One of the most revered women in Russia is Saint Blessed Xenia of Petersburg. Through her prayers, to this day, unprecedented miracles of God's love for people are being performed. And every believer dreams of visiting her chapel in St. Petersburg and bowing to the relics of the Blessed One. But for this you need to imagine where and how to get, Ksenia Blessed of Petersburg, where she is buried, how long it will take.
First of all, I must say that St. Petersburg is a very large city, with about eight million people living in it, and therefore the distances can be simply huge. Going to the chapel of the Blessed, you need to count on a long journey. It's better to leave the house early. In addition, this place is very popular among pilgrims and tourists, so it is always crowded there, and if there is an intention to pray in the chapel, then you need to set aside a whole day to visit the Holy.
Smolensk cemetery
The burial place (chapel) of Blessed Xenia of Petersburg is located at the Smolensk cemetery of the Northern capital. It is located on Vasilyevsky Island,You can get there by metro. To do this, you need to get to the station "Vasilyevskaya" and go outside. There you will immediately need to turn onto the eighth line (this is the very first street from the exit from the subway), and then go towards the increasing numbering of buildings. Get to the intersection of the 8th line and Kamskaya street and turn onto Kamskaya. Then move in the direction of increasing numbering of houses until the very entrance to the ancient Smolensk cemetery.
Different route
Let's imagine alternative options for how to get there (Blessed Xenia of Petersburg is buried in the chapel). You can take the metro to the station "Vasileostrovskaya". Coming out of the subway, transfer to the minibus "K249". On it you can get to Kamskaya Street and get just in time for the main entrance to the Smolensk cemetery. Right next to the main entrance is the church, and in the immediate vicinity of it is the chapel of Blessed Xenia of Petersburg. The legal address of this place is as follows: 199048, St. Petersburg, Kamskaya street, building 24.
Blessed Life
It is necessary to say a few words about the earthly path of St. Blessed Xenia of Petersburg. Where and when she was born is not exactly known. But if we proceed from the fact that she was married to Andrei Fedorovich Petrov, a colonel, it becomes clear that Ksenia was from a good family. Nothing more can be said about how she lived before the death of her husband.
At twenty-six, this woman became a widow. She decided to distribute her property to the poor andneedy people. Her relatives were at a loss, they turned to the authorities of the deceased spouse, asking them to reason with the woman distraught with grief. But the officials, after a conversation with Ksenia Grigoryevna, came to the conclusion that she was sane. After that, the woman received the right to dispose of the inheritance at her own discretion.
Holy fool for Christ's sake
After Ksenia gave away all the property, she began to walk the streets in the form of her late husband and tell everyone that Ksenia Grigoryevna had died, and Andrei Fedorovich was alive. Thus found an outlet for her grief. She spent a total of forty-five years wandering. Basically, she wandered barefoot around the Petersburg settlement, and if she was given alms, then the woman gave it to other poor people. Every night the Blessed One went to the field and prayed there, kneeling and bowing to all four cardinal directions.
She did this every night, no matter the weather or season. I must say that at first Blessed Saint Xenia of Petersburg impressed people as just a crazy woman, but over time people realized that she was sane, she just chose a different path for herself.
After the death of her deeply beloved husband, she realized that everything in this earthly life has an end and cannot be eternal. Everything but the love of God. And she devoted herself to the service of Christ. She walked barefoot all the time and did not accept clothes and shoes from those who wanted to help. And if she took it, she passed it on to other poor people. She isshe strove to devote herself entirely to serving God, so she spoke little with people. Most of the time she was near the temple or spent time in prayer in the field.
Building a temple
Let's step back a little from the story of how to get there. Ksenia Blessed of Petersburg was directly involved in the construction of a new church at the Smolensk cemetery. It happened like this: workers, coming to the construction site in the morning, each time found a pile of bricks on the upper platform, which someone had dragged there during the night. Following this free assistant, the workers found out that it was none other than Blessed Xenia of Petersburg. The address of this temple today coincides with the address of the Smolensk cemetery.
Chapel over the grave
All pilgrims and tourists are interested in the story of the Blessed One. Orthodox people know that contact with a shrine gives the soul a unique grace. It should be clarified that the church of Blessed Xenia of Petersburg is exactly the one that she helped build at the Smolensk cemetery, and today it is constantly open to visitors. In addition, a chapel was built over the grave of Blessed Xenia in 1902 with the money of pilgrims, and in 1992 a mosaic image of the Blessed One was laid out on its western wall.
The chapel was consecrated by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, who ruled then (Aleksy II). The days of veneration of the Saint in the church calendar are June 6th and February 6th. It is also worth mentioning that in the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Smolensk cemetery, dailya service is served at ten o'clock in the morning, and on holidays Divine Liturgies are held. In addition, the sacrament of baptism is performed in the temple every day after the service, notes are accepted for prayers for he alth and remembrance, including by mail.
You can say that Ksenia Blessed of Petersburg tells many people how to get there herself. She seems to lead a person who turns to her, to God. Therefore, the path to the chapel of the Blessed has not yet been overgrown and, probably, will never be overgrown.
