John of Tobolsk: life of the saint, veneration and day of remembrance, texts of prayers

St. John (Maksimovich), Metropolitan. Tobolsk

John (Maximovich)
(1651 - 1715), Metropolitan of Tobolsk and All Siberia, spiritual writer Memory of June 10, October 16 (Ukr.) [1], in the Cathedrals of Bryansk, Galician, Kiev, Siberian and Chernigov saints

In the world Maksimovich Ivan Maksimovich, born in December 1651 in the city of Nizhyn, came from a noble noble family, from pious and devoted parents to the Church.

In 1668, he graduated from the Kyiv Theological Academy, and as the most capable and intelligent pupil, he was left with her as a mentor; held this rank for about 8 years (from 1668 to 1676).

Then the Holy Archimandrite of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra Innocent (Gisel) took him under his spiritual care and introduced him to the host of monks. Soon the archbishop. Chernigov Lazar (Baranovich) ordained him to the rank of hieromonk.

Possessing a talent for preaching, Hieromonk John was elected to the honorary position of Lavra preacher, and then the brethren who fell in love with him elected him to the responsible position of steward of the Lavra.

In 1684 [2] Hieromonk John was appointed manager of the Svensky Monastery near Bryansk, where, due to the attack of the Turks, the brethren of the Pechersk Lavra were temporarily transferred.

After this, for almost twenty years he served as abbot in various monasteries in southern Russia, everywhere gaining the love and respect of the monks he led.

St. Theodosius of Chernigov, shortly before his death, knowing the strict ascetic life and high Christian education of Hieromonk John and wanting to see him as a successor, summoned him to Chernigov and in 1695 appointed him manager of the Chernigov Eletsky (Uspensky) Monastery with his elevation to the rank of archimandrite.

On January 10, 1697, after the death of Bishop Theodosius, Archimandrite. John was consecrated in Moscow by Patr. Adrian as Bishop of Chernigov with his elevation to the rank of Archbishop.

The Reverend entered with reverent awe and humility. John to the bishop's see. Strictly coordinating his life with the teachings and commandments of Christ the Savior, he called on his flock to submission and obedience to the will of God, setting a worthy example of imitation. He always gathered around him all the orphans and the disadvantaged and distributed all his property to those in need.

Having entered the place of Saint Theodosius, who had departed to the heavenly monasteries, Archbishop. John was in spiritual connection and intimacy with him. Saint Theodosius always poured out his love and favor on his successor. The miraculous healing of Archbishop is known. John from a serious illness through the prayers of St. Theodosius. When a serious illness threatened to deprive the archbishop for a long time. John's communication with his flock, out of great sorrow he turned to prayer for help from his predecessor, Saint Theodosius. And the saint heeded his call. Appearing in a dream, the Reverend. John, he announced to him the mercy of the Lord, giving him healing. The very next morning after the appearance of St. Theodosius John, to the surprise of everyone around him, rose from his sick bed and was able to serve the Divine Liturgy.

Being himself a remarkable theologian and writer in his time, Archbishop. John took care of the spread of spiritual enlightenment throughout his diocese. Under his leadership, a collegium (the future theological seminary) was founded in the city of Chernigov, following the model of which theological seminaries subsequently began to open in all dioceses.

At the same time, the saint opened a printing house, in which he and his successors published many works of spiritual and moral content.

The connection between Saint John and Holy Mount Athos is known. He took a particularly ardent part in the fate of the Russian inhabitants of the Holy Mountain, providing them with significant material assistance in those difficult years. His episcopal letter has been preserved in the Russian Panteleimon Monastery, testifying to his attitude towards the Holy Mountain people.

The saint was slandered and almost suffered during the discovery of Mazepa’s betrayal of Peter I in 1708. Mazepa, angry at those who did not act according to his hopes and wanting to stir up a murmur against Peter if he punished the innocent, falsely accused, sent a Cossack of the Menskaya hundred Parkhomenka announce that he was sent by Mazepa with letters to Archbishop Maksimovich, to the Glukhov centurion Turansky, to Prince Chetvertinsky and to the Glukhov ataman Karpeka, and that the letter was sent to the archbishop through his servant, and to the others personally. The Cossack, caught, declared the same thing, even in the presence of the accused, but Peter sought out the truth, and innocence was confirmed.

At the beginning of 1711, with the aim of enlightening the peoples of Siberia, Archbishop. John in Moscow was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan of Tobolsk and All Siberia. He humbly left his native land, where he lived for 58 years, and went to serve in the city of Tobolsk, where he arrived on August 14, 1712.

Here he invested a lot of work, donated his personal funds to improve the training of future church ministers in the Slavic-Latin school.

In 1714, the main work of St. was published in Chernigov. John "Iliotropion, or the conformity of the human will with the divine will", which is a translation from the Latin work of the German Catholic monk Jeremiah Drexel.

During his ministry in Tobolsk, Metropolitan. John led a quiet and modest life, striving in fervent prayer to God, secretly going around the houses of those in need, doing charity.

Before his death on July 10, he served the last divine liturgy, arranged a meal in his chambers for the clergy and poor residents, and served them at the table himself.

July 11, 1715 Met. John died while kneeling in prayer before the icon of the Mother of God.

His burial did not take place immediately, but after a long time, but, despite the hot summer, his body remained incorrupt.

Initially, the relics of the saint were located in the Sophia-Assumption Cathedral, in the chapel of Anthony and Theodosius of the Kiev-Pechersk. Twenty-six years later, after the reconstruction, his grave was in the open air, which greatly disturbed admirers of his memory, and Bishop John himself showed dissatisfaction when appearing to the Tobolsk bishops. Then a side church was built over his grave in the name of the holy angel - John Chrysostom.

In 1826, Archbishop of Tobolsk Evgeniy (Kazantsev) wrote: “Metropolitan John (Maksimovich) has such great faith here that many miracles occur, and that even this very chapel was built in honor of him, as if he was healed by him.”

In the same letter, Archbishop Eugene asked permission to move the saint’s coffin “in view of the poor condition of the chapel.” Having gone down into the crypt with the clergy, the archbishop discovered the remains of the saint resting in a completely intact coffin; The hood and mantle also turned out to be untouched by time.

From the day of the saint’s dormition, the miracles flowing from his holy relics did not cease to delight everyone who flowed in with faith, and to this day they have not stopped. The Tobolsk cathedral clergy recorded many cases of the gracious help of St. John. This prompted an examination of his remains.

On January 21, 1916, in blessed memory, the deceased Metropolitan. John of Tobolsk and all Siberia was canonized, and his relics were left in the tomb for veneration in the Sophia-Uspensky Cathedral.

In August 1919, before the entry of the Red Army into Tobolsk, the governor of the Tobolsk diocese, Bishop Irinarch of Berezovsky (Sineokov-Andreevsky), transferred the coffin with the relics of the saint to the basement of the Tobolsk Intercession Cathedral [3].

On September 15, 1920, the relics were removed from the basement and placed in the Intercession Cathedral.

On October 10, 1922, by order of the Tyumen Provincial Executive Committee, on the porch of the cathedral, in the presence of many people, a commission of representatives of the executive committee and the clergy opened the relics of the saint. The remains were put on public display, and an anti-religious rally was organized. For some time after the opening of the relics, they still remained in the Intercession Cathedral, then they entered the anti-religious department of the local history museum in the building of the former bishop's house.

In June 1946, the relics of the saint were examined by Archbishop Bartholomew (Gorodtsov) of Novosibirsk and Barnaul, who visited Tobolsk. In July, he turned to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy I with a request for assistance in transferring the relics of St. John's Church. Having secured the support of the patriarch, Archbishop Bartholomew sent a corresponding petition on March 2, 1947 to the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church under the Council of Ministers of the USSR [4].

On June 14, 1947, the relics of St. John were transferred to the Intercession Cathedral.

Troparion to John, Met. Tobolsky

Teacher of piety, / a nourisher for the orphans, / a comforter for the grieving, a gratuitous physician for the ailing, / a quick helper for the afflicted in soul, / a warm prayer book for everyone to the Lord, / the sainted Father John, / pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.

Life of Saint John

The future saint was born in the winter of 1651 into the family of Maxim Vasilkovsky. The father of the family came from Kyiv to the territory of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery and rented land and mills from it. Maxim worked, and donated part of the money he received for the construction of churches, which made him famous throughout the area. The Vasilkovsky family was under the protection of Ivan Mazepa.

Almost nothing is known about John's childhood or youth. Besides the fact that he had 9 more brothers. Mother Efrosinya tried to raise her sons strictly; they knew how to do almost everything around the house and were well adapted to Russian life. John himself wrote about himself when compiling the book “The Traveler” that he read a lot in his youth. This was facilitated by his training with the monks of the Kiev-Mohyla Academy. The saint studied there from 1668 to 1675, and after completing the course he remained there to teach Latin.

During the service, he was tonsured and chose his name after John Chrysostom. After some time, thanks to his theological knowledge and ability to quickly learn and memorize the texts of worship, he was appointed to the position of Lavra preacher. Then Archbishop Lazar ordained him to the rank of hieromonk.

When Ottoman troops invaded Western Ukraine, John was one of those who organized a trip to Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich to ask for help. The result of negotiations with the king was the allocation of state army troops, which returned with John to protect the Svensky Monastery.

By 1680, the saint held the post of economist of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery, and a year later he became the abbot of the Svensky Monastery. When he managed his estates, he actively introduced new orders. He forced people to wear vestments and perform divine services strictly according to the model. This caused massive protests from the monks. A few years later, by order of Archbishop Theodosius, he was transferred to the Yeletsky Assumption Monastery. It was Theodosius who wanted the rank of archimandrite for John, since he saw him as his successor.

When Saint Theodosius died, John Maksimovich was elected Chernigov bishop. Ivan Mazepa sent a letter to the Moscow leadership with a request to the Tsar to consecrate John. In the winter of 1697, John was elevated to the rank of archbishop. This means that the saint was given the right to perform divine services and own the rights to the Chernigov see and its estates.

After his appointment, John began to support Hieromonk Demetrius, who was working on the book “Lives of the Saints.” It was Dimitri Rostovsky that he saw as his successor and carefully monitored his fate. The monasteries, at the direction of John, were engaged in charitable activities. It was this that Dimitri first followed, and then was appointed governor of the Yeletsky monastery.

The saint founded the Collegium - that was the name of the school for training children and the clergy. The training was carried out at a high level, and soon the school received the status of the first seminary in the country. John opened a printing house, where liturgical books, teaching aids, essays and works of the mentor himself began to be printed.

John met with Tsar Peter and blessed him for victory. After Ivan Mazepa went over to the side of the Swedes, John initiated new hetman elections. Then, by order of Per, together with other saints, he held a prayer service, where Mazepa was completely cursed. A few months later, unknown persons began to conduct an investigation into the Mazepa case. They interrogated and arrested everyone they suspected of corresponding with the disgraced hetman. John came under suspicion. But he was completely acquitted.

During his stay at the Chernigov see, the future canonized saint spent a lot of time paying attention to the composition of veneration to Theodosius, who was his mentor. John participated in the development of the troparion, kontakion and canonical service in the name of Theodosius.

JOHN

The main works were created by I. during his stay at the Chernigov department. Almost all of the saint’s published works were printed in Chernigov, in the printing house of the Boldinsky Ilyinsky Monastery (except for the opus “The Fiftieth Psalm, Taken from Scripture,” printed in Kyiv). I.'s poetic works are of a moral and didactic nature. The first publication of the spiritual writer was a small poetic opus. “From the cross the Church begins its work,” placed as a preface to the book. “Half-rest, which includes day and night services, according to the tradition of the Holy Church” (Chernigov, 1703). It is dedicated to the glorification of the Cross of the Lord.

St. John (Maksimovich), Metropolitan. Tobolsk and all Siberia. Photo from parsuna con. XVII - beginning XVIII century St. John (Maksimovich), Metropolitan. Tobolsk and all Siberia. Photo from parsuna con. XVII - beginning XVIII century

St. John (Maksimovich), Metropolitan. Tobolsk and all Siberia. Portrait. 2nd half XVIII century (Tyumen Region Museum of Fine Arts)

In 1705, the “Collected Alphabet, composed in rhymes from the holy scriptures, from ancient sayings” and “Mirror from the Divine Scripture” (“Moralizing Mirror”) were created. “Alphabet...” is a collection of pious teachings and lives of saints, set out in verse (approx. 10 thousand), as well as historical stories containing Christ. teachings. “Alphabet...” belongs to the genre of hagiographic poetry in the Baroque style. The book has a double dedication: to Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich and to the Chernigov College, which the author in the preface calls “Chernigov Athens.” The narratives and sayings of hermits and mentors of monasticism are presented in poetic form: the Monks Macarius the Great, Sisoes the Great, Mark the Hermit, Pamva of Egypt, Pimen the Great and others. I. gave preference to those subjects in which martyrdom, ascetic deeds, spiritual mentoring are illustrated with vivid examples from lives of the saints. According to some researchers, when preparing the biographies of saints for the “Alphabet...” I. used not only Byzantium. and Russian sources, but also Catholic. literature, in particular the Polish book. Jesuit Peter Skarga “Lives of the Saints” (Zhuravlyova, 2008), which can be seen in the example of the life of St. Alexy, man of God. Although most lives are short, some biographies of saints, for example. “Dionysius the Areopagite”, “Alexius, Man of God”, “Holy Apostle Peter”, “John the Merciful” are significant in volume.

Some poetic lives of saints have unusual traditions. hagiography of form; Thus, the life “Alexy, Man of God” contains a congratulation to Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich on his name day, and “The Holy Apostle Peter” combines the biography of the apostle with a panegyric to the emperor. Peter I. The author used ancient Greek. stories from the lives of kings Midas, Croesus, the tyrant Polycrates (“Prince Polycarp”), Alexander the Great (Macedonian), etc., in which these characters act as the embodiment of the transience and futility of human life. The narrative “King Alexander” recounts a conversation between Alexander the Great and the philosopher Diogenes. I. cites the answers of the pagan philosopher, who showed the advantage of non-covetousness over the possession of many treasures, as an example to a Christian.

Narrating about the miracles of God, I. emphasizes their purpose - to direct the consciousness and will of a person towards his salvation. "The Alphabet..." contains some theological points; in particular, under the letter “Omega” I. writes that the real path to knowledge of God passes through self-knowledge, through moral self-improvement. In another place in this work, I. reflects on the Providence of God, on God’s construction of the world.

“Mirror from the Divine Scripture” (“Moralizing Mirror”), dedicated to Judge General V.L. Kochubey, was published twice in 1705. The most complete, 2nd edition contains, in addition to prayers and a preface by Hierom. Anthony (Stakhovsky) 3 sermons by I., delivered by him when he was a preacher of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery: “On the Last Judgment”, “On the Nativity of St. John the Baptist" and "On the repose of St. John Chrysostom." Some researchers believe that the book mainly contains compilations of the sermons of St. John Chrysostom (Nikolaev. 1999. P. 266).

In 1707, 2 works by I. were published: “The fiftieth Psalm, taken from Scripture” - an interpretation of the 50th Psalm and a retelling of the Gospel story about Christ and the repentant thief (published in the printing house of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra) - and “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice "(ed. in Chernigov). The latter is the most extensive of I.’s poetic works: it contains more than 23 thousand verses. In this book, the saint set out in poetic form the prayer “To the Virgin Mary” and other songs of praise in honor of the Mother of God, and also included a rhymed interpretation of the Theotokos canon, a collection of testimonies of the Holy. Scriptures, Holy Traditions and church history about the veneration of St. Theotokos and Her miracles. The book ends with a description of miracles from the icons of the Mother of God, in which a special place is occupied by the description of miracles from the Ilyinsk Chernigov Icon of the Mother of God, revealed in 1658. The purpose of the book, according to the author, was to, for the benefit of those who worship, “expand what was sent from God through an angel a song of praise" to the Mother of God. Some prayers to the Mother of God were given to them in poetic form and supplemented. Recognizing the compilative nature of the work, I. wrote: “I’m not writing something new, I’m collecting from saints... I’m expanding the word with many rhymes” (quoted from: Nikolaev. 1999. P. 267). He noted that some of the information was borrowed from the collection of St. Dimitri Rostovsky "Irrigated fleece". St. Demetrius was critical of the publication of a collection of poetic prayers to the Mother of God; he wrote about this in one of his letters to Metropolitan. Stefan (Yavorsky): “God gave those virshopists a drukarny, and hunting, and money, and a free life, but few people needed things into the world” (quoted from: Nikolaev. 1999. P. 267).

Cancer with the relics of St. John (Maksimovich), Metropolitan. Tobolsk and all Siberia (Pokrovsky Cathedral of Tobolsk)

St. John (Maksimovich), Metropolitan. Tobolsk and all Siberia. Icon. Beginning XX century (GIM)

In 1708 the book was published. “Pheatron, or Moralizing Shame, for the king, prince, rulers and saving for everyone.” The book is a translation with some changes from Lat. the original - the work of the papal canon A. Marlian "Theatre political" (Theatrum politicum, in quo quid agendum sit a principe et quid cavendum, accurate praescribitur), published in Rome in 1631. In the preface I. tries to justify his use of the works of writers not belonging to the Orthodox Church Church, especially noting that his borrowings from the works of Western. theologians are not of a mechanical nature, but are subject to creative processing in the spirit of patristic teaching writing. The preface indicates the purpose of the work: to give instructions to those in command so that they “put on good morals”, try to “eradicate all lawlessness” and thereby give a good example to their subordinates (Seraphim (Shlykov). 1985. P. 65). The work contains 30 chapters with advice and teachings to those in charge, taken from the Holy Scriptures. Scriptures and various lit. sources.

In Aug. 1709 published the 2nd edition of the collection. “The Lord’s Prayer, located on the seven thoughts of God” (time and place of the 1st edition unknown). The collection is composed of teachings based on patristic interpretations of the Lord's Prayer. The teachings are presented in syllabic verse. The preface speaks of the need to constantly thank God for the recent (June 27, 1709) victory in the Battle of Poltava, when “God, glorified in the Trinity, protected the Russian Fatherland from the absorption of the heretical lion of Sweden” (quoted from: Seraphim (Shlykov). 1985. From 59).

On Dec. the same year the book was published. “The Beatitudes of the Gospel,” interpreting the Beatitudes in poetic form. It includes a number of patristic moral teachings on this issue. The preface contains a eulogy for the monarchy; it emphasizes that it was thanks to the “power of the god” that the emperor managed to crush his enemies. In the preface, the author acknowledges the compilative nature of the book: “I’m not writing without writing, I’m collecting from many.”

On Dec. op. “The Royal Way of the Cross of the Lord, leading into eternal life”, translation from Latin of the book of the Benedictine monk Benedict van Haften “Regia via crucis”, published in Antwerp in 1635. The book belongs to the genre of question answers: to the questions of Stavrophila (Greek - Cross lovers) , a girl lost in the forest, answers the angel of the Lord, who, citing the words of Jesus Christ, explains to her the need to bear the cross, shows what the life cross of each person consists of, with what feelings it must be carried, gives instructions on the behavior of a Christian in sorrowful life circumstances; finally, it talks about the salvific completion of the way of the cross. In addition to numerous appeals to St. Scripture, the work contains many references to the works of the Church Fathers, not only Western (Blessed Augustine, St. Ambrose of Milan, Blessed Jerome of Stridon, etc.), but also Eastern (St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, St. John Chrysostom , St. Nile of Sinai, etc.), which may indicate the processing of the text by Orthodox. author-editor. For example, the story of St. John Climacus about how the abbot of the monastery punished the abstinent and meek steward for no reason (Ioan. Climacus. Scala. IV 27), “for according to the number of temptations and sorrows, the rewards multiply” (Royal Way of the Cross of the Lord. 2000. P. 35). And in ch. “On co-crucifixion with Christ” the words of St. John Chrysostom about the apostle. Paul: “Having given myself entirely to the cross and to the Lord and doing everything according to His will, I did not say: I live to Christ, but, what is much higher, Christ lives in me” (John. Chrysost. In Galat. 2). The book reveals important aspects of Christ. asceticism and soteriology. Afterwards it was repeatedly published by Optina in honor of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy. Our Lady of the Desert in Russian. language in lit. edited by Hierom. Clement (Zederholm). The book was a favorite spiritual reading of monks and laity.

In 1710, the “Synaxarion in honor and glory of the Lord God of Hosts about the glorious victory near Poltava” was published, which was intended for reading in churches during the service of thanksgiving about the victory near Poltava, compiled by Archimandrite. Theophylact (Lopatinsky). The work is prosaic, but is preceded and ends with poetry. It gives thanks to the Lord for the victory over the Swedes; this victory is compared with the victory of David over the proud Goliath (cf. 1 Samuel 17.45-51); I remember other Russian victories. weapons; Mazepa's flight to the Turks is also depicted. I. especially emphasizes the fact that the conquest of the Russians. Baltic troops cities occurred without bloodshed.

In 1710, I. published his translation of the German work. Lutheran theologian Johann Gerhard's Meditationes sacrae ad veram pietatem excitandam, first published in 1606 in Jena. In Russian translated it was called “Thought of God in favor of the faithful.” Republished in 1711; The 1st edition was dedicated to Met. Stefan (Yavorsky), a fighter against Lutheranism, 2nd - Peter I. The essay reflects the reflections of the Protestant theologian on the economy of human salvation, supplemented by I. As Archbishop wrote. Filaret (Gumilevsky), this translated book is “good multiplied” because it “has quite a few opinions from the publisher himself.” The book soon became the subject of sharp criticism, which resulted in a Senate decree dated October 5, issued after I.’s death. 1720, by which it was banned, because “many Luthorian antagonisms appeared in it” (PSZ. T. 6. No. 3653). However, according to the archbishop. Filaret (Gumilevsky), there were many exaggerations in the Senate decree. During the investigation of the case, the opinion of the “Senate theologians” was considered premature (Filaret (Gumilevsky). Review. 1884. pp. 212-213).

The most famous and widely read work associated with the name of I. was the book published by his students. “Iliotropion, that is, the Sunflower, representing the conformity of the human will with the Divine, translated from Latin into the Slavic-Russian language through the works of His Eminence Archbishop of Chernigov John Maksimovich, later Metropolitan of Tobolsk and All Siberia.” The preface to the book was signed by “teachers, novices and all the brethren in Christ of the bishop’s house of Chernigov.” It draws a parallel between the name “Iliotropion” (Sunflower) and the personality of I.: just as a sunflower reaches out to the sun, so the ruler “in all needs, in joy and sorrow, in prosperity and misfortune, you are accustomed to raise the eyes of your heart to the mountain, from there you always finding help for yourself” (quoted from: Seraphim (Shlykov). 1985. P. 75).

St. John (Maksimovich), Metropolitan. Tobolsk and all Siberia. Icon. Beginning XX century (ts. in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “The Sign” of the Znamensky Monastery in Irkutsk)

St. John (Maksimovich), Metropolitan. Tobolsk and all Siberia. Icon. After 1916 (Kurgan region art museum)

The basis of the publication was the essay in German. Catholic theologian, teacher of rhetoric at the Munich Seminary of the Jesuit Order, Jeremiah Drexel, “Heliotropium, seu conformatio humanae voluntatis cum divina,” published in 1627 in Munich. "Heliotropium..." was translated into Polish in 1630. language, and in 1688 a translation from Polish into Russian hierodiac was published in Moscow. Feofan. I. took the lat. for translation. text, revised it, adapting it for Orthodoxy. rus. reader. In Russian transcribed, the work “so organically entered the circle of popular Orthodox edifying reading that it is already inextricably linked with the name of its translator” (Gumerov A., priest. Preface // John (Maksimovich), Metropolitan Iliotropion. M., 2008. P. 4) . I. A. Maksimovich translated the book into Russian in 1888. language and published it first in parts in the “Chernigov EVs”, then as a separate book (K., 1890, 18962). Maksimovich believed that it was in Lat. language written by I. during the period of his teaching at the Kiev-Mohyla Collegium (Ibid. P. 3).

"Iliotropion" is a theological treatise devoted to the complex problem of harmonizing the Divine and human will. The work largely reflects I.'s theology, based on the works of St. fathers of the ancient Church. Along with numerous links to app. fathers: blessed Augustine (the theme of the relationship between the will of God and the will of man is touched upon in most of his works), St. John Cassian the Roman, Jerome of Stridon, St. Ambrose of Milan; on later Catholic theologians: Bernard of Clairvaux (XII century), Thomas Aquinas (XIII century), Thomas à Kempis (XV century) and others - the work contains many appeals to the East. fathers: St. Basil the Great, St. John Chrysostom, St. Nile of Sinai, St. John of Damascus and others. The popularity of “Iliotropion” was facilitated by the fact that it is full of example stories from the Holy Scriptures. Scriptures, from the lives of saints, from history, which explain complex theological issues.

“Iliotropion” includes 5 parts: the 1st examines the question of knowing the will of God, about God’s permission; 2nd - about the conformity of the human will with the Divine, including about the signs of human will in agreement with the Divine; 3rd - about what the following of the human will to the will of God entails; 4th - about the obstacles that prevent the human will from conforming to the will of God, and about how to overcome them; The 5th is about what helps the human will to conform to the Divine will. The essay states: “Nothing except sins happens in the world without the will of God” (Iliotropion. 2008. P. 17). Both the troubles of an individual person and world disasters (hunger, drought, epidemics, etc.) occur according to the will of God, and “they happen for the sake of achieving the righteous goals of God’s Providence; Only sin is disgusting to God... but is tolerated by God for the sake of not violating personal human will or his freedom. This will of God, which allows (sin), is also called economy or the Providence of God” (Ibid. pp. 18-19). Even before the ages, God predetermined everything that came after. intended to be carried out. But God’s plan for him is unknown to man. However, God would never have allowed anything evil if he had not known that many would come from here. good deeds, in the end everything is done to achieve the best goals (Ibid. pp. 43-44) - this is what the saints believed. Even when God uses His “unconscious servants” - for example, such as Nebuchadnezzar, Attila, Totila, Tamerlane and other “scourges of God” known in history - He does this to correct the people and people. The essay quotes the words of the blessed one. Augustine about Nebuchadnezzar, punished by God for wicked acts - through this he was brought to saving repentance, that is, self-correction; and about Pharaoh, who neglected the punishments of God, became embittered, and as a result he died in Krasnye M. along with his army (Ibid. pp. 52-53).

“Iliotropion” offers a person 7 “commandments”, by following which he can know the will of God: 1) one must reject everything that distracts a person from God, contrary to His will; 2) since the will of God is explained to man by the law of God and church decrees, with every doubt he must try to figure out what the law of God and church Tradition require of him; 3) it is necessary to thank God for everything; 4) to resolve his perplexities, a person must turn to “truly living Christian interpreters of the will of God” - a confessor, a pastor; from the laity - to parents, mentors, educators; 5) if the place and time do not allow asking for advice, a person should try to figure out for himself what is more pleasing to God; 6 and 7) a prayerful appeal to God is necessary (Ibid. pp. 73-91).

Chapter 5 is devoted to how the will of God was manifested in the Lord Jesus Christ and what His virtues a person should follow. 1st part. The first requirement of the Lord for a person is that his will should not be guilty of anything sinful (Ibid. p. 119).

The biggest obstacle that a person’s will encounters in following the Divine will is his own will, “self-will” (Ibid. p. 623). Despite such a categorical statement, in the “Iliotropion” the free will of man is not rejected: it can be directed towards the desire to understand the Providence of God, towards the achievement of virtues, that is, it is the moral strength of man in the matter of salvation. In this sense, the theology set forth in the Iliotropion differs from the concept of the blessed one. Augustine, who believed that after the Fall man lost his free will and fell into slavery to sin. According to blzh. Augustine, if people still have free will, it is only in relation to sinful actions; the desire for good no longer depends on man, but is invested in him by God. Blzh. Augustine believed that a person is saved only by the grace and mercy of God, that is, “gift” (lat. gratis), regardless of the merits of the person himself; grace as the inner, miraculous and inexpressible power of God directly produces “good intentions” in the hearts of people. Moreover, the grace of God is not given to everyone: the human race was initially, in Divine foreknowledge, distributed among the elect, the predestined, and among the rejected, those on whom the full power of God’s justice will be revealed (Aug. De civ. Dei. XXI 12; Enchirid. 99- 104).

In I.’s theological work, therefore, three key issues of Orthodoxy are touched upon. soteriology, which the saint reveals primarily in Op. “Iliotropion”, as well as in others: about the action of Divine Providence (including about man’s knowledge of the will of God); about the conformity of human will with God's will; about the origin of evil.

Consideration of the issue of the origin of evil in the world and man’s attitude to disasters, which is contained in the book. "Iliotropion" includes the interpretation of the relevant passages of the Holy Scriptures. Scriptures and the analysis of wrong opinions. As the hierodeiac believes. Seraphim (Shlykov), I.’s teaching on the origin of evil, according to its external presentation, contains certain methods of application. scholastic theology, characteristic of the works of Ukrainian. authors con. XVII - beginning XVIII century, however, in content it is fully consistent with the teachings of the Orthodox Church. Church, as can be seen when comparing it with the teachings of St. Athanasius the Great, St. Basil the Great and other St. fathers and teachers of the Church (Seraphim (Shlykov). 1985. P. 103).

Among the works published after I.’s death, there is a well-known collection of instructions “Spiritual Thoughts, or Discourses on the Path of Salvation and the Magnanimous Wearing of the Cross...”, which was published in Moscow in 1782 and 1847. In terms of content, the collection in some sections is close to the book. “The Royal Way of the Cross of the Lord, leading into eternal life,” but much larger in volume. The work is prosaic and contains a number of interpretations of the Holy Scriptures. Scriptures, excerpts from the works of the blessed. Augustine, St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil the Great, other Church Fathers. The author says that the Kingdom of Heaven is achieved by many. sorrows, reveals the doctrine of co-crucifixion with the world in Christ, and also teaches about the benefits of prayer in suffering and the need to deny oneself. I. indicates that from the Lord everyone is assigned a cross according to his strength and that the heaviest cross is imposed on sinners. Perhaps this book was I.’s last work, which he wrote already in the Tobolsk period of his life.

I. left behind several. unpublished works. In particular, in Tobolsk at the end. XVIII century I.'s manuscript was kept under the title “There is a traveler from Chernigov to Siberia” (“Traveler”). One of the early copies of the composition was kept in the Yenisei in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord. mon-re (now the manuscript is in the Russian National Library (Q.IV.375)). This work was first studied in 1985 by Hierodiac. Seraphim (Shlykov), who published its full text as an appendix to the typewritten version of his theological dissertation. "Saint John of Tobolsk and his theological heritage." “The Traveler” is an extensive poetic diary of I.’s journey from Chernigov to Tobolsk. It describes in detail the trip from Chernigov to Moscow, where I. was elevated to the rank of metropolitan and appointed to Tobolsk, as well as the subsequent move from Moscow to Tobolsk (via the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, N. Novgorod and Kazan). In addition to presenting events related to the long journey, I. included his philosophical and theological reflections in the essay; in particular, he expounds the Orthodox Church. The doctrine of the Providence of God negatively characterizes the teaching of Calvinists about the unconditional predestination of God. “Putnik” also reflected I.’s experiences associated with leaving Chernigov; At the same time, the author expresses his readiness to unswervingly fulfill the will of God; he gratefully accepted the decision of the authorities about him, for “according to the foreknowledge of God, he was given.”

I.’s unpublished work “Discourse on God” is considered lost. I. began work on a translation of Thomas a à Kempis’s work “On the Imitation of Christ,” which was completed by St. Anthony (Stakhovsky) and published in 1740. In “Putnik” I. wrote that he left a number of unpublished works in Chernigov: “I left many writings of the type prepared; We don’t know, unless I see them published. What good is it for us if we are all buried under a bushel?” (Seraphim (Shlykov). 1985. P. 72). It follows from this that at present. At the time, far from a complete list of I.’s works is known.

Unpublished op. “Queen of Heaven and Earth,” which was erroneously attributed to I., belongs to the pen of Archbishop. Lazar (Baranovich). Some authors attributed to I. the lexicographical works “Latin-Russian Lexicon” and “Collection of Foreign Words Used in the Russian Language”; the author of these works was I.P. Maksimovich, I.’s nephew, who worked in 1718-1728. translator at the Moscow printing house.

In the history of literature, a critical attitude towards the religious and moralizing poetic works of I. has formed. The poetics of his voluminous works, according to some researchers, are characterized by an oversaturation of artistic tropes, which were supposed to help strengthen Christ. feelings; Meanwhile, contemporaries, especially metropolitan poets, perceived the writer’s pompous expressions and eloquence as bad taste (Shilnikova, 2008). In particular, “Alphabet...” aroused sharp criticism from A. Cantemir, I.’s younger contemporary. However, I.’s works were published repeatedly in the 18th-19th centuries, which indicates their demand by the Church and society. As the hierodeak emphasizes. Seraphim (Shlykov), I.’s works were of exceptional importance for the Church; they were necessary for the correct understanding of key issues of Orthodoxy. soteriology, revealed the problems of the spiritual life of a Christian, and contained spiritual and moral edifications useful for Christians.

Works: Featron, or moralizing shame... [Chernigov], 1708; The Lord's Prayer, located for the seven thoughts of God. Chernigov, 1709 (the same, amended title: Pious feelings of a God-thinking Christian when reading the Lord’s Prayer, divided into seven thoughts of God. M., 1825); The royal path of the Cross of the Lord, leading to eternal life. Chernigov, 1709. Kozelsk, 1878, 19045. St. Petersburg, 1996p. M., 2000; Thought of God in favor of the faithful. [Chernigov], 1711; Spiritual thoughts, or reasoning about the path of salvation, and about the generous wearing of the cross, and about what a person receives from God for patiently and uncomplainingly wearing it. M., 1782, 1847; Saint Theodosius of Chernigov, newly glorified wonderworker of the Russian land. St. Petersburg, 1900. P. 18 [verses by I. under the image of St. Feodosia]; Iliotropion, or the Conformity of the human will with the divine will: Revised. lane from Latin: op. I. Drexel “Heliotropium”. K., 1890, 1994r. M., 2006, 2008p; Saint John of Tobolsk on the conformity of the human will with the will of God // ZhMP. 1976. No. 5. P. 58-69; No. 6. P. 65-75 [phragm. op. "Iliotropion"]; On knowing the will of God: From “Iliotropion” // Ibid. 1985. No. 9. P. 27-28; No. 10. P. 30-31; No. 11. P. 65-67; No. 12. P. 29-30; Divine Providence. Serg. P., 1916 (the same, amended title: On Divine Providence. M., 1996); How to live, Lord! M., 1996.

Source: Letters of Rev. Stefan (Yavorsky), Metropolitan. Ryazansky, to Archbishop. To Ioann (Maksimovich) of Chernigov (from April 21, 1703 and March 4, 1710) // TKDA. 1866. No. 4, April. pp. 542-543, 547-548; The progress of the case regarding the installation of John (Maksimovich) as archbishop of Chernigov, 1697 // ArchSouth Western Russia. 1872. Part 1. T. 5. P. 436-437; Evgeniy (Kazantsev), archbishop. Tobolsky. Daily note about the transfer of the coffin of Metropolitan. John (Maksimovich), 1826, September. 6 days // Wanderer. 1873. No. 5. P. 106-111; Runkevich S.G. Russian bishops in their correspondence with Peter the Great: His Eminence John (Maximovich) // wanderer. 1906. T. 1. P. 41-48; Avramenko I. To the glorification of St. John (Maksimovich), Metropolitan. Tobolsk and Siberian // Tobolsk EV. 1916. No. 18. P. 288-296; No. 19. P. 301-307; Vostorgov I., prot. Tobolsk celebrations. M., 1916; Griftsev N., prot. Healing through the prayers of St. John (Maksimovich), Metropolitan. Tobolsk and all Siberia // Tobolsk EV. 1916. No. 22. Dep. unofficial pp. 363-364; To the biography of St. John (Maksimovich): Diploma of Patr. Adrian about the consecration of John (Maksimovich) to the rank of archbishop. Chernigovsky; Diploma c. Peter Alekseevich dated January 21. 1697; [Same], dated February 13. 1708; [Id.], dated May 4, 1709; [Id.], dated March 9, 1710; The secret matter of transferring the remains of Metropolitan to a new coffin and transferring them to another place. John, 1826 / Communication. prot. A. Yuryevsky // TKDA. 1916. No. 5/6. pp. 62-94; Definitions of the Holy Synod of February 12-14, January 22-23. 1916 // TsVed. 1916. No. 8. P. 53-63; Across Russia // Parish leaflet. Pg., 1916. No. 121, June 8. S. 2; Tutolmin G.S., prot. Miraculous healing through the prayers of St. John, Met. Tobolsk and Siberian // Tobolsk EV. 1916. Dept. unofficial No. 34. P. 711; No. 35. P. 738-739; The rite of church celebrations on the occasion of the glorification of St. John, Met. Tobolsk and Siberian // TsVed. 1916. No. 22. P. 238-240; Smirnov D., prot. For the glory of St. John, Met. Tobolsk and Siberian and all Russia miracle worker // Tobolsk EV. 1917. No. 1. P. 1-2; Dimitry (Kapalin), abbot. [now archbishop], Pivovarov B., prot. Festive services in Tobolsk and Tyumen // ZhMP. 1984. No. 12. P. 26-27.

Lit.: Sulotsky A.I., prot. Life of John (Maksimovich), Metropolitan. Tobolsk and all Siberia. M., 1849; aka. Additions to the biography of Metropolitan. Tobolsk Ioann (Maksimovich) // Wanderer. 1870. No. 11. P. 325-338; Pekarsky P. Science and literature in Russia under Peter the Great. St. Petersburg, 1862. T. 2; Filaret (Gumilevsky). Review. 1884. pp. 211-213; Skosyrev N.D., priest. To the biography of Metropolitan. Tobolsk and Siberian John (Maksimovich). Tobolsk, 1897; aka. Essay on the life of Metropolitan. Tobolsk and all Siberia John (Maksimovich). Tobolsk, 19042; Karpinsky A. M. Ioann (Maksimovich), Metropolitan. Tobolsk and all Siberia. Tyumen, 1899; Modzalevsky V.L. Little Russian genealogy. K., 1912. T. 3. P. 297-298; Smirnov D., prot. Metropolitan Tobolsk and all Siberia John (Maksimovich) // Tobolsk EV. 1912. No. 15. P. 332-340; Rosseykin F. M. To the biography of St. John of Tobolsk // BV. 1916. No. 9. P. 140-166; Holy Hierarch John (Maksimovich), Metropolitan. Tobolsk and all Siberia: (1651-1715): Sat. mat-lov. Chernigov, 1916; Tutolmin G.S., prot. Life of St. John (Maksimovich), Metropolitan. Tobolsk and all Siberia. Tobolsk, 1916; Yuryevsky A., prot. To the biography of St. John of Tobolsk // TKDA. 1916. No. 5/6. pp. 62-63; Bartholomew (Gorodtsov), Archbishop. Siberian saints // ZhMP. 1948. No. 3. P. 30-33; Kameneva T. N. Chernigov printing house, its activities and publications: (XVII-XVIII centuries) // Tr. GBIL. M., 1959. T. 3. S. 234-236, 244-245, 282-295; Prosvirnin A., prot. St. John, Met. Tobolsk and all Siberia: (To the 250th anniversary of his death) // ZhMP. 1965. No. 6. P. 73-77; aka. St. John, Met. Tobolsk and all Siberia, miracle worker // Ibid. 1976. No. 5. P. 57-58; Grebenyuk V.P. Panegyric literature from the time of Peter the Great. M., 1979. S. 54-71; Seraphim (Shlykov), hierodeacon. St. John of Tobolsk and his theological heritage: Cand. dis. Zagorsk, 1985. RKP. [bibliography]; Life of St. John (Maksimovich), Metropolitan. Tobolsk and all Siberia. Tobolsk, 1995; Service of St. John, Met. To the Wonderworker of Siberia and All Siberia / Compiled by: Archbishop. Bartholomew (Gorodtsov) // From the spiritual heritage of Metropolitan. Novosibirsk and Barnaul Bartholomew: Diary, articles, messages: To the 40th anniversary of his death. Novosibirsk, 1996. pp. 159-175; Nikolaev S.I. Maksimovich Ioann // Dictionary of Russian. writers of the 18th century St. Petersburg, 1999. Issue. 2. pp. 266-267; Fomin S.V. The last royal saint: St. John (Maksimovich), Metropolitan. Tobolsky, Siberian Wonderworker: Life. Miracles. Glorification. Service. Akathist. St. Petersburg, 2003; Denisov M., priest. St. John, Met. Tobolsk and all Siberia, the miracle worker, and the history of his glorification // Orthodox Siberia. 2007. No. 1. P. 2-8; Zhuravlyova S.S. Visibility of Fortuny: Postati of ancient rulers in the interpretation of Archbishop John (Maksimovich) // Current problems of Slovenian philology: International University. zb. Sci. Art. TO.; Nizhin, 2007. VIP. 12: Linguistics and literary studies. pp. 77-82; she is the same. Virsh “The Life of Oleksiy, the Man of God” of Archbishop Ioan (Maksimovich) // Volin philological. Lutsk, 2008. VIP. 6. Part 1. pp. 374-384; she is the same. The phenomenon of a miracle in the poetic world of baroque hagiography: (behind the book “The Alphabet Collected, Folded in Romans...” by St. John (Maximovich)) // Current problems of Slovenian philology: Mizhuniversity. zb. Sci. Art. K., 2009. VIP. 20. pp. 32-39; Shilnikova T.V. Idealization of John (Maksimovich) in Orthodoxy. traditions XIX - early XX century // Izv. Ural State un-ta. 2008. Vol. 16. No. 59. P. 184-195; she is the same. “A holy man and philosopher of books...”: Met. John (Maksimovich) in the context of the spiritual crisis of the beginning. XX century // Remezov Readings, 2005. Issue. 2: Province in Russian. culture. Novosibirsk, 2008. pp. 415-427; she is the same. Representation of hagiographic tradition in biogr. works about John of Tobolsk: AKD. Ekaterinburg, 2009.

E.P.B.

Death and burial

In the summer of 1715, the saint served the traditional liturgy. He did this as usual, hosting a meal for the clergy and the poor. After the meal, John retired to his room. He was found there the next morning. He died while praying, as he was found kneeling in front of the icon of the Chernigov Mother of God.

At first the body was not buried, as they were waiting for Metropolitan Philotheus to return. After his return, a burial ceremony was performed with a funeral service according to the monastic rite. This took place on the territory of the chapel of the St. Sophia Monastery. The icon in front of which the elder was found kneeling became the head of the tombstone. Since then, she began to be revered as miraculous.

Day of the discovery of the incorruptible relics of John of Tobolsk

The day of the discovery of the incorruptible relics of John of Tobolsk is celebrated on October 29. Divine services in memory of one of the most revered Siberian saints, St. John of Tobolsk, are held in the churches of the Russian Orthodox Church twice: on June 23, the day of remembrance of the saint’s death, and on October 29, the discovery of the incorruptible relics of the saint is commemorated. He occupied the Tobolsk See for only four years, from 1711 to 1715, but managed to do a lot to glorify the Name of God.

Little evidence has been preserved about the saint's childhood. It is known that he was born in December 1651 in Nezhin into a family of pious residents of a famous Little Russian noble family. In the history of Russia, the Maksimovichs left a noticeable mark with their zealous service for the benefit of the Fatherland and the sovereign. But it was not only in the service of the earthly king that they became famous. John, Metropolitan of Tobolsk and All Siberia, is canonized as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church. Bishop John of Shanghai and San Francisco, who received his name in honor of his famous ancestor, also stood before the throne of God.

Home education, study at the college, constant communication with monks fed his soul with the desire to serve God in the angelic rank of monk, and in 1676 in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra he was tonsured with the name John. The subsequent ordination of the young, brilliantly educated tonsure as a hierodeacon, and then as a hieromonk, happened very quickly. He labored for a short time in the Lavra; the Lord prepared other paths for him.

He loved to do good in secret and, through trusted persons, sent money and various things to orphans, almshouses, and the homes of the poor. Slowly, in disguise, he approached the windows of the houses of those in need, knocked, said: “Accept in the name of Jesus Christ,” and hastily left. His heart especially ached for the poor of the clergy.

This man deeply accepted the gospel word: “When you make a feast, do not invite rich neighbors who can repay you in kind, but invite the weak, the oppressed, the sick.” This is what he always did; he never went to visit. However, on holidays after the liturgy, he invited honorary citizens to his place. His meals were always very modest, and the true decoration of such meals were the conversations of the saint, who had a wonderful gift of speech. His sermons during divine services were always spoken of only in superlatives.

The glorification of Saint John took place on June 23, 1916, on the 201st anniversary of his death. Bishops, priests and laity came from all over Russia. Lecterns with crosses and Gospels were placed on Cathedral Square, and more than 30 priests daily confessed, served prayer services, memorial services, and preached directly in the open air. There were more pilgrims than residents of the city - 30 thousand. The festivities were headed by the venerable elder, the Apostle of Siberia, His Eminence Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow.

The relics of St. John now rest in the Intercession Cathedral of the Tobolsk Kremlin. The memory is celebrated 2 times a year - on June 23 and October 29.

Name days:

Georgy, Leonty, Terenty, Ivan, Kuzma, Evgeny, Alexey.

Relics

After 20 years, the wooden chapel where the saint was buried was dismantled. Thus, the coffin with the remains ended up in the open air. To restore the chapel, it was necessary to collect donations. Even later, it turned out that a strong crack ran from the vault to the ground along the wall next to which the remains stood. To prevent destruction, it was necessary to open the coffin. There they found a completely undecayed robe and hood. By order of the Synod, the remains were transferred to a new coffin, and then the bishop’s seal was placed on it. The boards of the old coffin were placed at the head.

There is no such house in Orthodox Siberia where the great Siberian saint John of Tobolsk is not venerated. In almost every city beyond the Urals, in churches, along with the great Siberian saints - Innocent and Sophrony, the bishops of Irkutsk, Sylvester of Omsk, Innocent, the Metropolitan of Moscow and other saints, whose life and work are connected with the Siberian region, there are also his icons. And this despite the fact that Saint John occupied the Tobolsk see for only four years - from 1711 to 1715, having managed to acquire universal love and veneration, leaving a noticeable mark on history with his zealous service for the good of the Fatherland and the Church.
Little evidence has been preserved about the saint's childhood. It is known that he was born in December 1651 in the city of Nezhin into a family of pious residents of a noble Little Russian family. His father, nobleman Maxim Vasilkovsky (the nickname came from the city of Vasilkov) later moved to Kyiv, rented mills and land from the Kiev Pechersk Lavra and became known for his donations for the construction of many Kyiv churches. John was the eldest child in the family and, like the other ten sons, received his surname Maksimovich from his father.

John studied at the Kiev-Mohyla Academy (1668-1676), and upon graduation was left there as a teacher of the Latin language. Home education, study at the Kiev College, constant communication with monks imbued his soul with the desire to serve God in the rank of monk, and in 1676 in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra he was tonsured by Archimandrite Innocent (Gisel) with the name John, in honor of St. John Chrysostom. Soon, Archbishop Lazar (Baranovich) of Chernigov ordained John to the rank of hieromonk. The subsequent ordination of the young, brilliantly educated tonsure as a hierodeacon, and then as a hieromonk, happened very quickly.

In the 70s of the 16th century, Russia was at war with Turkey, and by 1677 the flames of war were raging on the territory of Little Russia. Facing the danger of an attack by Turkish hordes on Kyiv, the hetman decided to send an embassy to Tsar Feodor Alekseevich with a request for help. The embassy included 24-year-old hieromonk John. In addition to requests for military assistance, the Lavra monks asked, in the event of a Turkish attack on Kyiv, to be given the opportunity to take refuge in another monastery. The Tsar sent an army, and provided the Bryansk Svensky Assumption Monastery, commanding Father John to be its archimandrite.

In 1680, John was appointed economist of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, and in 1684, vicar of the Svensky Monastery, where the monks moved due to the Turkish raids on Kyiv. From there, in mid-1695, the Chernigov Archbishop Theodosius, who saw him as his successor, he was transferred to the Eletsky Assumption Monastery of Chernigov and elevated to its archimandrite. The dedication took place in 1696 in Moscow.

Bishopric

After the death of Saint Theodosius on November 24, 1696, by decision of the council, John Maksimovich was elected as the new bishop of Chernigov. A letter was sent to Moscow on behalf of Hetman Ivan Mazepa with a petition to the Tsar and Patriarch to consecrate the candidate. On January 10, 1697, Patriarch Adrian of Moscow in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin consecrated Bishop of Chernigov and elevated him to the rank of archbishop. In the charter, John was given the right to perform divine services in the sakkos, and the king, with his charter, confirmed the rights of the Chernigov see to its estates.

On June 10, 1916, the solemn glorification of John of Tobolsk took place, performed by a host of bishops led by Metropolitan Macarius (Nevsky) of Moscow.
Besides him, 13 bishops took part in the ceremony. The day before, June 8, Metropolitan Macarius personally opened the coffin with the remains of John, washed the relics, put new vestments on them and transferred them to a silver ark, which was placed in a new cypress coffin. On the day of canonization, the coffin was solemnly opened and, after the procession of the Cross, placed on the cathedral square for worship by more than 50,000 pilgrims who arrived for the celebrations. The relics returned to the cathedral the next day, where they were placed in a high place for the duration of the Liturgy, and then the coffin was placed in the place prepared for it in the cathedral. The Act of the Holy Synod on the canonization of St. John was read out, and the day of his death was chosen as the day of remembrance - June 10 (June 23 in the new style). with a request for permission to glorify John of Tobolsk. The emperor’s answer was contradictory: “It is possible to sing magnification, but it is impossible to glorify it” (the magnification of the unglorified is not sung among the saints). On August 27, late in the evening, in front of a large gathering of people, Barnabas performed a prayer service at the shrine of John, but sang troparia to St. John Chrysostom with the refrain “St. Father John, pray to God for us,” and only on dismissal did he clearly remember John of Tobolsk. Following the same pattern, regular prayer services began in the following days.

News of what had happened reached the Synod, and Barnabas was summoned to Petrograd. The Synod decided to recognize the glorification of John performed by Barnabas as invalid and notify the Tobolsk bishop and his flock about this. However, this decision of the Synod was not approved by the emperor; he instructed “the winter session of the Synod to reconsider this decision, and asked for leniency towards Bishop Barnabas, who acted out of jealousy, and not out of malice.” In December 1915, by order of the Highest, Archbishop of Lithuania Tikhon (Bellavin) arrived in Tobolsk. He inspected the coffin, sealed it with his seal, and also recorded reports of a number of other cases of healing.

Procession with the relics of the Saint on June 10, 1916

On January 20, 1916, the emperor was presented with a synodal report, which spoke of the possibility of canonizing Metropolitan John.
On the most submissive report, the Sovereign Emperor, on the 21st day of January 1916, deigned to write with his own hand: “I accept the proposal of the Holy Synod with tenderness and the greater sense of joy that I believe in the intercession of St. John Maximovich, in this time of trial, for Orthodox Rus'.” By resolution of January 22-23 of the same year, the Holy Synod “resolved: to entrust the Most Reverend Metropolitan of Moscow, together with the Eminence of Tobolsk and other hierarchs who are coming to Tobolsk, to perform the solemn glorification of St. John, Metropolitan of Tobolsk and Siberia on June 10 of this year” - which was announced to the all-Russian flock in the “Act” (message) of the Holy Synod of February 12, 1916, approved and signed at the Synod meeting on February 15.

The fate of the relics of St. John under Soviet rule

In 1919, Tobolsk was occupied by the Red Army. Before the troops entered the city, the relics of the saint were placed in the basement of the Intercession Cathedral, from where they were raised in 1920. On October 10, 1922, by order of the Tyumen provincial executive committee, the relics of St. John were opened. The autopsy took place on the porch of the Intercession Cathedral, and an anti-religious rally was organized. After the opening, the relics remained in the cathedral for some time, and then were transferred to the anti-religious department of the local history museum opened in the bishop's house.

In June 1946, Archbishop Bartholomew (Gorodtsov) of Novosibirsk and Barnaul visited Tobolsk and examined the relics of John of Tobolsk. In July of the same year, he turned to Patriarch Alexy I for support in the matter of returning the relics of the church. On March 2, 1947, Archbishop Bartholomew sent a petition to the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church under the Council of Ministers of the USSR, which was granted and on June 14 of the same year the relics of the saint were returned to the Intercession Cathedral.

In 1984, with the blessing of Patriarch Pimen, on the day of memory of the saint, a celebration was established in honor of the Council of Siberian Saints.

In 1989, the Tobolsk Theological Seminary was revived, and the relics of St. John became the subject of worship and special reverence for teachers, seminarians and students of the regency and icon painting departments at the Seminary. Every morning before school, a line of students of theological schools reaches out to the relics of St. John - so that he will help and bless them for their studies and the continuation of his endeavor - the spread of spiritual enlightenment in Siberia.

Twice a year - on the day of the repose of the saint (June 10/23) and on the day of the discovery of his relics (October 16/29), Tobolsk gathers hundreds of pilgrims from all over Siberia and the Urals - everyone rushes to reverently honor the memory of their beloved archpastor and testify to their love for him.

Sergei MAKHONIN. (based on materials from the Wikipedia website)
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Honor and glorification

After the death and burial of the relics, it became known that many miracles were happening near them. All data was recorded in a list and attached to other documents. The bishop of the entrusted diocese named Barnabas was especially concerned about glorification. He collected information, compiled an explanatory note and sent it to Moscow for study. There they studied the petition and sent a special commission to the site. After studying the remains and drawing up a protocol, the commission went back. The decision on canonization was never made.

After Emperor Nicholas became commander-in-chief, Barnabas dared to again recall the Tobolsk saint.

He composed a letter asking for glorification, to which he received a short telegram, which said that it was allowed to sing John, but not to glorify him. Barnabas did this at his own peril and risk. But after the Synod learned of his act, the canonization carried out in this way was declared invalid. Barnabas was punished: he was removed from office and given a warning.

But later Nikolai returned to this issue. He decided to forgive Barnabas, since he acted out of love for John, and not out of malice. In addition, he pointed out to the Synod the mistakes that were made during the examination of the remains. Because of this, the canonization case was suspended. Following the emperor's instructions, the Synod returned to consider the issue of canonization. It was timed to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the death of the saint.

In 1916, the solemn glorification of John of Tobolsk took place. For this purpose, a council was convened, consisting of 13 bishops. The action was led by Moscow Metropolitan Macarius. The minister personally opened the coffin with the remains, put on new vestments, moved them to a new shrine, and closed them in a cypress coffin. After this, he performed an all-night vigil and read the funeral liturgy.

For canonization, the coffin was opened and a religious procession was held. The relics were presented for veneration by fifty thousand pilgrims from all over the country. The next day the relics were returned to their place. At the same time, the message of the Holy Synod on the canonization of John was read out.

Proceedings

John of Tobolsk is known not only as a preacher and missionary, but also as a talented writer and translator of religious literature. The clergyman’s poetic works were of a religious nature and were intended to strengthen the faith and spirit of Orthodox people.

Book of John Tobolsky “Iliotropion”

Collections of his works were republished several times until the beginning of the 20th century. However, some contemporaries considered the monk’s work to be low-grade verses. The translations of religious texts compiled by the saint received much higher praise. The main translated works published in the Boldino printing house include the following works:

Mirror from the Divine Scripture;
The royal way of the cross of the Lord, leading to the eternal life;
Godly thinking is for the benefit of the faithful;
Iliotropion, or Conformation of the human will with the Divine;

The autobiographical work “The Wayfarer” contains the saint’s reflections on religious and philosophical topics, a narrative about his journey from Moscow to Tobolsk, as well as a mention of the fact that many unfinished works and translations remained in Chernigov. Therefore, it is impossible to determine the exact number of works written by the saint.

What do they ask Saint John for in their prayers?

The saint is traditionally depicted on icons. Most often, this is a waist-length image, where John holds the bishop’s staff, and seems to have prepared his other hand for a blessing gesture. Less common is a painting where John is depicted in full growth. On it he is dressed in a hood and robe, holding a staff. The difference is that in the background you can see the walls of the monastery, where the saint remained a mentor for a long time.

People kneel before the icons of the saint when they ask for healing for themselves and their loved ones, they hope for help in solving insoluble problems, they come to him when they are worried about strengthening their faith.

Troparion to Saint John, Metropolitan of Tobolsk, tone 8

Teacher of piety, / a nurse to the orphans, / a comforter to the grieving, a gratuitous physician to the ailing, / a quick helper to the souls of the afflicted, / a warm prayer book for all to the Lord, / the holy Father Joah No, // pray to Christ God to save our souls.

Kontakion to Saint John, Metropolitan of Tobolsk, tone 2

Thou didst appear in the darkness of ignorance to those who dwell in the darkness, an enlightener, / a comforter to widows and orphans, / a wondrous physician to the weak, / a teacher of infants and youths, / a parent of the most radiant joy, / to the holy Father John, / pray to Christ God to give our country affirmation in faith, / to our army to the enemies victory and overcoming, // to the people our great mercy

Saint John of Tobolsk (Maximovich), Metropolitan

Brief life of St. John, Metropolitan of Tobolsk

Saint John, Metropolitan of Tobolsk and All Siberia, wonderworker, in the world John Maksimovich, was born in the city of Nezhin in 1651.
His father Maxim Vasilyevich and mother Euphrosyne had seven sons, of whom John was the eldest. After graduating from the Kiev-Mohyla College (later transformed into the Kyiv Theological Academy), the future saint was left with it as a teacher of the Latin language. Then, in 1680, he became a monk at the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery and delved into the feat of inner work. With the general consent of the brotherhood, the young monk was entrusted with the responsible obedience of a preacher. From that time on, his exceptional talent of eloquence and grace-filled gifts were revealed. He attached particular importance to internal religious self-knowledge. The main theme of his life was immediately determined: “How should a person coordinate his will with the will of God?” He developed it both in sermons and in his subsequent missionary service. The answer to it was a work published at the end of his long ascetic life, entitled “Iliotropion (“Sunflower”), or the Conformation of the Human Will with the Divine Will.” Of the numerous works of the holy fathers of the Orthodox Church, it most fully answers this big question of Christian soteriology. In 1685 he was sent on an embassy to Moscow. There, Patriarch Joachim (1674–1690) appointed him abbot of the Bryansk Svensky Monastery, which was then subordinate to the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

Saint Theodosius, Archbishop of Chernigov, in 1695, shortly before his death († 1696, commemorated February 5), appointed Hieromonk John archimandrite of the Chernigov Yelets Monastery and designated him as his successor in the department. (Saint John revered the memory of Saint Theodosius, believing in the power of his prayerful intercession before the Lord, and by his faith received grace-filled healing from a serious illness through the prayers of Saint Theodosius. At the very height of his illness, Saint Theodosius appeared to him and said: “Serve tomorrow - and you will healthy." The next day the saint, completely healthy, served the Divine Liturgy to the surprise of everyone. The miracle of the healing of St. John served as the beginning of the honoring of St. Theodosius as a gracious saint of God).

On January 10, 1697, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Adrian (1690–1700), with a council of bishops, consecrated Archimandrite John as Bishop of Chernigov in the Great Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

Upon entering the administration of the diocese, Bishop John created a Collegium at the Chernigov bishopric, similar to the Kyiv Academy, which, according to the saint, was supposed to decorate the “Chernigov Athens” - a school of enlightened piety.

Due to the high level of theological education and upbringing, the school of St. John became widely known. Essentially, this was the first seminary in Russia, following the model of which theological seminaries began to open in other dioceses of the Russian Church.

At the same time, the saint opened a printing house, in which he and his successors published many works of spiritual and moral content.

The life of Saint John shone with high virtues, especially humility. It was also reflected in his works: “Moralizing Mirror” (Chernigov, 1703 and 1707), “Alphabet Folded in Rhymes” (1705), “To the Virgin Mary” (1707), “Pheatron, or Moral Shame” (1708 ), “Interpretation on the 50th Psalm” (Chernigov, 1708), “Interpretation on the “Our Father” and “The Osmia of the Beatitudes of the Gospel” (1709), “The Royal Way of the Cross” (Chernigov, 1709), “Thoughts on God” in favor of the faithful" (1710 and 1711), "Synaxarion on the victory at Poltava" (1710), "Traveler" (manuscript), "Spiritual thoughts" (M 1782).

In Chernigov in 1714, the saint published for the first time his main work, written in Latin. (A feature of the graduates of the Kiev school was that they wrote their works in classical Latin. Professor I.A. Maksimovich in 1888 translated “Iliotropion” into modern Russian and published it first in parts in the “Chernigov Diocesan Gazette”, then as a separate book - Kyiv, 1896. An abridged version was published in the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate, 1976, Nos. 5, 6). The “Latin-Greek-Russian Lexicon” is also associated with his name.

On August 14, 1711, Saint John, upon his elevation to the rank of metropolitan, arrived at the See of Tobolsk and All Siberia. The saint tirelessly took care of the enlightenment of his diocese. There he continued the work begun in Chernigov: he improved the school opened by his predecessor, the famous missionary Metropolitan Philotheus (Leshchinsky; † 1727), continued his apostolic preaching among the pagans of Siberia, converting many thousands of people to Christ. In 1714, Saint John sent a mission to Beijing led by Archimandrite Hilarion (Lezhaisky). In Tobolsk, he again began publishing, using the printing house he created in Chernigov. By that time, Metropolitan John published “Iliotropion” in the Slavic-Russian language (1714), so that it could also be understood by Siberians.

The chronicler says about the life of the saint in Siberia: “He was quiet, modest, prudent, compassionate and merciful about the poor.”

He often helped people. Secretly, and sometimes in the clothes of a simple monk, he brought generous alms to the homes of those in need with the words: “Take it in the Name of Jesus Christ.” His house in Tobolsk was always open to everyone who needed help and a word of consolation. Even on the day of his repose, June 10, 1715, Saint John, after the Divine Liturgy, as was his custom before, arranged a meal in his house for the clergy and the poor and served at the table himself. Then, having said goodbye to everyone, the saint retired to his chambers and during the gospel for Vespers, he died in prayer, on his knees. The saint was buried in the chapel of St. John Chrysostom of the Tobolsk Dormition-Sophia Cathedral.

Saint John has long been revered in Siberia. In view of numerous miracles and long-standing local veneration of the memory of St. John, in 1916 the Church established an all-Russian celebration on the day of the saint’s repose before God - June 10.

The memory of St. John is carefully preserved by Siberians and all Russian believers. He still rests in the Tobolsk Cathedral of the Intercession of the Mother of God. The service to him was republished with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy by Metropolitan Bartholomew (Gorodtsov) in 1947 in the city of Novosibirsk.

Complete Life of St. John, Metropolitan of Tobolsk

One of the especially revered Siberian saints is St. John (Maksimovich), who occupied the Tobolsk See for only four years, from 1711 to 1715, but managed to do a lot to glorify the Name of God. It is no coincidence that the celebration of the Council of Siberian Saints falls on the day of his blessed memory.

John's parents were not poor people and generously donated their funds for the construction and decoration of churches. They tried to give their son the best education for that time. At home, he was brought up in the spirit of piety, obedience and love for the Word of God, therefore, continuing his education at the Kyiv College (which later became the Academy), John stood out from everyone for his abilities, so much so that upon graduation from the College he was retained as a teacher there.

In the 70s of the 17th century, Russia was at war with Turkey, and by 1677 the flames of war were raging in the territory of Little Russia. Success accompanied the Turkish troops, who captured part of the southern lands, the large city of Chigirin at that time. Facing the danger of an attack by Turkish hordes on Kyiv, the hetman decided to send an embassy to Tsar Feodor Alekseevich asking for help. The embassy included the young hieromonk John (so great was the authority of the twenty-five-year-old hieromonk in the Lavra!). In addition to requests for military assistance, the Lavra monks asked in the event of a Turkish attack on Kyiv to be given the opportunity to take refuge in another monastery. The Tsar sent an army, and provided the Bryansk Svensky Assumption Monastery, commanding Father John to be its archimandrite.

Documentary evidence about the life of Archimandrite John before 1695 has not survived. They appear only in connection with the assignment of abbotship to him by the Yelets monastery, which was handed over to him by Saint Theodosius of Uglitsky, who had a presentiment of his imminent death.

After the Dormition of Saint Theodosius, the Rada from among the representatives of the Kyiv Metropolitan, the Little Russian Hetman, the army and the philistinism gathered in the bishop's chambers to choose a successor to the deceased, and Archimandrite John (Maximovich) was unanimously elected. John's consecration as Bishop of Chernigov took place in Moscow on January 10, 1697.

Managing the diocese opened up new opportunities for Bishop John. Himself a scholar-theologian and a prolific writer (he wrote about twelve books), he was a patron of education in his diocese. He founded the Slavic-Latin school in Chernigov, which provided education to the children of not only the clergy, but also nobles, townspeople and Cossacks. It was under his authority that synodics were established in all the churches of the Chernigov diocese to enter the names of benefactors into them.

The prayerful intercession of his predecessor, Saint Theodosius of Uglitsky, helped John carry the burden of archpastoral labors on his shoulders. There is a known case of the healing of Bishop John through the prayers of the deceased saint.

Archbishop John was seriously ill and in his prayers he called on Saint Theodosius for help, being sure that he pleased God with his righteous life. Saint Theodosius appeared to his brother and said to him: “Do not grieve, brother. The Lord has heard your prayers, and you will be healthy. Get up from your bed and get ready to serve the Divine Liturgy. This is a sign for you." Having woken up after the vision, the saint sent to tell the governor that he would serve the next day. Knowing his situation, these words were considered the delirium of the patient. Imagine the amazement of everyone when the next day the archbishop, already healthy, celebrated the liturgy. After this miracle, John ordered the opening of the cave where the mortal remains of Saint Theodosius rested, and hung a large portrait of him there, for which he himself composed an inscription (“praise”) in verse. From that moment on, healing began to flow from the relics of St. Theodosius to everyone with faith, and the name of the saint, deeply revered by the Chernigov flock for his righteous life and closeness to the throne of God, was forever intertwined with the estate of St. John, his blessed friend. With great sorrow, therefore, the Chernigov flock experienced the news that their beloved Saint John was appointed Metropolitan of Tobolsk and All Siberia.

There is a legend that this appointment took place not without the participation of the famous Prince Menshikov, who was offended by the independent behavior of the saint during the consecration of a church in one of the princely estates in the Chernigov diocese. Menshikov was going to set the day of consecration himself, which he informed the bishop about through the manager sent for this purpose. The archbishop remarked to this that it was his business to appoint, not the prince’s, and he himself set the time for the consecration of the church. In addition, according to his usual custom, he refused the treat offered after the church celebration. All this offended the prince.

Later, when the bishop became aware of the new appointment, the fate of his “well-wisher” was revealed to him. “Yes, it’s a long way for me to go,” he said, “but the prince will be even further than me.” And indeed, Menshikov ended his life in distant exile in Berezovo.

On August 11, 1711, the Right Reverend John arrived at a new place of ministry, in the capital of the Siberian region, the city of Tobolsk. The very entry of the ruler into the city was arranged with appropriate solemnity. Metropolitan John arrived in Tobolsk on two rafts and stopped opposite the Znamensky Monastery. The next day, to the sound of bells, he entered the city embankment, greeted by the city clergy, secular authorities and townspeople.

Soon after his arrival, the bishops began to talk about him as a great faster, that in his personal life he was quiet, modest, and compassionate. Possessing great capacity for work, the saint was never idle; he was always reading, teaching, or thinking. Most of all he loved prayer. Locked in his cell, he prayed on his knees for a long, long time, often until the morning.

He loved to do good in secret and, through trusted persons, sent money and various things to orphans, to almshouses (under him there were more than twenty of them in the city), to the homes of the poor. Slowly, in disguise, he approached the windows of the houses of those in need, knocked, said: “Accept in the name of Jesus Christ,” and hastily left. His heart especially ached for the poor of the clergy.

Where there was grief and need, the ruler appeared; he was drawn there with all his soul. He loved to go to prisons, of which there were many in Tobolsk, and consoled, taught, and pleased the prisoners with gifts.

This man deeply accepted the gospel word: “When you make a feast, do not invite rich neighbors who can repay you in kind, but invite the weak, the oppressed, the sick.” This is what he always did, he never went on a visit: during the entire time of his service in Tobolsk, he dined with the governor only once, and then at his urgent request. However, on holidays after the liturgy, he invited honorary citizens to his place. His meals were always very modest, and the true decoration of such meals were the conversations of the saint, who had a wonderful gift of speech. His sermons during divine services were always spoken of only in superlatives.

An ever-friend of enlightenment, Metropolitan John passionately cared about the Tobolsk Slavic-Latin school created by his predecessor and, writing knowledgeable mentors from Kyiv and Chernigov for the school, often used his income.

With his zealous concern for the increase of educated clergy in Siberia, he complemented the apostolic aspirations of the tireless Metropolitan Philotheus.

He was not only a theologian, but also a poet, enriched the clergy and flock with many edifying works and thereby armed Orthodox minds for the active and intelligent dissemination of enlightenment. He is the author of the amazingly rich spiritual experience “Iliotropion, or the Conformation of the Human Will with the Divine Will”, published in five books, “Theatron instructive to the king, princes and rulers” - about the responsibilities of the authorities. Finally, his entire reverent soul was reflected in the essay “To the Virgin Mary” and in the book “Thoughts of God in favor of the faithful.”

Continuing his educational and missionary activities in Siberia, the saint traveled around the region, looked for priests capable of missionary work, and took care of the opening of new churches.

Thus, John worked for the glory of God until his very blessed death, gaining more and more the love of his spiritual children, who, even during the life of the bishop, considered him a perspicacious man, a daring man of prayer. His blessed death left a deep imprint in the consciousness of the people, who saw in him a saint of God.

Feeling in advance that death was close, the Metropolitan began to prepare for it: he confessed and took communion. On June 9, 1715, he served the liturgy for the last time and on this day in his chambers he gave lunch for the city clergy and the poor. He served his guests at the table himself. After the meal, having said goodbye to everyone, he went into the inner rooms of his apartment and locked himself in them.

On the morning of June 10, when it was time to ring for matins, a line came up to the inner rooms for a blessing; there was no answer to the cautious knock on the door. The clergy gathered at the closed doors, the governor arrived and, sensing evil, ordered the doors to be broken down. The Metropolitan, already deceased, was on his knees. Those who entered the room saw a picture of the blessed death of St. John.

The death of Bishop John was foreseen by his predecessor and successor, Metropolitan Philotheus, who was on that day far from Tobolsk, in the Kondinsky region. He said to his companions: “Our brother John is successful. Let's move on from here."

The people were convinced of the holiness of their metropolitan even when his body, without being interred (they had to wait a long time for St. Philotheus to return from a missionary trip), remained incorrupt for a long time.

It was not immediately that the mortal remains of the saint found themselves in the place where they were to await the general resurrection. Initially they were located in the Assumption Cathedral, in the chapel of Anthony and Theodosius of Kiev-Pechersk. Twenty-six years later, after the reconstruction, his grave was in the open air, which greatly disturbed admirers of his memory, and Bishop John himself showed dissatisfaction when appearing to the Tobolsk bishops. Then a side church was built over his grave in the name of the Angel of St. John Chrysostom. In 1826, Archbishop of Tobolsk Evgeniy (Kazantsev) wrote: “Metropolitan John (Maksimovich) has such great faith here that many miracles occur, and that even this very chapel was built in honor of him, as if he was healed by him.” In the same letter, Archbishop Eugene asked permission to move the saint’s coffin “in view of the poor condition of the chapel.” Having gone down into the crypt with the clergy, the archbishop discovered the remains of the saint resting in a completely intact coffin; The hood and mantle also turned out to be untouched by time.

From the day of the saint’s dormition, the miracles flowing from his holy relics did not cease to delight everyone who flowed in with faith and have not stopped to this day. The Tobolsk cathedral clergy recorded many cases of the gracious help of St. John. This prompted an examination of his remains. On January 21, 1916, according to the report of the Holy Synod, Saint John was canonized among the saints of God, and his incorruptible remains were recognized as holy relics. The earthly Church sacredly honors St. John, prayerfully remembering his memory together with the entire Council of Siberian saints.

Currently, the holy relics of Metropolitan John rest in the Tobolsk Cathedral in the chapel dedicated to his name. And pilgrims from all over Siberia and from other parts of Orthodox Russia go with their needs to the saint’s shrine and receive gracious consolation through his prayers.

“To the saints who are on His earth, the Lord grants all His will to them” (Ps. 15:3). The will of God found great fulfillment in the life of the saint, therefore his image, as a great faster and man of prayer, involuntarily attracts people to imitate him.

Another biography of St. John, Metropolitan of Tobolsk

Saint John, Metropolitan of Tobolsk (1651–1715), was a native of the Little Russian city of Nezhin. He was the eldest in the family. While all his brothers entered military service, John chose a different path - serving the Church of Christ. Having successfully graduated from the Kyiv Mohyla College, he was retained there as a teacher of Latin, tonsured a monk and appointed to the position of preacher. In the 70s, during the war with Turkey, the Little Russian hetman sent an embassy to Moscow asking for help. Among others, the embassy included the young hieromonk John (so great was the authority of the twenty-five-year-old hieromonk in the Lavra!) Subsequently, Fr. John becomes the archimandrite of the Bryansk Svensky Monastery, and later - the archimandrite of the Yelets Chernigov Monastery. And after some time (January 10, 1697), Archimandrite John in Moscow was ordained Archbishop of Chernigov, instead of his deceased predecessor, Archbishop Theodosius. From the very first years of his archpastoral service, Saint John showed his love and care for the Church of Christ: he founded the first theological seminary (collegium) in Kyiv in 1700, and met with prominent figures of his era. During one of these meetings with Tsar Peter Alekseevich (I), he predicted a brilliant victory over the Swedes. Difficult relations with the tsar’s favorite, the “darling of fate” Prince A. Menshikov played a fatal role in the fate of the archpastor - he was sent to the distant and harsh Siberian city of Tobolsk to the “vacant” department by the Metropolitan of Tobolsk and Siberia. The Little Russian flock saw off their saint with tears.

On August 14 (August 27, New Style), 1711, Saint John arrived in Tobolsk and was solemnly greeted by the governor, Cossacks and governor. The next day, Vladyka John led the Divine Liturgy in honor of the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God in the oldest stone Cathedral of Sophia and the Assumption of the Tobolsk Kremlin beyond the Urals.

At that time, the Siberian Metropolis was vast and unenlightened. The Siberian clergy is uneducated; throughout the Siberian region there are many foreigners who have not been enlightened by Holy Baptism. Temples in some places remained without shepherds for years; believers lived and died without the Holy Mysteries. Many of those who arrived with Metropolitan John returned back, unable to withstand life in the harsh region. But the saint did not lose heart, having experience in management, he chose reliable assistants and in four years managed to improve the situation. The education of the Siberian tribes continued. In this matter, Saint John was greatly helped by the schema-monk-Metropolitan Philotheus (Leshchinsky).

A spiritual mission was sent to China, the Irkutsk region was improved. Construction of new churches has begun. The saint supported with his personal funds the Slavic-Latin school founded in 1703 by Saint Philotheus.

As a bishop, the saint never abused his power. On the contrary, as they say in his life, “in his personal life he was quiet, modest, virtuous, and merciful to the poor.” Often, dressed in rags, he went to the shacks of the poor and, knocking on the door with the words: “Accept in the name of Jesus Christ,” left money or things, and he himself quietly left.

For the Siberian flock, Saint John was a father and prayer book. At night, locked in his chambers, he prayed for a long time with tears for the salvation of his flock. During the short time of his stay in Tobolsk, he managed to gain universal respect and love. On June 10, 1715, Saint John, having served the liturgy, gave lunch to the city clergy, and then, retiring to his room, peacefully surrendered his soul to God. The death of the righteous man was foreseen by the enlightener of Siberia and predecessor of St. John in the department, Schema-Metropolitan Philotheus (Leshchinsky). The relics of the saint, left before the arrival of Bishop Philotheus, remained incorrupt, and after the funeral service, they were buried in the crypt under the Sophia-Assumption Cathedral.

Popular veneration of the saint

Immediately after the death of the saint, his veneration began, many received healing and spiritual help through his prayer. Saint John especially helped the mentally ill and those suffering from unclean spirits.

In 1741, the wooden chapel of the St. Sophia Cathedral in honor of St. Anthony and Theodosius of the Kiev-Pechersk, where Metropolitan John was buried, was dismantled due to disrepair, and the saint’s grave at the northern wall ended up in the open air. The residents of Tobolsk, who reverently honored his memory, were unhappy with this circumstance. There are legends about the repeated appearance of the saint to the Tobolsk Metropolitans Anthony II (Narozhnitsky) and Sylvester (Glowatsky). With reproach and sorrow he told them: “My grave is neglected, and dogs run over my grave. Calm me down and restore the chapel.” In 1753, with donations from admirers, the chapel was restored and consecrated in the name of St. John Chrysostom, the heavenly patron of St. John, Metropolitan of Tobolsk. The grave remained in the altar on the right side; a carved tombstone was made above it and a portrait of the saint was hung at the top. In 1826, due to a crack in the wall of the cathedral, it was necessary to dismantle the foundation, and the relics of the saint were reburied. At the same time, they discovered that the saint’s mantle and hood, with which the relics were covered, were completely incorruptible.

On June 10, 1891, the Right Reverend Justin made an order to the Tobolsk clergy, called a “testament,” in which he asked, prayed and ordered, with the authority given by God, that “in the St. John Chrysostom chapel during the year, except for Great Lent, for all future time urgently Divine liturgies were performed, with the remembrance of St. John for the repose and requiem services for him, may the Lord God number him among His holy saints and through his prayers have mercy and save us sinners, admirers of his holy memory! would write down the holy name of the deceased in their memorials. The “testament” of the Right Reverend Justin, written in his own hand, was placed in a frame under glass, next to the image of the saint.

It must be said that in the city of Tobolsk, as well as in the diocese, there were many lifetime portraits of the saint. Also on the wall of the cathedral above the place of the previous burial, Metropolitan John was depicted at full height in a white hood and a blue mantle with springs with a cross in his right hand and a staff in his left hand. It was clear that the saint was tall, courageous, had gray hair and the same beard, long and thick. The pale face was imprinted with thoughtfulness, meekness and philanthropy. Church veneration of the saint began long before his glorification. Already in 1879, on the day of the repose of St. John, June 10 (23), a religious procession was held with the icon of the Savior.

Residents of Tobolsk eagerly awaited the glorification of their beloved archpastor. Thus, in 1900, by order of Bishop Anthony (Karzhavin), a silver shrine with a gilded canopy was built. Under Bishop Barnabas (Nakropin), with faith in the imminent glorification, the holy remains of the saint were transferred to this shrine on October 16 (29), 1914. This was already the second discovery of the relics. Just as at the first discovery, the honest remains of the saint of God were examined by a commission, which confirmed the incorruption of the remains of the saint.

Glorification of the saint

In January 1915, Bishop Varnava made a report to the Synod on the results of the commission’s work, as well as on the recorded 40 cases of grace-filled help. But in 1915, due to the First World War, the glorification did not take place. However, in December 1915, by imperial command, Archbishop Tikhon (Belavin) of Lithuania arrived in Tobolsk to clarify the circumstances of local veneration (the future Patriarch of All Rus'). He recorded the new healings and submitted a report to the Synod, examined the remains and sealed the coffin with his seal. “A thorough check gives full grounds for All-Russian glorification; the hour has come for the celebration of this bright holiday,” he wrote in his report to the Synod.

The glorification of Saint John took place on June 10 (23), 1916, on the 201st anniversary of his blessed death. Bishops, priests and laity came from all over Russia. Many people sought to cleanse themselves by repentance - so from June 1 (14) the diocesan clergy came to the aid of the city priests. Lecterns with crosses and Gospels were placed on Cathedral Square, and more than 30 priests daily confessed, served prayer services, memorial services, and preached directly in the open air. There were more pilgrims than city residents (30 thousand). The celebrations were headed by the venerable elder, the Apostle of Siberia, His Eminence Metropolitan of Moscow Macarius (Nevsky). Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod A.N. was also present at the celebrations. Volzhin, many archpastors who subsequently suffered for the Orthodox faith and were glorified as new martyrs. Among them is Bishop. Sylvester of Omsk, Metropolitan. Benjamin of Petrograd, prot. Ioann Vostorgov and others.

The relics of St. John now rest in the Intercession Cathedral of the Tobolsk Kremlin. The memory is celebrated 2 times a year - on June 23 and October 29 (according to New Age).

Source: Siberian Orthodox Newspaper