The history of the Pafnutiev Borovsky monastery, as well as the fate of its founder, reflect amazing events. They are mentioned in the annals of the Russian land. The House of the Nativity of the Most Pure Theotokos and the great miracle worker Paphnutius is considered a monument of sovereign glory and a spiritual shrine.
The initial stage of the spiritual development of the founder of the monastery
Borovsky Monastery is named after the Monk Pafnuty, who was born in the village of Kudinovo (about 4 kilometers from the city of Borovsk) in a family distinguished by piety. At the time of baptism, the miracle worker received the name Parthenius. He had a grandfather, who, according to ancient legends, was a Tatar Baskak who converted to the Orthodox faith. When Parfeniy was twenty years old, he entered the Vysoko-Pokrovskiy Borovskoye Monastery, where he was tonsured and given a new name - Pafnutiy. The abbot, noticing the young man's heartfelt desire, appointed him a mentor - Elder Nikita, who for nineteen years was the steward of the Vysotsky Serpukhov Monastery and was a student of St. Sergius of Radonezh.
Life of a Saint
After twenty years of high spiritual life Pafnutiyspiritually increased to the level of a “teaching husband”. Metropolitan Photius, who oversaw all the Orthodox monasteries in Russia, honored him with becoming abbot of the monastery. In 1444 the monk left the Pokrovsky monastery at the command of God. He settled not far, in a deserted place where the Isterma River flows into Protva, three versts from Borovsk. Soon a monastery was also created there. Later, the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, built at the behest of Metropolitan Jonah, was added to it.
The voluntary renunciation of Paphnutius from worldly life was not extremely harsh, but he strictly observed all church deaneries, rules, charter. As guardian of the canons, he did not recognize Metropolitan Jonah, since he was elected but not approved by the Patriarch of Constantinople, who stood above all the monasteries in Russia.
The holy deeds of Paphnutius
The date of foundation of Borovsky Monastery is 1444. Paphnutius called it the home of the Most Pure Mother of God. In the chosen field, the saint carried out his activity for more than thirty years. He consecrated the monastery with his prayers and work, gathered brethren in it and brought up everyone in obedience and fear of God.
After Paphnutius received from the Lord the notice of his imminent death, he spent the rest of his time in unceasing prayer and fasting, instructing his disciples. The monk placed his hopes for his own soul and for the monastery entrusted to him on God and his Most Pure Mother. He lived, pleasing the Lord with the life of an ascetic, for 82 years. During this time, Paphnutius gathered a brethren from ninetyfive people.
Veneration of a saint in life
In relation to the laity, the Monk Paphnutius was severe. From the boyars and princes, he refused to accept gifts and letters. Despite the fact that Orthodox monasteries were already opening in Russia in considerable numbers, it was the monastery of Pafnutius that was very famous. He was especially revered by some great princes, which raised the monk to the rank of a family saint. Ivan the Terrible himself was allegedly born thanks to the prayers of the elder Pafnutius. The Tsar ranked his name among the great saints who were guarded by all the men's monasteries of Moscow (they also included Kirill Belozersky and Sergius of Radonezh).
For 18 years, Joseph Volotsky was trained in Ionic education by St. Paphnutius. Subsequently, he became a great church leader. Joseph headed the Borovsky Monastery after the death of Paphnutius in 1477.
Novices and supporters of the great saint
The tonsurers of Paphnutius include:
1. Joseph Vassian Sanin, who became the author of the description of the life of the monk.
2. Reverend David, who founded the Ascension Hermitage.
3. Godfather of Ivan the Terrible.
4. Reverend Daniel, who founded the Trinity Monastery on the territory of Pereyaslavl-Zalessky.
Pafnuty approved of the unification of the specific principalities under the rule of Moscow, so he was supported by the heads of the feudal monarchy. In 1467, the Borovsky Monastery was replenished with a stone cathedral named after the Nativity of the Virgin. A famous person was invited to decorate itthe time of the icon painter Mitrophanius. The great thinker and artist had a great influence on the formation of a special handicraft tradition in the monastery. Among those who were deeply imbued with it was Saint Macarius. He is also a tonsurer of the elder Paphnutius. Macarius later headed the Russian Orthodox Church (from 1542 to 1563).
Honoring Paphnutius after death
The elder of the Borovsky Monastery gave his soul into God's hands on the first of May (according to the old calendar style) in 1477, in the evening, an hour before sunset.
The Lord did many miracles through his saint, leaving the next generations an example of a life that is pleasing to Him. The holy memory of Paphnutius has been preserved to this day. By God's will, his monastery was repeatedly saved from ruin. At the present time, the Lord also reveals the saint as a prayer book and intercessor for all people who come to Him with love and faith.
The beginning of the great history of the monastery
In the sixteenth century, the Pafnutev (Borovsky) Monastery became one of the richest and most famous in Russia. It was in it that in 1513, in the summer, before advancing in the direction of Smolensk, the main forces of the sovereign army, led by Vasily the Third, stopped. The monasteries of the Kaluga region at that time were not sufficiently protected from the invasion of attacking opponents. But that changed soon enough. Already in the second half of the sixteenth century, the Borovsky Monastery was surrounded by stone walls and equipped with towers. He occupied an advantageous strategic position on the southwestern approaches to Moscow. Walls and towerssuffered significantly during the Great Troubles, but were restored in the seventeenth century by Trofim Shaturin, a native of Kashin, who was a hereditary bricklayer and a true master of his craft.
Architecture of the monastery
A church named after the Nativity of Christ was erected at the monastery in 1511. A majestic refectory chamber was also built in it. At the end of the same century, the Cathedral Church was rebuilt. He became one of the most perfect at that time. Five-domed, with four pillars, the Borovsky Monastery had an architecture in which the characteristic features of the Archangel Cathedral, which is part of the Moscow Kremlin, were clearly traced. In 1651 it was painted with frescoes, and in 1651 the northern chapel named after the Holy Great Martyr Irina was built. The composition of the architecture of the cathedral itself was violated in the nineteenth century by altering the domes and creating a vestibule.
Great loss
When False Dmitry II, popularly called the Tushinsky thief, came to Borovsk in July 1610, his troops did not have enough strength and the opportunity to take the fortress-monastery. This happened only when the traitor governors themselves opened the gates. There was an unequal fight in the monastery. By the strength of the army of many thousands, all the local residents who had taken refuge in the monastery, and the brethren, were exterminated. Prince Volkonsky Mikhail, who led the defense, was killed in battle in the Cathedral Church. Archimandrites Nikon (abbot of the monastery) and Joseph, who was the defender of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, also died. The attacked warriors stole all the we alth. At the same time, letters of commendation andthe documents of the monastery burned down in a fire. It was in honor of the memory of the feat of Prince Volkonsky and this defense that Borovsk got its own coat of arms. It depicts a symbol of fidelity - a heart with a cross framed by a laurel wreath.
Blossoming after troubled times
After the ruin, the Pafnutiev Monastery was not only restored, but also experienced a period of prosperity. It happened in the seventeenth century. At that time, the architectural ensemble of the monastery was formed, which has not changed much to this day. Its visitors in the 19th century noted that it was very well-groomed, it felt especially calm, quiet and peaceful. In the 17th-19th centuries, the Pafnutiev (Borovsky) Monastery was famous for its rare frescoes and icons, rich library and sacristy. In 1744, 11,000 peasants were assigned to the monastery. The names of prominent ascetics of that time have not survived to this day. However, based on the spirit in the monastery, how its calm life is established, one can understand how measuredly and quietly their life flowed in the labors of obedience and monastic services.
Prisoners
In 1666-1667, the infamous Archpriest Avvakum was kept in the prison of the Borovsky Monastery. Then he was exiled to the prison of Hollow Lake. Also imprisoned in the monastery prison, according to the decrees of the sovereign, was the noblewoman Morozova, who persisted in the schism. In addition, her sister Urusova and the wife of the Streltsy Colonel Danilov were kept in prison. These victims of the schismatics' propaganda died here in the fall of 1675.
Changes
Monastery even after alldestruction flourished. This could not be prevented by the three raids of Napoleon's army in 1812. Just like in 1610, then the men's monastery was plundered (you can see the photo of the monastery of Paphnutius in the article) and the library was burned. But the biggest ruin was yet to come. In 1932 the monastery was closed. A museum was located on its territory. Later, the monastery was turned into a corrective labor colony. Then it was equipped for a mechanization school, which taught agriculture. The monastery necropolis was demolished, and in its place an educational building of the school was erected in 1935.
Nothing could prevent the revival of the monastery. And Saint Paphnutius contributed to this. On the night of May 13-14, 1954, on the day of the remembrance of the reverend, the central dome of the Nativity Cathedral collapsed. The equipment that belonged to the school, which was standing in the temple, was crushed. Restoration work began in 1960.
Establishment of Spirituality
The Agricultural College was withdrawn from the territory of the Borovsky Monastery in 1991. In the summer of the same year, the first inhabitants began to come to it. The appointment of Abbot Nikon (in the world of Khudyakov) as the first abbot of the monastery became symbolic. He was the spiritual son of Archimandrite Ambrose. He, in turn, was the last who remained from the brethren of the monastery, which existed before its closure. Thus the spiritual succession was preserved. The Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah, in which part of the relics of the Monk Paphnutius was placed, was consecrated in 1991, on the thirteenth of April. It was brought by Metropolitan Borovsky and Kaluga Clement fromPskov-Caves Monastery, where it was preserved before.
In the summer of 1994, the long-awaited festive and solemn services finally began in the cathedral. An iconostasis consisting of three tiers was built in it, and a chapel was arranged in honor of Paphnutius. The bells were hoisted into place in 1996.
Holy magnetism of the monastery
In 1994, two anniversaries crossed - five hundred and fifty years since the founding of the monastery and six hundred since the birth of St. Paphnutius. On this occasion, the Borovsky Monastery was visited by Alexy II, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. He made a procession and a solemn service.
The place of the ancient monastery, which was founded in the middle of the fifteenth century by Pafnutiy Borovsky, is picturesque and quiet to this day. Since the beginning of the existence of the monastery, it has attracted, like a magnet, pilgrims from different parts of Russia and abroad (both near and far), who visit the monastery to relax from everyday hardships. They come to the monastery walls to take a break from pressing problems, to throw off the burden of everyday worries from their shoulders, to enjoy the inner silence of a place prayed for centuries.
Worships and Pilgrimages
What is the Kaluga region famous for? The Borovsky Monastery, which is located on its territory, is a place of pilgrimage for residents of both nearby settlements and other cities and countries. Even from Moscow they go there to bow to the relics of Paphnutius and defend the service, which Father Vlasy rules. BorovskoyThe monastery publishes the schedule of its daily services in its own newspaper Vestnik, and even on the Internet on the official website. At the monastery there is a functioning children's Sunday school. Also in the monastery you can listen to lectures for adults, watch films about the clergy together and discuss them. In 2011, the Orthodox squad of the Borovsk region was created in the monastery, which contributes to the unification of young people based on the ideals of serving society and others.
Helping gifted children and teenagers
During the summer, the monastery hosts groups of child scouts and young artists who are trained at the art school of Kaluga. They carry out practical training in the area. Over the past few years, a children's tent field patriotic-orthodox camp called "Stratilat" has been organized in the monastery. More than forty people rest here every year. Since 2011, the Pafnutevgrad rally has been held three times on the basis of the camp, in which young Orthodox people took part.
Activities and celebrations of the holy place
Printing activities are actively carried out in the Pafnutevsky Monastery. It publishes a magazine for children "Korablik", a newspaper for parents and teachers "Borovsky Enlightener", a weekly "Bulletin" and books of a spiritual orientation. Throughout the year, pilgrims can make excursions around the monastery, where there is a book and icon shop, a library. In addition, the Borovsky Monastery is considered the largest organizer of district educational readings. This is an annual eventfor parishioners is aimed at developing morality and spiritual values among the population. During great holidays, such as the Day of Remembrance of St. Paphnutius and the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, tables are set in the refectory for everyone in the monastery.
Kaluga region, monastery. Father Vlasiy
Schiarchimandrite Vlasy (in the world of Peregontsy) was born on February 8, 1934. The family of the clergyman was a believer. His grandmother is a schema nun. From an early age, she brought up Blasius in piety and faith. This had to be hidden during the Soviet era. After school, Peregontsev entered the Smolensk Medical Institute. The future priest secretly went to prayers in the cathedral.
The information was reported to the rector of the institute, after which the persecution of the believing student began. This became unacceptable for Peregontsev, and as a result, he decided to leave his studies and leave for the Tambov region. There he met Father Illarion (Rybar), from whom he received an offer to leave for the Transcarpathian region. Upon arrival at the monastery of St. Laurus and Florus, the former student changed his name. The reason for this decision was to put him on the All-Union wanted list. A few years later, Fr. Vlasy was tonsured into the mantle of the eponymous Saint of Sebaste.
The beginning of the spiritual path of Peregontsev
From 1991 to the present time, the head of the elder Vlasy Borovsky Monastery. But how did he achieve the rank of Schema-Archimandrite? Having become a spiritual person, the failed physician was in obedience to Father Hilarion's cell-attendant. During the periodpersecution of the Church, when Khrushchev was in power, the monastery was closed. Vlasiy was forced to return to Smolensk and restore documents. Representatives of the legitimate authorities offered him to leave monasticism and continue his studies at the institute, but he refused. Blasius was honored with a reception from Archbishop Gideon, who took him to his cathedral. The future Schema-Archimandrite began his service by cleaning the altar. Later he became a psalmist, then a regent, a deacon, then a priest and cell attendant. When Gideon was transferred to the diocese of Novosibirsk in 1972, Father Vlasy went with him to Siberia. Later he was appointed to serve in the Tobolsk Intercession Cathedral.
The last abode of the elder
When in 1991 the Metropolitan of Kaluga and Borovsk Clement blessed Vlasy with the patronage of the Pafnutiev Monastery, more and more people began to visit him. All of them needed spiritual help. In 1998 Father Vlasy Borovskoy left the monastery and went to Mount Athos. There he lived among the monks for five years. Then he again returned to the Pafnutiev Monastery, where he remains to this day. Thousands of parishioners from all over the world are looking for meetings with Father Vlasy. Some come to the elder to get rid of incurable ailments, others - to get worldly advice for resolving important worldly affairs. Many find spiritual support in him. For each parishioner, Vlasiy finds an intelligible simple answer.
Modern divisions
Not far from the walls of the monastery, in a pine park, on a hill, there is a subsidiary farm. It representsa full-fledged farm with living quarters for staff, a hay storage, a barnyard with cows, horses, pigs, a poultry house, fields and a pond.
On the first floor of the refectory of the monastery there is a prosphora shop, as well as a bakery. They make bread, cookies, buns, and pies for the needs of the brethren and pilgrims. Most of the work is done by hand. The technology of making sourdough dough without the addition of yeast, which was used in the old days, has also been restored.
