blessed.

Russian monasteries on Mount Athos

The oldest Russian settlement on Mount Athos is the monastery of Rosov, also known as the monastery of Xylurgu (from the Greek “carpenter”, “woodmaker”). The main occupation of the local monks was carpentry, hence the name of the monastery.

In 1169, Holy Kinot handed over to the Russian brethren the Thessalonian monastery in the name of the Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon (now known as the Old, or Nagorny, Russik).

In the second half of the 18th century, the monastery named after the Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon was moved to a more convenient location on the seashore and received the unofficial name “Coastal Russik”. There is now the Russian Monastery of St. Panteleimon on Mount Athos (also Rossikon).

Two other monasteries - Xylurgu and Stary Russik - are now monasteries.

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AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE LIFE OF MONKS

Byzantine time and daily routine

“Byzantine time operates on Mount Athos. It is very difficult to explain,” monk Ermolai begins his story. “When the sun sets, the clock hands are set to midnight, but this gives a difference with Moscow time of 7 hours in summer, and 3 hours in winter. Therefore, it is difficult to say , for example: “We get up at 3 o’clock.” At what 3 o’clock is everyone confused? Apparently, noticing the misunderstanding, the monk with a smile asks for a pen and a piece of paper. The sun appears in the notebook - the main and only measure of Byzantine time.

Monk Ermolai says that at sunset all the monks of the peninsula gather in their churches for an hour-long service, after which they go to their cells and sleep for exactly five and a half hours. From 6:30 a.m. Byzantine time, the so-called cell canon begins, determined individually by each confessor of the monastery, which lasts for an hour and a half. Such spiritual work is not complete without reading prayers and bowing.

“Then at 8 o’clock in the morning Byzantine time (don’t get confused, at this time in Russia it is one o’clock in the morning – in winter, in summer – 4 o’clock) a service begins, which ends with a large liturgy, then we all take communion, and after that the meal begins,” says the monk . The meal on Mount Athos is a continuation of the divine service. One of the monks does not interrupt prayer during this time. The meal lasts only 10-15 minutes.

“Then we go to rest for about an hour and a half, after which we all go out for obedience,” he continues. Performing obediences takes five hours: from 14:00 to 19:00. After the working day, there are two hours of personal time, when the monks can take a walk, answer letters from relatives, read, write in a diary, or sleep.

From 21:00 the service lasts for two and a half hours, which also ends with a meal. Then the monks confess and, at sunset, begin worship again. It is interesting that at the Compound of the St. Panteleimon Monastery in Moscow they also pray according to Byzantine times. This is how the monks prepare for a new daily routine before leaving for Athos.

Monk menu

Basically, the monks eat vegetables, fruits, nuts, olives, honey - what nature gives in the Mediterranean climate. Monasteries purchase flour for making bread and dairy products. Monks do not eat meat and only occasionally eat fish. Five days a week, the monks eat meals twice a day, and on Wednesdays and Fridays - on fasting days - once.

“We don’t breed any animals, except mulashas, ​​which help us in our work and for transporting various goods in everyday life. All the forests are on slopes, and a tractor cannot drive there,” says monk Ermolai. Donkeys carry tools for cultivating the land, crops and wood.

Obediences of the monks

When a monk enters a monastery, the brethren, confessor, and abbot look closely at him. Depending on the worldly profession, skills and abilities, a monk is given obediences.

All obediences are distributed based on the needs of the brethren: the monks prepare food, grow vegetables, collect fruits and nuts, prepare firewood for the winter, make wooden furniture, dishes, crosses, rosaries, make blanks for icons, sew church vestments. “Everything necessary for worship can be bought in our shops,” assures monk Ermolai.

According to him, 100 years ago the Russian monastery on Mount Athos was famous for its sewing workshop, which covered the entire peninsula. To now have vestments from that workshop is considered great luck. It is still worn and restored in the St. Panteleimon Monastery.

The fewer monks live in the monastery, the more obediences each of them has to perform. Before the First World War, more than 10 thousand monks lived in the St. Panteleimon Monastery, now there are only 105. Therefore, each of the monks performs three or more obediences.

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Income of the brethren

There is practically no communication between the monasteries - each monastery is a full-fledged city, where everything necessary for life is manufactured.

Until about 100 years ago, Athonite monks did not buy or sell anything, but entered into barter deals, exchanging olives and honey for flour and fabrics.

Now, much of what is produced on Mount Athos is sold.

The monastery's income is generated from the sale of olives, olive oil, honey, church utensils made by the monks, the rental of 15 hectares of vineyards, and payment by pilgrims of diamonitirion - a permit to visit the holy Mount Athos, mandatory for all guests.

“47 thousand pilgrims visited our monastery in 2014, a little less last year, although before that the number had always increased,” says monk Ermolai.

He is confident that the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of Russian monasticism on Mount Athos and the stabilization of the global economy will attract new pilgrims.

The current economic crisis, according to the monk, has not yet affected the life of the monastery. “For now we live by inertia. But if the crisis drags on, it will affect us,” explains Father Ermolai.

Monastery expenses

The monks spend their main funds on purchasing missing food products and equipment.

“We have to buy something, flour for example, but everything is compensated for - we produce up to five tons of olive oil a year, up to one and a half tons of honey. We spend a tiny part of our income on food,” says monk Ermolai.

In addition, you need to pay for the phone, as well as the services of the Internet provider.

“The telephone and the Internet are used by those for whom it is necessary to fulfill their obedience. For example, in the library I have the Internet, and I correspond with publishers and proofreaders, and I needed the telephone for this trip,” explains monk Ermolai.

Connection with the Mainland

Once a day, a large ferry with pilgrims and cargo arrives on the peninsula, and it also takes away those who have completed the pilgrimage and monastic goods. The postman arrives twice a week: most monks keep in touch with their families by sending letters written on paper by hand.

"No one is holding anyone by force"

Tens of thousands of pilgrims visit Mount Athos every year, some of them join the ranks of the monastic brethren. “Up to a thousand people can live in the monastery. It will take 10 years, I’m sure, and all the cells will be filled,” the monk shares, recalling that 15 years ago, when he settled on the Holy Mountain, only 62 cells were occupied.

“For the 15 years that I have been living on Mount Athos, approximately 50 people have settled with us and then left. This is normal for any monastery; no one is forced to hold anyone,” says monk Ermolai.

Diamonitirion is given to pilgrims for only four days, but with the blessing of the confessor, a person can stay for a longer period.

What language is spoken in the monastery?

Residents of Athos speak a variety of languages, and everyone can speak Greek, at least on an everyday level. In the St. Panteleimon Monastery, the majority of residents are Russian, so Russian is the main language in the monastery, but there are also Moldovans, Ukrainians, one German and one Georgian - our interlocutor.

Due to the large number of pilgrims, it seems that there can be no talk of any solitude or peace. Father Ermolai explains: “On Mount Athos they hardly speak, more often in a whisper. Everyone is immersed in prayer.”

Monastic tomb

On the Holy Mountain there is a tradition of digging up the remains of monks from their graves three years after their burial and transferring them to a special tomb. The skulls are kept separately from the bones, and the name of the monk and the year of death are written on them.

The remains are removed to see what color the bones of the deceased are. There is a legend on Mount Athos: if the bones are clean and white with a characteristic yellowness, then the monk has found favor with God. If the color of the bones is more yellow-waxy, turning into light brown, then the soul of the deceased is closer to God.

According to Father Ermolai, he was personally convinced of the truth of this belief. When creating biographies of famous elders, he decided to attach images of their remains to them. “To my great surprise and joy, all the bones corresponding to the life stories were of the blessed color. Moreover, such bones make up only 30% of the entire monastery ossuary. When you see such blessed chapters, instead of the usual fear and rejection, a feeling of enormous respect and reverence arises. I want to look and look upon them as actual manifestations of true holiness."

THE HISTORY OF MONK HERMOLAI

First meeting with Athos

When asked to remember his first impression of Athos, the monk replies: “This is incredible. Many times during the 15 years that I have been on Athos, I have tried to write this, but I cannot convey it. Rebirth is instant as soon as you step on earth. When you are in the world, you are constantly you fuss: what yesterday, what now, what next, memories, plans are constantly spinning in your head, and you cannot highlight anything important in this cycle of thoughts, plans, ideas.”

When asked what is important to him now, he answers without hesitation: “Holy emptiness.”

The path to Mount Athos: the disappointments of a historian and politician

Monk Ermolai spoke about the events and disappointments that brought him into the fold of the Church, and about the difficult choice that he had to make to settle on the Holy Mountain.

After graduating from Tbilisi State University and receiving a degree in history, having married, given birth to two sons and divorced, at the age of about 30 the future monk set off to conquer Germany. In this European country he continued his scientific activities.

Father Ermolai, as befits a monk, is very modest, although he is a man of extraordinary intelligence, fluent in four languages ​​(Georgian, Russian, German, Greek), and could have made a successful career.

“I entered the university, it was 1983, with such pathos, I thought that I would revolutionize all science. And I adored my teachers, followed on their heels,” says monk Ermolai. “Then perestroika happened, and suddenly these same people they say that everything they taught was a lie. That is, the people I love, just to be called scientists, professors, lie, and I became disillusioned with the profession. I realized that this profession is simply ordered: they order history for you. you write, but you interpret the same numbers in your own way. For my mother’s sake, I graduated from the university, went into politics, but was also disappointed there.”

Temptations on the way to Athos

Having experienced a series of disappointments, the future monk turned to religion. “I believed in the existence of God on a heart level, I seriously believed,” he recalls. According to Father Ermolai, he was not a church person, although he was baptized in childhood. “In Germany, I became interested in philosophy and religion and returned to the Church at the age of 33. After my conversion, I decided to become a monk, and at the age of 35 I became a monk,” adds Father Ermolai.

Before going to Mount Athos, the young man gave away to his friends a collection of unique books collected over three years of living in Germany, and donated the substantial wardrobe that he had managed to acquire to the Red Cross.

To get from Germany to Greece by car, you need to cross the borders of Austria and Italy. “We drove through Austria, started checking documents, and got into conversation with the border guard. And then I was in euphoria, everyone wanted to tell where I was going. And as soon as he asked where I was going, I got involved and told,” adds Father Ermolai. the man falls to his knees and says: “Don’t do this!” He saw photographs of my children in the passport and began to beg me to stay, invited me to live with my family on his farm, without paying for housing, for any period of time.”

After the words of the border guard, “these children will hate you later,” the young man doubted the correctness of his decision. “I felt so bad, the first reaction was shock. And he did not stop convincing me with various arguments. When I began to think, he seemed to be telling the truth. But I returned to my heart, and I saw the basis on which my decision was based, “This is boundless love and trust in Father God,” he said. The future monk continued his journey, confident that the Lord would not abandon his children, because he was going to serve him.

On Athos, the Russian brothers received Father Ermolai with open arms: “They were very happy, and since then I have not left anywhere, I have found my home.”

Father. Monk. Legend

For the three years that Father Ermolai spent in Germany, he did not see his sons. For eight years on Mount Athos, he also communicated with children only through letters. When they grew up (now they are 25 and 27 years old), they began to visit their father. “And I remembered that story with the border guard, when the children, after 11 years of separation, got off the ferry onto the land of Athos. I thought what kind of eyes they would have: full of hatred or love,” the monk shared. “And what a joy it was! two huge guys with bright eyes full of love, and they took me in their arms, just like a child, kissed me, kissed me, as if I read them bedtime stories every evening, and I haven’t seen them for 11 years.”