Description and history of the cell
Blessed Pavel of Taganrog (Pavel Stozhkov, 1792-1879) comes from a fairly wealthy family: when he reached the age of 20, he inherited a vast plot of land and several hundred serfs. All this would have allowed him to exist comfortably in a big city or even abroad, but the young man preferred a godly lifestyle. He went on a long journey to holy places and returned to his homeland only ten years later.
Upon his return, he changed many apartments, but his last refuge was in a house on Depaldovsky Lane (now Turgenevsky), which consisted of several rooms - one was reserved for a cell. It is known that the owner of the property was a certain Efim Smirnov, and the rent was 75 rubles. Pavel of Taganrog received novices - he kept them quite strictly, and soon acquired the gift of healing: people from all over the country came to him, and even then he became revered and loved by the people. He led a simple, ascetic lifestyle and cared more about spirituality than reality - he strove for purity and constantly prayed.
His personality can also be judged from his cell. Small, squat, half-grown into the ground, it looks very modest - it’s not difficult to assess the conditions in which the saint lived from a photo. The farmstead of Elder Paul, as the house is usually called, is revered by local residents: both outside and inside there is perfect order and cleanliness. Initially, the Blessed One was buried in a chapel at the famous city Old Cemetery, but in 1999, when his canonization took place, the relics were transferred to St. Nicholas Church. This process was accompanied by miracles: the sun was suddenly enveloped in a rainbow, a cross formed from the clouds in the sky, and the water suddenly became sweet.
After the death of Paul, the house-cell was bought by Baroness E.K. Taube. The woman handed it over to the saint’s novices, who then transferred it to each other and passed it on by inheritance. This subsequently made it possible to save the religious building from confiscation by the Soviet authorities. Now it is owned by St. Nicholas Church. The gradual restoration of the landmark - interior decoration, icons, historical facade - began in the 90s. last century and continues to this day. It is interesting that renovations have never been carried out here, so guests can observe a life picture of the revered old man that is almost identical to the previous one.
Biography of the Righteous
St. Paul of Taganrog.
Righteous Paul sought God from his youth. Of noble origin (from the Chernigov province), who knew no need, from childhood, however, he was as if not of this world. The parents talked about studies and future service, and Paul sought the salvation of his soul and spent his days in prayer. When he turned 25, he begged his father to bless him for his pilgrimage. Having taken his part of his parents' estate, Paul sold everything, distributed the money, and freed the serfs.
The next 10 years are a continuous pilgrimage to the holy places of Rus'. How the soul of the young nobleman talked with God, what he experienced over these years - the life of the saint says almost nothing about all this. It is only known that around 1827, a simply, poorly dressed wanderer appeared in the seaside Taganrog. There was no trace left of the nobleman - he even spoke like a Ukrainian peasant.
Pavel got a job at a local port. Here he worked until old age, when he had to leave hard work. By this time, many understood: the elderly man was not just a wanderer and a port worker, of which there are many. His wisdom, prayerfulness, and ability to give spiritual advice have long attracted the townspeople to him.
Apparently, after leaving work, the saint settled in a small house, now known as his cell.
Interesting fact
Every day he began with a divine service, arriving at the temple while it was still dark. Then he went to the market, where they were already waiting for him. The sellers knew: it was not Elder Paul who needed alms, but they themselves. After all, God’s blessing will surely rest on the one who has mercy on such a person.
Therefore, they vying with each other to offer food and money to the old man with two white canvas bags. But he didn’t take it from everyone, but he even drove away others whose conscience was not clear. But he welcomed many and gave advice. Even more people came to the elder’s home, wanting consolation, help, and support.
So the years passed, and there, in his little house, the saint ended his earthly journey on March 10, 1879. The signs of God's grace, revealed already at the death of the righteous man, convinced many of his holiness.
2
June
1999
On this day, Blessed Paul of Taganrog was glorified as a locally revered saint. And since 2016, he has been revered throughout the church.
This is interesting: Blessed Pavel of Taganrog is the righteous man in the world
Visit to the house of Blessed Paul
According to reviews of pilgrims, the courtyard of St. Paul of Taganrog has a special energy. Here you can rest your soul and be inspired by the life and history of the saint. Prayer services are held daily in the house, which are open to everyone.
Outside the cell of St. Pavel Taganrogsky looks neat and beautiful: a small, wooden old house, painted white and green. There are small windows with shutters in the walls, and an icon is hung above one of them. The building is surrounded by an impressive fence and has a spacious paved yard. Directly next to the cell there is a front garden, bordered by a low wicker fence with clay pots on supports. The setting seems to transport visitors back to the distant 19th century, when the old man was still alive.
The ancient well, preserved not far from the building, deserves special attention. According to legend, it was illuminated by John of Kronstadt himself. It is believed that Paul brought holy water here from various religious sites.
Inside the house, visitors will see a whitewashed cell, the walls of which are completely covered with icons. Here you can see many lamps, personal and household items, church books and pots filled with sand - candles were placed here. There was a bench against one of the walls: it served as Pavel’s bed, where he put his clothes instead of a pillow.
Truly this is a quiet and blessed place, where there are always many believers. A special atmosphere reigns here, giving peace, tranquility and unity with God. You can also notice young people on the territory: these are university students and schoolchildren who, before an important exam, come here for confidence, strength and peace. Soon a refectory will open nearby, which is very convenient: the holy landmark is always full of pilgrims.
"Pillar from earth to heaven"
Two years ago, a church-wide glorification of the blessed elder Pavel of Taganrog took place. With his life he embodied a vivid and sought-after example of the feat of holiness in the world, and the Don land forever found in him its patron in heaven. June 20 is the day of remembrance of the elder, in honor of his glorification as a locally revered saint.
Holy wanderer
Blessed Pavel of Taganrog
Pavel Stozhkov was born on November 21, 1792 and was named in honor of St. Paul, Patriarch of Constantinople, confessor, whose memory is celebrated on November 19. The boy’s parents, Pavel and Paraskeva Stozhkov, were wealthy nobles from the Krolevets district of the Chernigov province and owned a large number of peasants. It is obvious that they were also pious people. However, they dreamed of giving Pavel, like his older brother, a good education and providing him with a comfortable life. The blessed one himself said: “My whole desire from my youth was to pray to God, and my intention was to go to holy places.”
At the age of 16, he left his father’s house and went on pilgrimage to holy places, and stayed like that for a whole year. When Paul returned home, his father severely punished him and forbade him from going to holy places in the future. The saint himself later admitted that his father did not share his aspirations, but was unable to change them: when Paul turned 25, he gave his son his part of the inheritance and, blessing him to do with him at his personal discretion, let him go. First of all, Paul granted freedom to all his peasants, and distributed the money remaining from the sale of property to the poor. After this, he was able to fulfill his old dream - to travel to holy places.
It is known that this pilgrimage of Blessed Paul lasted 10 years. During this time, he was able to visit many holy monasteries, in each of which he left significant donations. Especially (and subsequently) he loved to visit the Solovetsky Monastery, the Kiev-Pechersk and Pochaev monasteries. About the latter he said this: “Whoever is in Kyiv, but Pochaev passes, will not be in Kyiv.”
Second homeland
At the age of 35, Pavel appears in the city of Taganrog and remains here forever. For a long time he lived with people, in different apartments. His last refuge was an apartment in Depaldovsky (now Turgenevsky) Lane, where he not only had his own corner cell, but rented an entire house. The blessed one dressed very simply, wore peasant clothes and spoke the Little Russian language, so it was difficult to even guess about his noble origin.
Pavel loved to light lamps and wipe icons - he carried a small stool and a towel with him
Naturally endowed with great physical strength, Pavel hired himself out for day labor and worked without sparing himself. However, with the sound of the gospel, he immediately left everything and hurried to the temple, and did not miss a single service. Most of all he liked the Assumption Cathedral, for which he purchased many icons, lamps and made a number of other donations. Pavel himself loved to light lamps and wipe icons - he always carried a small bench and a white towel with him. They also said that when chapels were added to the cathedral (at that time Paul was already in old age), he himself carried the bricks upstairs, inspiring others with his example.
One day, the rector of the cathedral, who already treated the blessed one well, during the Great Entrance at the liturgy, saw Paul in a light, shining vestment, like that of a bishop. After this, he began to treat the righteous man even better. True, not everyone from the church clergy revered the elder so much - he also had ill-wishers.
When the elder no longer worked, after the service he had the custom of going to the market. Pavel invariably walked with a stick in his hand and two canvas bags over his shoulders. The merchants tried to invite him to their place, because they knew that after this their trade would be successful. Many gave him food as alms, but the blessed one did not take it from everyone, and, to their great sorrow, he even drove some away with a stick.
Cell and the elder's entourage
Cell of Blessed Pavel of Taganrog
When Elder Paul settled in a separate house, he began to bless some people to live with him for a while, while others stayed forever. So gradually a community of its own began to be created around him. The elder was distinguished by great severity, did not give any concessions to anyone, and he especially did not like disobedience. However, when visitors came to him, he denounced their sins in an original way: in the presence of one of the novices, he called these sins as if they were characteristic of this novice. The latter only shrugged his shoulders guiltily and asked for forgiveness, but the visitor himself understood that his own sins were thus exposed, and he left with spiritual benefit.
Concerned mainly with his inner life, Blessed Paul attached very little importance to cleanliness in his cell. He blessed his novices to clean his house only once a week - on Saturdays. Moreover, he ordered all the garbage to be collected in bags, which stood in the house for another three days, and then the garbage was burned. He did not give his blessing to throw it away. The saint slept on a narrow bench, which he did not cover with anything, and instead of a pillow he put some of his clothes under his head. He slept very little, and especially valued night prayer.
Blessed Paul especially did good to prisoners
On the walls in the elder’s cell there were many icons, with lamps burning all the time; near others on benches there were jugs of sand, in which a huge number of candles were also constantly burning. Even in the saint’s cell there were always many bags and baskets with all kinds of provisions, which he distributed to needy visitors.
Blessed Paul especially did good to prisoners. Every week he sent all kinds of food to the prison, took an interest in the sick and helped them intensively. When one of the prisoners died, the elder himself bought a coffin, clothes and everything necessary for burial. Thanks to his care, all prisoners were buried in a Christian manner.
Having fallen in love with the feat of pilgrimage from his youth, the elder did not abandon it even in adulthood. Usually he took several novices with him, and together they went to worship holy places. At the same time, Elder Paul attached great importance to all the hardships and difficulties that had to be endured during the journey. Over time, when he himself could no longer go on such campaigns, the saint loved to bless his novices on them, always helping them along the way in an invisible way.
Miracles and predictions
Lifetime portrait of Pavel Taganrogsky
The Taganrog elder Pavel, or “Pavlo Pavlovich,” as many called him, was endowed by God with many spiritual gifts. He also had the gift of clairvoyance - many of the blessed one’s words subsequently came true. So, for example, he predicted to Hieromonk Damian (Casatos) that he would eventually become a great man, such that “no one could be greater.” Many years later, this hieromonk truly became the Patriarch of Jerusalem.
When the young girl Maria Velichko came to the elder for a blessing for marriage, he responded by telling her something that Maria did not expect to hear at all: “Oh, little girl, and you will die with me...”. And indeed, the girl remained to live with the elder until the end of her days, first as his novice, and then, after the death of the blessed one, she led his community and herself became famous as an elder.
Sometimes the disease receded after the elder beat the patient with a stick on the sore spot.
Another man came to ask Elder Paul for his blessing to enter a monastery. He told him to first climb onto the stove and sit there. So the young man spent 12 days on a hot stove, after which, having passed this test, he was released by the elder to the monastery. Subsequently, he became a good monk on Mount Athos, where he labored until the end of his days.
Blessed Pavel Pavlovich healed many people, often when even the doctors abandoned the patient. Sometimes the disease would subside after the elder gave the patient a strong beating on the sore spot with his stick.
One man, whose wife was dying at home, having learned about an unusual miracle worker, went to him from afar with his last hope. However, as soon as he appeared on the threshold, he immediately received a stick on the head from the elder and heard from him: “What have you come for?! Your wife has already made dumplings for you at home.” Not understanding anything, the man went home. But he was even more surprised when he actually found his healthy wife at home, who had already prepared him a bowl of dumplings. As it turned out, healing came to her at the very moment when Elder Paul hit her husband on the head with a stick.
And there were many similar cases, each more incredible than the other.
Death and glorification of the saint
The days of the old man’s earthly life were coming to an end. It is known that shortly before the death of the blessed one, the righteous John of Kronstadt visited him. The surviving tradition testifies that the latter greeted Paul with the words: “Hello, pillar from earth to heaven,” to which the elder replied: “Hello, you too, sun from west to east.”
Blessed Paul reposed on March 23, 1879, having shortly before received the Holy Mysteries of Christ. On the very night when the elder died, the famous Taganrog archpriest, who did not like the righteous man during his lifetime, saw angels carrying someone’s holy soul to heaven with joyful chants. When asked whose soul it was, he received the answer: “Pavel Pavlovich.” After this, the archpriest bitterly repented of his bad attitude towards the elder.
Paul's death itself was also marked by another miracle. When he reposed, many saw a yellowish shadow pass over his entire body, after which the body itself became white as snow, and joy shone on the face of the newly deceased.
A rainbow suddenly appeared in the clear sky; later, in the same place, a cross formed from the clouds
The elder predicted that on the day of his burial there would be a lot of flies. By this he wanted to say that a huge number of people would come to say goodbye to him - “like flies.” And indeed, there were so many people at the elder’s burial that many had to stand in line for several hours to approach the tomb and say goodbye to Blessed Paul. Many cases of healing took place here.
Elder Paul enjoyed great veneration among people during his lifetime, but after his death the number of admirers only increased. Thus, another word of the saint came true: “Even though I die, my place will not remain empty... My bush will never be empty.” Not only the grave of the elder, but also his cell, which still receives many visitors, became a place of pilgrimage. Over time, through the efforts of benefactors and admirers of the blessed one, a chapel was built at the cemetery.
The long-awaited glorification of Elder Paul as a locally revered saint took place on June 20, 1999. On this day, his relics were solemnly transferred to the St. Nicholas Church in Taganrog. “They carried Paul to the grave, and from the grave to the cathedral,” the blessed one often liked to sing before his death. The glorification of the blessed one was also accompanied by some miracles: on a fine day in a clear sky, a rainbow suddenly formed around the sun; Later, at the same place where the celebrations took place, a cross formed from the clouds in the sky. The church-wide glorification of the holy elder Paul took place in 2016.
Instructions of Elder Pavel of Taganrog
Blessed Paul instructed those who came to him with many pieces of advice, some of which have survived to our times. It is known that he highly valued works of mercy and charity, especially those related to the decoration of holy churches. He insisted that there should always be enough lamp oil, candles and incense in the houses of believers, so that the icon lamp would always glow. He taught to honor church holidays and Sundays; besides them, he also especially revered Friday, and advised putting off all vain affairs on this day. He highly extolled the feat of pilgrimage, the pilgrimage of Christ for the sake of bearing all the hardships and hardships associated with it.
Other instructions of the saint have also been preserved:
- Pray firmly and persistently. A bad feeling will tell you that this prayer is not sincere, that it is full of doubts, but you still pray; If you do something bad, don’t lose heart and pray, because who can help you with this? What kind of person? No one like God, and you pray to Him, pray and always pray. He truly has eternal and indestructible strength!
- Always pray to God. Seek consolation and pleasure in prayer. For the sake of prayer, give up both sleep and food. Prayerful wakefulness is considered the most grace-filled time.
- Above all sacrifices, venerate the Bloodless Sacrifice, offered in churches for our sins according to the institution of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- To love spiritual purity more than physical purity, strive for it with all the strength of the soul and support it relentlessly with good deeds, labors and prayers.
- Be a good zealot for Orthodoxy! From the apostles to this day this Church has stood and, despite the weaknesses of both the shepherds and the flock, it is holy and, except in it, there is no truth anywhere.
Address, opening hours
- Address: per. Turgenevsky, 82, Taganrog, Rostov region, Russia.
- GPS coordinates: 47.202348, 38.928813.
- Opening hours: May-September – 8:00-19:00, October-April – 8:00-17:00.
Cell of St. Pavel of Taganrog awaits Taganrog travelers every day. Even if a tourist is far from religion, this attraction is worth a visit: the appearance of the squat building, its interior, and atmosphere perfectly convey the flavor of the century before last. The history of the existence of the saint and his personality are of great interest: visitors will be curious to get to know one of the most revered and famous local residents.
Visiting Elder Paul: a journey through the holy places of Taganrog
The Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church glorified Paul of Taganrog among the general church saints: now the name of the Don righteous man will appear in the calendar and will be commemorated by all Orthodox churches in Russia and the world. Large-scale celebrations on this occasion await our region in the near future. Anticipating the events, 1Rnd.ru made a pilgrimage to Elder Paul and prepared a short guide to memorable places.
Reference:
The biography of St. Paul of Taganrog surprises people to this day. The future elder was born in the Chernigov province into a wealthy noble family. But the young man, who received an excellent education and a substantial inheritance, gave all his serfs their freedom and went off to wander. Ten years later he settled in the port city of Taganrog. He earned his living by doing hard work in the port, hiding his origins in every possible way.
St. Nicholas Church
paul temple
One of the main places in existing pilgrimage excursions is St. Nicholas Church. It contains the relics of the righteous Pavel of Taganrog, resting in a special gilded shrine. In 1999, it was in this church that a miraculous event occurred: in the middle of the Liturgy, performed in honor of the glorification of the saint, a large rainbow circle appeared around the sun. The sign lasted for about an hour. Tens of thousands of people were able to not only see it, but also take photos and videos.
Currently, all major services in honor of the saint are held in St. Nicholas Church. The next one will take place on March 23 - the day of the elder’s dormition (death). On this day, pilgrims and admirers of the righteous man will come to Taganrog from many parts of our country.
“At the Council of Bishops, it was decided to include two official days of memory of Elder Paul in the church calendar: June 20 - the day of glorification of the saint and March 23 - the day of his dormition. These days, pilgrims will come here to pray and venerate the holy righteous man,” says the rector of the St. Nicholas Church in Taganrog, the dean of the Taganrog district, Archpriest Alexey Lysikov. – Metropolitan Mercury of Rostov and Novocherkassk The head of the Don Metropolis pays special attention to events related to the church-wide glorification of the righteous Paul of Taganrog. And this is no coincidence, because Elder Paul is the only ascetic of this magnitude who has been glorified in more than the last hundred years in the south of Russia. Naturally, this requires a lot.”
Elder Paul's cell
cell
The house on Turgenevskaya, 82 is a favorite place for pilgrims and Taganrozh residents. Elder Paul lived and prayed here, and both laymen and clergy came to him for advice. They say that no one left without instructions, and many without gifts. Elder Pavel especially loved to treat them to bagels - they are still distributed here today.
“The question is often asked why Elder Paul is so beloved among the people. It seems to me that this is due to the fact that he was an ascetic in the world, that is, a person who was the same as us,” says Archpriest Alexey Lysikov. “He became an example for all people. Probably, it is this closeness to the people that makes Elder Paul a beloved saint; many people come to him in order to address their prayer requests and receive through his prayers grace and help in their needs.”
bagels
In the cell it was possible to preserve the shrines and icons that belonged to the ascetic, as well as the entire furnishings with household items. Wooden pieces of furniture, candles in clay jugs, ancient books, images - this is already a small journey to the 19th century, when Elder Paul prayed in this house. The tradition is continued by numerous pilgrims - a prayer service is held daily in a small room near ancient icons. In the same room there is a bench that belonged to the saint, on which he spent his short sleep.
“With the blessing of Metropolitan Mercury, the art history commission of the Rostov-on-Don diocese and the architectural department made a lot of effort to preserve this interior, objects that remembered the touch of Elder Paul,” explains the dean of the Taganrog district. — A unique item remains for us the bench on which Elder Paul spent a short time sleeping. As the elder’s disciples tell us, he prayed a lot and slept no more than 15-20 minutes at night.”
Chapel over the grave
Another local shrine is the chapel over the tomb of the righteous Paul of Taganrog, which has a rich history. Back in 1905, the first chapel was built, and then in 1914, another stone one was erected in its place. The stone chapel existed until 1927, when the authorities fighting religion destroyed it. In 1994, a red brick chapel was erected. Quite recently, by the efforts of the clergy and believers of the Rostov diocese, a marble tomb was restored in it at the former burial place of the saint and a tomb was installed over the grave of Elder Maria, who was the successor of his feat. Elder Maria Velichkova lived in the cell of Pavel Taganrog until 1943, looked after his house and grave, and led the elder’s spiritual community. The chapel is currently undergoing reconstruction.
For reference:
Pavel of Taganrog received the status of a pan-church saint on February 3, 2016 by decision of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church MP. Prior to this, in 1998, he was canonized as a locally revered saint of the Rostov-on-Don diocese. But over the past years, the saint began to be venerated in many dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church. Moreover, some of them are located in foreign countries - in particular, these are the Eastern American and New York dioceses. Also, the famous Taganrozhite is worshiped in the Georgian Orthodox Church and in Italy and Spain.
Taganrog (Rostov region.)
St. Nicholas Church in Taganrog
Cell of the Holy Blessed Elder Pavel of Taganrog
Church of All Saints in Taganrog
Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Taganrog
Chapel over the grave of Elder Paul at the Old Cemetery in Taganrog
The grave of Elder Daniel at the Old Cemetery in Taganrog
St. George's Church in Taganrog
Church of St. St. Sergius of Radonezh in Taganrog
Temple in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God “Hodegetria” (Guide) in Taganrog
Taganrog is the second largest city in the Rostov region, located on the northern coast of the Taganrog Bay of the Sea of Azov. Its distance from the mouth of the Don River, on the one hand, and from the border with Ukraine, on the other hand, is about 50 km, the distance from Moscow is 950 km, from Rostov-on-Don – 60 km. The area of the city is 80 sq. km, the population is more than 260 thousand people.
Taganrog was founded in 1698 by Peter the Great and became Russia's first naval base, the first Russian port on the open sea coast and the first city in Russia built according to a regular plan. The further development of the city was closely connected with the names of Catherine the Second, Alexander the First and other famous statesmen who had a noticeable influence on its formation and development.
After the annexation of Crimea to Russia, Taganrog from a fortified city became a rich port city, which, despite intense competition from Odessa and Rostov-on-Don, played a leading role in Russian trade in the southern direction.
Since the end of the 19th century, a number of large industrial enterprises have been created in the city, including those with the participation of foreign capital. Then in the 20s and 30s of the 20th century, the city's industrial base was significantly expanded.
During the Great Patriotic War, Taganrog was occupied for almost two years. The largest underground organization in the south of the country operated in the city; G. Hoffmann’s book “Heroes of Taganrog” is dedicated to the fight against the fascists. With the liberation of Taganrog on August 30, 1943, the complete liberation of the Rostov region from the Nazi invaders was completed.
After the war, the restoration of the urban economy proceeded at a rapid pace. In the 60-90s, in addition to industry, the social, cultural and social spheres and the communication network of Taganrog received significant development. A number of large educational, healthcare, cultural and sports facilities, as well as the city’s engineering infrastructure, were built.
Modern Taganrog is a large industrial, scientific, cultural and historical center, one of the leading seaports on the southern borders of our country. Among the city's enterprises, the leading positions are occupied by Tagmet, Krasny Kotelshchik, TANTK im. G.M.Berieva, “Tagaz” and others. Small and medium-sized businesses play a significant role in the economy of Taganrog, providing approximately a third of city budget revenues. In recent years, significant attention has been paid to the development of the service and tourism sectors.
The cultural life of Taganrog is rich. In the city, which is the birthplace of the great writer and playwright A.P. Chekhov, the literary, historical and architectural museum-reserve named after A.P. Chekhov, an art museum, a drama theater, and the oldest cultural and recreation park in the south of Russia have been created and are successfully operating. Various competitions, festivals, and competitions of regional, national and international significance are regularly held.
Taganrog gave Russia and the world many outstanding people. First of all, A.P. Chekhov, whose 150th birthday anniversary will be celebrated in 2010. The names of actress F.G. Ranevskaya, revolutionary P.P. Schmidt, artists K.A. Savitsky and A.K. Kuindzhi, writers K.G. Paustovsky and I.D. Vasilenko, trainer A.A. are also associated with the city. Durov, singer E.V. Obraztsova, poet M.I. Tanich, aircraft designers G.M. Beriev, R.L. Bartini and V.M. Petlyakov, writer and public figure N.V. Kukolnik, surgeon N.A. Bogoraz, mathematician A.A. Samarsky and many other well-known production organizers in our country and abroad, figures in science, culture and art. Taganrozh residents are proud of their outstanding fellow countrymen, honor their memory, preserve and enhance the rich historical and cultural heritage of the city.
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Description of the Cell of the Holy Blessed Elder Paul of Taganrog
In the center of Taganrog, on Turgenevsky Lane 82, not far from the St. Nicholas Church, there is an extraordinary house, half grown into the ground. People called it the cell of Elder Paul. Here Saint Blessed Pavel of Taganrog lived more than half of his life, whose fame, by the will of God, spread during his lifetime far beyond the boundaries of the provincial town. Everything here is as it was during the life of the ascetic: walls, icons, clay pots with sand for candles, tables and benches.
In the courtyard there is a well, which, according to legend, was illuminated by the righteous John of Kronstadt.
Cell of Blessed Paul of Taganrog Cell of Blessed Paul of Taganrog Pavel of Taganrog himself loved to pilgrimage to the monasteries and churches of Russia. And from everywhere, from all sources, he brought water and poured it into his well. So in Elder Paul’s well the water is not simple, but miraculous water - the power of the Jordan.
For more than 150 years, the walls of the cell have welcomed pilgrims from different parts of the world under their roof. At first they went to the most perspicacious elder for spiritual advice and guidance. After the death of the ascetic, the people, visiting the cell, become familiar with the extraordinary spirit of grace that hovers in a small, whitewashed mud hut, permeating through and through everyone who enters it with prayer. At the moment of visiting the cell, you feel great spiritual joy, which abides through the prayers of Blessed Paul, and creates a feeling of the beauty of life given by the Lord, and most importantly, unity with God.
Remember what St. Seraphim of Sarov said: the goal of a person’s life is to acquire the Holy Spirit. But without turning to God as the source of this Spirit, we cannot acquire, i.e. to feel in oneself, or more precisely to feel the Holy Spirit, and therefore God himself. And finally, for His full sensation, or acquisition, we must pray a lot and for a long time at home, and most importantly in the Orthodox Church, for without the church there is no salvation. For the most part, the feeling of God's Grace occurs most often at festive services. And an Orthodox Christian, in order to feel the Grace of the Holy Spirit, must pray diligently, with a pure heart.
Coming to the cell of Blessed Paul, literally, as soon as you crossed its threshold, it happens that you yourself will not notice how in your soul and body, like a morning sunbeam, the Grace of God plays with joyful singing.
How many people visited this island of truth and hope for the sick, orphaned, and wretched? How many people did the Lord help through the fervent prayers and intercession of Blessed Paul? Only He knows about this, having glorified His faithful ascetic for his patience, diligence and great love for Him. He, who has preserved for us sinners not only the memory of the one from whom we should learn and take example, but also his cell, where, by the will of God, for 120 years after the death of Paul of Taganrog, the sweet Spirit of truth and the Kingdom of God has been hovering.
Source: https://www.pravtv.ru
Pilgrimage trips to the Cell of the Holy Blessed Elder Paul of Taganrog
- Trip from Rostov-on-Don to the Cell of the Holy Blessed Elder Paul of Taganrog
- Trip from Taganrog to the Cell of the Holy Blessed Elder Paul of Taganrog
Venerable Pavel of Taganrog
Saint Blessed Pavel of Taganrog is one of the most revered saints on the Don, who lived in the middle of the 19th century.
Venerable Pavel of Taganrog
His holy relics rest in the St. Nicholas Church in Taganrog and are a particularly revered Don shrine. Blessed Paul is also especially revered in Crimea and Sevastopol, from where pilgrims regularly arrive in Taganrog to worship the saint in prayer.
Saint Blessed Pavel Pavlovich was born on November 8, 1792 into a family of pious Chernigov nobles. The parents wanted to provide their son with an education and a good social position, while the young man strove for salvation and a godly life in prayer and wandering in holy places.
At the age of 25, following the words of the Lord: “...sell everything you have and give it to the poor: and have treasure in Heaven...” (Luke 18:22), Blessed Paul distributed the part of his estate that had fallen to him, set the peasants free and, Having taken his father’s blessing, he set off on a cherished journey through the holy monasteries, in order to find repose for his soul under their roof.
His wandering life lasted about ten years, and then he settled in the seaside city of Taganrog, where, having forgotten his noble origins, he spoke the common Little Russian dialect and lived in a dugout.
Through hard work in the port and tireless prayer, he cleansed his soul and body from everything passionate and sinful, the grace of God clearly rested on him, and he shone for many with his righteous life, and involuntarily people, under the impression of his speeches and deeds, thought more deeply about the meaning of life and remembered the Heavenly Fatherland. They began to go to him for advice and consolation.
Having arrived in old age, he left hard work in the port and settled in a small house, praying incessantly to God and serving people. Every day, with the first sound of the church bell, he went to the cathedral, prayed during the Liturgy, adjusted the lamps, for which he carried a small bench with him, and a white towel on his shoulders, with which he wiped the holy icons.
From the church, Blessed Paul, as usual, walked through the market. Hanging with two white canvas bags and holding a stick in his hands, he walked around all the traders with his usual instructions and consolations. Merchants gave him alms, but from some he did not accept any alms and even drove them away from him with a stick.
Venerable Pavel of Taganrog
The nights, as before, were spent in fervent, kneeling prayer. The Jesus Prayer never left his lips; He taught everyone who came to him to say this prayer, and without it he never allowed anyone into his cell.
Pavel Pavlovich loved churches and often donated icons, lamps, candles, oil, etc. to them. He taught to be faithful in small things, instilled a love for church shrines and transferred this reverent attitude to objects that sanctify human life in the world: prosphora, incense, candles.
The common people, always looking for a doctor for their heart diseases, who would not heal ailments and infirmities with medicines with sophisticated Latin names, but would give what they asked for from the Heavenly Physician Himself, they found in the blessed one a holy elder great in virtues.
Having established himself in an immaculate life, according to the law of the Lord, blessed Paul was like a lamp on earth, shining with good deeds. He received from the Lord the gift of healings and insight. And people came to him with their sorrows, troubles and questions. One day, a dishonest merchant came to the blessed one with tears and asked: “Grandfather, tell me, who stole the goods from me?”
Blessed Paul, comforting him, said: “Don’t cry, good man, aren’t you stealing from people?” “He stole,” he answers. - “So they stole from you. Have you ever thought about your parents?” - “No, I never mentioned it.” - “Well, be kind enough to remember people.” And the blessed one spoke to him a lot more for edification, and brought him to tenderness, so that he stopped regretting the missing and left the elder comforted.
Many came to the blessed one and begged him to allow him to stay with him, so that the words of the psalmist would be fulfilled on them: “You will be reverent with the venerable, and you will be innocent with the innocent man: And you will be chosen with the chosen” (Ps. 17:26-27). And he left some to stay with him as if under obedience.
Having sacrificed his estates to God, Blessed Paul often sacrificed for the sake of Christ the fruits of his noble upbringing and education, and under the guise of feigned rudeness skillfully hid his sublime and noble soul. If some visitor with unrepentant sins comes to Blessed Paul, the blessed one, without embarrassing the visitor with the rude revelation of his secrets, feignedly attacks one of his novices: scolds, scolds, threatens with a stick, while naming the visitor’s sins in order to motivate that to repentance. The novice meekly endures and only repeats: “Forgive me, father, it’s my fault.”
A layman came to Blessed Paul, asking for a blessing to go to the monastery. The blessed one answered him: “First, lick it on my pichka, then put it there, then you will see,” and kept him on his Russian heated stove for 12 days and only gave him food once a day, and when he passed this test, the blessed one said to him: “Well, now go to the monastery and you will live there until you die”; the saint’s word came true: the one who asked for advice went to Mount Athos, entered a monastery and lived there until his death. By the power of God's grace, the blessed one clearly saw both the soul of man and his future.
Venerable Pavel of Taganrog
He predicted to his confessor, Hieromonk Damian: “You will be a great man, such that you cannot be greater,” and these prophetic words were actually fulfilled in the life of Father Damian, whom the Lord vouchsafed to achieve the highest rank: in 1897 he was appointed Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem (Hieromonk of the Taganrog Jerusalem Alexander Monastery Damian (Kasoti), epitrope of the Holy Sepulcher. - 3, article “Damian”).
One day, two pilgrims who had just returned from the Holy Land came to the blessed one. Blessed Pavel ordered them to be let into the kitchen and sent them to ask, “Why are they bacils on the Black Sea, so let them tell the truth.” The visitors shuddered and discovered everything as it was. “When we were sailing across the Black Sea, there was a strong storm, the ship rocked from side to side, so that the waves overflowed over it, and we, being in great danger, came to despair.
Not relying on human efforts, we turned to prayer, asked the Lord and the Mother of God for our salvation, and also called on the name of Blessed Paul. And suddenly, we saw him (the blessed one) walking along the ship in white clothes like snow, tied with a belt, with a stick in his hands. After which he became invisible, and the storm began to subside. Soon the sea calmed down, we sailed safely to the pier and now we stopped by to thank him, the great man of prayer for people in need.”
Blessed Paul ordered the pilgrims and everyone who heard them not to tell anyone about this, “until I die, but once I die, at least tell everyone.”
Approaching the end of his earthly life, the blessed one weakened more and more in his bodily strength, but his holy soul still burned with love for God and his neighbors. Like other great saints of God, the Lord revealed to him the day and hour of his death. The day before, he ordered a letter to be written to his loved ones asking them to be at his funeral.
Blessed Paul reposed on March 10 (Old Style), 1879. In the evening he became extremely weak and, having received the Holy Mysteries of Christ from his confessor, Father Damian, he betrayed his righteous soul to God.
relics of Paul of Taganrog in St. Nicholas Church in Taganrog
At the moment of his death, everyone present saw that the face of the saint of God shone with great joy; from his blessed head, a sort of yellowish shadow passed over his entire body to his very feet, and after that his body became white, like snow. All who saw this sign of God’s grace over blessed Paul were touched in their hearts and glorified God for such His mercy.
On this night, Archpriest Vasily Bandakov, revered in Taganrog for his ascetic life, had a vision in which angels carried a holy soul to heaven with joyful singing. The priest asked them: “Whose soul is this, ascending to God with the singing of angels?” And I heard a voice from heaven: “This blessed soul is the soul of Pavel Pavlovich.” In the morning, Father Vasily, in his sermon before a multitude of people, testified to what he had seen.
The words of the Gospel were fully fulfilled on the ascetic: “Even though a grain of wheat falls on the earth and dies, it remains alone; And if he dies, he produces much fruit” (John 12:24). those who came to him to die to sin and to be reborn into eternal life . His feat was understandable to ordinary people, for in the hearts of the Orthodox people there was always a need to save the soul by living piously in the world, and the blessed one taught how to achieve this.
For twenty years the peasant woman Natalya was possessed by unclean spirits, so that sometimes, without realizing it, she cursed her little children and asked God for their death, tormented by terrible thoughts - to kill or cripple her child. The doctors the unfortunate woman contacted did not provide any help; one day she heard about blessed Paul, who said: it will be good for the person who goes to his cell, and after his death - to the grave. Natalya came to the grave of the ascetic and with tears asked for his holy prayers. Feeling some relief in her grief, she began to often visit his grave, earnestly asking for recovery. Soon the abuse and bad thoughts disappeared, the internal pains eased, she felt healthy and glorified God, attributing her healing to the intercession of Blessed Paul.
Even during the life of the blessed one, it was revealed to many with what grace-filled gifts the Lord marked His saint. Shortly before the death of Blessed Paul, he was visited by the holy righteous John of Kronstadt ; Tradition has preserved the words of greeting that the ascetics exchanged: “Hello, pillar from earth to heaven...” said Father John, and Pavel Pavlovich replied: “Hello, you too, sun from west to east...”.
The blessed one leads all those who turn to him from earthly sorrows to the heavens of pure faith. If you come to his grave and pray, then everything you ask for with faith will certainly come true, if the request, however, is of a pious nature. When a cholera epidemic began in the city in 1892, killing 819 people in a short time, the townspeople held a prayer service at the elder’s grave, and the cholera immediately disappeared.
A serious illness brought the servant of God Nina to the grave of the blessed one. On the advice of her loved ones, she came to ask for recovery in her body and peace in her soul. When she fell to the cross over the grave, in a vision she saw a righteous man lying in a tomb, overshadowed by angels; she felt a bodily disturbance that lasted for several hours.
Arriving at the blessed one’s cell, Nina saw the image of Pavel Pavlovich in the tomb on the day of his burial, and recognized her vision in this image. This vision was repeated every time the sick woman touched the cross on the grave of the blessed one, and was a sign of a heard prayer, which was not slow to have an impact in the future. Very soon Nina felt completely healed, as the doctors testified to. And this confirmed her faith in God and His holy saint.
Blessed Paul loved to say: “Even though I die, my place will not remain empty.” And he added: “My bush will never be empty.” A village girl, Maria Velichkova, came to the ascetic with a question whether she should marry or go to a monastery - and heard: “Oh, girl, and you will die with me...”.
Mary remained in his cell for the rest of her long life, remembering him, glorifying the Lord and imitating the exploits of Blessed Paul. Like her, all who sought to graft themselves into the fertile bush of the saint of God, seeking peace and consolation for their souls, found them. The words of the blessed one turned out to be prophetic. Since his death, the people's veneration of the saint of God has not ceased, which has recently been increasing more and more.
On the day of memory of Blessed Paul - March 10 (23) - a great crowd of believers from all over Russia gathers at the shrine with his holy relics to prayerfully honor him; the chapel in the old cemetery of Taganrog, where he was buried, is never empty, the lamps in front of the holy icons in his cell never go out. Through the prayers of Blessed Pavel Pavlovich, believers are given healing, consolation and gracious help from the Lord.
The historian V.Ya. also wrote about him. Svetlov, and the historian P.P. Filevsky, and even A.P. Chekhov mentions the elder in the story “Ionych”. His life is best described in a poem cited in I. S. Efimov’s book “Elder Pavel of Taganrog,” published in Moscow in 1911:
My sinful heart trembles, my soul is full of sins. An unearthly dream draws me to the ancient city of Taganrog. There Elder Paul asceticised, did works of salvation, was persecuted by the powerful, and endured various insults. For this, the Lord overshadowed him with His great right hand, and for humility he endowed him with a hundredfold Great gift. As in books, He read different thoughts from the souls that came running. He healed those suffering from serious illnesses with Holy prayer. He provided clothing to the naked, He fed those hungry for God. He inspired the fallen with holy hope and gave water to the thirsty.
Cell of Blessed Pavel of Taganrog
Elder Pavel lived on Depaldovsky (now Turgenevsky) Lane, 88. His funeral service was performed by priest Shaposhnikov in the St. Nicholas Church, and then the people carried the coffin five miles in their arms to the cemetery. According to the testimony of old-timers, the fences and roofs of houses on the streets along which the old man’s last journey lay were dotted with people. Historian P. Filevsky wrote this on the pages of the local press in 1911:
“He was a great heart-seer. He penetrated into a person’s soul, understood it and therefore could influence it. He did not speak to the crowd, did not influence it, but spoke to each person separately from his soul, took to heart what his interlocutor was suffering from, and tried to ease his soul, which is why the sick at heart from Taganrog, Sinyakka, Golodayevka came to him , Rostov, Cherkassk...”
A five-domed chapel was built at the elder’s grave in 1995. Under the cross intertwined with a crown of thorns was the inscription: “Here lies the ashes of Pavel Pavlovich, whose purpose in life was to alleviate the suffering of his neighbor. He loved the orphans, the poor, the crippled, the sick, the poor, the weak and the unfortunate and laid down his life for them. Christ, Savior, Redeemer, take him to your abode.”
In the center of Taganrog, on Turgenevsky Lane 82, not far from the St. Nicholas Church, there is an extraordinary house, half grown into the ground. People called it the cell of Elder Paul . Saint Blessed Pavel of Taganrog lived more than half of his life , whose fame, by the will of God, spread during his lifetime far beyond the boundaries of the provincial town. Everything here is as it was during the life of the ascetic: walls, icons, clay pots with sand for candles, tables and benches. In the courtyard there is a well, which, according to legend, was illuminated by the righteous John of Kronstadt.
Cell of Blessed Pavel of Taganrog. Yard
Pavel Taganrog himself loved to go on pilgrimages to monasteries and churches in Russia. And from everywhere, from all sources, he brought water and poured it into his well. So in Elder Paul’s well the water is not simple, but miraculous water - the power of the Jordan. For more than 150 years, the walls of the cell have welcomed pilgrims from different parts of the world under their roof.
At first they went to the most perspicacious elder for spiritual advice and guidance. After the death of the ascetic, the people, visiting the cell, become familiar with the extraordinary spirit of grace that hovers in a small, whitewashed mud hut, permeating through and through everyone who enters it with prayer.
At the moment of visiting the cell, you feel great spiritual joy, which abides through the prayers of Blessed Paul, and creates a feeling of the beauty of life given by the Lord, and most importantly, unity with God.
Remember what St. Seraphim of Sarov said: the goal of a person’s life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit. But without turning to God as the source of this Spirit, we cannot acquire, i.e. to feel in oneself, or more precisely to feel the Holy Spirit, and therefore God himself.
And finally, for His full sensation, or acquisition, we must pray a lot and for a long time at home, and most importantly in the Orthodox Church, for without the church there is no salvation. For the most part, the feeling of God's Grace occurs most often at festive services. And an Orthodox Christian, in order to feel the Grace of the Holy Spirit, must pray diligently, with a pure heart.
Cell of Blessed Pavel of Taganrog
Coming to the cell of Blessed Paul, literally, as soon as you crossed its threshold, it happens that you yourself do not notice how in your soul and body, like a morning sunbeam, the Grace of God plays with joyful singing.
How many people visited this island of truth and hope for the sick, orphaned, and wretched? How many people did the Lord help through the fervent prayers and intercession of Blessed Paul? Only He knows about this, having glorified His faithful ascetic for his patience, diligence and great love for Him.
He, who has preserved for us sinners not only the memory of the one from whom we should learn and take example, but also his cell, where, by the will of God, for 120 years after the death of Paul of Taganrog, the sweet Spirit of truth and the Kingdom of God has been hovering.
Days of remembrance of St. Pavel Taganrogsky:
- March 23
- June 20 – Glorification
Elder Pavel of Taganrog
Troparion, tone 4
Seeking the Heavenly Fatherland, / you left the house of your parents. / Having despised the corruptible wealth of the world, / he was enriched by the Lord with many miracles and signs. You have enjoyed abstinence, labor and prayer, demonstrating a pious lifestyle. / Even now, with faith, you help those who come to you / in all kinds of misfortunes. / Blessed Father Paul, / pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.
Kontakion, tone 8
From the Heavenly Physician we receive the gift of healings, / resolving our illnesses of body and soul. / You appeared as a pillar of Divine grace from earth to Heaven, / O blessed Paul, pray to Christ God to save the city and the people who worship you.
Greatness
We bless you, / holy blessed Father Paul, / and honor your holy memory, / for you pray for us, Christ our God.
Prayer 1
Rainbow over the temple on the day of glorification of St. Paul of Taganrog
O great servant of God and miracle worker, holy blessed Paul! You, having ascended to the heights of virtues, have shone like a bright star through your life, and having chosen a wandering life, you have counted this red world as nothing. Moreover, the All-Righteous Judge glorified you with many miracles. Place your holy soul in the heavenly abodes, where you enjoy the love of God, and see our needs and hear our petitions. Be a healer for our ills, a helmsman for those who swim on the sea and a reliable deliverance for those who drown.
We pray to you, Blessed Paul: ask for everyone who is in every need and who resorts to your intercession, every gift that is useful to everyone: advancement of faith and love, increase in piety, affirmation of peace, healing for the sick, consolation for the sad, help for the needy, protection for the offended. And grant us, saints of God, through your prayers a pious end to our earthly life, to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven and eternal life, with all the saints, to the endless ages of ages, amen.
Prayer 2
O blessed saint of Christ Paul, intercessor of the southern borders of our country before the Lord! You are still in the flesh, the red one of this world, for Christ’s sake you counted it for nothing, and you instructed people in words and deeds on the path of salvation. There was an ambulance and a prayer book for everyone who came to you. And now standing before the Holy Trinity in the highest places, you show great boldness towards the Lady, for the Lord Most High sanctifies you as His saint. Blessed indeed is the city and place in which your honorable body was laid. For this reason, we pray to you: be our helper and intercessor, deliver us from enemies visible and invisible, as well as everyone, not only here in the city of Taganrog, but everywhere calling on your holy name. Look, most blessed Paul, upon us, many sinners, who are now creating your memory, and be merciful to us, who flow with faith to your multi-healing power, for we may be saved through your prayers, and unceasingly glorify the Most Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever, amen.
Canon to St. Blessed Paul of Taganrog »
A place consecrated by the feat of a saint
On the eve of the day of celebration of the glorification of righteous Paul of Taganrog as a saint, we talked with Hieromonk Gabriel (Zvyagintsev), the ancient guardian of the Rostov-on-Don diocese, a member of the commission for the canonization of saints of the Don Metropolis. Father Gabriel was directly involved in the process of preparing the canonization of St. Paul of Taganrog.
The conversation turned out to be interesting and multifaceted. It managed to touch upon the issues of the process of preparing the canonization of Elder Paul; Father Gabriel also spoke about the miracles through the prayers of Elder Paul, of which he was an eyewitness, and what the feat of righteous Paul means for modern Christians.
My first acquaintance with the elder
I remember exactly that it was 1995. I was a student at the Sunday school of the Ascension Church in Rostov, I was about 14 years old. Our leader Galina Georgievna suggested that our class perform a small feat during Great Lent and go to Taganrog to visit Elder Paul. We didn’t even know who he was then. We took the train together, it was early spring, we prayed along the way, and then walked to the cell. There the grandmothers told us something, but we did not understand anything and were somehow not impressed. Galina Georgievna took us to the All Saints Church, we prayed there, then went to the chapel.
And it was at the grave of Elder Paul that we somehow all changed. Everyone felt the incredible warmth emanating from the grave. A priest served the funeral service, and we prayed with him. He anointed us with oil from the lamp, and everyone became so quiet, although before that they had been very noisy, that even Galina Georgievna was surprised. This was probably the first miracle of Elder Paul for us. And from then on, we regularly began to visit the grave of Elder Paul several times a year.
One day such a miracle happened. Our parishioner Marya Ivanovna traveled with us with her grandson Borey. The boy was a believer, but active and playful. And here we all stand, having prayed, at the grave of Elder Paul. Someone went out into the street, someone stood in the chapel. I remember standing at the grave of Maria Tsuryutina. I heard Marya Ivanovna begin to scold Borya: “Why were you collecting candles?!” In the nineties, no one had much money; if they bought it, it was only one or two candles, but Bori, who was then six or seven years old, had a pack of about 20 candles in his hands. The boy burst into tears and said: “I didn’t collect grandma, candles are falling from the ceiling!
Approaching the grave, I myself saw that about 20 candles were scattered on the tomb of Elder Paul. Well, I think someone did, but he’s making it up. And when we raised our heads, and there were several of us, we saw that, indeed, candles were falling out of nowhere! It was amazing, I remember it now: the ceiling was painted blue, there was a chandelier hanging, and candles just fell from there right onto and next to the tomb. And he collected them so easily, and he got a whole pack. They thought that he had collected them from candlesticks or even stolen them from the table where they were sold. But the grandmother, who was selling candles there, said: “He didn’t come to me,” she was sitting reading a prayer book.
At first we were scared, of course, we all even cried. Then we rejoiced at such a small miracle. Everyone decided that if Elder Pavel gives Bora such a miracle, then let him take these candles. This Borya is already an adult, he has two children of his own. The family is a believer, and the memory of this miracle is preserved in it. I know that to this day they keep these candles in their family, the most ordinary Sofrin candles, paraffin ones.
We pondered this miracle for a long time. It is surprising that an ordinary candle - a physical object made - falls invisibly from the hands of Elder Paul.
Did you have experience communicating with scientists during the preparation of canonization?
For 3 years, many scientists were engaged in canonization. I was lucky enough to work with professor, Honored Physician of Russia Viktor Nikolaevich Zvyagin. He was a representative from the Moscow Patriarchate. An expert in the field of anthropology, he participated in the autopsy of more than 50 relics of saints throughout Russia, including the remains of the royal family. We had many meetings, he came here, examined the holy relics of the righteous Paul, and helped take measures for their safety.
Due to the fact that the chapel and tomb of the righteous Paul of Taganrog were destroyed during the Soviet years, the relics required preservation and conservation using certain methods, which Viktor Nikolaevich showed us.
What was the most memorable thing about this work?
The Taganrog dean, Archpriest Alexey Lysikov, chairman of the commission for the canonization of saints of the Don Metropolis, allocated a room in the St. Nicholas Church where the holy remains of the saint were kept, and a shrine was prepared. There were four of us: Archpriest Alexey Lysikov, me and two experts: Viktor Nikolaevich Zvyagin and Alexander Nikolaevich Biryukov. We prepared to place the honest relics in a special capsule, and then place it in a shrine.
When we began to work, we all felt the invisible presence of Elder Paul. Everyone, four of them at the same time, turned to one side of the room. And we felt so comfortable, we felt God’s grace, but at that moment we all remained silent.
And the next day, after the work was completed, they began to share their impressions. It turned out that we all experienced the gracious presence of Elder Paul. Even Viktor Nikolaevich, a believer, but, as befits a scientist, a skeptic, said that it was an incredible feeling.
We felt precisely the presence of a saint who came up, hugged us, and watched us work.
Of course, when you see the honest remains of a righteous person and understand that through his feat this person acquired the Holy Spirit during his lifetime, that now you are touching him, the impression, the inner state cannot be conveyed. It was such a spiritual uplift, such a spiritual delight that it is very difficult to describe. My soul felt very warm and calm.
What else did you do on the commission for the canonization of saints?
As the ancient guardian of the diocese, I worked with those icons and artifacts that belonged to Elder Paul and Elder Mary. Four icons with inscriptions were identified; they were very poorly preserved. On one it read that this icon was updated by the works of Pavel Pavlovich Stozhkov, and the date was indicated.
The other three icons were identified as belonging to the elder, and here's why. From the history of Elder Paul, we know that he made pilgrimages to holy places for more than 10 years, and these icons are associated with those monasteries that are mentioned in his life. One of the icons depicts the Lord sitting on a throne with the praying monks Zosima and Savvaty of Solovetsky. Surely Elder Pavel acquired it at the Solovetsky monastery.
And he updated the icons due to the fact that he walked and carried them with him. The icons could get worn out, damaged, or simply deteriorate due to temperature changes. After all, the icons are painted, as expected, on the board with paints.
The second icon of St. Nicholas, it generally says: “This icon was commissioned by Pavel Pavlovich Stozhkov.” And one more icon, unfortunately, the inscription on which is not readable. It is only clear that it belonged to Elder Paul. This is the icon of the Mother of God “Quiet my sorrows.”
All of them were restored by professional restorers. The task was not just to restore the painting, but to preserve what was there. Several very interesting icons were discovered, such as the icon of St. Joasaph of Belgorod, on which there was an inscription that it was consecrated on the day of his glorification.
Then we found the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, where on the reverse side there was an inscription that read: “The icon was consecrated by the holy righteous John of Kronstadt and brought as a gift to the cell of Elder Paul.” It was after the elder’s death that his benefactor, Baroness Elizabeth Taube, brought him.
Icon "Mammal"
While studying the life of Elder Paul, we learned that Elder Paul received people at one of his favorite icons. This is the “Mammal” icon of the Mother of God.
It always hung in a small room, sketched with multi-colored pencils and paints. Apparently this happened during the Soviet period. This is a lithograph of fairly large dimensions, 50 by 60 cm, which was most likely brought from Athos. Restorers worked on it for more than six months. Thanks to their extensive experience, they were able to wash it. Although, to be honest, I didn’t believe it. It was made of paper and, moreover, very shabby. They carefully washed layer by layer. Now the icon has taken its place. It was duplicated onto new fabric, secured with special compounds, and an icon case was made.
Shrines in All Saints Church
Shrines from the cell were discovered in other churches in Taganrog. Several icons were discovered in the All Saints Church, signed, for example, like this: “This icon was commissioned by Elder Maria.” Then we found an icon that was in an old photograph of Elder Paul’s cell.
It was an icon of the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael, the elder revered him because he was born on this day. This icon is currently being restored and cleaned. It was preserved in the Church of All Saints.
Another unique icon was also found: a cathedral of several saints with marks, and the inscription on it was painted over with white paint. I personally was very attracted to this icon. It seemed that Elder Paul himself came and showed where this icon was. I asked the abbot to open the icon and tried to clean the paint a little. There was an inscription on it that this icon was ordered on Mount Athos. And we all wondered why such saints were depicted on it. Then it turned out that this icon was commissioned during the life of Elder Paul and these saints are the patrons of his novices. There are martyrs Emelyan and George. There are 4 men's and 4 women's medallions. And when we began to study the life, we saw that it was these names that corresponded to the names of the novices.
We know that the patroness of Elder Maria Velichko was Mary Magdalene. This icon was found with an inscription indicating that it belongs to Elder Mary. The Icon of the Pochaev Mother of God was found in the attic in very poor condition. We know that there were fires in Elder Paul’s cell more than once. That's why some shrines burned. It was, of course, very difficult for the restorers, but they were able to restore these icons.
Piece of the Life-Giving Cross
We have restored another great shrine. In the cell of Elder Paul, an icon painted on Mount Athos was kept; a reliquary was inserted into it, in which a Particle of the Life-Giving Cross was kept. Thanks to one benefactor who donated a particle, a new reliquary was made, a cross and a particle were inserted. The icon has now taken its place in the cell; unquenchable lamps burn in front of it, as during the life of Elder Paul.
Returning shrines to the cell
For a very long time we did not dare to take the icons and lamps from the temple. Of course, the parishioners were against it. But Elder Paul’s cell is a unique place; in Russia, I think, there are only a few like it. And in such a state of preservation, it is probably the only place in Russia where the saint’s exploits took place, where people came for consolation throughout the Soviet period, where they could pray to the elder, ask for his help and intercession. With the blessing of the ruling bishop, Bishop Mercury, it was decided to move the icons in a religious procession to the cell of Elder Paul.
So that the parishioners would not be offended, in return a copy of the icon of the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael was made and a magnificent 19th-century icon of All Saints was presented.
On the uniqueness of the cell as a place of the saint’s feat
Indeed, Elder Paul’s cell is one of the rare surviving places of the saint’s feat.
In the 90s I did a lot of pilgrimage trips. And I know only one of these places. This is the Boris and Gleb Monastery, where the Monk Irinarch the Recluse carried out his feat. It was a niche in the wall where he prayed. They showed it to us, told us about it, but the veneration of this place, so that people would come there to pray - I have not seen anything like this.
The cell of St. Ambrose of Optina has been preserved. There are excursions there, but it's just a museum. Everything there is focused on the monastery, on the temples, on the burial places of ascetics and saints. Although Amvorosiy of Optina received people in his cell, just like Elder Paul.
The cell of Tikhon of Zadonsk has not survived; the building there has simply been restored. And the furnishings there were very modest - a bed, books, but all this has not been preserved. This could have happened to Elder Paul’s cell - it could have simply been razed to the ground. But God's Providence is amazing. During the Soviet years, the cell was divided into 13 parts and belonged to different owners. Of course, this was done by the will of God and through the prayers of Elder Paul.
In one of the parts lived people who were far from reverent. This was to the advantage of the Soviet government: people who drank and committed lawlessness lived in the cell, but at the same time the cell was preserved in its original appearance. There have been no reconstructions; door jambs have been preserved in all rooms. Even the doors are all intact and, thank God, Elder Paul’s personal belongings have been preserved. The bench of Elder Paul was also found.
One young man brought a metal cross at the behest of his grandmother. She said that when she was still a young girl, she received this cross as a gift in her cell. And after her death she bequeathed to return it when the cell again became a place of prayer. The cross took its rightful place.
We found several wooden spoons in the cell. They carried out an examination - the tree was from those times. Which person would simply hide an ordinary wooden spoon if it cost 50 kopecks? This means that she was related to Elder Paul. During the repair of the roof, a piece of the marble tombstone of Elder Paul with letters was found in the clay. This is also a miracle of God.
It’s as if Elder Paul himself hid and kept certain things, and in our time they came to light. I think this was done to confirm people’s faith not only in the Lord and His Providence, but also faith in the righteousness of Elder Paul.
The story with the taxi driver
Once, when I was in the Starocherkassky Monastery, Archpriest Alexey asked me to come to the courtyard; some issues needed to be resolved. And it turned out that there was no one to take me. The father governor gave his blessing to take a taxi. And then a young man came for me. I was riding in a cassock, with a cross. The driver was silent for a long time, and then began to show his dissatisfaction with the Church. He asked why and where we were going. I told him briefly and warned him that he would have to wait for me.
We arrived at the cell. There we looked at some exhibits, discussed construction, plans for the future. And when we drove back, the young man suddenly said: “Thank you.” For what? He says he felt something he had never felt before. To be honest, I was tired and couldn’t fully understand what was going on.
It turns out that when we arrived at the cell, he was sitting listening to music. “Son, why are you sitting there, go to Elder Pavel’s cell,” some grandmother almost took him by the hand and led him to the cell. It was inconvenient for him to refuse, he came in, and divine grace touched his heart. He said that for the first time in his life he prayed.
It turns out that it was no coincidence that the Lord gave this man; I am sure that this man is now visiting the cell of Elder Paul. Because if divine grace touched a person’s heart once, he will always want it to happen again.
I asked him a question: “You told me there about the Church, and Elder Paul is a member of the Church, its preacher. He visited the temple every day.” He was silent and silent, and then when we arrived, he said: “Probably, I was mistaken after all.” I also said that there is everything in the Church: both good and bad, but the head of everything is Christ, and He calls us to repentance.
Apparently, in his life he had some kind of conflict with the clergy, and here the saint, who did not have a rank, touched the heart of this man with his love. What does this mean? Is it a miracle or just a coincidence? Many will say it's a coincidence. But what touched his heart then?
A cell is a place consecrated by the feat of a saint, but this place is also consecrated by the prayers of thousands of people. People come there for different reasons: some come to visit, some with sadness, some with a request, and some come with gratitude. When we worked in Elder Paul’s cell, I met such people.
Miracle with pregnancy
One day a woman, about 50 years old, came and enthusiastically told me that for many years she had been trying to persuade her daughter to go to Elder Paul, to the relics and to the cell. And my daughter said: why not go to cemeteries! But somehow, almost by deception, her mother brought her. The daughter could not have children, but after praying and being anointed with oil, she conceived a child within a week. And she didn’t tell her mother until her mother noticed it herself.
That is, Elder Paul attracts ordinary people who came for the first time, maybe visited a cell once in their lives. He, too, was a simple man, he just wanted to serve God and people, no special position obligated him to do this. We know from his life that he always called people to repentance and to correct their lives. He serves by his feat, by his example, and most importantly, by the example of his life he shows and points to Christ.
I think that after the restoration of the courtyard is completed, we will see one of the main pearls of our Don. Of course, the relics of Elder Paul are a pearl. But the courtyard is a special place that calls us to plunge into history, but at the same time encourages us to pray.
About the feat of the righteous Paul
We know that Pavel Pavlovich attended divine services every day, and at the same time worked in the port, doing very hard work. And after work he came again and offered prayers to God, repenting of his sins, because his character was very complex and strict. I think he was aware of this, but the divine love that he had overwhelmed him and forced him to change himself.
From life we know that not all priests approved of people’s communication with Elder Paul. And at the same time, the priests themselves came to him for advice, asking for his holy prayers. And Elder Paul expressed his respect to these priests, took their blessing, and confessed to some of them. He did not boast about his feat.
He showed people that an ordinary person who had neither dignity nor title, an ordinary port worker, could come to Christ. And we see the result of his life - he came to Him. Moreover, he did not come alone, he brought to Christ those spiritual children whom he cared for. I am sure that all his admirers from the common people, and from the noble family like Bronness Taube, are with Elder Pavel, because Elder Pavel brought a piece of himself into the life of every person.
He carried out another great feat. Elder Paul took care of the prisoners. I believe this is one of the most difficult feats. We all understand that there are people in prison who live an unrighteous life - thieves, murderers. He called them to repentance and showed compassion with his love. He respected man as an individual, but despised sin and helped these people come to God. We even know that Elder Paul accepted confessions. Of course, he did not forgive sins, but he encouraged a person to start talking to God. He tried to lead them so that when the priest came, they could speak out and finally realize their sin.
Elder Paul cared about the eternal soul of man, which is why his feat as a layman is so important at the moment.
It is enough to even realize that the elder was at divine services every day, that he donated all his earnings for lamps, candles, and prosphora. He distributed the shrine that he took from the temple to people, to those who could not visit the temple.
Today, his life is an example of the feat that he carried out for the sake of people. He saved himself, according to the behest of St. Seraphim “save yourself and thousands around you will be saved,” he carried out his own feat and instructed those who asked for his guidance.
I am happy that I took part in the work of preparing the canonization of the righteous Paul, and I believe that through these works I found an intercessor and a man of prayer.
Interviewed by Alexandra Kalinskaya
