Storozhevsky Savva the Rev. - (Savva of Zvenigorod) - reverend of the Russian Church, founder and first abbot of the Mother of God of the Nativity (Savvino-Storozhevsky) Monastery in Zvenigorod; Zvenigorod miracle worker. One of the most famous Russian saints, spiritual ascetic of Russia, “patron of kings” and “defender of Moscow,” healer, seer, “refuge for all sinners.” He is considered one of the “first” (in terms of time and position) disciples of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

It is known that Saint Savva lived most of his life in the Trinity Monastery with Sergius of Radonezh. He was elected confessor of the Trinity brethren, including Sergius himself, and after the death of Sergius of Radonezh (1392), he was for some time abbot of the Trinity Monastery (for the period when Nikon of Radonezh, to whom St. Sergius transferred the abbotship, went into seclusion). He was the spiritual father of the widow of Prince Dmitry Donskoy - Evdokia (in monasticism - Euphrosyne) and their third son (second by right of inheritance) Yuri of Zvenigorod. The assumption that the Monk Savva could have been the abbot of the Dubensky Assumption Monastery, founded with the blessing of the Monk Sergius, is controversial, since its abbot at that time was another Savva, Stromynsky.

Go, faithful prince, may the Lord be with you, helping you, and you will overcome your enemies, and by the grace of Christ you will return to your homeland in good health. (to Prince George)

Storozhevsky Savva the Venerable Saint

According to new information, the first construction of the wooden Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary on Mount Storozhi near Zvenigorod was carried out in the early 1390s with the blessing of Savva and under the patronage of Prince Yuri Dmitrievich, who called for him to move to his estate. Also most likely (according to the chronicles) in 1395 (and not in 1399) the Monk Savva blessed Prince Yuri for a campaign in Volga Bulgaria, which ended in complete victory and the capture of 14 cities, including the Great Bulgar, Dzhuke-Tau and Kazan.

Immediately after the campaign, funds appeared for the grandiose construction that was carried out in Zvenigorod from 1396 to 1405. The foundation of the monastery on Storozhi can be dated back to the period 1396-1398. It was in the midst of construction and after the death of Vladyka Daniel of Zvenigorod, in 1398, that the Monk Savva left the Trinity Monastery and, at the invitation of Prince Yuri of Zvenigorod and Galich, came to Zvenigorod with the Smolensk Icon Mother of God.

At the same time, construction is in full swing stone temple on Gorodok in the Zvenigorod Kremlin, and later (after the death of Savva) the Trinity Cathedral in the Sergius Monastery (where the relics of the saint are still located) and the Nativity Cathedral in Savvino-Storozhevsky. A young icon painter Andrei Rublev was invited to paint these churches, built in the so-called early Moscow (or it would be more correct to call it “Zvenigorod”) style. With the blessing of Savva, he created a unique Zvenigorod rank, part of which was found in 1918-1919. on Gorodok, including the famous “Spas Zvenigorodsky” (“Russian Spas”), now kept in Tretyakov Gallery). Presumably, Elder Savva could bless the Monk Andrei Rublev to create famous icon"Trinity" for Trinity Cathedral.

The Monk Savva of Storozhevsky reposed on December 3 (16 according to the new style), 1407. The Zvenigorod wonderworker was revered locally, and then he was canonized on the initiative of the monastery brethren and Metropolitan Macarius at a church council in 1547. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich attached particular importance to the monastery; on January 19 (February 1), 1652, on his initiative, the relics of the abbot were discovered. During these same years, the monastery was rebuilt, appearance which has been preserved from that time to the present day. The Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery was the first in the history of Rus' to receive Lavra status.

Many miracles are associated with the monastery and the name of Savva, two of which became historical. The first is Elder Savva’s rescue of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich from a bear during a hunt, and the second is the appearance of the Reverend to Napoleon Bonaparte’s stepson Eugene Beauharnais during the days of the French capture of Moscow in 1812. The last event is famous for the fact that Beauharnais, without destroying the monastery at the request of the elder, was the only one among Napoleon’s main commanders who remained alive (as Savva predicted), and his descendants became related to the Russian royal family and lived in Russia. Nowadays the monastery is in third place in terms of pilgrim attendance after the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and the Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery.

After October Revolution On March 17, 1919, the relics of Savva in the Zvenigorod monastery were opened by the VIII (liquidation) Department of the People's Commissariat of Justice and confiscated. The monastery itself was closed. Until the early 1930s, the relics of St. Savva were kept in Lubyanka, then they were transferred to Zvenigorod resident M.M. Uspensky, who bequeathed to return them to the Church. His heirs in 1985 transferred the relics to the Moscow Danilovsky Monastery, in August 1998 they were solemnly transferred to their native monastery - to the Nativity Cathedral of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, where they are currently kept.

Savva Storozhevsky - reverend of the Russian Church, founder and first abbot of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery in Zvenigorod; Zvenigorod miracle worker. One of the most famous Russian saints, spiritual ascetic of Russia, “patron of kings” and “defender of Moscow,” healer, seer, “refuge for all sinners.” He is considered one of the “first” (in terms of time and position) disciples of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

It is known that Saint Savva lived most of his life in the Trinity Monastery with Sergius of Radonezh. He was elected confessor of the Trinity brethren, including Sergius himself, and after the death of Sergius of Radonezh (1392), he became abbot of the Trinity Monastery instead (despite the will of Sergius of Radonezh in which he bequeathed the abbotship to Nikon of Radonezh). He was the spiritual father of the widow of Prince Dmitry Donskoy - Evdokia (in monasticism - Euphrosyne) and their third son (second by right of inheritance) Yuri of Zvenigorod.

From his youth, having loved a pure and chaste life and rejecting the vain delights of the world, Savva came to the desert to the Monk Sergius and received monastic vows from him. Guided by his God-bearing mentor, he remained in perfect obedience to him, learning the rules of monastic life at the Trinity Monastery.

Venerable Savva takes monastic vows from Saint Sergius of Radonezh

The Monk Savva spent his life in strict abstinence and unceasing vigil, taking care to maintain spiritual and physical purity, which is the adornment of monastic life. The monk came to the church for the Divine service first and left after everyone else. With the fear of God, he stood in the church in prayer; in his tenderness he could not restrain himself from strong crying and sobbing, so that he surprised all the monks of the monastery. He constantly practiced church singing and reading, and in his free time from prayer and church services spent time doing some kind of handicraft, fearing idleness - the mother of vices. The ascetic loved silence and avoided conversations with others. Therefore, he seemed to everyone to be a simpleton who knew nothing, but in fact he surpassed in wisdom many who consider themselves intelligent. He was not looking for ostentatious human wisdom, but for higher, spiritual wisdom, in which he succeeded. The Monk Sergius saw better than others the successes of the Monk Savva in spiritual life and appointed him confessor to the entire brethren of the monastery.

In those days, the noble prince of Moscow, Dimitri Ioannovich, defeated the infidel Tatar khan Mamai and his hordes.

Having returned with joy to Moscow, Grand Duke He immediately came to the Monk Sergius at the monastery to pray and receive a blessing from him. At the same time, the prince turned to the holy elder with the following words: “Holy God! When I wanted to speak out against the infidel Mohammedans, I promised to build a monastery in the name of Holy Mother of God and set up a hostel in it. And now, honest father, with the help of the Almighty God and the Most Pure Mother of God and your prayers, our desire has been fulfilled, our adversaries have been defeated. Therefore, I pray to your reverence: try in every possible way, for the Lord’s sake, so that our vow is soon fulfilled.”

The prince went to Moscow, and the Monk Sergius began to fulfill his request with zeal. He walked around many deserted places, looking for where it would be more convenient to establish a monastery. Arriving at a river called Dubenka, he found a place there that he liked very much. There St. Sergius created a church, and with it a monastery in the name of the Most Holy Theotokos, Her venerable Dormition. Soon some of the brethren came here. The monk gladly accepted them and then established a hostel here. The Monk Sergius chose Blessed Savva from among his disciples as the rector of this monastery, considering him fully capable of independent leadership of the brethren. Having prayed for him, the great ascetic blessed him and said: “May God help you, child, may he give you zeal and strength and may he guide you in all that is good and useful.”

Having accepted the blessing from the holy elder, the Monk Savva began to manage the Dubno monastery. He lived a pure life here, equal to the angels; he depressed himself with fasting and vigil, ate only desert plants, refusing all nourishing and tasty food; I never wore soft clothes. He often shed heartfelt tears, lamenting his sins, and indulged in the most severe monastic deeds.

Meanwhile, the brethren of the monastery began to multiply. The Monk Sava lovingly instructed them and served each one with humility and meekness. Thus the monk lived in the Dubno Monastery for more than 10 years.

On September 25, 1392, the Monk Sergius reposed in the Lord. Preparing for his departure from earthly life, six months before his death he entrusted the management of the great monastery to his closest disciple, the Monk Nikon. But Nikon, after the repose of St. Sergius, first reigned over the monastery for a short time; Wanting to remain in complete silence, he soon secluded himself in a special cell. The Trinity brethren, after much prayer, elevated the Monk Savva of Dubensky to abbot. Having assumed the abbess of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the Monk Savva successfully managed the flock entrusted to him, assisted by the prayers of his great spiritual father and the founder of the Lavra, the Monk Sergius. An ancient legend dates back to the time of the leadership of the Monk Savva in the Lavra, the miraculous creation by his prayers of a water source outside the walls of the monastery, to the north, while the monastery was in need of water. After 6 years, the Monk Savva, seeking silence, left the management of the monastery, after which the brethren of the Sergius Lavra again elevated the Monk Nikon to the abbess. The Monk Savva remained to asceticize at the Trinity Lavra.

Soon after this, the blessed Prince Georgy Dimitrievich arrived at the Trinity Monastery. Prince George was connected by spiritual ties with the Trinity Monastery. Saint Sergius was his godfather, Reverend Savva - spiritual father. Now he turned to his spiritual father with a request to visit his house and give a blessing to everyone at home. Encouraged by the prince, the Monk Savva went to him, thinking to soon return to the Sergius monastery. But the Christ-loving prince began to persistently ask venerable elder, so that he would never leave him, but so that he would build a monastery on his estate, near Zvenigorod, and abbot there. Seeing the good will of the prince, the Monk Savva did not refuse to fulfill his request. He wanted to search suitable place to build a monastery, but the prince of Zvenigorod had already chosen and chosen such a place on Mount Storozhevskaya, one and a half miles from Zvenigorod itself. This place seemed to the monk like a heavenly paradise, filled with fragrant flowers. Prayerfully falling before the venerable icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, which the ascetic carried with him, he cried out to the Intercessor: “Mistress of the world, Most Holy Theotokos! I place the hope of my salvation in You. Do not reject me, Your wretched servant, for You know the weakness of my soul. And now, Lady, look upon this place and keep it safe from enemies. Be my mentor and nurturer until the very end of my life, for I have no other hope but You.”

Skeet

Thus, having prayed and placed all his hope in the Mother of God, the Monk Savva settled in that place. In a short time he built a small wooden church in the name of the Most Holy Theotokos, Her honest and glorious Nativity. Not far from her he built himself a small cell. From this time on, the monk tormented his flesh even more with fasting labors and hardships, laboring in silence. Soon rumors of his holy life brought many to him, seeking a silent life, and the monk received everyone with love and was for them an example of humility and monastic labors. When enough brethren had gathered, the Monk Savva, following the model of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery that spiritually educated him, set up a hostel for them. In his relations with the brethren, he tried to imitate his great teacher, the Monk Sergius, whose precepts he kept in his heart and observed in his ascetic activity; The Monk Savva supported his orders and orders with his own example.

Tradition has preserved the story about him that he himself, on his shoulders, overworked by his exploits and age, carried water up a steep mountain to the monastery, and tried to do everything he needed for himself in order to teach the brethren not to be lazy and not to waste their days in idleness. All this pleased the blessed Prince George; he had great faith in the Monk Savva, his spiritual father, and greatly revered him, patronized the newly created monastery and generously did good to it. By the grace of God and the prayers of St. Savva, the Storozhevsky monastery spread: the brotherhood increased with newcomers from neighboring cities and villages, seeking spiritual benefit and guidance in virtues. Like a loving father, the Monk Savva received everyone with love and in a fatherly manner constantly admonished them with soul-helping teachings. They, overcome by Divine love, kept the commandments of their mentor and bore the spiritual fruits of virtue.

In 1399, Prince George, by order of his brother, the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily Dimitrievich, had to go to war against the Volga Bulgarians. Just before the campaign, the pious prince came to the Storozhevskaya monastery to ask his blessing for the war. spiritual father. He asked the Monk Savva to pray to the All-Merciful God, that he might give him strength against his opposing enemies. The saint prayed and, taking honest cross, overshadowed the prince and at the same time prophetically said: “Go, blessed prince, and the Lord will be with you, helping you. You will overcome your enemies and by the grace of God you will return healthy to your fatherland.”

Having received the blessing from the holy elder, Prince Georgiy Dimitrievich gathered his troops and went against the Bulgarians, conquered many cities and regions and returned to his patrimony with great glory and victory, as the venerable elder prophesied. Upon returning with victory, Prince Georgiy Dimitrievich hurried to the Monk Sava thank him for his successful prayer and pray in the monastery.

After thanksgiving prayer the prince said to the ascetic: “I have found in you a great prayer book and a strong helper in battles, for I clearly see that only through your prayers I defeated my enemies.” The monk humbly answered the prince: “The Good and Merciful God, seeing your pious reign and the humility of your heart and the love that you show to the poor, granted you such a victory over the infidels, for nothing can bring you closer to God than through mercy towards the poor. And if you remain merciful to them to the end, then you will acquire many good things in this life and you will be an heir to eternal blessings.”

The prince made a generous donation to the monastery and established a meal for the brethren. After that, Prince George began to have even greater faith in the Monk Savva.

Following this, the grateful and pious prince hastened to prove his gratitude even more clearly, diligently delivering various benefits, gifts and contributions to the monastery of St. Savva. Cells for the brethren were again built and the monastery was surrounded by a wooden fence. But the best monument labors of the Monk Savva and the charity of Prince Georgiy Dimitrievich remains existing and to this day a magnificent, majestic, extensive stone Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary , built on the site of the previous poor, inconvenient and too small wooden temple. Starting to build it, the pious prince gave the Monk Savva a lot of gold, villages and estates. The pious prince also made other rich offerings to the monastery of his spiritual father, whose holy, ascetic life he revered.

Meanwhile, the humble elder excelled in virtues and spiritual gifts. While he was vigilant over others, he was even more, incessantly and unremittingly vigilant, vigilant over himself. His monastery was decorated, and the name of St. Savva was glorified everywhere around, as well as the name of the Storozhevsky monastery. Monks flocked to him from all sides, seeking guidance in spiritual life and monastic deeds. Lay people came to him asking for instruction and guidance. Fearing and running earthly glory, the Monk Savva went for his labors a mile from the monastery and there, in a deep ravine, under the shadow of a dense forest, he dug himself a cramped cave, where in complete solitude and silence, in repentance, he prayed to the Lord with tears.

Prayer of Saint Sava

The monk alternated prayer and contemplation of God with handicraft and, despite his advanced years, he did not cease to work for the monastery: with his own hands he dug a well under the mountain, which to this day supplies excellent water for the monastery.

Cave of St. Savva of Storozhevsky

Thus, growing day by day in spiritual life, the Monk Savva finally reached a ripe old age, never changing his statutory rule and having once rejected the world, he no longer cared about the worldly and vain; He never dressed in soft clothes and did not seek bodily rest, preferring a narrow and regrettable path to a long one. He loved poverty more than wealth, dishonor more than earthly glory, and endurance of sorrows more than vain joy. Finally the monk fell into a dying illness. Feeling the approach of his death, the elder called the brethren to his deathbed, taught them enough from the Divine Scriptures, urged them to maintain spiritual and physical purity, have brotherly love, adorn themselves with humility and strive in fasting and prayer, and at the same time appointed one of his own as his successor, abbot of the monastery. students named Savva. After this, having taught everyone peace and kisses, the venerable died December 3, 1407 .

The brethren of the Storozhevsky Monastery shed many tears, having lost their “nurse and teacher.” The news of the blessed death of the Monk Sava quickly spread throughout the surrounding area and attracted to the monastery many reverent admirers of him from monastics and lay people. Princes, boyars and residents of Zvenigorod gathered for the funeral. The grief was universal; everyone went to the burial, as if to the burial of their father. Many brought their sick people to the saint’s tomb. Body of St. Savva was buried in the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built under him, on the right side.

Relics of St. Savva of Storozhevsky

Reliquary with the incorruptible relics of St. Savva of Storozhevsky

The incorrupt relics of the saint of God were discovered almost two and a half centuries after his death, during the reign of the most pious Alexy Mikhailovich, in 1652. The discovery of the holy and incorruptible relics of St. Sava was caused by numerous wondrous healings and miracles that took place at the tomb and through his prayerful intercession.

The closest reason for the discovery of the relics of St. Savva, according to the ancient legend existing in the Storozhevsky Monastery, was appearance of the saint of God to Tsar Alexy himself .

During one of his visits to the monastery, Alexy Mikhailovich went hunting in the surrounding Zvenigorod forests. When his retinue scattered through the forest to find the bear’s lair and he was left alone, a bear suddenly ran out of the forest thicket and rushed at him. The king, seeing the impossibility of defending himself, doomed himself to certain death. Suddenly an old man appeared near him, and with his appearance the beast fled from the king. Asked about his name, the elder replied that his name was Savva and that he was a monk of the Storozhevsky monastery. At this time, some of his retinue gathered to the king, and the elder went to the monastery. Returning to the monastery, Alexy Mikhailovich asked the archimandrite about the monk Savva, thinking that he was some ascetic still unknown to him who had settled in the monastery. The archimandrite answered the king that there was not a single monk in the monastery with the name of Savva. Then the king, looking at the image of the monk, realized that it was himself, and ordered a prayer service to be served and the coffin to be examined in order to prepare the holy relics of the venerable Savva for the grand opening.

Many other miracles and appearances of the saint of God preceded the discovery of his relics.

Solemn the discovery of the relics of St. Sava took place on January 19, 1652 in the presence of the sovereign Alexy Mikhailovich himself, his wife Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna, All-Russian Patriarch Joasaph, Novgorod Metropolitan Nikon, later the famous All-Russian Patriarch, and countless people not only from Zvenigorod, its environs and the entire Moscow district, but also from distant cities and the entire great Russian land. The relics of St. Savva were found incorrupt after a 245-year stay in damp earth and placed in an oak tomb on the right side of the cathedral, at the southern gate leading to the altar of the Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God of the monastery.

Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, Zvenigorod

And after the discovery of the holy incorruptible relics of the Monk Sava, many miracles were performed at his tomb. And to this day God preserves the Storozhevskaya monastery through the prayerful intercession of its founder, the Venerable Savva, and from his holy relics miracles flow from those who call with faith and love holy name him into grace-filled help and intercession.

Prayer to Saint Sava
O most honorable and sacred head, citizen of Heavenly Jerusalem, abode of the Most Holy Trinity, Reverend Father Savvo! Having great boldness towards the All-Merciful Master, pray for the flock of your fence, and for all your children in spirit. Do not remain silent when you cry to the Lord for us, and do not despise those who honor you with faith and love. Ask, through your intercession, from the King of those who reign, the peace of the Church, under the banner of the Militant Cross, for the monastics to follow good in their struggles; protection of this holy monastery, this city and all cities and countries; serenity and peace to the world, deliverance from famine and destruction; comfort and reinforcement for the old and weak, good growth in faith for the young and infants, firm training in the Gospel teaching, and abiding in purity and chastity; mercy and intercession to widows and orphans; for the captives there is joy and return; healing for the sick; repose for the faint-hearted; correction for those who have gone astray; those who sin have a spirit of contrition; To those in need and to all who require grace-filled help, help in timely manner. Do not disgrace us, who come to you with faith; make haste, as a loving father to his children, that we too bear the yoke of Christ in complacency and patience; and rule everyone, in peace and repentance, end your life shamelessly and settle with hope in the heavenly abode; where you, through your labors and struggles, are now living with the Angels and Saints, in vain and glorifying God, glorified in the Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Troparion, tone 8
You appeared to the desert through good vegetation, O Reverend One: from your youth you destined to live a pure life, following your spiritual teacher, and with that teaching your mind was directed towards the heavenly ones, and you appeared to your flock to be a wise mentor; Thus Christ also, as he brightened your lamp, enriched you with miracles: Savvo, our father, pray for our souls to be saved.

Monastery of St. Savva of Storozhevsky (2007)

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The Monk Savva of Storozhevsky, Zvenigorod, left the world in his early youth, taking monastic vows from the Monk Sergius of Radonezh, and was one of his first students and associates.

The monk loved a silent life, avoided conversations with people and remained in constant work, crying about the poverty of his soul, remembering the judgment of God. The Monk Savva was for all people an image of simplicity and humility; he acquired such deep spiritual wisdom that even “in the monastery of Sergius he was the confessor of the entire brotherhood, a venerable elder and very teaching.” When Grand Duke Dimitri Donskoy, in gratitude for the victory over Mamai, built the monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God on the Dubenka River, Savva became its abbot, with the blessing of St. Sergius. Maintaining the simplicity of his ascetic life, he ate only plant foods, wore rough clothes, and slept on the floor.

Rev. Savva Storozhevsky. Icon and Life

In 1392, the brethren of the Sergius Lavra, after the removal of Abbot Nikon to silence, begged the Monk Savva to accept the abbess at the monastery. Here he “kindly shepherds the flock entrusted to him, as much as he could and as much as his father, Blessed Sergius, prayed to help him.” Tradition dates back to the time of his abbess the creation of a water source outside the walls of the Lavra.

Prince Yuri Dimitrisvich of Zvenigorod treated St. Savva with great love and respect, godson Venerable Sergius. He chose the Monk Savva as his confessor and begged him to come and give a blessing to his house. The monk hoped to return to his monastery, but the prince begged him to stay and found a new monastery “in his fatherland, near Zvenigorod, where there is a place called Storozhi.” Striving for a solitary and silent life, the monk accepted the offer of the Zvenigorod prince Yuri Dimitrievich and before the icon of the Mother of God with tears he asked for Her protection in a deserted place. On Mount Storozhevskaya, where the guards who guarded Moscow from enemies were once located, he founded a small wooden church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1377), and not far from it he erected a small cell for himself. In 1399, the monk established a monastery here, lovingly receiving all those seeking a silent life. The Monk Savva worked a lot in establishing his monastery. He himself dug a well under the mountain, from where he carried water on his shoulders, surrounded the monastery with a wooden fence, and a mile away, in a ravine, he dug himself a cell for silent living.

In 1399, the monk blessed his spiritual son, Prince Yuri, who was leaving for a military campaign, and predicted his victory over his enemies. Through the prayers of the holy elder, the prince's troops were granted a quick victory. Through the labors of the Monk Sava, a stone cathedral church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built in the monastery.

Veneration of the monk by local residents began immediately after his death. Miraculous healing power flowing from the saint’s tomb, his numerous appearances convinced everyone that Abbot Savva “is truly a never-setting luminary of Divine light, illuminating miracles with the rays of all.” In a charter of 1539, the Monk Savva is called a miracle worker. He was especially honored by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who repeatedly went on foot to worship at the monastery of the saint. Tradition has preserved for us a wonderful story about how the Monk Savva saved him from a ferocious bear.

As the life of the Monk Savva, compiled in the 16th century, tells, at the end of the 15th century (1480 - 1490) to the abbot of the Savvinsky monastery Dionysius after evening rules The elder appeared and turned to him: “Dionysius! Get up and paint my face on the icon.” When asked by Dionysius who he was, the one who appeared answered: “I am Savva, the head of this place.” The old elder of the monastery, Avvakum, who saw the saint in his youth, described the appearance of the saint. This is exactly how he appeared to Abbot Dionysius, who fulfilled the command and painted an icon of the Monk Sava.

The celebration of St. Savva was established in 1547, at the Moscow Council. On January 19, 1652, the incorruptible relics of the saint were found.

miracles, clairvoyance