Barnabas the miracle worker of Gethsemane, what they pray to him for. Venerable Barnabas of Gethsemane - olenkovo.rf. “You have such grandfathers!”

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Venerable Barnabas of Gethsemane (01/24/1831–02/17/1906)

Vasily Ilyich Merkulov (monastic name Varnava) was born on January 24, 1831 in the village. Prudishchi, Tula region, near the places where the founders of our city, the Batashev brothers-breeders, came to Vyksa.

Childhood and adolescence

Vasily's parents, Ilya and Daria Merkulov, were serfs. Good and God-fearing people, they rejoiced at the birth of their son and named him in honor of Saint Basil the Great.

In his free time from his craft, Vasily visits the nearby Zosimova Hermitage and meets the hermit - the monk Gerondiy. This forces him to make a decisive change in life - to devote himself to serving God.

Novice of the Gethsemane Skete

He was especially confirmed in this when in 1850 he visited the Trinity - Sergius Lavra with his mother. A year later, Vasily went there together with Gerondiy, who decided to end his life near the relics of Sergius of Radonezh, and in 1852, with the blessing of the governor of the Lavra, Anthony moved to the Gethsemane monastery, located three west from the Lavra. This monastery lived according to the rules of the Sarov Hermitage, described by the Sarov elder Paisius the Great.

On December 23, 1857, he became a novice. And only almost ten years later, on November 20, 1866, after the death of Elder Daniel, Vasily took monastic vows and subsequently carried out the feat of eldership under the name Barnabas (“child of mercy, son of consolation”).

People's confessor

In 1871, Barnabas was ordained as a hierodeacon, on January 10, 1872, as a hieromonk, and some time later, the governor of the Lavra confirmed him in the title of national confessor of the Caves of the Gethsemane monastery.

Organizer of the Iveron Monastery on Vyksa

Eldership in Rus' was a special form of monasticism. The elders left behind not only a purely spiritual, but also a material embodiment of this spirituality - monasteries that lived under their influence.

On February 17, 1906, the elder passed away. And on the 19th, in response to the request of the sisters of the Iveron Monastery to bury the elder within the walls of the monastery, the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod responded with a telegram that the deceased would be buried in the brotherly cemetery of the Gethsemane Skete.

Canonization

In 1989, the Council raised the question of the canonization of Hieromonk Barnabas. After studying the materials, the Chairman of the canonization commission, Metropolitan Yuvenaly, reported to Patriarch Alexy II about the possibility of canonizing Elder Barnabas.

Elder St. Barnabas of Gethsemane is the spiritual father of St. Seraphim Vyritsky (Muravyova)

Elder Varnava blessed Vasily Muravyov to be his spiritual son. Fr. looked with spiritual joy. Varnava for the spiritual success of Vasily Muravyov and generously shared his spiritual experience with him, preparing him for monasticism. With the blessing of their spiritual father, the Muravyov spouses were to take monastic vows when difficult trials befell Russia. The years spent under the guidance of the elder became the time when a solid foundation was laid on which the further spiritual growth of Vasily Muravyov took place.

October 26, 1920 Bishop Veniamin blessed to tonsure novice Vasily Muravyov into monasticism at the same time as Olga Muravyova, and on October 29, 1920, the Lavra’s abbot, Archimandrite Nikolai (Yarushevich), tonsured novice Vasily Muravyov into monasticism and gave him the name Varnava (in the schema Seraphim) in honor of his spiritual father, Elder Varnava Gethsemane. At the same time, in the Resurrection Novodevichy Monastery in Petrograd, Olga Ivanovna Muravyova was tonsured into monasticism and given the name Christina (in the schema of Seraphim). It's finished! Vasily Nikolaevich Muravyov’s cherished wish came true. The goal that he had persistently and patiently pursued for almost forty-five years was achieved.

Troparion, tone 5

Kontakion, tone 2

From your youth you followed the saddened figure of the Russian land, the Venerable Sergius, O holy Barnabas, / and the covenant of your elder, who recited: / “This is what God wants: / feed the hungry with words and bread,” - you truly fulfilled it to the end. / For this reason, we now pray to you; / do not forsake us, comforting father, / with your heavenly love.

O Reverend Father Barnavo, our meek and comforting shepherd, merciful helper and warm prayer book for us! You were a child of God's blessing from an early age, and you showed the image of obedience to a parent, obedience to the Lord and service to others. Having loved the commandments of the Lord, you flocked to the Lavra of St. Sergius, and you appeared as his faithful disciple. While staying in the monastery of the Mother of God by the command of Abbot Anthony, you acquired the spirit of humility, meekness and patience, and you received the gift of reasoning and insight into spiritual thoughts from God. For this reason, you were a spiritual mentor to the monastics, the creator of the nuns of the Iverskaya monastery on Vyksa River, and to all those who suffer and are sick, you were a merciful healer and caretaker even until the hour of death. After your repose, God will show many mercies to those who honor your memory, and the monk teacher of you will be faithful to you. In the same way, we pray to Thee, righteous Father, as before, intercede before God with Thy prayers for all people in every rank to acquire a consoling spirit and for everyone to find it: for the young, to preserve obedience and chastity through the fear of God; in the age of existence - the love of God and the consent to acquire; for those who are hungry - not only to be satisfied with their daily bread, but especially to be satisfied with the word of God; for those who cry - to be comforted; an exile and a wanderer - to find shelter; in prison beings - to be freed from bonds; for the pious - to grow in the Spirit of God and achieve humility. Descend to us in all the paths of our life, and above all, beg our Lord for the forgiveness of our sins and untruths and direct our feet to the light of God’s commandments, so that with one heart and mouth we glorify the Most Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Start
Vasily Muravyov

St. St. Barnabas (Merkulov), elder of the Gethsemane monastery

Celebration at the Cathedral of Radonezh Saints,

July 6 (Radonezh), February 17.

As the elder recalled his childhood, he was a nimble and active boy. Devout parents sent their boy to a school of psalmists, where he studied the Book of Hours and the Book of Psalms. Some time later, the landowner, the owner of the Merkulovs, sells them to the village of Naro-Fominskoye, Moscow province. The new owner, Prince Shcherbatov, orders the teenager to be taught plumbing.

In his free time from his craft, Vasily visits the nearby Zosimova Hermitage and meets the hermit - the monk Gerontius. This forces him to make a decisive change in life - to devote himself to serving God.

During his stay at the monastery, the monk Daniel (Skhimovsky) had a particularly great influence on the future elder.

On December 23, 1857, he became a novice. And only almost ten years later, after the death of Elder Daniel, Vasily took monastic vows and subsequently carried out the feat of eldership under the name Barnabas (“child of mercy, son of consolation”).

The monk took monastic vows on November 27, 1866, on the day of the celebration of the icon of the Mother of God of the Sign. He was tonsured a hieromonk on January 20, 1872.

From this moment on, Barnabas's fame among believers began. Pilgrims from many parts of Russia come for his blessing. In the testimonies of contemporaries who communicated with him, we find many examples of the Elder’s foresight. In January 1905, the martyr Emperor Nicholas II himself went to confession to Barnabas.

A lot of effort and work about. Barnabas contributed to the creation of our Iversky convent. The monastery traces its history back to 1863, when the first nuns appeared in the almshouse that was built here.

Thanks to the efforts of the elder, by the beginning of the 20th century the monastery began to flourish.

In 1913, the question was raised about renaming the Vyksa Convent Iversky Varnavsky Convent. But his decision was apparently hindered by war and revolution.

On September 30, 1994, the Patriarch sent a letter to the Viceroy of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Theognost, in which he said that the commission unanimously came to the conclusion about the possibility of canonizing Hieromonk Varnava (Merkulov) among the venerable saints of the Moscow diocese in the host of Radonezh saints.

In 1995, on the day of the Council of Radonezh Saints, in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, His Holiness the Patriarch performed the canonization of Hieromonk Varnava (Merkulov).

It's finished! Vasily Nikolaevich Muravyov’s cherished wish came true. The goal that he had persistently and patiently pursued for almost forty-five years was achieved.

in the Iversky Temple

Saint Barnabas of Gethsemane

O Reverend Father Barnavo, our meek and comforting shepherd, merciful helper and warm prayer book for us! You were a child of God's blessing from an early age, and you showed the image of obedience to your parents, obedience to the Lord and service to your neighbors. Having loved the commandments of the Lord, you flowed to the Lavra of St. Sergius, and his faithful disciple appeared. In the monastery of the Mother of God, by the command of the abbot, Abba Anthony, you acquired the spirit of humility, meekness and patience, and you received the gift of reasoning and insight into spiritual thoughts from God. This is the monastery of the spiritual incident, and the creator is the habit of and the abilities of and the devices of the river and all the suffering and more sickly the virgin and the trustee of the minor, letting the laugh for up to the hour, was Yes. After your repose, God showed many mercies to those who honor your memory and granted you faithfulness as a monk. Moreover, we pray to Thee, O righteous Father, as first of all, intercede before God with Thy prayers for all people in every rank to acquire a consoling spirit and for everyone to gain: obedience to the young and to the whole Keep your spirit with the fear of God; in the age of existence - the love of God and agreement to acquire; for those who are hungry - not only to be satisfied with their daily bread, but especially to be satisfied with the word of God; for those who cry - be comforted; an exile and a wanderer - to find shelter; in prison for beings - to be freed from bonds; pious - to grow in the Spirit of God and achieve humility. Descend to us in all the paths of our lives, and above all, beg our Lord for the forgiveness of our sins and untruths and direct our feet to the light of God’s commandments, so that with one heart and lips we may glorify The Most Holy Trinity, Father and Son and Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

From your youth you loved God more purely, / you were a son of consolation, like Father Barnabas. / According to your name, your life became: / to whom you have appeared to the afflicted, to the poor, and to the king, / you have appeared as a meek shepherd, a comforter and a healer. / Remember us, gracious father, / and through your warm prayers / God, the Giver of Life, grant us // consolation and great mercy.

To the sorrowful man of the Russian land, the Venerable Sergius, / from his youth you followed, O Saint Barnabas, / and the covenant of your elder, this rekshago: / this is what God wants: / feed with words and bread those who are hungry,/ truly you have fulfilled it to the end. / For this reason, even now we pray to you, / do not abandon us, comforting father, // with your heavenly love.

Saint Barnabas of Gethsemane prayer

Prayer to St. Barnabas of Gethsemane

For this reason, you were a spiritual mentor to the monastics, the creator of the nuns of the Iverskaya monastery on Vyksa River, and to all those who suffer and are sick, you were a merciful healer and caretaker even until the hour of death. After your repose, God will show many mercies to those who honor your memory, and the monk teacher of you will be faithful to you.

In the same way, we pray to Thee, righteous Father, as before, intercede before God with Thy prayers for all people in every rank to acquire a consoling spirit and for everyone to find it: for the young, to preserve obedience and chastity through the fear of God; in the age of existence - the love of God and the consent to acquire; for those who are hungry to be satisfied not only with their daily bread, but especially with the word of God; for those who cry - to be consoled; an exile and a wanderer - to find shelter; in prison beings - to be freed from bonds; for the pious - to grow in the Spirit of God and achieve humility. Descend to us in all the paths of our life, and moreover, beg our Lord for the forgiveness of our sins and untruths and direct our feet to the light of God’s commandments, so that with one heart and mouth we glorify the Most Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

From childhood you loved Christ God purely, / you were the son of consolation, O Reverend Father Barnabas. / According to your name and life, / you appeared to the afflicted, the poor, and the King, / a meek shepherd, a comforter and a healer. / Remember us, gracious father, / that through your warm prayers God, the giver of life, may grant us consolation and great mercy.

The saddened one of the Russian land, the Venerable Sergius, followed from his youth, O Holy Barnabas, / and the covenant of your elder, who recited: / “This is what God wants: / feed the hungry with words and bread,” - you truly fulfilled it to the end. / For this reason, we now pray to you; / do not forsake us, comforting father, / with your heavenly love.

We bless you, Reverend Father Barnabas, and honor your holy memory, teacher of monks and interlocutor of Angels.

BARNABAS OF GETHSEMANE

In the world, Vasily Ilyich Merkulov, was born on January 24, 1831 in the village of Prudishchi, Venevsky district, Tula province, the last, 7th, child of the serfs Ilya and Daria Merkulov. His parents named him in honor of St. Basil the Great. As the elder recalled his childhood, he was nimble and agile. The virtuous life of his parents - especially his mother, his future tonsure - became the basis of mental and spiritual education. From an early age, he went to services with his elders, trying to memorize prayers. Pious parents sent their boy to a school of psalmists, where he studied the Book of Hours and the Book of Psalms. Once, during an attack of serious illness, a suffocating cough forced him to sit up in bed, and at that moment the youth saw a young man in a light robe, who, leafing through a book, looked at him tenderly and meekly. The appearance of the angel was confirmed by instant healing - the pain subsided, as if there was no illness. According to his mother, the boy escaped death twice more thanks to God’s help: he remained alive under the wheels of a carriage and after falling from a stove. With the onset of adolescence, Vasily became serious and avoided noisy games.

In 1840, the landowner sold the Merkulov family to the village of Naro-Fominskoye, Moscow province. The new owner ordered Vasily to be trained in plumbing. In his free time from his craft, the youth visited the Zosima Hermitage, located not far from their home, where he met the hermit monk Gerontius, who soon became his confessor.

Novitiate in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra

In 1850, his mother went with him on a pilgrimage to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. There, according to the memoirs of Elder Barnabas:

In 1851, the young man went to the Lavra. Soon his mentor, monk Gerontius, in the schema of Gregory, arrived at the monastery, and Vasily became his cell attendant. In 1852, with the blessing of his spiritual mentor, Vasily moved to the Gethsemane skete, located three miles from the Lavra. His spiritual father blessed him to obey the elder monk Daniel. Elder Daniel taught him the complete rejection of his will: according to the memoirs of Elder Barnabas, “ I couldn’t do anything without the elder’s blessing, otherwise the priest would strictly punish me for my self-will.”

Only on November 17, 1856, Vasily received a letter of release from the landowner, after which on December 23, 1857 he became a novice.

He spent several years in plumbing obedience in the Lavra. Later he was assigned to the candle box, and also received the blessing to read the Apostle and the teachings from the Prologue in church.

In 1859 he was transferred to the Cave Department of the Gethsemane Skete - the future Chernigov Skete - where he remained until his death. Here he had to lead pilgrims through the caves, while at the same time he served as a cell attendant to his elder monk Daniel.

With the blessing of his elder, Vasily also visited his first mentor, Schemamonk Gregory, who died in 1862. Before his death, Elder Gregory announced to him the will of God: to take upon himself the feat of eldership after the death of both of his mentors. At the same time, he handed him two large prosphoras and bequeathed to his disciple: “ Thus feed the hungry, with words and bread, as God wills!“At the end of the conversation, Elder Gregory revealed to his disciple another purpose of God: he was to found a women’s monastery, moreover, far from Moscow. The elder told his spiritual child that the Queen of Heaven Herself would take care of the future monastery and would indicate its place. In Her name the monastery should be consecrated.

Foundation of the Iversky Monastery

At the end of 1863, Vasily for the first time went to the village (now city) of Vyksa, Nizhny Novgorod province, to look for the site of the future monastery. A mile from the village, he chose a secluded place and prayed fervently here for a long time, then bowed to all four sides, dug a cross at the site of the future monastery, and placed a broken branch at the site of the holy altar. Soon, at his request, the place was consecrated by bringing there the locally revered miraculous Oran Icon of the Mother of God.

On November 28, 1863, on the eve of the prayer service for the Oran Icon, Hieromonk Job from the Oran Mother of God Monastery was given a miraculous vision and assurance of the Mother of God Herself about the future monastery. The new Iverskaya monastery began in 1864 as an almshouse. Subsequently, the elder organized donations for the future monastery, directly supervised both the construction and the spiritual life of the monastery, drew up its charter, visited the monastery several times a year, corresponded with the nuns, and tonsured the novices.

Elder Monk

On November 20, 1866, after the death of Elder Daniel, novice Vasily was tonsured into monasticism by the builder of the Gethsemane skete, Hieromonk Anatoly, and named in honor of the holy Apostle Barnabas.

On January 24, 1873, the Lavra governor, the Monk Anthony (Medvedev), approved Father Barnabas as the people's confessor of the Cave Department of the Gethsemane monastery. Soon he also became the fraternal confessor of the caves, and in 1890 - the confessor of the entire monastery.

In caring for the monks, the monk showed prudence and attention to each monk, “took upon himself to bear the infirmities of his spiritual children.”

Together with his cell attendant he lived in a house near the caves, receiving from five hundred to a thousand people every day. Pilgrims from all over Russia came to the perspicacious elder Varnava, he helped people repent, gave soul-saving advice, and through his prayers the suffering were healed. Most often, the elder advised the sick to pray more warmly and to begin receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ more often. In addition, he advised to refrain from excesses in everything. Pilgrims noted a special “spiritual sobriety,” “gentleness,” and caution in his pastoral practice. Through the prayers of the ascetic, family troubles were resolved, and many healings occurred. He advised healing minor illnesses with strict fasting (“ bread and water won't do any harm“), in case of serious illnesses, he sometimes recommended certain doctors.

One of the most striking cases associated with the reverend elder was the healing of the peasant M. Ya. Svorochaev. One day, the wife of the paralyzed peasant Mikhail Svorochayev came to the elder; she asked to pray for the unfortunate man, who had been bedridden for ten years. Elder Barnabas blessed the woman and said: “ Pray, servant of God, pray: The Lord is merciful - your husband will rise. “Returning home, the woman praised the Lord: the healed husband came out to meet her on the porch.

The elder also showed the gift of foresight. For example, when novice Zachary, the future elder of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, arrived as a pilgrim to the Gethsemane monastery, the elder called him out of the crowd and called him “the Lavra monk.”

A legend has been preserved that in January 1905, the passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas II visited the elder. Elder Barnabas not only confirmed the prophecy already known to the sovereign about the impending fate of martyrdom, but also blessed him to accept this fate, strengthening in him the will to bear his cross when the Lord was pleased to place this cross on him.

The elder conducted extensive correspondence with spiritual children, often answering letters without opening them. Among his spiritual children were the Venerable Seraphim of Vyritsky, Bishop Tryphon (Turkestan), and the philosopher K. N. Leontyev, who was entrusted to the leadership of the elder by the Venerable Ambrose of Optina.

In January 1906, the elder was diagnosed with acute catarrh of the respiratory tract, and his vision weakened. He died on February 17 of that year, taking confession in the Assumption House Church of the Sergiev Posad Charity House of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, having confessed more than 400 people. After making his last confession, the elder with the cross proceeded to the altar and died. The Monk Barnabas was buried on February 21 with a large crowd of brethren, spiritual children and his admirers in the Iveron chapel of the monastery, behind the altar of the underground Church of the Archangel Michael, not far from the miraculous Chernigov Icon of the Mother of God.

Relics and veneration

Immediately after the death of the saint, the sisters of the Iveron Monastery, which he founded, turned to the Synod with a request to bury his relics in their monastery. In 1913, the question of renaming the Vyksa convent to Varnavsky was raised, but its decision was apparently hindered by the upheavals that soon followed.

In 1923, the body of the Monk Barnabas was transferred to the Voznesenskoye cemetery in Sergiev (now Sergiev Posad), in 1934 - to the Nikolskoye cemetery, and in 1968 - to the “northern” Zagorskoye cemetery. According to the testimony of the saint’s spiritual children and admirers, through the prayers of the elder, from his belongings and photographs, believers received miraculous help and healing.

In 1989, at the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, the question of canonization of Hieromonk Varnava was raised. After studying the materials, the chairman of the canonization commission, Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsky, reported on the possibility of glorification. On September 30, 1994, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II sent a letter to the abbot of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Feognost (Guzikov), in which he said that the commission unanimously came to the conclusion about the possibility of canonizing Hieromonk Barnabas among the venerable saints of the Moscow diocese in the host of Radonezh saints. The solemn glorification was performed on the feast of the Council of Radonezh Saints in the Assumption Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra by Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Rus'. The day of remembrance was set as the day of his death on February 17th. Subsequently, the name of St. Barnabas was also included in the Cathedral of Nizhny Novgorod Saints.

The relics of the saint were placed in a recreated church in honor of the Chernigov Icon of the Mother of God of the Lavra Chernigov skete; the side chapel of the church was consecrated in his name.

From childhood you loved Christ God purely, / you were the son of consolation, O Reverend Father Barnabas. / According to your name and life, / you appeared to the afflicted, the poor, and the King, / a meek shepherd, a comforter and a healer. / Remember us, gracious father, / may God, the giver of life, grant us comfort and great mercy through your warm prayers.

From your youth you followed the saddened figure of the Russian land, the Venerable Sergius, O holy Barnabas, / and the covenant of your elder, who recited: / “This is what God wants: / feed the hungry with words and bread,” - you truly fulfilled it to the end. / For this reason we now pray to you; / do not forsake us, comforting father, / with your heavenly love.

We bless you, Reverend Father Barnavo, and honor your holy memory, mentor of monks and interlocutor of Angels.

O Reverend Father Barnavo, our meek and comforting shepherd, merciful helper and warm prayer book for us! You were a child of God's blessing from an early age, and you showed the image of obedience to your parents, obedience to the Lord and service to your neighbors. Having loved the commandments of the Lord, you flowed to the Lavra of St. Sergius, and his faithful disciple appeared. In the monastery of the Mother of God, by the command of the abbot, Abba Anthony, you acquired the spirit of humility, meekness and patience, and you received the gift of reasoning and insight into spiritual thoughts from God. This is the monastery of the spiritual incident, and the creator is the habit of and the abilities of and the devices of the river and all the suffering and more sickly the virgin and the trustee of the minor, letting the laugh for up to the hour, was Yes. After your repose, God showed many mercies to those who honor your memory and granted you faithfulness as a monk. Moreover, we pray to Thee, O righteous Father, as first of all, intercede before God with Thy prayers for all people in every rank to acquire a consoling spirit and for everyone to gain: obedience to the young and to the whole Keep your spirit with the fear of God; in the age of existence - the love of God and agreement to acquire; for those who are hungry - not only to be satisfied with their daily bread, but especially to be satisfied with the word of God; for those who cry - be comforted; an exile and a wanderer - to find shelter; in prison for beings - to be freed from bonds; pious - to grow in the Spirit of God and achieve humility. Descend to us in all the paths of our lives, and above all, beg our Lord for the forgiveness of our sins and untruths and direct our feet to the light of God’s commandments, so that with one heart and lips we may glorify The Most Holy Trinity, Father and Son and Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

ELDER BARNABAS OF GETHSEMANE (1831 - 1906). PHOTO OF THE BEGINNING OF THE XX century.

Hieromonk Varnava (Merkulov), an elder of the Gethsemane monastery of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, was born in the village of Prudishchi, Tula province on January 24, 1831, and was named Vasily in holy baptism in honor of St. Basil the Great. His parents, Elijah and Dariya Merkulov, were kind and pious people. The family rejoiced at the birth of their son. The eldest sons - Lazar, George, Abraham and daughters Ksenia and Alexandra, died in infancy. The Lord, in His Providence, left alive his youngest son Vasily and his sister Matrona (she died at the age of 78 on May 29, 1906) to console the grieving parents.

Vasily’s early years flowed serenely in the silence of his home, but even then it was already obvious to those around him that God’s special favor towards this youth was evident, as evidenced by the memories of Hieromonk Barnabas himself. The example of the virtuous life of his parents, their constant desire to remember God, had a beneficial effect on the pure soul of the youth Vasily. Thanks to his parents, from childhood he showed a penchant for spiritual life: he loved to attend church services and memorized church prayers. When he learned to read and write, he began to read the word of God with special diligence.

A pious mother had a particularly strong influence on nurturing good qualities in her son. Elder Barnabas often remembered her during conversations with his spiritual children and more than once expressed his love and gratitude to her for her good upbringing. However, the example of his father - a hard worker and a lover of poverty - had a beneficial effect: the son grew up hardworking and cordial towards his neighbors, and towards the poor in particular. The father was often forced to leave the house to his wife Daria, since he was the only worker in the family; That’s why raising children fell mainly on her.

Already in childhood, the spiritual world was revealed to Vasily: the Lord invisibly guided him, protecting the life of His chosen one from danger. His pious mother, later schema-nun of the Iveron monastery, told several cases testifying to how the Providence of God really protected her son. “Once,” she said, “at the age of four, Vasily, having played with his peers on the street, was overtaken by a horse harnessed to a heavy carriage. The boy fell under the wheels. Everyone who was present runs up to him in horror, picks him up and, to their great amazement, sees him completely safe and sound.”

Another remarkable case is known. Vasily became very ill, his parents did not expect to see him alive: the child was choking from coughing and could barely breathe. But then something extraordinary happened. One evening Vasily, exhausted from a coughing attack, suddenly quickly stood up, and fear and surprise were reflected on his painful face. Noticing his son's fear, the father asked him:
– What’s wrong with you, Vasya? What are you afraid of?
- Don’t you see anything, father?
– I don’t see anything. What is there to see?

Having calmed down a little, the boy told his father:
- When the cough began to choke me, I got up and sat down at the table (it’s harder to cough while lying down), and I, father, at the table saw some young man in a white robe, with a radiant face, who, leafing through a book, looked at me so affectionately... Then he was gone, and I felt so good and light. The pain in my chest subsided, as if I was not sick at all.

The boy’s parents realized that this was an extraordinary phenomenon, and they thanked God for His mercy towards their sick son. And more than once, perhaps, remembering this and glorifying God, who protects babies, Daria instilled in little Vasily the concepts of the Merciful Lord and the duties of a Christian to Him that were understandable at his age.

Taught from infancy to honor and love God, Vasily often thought about Him, imagining in his own way some events from Sacred History. So, for example, Hieromonk Barnabas himself often told the following about himself: “I was one summer in a field with my fellow boys, and between two birch trees I suddenly saw the Savior Jesus Christ, who, rising to heaven, ascended. And now I remember well how I saw Him.” The elder did not say anything in explanation. During his lifetime, the priest always intended to visit this memorable place and even wanted to mark it with some kind of monument - a chapel or a temple, but he failed to fulfill his intention. While still a teenager, he is deprived of his dear native places, since the family was sold to another owner and had to move to the village of Narofominskoye, Moscow province.

Over the years, the youth Vasily improved in Christian life. He was serious beyond his years, silent, and avoided idle talk. Those around him involuntarily paid attention to him. When the young man grew up and became stronger, the landowner ordered him to be taught plumbing, for which he had great ability. But, being constantly in labor, Vasily did not forget God. Whenever there was a day free from work in the metalworks, he now spent it in the Zosimova Hermitage not far from Narofominsky. He liked the monastic services, as well as the monastery itself, and he also liked the monastic life, as far as he could recognize it. In the hours free from divine services, the young man tried to serve the nuns in some way: fix a damaged lock, pick up a key, attach a bracket or hook to the door. Perhaps the monk Gerontius, famous in the area for his ascetic life, who at that time lived as a hermit near the Zosimova Hermitage, also encouraged him to take these services. Among the many visitors who sought his advice and guidance in life, Elder Gerontius especially fell in love with Vasily and brought him closer to him, leaving him with him for a long time to talk. Under the influence of an elder experienced in spiritual life, the idea of entering a monastery arose in young Vasily and gradually grew stronger.

Soon, one event occurred in his life that was decisive for the choice of his future path. This happened in 1850. Having gathered for a pilgrimage in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Daria invited her son with her. He happily agreed, and they set off. There, at the shrine of St. Sergius, Vasily was honored to receive, along with great consolation for the soul, some mysterious assurance that his desire for monastic life was not a fleeting passion of his youthful heart and that it was here, in the Trinity Monastery, that his home would be. Then he talked about it like this: “One day, after the end of the service in the Trinity Cathedral, I went up to venerate the relics of St. Sergius and, when I venerated, I felt great joy in my soul. It was inexplicable to me at the time, but it overwhelmed me so much that right there, at the shrine of the saint of God, I finally decided, if God willed, to enter under the roof of his monastery.”

In 1851, twenty-year-old Vasily, having received his parents' blessing for a new life, retired to the monastery of St. Sergius of Radonezh. The pious mother, with complete devotion to the will of God, accepted her son’s decision. Soon after his disciple, his mentor, Elder Gerontius, arrived at the monastery and wished to end his monastic journey at the relics of St. Sergius. Here he took the schema with the name Gregory.

Vasily lived with his mentor in the same monastery for only one month. His soul longed for prayerful solitude, but this was out of the question in the Lavra with its numerous brethren and thousands of pilgrims. With the blessing of his elder, Schemamonk Gregory, and with the permission of the governor of the Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony (Medvedev), Vasily moved to the Gethsemane monastery. (The Gethsemane monastery at the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra was founded by Metropolitan Philaret (Drozdov) of Moscow in 1844 in the area of Korbukha. The monastery was the favorite residence of Metropolitan Philaret; a metropolitan chamber was built for him here. Caves were dug at the monastery behind the pond. The famous holy fool settled there first Philippushka (Philip Andreevich Khorev), later schemamonk Philip. Several more caves were dug near his cave, connected by an underground passage; in one of the caves a church was built in the name of the Archangel Michael, consecrated in 1851. The charter of the Sarov Hermitage was adopted in the monastery: psalms. in the caves they sang according to the rules of St. Paisius the Great.)

Here, among the ascetic elders, the Lord showed him a new spiritual leader - the monk Daniel, at the door of whose cell there was a constant crowd of people, thirsty for spiritual help and words of edification from the lips of the righteous seer. Under the stern appearance of the ascetic, a loving heart was hidden, and young Vasily clung to him with all his soul.

The new novice Vasily first passed his obedience in a locksmith's workshop. The craft, familiar to him in the world, soon made him famous among the brethren under the name of Vasily the mechanic. Obediences during the day, as well as the morning and evening rules, still left him some free time for the voluntarily assumed duty of Father Daniel’s cell attendant. Bringing firewood, lighting the stove and sweeping the floor in the elder’s cell—that’s all that was required of him. But these labors were for him a happy opportunity to once again visit his spiritual father and, in a frank conversation with him, ease his heart from the sinful burden that had accumulated during the day, saturate his soul with the living kind words of the wise old man. Likewise, Elder Schemamonk Gregory did not leave Vasily without fatherly care and useful advice. Both elders, experienced in knowing people, saw in the novice Vasily the chosen one of God and therefore did not spare time and effort for his upbringing.

On holidays, Vasily visited his first mentor, Schemamonk Gregory, who lived in the Lavra. It happened that he would bring him some kind of treat, trying at least to show his deep gratitude and sincere devotion. During the dying illness of Schemamonk Gregory, Vasily remained for a long time with his first mentor and leader, quenching his thirst for knowledge of spiritual life with his wise instructions. After the death of both mentors, the feat of eldership was entrusted to him. Bequeathing Vasily to receive with love all who come and not refuse advice and instructions to anyone, Elder Gregory gave him two prosphoras and said: “With this feed the hungry - with words and bread, as God wants!” He revealed to him the will of God: Vasily must establish a women’s monastery in an area remote from here and completely affected by schism; this monastery should serve as a beacon for the lost children of the Orthodox Church, about which the Queen of Heaven Herself will take care and show him this place, in Her name the monastery should be consecrated. The next day after this memorable conversation, Elder Gregory was speechless, and two days later, on January 2, 1862, he quietly surrendered his spirit to God.

In deep sadness over the loss of his father and mentor, in confusion from his dying will, Vasily hurried to Elder Daniel and in the silence of his solitude poured out before him all the sorrow of his soul. But even he, to Vasily’s surprise and great sadness, convinced him of the need to fulfill his will with obedience to the will of God. “Let it be as God wills!” - Elder Daniel finished his conversation with his beloved disciple, and Vasily finally calmed down, although he saw the cross of upcoming sorrows and the weight of the feat placed on him.

In 1865, novice Vasily also lost another mentor - monk Daniel, who, before his death, bequeathed him to take up the feat of eldership. Vasily was deeply devoted to his deceased mentors and for the first time after their death he grieved greatly. He always recalled with gratitude his fatherly participation and encouragement in the sorrows that befell him. “I had to endure a lot of sorrows and lies in life,” he said more than once. I don’t know if I would have endured them if not for the support of my elder mentors.”

Soon after the death of Elder Daniel, an important change took place in the life of novice Vasily. On July 30, 1866, he wrote a petition to the Established Council of the Lavra for tonsure as a monk. The report of the Council to Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow and Kolomna stated the request: “During the conviction of a good life, during the three-year novice trial for entering monasticism, the novice Vasily Merkulov, who wants to take monastic orders, the Established Council asks for archpastoral permission and blessing to tonsure him into monasticism, according to his good life and diligent fulfillment of the obedience assigned to him.”

On November 20, 1866, novice Vasily Merkulov was tonsured into monasticism by the builder of the Gethsemane monastery, Hieromonk Anatoly, with the name Varnava in honor of the holy Apostle Barnabas, which means “child of mercy, son of consolation.” Three and a half years later, on August 29, 1871, he was ordained as hierodeacon by Bishop Leonid (Krasnopevkov) in the Church of St. Nicholas of the Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery. On January 20, 1872, Hierodeacon Varnava was ordained a hieromonk by Bishop Ignatius (Rozhdestvensky) of Mozhaisk in the Church of the Intercession of the Vysokopetrovsky Monastery.

Soon after this, the governor of the Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony, approved him as the people's confessor of the caves of the Gethsemane monastery. The position of confessor made him even more famous among pilgrims, as the elders had prophetically predicted earlier. They remember how, in the last days of Elder Daniel’s life, one of his spiritual daughters asked: “Father, who will console us without you?” At this time, Vasily entered the cell, and the elder, to her great bewilderment, answered with a smile: “Vasya will console you!”

Now even more visitors began to flock to Father Barnabas to receive blessings, for advice in important life circumstances, for consolation in sorrows. He devotes all his days - from early morning until late at night - to serving people. The doors of his wretched cell are open to everyone. An old woman who came from afar for a pilgrimage to Trinity-Sergius, a young student, a professor, a dignitary, an artisan, a merchant, a young girl, a nun, a child - everyone went to the priest and found from him what they were looking for. He was equally accessible to everyone, he instructed everyone equally with the word of fatherly love, like a true “son of consolation.”

In 1890, Hieromonk Varnava was appointed fraternal confessor. “Raised up to this time by elders-mentors and secret monastic work, Father Barnabas now himself becomes an educator and spiritual doctor of human hearts, opening to the voice of love and sympathy,” recalls the elder’s contemporary. (Vvedensky D.I. Elder-comforter Father Barnabas (with a portrait). Edition of the Gethsemane monastery. Trinity-Sergius Lavra, 1907.) In the evening, spiritual children - monks - usually came to him, and the priest was always glad to see them. “With what love he treated us,” recalls one of them, “with what patience he listened to our unreasonable questions and how wisely, simply and fatherly he affectionately instructed us.” (Arkady, hierodeacon. Memories of the elder of the Gethsemane monastery, Hieromonk Barnabas. Trinity-Sergius Lavra, 1917.)

For the brethren of the monastery, the doors of his cell were always open. When the monks asked him if they could come to him and when, the priest answered: “At any time, as soon as you are free and have something to tell me, although the most unimportant in your opinion. We consult ourselves and that’s why we don’t wallow in the mud.” The elder always willingly received his brothers; he even reprimanded when his “son”, not daring to disturb, sat down somewhere in the hallway, waiting until he himself opened the door. “Why didn’t you knock? Always knock when you come, always knock for obedience,” the priest used to say. And whenever his “children” came to him - whether in the morning, during the day, during rest hours or late in the evening - no one ever noticed a shadow of displeasure on his face or in his voice.

During church services, when there were no confessors, Hieromonk Varnava always went to the altar and prayed there, not noticing anything around him. In prayer he drew strength, in prayer he found peace. With what faith every morning he bowed his senile knees before the miraculous Chernigov icon and before the Iveron Icon of the Queen of Heaven and prayed for a long time, asking Her help for himself and those who entrusted themselves to his prayers! It seemed that even in his cell he could not find a better or more pleasant place for himself than at the lectern in front of the images. Here he renewed the supply of that great spiritual strength, which until the end of his life filled his meek, loving heart, constantly pouring out on everyone around him. Fulfilling the behest of the elders, Hieromonk Varnava served people with complete selflessness until the end of his life. He was a father and teacher in life for everyone, a doctor of spiritual and often physical infirmities.

To those who came to him complaining about spiritual weaknesses and physical ailments, the elder sometimes offered rather unusual medicines, but people never repented, taking them with full faith. The elder advised moistening sore eyes with room water; the gumboil quickly healed, ordering him to eat two or three pieces of antidor without water; pain in the chest or side, which did not respond to any medicine, subsided when, with the blessing of the elder, the sore spot was rubbed with oil from his cell lamp. Mustard plasters and other home remedies were offered to them even in very serious cases. He recognized the need to seek medical help, but did not always approve of surgery. Most of all, for the benefit of a person’s soul, the elder advised to pray to God more warmly, to begin receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ more often, to refrain from excess in everything, and in general to be more attentive to oneself. In non-dangerous cases, he was reluctant to give his blessing to be treated by a doctor, but the priest not only blessed patients with serious illnesses to receive treatment, but also indicated doctors himself. But what most struck those who knew his children was their deep devotion and great respect for Father Barnabas, their living faith in the power and effectiveness of his prayers.

A peasant from the village of Bolgari, Yaroslavl province, Mikhail Yakovlevich Svorochayev, lay paralyzed for ten years. Doctors said that the disease was incurable. The grief-stricken wife of the peasant went to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and from there to Elder Barnabas and told him about her husband’s illness. The priest, blessing her, said: “Pray, servant of God, pray; The Lord is merciful - your husband will stand up...” So what? She comes home and sees that her husband, who had been lying prone until now, has come out onto the porch and meets her. The woman was amazed and with all her heart, together with her husband, thanked the Heavenly Doctor, who heeded the prayer of His servant and showed such mercy.

One day the elder stopped by the house of his spiritual children from St. Petersburg and found the mistress of the house on her sick bed. For a week and a half she had been lying unconscious in the heat. Pieces of ice only slightly alleviated her condition. Father Barnabas approached the sick woman and put his hand on her head. The woman opened her eyes and, recognizing the elder, asked for his holy prayers, barely intelligibly saying that she would no longer be able to get up. The elder stood beside her for a long time in silence, without taking his hand away, and then, moving his hand over her head, face and chest, he said: “You will get up, daughter, and you will be healthy, but I will take your illness and put it in my pocket and take it with me.” " Then, having blessed the sick woman, the elder left home. After Father Barnabas left, the patient fell into a long sleep, and then felt much better and soon completely recovered.

Contractor Zaitsev from the village of Narofominsky reported that Dr. G.’s daughter was so sick that they despaired of saving her. The doctor's wife turned to the elder with a request to pray for her dying daughter. Father Barnabas, blessing her, said: “God is merciful - she will be healthy!” The contractor who was present had strong doubts, knowing that the patient was dying. But two weeks later he learned that the patient had recovered and was already leaving the house.

There were many similar cases. But usually the elder “eased” illnesses, hiding behind foolishness or the usual affectionate joke in his mouth. They would sometimes complain to him about pain in his back from a cold or from strenuous labor, and the priest, as a joke, would hit the sore spot twice, and then recommend his obligatory mustard plaster - and “then everything will go away.” He who believed, received what he wanted by his faith. If anyone had a headache, the priest would tap his head with his finger or take it with both hands and squeeze it tightly until it hurt, and he kept smiling and saying: “Well, now it won’t hurt!” Indeed, often the pain soon stopped completely. Living faith in God, deep humility, a mind enlightened by the light of Christian truths, spiritual experience acquired by long-term communication with people of all ages, ranks and conditions - all this imparted strength, persuasiveness, insight, and often insight into the past to the living word of Elder Barnabas. present and future from the life of the interlocutor.

Many saints of God were characterized by the spirit of clairvoyance. Elder Barnabas also had this gift. Here are some evidences of this gift. When the novice Zacharias (the future elder of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, schema-archimandrite Zacharias) arrived from the White Shores as a pilgrim to the Gethsemane monastery, he saw a mass of people. Everyone has crowded together, they want to see Elder Barnabas, but there is no way to get to him. But then Father Barnabas came out and, turning to the crowd, said: “Where is the Lavra monk? Come here." No one responded to the call, since there were no Lavra monks in the crowd. Father Barnabas went down the stairs and said: “Give me, let the Lavra monk pass.” He approached the young novice, took Zacharias by the hand and said affectionately: “Well, go, go to my cell.” “I’m not a Lavra monk, I’m from the White Shores,” objected Zacharias. “Well, I know that you lived there, and now you will live in the Lavra and will be a Lavra monk.” Having brought the delighted Zacharias into his cell, the elder blessed him, saying:
- You live with St. Sergius and you will come to me at the Gethsemane monastery.
“What if they don’t accept me here,” asked Zacharias.
- They will accept you, go to the Lavra gates, there are already three bosses waiting for you.

Zacharias went to the gate, and there, indeed, stood the abbot and three monastery leaders. Zechariah asked to be accepted to live in the Lavra. They willingly accepted him, and Zacharias became a Lavra monk.

Elder Barnabas helped Colonel Pavel Ivanovich Plekhankov (the future Elder Barsanuphius) enter Optina Pustyn. The Rev. Hieromonk Ambrose of Optina ordered Plekhankov to finish all his work in three months, with the understanding that if he did not arrive on time, he would die. And then various obstacles began. Plekhankov came to St. Petersburg for his resignation, but they offered him a more brilliant position and delayed his resignation. His comrades laugh at him, the payment of money is delayed, he cannot pay everyone, he looks for money on loan and does not find it. But Elder Barnabas helped him out, showing him where to get money, and also hurried him to fulfill God’s command.

Elder Barnabas often showed people the will of God in various everyday circumstances. A young, educated and very wealthy man told Hieromonk Barnabas his long-standing desire to devote himself to serving God in the monastic rite, but instead of a blessing he heard from him a gentle but urgent request to obey him - to give up thoughts of moving away from the world and to get married, and the elder indicated and a worthy bride. And the young man later did not regret that he showed obedience to the elder, remaining his devoted spiritual son until the end of the latter’s life.

Nun N. of the Iversky Monastery told an incident that took place in her family. “My father decided to open a tavern in the same city where he then lived with his family, and give it to the management of his son Fyodor. My mother went with her grandson, Fyodor’s son, to the Trinity to pray. We went to Father Varnava to ask for his blessing for a new business. But the elder did not give his blessing to start the business, saying that they, as old people, would not be able to do it. And when my mother continued to insist on her opinion, saying that it was not they, the old people, but her son Fyodor who would have to conduct trade, then the priest decisively advised against opening a tavern, saying that “it’s too late for Fyodor” to start trading. Less than a year had passed since the elder said this, my brother Fyodor, who had previously been a very strong, healthy man, fell ill and died.”

With the spirit of meekness, healing mental ailments, the elder, unnoticed by the person, led him to repentance, revived him to a new life, developed in him the desire for spiritual improvement according to the Gospel commandments, and allowed him to tangibly know and feel the mercy of God.

Who can calculate how many people stayed with him during all this time and how many spiritual benefits these numerous people received from the comforter elder. How responsive the priest was to the grief of every sufferer and what methods he resorted to to console his “children”! The elder’s wisdom was especially amazing where the grief was too deep and could not be influenced by any outside influence.

One day a woman came to the priest and with tears asked for his blessing to divorce her husband, who was almost always drunk and caused her a lot of grief. She was exhausted after twelve years of marriage. “Calm down, calm down, daughter, don’t cry! - the old man consoled the poor woman - Believe me: he will soon, very soon be on his knees asking for forgiveness from you in everything and he himself will stop drinking wine! And the elder’s words came true: this woman came to thank her comforter for his prayerful help to her.

The priest strictly forbade sending anything to his relatives from the monastery - money or things. “I myself,” he often said, “never sent anything from the monastery to my relatives: it would not be good for them.” One day, a novice of the Gethsemane monastery, George, later monk Gennady, asked the elder for a blessing to help his relatives in the world, to provide them with some kind of material support. Father did not give his blessing for this. George, however, did not listen and sent. And soon he came to the elder to ask forgiveness for his disobedience and told him that everything in his family had burned down.

One of the admirers of Father Barnabas, after his death, spoke about one remarkable case of his foresight. Having parted with her brother, she did not receive any information about him for a long time. By chance she heard that her brother had supposedly died. Appearing to the elder, she asked him whether he was alive or dead. The elder thought about it, became somehow sad and then, turning to her, said: “No, your brother is alive, but he died in his sins.” Indeed, after some time she met her brother, but at the same time she learned such details about him from which she realized that her brother had followed the path of grave vice.

One young man decided to get married, he even threw a ball on this occasion. This young man came with his bride to Father Barnabas for a blessing for his marriage. The elder told the groom that there would be no wedding. And when he stated that they had already been blessed, the priest again repeated that “even though they were blessed, there will be no wedding.” After this, the groom learned things about his bride that made it impossible to get married in any way, so the elder’s prediction came true.

A wise old man for some time kept one young man, known to him since childhood, from getting married, asking him to wait two years. However, he did not say the reasons for this delay. The young man, after waiting for some time, about a year and a half, became engaged to his bride. When his relatives told Elder Barnabas about this, the latter was very alarmed and expressed a desire to definitely and quickly see him with his bride at home. They refused to come to him. The wedding took place, and seven months later the young man fell ill with typhoid fever and died.

In addition to instructions, Hieromonk Barnabas conducted extensive correspondence, barely having time to give the necessary answers regarding the urgent needs of the questioners. The correspondence received from all over Russia and even from abroad, containing mostly a confession or the discovery of the innermost recesses of a grieving soul, was always destroyed by the priest after viewing. But it happened that the elder did not open some letters, saying that “there is no need to answer them.” Not having enough time to conduct such an extensive correspondence with his own hand, Father Barnabas used the services of some spiritual children devoted to him, whom he instructed to give written answers signed by him.

Constantly devoting all his leisure time to the grieving and disadvantaged, Elder Barnabas also found time for written instruction to his spiritual children. In these edifying letters one can see the same love and care for the spiritual well-being of his neighbors. A contemporary says about these letters: “With a deep knowledge of the word of God and the patristic works, they everywhere combine his sublime spiritual experience, so that, reading his letters, you involuntarily recall the writings of the ancient hermits-ascetics, who knew so well the weaknesses of the sinful nature of man... And after all, he was a humble, simple old man.”

At the beginning of the last century, the name of Fr. Barnabas (Merkulova) from the Gethsemane monastery of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in Russia was known from the central provinces to its most remote corners. The elder received people without distinction of rank or title, and greeted everyone who came with an affectionate word: “son” or “baby.” A monk of strict ascetic life, a shepherd, the Monk Barnabas was placed in the service of the Church before the trials that awaited Her.

Rev. Barnabas of Gethsemane

01/24/1831 – 02/17/1906

At the old man's door

On some days, the visitors waiting to be received by Father Barnabas closed their ranks so tightly that even his mother, the meek, humble elder schema-nun Daria, after several unsuccessful attempts to squeeze through the crowd of people, quietly retreated to a corner and hid behind them. And a minute later, as an admonition to the ladies who pushed her aside, the high, clear voice of the priest was heard: “Where is the “nun”? Skip the “nun”... Mother, are you really waiting in line? Why are you abandoning your son! I’m not giving up on you!”

But it was not only in front of her that the door of his cell opened, as if on cue. “Where is the Lavra monk?” and Fr. Barnabas was already making his way through the crowd to the confused young man, who was confusingly repeating: “I am not a Lavra monk, I am from the White Beach.” The answer was: “Well, I know that you lived there, and now you will live in the Lavra and become a Lavra monk.” - Encouraging the pilgrim, the elder introduced into his cell the one in whom he was indicated as the future elder and confessor of the Lavra brethren - Schema-Archimandrite Zacharias, who was to remain in his cell until the end, until its closure by the Bolsheviks.

Father Barnabas predicted the abbess to one of the visitors, and consoled another, who was crying about his son, who, out of unreasonable jealousy, rushed to Africa to help the Boers[i]: “Well, why are you crying? Your son will be brought to Moscow tomorrow with other comrades to such and such a station.” The third he lovingly convicted of hidden sin: “Good lady, stop smoking your tobacco, and you will be golden to me.” And one day he sat a young man down next to him and suddenly hugged him in a fatherly way: “You are my dear, an ascetic, you are a confessor of God.” Years later, his visitor Ilya Chetverukhin will become the rector of the Moscow Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi, and after persecution, arrests and exiles, he will receive the crown of martyrdom in one of the Perm camps.

"Breadwinner"

Acceptance of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as the Holy Fathers teach, does not depend on the age or efforts of the aspirant. Fasting, prayer, and obedience are the beginning of the feat, but the “crown” – the grace-filled enlightenment of the soul and, in special cases, the election for the spiritual guidance of others – depends on God.

At the age of 30, already having considerable experience, Father Barnabas took upon himself the feat of spiritual care for obedience, and ten years later he became known as a true people’s priest.

The rapid increase was prepared by several circumstances. The future elder was born in 1831 into a pious peasant family near Tula. His parents were kind people, deeply religious and hardworking. Their virtuous life became the first example for the boy, a good basis for mental and spiritual education. From an early age, Vasily Merkulov - that was his worldly name - went to services with his elders, trying to memorize prayers, and his first “adult” books were the Psalter and the Book of Hours.

An unusual incident that happened to him in adolescence was an indication of the godly nature of his activities and his closeness to the higher, spiritual world even at the first stages of life. Once, during an attack of serious illness, a suffocating cough forced him to sit up in bed, and at that moment Vasily saw a young man in a light robe, who, leafing through a book, looked at him tenderly and meekly. The appearance of the Angel, revealed to the child's gaze, was confirmed by instant healing - the pain subsided, as if there was no illness.

The subsequent direction of Vasily’s life was determined by communication with monks. In his youth, he spent his days free from work in the Trinity-Odigitria Zosimova Hermitage, located near their village, where he tried to help as best he could. His main skill was plumbing: he would fix an old lock for someone, or fit a hook for someone. At that time, the Lord also sent him his first guide in spiritual life - the famous ascetic, Elder Gerontius, who kindled in him the aspiration for monasticism.

But the turn in Vasily’s fate was determined by a pilgrimage to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, where he went with his mother in the fall of 1850. They went to services together, trying not to miss the service, and one day at the relics Vasily experienced an unusual blessed phenomenon. Years later, he remembered it as a great joy, unknown before, that instantly gripped him with such force that he decided right there, if God’s blessing was given, to enter under the roof of the monastery of St. Sergius.

At the age of 20, having received his parental blessing, Vasily Merkulov entered the ranks of the brethren, and after him came to the Lavra his mentor, Father Gerontius, who accepted the schema at the monastery and was named Gregory. With the blessing of the confessor and with the permission of the abbot of the monastery, the young novice settled in the Gethsemane monastery, located 3 miles from the Lavra. Here he met a new leader - Elder Daniel, a strict faster who imitated the exploits of the ancient saints, as meek in dealing with others as he was demanding of himself.

The biography of St. Barnabas reveals only the external. His obediences included plumbing, working behind a candle box, and then reading in church. But between the two elders, Vasily improved spiritually until the moment before their very death he was ordered to accept the good burden of his teachers as obedience.

Then, blessing him, Elder Gregory gave him a blessing for the future: to establish, by the will of the Queen of Heaven, a women’s monastery in a remote area infected with schism.

A year later, on November 20, 1866, novice Vasily was tonsured into the mantle with the name Varnava, and six years later he was ordained a hieromonk. By that time Fr. Barnabas was known to pilgrims from all over Russia. This prompted the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Anthony, to designate for him the Cave Department of the Gethsemane Skete as a place of service and prayer.

Gethsemane Chernigov monastery

At the lectern in a secluded house with the simplest furnishings, many vital “knots” were untied; in the sacrament of confession, sins, forgotten and hidden, were revealed.

Experience about. Barnabas bordered on epiphany. The elder helped many poor people, turning to the wealthier of his pupils. One of these zealous donors for many years was the St. Petersburg merchant Vasily Nikolaevich Muravyov, famous in those years. Not only private individuals, but also churches and monasteries received the necessary funds from him. Sometimes very significant sums passed through the elder’s hands, but he himself, like a monk, was content with little, being unusually abstinent in both food and clothing.

Finally, the time had come for him to fulfill the blessing of Elder Gregory. In the early 1860s. in the Nizhny Novgorod province, not far from the village of Vyksa, he found a secluded place to found a new nunnery. The construction of a monastery with two cathedrals - in honor of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity and the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God - required considerable investments. And again as an assistant Fr. Barnabas in the matter of establishing a new monastery was his spiritual son V.N. Muravyov.

Iverskaya Vyksa Monastery

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Vyksa monastery became a center of spiritual enlightenment for all surrounding residents, and Father Varnava was an attentive confessor for its nuns for many years. His sisters called him “the breadwinner,” and he was also the “breadwinner” for hundreds and thousands of his spiritual students.

At the turn

To Elder Barnabas, an ascetic who remained in unentertained prayer, sleeping no more than three hours a day while constantly caring for people and holy monasteries, the Lord granted foresight in relation not only to individuals, but also to all of Russia and the Orthodox Church.

In those years, warnings about difficult times ahead were heard in different parts of the country. , the elders of Optina Pustyn, the Diveyevo ascetics directly and allegorically addressed their compatriots, calling on them to observe the institutions of the Church. Among these “prophets in their own country,” whose voice was not always heard, belonged Fr. Barnabas. He spoke about decades of apostasy and persecution of the Church, but even at such moments he encouraged hope for the subsequent revival of Orthodoxy: “Persecution against the faith will constantly increase. Grief and darkness unheard of until now will cover everything and everyone, and churches will be closed. But when it becomes unbearable to endure, liberation will come. Temples will begin to be built again. There will be blossoming before the end.”

There is also evidence that he received a warning about the upcoming test from the elder and, who visited him at the beginning of 1905, after the tragic events in St. Petersburg, which occurred as a result of the excessive “jealousy” of the people responsible for establishing public order in the capital.

Meeting of Rev. Barnabas and Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich

The legend has been preserved that the Monk Barnabas blessed the king in the same way as in the letter given to Nikolai Alexandrovich by one of the Diveyevo elders - to accept the crown of martyrdom and patiently bear the cross when the Lord would please to place this cross on him.

Icon of St. Barnabas

Until his last days, the elder of the Gethsemane monastery strengthened those who were to live to see the time of trials, and just before his departure from temporary life in 1906, he left behind a worthy successor to care for the flock of Christ during the years of persecution. His pupil and devoted assistant Vasily Nikolaevich Muravyov was to embark on the path of spiritual achievement and years later appear in his homeland with the angelic name Seraphim “in the power and glory” of his teacher and elder. Quiet, secluded Vyritsa was supposed to preserve, like an unquenchable lamp, a fertile source of spiritual experience and spiritual strength.

i. The described episode dates back to the Boer War (1899-1902)

ii. Newly glorified Radonezh saints. Venerable Barnabas of Gethsemane. Life. Spiritual teachings. Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. 2006. P. 43

1. Newly glorified Radonezh saints. Venerable Barnabas of Gethsemane. Life. Spiritual teachings. Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. 2006

2. Filimonov, V.P. The Holy Venerable Seraphim of Vyritsky and the Russian Golgotha, St. Petersburg: Statis, 2004

3. On the 100th anniversary of the repose of Elder Barnabas of Gethsemane (commentary in the light of faith) // Church-Scientific Center “Orthodox Encyclopedia”. Week. Ru (http://www.sedmitza.ru/text/404796.html)

Venevsky district, Tula province, the last, 7th, child of the serfs Ilya and Daria Merkulov. His parents named him in honor of St. Basil the Great. As the elder recalled his childhood, he was nimble and agile. The virtuous life of his parents - especially his mother, his future tonsure - became the basis of mental and spiritual education. From an early age, he went to services with his elders, trying to memorize prayers. Pious parents sent their boy to a school of psalmists, where he studied the Book of Hours and the Book of Psalms. Once, during an attack of serious illness, a suffocating cough forced him to sit up in bed, and at that moment the youth saw a young man in a light robe, who, leafing through a book, looked at him tenderly and meekly. The appearance of the angel was confirmed by instant healing - the pain subsided, as if there was no illness. According to his mother, the boy escaped death twice more thanks to God’s help: he remained alive under the wheels of a carriage and after falling from a stove. With the onset of adolescence, Vasily became serious and avoided noisy games.

Novitiate in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra

The elder conducted extensive correspondence with spiritual children, often answering letters without opening them. Among his spiritual children were the Monk Seraphim of Vyritsky, Bishop Tryphon (Turkestan), the philosopher K. N. Leontyev, who was entrusted to the leadership of the elder by the Monk Ambrose of Optina.

Relics and veneration

Immediately after the death of the saint, the sisters of the Iveron Monastery, which he founded, turned to the Synod with a request to bury his relics in their monastery. In the year, the question of renaming the Vyksa Convent to Varnavsky was raised, but its decision was apparently hindered by the upheavals that soon followed.

The relics of the saint were placed in a recreated church in honor of the Chernigov Icon of the Mother of God of the Lavra Chernigov skete; the side chapel of the church was consecrated in his name.

Prayers

Troparion, tone 5

From childhood you loved Christ God purely, / you were the son of consolation, O Reverend Father Barnabas. / According to your name and life, / you appeared to the afflicted, the poor, and the King, / a meek shepherd, a comforter and a healer. / Remember us, gracious father, / may God, the giver of life, grant us comfort and great mercy through your warm prayers.

Kontakion, tone 2

From your youth you followed the saddened figure of the Russian land, the Venerable Sergius, O holy Barnabas, / and the covenant of your elder, who recited: / “This is what God wants: / feed the hungry with words and bread,” - you truly fulfilled it to the end. / For this reason we now pray to you; / do not forsake us, comforting father, / with your heavenly love.

Greatness

We bless you, Reverend Father Barnavo, and honor your holy memory, mentor of monks and interlocutor of Angels.

Prayer

O Reverend Father Barnavo, our meek and comforting shepherd, merciful helper and warm prayer book for us! You were a child of God's blessing from an early age, and you showed the image of obedience to your parents, obedience to the Lord and service to your neighbors. Having loved the commandments of the Lord, you flowed to the Lavra of St. Sergius, and his faithful disciple appeared. In the monastery of the Mother of God, by the command of the abbot, Abba Anthony, you acquired the spirit of humility, meekness and patience, and you received the gift of reasoning and insight into spiritual thoughts from God. This is the monastery of the spiritual incident, and the creator is the habit of and the abilities of and the devices of the river and all the suffering and more sickly the virgin and the trustee of the minor, letting the laugh for up to the hour, was Yes. After your repose, God showed many mercies to those who honor your memory and granted you faithfulness as a monk. Moreover, we pray to Thee, O righteous Father, as first of all, intercede before God with Thy prayers for all people in every rank to acquire a consoling spirit and for everyone to gain: obedience to the young and to the whole Keep your spirit with the fear of God; in the age of existence - the love of God and agreement to acquire; for those who are hungry - not only to be satisfied with their daily bread, but especially to be satisfied with the word of God; for those who cry - be comforted; an exile and a wanderer - to find shelter; in prison for beings - to be freed from bonds; pious - to grow in the Spirit of God and achieve humility. Descend to us in all the paths of our lives, and above all, beg our Lord for the forgiveness of our sins and untruths and direct our feet to the light of God’s commandments, so that with one heart and lips we may glorify The Most Holy Trinity, Father and Son and Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Documents, literature

RGADA. F. 1204. Op. 1. Unit hr. 8241. L. 1-3, 9, 10, 19, 22, 42; Unit hr. 11381. L. 32-34; Unit hr. 11603. L. 2, 10; Unit hr. 16824. L. 10.
50 years of monasticism Fr. Barnabas, M., 1905.
Vvedensky, D. I., Elder Comforter Fr. Barnabas, Serg. P., 1906.
Biography in Bose of the deceased elder-comforter Fr. Barnabas, founder and builder of the Iversky Vyksa convent, Serg. P., 1907.
Porokhov, F., To the unforgettable memory of the elder Hierom. O. Barnabas, St. Petersburg, 1911.
Arkhangelskaya, A. D., My memories of Father Varnava, M., 1912.
Arkady, hierodeac., Memories of the elder of the Gethsemane monastery, Hierom. O. Barnabas, Serg. P., 1917.
Life for the glory of God: The works and exploits of the elder of the Gethsemane monastery Barnabas (1831-1906), Serg. P., 1991.
"Elder of the Gethsemane-Chernigov monastery Barnabas of Gethsemane," Meeting, 1992, № 2, 18-22.
Elder Zechariah, Publishing house: Trim, 1993.
Georgy (Tertyshnikov), archim., The Life of the Venerable Barnabas, Elder of the Gethsemane Skete at the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, Sergiev Posad: Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, 1995.
Tryphon (Turkestan), Metropolitan, "In memory of Hierarch Fr. Barnabas," Trinity collection, Serg. P., 2000, No. 1, 100-105.
Newly glorified Radonezh saints. Venerable Barnabas of Gethsemane. Life. Spiritual teachings, Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, 2006.
Sovereign Rus'(newspaper), No. 1 (127), 2005:

Materials used

Egorova, A. V., "BARNAVA (Merkulov)," Orthodox Encyclopedia, vol. 6, 646:
Satarov, Alexander, "The time has come for repentance," Sovereign Rus'(newspaper), No. 1 (127), 2005:
Website page dedicated to St. Seraphim Vyritsky:

On February 17 / March 2, the Church honors the memory of the Venerable Elder Barnabas of Gethsemane, the confessor of the Gethsemane monastery of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

The Monk Barnabas of Gethsemane, in the world Merkulov Vasily Ilyich, was born on January 24, 1831 in the village of Prudishchi, Venevsky district, Tula province, the last, 7th, child of the serfs Ilya and Daria Merkulov. His parents named him in honor of St. Basil the Great. As the elder recalled his childhood, he was nimble and agile. The virtuous life of his parents - especially his mother, his future tonsure - became the basis of mental and spiritual education. From an early age, he went to services with his elders, trying to memorize prayers. Pious parents sent their boy to a school of psalmists, where he studied the Book of Hours and the Psalter. Once, during an attack of serious illness, a suffocating cough forced him to sit up in bed, and at that moment the youth saw a young man in a light robe, who, leafing through a book, looked at him tenderly and meekly. The appearance of the angel was confirmed by instant healing - the pain subsided, as if there was no illness. According to his mother, the boy escaped death twice more thanks to God’s help: he remained alive under the wheels of a carriage and after falling from a stove. With the onset of adolescence, Vasily became serious and avoided noisy games.

In 1850, his mother went with him on a pilgrimage to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. There, according to the recollections of Elder Barnabas: “at the end of the service in the Trinity Cathedral, I went up to venerate the relics of St. Sergius and, when I venerated, I felt great joy in my soul. It was inexplicable to me then, but it overwhelmed me so much that everything here at the shrine of the saint of God, I finally decided, if God wills, to enter under the protection of his monastery."

In 1851, the young man went to the Lavra. Soon his mentor, monk Gerontius, in the schema of Gregory, arrived at the monastery, and Vasily became his cell attendant. In 1852, with the blessing of his spiritual mentor, Vasily moved to the Gethsemane skete, located three miles from the Lavra. His spiritual father blessed him to obey the elder monk Daniel. Elder Daniel taught him to completely abandon his own will: according to Elder Barnabas’ memoirs, “I could not do anything without the elder’s blessing, otherwise the priest would strictly punish me for my self-will.”

Only on November 17, 1856, Vasily received a letter of release from the landowner, after which on December 23, 1857 he became a novice.

He spent several years in plumbing obedience in the Lavra. Later he was assigned to the candle box, and also received the blessing to read the Apostle and the teachings from the Prologue in church.

With the blessing of his elder, Vasily also visited his first mentor, Schemamonk Gregory, who died in 1862. Before his death, Elder Gregory announced to him the will of God: to take upon himself the feat of eldership after the death of both of his mentors. At the same time, he gave him two large prosphoras and bequeathed to his disciple: “With this, feed the hungry, with words and bread, as God wants!” At the end of the conversation, Elder Gregory revealed to his disciple another purpose of God: he was to found a women’s monastery, and far from Moscow. The elder told his spiritual child that the Queen of Heaven Herself would take care of the future monastery and would indicate its place. In Her name the monastery should be consecrated.

On August 29, 1871, he was ordained a hierodeacon in the Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery by Bishop Leonid (Krasnopevkov) of Dmitrov. On January 20 of the following year he was ordained hieromonk in the Vysokopetrovsky Monastery by Bishop Ignatius (Rozhdestvensky) of Mozhaisk.

In caring for the monks, the monk showed prudence and attention to each monk, “took upon himself to bear the infirmities of his spiritual children.”

Together with his cell attendant he lived in a house near the caves, receiving from five hundred to a thousand people every day. Pilgrims from all over Russia came to the perspicacious elder Varnava, he helped people repent, gave soul-saving advice, and through his prayers the suffering were healed. Most often, the elder advised the sick to pray more warmly and to begin receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ more often. In addition, he advised to refrain from excesses in everything. Pilgrims noted a special “spiritual sobriety,” “gentleness,” and caution in his pastoral practice. Through the prayers of the ascetic, family troubles were resolved, and many healings occurred. He advised healing minor illnesses with strict fasting (“bread and water will do no harm”); for severe illnesses, he sometimes himself recommended certain doctors.

One of the most striking cases associated with the reverend elder was the healing of the peasant M.Ya. Svorochaeva. One day, the wife of the paralyzed peasant Mikhail Svorochayev came to the elder; she asked to pray for the unfortunate man, who had been bedridden for ten years. Elder Barnabas blessed the woman and said: “Pray, servant of God, pray: the Lord is merciful - your husband will arise...” Returning home, the woman praised the Lord: the healed husband came out to meet her on the porch.

The elder also showed the gift of foresight. For example, when novice Zachary - the future elder of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra - arrived as a pilgrim to the Gethsemane monastery, the elder called him out of the crowd and called him “the Lavra monk.”

The elder predicted future persecution for the faith to many, and gave direct and precise instructions on how to live in their twenties, thirties and subsequent years. Elder Barnabas also predicted the coming revival of the Russian Orthodox Church, saying:

“Persecution against the faith will constantly increase. Hitherto unheard of grief and darkness will cover everyone and everything, and churches will be closed. But when it becomes unbearable to endure, liberation will come... Temples will be erected again. There will be a flourishing before the end.”

The elder conducted extensive correspondence with spiritual children, often answering letters without opening them. Among his spiritual children were the Monk Seraphim Vyritsky, Bishop Tryphon (Turkestan), philosopher K.N. Leontyev, who was entrusted to the leadership of the elder by the Monk Ambrose of Optina.

In 1923, the body of St. Barnabas was transferred to the Voznesenskoye cemetery in Sergiev (now Sergiev Posad), in 1934 - to the Nikolskoye cemetery, and in 1968 - to the “northern” Zagorskoye cemetery. According to the testimony of the saint’s spiritual children and admirers, through the prayers of the elder, from his belongings and photographs, believers received miraculous help and healing.

The relics of the saint were placed in a recreated church in honor of the Chernigov Icon of the Mother of God of the Lavra Chernigov monastery; the side chapel of the temple was consecrated in honor of St. Barnabas.

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