He became one of the brightest Orthodox religious figures-theologians who lived in the 18th century and was canonized as saints and wonderworkers of the Russian Church. Bishop of Voronezh and Yelets, St. Tikhon of Zadonsk lived a difficult and at the same time wonderful life full of spiritual fruits, for which he never tired of giving thanks to the Lord. The saint lived very modestly, ate meager food and was not afraid of hard physical labor, but this was not at all what he became famous for. His love for the Lord was so great that he devoted almost his entire life to serving God's Church on earth.
St. Tikhon of Zadonsk: Life
The future bishop, but for now in the world Sokolov Timofei Savelyevich, was born in 1724 in the village of Korotsko, Novgorod province. The family was very poor, father Savely Kirillov was a deacon. Timothy was given a new surname at the Novgorod Seminary. He did not remember his father, as he died very early. Six children were left in the mother's arms - four sons and twodaughters. The older brother, like his father, also became a deacon, the middle one was taken into the army. There were no funds, and therefore the whole family lived almost starving. Sometimes, when there was absolutely nothing to eat in the house, Timka harrowed the arable land of a rich peasant for a piece of bread all day long.
Coachman
However, a childless but rich coachman often began to visit them. He fell in love with Timka like his own and begged his mother to give him up in order to raise him as a son and at the end of his life to write off his property to him. Mother was very sorry for Timothy, but extreme poverty and hunger forced her to agree. One day she took her son by the hand and went to the coachman. At that time, the older brother was not at home, but when he returned, having learned from his sister that mother and Timka had gone to the coachman, he rushed with all his strength to catch up with them. And then, having overtaken them, he knelt before his mother and began to beg her not to give Timka to the coachman. He said that it would be better to go around the world himself, but he would try to teach him to read and write, and then it would be possible to attach him to the sexton or deacon. Mother agreed and they all returned home.
Training
In 1738, Timka was brought by his mother to enter the Novgorod Theological School. In the same year, the parent died, and Timofey was left an orphan. At the request of his brother - the clerk in Novgorod - he was enrolled in the Novgorod theological school, operating at the bishop's house, which in 1740 was renamed the theological seminary. The boy Sokolov, as one of the best students, was immediately enrolled and transferred to state support. And thenhe began to receive free bread and boiling water. He ate half of the bread and sold the other half and bought candles to read spiritual books. The children of we althy merchants often laughed at him, for example, they would find the heat of his bast shoes and wave them over him instead of a censer with the words: “We magnify you, saint!”
He studied at the seminary for 14 years and graduated in 1754. The thing is that there were not enough teachers in the seminary. After studying four years of rhetoric, theology and philosophy and two years of grammar, the future St. Tikhon of Zadonsk became a teacher of Greek and theology.
Torn and new appointments
In the spring of April 10, 1758, Timothy is tonsured a monk with the name Tikhon, Archimandrite of the Anthony Monastery Parthenius (Sopkovsky). Enoch was then 34 years old. And then he becomes a philosophy teacher at the Novgorod Seminary.
On January 18, 1759, he was appointed archimandrite of the Tver Zheltikov Assumption Monastery, and in the same year he received the post of rector of the Tver Theological Seminary and taught theology. And to all this, he is determined to be present in the spiritual consistory.
St. Tikhon of Voronezh Zadonsk: bishopric
A rather interesting event happened before he was consecrated on May 13, 1761 as Bishop of Kexholm and Ladoga. When a vicar was needed for the Novgorod diocese, seven candidates were chosen for this position, including Archimandrite Tikhon.
The day of Great Easter came, on which the lot was to be cast and thecandidate for the position. Around the same time, Archimandrite Tikhon, with His Grace Bishop Athanasius, served the Paschal Liturgy in the Tver Cathedral. During the Cherubic Hymn, the bishop was at the altar and removed the particles, Archimandrite Tikhon, like other clergymen, approached him with the usual petition: “Remember me, holy lord.” And suddenly he heard the answer of Vladyka Athanasius: “May the Lord God remember your bishopric in His Kingdom,” and then immediately broke off, adding with a smile: “God grant you be a bishop.”
In St. Petersburg at this time, lots were thrown three times, and each time it fell out with the name of Tikhon. However, he did not stay in this position for long, until 1762, and then he was transferred to preside over the Synodal Office. Then St. Tikhon of Zadonsk headed the Voronezh cathedra. Bishop Ionniky (Pavlutsky) of Voronezh and Yelets had already died by this time.
Voronezh Department
Vladyka Tikhon was entrusted with the management of the Voronezh diocese, which, in addition to the Voronezh province, included Kursk, Oryol, Tambov and the Don Army Region, at that time all this needed a serious transformation. And since the free steppes of the Don at the end of the 17th century became a place of refuge from government persecution of sectarians and Old Believers, it was very difficult for the saint to fight the moods of the then church life. Obstacles to his good intentions were arranged by individuals of both the secular authorities and the clergy themselves.
But it was important for Bishop Tikhon to prepare a worthy legacy of smart and educated pastors, so he introduced a strictstatutory worship and fulfillment of requirements. Under his leadership, schools were formed for the poor children of the clergy and for the clergy themselves. He looked for worthy ones for spiritual positions, cared not only for his flock, but also for the improvement and splendor of temples.
Manuals and Instructions
In the very first year of his service in the Voronezh diocese, he writes a short teaching for priests en titled "On the Seven Holy Mysteries", where he describes the true concepts of the sacraments performed. A year later, he created a guide on how to act for spiritual fathers at confession and how to arouse feelings of sincere repentance in them, and taught others who in real confession lament their sins to be comforted by God's mercy. In his diocese, St. Tikhon was the first to ban corporal punishment for clergy, which was then a common thing, he also defended his own before the authorities.
Like a real priest, he took care of the education of pastors, so two theological schools were opened in Yelets and Ostrogozhsk, and in 1765 he converted the Voronezh Slavic Theological School into a theological seminary and invited teachers from Kyiv and Kharkov. For the moral education of seminary students, he again created a special instruction.
Piety and care
St. Tikhon of Zadonsk was dejected by the poor state of the Voronezh monasteries and therefore wrote 15 articles of exhortation to the monks. He also wrote special epistles for the people to be read by the priests before theirflock. Thus, the saint fought against the pagan echoes of the celebration of Yarila and extravagant drunkenness on the day of Maslenitsa.
Bishop Tikhon always aspired to a secluded monastic life, but the endless diocesan affairs did not give any opportunity to fulfill this. He constantly took up arms against immoral amusements, stinginess, love of money, luxury, theft and lack of love for his neighbor, and almost never rested. Frequent troubles and difficulties crippled his he alth, he developed nervous and cardiac disorders and frequent colds with complications.
Life and hardships
Vladyka lived in a very simple and poor environment, slept on straw and covered himself with a sheepskin coat. Because of this humility, ministers of churches often laughed at him. But he had a saying: "Forgiveness is always better than revenge." Once, the holy fool Kamenev slapped him with the words: “Don’t be arrogant!”, and he accepted such an unexpected attack with gratitude to God and even began to feed this holy fool every day. In general, he endured all insults and sorrows with joy and thanked God for everything that he sends him.
St. Tikhon, Bishop of Voronezh, Wonderworker of Zadonsk has always been indulgent towards others, but very strict towards himself. Once, during Great Lent, he went into the cell of his friend schemamonk Mitrofan, who was sitting at a table with a resident of Yeletsk, Kozma Ignatievich, and they had fish on the table. They were immediately embarrassed, but the saint said that love for one's neighbor is higher than fasting andtherefore, so that they would not worry, he himself tasted fish soup with them. He loved the common people, consoled them and gave all his money and offerings to the poor.
Achieving Holiness
Such his love and feats of self-denial elevated the saint to the contemplation of Heaven and the vision of the future. In 1778, he saw in a subtle dream how the Mother of God stood on the clouds, surrounded by the apostles Peter and Paul, and St. Tikhon himself knelt before her and began to ask for mercy to the world. But the apostle Paul made such speeches that it was immediately clear that severe trials awaited the world. The saint then woke up in tears.
The next year again St. Tikhon saw the Mother of God with the holy fathers in a white robe. And again he fell on his knees before Her, began to ask for one of his loved ones, and the Holy Mother of God said that he would be at his request.
St. Tikhon of Voronezh Zadonsk Wonderworker was revealed many fateful events for Russia. In particular, he predicted the victory of Russia in the war with Napoleon in 1812.
Prediction
Towards the end of his life, he began to pray that the Lord would tell him the time of death. And there was a voice to him at the dawn of the morning: "On the day of the week." In the same year, he saw a luminous beam, and magnificent chambers stood on it, he wanted to enter the door, but he was told that he could do this only after three years, but he had to work hard. After such a vision, Saint Tikhon retired to his cell and rarely received his friends. Clothes and a coffin were prepared for him, which stood in a closet, Father Tikhon often came to him tocry.
Before his death, in a thin dream, St. Tikhon of Zadonsk saw how a familiar priest carried out a baby through the Royal doors of the altar, whom the saint kissed on the right cheek, and then he hit him on the left. In the morning Saint Tikhon felt very ill, his cheek and left leg were numb, his hand began to shake. But he accepted his illness with joy. And then, just before his death, he had a dream, how a ladder to heaven appeared before him, on which he was trying to climb, and he did not succeed because of weakness, then the people began to help, support and seat him closer and closer to the clouds. He told his dream to a friend, monk Kozma, and together they realized that the death of the saint was near.
Peaceful death
Saint Tikhon retired on December 17, 1767. He was allowed to live wherever he wished, and therefore he first settled in the Tolshevsky Transfiguration Monastery (40 km from Voronezh). However, there was a swampy area, this climate did not go well for the he alth of the saint, then he moved to the Zadonsk monastery and lived there until the end of his life.
During his infirmities, he constantly took communion of the Holy Mysteries, soon it was announced to him from above that he would present himself before the Lord on Sunday, August 13, 1783. He was 59 at the time.
St. Tikhon of Zadonsk found his eternal rest in the Zadonsk Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery, his relics are still in the Vladimir Cathedral today.
He was canonized on August 13, 1861, under the reign ofAlexander II. Miracles began to happen almost immediately at the saint's grave.
It is worth noting right away that the church of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk and Ignatius the God-bearer is part of the whole church town of the Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery in the city of Zadonsk, Voronezh Region.
According to the stories of old-timers, Hierodeacon of the Monastery of the Theotokos Father Victor in 1943 rented an apartment from a local resident - E. V. Semenova, who had an ancient icon of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk preserved in the attic for more than ten years, and she became the only saved icon from the Vladimir Cathedral during the reign of atheistic Soviet power. It is also called the “coffin” image of St. Tikhon; it depicts him in full growth and, since the glorification of his name, has stood behind the shrine of the saint’s relics. There she remains now.
Conclusion
Prayers and Akathist to St. Tikhon of Zadonsk are especially read so that he heals from mental ailments - insanity, depression, demonism and alcoholism.
An interesting fact is that St. Tikhon in the work "Demons" by F. M. Dostoevsky became the prototype of a literary hero - Elder Tikhon - which the writer himself pointed out, and the monastery was the real basis of the artistic expanse of the novel.
Solemn festive services in memory of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk are held on July 19 and August 13.
