He is, of course, remembered by those who studied at the Literary Institute in the seventies. Those who in the eighties were associated with the Moskovsky Rabochiy publishing house, where he worked as an editor, remember.
Those who read his poems remember. Many poets remember him.
We were friends with him. I was in his native Kaluga village. I remember Kolya’s mother and father. I remember a hut, on the two lower logs of which, with white paint along the entire perimeter of the hut, a young aspiring poet wrote Yesenin’s words: I LIKED THE GIRL IN WHITE, AND NOW I LOVE THE GIRL IN BLUE.
Then in Moscow, in a communal room on Studenetsky Lane, where he lived with his wife Lyudmila and adopted daughter Angela, under the ceiling Kolya also painted someone’s words, I don’t remember verbatim, but the idea there is this: warriors and poets immediately go to heaven after death .
When he received an apartment in Moscow from a publishing house, he decorated the wall there with his motto: I AM NOT LOOKING FOR A CROSSING IN LIFE SO THAT I WOULD PASS DRY OVER THE DEEP. I APPEARED INTO THIS WORLD FOR GLORY, AND THEY PAY FOR GLORY WITH THEIR HEAD. This is his quatrain.
Kolya was an avid hunter. With another friend of ours, the poet Sasha Rudenko, they took me hunting several times. Those were wonderful days. I don’t remember the hunt so much as our conversations about poetry, about Russia...
Nicholas was a hermit by nature. He wrote a lot about loneliness, about separation from a girl, from a woman, from his homeland. I wrote a lot about death. Although he was a sociable person, he loved feasts.
He was such an intensely internal person. Peculiar. Romantic and at the same time daringly tragic. In conversation he was sometimes extremely harsh in his judgments about our reality, but in poetry he could be deeply humble:
Yes, here is Russia, my homeland.
Dead autumn
And the winds are hoarse.
And maybe by this stream
And I will die
Leaves to the water
I'll fall asleep.
Schools of birds in the sunset grass
They will rustle with their mighty plumage.
And the mother will watch from under her hand
To the ashes of that
Who was
Her plant.
In the preface to Nikolai’s first book, his fellow countryman Stanislav Kunyaev wrote: “Spring waters, autumn forests, fresh cold, bird flights - these are the signs of the world in which the young poet’s poems live. He does not swear his love for his homeland. He breathes this love like air.”
For the last few years, Kolya has lived near Rostov-on-Don. But he didn’t get along with the writers there; he wrote a historical adventure book about pirates.
Rarely wrote poetry.
The reader who reads his lines for the first time will be surprised by Nikolai’s poetic language, surprised by his originality and poignancy of feelings. And whoever knew the poet, let him re-read and remember.
As an afterword, I put at the end of Kolya’s selection a poem by another poet from our literary institute seminar - Marina Akhmedova-Kolubakina. She wrote it at night, after learning about Nikolai’s death. It seems to me that her poem speaks very accurately about the fate of our poet friend.
BiographyNikishin Nikolay Nikolaevich, Soviet military leader, lieutenant general (1946). He received his primary education at the Zhizdra city school, and in 1915 he graduated from the land surveying school in Moscow. Participant of the First World War: in August 1915 he was mobilized for military service and enlisted in the 5th Engineer Battalion. In April 1916, he graduated from the 6th Moscow School of Ensigns, was promoted to ensign in the army infantry and appointed as a junior officer in the 203rd Infantry Reserve Regiment. In August of the same year, he was sent to the Caucasian Front, the commander of a company of the 506th Pochaev Infantry Regiment of the 127th Infantry Division, with which he fought with the Turks in the Caucasian theater of operations. In March 1918, with the rank of lieutenant, he left the front at the disposal of the Zhizdrensky district military registration and enlistment office and was demobilized in April.
Participant of the Civil War: in July 1918 he was drafted into the Red Army and appointed as an instructor of general education at the Zhizdra district military registration and enlistment office, then commanded a platoon in the 6th reserve regiment in Kaluga. At the beginning of May 1920, he was sent to the Western Front. Participant in the Soviet-Polish War of 1920: company commander of a separate rifle battalion of the 8th Infantry Division participated in the Warsaw operation, in the battles of Brest-Litovsk and Baranovichi. From January 1921, he commanded a company in a divisional school and participated with it in the fight against banditry in Bobruisk and Slutsk districts.
During the interwar period, from April 1921, he served at the headquarters of the 8th Infantry Division: topographer, adjutant to the division chief, assistant to the chief of the operational combat unit. In January 1924, he was transferred to the 33rd Infantry Division of the Western (from October 1926 - Belarusian) Military District: assistant chief of the operational unit, chief of staff of the 99th Infantry Regiment, head of the 4th division of the division headquarters. From December 1930 to July 1931 he studied at the Rifle tactical courses for improving the command staff of the Red Army "Vystrel" named after. Comintern. Upon graduation, he was sent to the 79th Rifle Regiment of the 27th Omsk Rifle Division: battalion commander, chief of staff of the regiment. In June 1936, he was appointed head of the 5th department of the headquarters of the 4th Rifle Corps. Since July 1938, chief of staff of the 5th Infantry Division. In August of the same year, he was appointed assistant commander of the 11th Rifle Corps, but until November 1939 he actually served as the corps commander. In November 1939, Colonel N.N. Nikishin was appointed commander of the 52nd Infantry Division of the Leningrad Military District. In this position he took part in the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940. In June 1940, he was awarded the rank of major general.
At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he continued to command the 52nd Infantry Division, which, as part of the 14th Army of the Northern Front, took on the first battle with enemy troops on the river. Zapadnaya Litsa is 60 km northwest of Murmansk. In July 1941, he was relieved of duty and placed at the disposal of the Military Council of the 14th Army. By order of the NKO dated July 27, 1941, he was appointed commander of the 14th Infantry Division, which successfully defended itself on the southern shore of Bolshaya Litsa Bay. Since December of the same year, he commanded the Kem operational group of troops of the Northern Front, covering the Kirov railway in the Kesteng, Ukhta and Rebol directions. In March 1942, the task force was deployed to the 26th Army, and Major General N.N. Nikishin was appointed its commander. In May 1943 he was sent to study at the Higher Military Academy named after. K.E. Voroshilov. After completing her accelerated course, from March 1944 he commanded the 116th Rifle Corps as part of the 67th Army of the Leningrad and then the 3rd Baltic Fronts. In May 1944, he took command of the 7th Rifle Corps of the 54th Army of the same front and participated with it in the Pskov-Ostrov offensive operation. From August 6 of the same year he commanded the 119th Rifle Corps. Parts of the corps as part of the troops of the 1st Shock and 67th Armies of the 3rd Baltic Front participated in the Tartu and Baltic offensive operations, in the liberation of the cities of Valga, Strenci, and Riga. Later, the corps as part of the 67th Army of the 2nd Baltic Front participated in the destruction of the enemy’s Courland group.
After the war, Major General Nikishin continued to command the 119th Rifle Corps as part of the 3rd Baltic Front, and from September 1945 he served in the Turkestan Military District. In 1946 he was awarded the rank of lieutenant general. In July 1949 he was dismissed.
Awarded the Order of Lenin, 3 Orders of the Red Banner, Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky 1st class, medals.
1 Date of birth N.N. Nikishin was taken from the service record of the imperial army [See: RGVIA, f. 409, op. 1, p/sp 193-640 (1916)], in the personal file of the Red Army the date is indicated - March 13 (25), 1896.
History of the Iveron-Paris Icon
Deacon Nikolai Nikishin.
“The history of the Iveron Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary, located in the Church of the Three Saints in Paris.”
Rejoice, good Goalkeeper,
Opening the Doors of Paris to the Faithful.
The revered Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Paris Three Saints Compound .
Through the efforts Metropolitan Benjamin was purchased from the previous owners,
descendants of the French officer who took the icon
from Moscow during the Patriotic War of 1812.
This church is not easy to find, although its address is known: 5 Rue Petel, Vaugirard metro station - 5, rue Petel, Paris 75015, M° Vaugirard.
Especially if you come from Russia. Where is the dome? Where are the white walls? Only after becoming acquainted with the complex history of Russian emigration do you understand that this is not a provocation of spiritual feeling, but simply could not have done better. After all, everything had to start from scratch, from scratch.
Three Saints Compound in Paris is currently a cathedral
Cathedral of the Korsun diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Founded by St. Veniamin (Fedchenkov) in 1931.
When you finally enter the Church of the Three Saints, you get the opposite feeling: the icons and frescoes are literally enchanting. Compared to other churches in exile, the integrity of the painting is striking. A large icon immediately catches your eye: the Iveron Mother of God. Then you find out that this is the largest icon in foreign Russian churches. It is clear that this image is pre-revolutionary and that it is revered: there are almost always flowers in front of it. Once you get acquainted with the parish, you will find out what really is: this icon is the main shrine of the Church of the Three Saints: its “pillar and foundation.”
Let us tell you how she ended up in this temple, since this story is very edifying, but few people know it.
“Rejoice, O Thou Who Sanctified Athos by Thy Coming;
Rejoice, you who promised grace to this place.”
The miraculous Iveron Icon of the Mother of God,
located on the holy Mount Athos.
The holy original icon, called “Iveron”, has been located since the end of the tenth century in the Iveron Monastery, on Mount Athos. It is placed at the entrance to the monastery at the gate, a place determined by the Mother of God herself, which is why this holy icon is called the “Goalkeeper” or in Greek “Portaitissa”. For a long time now this place, “at the gates,” has been turned into a church for the sake of the holy image.
During the reign of Alexy Mikhailovich, under Patriarch Nikon, on October 13, 1648, a copy of this miraculous icon of Athos was brought to Moscow for the first time. As the akathist says:
“When Patriarch Nikon heard the strange cover of the icon of the Mother of God of the Iveron monastery,
The leader and the Russian country of Her grace may receive communion.”
Somewhat later, in 1669, a wooden chapel was built at the Resurrection Gate of Kitay-Gorod at the entrance to Red Square, where another copy of the Iveron Icon, the so-called “Moscow-Iverskaya” Icon, was placed. It is completely unknown who painted this icon and when. This was forgotten, since the general opinion was that this icon was the list of 1648 sent from Athos.
It is known about the Athos list that its dimensions are in all respects similar to the “original” on Athos (the mother of all “Iveron”), but the icon placed in the chapel is much larger (1).
Everyone going to the Kremlin, to Red Square, first of all prayed at the “Iverskaya Mother”. The chapel was never locked. Many who came to Moscow, before anything else, went to venerate the Most Holy Theotokos of Iveron and ask her for help. There was even a custom among Muscovites, especially those seeking the intercession of the Mother of God, to go to Iverskaya three, seven or twelve times in the dead of night, according to a vow.
Thus, following the example of Mount Athos, Moscow began to have its own “Goalkeeper,” an invincible protector, the Most Pure Mother of God. This icon became one of the most revered Moscow shrines:
“Rejoice, covering the Russian countries, spreading the clouds;
Rejoice, unshakable pillar of the Orthodox Church.”
Already in 1693, the image of “Moscow-Iverskaya” was so revered that it was carried from house to house, and “to see it off from disorderly people” two guards were sent with the icon. Numerous weights on the icon testified to the gratitude of the people who received healing from the icon. Since the image was increasingly “in circulation” in homes, hospitals, churches and the outskirts of Moscow, a duplicate list of “Moscow-Iverskaya” was made, which was left so that the chapel would never be left without an icon. On the list, the icon was of the same type and size as the main one, but the rich pearl robe that was on the head of the Most Holy One. The Mother of God of the main icon, on a duplicate, for similarity, is painted with paints.
In the XVIII-XIX centuries. only a very small part of pilgrims sees the “Moscow-Iverskaya” itself, since the icon was transported almost around the clock. But the chapel, nevertheless, was always crowded with people:
“Rejoice, always warm intercessor to God for us;
Rejoice, refuge for those in trouble;
Rejoice, consolation to those who mourn.”
In 1812, during Napoleon's invasion of Russia, the Moscow-Iverskaya icon, saved from the French, was taken with other shrines to Vladimir. A list of her made in 1758 was left in the chapel.
As you know, the French sacked Moscow. Not sparing the shrine, they tore off the gold and silver vestments of icons in Moscow cathedrals and churches with bayonets. From the Assumption Cathedral alone they took 18 pounds (288 kg) of gold and 325 pounds (5200 kg) of silver. In particular, the Iverskaya Chapel was looted, and the list from the main icon disappeared; one could only assume that it was taken to France.
After 1812, there was no second icon at the Iveron Chapel for a long time. But as the need grew, in 1852 a new duplicate of the main one, i.e. “Moskovskaya-Iverskaya”, was again written. Like the first duplicate, it is an exact likeness of the main one with a painted pearl robe on the head and shoulders of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
This was mainly in the chapel before the Revolution. It was this image that was imprinted in the memory of many Muscovites.
In 1922, all the precious decoration of the chapel was seized by the authorities and disappeared without a trace.
Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Sokolniki (Moscow),
in which the Moscow Iveron Icon is kept.
The temple is also famous for the fact that it was here that meetings were held
Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1945,
elected Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'
His Eminence Metropolitan Alexy of Leningrad and Novgorod.
In July 1929, the chapel was closed and destroyed, and in 1931 the Resurrection Gate was also destroyed, and the miraculous Moscow-Iverskaya icon was transferred to the Church of the Resurrection in Sokolniki in Moscow (Sokolnicheskaya Square, 6) (2). Now she does not have a pearl robe, but is covered with a silver-plated metal robe. The fate of the second duplicate list is unknown.
By the providence of God, after hard times of trials for the Church and persecution of believers, the Iveron Chapel was destined to be reborn:
“Rejoice, for the power of the prince of darkness will be destroyed;
Rejoice, Whose Gospel is preached;
Rejoice, thou who preparest eternal rest for us.”
On November 5, 1994, His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II consecrated the foundation stone of the chapel.
In 1995, work on recreating the chapel and gates was completed, and on October 25, on the eve of the feast of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, a copy of the Athos image arrived in Moscow from the Iveron Monastery on Athos.
In 1669 at the Resurrection Gate of Red Square in Moscow
The Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, brought from Athos, was placed.
In 1782, the icon was moved to the one built in front of the gate chapel .
which was a substitute icon for the miraculous Iverskaya.
In 1929, the chapel was destroyed and restored in 1995.
Photo © Valery Nekrasov
From now on, every day before the image of the Mother of God, continuously, from 8 to 20 o’clock, the akathist is read in turn by all the clergy of Moscow:
“Rejoice, intercession of widows;
Rejoice, merciful Mother of the orphans;
Rejoice, turning those who are astray to the path of truth.”
However, let's return to the history of the image located in Paris. God works in mysterious ways!
In 1930, one of the Muscovite emigrants A.N. Pavlov, walking through the streets of Paris, in one of the antique shops on the street. Saint-Honoré, through the window, saw the upper part of a large icon, cluttered with other objects. Only the crown and shoulder-length head of the Mother of God were visible. He immediately recognized the Iveron Icon, since in the past he had come to the Iveron Chapel many times and prayed before the miraculous image. At first, he had a bitter feeling: here is another shrine - an involuntary witness to the atrocities taking place in Russia - since he thought that the icon came to Paris after the civil war. But what he learned was much more surprising. At the store he was told that the icon had been taken from Moscow to France in 1812 by a Napoleonic officer, and that now his descendants wanted to sell it.
The entire Russian emigration became agitated. Not only Pavlov, but all Muscovites recognized in this image of the Mother of God “the very one” who was in the Iveron Chapel. In fact, they saw a list made in 1758, in every way similar to the second list of 1852. But this made everything even more surprising.
By God's providence, the icon remained in obscurity for 120 years, as if repeating its fate: in the tenth century, after the iconoclastic turmoil, when for about 200 years nothing was known about its fate, it was miraculously found on Athos.
Since the tenth century, this icon has become a special patron of the Athos monasteries. The Heavenly Queen appeared to many desert-dwelling elders and ascetics and said: “As long as my icon is in the Iveron Monastery, do not be afraid of anything, and live in your cells. When I leave the Iversky Monastery, then let everyone take his bag and go where who knows.”
In the 17th century, this image, having arrived in Moscow, also took a place at the “gates,” this time of Moscow, and it was there that it became especially revered (3).
Finally, in the twentieth century, after the revolutionary storms and the terrible Civil War, by the Providence of God this image ends up in Paris, the main center of Russian emigration. On the one hand, it was a time of dire need and debilitating poverty. On the other hand, the emigration was torn by conflicting assessments and analyzes of what had happened and what was happening in the homeland.
It must be said that 1930-31. must be considered the years that fundamentally changed the church life of the post-revolutionary Russian emigration, the years of the “Parisian schism.” The Russian Church, or rather the parishes founded by Russians abroad, found themselves divided into three, as they say, “jurisdictions” that did not communicate with each other, considering each other “traitors to the true Church, schismatics.”
Many hoped that the newly acquired shrine would reconcile the split Orthodox parishes and miraculously unite them with Russia. Yes, Metropolitan. Eulogius, in a sermon at the end of the prayer service on the occasion of the discovery, said: “Let this image of the Lady serve us as a symbol of unity and open the doors to our long-suffering Motherland.”
The owner of the antique store Kogan asked for a colossal sum for the icon: 25,000 francs (4). For the ransom, a committee was created, which involved a number of well-known people in exile. Soon, part of the amount was collected and a deposit was given to the antique dealer, which allowed him to take the icon from the store. From that moment on, she began to travel to churches and houses, as Iverskaya-Glavnaya once did.
The first solemn prayer service was performed in the Greek Cathedral of St. Stefan, in Paris on Rue Bizet. Then in the church of St. Alexander Nevsky, on rue Daru. Then the icon was taken to Nice and there, in St. Nicholas Cathedral, prayer services were performed in front of it. Everyone rejoiced at the appearance of the icon and prayed tearfully. But despite the interest of the highest secular and church circles, little money was collected. I had to return the icon to the store and it was put up for sale again.
The discoverer of the icon, A. N. Pavlov, after many petitions and unsuccessful attempts to acquire the icon, in mid-1931, turned to Bishop Veniamin (Fedchenkov). Vladyka especially revered the Iveron Icon, since it was his namesake day, martyr. Veniamin, deacon, fell on the feast of the Iveron Goalkeeper (October 13, Art./October 26, Art.). Let's say a few words about the position of Bishop Benjamin.
Until 1931, the Russian emigration in its church dispensation for the most part (with the exception of the parishes of the “Russian Church Abroad”, or “Karlovites”) was headed by Metropolitan Evlogii (Georgievsky) and was canonically a member of the Russian Church, and Metropolitan Evlogii was in more or less frequent written relations with the Moscow Patriarchate.
In June 1930, Metropolitan. Evlogy was removed by decree of the Patriarchate for infidelity to the commitment he made in 1927 about the non-interference of the Church, according to the behests of Patriarch Tikhon, in politics. Metropolitan Eulogius refused to obey the order to remove him, for which he and the other bishops with him were deprived of the right to rule and consecrated (December 24, 1930). Disregarding the prohibition, Metropolitan. Eulogius tried to cover up the schism with his illegal transfer, without the permission of the Moscow Patriarchate, to the jurisdiction of Constantinople. To do this, he went to Constantinople and returned, bringing with him the decree of the Patriarch of Constantinople Photius dated February 17, 1931 on his acceptance under the omophorion (jurisdiction) of the Throne of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Most of his flock followed him. However, a group of clergy and laity led by Bishop Veniamin (Fedchenkov), then inspector of the Paris St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute, later metropolitan, protested against this, remaining faithful to the Mother Church. It was decided to organize our own parish. Since monks from different parts of the Western European diocese arrived under the omophorion of Bishop Benjamin, it was decided to form a monastic compound in the newly opened church, and to establish a parish of the Moscow Patriarchate with it.
In the 15th arrondissement of Paris, at 5 Rue Petel, a garage was found, the lower basement was equipped as a temple, and in the upper one-and-a-half-story building they planned to build a refectory and monastic cells.
The temple immediately became a target for all written and oral indignation, indignation, incredible accusations of betrayal and treason, communism, Sovietism, treacherous violation of church unity, etc. The doors of emigrant associations, organizations and even private homes were closed to members of the parish.
No one wanted to listen to explanations that the parishioners of the Trinity Church did not leave anywhere, did not break away from anyone, did not betray anyone or anything, that they continued to stand in the same position in which the Metropolitan himself had previously been. Eulogius and his flock, that is, remained in the Russian Church - the only one, since there cannot be two or three Russian churches under any circumstances. It was also impossible to print this, since the doors of numerous newspapers at that time were closed to those who remained faithful to Metropolitan. Sergius (Stragorodsky), Patriarchal Locum Tenens.
It is not surprising that Bishop Benjamin, the soul and inspirer of the new parish, saw in Pavlov’s appeal to him as the last resort for help in acquiring the Moscow shrine as a special sign both for himself and for the parishioners of the Church of the Three Hierarchs, who remained faithful to the Moscow Patriarchate.
When Vladyka Veniamin learned that the Iveron Icon was again put up for sale, he immediately went to the antique dealer for negotiations. Arriving at the store, the bishop saw with horror that the icon was not on the display case, but it immediately became clear that the image had been sent to a warehouse where rare but hard-to-sell items were stored. When Bishop Benjamin entered the warehouse with the owner, he shuddered when he saw the icon standing upside down. It was installed properly and negotiations began on the terms of purchase.
The antique dealer named the price (15,000 francs), to which he had already managed to reduce the original price and warned that he needed to hurry, since the icon was to be put up for auction in three days.
The Bishop, praying internally, asked the antique dealer to reduce the price, but he agreed only to sell the icon in installments: pay eight thousand immediately, four thousand within a year, and the rest over three years. Kogan gave Bishop Benjamin a few days to think, and allowed him to take the image with him for now.
The Bishop brought the miraculous image to the Three Saints Metochion. The parish has just been formed. It was a time of extreme poverty. There was only enough money to rent a garage with a basement. There was nothing. Imagine a temple in the basement: stone, unplastered walls, a plywood iconostasis filled with paper, cheap icons. The clergy in vestments that touch the heart: so much visible care, love and diligence are required in order to construct from miserable rags clothes worthy of primates before the Throne of God.
Let us cite the touching testimony of Metropolitan. Anthony (Bloom), spiritual child of Archimandrite. Afanasy (Nechaev), one of the first inhabitants of the Three Saints Metochion, about how they lived in 1931:
“There was no money with which to buy food for the five monks who lived at the temple. They ate only what the parishioners put in cardboard boxes at the doors of one cell. When there was nothing, they didn’t eat; but they gave alms - not in money, not in food; but you come late one evening and see: Bishop Benjamin lying on the cement floor, wrapped in his monastic robe; in his cell, on his bed - a beggar, on a mattress - a beggar, on a carpet - a beggar; there is no place for the bishop himself.”
The Bishop placed the precious image in the middle of the temple and went to the altar to pray and calm down.
“Where can I get the money?” – this thought haunted him relentlessly. All night Bishop Veniamin could not calm down, and besides, he had a doubt - it seemed incredible that the Moscow Goalkeeper could appear in Paris: the Bishop at that time did not know that in the Moscow chapel there was already a second list with the Iveron Main. The Bishop prayed fervently, and in a subtle dream the Mother of God Herself appeared to him, saying: “How can you doubt?”
The next day at the liturgy, during the Eucharistic canon, he turned to the Lord with a prayer for help in acquiring the icon and suddenly heard with his inner ear: “Where is your faith?” The bishop’s heart became calm, and he became confident that the icon would remain in the temple.
After this, Bishop Benjamin delivered an inspired sermon. He talked about what kind of grace pours out through this miraculous image, what a consolation it would be for all Russian people to find the greatest shrine of the Russian land, calling on everyone who could donate their labor money to redeem the shrine.
A fundraiser has been scheduled for next Sunday. Many brought the last thing they had. One elderly woman, who served as a nanny for many years and then as a housekeeper in a wealthy family, brought a large sum: for many years she saved from her salary “for the funeral,” and now, having heard about the miraculous icon, she donated all the money she had saved, deciding that she will be buried somehow. The emigrants were poor and hungry, but many refused even the necessary things and contributed.
Despite all efforts, the amount collected was not enough for the down payment. We need to imagine that only about 30 people were registered in the parish, and at best 40-50 people gathered for the Sunday liturgy. And then Bishop Benjamin sent letters to his acquaintances in different cities of France asking them to lend him money. He knew that almost all families saved money for housing for three months (payment was made three months in advance, and delay of even one day threatened in these times with immediate eviction) (5).
Apartment money was inviolable for Russian emigrants - and this is what the Bishop asked for, promising to return it in due time. It’s remarkable that no one refused and none of those who sent money were kicked out of the apartment.
By the specified date, the required amount of the deposit was collected. The Bishop himself gave the money to the antique dealer, who, knowing about the plight of Russian emigrants, was amazed that the money was collected this time. This was a clear miracle of God.
On the morning of January 17, 1932, the icon was again brought to the church of St. Alexander Nevsky for a solemn prayer service, after which the holy image of the Mother of God finally settled in the Church of the Three Saints. On January 24, 1932, a prayer service was served on the occasion of the discovery of the great shrine. Everyone felt that they had unwittingly witnessed another miracle from the holy icon:
“Rejoice, our help is in a foreign country;
Rejoice, there is consolation in our journey.”
The acquisition of this expensive, from a material point of view, icon turned out to be beyond the power of the Russian emigration as a whole and became possible for one of the smallest and poorest parishes. This was perceived as a special blessing from the Queen of Heaven by those who put loyalty and love for the Russian Orthodox Church “at the forefront” of their spiritual existence.
To pay for the next installments, photographs were taken from the image and sold not only in the temple, but with the help of parishioners in other places. Russian people came from all over France and other countries to the Three Hierarchs' Metochion to honor the holy image and leave their sacrifice to redeem the icon. This is how the required amount was collected.
With the blessing of Bishop Benjamin, the doors of the temple were not locked day or night, so that everyone could come to pray in front of the image. So in Paris the tradition established in Moscow was continued - and here, far from Russia, the Moscow Goalkeeper, becoming the Parisian Goalkeeper, was constantly ready to receive all the mourners, to provide help and intercession.
Thanks to Her, the Three Hierarchs' Metochion became “a hearth that kindles in generations of Russian people the living heritage of Holy Rus', the great history and culture of our people... It was and remains a place where our Holy Russian Orthodox Church reminds of her love for all sons and daughters dear to her heart, those who are still outside its saving fence, whose life path passes beyond the borders of our earthly Fatherland” (6).
Until the early 60s, after each liturgy, a prayer service was steadily performed in front of the icon. Emigration was fading away, and the new generation, born in France, no longer perceived so vividly the history of its acquisition, or even the icon itself. They stopped serving prayer services.
Help came from where it was not expected at all. In 1975, hieromonk, now archimandrite, George (Vostrel), an Austrian by birth, was sent to the Three Hierarchs Compound to help the aged priests in carrying out daily services. It was he who became the restorer of the liturgical veneration of the Holy Image. Since 1984, every Wednesday evening, only in this place in Paris, Orthodox Christians of various nationalities sing an akathist before the miraculous image:
“Rejoice, Pillar of Fire, guide those who are in darkness;
Rejoice, Lightning, enlightener of souls;
Rejoice, you who draw forth from the depths of ignorance;
Rejoice, Moste, lead those who are from earth to heaven;
Rejoice, Star that gave birth to the Sun."
Here is another miracle that we are all witnessing. Representing the invisible connection of the strongholds of Orthodoxy: Athos and Moscow, this image, in the twentieth century, became the gates of the Orthodox Church in the capital of modern civilization and culture, Paris.
(2) In this church, on Fridays at 17:00 a divine service is held with the reading of an akathist before the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God.
(3) We know that in Russia there were several lists of “Iverskaya” made in the 17th century, but none of them acquired national significance, like “Moscow-Iverskaya”.
(4) 250 francs per month was considered a good salary for Russian emigrants in 1930.
(5) For example: a one-room apartment without amenities was rented for 350-400 francs. per term - ordinary housing for the first generation of emigration.
(6) From the Message of His Holiness Pimen, Patr. Moscow and All Rus' on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Three Saints Compound.
Annex 1.
Keeping in mind new parishioners who are little familiar with the history of the parish, we will outline all the reasons why the list stored at the Three Saints Compound can be considered a “Removable” (duplicate) icon from the Iverskaya Chapel in Moscow.
- in terms of execution technique (writing, board), the icon was undoubtedly painted in the second half of the 18th century or the first half of the 19th century;
- it repeats all the details of the “Main”, since it was “recognized” by Muscovites who saw with their own eyes the second “Remote” in Moscow;
- its dimensions correspond to the dimensions of the icon kept in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Sokolniki;
- Usually in icon painting it is not allowed to write chasubles or pendants on icons, but in this case an exception is made so that the “Removable” one displays the main one, on which the chasuble made of real pearls was placed, in all its appearance when it is “in use”;
- in the right stamp on the Paris list the following words are inscribed: “This icon was painted from the real miraculous icon of the Iveron Mother of God, which is at the Resurrection Gate in Moscow...”. Unfortunately, the place where the date of production of the icon should have been written has been carefully erased;
- it is known that from 1812 to 1852 there was no “Remote” in the Iveron Chapel;
It is known that one of the lists was made in 1758. We would like to conclude that this is the date of writing the Parisian “Iverskaya”. But we need to be prepared for a different solution, since now we do not have a list of all the substitute icons.
So one of the shrines of the church of St. Nicholas in Kuznetsy (Moscow, Veshnyakovsky lane) is the large miraculous Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, which was painted in 1792 by priest Vasily Ivanov. This icon was a substitute for the Iverskaya-main icon in the chapel at the Resurrection Gate from 1792 to 1802. Then Metropolitan Philaret (Drozdov) donated this icon for the Iveron Church, which was on Bolshaya Ordynka. In the 1930s, after the closure of the temple, the icon was moved to the Nikolo-Kuznetsky Church, where it stands to this day in an icon case in front of the right choir of the St. Sergius chapel.
Appendix 2.
Celebrations in honor of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God are celebrated in the Russian Church four times a year:
- February 12, Old Art. / Feb 25 n.st. - on the name day of the current Patriarch Alexy;
- on Tuesday of Bright Week there is a celebration in honor of the icon in the Iveron Monastery on Athos, at the same time there is a procession with it to the seashore, where the icon was received by the hermit Gabriel (10th century);
- October 13, old style / Oct 26 n.st. (anniversary of the bringing to Moscow: 1648) - on the name day of Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov) († 1961), founder of the parish of the Three Hierarchs in Paris, through whose efforts the miraculous image of Our Lady of Iveron was acquired by this parish in 1932.
- March 31, old style / Apr 13 n.st. - the appearance of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God. It is noteworthy that on this day the memory of torment is also celebrated. Benjamin the deacon (418-424), the heavenly patron of Metropolitan. Benjamin.
It is natural to also celebrate in Paris: January 11, Art. / January 24 N.S. – anniversary of the acquisition of the icon by the parish of the Church of the Three Saints in 1932.
Appendix 3.
(from the editors of la-france-orthodoxe.net)
One of the new dates for the veneration of the Iveron Icon is: November 11, Art. / November 24 N.S. - the day on which the Iveron-Montreal Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos began to flow myrrh (1982).
It also became known that there are currently several lists of the Iveron-Paris Icon of the Mother of God. The first list known to us is in the Riga Holy Trinity-Sergius Convent. Perhaps this list was brought to Riga by Metropolitan. Veniamin at the time when he, having finally returned to Russia in 1947, began to manage the Riga and Latvian diocese, or back in the 30s, when Metropolitan Eleutherius (Epiphany) of Riga was the exarch of the Moscow Patriarchate in Western Europe. A copy of the Iveron-Paris icon was also made for Metropolitan. Eulogius (Georgievsky).
“From Your holy icon, O Lady Theotokos,
Healings and healings are given abundantly
Those who come to her with faith and love.
Visit my weakness too,
And have mercy on my soul, O Good One,
And heal the body with Your grace, Most Pure One.”
(Troparion to the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, chapter 1).
Deacon Nikolai Nikishin,
Church of the Three Saints (Moscow Patriarchate)
Paris, Rue Petelle, 5
5, rue Petel, Paris 75015
The meeting with Priest Nikolai Nikishin took place at the Seraphim celebrations in Diveevo. It turned out that the priest came not only to participate in the holiday, but also, at the request of the Orthodox French, he was developing a new pilgrimage route Paris - Diveevo.
Let us remember that Fr. Nikolai has been living in France since 1977, while continuing to maintain close ties with his native Sarov, participating in its cultural and Orthodox life. Father Nikolai is a cleric of the Cathedral Church of the Three Hierarchs in Paris and, at the same time, the head of the Pilgrimage Center of the Korsun Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (you can find out about the activities of the Pilgrimage Center on the website). There are many greatest Christian shrines in the West, headed by Fr. Nicholas, groups of up to two hundred people make pilgrimage trips to them. In Diveevo about. Nicholas was accompanied by his deputy, Inna Bocharova. He interacts with the priests of the receiving party, negotiates the conditions of worship, and Inna resolves issues related to the accommodation and livelihoods of pilgrims.
We spoke with Fr. Nicholas about how Christian shrines “work” in an amazing way, about the interaction of Orthodox Christians with Catholics and about the new round of popularity of St. Seraphim after translating P. Tuzhilkin’s novel “Fiery” into French...
Shrines gather Russians abroad
– Father Nikolai, how do you combine organizing pilgrimage trips and caring for the Orthodox in France?
– These ministries complement each other even from a pastoral point of view. In Paris itself there are about twenty Orthodox parishes, which become centers of attraction and consolidation of both our compatriots and Orthodox French. Therefore, in Paris it is easier for Orthodox Christians to solve their personal and social problems. And in the provinces, where there were no natural emigration centers, these people were scattered. As life has shown, it is now very difficult for Russians to unite. And besides Orthodoxy, there is no other platform on which such a unification is possible.
After the revolution, France accepted hundreds of thousands of Russians. And now, for most of their descendants, after three generations, the Russian language and culture have already faded into the background. If we talk about the provinces, then there is simply no Russian environment there, no Russian brides and grooms. The new arrivals are girls who have joined their destinies with the French, sometimes very artificially, with the help of the Internet. These are men who decided to go to work not just in a neighboring city, but “in a country far away.” Sometimes emigration is a way out of some dramatic situation. And then, in an amazing way, by the Providence of God, the shrines that are scattered throughout France become the only centers of spiritual and cultural life, centers of gathering of Russians.
– Father, it is known that you have already founded eight Orthodox parishes in the province: in Marseille, Arras, Grenoble, two parishes in Strasbourg, in Nancy, in Saint-Nicolas-de-Port, a community at the relics of St. Queen Helena - almost half of all parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church MP in France. What do these parishes have in common?
“All of them were formed near shrines and in the square of Catholic churches, which was provided to us free of charge. The fact is that after the war, all social and cultural associations organized by the first wave of Russian emigrants virtually ceased to exist. The buildings and premises they had were lost. Therefore we have to start all over again.
-Who are your parishioners?
The basis of our parish of the Church of the Three Saints is economic emigration in recent years. And what is especially joyful is that in Paris, 10-15% of parishioners are Russian students and graduate students who study in France, the blessed fruits of Perestroika.
Our Pilgrimage Center is based in Paris at the Cathedral of the Three Hierarchs, since the other two parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate have a narrower focus and do not aim to provide care for believers throughout France. For example, the arrival in the name of the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow”, etc. Genevieve began to perform services only in French back in the 1930s. They did a great job of translating the entire liturgical cycle.
- Why do the French come to Orthodoxy?
The Orthodox - unlike Catholics - are not looking for someone to enlighten and absorb, but they try to shine to the world and accept those who come on their own. The Catholic Church is now experiencing a very deep crisis, being a victim of its dogmatic dead ends. And people, meeting Orthodoxy, begin to compare them and ask many questions.
For example, one of the dead ends is as follows. We know that France is considered the birthplace of “free love”. There, those who live in the so-called. In a “civil” marriage, without signing, they can calmly receive communion. But if a person got married and then divorced, he thereby automatically excluded himself from the Catholic Church. And since there are millions of divorces and remarriages, a huge number of French people cannot receive communion until the death of their second spouse. The Catholic Church stands its ground in some ways, regardless of the spiritual state of its flock, but in others it makes unacceptable concessions, acting inconsistently.
At the same time, civil society lowers all conceivable moral standards. Now in France they don’t talk at all about the value of the Fatherland - the land of the fathers, where your roots are. This kind of problem no longer exists. Exupery is no longer relevant in France, his poetic and symbolic language is no longer understandable. In Western man, such deep archetypes as father and mother were affected. Everything that is written about the mother and father is abolished. Will a person remain a person?
A holy place is never empty
– Father Nikolai, pilgrimage to which shrines is most in demand?
– This, of course, is the Savior’s Crown of Thorns in Notre Dame Cathedral, where the presence of Russian pilgrims has become a common reality. The Protection of the Mother of God in Chartres and the head of John the Baptist in Amiens. The Orthodox have already begun to go there themselves. And in the river valley Loire. This is another Belt of the Mother of God, but possessing the same beneficial properties as Her Belt on Athos. It helps women with infertility and other diseases in this area, and with problems with children. French women have come to worship in Loches for centuries. And after the First World War, in which France suffered very heavy losses, there was a decline in popular religiosity and this shrine fell into oblivion.
– During the pilgrimage, you perform the Divine Liturgy in Catholic churches in front of the shrines stored there. How is this possible? Why do Catholics allow worship on their territory?
– Beautiful, spacious cathedrals were built in the Middle Ages for the shrines taken by the crusaders from Byzantium. Now - due to the gradual de-Christianization of the West and France as well - they are empty. It is clear that the uninhabited place is being destroyed. Therefore, when we turn to Catholics with a request to bow down, to serve a prayer service (and now we even dare to say directly that it is a liturgy), then in 90% of cases they meet us halfway. And now a new stage has arrived, when services are becoming regular.
This stage was discovered by St. equal to Queen Helena, near whose relics in 2003 we first received permission to regularly celebrate the liturgy. Since 2005, we have been offering the Bloodless Sacrifice before the right hand of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the second most important center of worship of this saint - in the town of Saint-Nicolas-de-Port, 15 km from the capital of Lorraine, Nancy. And recently we were offered to rent an apartment next to the cathedral for the needs of the Pilgrimage Center, where we could open a reception area and stay overnight. Saint Nicholas gave us this room, and I rejoice, just as forefather Abraham once did when he acquired a place in the Holy Land for Sarah’s tomb.
We celebrate the Liturgy before the Robe of the Lord, which rests in the town of Argenteuil in the suburbs of Paris. And for the last time, at my request, Catholics allowed Orthodox pilgrims to have a fraternal meal in the parish house after the service. They opened a refectory for two hundred people and left us there while they left. This is some new stage in relations with French Christians.
– And if Muslims came with similar requests, would they really be allowed in too?
- Of course not. Yes, they would not have come with a request. Muslims may want to take or buy an empty church if it is for sale (and there are already such offers). Catholics directly tell the Orthodox: “Ask for permission to constantly perform divine services. Because we are overwhelmed by Muslims who claim that Catholic churches are empty, but they have many thousands of believers.” And this is the honest truth.
The French are asking you to bring crackers from Father Seraphim
– Father Nikolai, how was a fiction book about St. Petersburg accepted in France? Seraphim?
– The circulation of the French edition of Pavel Tuzhilkin’s novel “Fiery” was twice as large as the edition in Russian and amounted to 4 thousand copies. This is the only book by a Sarov author translated into French. Moreover, the director of such a reputable publishing house as YMCA-Press, Nikita Struve, noted the good quality of the translation. Believers are happy to buy it and read it.
The French already knew about St. Seraphim from traditional sources: transcriptions of the life of St. Zander and Goryainova, from new French translations and the well-known conversation between the elder and Motovilov. And now they have become acquainted with the novel “Fiery”.
It must be said that in the Russian church environment this book met with a restrained reception; it seemed too free a retelling of the Life of the saint. And among the still unchurched Russian intelligentsia, on the contrary, after reading it they better imagined St. Seraphim and his exploits. To give the reader the opportunity to touch the supernatural, the author used comparisons, symbols and examples from the world around us. I believe that Pavel Vladimirovich showed civil courage when he took on such a serious topic - to present the life of St. Seraphim through the eyes of a contemporary, in order to bring him closer to non-church people.
Let me explain my point. For example, I recently talked with a man who had been going to church for five years, but had not yet read the New Testament, and had never even heard of patristic literature. What will happen if he opens the works of Saints Ignatius Brianchaninov and Theophan the Recluse, who rely on this layer of spiritual culture? He won't understand anything. Moreover, the above applies to the French who are not familiar with Russian history. And these authors are therefore almost never translated into European languages. And in the conversation with Rev. The comparisons between Seraphim and Motovilov are simple and understandable, so they read it. The same thing happened with the novel “Fiery”.
Tuzhilkin’s book was translated by my friend, the Frenchwoman Catherine Bremaux. Katrin is an exemplary Catholic, at the same time she is a Russian philologist, defended her dissertation at the University of Nizhny Novgorod, has been to Diveyevo, and is passionate about Russia (there are many such people in the West). I gave her the novel “Fiery” to read, and she liked the lively style of presentation. She completed the translation within a year, and a few weeks later we found a publisher.
– How do you see the future of the Pilgrimage Center?
– Former French Catholics who converted to Orthodoxy are increasingly asking me to show them Russia. There are not many of them yet, but this is the most active part of the parishioners. They serve the Church with everything they have: talents, personal time, material means. Often their difficult choice is associated with intra-family conflicts, especially with the older generation, who perceive such a step as a betrayal of the faith of their fathers.
It is more difficult for Orthodox French to worship their shrines, since this involves contacts with the Catholic environment. It's getting ridiculous. The guide conducts a tour, for example, in the Chartres Cathedral, excitedly talks about the unique medieval stained glass windows, and ask him about the Payment of the Mother of God, what it is, he will annoyedly brush it off...
When I said that I would be recruiting a group for a trip to Diveevo, I was endlessly teased not by the Russians, but by the French. They revere the Reverend and want to touch this land. I visit Diveevo and bring modern books and photographs for them. The French see in them something that is completely absent in Europe. What can I say if in Diveyevo even my assistant Inna (she is from Donetsk, has lived in France for 15 years) was shocked when she saw three huge cathedrals in the Diveyevo monastery, one more beautiful than the other, thousands of pilgrims and, knowing that 30 years ago there was a spiritual desert here.
Unfortunately, there are no French-speaking guides in Diveyevo. And in Sarov there are such people. Therefore, closer interaction between Sarov and Diveev would be wonderful.
– Father Nikolai, explain what exactly attracts French believers to Diveevo?
– The spiritual revival, which according to prophecies should begin in Russia, is fully felt in Diveevo. We are witnessing a construction sprint; in two years, the huge Annunciation Cathedral, decorated with mosaics, was erected. In France, such a pace of temple architecture was observed only in the Middle Ages. It took five years to build the holy chapel in order to adequately house the Crown of Thorns of Christ. This is about a third of the Gothic Notre Dame Cathedral. And Notre Dame Cathedral took a hundred years to build near it.
Nowadays, if Catholic churches are built, they are the simplest reinforced concrete structures with primitive interior decoration. The vestments of the priesthood, which in Russia are becoming more and more exquisite, are also plain in Europe. Where to use beauty, if not in worship, which is a common matter, in contrast to our private life!
And how many people are there! Priests from different countries serve at the altar. In France there are only three or four places where pilgrims come, but in Russia there are many. Besides, in Europe there is no such piety. When Mass is celebrated at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, excursions continue to scurry around the worshipers and curious people continue to push past. And here, during the Eucharistic canon, the doors are closed, everyone stands and prays.
The Sarov-Diveevo-Sarov procession as a sociological phenomenon is becoming more and more representative. In the first years, three quarters of its participants were from Sarov and a quarter from the surrounding area. And now there are people from different parts of Russia, near and far abroad, there are representatives of the elite, military, and more and more men.
And the French want to participate in this revival of faith, which they know about and which they feel in many ways. If earlier the Russian elite was fascinated by the West and went there to gain wisdom, now the French dream of becoming more deeply acquainted with Orthodoxy and touching Russia.
Inna:
I would like to say that the French asked me to bring them blessed crackers from Father Seraphim from Diveyevo. And further. Now I understand why Fr. Nikolai is eager to go to Russia. In Europe, Russian people feel devastated.
– Father Nicholas, what about the Savior’s Crown of Thorns, the Veil and Belt of the Mother of God, the relics of John the Baptist, Queen Helen, St. Nicholas and other saints?
– Yes, there are great shrines there. But the shrine feeds with the grace that radiates from people who are inspired around it. Therefore, we have no right to proudly hope that if we come and pray, something will happen. In fact, the queue to the shrine, the atmosphere, and some incidents are all part of the overall act of worship. Protestants say “where you and the Gospel are, there is Christ.” And with us - “where two or three have gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them..” Moreover, there must be agreement between these two or three. Therefore, spiritual exhaustion is occurring in the West, and this is reflected in the state of the Russian emigration.
Orthodox Christians in France, despite the abundance of shrines that surround them, still find themselves in a kind of emptiness. Monasticism has become scarce, and there are almost no people left who are ready to serve God with their whole lives. The Church in Russia is our Mother, and we are only reflections of her. And this is felt more and more.
For this we are going to Russia. Not for the religious procession as a spiritual performance, not for ethnography. I am going to Russia to touch its conciliar soul, which is being purified and becoming better. And intense spiritual life occurs around shrines.
The interview was recorded by Biana Kuryakina, a journalist for the Orthodox Sarov newspaper.
About these shrines, as well as about the situation of Orthodoxy in France, “Culture” talked with the director of the Pilgrimage Center at the Korsun Diocese of the Moscow Patriarchate, the rector of two Orthodox metochions - St. Helena in Paris and the metochion of St. Nicholas in Saint-Nicolas-de-Port - Priest Nikolai Nikishin .
culture: Father Nikolai, when did the modern Russian pilgrimage to France arise?
Father Nikolai: It all started in 1997 with a historical prayer service, which I served in front of the relics of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Queen Helena, kept in the Parisian church of Saint-Les-Saint-Gilles. Then there was the realization that Paris is not only the center of culture, but also the center of holy places. We are talking about Russia as a God-bearing country. We even have a certain prejudice that we are better than everyone else. And suddenly you find out that France is not called the eldest or favorite daughter of the Church for nothing. After all, if our Prince Vladimir became a Christian only at the end of the 10th century, then France begins its Christian history with King Clovis at the end of the 5th century.
culture: The main discovery for the Orthodox is, of course, the Crown of Thorns of Christ?
Father Nikolai: The Crown of Thorns is kept in Notre Dame Cathedral, which is brought out for veneration every first Friday of the month. For the Russians this was a complete surprise. I myself organized the first prayer service before Wentz in 2004. And after Patriarch Alexy II and the choir of the Sretensky Monastery came to Paris in 2007 and venerated this shrine, a mass pilgrimage to the Crown of Thorns and other shrines of France began from different parts of Russia and the entire post-Soviet space.
culture: Is the pilgrimage not just limited to Paris?
Father Nikolai: There is a route that, in addition to the veneration of the Crown of Thorns, also includes a pilgrimage to the Intercession of the Virgin Mary in Chartres Cathedral, the Robe of the Lord in the suburb of Argenteuil, the head of John the Baptist in Amiens and the relics of Mary Magdalene in the Parisian Church of the Madeleine.
culture: It is strange that until recently in Russia they did not know how many Christian shrines there are.
Father Nikolai: Indeed, after the triumphant entry of our troops into Paris in 1814, there is not a single evidence that anyone noticed these greatest shrines. The first wave of Russian emigration, represented by thousands of its brilliant representatives, laid philosophical and artistic bridges to France, but “did not notice” the Crown of Thorns. They also did not know about the Intercession of the Virgin Mary - a plate two and a half meters long by half a meter wide. And about the chapter of John the Baptist. But you shouldn't be surprised. This required emancipation of consciousness.
culture: How did it happen that you started studying Orthodox relics?
Father Nikolai: I graduated from Moscow State University in Mechanics and Mathematics and am a scientist by profession. Once in Paris, I graduated from the Orthodox St. Sergius Theological Institute here and began researching shrines covered with a layer of nihilism. My first discovery was the relics of St. Helena; their authenticity was a gift that showed that here, in France, and in the West in general, there lies hidden something that is more valuable than advanced technologies and other achievements of civilization. I created a methodology for researching shrines, thanks to which I was ultimately able to verify that the set of twigs in Notre Dame Cathedral is not some kind of fiction, not a fraud, but really the Savior’s Crown of Thorns.
culture: How did he get to Paris?
Father Nikolai: Everything is simple here. We generally consider the crusaders to be cruel robbers. It was they who brought the Crown of Thorns from Constantinople to Paris in 1239. But maybe the crusaders served as an instrument of Divine providence? After all, much of what they did not take from present-day Turkey is no longer available for worship. And the Crown of Thorns became a source of grace for all of France and other countries.
culture: From Russian pilgrims I first heard that the Robe of the Lord is located in the Parisian suburb of Argenteuil.
Father Nikolai: Yes, Emperor Charlemagne gave this Robe to his daughter, the abbess of the monastery in Argenteuil, in the 8th century. We know that the Shah of Persia gave a piece of this shrine to Mikhail Romanov, or more precisely, to his father, Patriarch Filaret. This was seen as a special blessing for the Romanov dynasty after the long years of Troubles. And now, in difficult times for Russia, this shrine is being revealed to us again.
culture: The object of special worship for the Orthodox is the Intercession of the Virgin Mary in Chartres Cathedral.
Father Nikolai: This is a symbol of the patronage and intercession of the Mother of God. The Veil, like the Crown of Thorns, was brought from Constantinople, only much earlier - at the end of the 9th century, and played a liberating role in the history of Chartres. In 911 the city was subjected to a devastating Viking raid. The bishop went out with this cloth to the city wall, and the Vikings were suddenly blinded, after which they retreated. The very next year, their leader Rollo was baptized and from a robber turned into the first prince of Normandy.
culture: And how did the head of John the Baptist end up in the city of Amiens in northern France?
Father Nikolai: It was brought from Constantinople by the Crusaders. The head of the Forerunner was found in the ruins of the imperial palace by a simple cleric. As a result, she ended up in Amiens, where a grandiose Gothic cathedral arose in the middle of an open field.
culture: Today, almost no one in France knows that the relics of Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene are kept in the Parisian Church of the Madeleine.
Father Nikolai: Yes, back in the century before last, when the construction of the Parisian Church of the Madeleine was completed, the relics of St. Mary Magdalene were transferred to it. They were kept in the south of France in the town of Saint-Maximin-la-Saint-Baume, where, according to legend, Mary Magdalene spent the last 30 years of her life.
culture: Are there still unknown relics in France?
Father Nikolai: In the town of Kahors there is a head sir - the cloth in which the head of the Savior was wrapped at the time of His burial. 50 kilometers from Amiens, in the village of Cheri, the head of Anna, the mother of the Virgin Mary, is kept. Near Grenoble - the relics of Anthony the Great. Do you remember with what enthusiasm people in Russia went to venerate the belt of the Virgin Mary, which they brought from Athos? In France, in the Loire Valley, near the town of Losches, another belt of Her is kept.
culture: As far as I understand, Catholics do not really revere these shrines?
Father Nikolai: Alas. People are practically not interested in them and treat them indifferently. One can even talk about the religious indifference of the French. This is manifested, in particular, in the fact that their cathedrals are empty. Today, when the veneration of the Crown of Thorns is taking place at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, people call me all the time from Russia asking for help to get to this veneration. Our people simply don’t believe that it starts at three o’clock in the afternoon and ends an hour and a half later. This is enough time for everyone. And there is no need for passes or invitations, because there are few people. Of the two hundred who come, half are Orthodox.
culture: How do Catholics treat our pilgrims?
Father Nikolai: Very good. The Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher organizes veneration of the Crown of Thorns and sells postcards. In recent years, their “turnover”, thanks to the Orthodox, has increased 4-5 times. At the same time, if Catholics have only one person singing on this day, then I bring a whole choir from Russia. For them it’s like a gift, they thank us and are happy. And now it is thanks to the jealousy of Russian pilgrims that there is a revival of the worship of the Crown of Thorns.
culture: Several French people I know have recently converted to Orthodoxy. Is this a trend?
Father Nikolai: Let's remember the 19th century, when some representatives of the Russian nobility converted to the Catholic faith, in particular, the daughter and wife of Moscow Governor-General Fyodor Rostopchin. The governor's daughter Sophia married Count de Segur in France and became the famous children's writer - Sophia de Segur. But now it's the other way around. The French nobility are increasingly becoming Orthodox. And today among Orthodox priests there are representatives of the most eminent French families. This turned out to be a difficult step for them - they had to overcome the prejudices of their families and go through conflicts. Such a transition is accompanied by a spiritual revolution, which is based on the study of our heritage. I must say that now in France the most educated and active priests are not Russians, but representatives of the Western intelligentsia who have converted to Orthodoxy. They become Orthodox in an emigration environment. But emigration is a reflection, not the light of Orthodoxy. And the light is in Russia.
culture: Well, who makes up the basis of the parishioners of the Orthodox Church in France?
Father Nikolai: Three quarters arrived after perestroika, solving, first of all, their financial problems. They come to church, which remains practically the only unifying factor. We are now acutely raising the question of their “additional education” - in order to overcome the attitude towards the church only as a place of meeting.
culture: Construction of a Russian Orthodox spiritual and cultural center with a five-domed temple next to the Eiffel Tower will soon begin. However, Parisian mayor Bertrand Delanue recently spoke out against its construction.
Father Nikolai: Some French perceive Orthodoxy, first of all, as a symbol of all of Russia. Without the right to refuse Moscow due to constitutional freedoms, they are afraid of the “consequences.” The conversion of several prominent Catholic theologians to Orthodoxy has already caused a storm, and now some French people fear the appearance of Orthodox beauty in the center of Paris. But they won’t be able to do anything; the agreement was signed at the highest level.
