Starship flourished in Russia in ancient times. This is described in detail in the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon of 1051, a source of various historical information about the first Orthodox ascetics. The powerful influence of the eldership was not only in Kyiv, but also in North-Eastern Russia, where the Trinity-Sergius Lavra was considered the heart of Orthodoxy. It was from here that the pious path of Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov) - Hero of the Soviet Union, holder of military orders and medals - began. Among them was the medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad", but more on that later.
This great calling - to serve people and the Lord God - has long been determined by the purity of his heart, high moral level and personal holiness. Possessing the gift of clairvoyance, he began to heal people from spiritual and physical illnesses, showing the righteous path of life, warning against dangers and revealing God's will.
Who are the elders
A person who wants to learn the basics of the true Orthodox faith may have questions about who the elders are, what rolethey play in the life of all church brethren and parishioners, why their authority is so great, and the memory of many of them is passed down from generation to generation. At all times of terrible upheavals, wars and revolutions, intercessors prayed for the people - people to whom God revealed his will.
The magnificent book Optina Hermitage and Her Time was written about eldership by the writer and theologian I. M. Kontsevich. The very first chapter of this book is devoted to the concept of eldership. It says that there are three church ministries, regardless of the hierarchy, and they are divided into apostolic, prophetic and, finally, teaching. So, behind the apostles, disciples and followers of Jesus Christ, are the prophets, in other words, the wise elders, whose ministry is determined in exhortation, edification and consolation. They can warn against dangers and predict the future. For these people, as if there are no boundaries of time and space.
Biography of Elder Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov)
In worldly life, Ivan Dmitrievich Pavlov was born in the early autumn of 1919 into a peasant family in a small village in the Ryazan province. He was brought up and grew up in a family of believers. When Ivan turned 12, since they did not have a seven-year school in the village, his father took him to study with his brother in the city of Kasimov, where they fell under the godless course of that time. In that difficult period, the atheistic frenzy of the Soviet five-year plans completely poisoned the consciousness of the people and practically destroyed their soul. In the thirties, or rather from 1934 to 1938, Pavlov Ivanstudied at the Kasimov Industrial College, after which he was drafted into the army and sent to the Far East.
War as atonement for human sins
Soon the Great Patriotic War broke out. According to the elder himself, at that fateful time, moral morality and lawlessness in society reached a serious decline, and the Lord did not tolerate this anymore, so they were allowed to go to war. It was during these cruel bloody years of war and violence that the people felt all the wild sorrow and tears of despair. And then he reached out to God and turned to him for help. This prayer reached the ears of God, and the Lord took pity and changed his anger to mercy. The elder said that misfortunes and calamities will inevitably drag us down because we ignore the path that the Savior showed us in the Gospel. Each of us should think about his words. After all, the lips of Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov) always tirelessly pray for every Orthodox Christian.
How the war affected the life of Ivan Dmitrievich Pavlov
Ivan Dmitrievich Pavlov fell into the thick of hell: he fought in the Finnish war, went from Stalingrad to Romania, was in Austria and Hungary, and also participated in the war with Japan. In those terrible war years, he, like hundreds of thousands of other people, returned to the true Christian Orthodox faith. The constant death before his eyes and the harsh conditions of life in the war made him think about life and look for some kind of reasonable solution. He had all sorts of doubts, andto all this he received answers in the gospel. He collected this divine book from leaflets in a destroyed house in the city of Stalingrad just after his release. The found Holy Book did not leave him indifferent and aroused genuine interest. The guy was so imbued with her that she became a kind of miraculous balm for his war-torn soul. From that moment on, he no longer parted with her and carried her in his pocket until the very end of the war, which he finished with the rank of lieutenant.
Desire to become a priest
The gospel always comforted and saved him throughout his entire life, and in 1946 led him to the Moscow Theological Seminary at the Novodevichy Convent. A little later, he also graduated from the Theological Academy there. In 1954, brother Kirill took the path of monasticism at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, where he was assigned the obedience of the confessor of the Lavra brethren. Humility and great love for God and the Orthodox faith was soon marked by the highest monastic rank - archimandrite.
It is simply impossible to count the list of all those who turned to Father Kirill for help. He filled the restless hearts of people with optimism and spiritual joy, which then spread further to different monasteries, dioceses and throughout Holy Russia.
Elder Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov) became the spiritual father of many bishops, superiors and abbesses of monasteries, monks and nuns, as well as a huge number of laity. When people talk about him or remember him, first of all theythey see before their eyes the peaceful and wrinkled face of a gray-haired old man, his affectionate mysterious smile, and hear a kind voice. Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov) was the confessor of the three most holy patriarchs: Alexy I, Pimen and Alexy II.
Secrets of the Archimandrite
In the Holy Trinity Sergeyev Lavra, parishioners often passed by word of mouth the incredible story that allegedly the elder Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov) is the very defender of the legendary Pavlov's House, Guards Sergeant Ivan Dmitrievich Pavlov. Although everywhere in official sources it is indicated that a certain sergeant Yakov Fedorovich Pavlov held the defense of Stalingrad under the fascist onslaught for 58 days together with his 29 comrades.
Reading the early stories about the defense of Pavlov's House, you constantly find various strange inconsistencies and inaccuracies of those historical events. As if someone deliberately keeps silent about some very important facts of those terrible heroic days. And what is most interesting, the names of the people who heroically defended this house are hidden and confused.
Tell me I'm dead
The elder himself does not deny this fact, but does not confirm it either. However, there are data that speak for themselves. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union, as well as the Order of the Patriotic War of the Guard, Sergeant Pavlov Ivan received with absolute unwillingness to join the Communist Party because of his religious beliefs. How was this possible at the time? But nevertheless, he received these awards precisely for his personal heroism and courage. Few were forgiven for this. Almost immediately after the war, the fighter Pavlov decided to enter the seminary. However, the ubiquitous NKVD could not allow such a decision that the Red Army soldier, Hero of the Soviet Union, went to the monastery and became a priest. And so his documents were not accepted at the seminary for a long time.
Vow of Silence
But one day, praying earnestly in the church near the shrine of St. Sergius of Radonezh, a certain old man approached him, who for some reason already knew all his desires and sorrows in advance and that is why he advised Pavlov to take a vow of silence. This could only mean that he now swore to keep his secret all his life and never mention the subject of this secret anywhere else in conversations. And after that, in the future, Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov) never again talked about his front-line awards and exploits. The date of acceptance of his monastic rank coincided with the date of the beginning of the war - June 22, but only in 1954.
By this he imprinted himself as a defender of the Russian Orthodox people from all visible and invisible misfortunes. He once fought off some people from misfortunes with the help of the force of arms, and others - with the power of the Jesus Prayer. This is how Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov) forever buried his military past in himself. They even told a story about how once, just before the anniversary of the Victory Day over fascism, local high-ranking military officials came to the elder in Sergiev Posad to talk about the “Pavlovsk issue”, but the elder did not speak to them and ordered to convey the words to the guests in that spirit that Lieutenant Ivan Pavlovdied.
Vision of the Virgin
There is an amazing story about how Ivan Pavlov once ended up with his detachment in German captivity, where he was seized by wild horror. And suddenly the heart remembered the mother's order - to pray. And Vanya began to pray intensely with tears to the Most Holy Theotokos. Suddenly her image appeared, and she turned to him with the words: "Stop and do not move." Ivan remained on the deserted road and stood for a long time until the convoy of captured Russian soldiers, driven by SS men with machine guns and barking sheep dogs, disappeared from sight. It was then, on the day of his salvation, that he swore to the Mother of God that if he survived, he would become a monk and devote his life to serving God.
The Mother of God came to him for the second time, but only this time she warned him that after his death a war would begin in Russia again, and that the Russians should prepare for it with might and main. When one day the elder was asked about how to save Russia, he thought for a long time and answered that morality should be raised in Russia. And when they asked a question about the meaning of life, the elder saw him in faith in God. His answers are always very simple and concise, but what a huge and wise meaning they contain.
Where is the old man now
Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov) is always with us in his prayers. 2014 was the 95th anniversary of his life. It is interesting that in infancy he was baptized in honor of John the Theologian, who was the apostle of love. After being tonsured a monk, he began to bear the name of Cyril Belozersky, where Cyril means "sun". And so, ifto draw an analogy between these words, it turns out that love, like the sun, illuminates and warms the sinful and weak people of the entire Russian Orthodox world.
Having front-line wounds, concussion and numerous surgical operations, the blessed Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov) courageously overcomes the disease. Where is he now? This is the question many are interested in. However, the elder has long been bedridden. The stroke that happened left him immobilized forever. Today, monk Kirill (Pavlov) is practically deprived of communication with the outside world. The archimandrite now sees and hears poorly. But he did not need consolation and felt sorry when his strength returned to him, he himself began to comfort and support us, his lips began to move in prayer for Russian Orthodoxy and Russia gaining new strength. Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov), whose he alth is rapidly deteriorating, is still fulfilling his special mission before God and before all believers.
The works of the elder are available to everyone. Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov), whose sermons were published by his native Lavra, gives answers to the most exciting questions.
Conclusion
The Greek bishop, visiting the sick elder, said: "Archimandrite Kirill is now crucified on a suffering cross - one for all of Russia." So, the steadfast and strong-spirited guard lieutenant, Hero of the Soviet Union in the world, Ivan Dmitrievich Pavlov, is again repeating his Stalingrad feat, and in monasticism the good-natured fraternal confessor of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, archimandriteCyril.
