Father Vlasiy, Borovsky Monastery: biography, reception and interesting facts

In Orthodoxy there are many examples of miraculous phenomena and healings of people from serious illnesses. Divine power comes to us through holy images, water sources, the relics of the great martyrs, the hands and prayers of living elders-clergy. The latter include Father Blasius from the Borovsky Monastery. To this day, he shows miracles to people who turn to him for advice and consolation.

In this article we will get acquainted with the biography of the elder and interesting facts that pilgrims willingly share. We will also find out how to get to the Borovsky Monastery and how to get to the reception.

Biography

Vlasiy (Peregontsev) (real name unknown) was born in the Smolensk region on February 8, 1934. His birth in itself is considered a miracle, since his mother was already over 50 years old at that time. His family, despite the atheistic times, were believers. My grandmother bore the rank of schema-nun. It was from her that the grandson adopted the love of God.

After graduating from school, young Vlasiy entered the medical institute in Smolensk. At the same time, he was friends with the girl, but hid from her that he visited the Assumption Cathedral in the evenings. One day, this girl, in a fit of jealousy, thinking that he was secretly going on dates with another, tracked him down and reported everything to the rector’s office. The real persecution began. The young student was forced to leave the institute without even taking his documents.

Father Vlasiy: his life and fate

Many who visited the elder say that he seems to read people, sees right through them and the questions they came to him with. The life of this man of God is as amazing as his abilities - not everyone could go through the trials that befell Blasius.

Born on February 8, 1934 (the confessor is now 84 years old), the boy was raised by his religious grandmother throughout his childhood. In Soviet times, faith was strict, so you had to hide your reverent attitude towards God. Denis Akhalashvili’s article says that the child’s own stepfather disliked him, calling him “bastard” and “nun” and making him feel like a stranger.

The family of the future confessor was haunted by tragic events. Father Vlasiy was the seventh child, the only one of 8 who lived more than 3 years. His own father died, and his mother decided to get married again.

After finishing seven classes of school, the boy became a student at the Smolensk Medical Institute and was supposed to become a pediatrician and work with children. The guy successfully passed all the exams, his studies were going well, but secretly from the university management he attended church. When this became known, the student began to be bullied: teachers and fellow students considered it their duty to force the promising physician to renounce his beliefs that were contrary to the reigning regime. He didn't refuse. Choosing between study and church, the minister chose the latter, writing a letter to his mother where he told about his choice.

Having left his studies, the runaway student went to the town of Kozlov, Tambov region, to Father Illarion, who took him to Transcarpathia. Due to problems with law enforcement agencies, I even had to change my name and documents. Soon the former student was tonsured into a mantle and served as a cell attendant in a Ukrainian monastery, closed during the time of Khrushchev.

Having been forced to return to Smolensk, Father Vlasiy had to restore old documents. And again the authorities presented him with a choice: the life of an exemplary Soviet citizen or service to the Lord. The answer remains the same.

On the way to his current rank, Schema-Archimandrite Vlasiy went from cleaning the altar to serving at all-night vigils and polyeleos services of the church, from the Smolensk Cathedral to the St. Pafnutev Borovsky Monastery.

According to stories, the life of his father, then a minister of the Kaluga diocese, was saved by his uniform scufe. During the robbery of the temple, he was attacked and hit on the head with a tire iron, so hard that his skull was fractured. Due to the scarf, the blow was softened a little, and the clergyman was able to be saved.

In 1991, he became Borovsky’s confessor - people lined up to get an appointment. Kind and understanding eyes saw all the unasked questions of hundreds and thousands of parishioners, and gradually the title of miracle worker was assigned to him.

Soon Father Vlasiy was diagnosed with cancer. Having survived 6 operations and numerous blood transfusions, the confessor went to the Greek Athos, to a monastery, where he remained in prayer for several years. One fine day he looked at the world with different eyes. The examination confirmed that the spread of metastases had stopped.

Returning to his native monastery of St. Pafnutiev, Vlasiy again begins church services. Even more people, after a miraculous healing, strive to get to their confessor, who until recently received parishioners unlimitedly (age takes its toll). To the best of his ability, he helps everyone in need.

Search and new name

Soon he completely changed his place of residence, leaving for the Tambov region, the city of Kozlov, where he met his spiritual mentor Hilarion (Rybar). They went together to the monastery of Flora and Lavra (Transcarpathia). This was, in a sense, a necessary measure, because a young student who suddenly disappeared was put on the all-Union wanted list.

After five years in the monastery, Peregontsev became a monk. Then he changed his name to Blasius (in honor of the holy martyr Blasius of Sebastia). Then he served as a cell attendant for 11 years with his confessor Hilarion.

“He had love in his heart for everyone and shared that love.”

Photo: pafnuty-abbey.ru

On the evening of November 5, the body of the newly deceased Schema-Archimandrite Blasius (Peregontsev), confessor of the Nativity of the Mother of God Pafnutiev Monastery of the Kaluga Diocese, was taken to the monastery and laid in the central cathedral, Patriarchia.ru reports.

The acting abbot of the monastery, Bishop Joseph of Tarusa and Bishop Theodosius of Isilkul and Russko-Polyansky, led the cathedral memorial service. The archpastors were concelebrated by clergy from the dioceses of the Kaluga Metropolis, as well as guests from other dioceses. Simultaneously with the memorial service, farewell to the newly deceased Father Blasius began.

At the end of the memorial service, the evening service began on the eve of Dimitrievskaya. parent's Saturday. At Matins, the archpastors led the reading of the parastas.

At the end of the service, the reading of the Gospel began. The clergy, taking turns replacing each other, read the Gospel at the tomb before the start of the night Liturgy.

At midnight, the Divine Liturgy began at the monastery, led by Metropolitan Clement of Kaluga and Borovsk and Bishop Hilarion of Kineshem and Palekh. The archpastors were concelebrated by the clergy of the monastery and the Kaluga diocese, as well as clergy from other dioceses who arrived for the funeral. Liturgical chants were performed by the choir of the Maloyaroslavets Chernoostrovsky convent.

After the Liturgy, a memorial service was served. Then Bishop Clement and Bishop Hilarion, together with the clergy, said goodbye to Father Blasius.

On November 6 at 9.30 a late Liturgy was celebrated in the monastery, led by Bishop Joseph of Tarusa and Bishop Theodosius of Isilkul and Russko-Polyansky. At the end of the Liturgy, the funeral service began. The funeral service was held for Father Blasius with the monastic rite.

At the end, Bishop Joseph addressed those present with a brief word, calling on the believers to patiently endure the bitterness of the loss of their spiritual father. Next, the coffin with the deceased was taken out and surrounded around the cathedral.

Father Vlasiy was buried in the monastery behind the altar of the central cathedral on the south side of the Elias Church. At the burial site, Bishop Joseph read a prayer of permission over the newly deceased, then the coffin was lowered into the grave.

After the burial, a general memorial meal was held in the royal refectory, during which the vicar, Bishop Joseph, also remembered Father Blasius, his life path, his illnesses and the heavy cross of clergy, his participation and role in his life. The dean of the Borovsk church district, Archpriest Igor Pavlov, and the head of the Borovsk administration, N.A., expressed their condolences. Kalinichev and others, the diocesan website reports.

Metropolitan of Kaluga and Borovsk Clement (Kapali) shared his memories of Schema-Archimandrite Vlasie (Peregontsev). The website of the Kaluga Metropolitanate reports this.

“At the liturgy on the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, I was informed about the death of Schema-Archimandrite Blasius (Peregontsev), says Bishop Clement. “This sad news, together with the bitterness of loss, brought bright memories of this ascetic and selfless servant of the Church of Christ. Father Blasius, being the confessor of the St. Paphnutiev Borovsky Monastery, for many years received clergy and laity who turned to him for spiritual advice and consolation.”

“I have known Father Vlasiy since my youth. I remember when I was still a schoolboy, we lived in our house in the Moscow region in the village of Udelnaya, and the young hierodeacon Vlasiy came to us. He was different from other monks who often came to us from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. He had a smile on his face, he easily started a conversation with us, asked about his studies, joked, and when he touched on the issue of preserving the faith, and this was the time of Khrushchev’s persecutions, he became serious. He spoke to us boys convincingly and with all seriousness about the need to maintain faith. He warned about the danger that awaits a person who has lost faith. And he especially emphasized: “With Christ there is no fear.” Then, while still a young hierodeacon, I saw an example of ardent faith and fidelity to Christ. Such a lively, young, believing man, a monk, was for us boys an inspiring example of genuine love for Christ, strengthening us to boldness in the Lord,” the Metropolitan noted.

“In subsequent years I rarely saw him, because... he went to serve in Siberia, and I also studied and taught at the seminary, and then was sent to serve in America.

After returning from a business trip,” the bishop continued, “and being appointed to the Kaluga See, I was happy to learn that Father Vlasiy is a clergyman of my diocese and serves in Borovsk. On the second day after arriving in Kaluga, I visited Borovsk and met with Father Vlasiy, then he was the abbot. We talked for a long time, reminiscing about the past years, he told me that he always followed how my ministry was going in the USA, and that he constantly visited my mother and supported her.

Then I asked him what he considered important, how I would begin my ministry on Kaluga land. Without thinking for a second, he said: “I really love the Monk Paphnutius, and the Borovsky Monastery must be opened.” These words of his gave me firmness and determination. Eight months later, the St. Paphnutiev Borovsky Monastery was transferred to the diocese, and Father Blasius became its first monk. On May 14, 1991, the first temple in honor of the Prophet Elijah was consecrated there.”

The Metropolitan emphasized that this would not be enough: “To resume a full-fledged monastic life in the monastery, a confessor with serious experience of monastic obedience was needed. Despite his physical ailments, Father Vlasiy took on this difficult ministry on his own shoulders. Without exaggeration, we can say that his judicious advice and sensitivity to other people's problems made the Borovsky Monastery famous in all corners of our vast country.

From everywhere people flocked to his cell to find out the will of God and to get a solution to their questions. Many came with serious illnesses - physical and mental. In a conversation with Father Blasius, they gained faith in God’s mercy and for the first time received hope: if not for a complete recovery, then for the merciful love of Christ with which his heart was filled. He had love in his heart for everyone and shared this love. He often said: “Every person is a unique creation of God, and every person should be looked at with love, whether he is a Muslim or a Protestant, a Jew or a non-believer! Who are we to judge him? The Lord gave us only one commandment about our neighbors - to love!

“Whenever I came to the monastery, Father Blasius was either at a service or receiving people, I didn’t see him just sitting on a bench. Even when he comes up to me to discuss any issue, after the discussion is over, he will say: “Vladyka, there are people waiting for me, bless me, I will go to them.” Helping his neighbor was the main thing in his life. At the same time, Father Vlasiy himself was seriously ill for a long time. But this could not be noticed from his light and cheerful tone of communication. He found words of encouragement for everyone. He grieved only about one thing, as he admitted: people often asked how they could overcome their difficulties in life, and not how to be saved.

Of course, in this difficult service and Christian feat he was strengthened by the Lord and the Mother of God. It is no coincidence that on Her feast day Schema-Archimandrite Blasius crossed the threshold of eternity, betraying his spirit into the hands of God. I believe that Christ, whom the newly deceased served from a young age, will rest his soul in the villages with the righteous.

Blessed memory of the newly deceased Schema-Archimandrite Blasius,” concluded Bishop Clement.

Schema-Archimandrite Vlasiy (in the world Ivan Vyacheslavovich Peregontsev) was born on February 8, 1934 in the village. Kushlyanshchina, Smolensk region, in a believing family (grandmother became a schema-nun).

After graduating from school, he entered the medical faculty of the Smolensk Medical Institute at the Department of Pediatrics and Childhood Diseases, but due to his religious beliefs and attending services at the Assumption Cathedral, he was subjected to bullying and persecution at the institute. After leaving his studies, he moved to the city of Michurinsk, Tambov region, where he met his spiritual mentor Father Hilarion (Rybar), with whom he moved to Transcarpathia, to the monastery of Sts. Flora and Laurel. Since the missing student was put on the all-Union wanted list, he was forced to change his name and was named Peter (in honor of the Apostle Peter). Five years later he was tonsured a monk with the name Blasius in honor of Blasius of Sebastia, and for 11 years he was a cell attendant with Fr. Hilarion.

With the closure of the monastery during the period of Khrushchev's persecutions, he was forced to return to Smolensk, where he was hired at the Assumption Cathedral as a psalmist and regent and became close to Bishop Gideon (Dokukin) of Smolensk, who later ordained him to the rank of hierodeacon and hieromonk.

In 1972, in connection with the appointment of Bishop Gideon as administrator of the Novosibirsk diocese, he moved with him to Novosibirsk.

Later he moved to Tobolsk, where he served in the Church of St. John of Tobolsk. Due to disagreements with the local bishop, he was forced to move to Tyumen, and later to the Belgorod region to Archimandrite Seraphim (Tyapochkin), who in 1980 tonsured him into the schema with the same name, now in honor of Blaise of Caesarea.

In 1991, with the blessing of Metropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsk, he was appointed confessor of the reviving Pafnutyevo-Borovsky Monastery.

In 1998, having fallen ill with cancer, he went to the Russian Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos, where he remained in seclusion for six years. In 2003 he returned to the Borovsky Monastery.

He died on November 4, 2022, on the day of remembrance of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, at the 88th year of his life, from complications caused by coronavirus infection.

Return to Smolensk

During the reign of Khrushchev, there were persecutions against the Orthodox Church. The Flora and Lavra Monastery was closed. Vlasiy had no choice but to return to Smolensk. There, as a regent and psalm-reader, he was received into the Assumption Cathedral, which was familiar to him. Soon the young monk became close to Bishop Gideon (Dokunin), who ordained Blasius to the rank of hieromonk and hierodeacon.

In 1972, his religious path led him to Novosibirsk, where he went after the same Gideon, who had already received the appointment of manager of the Novosibirsk diocese.

In eternal memory there will be a righteous man

In the Kaluga diocese, the confessor of the Pafnutievo-Borovsky Monastery, Schema-Archimandrite Vlasy (Peregontsev), died.

On November 4, on Kazanskaya, in the 88th year of his life, the confessor of the Pafnutevo-Borovsky Monastery, Schema-Archimandrite Vlasy (Peregontsev), reposed in the Lord. Many Orthodox Christians considered him a visionary elder and went to him for advice and prayer.

The future schema-monk was born on February 8, 1934 in the Smolensk village of Kushlyanshchina, into a believing family (his grandmother became a schema-nun).

He studied at the Smolensk Medical Institute, but because of his religious beliefs and attending services in the Assumption Cathedral, he was bullied and persecuted at the institute. He left the institute and disappeared from Smolensk. In the city of Michurinsk, Tambov region, he met with his spiritual mentor Hilarion (Rybar), and with him he moved to Transcarpathia, to the monastery of Flora and Lavra. Put on the all-Union wanted list, he was forced to change his name; he was named Peter - in honor of the Apostle Peter. Five years later he was tonsured a monk with the name Blasius in honor of the Hieromartyr Blasius of Sebastia, and for eleven years he was a cell attendant with his spiritual father.

During the period of Khrushchev's persecutions, the monastery was closed, and Monk Vlasiy was forced to return to Smolensk. He worked as a psalm-reader and regent at the Assumption Cathedral. Bishop of Smolensk Gideon (Dokukin) ordained him to the rank of hierodeacon, and then hieromonk.

In 1972, together with Bishop Gideon, who was appointed administrator of the Novosibirsk diocese, he moved to Novosibirsk. Later he served in Tobolsk in the Church of St. John of Tobolsk. He moved to Tyumen, and then to the Belgorod region to Archimandrite Seraphim (Tyapochkin), who tonsured him into the schema with the same name, but in honor of the martyr Blasius of Caesarea.

In 1980, he became a cleric in the Church of Demetrius of Thessalonica in the Kaluga village of Ryabushki. In 1991, with the blessing of the Archbishop (now Metropolitan) of Kaluga and Borovsk, Clement was appointed confessor of the revived Pafnutievo-Borovsky Monastery.

Having fallen ill with cancer, in 1998 he went to the Russian Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos and spent several years in seclusion. In 2003 he returned to the Borovsky Monastery.

He died on November 4 from complications caused by coronavirus infection.

This is the official biography of the deceased. But the abbot of the Intercession-Ennat Monastery of the Bashkortostan Metropolis, Archimandrite Nikolai (Chernyshov), remembers Father Blasius not from these meager lines. For him, Schema-Archimandrite Vlasy (Peregontsev) became a spiritual mentor, a person whose meetings remained forever in his heart and in grateful memory.

— Fifteen years ago I first came to see him. We arrived at the Pafnutyevo-Borovsky Monastery in the evening, but we really wanted to go to a conversation with the elder. And then the last visitor left him - and I entered the cell. And I didn’t know, I couldn’t even think that he had been receiving people since five o’clock in the morning. Didn't know he already had bowel cancer and diabetes. And our conversation lasted forty minutes! I needed to clarify so much for myself, to talk about so many important things.

And he began to talk about how sinful he was. And he called... my sins. He said that these were his sins, and I listened and thought: I have such a sin too... and I also have this sin... Lord, forgive me, a sinner, because I, too, have the same sins! And he simply essentially confessed me in that forty-minute conversation.

This was the first such acquaintance with him, and then I visited him more than once. A lot, not a lot, well, I visited him about eight times.

I want to tell you one story about how I came to him shortly before the glorification of Mother Zosima Ennatskaya. The service is over, and he says: “Come to me while no one is there. I want to give you a gift." And he gives me the icon of the Most Holy Trinity, which is now at the entrance to the Iversky Church of our monastery, and the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. “This,” he says, “is a gift for you.” And I came to him alone, and the icon of the Holy Trinity is quite impressive in size. Right now I’m standing at this icon at the entrance to the Iveron Temple... “Here, this is for you.” And I would be glad - but how can I convey it, I came alone, and I still need to get to Moscow, and here are these icons... But, I think, if the priest gives, then God will help. And everything worked out, I brought the icons.

But I didn’t think that we would glorify St. Zosima of Ennat on Trinity Sunday. And he gave the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker because I began to restore the St. Nicholas-Bondarevsky Church, where Mother Eutropia is now building a convent.

I later understood why Father Blasius gave me such a heavy icon of the Holy Trinity. The Lord managed it in such a way that I brought the icons to Moscow and brought them here. But the Trinity icon was heavy - so I had to prepare a church in Irovka for the glorification of the saint, and the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent opened there just then. All this at one time, on the feast of Trinity. But how hard it was to do all this. And it was doing , he couldn’t tell me everything, but he saw all the hardships that I had yet to endure, and he knew. That’s why he gave me the icon of the Holy Trinity: “It will help you.” And for strengthening - an icon of my Heavenly patron after tonsure, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker...

And one more thing about the last meeting. I came with my spiritual children, and I also say: “Father, I’m proud, I don’t see my sins. Just tell me what kind of dirt is floating above me.” And he says: “You know what, stop pestering me. Now let others pester you.” And the group that was with me, he told them: “Go to him. But there’s no point in coming to me so far away.” This was the last meeting, and then somehow things happened, the monastery... - you can’t escape. But always, at every service, they remembered his health, so it was as if I was always in unity with him. And even without seeing him, I was always somehow close to him.

When I found out about the death of Father Vlasiy, it was, of course, sad, but we turned on films about him - “The Elder” and other films - and it was as if I was communicating with him again, and you know, this heaviness and bitterness, it passed . It was as if I had been with him again, talked to him, and the bitterness had gone away. Because I know that with his righteous life he earned a holy place from God.

Kingdom of Heaven, eternal memory of the newly deceased Schema-Archimandrite Blasius!

Recorded by Olga Larkina.

Poems by Schema-Archimandrite Blasius (Peregontsev).

When you lose hope in your blood, loved ones and friends, and you don’t expect to find help in the world from vain people, then look with your spiritual eye into the depths of your sick soul, and in its deep hiding place you will see sparkles in the silence. With quiet prayer and tears, fan the forgotten flame - And you yourself will see with your own eyes that you are not alone in this world. There is Someone there, in the heavenly distance, There is Someone who loves you, He will support you in sorrow, Both compassionate and loving. And again then from the canopy of paradise your Guardian Angel will descend and for you, bending his knees, offer a prayer to God.

* * *

It often happens in life that even the heart is covered in darkness. There is no answer to your pain in the world, But I will give you proven advice: When life gets to you, don’t fuss, don’t complain, pray. I read a prayer - it’s like opening a window, And you see God in the sky - and your heart is not dark!

Borovsky Monastery

However, the wanderings of Hieromonk Vlasiy did not end there. Before the Borovsky Monastery, he served in the Church of the Savior John (Tobolsk). However, there he had disagreements with the local bishop. Therefore, the hieromonk had to move to Tyumen. But even there the temple did not become his home. And soon Blasius was sent to the Belgorod region, where Archimandrite Seraphim (Tyapochkin) tonsured him into the schema (this is a renunciation of all worldly joys). His name remained the same, only now he was ordained in honor of Blaise of Caesarea.

A little later, in 1979, the young schema-monk was appointed priest in the Church of Dmitry of Thessaloniki, in the village of Ryabushki (Kaluga region). And only after a short service here, Metropolitan of Kaluga and Borovsk Clement (Kapalin) blessed and appointed Blasius as confessor of the Pafnutyevo-Borovsky Monastery.

How to get to Father Blasius at the Borovsky Monastery

If your soul is screaming for help, and your body is exhausted from illness, come to Father Vlasiy, address:

Address of the Holy Pafnutiev-Borovsky Monastery: 249010, Kaluga region, Borovsk, st. Dmitrova, 1 You can get to the place in various ways:

• Bus routes;
• By electric train;
• By your own car.

Believers suffering from illnesses of soul and body are looking for help, support and guidance. It is important for them to communicate with Father Vlasiy, tell or describe their condition, express their painful issues in order to find themselves in this life, move in the right direction and not be tormented by doubts.

We live in a world of highly developed technologies, and therefore on the Internet you can see a huge number of positive reviews about Father Vlasie. Happy people who were helped by the advice share their recommendations and feelings, and write in the search engine

Now Father Vlasiy is 81 years old, he is full of strength, always smiles cordially, glows with inner energy and shares his knowledge with those who need it. He helps absolutely everyone, without exception, famous people and mere mortals. For him there are no distinctions, all are God's children, regardless of wealth.

The best article for you, go to: Ezekiel chapter 25 verse 17

A clergyman only needs to look at a person to understand what worries and worries him. The atmosphere of relationships between people in the monastery is so conducive to the sincere expression of one’s feelings that it is difficult to hide anything. Yes, this is not necessary.

People come to pour out their souls and find peace of mind. And for those who, for various reasons, cannot come in person, or doubt the effectiveness of help, we advise you to watch numerous videos of Father Vlasiy, where you can see the opposite and make your decision.

The Lord is always with you!

Watch the video with Father Vlasiy, entitled “I am not a miracle worker”:

A little history

The new monastery of the schema-archimandrite at that time was experiencing a stage of revival after historical unrest and restructuring. The St. Borovsky Monastery was founded in 1444 by the Monk Paphnutius. The outskirts of the city of Borovsk (Kaluga region) were chosen for construction. The monastery is located in a picturesque place: on a hill surrounded by forests, where the Isterma River flows into the Protva nearby.

Initially, there was a wooden church in the Borovsky Monastery. In its place in 1467, the white stone Nativity Cathedral was built. It was painted by the then famous master Dionysius. The frescoes contained fragments of the life of the Monk Paphnutius. However, a little more than a century later, the cathedral was dismantled by order of Tsar Fyodor the Blessed, and a five-domed temple was erected in its place. For its construction, beams with paintings from the 15th century were used. Thanks to this, the frescoes of Dionysius and another famous icon painter Mitrofan have survived to this day.

In the 16th century, the Pafnutievo-Borovsky Monastery was surrounded by a stone fence and turned into a border fortress. At this time, another church in the name of the Nativity of Christ, a refectory, watchtowers and entrance towers, and a belfry (later converted into a bell tower) were erected on the territory.

As a fortress, the Borovsky Monastery resisted the Poles in 1610, but was burned. Five thousand people were killed here in one night. Among them were monks. The bodies were buried on the territory in two mass graves. After this, the monastery was restored more than once, destroyed and restored again. The reason for this was the Time of Troubles, the war with Napoleon.

In the second half of the 17th century, archpriest Avvakum, a fighter for the old faith, sat here in prison, in the basement of one of the churches of the Borovsk monastery. Subsequently, he and his wife Anastasia were exiled to Siberia. By the way, today pilgrims are offered as an excursion to look into these very basements and touch the history of the Orthodox Church.

There was a time when the religious complex lost its status as a monastery and was used as a penal colony, an agricultural college and a local history museum. And only in the spring of 1991 the Borovsky Monastery was transferred to the Orthodox Church. And it was at this time that Father Blasius was appointed confessor here. Today, in addition to the monks, workers live here. Most often these are men who have been released from prison and do not have their own housing.

“He was a great seer”: memories of Ural residents about Father Vlasiy

Today is nine days since the confessor of the Pafnutyev Borovsky Monastery, Schema-Archimandrite Vlasiy (Peregontsev), passed away to the Lord. For many thousands of people, both clergy, monastics and laity, he was a real spiritual shepherd, a friend to whom they turned for blessings on a variety of issues. “He would be a great seer,” say those to whom the Lord gave the grace to meet Father Blasius on their life path say about him.

Our interlocutors today spoke about what he was like and how he remained in memory in their memoirs.

“Father Vlasiy has left. Denis Akhalashvili, a journalist and writer, host of an author’s column on the Soyuz TV channel, on his Facebook page on November 4 .

On Kazanskaya, Father Vlasiy went to God. About two weeks ago I talked to him, asked for advice, discussed something. And he was very angry that we talked on our feet, in a hurry, and there was so much to tell him, to ask, to consult. But the most important thing he told me.

And then there were fraternal evening prayers in Ilyinsky, I asked: “Can I stand next to you?” He smiled and said: “You can!” I stood, almost holding his hand, near the large icon of Kazan, there were brethren and monastic prayer around, after which everyone went to the cross and gave each other a brotherly kiss. And the priest blessed and kissed everyone, and it seemed that it would always be like this.

When he got sick and stopped going to services and meals, I wasn’t particularly worried. This is our father! What will happen to him? I thought he would take a break from us, petitioners and spiritual children, and our endless problems, which he meekly carried on himself for more than fifty years. And then again from morning to evening he will console, encourage and have mercy. After communicating with him, my heart was always light, all problems and adversity disappeared like smoke, all grace and glory to God...

And on the Day of the Defender of the Russian Land, on the bright holiday of the Queen of Heaven, whom he served and revered all his life, on Kazan, the priest went to God. Today we are all orphans. He always said that as long as Rus' is with Christ, no one will defeat us. He was a true warrior of Christ, a man of prayer and a loving elder. Therefore, let us pray for his repose in the villages of the Mountains and remain silent.

I took this photo of the priest in 2015, where he, as always, is joyful and loving towards people in whom he saw, first of all, the image of God.

Hegumen Flavian (Matveev) , abbot of the Holy Cross Monastery in the city of Yekaterinburg:

“I thank the All-Merciful God for bringing me to Father Blasius. I thank you for the fact that through him the love of the Lord Jesus Christ for us, for all people, became visible. It became visible to me, a contradictory, inexperienced teenager at the time, and is still visible to me.

Not as an object, but as Light.

Like something that penetrates a person and acts, illuminating. Not shocking, but delighting, not stunning, but endowing with high meaning. Every little gift, every word of the confessor was with the love of the Lord and with serious, restrained edification. And exactly when it was needed. No persistence, no pressure. Exactly as much as needed. Only one pure meaning.

1991 I am graduating from the Regional Medical College. I’m 19, and I’ve been working as a sexton in the Ascension Church for six months now. I’m a paramedic at five minutes, but I’m already a sexton! The future is uncertain, but church service is a calling of the heart.

And so in college I am faced with the need to conclude a contract with a medical institution for compulsory service, they offer me a very good place (I say without embellishment, very good), but I doubt that I will be able to work in this good and, undoubtedly, profitable place, and not in Churches.

And I understand that it is precisely for such moments that a confessor is needed. I understand that this is why I asked Father Blasius to be my mentor.

“You will need the knowledge you have received. But you won’t need a diploma,” sounds the kind, and very firm, hoarse voice of Father Vlasiy in the telephone receiver.

That's all. The application has been submitted, I am collecting the documents. Having received them, with deep gratitude I leave my beloved, very serious medical educational institution, whose full course I completed. I am going to continue to work in the Church, to work as a humble sexton, preserving the knowledge, wisdom of mentors and the warmth of their hands.

And after a year and a half, the Lord, through the mouth of the archpastor, calls me to become His priest, and knowledge about medicine, and the words of Father Blasius continued and continue to support me, serve as a support, serve as a foundation.

And this foundation is solid. Because the words of Father Vlasiy came true when the half-educated paramedic needed to get a patient with pneumonia hospitalized, and twice break through the mistrust and negligence of a doctor with twenty years of experience, and insist on his truth.

The words of the remarkable confessor came true when the half-educated paramedic stopped the arterial bleeding of a wounded, bleeding church watchman with his finger, and stopped this bleeding even before the ambulance arrived...

And this is just one episode from my life, in which my wonderful confessor, Father Schema-Archimandrite Vlasy (Peregontsev), has always been my support.

He is still my support in Christ. Support, only from another world. From the eternal, wholly belonging to Christ, His Glorious Kingdom.

Priest Igor Konstantinov , spoke about what an elder should be like and what is his difference from a pseudo-elder, using the example of Father Blasius . The priest told a story about a certain young hieromonk, whom the ruling bishop wanted to appoint as vicar of the monastery. The hieromonk considered himself unprepared for such serious obedience and went to Father Blasius for a blessing. The hieromonk rode to the elder on the train in ordinary secular clothes: trousers, a jacket, and in this form he appeared before the elder.

“Father Vlasiy came out of his cell, there were a lot of people around, but he went straight to the hieromonk, baptized him not with a priestly blessing, but with a maternal one, like a mother baptizes her child, and said: “Be a monk, don’t get married.” The hieromonk thinks to himself: “What kind of elder is this, since he doesn’t know that I’m already a monk; that he blesses me not to marry?” And he left with such an upset feeling. And then he says: this year he was attacked three times by women, they wanted to take him away from the Church and marry him. That's what a temptation was. And then he realized that Father Vlasiy was an amazing person.

His words and jokes were often hard to understand. This is what distinguishes real elders from pseudo-elders. The latter give a specific blessing: “Sell your apartment, leave your children, come to my monastery.” Real spiritual people never impose their blessing, their opinion, because God also does not impose his will on people - God offers it, and the person himself has the right to choose whether to accept it or not. God will never punish a person if he did not want to accept this will. Real true shepherds never give specific blessings. A person is free to choose. And no real elder will ever violate this human freedom.

Blogger Ilya Budkevich also shared his memories of Father Vlasiy ; he wrote about this the day before in his LiveJournal.

Father lived a very difficult life, ascetic and filled with love for the Lord. He went through the war, experienced all its horrors - he was left homeless, under German occupation, his family was in need, and his children experienced hunger from a very young age. Then there were persecutions from the Soviet government and many years of serving God, and then the elder’s service to Orthodox people from all over Russia.

Father was the confessor of the Pafnutiev-Borovsky monastery. In 1998, having fallen ill with cancer, he went to the Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos, where he remained in seclusion for six long years. In 2003 he returned to the Pafnutiev-Borovsky Monastery. Despite his serious, long-term illness, he was always cheerful, read spiritual poems, consoled in sorrows, and an ignorant person would never have thought that Father was so seriously ill.

In the mid-nineties, I, my godfather - at that time regent of the bishop's choir Sergei Tsivilev and another of our kind and good friend Vadik, having heard a lot about the perspicacious miracle elder Vlasiya who lived somewhere near Kaluga, went to look for him and answers to the questions that worried us at that time time questions of spiritual and worldly life.

Of course, our entire church knew about our gatherings, and in addition to our problems, the resolution of which we expected from the meeting with Schema-Archimandrite Blasius, we were also burdened with a bunch of questions that, at the request of our grandmothers, we had to ask the elder.

Here it is necessary to make a small digression - at that time the rector of the church, Father Alexander Urakov, was transferred to serve in another place, and the parishioners were worried whether to follow Father Alexander to another church or live humbly with another rector. This is the question I had to ask Schema-Archimandrite Blasius, among others.

When we got there, we were convinced that Father Vlasiy was really popular among the people: hundreds of people from all over the country were constantly in one big queue, and in order to get to the elder’s cell, one had to wait a couple of days. That’s what we did - we waited, we prayed, we wandered around the cold and snowy Borovsk - we waited. On the third day, when we got to the elder, we, in principle, received what we wanted: some - instructions, some - tips...

I also asked about Father Alexander. In response, I heard approximately what I expected - that we do not serve Father Alexander, but God, that Father Alexander will return to the temple more than once (he returned twice after that!), but the most important words of Father Vlasiy were: “You, son, yourself remember and tell your people: hold on to your Ascension Church. Do you know why?" - and after being silent for about three minutes in thought, the elder suddenly said: “You know, Yekaterinburg will fall, but Voznesenskaya Gorka will stand.” I immediately “demanded” clarification, but for some reason I was immediately escorted out of the elder’s cell. He blessed me, but stopped the conversation.

For a long time, his words were meaningless to me, but after a couple of years, on the Ascension Hill, on the site of the Ipatiev House, a cross was erected to the Royal Family, and another three years later, the construction of the Church on the Blood began - just opposite the Ascension Church, and now this, as it is also called, the Russian Golgotha, crowns the Ascension Hill with its mournful grandeur, and remembering the words of Vlasiy, I am sure that this is what he meant when speaking about the Ascension Hill.

He knew that he would soon leave us, but in order not to upset the people around him, he did not tell anyone about it. And now we will pray for him and hope that he will pray there for us and provide us with even greater help when he is in the Kingdom of Heaven. We ask everyone to remember the newly deceased Schema-Archimandrite Blasius in their prayers!

Photo: from open sources

Characters

Abbot Flavian (Matveev)

Priest Igor Konstantinov

Interesting Facts

• Father Vlasiy visited the Borovsky Monastery even before its transfer to the Orthodox Church. On moonlit nights, groans were heard here, and local residents claimed to have seen the ghost of a monk. All this was associated with the military historical past of the monastery, and the spirit supposedly belonged to Saint Paphnutius, who guarded the monastery. Then Father Vlasiy began to read the Psalter, and all the strangeness stopped.
• A little later, on the occasion of the celebration of the day of Paphnutius Borovsky (May 14), the dome in the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin unexpectedly collapsed. Everyone discovered the frescoes created by the icon painter Dionysius back in the 15th century. Thus began the restoration of the cathedral. And Father Vlasiy himself headed the work of the monastery.
• It is also known that it was no coincidence that he received the schema from Archimandrite Seraphim (Tyapochkin). Father Vlasiy turned to the same confessor who took the icon from the “stone” Zoya in Kuibyshev. There is a known case when young people gathered in someone’s house back in Soviet times. They started dancing in pairs, but the girl Zoya did not get a partner. Then she took the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and began to dance with it. So she froze. Neither doctors nor relatives could move her. Only Father Seraphim managed to free the girl from her stupor. So Hieromonk Blasius turned to him to be tonsured into the schema.
• Literally from the first days of his appearance in Borovsk, local residents began to say that the new abbot saw right through people. He had only to look at the person, and he already knew what question and problem they were addressing him with. The pilgrims recall that they did not have time to utter a word, but they were already receiving advice.
• In the first years of his stay at the monastery, Father Vlasiy went outside its boundaries to walk in the forest and go fishing. One day he was beaten by hooligans. After this, the abbot began to limp.
• According to the same pilgrims, famous people come to the elder, whose names are not disclosed. However, it is known for sure that at one time the famous ballet dancer Andris Liepa came to visit Father Blasius at the Borovsky Monastery. He even baptized his daughter. The writer A. Solzhenitsyn and his wife once came here. True, this trip took place accompanied by a police escort. Father Blasius was not in the monastery at that time; he was on Mount Athos. And the writer was simply collecting material about Russia.
• Father Vlasiy himself modestly speaks of his gift. The parishioners nicknamed him almost a psychic, since he sees both the past and the future of people. And the abbot says that at one time he studied iridology well (determination of diseases by the iris of the eye). In his opinion, it is first necessary to treat the human soul. It is through her that all illnesses appear.

Elder Father Vlasiy sees right through people

Many pilgrims expect a miracle from Father Blasius.

Pilgrims from all over the country come to the St. Pafnutiev Borovsky Monastery for consolation and healing. The Komsomolskaya Pravda correspondent was also among them.

In mid-January, cinemas were crowded with people wanting to see the film “The Island” by Pavel Lungin. The main character, the monk Father Anatoly (actor Pyotr Mamonov), has been praying for forgiveness of a mortal sin for more than thirty years. Having learned about his special healing and prophetic gift, crowds of sufferers flocked to his island.

Meanwhile, in our hectic life, the elders are one of the eternal mysteries. Since ancient times, there has been special respect and interest in them in Rus'. People turned to them, some for advice, some for healing - even in the atheistic Soviet times. There are such elders even now - Komsomolskaya Pravda has already written about which monasteries their monasteries are located in. I first learned about one of the elders from a friend of mine. She enthusiastically told me that she was going to go to the Borovsky Monastery, where Father Vlasiy lives. He supposedly sees people through and can give wise worldly advice. The friend returned discouraged. As soon as she went to the priest, he immediately told her: “But the cross you’re wearing is someone else’s!” — she actually asked her friend for it before the trip. And he sternly noted that you need to go to church, pray, and asking how to keep two men at once is not good... An acquaintance was actually confused between her husband and her lover... “And how did he find out?” - she was surprised. And then she talked about the miracles that were happening in the monastery. Here is a girl, they say, she was the only one who couldn’t see well. And Father Vlasiy kissed her on the forehead, and she received her sight... In a word, I decided to go to the elder to see for myself in everything...

Queue for a miracle

I ended up in the ancient town of Borovsk, seventy kilometers from Moscow, on the eve of Epiphany.

— Can you tell me how to get to Father Vlasiy? - I ask the pumpkin saleswoman.

— Take the minibus, it will stop at the grove. And there along the path. People have trodden a path there. But you won’t get to the elder right away. We live nearby, but nothing happens. You have to stand in line for days and watch.

At the entrance to the monastery the goalkeeper stops me:

-Where are you going, girl?

- To Father Vlasiy. Can I go to the monastery?

“He’s a man…” he grins into his beard. — And there are many people who want to visit Father Vlasiy. He just doesn't accept it on holidays. Call after Baptism...

But something inside told me that I shouldn’t turn home right away. I see two more women walking towards the cathedral. I'm behind them. We started talking.

“Father Vlasiy helped my friend,” one of them shared with me. “She and her husband didn’t have a child for a long time. The elder said that they need to get married. So they did. And my friend recently gave birth. In general, he sees right through every person.

- Like this?

- He knows both your past and your future. Only if he says something, everything must be done. And this is sometimes so difficult!

...The path itself led to a two-story building. I went up the stairs. I see there are a lot of people in the shops.

- Who are you seeing? - I ask.

“To Father Blasius,” the girl raised her face from the prayer book.

- Who's last in line?

The people remained silent. Then one woman explained:

- These are those whom Father Vlasiy has known for many years. They came to congratulate you on the holiday.

A young husband and wife come out of the old man’s room; she holds a boy in her arms and smiles happily:

“Thank God, Sasha doesn’t have the illness that the doctors diagnosed.” Father said we should drink goat’s milk and eat dried apricots.

A pretty woman was getting dressed next to me.

“Oh, how glad I am that I got to see him today,” she jabbered. “Father told me: “Don’t eat, Katya, in front of the TV.” After all, I didn’t listen. My stomach hurt. The doctors diagnosed a tumor and said we needed to have surgery. I'm going to see my father. I think he will give a blessing - I’ll make up my mind. He told me: “Listen to the doctors. They will do everything right." That's it, I'm going to go to the hospital!

They told me in line about a unique case. The mother brought her son, a young guy, all in tears: “The doctors diagnosed my son with AIDS. He doesn’t sleep at night—he’s suffocating.” Father Vlasiy crossed the guy’s forehead and gave him oil brought from Jerusalem. The guy took the oil and fell asleep the first night. Soon both came to the old man again with good news: doctors did not find AIDS in a blood test... And the guy stopped choking at night...

They said that the writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn and his wife Natalya Dmitrievna visited Father Vlasiy for several years in a row. And many more famous people. Only their names are kept secret.

Most often they come to the elder with serious problems. But there are also funny things. One grandmother still couldn’t get to the appointment and persuaded his driver: “Oh, honey, help me!” He took pity and led the grandmother away, and then received a reprimand from Father Vlasiy. The old woman asked for something: her refrigerator was old, and she couldn’t decide whether to buy her a new one or not.

... “Father Vlasiy will not receive any more,” echoed through the ranks.

A strong man with a long beard, glasses and a cassock came out of the cell. Everyone immediately jumped up, someone tried to grab him by the hem... The elderly woman managed to ask a question as she walked:

- Father, what should I do with work?

“I said last time: listen to your superiors, don’t argue,” the elder told her sternly. - Why didn’t you do it? Eat mushroom pies, keep your mouth shut...

Then Father Vlasiy looked at everyone. He nodded:

- Lord bless you...

And he suddenly grabbed one woman by the nose and quickly left.

- Why are you plucking my nose, father? - she was surprised.

“That’s how father, they say, draws out sins,” someone in the crowd answered her, laughing.

I was upset that I didn’t get to see the elder. The girl Lena, who was in front of me in line, reassured me:

- Don't worry. Next time you'll get it. The Lord will definitely bring everyone who needs it to him.

Then I realized that I could barely stand on my feet. I haven't eaten all day. And Lena invited me:

- Let's go, I made an agreement in the refectory. We will be fed.

I haven’t eaten such delicious borscht with fragrant white bread for a long time. After eating, we cleared away the dishes and wiped the crumbs off the table. This is how it is done here. In the refectory they feed workers - lay people who come to the monastery to work.

Leaving for Moscow, I knew that I would return...

Father recovered from cancer

Father Vlasiy himself has an amazing story. His grandmother was a nun, and his love for God came from her. He studied at the medical institute in Smolensk, was friends with a girl, but was forced to hide his faith from her. He went to the cathedral secretly, and the girl thought that he was going on dates with someone. I tracked him down in the temple and reported him to the rector’s office. Due to bullying, a young student left the institute. He left for Transcarpathia and five years later became a monk. They began to call him Father Blasius. Then he served in a church in Tobolsk. There, too, he experienced persecution, after which he accepted the schema - he renounced all worldly joys. In Borovsk - since 1979. When Father Vlasiy settled in the building of the agricultural technical school (he was in the building of the monastery), at first on moonlit nights moans were heard from somewhere. Local residents also said that they saw a ghost - a monk. They believed that it was the spirit of Saint Paphnutius who guarded the shrine. And the groans at night were explained by the fact that the monastery stood on bones. In 1610, the Poles broke into the monastery and killed about 5 thousand warriors, monks and residents overnight. The bodies are buried here in two mass graves.

When Father Vlasiy began to read the psalter, the groans at night disappeared. One day on May 14 - the day of Paphnutius Borovsky - the dome in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary collapsed and the frescoes that were painted by Dionysius, a student of Andrei Rublev, were revealed. And the monastery began to be restored.

Vladyka invited Father Blasius to become abbot of the monastery. But he refused. As they say, Father Vlasiy found out that he had cancer and left for the Greek Athos. For five years he was in solitude - a seclusion. When he returned to Borovsk, there were even more pilgrims to him.

Diagnosis is based on the eyes

People here don’t like to talk about what Father Vlasiy said to whom. One of the pilgrims explained to me: the elder himself warns that in order for everything to come true, secret things must be kept to oneself. There is no difficulty in remaining silent, but the benefits are great.

Although some cases still reach parishioners. For example, one day a man came, and the priest said to him:

- I see your heart is sick. You smoke a lot. When you leave here, you won't smoke.

The man was surprised. But I really didn’t put another cigarette in my mouth. And my heart let go.

Father Vlasiy himself explained his gift for seeing illnesses this way:

— People's rumors spread that I was almost a psychic. I used to study iridology and can diagnose various diseases using the iris of the eyes. In general, almost all diseases of the body directly depend on diseases of the soul. As soon as a person gets tired, gloomy, weakened, illnesses immediately burst in.

The priest does not charge a reception fee. But people usually still try to thank him. Some will leave some money, some will treat you to an apple or a pie. These gifts go to the needs of the monastery, to the table of the monks and pilgrim workers.

How I confessed in a monastery

A week later, I found out that the queue to see the elder was scheduled for a week and a half in advance.

“Stay in a hotel for five days, maybe you’ll get there earlier,” they advised me over the monastery telephone. — In general, Father Vlasiy conducts confession on Sunday.

I left early - on Saturday. I haven’t eaten fast food for days, as I should. I stayed with kind people for the night. The hostess sheltered three more pilgrims. I was told that it would be better to write the sins I repent of on paper. And give it to Father Vlasiy. Otherwise, people usually get lost during confession and forget what they wanted to say.

I wrote three sheets of paper and cried - it’s not so easy to repent of sins. I read the canon with my neighbor. At three o'clock in the morning we went to get in line. At the monastery gates, someone in felt boots was already shifting from foot to foot.

“Girls, I warn you, there are eight more people with me,” said the elderly woman. - Can I go? I’ve been standing here for two hours already.

A red cat came running from somewhere and began to rub against us... Frost! In the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, confession began at seven o'clock in the morning.

About twenty people passed before me. They approached Father Vlasiy one by one.

He was talking to someone jokingly. With someone - very strictly.

To one girl who complained of endless illnesses, he said:

“First the soul must be treated, then everything else.”

My heart fluttered. Father Vlasiy carefully read my pieces of paper. He sighed sympathetically several times. Looked into my eyes.

“Now,” he says, “show me your cross.”

He held the cross in his hands. Then I got down on my knees. Father prayed. I kissed the cross and the psalter. And she quietly stepped aside.

And it was as if a concrete slab fell from my shoulders. So suddenly I felt sleepy. I leaned against the wall and passed out.

I came to my senses when the service began and beautiful singing flowed under the arches of the dome. She opened her eyes and was stupefied. Famous dancer Andris Liepa stood right in front of me with a bouquet of white roses. I approached him and asked if he had come to Father Vlasiy.

- To him. We baptized Father Vlasiy’s daughter eight years ago. Then he went into seclusion on Athos. And since he appeared in the monastery again, we come to him constantly. Amazing man! I don’t know how we would be without Father Vlasiy...

Shocked, I spent that half day in the monastery. On the way out, someone called out to me. Andris Liepa! He decided to give me his calendar and signed it: “For Svetlana - as a keepsake.”

And then I admitted to him that I was a journalist.

— You know, Andris, last year your wife Ekaterina presented me with a diploma at the “Paparazzi of the Year” competition.

He and I laughed together at this coincidence.

In general, I thought, there are no coincidences in our lives. So, I just needed all this.

Present tense

Today Father Vlasiy is 84 years old, and he still helps people who turn to him. Fame about the wonderful old man reached almost all corners of Russia and even went beyond its borders. This was facilitated not only by word of mouth, but also by numerous articles in the media.

How to get to Father Blasius at the Borovsky Monastery is one of the most pressing questions for those suffering. After all, the monastery is for men; according to the rules, only confessors, monks and male workers are allowed to live on the territory. And the queue to see Father Vlasiy is always quite long, about 100-200 people every day. Due to such a large influx of people, the monastery hotel is overcrowded, so sometimes pilgrims are allowed to spend the night in the Church of Elijah the Prophet, or local residents invite them to their place.

Borovskaya monastery

Borovsky Monastery is a monastery where Father Vlasiy has served for decades. Visitors in 2022 can read reviews of people who received help from the elder. The words of Archimandrite Seraphim came true - Father Blasius is the confessor of this monastery.

Borovsky Monastery, a monastery where Father Vlasiy has served for decades

By the way, Father Vlasiy has had a terrible diagnosis of oncology for many years, but this does not stop him from encouraging people, helping them with words, teaching them to enjoy life and appreciate it. At the initiative of believers, the group “Father Vlasy” was created in contact; here is the link to this information page https://vk.com/o.vlasy.

In it you can ask questions, find out useful information, contain up-to-date information about the reception of Father Blasius, and you can share or read your impressions of meeting the priest or visiting the monastery.

The chronicle of the monastery dates back to the time of the Mongol-Tatar invasion

After all, its history is very rich and glorious. The chronicle of the monastery dates back to the time of the Mongol-Tatar invasion. To feel the desire not just to visit the Borovsky Monastery, but to make a pilgrimage trip, you need to watch a video about this spiritual center.

Unfortunately, today there is a clear tendency to treat spiritual monasteries, elders, and the Church of Christ as a whole as a table of orders, which is unacceptable for sincerely believing people.

There is no point in condemning anyone, but it is time to accumulate an understanding of the difference between spiritual needs for the sake of saving the soul and the fulfillment of desires, magic and faith in the truth. Father Vlasiy said in one of his interviews that spirituality is not a set of unquestioningly followed rules.

This is difficult to explain in words, but such a vital feeling of love for the Lord, for everything that he has created for us. This is taught by the instructions, words of sermons, and conversations of Father Blasius.

Reception

First of all, you need to remember that an appointment with a clergyman is not an ordinary trip to the doctor. Here you can’t just come with a problem and immediately get a solution. There is a certain path that a parishioner must overcome.

Father Vlasiy does not charge a fee for the reception. However, the pilgrims still try to thank him. Some leave food, and some leave money as donations to the temple. All these gifts then go to the table of the monks, pilgrims-workers and for other needs of the monastery. According to parishioners, it may take more than a week to achieve an official audience with Father Blasius.

In the Borovsky monastery, in addition to the elder, there is a holy spring of the Monk Paphnutius. They say that bathing in it (at least three times) improves health and heals ailments of the musculoskeletal system.

Also, before the reception, you should confess and venerate the icon of St. Paphnutius. To do this, you should not eat fast food for at least one day. Confession and communion are conducted by the abbot himself in the traditional form (after the service). To make it easier to collect your thoughts, you can write your sins on a piece of paper.

How to get there

Only after this, in order of priority, can you make an appointment with Father Vlasiy. How to get to the Borovsky Monastery is another question. The city where the monastery is located is 84 km from Moscow. Therefore, the most famous route is from the capital. You can get there from Kievsky railway station by train or bus. Also 20 km from Borovsk is the town of Balabanovo. There are also railway tracks in the Kyiv direction.

Upon arrival in the city, it is better to contact the locals. Everyone there will probably be able to tell you how to get to the Borovsky Monastery, by what transport and even on what day.

PS

Eldership in Russia appeared even before the revolution. In godless times, secret monasteries were created, where clergy received believers, or people who were desperate and had lost their bearings in life. This holy mission continues to this day. But today in Russia the Orthodox Church already has great importance and influence.

Elder Blasius in the Borovsky Monastery is a vivid example of such selfless love and service to God. For many years the flow of pilgrims to it has not decreased. And everyone receives comfort and help. Miracles happen in the lives of ordinary people, you just need to believe in them.