Biography of Matrona of Moscow
Matrona of Moscow (Matrona Dmitrievna Nikonova) is a godly ascetic, glorified as a saint, a miracle worker glorified by millions, whose prayer healed, supported and directed Christians to the true path.
In the photo: Matrona of Moscow
The biography of the wise righteous woman was overgrown with many popular fictions, including a meeting with the “great helmsman”, Stalin, and the practice of witchcraft, which are absolutely contrary to the image of the Orthodox saint.
Prayers before the icon of Blessed Matronushka
First prayer
Oh, blessed mother Matrono, with your soul standing in Heaven before the Throne of God, with your body resting on earth, and with the grace given to you from above, various miracles flow. Look now with your merciful eye on us, sinners, in sorrows, illnesses and sinful temptations, waiting for our days, comfort us, desperate ones, heal our fierce ailments, from God for us allowed by our sin, deliver us from many troubles and circumstances, beg our Lord Forgive Jesus Christ all our sins, iniquities and falls, for whom we have sinned from our youth even to this day and hour, so that through your prayers we have received grace and great mercy, glorify m in the Trinity of One God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and ever and ever. Amen.
Second prayer
Oh, blessed mother Matrono, hear and accept us now, sinners, praying to you, who throughout your entire life has become accustomed to receiving and listening to all those who suffer and mourn, with faith and hope for your intercession and the help of those who come running, providing quick help and miraculous healing to everyone; May your mercy not fail now for us, unworthy, restless in this busy world and nowhere finding consolation and compassion in spiritual sorrows and help in bodily illnesses: heal the illnesses of Sha, deliver from the temptations and torment of the devil, who passionately fights, help him convey his everyday the cross, to bear all the hardships of life and not to lose the image of God in it, to preserve the Orthodox faith until the end of our days, to have strong trust and hope in God and unfeigned love for others; help us, after departing from this life, to achieve the Kingdom of Heaven with all those who please God, glorifying the mercy and goodness of the Heavenly Father, glorified in the Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit Haha, forever and ever. Amen.
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Childhood
The future pious and righteous ascetic was born on November 22, 1881 (according to other sources, 1883 or 1885) in the village of Sebino in the Tula region and became the fourth child in a peasant family where they could barely make ends meet.
Baptism of Matrona of Moscow
Parents, Dmitry and Natalya, were already middle-aged people. Due to poverty, they were afraid that they would not be able to feed the baby, so they were thinking of placing her in an orphanage. But on the eve of giving birth, a God-fearing woman saw in a dream how a beautiful blind bird sat on her right hand. The dream was considered a good sign, and the girl was left with the family. She was born with a severe eye malformation, anophthalmia - her eyelids were closed.
During the rite of her baptism, a cloud of fragrant fog appeared at the font, and it became clear that the girl had been chosen by God. The priest was incredibly surprised and declared the holiness of the newborn. In addition, they found a crucifix-shaped bulge on her chest—a pectoral cross not made by hands, a symbol of salvation and redemption. Moreover, the unusual baby fasted and did not take her mother’s breast on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Matrona of Moscow
Later, little Matrona found it difficult to find a common language with her peers. They offended their blind friend - they teased her, whipped her with nettles, pushed her into some hole and laughed, watching her try to get out of there, meekly enduring their ridicule. She grew up meek and patient.
The priest of the church where she was baptized and where her mother brought her with her to services, took pity on the poor thing, consoled her and explained that her calling was much higher than that of most foolish children. Due to the troubles she was experiencing in real life, the little girl was immersed in her inner world, she loved to hold icons in her arms at home, and she also liked to go to church, where she would quietly stand outside the front door and listen to the services.
First miracles
Matrona will face the horrors of Soviet power later, but now she is a simple little blind girl. Only during the sacrament of Baptism was performed on her did it become clear that, after all, she was not simple. This is how the elder of the Church of the Assumption, where the future blessed one was baptized, Pavel Ivanovich Prokhorov, recalled it: “Two days before the christening, the priest Fr. Vasily is from the village of Boryatino, which is 5 km from the village of Sebino. It was on the eve of some holiday. It was this priest who baptized Matryushenka. When, during baptism, the priest dipped her into the font, a column or steam, or light fragrant smoke rose from the font to the ceiling, I don’t remember exactly. The priest was extremely surprised, saying: “I have baptized babies a lot, but this is the first time I have seen this, and this baby will be holy.”
Those around her are increasingly noticing that the growing girl is distinguished from her peers not only by her congenital disability, but by some otherworldly wisdom and... insight. No, this is still an ordinary child who is drawn to games and would happily run barefoot along the village streets. But on these streets there are other peasant children with their still childish cruelty. They will take nettles, surround Matrona and beat her, burn her first on one side, then on the other: guess who hit you, well, guess, you’re special! One day, the children put Matrona in a hole and had fun watching the blind girl try to get out by touch.
Seeing the experiences of his little parishioner, Father Vasily consoled her, saying: games are not what you are called to, you have something more than these children.
So, from an early age, the blind woman went where eyes were not needed - into the inner life of the soul. She herself made her way to the temple, where she defended the services in a corner. And at night, at a very young age, she made her way into the red corner, no one knows how, but she took off the icons - and they were her first “toys.”
There were many cases that left no doubt that much more was revealed to girls than to adults. One of them was the prediction of the death of Father Vasily: one night Matrona woke everyone up, saying that the father had died. They rushed to his house and actually found the priest had just died. Another time, the girl predicted a fire that occurred the very next night.
A relative of the Nikonovs also told the following incident: “One day Matryushenka says: “Mom, go to the priest, in his archive on such and such a row, fourth from the bottom, there is a book, and in it is depicted the icon of the Queen of Heaven “Recovery of the Lost.” We don’t have such an icon in our church. Go and tell the priest to bring it.” A book with an image was actually found, an icon was painted for the temple, and Matrona subsequently took a copy of it with her everywhere when her wanderings began.
There was such a case. One day, Matrona’s father, Dmitry Nikonov, did not want to go to the temple with his wife, and she went alone. The father prayed at home, read the service, and the mother, apparently, was more worried about her husband and was distracted by her thoughts than she prayed. When she returned, Matryusha said: “Father was in the temple, but you were not there.” - "Like this? Where did I just return from?” And the girl spoke about attentive prayer, and not about actual presence within the walls of the church.”
Having learned about the unusual little peasant woman, people flocked to Sebino. And they asked: let him pray. So the child, who threatened to become an “extra mouth” and a burden to the family, began to feed her.
Spiritual feat
Having deprived the girl of her eyes, the Almighty endowed her with spiritual vision, the gifts of deep faith, mercy, insight, healing of the suffering and sick.
Her chosenness of God manifested itself at the age of eight, when she woke up all her household at night and reported the death of the church priest. The next morning the holy father was indeed found dead. Prayer to Matrona of Moscow
Matrona’s unusual gift was also demonstrated by an amazing incident when she asked her mother to go to the church archives for a book, indicating the shelf and row where it stood, and saying that the cover depicted the face of the Most Holy Theotokos “Recovery of the Lost.”
Soon Matrona predicted a fire in the village; according to her prayers, sinners began to repent and bedridden patients began to get back on their feet. People from surrounding villages reached out to her with requests for healing and rewards for her help. And gradually the child, who threatened to find himself with an extra mouth to feed in conditions of unbearably severe need, became the main breadwinner in the family.
Icons of the Matrona of Moscow
When the saint of God turned 14 years old, one benefactress took her with her on a trip to holy places. The young pilgrim visited the Kiev-Pechersk and Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the Northern capital, where she met John of Kronstadt himself. After the service, he allegedly saw her in the crowd, called her to him, called her his replacement and blessed her.
At the age of 17, the blessed one was sent a new bodily suffering - loss of the ability to walk. Her legs became paralyzed when a woman approached her in the temple, who hated all believers and deliberately caused her harm. The righteous woman knew in advance about what happened. She saw it as a test of faith, humbly perceived it as God's will and never complained. After this, the flow of pilgrims to her only increased. Moreover, her help was exclusively of a general Christian nature and was never associated with any witchcraft manipulations with an appeal to the forces of evil.
Matrona of Moscow receives pilgrims
A blind and illiterate peasant woman foresaw natural and social disasters, predicted future robberies, destruction of churches and persecution of Christians. On the eve of the revolution, she advised the local landowner to quickly sell everything and go abroad. However, he hoped that he could wait out the unrest in the outback, but in the end he lost everything and left his daughter Lydia a homeless orphan.
Life of Saint Matrona
The life of Mother Matrona is full of wonderful stories and testimonies. Many people know the saint, some even saw her during her lifetime.
Articles about the saint:
- Bread from the Matrona of Moscow Monastery
- Flowers of Saint Matrona
- How to use Saint Matrona oil
Her life is an example of complete renunciation for the Lord and a full spiritual life for a believer. Scripture says that God, long before a person is born, chooses him for His service and his entire future life will be predetermined. So Matrona was chosen by the Lord long before her birth and her whole life was only service to God.
Icon of the Blessed Matrona of Moscow
Birth and childhood
The girl received the name Matrona at birth in honor of Saint Matrona of Constantinople. This is a famous Greek saint, whose memorial day fell on the girl’s birthday - November 9. At baptism, the girl was named Matrona in honor of the Venerable Matrona of Constantinople, a Greek ascetic of the 5th century, whose memory is celebrated on November 10 (22 old style).
Already from birth, the baby was marked by the finger of God - she had a small bulge on her chest, in the shape of a pectoral cross. Her whole life is a series of not only trials, but also great miracles.
The Nikonov family lived in the Tula region, the village of Sebino, and were an ordinary poor peasant family. When their youngest daughter Matrona Dimitrievna was born in 1881, the family already had sons Ivan and Mikhail, and a girl Maria. The birth of their fourth child did not bring the parents the joy they deserved - times were hungry and no one needed an extra mouth.
The saint herself said that her mother, even before her birth, wanted to get rid of the child, but since the family was patriarchal, the mother did not even dare to mention it. After birth, the parents decided to send their child to an orphanage where the empire would take care of him. However, on the eve of the trip there, the girl’s mother Natalya saw in a dream a white bird with a human face and took it for a sign, so she flatly refused to go in the morning to give away her little blood.
The decision to give the child away was also due to the fact that the girl was born completely blind - her eyeballs were completely absent, and her eye sockets were tightly covered with her eyelids. The parents clearly understood that this child would become a big burden to them, but after the prophetic dream they were afraid to leave her.
Her life from birth was filled with miracles: during the baptism, the font began to smell fragrant, which allowed the priest to conclude that he was baptizing an extraordinary child. He expressed a prophetic word about the unusual prophetic fate of the child, which subsequently came true - the lack of earthly vision could not cloud the clear spiritual gaze of Matrona .
Baptism of Matrona
Priest Vasily not only predicted the fate of the child, but also provided his parents with all possible assistance in everything. The prophetic fate of the girl also affected that same priest Vasily - she predicted his death. A few years later, at night, the girl told her parents that Father Vasily had died, when people entered his house, he had indeed already gone to the Lord.
As a baby, Matrona was amazing - her mother said that she absolutely did not want to eat breast milk on Fridays and Wednesdays - days that are considered special by the church. At this time she was fast asleep so that it was impossible to wake her. As the child grew older, he spent almost all his time at home. The girl grew up kind and affectionate. Despite her injury, she became a joy to her mother and father - she was always affectionate to them and supported them.
As a child, Matrona showed a special passion for the church; at night she often groped her way into the red corner and prayed to the images and played with them.
But in children's groups the girl suffered - the children cruelly mocked the blind woman and often beat her. Often they lashed her with stinging nettles, pushed her into holes and laughed. It was the cruelty of children that prevented the child from socializing, but at the same time began to push the girl to the Lord.
Manifestation of the gift
Matrona's adolescence became a time of her spiritual growth and the discovery of a prophetic and healing gift.
It was a good time for her - the daughter of the local landowner Yankova often went on pilgrimage trips to holy places and took the blind woman with her so that she could also join the Church. Together they visited:
- St. Petersburg and its churches;
- Kiev-Pechersk Lavra;
- Trinity-Sergius Lavra;
- St. Andrew's Cathedral, where they met with John of Kronstadt.
Matrona before the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary
In their native village, the Nikonov family’s house was located not far from a beautiful local church, which the parents regularly visited and where they took their youngest daughter with them. So the child grew up in the church and absorbed its atmosphere, its spiritual life. She even had her own place there - right next to the front door on the west side. When the girl attended church on her own, her parents could always easily find her there. The child knew all the church hymns by heart and prayed almost incessantly.
At the age of 8, Matrona discovered a gift - she began to heal people and predict various events. Spiritual vision and understanding of the future replaced her worldly eyes. Her relatives began to notice that the child saw their misdeeds, and sometimes read their thoughts. She repeatedly predicted natural disasters and dangers. By praying for her family, she contributed to their healing.
The fame of the wonderful girl began to go beyond her native village and spread. People in need of spiritual and physical healing began to come and come to the Nikonovs’ house. The girl talked to everyone, prayed and performed miracles.
Many people left her house comforted or healed. The prayer of a pure, immaculate child had great power; several times she even healed a paralyzed man through prayer. People thanked her and wanted to pay, but she refused everything except food. Thus, the teenager ceased to be a burden to his parents, but took part in the formation of family well-being.
Matrona heals the sick
At the age of 17, Matrona’s legs became paralyzed, as if from a blow. She began to lead a sedentary lifestyle, but did not lose heart - she considered it as a spiritual test. In response to the mother’s lamentations, she replied that she should have more pity on her older children, realizing that her life with the Lord was correct and blessed, and that her older brothers, in their passion for communism, would endure many sorrows.
In addition to her spiritual gift, the girl grew up to be surprisingly reasonable; sometimes she gave advice that had no spiritual meaning, but was a consequence of the observations of Matrona herself. The advice given to a blind man was always practical, and failure to follow it led to serious consequences.
So she advised the local landowner to flee as soon as the revolution began to emerge, but he disobeyed the girl and decided to wait out the troubles at home, in a remote village. However, the communist wave reached there too, the landowner was executed, and his property was taken by the authorities.
The girl herself took her mission simply - she said that the merit of everything is the Lord, and He alone should bow to Him. With this position, she occupied the niche of an evangelical healer and glorified the Lord with every act.
Revolution and life under the USSR
The revolution divided not only the country, but also the Nikonov family - Matrona’s older brothers joined the party and began to oppress their sister, whom they considered blessed. In order not to bring trouble to her parents, in 1925 Matrona became a homeless wanderer and went to Moscow, where she began wandering around other people's houses and abodes. The condition of her stay in her home was a complete renunciation of faith in Christ and refusal to help all people. The saint chose to lose her home, but not her Lord.
In pre-war times, a blind healer lived in the priest's house, in Sergiev Posad, in Tsaritsyno and in the house of her niece. She knew every basement and nook of Moscow where she had to live. Accompanying her ordeal were cell attendants who helped the legless girl move. The lack of Moscow registration forced me to constantly flee from police patrols and not stay anywhere for long.
Moscow became a home for many people whose souls were full of confusion and whose lives were full of suffering. Matrona began to help the unfortunate, lost and spiritually ill people who had fallen from the faith. She lived in the capital for almost thirty years, and all this time she turned many away from death and attracted them to the Lord.
Matrona heals a demon-possessed old woman
Her life in Moscow was full of difficulties. She lived in the most inconspicuous places: in cold basements, plywood houses that could not even be heated. She was often found half-frozen, with frostbitten feet and frost-covered hair. The woman never complained and accepted everything with humility. She continued to receive people, occasionally visited her native village, but she did everything meekly and prayed unceasingly.
Read about prayer to Matrona of Moscow:
- Akathist to Blessed Matrona
- How to write a note about help to Mother Matrona
- Prayer to Saint Matrona for the fulfillment of what you want
World War II and death
Matrona also predicted World War II. A lot of evidence has been preserved when she advised people to go on vacation, because “you won’t rest for a long, long time, there will be war” or advised to make peace with loved ones, because “the war will soon begin and the Russians will win, but many will die.”
All the saint’s prophecies came true, including those who said that Moscow would suffer only a little from the Nazis.
Throughout the war and several years after (1942-1949), the old woman lived with her fellow villager E. Zhdanova and her daughter, who lived on Arbat in a wooden mansion. However, in the 50s, Zhdanova was repressed, and Matrona moved again. This time it was the last move - to Skhodnya near Moscow, where she was received by a distant relative. And there the old woman again began to receive all people in need and pray for them.
Matrona stopped serving only three days before her death - she felt her death and asked her relatives in advance to bury her in the Danilovsky cemetery, and first to have a funeral service in the Church of the Deposition of the Robe. Relatives followed all the instructions of the sufferer and handed over a note on May 3 to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra about ordering a memorial service.
Repose of Matrona
The Lavra monks knew the old woman and respected her, so they all attended her funeral.
Moscow
In 1925, due to domestic problems and hunger, the righteous woman had to leave her native village and move to the capital.
Both of her older brothers had become Bolsheviks by that time, and the blessed sister (along with many people who still came to her for help) began to irritate them. She wandered around in Belokamennaya among friends, relatives, and even in basements or unheated warehouses, without registration or permanent housing. But she loved the Mother See and called it “the holy city.” “Holy Matrona. Come to me as if I were alive.” Documentary
Miraculously, she avoided arrest - she sensed the approaching danger and hastily left the owners who sheltered her. But one day, knowing about the arrival of a policeman, she stayed to warn about misfortune in his house. As soon as the “police officer” entered, she told him to run home. He listened to her and in time discovered his wife at home, burnt from the blaze of kerogas. She remained alive only thanks to the seer, so the next day he refused to arrest the saint.
The wondrous servant of God continued to amaze those around her with her abilities. She once said that God showed her the world - the sun, the stars, and all the earthly beauties. Sometimes she described the decoration of foreign cathedrals, which she had never been to, and named street names and house numbers, although she could not read them.
Icon "Matrona and Stalin"
Every day, during the difficult years of the end of the Civil War, poverty, Yezhovshchina and the Second World War, she received many people - she found a kind word for everyone, consoled, healed, and directed them to God. At night she prayed with short breaks to sleep. Often the fates of people were revealed to her, and missing front-line soldiers returned home through her prayers.
The Church rejects stories about the blessed righteous woman that contradict the Orthodox worldview, including stories that she allegedly advised closing the windows to prevent demons from entering the house, as well as rumors that even Joseph Stalin allegedly came to her for advice.
Adulthood
At the age of 17, Matrona’s life changed dramatically - she lost the ability to walk, her legs were paralyzed. However, these were not all the hardships that were in store for her. The revolution predicted by Matrona took place, and she lost her home. At that time, believers were subjected to severe persecution, which Matronushka experienced in constant prayer. However, even in this difficult time for herself, blind, paralyzed without a family and a roof over her head, she did not complain, but continued to receive numerous visitors, treat and console them.
Matrona heals sick people with prayers
In 1925, Matrona moved to the heart of Russia, Moscow, where she spent 30 years of her life. She never had her own home. She lived where she would be invited and sheltered. Her existence was completely monotonous: during the day she received a large number of visitors, and at night she prayed.
Death
The righteous saint, who lived an incredibly difficult life, but was faithful to the Lord, received people until her death. She knew about her death in advance and ordered to be buried in the Danilovsky graveyard, near one of the churches, so that she could listen to the services.
Funeral of Matrona of Moscow
The monks of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, who knew the deceased and praised her for her kindness, selflessness and devotion to the savior, learned about her death and came to the burial.
What should you ask the blessed one for?
In front of the icon of the Matrona of Moscow they pray for various needs. It eliminates financial penalties and helps those who are desperate to find a job. He does not leave his intercession to those who cannot become parents. Helps in housing issues, in resolving illnesses and illnesses. The main thing is that the request is sincere.
What if help is “late”? This may be the case if the person's request is not beneficial to him. Sometimes it happens that the person asking is simply “stuck” in a sinful life. And then he should reconsider his life principles.
Memory
As the blessed one predicted shortly before her death, at first only those closest to her visited her grave. But decades later, the glorification of the old woman took place and thousands of pilgrims from all corners of their vast homeland began to rush to her for advice and intercession.
Relics of Saint Matrona
In 1998, her remains were transferred to the Intercession Monastery, where they are kept in a silver shrine. In 2004 she became an All-Russian saint. The days of her memory were May 2, the day of the presentation, and March 8, the discovery of her relics.
Prayer to the Holy Blessed Matrona of Moscow
The holy prayer cleanses the soul from sins, protects from temptations, shocks, slander and deception, instructs and strengthens the family.
Youth
Already from the age of 7-8, it became clear that Matrona was endowed with enormous divine power. She could foresee events and heal people.
Matronushka
Rumors about this quickly spread beyond the village and dozens of people in need flocked to the small, poor house of Matrona’s family. People came on foot, came in carts and brought “bedridden” people. The girl’s power was so great that even very sick people walked away from her on their own feet.
Wanting to express their gratitude, they left food and gifts. Thus, from a burden for her family, Matronushka turned into a wet nurse. Her pious friend took Matrona on trips to holy places. So she managed to visit the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and many other places with Orthodox relics.
Once, during a service in St. Andrew's Cathedral, Father John of Kronstadt noticed a 14-year-old girl in the crowd and ordered people to make way for her. He said that Matrona is his replacement, calling her “the eighth pillar of Russia.”
How to venerate an icon?
We found out where the icon of the Matrona of Moscow is located. This is the Intercession Monastery in Moscow. How to dress for a pilgrimage there? How to apply yourself to the image?
- Women must wear a skirt or dress below the knee and a headscarf. No decorative cosmetics on the face and no lipstick.
- During times of uncleanness (critical days), one must not venerate the icon. In general, touching the shrine during this period is unacceptable. Unless we are talking about an extraordinary situation.
- Men come to the monastery in trousers. No shorts are allowed. Before entering the monastery territory, you must remove your headdress, if you are using one.
- Approaching the icon, the pilgrim makes the sign of the cross twice. If possible, makes a bow from the waist.
- Having carefully kissed the icon, the petitioner moves away from it and crosses himself again. This time just once.
- Before the relics, it is advisable to make two prostrations, reverently venerate (kiss), step away and make another prostration.
- It is unacceptable to make a row in line to see the Matrona of Moscow icon, to make noise, to talk loudly, or to use swear words in your vocabulary.
- On the territory of the monastery you should behave calmly and reservedly. Do not shout, do not litter, do not try to enter into conflicts with other pilgrims.
- If the nun of the monastery made a remark, you should not “get into trouble.” You need to answer “sorry” and try to correct the point where the misunderstanding arose.
- Without the blessing of the abbess, you cannot take a photo of the icon of the Matrona of Moscow and her relics. It is prohibited to photograph the sisters of the monastery.
- All photo and video filming is carried out only with the blessing of the abbess.
