Cassian of Uglich. Cassian
A short life of the Most-excellent Kas-si-a-na Greek, Uglich Wonderworker
The venerable Kassi-an Greek, Ug-lich miracle-creator, in the world of Kon-stan-tin, came from the family of princes. zey Man-gup-skikh. He arrived in Moscow in the company of the embassy to the great prince John III together with the princess Sophia Pa- leo-log. Having decided to devote his life to the service of God, the Reverend declined the offer to remain at the court of the great whom the prince and sat down with the Rostov bishop Joasaph. When the bishop retired to Fe-ra-pon-tov mo-na-styr, Kon-stan-tin followed him. In the abode, the pre-reputable one led a strict, moving life.
He accepted the mo-ness after a miraculous night-time vision of the pre-excellent Mar-ti-ni-a-na, to-be-accepted a haircut. After some time, Saint Kas-si-an left the mo-na-styr and not far from the city of Ug-li-cha, at the confluence of Vol -gi and Uch-we, founded the monastery in honor of the Dormition of God Ma-te-ri.
The glory of the pre-precious shi-ro-ko has spread, and “why are many people at-ho-di-ti blah-go- words ra-di and vi-de-ti pu-stin-but-loving life and be-se-do-va-ti with him.” Saint Cas-si-an greeted everyone with love, setting them on the path of spa-se-niya “ti-hi-mi words-ve-sy”.
The great one died in deep old age on October 2, 1504. In Ug-lich-skaya le-to-pi-si for-pi-sa-but there are many miracles that happened through your prayers, in particular, they protected their environment from the Polish military in 1609-1611.
The complete life of the Most-excellent Kas-si-a-na Greek, the Uglich Wonderworker
The venerable Kassi-an the Greek, the Ug-lich miracle-creator, in the world of Kon-stan-tin, was the descendant of the Greek princes zey Man-gup-skikh (Ma-nuk-skikh). Kon-stan-tin received a significant, in his time, development. He arrived in Moscow from Kon-stan-ti-no-po-la in 1478 in the company of the embassy, co-pro-leader of the tsar. rev-well Sophia - the bride-to-be of the Moscow-prince John III Va-si-lie-vi-cha, who-to-paradise before- di-lass ple-myan-ny-tsei Greek kings John-nu and Kon-stan-ti-nu Pa-leo-lo-gam. He expressed a desire to stay in Russia. The Grand Duke offered him “cities and regions for food and land for support,” but he resigned Ren-but turned out to be from this, for the su-e-ta of court life weighed on his heart, which had sought seclusion and another service to God. With the permission of the great prince John III, he went to Rostov the Great, where he first lived -sya under the arch-episcopal Joasa-f (Obo-len-sky). When did the arch-bishop decide to leave his department and settle in the Fe-ra-pon-to-be-lo-zer-sky mo- upon whom he had previously accepted mo-na-she’s haircut, then Prince Kon-stan-tin joyfully followed him. Here the Greek prince received the opportunity for prayerful solitude and life in God-thought and reading the Holy Scriptures. puppy Pi-sa-niya. He accepted the monasticity after a miraculous night vision, in which the former abbot abode Mar -ti-ni-an (according to other sources - the great Fe-ra-pont) ordered him to cut his hair. And soon Prince Kon-stan-tin was honored with a different image with the name Kassi-an.
It happened that one day he and some of the brethren left the abode and sailed along the Volga to the city of Ug-li-chu. Not 15 versts away from him, he liked the living place on the banks of the Volga, not far from the waterfall. de-niya river Uch-my in it. There he erected a cross and erected a hue for himself.
The glory of the pre-precious shi-ro-ko has spread, and “why do a lot of people come with-ho-di-ti blah-go- words ra-di and vi-de-ti pu-stin-but-loving life and be-se-do-va-ti with him.” Saint Cas-si-an, receiving everyone with love, set them on the path of spa-se-niya “ti-hi-mi words-ve-sy”.
With the permission of Prince Andrei, he founded a foreign monastery here in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy God. Together with several mo-na-ha-mi, who came with him from Fe-ra-pon-to-va mo-na-sta-rya, he built in this place there is the Assumption Church, which lived on the Uche-monastery.
Subsequently, during a strong flood, when the Volga left the banks, the temple received significant -damage. That's when Prince Andrey of Ug-lich again came to the aid of Pre-pres- ence Kassi-a-nu, with whom Pre-pres- de-ex-but -his connection was not only personal friendship, but also ties of spiritual kinship, for he was a re-receiver of the prince- son of Dimitri. Would the staircase with the temple have been moved to another place, not far from the previous one, but more without danger? -noe. The new temple was consecrated in the name of the holy prophet John the Baptist and became a parish for nearby villages. For a long time, the very good Kas-si-an sat in the main room for them. The most honorable Kas-si-an went to the Lord in peace on October 2, 1504. His holy relics were buried in the same monastery. After his blessed death, the most venerable Kassi-an was glorified by many chu-de-sa -mi, about which there is evidence for the Ug-lich le-to-pi-si, in particular, for protecting their home- those from the Polish military in 1609-1611. Service-ba to the pre-do-be-no-mu Kas-si-a-nu na-pi-sa-na and per-re-da-na as a gift obi-te-li on May 17, 1686 blah -the son of the Moscow priest Mi-kha-i-lom Pime-no-vym, which is reported in Rus- ko-pi-si, stored in Ug-li-che.
In a wonderful way it was na-pi-sa-na iko-na blah-zhen-no-go Kas-si-a-na. A certain priest Si-me-on, a hu-do-s-liver, made a promise to write it, but fell into a serious illness and didn’t live until he was two years old. could have used his both. He finally came to the abbot Ger-mo-ge-nu and asked him: “How on earth do you draw the right thing? » The hegu-man gave him a charter, for which it was na-pi-sa-no, how to depict the bliss of Kas-si-a-na; Thinking about how to carry out the task before them, the priest fell asleep and saw in a dream the face of the holy elder, tan-ny on the board prepared for him; It seemed to him that there was a monk standing at his bedside, exactly like this image.
Blessed Kassi-an appeared to many others, but he did not forget his blessing, giving her not only blessings hectares are spiritual, but also temporary, thereby testifying to his constant patronage of his marriage. tii.
Pa-my-pre-po-do-no-go Kassi-a-na celebrates October 2/15 - the day of death and May 21/June 3 - the day of your name.
Prayers
Troparion to St. Cassian the Greek, Uglich
Today the city of Uglech boasts of you, / in the end you have shone brightly like the great sun / and you have illuminated all your miracles, / and now you pray to the Lord, / Reverend Cassian, / for the city of Uglech and this monastery, / and every city, and the country, and the people, / who honor you with faith, / and about the salvation of our souls.
Translation: Today the city of Uglich is proud of you, for you shone brightly within its borders, like a great sun, and illuminated everything with your miracles, and now pray to the Lord, Cassian, for the city of Uglich and this, and for every city, and country, and people who they honor you with faith, and for the salvation of our souls.
Today the most glorious city of Uglech is shining brightly, / the Church of God rejoices at the Mother of God, / having in itself the multi-healing powers of the great wonderworker, / the Venerable Cassian, who rose from Rome, / like the sun to the whole world, enlightening the hearts of the faithful from afar, / with whom God adorns the Church of Mater Ours./ Moreover, we now pray to you:/ be the patron and invincible protector/ against all troubles for our city/ and for all the faithful,/ who flow to the house of God to the Mother and bow to you,/ saint of Christ Cassian, // pray to Christ God to save our souls .
Translation: Today the most glorious city of Uglich is triumphantly triumphant, and the Church of the Mother of God is especially rejoicing, having given many healings to the great wonderworker, the Venerable Cassian, who shone from Rome like the sun to the whole world, enlightening the hearts of believers from afar, with whom God adorned the Church of His Mother. Therefore, now we pray to you: be for our city a patron and intercessor invincible from all troubles and protection for all believers who come to the house of the Mother of God and worship you, Venerable Saint of Christ Cassian, pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.
Troparion to St. Cassian the Greek, Uglich
Having brought up the ancient Rome, / the power of your fatherland, the city of Mangup, left, / and you counted for nothing the reign / and the short-lived glory of the vanity of the age of Christ, / and more than the earthly god to choose heavenly riches and eternal glory/ lifting up your mind to God,/ and you desired to perceive your life with the Angels,/ we are guided by the providence of the Divine mind,/ and you reached the God-saving city of Uglech,/ and near within the borders of its region, above the Volga river You have settled in the desert, / and you have built a glorious monastery in honor of the Mother of God, / and in it he offered his body, as a gift consecrated. / Thus we pray to you, Father Cassian, / pray to Christ God, / / that he may save our souls.
Translation: Brought up by ancient Rome, the capital of your fatherland, the city of Mangup, for the sake of Christ you left, and you neglected the reign and short-lived glory of this vain life, and you preferred Heavenly wealth and eternal glory to earthly wealth, raising your mind to God, and strived to live like the Angels, guided by the Divine mind, he reached the city of Uglich, saved by God, and close, within its borders, above the Volga River, he settled in, and erected a glorious monastery in honor of the Mother of God, and in it he gave up his body to God as a consecrated gift. Therefore, we pray to you, Father Cassian, pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.
Kontakion to St. Cassian the Greek, Uglich
Like a shining star, you came from the east to the west, / leaving your fatherland and your reign for Christ’s sake, / and you came to the reigning city of Moscow, / and, by the providence of the Divine mind, we guide you, / You reached the coal city, / and, near it, above Along the Volga River, you settled in the desert of Uchma,/ you created a monastery, and created a church,/ and called the monks for salvation;/ with him, pray for us, who honor your memory, and call you: “rejoice” Hey, like Father Cassian.
Translation: Like a shining star, you came from the east to the west, leaving your fatherland and the reign of Christ for the sake of, and you came to the reigning city of Moscow and, guided by the providence of the Divine mind, you reached the city of Uglich, and near it, above the Volga River, in the desert on He settled in the Uchma River, created a monastery and a church, and called monks to save himself, with them pray for us, who honor your memory, and cry to you: “Rejoice, Reverend Father Cassian.”
Like a many-bright star, / you shone in the Russian land, Father Cassian, / and like the wealth of precious beads / came to us from ancient Rome / and reached the God-saved city of Uglech, / and near him, with Divine care/ the monastery was honorably rewarded,/ and the Church of the Mother of God created a miracle, / and called together many monks, / with them, praying to Christ God / to deliver this city from barbaric captivity, / and internecine warfare, and the fiery incineration, to remain unharmed, / / Reverend and God-Wise Father Cassian.
Translation: Like a bright star and like a valuable treasure, you shone in the Russian land, Father Cassian, came to us from ancient Rome and, having reached the city of Uglich, saved by God, near it, by Divine providence, founded a revered monastery, and created a wonderful-looking church of the Mother of God, and convened a multitude monks, with them pray to Christ God to deliver this city from captivity by pagans and internecine war, and save it unharmed from the fire, Reverend and God-wise Father Cassian.
Kontakion to St. Cassian the Greek, Uglich
Like the bright sun, / you have risen to us from Rome and to the royal city, / most blessed Father Cassian, / and you lived like an angel in the Russian land, / and the fast of the ancients abstained to the heights and in the desert of Uchme, near the God-saved city of Uglech, / the monastery is glorious for the monks, built for salvation, / and the temple is beautiful to the Most Holy Mother of God, understand by the Spirit of God, / and in it God is glorified, / and now do not stop praying to the Lord for your flock, / and with your feet you have acquired sweat and toil/ deliver him from of all circumstances of the evil one,/ and from all sorrows and troubles I will be preserved unharmed,/ and we, your servants, will receive forgiveness of sins through your prayers,/ and your city will be saved from all kinds of misfortunes/ and falling wraths, O righteous God, beg to be free,// Reverend and God-Wise Father Cassian.
Translation: Like a bright sun, you shone for us from Rome and reached the royal city, blessed Father Cassian, and like an angel, you lived on the Russian land, and rose to the heights of the ancient fasters, and in the Uchme desert, near the city of Uglich, saved by God, you founded a glorious monastery for the salvation of the monks, and the beautifully decorated temple of the Most Pure Mother of God was overshadowed by the Spirit of God, and in this monastery God is glorified by you, and now do not cease to pray to the Lord for your flock, which you acquired through many labors and then, for its deliverance from all attacks (of the devil), and from all troubles to remain unharmed, and for us, your servants, to receive forgiveness of sins through your prayers, and for your city of Uglich, beg to be freed from all sorts of misfortunes and from befalling falls through the righteous wrath of God, O Reverend and God-wise Father Cassian.
Prayer to St. Cassian the Greek, Uglich
Oh, our reverend Father Cassian, the great ascetic and saint of Christ! Hear us sinners who call you with faith and love, and heed our petition. Just as you left your fatherland and the reign of love for the sake of God, and you did not accept the cities and rulers given to you from the Russian autocrat, so that you may receive the Highest incorruptible inheritance, so do we. It is sinful for those who wander in this vanity world, with your prayers instruct and convert the minds to the love of God Let us pay attention to the same Heavenly honors, so that we are not seduced by the corruptible beauties of this world. O blessed Father Cassian, having subdued your flesh to the spirit through great abstinence and vigil, you created a pure vessel of the Holy Spirit. Ask for this grace for us too, so that we can trample on carnal lusts and live spiritually and pleasingly to God in this time, given to us for the acquisition of eternal ineffable treasures. O great hard worker and servant of God, who has the gift of healing dental and eye diseases, fires and long-term wounds, and healing all kinds of weaknesses, and delivering those suffering from the violence of demons You, heal our spiritual passions and alleviate intolerable bodily illnesses, protect us from troubles and misfortunes , delivering us from all temptation and violence of the devil in this life; at the hour of the departure of our souls, appear to us, great intercessor, and, having driven away the dark, fearful eyes of the evil spirits, guide us to the most exalted Throne of the Majesty of God, and there, having seen the unspeakable glory to Christ our God, let us thank you, our representative and intercessor, and with you united by the face of the saints, in agreement and unanimously with pure love we will sing and glorify the Beginningless Consubstantial and Indivisible Trinity, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now, and but, and forever and ever. Amen.
Principality of Mangup, like the entire Tauride Peninsula, in the half of the 15th century was under the yoke of Muslims and the moral oppression of papist missionaries who came to Taurida in the 14th century under the guise of merchants of the Genoese Republic; their influence on the Orthodox was so heavy that the princes of Kafa and Mangup, the predecessors of Constantine, left their possessions back in 1392 and sought refuge in the Moscow state, and Constantine suffered from the invasion of the Turks and, persecuted by the papists, was forced to leave his possessions in the Crimea, and settle with his relative Thomas, the despot of Morea, who had a daughter Sophia.
From Morea Konstantin accompanied Sofia to Rome and from there to Russia when she married the Tsar John III. Sophia arrived in Moscow on November 12, 1473, accompanied by a large retinue consisting of Romans and Greeks. The Grand Duke of Moscow John III Vasilyevich, after his marriage to Princess Sophia, richly gifted those accompanying him to the bride; some of them returned back to Rome, others remained in Russia, awarded estates and estates, and entered the Russian service.
Konstantin expressed a desire to stay in Russia. The Grand Duke offered him “cities and regions for food and lands for support,” but he humbly refused this, for the bustle of court life weighed on his heart, which sought solitude and monastic service to God. With the permission of Grand Duke John III, he went to Rostov the Great, where at first he was under Archbishop Joasaph (Obolensky). When the archbishop decided to leave his see and settle in the Ferapont Belozersky Monastery, where he had previously received monastic vows, Prince Konstantin happily followed him. Here the Greek prince received the opportunity for prayerful solitude and life in the thought of God and reading the Holy Scriptures. He accepted monasticism after a miraculous night vision, in which the former abbot of the monastery Martinian (according to other sources, the Monk Ferapont) commanded him to take haircut. And soon Prince Constantine was awarded a monastic image with the name Cassian.
It happened one day that he and some of the brethren left the monastery and sailed along the Volga to the city of Uglich. Not reaching it for 15 miles, he fell in love with a picturesque place on the banks of the Volga, not far from the confluence of the Uchma River. There he erected a cross and built himself a hut.
The fame of the saint spread widely, and “many people began to come for the blessing and see the desert-loving habitation and talk with him.” Saint Cassian, receiving everyone with love, instructed them on the path of salvation with “quiet words.”
With the permission of Prince Andrei, he founded a monastic monastery here in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Together with several monks who came with him from the Ferapontov Monastery, he built the Assumption Church in this place, which laid the foundation for the Uchem monastery.
Subsequently, during a severe flood, when the Volga overflowed its banks, the temple received significant damage. Water flooded the monastery, many cells and church utensils were carried away by the flow of water; The brethren grieved a lot, but the Monk Cassian consoled them and exhorted them to obey the will of God. Then Prince Andrei of Uglich again came to the aid of the Monk Cassian, with whom the monk was connected not only by personal friendship, but also by ties of spiritual kinship, for he was the successor of the prince’s son Demetrius. The monastery and temple were moved to another place, not far from the previous one, but safer. The new church was consecrated in the name of the holy prophet John the Baptist and became a parish church for nearby villages.
The monastery, equipped and provided with everything necessary, consoled the reverend. Cassiana. He lived until he was 102 years old, was honored to foreknow his departure to God, called the brethren to him and said to them: “Behold, my beloved brethren, the day of my death is coming, for I am leaving you for God, having loved Him from my youth, and I betray you.” Savior, His Most Pure Mother and the great John the Baptist, and after my departure, my beloved brethren, have peace and love of God among yourselves; Do not be absent from the meeting, that is, from church singing, sing prayers, and at litias remember the dead, and honor the synodik; then books are animals; It is written: if anyone remembers the dead, he himself will be remembered; “Don’t forget your love of strangers, I pray you, feed the poor, stand up for widows from the violent, take care of your Christians, complain to the Emperor and the nobles about them, and stand with one mind for the Most Pure House Land, listen to your abbot, submit and obey in the Lord, like your ever-present father.” .
He spoke many other soul-helping words, confessed and partook of the holy mysteries, thanked God and died in 1504, October 4; buried behind the right choir in the lower church. At his tomb, the schema and body cross he wore have been preserved to this day.
After his blessed death, the Monk Cassian was glorified by numerous miracles, as evidenced by the records of the Uglich Chronicle, in particular, his defense of his monastery from Polish soldiers in 1609-1611. In the 17th century the abbots of the Uchem monastery Filaret and Ermogen were healed by the Ven. Cassian. After repentance at his tomb, the robber Zechariah Rondak, who had robbed the monastery, was healed. The same thing happened to the dishonest monastery cook, Vavila.
During the Time of Troubles, when the enemies - the Cossacks and Lithuanians - ravaged Uglich, they saw St. Cassian, riding around his monastery. He saved her: when the Cossacks entered it, and when one of them committed blasphemy, he began to rage and had to be killed. Since then, the enemies began to respect the Uchem monastery.
The service to St. Cassian was written and donated to the monastery on May 17, 1686 by the pious son of a Moscow priest, Mikhail Pimenov, as reported in the manuscript preserved in Uglich.
The icon of Blessed Cassian was miraculously painted. A certain priest Simeon, an artistic painter, promised to paint it, but fell into a serious illness and was unable to fulfill his vow until he was two years old. He finally came to Abbot Hermogenes and asked him: “How to draw the image of the monk?” The abbot gave him a charter on which it was written how to portray Blessed Cassian; Thinking about completing the task he had undertaken, the priest fell asleep and saw in a dream the face of the holy elder, inscribed on the board he had prepared; It seemed to him that a monk, completely similar to this image, was standing at his bed.
Blessed Cassian appeared to many others, but he did not forget his monastery, giving it not only spiritual benefits, but also temporary ones, thereby testifying to his unceasing patronage of the brethren he had gathered.
Uglich saints: Paisiy of Uglich, Tsarevich Dimitri, Prince Roman and Cassian of Uchem. Icon of the late 19th century.
The memory of the Monk Cassian is celebrated on October 2/15 - the day of his repose, and on May 21/June 3 - the day of his namesake.
Kassianov Uchemsky Monastery (another name is Kassianov Uchemsky Hermitage) - a destroyed monastery in the Yaroslavl region
The Uchem Monastery has never been rich. There were three churches in it - the Assumption, the Nativity of John the Baptist and Constantine and Helena. Initially, all three churches were wooden, and at the beginning of the 18th century, the Assumption and Predtechevsky churches were rebuilt into stone ones.
In 1764, by decree of Catherine II, many monasteries were abolished. The Uchem Cassian Hermitage was also among them. However, her churches, having turned into the parish churches of the village of Uchma, still stood on the banks of the Volga and attracted hundreds of believers.
In the 30s of the 20th century, all the temples and the burial place of St. Cassian were destroyed, and at the end of the 30s a Gulag camp was created on Uchma.
During the construction of the Rybinsk Reservoir, the buildings of the Assumption Monastery were blown up and flooded. From the remains of the bricks of the Assumption Church, the prisoners of Volgolag built a stone road, which still leads to the local church.
And during the creation of the Rybinsk Sea, a significant part of the territory of the former monastery was flooded. Only a small island overgrown with bushes reminded of the past.
But there were people who were not indifferent to the fate of their native land. In 1991 they erected a wooden cross on the site of the destroyed monastery, and in 1993 they built a chapel. The island found its natural completion and became a worthy decoration of the Volga landscape.
In 1994, a beautiful wooden church was built in Uchma in the name of Saints Anastasia and Cassian.
Currently, there is a museum of the village of Uchma in the village, created by local enthusiasts. The exhibition begins with “Greek way” of St. Kasyan- the founder of the village, and ends with peasant household items that until recently were in use by local housewives: a carding iron, a viewer, a mortar, flails, a reel, pots, a loom - all this was collected from houses in the surrounding villages and hamlets. One of the most interesting exhibits of this unusual museum is a cast-iron grate from a destroyed church that fell to the ground, mutilated by an explosion, through which powerful birch trunks grew. This is all that remains of a once huge rural temple...
Sources:
- http://www.saints.ru/
- http://simblago.com/,
Flying over Uchma
Prepared by Ελένη Τοπούζ specifically for the website of the Moscow Society of Greeks.
AUGUST 1 - DISCOVERY OF THE RECENTS OF THE REVEREND SERAPHIM, THE WONDERWORKER OF SAROV (1903). JOY OUR FRATE SERAPHIM Pastors on how to acquire love and affectionate attitude toward everyone Today the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the discovery of the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov. The Wonderworker Seraphim greeted everyone with the exclamation “My joy! Christ is risen!” Next to the priest, hearts thawed, faith in the Living God arose, and repentance came. Priests Dimitry Shishkin and Nikolai Bulgakov told the correspondent of the portal Pravoslavie.Ru how to acquire love and an affectionate attitude towards everyone. “If we do not have complete love, we will do deeds of love” Priest Dimitry Shishkin Priest Dimitry Shishkin, rector of the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village. Pochtovoe of the Bakhchisarai region (Simferopol and Crimean diocese): - When we talk about the Christian attitude towards one’s neighbor, we must remember that affection can easily turn into endearment and people-pleasing. Excessive affection and “condescension” can, after all, destroy a person. This is especially evident in our time, when it is “philanthropy” that is used to justify extreme leniency towards human passions and vices. The Holy Fathers always distinguished the attitude towards the person himself, no matter how low he fell, from the attitude towards the spirits of darkness, towards the passions that possess this or that person. We lack those who, while comforting us, would not flatter our pride and selfishness. The affectionate attitude of the saint of God, St. Seraphim, has a special quality: it stems from the depths of a God-loving heart. And this love of God, suffered and acquired as a priceless gift, allows you to truly love a person precisely in the awareness of his true calling. The love and affection of St. Seraphim embraces the whole person, contributing not only to his mental and physical peace, but most of all to salvation in eternity. How we miss such people who, while comforting and inspiring us to spiritual life, at the same time would not flatter our pride and selfishness. And that’s exactly what Saint Seraphim is like! His affection, extreme warmth and love extended, as a rule, to those whose souls were softened by repentance or at least an inclination towards it. It is precisely to repentance that true love and spiritual affection encourage to an even greater extent. But if the monk met an arrogant and proud person, entrenched in sins and unwilling to change, we see completely different examples - considerable severity and even accusatory harshness. However, this harshness is actually filled with love and extreme anxiety for the eternal future of man, for his salvation. We, of course, need to treat each other not only with outwardly kind and affectionate treatment, but also, most importantly, with true and unfeigned brotherly love. The Lord Himself commanded us to do this; the holy apostles spoke about this more than once. But brotherly love is not acquired immediately. It is given bit by bit by the Lord as we ourselves seek love and learn to acquire it. That is why the Lord says: “Ask, and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7:7). He does not say “ask,” but “ask,” that is, in your good desire, in your soul-beneficial request, you need to show persistence and patience, extending even to the last moment of earthly life. This is how spiritual life works—nothing can be settled here completely, nothing can be considered a done deal. Everything requires extreme sobriety and attention. And in the matter of acquiring love, too. But even if we do not have that very heartfelt and full love from which truly spiritual and affectionate treatment of our neighbors comes, we will at least do deeds of love. Just by good deeds performed for the sake of Christ, we will try to please God. And the Lord, seeing our need, our heartfelt request, seeing our constancy in good deeds, will certainly give us spiritual love for Him and our neighbors, and this is the greatest treasure of a Christian! It is in this constancy, in this daily and careful fulfillment of the Commandments of Christ, in contrite and attentive prayer, that probably the main “recipe” for acquiring love from St. Seraphim is contained. *** “Faith makes a good attitude towards any person” Priest Nikolai Bulgakov Priest Nikolai Bulgakov, rector of the Church of the Sovereign Icon of the Mother of God in the village of Kratovo, Moscow region: - “My joy!” - so affectionately the Monk Seraphim of Sarov greeted everyone who came to him. Of course, we also need affection. We all love to be treated kindly. “Beat everyone with affection and love,” this was the advice Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, a younger contemporary of St. Seraphim, gave to his sisters. But where do you get it, this tenderness? She must be sincere. You can't pretend to be affectionate. If you try to deliberately say “My joy!”, and there is coldness in your words, there will be no sense. The main thing is not what is outside, but what is inside. You won't get far on the outside. How did St. Seraphim do this? How he managed to speak in a kind voice to everyone - although, probably, those who spoke to him not kindly also visited him. And those who came to him were sinners! Father Seraphim knew everything about them - more than even they knew about themselves. The Lord revealed it to him. Why were they a joy to him? What did they do to make him happy? And the fact that they are people. That they live in the world. That God created them. That He loves them, provides for them, endures, forgives, cares: He sends them to His saint for advice, and gives him a good thought - which will be useful to them. It will become easier for them to live, more joyful...
The Monk Cassian the Greek, the Uglich wonderworker, in the world Constantine, was a descendant of the Greek princes of Mangup (Manuk). Konstantin received a significant education for his time. He arrived in Moscow from Constantinople in 1478 as part of an embassy accompanying Princess Sophia, the bride of the Grand Duke of Moscow John III Vasilyevich, who was the niece of the Greek kings John and Constantine Palaiologos. He expressed a desire to stay in Russia. The Grand Duke offered him “cities and regions for food and lands for support,” but he humbly refused this, for the bustle of court life weighed on his heart, which sought solitude and monastic service to God. With the permission of Grand Duke John III, he went to Rostov the Great, where at first he was under Archbishop Joasaph (Obolensky). When the archbishop decided to leave his see and settle in the Ferapont Belozersky Monastery, where he had previously received monastic vows, Prince Konstantin happily followed him. Here the Greek prince received the opportunity for prayerful solitude and life in the thought of God and reading the Holy Scriptures. He accepted monasticism after a miraculous night vision, in which the former abbot of the monastery Martinian (according to other sources, the Monk Ferapont) commanded him to take haircut. And soon Prince Constantine was awarded a monastic image with the name Cassian.
It happened one day that he and some of the brethren left the monastery and sailed along the Volga to the city of Uglich. Not reaching it for 15 miles, he fell in love with a picturesque place on the banks of the Volga, not far from the confluence of the Uchma River. There he erected a cross and built himself a hut.
The fame of the saint spread widely, and “many people began to come for the blessing and see the desert-loving habitation and talk with him.” Saint Cassian, receiving everyone with love, instructed them on the path of salvation with “quiet words.”
With the permission of Prince Andrei, he founded a monastic monastery here in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Together with several monks who came with him from the Ferapontov Monastery, he built the Assumption Church in this place, which laid the foundation for the Uchem monastery.
Subsequently, during a severe flood, when the Volga overflowed its banks, the temple received significant damage. Then Prince Andrei of Uglich again came to the aid of the Monk Cassian, with whom the monk was connected not only by personal friendship, but also by ties of spiritual kinship, for he was the successor of the prince’s son Demetrius. The monastery and temple were moved to another place, not far from the previous one, but safer. The new church was consecrated in the name of the holy prophet John the Baptist and became a parish church for nearby villages. The Monk Cassian labored for a long time in the monastery he founded. The Monk Cassian reposed in peace with the Lord at a ripe old age on October 2, 1504. His holy relics were buried in the same monastery. After his blessed death, the Monk Cassian was glorified by numerous miracles, as evidenced by the records of the Uglich Chronicle, in particular, his defense of his monastery from Polish soldiers in 1609-1611. The service to St. Cassian was written and donated to the monastery on May 17, 1686 by the pious son of a Moscow priest, Mikhail Pimenov, as reported in a manuscript preserved in Uglich.
The icon of Blessed Cassian was miraculously painted. A certain priest Simeon, an artistic painter, promised to paint it, but fell into a serious illness and was unable to fulfill his vow until he was two years old. He finally came to Abbot Hermogenes and asked him: “How to draw the image of the monk?” The abbot gave him a charter on which it was written how to portray Blessed Cassian; Thinking about completing the task he had undertaken, the priest fell asleep and saw in a dream the face of the holy elder, inscribed on the board he had prepared; It seemed to him that a monk, completely similar to this image, was standing at his bed.
Blessed Cassian appeared to many others, but he did not forget his monastery, giving it not only spiritual benefits, but also temporary ones, thereby testifying to his unceasing patronage of the brethren he had gathered.
The memory of the Monk Cassian is celebrated on October 2/15 - the day of his repose, and on May 21/June 3 - the day of his namesake.
Cassian the Greek(+), Uglich miracle worker, reverend.In the world, Constantine came from a family of princes of Mangup. Konstantin received a significant education for his time. In the year he arrived in Moscow as part of an embassy to Grand Duke John III along with Princess Sophia Paleologus. Deciding to devote his life to serving God, the monk rejected the offer to stay at the court of the Grand Duke, did not accept “cities and regions for food and lands for maintenance,” and settled with the Rostov Archbishop Joasaph. When the bishop retired to the Ferapontov Monastery, Constantine followed him.
At the monastery the monk led a strict ascetic life. He accepted monasticism after a miraculous night vision of the Monk Martinian, which encouraged him to take monastic vows.
After some time, Saint Cassian left the monastery and, not far from the city of Uglich, at the confluence of the Volga and Uchma, he erected a cross and built himself a hut.
The fame of the monk spread widely, and “many people began to come for the blessing and see the desert-loving habitation and talk with him.” Saint Cassian received everyone with love, instructing them on the path of salvation with “quiet words.”
Subsequently, during a severe flood, when the Volga overflowed its banks, the temple received significant damage. Then Prince Andrei of Uglich again came to the aid of the Monk Cassian, with whom the monk was connected not only by personal friendship, but also by ties of spiritual kinship, for he was the successor of the prince’s son Demetrius. The monastery and temple were moved to another place, not far from the previous one, but safer. The new church was consecrated in the name of the holy prophet John the Baptist and became a parish church for nearby villages. The Monk Cassian labored for a long time in the monastery he founded, and then, in old age, he reposed in peace with the Lord on October 2 of the year. His holy relics were buried in the same monastery.
Reverence
After his blessed death, the Monk Cassian was glorified by numerous miracles, as evidenced by the records of the Uglich Chronicle, in particular, his defense of his monastery from Polish soldiers in the years. The service to St. Cassian was written and donated to the monastery on May 17 of the year by the pious son of a Moscow priest, Mikhail Pimenov, as reported in the manuscript preserved in Uglich.
The icon of St. Cassian was miraculously painted. A certain priest Simeon, an artistic painter, promised to paint it, but fell into a serious illness and was unable to fulfill his vow until he was two years old. He finally came to Abbot Hermogenes and asked him: “How to draw the image of the monk?” The abbot gave him a charter on which it was written how to portray Blessed Cassian; Thinking about completing the task he had undertaken, the priest fell asleep and saw in a dream the face of the holy elder, inscribed on the board he had prepared; It seemed to him that a monk, completely similar to this image, was standing at his bed.
Blessed Cassian appeared to many others, and did not forget his monastery, giving it not only spiritual benefits, but also temporary ones, thereby testifying to his unceasing patronage of the brethren he had gathered.
Used materials
- Catalog of icons on the website PravIcon.com
- http://pravicon.com/image-7280 (icon)
According to other sources - St. Ferapont.