The first leaders of Solovetsky: Saints Savvaty, Zosima and German. Venerable Zosima, German and Savvaty, Solovetsky miracle workers Solovetsky Monastery Zosima and Savvaty

NATALIA VOLKOVA

On August 21, the Russian Orthodox Church remembers the Monks Savvaty, Zosima and Herman, the Solovetsky wonderworkers, or rather, the double transfer of their relics. These events are directly related to the history of the Solovetsky monastery.

Saints Savvaty, Zosima and Herman of Solovetsky would never have met if the Lord had not wanted a beautiful and secluded monastery to grow in the White Sea, to which pilgrims from all over the world still flock to this day. By the way, Saints Savvaty and Zosima did not know each other in earthly life, but the name of one ascetic is now inseparable from the name of the other - in heavenly history.

Venerable Savvaty (†1435)

So, it all began with the desire of the resident of the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery Savvaty to live in the desert. The monk, virtuous and strict, whom the brethren respected, left them, asking for a blessing, to Valaam. After living there for several years, he, according to his life, “began to look for an even more secluded place. His desert-loving soul rejoiced when he learned that in the far north, in the sea, there was an uninhabited Solovetsky Island.” The monk also left the Valaam monastery, although the Valaam monks very much asked the Monk Savvaty not to leave them - his path lay to the shores of the White Sea.

St. Savvaty. Painting of the Assumption Church in Arkhangelsk. Photo: Solovki.info

Near the Vyg River, the monk met the monk Herman, who lived at the chapel in the village of Soroka, who had previously been to the Solovetsky Islands, but did not dare to settle there alone. In 1429, the two of them reached the Bolshoi Solovetsky Island on a fragile boat. The place where the monks settled was later named Savvatievo; it is located near Sekirnaya Mountain.

After six years of incessant work and prayer, Savvaty departed to the Lord. Here's how it happened. Monk Herman left for the mainland for economic reasons, and his brother was left alone. He already had a presentiment that he would soon leave for the monastery of the Heavenly Father and wanted to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Alone he went to where he met Herman - to the village of Soroka, to the chapel. Here he met a priest, abbot Nathanael. The abbot confessed and gave communion to the Solovetsky hermit, after which on September 27, 1435, the Monk Savvaty peacefully departed to the Lord. He was buried near the walls of the chapel. Only 30 years later, his holy relics were transferred to Solovki and placed behind the altar of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Venerable Zosima (†1478)

The Venerable Abbot Zosima, the benefactor of the Solovetsky monastery, met the Venerable Herman of Solovetsky when he lived in one of the northern Pomeranian monasteries. He was young, but his soul longed for desert life, so after the monk Herman’s stories about the harsh Solovetsky Island, where he lived for several years with the Monk Savvaty, Zosima went even further to the north.

St. Zosima. Painting of the Assumption Church in Arkhangelsk. Photo: Solovki.info

In 1436, the monks Zosima and German settled on Bolshoi Solovetsky Island by the sea, not far from the place where the monastery is now located. One day Zosima saw an extraordinary light and in the east a beautiful church high above the ground. The hermits perceived this miraculous sign as a blessing for the founding of the monastery. The ascetics began to harvest timber and began construction, erecting cells and a fence.

The monks endured many trials before the monastery blossomed.

One day Zosima spent the winter alone, left without food supplies. Bad weather did not allow Herman to return to winter from the mainland. All the monk Zosima's supplies were exhausted, but a miracle helped the ascetic: two strangers came to him and left him bread, flour and butter. In amazement, the monk did not ask where they were from. Soon the Monk Herman returned to the island with the fisherman Mark, who took monastic vows. Other residents of Pomerania also began to come to the monastery.

The number of brethren increased and a monastery was built. A wooden church of the Transfiguration of the Lord with a chapel in the name of St. Nicholas grew up. Several abbots came to the island to lead the monastery, but none could withstand the harsh living conditions here. Then the Solovetsky monks chose Zosima as their abbot. He was ordained a priest and celebrated the first Liturgy at the Solovetsky monastery. According to legend, during prayer during that service his face shone like the face of an angel.

After some time, a new church was built in the monastery in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God, and the relics of St. Savvaty were transferred here. Through the efforts of Abbot Zosima and the brethren, a monastery rose on a deserted island. The monastery had a charter for Orthodox cenobitic monasteries, traditional for Russian monasticism.

Several decades passed under the abbess of St. Zosima. When the time of his death approached, he called the brethren and appointed the pious monk Arseny as abbot. Having said his farewell words, the ascetic departed to the Lord on April 17, 1478 and was buried behind the altar of the wooden Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord.

Venerable Herman (†1479)

The feat of the Monk Herman, an associate of the Monks Savvaty and Zosima, consisted of daily work for the glory of God. For six years he helped Saint Savvaty, and for more than 40 years he worked in the monastery under Abbot Zosima. Without abandoning the feat of prayer, he made sea crossings, overcame the hardships of the northern region in labor, and together with his brethren erected churches. Elder Herman's oral narratives about the Solovetsky ascetics Savvatiya and Zosima, recorded at his request, were later used in the compilation of their lives.

In 1479, the Monk Herman, fulfilling the instructions of Abbot Arseny, the successor of the Monk Zosima, went to Novgorod. Illness prevented him from returning to the islands. At the monastery of St. Anthony the Roman, the ascetic took communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ and surrendered his soul to God. The Solovetsky monks were unable to take his body to the monastery due to muddy roads. Only five years later the relics of St. Herman were transferred to the Solovetsky monastery - they were placed next to the relics of St. Savvaty. Later, a chapel was erected over the burial place of St. Herman, and in 1860 a stone church was built, consecrated in his honor.

Transfer of the relics of the ascetics

The holy relics of the original Solovetsky leaders, Saints Zosima and Savvaty, were in the monastery at the time of their church glorification, which occurred in 1547. In 1862, upon completion of the construction of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, the holy relics of Saints Zosima and Savvatiy were placed in silver crayfish in the Zosima-Savvatievsky chapel and remained there until the monastery was closed in 1920.

Until 1939, the relics of Saints Zosima, Savvaty and Herman remained on Solovki in the local history museum, which was subordinate to the camp authorities, which was opened on the site of the glorious monastery. After the liquidation of the camp, the relics of the Solovetsky founders were taken from the island and transferred for storage to the Central Anti-Religious Museum in Moscow, and then to the Leningrad Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism.

In June 1990, the Solovetsky shrines were transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church and on August 16, 1990, they were transferred to the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. In August 1992, the solemn transfer of the relics of Saints Zosima, Savvaty and German to the Solovetsky Monastery took place.

Currently, the relics of the Solovetsky founders rest in the gate church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Prayers to Zosima, Savvaty and Herman Solovetsky

About the Reverend and God-bearing fathers Zosimo, Savvaty and Herman, earthly angels and heavenly people, close friends of Christ and saints of God, your monasteries are glory and adornment, but all the northern countries, especially the entire Orthodox fatherland, are an insurmountable wall and great intercession! Behold, we, unworthy and many sinners, with reverent love for your holy relics, bowing down, with a contrite and humble spirit, diligently beseech you: pray unceasingly to our merciful Master and Lord Jesus Christ, for you have great boldness towards Him, that His all-pervading grace may not depart from us, may the protection and intercession of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos remain in this place, and may the true zealots of the angelic life in this holy monastery, where you, God-bearing fathers and rulers, never become lacking, with immeasurable labors and penances, with tears and all-night vigils, with unceasing prayers and with prayers began the monastic life. To her, saintly saints, most favorable prayer books to God, with your warm prayers to Him, protect and preserve us and this holy village of yours from cowardice, flood, fire and sword, invasion of foreigners and deadly plagues, from enmity and all kinds of disorder, from all misfortune and sorrow and from all evil: may the Most Holy Name of the Lord and God be reverently glorified in this place, in peace and silence, and those who seek Him may find eternal salvation. About the blessedness of our fathers, Zosimo, Savvaty and German! Hear us sinners who live unworthily in your holy monastery and under the roof of your protection, and through your powerful petitions to God, ask our souls for forgiveness of sins, correction of life and eternal blessings in the Kingdom of Heaven: to all who believe, in every place and in every need call you for help and intercession, and those who flow into your monastery with reverent love, do not stop pouring out all grace and mercy, preserving them from all resistive forces, from all misfortunes and from all evil circumstances, and giving them everything they need for their souls and bodies. benefit. Most of all, pray to the most merciful God, that He may establish and strengthen His holy Church and our entire Orthodox Fatherland in peace and silence, in love and unanimity, in orthodoxy and piety, and preserve and preserve it forever and ever. Amen.

O reverend fathers, great intercessors and speedy hearers of prayers, saints of God and miracle workers Zosimo, Savvaty and Herman! Do not forget, as you promised, to visit your child. Even though you have departed from us in body, you are still with us in spirit. We pray, O Reverend One: deliver us from fire and sword, from the invasion of foreigners and internecine warfare, from corrupting winds, and from vain death, and from all the demonic attacks that come upon us. Hear us, sinners, and accept this prayer and our supplication, like a fragrant censer, like a pleasing sacrifice, and revive our souls, evil deeds, and advice, and thoughts, and, like a dead damsel, you have healed, like the incurable wounds of many, from Deliver us from the unclean spirits tormented by evil, and also deliver us, kept in the bonds of the enemy, and deliver us from the snares of the devil, bring us out of the depths of sins, and by your merciful visit and intercession from enemies visible and invisible, protect us with the grace and power of the All-Holy Trinity, always, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen.

The icon of Saints Zosima and Savvaty of Solovetsky is distinguished by its miraculous power. They pray for the help of saints in difficult life circumstances, when troubles strike one after another, not allowing them to come to their senses.

The Orthodox icon of the Russian righteous Zosima and Savvatiy Solovetsky is revered by believers. Many Christians from all over the world turn to her. The miraculous face of the martyrs plays an important role in the lives of believers. Every Orthodox Christian has at least once read prayers before the miraculous face of the saints in the hope of their protection and patronage. And the help of the saints became a guiding star, showing the way out of difficult situations.

The history of the icon of Zosima and Savvaty of Solovetsky

About the holy martyrs of Solovetsky we mainly know from their biographies. God's saints from the north, Zosim and Savvaty, are the founders of the Solovetsky monastery. According to legend, Russian righteous people were distinguished by their sinlessness. They praised the Lord, loved Jesus Christ with all their hearts, observed fasts, studied the Holy Scriptures and helped the weak and sick.

Zosima and Svattiy were endowed with healing abilities and, during their lifetime, helped believers get rid of various physical and mental illnesses. The pious elders earned the deep respect of Christians, and after death they became one of the holy Orthodox martyrs for all their righteous deeds, bright lives and services to the Lord and believers.

Where is the miraculous image located?

The shrine with the face of the righteous can be found in numerous churches of our Motherland. The image, which is held in the greatest reverence among Christians, is located in the Nizhny Novgorod Cathedral and in the Intercession Cathedral in Moscow. The earliest of the images that has survived to this day adorns the iconostasis of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra.

Description of the icon of Zosima and Savvaty of Solovetsky

There are many variations in the writing of icons with great martyrs. The most common image contains the image of saints, painted in full length. Usually Savvaty is depicted on the right side, and Zosima on the left. Both righteous men are dressed in the robes of monks. Between them is a white temple, which the monks hold with both hands. It is a symbol of the founding of the Solovetsky Monastery by the great Orthodox saints. Sometimes an image of the Blessed Virgin may be written on top, sitting on a cloud, blessing Russian monks.

How does a miraculous image help?

People who profess Orthodoxy offer prayers in front of the icon of Russian saints for protection from misfortunes, especially from those of a violent nature. Saints Zosima and Savvaty of Solovetsky are able to provide support and deliver from envious people, quarrels, discord in the family, from attacks of evil spirits and tragic death. Also, prayers in front of the holy image of martyrs protect them from fire, flood and deadly whirlwinds. It happens that Christians pray in front of the miraculous icon of monks for a cure for serious illnesses, for harmony and peace in the soul. After all, during their lifetime the saints possessed the gift of healing.

Days of celebration

Christians offer veneration to the holy elders every year October 10. On the day of the holiday, believers say words of prayer in front of the miraculous icon of blessed Zosima and Savvaty with even greater zeal in the hope of their support.

Prayer before the icon

“Oh, great intercessors! Holy martyrs Zosima and Savvaty! Hear our prayers and come to our aid in our troubles and misfortunes. Get rid of grief and misfortune. Protect our homes, our families from strife, abuse and evil enemies. Become our defenders, do not leave us alone in difficult moments. Let grief and death pass us by. We will honor your illustrious names with dignity and respect. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen".

The saints of God became famous during their lifetime. They were distinguished by strong faith in the Lord, love for all people and wisdom not to boast about this. The elders helped many believers to become stronger in spirit, not to break down in difficult moments and not to stray from the righteous path. They will help you get rid of all difficulties, become stronger and better. The most important thing is to remain faithful to the Lord and the promises made to him. We wish you peace in your soul. be happy and don't forget to press the buttons and

The fate of the Solovetsky Monastery was amazing and unique. In ancient times, the monastery was famous for its devotees, and after the revolution of 1917 it was turned into a concentration camp. Thousands of Christians - bishops, priests and laity - were imprisoned here.

In an unusual way, in the 1920s, although desecrated, the Solovetsky Monastery was a spiritual oasis in the midst of a stormy sea of ​​atheism. And now the monastery on Solovetsky Island has been brought back to life.

The monastery was founded in the 15th century by the works of Saints Savvaty, German and Zosima. The first to come to Solovki were Saints Savvaty and Herman.

Savvaty was a monk of the Valaam Monastery. Herman became a hermit on the Vyga River.

The devotees met and decided to escape together on the deserted and harsh Solovetsky Island. They arrived there in 1429 and labored together for six years. Not a single layman could settle on the island: an unknown force did not let them there, as if the island was intended exclusively for monks.

A few years later, Monk Herman went to the Onega River. Saint Sabbatius was left alone; he could only talk with the One God. But now the time of his death has approached. The saint got into the shuttle and sailed across the White Sea; he wanted to reach the church to take communion for the last time. On Vyg he was confessed and given communion by Abbot Nathanael, after which the righteous man died. This happened in September 1465.

After the death of Savvaty, the island was uninhabited for some time. But one day the monk Zosima came to the Pomeranian region. Here he met Herman and, having learned about the exploits of Savvaty, decided to also go to Solovetsky Island. And when she and Herman arrived there, Zosima had a wonderful vision.

A church of extraordinary beauty suddenly appeared above the island in the light. Zosima was horrified and told Herman about the miracle. “Don’t be afraid, brother,” said Herman. “This is a sign from God to you that you will gather many monks in this place and establish a glorious monastery.”

And so it happened. At the end of the summer, Herman went ashore for supplies, but was forced to winter there because sea storms prevented him from returning to the island. Saint Zosima alone endured the most difficult winter. And in the spring Herman returned, and not alone, but with the fisherman Mark.

Following this, other people sailed to the island, looking for better conditions for communication with God. The monks built the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, which became the center of the monastery. After some time, the brethren elected the Monk Zosima as abbot. Few survived life in the Solovetsky Hermitage. Zosima spent 42 years on the island and died peacefully in 1478.

In Pomorie, the hermit met the monk Herman, who told young Zosima about the deserted and harsh Solovetsky Island, where he lived for several years with the Monk Savvaty. At this time, the parents of the Monk Zosima died. Having buried them and distributed the property to the poor, he, together with the Monk Herman, went to Solovki.

In 1436, the monks settled on Bolshoi Solovetsky Island by the sea, not far from the place where the monastery is now located. One day the Monk Zosima saw an extraordinary light and in the east a beautiful church high above the ground. This miraculous sign was God's blessing for the monks to found a monastery. The ascetics began to harvest timber and began construction, erecting cells and a fence.

The monks overcame many trials. The Monk Zosima spent the winter alone, left without food supplies. Bad weather did not allow his associate Herman to return to winter from the mainland, where he sailed to ensure winter quarters. The Monk Zosima resisted temptations and hardships. All supplies have been depleted. A miraculous visit helped the ascetic: two strangers came to him and left him bread, flour and butter. In amazement, the monk did not ask where they were from. Strangers, having visited him, never returned.

The Monk Herman returned to the island with the fisherman Mark, who soon took monastic vows. Other residents of Pomerania also began to come to the monastery.

The monks, seeing the increase in the number of brethren, built the wooden Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord with the chapel of St. Nicholas. Having established a monastery, the Monk Zosima sent one of the monks to the Novgorod Archbishop for a blessing for the consecration of the temple and with a request to appoint an abbot. The newly arrived abbot Pavel consecrated the temple, but subsequently could not bear the hardships of life on the island. The second abbot, Theodosius, also returned, and the third of the appointed abbots, Jonah, also retired back to the mainland. Then the Solovetsky monks at a general council decided to elect an abbot from among their brethren. They asked the bishop to bless their mentor, the Monk Zosima, to become abbess. The archbishop agreed with the monks' request and summoned Father Zosima to him for ordination as a priest and installation as abbot. When the Monk Zosima celebrated the first Liturgy in his monastery, his face shone like the face of an angel.

As the brethren multiplied, a new church was built in the monastery in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God. The holy relics of the Solovetsky leader, St. Savvaty, were transferred to the monastery and placed behind the altar of the temple in a wooden chapel.

The growth of the monastery aroused the envy of some worldly people, who began to oppress the monks and threaten the monastery with ruin. The Monk Zosima was forced to go to Novgorod and ask the mayors not to give into the possession of the laity the place designated by the Lord for the settlement of monks. The boyars promised to prevent the destruction of the monastery. The monastery was given letters of ownership of the Solovetsky Islands.

Through the efforts of Abbot Zosima and the brethren, a monastery rose on a deserted island. The monastery had a charter for Orthodox cenobitic monasteries, traditional for Russian monasticism.

Several decades passed under the abbess of St. Zosima. When the time of his death approached, he called the brethren and appointed the pious monk Arseny as abbot. Having said his farewell words, the ascetic departed to the Lord on April 17, 1478 and was buried behind the altar of the wooden Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord.

In 1503, the lives of Saints Zosima and Savvaty were compiled in the Ferapontov Monastery by the Right Reverend Spiridon-Sava, the former Metropolitan of Kyiv.

In 1547, Saints Zosima and Savvaty were canonized by the Church Council.

The memory of the Monk Zosima is celebrated on April 17 (30). On August 8 (21), the transfer of the relics of Saints Zosima, Savvaty and Herman, the Solovetsky wonderworkers, is celebrated.

Currently, the holy relics of the founders of the monastery, Saints Zosima, Savvaty and Herman, the Solovetsky Wonderworkers, rest in the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Icon "Solovetsky wonderworkers Zosima, Savvaty, Herman and Metropolitan Philip, in prayer to the All-Merciful Savior." XVIII century (from the Holy Trinity Cathedral).

The exploits of the God-bearing Abba Zosima, the founder and abbot of the Solovetsky Monastery, and the two First Leaders of Solovetsky - the Venerable Savvaty and Herman - are so closely connected with each other that it is impossible to present the life of one of them without touching on the other two. So we connect them all together.

Under the rightful Grand Duke Vasily Vasilyevich and under Metropolitan Photius of All Russia, in the Beloezersk monastery of St. Kirill (Reverend Kirill, abbot of Beloezersk (1427). Comm. June 9/22.), the monk Savvaty asceticised. Where he came here from and who he was from is unknown. Unrequited obedience to the abbot, amazing patience with all monastic sorrows, meek love for the brethren, constant fasting, tearful prayers and generally strict ascetic life began to gain respect for him. This weighed heavily on the elder, and he decided to hide in a silent place. Having heard that in the Novgorod side on Lake Nevo (Ladoga) there is the island of Valaam and on it a monastery, separated from the world by water, the lover of humility and silence got ready to go to the quiet island.

The Beloezersk monks parted with the ascetic of God, not without sorrow. On Valaam, Savvaty appeared as an obedient monk as on White Lake, and unrequitedly carried out orders, without asking himself why this or that was required. He accepted everything as if from the hand of the Lord Himself, and soon the abbot and brethren began to honor him not as an equal, but as a father. This respect again began to weigh heavily on the Elder of God, and he began to think about where to find such a refuge so that no one would disturb his silence. Savvaty heard that even further to the north there is Solovetsky Island, uninhabited by anyone, very difficult to stay on, and only accessible even to fishermen in the summer. The soul of the desert-loving old man burned with the desire to live there in kind silence. When he announced his desire to the abbot and the brethren, they did not want to part with Savvaty.

Wonderful jealousy for harsh deeds! The gray-haired old man fled from Valaam at night. When he reached the shore of the White Sea and began asking coastal residents about Solovetsky Island, they told him that the island was large, with lakes, forests, mountains, but uninhabited, because communication with it was very inconvenient. This story inflamed the old man’s desire to settle there even more.

How will you eat and dress there, old man, when you are so poor and decrepit? - asked the people with whom Savvaty spoke.

The ascetic answered:

I have such a Lord, Who gives strength to fresh youth and decrepitude and nourishes the hungry to satiety.

The elder decided to stay for a while in the chapel, which stood near the mouth of the Vyga River, at a place called Soroki. Here he met the hermit Herman and from him learned even more how favorable the island was for silence. Herman expressed his readiness not only to accompany him to the island, but also to settle there with him. They set out on a small boat across the restless sea and, protected by the Lord, happily reached the shore on the third day. Near Mount Sekirnaya, at a distance of twelve miles from the current monastery, they erected a cross (at this place a hermitage was subsequently built with the chapel of St. Savvaty and several cells) and huts for themselves. This was in 1429. This was the beginning of asceticism on Solovki, an asceticism more difficult than in the hot deserts of the East in the Far North; it was impossible to find plant food all year round; it was impossible to survive in the harsh winter cold without warm clothing and shelter - all this had to be obtained with great difficulty . And the elders of God patiently endured all the climate changes in their miserable huts, warmed by their love for the Lord. Together they lived here as hermits for six years.

After a while, the settlers who lived by the sea opposite the island began to envy the monks. “We are the natural heirs of the Karelian land,” they said, “and we and our children should own the island.” One fisherman, on the advice of his friends, arrived on the island with his wife and his entire family and settled not far from the cell of the monks.

The settlers began to fish in the lakes. The monks lived in silence and labor and did not know about the arrival of strangers on the island. One day Saint Savvaty was singing the Sunday all-night vigil with his friend and left his cell to cense the holy cross placed on the shore of the lake. Suddenly he heard as if someone was being beaten, and from the beating this person was screaming and crying. The monk returned to his cell in confusion and told Herman about it. Having protected himself with the sign of the cross, Herman left his cell and heard the same thing. He went in the direction from which the voice was heard and found a woman crying. He asked her why she was crying so much, and the woman tearfully told him:

I went to my husband’s lake and met two bright young men, they began to beat me and said: “Quickly leave this place, because it was arranged by God for the residence of monks.” After this, the young men became invisible. Herman returned and told Savvaty what he had heard from the woman, and they both glorified the Lord. And the fisherman with his wife and family immediately sailed away from the island, and from that time no one dared to settle on the treasured shore of Solovetsky.

Six years passed, and the Monk Herman went to the Onega River, and Savvaty was left alone on the island. The Lord revealed to him that he would soon be freed from his bodily bonds, and a great desire was kindled in him to partake of the divine mysteries, because for many years he had been deprived of this grace-filled consolation. Having prayed to the Lord God, he sailed on a small boat to the other side of the sea and went to the chapel by the Vyga River. On the way, by God's providence, he met Abbot Nathanael, who was going to a distant village to give communion to a sick man. Both were happy about this meeting, and Savvaty asked Nathanael to give him communion.

“Go to the chapel,” the abbot answered, “wait for me there; after giving communion to the sick person, I will return to you early in the morning.”

“Do not put it off until the morning,” said the monk, “for it is said: you do not know what will happen in the morning (James 4:14).

The abbot communed the saint with the mysteries of Christ and asked him to wait at the chapel on the Vyga River. The monk promised to fulfill his desire, if it pleases the Lord, and went to the chapel he knew. Feeling weakened in strength, he entered the cell that was next to the chapel, preparing for a blessed death. At this time, one rich merchant named John, from Novgorod, came to pray in the chapel, and then in the cell. The monk blessed him and delighted him with a soulful conversation. A rich merchant offered his alms to Saint Savvatius, but the monk said to him:

I don’t need anything, give it to the poor - and I explained to him how much giving alms means.

The merchant was saddened that the monk did not accept anything from him, and the holy elder with the affection of love said to him:

Stay here, friend, until the morning, you won’t regret it, and your path will be calm.

John, however, wanted to set off. But as soon as he left his cell, a storm suddenly arose at sea, and he involuntarily stayed overnight. When morning came, John came to the cell, wanting to receive once again a parting blessing from the monk. He prayerfully pushed the door, but there was no answer. Then he entered the cell and, seeing the monk sitting in a doll and robe with a censer in his hand, said to him: “Forgive me, father, that I dared to come to you. Bless me on my journey, so that I complete it safely, with your holy prayers!” But the monk did not answer him. He has already fallen asleep in the Lord. This was September 27, 1435. The good merchant, convinced of the monk’s death, was moved and began to cry. At this time, Abbot Nathanael arrived. He told the merchant how in the evening he introduced the holy mysteries to the monk, and the merchant said that he was honored to listen to his soulful conversation. With funeral singing, the abbot and the merchant buried the holy body of the ascetic.

A year after the death of St. Savvaty, the deserted and harsh island of Solovki again saw monastic ascetics among itself. A native of the village of Tolvuya (near Lake Onega), raised by his parents in piety, the monk Zosima, tonsured to an unknown monastery, labored in solitude. At that time, in his native part, many, taking monastic vows, lived among worldly people. Grieving for himself and others, Zosima wanted to see the monks gathered in a hostel and away from worldly people, so when his parents died, he distributed their belongings to the poor and, wanting to establish a monastery, began to look for a mentor and went north to the shores of the White Sea. And so, by the providence of God, he met Herman, who had previously lived with Saint Savvaty on Solovetsky Island. Having heard from Herman about the deserted island and about the Monk Savvatius, Saint Zosima asked Herman to take him to the island and teach him about desert life. Zosima and German went to Solovetsky Island. There they chose a place where sea swimmers have shelter from storms, near a lake with pleasant water, not very far from the shore, set up a tent for themselves and spent the night in it in prayer.

In the morning, Saint Zosimas came out of the booth and saw an extraordinary light that illuminated him and the whole place, and in the east - a beautiful church that appeared in the air. Not being accustomed to such miraculous revelations, the monk did not dare to look at the wonderful church for long and withdrew into the bush. Experienced in spiritual life, Herman, seeing his changed face, realized that Zosima had some kind of vision, and asked him: “Why are you afraid? Or did you see anything unusual?” The monk told him about the miraculous vision, and Herman told him about the miracles that were performed on the island under Saint Savvatius. Zosima was joyfully convinced that the Lord heard the desire of his heart and showed him the place for the monastery. With God's help, they began to cut down trees and build cells and built a courtyard with a fence. The Lord helped the holy hermits.

At the end of the summer, Herman went to the Sumy coast to stock up on bread for the winter, but when he wanted to return to the island, autumn had already arrived, storms began and the sea was terribly rough. Herman had to remain on the shore until spring, and Saint Zosima lived alone on the island and suffered various temptations from the enemy, saving himself from them with fervent prayers. The spirits of evil tried to confuse the hermit with various ghosts, but the monk courageously repelled their temptations. “If you have been given power over me,” he said, “do what you want, but if not, then work in vain.” And the ghosts disappeared.

The harsh northern winter dragged on for a long time. The food collected on the island in the summer was exhausted, the thought of starvation embarrassed the monk, but he consoled himself with prayers and drove away doubts. The Lord sent two strangers to the righteous man, who brought him a basket full of bread, flour and oil. The monk did not have time to ask them where they were from. Having waited in vain for them for a considerable time, Zosima realized that this was the help of the Lord, and thanked Him for his mercy. At the end of winter, Herman arrived on Solovetsky Island with the worldly man Mark. It was a fisherman. They brought with them food for a long time and nets for catching fish.

After some time, Mark accepted the monastic rank and many who wanted salvation began to arrive on the island, build cells for themselves and acquire food with the labor of their hands. The Monk Zosima created a small church of the Transfiguration of the Lord at the site of the vision, as well as a meal, laying the foundation for a hostel on the island. He sent one of the brothers to Novgorod to Vladyka Euthymius to ask for a blessing for the consecration of the temple and the election of an abbot for their desert monastery. The archbishop curiously asked the messenger about the new monastery on the sea-ocean and at first he hesitated: how can people live in such a harsh place, but then, seeing the will of God for this, he lovingly blessed the new monastery and sent abbot Paul there. Saint Zosima and the brethren were in great joy. The church and monastery were consecrated to the glory of God. This is how the glorious Solovetsky monastery was founded.

To feed their brothers, they chopped wood, dug soil for vegetable gardens, took salt from lakes, which they sold to coastal residents, and in return they bought bread from them. But human envy did not leave them alone even with such poverty. The boyar servants, coming to the island, took away the monks' fishing grounds.

This is the fatherland of our boyars, the newcomers said.

The Lapps also offended the hermits. These attacks worried Zosima. Elder Herman calmed him down.

We must endure and pray,” he said, “it is not people who are doing us harm, but demons who hate our stay here and are arming people against us.

Meanwhile, Abbot Paul, unable to bear the desert labors, returned to Novgorod, and others after him, Abbots Theodosius and Jonah, followed him. Then all the brethren consulted with the Monks Zosima and Herman not to take an abbot for themselves from other monasteries, but to choose one from among themselves. Zosima pointed to the reverent monk Ignatius, who already had the rank of hierodeacon, but all the brethren came to Elder Herman and told him:

We have gathered here for the sake of Zosima, except Zosima, no one can be our abbot.

The servant of God Zosima did not agree to this election, but the brethren secretly sent a request to the archbishop to Novgorod to dedicate Zosima to them. And the archbishop convinced him to accept the priesthood and abbess. Zosima was dedicated. The Novgorodians, who had heard a lot about the holy life of the ascetic, accepted him into their homes and presented the monastery with many vessels, clothes, silver and bread. The monk asked the noble people of Novgorod to protect the monastery from the willfulness of the boyar people. He returned to Solovetsky Island, shining with the glory of the priesthood, and was solemnly greeted by the brethren. When he celebrated the first mass, everyone saw that his face was illuminated by the grace of the Holy Spirit and the church was filled with fragrance.

Zosima gave prosphora to the merchants who were at this service as a blessing; due to carelessness, they lost it on the road. The monk Macarius (formerly Mark) saw a dog standing over something and in vain trying to grab what lay in front of him. It turned out that it was a prosphora lost by the merchants. One can imagine with what reverence the merchants received this shrine again!

Seeing that the brethren were multiplying every day, the monk tried to build a large church and refectory, add cells and expand the monastery, but most of all he cared about maintaining social order in the monastery. He himself wrote a charter in which he said: “The abbot, priests and elders, all the brethren eat and drink at the meal the same food for everyone in their cells, with the exception of the sick, there is no table that does not remove food and drink from the meal. Clothes and shoes are issued from the treasury. If anyone can, he buys a cell for himself, otherwise they live in the cells of the monastery. There is no income either for the priests, or for the brethren, or for those serving in the monastery or outside the monastery: everything necessary for everyone is issued from the treasury.”

God blessed the monastery for the prayers of the saints. Devotees of spiritual life flocked from everywhere to the monastery, to the holy elder. Even the Lapps and the Chud, even the Norwegians came to him for spiritual advice. Little familiar with the Russian language, they well understood the language of heartfelt love with which the saint of God received them.

Thirty years have already passed since the blessed death of St. Savvaty. Hegumen Zosima, honoring him as the first ascetic of Solovetsky Island, grieved in his soul that the relics of the Elder of God rested on the deserted shore of the Vyga. At the same time, the abbot and brethren of the Cyril Monastery wrote to the Solovetsky ascetics: “You are deprived of a great gift: the Monk Savvaty, who before you worked for God in your place, spent his life in fasting and labor, labored in all virtues, like the ancient fathers, is not with you.” Having loved Christ with all his soul, he withdrew from the world and died a blessed death. Some of our brethren, who were in the great Novgorod, heard the story of the God-loving John about Elder Savvaty, that while traveling on trade business, he was honored to see the Monk Savvaty alive, heard his spiritual teaching and, together with Abbot Nathanael, buried his deceased. The same John told our brethren that through the prayers of the Monk Savvatius, the Lord saved his brother Theodore from drowning at sea. We heard that signs and wonders were performed at his grave. He pleased the Lord. And we ourselves are witnesses of his virtuous life: the blessed father lived with us for quite a few years in the house of the Most Holy Theotokos, in the Cyril Monastery. Therefore, we write to your holiness and advise: do not be deprived of such a gift, bring the Venerable and Blessed Savvaty to you, let his relics be placed where he worked for many years. Hello to the Lord for eternal life and pray for us, God-loving ones, that we may get rid of all evils through the prayers of St. Savvaty.”

Abbot Zosima rejoiced in spirit after reading the message. “This is not from people, but from God!” - all his associates decided. The monks immediately went to the chapel on the banks of the Vyga. When they dug up the solitary grave, the air was filled with incense, and when they opened the coffin, they saw an incorruptible body, not damaged in the least, and all the clothes were intact. The transferred relics were placed behind the altar of the Transfiguration Church of the monastery. This was in 1465. From that time on, the sick began to receive healing at the tomb of Savvaty. The Monk Zosima came every night to the tomb of Saint Savvatius, prayed and bowed before the morning singing.

The merchant John, having love and zeal for Saint Savvaty, together with his brother Theodore, who was saved during a storm, painted an image of Savvaty, brought it to the Solovetsky Monastery and presented it, along with other gifts from the monastery, to Saint Zosima, who placed the image over the tomb of the saint and, as to the living, turned to the saint of God: “Servant of God! Even if you have ended your temporary life in body, do not depart from us in spirit, lead us to Christ our God, teach us to walk according to the commandments of the Lord and wear our cross. You, reverend, having boldness towards Christ and His Most Pure Mother, be a prayer book and intercessor for us, unworthy, living in this holy monastery, of which you are the head.”

Meanwhile, the boyar servants and landowners of the Karelian land did not stop sailing to the island and fishing in the lakes; this was not enough: they did not allow fishing for the monastery and called themselves heirs and owners of the island, insulted and reviled the monks, promised to ruin the monastery and expel the monks from the island . The Monk Zosima with some of his disciples was forced to go to Novgorod to ask for protection. Arriving in Novgorod, he asked for help from the ruler and asked the boyars not to allow the monastery to be ruined. Walking around the houses of the boyars, Saint Zosima came to one famous widow, the boyar Martha, to ask for his monastery, since her slaves often came to Solovetsky Island and abused the monastery. Hearing about the arrival of the monk, the noblewoman ordered to drive him away. Saint Zosima patiently endured this and said to his disciples:

The days are coming when the doors of this house will be closed and will not open again and this yard will be empty.

The archbishop, calling on the boyars, asked them to help the Solovetsky monastery; all the boyars promised to help the monk and donated the entire island to his monastery.

Hearing this, the noblewoman Martha repented and, having learned about Zosima’s holy life, sent him to ask him for dinner. The kindly monk went to the invitation with his disciples. The noblewoman seated the righteous elder in the middle of the feast. But the monk ate little food and remained silent. Looking at those sitting at the feast, he was suddenly surprised by something and lowered his head... Up to three times he looked up at the boyars and saw the same thing: he saw the six main boyars sitting at the table, without heads... Tears of pity appeared before the eyes of the Elder of God. They asked him to eat, but he didn’t taste anything at dinner. After lunch, the noblewoman Martha asked the monk for forgiveness, gave the monastery a village near the Suma River and sent her away in peace. Leaving her house, the disciple Daniel asked the monk:

Why did you, during dinner, look at those sitting three times, sigh and cry so much?

The monk revealed his vision to the disciple and did not order anyone to tell this secret until the time came.

Zosima returned to his monastery with a letter and gifts from the monastery. In 1471, the Grand Duke and Autocrat of Russia Ivan Vasilyevich came to Novgorod with an army and executed some boyars. At that time, those six boyars whom the monk had seen at boyarina Martha’s dinner, sitting at the table without heads, were beheaded, and boyarin Marfa, by order of the prince, was exiled with her children to imprisonment, her estate was plundered and her house was left empty, according to the prophecy of the monk3.

The great luminary of the deep north of the Russian land, the head of the hostel in the land of unbearable frosts, the God-bearing Zosima lived for forty-two years on Solovetsky Island and for twenty-six years he abbotted the monastery he created. Having reached a very old age, he prepared a coffin for himself and, looking at it, mourned himself as if he were dead. Gray-haired, feeling the approach of death, he called the brethren and said:

Children, I am following the path of our fathers, choose a mentor for yourself.

They wept over separation from him.

“Don’t cry,” said the monk, “I entrust you to the merciful Savior and Mother of God.”

The brethren announced with sorrow that only he, their mentor, could appoint them a mentor in his place. The monk pointed to Arseny and, turning to the latter, said:

You are the builder and nourisher of this monastery, see that everything established in the temple and the meal is preserved, and observe the order entrusted by my humility. I command my disciples to observe the rule of the cinnamon: intoxicating drink and women’s faces should not be on this island, even animals that give milk should not be here. I will be separated from you physically, but I will remain with you in spirit. If I find grace before God, then this monastery, after my departure, will spread and many brothers will gather in it in love, and it will be abundant in everything.

Having said the last:

Peace to all,” he made the sign of the cross and gave up his soul to the Lord on April 17, 1478.

Soon after the blessed death of St. Zosima, many healings and other signs of grace proved the holiness of the saint of God. On the ninth day after his death, he appeared to Elder Daniel; at first, dark-shaped hordes of unclean spirits appeared in the middle of the monastery, suddenly scattered after this; the monk appeared to him and joyfully said: “I escaped these diverse spirits and their enemy snares, by the grace of God, and the Lord, who had mercy on me, me to the face of those justified by Him.” Having said this, he became invisible. Especially the swimmers of the White Sea many times experienced wondrous help in terrible dangers when they called upon the Monk Zosima for help. The monastery contains a whole book of his miracles, the authenticity of which is attested by many. Such, for example, is the miracle told by the monk of the Murom monastery Mitrofan: once sailing along the White Sea, with many people and acquisitions, he rushed through the abyss for up to thirty days, so that he could not see the shores; the storm intensified, and the waves were already flooding the ship. Desperate swimmers called on the Lord and His Most Pure Mother and the saints for salvation. They remembered those who pleased Him and the founder of the Solovetsky monastery, Zosima, for within its borders a storm overtook them, and suddenly we saw a magnificent old man at the stern, who, when high waves rose to swallow the ship extended only the opening of its mantle to both countries, and the waves passed quietly past the boat, harming no one. Day and night they carried the breath of the wind, and all this time the saving old man stood at the stern, watching over the boat, but when he directed it to the shore, he disappeared from view. Having reached a peaceful refuge, they told each other about the wondrous old man, for not everyone saw him, but only three, and they glorified God, who gives such power to His saints.

The saint’s disciple, Dosifei, who was honored to bury him and was subsequently abbot of the Solovetsky monastery, once, during Little Vespers, standing on the porch, prayed for the sick cleric, keeping the saint in his mind, and said to him as if alive: “My Lord, Father Zosima, you are the head of this monastery, won’t you take care to heal him, for many have been lying sick for a long time?” Dosifei stood thoughtfully, when suddenly blessed Zosima appeared to him, as if walking from his tomb, and said: “It is not good for you to ask about that brother, and he will still remain in his illness.”

The Venerable Solovetsky miracle workers, as can be seen from many experiences, were especially jealous of weakening the people's trust in the so-called magicians, or healers. This is a wonderful experience. The church clerk of the village of Shui, Onisim, was a pious man. His wife Maria was healed by Zosima in the monastery. Then he himself fell into a serious illness. The general trust in magicians was so strong that the good Onesimus summoned the magician to himself. When they were sitting at the table, the healer suddenly began to scream terribly, and Maria, the wife of Onesimus, sees Zosima, Savvaty and also Elder John, Zosimin’s disciple. Zosima beats the magician with a rod and says: “Why did you come here? It’s not right for you to come to the servant of God!” The monk anointed the sick man with a brush from a vessel on his head and face. Onesimus felt relieved, but began to grieve greatly that he had committed a grave sin: he called on a magician and thereby insulted Zosima and Savvaty.

Zosima appeared and said: “Don’t be discouraged, Onesimus, read or listen to the Psalter, and you will be completely healthy.”

Of the miracles of St. Savvaty in the Trinity Patericon, one should especially be cited, about which we read in the letter of Patriarch Philaret: “Elder Daniel was sick and lost his sight; he saw nothing for six weeks. On September 27th, in memory of the wonderworker Savvaty, the wonderworker Sergius and the Solovetsky wonderworker Savvaty appeared to him at night, in a subtle dream. Savvaty begged the wonderworker Sergius for the healing of Elder Daniel - to forgive and heal him. At his request, the wonderworker Sergius anointed his eyes and healed him. At that same hour he received his sight and began to see as he had seen before. Now the elder builder is healthy by the grace of God.”

In 1822, Zosima and Savvaty healed a deaf, dumb youth with crooked limbs.

The relics of St. Zosima were interred behind the altar of the wooden Church of the Transfiguration, near the grave of St. Savvaty in 1566, after the consecration of the new stone cathedral, the incorruptible relics of both wonderworkers were transferred to the chapel dedicated to their memory, and there they rest under cover on the south side. In the sacristy there is preserved a phelonion of white linen, with a damask mantle, given to the Monk Zosima by the holy Archbishop Jonah.

Under the leadership of the great Abba, strong ascetics of piety were formed. Such were the priest and his disciple John, Vasily the disciple, Onuphrius the disciple and hermit, Gerasim the disciple and hermit. They all survived a wonderful mentor. The old old man Herman also survived him. Abba lived on Solovetsky Island for more than 50 years. He was not a bookish person, but many years of spiritual experience taught him to distinguish between spiritual and natural phenomena. Convinced that the life of great ascetics brings edification to many, Abba Herman ordered his disciple Dosifei and others to write down everything that he saw during the life of the Monk Savvaty and how he lived with him on the island. He loved to listen to edifying readings and collected books. Despite his extreme old age, he traveled many times to solid ground for the needs of the monastery, and the very death overtook the elder in 1479 far from the monastery, in the Great Novgorod, where he was sent by Abbot Arseny. The Monk Herman reposed in the monastery of the Monk Anthony the Roman. The disciples took the body of their elder to Solovki, but due to the muddy roads they had to leave it on the banks of the Svir River, in a chapel near the village of Khavronyina. Five years later, the coffin of St. Abba Herman was transferred to Solovetsky Island; his relics, found incorrupt, were laid on June 30, 1484 in a chapel dedicated to his memory, hidden under cover. His stone four-pointed cell cross is also kept there.

Glorifying the exploits of the First Leaders of the Solovetsky monastery, the Holy Church sings: “Avoiding the noise of a much-rebellious world, wise Savvaty, you settled on a deserted island, and in a bodily boat, with the gentle breath of the all-reviving Spirit, you easily swam across the abyss of everyday life, in which we are now exposed to storms and misfortunes, pray about our souls."
“Spiritual spring arose in the land of bitter frost, when you, God-wise Zosima, led by the valiant Herman, penetrated into the unfamiliar outlets of the sea, into the village of Savvatiya, and there gathered many ascetics, vigilantly glorifying the Lord.”

“Having adorned yourself, wisely, with a fasting life, you were a faster and a cohabitant in the sea flow of the venerable fathers Zosima and Savvaty, striving in prayers, and labors, and in fasting, venerable father Herman, but as if having boldness towards God, pray to deliver us from enemies and save our souls."

Solovetsky Zosimo-Savvatievsky stauropegial 1st class (since 1764) monastery is located two hundred and fifty versts northwest of Arkhangelsk, sixty versts east of Kem and forty versts northwest of Onega, on the western tip of Solovetsky Island . As a fortress, this monastery was repeatedly sieged, served as a place of imprisonment for state criminals and produced great saints. Thus, here Saint Philip Metropolitan accepted monasticism in 1537 and served as abbot until his elevation to the rank of Metropolitan of All Russia. Among the monks was also Patriarch Nikon, here Avramiy Palitsin accepted monasticism and was buried; an associate of Prince Dimitry Pozharsky, the exiled famous Sylvester, archpriest of the Annunciation Cathedral in Moscow and the leader of Grozny, immediately died and was buried.