Schegumen Ioann Alekseev. Valaam Elder John (Alekseev)

Schema-abbot John, in the world Ivan Alekseevich Alekseev, was born on February 14, 1873 in the Tver province. He graduated from the Ilyinsk parish school. About his childhood Fr. John recalled: “When I learned to read, I acquired several books of the lives of saints, then small books were printed. I had a like-minded friend, so he and I discussed how we could be saved. We walked on foot to the Nilova Hermitage, 150 versts from us. a bag of crackers, placed on our shoulders and off we went. We went there three times. We heard that the hermit Matryona lived there in the forests, but we could not see her, and we were too stupid - after all, we were only 13 years old.
My elder brother lived in Petrograd. He was businesslike and intelligent, had a tavern and took me in with him. I lived with him for a little while, and kept buying books. My brother went to the village, and I went to the Konevsky Monastery: I found a companion who spoke Finnish. We didn’t like it at Konevets, so we went to Valaam.”

The first time Ivan Alekseev entered Valaam Monastery as a sixteen-year-old boy in 1889. Immediately upon entering the monastery, he was sent to one of the many monasteries of Valaam - the monastery of St. Herman of Valaam. In the Hermanovsky monastery they farmed and raised livestock. Ivan had to help in the barn and in the fields, which he himself had been accustomed to since childhood. So four years passed in the Germanovsky monastery.

Then Ivan was called to military service, which at that time lasted four years. Ivan served in a rifle battalion, and after the army he returned to his home village to live with his parents for several years. He finally arrived in Valaam on May 28, 1901 and later wrote in his memoirs: “Since then I have been living in a monastery, and there was never any thought of returning to the world. I thank the Lord that by His mercy He has vouchsafed me, a sinner, spend my whole life in a monastery."

Upon returning to Valaam, other obediences awaited Ivan. At first he worked in an economic office on the main island. But soon new duties were assigned to him, which, although they were not particularly pleasant, had to be performed as conscientiously as all the others. Ivan was sent for obedience to St. Petersburg, to the chapel of the Valaam Monastery near the Kalashnikov pier (on the Sinop embankment). He stayed there for two years.

Father John said: “This multi-rebellious city had a harmful effect on me, and I, weak in spirit, could not cope with the bustle of the city, for I had to purchase, send to the station and ship and receive various goods that were required for the monastery.”

On December 21, 1906, Ivan was enrolled as a novice at the Valaam Monastery. On May 22, 1910, he was tonsured a monk with the name Iakinthos. After many requests, Abbot Mauritius allowed Father Iakinthos to leave the Kalashnikovskoe metochion and move to the Ilyinsky monastery. After his stay in the Ilinsky monastery, Father Iakinthos was obedient to the caretaker of the Baptist monastery.

On October 19, 1921, a new appointment took place - as abbot of a distant northern monastery - the Trifon-Pechenga monastery. November 13 Fr. Iakinthos was ordained a hierodeacon, on November 15 a hieromonk, and on November 11 he was elevated to the rank of hegumen. For Father Iakinthos himself, this was a big surprise. Straight out of the ordinary monks, he was ordained to the rank of abbot with the laying of a pectoral cross.

The book by M. A. Yanson “The Elders of Valaam” contains words that reveal the then mood of Father Iakinthos at that time. He recalls that he accepted the appointment completely complacently and did not feel any excitement. Father Iakinf himself was even surprised at this, since, in his own words, he was a naturally timid person. It happened that when, having come from the monastery to the main monastery, he approached the Gospel during the all-night vigil, his legs weakened, his head began to spin so that he was afraid to fall. Because of this, he sometimes did not even approach the Gospel. But now, after being appointed abbot, something exactly the opposite happened to Father Iakinthos: instead of fear, tears appeared.

In the position of rector of the Tryphon-Pechenga Monastery, Fr. Iakinf joined on December 30, 1921. On October 4, 1931, at his own request, by order of Archbishop Herman, he was released from the post of rector and from October 11, 1931 he served as confessor of the Pechenga monastery.

On May 24, 1932, at his request, Fr. Iakinthos was released from the post of confessor and transferred to the brethren of the Valaam monastery. On June 14, 1932, he left for his native Valaam monastery. Upon arrival, he was in the Baptist monastery and was its caretaker. The monastery of John the Baptist was intended for those who chose for themselves a more severe form of asceticism. Therefore, fasting was observed there more strictly than in other hermitages of the monastery. Products such as milk, butter and eggs were never eaten there. Also, the fish was not blessed, but the addition vegetable oil allowed only on rare days. They also did not drink tea in the monastery.

May 8, 1933 Fr. Iakinthos was tonsured highest degree monasticism - the great schema with the name John. He became a hermit monk, whose main obedience is unceasing prayer for the salvation of his soul and for the souls of all those who mourn.

In the summer of 1937, Fr. John moved from the monastery to the monastery, where he served as the chief confessor.

In 1940, Father John and his brethren were forced to evacuate from Valaam from the fire of war. The abbot and his brethren acquired the rural estate of Papinniemi, today's New Valaam, in Finland, located in a picturesque location on the gentle southern shore of Lake Juoyarvi.

The lake is framed on all sides by dense forests. At the time the monastery moved to Papinniemi there was still no good highway here. Communication with outside world was carried out mainly by water. Therefore, peace and solitude reigned in the monastery. For the brethren, numbering more than one hundred and fifty people, it was important that the estate has many different buildings. And yet it was very crowded. In old Valaam, each monk had his own cell, but now up to five monks were accommodated in one room.

The elder’s cell was a modest room. There was a small window from which beautiful view to a quiet lake. On inside There was an old drawing attached to the door: two monks talking to each other. One has a small speck in his eye, the other has a huge log. The drawing illustrated the words of the Savior: And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not feel the plank in your own eye? (Matt. 7:3).

IN last years life o. John suffered greatly from dropsy and hernia. A year before his death, in November 1957, Father John was taken to a nursing home in Heinävesi, where he stayed until mid-January 1958. Father John missed New Valaam very much and was able to return to his native monastery around mid-January. During his illness they served him. Demetrius and Jonah did bandages and looked after them.

Schema-abbot John was buried in the cemetery of New Valaam.

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Schema-abbot John was a man of holy life. In his letters, he often refers to Ignatius Brianchaninov, and writes almost the same thing as Abbot Nikon. The soul-edifying letters of Schema-Hegumen John will be very useful for all of us to read. Such books should not only be read, but re-read. In fact, both Abbot Nikon and Schema-Abbot John translate the works of Ignatius Brianchaninov into an even more understandable language for us. Both of these ascetics lived almost at the same time and were distinguished by the fact that Hegumen Nikon was a highly educated man, and Schema-Abbot John had only an elementary education. I highly recommend that people who are not yet familiar with the letters of these ascetics read them.

Father John conducted extensive correspondence. Among his spiritual children were people like higher education, and the simplest, uneducated ones. In the 1950s, some of his letters were published in the magazine "Aamun Koitto", translated into Finnish by the editor-in-chief of the magazine, Hieromonk Pavel. Thanks to this, readers were able to get acquainted with the teachings of the elder and his advice. In 1956, a small collection of letters from Schema-Hegumen John in Russian was published in Helsinki. Subsequently, the letters were republished several times in Finland, in 1984 and 1990. The collection has been translated into English and Serbian languages. They were published many times in Russia.

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Schema-abbot Ioann (Alekseev)

Letters of the Valaam Elder

1939-1956

Letter from the elder regarding the desire to publish his letters

(02/05/1956 New Valaam)

My God-loving children!

You have collected my letters and want to publish them; If you see that the letters will be useful, collect and publish them.

I wrote letters to different time And to different persons, so there were inevitable repetitions. It would be nice for me to review them myself, but this cannot be done, for I cannot come to you due to the illness of my legs. Yes, I’m getting decrepit; I am now 83 years old; I thank God that my memory, although it is becoming dull, does not change.

I wrote letters as the Lord intended on my heart. I am by nature a shy person and of a narrow mind, I am fully aware of this, and my memory is bad. I didn’t go to school and, just as I can speak, I wrote.

At that time there was no kerosene; at night they worked in the hut with a splinter. I watched the fire, inserted a splinter into the light, and the coals fell into the prepared tub of water. My father wove bast shoes, and my mother and sister spun or mended; I also had two brothers. Here's another interesting thing: there were no matches, a hole was made in the stove, coals were shoveled into it with a poker, and the light was kept there. It happened that the coals went out, the mother would say: “Vanka, go to Andrey for coal.” So I’ll bring some coal in a jar. I'll blow on the coal, apply a splinter - and you've got a light!

When I started reading, I bought several books of “The Lives of the Saints” - then such small books were printed. I had a like-minded friend. So he and I discussed how to be saved. We walked on foot to the Nilova Hermitage, 15 miles from us; Let's dry the bag of crackers, put it on our shoulders, and off we go. We went there three times: we heard that the hermit Matryona lived there in the forests, but we could not see her. Yes, and they were stupid: after all, they were only 13 years old.

My elder brother lived in Petrograd. He was businesslike and intelligent; had a tavern and took me in. I lived with him for a while and kept buying books. One day my brother went to the village, and I went to the Konevsky Monastery. We found a companion who spoke Finnish. We didn’t like it at Konevets, and we went further to Valaam. I stayed on Valaam, and my fellow traveler returned to Petrograd. I was 16 years old then. My mother came to see me. After living in the monastery for 4 years, I was taken into military service. I served in a rifle regiment for 4 years—that was the time period then. After the service, he lived in the house with his father for two years and came to Valaam for the second time in 1900. So I’ve been living in a monastery ever since, and I’ve never thought about returning to the world.

I thank the Lord that by his mercy he granted me, a sinner, to spend my entire life in a monastery. Whoever reads my letters, I tenderly ask: remember me, a great sinner, in your holy prayers.

Elder of the Valaam Monastery.

(08/04/1939)

I received your venerable letter and it is clear from it that you have begun to engage in your inner spiritual life. May the Lord make you wise! Your remark that “there is nothing to expect from prayer” is correct. When praying, you need to keep yourself in greater lewdness, and if warmth and tears appear, do not dream something lofty about yourself; let them come and go without our coercion, but do not be embarrassed when they are stopped, otherwise it will not happen.

Prayer is the most difficult feat, and it involves a difficult struggle until the last breath. Nevertheless, the Lord, in His mercy, sometimes gives consolation to the prayer book so that he does not weaken. Determine your prayer rules at home yourself, in accordance with the times; There will be no arbitrariness in this, but I don’t advise you to type too much, so as not to be a slave to the rule and to avoid haste.

By God's grace, for now we live safely, in an ordinary monastic life.

Asking for God's blessing on you.

(04.10.1939)

It is good that you practice the Jesus Prayer. The Holy Fathers called prayer the queen of virtues, for it will attract other virtues. But, as high as it is, it requires a lot of work. The Monk Agathon says: “Prayer until the last breath involves the labor of a difficult struggle.”

You perform 100 in the morning and in the evening, this amount is enough for you, just try to do it with attention; but don’t be embarrassed that you have a dry heart; however, force yourself; just keep your attention, as I told you, in the upper chest. At work and in front of people, try to stand intelligently before God, i.e. to have the memory of God that He is here. If psalms and akathists move you more, read them if you have time.

We do not dare ask the Lord for unceasing and sincere prayer, which you strive for, - such a state is found in very few people; you can hardly find it out of a thousand and one people, said St. Isaac of Syria, and they come to such spiritual measure by the grace of God for deep humility. Don’t strive for warmth of heart - it comes without our searching and waiting; Our work should be in prayer, and success already depends on grace, don’t look for more and don’t get excited. In spiritual life, leaps are not appropriate, but patient gradualness is required. You are still young physically and spiritually. St. Climacus writes: “Open the soul of a novice - and you will see the irregularity, the desire in him for unceasing prayer, eternal mortal memory and complete freedom from anger - such a state is only for the perfect.” The sign of prayer is in the warmth of the heart and in contrition of the heart, and in order to recognize oneself as insignificant and cry out to the Lord: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” or in other words, you can pray as it is more convenient for you.

You don’t want to sin and you sin hard. What to do? We are human beings who wear flesh and are tempted by devils. Do not tremble and do not be discouraged, even if you falter in some virtue, stand up, straighten up and move forward again; know that to persevere in virtue depends not on us, but on the grace of God. Have humility and do not believe yourself until you lie in the coffin; Yes, do not judge others in anything. Whoever condemns someone for something, he himself falls into the same sins, it cannot be otherwise.

If at some time you have to bend your soul for the sake of loneliness in order to be at home, this is not a sin; make sure that everything is for the sake of God. May the Lord make you wise.

(04/27/1940)

I received your letter. By God’s grace I remained alive, although I sleep on a bunk, I am calm in spirit, I don’t even think about Valaam, just as I never lived there.

Valaam Elder Schema-abbot Ioann (1873–1958) spent almost his entire life in the monastery, was the rector of the Trifonov Pechenga monastery, on the banks of the Northern Arctic Ocean(now this Murmansk region), for the last two decades of his life he was the confessor of the Valaam Monastery in Finland. Many letters from the elder were sent from the monastic cell throughout the world. Even during the life of Father John, his spiritual children collected these letters and published a collection, which has since been republished more than once in Russian, Finnish and other languages. This book is significantly expanded compared to other publications. The collection includes rare photographs, drawings by schema-abbot John, materials from the archives of the Valaam Monastery in Finland, the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos were used. Orthodox Church Museum of Finland (Kuopio) and private collections. The compiler of the book visited his father’s homeland in the Tver region. Impressions from meetings with the elder’s fellow countrymen complete his biography.

The second edition is supplemented with new materials for the biography of schema-abbot John, letters, photographs, and biographical data of the elder’s associates.

Compiled by Vitaly Degterev

Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, layout, 2014

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II about Valaam

According to His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus', it was on Valaam that he felt the calling to follow the path of serving the Church of Christ. As a teenager, Alexey and his parents came twice – in 1938 and 1939 – to go on pilgrimage to the Valaam monastery. These pilgrimage trips made a huge impression on the sensitive youth. Subsequently, His Holiness the Patriarch wrote in his memoirs: “Valaam made an indelible impression on me, a nine- and ten-year-old boy. The architecture of the monastery and monasteries, the prayers of temples, amazing nature Northern region, the spirit-bearing elders and inhabitants of the monastery: their hard work, openness, accessibility for every pilgrim and their special sensitivity - all this was amazing. In many ways, these two visits to Valaam determined my future path in life.

Of the inhabitants of the monastery, its confessors were especially remembered - schema-abbot John and hieroschemamonk Ephraim. Many times we were in the Smolensk monastery, where Hieroschemamonk Ephraim carried out his feat, performing daily Divine Liturgy and especially remembered the soldiers killed on the battlefield. Once, in 1939, my parents and I visited the skete of St. John the Baptist, which was distinguished by the strictness of its monastic life. Schema-Hegumen John took us there in a rowing boat. The whole day was spent communicating with this wonderful old man. Schemamonk Nikolai, who lived in the Konevsky monastery and was always greeted with a samovar, over which soul-saving conversations were held, was imprinted in the heart. I remember the host, Abbot Luka, an outwardly stern but sincere shepherd, as well as the loving hieromonk Pamva, who came to Tallinn several times. A special relationship developed with the archivist, monk Iuvian, a man of exceptional reading and erudition...

Eternal memory of you, blessed are our fathers and brothers, ever remembrance!”

Alexei Ridiger (sixth from right in the bottom row), the future Patriarch, with the brethren of the Valaam Monastery, Abbot Khariton and pilgrims. Photo July 28, 1939

Pier of the Valaam Monastery on Ladoga

From the compiler

In 2001, under the European management training program, I was sent to Finland for a three-month internship. Having a free week from study and practice, I visited the Valaam Monastery for the first time, where I learned about Father John (Alekseev). Metropolitan Panteleimon and the rector of the monastery, Archimandrite Sergius, blessed me to publish a book about Father John. The elder’s letters turned out to be close to me in spirit. While working on the collection, I visited the elder’s homeland several times, in the village of Gubka, Tver Region, and spoke with Father John’s grandniece Lyudmila Sergeevna Bashtrykova. In the Znamensky Church in the village of Ilinskoye, I met its rector, Father Sergius.

Over time, I visited Holy Mount Athos. There, in the library of the St. Panteleimon Monastery, photo albums about Valaam and the elders of the Valaam Monastery are kept.

For several years I traveled to Finland several times. I visited the Orthodox Museum of Kuopio. In Helsinki I met with the spiritual children of Father John.

I am very grateful to all those who helped produce this book.

***

The life of schema-abbot Ioann (Alekseev) is amazing. Being the abbot and later the confessor of several monasteries, he met with tens and hundreds of people, knew their inner structure, consoled them and helped them find peace in their souls.

Father John's letters are addressed to different people: to those who do not believe and have not yet met God, to believers, churchgoers, people living a spiritual life.

The book consists of two parts - the biography of schema-abbot John, written by Metropolitan Panteleimon (diocese of Oulu, Finland), which was first published in Finnish, and later translated into Russian, it was published in 1992 under the title “Father John”. And the second part is the letters of Father John.

Metropolitan Panteleimon (in the world – Petri Sarho) was born in 1949 in Vieremä. In 1972 he graduated from the Orthodox Seminary in Finland. In 1977, he received a candidate's degree in theology from the Leningrad Theological Academy, upon tonsure as a monk, he received the rank of hieromonk, and was enrolled among the brethren of the Valaam Monastery in Finland. In 1979, he was appointed rector of the Valaam Monastery and elevated to the rank of abbot. In 1986 he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite. The abbotship of the Valaam monastery continued until 1997, when the Council of the Finnish Orthodox Church elected Archimandrite Panteleimon as suffragan bishop (Bishop of Joensuu). He was elected metropolitan of the diocese of Oulu on April 1, 2002. He is currently retired and lives in Finland.

The content of the book is significantly expanded compared to other publications. The biographical narrative included in the first part is based on the elder’s letters. This collection includes almost all of his letters kept in the Valaam Monastery in Finland. When publishing them, the author's style was preserved and minimal cuts were made. Above the letters there are drawings made by the elder’s hand. Editorial changes, explanations by the compilers, and abbreviations are enclosed in square brackets.

Vitaly Degterev

From the history of Valaam

The Valaam archipelago, located in the northwestern part of Lake Ladoga, has about fifty small islands with a total area of ​​36 square kilometers. The area of ​​the largest island, Valaam, is 30 square kilometers. The distance to the mainland is 22 kilometers, to the nearest Karelian city of Sortavala (old name Serdobol) - 42 kilometers, to St. Petersburg - more than 220 kilometers.

From 1812 to 1917, the archipelago was part of the Principality of Finland Russian Empire. After the revolution, Valaam found itself on the territory of the newly formed independent state Finland. This saved the monastery from the fate prepared for Russian monasteries. Since November 1918, the monastery was under the jurisdiction of the Finnish Orthodox Church, which became autonomous in 1921 and two years later, under government pressure, came under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

During Finnish war The monastery was subjected to severe bombing from the Soviet side. It seemed that the monastery was to be wiped off the face of the earth. But, by the grace of God, the bomb that fell a few meters from the Transfiguration Cathedral did not explode. A rare library of thirty thousand volumes also survived. On February 5, 1940, by order of the Finnish command, the inhabitants of the monastery, led by Abbot Khariton, were evacuated deep into Finland. This, as it turned out, was only a rehearsal for the exodus of the monks, when, with the signing of a peace treaty, Karelia (together with Valaam) went to the USSR, and, fearing persecution, the brethren were forced to leave their native monastery. Two hundred and five people: monks, novices, monastery workers - moved from Valaam to the territory of Finland. A suitable location for the community was considered to be located in rural areas Heinävesi is the small estate of Papinniemi (now it is called New Valaam - Uusi Valano in Finnish). Initially, the monastery consisted of people from Ladoga Valaam.

Later, in 1943, six monks from the Pechenga Monastery were added to them, then nine monks from the Konevetsky Monastery. Valaam monastery in Finland, operating until today, is often called the New Valaam Monastery.

In the premises of the Ladoga Valaam Monastery in Soviet time First they placed a school for boatswains and cabin boys, then a home for the disabled. Only half a century later, in December 1989, monastic life returned to Russian Valaam.

Foreword by the editor of the first Finnish edition in 1992

The Valaam Monastery in Finland was founded by Valaam monks who were forced to leave their native monastery during the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939–1940. None of them was destined to return to Valaam. Most of the more than one hundred and fifty monks who left the monastery (among whom was Father John) rest in the cemetery of New Valaam; seven ended their days in the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery. But the Valaam Monastery in Finland did not die, and its new inhabitants - Finns, among whom there are many young people - support the torch of Orthodoxy in the Lutheran country, and it shines for everyone in the house (). The fact that the monastery lives, and the Finnish Orthodox Church has even begun to grow in recent years, is due to Father John. The spiritual influence of this elder spreads not only in the church environment, but also among people who have not even yet come to Orthodoxy. The reasons for this phenomenon become clear if we look at the letters of Father John. Some of them were published in the collection “Letters of the Valaam Elder,” while others formed the basis of this book.

Father John was not a highly educated man. But in his messages to spiritual children one can see undoubted literary talent, deep intelligence, tact, sense of humor and, most importantly, evangelical simplicity. The elder wrote as he spoke, and in the book, if possible, his unique style is preserved. Minor amendments were made only where colloquial expressions obscured the meaning of what was written.

Preface by the author of the biography

In November 1984, the Valaam Monastery in Finland received a valuable donation: a resident of Helsinki, Elena Akselevna Armfelt, donated to the monastery a collection of almost three hundred original letters from Schema-Hegumen John that she kept. Some of them were previously published in the collection “Letters of the Valaam Elder,” which was first published during the life of Father John and then reprinted several times, including in English and Finnish.

I began systematic work on letters in December 1984. In the silence of my cell, I delved deeper into their meaning, and this reading captivated me more and more. I was captivated by the deeply spiritual and genuinely humane words of the elder.

At the same time, I accidentally discovered new documents about the past of the Valaam Monastery and about Father John himself. And I thought that if the elder’s instructions can be found in an already published book, then few people know him as a person. Therefore, a desire arose to compile his biography, using the letters donated to the monastery as a primary source. The result of this work is in front of you.

But first, about those who were the recipients of many of the elder’s letters, who long years kept them as a priceless treasure.

In 1984, shortly after the Christmas holidays, I went to Helsinki specifically for this purpose. They gave me the address: Lapinlahti Street 21. I found the house easily. Already downstairs I was struck by the poor condition of the building. The old elevator took me to the fifth floor. In the corridor, in the dim light, I could hardly make out the inscription in small letters on the door sign: “E.Armfelt.” When I called, I felt a little nervous.

Three women hurried to meet me: two elderly and a young woman. The first - short and completely gray - greeted me cordially, while the second - dark-haired, taller - looked at the guest with friendly curiosity. The third, youngest, was familiar to me - Marina Lachinova, the organizer of the publication of Father John's letters in Finnish. Small gray-haired woman and there was the owner of the apartment herself - Elena Akselevna. The other is Pavel Maksimovna, her faithful friend, who has lived with her for many years.

Pavla Maksimovna Shmalts (left) and Elena Akselevna Armfelt in their apartment in Helsinki. Photo 1984

Taking off my coat, I walked down the long winding corridor into the living room. Along the way, glancing across open door kitchen, I noticed that they were preparing for my visit.

In this house you could immediately feel that, having left the atmosphere of the Finnish city, you plunged into the Russian world, as if you found yourself in the atmosphere of a typical Leningrad apartment. In the living room this feeling intensified even more. Everything was exactly as it usually happens in a Russian home. The room is cluttered with furniture: tables, chairs, armchairs and two large beds. The walls are completely covered with paintings of various sizes and countless framed photographs. The red corner with many icons testified to the zealous faith of the housewives.

The room was in a kind of comfortable disarray. Cold pedantry Western world retreated, warmed by the spiritual warmth of a Russian person. There was a covered dining table in the middle of the living room.

I assumed that since the grandmothers were old and weak, the treat would be limited to a couple of cups of tea. But I was wrong: the table in the living room was literally bursting with food. We prayed, and the kind hostesses invited us to the table. We dined according to Russian custom: there were several courses and wine was served between them. It turned out that we spent several hours at dinner - the entire time that I was visiting. And all this time we talked; naturally, in Russian.

Elena Akselevna had become almost completely blind in recent years, but it was hard to believe it, looking at her lively, expressive face. She was already eighty-three years old, and Pavel Maksimovna was four years older. Old age and illness weakened Elena Akselevna, but her consciousness remained completely clear. By helping each other, the old women could still manage their own apartment. This would have been impossible if not for Dr. Viir Ragner, their family doctor, a distant relative of Pavla Maksimovna, Estonian by birth. He rented a room in the apartment of old women and looked after them as if he were his own grandmothers. In addition, they were helped by many friends, among whom was the round-faced, clear-eyed, always friendly Marina.

Over lunch, Elena Akselevna told about herself. She was born on December 15, 1900 in Kronstadt. At that time, this city was especially famous for the fact that Archpriest John Sergiev, known for his sermons and the gift of miracles [St. Righteous John of Kronstadt], served there. He was called the “All-Russian shepherd”, and tens of thousands of pilgrims flocked to him - to the Kronstadt Cathedral of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. Elena Akselevna's mother often attended services there. One day the famous shepherd blessed little Elena.

The Armfelt family is a well-known family of Finnish Swedes in Russia who belonged to the military class. Representatives of one of the branches of this family, whose descendants included Elena Akselevna, served in the Russian army since the time of Catherine II and occupied high positions. In the novel War and Peace, General Armfelt is mentioned as a close associate of Emperor Alexander I. The next generations of Armfelts served in the Russian Navy.

Elena Akselevna’s grandfather was an admiral, and her father, Aksel Alexandrovich, was a captain of the first rank. Mother, Yulia Oskarovna Enquist, originally from Kronstadt, came from a noble family. Of our immediate family, only our hostess’s maternal grandmother was Russian. All other relatives are Swedes. And yet Elena Akselevna considers herself Russian. She says: “The Russian grandmother defeated everyone.”

When Elena was seven years old, her parents divorced. This news reached the sovereign through relatives close to the court. He did not approve of the divorce and, as punishment, sent the former head of the family to Siberia, to the Amur, to serve in the navy.

Elena Armfelt in her teenage years. Saint Petersburg

Elena Akselevna Armfelt

Thanks to her origin, Elena was accepted into the famous Smolny Institute, where only girls from noble families could study. The students lived at the institute itself; they were allowed home only on major holidays and in August. Smolny was often visited by noble persons, including the sovereign himself, as well as the Metropolitan of St. Petersburg. Elena Akselevna especially remembered the sovereign’s beautiful eyes and kind face. In 1917, the Bolsheviks closed the Smolny Institute, and the students were sent from St. Petersburg to the Don, to Novocherkassk, where Elena Akselevna graduated from the institute.

After the revolution, Elena and her mother, like many Russian emigrants, ended up in Helsinki, where they lived, albeit modestly, but in safety. Their mother ran their small farm, and Elena worked as an accountant at the wholesale company ÖRYM until her retirement. Mother and daughter were zealous parishioners of the small St. Nicholas Church at the Hietaniemi cemetery. Both of them participated in the founding and construction Orthodox church, in which services are still held in Church Slavonic and in the old style. Despite her age, Elena Akselevna still finds the strength to go to church.

Life faithful companion and Elena Akselevna’s friend, Pavla Maksimovna Shmalts, was no less eventful. She was born in the city of Joensuu in Eastern Finland. Her father worked as an accountant in an English company that imported flax from Russia. My father was half French, half German, but considered himself Russian, since he spent most of his life in Russia. Mother was Russian, Orthodox, originally from Arkhangelsk.

Later the family moved to Estonia, and then to St. Petersburg, which Pavle remembered for the performances of the Mariinsky Theater. After the revolution, they moved to Finland, and during World War II, Pavla and her son went to Estonia again. There she was arrested and sent to a concentration camp in Kazakhstan, since she did not have an Estonian passport. During her four-year imprisonment in exile, her son died. The experience is still fresh in this woman’s memory.

After the war, Pavel Schmaltz returned to Finland. She first met Elena Akselevna in church. She loved hats with wide brims and even wore them to church, which attracted Pavla’s attention. She didn’t like Elena Akselevna’s “aerodrome” hats, but that didn’t stop their friendship. Later, sensing the end was near, Elena’s mother asked Pavla to move into their house. The mother believed that her impractical daughter could not cope with the difficulties of life alone.

Pavla did just that. The friends were united by their love for the Church, joint trips to the Valaam Monastery and spiritual guidance from the monastery elder Father John.

Metropolitan Panteleimon

Metropolitan Panteleimon

Biography of the Letters of the Valaam Elder

Approved by the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church

Schema-abbot John, in the world Ivan Alekseevich Alekseev, was born on February 14, 1873 in the Tver province. He graduated from the Ilyinsk parish school. About his childhood Fr. John recalled: “I am a shy person by nature, narrow-minded, and my memory is bad, I am fully aware of this.

When I was a boy, our tailor sewed fur coats, he knew how to read and taught me. I understood stupidly, but my sister soon memorized the letters and reproached me: I’ve already memorized them, but you still don’t understand. Finally, I learned to read. At that time there was no kerosene, and at night they worked in the hut with a splinter. My father wove bast shoes, and my mother and sister spun or repaired something. I also had two brothers.

When I learned to read, I bought several books of the lives of saints, then small books were printed. I had a like-minded friend, so he and I discussed how we could be saved. We walked to Nilova Pustyn, 150 versts from us. They dried a bag of crackers, placed them on their shoulders, and off they went. We went there three times. We heard that the hermit Matryona lives there in the forests, but we could not see her, and we were stupid - after all, we were only 13 years old.

My elder brother lived in Petrograd. He was businesslike and intelligent, had a tavern and took me in with him. I lived with him for a little while, and kept buying books. My brother went to the village, and I went to the Konevsky Monastery: I found a companion who spoke Finnish. We didn’t like it at Konevets, so we went to Valaam.”

Ivan Alekseev first entered the Valaam Monastery as a sixteen-year-old boy, in 1889. Immediately upon entering the monastery, he was sent to one of the many monasteries of Valaam - the monastery of St. Herman of Valaam. In the Hermanovsky monastery they farmed and raised livestock. Ivan had to help in the barn and in the fields, which he himself had been accustomed to since childhood. So four years passed in the Germanovsky monastery.

Then Ivan was called up for military service, which at that time lasted four years. Ivan served in a rifle battalion, and after the army he returned to his home village to live with his parents for several years. He finally arrived in Valaam on May 28, 1901 and later wrote in his memoirs: “So I’ve been living in a monastery ever since, and there was never any thought of returning to the world. I thank the Lord that He, by His mercy, has vouchsafed me, a sinner, to spend my entire life in a monastery.”

Upon returning to Valaam, other obediences awaited Ivan. At first he worked in an economic office on the main island. But soon new duties were assigned to him, which, although they were not particularly pleasant, had to be performed as conscientiously as all the others. Ivan was sent for obedience to St. Petersburg, to the chapel of the Valaam Monastery near the Kalashnikov pier (on the Sinop embankment). He stayed there for two years.

Father John said: “This multi-rebellious city had a harmful effect on me, and I, weak in spirit, could not accommodate the bustle of the city, for I had to purchase, send to the station and ship and receive various goods that were required for the monastery.”

On December 21, 1906, Ivan was enrolled as a novice at the Valaam Monastery. On May 22, 1910, he was tonsured a monk with the name Iakinthos. After many requests, Abbot Mauritius allowed Father Iakinthos to leave the Kalashnikovskoe metochion and move to the Ilyinsky monastery. After his stay in the Ilinsky monastery, Father Iakinthos was obedient to the caretaker of the Baptist monastery.

On October 19, 1921, a new appointment took place - as abbot of a distant northern monastery - the Triphono-Pechenga monastery. November 13 Fr. Iakinthos was ordained a hierodeacon, on November 15 a hieromonk, and on November 11 he was elevated to the rank of hegumen. For Father Iakinthos himself, this was a big surprise. Straight out of the ordinary monks, he was ordained to the rank of abbot with the laying of a pectoral cross.

The book by M. A. Yanson “The Elders of Valaam” contains words that reveal the then mood of Father Iakinthos at that time. He recalls that he accepted the appointment completely complacently and did not feel any excitement. Father Iakinf himself was even surprised at this, since, in his own words, he was a naturally timid person. It happened that when, having come from the monastery to the main monastery, he approached the Gospel during the all-night vigil, his legs weakened, his head began to spin so that he was afraid to fall. Because of this, he sometimes did not even approach the Gospel. But now, after being appointed abbot, something exactly the opposite happened to Father Iakinthos: instead of fear, tears appeared. In the position of rector of the Tryphon-Pechenga Monastery, Fr. Iakinf joined on December 30, 1921.

The Pechenga Monastery was founded at the very beginning of the 16th century far to the north, on the cold Arctic coast. The founder of the monastery was the Monk Tryphon.

The Pechenga monastery reached its greatest prosperity at the beginning of the 20th century. In twenty years the monastery was completely restored and became many times richer than in the time of St. Tryphon. The number of permanent monks and workers increased to two hundred people. Thanks to the hard work of the brethren, the monastery became a center of civilization and a center of spiritual culture on the shores of the Arctic Ocean. Electricity was installed already in 1911. In addition, there was a telegraph and a post office. But most important is the spiritual significance of the monastery, as an outpost of Orthodoxy in the Far North.

There was a brick factory at the monastery. More than a million bricks had already been prepared for the construction of the new church. However, this project did not materialize. The first one started World War and all workers, including novices, were mobilized to the front.

Then, according to the Tartu Peace, the Pechenga Monastery went to Finland, and the border with Russia was closed. The Pechenga monastery faced the same sad fate, the same extinction, as the Valaam and Konevsky monasteries.

It was to this northern monastery, with its brethren dwindling in number and its buildings deteriorating, that a new abbot was appointed in 1921 - Abbot Iakinthos. The appointment of abbot Iakinthos to the monastery of St. Tryphon is described by the monk Iuvian in his letter to the abbot of the Konevsky monastery, Fr. Amphilochia as follows:

“Most honorable in the Lord, Venerable Fr. Hegumen Amphilochius!

In addition to my previous letter, I inform you that on the morning of December 9, Father Iakinthos from oo. Azariah and Habakkuk left their native Valaam, directing their steps to the “forgotten and midnight land.”

They set sail on a mail boat, and five brethren gathered to accompany them to the Nikolsky monastery. Those departing remained cheerful and tried not to reveal their excitement. Before sailing, Fr. Iakinthos asked me to convey to you his bow and request to assist him in prayer. After a heartfelt farewell to the Pechenga fathers, we helped them load their few belongings into the boat, and they set off on their distant and unknown journey. Standing in the boat, they constantly expressed their farewell to us, and we responded in kind. We stood on the shore for a long time until the boat began to fade into the distance. I don’t know what the Pechenga fathers were experiencing at that time, but our feelings were sad!

The Valaam elder schema-abbot John (1873–1958) spent almost his entire life in the monastery, was the rector of the Trifon Pechenga monastery, on the shores of the Arctic Ocean (now the Murmansk region), and for the last two decades of his life was the confessor of the Valaam monastery in Finland. Many letters from the elder were sent from the monastic cell throughout the world. Even during the life of Father John, his spiritual children collected these letters and published a collection, which has since been republished more than once in Russian, Finnish and other languages. This book is significantly expanded compared to other publications. The collection includes rare photographs, drawings of Schema-Hegumen John, and materials from the archives of the Valaam Monastery in Finland and the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos. Orthodox Church Museum of Finland (Kuopio) and private collections. The compiler of the book visited his father’s homeland in the Tver region. Impressions from meetings with the elder’s fellow countrymen complete his biography.

The second edition is supplemented with new materials for the biography of schema-abbot John, letters, photographs, and biographical data of the elder’s associates.

Compiled by Vitaly Degterev

Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, layout, 2014

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II about Valaam

According to His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus', it was on Valaam that he felt the calling to follow the path of serving the Church of Christ. As a teenager, Alexey and his parents came twice – in 1938 and 1939 – to go on pilgrimage to the Valaam monastery. These pilgrimage trips made a huge impression on the sensitive youth. Subsequently, His Holiness the Patriarch wrote in his memoirs: “Valaam made an indelible impression on me, a nine- and ten-year-old boy. The architecture of the monastery and monasteries, the prayers of the temples, the amazing nature of the Northern region, the spirit-bearing elders and inhabitants of the monastery: their hard work, openness, accessibility for every pilgrim and their special sensitivity - all this was amazing. In many ways, these two visits to Valaam determined my future path in life.

Of the inhabitants of the monastery, its confessors were especially remembered - schema-abbot John and hieroschemamonk Ephraim. Many times we were in the Smolensk monastery, where Hieroschemamonk Ephraim carried out his feat, performing the Divine Liturgy daily and especially remembering the soldiers killed on the battlefield. Once, in 1939, my parents and I visited the skete of St. John the Baptist, which was distinguished by the strictness of its monastic life. Schema-Hegumen John took us there in a rowing boat. The whole day was spent communicating with this wonderful old man. Schemamonk Nikolai, who lived in the Konevsky monastery and was always greeted with a samovar, over which soul-saving conversations were held, was imprinted in the heart. I remember the host, Abbot Luka, an outwardly stern but sincere shepherd, as well as the loving hieromonk Pamva, who came to Tallinn several times. A special relationship developed with the archivist, monk Iuvian, a man of exceptional reading and erudition...

Eternal memory of you, blessed are our fathers and brothers, ever remembrance!”

Alexei Ridiger (sixth from right in the bottom row), the future Patriarch, with the brethren of the Valaam Monastery, Abbot Khariton and pilgrims. Photo July 28, 1939

Pier of the Valaam Monastery on Ladoga

From the compiler

In 2001, under the European management training program, I was sent to Finland for a three-month internship. Having a free week from study and practice, I visited the Valaam Monastery for the first time, where I learned about Father John (Alekseev). Metropolitan Panteleimon and the rector of the monastery, Archimandrite Sergius, blessed me to publish a book about Father John. The elder’s letters turned out to be close to me in spirit. While working on the collection, I visited the elder’s homeland several times, in the village of Gubka, Tver Region, and spoke with Father John’s grandniece Lyudmila Sergeevna Bashtrykova. In the Znamensky Church in the village of Ilinskoye, I met its rector, Father Sergius.

Over time, I visited Holy Mount Athos. There, in the library of the St. Panteleimon Monastery, photo albums about Valaam and the elders of the Valaam Monastery are kept.

For several years I traveled to Finland several times. I visited the Orthodox Museum of Kuopio. In Helsinki I met with the spiritual children of Father John.

I am very grateful to all those who helped produce this book.

***

The life of schema-abbot Ioann (Alekseev) is amazing. Being the abbot and later the confessor of several monasteries, he met with tens and hundreds of people, knew their inner structure, consoled them and helped them find peace in their souls.

Father John's letters are addressed to different people: to those who do not believe and have not yet met God, to believers, churchgoers, people living a spiritual life.

The book consists of two parts - the biography of schema-abbot John, written by Metropolitan Panteleimon (diocese of Oulu, Finland), which was first published in Finnish, and later translated into Russian, it was published in 1992 under the title “Father John”. And the second part is the letters of Father John.

Metropolitan Panteleimon (in the world – Petri Sarho) was born in 1949 in Vieremä. In 1972 he graduated from the Orthodox Seminary in Finland. In 1977, he received a candidate's degree in theology from the Leningrad Theological Academy, upon tonsure as a monk, he received the rank of hieromonk, and was enrolled among the brethren of the Valaam Monastery in Finland. In 1979, he was appointed rector of the Valaam Monastery and elevated to the rank of abbot. In 1986 he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite. The abbot of the Valaam monastery continued until 1997, when the Council of the Finnish Orthodox Church elected Archimandrite Panteleimon as suffragan bishop (Bishop of Joensuu). He was elected metropolitan of the diocese of Oulu on April 1, 2002. He is currently retired and lives in Finland.

The content of the book is significantly expanded compared to other publications. The biographical narrative included in the first part is based on the elder’s letters. This collection includes almost all of his letters kept in the Valaam Monastery in Finland. When publishing them, the author's style was preserved and minimal cuts were made. Above the letters there are drawings made by the elder’s hand. Editorial changes, explanations by the compilers, and abbreviations are enclosed in square brackets.

Vitaly Degterev

From the history of Valaam

The Valaam archipelago, located in the northwestern part of Lake Ladoga, has about fifty small islands with a total area of ​​36 square kilometers. The area of ​​the largest island, Valaam, is 30 square kilometers. The distance to the mainland is 22 kilometers, to the nearest Karelian city of Sortavala (old name Serdobol) - 42 kilometers, to St. Petersburg - more than 220 kilometers.

From 1812 to 1917, the archipelago was part of the Principality of Finland of the Russian Empire. After the revolution, Valaam found itself on the territory of the newly formed independent state of Finland. This saved the monastery from the fate prepared for Russian monasteries. Since November 1918, the monastery was under the jurisdiction of the Finnish Orthodox Church, which became autonomous in 1921 and two years later, under government pressure, came under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

During the Finnish War, the monastery was subjected to severe bombing from the Soviet side. It seemed that the monastery was to be wiped off the face of the earth. But, by the grace of God, the bomb that fell a few meters from the Transfiguration Cathedral did not explode. A rare library of thirty thousand volumes also survived. On February 5, 1940, by order of the Finnish command, the inhabitants of the monastery, led by Abbot Khariton, were evacuated deep into Finland. This, as it turned out, was only a rehearsal for the exodus of the monks, when, with the signing of a peace treaty, Karelia (together with Valaam) went to the USSR, and, fearing persecution, the brethren were forced to leave their native monastery. Two hundred and five people: monks, novices, monastery workers - moved from Valaam to the territory of Finland. The small estate of Papinniemi, located in the rural area of ​​Heinävesi (now called New Valaam - Uusi Valano in Finnish), was considered a suitable place to locate the community. Initially, the monastery consisted of people from Ladoga Valaam.

Later, in 1943, six monks from the Pechenga Monastery were added to them, then nine monks from the Konevetsky Monastery. The Valaam monastery in Finland, which operates to this day, is often called the New Valaam monastery.

In Soviet times, in the premises of the Ladoga Valaam Monastery, first a school for boatswains and cabin boys was located, then a home for the disabled. Only half a century later, in December 1989, monastic life returned to Russian Valaam.

Foreword by the editor of the first Finnish edition in 1992

The Valaam Monastery in Finland was founded by Valaam monks who were forced to leave their native monastery during the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939–1940. None of them was destined to return to Valaam. Most of the more than one hundred and fifty monks who left the monastery (among whom was Father John) rest in the cemetery of New Valaam; seven ended their days in the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery. But the Valaam Monastery in Finland did not die, and its new inhabitants - Finns, among whom there are many young people - support the torch of Orthodoxy in the Lutheran country, and it shines for everyone in the house (). The fact that the monastery lives, and the Finnish Orthodox Church has even begun to grow in recent years, is due to Father John. The spiritual influence of this elder spreads not only in the church environment, but also among people who have not even yet come to Orthodoxy. The reasons for this phenomenon become clear if we look at the letters of Father John. Some of them were published in the collection “Letters of the Valaam Elder,” while others formed the basis of this book.

Father John was not a highly educated man. But in his messages to spiritual children one can see undoubted literary talent, deep intelligence, tact, sense of humor and, most importantly, evangelical simplicity. The elder wrote as he spoke, and in the book, if possible, his unique style is preserved. Minor amendments were made only where colloquial expressions obscured the meaning of what was written.

Preface by the author of the biography

In November 1984, the Valaam Monastery in Finland received a valuable donation: a resident of Helsinki, Elena Akselevna Armfelt, donated to the monastery a collection of almost three hundred original letters from Schema-Hegumen John that she kept. Some of them were previously published in the collection “Letters of the Valaam Elder,” which was first published during the life of Father John and then reprinted several times, including in English and Finnish.

I began systematic work on letters in December 1984. In the silence of my cell, I delved deeper into their meaning, and this reading captivated me more and more. I was captivated by the deeply spiritual and genuinely humane words of the elder.

At the same time, I accidentally discovered new documents about the past of the Valaam Monastery and about Father John himself. And I thought that if the elder’s instructions can be found in an already published book, then few people know him as a person. Therefore, a desire arose to compile his biography, using the letters donated to the monastery as a primary source. The result of this work is in front of you.

But first, about those who were the recipients of many of the elder’s letters, who kept them for many years as a priceless treasure.

In 1984, shortly after the Christmas holidays, I went to Helsinki specifically for this purpose. They gave me the address: Lapinlahti Street 21. I found the house easily. Already downstairs I was struck by the poor condition of the building. The old elevator took me to the fifth floor. In the corridor, in the dim light, I could hardly make out the inscription in small letters on the door sign: “E.Armfelt.” When I called, I felt a little nervous.

Three women hurried to meet me: two elderly and a young woman. The first - short and completely gray - greeted me cordially, while the second - dark-haired, taller - looked at the guest with friendly curiosity. The third, youngest, was familiar to me - Marina Lachinova, the organizer of the publication of Father John's letters in Finnish. The small gray-haired woman was the owner of the apartment herself - Elena Akselevna. The other is Pavel Maksimovna, her faithful friend, who has lived with her for many years.

Pavla Maksimovna Shmalts (left) and Elena Akselevna Armfelt in their apartment in Helsinki. Photo 1984

Taking off my coat, I walked down the long winding corridor into the living room. Along the way, glancing through the open kitchen door, I noticed that preparations were being made for my visit.

In this house you could immediately feel that, having left the atmosphere of the Finnish city, you plunged into the Russian world, as if you found yourself in the atmosphere of a typical Leningrad apartment. In the living room this feeling intensified even more. Everything was exactly as it usually happens in a Russian home. The room is cluttered with furniture: tables, chairs, armchairs and two large beds. The walls are completely covered with paintings of various sizes and countless framed photographs. The red corner with many icons testified to the zealous faith of the housewives.

The room was in a kind of comfortable disarray. The cold pedantry of the Western world retreated, warmed by the spiritual warmth of the Russian people. There was a covered dining table in the middle of the living room.

I assumed that since the grandmothers were old and weak, the treat would be limited to a couple of cups of tea. But I was wrong: the table in the living room was literally bursting with food. We prayed, and the kind hostesses invited us to the table. We dined according to Russian custom: there were several courses and wine was served between them. It turned out that we spent several hours at dinner - the entire time that I was visiting. And all this time we talked; naturally, in Russian.

Elena Akselevna had become almost completely blind in recent years, but it was hard to believe it, looking at her lively, expressive face. She was already eighty-three years old, and Pavel Maksimovna was four years older. Old age and illness weakened Elena Akselevna, but her consciousness remained completely clear. By helping each other, the old women could still manage their own apartment. This would have been impossible if not for Dr. Viir Ragner, their family doctor, a distant relative of Pavla Maksimovna, Estonian by birth. He rented a room in the apartment of old women and looked after them as if he were his own grandmothers. In addition, they were helped by many friends, among whom was the round-faced, clear-eyed, always friendly Marina.

Over lunch, Elena Akselevna told about herself. She was born on December 15, 1900 in Kronstadt. At that time, this city was especially famous for the fact that Archpriest John Sergiev, known for his sermons and the gift of miracles [St. Righteous John of Kronstadt], served there. He was called the “All-Russian shepherd”, and tens of thousands of pilgrims flocked to him - to the Kronstadt Cathedral of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. Elena Akselevna's mother often attended services there. One day the famous shepherd blessed little Elena.

The Armfelt family is a well-known family of Finnish Swedes in Russia who belonged to the military class. Representatives of one of the branches of this family, whose descendants included Elena Akselevna, served in the Russian army since the time of Catherine II and occupied high positions. In the novel War and Peace, General Armfelt is mentioned as a close associate of Emperor Alexander I. The next generations of Armfelts served in the Russian Navy.

Elena Akselevna’s grandfather was an admiral, and her father, Aksel Alexandrovich, was a captain of the first rank. Mother, Yulia Oskarovna Enquist, originally from Kronstadt, came from a noble family. Of our immediate family, only our hostess’s maternal grandmother was Russian. All other relatives are Swedes. And yet Elena Akselevna considers herself Russian. She says: “The Russian grandmother defeated everyone.”

When Elena was seven years old, her parents divorced. This news reached the sovereign through relatives close to the court. He did not approve of the divorce and, as punishment, sent the former head of the family to Siberia, to the Amur, to serve in the navy.

Elena Armfelt in her teenage years. Saint Petersburg

Elena Akselevna Armfelt

Thanks to her origin, Elena was accepted into the famous Smolny Institute, where only girls from noble families could study. The students lived at the institute itself; they were allowed home only on major holidays and in August. Smolny was often visited by noble persons, including the sovereign himself, as well as the Metropolitan of St. Petersburg. Elena Akselevna especially remembered the sovereign’s beautiful eyes and kind face. In 1917, the Bolsheviks closed the Smolny Institute, and the students were sent from St. Petersburg to the Don, to Novocherkassk, where Elena Akselevna graduated from the institute.

After the revolution, Elena and her mother, like many Russian emigrants, ended up in Helsinki, where they lived, albeit modestly, but in safety. Their mother ran their small farm, and Elena worked as an accountant at the wholesale company ÖRYM until her retirement. Mother and daughter were zealous parishioners of the small St. Nicholas Church at the Hietaniemi cemetery. Both of them participated in the founding and construction of the Orthodox church, in which services are still performed in Church Slavonic and in the old style. Despite her age, Elena Akselevna still finds the strength to go to church.

The life of Elena Akselevna’s faithful companion and friend, Pavla Maksimovna Shmalts, is no less eventful. She was born in the city of Joensuu in Eastern Finland. Her father worked as an accountant in an English company that imported flax from Russia. My father was half French, half German, but considered himself Russian, since he spent most of his life in Russia. Mother was Russian, Orthodox, originally from Arkhangelsk.

Later the family moved to Estonia, and then to St. Petersburg, which Pavle remembered for the performances of the Mariinsky Theater. After the revolution, they moved to Finland, and during World War II, Pavla and her son went to Estonia again. There she was arrested and sent to a concentration camp in Kazakhstan, since she did not have an Estonian passport. During her four-year imprisonment in exile, her son died. The experience is still fresh in this woman’s memory.

After the war, Pavel Schmaltz returned to Finland. She first met Elena Akselevna in church. She loved hats with wide brims and even wore them to church, which attracted Pavla’s attention. She didn’t like Elena Akselevna’s “aerodrome” hats, but that didn’t stop their friendship. Later, sensing the end was near, Elena’s mother asked Pavla to move into their house. The mother believed that her impractical daughter could not cope with the difficulties of life alone.

Pavla did just that. The friends were united by their love for the Church, joint trips to the Valaam Monastery and spiritual guidance from the monastery elder Father John.

Metropolitan Panteleimon

Metropolitan Panteleimon