Saint Theodosius of the Caucasus is a famous hieroschemamonk of the Russian Orthodox Church, who served in the Caucasus, Athos, Jerusalem and Constantinople in the 19th-20th centuries. He was the head of the women's community, belonged to the "non-remembering", but at the same time he did not obey any center, living as closed as possible. Until now, much in his biography remains distorted and not completely clear. The main source of information is the memoirs of women who lived with him, as well as books based on his memoirs. All these documents often contradict each other, contain suspicious, and often obviously unreliable data. It is noteworthy that the hero of our article is not officially recognized as a saint. This was denied to him by the Synodal Commission after Metropolitan Gideon, who served in the Vladikavkaz and Stavropol dioceses, glorified him as a locally revered saint. At the same time, Gideon promotes the veneration of the elder. He is celebrated by some non-canonical groupsOrthodoxy. In this article, we will talk about his biography, beliefs associated with him, and what they pray to St. Theodosius of the Caucasus. Let's stop at the place where his relics are kept today.
Childhood
It is officially believed that Saint Theodosius of the Caucasus was born in the Perm province in 1868. At the same time, some lives indicate that he was born in 1800, which seems implausible, since in this case it will be necessary to admit that he died at the age of 148.
In other lives, 1841 is indicated as the date of birth, but this is also doubtful, since then he would have to live up to 106 years. Apparently, the date of birth of St. Theodosius of the Caucasus was recorded from someone's words.
The date of November 4, 1862 is considered reliable, which is based on the information contained in the archives. His birth name was Fedor Fedorovich Kashin. The Orthodox claim that his parents were called Catherine and Fedor, they were believing pious Christians, while they lived extremely poorly, raised many children, trying to convert everyone to Orthodoxy. It is not known how reliable this information is. It should be noted that most of the data relating to his life before leaving for Athos seem unrealistic. Some researchers insist that all information about the saint before 1878 is mythical.
Arrival to Athos
It can be said for sure that St. Theodosius of the Caucasus left for Athos. At the same time, some hagiographies state that he independently left home at the age of three. On theAthos went along with the pilgrims, on the spot persuading the hegumen of the monastery to accept him into the monastery.
From another source you can learn that he came to Athos as a young man, and from another - that he did it in 1889, that is, when he was already 20 years old.
According to the guide "Companion of the Russian pilgrim on Athos", the holy reverend Theodosius of the Caucasus began to live in the cell of the Belt of the Mother of God at the Iberian Monastery, where he received tonsure. A cell on Mount Athos is a monastic settlement with a land plot adjacent to it, which can be quite extensive.
Theodosius was ordained by Metropolitan Nil, about which there is a corresponding certificate dated December 1897. He was allowed to take confession. In 1901, the post of Ioannikius was succeeded by succession by the hero of our article.
Scandal
There are many ambiguous episodes in the life of St. Theodosius of the Caucasus, because of which the Russian Orthodox Church still does not officially recognize him as a saint. Most sources report that he was forced to leave Athos. Anna Ilyinskaya claims that the brethren rebelled against him by burying manure in the pit. From there Theodosius got out, following the advice of the Mother of God. After that, she gives improbable information that the monks wrote a letter to the king, in which they accused Theodosius of having settled a woman in his cell under the guise of a monk. After that, the king ordered to send him to prison. Then, in a dream, an angel appeared to the monarch, who ordered the release of the monk. Having obeyed, the sovereign ordered that Theodosius be brought to him and sent to the templepriest. Further, Ilyinskaya points out that for five years of service in Constantinople, he enjoyed universal respect, the sick and the poor handed out the money that the nobles gave him.
This behavior of the monk was not approved by the king, then Theodosius went to Jerusalem. The same information can be found in other sources about the saint. Further from Jerusalem, he returned to Athos, and then again left for Jerusalem. At the same time, the reasons why the saint was expelled from Athos are not known for certain.
It can be argued that he really served in Constantinople, setting up a courtyard of his cell there, for which he received a reprimand from the local patriarchy.
It is believed that it was in Constantinople that Theodosius met 15-year-old Tatyana Nikitina, whom he persuaded to go with him to Athos. At the same time, Ilinskaya claims that they met in Jerusalem. If this is true, then it turns out that the monk came to Athos already with a girl who lived with him for some time, and then the anger of the local brethren is quite understandable.
Theodosius' act turned into a loud scandal, which was widely covered in Russian and Greek periodicals, primarily in the church. The newspapers wrote that the monk had large funds as the rector of the Athos cell. But at the same time, apparently, he was deprived of an ascetic mood. Due to constant visits to Constantinople, Theodosius weaned from the monastic lifestyle, journalists claimed. As a result, he began to cohabit with 25-year-old Tatyana Nikitina. After he persuaded her to go with him to Athos, hiding his gender, since women are not allowed on the mountain. Hecut her hair, changed her clothes, issued a male passport in Turkey. Arriving at the holy place, her blooming and tender appearance constantly attracted the attention of others, as a result, the secret was revealed.
It is obvious that after such an offense he was irrevocably expelled from Athos. Moreover, in the guidebooks for 1907, all information about Feodosia has already been removed. In particular, it was claimed that Hieromonk Peter succeeded Ioannikius.
Life in Jerusalem
Several publications en titled "The Life and Miracles of the Monk Theodosius of the Caucasus" tell that he went from Athos to Jerusalem. At the same time, Ilyinskaya writes that he still served in Constantinople for several years, but then asked permission from the tsar to leave for the Holy Land. Apparently, the king in this context should be understood as the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Another source, which tells about the life and miracles of the Monk Theodosius of the Caucasus, states that from 1909 to 1913 he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, regularly holding services near the tomb of the Lord.
There is also information that in the Holy Land he accepted the great schema. It is obvious that in Jerusalem the monk continued to live with Tatyana, since all the lives of St. Theodosius of the Caucasus indicate that they fled to Russia together.
Homecoming
It is further reported that in Jerusalem the monk met a retired general whose name is unknown. He invited him to return to Russia. The general, who himself came to bow to the Holy Sepulcher, took upon himself the paperwork for the departure of the elder.
B1913 Theodosius returns to his homeland. At the same time, everything was not without scandals. Deacon Andrei Kuraev tells about the report of the head of the Russian spiritual mission in Jerusalem, which contains an appeal to the Russian consul about the expulsion of Hieromonk Theodosius from Jerusalem. The document is dated 1914. He was accused of behavior inconsistent with monastic vows.
Ilyinskaya at the same time claims that Theodosius managed to take out of the Holy Land a lot of golden sacred vessels and crosses. Together with nun Tatyana, he carried them in mattresses and pillows. Many researchers believe that this export of jewelry from Jerusalem was a banal smuggling. It is possible that the general, who was busy with the return of the hero of our article to his homeland, did it not for selfish reasons.
As a result, Theodosius and Tatyana arrived at the village of Platnirovka, where the same general was from. They started living with him.
Stavropol Territory
The next place, with which the life and miracles of St. Theodosius of the Caucasus are associated, is the Stavropol Territory. For some unknown reason, they soon left the village of Platnirovka. This is only said that the Mother of God ordered him to settle in the area of the monastery, known as Dark Buki. Schemamonk Hilarion Domrachev, who is considered to be the ideologist of the national name-worship, lived there until his death. From this we can conclude that Theodosius was his supporter or even colleague. For example, Vladimir Lermontov in his story "Delphania" directly indicates thatthat the elders lived together. However, the archives associated with Hilarion do not contain any mention of Theodosius, although many of those with whom the schemamonk spent the last years of his life are listed there. There is no mention of the hero of our article and another famous name-slaver Anthony Bulatovich.
Based on this, a number of researchers conclude that Theodosius ended up in Dark Buki after the death of Hilarion, most likely in 1917. However, he did not get along in these places either, having moved closer to the Gorny farm in the Krasnodar Territory, which is located three kilometers further.
That's when several women joined him. Researcher Oleg Boltogaev, who spoke with local residents, claims that the monks were allowed to occupy several abandoned houses, which are called huts here. These are primitive dwellings that were quickly and quickly built in one or two days.
In the life of a monk, which was written by Sergei Shumilo, it is stated that Theodosius prayed for seven days and nights, standing on a large stone, until the Lord showed him the place where the church should be built. After that, the Mother of God allegedly appeared to him, who indicated the place for the temple and the prosphora. Shumilo writes that periwinkle grew in those places, which was nowhere else in the district. This legend is refuted by Boltogaev, who visited these places. He claims periwinkle grows everywhere there.
Lyudmila Breshenkova, based on materials from the book of Metropolitan Gideon, writes that several nuns and two teenage girls, whose names were Lyubov and Anna, lived with Theodosius. It was the latter who werethe elder for the next 30 years, and then they began to tell his descendants about him, compiled manuscripts about his life and amazing miracles.
Shumilo claims that during this period Theodosius was an old man of all-Russian scale. Many pilgrims went to him, who longed for advice and salvation. He received up to five hundred people a day. People came from the Kuban, the Caucasus, Ukraine, Siberia, Belarus, the rest of Russia. He spoke to everyone in their native language. Boltogaev writes that the monks who lived on the Gorny farm were unsociable. There was a high and dense fence around their buildings, and a piece of a railway rail hung on a tree, which they began to knock on as soon as an unknown person approached the buildings.
Ilyinskaya in her works gives absolutely incredible information that the authorities came to the elder on a string of black cars. The people in costumes that came out of them gave Theodosius money to pray for them. Because of this, according to Ilyinskaya, for some time the Soviet authorities did not touch him. In particular, the spiritual daughter of Theodosius was allegedly the wife of the All-Union headman Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin, who in the 1920s was just working in the Kuban. As if Kalinin himself came to these places to meet with the monk. After examining the monastery, he issued a document that the elders had a shelter here. After the Civil War, many homeless children and old people remained. Theodosius collected all of them, found cases for each.
Boltogaev claims that these legends have nothing to do with reality. In his opinion, if Kalinin came to Gornoye at least once, information about this wouldremained in the district, and Soviet schoolchildren would talk about it for several more decades in the lessons on the history of their native land. In addition, the wife of the all-Union headman, Ekaterina Ivanovna Lorberg, was a staunch revolutionary, a Jewess and a member of the Supreme Court of the USSR, so she could not be the spiritual daughter of Theodosius. Finally, it was physically impossible to set up any shelter in two hastily built huts.
But Boltogaev managed to find information that Feodosy taught local children to read and write. One of the local residents, by the name of Katalevsky, said that it was from the monks that he learned to read and write. He came to their cells several times a week. They taught him to read, count, write and pray. However, they didn't do it recklessly. Instead, they took a rabbit, flour, chicken or duck.
Arrest of the old man
In the first years after the Civil War, the old man was not touched, but then he was nevertheless arrested. However, it is not known exactly when this happened. Some sources mention 1925, others - 1927. The circumstances of this arrest are also different.
Some write that Theodosius knew in advance about what had happened and was waiting for them to come for him. During the arrest itself, he allegedly washed the feet of either the nuns or those who came to arrest him.
Some sources mention that a young novice Lyubov went into exile after him and served him until his death.
Theodosius was released from prison in 1931. He settled in Mineralnye Vody. The monk did not accept the declaration of Metropolitan Sergius, underwhich understood the policy of unconditional loy alty of the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church to the Soviet authorities. Moreover, he created a house church, in which he served services until his death in 1948.
After his death, Schemamonk Epiphany Chernov and Schema-nun Varvara Moza began to lead the community.
Canonization dispute
The issue of studying the life of Theodosius and his popular veneration was raised by the Stavropol diocese in 1994. The decision on this was made by the Synodal Commission for the Canonization of Saints under the Moscow Patriarchate. Its members came to the conclusion that it is not possible to consider a monk a saint. In total, the canonization of Theodosius of the Caucasus was refused five times. However, this did not stop Metropolitan Gideon.
In April 1995, a solemn discovery of the remains of an old man was made in Mineralnye Vody. In August 1998, the relics of St. Theodosius of the Caucasus were transferred from the Church of the Archangel Michael to the Intercession Cathedral, the construction of which had just been completed. More than seventy thousand pilgrims and local residents took part in the procession and subsequent divine services. They came from all over the Caucasus, from St. Petersburg, Moscow, Siberia, even near and far abroad. The relics of St. Theodosius of the Caucasus and today the main shrine of the Intercession Cathedral.
Despite the fact that the elder was not canonized, the Russian Orthodox Church does not oppose his veneration. In 2016, Bishop of Alan and Vladikavkaz Leonid blessed the traditional trippilgrims to Mineralnye Vody to venerate the relics of Theodosius of the Caucasus.
Today the name of the old man is one of the streets in the village of Goryachevodsky in Pyatigorsk.
Prayers
It is believed that it makes sense to offer prayers to St. Theodosius of the Caucasus even after his death, as he continues to work miracles. For example, eyewitnesses say that luminous pillars are regularly seen over his grave. They constantly ask for help in prayers to St. Theodosius of the Caucasus. It is believed that, first of all, he helps the fair sex. After all, it was not in vain that a women's community even existed under him. It is best to address the saint at the Intercession Cathedral or at the grave of St. Theodosius of the Caucasus. Any resident of Mineralnye Vody will tell you where his burial is located. The monk found peace near the Intercession Cathedral.
In the Caucasus, everyone will tell you what they pray to St. Theodosius of the Caucasus. In most cases, he is asked to strengthen his faith. There is another matter in which the elder traditionally helps. Prayers are addressed to Saint Theodosius of the Caucasus for help in getting rid of ailments.
It is believed that the power of the old man is so great that the effect can be even if you decide not to come to the Caucasus, do not visit Mineralnye Vody. You can still read a prayer to the holy elder Theodosius of the Caucasus. If you ask sincerely, he will definitely help. Here is the full text of the prayer to St. Theodosius of the Caucasus.
Oh holy servant of God, reverend fatherTheodosia!
You, from the youth of Christ, loving and following Him alone, you retired to the Holy Mount Athos, to the inheritance of the Mother of God, and from there you flowed to the Holy Sepulcher. Tamo in holy dignity for many years, you made a fervent prayer for the Russian Land, for the Orthodox Church and for the Russian people.
When you comprehend Holy Russia the hard times of godlessness, you, Athos and Jerusalem, left, you returned to your Fatherland, sharing the grief and suffering of your people and our Holy Church, like a monk and a clergyman, even before prison imprisonment. Your faith, meekness, humility and patience touched the hardened hearts in captivity with you.
In the years of war, you, father, helped the Orthodox people to overcome the enemy and the adversary, and you saved many, even from despondency, grief and despair, your life will end in desire. With the help of your faithfulness, I am strengthened in my hope, as if the Lord will not leave our Fatherland, the Mother of God will preserve His inheritance, and the wrath of God will be turned into prayers for mercy.
Your arduous feat of the foolishness of Christ for the sake of surprising, father, not only us, earthly, but also the celestials who appeared to you. All things can be done by the prayer of the righteous, hurried by strong faith.
You weigh our needs and sorrows, Reverend Father Theodosius, weigh our desire to be with Christ. Having passed the narrow and thorny path of earthly existence, you carried a heavy yoke from your brothers, from infidels and fellow tribesmen. Remember us, elder of God, at the Throne of the Lord, as you promised to help everyone who turns to you.
The memory of you, father, does not become scarce in the lands of the Caucasus and untilnow: behold, with faith and hope, Orthodox people flow to the place of your rest, asking for intercession and help.
We ask you, Reverend Father Theodosius: help us in the difficult hour of our life, in sorrow and suffering, implore the Head of the world of the Lord, may He soften the evil and hardened human hearts and die the peoples of the Caucasus, may he ruin the wicked councils of schismatics and heretics, rebelling against the Holy Russian Church.
Through your prayers, holy God, may the Lord forgive us all sins, may the arrows of the enemy and the machinations of the devil pass us by. Ask the Creator and Provider of life for our time for repentance, deliverance from harm, he alth to the sick, restoration to the fallen, consolation to the grieving, upbringing of the child in the fear of God, good preparation for eternity, departed repose and inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Be, Father Theodosius, patron and helper to all the faithful of the Caucasian land. May Great Holy Orthodoxy be strengthened and multiplied on it and in all Russia. We, with your holy prayers, strengthen, glorify the Life-Giving Trinity and your God-sanctified name, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.
You can also read the akathist to St. Theodosius of the Caucasus.
Miracles
A lot of different miracles are associated with the hero of our article. For example, it is alleged that people from all over the country came to the desert in which he settled after his arrest. He healed some, gave important and useful instructions to others. At the same time, he refused some if they turned tohim insincerely. He ordered one woman to immediately go home and part with her illegitimate husband, with whom she was living at that moment.
One day a man on crutches was brought to him. Batiushka talked with him for a long time, denouncing him of sins, which the invalid himself had already forgotten about. He wept tears of repentance. At the end of the conversation, the elder brought him a mug of muddy water, ordering him to be baptized and drink it all to the bottom, since all his sins are in the cup. As soon as the man complied with the order, he stood up, tossing his crutches aside, and took a few steps. Since then he has been perfectly he althy. In front of Theodosius, the former invalid fell to his knees, beginning to thank him with tears in his eyes. Batiushka told him to return to the world and not sin again. This became immediately known in all the surroundings. Numerous pilgrims began to flock to the desert.
Another time a large group of adults and children was walking towards the elder. On the road that led to his farm, they came out only in the evening. At this time, dogs jumped out in front of them, which were guarding a flock of sheep nearby. Everyone stopped in fear, but at that moment they noticed a man with a stick in the distance. This was Father Theodosius. He told them that he went out to meet them so that they would not be afraid of anything. When asked how he learned about their visit, he replied that the Mother of God told him about the pilgrims on the way, who were frightened on the way.
It is believed that Theodosius performed many miracles during the Great Patriotic War. This is told in detail by his spiritual daughters, who remained to serve him until his death.
As if one dayTheodosius was walking past the ammunition wagons. Eyewitnesses claim that he moved them aside by the power of prayer. After some time, there was an enemy raid. Just in the place where they stood earlier, a shell hit. A strong explosion and great destruction allegedly managed to be avoided only thanks to Theodosius.
Another time, during the German offensive, the elder took the children out of the kindergarten and took them to the shelter. On the way, they came under fire from enemy bombers, but luckily no one was killed.
Many miracles connect St. Theodosius of the Caucasus with icons. They say that the family in which he grew up was very large. Everyone gathered together only during lunch. Once, when everyone sat down at the table, a dove flew out of the red corner, where there were many icons, and sat right on Fyodor's hand. The boy stroked him, and his mother told him to let him go, stop playing and start eating. The hero of our article raised his hand up as far as he could, the bird took off and again disappeared behind the icons. The whole family was amazed by such a guest, only many years later they realized that it was a divine sign.
When an old man once prayed on a stone, his spiritual daughter Ekaterina from Rostov saw the horns flare up, and an unusually bright light illuminated the entire gorge. After that, a woman of unearthly beauty came down to the monk, who talked with him for a long time.
The surroundings of Mineralnye Vody are considered to be the holy places of Theodosius of the Caucasus from now on. It is said that here he helped thousands of people. SomeHe saved from physical illnesses, healed others with a word from mental anguish and suffering. The main thing is that he treated everyone without exception with participation, directing them to the true path to salvation. They say that he always knew in advance what request this or that person would turn to him, foresaw the rest of his life and even the death of all his interlocutors. Thanks to the prayers of the elder, the holy spring of Theodosius of the Caucasus filled these places, the water from which even today has the ability to heal the suffering. Now this man is revered by many people, and pilgrims from all over Russia come to the holy places.
