Life story
Valentin Nikolaevich Amfitheatrov was born on September 1, 1836 into a family of clergy in a small village in the Oryol province. The Amphitheater family gave the Orthodox Church many ministers, so it is not surprising that the young man also chose to serve in the field of God. In 1847, Valentin entered the Oryol Theological Seminary, and later transferred to Kyiv. After graduating from the seminary, the young man continued his studies at the Moscow Theological Academy, after which he received a candidate's degree in theology.
After this, Father Valentin begins his activities in theological schools, combining administrative and teaching activities. During that period, he met Alexander Chuprov, with whom he maintained friendly relations until his death. Later, Valentin Amfitheatrov married Chuprov’s sister and took the priesthood. In this marriage, the Lord blessed the couple with one son and three daughters.
Father Valentin began his activity as a priest in one of the Kaluga parishes - it was the Annunciation Cathedral, which has not survived to this day. In 1874, Valentin Amfitheatrov received a new appointment - he became rector of the Church of Saints Constantine and Helen, which was located at the Spassky Gate of the Kremlin. At that time, the church was practically empty, since there were no residential buildings nearby. However, the priest proved by his own example that even in such churches you can attract believers if you zealously fulfill your ministry.
Amfitheatrov's last place of ministry was the Archangel Cathedral, where he was also rector until 1902. Then the priest began to suddenly lose his sight and could no longer perform his duties. Despite his serious illness, until his death the priest continued to receive believers at his home who came to him for advice and spiritual support.
Throughout his life, Father Valentin not only taught parishioners with sermons, but also demonstrated good deeds in practice. The priest especially took care of children who were orphaned. He placed many orphans in educational institutions and paid for their studies himself. He tried to involve his parishioners, who lived in prosperity, in such godly deeds. Some helped poor believers in solving legal issues, others took care of children left without parents, and still others provided medical assistance to those in need.
Father Valentin demonstrated an example of true pastoral service, which is why even after his death, believers often come to the priest’s burial place to honor his memory.
Literary activity
In addition to pastoral service and self-improvement, Valentin Amfiteatrov was engaged in writing. Works published during his lifetime include:
- Biblical history of the Old and New Testaments;
- Essays from the biblical history of the Old Testament.
Book by Valentin Amfitheatrov
But most of the works he wrote were published after the death of the preacher. These include:
- Spiritual conversations delivered in the Moscow Archangel Cathedral in 1899-1902;
- Great Lent. Spiritual teachings;
- Sunday Gospels. Collection of sermons.
Archpriest Valentin Amfitheatrov is one of the Russian preachers whose activities brought his spiritual children closer to the Lord. His spiritual qualities and the gifts of insight and healing sent to him by the Heavenly Father still help people today who turn to him with humble prayer.
Rules of life
In each of his sermons, Valentin Amfitheatrov tried to convey God’s truth to parishioners and teach them to live according to the commandments of Jesus Christ. After the death of the shepherd, several books were published, where his most striking statements and advice were collected.
About friendship real and imaginary
...This is what the sufferer needs: friendly sympathy. It is always sad to see how the friends who until that time surrounded him with praise turn away from a person who has fallen into misfortune, but the ascetic of Christ rejoices, realizing that they left him not because of his betrayal of good, but out of their own cowardice and pride. If the tinsel has fallen away from the gold, then the gold becomes even lighter and more precious.
What could be easier and more enjoyable than prayer as a duty? There is no need for work and worries, which those who seek happiness from people very often burden themselves with, who kneel before their own kind, humble themselves to the point of worshiping them, looking for them on the streets, flattering them, etc. The prayer book does not have to go a long way, sometimes both by water and by land, in order to tell the Lord about the needs of his soul and life; There is no need, like many petitioners, to submit requests, describe your situation, look for and wait at the door of the house of the right person for the desired patronage. The Lord is closer to us than we are to Him. The Lord is a caring Shepherd; He looks for a sheep lost in sin and takes it on His shoulders.
Both a warrior without courage and a Christian without patience are pitiful people. He is not a warrior who goes into battle with timidity and fear, for courage and bravery should inspire a valiant warrior; and he is not a follower of Christ who follows Him with sadness and sorrow. The more courage in spirit, the less heaviness in grief. The weaker the patience, the more sensitive the suffering.
About visiting the temple
Nothing sweetens our lives to such an extent as the consolation received in church. Here we see in our souls lightness, spiritual joy, joy from the Holy Spirit... It’s wonderful, a visit to the temple of God is worthy of all praise. But alas, it may turn out to be completely useless if, while zealously attending church, the goal blessed by Jesus Christ is missed. This is exactly what you need to remember when entering the church, and especially when leaving it. St. instructed in the most convincing manner. John Chrysostom leaving the church: “You have left our meeting! With your clothes, your eyes, your voice, your gait and your entire appearance, show those who have not been to church what profit you are taking with you from here, so that you can enlighten your neighbors!”
Meekness in the family, in society, everywhere is a force that defeats the strongest fortress without weapons. It tames the animal passions that excite the human soul; it humbles the murmur of a dissatisfied person; it calms the indignant spirit.
The ability to wait and endure is a great Christian virtue. It always testifies to the presence of prudence in a person. A person who knows how to submit to the accidents that befall him without a murmur sees the Almighty hand of God above him. He expects and hopes: the purpose of his hope is higher than chance. Along a narrow, sorrowful path, shedding sweat and tears, a Christian man moves towards eternity.
About family structure
Maintaining a family is very, very hard work, but when order is introduced into it - the proper attitude of husband to wife, wife to husband, children to father and mother, brothers to sisters, then with such work a pound becomes, as it were, lighter than a pound, a day of labor becomes an hour.
About relationships with people
When talking with your neighbor, do not demand that he conform only to your views, but also listen to him - complacently, patiently, conducting the conversation in such a way that it brings into his consciousness a love of truth and virtue. While in the service, do not force your colleagues to share your views on people and objects; do not humiliate their little knowledge in the sciences. But it is better to be like a pure bee, which, no matter what plant it touches, does not take away its properties and does not harm it; however, bitter and sweet, fragrant and suffocating plants provide the bees with pure material for sweet, aromatic honey.
About serving your neighbor
In your actions, show goodwill and a willingness to serve your neighbors. This readiness must be based on virtue: to visit the unfortunate, abandoned by everyone; have a brotherly conversation with the saddened; say a kind, encouraging word to the offended; do not throw stones together with the Pharisees at a seduced woman; help those who are accustomed to fall into intoxication to rise to the heights of sobriety and work; to caress those humiliated by human opinion, which is sometimes slander, to raise them to a higher moral level and even above oneself; help the poor man, but harmlessly, with the right hand, so that the left one never finds out; to cry with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice - this is “pleasing” people “for the good.” Pleasing brings down God's blessing on the pleaser. It, if done simply, not for the sake of human glory, is a great honor for a person. In such actions, faith and virtue are expressed at the same time. It is impossible to live without faith, and without good deeds, faith itself is dead.
About conflict resolution
Disputes, contentions, disagreements and divisions in families are among the main reasons for lack of patience. Holy apostle Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, points out how patience is acquired. According to his conviction, it is necessary to “bear with love one another” (Eph. 4:2). It is necessary to bind your mouth in response to unbridled or frivolous reproaches. The danger of fire is prevented by careful handling of fire; The resulting fire is extinguished with water and removal of flammable substances. Discord is removed by prudent compliance; disputes - by timely cessation, misfortunes - by peace, discord - by love, ready to sacrifice everything in order to maintain clarity of feeling and peace of heart. This is how David overcame Saul’s anger; he brought him with his patience to the point that the gloomy, irritable Saul condemned himself, saying: “I acted foolishly and sinned a lot” (1 Sam. 26.21).
The society of unbelievers attaches great value to luxury. A truly Christian society contrasts all luxury with modesty and simplicity. Living in the world, true Christians conform to decency and customs, but all empty pomp and all sophistication violate Christian decency. Wise moderation is the Christian rule of life.
Among non-believers, living for food is a rule. Believers have a different rule: eat to live. That is why in those families where faith is declining, fasting is considered a secondary matter, but on the other hand, whimsicality or pickiness in food is highly developed. A true Christian sees food as a means of saving and maintaining strength.
We do not argue that from “the labors of the righteous it is not easy to make stone chambers.” We do not argue that in a certain part of society they even laugh at the virtue of non-covetousness; They don’t even believe in its existence. But a true Christian can and should not pay attention to such reproach and such insane ridicule. Honest, Christian poverty constitutes glory rather than humiliation. She is the mother of moderation, which strengthens the soul, while luxury weakens it. And is it possible to call a person poor who does not need anything, does not desire or seek what belongs to others, but places and has his treasure in God? It seems to me, on the contrary, that he is poor who, having riches, hungers for even greater ones. It seems to me that no matter how poor someone is, he is still not as poor as he was when he entered the world as a weak, powerless, feeble, naked child.
Chastity, conscientiousness, noble modesty, keeping one's body in holy innocence are obligatory for a Christian. If our body is not free from sin, then our soul cannot be diligent in prayer.
About fulfilling other people's wishes
Indulging someone's passions, indulging the weaknesses of the individual is a sin, biased judgment about others is also a sin. In order for pleasing others to be moral, honest and pure, it is necessary to resolve only one question in the relationship of man to man: “Am I acting in accordance with the law of God? By doing what pleases another, am I really making his life easier? By condescending and satisfying his weaknesses, am I making him stronger? By helping him, am I not thereby helping this man to sink lower than he stood, am I not bringing God’s Judgment upon him by fulfilling his whim, and am I not putting stains on his pure soul?”
Our life is a deep, unknown mystery to ourselves. They did not ask to give birth to us, and death will not ask us when, on what terrible day and hour to end our lives. We feel our weakness everywhere and in everything. We and our friends are surrounded by dangers; and the purer, more virtuous and innocent a person is, the more terrible the steps in life are for him. In the consciousness of such helplessness, a person turns his thoughts to the One from Whom comes “every good gift and every perfect gift” (James 1:17). This turning of the heart, thoughts and will to God is prayer.
Let idle people look into the distance, into their past. Their mother gave birth to them not for parasitism, not so that they would eat other people’s things and dress in other people’s clothes, but so that they would feed strangers and clothe strangers. But the idle man is a slave who buried his talent. He does not live, but vegetates; blocks the way for others with its existence, preventing them from living correctly, acting and enjoying the fruits of their labors.
A Christian's almsgiving should be consistent with our condition, i.e. our funds, our income. Whether it be big or small, it doesn’t matter, with the Lord all those who are merciful, all those who are responsive to the poor receive an equal reward, since the Lord does not look at the amount of what is given, but at our disposition. Almsgiving is the key that opens the door to the Kingdom of Heaven. Whether the key is gold, iron or wood, it doesn’t matter; otherwise it would be soul-saving, if only we had this key, and we would have something to unlock the doors of heaven with.
About true love
True love is expressed by sincerity towards those near and far. There is not a single note of pretense in it. It is more permanent than the life of the sun. Love is beautiful when it is not reprehensible. Love is always young, alive, noble, comforting, reverent and limitless. Those who love are given the grace to read the hearts of their loved ones and themselves to be a pleasant book for those who love them. Love instructs and teaches, and all ages of life listen to its lessons, from a young baby to a gray-haired and venerable old age.
Having made one indelible stain on a dress, we do not call it new: such a dress can be stained. It is old and unusable. So is a stained, vicious conscience. It is unpleasant to walk around in torn, dirty clothes - it is terrible and disgusting to forever carry in your heart a mortified, shameless, torn, dumb conscience.
It is not the wise gardener who, when he is tired of waiting in vain for fruit from a tree, cuts it down, but the one who, through his efforts, overcomes impatience in himself, and in nature, the stubbornness of infertility. Untangling a strong and small knot is obviously much more difficult than cutting it. Therefore, in order for our lives to have Christian dignity, we must be restrained in feelings of discontent.
Nobility accompanies work in all areas of useful activity. There is no work that is devoid of value and meaning. One thing only needs to be remembered is that when taking on any task, we must ask ourselves whether we are able to complete it. If the work is beyond our strength, if we do it carelessly, without desire, without jealousy and zeal, then, of course - no matter how hard this word is for the ear and consciousness - we are not workers, but persons who eat up other people's strength. We thus steal from others what they have acquired and obtained.
Oh, beware of misuse of words; it is a fire that can create a fire where we do not think. For older people, let the word always be sweet, kind, with weight and meaning, which would be remembered by younger people as an edification that makes inexperience wise. Let young people’s speeches be lively, talkative, sincere, but pure, without ambiguous vulgarity, without blatant slander of everything honest, good, sacred and truthful.
About love for God and neighbor
Love for God and neighbor are inseparable from one another. It is impossible to separate them: he who loves God also loves his neighbor; He who does not love his neighbor does not love God.
We must value time. It, like water in a river, quickly flows away and does not return. What has passed will no longer be; the past year will not return. And what lies ahead is hidden from us. All the more carefully should we hasten to use the time that the merciful Lord gives us to achieve eternal bliss.
About mortal memory
Imagine death as often as possible. The idea of it will make us take a reasonable look at the vanity of the world, make us think about our eternal destiny, and encourage us to live according to our conscience and the law of God. Then each of us will be rewarded with a peaceful death. Then each of us, at the end of our days, can appeal to the Lord of life and death, like Simeon: “Now you are letting go of your servant, Master. in peace" (Luke 2:29).
Those whose youth of life is spent in vanity and distraction, the continuation and end of it are mostly unhappy. Religion requires immediate initiation, early exercise in thinking and acting according to its precepts. If you want to give children a good direction in which they could achieve Christian perfection, then you must take care primarily to instill in them respect and love for religion from their early years.
About personal example
...A good example is needed. But who can be the closest and best example for children if not parents? Children have boundless love for you, their eyes are always fixed on you, they love to watch your actions incessantly. Your words will be in vain if you do not express your reverence for God in your actions, if children do not see you praying before they begin to pray themselves. It will be in vain for you to tell them that the Christian law is the law of love if your life is not a mirror of this love, if you do not have sincerity in service, zeal in helping fellow human beings, meekness and patience in enduring the shortcomings and weaknesses of your neighbors. Examples are incomparably more effective than instructions. And therefore “woe to him who causes one of these little ones to stumble” (Matthew 18:6)!
About freedom without God
Man without God, with only his freedom, left to his own devices, is the most unfortunate of all creatures in the universe. Imagine a baby sitting on the edge of a terrible abyss. This will be a weak image of human life, surrounded everywhere by troubles and misfortunes. Trouble in the rivers, trouble in the mountains, trouble from robbers, trouble from relatives, trouble in cities and villages, trouble at sea, trouble in false brotherhood. But how many more invisible evils and disasters!
Arrogance and arrogance are unbearable qualities even in front of people. They are also disgusting to the Lord God. Many people imagine that they owe the success of their lives only to the powers of their mind, their dignity. They are wrong. To strengthen the security of one’s own life, to ensure one’s fate, how many plans and destinies are invented! But all these undertakings, like a spider’s net, are dissolved by one breath of wind.
Chapter 12. IN THE FLAME OF TEMPTATION
One of the priest’s close spiritual children was the extensive Sakharov family. During the terrible years of persecution, their descendants maintained faith and piety, often turning to the help of the prayers of the deceased righteous man.
Nina Andrevna Monakhova-Ogneva recalls:
“My mother and my father come from a line of admirers of Fr. Valentina. My mother’s mother Anisya Pavlovna and her mother, my great-grandmother Praskovya Sakharova were devoted spiritual daughters of Father Valentin. My grandfather Alexey Mikhailovich came from the Klimanov family, another family of priest’s admirers. Anna Ivanovna Zertsalova often mentions them. And my father, Andrei Andreevich, is from the Monakhov family, who were also all spiritual children of Fr. Valentina.
Great-grandmother Praskovya Sakharova was a very religious person with an extraordinary life. Father loved her very much. She lived quite far away - in Maly Yaroslavets, and came to see her father whenever she could. Father Valentin paid her so much attention that she considered herself unworthy of it. And the priest said that she was such a prayer book that she could beg everything from God.
Great-grandmother Praskovya came to the priest often and did not decide anything without his blessing. However, towards the end of her life it so happened that she left for the village for a long time. They told the priest that she was sick, and, as he later said, he prayed for her. And suddenly they come and say: “Father, Praskovya died” - “How did she die?” “Yes, she was seriously ill, she died, and then they buried her.” Father put his hand on his head and said: “You would rather hit me on the head than say that Praskovya died.” This is how Father Valentin respected her. Therefore, when something is wrong in our house, I always try to turn to her in prayer.
The daughter of this Praskovya - my grandmother Anisya Pavlovna - also did nothing without the permission of the priest, she consulted with him in all matters. She married Alexei Mikhailovich Klimanov; They had eighteen children, but almost all of them died: some in infancy, some from illness, some due to misfortune. At first, Anisya Pavlovna lived with her children in a village near Maly Yaroslavets, and her grandfather was already working in Moscow at that time. He was very capable of commerce, a very smart and kind person, he knew how to work, although he did not have much education. He quickly went up the hill. He also consulted in all commercial matters with the priest, who was so erudite, so versed in everything that he could give advice in this area. Anisya Pavlovna often came to the priest from the village, but he did not like her village environment, they did not like her there; he said: it’s not your place there. Children were dying. Father told her: “If you don’t leave there for Moscow, you will die.”
Grandmother Anisya moved to Moscow and began to often go to the Archangel Cathedral, turning to the priest with all her sorrows and all her questions, but in the summer she went with her children to her homeland. One day she returned from there not being herself: she felt bad, started talking, screaming. Her relatives decided to take her to her father. Three men took her to the temple. Father had just finished serving and carried out the cross. Anisya shouted some strange words and waved her arms. The people were embarrassed, but the priest ordered them to bring her, hit her on the head with a cross three times, crossed her, saying three times: “Christ is risen!”, and ordered her to be released. She sank to the floor, gradually came to her senses and approached the priest. “Don’t go there again yet,” said the priest.
With grandmother Anisya there were many cases of healing, father’s predictions were fulfilled. Father Valentin often warned her about what would happen. One day, grandmother Anisya came to ask for blessings to go to the village with her three-year-old son Pashenka, her favorite. And the priest says: “Under no circumstances should you go.” She comes a second time: “Father, I want to go with Pashenka.” He answers angrily: “I told you that under no circumstances should you go!” Anisya came home and thought: “Well, the priest didn’t allow it, well, I’ll go for a week, ten days, he won’t know.” And she left. I arrived in the village, and there was an epidemic of dysentery, children were dying in the yards. Pashenka fell ill and was buried there.
Anisya Pavlovna returns home, running to the priest in the temple. She got down on her knees and cried. Father confessed to the people; I saw her: “Come on, come here. Well, well, I know: did you bury Pashenka?” She cries: “Father, what did I do, how can it be, I didn’t listen to you,” she spoke to him so simply. And he began to console her: “Well, don’t cry like that. Well then. Now let's pray to God for him. I knew: you didn’t listen, don’t ever do what’s forbidden!”
Grandmother Anisya instilled in all her children a love for Fr. Valentin. When my mother was seven years old, the priest, giving her Holy Communion for the first time, put his hand on her head and said: “But Olga will be wise among us!” And indeed: mother, Olga Alekseevna, was a wise woman, although she did not have a good education; She gave people excellent advice and was respected and loved by everyone. She was only nine years old when the priest died, but she managed to get to know and love him, visiting him at services and at home. After the death of her father, she was “spiritually taken care of” by her close spiritual daughter, Aunt Dunya, a great friend of her grandparents.
Aunt Dunya introduced my mother to my father. At first, things didn’t go well: during the matchmaking, at the table, they didn’t like each other. And the bride’s parents were unhappy, since their family was higher in social status. And then one day, shortly after Easter, my mother, dressed up in a festive dress, goes to her father’s grave, and my future father, all dressed up, also comes towards her. And then they took a liking to each other. They stopped: “I’ve already been to the priest,” says Andrei Andreevich. - “And here I am coming...” - “And I’ll accompany you...” So they stayed with the priest, then he took my mother home, and a few days later he invited her to the theater, and then, despite all the obstacles, they got married. Undoubtedly, everything was arranged through the prayers of Fr. Valentina.
Mom and Dad began to live separately from their parents, and they needed to start their own business. Aunt Dunya, their imprisoned mother, advised them to open a shoe store. These were the years of the NEP. We bought goods, spent all the money, prepared everything - there are no buyers. Mom sits and cries: “Aunt Dunya, what should we do? We went broke...” And Aunt Dunya sits, smiles and says: “Everything will be fine.”... Soon the priest appeared to Aunt Dunya in a dream and said: “Let them furnish such and such an orphanage, and help such and such a hospital. And let them give all the sizes that will be needed, without sparing as much as necessary.” Aunt Dunya informed my parents about this, and they immediately began to prepare everything and assigned the shelter workers a time to come. They came from there and took away more than half of the goods. Mom and dad are sitting. In less than half an hour, the customers arrived, one after another. They sold everything, went back to buy goods, and trade began. Icons and a portrait of Father Valentin always hung in the store.
We all visited Ochakovo often. Lyubov Valentinovna loved my mother Olga Alekseevna and our entire family very much, often met with my mother and wrote amazing letters to her. They were so full of love, consolation and kindness that, in my opinion, just from these letters one could get better and calm down. Here, for example, is an excerpt from her letter to my father: “Dear Andrei Andreevich, in the old days, on behalf of my dad, I often wrote the following words to various people who wanted to receive consolation from him, which I now decide to address to you, thinking that, when your soul is restless, you will be pleased to hear them: “Good Jesus, remove all darkness from the abode of my heart. I will resort to You in every adversity, I will believe in You; cry to You from the depths of my heart and patiently wait for Your consolation.” Christ bless you. I remain sincerely well-wishing L. Viktorova. 1924, September 18."
Once my mother and I went to Crimea. One day, while boating, we almost drowned. And then a postcard arrived from Lyubov Valentinovna, dated the day this happened, and it said: “Don’t go boating, an accident may happen.”
I remember Lyubov Valentinovna always friendly. She was short, thin, and when I was there she already limped and walked with a cane. She always covered her head. Lyubov Valentinovna carried on a huge correspondence, despite the fact that in Stalin times these letters could have greatly harmed her family. I was often present during their conversations with my mother, and sometimes I was asked to go for a walk. When Lyubov Valentinovna died, all of us children were brought to the funeral. There were a lot of people. Then, when we arrived in Ochakovo, we always went first to venerate her cross and bow to her grave.
For advice and consolation, the spiritual children of Fr. Valentina now went to Vera Valentinovna. Among them were many of our relatives: the Monakhovs, Sukharevs, Kuzmins, Skorospelovs, Klimanovs and others. Vera Valentinovna was a very kind and sympathetic person. Our family did not solve family matters without her advice, which sometimes preceded the events.
All her life, my mother did not start a single business without visiting the priest’s grave and praying to him; there was always sand from the grave in the house. It happened that the priest appeared to my mother in a dream, spoke a few words, comforting her in severe sorrows or warning about an approaching misfortune and averting her.
There was such a case. There were already four of us children. Mom suddenly felt bad: she turned white and blue; They laid her down, she couldn’t feel her breathing. We ran for the doctor, he said: “I can’t understand anything. She can barely breathe. Let him lie there. I'll come in two hours." He was very worried. Mom didn’t swallow and couldn’t take the medicine. My hands and feet were cold, they put heating pads on them. Grandmother sent for the priest; It was impossible to give communion, so they began to administer unction. Before the unction, my grandmother placed a portrait of Fr. on my mother’s chest. Valentina. All of us children were kneeling with candles, and grandmother Anisya, bursting into tears, fervently prayed on her knees: “Father, dear, help!” The unction service is over, the priest is trying to console the grandmother... Suddenly the mother raises her hand, takes hold of the portrait and opens her eyes. She looks around in surprise: the priest, the children with candles... They gave her holy water, and little by little she began to sit down; We all - the little ones - were delighted and rushed to her. She says: “What happened? I would like to drink strong tea." The doctor arrived and said that he did not understand what had happened to the patient, but that he was afraid that he would no longer find her alive.
For all the families of my loved ones - aunts, cousins - my father is a great protector. Always, when we felt terribly bad - and it was bad so many times: we were evicted, and dispossessed, and exiled, and there were illnesses - in all cases of life we turned to Father Valentin, and he always helped.
Grandfather Alexey Mikhailovich was a fairly rich man: he had a store and a candle factory. He was the headman of the temple on Sophia Embankment, helped the temple a lot, supplied it with candles. When the NEP ended, his family was completely ruined. All property was taken away and everyone was kicked out of the house. Grandfather was sent to Arkhangelsk, and there he died. Grandmother Anisya moved to us in Cherkizovo, where mom and dad had a separate house.
Dad worked well, and we also lived quite prosperously, although there were many children in the family. There was a wonderful library, mahogany cabinets. All this was acquired with much labor; our parents tried to earn money to give us a good upbringing. At this time, raids and “dekulakization” began. Every night we heard NKVD cars driving up to one or another house in Cherkizovo.
Then this car stopped near us. It was 1930. I was 8–9 years old, and I remember everything well. They opened the door, and about twelve young guys with revolvers, very rude and unpleasant, dispersed to all the rooms. They raised everyone up, no matter what they were wearing, and said that there would be a search. “What are you looking for?” “We know what we are looking for,” and the whole conversation. There were many of them, and it was impossible to watch them. They searched everywhere. Mom saw how one of those who came had his pockets bulging and her expensive stockings were sticking out...
Grandmother Anisya could not stand it all and she suffered what they called then a stroke, that is, a stroke. There were no ambulances then, but we had a private doctor, a Jew, very decent. Mom calls him - it was 3 o'clock in the morning - and tells him that this happened to his grandmother. He says: “Well, I’ll take my suitcase now and go.” And she told him: “You know, we have “guests”” - Such words were clear to everyone. - “It doesn’t matter, I’ll come now.” He arrives and starts stabbing grandma. I remember this very well because I held the tray while the doctor did the bloodletting. Grandma comes to her senses; Mom comes up here; she wears rings, earrings, a gold chain, and a cross. The doctor quietly tells her: “Olga Alekseevna! What's this on you? Quickly take it off and let’s get it here.” And he hides everything in his bosom. “What about you?” - “And I’m a neutral person, I’m a doctor.”
There were kind people! Unfortunately, this doctor was not Orthodox, but he did a lot of good for us.
All night those who came described everything in the house, and three days later cars arrived to take away our property. The most terrible impression on me, a little girl, was the following. Our books were in the bookcases by writer: Turgenev, Pushkin - all in good bindings. And so they scooped books onto the floor, carried them, dropped them, the books fell on the street in the snow, they walked on them... One, two, three cars. They took everything away, leaving completely bare walls. I’m surprised how mom and dad survived all this!
And a day later the car arrived again, and mom and dad were taken to Lubyanka. There were four of us children then. We stayed with grandmother Anisya, who was already over seventy. Without a penny, in an empty house - there wasn’t even a table, we sat on boxes. Friends and relatives were afraid to come because the house was being watched. I remember how every day my grandmother put us all on our knees in front of the icon case, where there were icons of the Savior, the Mother of God and St. Nicholas, read aloud the akathist to the icon of “Unexpected Joy,” which she, like Father Valentin, especially revered, and we all prayed. At night, neighbors secretly brought us food: bread, lard, milk.
My older sister Valentina carried packages to prison. Sometimes they accepted something, but, as we found out later, nothing came through.
At Lubyanka they brought my mother into a cell full of people and pushed her there until the bundle of things fell out of her hands. Mostly normal people sat there, but there were also criminals and women of easy virtue. Someone, seeing my mother, began to shout at her and chase her away to the bucket. And suddenly some woman stood up and said: “Don’t you dare treat her like that! Don’t you see that she can barely stand on her feet!” She put my mother in her place and said: “Catch your breath!” It turned out that she was a woman from Cherkizovo, who went to the same temple with her mother.
Every night they took me for interrogation. They beat me several times. And mom – all the time she presses her hands to her chest and reads: “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice...”, “Father, help!” The investigator interrogates and demands to name other people. Mom is silent and says prayers; she was so pretty and beautiful. And the investigator will shout: “Are you sitting like the Mother of God?” - and hits him hard on the cheek... My father was also interrogated every night, he was beaten severely, and he had a bad heart.
On December 22, the day of “Unexpected Joy,” sister Valya and her aunt went to service in the most beautiful church of Sts. App. Peter and Paul on Preobrazhenka, which was later destroyed by Khrushchev. The rest of us were sick and at home. At this time, the investigator calls my mother and says: “Well, that’s what. You don’t say anything here, so now we’ll send you to a place where you’ll speak.” He writes something and says to the guard: “Let her take her things and lead her.” Mom is led along endless corridors, countless doors slam, they go down the floors, the door opens, and suddenly it’s a clear day (and in Lubyanka there is only electricity everywhere), and mom sees that the gates are opening. The guard pushes her: “Why are you standing there, come out!” Mom fell, she couldn’t understand anything... She sat down on some kind of seizure, sits and doesn’t understand where she is. Half an hour later, dad is pushed out in the same way, equally stunned.
I don’t know how they got home without money and in the cold... We were sitting, and suddenly the phone rang. Grandma went across the yard to open it, and we heard her wailing and crying: “Oh, my dears...” We ran out into the street: mom and dad were walking, looking so scary to watch. They stayed in Lubyanka for a month or a month and a half. They enter, and the first thing they do is fall on their knees before the goddess. Valya comes from church and enters: “Oh, the Mother of God helped!” December 22 is a great holiday for us!
After some time, our house was described again and the court decided to evict us. All the judges were not on our side. The parents were in despair: there was nowhere to go. The father, heartbroken, went to Ochakovo to see Vera Valentinovna. She greeted him very warmly and said: “Andrei Andreevich, don’t despair! There is such a woman lawyer, she helped our friends: Shverina Nadezhda Dmitrievna; call her and she will receive you. She doesn't charge much, and won't charge you anything. She is a very modest person, I think you should go see her immediately.” My father continued to object, saying that even two good lawyers could not have saved us, but Vera Valentalovna insisted, and my father, not believing, went. The lawyer said: “I will take your case to defend.” She was a very believer, and really didn’t take anything from us (dad had no money at all). When the trial was going on, she basically said the same things that others had said before, but she also presented her own arguments. The judge was the same as before, but now she said: “And I think that we will not kick this large family (five children and a sick grandmother) out of this old house.” And they left us.
Many in our family were repressed. Uncle Misha was deported, then imprisoned again. Having left us young, he returned a completely sick man, blind.
My cousin, an engineer, was accused of saying something against Stalin at a meeting. But in fact, he was not at this meeting at all; he was non-partisan. During the investigation at Lubyanka, he tried to prove that he was at someone’s birthday party at that time. But none of his friends dared to confirm this. When his wife brought him warm clothes to Solovki, he said: “They beat me so much that I incriminated myself. The investigator said that if I confess, I will be sent into exile.” His lungs and kidneys were knocked off. He was sick there for three years, and when his wife came for the second time, they told her: “He’s buried in a common grave,” and that’s it... Over the mass graves on Solovki at night they see a pillar of light. How many righteous people are there! My uncle was a man of amazing culture. When my parents were in prison, he was the only one who was not afraid to come to us, knowing that we were hungry. This is forever preserved in my childhood memory...
Every Sunday after early mass my mother went to the priest’s cemetery and whenever possible they took the children there. I remember this from a very early age. It was a long journey, about two hours, the tram only went to Sadovo-Kudrinskaya Square. And as far as I remember, the priest always had a lot of people, and on the days of his memory there was simply a pilgrimage, and all the paths were filled with people who came to pray. Whole parishes came. Muscovites and visitors, even foreigners, greatly revered Fr. Valentina. Until now, people abroad ask those who travel to Moscow to serve a memorial service, lay down flowers, and bring sand.
We grew up, and we ourselves went to the priest’s grave, without starting a single business, without praying there. Before each exam at school, I brought a textbook on the subject that needed to be passed to my father’s grave, put the textbook to the grave and already knew that I would pass at least with a C grade.
After school, I wanted to go to college, but my dad said: “You know what, I can’t support everyone alone. You will have to work...” I was hired as a bookkeeper in the accounting department. When I visited Vera Valentinovna in Ochakovo, I said how difficult it was for me to work there, complained that everyone was graduating from universities, and I would never enroll, but Vera Valentinovna told me: “Nina, you will be our little doctor, and you will be everyone’s treat. We must be patient for a short time.” I was very afraid of blood and did not understand how this could be. But it happened as Vera Valentinovna foresaw. The Great Patriotic War began, I was sent to study as a nurse, and then sent to work in a city hospital, where I worked all my life.
I had to travel to Ochakovo quite often during the war. My brother and sister Valya (later she married Sergei Vasilyevich, the son of Lyubov Valentinovna), and my mother also often traveled. Sometimes I carried medicines and bandages. Despite the fact that I carried medicines from the hospital, with the permission of the head nurse - as if taking patients home - Vera Valentinovna always asked Vasily Petrovich to give me the money. Vera Valentinovna was already sick and lying down. Vasily Petrovich was unusually friendly and affectionate, so bright, he would say: “Vera, look who came to us!” No matter how difficult the times were, they never let me leave this house without feeding me an unusually tasty Lenten soup - although sometimes there wasn’t even a carrot in it - and potatoes... I always left there with great joy and inspiration, it even seemed that the people around me were beginning to relate to you differently.
When Vera Valentinovna passed away, it was a terrible grief and loss for everyone who knew her. I remember very well the funeral service in the Church of St. Nicholas in Khamovniki. The coffin stood in the main aisle. Many people came to say goodbye; the temple was full. In memory of the great righteous woman, everyone was given a piece of cotton wool attached to Vera Valentinovna’s hand. Many were crying. The day was gloomy and dark, but as soon as the choir began the funeral service, the sun shone from above through the windows and the rays fell on the coffin and the face of the deceased. Vera Valentinovna lay in the sunshine throughout the funeral service; it was joyful and unusual.
At the cemetery, the coffin was carried in the arms of six men, without hats; there was a lot of snow, it was difficult to walk. People filled the entire Timiryazev Alley. As soon as the funeral procession reached the grave of Father Valentin, on which there was a lot of snow and there were wreaths made of fir branches, all the wreaths suddenly caught fire, and the flames rose 1.5 meters in height. Everyone was very surprised.
Now everyone who visits Father Valentin, a lot of people, goes to Vera Valentinovna’s grave; they bring flowers and light candles. Everyone bears their troubles and sorrows and receives consolation through their prayers.
Many treated my mother, Olga Alekseevna, with great respect, who knew the priest’s daughters closely and found him himself. Her neighbors next door loved her very much. My mother’s attending physician, who, under the influence of her mother, became a very religious and admirer of the priest, always said: “What an unusually bright old lady Olga Alekseevna!” Mom was always kind, friendly, and greeted everyone with great joy. With God's help, she managed to bring many of her acquaintances to faith. There is no doubt that she was raised in such strong faith and piety by Fr. Valentin and people close to him spiritually.”
Mikhail Andreevich Monakhov (son of Olga Alekseevna Klimanova-Monakhova) recalls:
“The daughters of the great shepherd - Vera Valentinovna, Lyubov Valentinovna, her husband Vasily Petrovich and the grandchildren of the ascetic, who checked the steps of their lives with the law of God, were endowed with a life-giving particle of God's grace; people who knew them could not help but feel this.
In his youth, at the end of the war of 1941–45. and in the first post-war years, my mother Olga Alekseevna, with her blessing, more than once sent me, my fifteen-sixteen-year-old son, to Ochakovo. I went out willingly, feeling a certain trepidation in my youthful heart. Vera Valentinovna asked questions about my loved ones with great sympathy.
Vera Valentinovna, and according to my relatives who met her, Lyubov Valentinovna and to a certain extent Vasily Petrovich, were distinguished by the gift of reasoning, sometimes reaching the level of insight, and some unearthly simplicity of communication and wisdom. Like Father Valentin, they combined the human and the spiritual.
In the early autumn of 1945, Vasily Petrovich’s eldest son and Valentin’s father’s grandson, Dmitry Vasilyevich, returned from the front. I really wanted to get to know him, and two or three times when we met, we walked along the deserted streets of the village and the roads of the surrounding area and talked about various topics, especially about love and helping suffering people. He was an unusual person, not of this world. He loved church and worship very much, had a phenomenal memory and an ability for foreign languages. He considered his task to be the salvation of the fallen and lost. That same fall, a few weeks after we met, Dmitry Vasilyevich tragically died just a few hundred meters from his father’s house as a result of the violent actions of cruel people personifying the forces of evil and Satan. He died a martyr's death.
From Ochakov, an icon of the Archangel Michael was given to my mother for me - from the icons that Father Valentin had and prayed before. My father blessed me with this icon shortly before his death.
My last meeting with the living Vera Valentinovna in Moscow will remain in my memory for the rest of my life. She was lying in bed, sick. We were alone, Vera Valentinovna asked me to come closer, took out the cross of Father Valentin with the image of the crucified Christ that was on his chest, crossed me and quietly said: “Misha, you are on the right path.” I later recalled these words many times in different situations of my life...
And another meeting was with Vera Valentinovna in the winter of early 1993. This time with her image, her spirit.
Almost ten years have passed since the death of my wife Nina Konstantinovna. I never thought that it would be so difficult and lonely for me without her. And although her last words before her death were: “Misha, get married,” they turned out to be unfulfilled. The home environment in the family was depressing. The adult son, whose birth my wife and I were so looking forward to, began to beat his father in a drunken stupor. There was a rift in his family, an endless change of jobs, and essentially no job. The son raised his hand to his wife, causing her to react appropriately. Having withdrawn into hopelessness, I began to drink, and gradually it became a regular occurrence.
And then one day I wake up early before dawn in my room and smell the purity of the air. I checked: the window is closed. The day before and in the days preceding it, I did not drink alcohol. Lay down. Waiting state. And then in the corner of the room, by the light of the night lamp, I see Vera Valentinovna, not looking at me. And in my ears are her words: “Stop constantly drinking and getting your son drunk. If you don’t come to your senses, then a misfortune will happen and you will destroy your son.” My shoulders felt like they were stuck to the pillow. The image disappeared, and I remained for some time lying in a daze. Then he fell asleep. And I woke up with her words in my ears.
Did I take note of Vera Valentinovna’s warning? Obviously not completely. And the situation in my son’s family has changed little...”
N.A. Monakhova-Ogneva says:
“Vera Valentinovna loved my brother Mikhail Monakhov very much. They talked a lot, she gave him icons... Decades passed. Having buried his wife after a serious illness, Mikhail began to drink heavily with his son. And then one day Vera Valentinovna appeared to him... In the morning, in tears, he told everyone close to him about this vision. But, unfortunately, he did not stop drinking, and after some time, in 1995, he died tragically, and his son lost his way.
According to my cousin V.V. Kuzmina, her older brother Nikolai Vasilyevich, whose life with his family did not work out, began to drink and could not stop. Over time, he lost everything: family, job, home. And so, with the last hope, he came to the grave of Vera Valentinovna, whom he knew well, because he had been to Ochakovo. I went there completely sober. Started to pray; knelt down in front of the grave and wept bitterly about his fate, bending his head towards the grave. After a while, he raises his face and suddenly sees Vera Valentinovna alive at the grave next to the cross, in her usual clothes and headscarf. She looked at him reproachfully and said nothing. Then she blessed him. He cried and begged her to help him. This lasted for 8-10 minutes, then everything disappeared. Nikolai Vasilyevich felt great joy and realized that everything in his life would change. Stopped drinking immediately; Soon he successfully married and lived outside the city with his wife. He started working and lived like that for fifteen years until his death.
Everything that I told here happened before my eyes, and we were happy people that we had such patrons and prayer books as Father Fr. Valentin and Vera Valentinovna Amphiteatrova."
Anna Petrovna Firsova (née Sukhareva) says:
“My family deeply honored and honors my father, Archpriest Valentin. Archpriest Valentin was the spiritual father of my great-grandmother, grandmothers and parents. Without the priest's blessing, no business began. After the death of Father Valentin, they prayerfully addressed him at his grave or at home, in front of icons and his portrait.
Our family saw many miracles through the prayers of Archpriest Valentin. I want to describe what remains in my memory.
Suddenly my brother (he was 6–7 years old) fell ill at night. A high temperature rose, the boy was delirious, did not recognize anyone, and his breathing changed dramatically. All night my grandmother Anisya prayed to God and asked the priest for his intercession. By morning the temperature subsided, the delirium stopped, and when the doctor arrived in the morning, he found his brother in quite satisfactory condition.
At the age of 13, I fell ill with the flu, which caused complications. A strong cough caused a blood vessel in my lung to burst and blood started pouring down my throat. A consultation was convened, the doctors said that the situation was very serious, the lungs could not be heard, it was impossible to take her for an x-ray at the moment, fleeting consumption was possible, and the mother should be prepared for anything. Our family doctor, Petr Petrovich, continued to monitor me and treat me. I lay in bed for two months, coughing up blood.
When the bleeding stopped, they took an x-ray at the tuberculosis clinic on Palikha. The picture showed darkening of the lungs and the formation of a cavity. The situation was serious. There was little hope for the doctors: they themselves said that at my age the process is very intense. There was only hope for the mercy of God. And here again and again the fervent requests, petitions and prayers of parents before our intercessor and prayer book - Father Valentin. Soon, mother receives a letter from Father Valentin’s middle daughter, Lyubov Valentinovna, in which she writes that her parents should not lose heart, hope in God’s mercy, and recommends turning to homeopath Gruzinov.
Seeing God’s providence in this, my mother and I went to this doctor. When, after some time, I was x-rayed again and the result was shown to Dr. Petr Petrovich, he told me that it was truly a miracle. The lungs were completely clean. So, through the prayers and intercession of my dear priest, I was healed.
At the grave of Fr. I have been visiting Valentina since childhood, since 1924. Basically, we always came on Elijah’s day - the day of his death. Funeral services were held there from morning until late evening. There were always a lot of people. I remember that in some monastery (in the area of the Ilyinsky Gate), where a Greek priest served, according to Fr. A funeral service was served for Valentin, and from there the entire procession set off on foot to the Vagankovskoye cemetery.
My parents and grandparents kept in touch with Lyubov Valentinovna and Vera Valentinovna. All our relatives went to see them in Ochakovo, and nothing was done in the house without their advice. I remember how my mother took me there too. The adults were talking, and we children were walking around the garden. Usually we were accompanied by Seryozha, the son of Lyubov Valentinovna; This was probably a real punishment for him, because visitors came all day and he had to keep everyone busy. Vera Valentinovna could most often be found doing hard work: I remember she kept working, feeding the animals, while she was already sick.
One day my mother and her sister Olga Alekseevna visited Lyubov Valentinovna. And she asks her mother: “Anna Alekseevna! Won’t your husband worry?” She replies: “No, Lyubov Valentinovna, he knows that we went to see you.” But that evening there was an accident on the railway and no trains were running. Mom and Aunt Olya sat at the station all night, they returned only in the morning, and dad had already called all the hospitals and morgues, and was in terrible condition...
Anna Ivanovna Zertsalova taught us lessons until 1930, when we were evicted from our home. We read the Gospel with her, the lives of the saints. One day, when we were reading in class about how a whale swallowed St. Prophet Jonah - I was 10-12 years old - I said that this could not happen, because the whale has a very narrow throat. Anna Ivanovna was very offended by me and upset, and Lyubov Valentinovna was told about this incident. She told my mother: “I’m surprised that Anna Ivanovna couldn’t find something to answer. She should have said: this is where the miracle lies!..”
When Lyubov Valentinovna died, I was not able to attend the funeral, but I remember her very well and love her, and she helped me a lot. We started going to Vera Valentinovna. She was very hospitable, kind and welcoming, always with a sweet smile, always speaking with exceptional warmth. I was very touched by their relationship with Vasily Petrovich: they protected each other so much! So they understood each other at one glance! It was an extraordinary friendship. Vasily Petrovich was already old, and he was still working. They greeted us with great joy and gave us tea. One day Vasily Petrovich treated us to potatoes. He poured it into my sister’s and my bag, and when we arrived, my mother carefully boiled it and we ate it as if it were special, blessed food.
I remember how I came to Vera Valentinovna during the war and she consoled me very much. My husband Shura, with whom we lived for only a year and a half, was called up to war on the second day of mobilization. I received only a few letters from the front, and from October 1941 the letters stopped coming. It was a difficult time: cold, hunger, many friends had their funerals. But there was a glimmer of hope for God’s mercy. I earnestly asked the priest to pray for us, to ask the Lord to have mercy on us.
I learned that in the Church of Elijah the Ordinary there is a miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Unexpected Joy”, in front of which Father Valentin prayed. I asked the priest to, as in life, beg the Queen of Heaven to save my husband. Time passed, no news, but hope remained in the priest’s intercession. One day, with a relative who also had a loved one missing, we went to Ochakovo to see Vera Valentinovna. We got there with difficulty; we walked half the way because everyone who didn’t have a special pass was removed from the trains; there were patrols everywhere, checks, shooting... My soul was heavy.
Vera Valentinovna met us with great love and asked about my loved ones. I told him about my misfortune with tears. And suddenly she says to me: “Anechka, do you remember in the akathist the words: “Rejoice, in the hour of perplexity you put a good thought on your heart”? My soul became lighter, hope appeared. Inspired, I returned home. I looked and it turned out that this is a line from the akathist to the Mother of God “Unexpected Joy”...
In March 1944, after a three-year break, I received the first letter, and on November 12, 1946, my husband returned home. He spoke about his experience at the front, about the dangers to which he was exposed and, through the prayers of the priest, remained alive. We believed even more in the miracles that were performed through the prayers of Father Valentin.
Lord, we thank You for sending us such a man of prayer and intercessor!”214
Prayer to Valentin Amfitheatrov for help
There is a legend according to which, before his death, Father Valentin left the following will to believers. He said that if someone is in trouble or needs spiritual support, he should come to his grave and pray with all his heart.
Despite the fact that the decision to canonize Amfitheatrov was made, he was never canonized. This is due to the fact that it is still not known exactly where his relics are located. Therefore, there is no special prayer with which you can turn to the priest. When you come to the grave, you can pray in your own words or use one of the common prayers.
Prayer for help
My Creator, the Most High Lord God! I beg You, according to Your holy will, provide me with urgent help, without delay for the sake of Your name.
Lord, hear, Lord! Forgive me, Lord! Hearken and do it, do not hesitate, for Your own sake, my God.
Help me to see Your obvious intervention and urgent help in my problem (name the problem).
Lord, I know that You are a very present help in troubles, and therefore I run to You and know that You will hasten to my aid. And with all my heart I will glorify You now, then and in eternity - Father and Son and Holy Spirit.
I believe in Your promise: “Ask and it will be given to you!” And I thank You for responding urgently to my request according to Your will. Amen.
Death and burial
The priest went to the heavenly abodes in 1908 and bequeathed to be buried next to his wife at the Vagankovskoye cemetery. In the 30s, all the tombstones of the Amphitheater family were destroyed, and during the Great Patriotic War, dead soldiers were buried at this place, and after its end, a memorial was created. People came to one of the memorial slabs as if they were visiting the grave of Father Valentin, remembering that he was buried in this place.
Only in 1997, after studying old photographs, the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church received permission to install a memorial cross over the priest’s grave. Now, at any time of the year, his grave is strewn with flowers, and pilgrims from different parts of Russia gather around it.
