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Archimandrite Hieronymus Shurygin. Orthodox Charitable Foundation “Alatyr. “He didn’t serve much at that time.”

The Vicar of the Holy Trinity Monastery, Alatyr, Archimandrite Jerome (Shurygin) - Father Jerome

On August 30, 2013, at the age of 61, the abbot of the Holy Trinity Monastery in the city of Alatyr of the Chuvash Metropolis Archimandrite Jerome (Shurygin) passed away to the Lord.
On September 1, 2013, in Alatyr, the funeral service was held for the abbot of the Holy Trinity Monastery in the city of Alatyr, Chuvash Metropolis, Archimandrite Jerome (Shurygin), who died on August 30.
The Head of the Chuvash Metropolis, Metropolitan of Cheboksary and Chuvash Varnava, Archbishop John of Yoshkar-Ola, Archpriest Nikolai Ivanov, Secretary of the Chuvash Metropolis, the clergy, parishioners and numerous spiritual children arrived to say goodbye to the abbot of the monastery.
The service for the dead and the rite of the funeral service was led by His Grace Theodore, Bishop of Alatyr, co-served by the clergy of the Chuvash Metropolis.
Father Jerome was buried at the altar of the Cathedral of the Life-Giving Trinity in the monastery, which the priest restored.

RESURRECTION AGAIN
(from the Dialogues of the Orthodox)
About Alatyr, I only heard that Samara was founded by the Alatyr governor. Therefore, this city is older than Samara. Later I learned that the year of Alatyr's "birth" was 1552. It was at this time that the Holy Trinity Monastery was founded here. Passing by these places during the march to Kazan, Tsar Ivan the Terrible made a vow that if he defeated the Tatars, then, in order to thank God, he would establish a Holy Monastery here. And so it happened.
The earth is full of rumors. So I first learned about the Alatyr Monastery for men of the Holy Trinity from a conversation with the Togliatti priest Vyacheslav Karaulov. “Somehow, my friends came to me in a car,” Father Vyacheslav said, “and they offered to go with them to Alatyr. There, they say, the monastery is amazing and the elder is perspicacious. skeptical, because often excessively exalted parishioners wishful thinking. But I thought: “Why not go?” - and went. And did not regret it. You know, when I went to see him, he said everything about my life - something that only me and my wife could know about ... If there is an opportunity - be sure to visit Alatyr. It is a marvelous monastery there!

Latyrfond.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=128:arkhimandrit-ieornim-shurygin&catid=78:alatyr-fond&Itemid=482

Father Jerome
The Holy Trinity Alatyrsky Monastery was founded, according to legend, in the 16th century by order of Tsar John IV and built at the expense of Alatyrsky Posad and the Tsar's Treasury.
The Alatyr Monastery, in the history of its existence, absorbed the most precious and great currents within Russian Orthodoxy. In 1615, the monastery was assigned to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, when the spirit of St. Sergius of Radonezh was especially strong in it. The Alatyr Monastery was under the control of this monastery for almost 150 years. The heyday of the monastery was the 19th century, which is connected with the activities of hegumen Avraamy (Soloviev), whom the Monk Seraphim of Sarov himself pointed out as a possible vicar, offering him in his place, since he himself was preparing for the wilderness life. The beginning of the 20th century - again a powerful spiritual flow, this time from the Russian North, causes the monastery to flourish again: one of the most remarkable abbots in the entire history of the Valaam Monastery, Father Gabriel becomes Archimandrite of the Holy Trinity Monastery. And, finally, our time is Father Jerome, who brought here the traditions of Mount Athos.
The ancient history of the monastery is also rich in its own pupils. And the greatest of the Alatyr saints is Schemamonk Vassian, who labored here in the 17th century. After a couple of hundred years, his relics were found completely incorruptible, many healings and miracles occurred from them. And pilgrims thirsting for a cure came to the monastery from everywhere to worship, and this holy monastery became famous for this. In 1904, a well was built near the tomb of St. Bassian, where, according to legend, he threw his chains and sackcloth, avoiding human glory. And to this day, in the cave temple in the name of St. Seraphim of Sarov, the Vassian spring beats, the healing power of the water of which helps from many diseases. The exact place of the last burial of the ascetic is unknown: before the closing of the monastery, the monks, fearing desecration of the relics, hid them. But the current brethren pray fervently and believe that in time the Lord will reveal this mystery.
Since 1919, the most tragic period in the history of the monastery began. Archimandrite Daniel, the rector, a quiet man of prayer, was arrested and sent to Solovki and shot there in the 1930s. Many monks suffered the fate of being killed. And in the temples and cells of the holy monastery there is an accordion factory and a zone of the NKVD. Already in our days, the remains of more than three hundred innocently ruined souls were discovered on the territory of the monastery, among which there are many children; All of them are now carefully buried. The entire territory of the monastery is covered with the bones of the Orthodox - this is a tragic, holy place. During the war years, ski production and a tobacco and tobacco factory were located here, which lasted until 1988.
Father Jerome, a tonsurer of the Pskov-Pechora Monastery and the spiritual son of his elder Father John Krestyankin, did not come to Alatyr by accident. From Pechory, in 1987, at the inclination of his heart, he left for Athos, where he spent 5 years in the Russian Panteleimon Monastery, and then 2 years asceticised in the Holy Land. Returning to Russia, he chose a poor parish in Chuvashia to serve in the diocese of Vladyka Varnava, then Archbishop of Cheboksary and Chuvash (now Metropolitan). And now, a year after the service of Father Jerome in the Nikulinsky Church of the Poretsky District, Vladyka offered him to take over the restoration of the monastery in Alatyr. When Father Jerome took the monastery under his care in November 1995, it was completely desolated and devastated. From the magnificence of past times, only the skeletons of dilapidated churches and cells remained. Through the labors of the governor and the brethren, the monastery gradually rose from the ruins. Benefactors have arrived.
The scope of work was huge. But a special ascetic spirit kindled the hearts of all those who came to work for the glory of God. Miracles were created by selfless labors. Not a single building suitable for habitation remained in the monastery. Within a short time, the first fraternal cells were restored, and in the spring of 1996, repairs began on the church, named after the miraculous icon of the Kazan Mother of God, which saved the city from the cholera epidemic in 1748. Consecrated by Archbishop Varnava on July 25, 1996, the Kazan Church, according to experts, has no analogues in the entire Volga region. The ceiling and walls are covered with carved oak paneling of very fine and highly artistic work, which was carried out by the masters completely free of charge for a year and a half. After the illumination, a daily series of statutory services was established in the monastery.

The second restored church was the "cave" one, where the tomb of God's saint schemamonk Vassian was previously located. In the spring of 1997, the restoration of the largest church in honor of the patron saint of Russian monasticism, St. Sergius of Radonezh, began. The work continued for over a year. The interior of the temple was designed anew, the roof was dismantled, a dome was arranged. And, finally, a spacious, bright, with graceful lines outside, like a ship, crowned with a Byzantine dome with a gilded cross, the temple was consecrated on October 3, 1998. In a short time, the fraternal buildings, a refectory, a hotel outside the monastery and a refectory for pilgrims, warehouses, workshops - sewing, icon painting, prosphora, bakery were restored and rebuilt. The monastery was transformed before our eyes.
On July 8, 2001, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia visited the shrines of the city of Alatyr. The visit of the Patriarch became a historical event in the life of the city and a kind of outcome of the most important initial period of the revival of the holy monastery. On that day, His Holiness the Patriarch addressed the believers with the primatial word: “The Lord judged us to live at a time when destroyed shrines are being revived, when people are regaining their way to the temple and to God. I believe that the grace of the Lord will help the revival of this shrine of our land, and many monastics will glorify the Lord, pray for peace, for the earthly fatherland and for our Holy Church - this is the guarantee of the future. After many decades of fighting against God, people again realize that it is impossible to live without faith. I prayerfully wish that the blessing of God would be with this revived monastery, that the Lord would help to continue restoring its former glory and beauty.” And the wishes of His Holiness the Patriarch came true.
All the newly built temples of the monastery - the Cathedral of the Life-Giving Trinity and the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, the gate church of Vassian of Constantinople (spiritual mentor of Vassian of Alatyr) are extraordinarily beautiful. They are created and painted thanks to the great love for God and the talent of the masters. The splendor of churches, listening to liturgy, sermons, confession and the sacrament of communion miraculously purify the soul of any person. The bell tower of the Holy Trinity Monastery is unique, which, as the tallest temple monolithic structure with a height of 83 meters, is included in the Russian Book of Records. There is a beautiful fountain located on the territory of the monastery, and nearby, in an artificially created reservoir, fish of extraordinary beauty live. A single silhouette of white walls, rounded dark domes, an aster-colored cathedral and a luxurious bell tower with chimes dominates the city.
There were fires and destructions in the history of the monastery, but it was reborn again and again, rebuilt, transformed and increased its spiritual power. Sacrificial brotherly love for all those who suffer and seek consolation within the church walls remained unchanged. She is alive today, this love. You observe it every day among the monastics, you see how attentive the inhabitants are to the needs of pilgrims, to everyone who comes for spiritual support or asks a question. And the abbot of the monastery Archimandrite Jerome (Shurygin) himself sets an example of sincere, active love. The love that Father Jerome radiates to everyone who comes to him is transmitted to the brethren of the monastery. An extremely rare case in monastic practice: the priest not only presides, engaging in very troublesome economic and financial activities, not only serves many hours of worship, but also receives dozens of people in his cell as confessor every day - from morning to evening. Father Jerome himself says this about his ministry: “We are monastics, and this is a special estate in the Church. Here they think more about the monastery, because we are one family. The main thing for a monk is prayer, the desire to achieve love for the Savior and his neighbors, the people who are next to you need your support.”
For many years of fruitful work on the formation of the spiritual and moral values of society, a significant contribution to the restoration of the Orthodox monastery, Archimandrite Jerome was awarded in 2006 the title of "Honorary Citizen of Alatyr". He was also awarded the Order of the Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow 3rd class, the medal of the Order of Merit for the Chuvash Republic, orders and medals of various public organizations.
You can listen to BATYUSHKA JERONIM HERE.

Father Jerome was born in 1934, in the village of Pesochny, Yaroslavl Region. The temple in the village was already closed, but Boris was attracted to church from childhood. The nearest temple was seven kilometers from the house, in the village of Dyudkovo, where he went stealthily from relatives and friends. Grandmother was buried near the church. And when someone asked where he went, he answered that he went to his grandmother's grave. Coming to the service, Boris stood behind, at the entrance to the temple, so that no one would notice him. And there were reasons to hide. It was a time of official atheism and uncompromising anti-churchism. Boris's parents were afraid to reveal their faith. His mother was a teacher. She understood that if they found out that her son was attending the temple, then she would not only be threatened with dismissal from her job, but even more serious reprisal would be possible. Therefore, when she noticed that her son was stealthily going to Dyudkovo, she lamented: “You will destroy us all!”

Now, after more than half a century, Father Jerome has established warm relations with the clergy and parishioners of the Dyudkovo church. Every year he comes to his homeland and with special trepidation celebrates the Divine Liturgy in the place that was the most sacred in his childhood.

As a young man, Boris traveled to the regional center - Rybinsk, where he visited the Ascension-Georgievsky Church. Here he met his rector, Abbot Maxim (later Bishop of Argentina and South America, then Archbishop of Omsk and Tyumen, Tula and Belevsky, Mogilev and Mstislav). In this temple, Boris for the first time began to serve the altar. It was hegumen Maxim who advised me to enter the Leningrad Theological Seminary and made a recommendation.

Boris entered the seminary in 1956. It was the time of the height of "Khrushchev's church reform". The head of the Soviet state set out to put an end to the Church and proclaimed the idea of "perestroika" of church life. She, like everything else in Khrushchev's politics, was opposed to the previous Stalin era, at the end of which the Soviet state made some indulgences in its open persecution of the Church. The aim of the new policy was to prevent church preaching in any form. Many of the forces of the state were thrown to isolate the Church from the youth and thereby undermine its nourishment with new forces.

The leadership of the seminary was obliged to submit information about those who entered it to study to the Commissioner for Religious Affairs, and he sent information about them to local authorities. After all, it was their “defect”. In the beginning, people from the district branch of the Komsomol came to Boris's parents, who promised that if they insisted that their son leave the seminary, then he would be assigned to a good university and given vouchers to a sanatorium. After that, a meeting was held in the village club, at which accusatory speeches were made against the mother: “Shame on such a teacher! We trusted her with our children, and she failed to raise her own son!” Somewhat later, the family moved to Dubna, where, after graduating from higher education, Boris's elder brother was assigned to the Institute of Atomic Research. My father also got a job as an accountant at the institute. When information about his youngest son reached here, a special meeting was also called. On it, Ilya Ivanovich was demanded to renounce his son. He refused. Academician Bogolyubov came to his defense, who shamed the audience: “What do you want: that he, like Ivan the Terrible, kill his son?” With his speech, he softened the accusatory intensity. The father was charged with a severe reprimand, and the brother, who was supposed to go on a business trip to Poland, was forbidden to travel abroad.

But the seminary period in the life of Boris himself was not so severe. The leadership of the theological schools tried with all their might to protect the students from the attacks of the state hostile to them. The students were surrounded by noble and devoted teachers, most of whom were graduates of the pre-revolutionary St. Petersburg Theological Academy. Therefore, father Jerome remembers the years of study as the brightest time of his life.
In the first grade, he happened to meet Archimandrite Nikodim, who was then graduating from the Theological Academy. Yaroslavl seminarians gathered around the archimandrite, who served in the Yaroslavl diocese. (One of these meetings was photographed in 1956). In 1960, Archimandrite Nikodim was consecrated Bishop of Podolsky, and some time later he was appointed the ruling bishop of the Yaroslavl and Rostov sees. It was Archbishop Nikodim who in 1961 tonsured and then ordained Boris Karpov, who graduated from the seminary. For that time, these were such unusual events that they were reported in the central church printed organ - the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate.

It is significant that the priestly consecration of Father Jerome, which soon followed, took place on July 30 in memory of the Monk Savva Storozhevsky. Only later did he understand the providential meaning of this day.

Archbishop Nikodim appointed the young hieromonk rector at the Annunciation Church in Yaroslavl, but soon changed his mind, and with the words “my monks must be educated,” he blessed him to enter the Leningrad Theological Academy. For four years the young pastor studied at the academy, and after graduating for another three years - in graduate school at the Moscow Theological Academy, the last two years - in absentia, since he was appointed rector of the Exaltation of the Cross Cathedral in Petrozavodsk and dean of the Olonets diocese.

In 1967 Father Jerome was consecrated to the rank of archimandrite. After Petrozavodsk, he served in the city of Kovrov of the Vladimir diocese, in the village of Korostyn and in the cities of Borovichi and Valdai of the Novgorod diocese. But most of his pastoral service - 27 years - Archimandrite Jerome carried in Zvenigorod. Here he found himself in the most crucial historical period for the Church, when church pastors for the first time had the opportunity to preach beyond the walls of the temple. It was a crucial time when "the harvest was plentiful, but the sowers were few." For many kilometers in the district of Zvenigorod there were no functioning churches, and therefore there were no priests either. It is with Archimandrite Jerome that the history of the resumption of worship in many surrounding churches is connected - in the Zvenigorod church in honor of the faithful Alexander Nevsky, in the churches of the villages of Ershovo, Kolyubyakino and Troitskoye on the Moskva River, the consecration of the chapel in Korallov and the laying of the chapel on the site of the destroyed Ascension Church in Zvenigorod. And of course, one cannot fail to mention the opening of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery. Father Jerome became the first governor after his resurrection. And, although he was appointed to this position in 1995, he began to conduct divine services in the monastery long before the official opening of the monastery.

Archimandrite Jerome was destined to become an eyewitness and participant in many key events of our Fatherland in the 20th century. He was familiar with many church historical figures, he had fellowship with people who had already been glorified as saints. For the people of Zvenigorod, he is a native person for almost everyone, since for the majority he became a shepherd, who, having performed the Sacrament of Baptism over them, introduced them to the Church.

The well-deserved award was presented to Father Jerome on November 6 in the Administration building by the Head of the Zvenigorod City District Alexander Smirnov and the Chairman of the City Council of Deputies Larisa Belousova.

In early October, at a time when one of the most famous residents of Zvenigorod - Archimandrite Jerome, rector of the Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God on Gorodok - was celebrating his 80th birthday, the Council of Deputies of the Zvenigorod city district received a letter from the city residents with a request to give this remarkable person the title "Honorary citizen of the city district of Zvenigorod".

The deputies could not refuse such an initiative, and in accordance with the decision of the Council of Deputies of the Zvenigorod city district, Archimandrite Jerome, known in the world under the name Karpov Boris Ilyich, was awarded the most significant city title at the last meeting.

One of the most famous elders of the late XX-beginning of the XXI century. Being a continuer of the spiritual traditions of such elders as Father Seraphim (Tyapochkin) and Father John (Krestyankin), he influenced a large number of people who, under the impression of his sermons, came to the monastery to settle, and many accepted monasticism. According to numerous testimonies, he had the gift of clairvoyance.

Viktor Fedorovich Shurygin was born on November 17, 1952 in the village of Belorechka, Sverdlovsk Region. After graduating from school in Anapa in 1973, he studied until 1974 at the Novorossiysk Naval School. In 1975 he graduated from a trade college in Saratov.

By his own admission, "I did not intend to be either a monk or a priest," he wanted to continue his studies, but a meeting with Archimandrite Hilarion in Abkhazia, who told the future elder that his "path was only a monastic" changed Victor's decision.

In 1980 he was tonsured a monk with the name Jerome in honor of the monk, in the same year he was ordained a hierodeacon, in 1981 a presbyter.

In 1987 he left for the St. Panteleimon Monastery in (Greece), where he was a cellar, sacristy, librarian, dean, housekeeper, confessor and treasurer. In 1993 he left for Jerusalem.

In 1994 he returned to Russia, served in the Cheboksary and Chuvash diocese.

From 1994 to 1995 he was the rector of the church in the village of Nikulino, Poretsky district (Chuvashia), since 1995 he was the abbot of the Holy Trinity Monastery in the city of Alatyr (Chuvashia).

In January 2009, he participated in the work of the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Interesting facts about Archimandrite Jerome (Shurygin)

Elder Jerome enjoyed special reverence among the military. Many generals, admirals, representatives of the middle and junior officers, ordinary soldiers, sailors, Cossacks considered Father Jerome an example of service for the good of the Fatherland.
Father Seraphim (Shurygin) was awarded the Order of the Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow, 3rd degree, the medal of the Order of Merit for the Chuvash Republic, is an Honorary Citizen of the city of Alatyr, the Order of the Badge of Honor of the Chuvash Republic

Archimandrite Jerome (Shurygin; November 17, 1952 - August 28, 2013) is remembered by Archimandrite Vasily (Pasquier), in whose life Fr. Orthodoxy and came to serve in Russia. Fr. Vasily and Fr. Jerome were linked by long years of service in the Cheboksary and Chuvash diocese, and deep fraternal spiritual friendship. And we also talk about the will of God and spirituality, about human understanding and about what problems one should address to a confessor.

On the Holy Land

Father Vasily, you have been associated with Archimandrite Jerome (Shurygin) for many years. What was your first meeting like?

It happened in Jerusalem. I was then a monk of the Melkite Greek Catholic monastery. And then one day - we already had Bright Week after Easter, and the Orthodox were still having Holy Week - I saw that a delegation had arrived at our monastery: Metropolitan Gideon from Stavropol, no longer young, and with him his clergy from the Stavropol Territory and two Athos monk: hieromonk Jerome and deacon Jacob. As usual, we hospitably received everyone, showed the monastery, then brought the guests to our library, where they were treated to tea, juice and fruit. It was then that I first met Father Jerome.

- What were your impressions from this meeting?

Our eyes met. And I had a feeling that this is an unusual person and that maybe this person is my destiny.

Especially none, because we spoke different languages: he said two or three words in French, and I said two or three words in Russian. But our eyes met. And I had a feeling that this is an unusual person and that maybe this person is my destiny. But it was such a fleeting impression. I didn't even know if we'd see each other again. It turned out that Father Jerome stayed in Jerusalem and did not return to Athos.

He lived in Jerusalem for two years. Lived in different places. And by the beginning of autumn he moved to the Greek Lavra of St. Sava the Sanctified. But he did not live there for long - one might even say that he escaped from there on Catholic Christmas. At night, just in time for the All-Night Vigil from the 24th to the 25th, he appeared wet, because it was raining.

- And why, do you think, did he leave the Lavra of Savva the Sanctified?

Probably because it was very difficult for him there. Father Jerome was then young and strong. He had different obediences in the monastery: in the kitchen, revenge floors, to go for water - and this is not so easy: there is no running water, you need to go down to the source. The monks even collected rainwater from the ditches and from the roofs, and the ditches had to be strictly monitored so that they were clean. It is difficult to fulfill these obediences. And the cellar of the Lavra, Father Cherubim, was very tough and demanding. He, by the way, then went into a split. Although for many years he labored and was a student of the famous abbot, Elder Seraphim: they lived together in the desert. Demons tempted him, and he fled from the monastery.

So, it was not so much physically difficult for Father Jerome, but for other reasons: he, a Russian monk, was very difficult in this Greek monastery: the Greeks are great nationalists. It is now in the monastery of St. Sava the Sanctified that the situation has changed a little thanks to the Russians who live there.

After leaving the Lavra, Father Jerome helped the spiritual father of the convent for some time, served in his turn and also worked as a carpenter and plumber: he justified his bread in this way, because he unofficially lived in this monastery. And then he left for the desert. And when he returned to Jerusalem from the desert, we began to communicate regularly. And before they met occasionally, during the service at the Holy Sepulcher.

I knew people who had close contact with him: they were Orthodox Jews - the younger generation that left the USSR for Israel. There were many. And he and Father Jerome were very friendly. They also came to our monastery. It was a special monastery where John the Baptist hid for some time. There is a natural font. The Russians loved this place. Father Jerome came to us many times with his children. And we got closer and closer.

And on Easter 1993, a wanderer came to our monastery of John the Baptist.

- What kind of person was that?

He walked from Vladivostok to Jerusalem. Now this wanderer is known as the monk Athanasius from Athos. Such a popular blogger, a nationalist. But in those days he was more moderate. A simple layman, he was connected with the Vladivostok mafia, with some not very good deeds, and came to Jerusalem as a sign of repentance. A typical Russian person. A man without limits - both in sinfulness and in the feat of prayer. He came over Easter in 1993, was looking for a place to stay, and asked to stay with us.

- And why in your monastery, after all, it was a non-Orthodox monastery?

A meeting was arranged in my cell. Of course, it was all secret, Father Jerome came to me through a hole in the fence.

Because we were very open, we did not look who came: Orthodox, non-Orthodox… We received all people with a good desire. It was very interesting for me to listen to such an ardent person, very Orthodox. We worked together: I took him to my obedience. I had to dig a hole for a foundation in stone. Not in the ground, but in the stone! And on Easter in Jerusalem it’s already hot, I couldn’t cope alone. I took him to work, to obedience with me. We worked a lot and chatted a lot, talking about Orthodoxy. And he strongly encouraged me to accept Orthodoxy. And several times he told Father Jerome about me that, they say, there is such a person in the monastery of St. John the Baptist, we need to work with him, he is ready to convert to Orthodoxy. He even arranged a meeting in my cell. Of course, it was all secret, father Jerome came to me through a hole in the fence.

Why a secret meeting?

So that no one knows about it. This was in the fall of 1993.

We must remember another very important meeting - important both for me and for Father Jerome: on Easter 1993. Then Bishop Barnabas from Chuvashia came to Jerusalem (at that time an archbishop, now a metropolitan). I fell in love with Vladyka immediately. And Father Jerome loved him too, he knew him from the Pskov-Caves Monastery, when Vladyka came to this monastery, and Father Jerome was there on obedience and was also tonsured there.

Much united me and Father Jerome. We met at the Holy Sepulcher on Sundays at services. Then I used to go there almost every week. But the brethren of my monastery felt that I was slowly leaving them, that I had a great interest in Russian Orthodox people. And they began to forbid me to go to services there, forbid me to communicate with Russians. And I already felt out of place in a non-Orthodox environment. And so, somewhere at the end of October 1993, I approached Father Jerome and said: "I can no longer live a double life." But then he could not accept me into Orthodoxy. He said that when he goes to Russia, he will take me with him. And I have mine: “It is not good to live a double life. I can't anymore." - "Well," he says, "then leave your monastery." Saying is one thing, doing is another. This is such a step!

The next day I came to him: he served the Liturgy. I left the side door of the altar, took the cross from the Throne, blessed me and sent me to Patriarch Diodorus. We went with our wanderer, the future monk Athanasius, to the Patriarchate. We were met by Metropolitan Timothy (then he was still an archimandrite, and perhaps already a bishop), he was the patriarch's secretary. He knew French well, I was familiar with him - a few years before that I had already written to him about my desire to convert to Orthodoxy, but then this transition did not take place, many things prevented this ...

- What exactly?

And so, with Father Jerome, we came to Patriarch Diodorus. He welcomed my decision, but doubted that I should accept the Orthodox faith in Jerusalem. Because Jerusalem is too small, everyone knows each other there, and it will be a scandal, especially since I have lived in this city for more than ten years.

Vladyka Diodorus sent me to Russia. That was the will of God.

Father, you once told how in the Gorensky monastery they cleaned the sewers with Father Jerome. How did your father feel about work?

Like all of us. This is obedience. He was not afraid of work. And the sewer was not a problem for him. He was a very simple person. And it has never happened that we are not supposed to do some work.

Father Jerome served a prayer service for the road, generously sprinkled me with holy water and blessed me: “Go to France, we’ll meet in Moscow.”

We lived together until about mid-November. I had a plane ticket to France. Father Jerome served a prayer service for the road, generously sprinkled me with holy water and blessed me: "Go to France, we'll meet in Moscow." Of course, I had no doubt that it would be so.

- When did you end up in Moscow?

In France, I had to work for some time in order to save money for a trip to Russia. My younger brother is an antique furniture restorer. He taught me a little, and I worked for him for a month and a half. Finally bought a ticket to Moscow and somewhere on January 9, 1994 flew to Russia.

In Moscow and Pechory

- Were there any difficulties with the arrival? Like with a visa? After all, at that time it was still impossible to come to Russia so easily ...

In general, no. But here's what happened. The Jerusalem children of Father Jerome knew about my intention to accept Orthodoxy. They were mostly Jews, I have already spoken about them. And among them there were many people associated with Father Georgy Kochetkov. They phoned their friends in Moscow and said that there is such a father, Vasily, a Frenchman who is converting to Orthodoxy and is going to Russia. I don’t know how, but the Kochetkovites found my parents’ phone number and started calling me. I said that I needed an invitation to get a visa. And they sent me an invitation.

I immediately went from Sheremetyevo to Lubyanka, 19. Father Georgy then lived above the altar. He came down and met me. I never hid the fact that he made a not very pleasant impression on me.

- Why?

I did not immediately understand where I was. Got it all figured out the very next day. It wasn't what I expected. They were very attentive to me... I never understood why they were so affectionate. They thought that I was an icon painter, they showed me a place where I can paint icons ... And, you know, I don’t like it when, let’s say, they climb on me too much. I immediately move away. Well, okay, I recovered to sleep in the building, which is now no longer in the Sretensky Monastery - a new church is being built in its place, and earlier there was an administrative building, a publishing house. Here in this house I was given a room. And then I met a cockroach for the first time in my life. They laid me on the floor. And then for some reason I thought that I would live here with cockroach friends until my last days. It was terrible, I did not sleep all night.

Went to work in the morning. Of course, the temple then had a different look, not like now. There was no iconostasis, the royal doors were low. And some group of people dressed in white. They explained to me that they had just been baptized and would now wear white for a week and take communion every day. Came to the altar - I was invited. And then, very unexpectedly for me, Father George asked: “Are you going to take communion?” How can he offer me to take communion when the Orthodox Church has not yet accepted me?! And I refused.

I had several other phones, I called one of my acquaintances - she is now a mother, her father serves in America, in New York. And she says to me: "We must immediately leave Father Georgy Kochetkov." She then sang on the kliros with Father Alexander Shargunov in the church of St. Nicholas in Pyzhy. We went there.

Father Alexander, so stern, with little smile, met me very well. And for me it was also important that he spoke to me in French.

- Father Alexander Shargunov helped you?

Yes, I had to register, and I also asked to write me another invitation. And he wrote from his coming. So I went to officially register already from the arrival of St. Nicholas in Pyzhy.

Then we got acquainted with Bishop Tikhon (Shevkunov) - then Father Tikhon - through Olesya Nikolaeva.

- When did your conversion to Orthodoxy take place?

March 15, on the day of the Sovereign Icon of the Mother of God. This was the first week of fasting. And right away I was invited to the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts at the Danilovsky Monastery, on Friday I received communion, and on Saturday I served with the Patriarch, also at the Danilovsky Monastery, on the patronal feast of Prince Daniel of Moscow. And then for some time he was sent to the Pskov-Caves Monastery.

When we arrived there, Father Tikhon was there. Together we went to Father John (Krestyankin), whom I had already met before - in February 1994. He remembered me and was glad that I was accepted into Orthodoxy.

- Do you remember your conversation with Father John (Krestyankin)?

He asked if I had been chrismated. I answered that no, there was no chrismation. Just an affiliation. But Father John (Krestyankin) said that it was better to be anointed. Then Father Tikhon took me by the hand, we went to the Cathedral of the Assumption, to the cave temple, where hegumen Spiridon celebrated the sacrament of chrismation. And Father Tikhon was there, and therefore I consider him my godfather.

Then I lived in a monastery, but it was hard because I did not know Russian. And he kept thinking: when will Father Jerome arrive?

- And how was Father Jerome treated in the Pskov-Caves Monastery?

Differently. Young monks, for example, Father Joasaph, Father Alipiy - positively. And the older generation is negative. And, by the way, Father John (Krestyankin) is also negative.

- Why?

Father John (Krestyankin) said: “Father Jerome did not listen to me. I didn’t bless him to go to Athos”

When I said that Father Jerome had sent me to Russia, Father John (Krestyankin) said: “Father Jerome did not listen to me. I did not bless him to go to Athos. But he did not listen to me and went without permission. This upset me a little: how can this be? Father Jerome has always been presented as a child of Father John (Krestyankin), but how can a child disobey his spiritual father?!

In June 1994 Father Jerome finally returned to Russia. We met, he visited the Pskov-Caves Monastery, but here's what's interesting: Father John (Krestyankin) did not accept him, did not let him in.

- Did you ever talk about this situation with Father Jerome?

No. It's none of my business. Father Jerome, I think, was surprised and disappointed, because he really counted on the blessing and support of Father John and did not receive them.

Of course, this is human vanity, that he labored in the Pskov-Caves Monastery, labored on Mount Athos, labored in Jerusalem ... Maybe he expected to return to Russia as an elder. And Father John (Krestyankin) himself did not bless.

Father Jerome was with Father Nikolai Guryanov on Zalit Island. Well, they probably accepted him more gently there. I cannot say whether Father Nikolai knew Father Jerome before.

Father Jerome and I met at the Sretensky Monastery. It was then the courtyard of the Pskov-Pechersk monastery, Father Tikhon was the rector, I lived with him. It was here that Father Jerome found me. We served on the feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. We served together, and then together we went to Athos for two weeks. And after returning from Athos, they were at the reception of Patriarch Alexy.

- Why did Father Jerome return to Athos?

He needed a holiday letter, which he did not have, because, one might say, he illegally stayed in Jerusalem and illegally returned to Russia. He took a vacation card and his Greek passport from Father Jeremiah. And from this vacation we came to the patriarch, and Father Jerome asked for a transfer to Chuvashia. He also asked me to send along with him. From September 1994 we served in Chuvashia.

In Chuvashia

- How were you received in Chuvashia?

Vladyka ordered us to serve in the Chuvash village, but the local people did not accept us. There was a real scandal. We barely made it through the all-night vigil on Saturday. The people were noisy, shouting that we were not allowed to serve, that we were Masons, that we had bought this place… I don’t know where they got all this from, who started such a rumor. Of course, it was unexpected for us. I didn’t know Russian then, I didn’t understand what was happening, I only saw and felt that people were very angry, they even waved sticks, threatening us. We were forced to return to Vladyka Barnabas. And he assigned us to another, Russian parish - to the village of Nikulino, Poretsky district.

- Were you met better there?

Much better. Father Jerome stayed at this parish for more than a year, and I for two years. For more than a year we served together: I as a deacon, and he as a hieromonk-priest. And all this year Vladyka Varnava wanted to transfer Father Jerome as a viceroy to a new monastery in Alatyr. Father Jerome at first refused: he believed that it was impossible to revive this monastery - it was too destroyed. And so it was. But Vladyka insisted, and Father Jerome eventually agreed. And at the end of 1995, he was appointed as a vicar in the Alatyr Holy Trinity Monastery.

- Where did they send you?

I was ordained a hieromonk, and when Father Jerome was sent to the Alatyr Monastery, I was appointed rector of the church in the village of Nikulina. I served for a year, and then Father Jerome asked me to come to him in Alatyr. So in the summer of 1996 we teamed up again and started reviving the monastery.

We were very close spiritual friends, even brothers. understood each other

We were close, but as friends. It cannot be said that he was my spiritual father. Of course, he was older - by six years, and had experience on Athos ... But ... We were very close spiritual friends, even brothers. They understood each other. I was near him. He influenced me, but spiritually I was a bit of a hooligan, I retained my independence.

That period for our friendship was not very favorable. They slandered me, as if I were dragging diesel fuel and gasoline from the monastery and selling it. Slandered our supply manager-drunkard. He was a novice and stole fuel himself so that he could buy booze. And when it turned out that diesel fuel was disappearing somewhere, gasoline was disappearing somewhere, he blamed me for everything. Father Jerome was very angry, he didn’t even want to listen to me, that drunkard kept repeating the same thing: “It’s him.” It was so hard for me: how I loved Father Jerome, and here he listens to a drunken man, and accuses me ... And I said: “Father Jerome, I can’t do this.” At this time, there were changes in the management of the women's monastery in the city, a new abbess came there. Father Jerome obliged me to help the new abbess. And soon she wrote a petition to Vladyka for my transfer to them as a senior clergyman. And I agreed.

- Was it hard to leave Father Jerome?

Yes, it's hard. And this story with the theft of gasoline. She really hurt me. I was offended. But Father Jerome was very disappointed, he even cried, shut himself up in his cell for two weeks and did not go out. So our friendship was destroyed, but, thank God, not for long. But he expelled me from his synodicons, did not pray for me, did not remember my name! That was such an insult. But I once approached him, bowed to the ground - and heard: "I don't need your repentance." What can you do!

But then our friendship gradually recovered, we supported each other. And when it was difficult for him, I was always there.

For five years I served as a priest in a convent, and then Vladyka gave me a new obedience - to revive the temple in Alatyr from the ruins.

- How did you react to this new such difficult obedience?

I felt that Vladyka had given me a new field for activity. As a pastor, he entrusted me with a very good active missionary parish. Father Jerome supported me financially, morally, and spiritually on this path.

But there were also sorrows at that time. Father Jerome was often ill. And he was seriously ill, he could not always leave the cell. Once even he had a seizure, so that someone even called the diocese and said that Father Jerome was dying. And that day was more difficult for me than ever before. And it never happened that after the Liturgy I went to lie down. And then he fell asleep. And through a dream I hear that someone is calling all the time. Finally, I shook off this drowsiness and picked up the phone, and it was Vladyka Barnabas, who tried to get through to me to say that Father Jerome was dying. How does he die?! “Go, you are his only friend. There is no other priest in Chuvashia who could help him.”

A car came, we drove at high speed, and in two hours we reached the monastery. I thought all the way: what will I see? who will I meet?

Finally arrived. There is such silence in the monastery, like in a horror movie. There is almost no one. I go up to Father Jerome's cell...

Finally arrived. There is such silence in the monastery, like in a horror movie. There is almost no one. I go up to the cell of Father Jerome, I think that there will probably be a lot of people there, someone will cry, someone will lament ... I enter: there is no one. Emptiness. And surprisingly, even the doors of his cell are open. I enter. Father Jerome is lying on the sofa... I went up, knelt down, quietly took his hand and called: “Father Jerome!” Suddenly he opens his eyes, looks at me: “Oh! Father Vasily has arrived ... ”He sits on the sofa, says, he even invites me for tea ... That's it.

I called Vladyka and said that Father Jerome had come to life. Vladyka blessed him to unction. And the very next day, on Monday, Fr. Jerome was unctioned.

In the evening after the Unction, I arrived in Cheboksary and, although it was already late, I went to Vladyka's cell. “Vladyka,” I say, “I myself do not understand what was the matter. Either Father Jerome is a great actor, or I am a “great miracle worker.” And Vladyka laughs: “Of course, you are a “great miracle worker”.” After this incident, Father Jerome and I became even more friendly.

- And what is the story with the temple in Cannes?

The Russian Church in Cannes needed a lot of help. Father Jerome persuaded me to ask to be her rector. There was a big temptation. In this case, some officials from Moscow were involved, who every year came to Cannes and went to this temple. Father Jerome wanted to please them. And Vladyka Barnabas, when he found out what was the matter, immediately said: “Don’t get involved! I won't let you in!"

- Father Jerome persuaded you to agree to this rectorship?

Yes. We have been there. I had a big inner turmoil. I then told my godfather, father Tikhon (Shevkunov), about all my experiences. And although I felt inwardly that no primacy was needed, still something gnawed at my heart. Father Tikhon said: no need, forget it. And Vladyka Barnabas did not bless.

Father Jerome really wanted me to go to Cannes. Then I realized that nothing came out. And if any of us is perspicacious, it is Vladyka Barnabas. He is the most experienced, he immediately said that I did not need to go there. But these Muscovites organized a meeting at the very top, even Metropolitan Hilarion from New York came, met with Bishop Barnabas, said that it would be nice if Father Vasily transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. And Vladyka: “I really need him in the diocese.” And then Bishop Hilarion, a very spiritual person, said: “Father Vasily, I respect the decision of Bishop Barnabas. They won't let you go." This is where it all ended.

But what is interesting: after all these negotiations, there was a court in France, and he took the temple from the Moscow Patriarchate. He took it and gave it to the dissenters. They kicked out the father who served there. He ended up on the street and there was nowhere for him to serve, because the keys to the church were taken from him; he was forced to take refuge in the Catholic Church, in which there was practically no service. And he still doesn't serve. Vladyka Barnabas foresaw all this and therefore said to me: "Don't get involved." And then Father Jerome also saw that Vladyka was right.

After that incident, Father Jerome's health deteriorated.

- He didn't serve at that time, did he?

Yes. He lived as a recluse, did not leave his cell. And even on his day he no longer served an angel. And then he was paralyzed after a stroke, he could hardly be baptized, and it was very difficult for him to speak. But he was cured. And even put forward a candidate for the bishopric. But on the Dormition of 2013, Father Jerome died. We found out about it only two days later.

- How so?

He was ill a lot, he could not leave his cell for two or three days. Nobody thought of anything like that. Batiushka did not come to work, which means he is ill. The cell is closed. He does not answer - so it must be so. He seemed to be living in a prison. But after two or three days the brethren were already worried. We looked out the window: he seems to be sleeping. And then, after some time, they looked - and he was lying in the same position. That's when we thought something had happened. They broke down the door of his cell and found him already dead.

I arrived at the monastery when he was already lying in a coffin in the Trinity Cathedral. I came up and remembered the day when Vladyka called me and said that Father Jerome was dying… I went up to him and said: “Father Jerome, this time I was late.” The next day, Vladyka arrived, and we buried Father Jerome.

- Father, many people revere Father Jerome for an old man.

I would call Father Jerome a highly spiritual person. But if someone says that he worked miracles... It is not a person who creates miracles. God works miracles through man. It's a slightly different attitude. It's like in the movie The Island, remember? Father Anatoly considers himself a sinner, considers himself a murderer, and all his life he prays, repents and cries, because he considers himself a murderer and he himself is at a loss why the Lord gave him such a great gift of clairvoyance and miracles. And you only realize this at the end of the movie, when his friend, whom he supposedly killed, turns out to be alive. The Lord so arranged that it was his daughter who turned out to be demon-possessed and that it was her father Anatoly who healed. This is a very good story.

He was a man who considered himself a sinful Jerome. And he was always ready to help others

Father Jerome was a very intelligent man. He was a psychologist, he understood people very well, he approached people very easily, he penetrated people very easily. He helped others a lot because he was available. I loved Father Jerome very much, because he was a man who considered himself a sinful Jerome. And he was a man who was always ready to help others. An unselfish person. He did not like money, he was very honest about them. He kept nothing for himself. Not a penny. Always walked around in old clothes. He wore a cassock, which he wore back in Jerusalem. Material things did not interest him.

Once he was presented with a very expensive cross. And he gave it to Archimandrite Evdokim, the abbot of the monastery of Savva the Sanctified in Jerusalem. Completely unexpected! And even Vladyka was not surprised by this, because for Father Jerome it was a common thing: if you have something, give it to other brothers.

But he could joke. Once he gave me a very old car, about which he knew that it would not pass much. And then he always joked that he gave me a Mercedes. And it was a complete mess. And so we gathered in the village where we once served together, in Nikulino, for potatoes. We drove 20 meters on it - and the engine stalled.

I think it was helpful. In order not to be proud, so that a person does not expect help from anyone, except from the Lord.

Confessor - guide on the spiritual path

- People still remember Father Jerome.

Many people, in whose fate Father Jerome took part, now go to Vladyka Barnabas for advice. They are now in great difficulty. And Vladyka Barnabas cannot deal with them. Father Jerome gave someone a haircut, promised something to someone, someone had a wedding, and someone, on the contrary, had a divorce. life situations. This is not the domain of the ruler. It's hard... Vladyka sends them to me.

I once warned Father Jerome not to associate myself with the fate of people. How will he answer for them later? But to some extent he was sure that it was from God.

Just the other day, two people also came to Vladyka, and he sent them to me. The situation is very difficult. And I scolded these people: “You used Father Jerome as a fortuneteller! “What will happen to us? What house to buy? What car to buy? Where to invest money? You yourself had to decide. And if you acted on his advice, then this is your choice and you are responsible for it. And these people answered me: “He told us that we need to buy this apartment. We bought it and now we can't sell it." They ask me what to do. Unfortunately, I cannot answer anything. Father Jerome could answer because he graduated from the institute of trade and understood all this. And I am a specialist in agriculture by education, I can tell you how to milk a cow, how to feed a cow. But I don't know how much a cow costs. The trouble is that you came to Father Jerome with this question, and not how to be saved.

The confessor must answer spiritual questions, give spiritual answers. Understand what you are looking for

The confessor must answer spiritual questions, give spiritual answers. Understand what you are looking for. The Lord said: "Seek first of all the Kingdom of Heaven", and not material prey.

And not even with family problems, you need to come to the confessor. To solve family issues, the Lord gave us reason. And the spiritual father should accompany you on the spiritual path. And so it turns out that there is no spiritual father, and the children are tied to the material ...

- And what is the way out of this situation?

We must pray that the Lord will show us how to be.

17.11.2015

On the Holy Land

– Father Vasily, you have been associated with Archimandrite Jerome (Shurygin) for many years. What was your first meeting like?

“It happened in Jerusalem. I was then a monk of the Melkite Greek Catholic monastery. And then one day - we already had Bright Week after Pascha, and the Orthodox were still having Holy Week - I saw that a delegation had arrived at our monastery: Metropolitan Gideon from Stavropol, no longer young, and with him his clergy from the Stavropol Territory and two Athos monk: hieromonk Jerome and deacon Jacob. As usual, we hospitably received everyone, showed the monastery, then brought the guests to our library, where they were treated to tea, juice and fruit. It was then that I first met Father Jerome.

- What were your impressions from this meeting?

Our eyes met. And I had a feeling that this is an unusual person and that maybe this person is my destiny.

- Especially none, because we spoke different languages: he said two or three words in French, and I said two or three words in Russian. But our eyes met. And I had a feeling that this is an unusual person and that maybe this person is my destiny. But it was such a fleeting impression. I didn't even know if we'd see each other again. It turned out that Father Jerome stayed in Jerusalem and did not return to Athos.

He lived in Jerusalem for two years. Lived in different places. And by the beginning of autumn he moved to the Greek Lavra of St. Sava the Sanctified. But he did not live there for long - you can even say that he ran away from there on Catholic Christmas. At night, just in time for the All-Night Vigil from the 24th to the 25th, he appeared wet, because it was raining.

- And why, do you think, did he leave the Lavra of Savva the Sanctified?

“Probably because it was very hard for him there. Father Jerome was then young and strong. He had different obediences in the monastery: in the kitchen, on the floors of revenge, to go for water - and this is not so easy: there is no running water, you need to go down to the source. The monks even collected rainwater from the ditches and from the roofs, and the ditches had to be strictly monitored so that they were clean. It is difficult to fulfill these obediences. And the cellar of the Lavra, Father Cherubim, was very tough and demanding. He, by the way, then went into a split. Although for many years he labored and was a student of the famous abbot, Elder Seraphim: they lived together in the desert. Demons tempted him, and he fled from the monastery.

I knew people who had close contact with him: they were Orthodox Jews, the younger generation that had left the USSR for Israel. There were many. And he and Father Jerome were very friendly. They also came to our monastery. It was a special monastery where John the Baptist hid for some time. There is a natural font. The Russians loved this place. Father Jerome came to us many times with his children. And we got closer and closer.

And on Easter 1993, a wanderer came to our monastery of John the Baptist.

- What kind of person was that?

– He walked from Vladivostok to Jerusalem. Now this wanderer is known as the monk Athanasius from Athos. Such a popular blogger, a nationalist. But in those days he was more moderate. A simple layman, he was connected with the Vladivostok mafia, with some not very good deeds, and came to Jerusalem as a sign of repentance. A typical Russian person. A man of lawlessness - both in sinfulness and in the feat of prayer. He came over Easter in 1993, was looking for a place to stay, and asked to stay with us.

– And why in your monastery, after all, it was a non-Orthodox monastery?

A meeting was arranged in my cell. Of course, it was all secret, Father Jerome came to me through a hole in the fence.

– Because we were very open, we did not look who came: Orthodox, non-Orthodox… We received all people with a good desire. It was very interesting for me to listen to such an ardent person, very Orthodox. We worked together: I took him to my obedience. I had to dig a hole for a foundation in stone. Not in the ground, but in the stone! And on Easter in Jerusalem it’s already hot, I couldn’t cope alone. I took him to work, to obedience with me. We worked a lot and chatted a lot, talking about Orthodoxy. And he strongly encouraged me to accept Orthodoxy. And several times he told Father Jerome about me that, they say, there is such a person in the monastery of St. John the Baptist, we need to work with him, he is ready to convert to Orthodoxy. He even arranged a meeting in my cell. Of course, it was all secret, father Jerome came to me through a hole in the fence.

Why a secret meeting?

- No one should know about it. This was in the fall of 1993.

We must remember another very important meeting - important for me and for Father Jerome: on Easter 1993. Then Bishop Barnabas from Chuvashia came to Jerusalem (at that time an archbishop, now a metropolitan). I fell in love with Vladyka immediately. And Father Jerome loved him too, he knew him from the Pskov-Caves Monastery, when Vladyka came to this monastery, and Father Jerome was there on obedience and was also tonsured there.

Much united me and Father Jerome. We met at the Holy Sepulcher on Sundays at services. Then I used to go there almost every week. But the brethren of my monastery felt that I was slowly leaving them, that I had a great interest in Russian Orthodox people. And they began to forbid me to go to services there, forbid me to communicate with Russians. And I already felt out of place in a non-Orthodox environment. And so, somewhere at the end of October 1993, I approached Father Jerome and said: "I can no longer live a double life." But then he could not accept me into Orthodoxy. He said that when he goes to Russia, he will take me with him. And I have mine: “It is not good to live a double life. I can't anymore." “Well,” he says, “then leave your monastery.” Saying is one thing, doing is another. This is such a step!

– The next day I came to him: he served the Liturgy. I left the side door of the altar, took the cross from the Throne, blessed me and sent me to Patriarch Diodorus. We went with our wanderer, the future monk Athanasius, to the Patriarchate. We were met by Metropolitan Timothy (then he was still an archimandrite, and perhaps already a bishop), he was the patriarch's secretary. He knew French well, I was familiar with him - a few years before that I had already written to him about my desire to convert to Orthodoxy, but then this transition did not take place, many things prevented this ...

- What exactly?

Vladyka Diodorus sent me to Russia. That was the will of God.

- Father, you once told how in the Gorensky monastery they cleaned the sewers with Father Jerome. How did your father feel about work?

“Like all of us. This is obedience. He was not afraid of work. And the sewer was not a problem for him. He was a very simple person. And it has never happened that we are not supposed to do some work.

Father Jerome served a prayer service for the road, generously sprinkled me with holy water and blessed me: “Go to France, we’ll meet in Moscow.”

– When did you end up in Moscow?

- In France, I had to work for some time in order to save money for a trip to Russia. My younger brother is an antique furniture restorer. He taught me a little, and I worked for him for a month and a half. Finally bought a ticket to Moscow and somewhere on January 9, 1994 flew to Russia.

In Moscow and Pechory

- Were there any difficulties with the arrival? Like with a visa? After all, at that time it was still impossible to come to Russia so easily ...

- In general, no. But here's what happened. The Jerusalem children of Father Jerome knew about my intention to accept Orthodoxy. They were mostly Jews, I have already spoken about them. And among them there were many people associated with Father Georgy Kochetkov. They phoned their friends in Moscow and said that there is such a father, Vasily, a Frenchman who is converting to Orthodoxy and is going to Russia. I don’t know how, but the Kochetkovites found my parents’ phone number and started calling me. I said that I needed an invitation to get a visa. And they sent me an invitation.

I immediately went from Sheremetyevo to Lubyanka, 19. Father Georgy then lived above the altar. He came down and met me. I never hid the fact that he made a not very pleasant impression on me.

- Why?

“I didn’t immediately understand where I was. Got it all figured out the very next day. It wasn't what I expected. They were very attentive to me... I never understood why they were so affectionate. They thought that I was an icon painter, they showed me a place where I can paint icons ... And, you know, I don’t like it when, let’s say, they climb on me too much. I immediately move away. Well, okay, I recovered to sleep in the building, which is now no longer in the Sretensky Monastery - a new temple is being built in its place, and earlier there was an administrative building, a publishing house. Here in this house I was given a room. And then I met a cockroach for the first time in my life. They laid me on the floor. And then for some reason I thought that I would live here with cockroach friends until my last days. It was terrible, I did not sleep all night.

Father Alexander, so stern, with little smile, met me very well. And for me it was also important that he spoke to me in French.

- Father Alexander Shargunov helped you?

– Yes, I had to register, and I also asked to write me another invitation. And he wrote from his coming. So I went to officially register already from the arrival of St. Nicholas in Pyzhy.

Then we met Vladyka Tikhon (Shevkunov), then Father Tikhon, through Olesya Nikolaeva.

– When did your conversion to Orthodoxy take place?

- March 15, on the day of the Sovereign Icon of the Mother of God. This was the first week of fasting. And right away I was invited to the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts at the Danilovsky Monastery, on Friday I received communion, and on Saturday I served with the Patriarch, also at the Danilovsky Monastery, on the patronal feast of Prince Daniel of Moscow. And then for some time he was sent to the Pskov-Caves Monastery.

– Do you remember your conversation with Father John (Krestyankin)?

– He was interested in whether I was anointed. I answered that no, there was no chrismation. Just an affiliation. But Father John (Krestyankin) said that it was better to be anointed. Then Father Tikhon took me by the hand, we went to the Cathedral of the Assumption, to the cave temple, where hegumen Spiridon celebrated the sacrament of chrismation. And Father Tikhon was there, and therefore I consider him my godfather.

Then I lived in a monastery, but it was hard because I did not know Russian. And he kept thinking: when will Father Jerome arrive?

- And how did they treat Father Jerome in the Pskov-Caves Monastery?

- Differently. Young monks, for example, Father Joasaph, Father Alipy, positively. And the older generation is negative. And, by the way, Father John (Krestyankin) is also negative.

- Why?

Father John (Krestyankin) said: “Father Jerome did not listen to me. I didn’t bless him to go to Athos”

– When I said that Father Jerome sent me to Russia, Father John (Krestyankin) said: “Father Jerome did not listen to me. I did not bless him to go to Athos. But he did not listen to me and went without permission. This upset me a little: how can this be? Father Jerome has always been presented as a child of Father John (Krestyankin), but how can a child disobey his spiritual father?!

In June 1994 Father Jerome finally returned to Russia. We met, he visited the Pskov-Caves Monastery, but here's what's interesting: Father John (Krestyankin) did not accept him, did not let him in.

– Did you ever talk about this situation with Father Jerome?

- Not. It's none of my business. Father Jerome, I think, was surprised and disappointed, because he really counted on the blessing and support of Father John and did not receive them.

Father Jerome was with Father Nikolai Guryanov on Zalit Island. Well, they probably accepted him more gently there. I cannot say whether Father Nikolai knew Father Jerome before.

– Why did Father Jerome return to Athos?

- He needed a holiday letter, which he did not have, because, one might say, he illegally stayed in Jerusalem and illegally returned to Russia. He took a vacation card and his Greek passport from Father Jeremiah. And from this vacation we came to the patriarch, and Father Jerome asked for a transfer to Chuvashia. He also asked me to send along with him. From September 1994 we served in Chuvashia.

In Chuvashia

- How were you received in Chuvashia?

– Vladyka ordered us to serve in the Chuvash village, but the local people did not accept us. There was a real scandal. We barely made it through the all-night vigil on Saturday. The people were noisy, shouting that we were not allowed to serve, that we were Masons, that we had bought this place… I don’t know where they got all this from, who started such a rumor. Of course, it was unexpected for us. I didn’t know Russian then, I didn’t understand what was happening, I only saw and felt that people were very angry, they even waved sticks, threatening us. We were forced to return to Vladyka Barnabas. And he assigned us to another, Russian parish - to the village of Nikulino, Poretsky district.

Were you better received there?

- Much better. Father Jerome stayed in this parish for more than a year, and I for two years. For more than a year we served together: I as a deacon, and he as a hieromonk-priest. And all this year Vladyka Varnava wanted to transfer Father Jerome as a viceroy to a new monastery in Alatyr. Father Jerome at first refused: he believed that it was impossible to revive this monastery - it was too destroyed. And so it was. But Vladyka insisted, and Father Jerome eventually agreed. And at the end of 1995, he was appointed as a vicar in the Alatyr Holy Trinity Monastery.

- Where did they send you?

– I was ordained a hieromonk, and when Father Jerome was sent to the Alatyr Monastery, I was appointed rector of the church in the village of Nikulina. I served for a year, and then Father Jerome asked me to come to him in Alatyr. So in the summer of 1996 we teamed up again and started reviving the monastery.

We were very close spiritual friends, even brothers. understood each other

We were close, but as friends. It cannot be said that he was my spiritual father. Of course, he was also older – by six years, and had experience on Athos… But… We were very close spiritual friends, even brothers. They understood each other. I was near him. He influenced me, but spiritually I was a bit of a hooligan, I retained my independence.

– Was it hard to leave Father Jerome?

- Yes, it's hard. And this story with the theft of gasoline. She really hurt me. I was offended. But Father Jerome was very disappointed, he even cried, shut himself up in his cell for two weeks and did not go out. So our friendship was destroyed, but, thank God, not for long. But he expelled me from his synodicons, did not pray for me, did not remember my name! That was such an insult. But at one time I went up to him, bowed to the ground - and heard: "I don't need your repentance." What can you do!

But then our friendship gradually recovered, we supported each other. And when it was difficult for him, I was always there.

For five years I served as a priest in a women's monastery, and then Vladyka gave me a new obedience - to revive the temple in Alatyr from the ruins.

– How did you react to this new such difficult obedience?

– I felt that Vladyka had given me a new field for activity. As a pastor, he entrusted me with a very good active missionary parish. Father Jerome supported me financially, morally, and spiritually on this path.

A car came, we drove at high speed, and in two hours we reached the monastery. I thought all the way: what will I see? who will I meet?

Finally arrived. There is such silence in the monastery, like in a horror movie. There is almost no one. I go up to Father Jerome's cell...

– I called Vladyka and said that Father Jerome had come to life. Vladyka blessed him to unction. And the very next day, on Monday, Fr. Jerome was unctioned.

- And what is the story with the temple in Cannes?

– The Russian Church in Cannes needed a lot of help. Father Jerome persuaded me to ask to be her rector. There was a big temptation. In this case, some officials from Moscow were involved, who every year came to Cannes and went to this temple. Father Jerome wanted to please them. And Vladyka Barnabas, when he found out what was the matter, immediately said: “Don’t get involved! I won't let you in!"

– Did Father Jerome persuade you to agree to this rectorship?

- Yes. We have been there. I had a big inner turmoil. Then I told my godfather, Father Tikhon (Shevkunov), about all my experiences. And although I felt inwardly that no primacy was needed, still something gnawed at my heart. Father Tikhon said: no need, forget it. And Vladyka Barnabas did not bless.

Father Jerome really wanted me to go to Cannes. Then I realized that nothing came out. And if any of us is perspicacious, it is Vladyka Barnabas. He is the most experienced, he immediately said that I did not need to go there. But these Muscovites organized a meeting at the very top, even Metropolitan Hilarion from New York came, met with Bishop Barnabas, said that it would be nice if Father Vasily transferred to the DECR. And Vladyka: “I really need him in the diocese.” And then Bishop Hilarion, a very spiritual person, said: “Father Vasily, I respect the decision of Bishop Barnabas. They won't let you go." This is where it all ended.

After that incident, Father Jerome's health deteriorated.

“He didn’t serve much at that time, did he?”

- Yes. He lived as a recluse, did not leave his cell. And even on his day he no longer served an angel. And then he was paralyzed after a stroke, he could hardly be baptized, and it was very difficult for him to speak. But he was cured. And even put forward a candidate for the bishopric. But on the Dormition of 2013, Father Jerome died. We found out about it only two days later.

- How so?

- He was sick a lot, he could not leave his cell for two or three days. Nobody thought of anything like that. Batiushka did not come to work, which means he is ill. The cell is closed. He does not answer - so it must be so. He seemed to be living in a prison. But after two or three days the brethren were already worried. We looked out the window: he seems to be sleeping. And then, after some time, they looked - and he was lying in the same position. That's when we thought something had happened. They broke down the door of his cell and found him already dead.

– Father, many people revere Father Jerome for an old man.

– I would call Father Jerome a highly spiritual person. But if someone says that he worked miracles... It is not a person who creates miracles. God works miracles through man. It's a slightly different attitude. It's like in the movie The Island, remember? Father Anatoly considers himself a sinner, considers himself a murderer, and all his life he prays, repents and cries, because he considers himself a murderer and he himself is at a loss why the Lord gave him such a great gift of clairvoyance and miracles. And you only realize this at the end of the movie, when his friend, whom he supposedly killed, turns out to be alive. The Lord so arranged that it was his daughter who turned out to be demon-possessed and that it was her father Anatoly who healed. This is a very good story.

He was a man who considered himself a sinful Jerome. And he was always ready to help others

Once he was presented with a very expensive cross. And he gave it to Vladyka Barnabas: he removed it from himself and placed it on Vladyka. Completely unexpected! And even Vladyka was not surprised by this, because for Father Jerome it was a common thing: if you have something, give it to other brothers.

I think it was helpful. In order not to be proud, so that a person does not expect help from anyone, except from the Lord.

Confessor - guide on the spiritual path

– People still remember Father Jerome.

– Many people, in whose fate Father Jerome took part, now go to Vladyka Barnabas for advice. They are now in great difficulty. And Vladyka Barnabas cannot deal with them. Father Jerome gave someone a haircut, promised something to someone, someone had a wedding, and someone, on the contrary, had a divorce. life situations. This is not the domain of the ruler. It's hard... Vladyka sends them to me.

I once warned Father Jerome not to associate myself with the fate of people. How will he answer for them later? But to some extent he was sure that it was from God.

The confessor must answer spiritual questions, give spiritual answers. Understand what you are looking for

The confessor must answer spiritual questions, give spiritual answers. Understand what you are looking for. The Lord said: "Seek first of all the Kingdom of Heaven", and not material prey.

- And what is the way out of this situation?

“We must pray that the Lord will show us what to do.

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Interesting facts about Archimandrite Jerome (Shurygin)

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