Nikolai Guryanov, elder: predictions and biography

Nikolai Alekseevich Guryanov
(1909 - 2002), archpriest Born on May 24, 1909 in the village of Chudskie Zakhodtsy, Gdov district, St. Petersburg province, into a pious merchant family. Father, Alexey Ivanovich Guryanov (+ 1914), was the regent of the church choir. After his death, his mother, Ekaterina Stefanovna Guryanova (+ 1969), was involved in raising the children. Subsequently, she became the closest assistant to her son Nikolai. Since childhood, he served in the church of Arch. Mikhail in the village Kobylye Settlement, Gdov district, traveled with pilgrims to holy places. A love of church and church singing was inherent in all family members. Nikolai's elder brother, Mikhail, became a professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. The younger brothers, Peter and Anatoly, also had musical abilities, but little is known about them. All three brothers died on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War.

Even as a teenager, he visited Fr. Talabsk, where he later labored. Around 1920, the rector of the Church of the Archangel Michael, in which the youth Nicholas served as an altar boy, took him with him to Pskov, where they traveled by water. We stopped to rest on the island of Talabsk. Here we visited Blessed Michael, the seer. Blessed Michael gave the priest a small prosphora, and Nicholas a large one and said: “Our Gostek has arrived...”.

After graduating from the Gatchina Pedagogical College, Nikolai entered the Leningrad Pedagogical Institute. In 1929, student Nikolai spoke at a student meeting against the closure of one of the Leningrad churches, after which he was expelled from the institute.

He taught mathematics, physics and biology at a school in Tosno, Leningrad region. Then he served as a psalm-reader in a church in the name of St. Nicholas s. Remda, Seredkinsky district, Leningrad region. (now Gdovsky district of the Pskov region).

May 7, 1930 Leningrad district. The court sentenced him to two years of deportation from the RSFSR for two years for “counter-revolutionary activities.”

In July of the same year, he arrived in the village of Sidorovichi, Rozvazhevsky district of the Ukrainian SSR, where he got a job as a psalm-reader.

Local authorities began to receive denunciations:
“The act (activity) of the village of Sidorovich brings to your knowledge that in the village of Sidorovichi some nebazhani (undesirable) elements live and are engaged in agitation against the Soviet regime and collectivization, and the kurkuli (kulaks) themselves are liquidating and ruining the work.” .
“...In the month of July 1930. [Nikolai Guryanov] arrived in the village of Sidorovichi, took the position of clerk, and settled in the apartment of the chairman of the church community, Komarenko. Taking advantage of the fact that young people visited Komarenko’s adult children, he began to learn religious songs with them [meaning church chants], and sang them with them. He recruited young people into the church choir, and also advised them to go to church...”

On March 24, 1931, he was arrested in the “case of the kulaks of the village of Sidorovichi.” Since March 31, he was in Kiev DOPR N2. In the “property status” column of the arrested person’s questionnaire, it was written that “he has no property.” Medical certificate of health: “suffers from rheumatism of the joints.” It was a group case. In addition to Father Nikolai Guryanov, three more accused passed through it: Zakharyashevich Ivan Yakovlevich, Zakharyashevich Yakov Yakovlevich and Kopansky Alexey (Alexander?) Ivanovich.

From the indictment:

The investigation has established that the above-mentioned persons are indeed dispossessed kurkuli [kulaks] and from the moment of their settlement on the territory of the Sidoryansky village council they began to conduct a/c activities, campaigning against the events carried out by the Soviet government in the countryside, such as against grain procurements, collectivization, etc. They began to spread rumors that there would soon be a war, because here they put pressure on collective farms, and in Belarus on the construction of railways, and they also tried to persuade their neighbors, with whom they were friends, not to go to collective farms, since it would be bad on collective farms...

On the eve of the re-election of the village council, those who were not happy with the Soviet regime had a drinking party, and after the party they dispersed in order to disrupt the pre-election meetings, focusing on not letting communists into the village council, given that the Executive Committee had sent a communist to the post of chairman of the village council in Sidorovichi.

This group worked to prevent voters from voting for a communist under the pretext that “he is a stranger, we don’t know him,” and, moreover, “we have our own people,” as a result of which the pre-election meeting was disrupted...

He did not admit guilt: “I have never been involved in counter-revolutionary work and have never agitated anyone against the Soviet regime. I have nothing more to say. N. Guryanov."

On August 20, 1931, he was sentenced to deportation to the Northern Territory for a period of three years, starting from March 24, 1931.

He served time in Syktyvkar. Was at the construction of the railway. The work often took place in icy water. He received rheumatism and also seriously injured his legs from sleepers.

He was released approximately in 1937 (according to other sources - in 1942). He did not have the right to reside in Leningrad and was sent 101 km away. He worked as a teacher in schools in the Tosnensky district. When the Great Patriotic War began, he was not taken to the front due to a leg disease that he received in the camp. During the German occupation he was forcibly taken to the Baltic states.

On February 8, 1942, he was ordained deacon by Metropolitan of Vilnius.
Sergius (Voskresensky) and on February 15 - priest. According to PSTGU, even before his ordination he took monastic vows, but did not become a monk with robes and kept his monasticism a secret.

In the same year, he graduated from theological courses in Vilnius and was sent as a priest to the Riga Trinity-Sergius Monastery for women.

Then he was transferred to the Vilna Monastery of the Holy Spirit for men, where he was obedient to the guide.

Since July 1943 - rector of the church in the name of St. Nicholas s. Hegobrosts of the Panevezys deanery of the Vilna-Lithuania diocese.

In 1949-1951 He studied in absentia at the Leningrad Theological Seminary and the Leningrad Theological Academy; he studied at the academy for only one year.

In 1956 he was elevated to the rank of archpriest.

In 1958 he was transferred to the Pskov diocese. At his personal request, he was appointed rector of the church in the name of St. Nicholas on the island of Talabsk (Zalit) on Lake Pskov, where almost half a century of his pastoral ministry passed.

He led an ascetic life and became famous as a spiritual, perspicacious elder. In the early 1970s, Fr. Many people began to turn to Nicholas for advice and prayerful help; his spiritual children were among priests, monks and laity. He tried to say an encouraging word to everyone who came to him, strengthened and instructed them in faith, and called on them to treat everything that surrounds people with love. He read a lot, guiding others to thoughtful, intelligent reading, blessed them to study and receive an education, loved spiritual singing, author of such hymns as “Praise to the Mother of God,” “Prayer to the Guardian Angel,” “Savior, warm my soul,” “Brotherly hymn". Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II named Fr. Nicholas one of the pillars of Russian eldership.

He died on August 24, 2002 in his home on the island of Talabsk (Zalit) on Lake Pskov in the Pskov region. The island of Talabsk with the grave of the elder still attracts numerous pilgrims.

What is eldership?

Since ancient times, a special form of serving God, called eldership, has been rooted in Russian Orthodoxy. This is a type of activity that includes the spiritual guidance of believers, carried out by God’s chosen people - the elders. As a rule, they are persons of clergy rank, but the history of the church knows examples when laymen also played this role. Moreover, the very concept of an elder does not imply an age characteristic, but a spiritual Grace sent by God to carry out this feat.

People chosen by the Lord for such a high service are often endowed with the ability to contemplate with their inner gaze the future of the world, and to see the spiritual makeup of each individual person. This gives them the opportunity, with amazing accuracy, to give everyone who turns to them for help and spiritual guidance the only true advice.

Church Choir Director's Family

The future elder Nikolai Guryanov, whose predictions about the future of Russia have become famous these days, was born in 1909 into the family of Alexei Ivanovich Guryanov, a church choir director who lived in the village of Chudskie Zakhody, St. Petersburg province. Nikolai had three brothers who inherited musical abilities from their father, the eldest of whom Mikhail even taught at the St. Petersburg Conservatory.

But their talent was not destined to develop - they all died during the First World War. The head of the family, Nikolai Alekseevich’s father, passed away in 1914, and only his mother Ekaterina Stepanovna was granted longevity by the Lord. She lived until 1969, helping her son carry out his pastoral ministry.

Failed students

Already during the years of Soviet power, Nikolai graduated from a pedagogical college and then entered the Leningrad Pedagogical Institute. But he was soon expelled because he found the courage to publicly oppose the closure of one of the city churches. This happened at the end of the twenties, and the whole country was engulfed in another anti-religious campaign. With his desperate act, he was unable to stop the machine of atheistic obscurantism, but he lost the opportunity to continue his studies and came to the attention of the GPU authorities.

To earn food for himself, Nikolai was forced to give private lessons in biology, physics and mathematics, since he had sufficient training in these subjects. But the main thing for him remained the church. From 1928 to 1931 he served as a psalm-reader in various churches in Leningrad and the region.

Personal life

According to Nikolai, since childhood he was an overweight child and was embarrassed by his build. Then youthful prejudices were added, which prevented him from establishing his personal life - he was unable to communicate with girls.

His friends helped Nikolai - they directed the young man’s attention to social networks. And, of course, they didn’t forget to encourage. As a result, I met Alina in a closed group for Orthodox Christians on the VKontakte network.

They talked on the Internet for some time and became increasingly convinced that they had found each other. At that time, Nikolai was studying in the Moscow region, Alina lived in a small town. And yet, after 2.5 years they got married.

Alina is a teacher by training - she went to college and received a diploma as a foreign language teacher. After the wedding, I decided to get a higher education - I chose educational psychology. She, like Nikolai, actively uses modern technologies: she taught an online course for women, where she covered issues of Orthodoxy, and actively uses Instagram.

Nikolai and Alina have three children: Ksenia, Nikodim, Melitina.

Acceptance of the priesthood and service in Baltic churches

During the years of occupation, Guryanov finally decided to devote his life to serving God. At the beginning of February 1942, he was ordained a deacon, and a week later to the priesthood. He accepted this rank as a celibate, that is, he took a vow of celibacy for the rest of his days. Metropolitan Sergius (Voskresensky), who found himself in occupation, also performed the sacrament over him. Having completed theological courses in the same year, Nikolai Guryanov (elder) was sent to Riga, where he served as a priest in the Holy Trinity Monastery for women, and then spent some time as a charter director at the Vilnius Holy Spirit Monastery.

From 1943 to 1958, the period of his ministry in Lithuania lasted in the Orthodox Church of the village of Gegobrosty. There, Father Nikolai was elevated to the rank of archpriest. The memoirs of one of his parishioners have been preserved, in which she writes that Father Nikolai was always distinguished by extraordinary inner kindness and friendliness, rare even for people of clergy.

He knew how to involve people in worship, performing all the prescribed actions with inspiration and beauty. For the parishioners of the church where the priest served, he was a model of truly Christian life. Not being a monk, Father Nikolai was a true ascetic, following Christian norms both in prayer and in his relationship with people.

Memory

The film “The Word of Truth”, filmed in 2003, tells that the elder supported Tsardom and called for the canonization of Grigory Rasputin and Ivan the Terrible. But, according to fans of Nikolai Guryanov, in recent years the elder, due to his weakness, depended on his entourage, which began to pass off all sorts of speculation as the priest’s speeches. Their opinion is confirmed by an article by Yuri Maksimov in the magazine “Holy Fire”. But the fact that Father Nikolai spoke respectfully of the royal family still seems to be true.

Nikolai Guryanov's grave

The Society of Devotees of the Memory of the Righteous Nicholas of Pskovezersk (Nikolai Guryanov) was created. There is an icon, as well as an Akathist and a Canon to our Righteous Father Nicholas of Pskovezersk, the Bishop of God.

The book “Archpriest Nikolai Guryanov” was published in the “People of God” series of the Sretensky Monastery Publishing House. Photos of the old man are available to any Internet user.

A prediction that determined future life

Nikolai Guryanov knew how to combine parish service with study. During his stay in Lithuania, he graduated from the Vilna Seminary in 1951, and then continued his studies at the correspondence department of the Leningrad Theological Academy.

According to the recollections of people who knew him closely, having already completed his education, in 1958 Father Nikolai visited a certain elder, whose name remained unknown, and he revealed to him the place that the Lord had intended for future service, and where he had to arrive as soon as possible.

This was the island of Talabsk on Lake Pskov, which received the name of the prominent communist Zilat during the Soviet period. Having submitted an application to the diocesan administration and receiving a favorable response, Father Nikolai arrived at the indicated place, where he spent the next forty years in continuous service until his death.

Story

Zalit Island, belonging to the Talab Islands group, was called Talabsk until 1919 (Lake Pskov itself was also called Talabsk).

In 1842, the current chapel was built in honor of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Hodegetria” of Smolensk, in memory of the miraculous deliverance from the cholera epidemic that engulfed the inhabitants of the settlement. The Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God appeared to a certain parishioner of the Church of St. Nicholas in a dream and commanded: “Carry Me with the procession of the Cross around the entire village, and then the cholera will stop.” In a dream vision, this man was revealed to the place where this holy icon had been kept until now, namely in the attic of one of the town houses. Everything was done according to the word of the Mother of God, and the epidemic stopped.

In 1854, a stone chapel was built in honor of St. Nicholas in memory of the miracle from the image of the saint that occurred during the fire on July 6, 1853. The chapel was erected for the “unquenchable burning of oil.” In 1888, a second chapel was erected at the cemetery, according to local legend, in honor of Anastasia the Roman.

In 1939, the temple was closed after severe destruction. All decorations were destroyed. It is unknown where the icons were taken. In 1947, the temple was reopened for worship.

Difficulties of the first years

It is difficult to even imagine all the difficulties that the arriving priest faced in the new place. This was a period when the country was engulfed by Khrushchev’s anti-religious campaigns, and the media did not stop trumpeting the imminent victory over obscurantism - as they called the faith that underlies the entire history of our Motherland. Therefore, when Nikolai Guryanov (the elder) arrived on the island and settled with his mother on the outskirts of the village, he was greeted with suspicious looks.

However, very soon his gentleness, meekness, and most importantly, goodwill towards people erased this veil of alienation that arose at the beginning. The church in which he was to serve was then in a dilapidated state, and, not having the slightest support from the diocesan authorities, the priest himself had to find funds for its restoration. With his own hands he laid bricks, re-roofed, painted and performed all other necessary work, and when services began in the renovated building, he baked prosphora himself.

Life in a fishing village

But, in addition to fulfilling his church duties, Father Nikolai devoted a lot of time to helping everyone he could provide. Since the male population of the village was a fishing team, and their families did not see their breadwinners for a long time, Father Nikolai did not hesitate to help women with housework, he could look after the children or sit with the sick and elderly. This is how the future elder Nikolai Guryanov gained the trust and then the love of his fellow villagers.

The biography of this man is subsequently inseparable from the island, where by God’s will he was destined to accomplish his feat, and where, through his labors, dozens and hundreds of people, torn from it by the godless authorities, were returned to the bosom of the church. It was a difficult journey. In the first years of his stay on the island, the priest had to serve in an empty church. The residents of the village loved and respected him, but did not go to church. Bit by bit, the Word of God had to be brought into the consciousness of these people before this good seed sprouted.

A miracle revealed through the prayer of a righteous man

During that period, which was the sixties, the persecution of the church especially intensified; under pressure from the authorities, one of the village residents wrote a denunciation against the priest. The commissioner who arrived was rude and rude to the priest, and in the end announced that he would take him away the next day. Father Nikolai Guryanov (the elder) packed his things and spent the whole night in prayer.

What happened next is considered by some to be a miracle, others - by a coincidence, but only in the morning a real storm arose on the lake, which was quiet at this time of year, and for three days the island was cut off from the mainland. When the elements subsided, the authorities somehow forgot about the priest and did not touch him in the future.

“The miracle is wonderful and worthy of memory”

The power of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord magnified the Lamp of the Church, Father Nicholas, during his life and crowned him even more after his blessed death, when he showed us a miracle, like the holy fathers. Like John Chrysostom, who, during the transfer of the venerable relics from Comana to Constantinople, thirty years after his dormition, when he was carried into the Temple of the Twelve Apostles and the coffin was placed in the place where his pulpit was located, accomplished the unprecedented. As soon as the Church knelt down and asked for forgiveness from the persecuted Saint, saying: “ Accept your Throne, Father,”

- the saint of God, who was in the relics, raised his right hand and blessed the people with the words:
“Peace to all!”
Transfer of the relics of John Chrysostom from Comana to Constantinople

This is possible only when the soul sees God. “The main goal of human life is to come to one’s senses and establish a connection with God. And if he finds himself in relation to the Lord, he can find himself in relation to the world. The light will come - and a person will be able to judge others without making false and hasty conclusions about them, says Elder Luke of Philotheus. - If we do not recognize God, if we do not receive Light from him, how can we draw the right conclusions about others? A passionate person judges others through the prism of his own sins. He condemns his neighbors in order to justify himself. When a person comes to God, repents, frees himself from passions, he uses his intact natural vision. That is, he looks at the world with the eyes of Love”... Father Nikolai looked at the world with such eyes of Love.

“Let us turn to the lives of the saints,” Abba Philotheus continues to reflect. — How many martyrs who suffered for Christ prayed for their tormentors. There are countless examples when this prayer was heard, and the tormentors repented and themselves came to God. Why? Because the saints prayed with all their hearts, they truly had compassion for their persecutors and sincerely asked the Lord to lead them to the path of Truth. The saints even loved their tormentors, let alone the rest of their neighbors. You ask: is it possible to love your enemies? For those who have found the love of Christ, anything is possible. We must strive to be Christians, not just to bear that name. “By their works you will know them.” Orthodox Christians cannot live and behave like everyone else”...

Everyone saw Father as a true Christian and a true clergyman. About his business. They recognized him as a Saint. And the death of the Elder revealed and confirmed this with extraordinary power and beauty. Everything is as before in our Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church...

We see a similar miracle of the manifestation of life in the body of the deceased in the Life of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky. His trip to Sarai in 1262 was his last. On the way back, before reaching Vladimir, in Gorodets, in the monastery, the 43-year-old Prince-Ascetic gave up his spirit to the Lord on November 14, 1263, completing the difficult journey of life by accepting the monastic schema with the name Alexy. When Metropolitan Kirill, during the Liturgy, announced the death of Alexander Nevsky: “My dear children, know that the sun of the Russian Land has set!” - then all the people cried out in despair in one voice: “We are perishing!” His body was carried to Vladimir, the journey lasted nine days, and it remained incorrupt. On November 23, during burial in the Nativity Monastery, God revealed “a marvelous miracle worthy of memory.” Contemporaries say that during the funeral service, the deceased Prince Himself, as if alive, extended his hand and accepted the letter with a prayer of permission from the hands of the Metropolitan. This day was established to honor his memory.

Fresco from the Cathedral of the Holy Martyr Panteleimon in the New Athos Monastery, where we see how the saint of God, Schemamonk Alexy, stretches out his right hand for a prayer of permission. Just like that, with the same movement of his hand, four hours after his death, Father Nikolai extended his right hand and took the Cross from my hands, and then slightly opened his left palm - and we put the Gospel in it... When I was on New Athos and saw this fresco, I was amazed, how the Lord is the same yesterday and today... And we cannot help but remember that the young lad Nicholas began his service to God in the Arkhangelsk Church of the Kobylye Settlement churchyard, one and a half kilometers from which the historical Battle of the Ice took place... Where Grand Duke Alexander achieved the salvation of Rus'...

Father’s favorite image is the Icon of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky, in schema Alexy. The elder believed that it would be more correct to write the Icons of the Prince as a schema-monk. And pray to Him, like Schemamonk Alexy. But he did not impose his opinion on anyone... According to Father Nicholas, we know that he was a secret bishop, appointed Bishop during the persecution of the Church. He did not enter open hierarchical service. He adopted the schema with the name Nectarius. When Hieromonk Nestor (Kumysh), the compiler of a short biography of the Elder from the Pskov Metropolis, asked Father Nicholas’s friend, resident of the Holy Spiritual Vilna Monastery Archimandrite Predislav (Kamenyak), whether Father was a monk and how to pray for him, Father Archimandrite answered in the affirmative that Father was a monk and a bishop, and cited the Blessed Prince as an example: “We pray to him as the Blessed Prince Alexander, although He is Schemamonk Alexy... And you can pray for Father the same way: both as the righteous Elder Nicholas, and as Schema-Bishop Nektary... God hears everything and everything accepts prayers. The main thing is to pray.”

The beginning of elder ministry

In the seventies, Elder Nikolai Guryanov, whose predictions came true in an amazing way, acquired unusually wide fame. People from all over the country came to see him, and he did not know a moment of peace. Everyone was indelibly impressed by the external manifestation of the gifts that were bestowed upon him by the Lord in abundance.

For example, turning to complete strangers, he unmistakably called their names, pointed out their long-forgotten sins, which he could not have known about, warned about the dangers that threatened them, gave instructions on how to avoid them, and did much more that defies rational explanation. It is also impossible to count the people to whom he restored health, begging God for healing, sometimes even in cases where medicine was powerless.

Wise mentor and teacher

But the main thing of his service was the help that the priest provided to people who wanted to change their lives, arranging it on truly Christian principles. Without indulging in general discussions and avoiding unnecessary words, he knew how to give a person specific instructions that pertained to him personally.

At the same time, seeing the inner world of everyone with whom he had to communicate, and seeing much that is stored in the hidden corners of the soul and carefully hidden from others, the elder knew how to talk about it with extraordinary tact, without causing moral trauma to a person, and even more so without humiliating his dignity. This side of his gift is evidenced by many who visited the island of Zalita.

Elder Nikolai Guryanov was, in the opinion of many of his admirers, perhaps the only truly perspicacious elder in the entire country. His ability to see what was hidden from the eyes of ordinary people was so developed that in the nineties he more than once helped both private individuals and government agencies in searching for missing people.

Universal recognition

During the period of perestroika, when the state policy towards the church radically changed, the elders of Russia received greater freedom in their service. Nikolai Guryanov was one of those whose names were often mentioned by the media at that time. This, of course, increased the number of his admirers who came to the island, and often stayed there for a long time.

Nikolai Guryanov (the elder) acquired special authority after another of our most famous ascetics, Father John Krestyankin, who was then asceticizing in the Pskov-Pechersk Monastery, announced him throughout the country. He described Father Nicholas as a bearer of God's Grace, which endowed him with the gifts of insight, wisdom and meekness.

Then, in the late nineties, the predictions of Elder Nikolai Guryanov about Russia became public. They sounded in response to a question from one of the visitors who wanted to know what awaits the country after the end of B.N.’s reign. Yeltsin. The elder was a man of few words, and what he said, apparently, conceals a meaning that we, today’s residents of Russia, are not given the opportunity to fully understand.

Elder Nikolai Guryanov: predictions about the future of Russia

When asked who would replace President B.N., who was then in power. Yeltsin, he replied that he would be a military man, and he turned out to be right, since the current head of state actually has a military rank. But the meaning of his further words remains a mystery to us, and it is difficult to understand what Elder Nikolai Guryanov meant. The predictions he made about the future of Russia that day foreshadowed the country's future rule, which he likened to communist rule. According to him, the church will again be persecuted, but this will not last long.

The elder ended on a very optimistic note, predicting the coming of the Orthodox Tsar to our world. When asked when this would happen, he said that most of those present would live to see that day. This is the answer Elder Nikolai Guryanov gave about the future of Russia. Without allowing even a shadow of doubt about the validity of his words, we nevertheless note that V.V. Putin, who led the country after B.N. Yeltsin left the presidential post, is more consistent with the image of an Orthodox tsar than a persecutor of faith, perhaps precisely him the old man meant.

During the years of his reign, the church was fully revived after decades of atheism that dominated the country and was the main principle of state ideology. What, then, was the elder talking about? We can only guess about this.

It has been suggested more than once that Nikolai Guryanov (the elder), whose prophecies today cause such open bewilderment, actually saw in those days the new persecutions destined for the Russian church. It is possible that the course of historical events would have led to this. But, through the prayers of zealots of the faith, one of whom, undoubtedly, was Father Nicholas himself, the Lord showed great mercy, saving Russia from the troubles that it had experienced for seven decades. As a result, the elder’s prophecies came true, but the Lord, by His indescribable love for mankind, saved us from a repetition of the nightmare that gripped the country in the 20th century.

“You can’t live without a cross!”

Elder Nikolai Guryanov himself said: “I will be gone, come to the grave. I will help you even more." It will soon be 9 years since the priest passed away, and people continue to go to the island.

— I met Father Nikolai in the late 90s. I, 17 years old, had health problems,” says pilgrim Andrei from Pskov. “Father pulled me by the forelock, and I forgot about the sores.” I came to the grave to pray for my wife and children.

The priest often spanked pilgrims: on the cheek, on the forehead. “And it hit me on the nose,” says Elena. “At first I didn’t understand, but then I noticed that the swelling in my nose from which I was suffering had disappeared. I came to the island in the mid-90s. I stood at the priest’s house with other pilgrims. The elder appeared and began to anoint the pilgrims with Jerusalem oil, which was given to him by his spiritual children from the Holy Land. Instead of a brush, the priest used an ordinary paper clip. I waited for my turn and thought: “What an old priest. He’ll die soon.” Suddenly he turned in my direction and said: “Yes, I’ll live a little longer. I'll live." I was taken aback. Then she stopped being surprised that the priest read thoughts, answered questions that the pilgrim did not even have time to utter. Zalit Island became for me the most desirable place on earth. I moved here to live from St. Petersburg.”

Another St. Petersburg woman, Lyudmila, with the elder’s blessing, bought a house on Zalita. She recalls: “At the first meeting, the priest walked towards me with his hand extended forward and poked me in the chest: “Where is the cross?!” I was surprised how he could see that there was no cross, because I was wearing a sweater and a buttoned-up jacket. There was no cross because the chain broke on the train. Father took out his cross: “You see, it’s on a string. And do so. You can’t live without a cross!”

On the island there is the house of singer Olga Kormukhina. Olga came to fame in the late 80s, and in the mid-90s. she practically disappeared from the stage. “I thought about joining a monastery. I went to Elder Nikolai for a blessing,” she told an AiF correspondent. However, the priest predicted marriage for the singer. A year later, on the steps of one of the Moscow churches, Olga met musician Alexei Belov, leader of the Gorky Park group. In April 1999, they got married, and in May 2000, Olga became a mother: “When I asked the elder for the blessing to become a monk, I admitted—my only temptation—that I did not become a mother. He replied: “You will not have children.” I understood that this was given to me as punishment. And I wasn’t offended. But she cried terribly. And then he began to pray. I saw how his hands were shaking - what a feeling it was for me! And then suddenly he turned and said: “But the Lord will do everything as you want.” Father Nikolai advised that the child be baptized on the second day after returning from the maternity hospital. If it is a boy, call it Anatoly, and if the girl is Anatoly. Olga carried her daughter to church and gasped: Saints Day was listed in the calendar. Anatolia.

On the island, an AiF correspondent met with a Muscovite, a mother of five children. At the end of the 90s. she and her husband came to the priest for help. Both spouses were under 30 years old, from a medical point of view, absolutely healthy, and God did not give children. Father Nikolai shouted at the couple: “So that there will be a child tomorrow!” And exactly 9 months later the first child appeared. “Do you know about the captain? - the locals asked me. The story began 25 years ago. A believing woman from Odessa came to visit the priest. Zinaida was worried that her husband, a sea captain, was an unchurched man. She persuaded Vladimir to see his father. Finally they arrived at Zalit together. The captain, as soon as he saw the priest, suddenly fell to his knees and crawled towards him. Then the elder took him to the temple, where they talked for several hours. Soon the priest married the couple. They come to Zalit every year, we are waiting for them this year too.”

At the priest's gate one could meet people of different ages, professions and ranks: a cleaner, a banker, a general, a seminarian, a politician. Local residents, in a conversation with an AiF correspondent, named the names of very influential people who tried to get to the elder. But money and power meant nothing to the priest. He was a rare unmercenary. He wore a faded, patched cassock. Everything that was given to him, he immediately tried to pass on to others. He was equally easy to communicate with everyone, but not everyone received his blessing. He told some: “Look at the fool. And go with God!” And it happened that he would go out to the crowd and start running, as if he were flying through the air. Out of breath, the pilgrims caught up with the elder at the temple, and he: “You should run to the temple every day like you do now!” And he often repeated: “To whom the Church is not a mother, God is not a father.”

Instructions of Elder Nikolai Guryanov

In addition to the prophecies mentioned above, Father Nikolai gained fame for the instructions that he gave to people who turned to him for advice and help. Much of what he said was preserved in the notes made by his admirers who came to the island of Zalita.

Elder Nikolai Guryanov first of all taught to live and pray to God as if one were destined to die tomorrow, and, having appeared before the Lord, to give Him an answer in one’s deeds. This, he said, will help cleanse the soul of filth and prepare oneself for the transition to eternity. In addition, Father Nikolai taught us to treat everything that surrounds us with love, because all this is nothing more than the creation of God. He called on non-believers to treat them without condemnation, with pity, and to constantly pray to God to deliver them from this devilish darkness. Visitors received many other wise and useful instructions from him.

Gone home

People came to the priest with wounded hearts and souls, and went home inspired. Once, when asked what we all miss most, the priest answered: “Love.” The elder showed love for all living things. About a hundred pigeons constantly lived and fed in the courtyard of his house. Today many doves flock to the elder’s grave. They are fed by both local residents and pilgrims. Here the AiF correspondent met the spiritual child of Father Nikolai, the pilgrim Marina. She said: “I have been visiting my father from the Tyumen region since the mid-90s. 3-4 times a year. At the first meeting, he immediately called me by name, told me my past and revealed my future. I arrived in heels, wearing makeup. But the priest did not look at the appearance. On the island they gave me a scarf and galoshes. The elder took a photograph of himself standing next to the temple, and with this photograph he hit me on the forehead: “Now you have a temple in your head.” I confessed to the priest and took communion. On the island I experienced an incredible state of serenity and happiness. Such lightness suddenly came that at the age of 40 I wanted to sing, jump, and run. As in childhood".

Already here on earth, God revealed to the elder what kind of hell and heaven they are. Schema-nun Barsanuphia (Alexandra Tanaeva) says: “It happened in my worldly life, I came from Moscow to the island to help the priest in the church. One day he says: “Sashok, I’ve been to heaven!” - “How, father?” “Two guys came, young, tall, handsome, picked me up, and I found myself in heaven. Such beauty, such singing, it cannot be conveyed, you have to see and hear it for yourself!” In the priest’s cell there hangs a picture of the Last Judgment; he often brought visitors to it and, pointing to heaven, said: “You and I definitely need to get here.” And he pointed to hell: “But not here.” These simple words made a strong impression on people.

The priest received pilgrims until his last days. He departed to the Lord on August 24, 2002, in the 94th year of his earthly life. According to eyewitnesses, during the funeral service for Father Nikolai, the island was enveloped in a thick white fog. And the inherent silence of this place became even more piercing. “Here on earth we are only guests. And our home is there, in Heaven,” said the elder.

Posthumous veneration of Elder Nicholas

Like many previously deceased elders, Archpriest Nikolai Guryanov, after his death on August 24, 2002, began to be revered by many in our country as a saint, whose canonization is only a matter of time. On the day of his funeral, more than three thousand people gathered on the island of Zalita who wanted to pay their last respects to his memory. And although many years have passed since then, the number of admirers of the elder has not decreased.

In this regard, we recall the words spoken by another famous representative of the Russian elders, the Venerable Father Nektariy, spoken by him shortly before the closure of the Optina Pustyn by the Bolsheviks. He taught us not to be afraid of anything in this earthly life and to always pray to the departed elders, since, standing before the Throne of God, they pray for us, and the Lord will heed their words. Just like those elders, Father Nikolai Guryanov in the Kingdom of Heaven intercedes with the Almighty for those whom he left in this corruptible world.

It is not surprising that throughout his life the humble servant of God, Archpriest Father Nikolai Guryanov (elder), earned the love and memory of hundreds of thousands of his admirers. The island, which was his home for the last forty years of his life, today has become both his monument and a place where Orthodox believers come to worship him.

Soon after the death of the elder, they established a society of zealots of his memory, whose members are already carrying out work aimed at glorifying Father Nicholas as a saint. None of the members of the society doubts that this event will take place sooner or later, and today they call him nothing less than St. Nicholas of Pskovozersk.

Always be joyful!

On August 24 we honor the memory of the great elder - Archpriest Nikolai Guryanov (1909–2002). For more than 40 years, the elder served in the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on the island of Talabsk (Zalit) of the Pskov diocese. Being himself a great elder, Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) said about Archpriest Nikolai Guryanov that he is “the only truly perspicacious elder in the territory of the former USSR.”

Archpriest Nikolai Guryanov. Photo: Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov)

Elder Nikolai Guryanov advised:

“Man was born to talk with God”

“Be always joyful and in the most difficult days of your life do not forget to thank God: a grateful heart needs nothing.”

“Don’t be upset about visiting troubles: these are life companions in our recovery.”

“A believer, he must have a loving attitude towards everything that surrounds him. Lovingly!”

“Man was born to talk with God.”

“We must have pity on unbelieving people and always pray: “Lord, deliver them from this enemy darkness.”

“After all, we are visiting now, and then we will all go home. But only, my precious ones, woe will befall us at home if we were guests and did something bad.”

"Live as if you were going to die tomorrow."

“Go and do good. All love covers a multitude of sins.”

The Elder in the Memoirs of Contemporaries

Archpriest Nikolai Guryanov,
Abbess of the Pukhtitsa Monastery Varvara (Trofimova), recalled Elder Nikolai (Guryanov): “Mother George and I (now the abbess of the Gornenskaya Jerusalem monastery) and I went to the island every year to see Father Nicholas, as to our spiritual father.
Usually we drove through the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery. I really love this ancient monastery and especially Father John (Krestyankin). He and Father Nikolai were very similar to each other: they were almost the same age, and they said almost the same thing. The only difference was that Father John spoke directly, and Father Nikolai acted a little like a fool in conversation, often giving an answer with a spiritual song. Running for human glory, he sometimes wore a beret, his mother’s blouse, and rubber boots. These are my favorite elders! Simplicity and love for people, animals, plants, for everything that God created, set him apart from others... When Father Nikolai arrived on the island, there was an empty space near his house, opposite - a cemetery with a broken fence and not a single tree. And he really wanted to decorate everything! And he collected plants, roots of bushes and flowers from Kyiv, Pochaev, Vilnius, Pyukhtits and planted them on the island. Father lovingly looked after the trees. At that time there was no running water there, and the priest carried water from the lake, 100–200 buckets each. He watered everything himself: the bushes, the flowers, and the future trees. Near the house, the priest planted chrysanthemums, dahlias, and gladioli. Now we see the fruits of his labors: thujas, firs, and larches have turned green everywhere. And where there is greenery, there are birds. How many of them filled the previously empty island with their voices! For them, for the little birds of God, Father Nikolai arranged an “open-air dining room.” With his pure soul, the priest was close to everything that was created by the right hand of God.

Father Nikolai was celibate. In Vilnius, everyone knew him and remembered him in notes as Hieromonk Nicholas. I asked Mother Abbess Nina (Batasheva; Varvara in the schema) about this, and this is what she told me. Father Nikolai said that, if the Lord wills, he will take monastic vows. Mother Nina even kept the clothes that the sisters sewed for Father Nikolai’s tonsure. But during the war, when the convent was heavily bombed, Mother Abbess’s everything was burned, including these clothes. Father Nikolai decided that it was not God’s will for him to become a monk, and did not take monastic vows.”

All creation was after the priest’s heart. He always looked carefully so that neither the flower nor the tree was damaged

Archpriest John Mironov , who had a half-century of spiritual friendship with Elder Nicholas, said: “The courtyard of my father’s modest house-cell was like an illustration to the first chapters of the Book of Genesis: chestnuts, cypresses and other trees, many doves on the branches and roof sitting tightly, like chickens on roost. There are also sparrows and other small birds. And cats and a dog walk peacefully next to the chickens. And the priest tried to warm everyone up and treat them. The cat Lipushka lived with her father for 28 years and became completely human. One day, someone hit a crow with a stone, so the priest came out, cured it, and it became completely tame. Every morning then I met the priest, croaked, flapped my wings and said hello. And everything around – both trees and flowers – everything on the island lived with the priest’s care. Bees, midges, bugs - everything was not alien to him. It won't even hurt a mosquito. All creation was after the priest’s heart. He always looked carefully so that no flower or tree was damaged.”

Vladyka Pavel (Ponomarev; now Metropolitan of Minsk and Zaslavsky, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus; in 1988–1992 - abbot of the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery) told the following story: “Mother George (Shchukina) came to us in Pechory. It turns out that she had a conversation with His Holiness the Patriarch about the possible sending of her to Jerusalem. And she needed to consult with her confessor - Father Nikolai, a famous elder on the island of Zalit. But she didn’t manage to get to the island: the ships no longer operate, and the ice has not yet risen... And the housekeeper asks me: “So, bless me for a helicopter?”... We called the airport - it turned out to be quite accessible. After 40 minutes the helicopter was already at the monastery. We arrived - and there was nowhere to land. It just snowed nicely. We sat down somewhere in the garden. We see: Father Nikolai himself is coming. And the mothers are running, making noise. It turns out that after the service and meal, everyone went to their cells - and suddenly Father Nikolai began calling everyone. “Come out,” he calls. “Mothers, guests are coming to us: Mother Abbess of Jerusalem, Father-Vicar and the brethren of the monastery.” They say: “Father, are you out of your mind? Who's coming to us? Steamboats don't operate. Lie down and rest.” And suddenly - a helicopter, noise. But then, not only were there no mobile phones, there was no connection with the island at all. And after all, Father Nikolai already called Mother Abbess of Jerusalem, although no one knew about her future at all...”

I was amazed by his insight. He foresaw a lot

Archpriest Oleg Teor spoke about the elder: “I appreciated Father from the very first meeting and always respected him very much. I was amazed by his insight. He foresaw a lot and, if necessary, said something that later came true. For example, there was such a case. Father Nikolai always remembered death, his preparation for it, often spoke on this topic and told him what to bury him in. One day he promised one of his spiritual daughters that she would be at his funeral. Another, named Antonina, immediately declared: “And I will, father. I’ll definitely come.” And he says so secretly: “No, you’ll be at home.” And it turned out that this Antonina died. And the one who was promised to attend the funeral was actually there. And my father told me that I would bury him. And so it happened.

Now I also feel his prayerful support. It happens that when I remember him, help comes to me. Father Nikolai also had the gift of healing. His prayer was very effective. One of his spiritual daughters became so seriously ill that doctors diagnosed cancer. She felt very weak, her face was pale and transparent. She worked in a hard job where she had to deal with chemicals that were harmful to her health. Doctors recommended that she move to another job. But Father Nikolai did not bless. The patient obeyed. Many years have passed, but, through the priest’s prayers, she recovered and is still living. When I became very ill, Father Nikolai also very convincingly assured me that the Lord would heal. And indeed, I was healed.

Father Nikolai tried to instill in his children the memory of death

Father Nikolai tried to instill in his children the memory of death. He said that if people knew what was in store for them, they would behave differently. Often, for the sake of understanding and clarity, he showed the guests the icon of the Last Judgment, explaining it and reminding them of retribution for sins. He taught with great conviction, using evangelical words and examples. He indicated in the image where and for what sin the person would have to suffer. This sobered many and made them think and always remember about the hour of death.”

Father Nikolai (Guryanov).
Artist: Irina Gaiduk Archimandrite Ambrosy (Yurasov) recalled: “There were two more people with me.
The elder lightly hit one on the cheek, and then said: “Father, bless.” - “Yes, I’m not a priest!” - “Not father? Yes?" Years have passed. Now that man is the abbot. I brought out music paper to the girl who came with us. She was surprised: why is this? She's an artist. Doesn't sing. Not knows. And now she is the regent at the monastery.” Archpriest Georgy Ushakov shared: “I often saw that even when the priest spoke to a person, his lips moved between phrases. I think that he was a constant man of prayer. This is where his insight and openness to the heavenly world came from. During prayer, the Lord revealed to him the soul of man and His will for him.”

Archpriest Vladimir Stepanov said: “I lived then in Pskov and served as a deacon in the Trinity Cathedral. Next to the cathedral there is a bell tower in which the nun Archelaus lived in the 1970s. I go one day to visit my mother. The conversation turned to Father Nikolai. She tells me that it was very difficult for her, and she prayerfully turned to the priest: “Father Nikolai! Help me! Father Nikolai! Help me…” And so several times. The next morning, the priest arrives in Pskov, comes to Mother Archelaus and says to her from the doorway: “Well, what are you asking me: Father Nikolai, help me, Father Nikolai, help me...”

The Lord rewarded the priest with living faith and unceasing prayer. It was often noticeable that he was saying the Jesus Prayer. I have experienced the power of his prayer myself, more than once. One example: I had a serious problem, and in winter I walked from the highway along the lake to the elder. He listened to me, then stood up and said: “Let’s pray.” Father kneels down in his tiny kitchenette, and I follow him too. A few minutes of prayer. We get up from our knees. Father Nikolai blesses me, and I clearly feel in my soul that my problem no longer exists. God bless!"

Priest Alexy Likhachev recalled: “Father seemed a little naive to me: he kept trying to persuade me to read morning and evening prayers every day. And I was such a diligent student that it seemed strange to me not only that I couldn’t read the prayers, but that I also read the Psalter religiously. “Doesn’t he know that I do this without any persuasion?” But then at the academy I found myself in a circle of young people, experts and adherents of the Greek tradition, who, making fun of our Russian piety, sneered: “Without proofreading this rule, you will not be saved.” So the priest strengthened me in advance so as not to succumb. And one more thing: now, ten years later, I am so burdened with the construction of the temple, as well as family difficulties and everyday troubles, that I sometimes fall asleep without undressing. But the words of Father Nikolai sound today like a reproach.

You still had to be able to understand Father’s language. He revealed such deep things to people, and even in a few words, that they had to be clothed in the form of images or symbols, which became clearer gradually, over time, filled with new spiritual meanings and twists of fate. A certain novice who came to the island with me began to tell the priest about the troubles in the monastery. He gently touched her neck: “Are you wearing a cross?” She took out the cross from her chest. “Here you go.” (A year later she developed a mental disorder.)

And the girl Valya, who asked him if she could go in for horse riding and dancing, Father Nikolai with affection and a smile says: “Let me add some color to you,” and he takes a gray strand from his hair and seems to put it on her . She's laughing, you know. But he hinted at her grief to the point of gray hair.”

Blessing of Father Nicholas

Doctor Vladimir Alekseevich Nepomnyashchikh spoke about the elder: “Outwardly he seemed detached from everything earthly. It was felt that there was a huge distance between us sinners and the elder. For many who came up for blessing, the priest no longer answered questions, but only silently anointed his forehead with oil in the shape of a cross. At the same time, people felt the need for questioning disappearing. However, Father Nikolai talked with those who really had a need, answered their questions and even invited people to his house. He did not answer all questions, but selectively... Undoubtedly, Elder Nicholas knew the will of God and revealed it to the extent that he considered necessary.”

Father Nikolai blessed me with a big cross and said: “You will neither drink nor smoke for the rest of your life.” And so it happened

Andrei Lukin recalled: “From my youth I became addicted to alcohol, and by the age of 26 I realized that I could not live without it for a long time. I started looking for a way out, tried to encode myself - it didn’t help, it only got worse... I started taking vows. He promised before God, on the cross and the Gospel, in the presence of a priest, to abstain from alcohol, first for six months, then for a year and a year and a half. This went on for six years, but the trouble was that as soon as the end of the vow came, literally on the same day I started drinking again, because the passion was approaching and it was impossible to fight it. And so in 1999, in the month of August, I came to Zalit Island to visit Father Nikolai Guryanov. I approached him and said: “Father, bless me not to drink for three years and not to smoke for a year (take vows).” Father Nikolai blessed me with a big cross and said: “You will neither drink nor smoke for the rest of your life.” Seven years have passed since then, and during this time I haven’t even thought about drinking or smoking (thank God!). But I smoked for more than 20 years.

And two years before this wonderful event, my wife, together with her eldest daughter, went to Father Nikolai with the question of whether I should leave my worldly work and work entirely in the church or not. Father, not knowing my name, said to his wife: “I bow deeply to Andryushenka, and ask for your prayers.” What humility the priest has - as he called me, a drunk... And he answered his wife: “There is no need to leave worldly work, but let him work as a regent.” And so it happened: “I worked”, after six months, less, I had to leave the regents. The wife also asked about her daughter: should she continue studying, since her academic success was unimportant, to which the elder said: “Study, study and study. A three and a four are also good marks.” My daughter graduated from school, a secondary specialized institution, and is now studying in higher education, in her fourth year. Upon admission, I received five for the main subject and four for the remaining subjects. But at school I was a C student!”

Elder Nikolai and Olga Kormukhina

Olga Kormukhina, a famous singer, shared: “I must say that at that time I had two serious problems: smoking (I couldn’t quit smoking, although I really wanted to) and I also liked delicious alcoholic drinks. I, one might say, “got high” on the exquisite liqueurs, rums, wines and could not help myself... So we approached the house, we saw: people gathered around the old man in groups; we joined them. And he runs between people and asks: “Do you drink, smoke? Do you drink, smoke? Do you drink, smoke?” But he doesn’t ask me. I think: “This is my problem. But he doesn’t ask me.” I want to say it, but I can’t. I feel like a demon has shut my mouth. I just feel it naturally. The veins in my neck are bulging, but I can’t say a word. But I feel that if I don’t say it now, I’ll be finished. Just the end. That's all! I strained with all my strength and prayed: “Lord! Help me!" And then she screamed: “Father! I drink and smoke! I hate myself for this!” And he seemed to be waiting for this, ran up to me, crossed his mouth and said: “That’s it. You won’t do it again.” And indeed, it was July 19, 1997, since then I have not taken either alcohol or cigarettes.

One mathematics professor, Russian, came with his English friend, also a mathematics professor, a complete unbeliever. And the Russian prayed very much for him to believe. And the Englishman had the thought: “If this old man shows me a miracle, then I will believe.” They arrived, the priest met them, took them into the cell and immediately, from the first words, said: “What miracle should I show you, son?” He went to the switch and started clicking: “Here there is light, but there is no light. Here there is light, but there is no light. Ha ha ha.” They laughed, and Father Nikolai sent them home: “Go, sons, with God, quietly for now.” The Englishman also laughed: they say, what miracles can there be? After all, he is a scientist. They arrived from the island back to the mainland, and there was a crowd of people, police, and workers dragging some wires. “What happened?” - “So for three days now there has been no light on the islands.” And our scientist immediately turned the boat back.”

Anna Ivanovna Trusova recalled: “I came to the island with my nephew. He defended one person who was attacked by hooligans. As a result, he was unfairly accused. The investigator gave him two articles. We went to Elder Nicholas to ask for his holy prayers. Father did not ask why, why, only I suddenly saw how his eyes changed - I had never seen such eyes on anyone in my life. He went far away, he was not present here among us. I actually trembled at this priest’s gaze. I don’t know how long he prayed like that. Five minutes or more, but only then he took a deep breath and said: “They won’t judge. They will acquit.” So in just a few minutes the elder begged the man.”

“Father, in such a cold!.. Why?” - the mothers were scared. “My name is,” the elder said quietly

Lyudmila Ivanova, a church photographer , recalled one incident: “One day Father Nikolai got ready to go somewhere late in the winter evening in a strong snowstorm. “Father, in such a cold!.. Why?” - the mothers were scared. “That’s my name,” the elder said quietly. And, despite the persuasion of the women, he went into the darkness of the night. The wind howled like a fierce beast, the blizzard did not subside. Father did not return for a long time. Run, search - where? All that remained was to pray, trusting in the will of God. Father did not return alone. He brought a frozen man. He got lost in the snowstorm, began to lose strength and even think about death. Out of fear, he prayed to the saint of God, Nicholas the Wonderworker, although he considered himself an unbeliever. Father Nikolai heard.”

Hegumen Roman (Zagrebnev) told how he and his friend came to the elder on the island. The friend, who had no experience communicating with the elders, was confused and did not ask the priest anything. And so, when they were about to leave, Father Nikolai himself stopped the young man: “Tell me, is this really the case? At home you wrote and wrote a charter with questions, put it in your pocket and, without resolving a single question, you left! Is this the case? Now you’ll get into the “Rocket” and sail, but the questions are in your pocket. Come on, get it now. Otherwise, you will swim to Pskov, you accidentally put your hand in your pocket, and your heart will skip a beat. So that it is calm, and there is a need to resolve issues. Understood?!" “My fellow traveler fell at the priest’s feet, tears ran from his eyes, asking for forgiveness and patience to resolve the written questions.”

Emilian Lashin recalled: “The man with whom I had to go to the island of Zalita had recently been released from prison. He lost his mother early, and his stepmother treated him and his sister badly, and they both began to steal, and this continued until he was imprisoned. He was imprisoned two or three times and when he came out he was already very sick with tuberculosis. He had no job, no money, no registration, no housing, and there was no way to get a job in a hospital. Then they decided to go to Father Nikolai. It was in September, at the end of the month - a difficult time for consumptives. I remember that on that day the priest had a lot of different people... And my “ward” stood outside the gate by a large stone and did not dare (or was no longer able) to enter. Father barely glanced at him and immediately called him by name, went out the gate and talked for a long, long time about something with this man. And then he blessed him three times and said loudly: “Everything will be fine.” Needless to say, immediately upon our return this man was taken to the best clinic, as if suddenly forgetting about all the obstacles and arguments that the same people had found just a few days ago. He spent more than six months in this clinic, completely cured of his terrible illness. During this time, registration was obtained, and miraculously, funds were always available for medicines, which cost a lot of money.”

Elder Nikolai Guryanov

Alexey Belov, a famous musician, said: “We witnessed such an incident. One day a terrible storm arose on the island and suddenly calmed down instantly. And when we approached the priest’s cell, his cell attendant said that there was a tornado, the priest came out, crossed himself, and everything fell apart. And then it turned out that he saved the boy from death. This boy went out fishing on a large boat, and during a tornado he could have died, crashed on this boat.

Father actually saved people from death more than once. This was the case with our daughter. In infancy, she had a very difficult time withstanding high fever and began to have convulsions. And then one day the convulsions were so strong that her tongue stuck and asphyxia began, she was already starting to turn blue. Then I shouted to myself: “Father Nikolai, help!” And the tongue returned to its place, she began to breathe evenly.

The monks we met on Mount Athos had photographs of the elder. Everyone respected him very much. When we were at the evening service in Hilandar, in the Serbian monastery, the confessor took my confession. I decided to give him a photo of Father Nikolai, since I took a whole bunch with me to give to people. He took the photo, looked and said: “Father Nikolai!” Then I learned that the confessors of some Athonite monasteries, including Father Tikhon from Hilandar, came to the island to visit Father Nicholas. It was amazing to me. After all, the Holy Mountain has been the center of monastic experience for more than a thousand years. We can say that this is an “institute of eldership”; many elders, including modern ones, have grown up here. And so from Mount Athos the monks traveled to some distant island in Russia to see the saint.”

Hieromonk (now abbot) Nestor (Kumysh), the elder’s spiritual child, shared: “My diaconate was also predicted by him. Before entering the seminary, I, as usual, came to the island, because then I already traveled regularly, I could no longer live without it. I talked with the elder and decided everything that needed to be done. At parting, he tells me: “Soon you will be a deacon.” "When?" - I ask. “Next summer,” answered the elder. With that he left. But I’m perplexed in my soul: what kind of diaconate, when I haven’t even entered the seminary yet? Maybe he was joking, father? In fact, everything turned out according to his word. As a graduate of a university, I was enrolled in the seminary straight into the second grade... Upon completion of the second grade, I was offered to move to the fourth, bypassing the third. Without giving any answer, I went out of town to visit relatives until September of the next school year. And at the beginning of July, they unexpectedly called from the diocesan administration with a demand to immediately appear in the city to pass the exams and undergo confession before the consecration.

At full speed, my engine jammed and the car became uncontrollable

For the successful progress of restoration work on the temple where I served, the benefactor who carried out its restoration gave me a car. “Sell it immediately,” the elder categorically demanded of me when I told him about this. But I didn’t listen and decided to do it after the restoration work was completed... At full speed, my engine jammed and the car became uncontrollable. After two or three terrible minutes I found myself in a ditch with all four wheels up. By the grace of God, everything turned out well, and I escaped with a fright. But since then I did not dare to violate or somehow alter the word spoken by the elder.

I had one sin that caused me a lot of grief and worry. Periodically, I suffered from relapses of gloomy irritability and short temper. It is difficult for a Christian to live with this, since nothing poisons the existence of those around him so much and nothing humiliates human dignity more than the loss of self-control. But the fight against this common disease is not easy. And then one day, upon arriving on the island, I turned to the elder with a rather stupid question, which was also not without hidden vanity. I asked Father Nikolai what special thing I could do to please God more. Without looking at me, the elder answered: “Don’t make a fuss.” Wow, how this word hurt me! I jumped away from the priest as if I had been doused with boiling water. His words hit the nail on the head and deeply wounded my pride. But what to do? For our healing, sometimes we need not sweet pills, but bitter medicine, and Father Nikolai resolutely used them where necessary. Subsequently - as I believe, not without the priest’s prayer - I discovered the main cause of the illness that tormented me and was freed from it.”

Elder Nikolai Guryanov and Archpriest Valerian Krechetov

Archpriest Valerian Krechetov shared: “Father kept repeating: “Everything is fine, yes, everything is fine. How happy we are that we are in the Church, that we receive communion...” The elder was asked about Russia, and he answered: “Russia did not die. Oh, how good it is for us. Glory to You, Lord. The Lord does not leave us."

Priest Alexy Likhachev recalled the last days of the elder’s life and his last meeting with him: “And here I am with the most dear person. Again, as in the first meeting, I sit at your feet. Only the priest... was already different. He diminished, as the Lord once did. He was just like a child. He kissed my hand: you are a priest, and I am no one anymore. When he gave him modest shrines as a gift, the priest asked childishly: “What is this? Cross?" And he cried tenderly. I brought him some cotton wool dipped in myrrh from the icon of the Martyr Tsar. He asked three times what kind of cotton wool it was. I asked him to put a cross on the book with his poems. "Here? Here?" – he asked until I pointed my finger. In obedience to me, the priest tried for about five minutes to draw this cross with his weak hand, his hand was shaking... I also began to cry. All the spiritual things that I knew and expected were no longer there. It wasn't FOREVER. It was clearly felt that the humanity in the priest was already leaving. Outwardly, this was indicated by the unnatural pallor of the face: not a speck of blood! His flesh was held together only by the Spirit - for our sake, by his love and the mercy of God. And only the elder answered all the questions. I answered, closing my eyes and praying, and only in those seconds did I recognize “my father.” Even his tone became firm and authoritative.”

Archpriest Boris Nikolaev recalled: “When the priest was lying in the coffin, his right hand was so warm and alive that the thought crept into my head whether we were burying a living person. The fact is that Father Nikolai was close to the heavenly world. The righteous in special moments, especially after Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, cease to feel the difference between the heavenly world and the visible world, and can temporarily move into another world. Father Valerian often gave the priest communion in recent years and several times noticed that the elder seemed to be dying. The breathing stopped, but the pulse continued to beat. After some time, Father Nikolai came out of his cell to the alarmed Father Valerian and his cell attendants and asked with a smile: “Well, what are you here for?”

"Do not Cry! Now Father Nikolai is praying for us at the Throne of Heaven.”

Priest (now Archpriest) Alexy Nikolin recalled the funeral of the elder: “There were 40 serving priests, two bishops: Archbishop of Pskov and Velikoluksky Eusebius and Nikon, retired Bishop of Yekaterinburg... First the priesthood was forgiven, then the laity went. The monks of the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery arrived, Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov) ... came with his choir. The choir of the Sretensky Monastery sang the funeral service... When the funeral service was over, they lifted the coffin, carried it around the temple with the canon “Wave of the Sea” and carried it to the cemetery.”

Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) consoled the mourners: “Don’t cry! Now Father Nikolai is praying for us at the Throne of Heaven.”

Through the prayers of the saints, our fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us!