Our spiritual father is Archpriest Vasily Ermakov. Archpriest Vasily Ermakov: Childhood - War - Under Occupation

When the tragedy happened on the Kursk submarine, I told you: “The reason for the tragedy is this: apparently, one of the wives, seeing their husbands off on a campaign, cursed them!”

And today the wife of the division chief of staff, captain first rank Vladimir Tikhonovich Bagryantsev, came to see me from there, and we asked her. Yes, that’s how it was: after their husbands sailing out to sea, they hurled cruel words...

These wives, of course, are far from God. They were tired of waiting for their husbands to return - they were planning divorces. And imagine the feelings of these military sailors - sailor, captain, foreman - what awaits them after the campaign?

When you come home from a difficult hike, the door is closed. Then you are met with an angry expression, a cry: why did you come, here is a divorce paper for you, and others, and other blows of the cruel woman's heart in my husband's heart. And he, being in the service, fulfilling the duty of defending the Motherland, engaged in complex shooting, thinks this difficult thought of his - and his hand moves differently... Maybe they pressed something wrong, directed it in the wrong direction, and the boat and burst...

And this picture is repeated every time women send us, their husbands, with a curse. This was also when the Tarasov motor ship sank, and when a number of other disasters took place - I have a lot of evidence of such tragedies...

We forget how powerful a word is when spoken in anger, with the desire for retribution, for a person to be destroyed: everything is done according to this word. I have already told you more than once, I teach and remind you all the time that your woman’s word - it immediately reaches God. Straightaway! Good, prayerful words too, and especially prayerful ones. But we don’t feel, we don’t want to understand how God helps us for our prayers, especially when we pray in sorrow for children, when we endure their suffering...

Father Vasily

Pray - the Lord will reward you with everything. Even if not right away, you will get everything you want, what you strive for, what you are looking for in life. So is it really impossible to settle down, is it really impossible to keep irritation within yourself? After all, this is a loved one - remember that you all married for love, and you loved each other. But when the time of everyday shortages came - they weren’t given apartments anywhere, they weren’t paid salaries, then a number of other troubles arose - right away: it’s your fault! And somewhere to feel sorry, to console, to caress, to say: “Come on, everything will come in due time” - this is not...

I have been watching you for many years, almost 50 years, and I know where the roots of this evil come from - female unbelief and cruelty. This happens when a woman loses faith, when a wife loses love that must be preserved - not carnal, but spiritual love! Yes, the greatest feat in the family is taking care of your husband, your children, your home. And you can accomplish this feat - everything is within your power!

But you don’t want and don’t want it, you don’t need it. But excuses are needed: they say, you didn’t know that he was so bad, although he seemed so bad before smart person. Well, what is his fault? While he was walking around as a groom, he was good, but when the time of testing came, he became bad.

Why is it bad? Nothing. Everything is the same, but the wife looks around: look how the neighbors live, they have everything. Oh, what a car, what a dacha, how she dresses, where they go for walks, and so on and so forth. Why is this necessary? In an instant it can collapse, in an instant it can be destroyed...

And then they start crying: “Oh, my dears, oh, my dears, how you suffered there...”, tearing out your hair... The gasps are over, the sighs are over. You received what, without wanting to, without realizing it, you brought upon yourself. We got what we deserved. Here is a clear example of the answer to what happens to a person when, having forgotten God, he brings his evil and bitterness into this world.

If they pray, God will help them. No - they will still spin. After all, they followed all these psychics, all the sorcerers, believing in their empty promises and paying money for this demonic business. But only four people came to Church...

Today they told me that Bagryantsev’s wife will come here again tomorrow. That others began to move a little closer to the temple of God - already about twenty people were still somewhere in the North, in a small chapel, along with them. Thank God, they are beginning to understand the main thing: that you don’t have to live with a glance at this dust - at the apparent well-being of life, it is important to think about your family. And in a family faith is required - the wife’s faith is very strong, supported by prayer and hope for God’s help. It is the wife who should be the core of spiritual life and the clock by which the family lives. This pendulum of life that moves in it - a lot depends on it.

But, unfortunately, she flies out behind the shoulder straps - oh, how beautiful they are when they graduate from the naval school: the shoulder straps are shiny, the shirts are white, the dirk is on the side, the cap... - wow! Involuntarily I want to rush after this. But then she rushed in, and she had to roll up her sleeves and wash the dishes and do all sorts of other chores, and then the kids started walking. And it begins: but I didn’t think that everything would be like this... And they leave their husbands to the mercy of fate. Here you will inevitably start drinking - I speak like a peasant - and you will inevitably start stumbling, because no one is waiting at home.

But in order to live normally, you need to understand that a military husband, especially a border guard, when he comes home, needs to be given reasonable rest - both moral and spiritual. But for this you need to have boundless love for your husband and his feat. That is why Christian wives are always glorified, who share all the hardships of their husbands’ camp life. These wives are what you need...

But now you, young mothers, most often do not prepare your children and daughters for a hard life. You calmly let them go to this disco, but in a shorter dress, and at fifteen, even at thirteen years old, this daughter is already smoking with all her might, or - it’s scary to watch - she’s walking half-drunk. Well, well, what good is she - throw her on the street, and then she is offended that at twenty years old she is already “retired”...

Well, where is it? But they themselves were looking for all this, they themselves were striving for it, without listening, not wanting to understand the old people - who had seen, who had passed, who understood all the dirty, tragic past time. We saw everything. That’s why we warn, we constantly say: “Guys, don’t interfere, don’t steal, don’t smoke, don’t rush into these companies...” But they still rush in, and then cry, and then get offended, why is life like this...

Here's another recent example. A man, only 36 years old, walked towards the car and died. Why did he die? Perhaps he became unspoken? Yes, the driver let loose and was about to file for divorce. Well, he handed it in - they brought it in a hearse. We won’t wish this on anyone, and we’ll remind you that you can’t be touched, you can’t be humiliated, you can’t be treated like some kind of rag, you can’t! Eat great power- God is always for you, God protects you, protects you, and will protect you, only you become closer to God. Difficult? - Difficult! And consolation is in God, in prayer, in joy and prosperity.

This is why I am telling you that you, my Christians, my parishioners, should stand firm in the faith. You must have strong faith and demonstrate boundless love. But love is not for the street, not for envy that someone is better dressed, but love for faith, for prayer, for compassionate people.

It is no coincidence that I reminded you of the Kursk tragedy - my wife’s word came true. The mother's word is fulfilled, and the wife's too, if she prays. If my mother and sister had not prayed since 1943, I would not be standing here. I practically felt the influx of God’s power through their prayers: “Intercede and save!”

So it is today. Our times are very difficult, very cruel, very cynical. Everyone is shaking us, everyone is preventing us from moving towards faith. But this is the most important thing - to believe, pray, raise children - so that they know school, Church, home and mother! It’s difficult, yes, it’s difficult, but you have to give it a hand. And don't spoil them. They don’t behave like that, they don’t listen to you - put them on bread, on water. It's nothing. You do not want? Earn money yourself. And not so that: “Dad, is there anything better?” What you have, put it on. If you don't want to, go and work. So that time doesn’t ask you later: “Why does everything work out this way?” So that they don’t point at you: “Mother, it’s your fault that I grew up like this.” Didn’t they tell you?...

And less attention to the world - to the world of surrounding temptation and ignorance. This is not ours. Ours here is the temple of God, prayer. And the Lord, don’t get me wrong, the Lord gives us everything - everything we need for life, for joy, for consolation, and especially for future mothers and husbands. Walk - firmly, but with God, with prayer. Without listening, without asking for advice from friends, from friends. And without leaving your family, looking for all kinds of entertainment. Otherwise it will be too late, too late to cry.

Remember, God is with us everywhere, and there is no need to “blur” anything - in the back, to your loved ones, relatives, especially husbands. Difficult? Yes, it's difficult for everyone. But we must patiently endure the test that each of us faces. We all bear the sin of life, and only in faith do we atone for it - we pray, we ask that the Lord grant us to endure everything patiently.

Keep it up, and teach others - the stupid ones who don’t understand this: “How do you live? - It’s very simple: I believe and I pray. And I don’t scold my husband. And I teach children faith...” Amen.

Each of us has a certain circle in common with each other. There is no personal meeting; we avoid it. The meeting of person with person is always mysterious. It happens when we see some depth in another. We distinguish in it the play of inner light. The ability to see this light in your neighbor is a special gift.

The work of pastoral ministry requires attention to many, many. The more a person approaches God, the more clearly he sees God in all parts of the universe. Spiritual man can acquire the property of “magnanimity” - expansion of the volume of the soul, the ability to accept into it the spiritual images of other people. One of the famous elders of our time was the mitred archpriest Vasily Ermakov, whose tenth anniversary falls on February 3, 2017.

The meeting with him became unforgettable for many of our contemporaries. The meeting occurs already when the light of holiness blinds. But Father Vasily also possessed the gift of foresight. Many memories tell about this. It turns out that all our actions, words, thoughts are imprinted in spiritual space and can be read by a spirit-bearing person. – We exist in the spiritual dimension. Having encountered a miracle with his own eyes, a person realized the spiritual meaning of his existence. And he found a meeting with the only Father. And the priest found a meeting with a host of “only” spiritual children, the orbits of whose lives were corrected under the influence of the spiritual power of the mentor. Among the parishioners of the churches where Father Vasily served were artists, writers, painters, musicians, and military men. But simple people they remember the great old man with a simple heart.

For five years, from 1976 to 1981, Father Vasily served in “Kulich and Easter”. Then for the residents of Pontonnaya, Otradny, Kirovsk it was the nearest temple. There there was a meeting with the priest, the main meeting in her life for Anna Vasilievna. They turned out to be not only contemporaries, but also fellow countrymen.

Often we do not realize that we are next to not just a person, but the history of the fatherland, with its most sorrowful and majestic events, imprinted in a living heart. And so that we do not miss the main thing, and our reader’s meeting with the real history of the Russian people takes place, we will talk about two destinies.

Father Vasily Ermakov

Don't forget God!

Vasily Ermakov was born in 1927 in Bolokhov, Oryol province, into a pious peasant family. It was a troubled time. Centuries-old foundations were crumbling folk life. Entire classes were declared enemies. Nobles, intelligentsia, kulaks, clergy... And the main enemy of the atheistic government was the Creator himself. But no matter what happens in the universe, in a family, parents are responsible for peace to their children. The father instructed: “children, you must pray.” And they obeyed the order. All 28 churches in the city were closed by the end of the 30s. The family prayed at home. Home education and impressions of the outside world varied significantly.

In 1933-35, I experienced a famine. In winter, when it was cold, we had to be on duty in bread lines. A one and a half kilogram loaf of bread was divided among five people at home. However, it was not always possible to buy bread. Homemade potatoes and vegetables saved us, but the feeling of hunger did not go away. The temples of the city were turned into warehouses and filled with rye and wheat, but the population was not given bread.

All around we saw “closed churches, broken windows, rickety crosses.” But the child’s spiritual peace was preserved thanks to his family. Vasya felt godlessness in all his rage when he went to study. The school had a task: “to educate Soviet man, infinitely devoted to the idea of ​​socialism." All training was accompanied by blasphemous poems by Demyan Bedny, Bagritsky about a pioneer woman tearing off her cross, and the “heroism” of Pavka Morozov, who betrayed his father into the hands of the NKVD. Evil corrupted fragile hearts, and passed from book examples into life. Somehow a classmate younger sister came to visit and, seeing that the girl was praying, told about it. Varya Ermakova was disgraced throughout the school, the children persecuted her with terrible ridicule and bullying.

All these educational means caused bewilderment. The boy asked his father what to do? “Son, you study, but don’t act on their deeds. ... I beg you, don’t forget God!”

Gotta go to church

In 1941 Vasily graduated from the seven-year school. But the war began and brought new challenges.

The Germans occupied Bolokhov on October 9, 1941. And already on October 16, a small monastery church in the name of Metropolitan Alexy was opened. Residents collected surviving icons from closed churches and brought them from home. There was a cup, they took out an antimension, they took vestments from the museum, and they found books. The only priest remaining in the city, Vasily Veryovkin, came to perform the service. He had just returned from exile, having served 8 years in a logging camp in Arkhangelsk region, from 1932 to 1940. There was no work for him in the city, except for uprooting trees. Vasya was friends with his son at school. At the family table, the father said: “Children, we need to go to church. We must thank God that the house did not burn down during the fighting, none of us were injured.” Soviet school education did its job: Vasya was attacked by a demonic fear that his neighbors would see him. But it was impossible to disobey my father. “I defended my service and didn’t understand anything, but I fulfilled my father’s duty. Went home. And again, afraid that someone might see it, that someone might “grab it.”

Since December, all young people aged 14 and older began to be escorted to work every day, from 9 am to 5 pm. The winter was very cold and snowy, and it was necessary to clear the snow from the roads and fill up shell craters.

Soon the Church of the Nativity of Christ was opened, which could accommodate up to three thousand people. At Christmas the whole Ermakov family was there. This service shocked Vasya. The temple was packed. People, mostly women, in threadbare sweatshirts, patched clothes, old scarves, bast shoes, prayed fervently, “in tears and sighs.” Devotedly, reverently making the sign of the cross. Praying for loved ones, for their families, for their homeland. “It was a real deep prayer of the Russian people, who were not completely deceived, who came to their senses and again came to God.” “And the choir was wonderful, and even incomprehensible Slavic language I felt it in my heart." “I looked with a different inner gaze,” “...I felt with all clarity: “Heaven on earth” is a prayer.” The soulful prayerful grace of grieving people touched the hearts.

“I came to Church and from that day on I strictly did not miss services.” Father Vasily noticed such zeal and called the young man to help at the altar. Participation in divine services caused ridicule and insults from his comrades. But the strength of spirit helped to follow the chosen path. “Each time I visited the Church of God, I grew stronger in faith, strengthened in piety.”

Lord, save my life!

The war began to be felt in all its terrible force in July 1943 during the Battle of Kursk-Oryol. The front was nearby. Our shells exploded. Armadas of 300-400 German planes flew to bomb the front lines of the Soviet troops. The Germans began to take all the young people to Germany. They organized raids. Vasily and his sister took the icon of the Savior, their father’s blessing, and the Gospel and, seizing an opportune moment, tried to escape. But it didn't work. And in a column of prisoners they were driven under escort to the west... I had a chance to meet my parents only after the end of the war.

In September they ended up in the Pylyukyuva concentration camp, a hundred kilometers from Tallinn. There were about one hundred thousand prisoners here. The food was bad. The lice got eaten. The mortality rate was very high. The prisoners were spiritually supported by the Tallinn Orthodox priests. Divine services were held regularly in the camp. There was a wonderful choir of refugees from Leningrad. Mikhail Ridiger, the father of the future Patriarch Alexy II, served. The psalmist was Vyacheslav Yakobs, the current Metropolitan Cornelius. Here Vasily again felt the power of joint prayer. “The Orthodox faith did not perish in the hearts of Soviet people; it shone brightly in the camps.” He prayed himself. He took the icon of the Savior—his father’s blessing—and asked: “Lord, save my life. Lord, don’t let me be sent to Germany. Lord, save me and my parents so that I can see them!”

Great human interaction

Father Vasily Verevkin and his family were also in the same camp. At the request of the Tallinn clergy, the Germans ordered their release from the camp. The priest, at his own peril and risk, included Vasya Ermakov and his sister among his family.

And on Intercession, October 14, former prisoners offered thanksgiving prayers about the liberation in the Church of Simeon and Anna in Tallinn. From that day on, Vasily learned a “new spiritual way of life.” He found himself among bearers of pre-revolutionary spiritual traditions. “I saw true priests and listened to their heartfelt sermons. Among the parishioners there were many emigrants from Russia.” Their prayer was fervent.

Vasily became friends with Alyosha Ridiger. “He and I were sextons together, we rang the bells together, we served as subdeacons together with Vladyka Pavel Dmitriev.” “We had a very strong friendship of brothers in faith, brothers in spirit. I deeply felt the great joy of spiritual communication with the family of Father Mikhail, Mother Elena Iosifovna and Alexy. They taught me spiritual life, gave me spiritual literature.” “I read the German newspapers that were published at that time. There were very interesting articles about the destruction of all churches in Russia.” “I met with emigrants, read their literature, the memoirs of Krasnov and Denikin. It was all there. They all raised me, and I have a great memory of that wonderful human communication with this the most beautiful family" Vasily heard new points of view on historical paths and the fate of the fatherland, thoughts about the future of Russia after the war. “And we prayed, believing that the golden time would come.”

On September 22, 1944, Soviet troops entered Tallinn. The church greeted them with the ringing of bells. Russian speech was heard everywhere. Vasily was mobilized and sent to the headquarters of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet. But in free time continued to perform a variety of duties in the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn: bell ringer, subdeacon, altar boy. During the days of victory in 1945, the Easter message rang out over the city. “And we believed that in the life of Russia there would begin new era“The era of the revival of national consciousness.”

In June 1945, after the end of the war, Vasily left to look for his parents. “With tears in my eyes I said goodbye to the Ridiger family. Father Mikhail and mother Elena Iosifovna saw me off, and quite naturally I remember Lyosha and our other friends. And I thought that I would never meet them again.”

I learned to understand the soul of the people

In 1946, Vasily Ermakov, with the blessing of his parents, applied for admission to the Moscow Theological Institute. I've been waiting for a call all summer. And in August, I unexpectedly received a telegram from Leningrad from Alexei Ridiger: “Vasya, come to the seminary.” “.. and at the call of Alexei, “according to his heart,” Vasily came to enroll. They became “the pioneers of our theological schools – seminaries and academies.”

“I studied at the seminary for three years, and then another four years at the Theological Academy. What could I take away from this theological school in 7 years? We were instilled with a love for the Temple. ... My faith was deepened by the knowledge of the spiritual riches that the Orthodox Church has accumulated over its centuries-old history; we also studied languages, learned singing, and also the ability to preach, etc. And so that they don’t talk to God on “you”. And since the Lord has called us to serve God and people, then we must devote ourselves to this spiritual field with faith and diligence.”

“I became stronger in my intention to become a priest. But I was looking for what I should be. That was not easy. The older priests felt the mark of past persecutions. In conversations with us, they avoided talking about what happened in the past, perhaps they didn’t want to scare us young people away.” Books helped me think about the image of a real priest. “I read pre-revolutionary spiritual publications that revealed the essence of spiritual achievement. This helped a lot when, after graduating from the Academy in 1953, he began to serve in St. Nicholas Cathedral. I moved away from the usual stereotype of a priest, went down from the pulpit to the parishioners, to the people and began to ask: what need, what grief does a person have... " "What time was it? Less than a decade has passed since the blockade was lifted. Front-line soldiers, blockade survivors who had experienced all the horrors of the war came to the church. God preserved them. And these conversations were needed not only by them, but also by me.” “I learned to understand the soul of the people, to feel their grief, suffering, and as best I could, through the prayer of God, I helped people in solving everyday issues and especially spiritual issues. How to believe. How to follow Christ. How to fulfill your spiritual duties."

We need a miracle

Father Vasily served in St. Nicholas Cathedral from 1953 to 1976. Then he was transferred to the “Kulich and Easter” church in the Nevsky district. And in 1981 he became rector of the Church of Seraphim of Sarov at the Seraphim Cemetery.

The Lord lifted Vasily Ermakov up, as if up the steps of a ladder. He tested me with sorrows, warmed my faith and raised me to greater spiritual strength. Vasily Ermakov was in confessional opposition to the outside world, creating the inner, spiritual. As fate would have it, Vasily found himself in the thick of history. Being quite young, he did not actively intervene in events, but absorbed impressions with a pure childish soul. He, like a boat, was carried along by the rapids of history. And the Lord, through prayers, saved his life. He was protected and wised by parental guidance, church care, the spiritual environment of emigration and later theological schools. Entering theological schools, Vasily had extensive practical life spiritual experience. He had already learned the power of prayer and acquired the spiritual strength necessary for the feat of shepherding.

In his sermons, he constantly reflected on the spiritual meanings of Russian history, its past and future. “In the forties there was a plan for the final destruction of faith in the hearts of the Russian people. But man proposes, but God disposes. We got a war, and the communist leaders were forced to recognize both Orthodoxy and the church; a Patriarch was elected, some of the surviving bishops were released from prison, churches and seminaries began to be opened, and for the first time in 1943, the Theological Institute was opened in the Novodevichy Convent.”

During his service in St. Nicholas Cathedral, the priest showed the gift of clairvoyance. “We need a miracle. The people are waiting for a miracle; they are exhausted by the vulgarity of a thoughtless existence. And this is the task of the priest: in the act of prayer, a vision is revealed to him that is inaccessible to an ordinary person. I repeat, such a vision is given not only by ordination, but also by daily long prayers. Both experience and knowledge of life.”

A local, small, meeting with a spirit-bearing person is proof of a future big meeting with the Lord. The saint has the ability, like a magnifying glass, to collect divine energy in your heart, and with this spiritual ray kindle the fire of faith in the hearts of others. And many, many of our contemporaries keep a grateful memory of Elder Vasily Ermakov.

Lyudmila Moskovskaya,
member of the Russian Writers' Union.

Materials from the website “Russia in Colors” were used

There are many worthy servants of God in the Russian Orthodox Church, but only one of them named the planet. This is Father Vasily Ermakov. He suffered a lot in his life, but only became even stronger in his faith.

Using his example, he educated parishioners in the spirit of evangelical love for God and each other. In addition, he was respected as a front-line soldier, a man who went through the Soviet repressive system and did not stray from God.

Father Vasily Ermakov is one of the most famous and authoritative clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church

During the years of Soviet power, Orthodox Christianity was subjected to unprecedented persecution in Russia. Under these conditions, the current state of affairs, when believers united around the temple, changed.

Since many churches were destroyed, the Orthodox began to unite around the personalities of certain clergy. Such shepherds were models of devotion to God, so many wanted to ask their advice.

Archpriest Vasily (Ermakov), 2012, Bolkhov. Archpriest Vasily Ermakov is recognized as one of the most authoritative priests of St. Petersburg

Priest Vasily Ermakov became one of such authoritative priests in St. Petersburg. Thousands of people came to his sermons. Many came from Siberia, from the Urals, Far East, Kazakhstan. For many years he served at the Seraphim cemetery in the church St. Seraphim Sarovsky.

For services to the Russian Orthodox Church, the archpriest was awarded the right to wear a miter. Received the right to serve the Divine Liturgy with the gates open until the Lord's Prayer. Awarded orders of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Vasily Timofeevich Ermakov comes from a pious family

birthday of Vasily Ermakov

Vasily Ermakov was born on December 20, 1927 in pious peasant family. Father - Timofey Ermakov, mother - Lyudmila Aleksandrovna Nikiforova. The family of Vasily’s parents lived all their lives in the city of Bolkhov, Oryol region. Here the priest is remembered and honored to this day. In Bolkhov one of the streets is named after him.

The Ermakov family. From left to right: Vasily Ermakov, his father Timofey Tikhonovich, his mother Praskovya Ilyinichna. The future archpriest was born into a pious peasant family. He learned the basics of the Orthodox faith from his father

First instructions in Christian faith Vasily received it from his father. The fact is that by the end of the thirties, all 28 churches in the city were closed. The knowledge and example of Christian life received from him later determined the fate of the priest.

As for secular education, in 1933 he entered school, seven classes of which he graduated from by 1941.

Arrest of Patriarch Tikhon (blessing of Patriarch Tikhon). 1996 Having seen the attitude of the Bolsheviks towards the Church in childhood, Father Vasily retained a hostile attitude towards Soviet power throughout his life.

It should be noted that seeing in childhood all the lawlessness committed by the Bolsheviks, Archpriest Vasily Ermakov became a staunch opponent of the communist regime for the rest of his life. He suffered from the Bolsheviks own father, who was dispossessed for “a horse and a winnowing fan.”

In addition, the scenes of massacres carried out by representatives of the new government over the priests.

The period of occupation became significant in the fate of Father Vasily

Biography of Father Vasily Ermakov during the Great Years Patriotic War unique. The fact is that the Germans captured their native Bolkhov with fighting in October 1941. The Nazis sent city residents over the age of 14 to forced labor. They were forced to dig trenches, clear roads, build a bridge, and fill up craters.

Alexievskaya Church of the city of Bolkhov. 1941 Here the occupying German authorities allowed the opening of a temple. It became the first temple where Vasily Ermakov began to go

Believers in the city opened an underground church, collecting church utensils and icons from the bombed church and city museums. The Germans allowed it to be officially opened on October 16, 1941 in the 17th century church in the name of St. Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow. It was located on the territory of the former convent Nativity of Christ.

on this day Father Vasily began serving as an altar boy in the church

Priest Vasily Veryovkin served in the church. Here the future archpriest visited for the first time church service. Further, starting from the Nativity of Christ in 1942, he regularly attends services there. Noting his zeal, the priest on March 30, 1942, assigned him to serve at the altar as a priest.

The teenager was bullied by his peers, because it was not customary to openly demonstrate one’s religiosity in the USSR, even during the occupation. By the way, subsequently, Father Vasily sharply opposed Bolshevism and Soviet power. He considered them a great disaster for Russia.

During his imprisonment in a concentration camp, Father Vasily met Mikhail Redigir

In the summer of 1942, Soviet troops launched an attack on Bolkhov. The shelling and bombing of the city intensified. On July 14, a shell hit the church during artillery shelling. Two days later, when the front approached, the Germans staged a raid and drove away the Bolkhov youth. It included Vasily Ermakov and his sister, as well as the priest Vasily Veryovkin.

On September 1, they were driven to the Paldiski concentration camp in Estonia. There were over one hundred thousand people in the camp. For their spiritual nourishment, the Germans allowed representatives of the Tallinn Orthodox clergy to come to the camp. Here Father Vasily met Archpriest Mikhail Ridiger, the father of the future His Holiness Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Rus'.

IN German concentration camp Pldisk Father Vasily met Mikhail Redigir.

On October 14, 1943, Vasily Ermakov, together with his sister Lydia, was released from the camp. The fact is that then the Germans decided to release all the priests and their families from the camps. Priest Vasily Veryovkin said that they were members of his family. No one bothered to check this.

Priest Mikhail Redigir in Tallinn Cathedral. 1948 In Tallinn, Vasily Ermakov met the priest Mikhail Redigir, the father of the future His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II

After his release from the camp, Father Vasily settled in Tallinn in the apartment of Maria Fedorovna Malakhova. She was considered the spiritual daughter of Mikhail Redigir. The future archpriest began to serve together with Alexey Redigir, the future Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' in the Simeon Church.

Noticing their zeal, Archbishop Paul of Narva made them subdeacons. He got him a job at a private factory.

At the end of the war, Father Vasily received spiritual education

After Vasily Ermakov was freed from the German camp and arrived in the liberated Soviet troops Tallinn, he was mobilized. Before this, he went through the interrogation procedure at the NKVD. After them, he was sent to serve at the headquarters of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet.

The future archpriest combined his service with performing the duties of a subdeacon, bell ringer and altar boy in the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn.

Third class of the Leningrad Theological Seminary. 1947 Vasily Ermakov studied at the seminary together with Alexey Redigir

Since Vasily dreamed of serving God all his life, after finishing his service in the navy in 1946, he applied for admission to the Moscow Theological Institute. At that time he lived at home in Bolkhov. He did not wait for a call from Moscow, but in the summer of 1946 Alexey Ridiger sent him a telegram inviting him to take exams at the Leningrad Theological Seminary.

While studying at the theological seminary in 1949, Vasily Ermakov was repeatedly interrogated by the NKVD.

Father Vasily graduated from the seminary in 1949. While studying there, Vasily Ermakov was repeatedly summoned for questioning by the NKVD about his stay in the occupied territory and his return from a German camp. After graduating from the seminary, Vasily Ermakov entered the Leningrad Theological Academy. He graduated from it with a candidate's degree in theology.

A certificate indicating that Vasily Timofeevich Ermakov was in a fascist concentration camp and in occupied territory. Father Vasily was interrogated several times by NKVD officers due to his stay in occupied territory and in a concentration camp

The course work of the future archpriest was written on the topic of the role of the Russian clergy in the liberation struggle of the Russian people during the Time of Troubles. Despite the fact that it raised questions of patriotism of the Russian Orthodox clergy, the work was strongly criticized in the Soviet press.

The atheistic authorities did not like what Father Vasily said that victories Russian weapons obliged to God's Providence. Only a very brave person could say such a thing in the USSR.

Before his ordination, Vasily Ermakov got married

Vasily Ermakov married Lyudmila Nikiforova. They met in the church of the Leningrad Theological Academy

After the future archpriest completed his studies at the seminary and academy, he married Lyudmila Alexandrovna Nikiforova. It happened on the feast of the Kazan Icon Mother of God July 21, 1953. He met her in the church of the Leningrad Theological Academy.

Father lived with mother for 53 years. All this time she supported him, because Father Vasily Ermakov was persecuted all his life. After her death, Mother Lyudmila was buried next to Father Vasily.

Vasily Ermakov’s father served in many churches

The priestly ministry of Vasily Ermakov began on November 1, 1953, when Bishop Roman of Tallinn and Estonia ordained him a deacon in the St. Nicholas Cathedral of the Epiphany in Leningrad. Three days later, Metropolitan Gregory of Leningrad and Novgorod ordained him a priest. This happened in the Prince Vladimir Cathedral.

St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral (Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and Epiphany). Father Vasily Ermakov served in the cathedral for a long time and he remembered him most of all

Father Vasily Ermakov devoted fifty-three years to serving God as a priest. During this time he served in many churches. Most of all, he remembered the St. Nicholas Cathedral. Here Father Vasily served as a cleric.

visited the cathedral famous people St. Petersburg: actors Mariinsky Theater, choreographer Sergeev, singer Preobrazhenskaya. The funeral service for Anna Akhmatova and Pechkovsky was also held here.

Church in the name of St. Seraphim of Sarov at the Seraphim cemetery. In 1981, Father Vasily was transferred here to serve. The reason for this decision was the authorities’ dissatisfaction with the priest’s activities. He served in the temple until the end of his life

On May 3, 1976, Archpriest Vasily was transferred to the Holy Trinity Church “Kulich and Easter”. After that, he served briefly in the Alexander Nevsky Shuvalov Church. From 1981 until the date of his death, the priest served as rector of the Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov at the Seraphim Cemetery.

Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov - the place of the last ministry of Father Vasily

The last place of service of Father Vasily Ermakov is the Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov at the Seraphim Cemetery. There is an opinion that the archpriest was sent here into a kind of exile for his criticism of the Soviet authorities. Despite this, parishioners began to come here to listen to the sermons of the authoritative priest.

Internal view Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov at the Seraphim Cemetery. The temple is recognized as a rare example of wooden architecture of the early 20th century

The temple is a rare example of wooden architecture of the early twentieth century for St. Petersburg. Its architects were A.F. Baranovsky and N.N. Nikonov. Built a temple. The cathedral was built by a peasant from the Pskov province P.V. Vasiliev. The entire construction lasted 87 days. The temple was consecrated on October 1, 1907.

At the end of his life, Father Vasily served in the Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov at the Seraphim Cemetery

Until 1923, the temple was considered attached to the Church of the Annunciation; later it gained independence. Even during the times of persecution of the church by the Soviet authorities, the cathedral was not closed. The only time this happened was during the blockade winter of 1942. Then a “distribution warehouse for receiving the dead” was opened on the territory of the temple.

Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov at the Seraphim Cemetery in St. Petersburg. Mosaic on the pediment of the temple. While Archpriest Vasily Ermakov served as rector, he carried out a major renovation of the church and replaced the paintings on its pediment with mosaics

Archpriest Vasily Ermakov served in the church from 1981 until his death.

While Father Vasily served as rector of the church, a building was built under him, which housed a shelter and a refectory.

In addition, under his leadership, a major renovation was carried out, during which the paintings depicting scenes from the life of St. Seraphim of Sarov were replaced with mosaics.

A small planet was named after Archpriest Vasily Ermakov

day of death of Archpriest Vasily Ermakov

Archpriest Vasily Ermakov died on February 3, 2007. This happened in the 80th year of his life. Before his death, the abbot was ill for a long time, but still took part in the service. Through the efforts of Mother Lyudmila, he was given unction two hours before his death.

Certificate Russian Academy sciences about assigning the name Vasilermakov to a small planet No. 24604 (1973 SP4) in honor of the native of Bolkhov, Archpriest Vasily Timofeevich Ermakov. This is the rarest case in the history of science when a minor planet is named after a priest.

A street in his hometown Bolkhov is named after the archpriest. In addition, it should be noted that a minor planet was also named in his honor. It is registered in the international catalog of planets under N24604 (1973 SP4). The diameter of the small planet is 7 kilometers and it was discovered on September 27, 1973 by astronomer of the Crimean Astrophysical Laboratory Lyudmila Chernykh.

This is a rare case in history, which has no precedents. The fact that a minor planet was named after the clergyman indicates that he was respected in the scientific community. Scientists usually treat representatives of the Church very distrustfully.

Father Vasily Ermakov did not consider himself an old man

During his lifetime, Archpriest Vasily Ermakov earned great authority among both believers and non-believers. People came from all over the USSR to listen to him. At the same time, many came to him not only for advice.

Video: Sermon by Father Vasily Ermakov dated December 3, 2006. In the second minute, the author talks about the futility of earthly glory and material wealth.

The fact is that rumors began to spread among his parishioners that the priest was perspicacious. It was claimed that he could foresee the future. Father Vasily himself denied this. He said that he did not consider himself an old man and did not perform miracles. At the same time, the priest lived until he was 80 years old. Many times only a miracle saved him from death.

Archpriest Vasily Ermakov lived to be 80 years old.

The reason for this opinion about him was the exceptional attentiveness of Father Vasily to his flock. He always knew what was going on in his parishioners’ families, what their state of health was, etc. This allowed the archpriest to always give them good advice and good advice. That is why from the outside it seemed that the priest knew all the secrets of the human soul.

Archpriest Vasily Ermakov during the service. Father Vasily really didn’t like being called an elder, and always said: “I’m not an elder, I’m just an experienced priest.”

During his lifetime, the archpriest urged priests not to seek popularity at mass meetings. He said that the place of a priest is in the temple and a real Christian should pray, and not lecture others. This is the secret of his enormous spiritual authority.

Mitred Archpriest, Rector of the Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov at the Seraphim cemetery in St. Petersburg, a friend of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, he was considered one of the most authoritative shepherds of St. Petersburg. The priest himself did not like being called an elder, he always answered this question - I’m not an elder, I’m just an experienced priest, I long life lived, I saw a lot.

September was ending. It was the second month of Yulia's stay in St. Petersburg. I couldn’t help but like this city: the amazing warmth and responsiveness of the people, the special architecture of St. Petersburg and the unusual climate, and the leisurely life, compared to the bustling capital of the capital. I also liked the work. There was only one unresolved question: how to find your own, the only one, among the numerous temples and monasteries?

One day Yulia had a chance to visit a major publishing house. This was useful not only for gaining experience, which is necessary for everyone, and even more so for a beginner. On that day, an event occurred that our heroine remembers as the guidance of God.

While talking with the editor-in-chief, Yulia could not help but notice on one of the walls a beautiful canvas depicting the famous St. Petersburg temple.

– Don’t you look at beauty and interior decoration“, pay attention to the priest and the parish,” the editor advised, “and, you know, I’ll recommend you two churches. One in Kronstadt - Vladimirsky, the rector there is Father Svyatoslav Melnik; the other is here, in St. Petersburg, at the Serafimovsky cemetery - visit Father Vasily Ermakov.

On the next weekend, Yulia went to Kronstadt and since then has become a parishioner of the Vladimir Church.
Before the Victory Day holiday, Yulia decided to go to Serafimovskoye, especially since her niece persuaded her to go there for the evening service: it was very close, just a few stops from home.

The temple at the Serafimovsky cemetery looks like a fairy-tale tower or Gingerbread house, and that’s why my soul feels somehow childishly joyful.

From the very beginning of Vespers, Yulia drew attention to the old priest: he walked leisurely with a censer, and every now and then people came up for the priest’s blessing. “What kind of unceremoniousness and impatience,” Yulia thought displeasedly, “can’t we wait until the end of the service, they’ll only distract the priest.”

The service went on as usual, but at the end of the service the old priest was nowhere to be seen.

“Aunt Yulia, I really want to see the priest again - the one who burned the incense at the beginning of the service,” said Yulina’s niece Ksenia.

When asked how one can find such and such a priest, the friendly woman in the candle shop smiled:

– So this is our dear father, mitred archpriest Vasily Ermakov. Perhaps he is in the administrative building - a small house not far from the church, unless, of course, the priest has left: he rarely attends services now, he, our dear one, is often sick.

Yulia noticed that this church had a particularly friendly and even homely atmosphere.

About twenty people were already standing in front of the administrative building: they were waiting for Father Vasily, no one was in a hurry, some were talking among themselves. So fifteen minutes passed. " Time is running, why is everyone just standing there? Let me go up to that person. He appears to be a security guard. By the way, why is there a security guard here? Protect from whom?” Julia began to get angry.

– Please tell Father Vasily that they are waiting for him here.

- And he knows.

“Yes, don’t worry, the priest will come out,” the man smiled in military uniform, who introduced himself as Igor. He told Yulia that Father Vasily had been obedient to the elders for about 50 years, that in his, Igor’s, life the elder had helped resolve many problems.

“Aunt Yulia, if Father isn’t there in ten minutes, we’ll leave,” Ksyusha said. Yulia herself began to feel cold from the cold St. Petersburg wind that had flown in.

Exactly nine minutes later Father Vasily came out onto the porch. The eighty-year-old priest was supported by the elbows. The waiting people with joyful exclamations moved towards their beloved shepherd. Julia also came up for the blessing.

- You'll come home! – these words of Father Vasily were spoken only to Yulia.

The priest continued to communicate with those who approached.

- Aunt Yulia, what does this mean: will you come home? – asked Ksenia.

“Really, I need to ask Father Vasily,” Julia thought and went up to the priest again. He was about to get into the car, the driver opened the door to help the priest sit down.

– Father Vasily, when can I talk to you?

– I’ll be at the temple tomorrow from five in the morning.

Yulia and Ksenia rode in the minibus in silence, each thinking about their own things.

The next day, May 9, Julia rose before dawn. There were people in the temple, despite the day off and early hour. The Liturgy was held solemnly, followed by a memorial service - Father Vasily was not there. In a few minutes the late liturgy will begin. So many people came to the second service that the church was crowded. Mitred Archpriest Vasily Ermakov served.

“This service is over, now I’ll go to Father Vasily,” Yulia decided.

Alas, there was no point in thinking about approaching the priest: he was completely surrounded by people. Father Vasily went out for a while, and then returned to the temple again. There was no way to talk to him.

Yulia was overcome with anxiety and confusion: “Maybe I shouldn’t meet with the priest, it’s not God’s will?” – she was thinking and at that time she noticed that the crowd in front of the entrance to the temple had disappeared somewhere. Julia approached one of the novices with a question: “Tell me, how can I talk to Father Vasily?”

– Have you agreed to talk with him?

- Yes, yesterday he said that he would be here from five in the morning.

– Why didn’t you come to this time? Father is sick, often spends a long time in the hospital, and it is now very difficult to find him in church. Well, don’t worry, pray, when you need to meet, the Lord will guide you.

And indeed, the meeting took place. At the right choir, Yulia saw Father Vasily. The next moment the woman was already standing nearby and waiting for her turn to talk with the priest. She was invited without a queue.

For some reason, Julia did not talk to the priest about what she wanted to ask, but she heard and saw something that turned out to be much more important for her. “Come with me, baby,” Father Vasily called, and Yulia found herself in a small room.

Here at the table sat a middle-aged, tear-stained woman: her grief was that her daughter was a drug addict. Father Vasily was able to find the right words for the grieving mother; the upset woman soon calmed down, and it was clear that she believed: she and the priest would be together in prayer, and her daughter would definitely return to life.

Father Vasily gently strokes the head of an adult man like a child: the man is also in pain - his wife killed the child by having an abortion. And for this man the priest found words of encouragement.

It was later, having rethought a lot of things, that Yulia understood why Father Vasily took her with him everywhere, talking with people. Shortly before this, our heroine experienced a difficult period of betrayal; It seemed to her that few people had ever experienced anything worse than what they had done to her. Gradually, she began to withdraw, constantly feeling sorry for herself, and with those around her she became unfriendly, angry, and callous.

Together with Father Vasily they went out to the porch. People were waiting for the priest and immediately began vying with each other to ask questions. Almost everyone received answers immediately. Yulia noticed that the priest was affectionate and smiling with most people, but several times he answered strictly, even harshly.

Julia saw these two women early in the morning before the liturgy. One of them had a scarf on her head - nothing surprising: it was windy and damp outside, but somehow it was wrapped strangely - only the woman’s eyes were visible. When Father Vasily and the accompanying crowd caught up with this woman wrapped in a scarf, Yulia saw that the priest pushed her away. It looked strange and unpleasant. What does it mean? Why did Father Vasily treat her this way?

People with Father Vasily entered the refectory, and Yulia stopped, not daring to go inside. Those two women remained standing on the porch, and one of them was unwinding a long scarf.

“You know, my father just set my jaw,” one of the strangers said, smiling, folding her scarf. - I have a dislocation.

Yulia clearly remembered that the priest pushed the woman away and did not even touch her head.

Yulia met Father Vasily for the third time before leaving. The temporary work was ending, and it was time to return to my city. Yulia really wanted to say goodbye to the priest, but on the phone they could not answer her for sure whether Father Vasily would be in church today or not.

The woman was driving to Serafimovskoye and was worried. Tomorrow morning the train, will she see the priest again before leaving?

There are only a few people in the temple yet; Julia proceeded to the administrative building. To the people, to the people! And Father Vasily is here, but don’t come up: everyone wants to talk to the priest. Time inexorably rushes forward, and now the bell has already rung for Vespers. Father Vasily headed towards the temple, people surrounded him on all sides.

“No, we won’t be able to say goodbye,” Yulia was upset. The priest stopped, and the woman was very close to him.

“Father, how I would like to have your photograph,” joyful Yulia perked up.

“Natasha,” Father Vasily addressed one of the nearby standing women, - be so kind as to bring my books too.

Returning, Natalya gave what she had brought to the priest, and he gave everything to Yulia with his blessing.

“This is for you, but here are gifts for your parishioners,” the priest smiled. – What time are you leaving tomorrow?

- At ten in the morning, father.

Here is the last blessing, and the father's kiss. The woman was overwhelmed with feelings, she thought: if there can be such love among people, what is the love of God?..

Life flowed as usual, only now Julia knew that there was someone very close to her spiritually dear person- Elder Vasily.

An early call from a friend in St. Petersburg resonated with acute pain in my soul: today, February 3, 2007, Father Vasily left us.

Julia could not help but see her dear father.

The northern capital met with cloudy weather, frost and piercing wind. There was a huge queue lined up at the Seraphim Church: how many people love the priest and how they will miss him! Grief unites people: all those nearby and those standing far behind, and those who will soon enter the chapel to say goodbye to Father Vasily, in these hours became one huge family.

They met again a few hours later - Father Vasily and Yulia. Father has not changed at all: the same calm and at the same time strong-willed facial features, the same soft hands.

It’s sad that the elder-adviser, friend, father will no longer be around, but I believe that now THERE will be a prayer book. It was not for nothing that the priest went to the Lord on the day of the celebration of the Svyatogorsk Icon with the wondrous name “Consolation or Consolation.” Yes, yes, yes, Father Vasily had a gift for consoling.

Yulia still lives in her town in Central Russia. The books of Father Vasily Ermakov helped not only her; Those who have never met him are now praying for the priest - he has become family and friends for them too. The photograph of Father Vasily is always visible in Yulia’s room - it stands on the bookshelf.

I really want to hope that those words spoken by Father Vasily when they met will certainly come true, which means that then, in eternity, Father and Yulia will always be together, side by side.

On February 3, at the age of 80, the rector of the Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov at the Seraphim Cemetery in St. Petersburg, Archpriest Vasily Ermakov, one of the most famous and authoritative St. Petersburg clergy of recent decades, died.

His authority was generally recognized both in the St. Petersburg diocese and beyond. IN different years, including during difficult Soviet times, thousands of people found their way to the Church precisely thanks to Father Vasily. Knowing about the undoubted spiritual gifts of Father Vasily, people came to him for advice and support not only from the most different corners Russia, but also from many countries of the world.

Like a true shepherd, he served people with his heartfelt words, in which the exactingness of repentant discipline was combined with boundless love and mercy for all those who suffer. As a faithful son of his long-suffering Motherland, he always boldly spoke out on the most pressing issues modern life Russia and its tragic history.

Archpriest Vasily Timofeevich Ermakov was born on December 20, 1927 into a pious peasant family in the city of Bolkhov, Oryol region. By 1941 he had completed seven classes high school. During the war, while under occupation, as a 15-year-old teenager, he, among many thousands of people captured, worked in a camp as a laborer - first in Bolkhov, then in Tallinn.

Already in early years who had a hard time war time, the future shepherd began his journey to church life. As Father Vasily himself recalled, his family did not have the opportunity to pray in the temple, since by the 1930s all 28 churches in their small city were closed. Only in 1941 did the Germans allow the opening of a 17th-century church in Bolkhov in the name of St. Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow, located on the territory of the former convent of the Nativity of Christ. It was there that Vasily Ermakov first saw a church service, and soon began to serve at the altar under the leadership of priest Vasily Verevkin.

In a German camp in Estonia, he met Archpriest Michael Ridiger, the father of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus', and the future Patriarch himself, with whom he became friends and subsequently studied in the same seminary class. After the liberation of Tallinn from German troops Vasily Ermakov served in the Baltic Fleet in the last year of the war. While remaining in Tallinn, Father Vasily was a parishioner of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, fulfilling the duties of an altar boy and a reader.

After the war, he entered the Leningrad Theological Seminary (1946-1949), and then the Theological Academy (1949-1953), from which he graduated with a candidate of theology degree for a course essay on the role of the Russian clergy in the liberation struggle of the Russian people during the Time of Troubles. After graduation, he married Lyudmila Alexandrovna Nikiforova and took holy orders. He was ordained a deacon by Bishop Roman of Tallinn and Estonia in the St. Nicholas Cathedral of the Epiphany in Leningrad on November 1, 1953. Three days later, on the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, Metropolitan Gregory of Leningrad and Novgorod was ordained a priest in the Prince Vladimir Cathedral.

During the 53 years of his priesthood, Father Vasily served in various churches in St. Petersburg. Immediately after his ordination, he was appointed clergyman of the St. Nicholas Cathedral, where he served until May 3, 1976, when he was transferred to the Holy Trinity Church “Kulich and Easter”. After a short service in the Alexander Nevsky Shuvalov Church, he was appointed rector of the Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov at the Seraphimovsky cemetery, where his further pastoral service took place, addressed to the flock who flocked to Old Village from all over the city.

In 1978, Father Vasily was awarded a miter, and in 1991 - the right to serve the Divine Liturgy with the gates open to the Lord's Prayer. In 1997, on the 60th anniversary of his birth, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Rus' awarded Father Vasily the Order of the Holy Blessed Prince Daniel of Moscow, and on March 29, 2004, for diligent service to the Church and in honor of the 50th anniversary of priestly service - the Order St. Sergius Radonezh (II degree).

IN last years Father Vasily suffered from bodily infirmities, but continued to serve almost until his very last earthly days, not sparing his strength and completely devoting himself to God and people. With his last farewell sermon, Father Vasily addressed his flock on January 15, 2007, the day of St. Seraphim of Sarov.

On the evening of February 2, the sacrament of unction (unction) was performed on Father Vasily, and two hours later he departed to the Lord.

The news of this quickly spread throughout the city, and already from the early morning of February 3, thousands of people began to come to the Seraphim Church in anticipation of farewell to the priest.

On February 5, the burial of Archpriest Vasily Ermakov took place. The Seraphim Church could not accommodate the huge number of clergy and laity who gathered for the funeral service - Divine Liturgy and the funeral service for Father Vasily. The service was led by the vicar of the St. Petersburg diocese, Archbishop Konstantin of Tikhvin.

When saying goodbye to Father Vasily, many did not hide their tears. But there was no despondency. Father Vasily always taught his children to endure everyday sorrows, to stand firmly on their own two feet and to be faithful Christians.

Father Vasily was buried in the new section of the Serafimovsky cemetery, opposite the altar of the temple in which the ceremony took place. last quarter centuries of his pastoral ministry.

Eternal memory to the ever-memorable St. Petersburg shepherd Archpriest Vasily!
Publishing department of the St. Petersburg diocese

Photos about. You can see Vasily.

Photos of the grave of Fr. You can watch Vasily for 9 days.