At the end of the 15th century, the great ascetic of the Russian Orthodox Church, St. Nil Stolobensky, was born in the village of Zhabna, Novgorod volost. Having received from the Lord the gift of spiritual insight for his great humility, he, following God's precepts, devoted his whole life to serving his neighbors, receiving in a secluded forest cell many people who came to him for spiritual help and advice.
Childhood and monastic vows
The exact date of his birth is unknown, the name received by the baby during holy baptism is also hidden from us, but from a later biography compiled by the first abbot of the monastery in which the saint of God labored, it is clear that his parents were pious and pious people. They raised their son in a truly Christian spirit, instilling in him a love of prayer and reading the Holy Scriptures from an early age.
When in 1505 the Lord called them to Himself, the lad, having no one else from his family, went to a nearby monasteryReverend Savva Krypetsky. There, after serving his term as a novice, he took monastic vows with the name Nil in honor of St. Nil of Sinai, about whose deeds I read a lot in patristic books.
Struggle against the temptations of spirit and flesh
It is known that in the first years of monasticism it is especially difficult for young monks, on whom the devil sends temptations with particular fury, turning their minds away from contemplation with earthly passions. In order to face the enemy with honor, Neil Stolobensky armed himself with prayer and, exhausting the flesh with fasts and vigils, prepared himself to later become the chosen vessel of the Spirit of God.
The young monk had to endure a lot of work assigned to him by the abbot of the monastery, but no one heard a single complaint from him. For all the brethren, he was an example of meekness and malice. Very soon, the rumor about his virtues went far beyond the walls of the monastery, and people rushed to his cell to look at the young righteous man.
In a lonely forest cell
Shying away from worldly glory, Neil Stolobensky asked for a blessing from the rector of the monastery, hegumen Herman, and took upon himself the feat of hermitage. Wandering for a long time through impenetrable forest thickets, he finally came to the Rzhev land, where he built a cell for himself on the banks of a small river Cheremkha. Here, far from people, the future saint indulged in unceasing prayer, turning all his thoughts to the Heavenly World.
To support his strength, Neil Stolobensky ate what he could gather in the forest: berries, mushrooms and acorns. As he told his confessor, the demons tried more than once to frighten him and force him to leave the desert. Appearing in the guise of wild animals and reptiles, the messengers of the world of darkness emitted a piercing whistle and hiss under the windows of the cell. In these cases, the hermit drove them out with the sign of the cross. It was worse when, at the instigation of demons, evil people appeared to harm him.
Intimidate robbers
In the life of the saint, there is a case when robbers came to him, believing that they would find food from him. Having made the sign of the cross, the ascetic went out to meet them, holding in his hands his only value - the image of the Most Holy Theotokos. And a miracle happened: the villains had a vision of many warriors standing behind the Nile. Frightened, the robbers fell on their knees before the saint and tearfully repented of their intentions. The humble ascetic forgave them and, having uttered an edification, let them go in peace.
Path to the deserted island
Thus, in unceasing prayers and fasting, Nil Stolobensky spent thirteen years. But the light of God's truth, abundantly shed by him, could not be hidden from the world. Soon, the inhabitants of the surrounding villages were drawn to the lonely forest cell. They came to ask the righteous for prayers, blessings, as well as wise advice in all worldly affairs. Avoiding worldly glory, the saint asked the Queen of Heaven to guide him on the path of true wilderness living and solitary deeds.
The Most Holy Theotokos did not leave his prayers unanswered and soon, appearing to him in a thin dream, ordered him to leave his cell and head towards Lake Seliger. There, having crossed to the island of Stolobny, settle in a secluded place and continue the feat of prayer and fasting. Having fulfilled the will of the Queen of Heaven, Saint Nilus made his journey in 1528. This is known for certain from the records preserved in the books of the Nilo-Stolobensk monastery.
At a new location
Arriving on the island at the end of autumn, he did not have the opportunity to build a cell before the onset of cold weather and spent the first winter in a dugout dug in a forest clearing. Only the following year did the holy hermit build a dwelling for himself and erect a chapel near it. As in previous years, Nil Stolobensky ate exclusively forest gifts, only occasionally supplementing them with fish donated to him by fishermen.
But the enemy of the human race, previously put to shame by the Nile, decided to take revenge on him. He hardened the hearts of the surrounding inhabitants against the holy elder, who suddenly wished to cut down the forest on the island and use it for arable land. They believed that when they set fire to the fallen trees, the flame would destroy the hermit's cell that interfered with them. But the Power of the Lord did not leave the Nile this time either. Through his prayer, the fire that engulfed the island did not harm either the cell or the chapel, while at the same time planting fear in the hearts of his ill-wishers.
Shaming demons and gaining spiritual gifts
The same story was repeated on the island with robbers who wanted to profit at the expense of the Nile. Only this time the punishment for the villains was truly heavy. Entering the cell, they were stricken with blindness, and only after long tears and repentance, through the prayer of the saint, did they regain their sight. SoThe Monk Nil of Stolobensky again confounded the demons and enlightened the surrounding inhabitants, who were filled with a feeling of reverence for him after that.
To Saint Nilus, who triumphed over his own passions, the Lord sent the gift of spiritual insight and reasoning. The monastery records say that many people, coming to him, received instructions that changed their lives and helped them find the only right solution in the most difficult situations. There are also cases when, through his prayers, the waves on Seliger subsided, and the fishermen, caught in a storm, returned home safe and sound.
Last years of life and blissful death
On the island of Stolobny, the holy hermit lived for twenty-seven years. Here he glorified the Lord with a feat that was previously unknown even to the most sophisticated ascetics. Not wanting to give indulgence to the flesh, the Monk Nilus spent the short hours of night sleep not lying, like all other people, but sitting, leaning on steel hooks specially driven into the wall of the cell. In order to tirelessly remember the impending death and the Judgment of God awaiting after it, the saint dug a grave for himself in his cell and, contemplating it, constantly lamented and lamented the sins he had committed. This is how the Monk Nil Stolobensky spent his days and nights.
The life of the saint tells that the Lord revealed to him in advance the day and hour of his blessed death. He knew that he would complete his earthly journey precisely on December 7, 1554, at the end of the day. Preparing to appear before the Supreme Court, the monk sent a local fisherman to his confessor, askingto visit him at this important hour for him.
Hegumen Sergius, who arrived at his call from the Rakovsky St. Nicholas Monastery, confessed the elder and communed the Holy Mysteries of Christ. The next day, the monk was found in his cell, quietly retiring to the Lord. According to eyewitnesses, his body, supported by hooks driven into the wall, exuded fragrance, and his face shone with an unearthly light.
Death Prophecy
The fame of the pious hermit spread far across Russia. Monks from many monasteries began to come to Seliger and spend their days in the cell in which Nil Stolobensky used to live. The prayer offered up among its walls helped to ask the Lord for he alth for the suffering and peace for the restless spirit. Soon, a tomb was built at the burial site of the saint, also famous for the numerous healings performed on it.
It was not long before the prediction that Neil Stolobensky left before his death came true. The life of the saint, compiled later by the monk of the Holy Trinity Monastery Philotheus, says that with spiritual eyes he surveyed the monastery erected in the future on the site of his cell. His appearance was reverend and predicted shortly before his death.
Construction of the monastery
The prophecy began to come true in 1590, when the monk Herman, who settled on the island, and the wanderer Boris Kholmogorets, having asked for blessings from the Metropolitan of Novgorod, erected a wooden church in the name of St. Basil. A small monastic community soon formed around her,which gave rise to the future monastery, called the Nile Hermitage. Monk Herman became his first abbot, who left a biography of Nil Stolobensky, on the basis of which the life of the saint was subsequently compiled.
In 1665, a terrible misfortune befell the monastery. In the fire that broke out, all its wooden buildings, including the main temple, perished. In order not to interrupt the divine services, the monks erected a temporary wooden church, and two years later they proceeded to the construction of a stone church and a new tombstone on the grave of St. Nil. During the excavation work carried out on May 27, a miracle was revealed to all those present. One of the earthen walls of the pit crumbled, and the eyes of the monks saw the coffin of the saint with his incorruptible and fragrant relics.
Veneration of St. Nil Stolobensky
Having learned about the incident, Metropolitan Pitirim of Novgorod established a holiday on this day. Since then, the day of Nil Stolobensky is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on May 27 (acquisition of relics) and December 7 (memory of a blessed death). In October 1669, work was completed on the construction of a stone temple, and the relics were placed in one of its limits in a specially made shrine.
Shortly before this, by the decision of the Holy Synod, among other saints of God, St. Nil Stolobensky was canonized as a saint. The akathist, compiled in his honor, tells in detail about the path of service to the Lord, passed by this great ascetic, and calls him to offer up prayers before the Lord for all who have not yet left the vale of earthly life.
Today, in many Orthodox churches you can see his image. The icon of the Nile of Stolobensky is often found in the home iconostases of believers. On the days of his memory in churches, as a rule, it is crowded. This speaks of universal reverence and hope for the prayers that Nil Stolobensky lifts up for us before the Lord. How does he help and what is it customary to ask him for?
During the centuries that have passed since the day of his blessed death, human needs have not changed much. Just like in the old days, they resort to it in search of healing from ailments, ask for well-being for themselves and their loved ones, and setting off on a long and difficult journey - blessings on a good journey.
