Archimandrite Arseny Istra. Metropolitan Arseny of Istra, biography

Alexander Ivanovich Smolenets, the future Bishop Arseny, was born on June 21, 1873 into an intelligent Polish family. He was raised in the family of his father, a teacher in the city of Warsaw. The father was a believer, but the family did not live a spiritual (church) life. Having no religious influence from family members or outside, from the 4th grade of the gymnasium, Alexander began to get involved in the church, regularly attending all church services.

After graduating from the seminary, Alexander entered the Faculty of Law at the University of Warsaw. At the same time, he began to study theological sciences. By the time he graduated from the University Faculty of Law in 1896 with a Candidate of Law degree, the future bishop had already developed an inclination towards serving in the spiritual field, but he did not consider himself sufficiently prepared for this, so upon graduation educational institution he was appointed a junior candidate for judicial positions at the Tverskoy District Court. In 1897, at his own request, Alexander Ivanovich was transferred to his homeland and, by order of the senior chairman of the Warsaw Court Chamber, was identified as a candidate for judicial positions at the Lomzhinsky District Court. On October 7, 1897, he was appointed junior controller of the 1st district of the Warsaw excise department, and on December 5 he was transferred to the same position in the 7th district.

Four years of work in judicial positions were the years of finalization of his worldview and he firmly decided to follow the spiritual path. All these years, Alexander intensively studied theological sciences, which gave him the opportunity in 1899 to enroll as a volunteer student in the second year of the Kazan Theological Academy. In 1900, through Metropolitan Anthony Khrapovitsky, who largely financially supported young man During his stay at the Academy, Alexander was enrolled as a student and, as having higher education, received the right to pass the full academic course in 2 years with the award of a candidate of theology degree.

On March 23, 1902, Alexander Smolenets was tonsured into the mantle by the rector of the Kazan Theological Academy, Bishop Alexy (Molchanov) of Chistopol in the academic church with the name Arseny. On June 8, 1902, he was ordained hieromonk.

In 1902, after graduating from the Academy, he was sent to administrative and pedagogical work in schools of the ecclesiastical department. On September 18, 1902, he was appointed teacher of Sacred History and assistant superintendent of the Klevan Theological School. In 1903 he became an inspector of the Kyiv Theological Seminary and was included in the brethren of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra as a cathedral hieromonk. In 1904 he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite and received the obedience to be the rector of the Ardon Theological Seminary (Ossetia). While in the position of rector of the Ardon Theological Seminary in the Terek Region, he arrested eleven seminarians - the leaders of the revolutionary strike movement in the seminary and, given the difficult situation in the country, dissolved the latter.

In the reaction that followed the 1905 revolution, the clergy through the Union of the Russian People and others Black Hundred organizations took an active part. The immediate superior of Archimandrite Arseny, Bishop Stefan of Mogilev, took an active part in this Union. The same bishop tried to drag his subordinate into the Union of the True Russian People. But he, not sharing these ideas, refused to join the Union. According to the saint, “During the imperialist war, my role as a clergyman was reduced to serving prayers for granting victory to the Russian army over the enemies.”

In 1907, Bishop Arseny was appointed rector of the Belynichi Mother of God Monastery of the Mogilev diocese, where he acquired a faithful spiritual son, the future Metropolitan of Alma-Ata Joseph (Chernov).

On October 22, 1910, in the Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, Arseny Smolyanets was consecrated Bishop of Pyatigorsk, vicar of the Vladikavkaz diocese. The ordination was led by Metropolitan Flavian (Gorodetsky) of Kiev. The Yaroslavl Archbishop, St. Tikhon (Belavin). Simultaneously with fulfilling the duties of a vicar, the bishop becomes the rector of the New Athos Monastery.

In 1912, the bishop was transferred as a vicar to the Tver diocese with the title Bishop of Staritsky.

In 1917, Arseny Smolyanets became vicar of the Ekaterinoslav diocese with the title Bishop of Azov and Taganrog

In May 1919, on the initiative of Protopresbyter of the Army and Navy Georgy Shavelsky, who was at the headquarters of the commander-in-chief, the South-Eastern Russian was convened to organize temporary higher church administration church council, held in Stavropol.

By the decision of the council of May 22, 1919, the Taganrog and Azov vicariate was transformed into an independent diocese, which began to bear the name Rostov and Taganrog. The center of the diocese became the city of Rostov-on-Don. The former vicar of the Ekaterinoslav diocese, Bishop Arseny (Smolenets) with the title Bishop of Rostov and Taganrog, who was also elected a member of the Higher Provisional Church Administration of the South-East of Russia (department for the organization of parish life), was appointed ruling bishop.

In 1918, during the bloody battles for Taganrog, many soldiers from both sides died in the city and Bishop Arseny decides to bury all the fallen according to Orthodox canons and serve a memorial service, for which he receives permission from the executive committee. But the bodies of the workers were dismantled by the relatives, and the cadets were taken to the cemetery and dumped in one common heap. Ivan Chernov, the future Vladyka Joseph and Hierodeacon Nikolai dressed the bodies of the children all night, and in the morning Vladyka Arseny performed the funeral service for 105 cadets, near mass grave which he was subsequently buried.

Having learned about the funeral service that had taken place, the Red Guards and sailors decided to kill the bishop, allegedly because he refused to perform the funeral service for the five sailors and called them black commissars. They came straight to the church during the service, but Vladyka’s subdeacon Ivan Chernov hid his spiritual father and managed in a personal conversation to convince the sailors not to kill Vladyka Arseny.

In January 1919, the Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief settled in Taganrog Armed forces South of Russia, General A.I. Denikin, with whom Bishop Arseny maintained close relations.

Metropolitan Anthony Khrapovitsky repeatedly came to Rostov and Taganrog to visit Bishop Arseny, who also maintained relations with General Denikin.

To the church schism in Orthodox Church, which began in 1918 from the time of the Local Council, the Bishop had a negative attitude. He spoke about this event like this: “This schism will bring nothing but harm to the church. In the ongoing struggle, the clergy among believers loses authority, and believers leave the church. I do not share the measures of the Soviet government on the issue of confiscation of church valuables. As a clergyman, I felt sorry for exposing the church. Giving away valuables meant going against myself, I also couldn’t speak out openly, so I was neither in favor of handing over church valuables nor against, and I characterize my position in this matter as being at zero.”

After the occupation of Novocherkassk and Rostov by the Red Army in January 1920. Bishop Arseny did not leave his flock and remained at the see until March 1922.

In 1922, a “Living Church” committee appeared in Rostov-on-Don, which laid claim to managing the diocese. Bishop Arseny declared him incompetent. For this, the renovationists accused the ruling bishop of counter-revolution and acted as witnesses against him at a trial organized by the authorities in the so-called “confiscation of church valuables” case.

The essence of the trial was the incident of beating the organizer of the seizure of valuables (Muralov) and insulting a member of the commission of the NKU of the Rostov GPU - Emelyanov.

In retaliation for the resistance of the church people by the GPU, Bishop Arseny and priests K. Molchanov, V. Fedosev, V. Dobrotvorsky, I. Tsarienko, N. Uspensky, K. Raznogorsky, K. Zdanevich were arrested at a show trial held in Rostov 22 -March 30, 1922 sentenced to different periods conclusions.

The court sentenced Vladyka Arseny to death. After the execution, the sentence was commuted to 10 years in prison. In 1922-1925. Vladyka served his sentence in the notorious SLON - Solovetsky camp special purpose. "I was released early due to illness."

In 1926, Vladyka visited Kyiv, where he met with Archbishops Dimitri Abashidze and Dimitri Verbitsky. Also in 1926, he visited Nizhny Novgorod, where he had a conversation with Metropolitan Sergius of Stragorod.

On June 25, 1930, he was transferred to the Crimean diocese, and on August 11, 1931, he was appointed Archbishop of Oryol, but did not enter into the administration of the diocese, as he was under another investigation.

On March 14, 1932, a Special Meeting of the OGPU Collegium decided to imprison Archbishop Arseny in a concentration camp for a period of three years.

On February 16, 1933, Archbishop Arseny was released early and was deprived of the right to reside in 12 cities.

In 1933 he was arrested in Stalingrad, until his death he was in exile in different places, in particular in 1934 in Borisoglebsk.

On September 17, 1935, he was appointed Archbishop of Semipalatinsk, but did not have the opportunity to take over the administration of the diocese.

Metropolitan Joseph said about him: “He was on the road all his life, but he died in Taganrog.” On one of the portraits of Archbishop Arseny, Vladyka Joseph wrote in his own hand: “(Fate) - Providence gave me a meeting on my life path with this man whose life was almost a legend, but reality.”

According to the memoirs of contemporaries, Vladyka Arseny was tall, eyes black, penetrating. He showed authority in his gait. He was a man of incorruptible honesty, the highest integrity and consistency, but not in time. He was naturally gifted with outstanding mathematical abilities and possessed phenomenal memory, knew a lot foreign languages, and spoke French, English, German and Italian well. He knew Hebrew, Greek and Latin perfectly.

In the circle of his loved ones, he said: “As long as I have lived, I have never saved or carried gold.” In matters of faith he did not allow any compromises. He was pure before God and people. He did not seek glory for himself from anyone, he loved truth in people and valued it above all else.

Vladyka Arseny’s former cell attendant, Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov) of Alma-Ata, spoke in July 1944 about an extraordinary vision that visited Vladyka Arseny in a dream at the end of 1933. He saw: “A solemn service is taking place in a temple unknown to Vladyka Arseny. The Liturgy is served by the Locum Tenens Metropolitan Sergius with a host of saints. The moment of great movement of all those present in the altar and the clergy and laity who filled the altar to capacity comes. Suddenly a procession begins. Led by a host of bishops preceded by many subdeacons, like celestial beings, shining with their beauty and spiritual appearance, inspiring fear and spiritual awe in those present, Metropolitan Sergius quietly moves forward. Subdeacons - celestials - carry ancient ostrich ripids and plow the procession of Metropolitan Sergius from all sides. The procession approaches a mountainous place, which, to the surprise of Vladyka Arseny, rose on seven steps. The saints began the rite of installing Metropolitan Sergius as patriarch.” This is where the vision ended. Bishop Arseny shared his impressions with his cell attendant and told him: “After all, this means nothing more than the extraordinary elevation of Metropolitan Sergius. Something great and glorious awaits him. But how can this happen when modern conditions our church life and the environment? However, we’ll wait and see.” He did not live to see this celebration. Vladyka Joseph lived to see the fulfillment of this significant dream, although exactly ten years passed after this vision (1933 - 1943).

Childhood leaves an indelible mark in the memory of any person, and the memories of the events that brought the child to the temple become the outline of his entire life. About your life path, oh fateful meetings, an experienced pastor and most interesting interlocutor, Archbishop Arseny Istrinsky, first vicar, tells us about devotion to God and love for people His Holiness Patriarch Moscow and all Rus'.

Vladyka, Arseny, please tell us about your childhood and parents.

For every child, parents are saints. But no matter how much we loved them, we treated our grandparents with much more tenderness; they were our “main” parents. It just so happened that in Russian families, children were raised mainly by them, and we saw parents only in the evening, when they were already tired, or on Sundays, Saturday used to be a working day. We received our upbringing from our grandparents, and whatever came out was the same, but we loved the Motherland and the Church.

Who were your parents?

Mom was a postal worker at railway and before her marriage she delivered correspondence on postal cars. And after she got married and I showed up, she went to work at the Kazansky railway station and worked there until her retirement. She received a badge of honor for her work and a pension of one hundred and thirty-two rubles, while my father received one hundred and thirty and could not come to terms with it (laughs.) My father served in border troops with the rank of sergeant, and after his dismissal he played professionally football team"Torpedo". Due to a leg injury, he had to leave the sport; it must be said that until the end of his days, his socks and boots lay in one of the closet drawers. He died during a football match. In 1993, on May 23, the Greeks played with ours, and we lost to them. My father was so worried that he felt sick with his heart. It happened at the dacha, they called the village police ambulance, and the paramedic who arrived said to the father: “I can’t do anything, your heart valve is closing, you will soon die.” And the father replies: “I don’t want to die.” But a few minutes later, in front of the mother and the paramedic, at the eightieth year of his life, the father passed away into eternity.

Vladyka Arseny, tell us how your grandmother raised you?

Well, grandmothers have talent! They will disperse, and have mercy, and feed. On my mother’s side, my grandmother’s name was Anna - she is the main conductor of my life. She was strict, so there wasn't much to play around with, but we cousin she was very loved. My grandmother gave me the concept of Church, fasting, and religious literature. She was from Ryazan peasants, and when she got married, she worked in Moscow as a janitor. Grandfather was also from Ryazan, they lived in Syromyatnichesky Lane, they had six cows in the 1920s. Explain to me how a woman could manage two children, six cows, work and take care of the house?! This was an amazing example of female hard work! My father became her son-in-law. Before they got married, my mother and father lived in the same village of Vostryakovo, now called Vzletny. My father lived closer to the Gnilusha River, and mom's family lived closer to the center of the village. And my father said that he once saw my mother on the platform, hit her, and they fell in love.

Do you still have some childhood memories from visiting the temple?

Of course, I can’t tell you this! First of all, it was very interesting. They put me near the fence that separates the salt. I remember what the atmosphere was like there. For some reason I also remember that the older generation often talked about the Antichrist and expected that he would come not today or tomorrow. Well, what could I, three years old, understand? In the temple where we went, there was such a reader Evgeniy Ivanovich, he had a huge mouth, a large square face and eyebrows like Brezhnev's. And then one day he came out to read the Apostle, and there was such a roar above me that I thought: “This is probably the Antichrist.” I was very afraid of him. And at home after the service, I would tie my mother’s apron on - it was my felonion, take some of the most tattered books from the chest of drawers and walk around the table with it, saying: “Let’s hear” or “Wisdom,” and I would perform censing with a child’s phone. When I was in the seventh or eighth grade, I learned the Church Slavonic language on my own - I wanted to understand it so much. Grandma had the Gospel with Russian and Slavic texts, that’s what I worked on. But I started with an akathist to St. Nicholas, read Church Slavonic words and figured out what they meant. And I remember one summer I was alone at home and began to read the akathist to St. Nicholas loudly, I just wanted to.

I remember with gratitude the teachers who ensured that their students understood the subject well. My Russian language was a little slow, so the head teacher of the school, Olga Gavrilovna, came an hour before classes and “taught us” our Russian language. What kind of teacher would you force to teach children for a “thank you” now?

I remember the literature teacher, we called her “ZIS” - Zoya Ivanovna Smirnova, we didn’t like her very much, we considered her evil, but principled. And then one day she gave us the idea of ​​staging a play based on Turgenev’s story “Bezhin Meadow.” We moved the tables, covered them with earth-colored material, put a light bulb in the center, covered it with red material - it was a fire, took out old trousers and bast shoes, lay down on these tables and began playing the composition “Bezhin Meadows” about the end of the world. I repeatedly recalled this work in my sermons in connection with the conversations that had begun about the end of the world and other things of a similar nature. We must be realistic and remember that even the Angels of God do not know when this will happen. And in this performance we showed the comedy of how people in Turgenev’s story waited for the coming of the Antichrist.

Vladyka, from your stories it seems that you are not a supporter of sweeping condemnation of the Soviet regime?

No, not a supporter. The bad side was that if you showed your religiosity to everyone, they started pestering you - that’s for sure. But if they knew that you were a believer, but in secret, then they didn’t touch you. In 1970 in Holy Saturday Chemistry teacher Anastasia Dmitrievna Izvolskaya, May the Kingdom of Heaven be upon her, says: “Whoever goes to bless Easter cakes today, I will give a bad mark in chemistry for the year!” She said and looks at me. I told this to my godmother. And she says: “How can this be? She’s the daughter of a priest, she brings me notes for commemoration.” But here’s what I was amazed by: a year or two before his death, Izvolskaya came to our house from the other end of the village and said: “I would like to find Yura and apologize to him.” Imagine, the teacher, who is ninety-something years old, already feeling the approach of her death, apparently remembered this incident, walked exhausted through most of the village and, without finding me, conveyed an apology through my sister. I was shocked.

Vladyka Arseny, how did you choose your path in life?

It's even difficult for me to explain how this happened. This happened in 1970 on Easter night. Considering that at that time the administrative pressure was quite high, especially on Holy Saturday and Easter night, the vigilantes tried to prevent young people from entering the church. And to get there, my grandmother and I went to the temple at four o’clock in the evening, but not in Biryulyovo, where we went as usual, but in Ermolino, not far from the town of Vidnoye, there is a church in honor of St. Nicholas. And so we arrived there at six o’clock in the evening and did not leave the church until five o’clock in the morning - we were afraid that they would not be allowed back into the temple. I did not go to the religious procession, so as not to risk it, and stayed in the church. And at this parish there was such a custom: at the procession of the cross, in addition to candles, they also lit sparklers and launched rockets. And from the windows it was visible how among dark night a blue rocket lights up, then a green one, then a red one, candles and sparklers burn, and they sing “Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Savior.” It was so beautiful! Even when I was named bishop, I told in confession about the incident that happened to me that night. I myself could not understand what happened to me. Then at the service during incense, I saw a ball of fire fly out of the altar and hover over the open Royal Doors, then it went to the right, just in my direction, walked along the pulpit to the corner and began to move towards me, came close and entered me. And such a burning began inside! I couldn't understand what was happening to me. After this incident, I did not miss a single Saturday all-night vigil or a single Sunday Liturgy, and then my open confession of faith began, I was incredibly drawn to the service. I hid clothes for the temple in raspberries so that my father would not see. Sometimes you would catch his eye, and you had to come up with something to make an excuse; in the summer you could say that you had gone for a walk in the yard, and in the winter you had to wait for my father to go out into the yard to smoke, and at that moment I would immediately get dressed and run away. I was 15 years old then. In 1971, because of this, my father and I made a serious “noise,” but he calmed down. Then he and his mother were given an apartment and they left for Lyubertsy, and we stayed to live with our grandmother. And soon I was drafted into the army, to the Kantemirovsky division near Narofominsk.

Vladyka, tell us who is your spiritual authority and favorite saint?

Reverend Father Seraphim. In our village lived Vera Kharlamova, such a dry old lady. She also had a pre-revolutionary book with a life St. Seraphim Sarovsky, and she gave it to my grandmother and me to read for two weeks. I then fell in love with this life. And among my contemporaries, my spiritual authorities were the late Archpriest Vasily Moiseev, rector of the Biryulevsky Church, and Father Alexy Maikov. Among the laity were Anna Ivanovna Pribilova, May the Kingdom of Heaven be hers, and Ivan Vasilyevich Sosunov. These people amazed me with their religiosity, erudition and understanding. Anna Ivanovna was never married and married me strong impression because she couldn’t stand it if someone started talking badly about a person in her presence. She could talk about various topics, but if judgment began, she simply got up and left. She did not receive a pension, her brother helped her, kept goats, and sold berries in the summer.

And when I was ordained bishop, I asked Metropolitan Alexy who I should follow as an example, and he named the name of Bishop Arseny Stognitsky.

Vladyka Arseny, please tell us about your first meeting with His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II.

It was 1978, Lazarus Saturday, in Moscow theological schools they were looking for a student who could be sent to Tallinn to Metropolitan Alexy (the future Patriarch) to become a subdeacon. Well, whoever they were looking for was not found, but I got caught on the road and was captured. To pick me up, they received a blessing from the seminary inspector, Archimandrite Alexander (Timofeev). And I was already released on vacation and said that tomorrow I was leaving for my parish and didn’t know anything else. But those who came for me were persistent, there was no escape. Well, I think: “I got it!” And the senior subdeacon of Metropolitan Alexy says: “Yes, we only take you to two services. Now you’ll serve and go back.” Well, I agreed. True, I never served as a subdeacon and knew nothing.

It’s good that I found a typescript of a monograph on subdeaconal duties in the library. I studied this book, wrote down everything I needed to know. The appointed day arrived, we met with the senior subdeacon, arrived at the Leningradsky station, stood on the platform, waiting. Two women approach us, looking like church women. Now these two women are Abbess Philareta and nun Pitirim, mothers of the Pukhtitsa Monastery, then they served under Metropolitan Alexy in the Moscow residence. And this is how we sit and wait. And here I am: shiny jacket, patent leather boots, hat - all dressed up. After a while, a Volga car drives up, the bishop comes out in a skufia, in a cassock with a staff, climbs up the side ladder to the platform, the mothers went to take the blessing, but I don’t know how to behave, it’s one thing to be a priest, but here - Metropolitan He saw my confusion, and then the wind blew, and my hat flew away, and then I was completely at a loss: either to run to Vladyka, or to get my hat. And he says to me: “Catch, catch, catch!” Well, I caught the hat and then took the bishop’s blessing. We got on the train and went. Metropolitan Alexy was traveling in one compartment, and we were all in another. Then the mothers went to him, the senior subdeacon too, and Vladyka Alexy said: “Well, call the boy!” Oh! I sat down, but my posture was so constrained that he told me: “Sit down normally, young man.” What is “normal”?! Out of fear, nothing moves, nothing works, I can’t move. Metropolitan Alexy then arrived with some international conference and started showing photographs, but I was so overstrained that I didn’t even see them. After that, he began to ask me about something, and I answered him as best I could. Then they let me out of the compartment - “Go, sit down. We’ll drink tea and you’ll come.” And when the tea was brought, we ate a little and started talking. In the morning we arrived in Tallinn, collected the necessary vestments, took them to the Cathedral of the Blessed Alexander Nevsky, then walked around the city a little before the service, had lunch, and served the service. In the morning we served the Liturgy, thank God I didn’t go astray anywhere, didn’t upset anyone. And so, at dinner, the Metropolitan says: “I’m going to the Pyukhtitsa Monastery. I will tonsure the mothers who were traveling with us. Have you never been there? “No,” I say. And the Metropolitan offered to go with him to Pükhtitsy, then return to Tallinn, serve a service with the reading of the twelve Gospels, and then go back. I agreed. On Thursday evening services were served, and the bishop again said to me: “Well, why are you going today? Let’s take out the Shroud tomorrow, then you can go.” Well, that's how I stayed until Christ's Resurrection. After this, Metropolitan Alexy invited me to serve as a subdeacon with him during his visits to Moscow. But I said that I needed the inspector's permission.

The first service in Moscow, at which I served as subdeacon with Metropolitan Alexy, was on May 1 at the tomb of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, after which I began to serve as subdeacon often. On the Assumption, Vladyka Metropolitan took me to Pyukhtitsy, then took me with him on vacation to the south. We traveled on a ship, and he remembered where he had been with his parents as a priest. It was a significant trip for me. And on April 21, 1978, I was appointed permanent subdeacon of Metropolitan Alexy.

How did you become a bishop?

Metropolitan Alexy did not say anything about his plans for me. We arrived from Leningrad to Moscow, the bishop was busy at the Synod, and I ran to the Council for Religious Affairs, received visas and passports, because our delegation had to go to Seattle. After I managed to complete the documents on time, I went to the cinema where they were showing the religious film “For Our Friends.” There were many Moscow clergy there. In this film, I first heard a telegram from St. Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky) addressed to Stalin. I was then shocked by this telegram. After this film, Father Alexander Dasaev and I walked to the Smolenskaya metro station, talking the whole way, and after we parted, I called the bishop from a payphone with a report that everything had been done. And he answered me: “Congratulations, Bishop of Ladoga!” I was taken aback. And the bishop repeats: “I’m telling you that you are the ruler of Ladoga.” Again I don’t understand anything, he told me again: “I’m telling you that you will now be a vicar bishop!” And then something turned off in my head, Vladyka Metropolitan was telling me something, but I couldn’t figure it out. After this conversation, I walked back and forth along Arbat for a long time - I forgot how to go home. I was in this state for about two hours, and only then I barely remembered that somehow I needed to get to the Paveletsky station. Of course, I arrived home late. And my grandmother said to me: “Here you are with your Metropolitan!” That same evening my godmother came and said: “Are you going to be a bishop soon or not?” I answer: “What if I do?” She says: “Don’t forget to tell me, I will definitely come to your consecration.” “Well, okay,” I say, “I’ll inform you about this soon.” And upon my arrival in America, Bishop Clement of Kaluga, who was also there, bought me episcopal crosses, and Bishop Theodosius bought me a cut for vestments. A very beautiful silver-blue vestment was then sewn from it. I myself bought myself a black one, with a small cross, and spent the daily allowance that was left. I still sometimes wear this vestment; it is especially dear to me.

Vladyka, while working as a secretary, you saw many priests. Are there any main differences between Soviet priests and modern ones?

For those priests, the main thing was service; they did not think about bread. We never even thought that we would be paid; the main thing was to serve, to be useful to the Church and Christ. But at one time we came to the seminary already ready for an active life as young men who were accustomed to discipline and order. After serving in the army. And today people come to the seminary straight from school. And often this is the only child loving parents, their little piece of gold that they can’t get enough of. And he has so much pride that you don’t know what to do with him. And there is no habit of discipline.

What do you think this is connected with?

Now there has been a reorganization of the army and a reduction military units and now it is allowed to enter the seminary immediately after school, that is, without any life experience. And this is not always justified. Sometimes young people who completed their studies in their twenties are not yet ready to serve, are not ready for family life, they don’t take orders, and in the position of psalm-reader the remuneration is such that you can’t make ends meet. It happens that such graduates go into social life.

At the same time, the Lord does not abandon His Church. The last decades of the last century and the first decades of this century produced so many pious laity who, having a secular education, left everything and became priests. This is so amazing! I often remember Father Andrei Goryachev. This man worked as a scalpel for ten years and was a surgeon. And when he became a priest, he was blessed to learn sign language translation and work with deaf-mute people. Father Andrei loved them so much that he gave himself completely to them. They ask him to come just to talk to him from all areas. And I was forced to limit his activities, because he simply began to “melt.” Who would have thought that they would become priests famous athletes world-famous, scientists, doctors. In the Kursk diocese, a deputy of the Supreme Council, a doctor by training, became a priest.

Perhaps people’s spiritual activity is connected with parish life, where the problems are among the most obvious?

You see, parish life is structured differently everywhere. You cannot make an entire society religious at once. You cannot force faith on a person. He was used to performing rituals: to baptize, at best, to get married, to have a funeral service, to light a candle for the eve, to remember his health. And we cannot demand more from him.

Many parishioners come to church and immediately leave after the service, not knowing each other. Often there is no association in the parish.
This is precisely the question now facing all the clergy, as well as all the active members of the parishes. His Holiness demands that large parishes have priests on duty. However, modern clergy are very busy, in addition, most of them are fathers of many children, therefore, the question is raised about the activity of the laity.

Vladyka, what qualities should modern priests have?

The priest must monitor how life develops and respond to its problems. Of course, it’s easiest to be a lawyer: “It’s written there, don’t do it,” “here it’s written there, don’t eat.” But what to do in a situation when a person cannot do this? I remember such an incident. In the 1970s, my father Alexander Dasaev and I came to the house of an old woman to give her communion. And the old woman was paralyzed that night, she was alone and lay in sewage, the smell was not very pleasant. And he asks me: “Yur, what are we going to do?” I say: “You see, she was preparing for this day, and it’s not her fault that this happened to her. But if she is not taught the Body and Blood of Christ even in this state, tomorrow she may already pass into another world without guidance.” And Father Alexander confessed and gave her communion. Although according to the rules it was impossible to do this until she was put in order, but on the other hand, she would have left without parting words, and that’s all. Or let's take this situation. Father Andrei Shumilov from the Pirogov clinics serves at the tuberculosis dispensary. And so he comes to me and says: “What should I do, they are disdainful of receiving communion from one spoon?” And we decided to buy several small Cups, and now he gives communion to each of them separately. Then the priest washes them. Every time he comes into contact with dangerous disease, but nothing happens to him. He just has the power of faith. We give them the Body and Blood of Christ, we confess, we talk, we try to return them to the Church. And what is this crime? No. Or, for example, a person comes to me and begins to confess terrible sin. According to the law, I must excommunicate him from Communion for many years. Yes, maybe he struggled with himself for a long, long time in order to cross the threshold of the church! And I’ll tell him: “You know, we can’t do that, that’s all.” No! When he becomes my spiritual child, I will know his life, and he will commit this sin again, then perhaps I will use the law. And I will tell him: “You are mine spiritual child, you knew about it, but you did it, this is your punishment.” But if a person has just come to the Church, wants to learn about the Church, is afraid of everything. He can’t do this right away with a law or a rule. No, you can’t approach a person like that.

Vladyka, now the family, especially the young one, is going through a severe crisis. Tendencies are developing in society towards the family being a temporary institution. And doesn’t the fact that the Church allows divorces hinder the strengthening of the family institution?

Firstly, I can say that the more the artistic world, which marries seventy-seven times, is popularized, the more it will flourish in society. Secondly, as a rule, now marriages are concluded not by the decision of adults, parents, but by the will of the young. That's when charm and passion come into play. And after reality sets in, young people cannot stand their circumstances. The reason also lies in the fact that most families consist of a husband, wife and one child, who grows up to be selfish. He is not accustomed to patience and forbearance. Thirdly, when young people create a family, they focus on wealth, prestige and high position. Parents also play an important role. So the young people got married, you never know what disagreements there may be between them, but then a whisperer appears - this is the mother: “Oh, he is so-and-so!”, The same thing on the other side. It was very surprising for me when a priest I knew got married and said to his wife: “Darling, our parents are very good people, but they only come to visit us, and you and I live alone, let’s agree this way.” And their parents did not have such concepts as “my son” and “my daughter,” but there was the concept of “children.” And another archdeacon I knew gave the following advice: “Young people, it is almost impossible to live without any disagreements, but no one except you should know about them. And if you quarrel, put a stool in the middle of the room, go to different corners and vent in your corner all the bad things that you are now experiencing towards each other. And when all the bad things have already been said, and there is nothing more to remember, start remembering the good things, and with each memory take a step back, towards the stool, and whichever of you sits on the stool first, the second one will sit on his lap, then you will hug, kiss, and everything will be covered with love.”

Vladyka, we started talking about tolerance and the ability to yield. We understand that a person enters into traditions without creating them, but already having a ready-made cultural environment. How should we feel about the fact that the Islamic tradition is now so actively entering the canonical territory of the Orthodox faith?

We must not forget that we were raised in the Soviet Union, where all peoples were equal, all peoples were friends and lived in peace. I grew up in a village where many Muslims lived, and there were never any disagreements on ethnic or religious grounds. We didn't have a temple, they didn't have a mosque. Mullah lived opposite our house, and I had no shame in drinking tea with them. True, my family forbade me to touch meat in their house, but the buns were very tasty. And if the mullah, and he and his wife were already elderly, brought firewood, then we would unload it with a whole gang of guys. But the problem now is that when Muslims move here, they do not want to adopt our culture. After all, the minority always accepts the culture and traditions of the majority, modernizing its traditions. But they don’t want to do this and live as is customary for them. And for this reason they behave incorrectly. Our ruling authorities should have understanding in this matter.

Vladyka Arseny, what advice would you give to readers of the Slavyanka magazine?

If they are readers of an Orthodox magazine, then this is already a good indicator. This means that they have not lost interest in life, they have a sense of love, leniency and compassion. And the second thing I want to say: no matter how society extols a woman, no matter how it calls her, a woman must remember that she is a woman, and those qualities and properties with which she is endowed must be used for the benefit of the family and society, but not for the sake of satisfying passions. A woman should feel that she is a mother, and not a sculpture that can only be admired.

Interviewed by Sergey Timchenko

In 1976-1979 studied at the Moscow Theological Seminary, then at, from which he graduated in 1983.

In 1983-1989 was a referent and personal secretary, later the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.

On August 28, 1984 he was ordained to the rank of deacon, on August 28, 1986 - to the rank of priest, since 1988 he served in the Holy Trinity Cathedral.

On September 30, 1989, he was tonsured a monk, and on October 5, in the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, he was consecrated Bishop of Ladoga.

Participated in the work of commissions to examine the holy relics returned to the Church and newly discovered: St. blgv. book Alexander Nevsky (1988), Saints Zosima, Savvaty and German Solovetsky (1990), Venerable. Seraphim of Sarov (1991), St. Joasaph of Belgorod (1991), St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1991), Blessed. Matrons (1998).

In 1994-1997 was the chairman of the Scientific Editorial Council for the publication of “History of the Russian Church” by Metropolitan Macarius (Bulgakov).

Since 1998, from the date of its foundation, he has headed the Scientific Editorial Council for the publication.

By order of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of April 1, 2009, the first vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' for Moscow.

In December 2010, parish churches in the Central and Southern administrative districts of Moscow.

By order of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill dated December 31, 2011, the manager of the Central Vicariate within the boundaries of the Central Administrative District of Moscow and the Southern Vicariate within the boundaries of the Southern Administrative District of Moscow.

February 1, 2014 for Divine Liturgy in Moscow by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill to the rank of Metropolitan.

By the decision of the Holy Synod of December 24, 2015 () it was included in the Russian Orthodox Church.

By the decision of the Holy Synod of July 9, 2019 () he was appointed by His Eminence Lipetsk and Zadonsky, head, with dismissal from his position.

In 1997 received ordination archbishop, and in 2014 became metropolitan. IN this moment holds the position of vicar in the Moscow Patriarchate.

Biography of a priest

Metropolitan Arseny Istrinsky was born in 1955 in the Moscow region. He was born in the small village of Vostryakovo, which is now one of the microdistricts in the Western administrative district of the capital.

The hero of our article graduated from a regular Soviet school. And he immediately went to work. He got a job at the post office located at the Kazansky railway station in Moscow. Having earned the first money in his life, Yuri Aleksandrovich Epifanov (that was his name then), went to serve in the army.

Path to the church

From the age of 15, the hero of our article already professed Orthodoxy. Future Metropolitan Arseny Istrinsky chose a purposeful church career immediately after serving in the Armed Forces of the USSR. In 1975, at the age of 20, he became an altar boy at the St. Nicholas Church in Biryulyovo. Ordinary men from the laity were recruited for this church position. No special training or education was required to become an altar server.

The temple in Biryulyovo, in which Arseny served as an altar worker, was named in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. It was built shortly after Civil War, in 1924. The Soviet government did not so openly interfere with the work of the church at that time. At first it was made of wood. And it burned to the ground in 1956. In the next year it was restored and consecrated. Almost secretly. This temple is unique because it was built during the years of Soviet power, when the clergy were oppressed in every possible way.

Seminary studies

Having become an altar server, the future Metropolitan Arseny of Istrinsky became convinced of his desire to forever give himself to the church. To do this, in 1976 he entered the theological seminary in Moscow. And then he graduated from Eey in 1983.

After this, for six years he served as a referent and personal secretary for the future Patriarch Alexy II. True, in those days Alexy was only a metropolitan. First Estonian and Tallinn, later Leningrad and Novgorod. He received the patriarchal rank only in 1990.

By that time, Arseny had broken up with him. In 1988, he received the post of cleric of the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg. It's ancient Orthodox church, built during the time of Peter I.

Meanwhile, in those years he had already received the rank of archpriest.

Bishop of Ladoga

In 1989, the hero of our article received a new assignment. He became the Bishop of Ladoga and vicar of the Leningrad diocese. That is, an assistant to the diocesan bishop who does not have his own diocese.

In September, he took the name Arseny in honor of Arseny Konevsky, an Orthodox Novgorod monk who lived in the 14th-15th centuries. (It was Arseny Konevsky who brought the icon to Russia from Athos Mother of God, which later received the name Konevskaya. Together with this icon, he settled on the island of Konevets, located on Lake Ladoga. Over time, he founded a communal monastery, which was dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary).

At this time, it turned out that the new Patriarch Alexy II had not forgotten his former secretary-assistant. At the very first meeting of the Holy Synod, after he took office, the hero of our article became Metropolitan Arseny of Istra. The priest's biography subsequently developed very successfully. He received the rank of vicar in the Moscow diocese.

In 1997 he was elected to the secretariat of the Council.

Archbishop's rank

At the same place where Arseny entered the secretariat, he was awarded the rank of archbishop. So went up the church career ladder Metropolitan Arseny of Istrinsky. Many parishioners knew where the archbishop served.

People came to his Istra Vicariate, located in the Moscow region (in the city of Istra), from different corners countries for advice and absolution. By the way, Metropolitan Arseny still leads it. For 27 years now.

In 2009, Arseny became vicar of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', replacing the deceased Alexy II in this post. His area of ​​responsibility included the capital's parishes.

Responsibilities of the Metropolitan

Arseny received the rank of metropolitan in 2014. His immediate responsibilities include overseeing the capital’s churches in the Southern and Central parishes of the capital. Since 2015, Metropolitan Arseny has been a member of the Supreme Church Council. In fact it's executive agency authorities, which functions under the Russian Orthodox Church.

The vicar of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' is engaged not only in monitoring the activities of parishes. He is also obliged to be responsible for the work and performance of their duties by the clergy and parish councils at the churches under his subordination.

He is one of the permanent members of the commission, which examines holy relics returned to the church or discovered again.

IN last years the commission confirmed the authenticity of the relics of many saints: in 1988, Alexander Nevsky, and in 1990 - Rev. Savvaty, Herman and Zosima Solovetsky (founders of the world famous in the 15th century), Seraphim of Sarov (he founded the Diveyevo Convent), Patriarch Tikhon, who led the Russian Orthodox Church during the October Revolution and the Civil War.

In 1998, the authenticity of the relics of Matrona of Moscow (Matrona Dmitrievna Nikonova), a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church who was rumored to have advised Joseph Stalin himself, was certified.