Blessed old woman Matrona is revered as a saint by the people. Her name is best known to the residents of St. Petersburg and the region, because it was here that she lived most of her righteous life. Here, in the courtyard of the Zelenets Holy Trinity Monastery, is her grave, people come to her, thirsting for bodily and spiritual healing.
Mother Matrona, who was often called the Matrona-sandal, during her lifetime became famous as a miracle worker and soothsayer. People turned to the old woman for prayer help, advice and guidance. Her prophecies and predictions helped many to avoid death and danger, cope with difficult circumstances and find the right path in life.
The life of a righteous woman
Matrona was born into a peasant family in the small village of Vanino (Kostroma province). Information about howpassed her childhood, did not survive. It is known that at one time she became the wife of the Kostroma tradesman E. Mylnikov. They did not live well, but still they did not live in poverty, since the husband kept a grocery store. In 1877, Matronushka's husband was called up for military service - there was a war with Turkey. Matronushka-sandal went with him as a sister of mercy. Even then, the gift of love and compassion manifested itself in her character, she helped the soldiers to the best of her ability and even gave them her salary for their service.
After her husband's death in 1878, Matrona returned to her homeland and decided to devote her life to serving God and people. Having sold her property, she gave money to the poor and began to live on alms, turning into a wanderer. For the rest of her life, at any time of the year, she wore only summer clothes and went barefoot, which is why she received the name Matron-sandal. Barefoot, she visited all the holy places of vast Russia and made a pilgrimage to Palestine four times, where she accepted the schema. She also visited the Solovetsky miracle workers.
Matrona spent the last three decades of her life in St. Petersburg. People always saw her praying at the church chapel of the Sorrowful Church - barefoot, in white clothes and a staff in her hand. Thousands of people visited Matronushka every year. She was perspicacious, and her prayer to the Lord had great power. The blessed old woman received everyone, consoled, advised, prayed together with people asking for God's mercy. With her prayers, they got rid of alcoholism and other ailments, there were cases of miraculous healings of hopeless patients. Matron sandalwarned people of imminent danger, and they remained unharmed. The focus of her spiritual life was compassion for people, coming from the heart, the sign of the cross, prayer and the Orthodox Church. Matron-sandals passed away many years ago, but she helps people with her intercession before God even after her death.
After death
The old woman died in 1911, on March 30, when ice began to drift on the Neva. Even the day before, she said that she would leave with ice and water, and it happened. The day of her funeral was Palm Sunday. They buried Matrona in the fence of the Sorrowful Church, near the chapel, where she loved to pray. After the revolution, the church was destroyed, the chapel was closed. The trace of Matrona's grave was also lost. Only in 1997, in the churchyard of the male Zelenetsky Holy Trinity Monastery, which was formed around the chapel, was a crypt with the coffin of Matronushka discovered. The coffin with the relics of the old woman was buried in the same place, and again people come to Matrona to ask for prayer help.
Prayer to the Matron Sandals
Before her death, the old woman told people to come to her and, as if alive, tell about their sorrows, promised to help them with her intercession to the Lord. And people come. You can ask Matronushka for healing, for deliverance from suffering, for motherhood, for saving a marriage, for meeting with a betrothed, for help in everyday affairs and solving money problems, for getting rid of alcoholism, for help in work and study.
Thanks to God that there were such prayer books on earth as the Matrona-sandal, which even now,after death, comforts and helps with his prayers. Despite the fact that Matronushka, who throughout her life was an example of mercy and great patience, has not yet been canonized, one can still turn to her today with requests for intercession.
