"wrong" millionaire Innokenty Sibiryakov. Irkutsk resident of Svyatogorsk Innokenty (Sibiryakov)

Behind the monastery walls

My son! Conduct your affairs with meekness

and you will be loved by a godly person.

(Sir. 3, 17)

Those whom the whole world was not worthy of,

wandered through deserts and mountains,

through the caves and defiles of the earth (Heb. 11:38).

Apostle Paul

So Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov relied on God in everything, entrusting his passage along the path of monastic feat to his spiritual father, the rector of the St. Petersburg metochion of the St. Andrew's monastery, Hieromonk David. Father David was an extraordinary man, he was one of the builders of the farmstead, and led a concentrated, contemplative life. Information about Archimandrite David (Mukhranov) is available in the archives of priest Pavel Florensky: “Archimandrite David ([died] June 5, 1931, Dmitry Ivanovich Mukhranov) came from the peasants of Simbirsk province, Kurmysh district, Zhdanov volost, the village of Zhdanov. Was in military service. He became a monk in his mature years. 1888-1898 was in charge of St. Petersburg. the courtyard of St. Andrew's monastery, actually built it. It was built in St. Petersburg with the money of millionaire Sibiryakov. several charities. In 1896 he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite by the Greek Metropolitan Philotheus. In 1903-1908. - rector of the Kobievsky monastery of the Georgian Diocese, renewed it. Since 1908 - on Mount Athos... In the early 20s, Fr. David concelebrated with St. Patriarch Tikhon... He blessed Fr. Pavel Florensky to engage in the philosophical and theological development of imyaslaviya. He was the spiritual father of D.F. Egorova, A.F. and V.M. Losev..."

We deliberately omitted information about the participation of Archimandrite David in the name-glorification movement, since all the events associated with this theological dispute occurred more than ten years after the death of Father Innokenty (Sibiryakov).

Then, in 1894, Hieromonk David carefully approached Innokenty Mikhailovich’s desire to become a monk and, before tonsuring him, did everything possible to show his spiritual son the difficulties of monastic life - that prayerful feat of the Athonite monks, in which he primarily consists their life. For this purpose, Hieromonk David and Innokenty Sibiryakov leave for Athos. And the question immediately arises: why did Innokenty Mikhailovich choose Athos? On this topic, both in secular and in the church press, you can find different explanations, even the most ridiculous ones. But the motives for this choice, in our opinion, lie in the peculiarities of I.M.’s soul. Sibiryakov - in his unwavering desire to strive for perfection in everything. And in those years in St. Petersburg it was believed that the Divine services at the capital's courtyard of the Old Athos St. Andrew's monastery, due to their splendor, prayerfulness and strict adherence to the church charter, were among the most soul-saving, and Athos monasticism itself was the pinnacle of Christian asceticism.

The special spirit of Christian traditions inherent in Athos, the thousand-year experience of the invisible battle with sin, has always attracted those inclined to monastic life. Russian Athonite monasticism was noticeably different from the Orthodox ascetics of Russia. This was also noticed by the monks-pilgrims to the Holy Mountain: “During the long period of existence of Athonite monasticism, placed by nature and the whole situation in special conditions, a special, original type of Athonite monk has developed. As far as we managed to get to know him during our stay on Athos, this type can be characterized by the following features. First of all, all Athonite monks are characterized by some kind of extraordinary cheerfulness, combined with cordiality and courtesy. Perhaps this cheerfulness reflects the influence of the ever-young, ever-green, beautiful southern nature; maybe it is explained by the deep penetration of the Christian mood (sic - T.Sh.), which is cheerful by its very nature. In any case, it is difficult to meet a monk on Athos living in a monastery, monastery, cell, kaliva, or even under open air, and dissatisfied with fate and life. ... Athonite monks are distinguished from ordinary Russian monks by their comparative intelligence. The need to compete with the Greeks forces them to always be on their guard and not lag behind them in anything. Therefore, although there are few scientists on Athos, and among the Russians, it seems, there is no one seriously involved in science, nevertheless, the majority of Russian Athos monks speak either Greek or Turkish; They value the book treasures of their libraries, and they themselves publish soul-saving works related to the history of Athos.”

It was precisely these people, who purified their souls in a spiritual feat, that Innokenty Mikhailovich saw on the Holy Mountain. They were truly happy with the purity and height of their transformed souls, and they generously gave this happiness (part of it with Christ) to others. This happiness is the Kingdom of Heaven “inside”, which the Savior spoke about, and which is formed in a person by the grace of God, but according to the desire of a person and his effort. It was strikingly different from the idea of ​​​​happiness that exists in the world. Is it any wonder that Innokenty Sibiryakov, who had been looking for answers to the main questions about the meaning of life for so many years, chose a monastic feat, having met on Mount Athos in the person of the Svyatogorsk monks with a truly educated (in the image of God) person, who revealed himself to him as a truly achievable Christian ideal ? And how this ideal contrasted with the world of the ideological builders of a “better” life, his “old friends”, who allowed themselves to agree with the need to reorganize the external world, and, therefore, the physical destruction of their neighbor for the sake of earthly well-being!

Athos has always been a beacon in the Orthodox world. About the Athonite ascetics, a contemporary of Innokenty Sibiryakov, who visited the Holy Mountain as a pilgrim, wrote this: “Alien to the petty interests of life, they (the Athonite ascetics) so harden their will that they are ready at every minute of their lives to lay down their bellies for an idea dear to them, for the idea of ​​Orthodoxy . This is the significance of Athos, where not a single church has been converted into a mosque, and where there is not a single non-Orthodox monastery. Therefore, Athos is quite rightly called the school of piety and the stronghold of Orthodoxy.”

To understand Athos as the choice of Innocent Sibiryakov for the place of his spiritual achievement and the last blessings in his life, it is necessary to learn about this country of ascetics the most important thing that distinguished the Holy Mountain from other places of Orthodox monasticism at the end of the 19th century.

Until the beginning of the 20th century (more precisely, until 1912), the territory of Mount Athos belonged to Turkey, but spiritually this country of Orthodox monasticism was never captured. In all the hardships that befell her, she remained devoted to the Orthodox faith, often paying for the protection of shrines with blood, which is known from the lives of many Athonite ascetics. In 1899, when Father Innocent was already permanently living on Mount Athos, the Russian pilgrim priest Alexander Anisimov sang a real hymn to the Holy Mountain and its inhabitants in his travel notes.

“Athos is ... a multi-illuminated lamp of Orthodoxy and high Christian asceticism, which for many centuries could not be extinguished by either the flood of European turmoil or the evil spirit of Muslim fanaticism, although it burns at the border of Europe and, as it were, in the very mouth of the Ottoman Empire. Athos is a precious ark amidst torment, threats, bloodshed and barbarism, which has preserved many important monuments in the legends and writings of Christian antiquity, of which there is no longer a trace in other places of the East! Athos is a wondrous mountain, holy, nurturing all types of monastic life...”

The route of pilgrims to Mount Athos from St. Petersburg usually lay by rail to Odessa, where the monastery of St. Andrew’s monastery was located, which unselfishly gave bread and shelter to travelers. Then there was a passage by sea by ship to Istanbul, and there, at the courtyard of the St. Andrew's monastery, the pilgrims received a short rest before sailing to the Holy Mountain, and examined the shrines of Byzantine Constantinople, miraculously preserved in the Turkish capital. As soon as the ship with the pilgrims set sail further to Athos, as they approached it, the pilgrims were seized with holy awe, which is described in numerous travel notes preserved from different eras.

We will try, using the travel notes at our disposal from the end of the 19th century, to restore, at least in general terms, the impressions that pilgrims experienced when meeting Athos during the years of Schemamonk Innocent’s stay on the Holy Mountain. They saw with their own eyes everything that Innokenty Sibiryakov saw in 1894, and therefore their information about Athos and the form of presentation are of undoubted value, since they allow us to imagine What What a person who had already realized the need for personal prayerful and ascetic feat could experience upon meeting Athos.

“...What was our surprise, what a general solemn delight, when someone ran into our cabin announced that we would soon be near the desired place,- wrote about. Alexander Anisimov in 1897.- As soon as it began to get light, we went out onto the deck, and, pointing to a black dot visible in the distance, they kept repeating: this is Athos, Athos!! ... Morning mists hovered over the Holy Mountain and completely hid it from us; but as soon as the sun rolled out, we, having rounded the tip of the mountain from the east, where the Lavra of St. Athanasius, Moldavian monastery and Iveron monastery,- came to her from the south side,- on which Athonite monasteries and monasteries alternately appeared to our eyes... A wonderful picture unfolded before us and unfolded with all the touching views of its inexpressible grace. Lost in the clouds surrounding the Holy Mountain, its sacred heights were visible from behind them and outlined in relief in the transparent air. For a long time we looked in silent delight at the miracle of nature in Svyatogorsk and marveled at how the clouds stretched in a long chain below the heights of the sacred mountains, and with awe, tenderness and delight we sang:

Mount Athos, holy mountain!

I don't know your beauty

And your earthly paradise,

And under you there are noisy waters...”

The first meeting with Athos most often took place on the pier. “In favorable...weather, we arrived at Mount Athos on the Russian steamer Kornilov,”- recalls an unnamed pilgrim who visited Athos in 1895,-and safely stepped onto the shore of the Holy Mountain, where I was warmly greeted by the monks of the Russian St. Andrew's monastery, and we, having drunk tea on the coastal pier and having rested for a while, set off on mules along a winding mountain road to the said St. Andrew's monastery, the wonderful view of which opened up before us almost from the middle path, with its beautiful buildings."

Pilgrims on Athos were amazed by the beauty of Athonite nature and the beauty of the spiritual feat of the Svyatogorsk ascetics, about which excellent evidence was left by eyewitnesses. “...The entire space of the Holy Mountain is covered with countless mountain ranges, ravines, terrible abysses, mostly overshadowed by luxurious groves and ancient forests, which is a great convenience for feats of silence, solitary fiery prayer and a lofty spiritual contemplative life. Here is the key to why Athos was populated only by ascetics!<...>There is quite enough fresh water, spring water,- it flows in different directions along mountain slopes, and along ravines, and through various low-lying valleys.; in short, there is no monastery, monastery or cell that is devoid of this urgent need. In addition to various mountains and hills, the beauty of Athos is enhanced by delicate shrubs and virgin plantations of oak, plane tree, chestnut, laurel, oilseed, spruce and pine forests; and fig, nut, lemon, orange and other fruit trees and vines provide extra food for the meals of Athonite ascetics and thereby sweeten and diversify their usual seven-day dry eating. Cypress trees, which require special care for them, are visible only near residential areas... From the fossil rock, in addition to blocks of marble of different shades, we also came across pieces of colored stones washed from the depths of the earth’s crust by fast streams...”

At that time Athos flourished. There were 15 communal monasteries here, including the St. Andrew's monastery, 8 full-time monasteries and up to 800 cells and kalivas. The number of monks then amounted to 10 thousand. For Innokenty Sibiryakov, it was important to see not the beauty of Athos, but to discover the spirit of Athos asceticism, to delve into the structure of the external life of the monasteries in which this spirit manifests itself.

The future schema-monk, like any other pilgrim to Athos, found that on the Holy Mountain the cenobitic monasteries “according to their rules, are closer to the ancient models of monastic life; in them there is exemplary order, rare true piety, apostolic simplicity and loving communication of primitive Christians: there are no differences, no private property. The abbots are held in full respect and honor; The monks feed on the labor of their own hands, but they accept with gratitude every sacrifice made by the fans, and in turn they themselves help others with what God has sent.”

The calling of Athos is to pray for the whole world, and therefore pilgrims, or, as they are called on the Holy Mountain, worshipers, have always gone there in order to see the spirit-bearing elders, in communication with them to purify their souls, to strengthen themselves spiritually near them. Everyone who visited Mount Athos in the 90s. XIX century, they saw that “Among the Kelliot-hermits there are wise elders and great ascetics from whom one can learn a lot in the work of creating one’s salvation: selfless love, non-covetousness, God-pleasing fasting, humility, chastity, mental prayer, contrition and crying for one’s sins and mortal memory. Some inhabitants of the Holy Mountain move away from everyone and live alone - either in the crevices of the mountains, or under overhanging blocks of stones, or on inaccessible rocks - and there are many of them - feeding on chestnuts, roots and herbs...” And as the Athonite monks themselves testified, on the Holy Mountain there are “places so blessed that ascetics could live like this for a whole century.”

The severity of the spiritual feat of the Athonite ascetics amazed even monks from Russia who were not pampered by the harsh Russian nature and the statutory life of monasteries, one of whom, Hieromonk Seraphim (Kuznetsov), wrote: “The monks on Mount Athos have almost no bodily peace, they strictly limit their wishes in everything... To those unfamiliar with the internal monastic struggle with bodily forces, such severity and deprivation may seem strange, but they should be the constant property of the monk, for the monk must act strenuously contrary to the impulses of a passionate nature and at all costs - to subjugate your flesh to the spirit. According to the rules, the brethren are supposed to sleep in a cassock and without removing the belt. For constant readiness for prayer, labor, or for the Last Judgment."

Usually, a person who is far from the concept of personal achievement has a question: why take on such work, what does it give to society? This question has already been answered by the entire history of Holy Rus', when Russian princes bowed their heads before a simple monk in a patched cassock and received blessings for battle and won great victories in battles with an enemy who seemed invincible. Bishop Arseny (Stadnitsky), who visited Mount Athos in 1900, expressed the importance of monasticism for a believer and for public benefit in this way: “Not invested with external power, occupying the most modest social position, or even none, not possessing perishable wealth, true ascetics , endowed with inner strength and a wealth of spiritual gifts and virtues, often have a great influence on people. Whole thousands of people, according to their instructions, organized good life theirs, and other thousands at least somewhat curbed their sinful impulses. The mighty of the world, even kings, on their advice, left some of their plans unfulfilled and put others into action.”

This beneficial influence Innokenty Sibiryakov also experienced Russian monasticism, and not only in Russia, but also on Mount Athos. But a special place in his life was occupied by Fr. David (Mukhranov) and hieromonk, later schema-archimandrite, Joseph (Belyaev), since 1892 the rector of the St. Andrew's monastery, in whose abbot Innokenty Mikhailovich took monastic vows, moved to the monastery, lived, worked for the salvation of the soul and rested in the villages of the righteous. It was this abbot who was given the lot to receive donations from I.M. Sibiryakov to undertake the most complex construction work, turning the monastery in a few years into an amazing corner not only of the Holy Mountain, but of the entire Orthodox world.

Father Joseph had “outstanding abilities in architecture, and God’s blessing clearly rested on all his labors, so that with all the capital buildings carried out in his time there was almost no accident or unpleasant delay or stoppage in the work; The Lord invisibly sent him at that time funds for the holy monastery: the rich Siberian gold miner Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov greatly helped... with his capital.”

When Fr. Joseph's Cathedral was built, which will be discussed in detail, and also 8 other smaller paraklis churches and 3 grandiose buildings with fraternal cells and other utility rooms were built, so that during his reign the monastery more than doubled in size both in its buildings and number of inhabitants. Father Joseph had a special love for church archeology; he spared no expense in acquiring ancient icons, ancient manuscripts and books.

“I tremble terribly and fear for my abbot; how I will give an answer to God for all those entrusted to my care,” said Fr. Joseph. - But, it is true to God; I never wanted to take on this heavy cross of abbotship and resolutely refused, but there was such a remarkable coincidence that frightened me and I was already afraid to refuse any longer and agreed with great fear and trembling to accept the helm of the monastery’s rule...

I haven’t told anyone about this yet, but now I’m in the mood to tell you this: when there were elections for abbot and I was offered an offer, in my heart I decided to finally refuse, but then I see the late abbot... he threw his abbot’s staff over me , without saying anything, but looked at me sternly and disappeared...”

What was the St. Andrew's monastery like at the very beginning of Fr. Joseph, Professor A.F. writes about this. Brandt, who visited Athos in 1892: “Order, hard work and prosperity are visible in everything in the Russian St. Andrew’s monastery. The buildings here are white and immaculately clean, built in Russian style. Only in the last century a cell appeared on this site in the name of... St. Andrew the First-Called. The Russians acquired the cell only in the forties of the current century and then converted it into a monastery, which, however, in terms of the vastness of the buildings and the number of brethren... is no different from a monastery. The Andreevites have very little land, but they utilize every scrap of land all the more carefully. Fruit orchards, tree nurseries, and vegetable gardens seemed exemplary to me...”

“St. Andrew’s Skete,” adds A.F. Brandt, an unnamed pilgrim, is located on the eastern side in the center of the Holy Mountain, in a beautiful place and is called “Seray”, that is, the royal palace, for its comparative beauty among other Svyatogorsk monasteries. The buildings of the monastery are very beautiful, and the area occupied by the monastery is distinguished by healthy air and a temperate climate, due to its significant elevation above sea level. There are 340 brethren in the monastery, and all the monks are exclusively Great Russians. The rules of the monastery are communal, according to which every monk receives everything he needs from the monastery.” Many believed that “a brilliant future awaits this holy monastery.”

For a person facing the final decision to enter the monastic path, as Innokenty Sibiryakov was during his pilgrimage to Athos, the Divine service life of the Svyatogorsk monasteries was very important, since the main part of the life of monks is devoted to Divine services. The pilgrims who wrote their travel notes about the Holy Mountain understood this, and therefore left us many valuable testimonies about services in the monasteries and hermitages of the Holy Mountain.

About the Divine services in the monastery of that time, Archpriest F. Znamensky reports that “the divine service... is distinguished by its special duration, depending on the exact fulfillment of the rules, on the lack of haste in reading and singing, on singing with the canonarch, on the repeated reading of commemorations, teachings and lives of the saints.”

Preserved detailed description Divine services of that time, which took place in the St. Panteleimon Monastery on the day of the Midsummer of Easter in 1897. The abbot and brethren of St. Andrew's monastery took part in it. “...The liturgy was performed by a guest, archimandrite and rector of the Russian St. Andrew's monastery, cathedral, with 10 priests...- writes about. Alexander Anisimov.- It should be noted that the abbots of the two Russian Athonite monasteries, St. Panteleimon and St. Andrew, in the rank of archimandrites, enjoy episcopal privileges when serving... The representativeness of the host of reverently celebrants, their splendid, languid fasting faces, angelic calm and purity of gaze, their strictly ecclesiastical graceful manner in actions and distinct measured diction when reading, the presence of rare shrines filling the temple, a solemn and skillful setting,-and finally in highest degree melodic singing of two hundred-strong choirs, according to the tunes of Athonite, Kyiv, Simonov and court,- all this delighted our hearts to the point of dividing our brains and limbs, and touched us to tears. Yes, if even with such service the steely human feeling does not melt, then where to look for that sacred forge that could soften and melt it? One English lord, a tourist, who was at mass, when asked how the Orthodox Divine Service seemed to him,- replied that he had never seen or experienced anything like this before- The worship is attractive, the singing masterly; I stood all the time in deep silence, in a secret thrill of quiet joy, barely catching my breath, in the outbursts of my jubilant heart...”

It was in such a spiritual environment that Innokenty Sibiryakov found himself on Mount Athos during his pilgrimage. Long prayers, pre-holiday all-night vigils, sometimes lasting 10-14 hours, the silent life of the monks of the Holy Mountain came to Innocent Mikhailovich’s heart, and he hoped to achieve here what his soul had been looking for since childhood.

Thirty years later, compatriot I.M., who visited Athos. Sibiryakova Boris Zaitsev, compared the Svyatogorsk rite of life with the worldly order of our existence: “All this may seem strange and to a distant person our colorful culture.

What to do. Sacredness is a very important, striking feature of monastic life. When entering you, a monk always crosses himself onto the icon and bows to it. When meeting another, if he is a hieromonk himself, he blesses him. If a simple monk meets a hieromonk, he is eligible for blessing. When meeting with the abbot, bow to the ground. When sitting down at the table, he certainly reads a prayer. The hieromonk, in addition, blesses “foods and drinks.”

This is unusual for a layman. But in the monastery, in general, everything is unusual, everything is special. The monastery is not the world. You can have different attitudes towards monasteries, but you cannot deny their “impressiveness”. Whether you like it or not, people here do what they consider paramount. The monk, as it were, lives in God, “walks in Him.” Naturally, his desire to connect every step of his life with God, every seemingly everyday manifestation of it. Having understood this, having taken a different, higher than ours, level of relationship to the world, we will not be surprised by the unusual number of signs of the cross, blessings, prayers, and incense of monastic life for a secular person. Here life itself is turned into a sacred poem."

The farewell to all the pilgrims from St. Andrew's Monastery was also very touching. One of the visitors to Mount Athos writes about this with deep gratitude: “I reluctantly parted with the holy monastery - St. Andrew’s monastery, with which I managed to become spiritually close in a short time and made friends with its kind elders, who during the entire time of my stay with them showed me exemplary attention, cordiality and friendliness. According to the established custom here of seeing off guests with the ringing of bells, I was awarded the same solemn farewell to the monastery gates, where we boarded mules and, with sincere heartfelt wishes from the good elders, went to the steamship pier.

After visiting Athos, you feel as if your soul has been renewed, filled with spiritual strength and ready to endure with a calm spirit all the hardships and worries associated with our lives.”

Athos further strengthened Innocent Sibiryakov’s intention to devote himself to monastic feat. Probably, during his stay on Athos, thoughts were born that were expressed by a Russian pilgrim who venerated the shrines of the wondrous monastic land. “What else can I say about my dear heart - Athos? ... Oh, how you teach many lessons - both to a true Christian, and to a wavering person of little faith, and to a nihilist and socialist who does not believe in anything sacred. This is where everyone should be sent, blown by the wind of every teaching, for visual religious instruction - and it seems to us that if not all, then many of them would go back completely different with the words: “I believe, Lord, and I confess that You exist.” , was and will be forever - Existing...”.

The Russian pilgrimage to Athos began in ancient times. It was also performed by representatives of the ruling dynasties. In June 1867, Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich visited the Holy Mountain. In St. Andrew's Skete he founded the Cathedral of St. Andrew the Apostle, which thirty years later was rebuilt with donations from I.M. Sibiryakov, which will be discussed in detail later.

An important event of our time is the visit to Mount Athos by Russian President V.V. Putin, held on September 92005. It restored the historical tradition for Rus' of pilgrimage to Athos by representatives of the highest authorities. There is hope that now the Russian monasteries on the Holy Mountain will receive the patronage of all of Russia in the person of its President. And therefore it is so important to note the main thoughts expressed by V.V. Putin on Athos: “We have deep respect for Greece in general and Athos in particular. And if Russia is the largest Orthodox power, then Greece and Athos are its origins. We remember this and value it very much”; “In Russia, with a population of 145 million, the overwhelming majority are Christians, so for us the revival of Russia is inextricably linked, first of all, with spiritual revival.” Referring to the ancient ties between Russia and Athos, the President especially emphasized that “we are ready to revive them in the volume and quality in which you (Svyatogorsk monks - T.Sh.) are ready. It should be a harmonious relationship based on absolute trust and shared ideals."

After a pilgrimage trip to Athos, Innokenty Sibiryakov, convinced of the correctness of the chosen path, returns to the capital of Russia with an irrevocable decision to make a final break with the world and enter a monastery.

When entering the monastic path, before taking monastic vows, the novice undergoes an ordeal (test) for at least two years. As expected, Innokenty Sibiryakov, preparing for tonsure, studied monastic life “from the inside” for exactly two years - from 1894 to 1896. Judging by the fact that he continued to take an active part in the charitable and public life of church parishes and charitable institutions in St. Petersburg, his spiritual father did not limit the freedom of the novice, but often accompanied Innokenty Sibiryakov in many useful deeds of serving his neighbor.

At this time, Innokenty Mikhailovich, along with other immigrants from Siberia, participated in the construction of a chapel in honor of his heavenly patron Saint Innocent of Irkutsk in the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky at the First Real School of Alexander III. In a year and a half, through the efforts of Innokenty Mikhailovich, the Brotherhood in the name of Innokenty of Irkutsk will be founded here, to which Innokenty Mikhailovich will donate more than 30 thousand rubles.

He will also be one of the developers of the draft Charter of the Brotherhood. The first among the founders of the Brotherhood is the priest of the Kronstadt St. Andrew's Cathedral, Father John Ilyich Sergiev. Father John of Kronstadt celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the chapel of Innocent of Irkutsk on April 24, 1896, on the day of the solemn opening of the Brotherhood. On the same day, at a meeting of the founders, the first two honorary members of the Brotherhood were elected - Father John of Kronstadt and Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov. In the future, in the reports of the Brotherhood, their names will always appear side by side. Researchers of the life of Saint Righteous John of Kronstadt have yet to study his good acquaintance with Innocent Mikhailovich Sibiryakov, which may even have been friendship. Today it is certainly known that Fr. John, after the tonsure of Innocent Mikhailovich and his resettlement to Athos, was busy with a number of matters related to the charitable gifts of I.M. Sibiryakova. But this issue is still being developed.

Although Innokenty Mikhailovich was already a novice in the monastery, some previous addresses of charity continued to be nourished by his care. Thus, at the expense of a merchant-philanthropist in the mid-90s of the 19th century. to the library parochial schools and poor schools in Siberia continue to receive books according to the list approved for such institutions by the Holy Synod. This is how I bathed I.M. Sibiryakov made the mistakes of his youth, when he sent literature of a completely different kind for Siberian libraries.

Relatives of Innokenty Mikhailovich dissuaded their brother from the monastic path and did everything possible to keep him in at least one of the monasteries in Russia. Sister Innokenty Sibiryakova Anna Mikhailovna admitted in one of her letters from that time: “I tried to dissuade my brother from entering the monastery.” But I.M. Sibiryakov still received complete freedom. At this time, Innokenty Mikhailovich broke off almost all relations with his former circle of worldly acquaintances, for which he received from them many reproaches, caustic characterizations, slanderous assessments, accusations of stinginess, wastefulness, and much more. But, according to the word of the Gospel, he who laid his hand on the plow, he no longer looked back (Luke 9:62).

In 1896, Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov finally got rid of his capital. He transfers all cash to Hieromonk David. Shortly before I.M. was tonsured to the first rank of angel. Sibiryakov gives the Lintul women's community, later transformed into a monastery, his dacha, located in the town of Kauk-Yarvi, Vyborg district. In the same year, 1896, Innokenty Mikhailovich visited Valaam, donating the initial capital of 10 thousand rubles to the monastery for the establishment of the Resurrection skete and church in Nikonova Bay in honor of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called. Later, the Valaam monks will build the Resurrection Skete at the indicated place, the lower temple of which will be consecrated in honor of the Apostle Andrew. In the same year, a donation of 10 thousand rubles was submitted to the Konevsky Monastery “by a person who wished to remain anonymous.”

On the Feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, October 1, 1896, Father David, by this time already an archimandrite, having sufficiently experienced Innocent’s zeal for monastic life, tonsured him into the ryassophore. “How touching it was to look at him,” says the monk Clement, “when, having thrown off his worldly suit, trying it on, he put on a monastic cassock and said: “How good it is in these clothes!.. Thank God! How glad I am that I dressed in it!” But was he happy about the convenience of his clothes? Didn’t he express with these words his spiritual joy, which filled his soul in anticipation of the angelic image?” .

Immediately after his tonsure, Monk Innokenty (Sibiryakov) left for Mount Athos, while Father David remained in St. Petersburg, carrying out his obedience. Monk Innocent stayed in the St. Andrew's monastery for less than a year and returned to the metochion in St. Petersburg, never to be separated from his spiritual leader again.

The year 1897 passed for Brother Innocent not only in monastic, but also in charitable works. He donates his dacha in Raivolo (now Roshchino) to the Foundry-Tauride Circle of the Society to benefit poor women for the establishment of an orphanage for girls from four to ten years old. The shelter is also allocated capital in the amount of 50 thousand rubles. This shelter, after the death of Schemamonk Innocent, began to bear the name of I.M. Sibiryakova. Concern for children was manifested in the monk Innocent and in the fact that at his expense a church was built in the name of St. Nicholas in the 7th gymnasium of St. Petersburg. At his suggestion, the church in the 7th gymnasium was created in memory of the coronation of Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

Typically, such actions are characteristic of people of monarchical beliefs, and therefore we can talk about a radical change in the worldview of Innokenty Sibiryakov and his return not only to Orthodoxy, but also to the primordial sovereign foundations of his native Fatherland - Autocracy.

According to Athos time

Your God will be your glory.

(Isa. 60, 19)

He who keeps the truth will find glory.

(Prov. 21, 21)

Glory to everyone who does good.

(Rom. 2:10)

Good fame is better than silver.

(Prov. 22, 1)

Monk Innocent had to follow his spiritual father to St. Petersburg twice more, until finally they settled on Holy Mount Athos. There, not far from the walls of the St. Andrew's skete, a small but cozy stone monastery was built with a church in the name of the Great Martyr Barbara, St. Michael of Klops and St. David of Thessalonica - the heavenly patrons of David's parents and Archimandrite. Brother Innocent settled in this place with his spiritual father - to live in strict monastic asceticism. “Like full of energy and strength,” the monk Clement reports about Innokenty’s (Sibiryakov) return from St. Petersburg to the Holy Mountain, “he was in a hurry not to rest, but for monastic deeds, which he aggravated...”.

On November 28, 1898, Archimandrite David tonsured the monk Innocent into a mantle with the new name John in honor of the Prophet and Forerunner John - the Baptist of the Lord. According to Fr. Seraphim, “with the adoption of the angelic image, the monk John mentally mourned that he had spent a lot of time on vanity and studying the wisdom of this age.” And less than a year later, on August 14, 1899, monk John (Sibiryakov) was tonsured into the great angelic rank - the holy schema - with the name Innocent in honor of St. Innocent of Irkutsk.

Information about the monastic feat of Schemamonk Innocent has to be collected bit by bit, but, although not numerous, it convincingly reveals to us the true image of God’s chosen one, who died once and for all for the world for the sake of Christ. A pilgrim who visited the St. Andrew’s Skete in 1900 and was puzzled by the question of whether there were outstanding ascetics on contemporary Athos, writes: “Here, in one of the cells belonging to the St. Andrew’s Skete, lives Father Innocent (former millionaire, major Siberian gold miner I M. Sibiryakov), leading a remarkably ascetic lifestyle. In this cell, five days a week, no hot food is supposed to be eaten, and oil and wine are consumed only on Saturdays and Sundays.”

Reveals the secret of spiritual feat Fr. Innocent (Sibiryakova) and monk Clement. “Having taken great monastic vows,” he writes, “Father Innocent led a strictly fasting and deeply silent ascetic life. One cannot help but be surprised how he, accustomed from childhood to exquisite dishes, ate coarse monastic food without harm to the stomach and, having also spent time since childhood in a cheerful secular society, now remained all the time in his cell alone, talking only with God in prayerful feats and enjoying reading soulful books."

According to the monk Clement, the young schema-monk showed the Svyatogorsk ascetics “a model of complete non-covetousness and ascetic life.” “The brethren are still remembered,” Father Clement would write ten years after the death of Schemamonk Innocent, “and probably will long be remembered for his brotherly love and genuine humility, which manifested itself in all his actions.”

Another testimony about Father Innocent was compiled by the pilgrim Hieromonk Seraphim from the words of the rector of the monastery, Archimandrite Joseph, and the brethren in 1908 - seven years after the death of the schema monk: “He spent the days of his monastic life, taking advantage of the short rest, in strict fasting and hot tearful prayer . In monasticism, he fully fulfilled the commandment of non-covetousness and unquestioning obedience and could quite boldly say with the apostle: “Behold, we have left everything and are dead in Your footsteps.”... With the acceptance of the holy schema, Father Innocent intensified his exploits; he was constantly in the thought of God, doing... the Jesus Prayer, and mortal memory did not leave him, but always remained with him, and he often shed streams of grace-filled tears of tenderness in his fiery prayer.”

To this, apparently, it should be added that on Mount Athos the most difficult cell rule exists for schema-monks, who must make 1,200 bows and 100 bows to the ground every day, and this does not count church services. They repeatedly suggested Fr. Innocent to accept the priesthood, but the humble monk did not agree, considering himself unworthy of such a great and responsible rank. Is it any wonder that it was on schemamonk Innocent (Sibiryakov) that one of the Athonite prophecies was fulfilled?

In 1868, Athos was visited by His Grace Alexander, Bishop of Poltava, a famous defender of the Solovetsky Monastery during the Crimean War. While on pilgrimage to Holy Mount Athos, he also visited the St. Andrew's Skete. The elders of the monastery asked the Bishop to build a temple in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God outside the monastery fence. But Bishop Alexander advised the brethren to build such a church in another place, and at this place to build a temple in the name of St. Innocent, the first bishop of Irkutsk. To the objections of the elders, he said that “God will send here from Siberia a benefactor named after this Saint, and that this benefactor will build a church and a hospital on this foundation.”

In the book “The Origin and Foundation of the Community Monastery in the Name of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called...”, published in 1885, there is a significant clarification to this event: “The temple was founded outside the fence of the monastery, on its northern side in 1868 by His Eminence Alexander, formerly of Poltava, in the name of St. Innocent of Irkutsk, with the blessing and assistance of His Grace Parthenius, Archbishop of Irkutsk, under whom it was proposed to build a hospital building and a magician. for bread, timber and pantries for other household items. buildings". So it turns out that not one, but two church hierarchs predicted the construction of a temple in St. Andrew’s monastery in honor of Innocent of Irkutsk “by a benefactor named after this Saint,” and that God would send him here from Siberia. The Temple of Innocent of Irkutsk on Mount Athos was founded when Innokenty Sibiryakov was only eight years old and still lived in Irkutsk.

Archbishop Parfeniy (Popov) ruled the Irkutsk diocese precisely in those years when Innokenty Mikhailovich was growing up in this city. It is not enough to say that Vladyka knew his father, and, probably, the entire family of the merchant Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sibiryakov. Under his leadership, M.A. Sibiryakov was the headman of the Ascension Church of the Ascension Monastery, in which Saint Innocent of Irkutsk once lived, and where his relics rested. During the tenure of Archpastor Parthenius (he died in 1873, when Innocent was thirteen years old), through the efforts of the merchant Mikhail Sibiryakov, a chapel was built in Irkutsk in honor of St. Innocent of Irkutsk on the place where Saint Innocent stayed during his visits from the monastery to Irkutsk on church affairs. Apparently Saint Innocent of Irkutsk himself sent Archbishop Parthenius to Athos to lay the foundation of a church in the name of the Saint, so that the glory of God may appear in the future on the disciple of Christ, Schemamonk Innocent (Sibiryakov).

Recently it was possible to discover the contents of a note left by Bishop Alexander of Poltava before his departure from Mount Athos. In it we meet the deep reverent feelings that he experienced when parting with the Athonite monks: “And if time takes away everything, then deeds live forever. I offer blessings and true thanksgiving to the abbot... for prayers, hospitality for two and a half months, well wishes and gifts... I sincerely thank you, thank you and will not forget... Fathers and brothers! I ask you to accept my sincere archpastoral greetings and love... Forgive and bless, children of the Mother of God!.. 1868 July 27. Saturday. Russian monastery. Bishop Alexander (formerly of Poltava)". The words “and if time takes away everything, then deeds live forever,” spoken by the perspicacious archpastor, could be an epigraph to this entire book.

By the time Innokenty Sibiryakov appeared on Athos, in the St. Andrew's monastery there was, which had been under construction for twenty-five years and remained barely raised above ground level, a cathedral in the name of St. Andrew the First-Called and a hospital building with a church in the name of St. Innocent of Irkutsk. Through the care of Innokenty Mikhailovich, the Holy Mountain received St. Andrew's Cathedral of wondrous power and beauty, the largest on Mount Athos, in Greece and in the Balkans, designed for five thousand worshipers. The construction of this temple cost the St. Andrew's monastery almost 2 million rubles in the calculation of that time.

Three months after the death of Fr. Innocent, when the tenth anniversary of the abbotship of Archimandrite Joseph was solemnly celebrated, in a congratulatory speech addressed to the abbot, Hieromonk Vladimir said: “Before the construction of the cathedral began, you said more than once: “We just need to start the work with God’s help, and the Mother of God will help us.” And indeed, the Most Pure Helper of the helpless helped you by sending a man (schemamonk Innokenty Sibiryakov of blessed memory) who gave us the necessary funds for this godly work.”

The construction of the Cathedral of St. Andrew the First-Called occupies a most important place among the earthly benefits of an outstanding benefactor, and therefore we will tell you about this in more detail, especially since the temple has survived to this day almost in its original form. The cathedral was founded in the skete under the abbot of Archimandrite Theodoret in 1867, as already mentioned, by Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich during his trip around the world. Initially, there was only enough money to build the foundation.

In April 1891, the architect Mikhail Shchurupov agreed to the proposal of the “trusted” hieromonks Joseph and David from Athos, who managed the St. Petersburg metochion of the St. Andrew’s monastery, to go to the “Athos Monastery... and draw up there, in relation to the existing foundation, a plan for the cathedral stone temple, with a bell tower, facades and sections, as well as a drawing of the iconostasis."

An agreement was signed, and the elderly architect went to the Holy Mountain. Information about the developed project is presented by the researcher of the creative heritage of the architect M.A. Shchurupova, N.A. Yakovlev in his book “Mikhail Shchurupov”: “Having examined the abandoned construction site, Shchurupov drew up an explanatory note in which he recognized the laying of the foundations as “correct and very careful”, while the basement floor was made “hastily and without observing the basic rules of the art of construction”... He suggested dismantle the old masonry down to the toes of the vaults and lay it out anew, but using properly hewn stone. The architect strongly recommended using not local stone, layered and weathered, “not suitable for such monumental buildings,” but brick, “a relatively light material that combines perfectly with lime and is always ready for use.” The use of more durable rocks would lead to a delay in construction for many years - “about the same as at St. Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg.”

The magazine “Consolations and Instructions of St.” published by St. Andrew’s Skete. Christian faith" reflected on its pages all stages of the work undertaken. Construction resumed on May 3, 1893 and proceeded at a rapid pace. The temple was built in three years. Finishing work was carried out in 1897-1899, when Fr. Innokenty (Sibiryakov) already lived on Mount Athos permanently. During this time, the cathedral was plastered inside and out, the roof and domes were covered, crosses were erected, parquet floors made of expensive cypress wood were laid, and a monumental iconostasis was installed, brought from St. Petersburg, where, according to the drawings of M.A. Shchurupov it was made by master V.E. Kondratiev. After delivering it by sea, the brethren of the monastery carried this iconostasis by hand in mountainous conditions, which was very hard work.

All construction work carried out in the monastery was supervised by the rector, Fr. Joseph, who delved into the smallest details of the grandiose construction project. Constantinople architect Y.G. Gkocho directly supervised the construction of such a capital structure. In the summer of 1899, the construction of the cathedral was basically completed, and its decoration began.

The temple is a three-nave basilica, topped by a group of faceted domes closer to the altar of the temple and a bell tower above the western entrance. Above the cathedral there are eight domes, “lined with copper and painted with green oil paint; the heads, apples and crosses are gilded. In connection with the temple there is a bell tower, on which there are about 20 large and small bells. The first place among them is occupied by a bell worth 300 poods, donated to the monastery by the late Empress Maria Alexandrovna. On the bell tower there is an excellent tower clock, which, with the help of bells, knocks out the hours, half-hours and quarters."

“Erected... on massive multi-meter retaining walls that prevent the sliding of rocks,” the cathedral, even in the semi-basement, “looks like a huge spatial whole.” Speaking about the architectural merits of St. Andrew's Cathedral, N.A. Yakovlev writes: “The language of artistic means that Shchurupov used is laconic. The cathedral is almost devoid of decoration, at least in the understanding of the eclectic architect of the late 19th century. The architect managed to achieve the impression of monumentality and splendor not so much thanks to the large size of the temple, but thanks to the expressiveness and lapidary forms, the clarity of the horizontal divisions, the “cutting” of the volumes...

Shchurupov caught the most striking feature in the architecture of the Athonite monasteries: their compact and free “southern” buildings, of different times and different styles. At the same time, these close “clumps” of houses and temples, large and small domes, harsh monolithic walls, bell towers, and towers merge into organically integral formations that are in tune with the surrounding nature. St. Andrew's Cathedral with its complex composition, domes of different sizes and varied architectural masses does not discord in this polyphonic choir. And if, to narrow the well-known expression, we say that the architecture of Athos is the frozen music of the akathist to the Mother of God, the Patroness of Athos, then St. Andrew’s Cathedral is the most powerful chord of this chant.”

“St. Andrew’s Cathedral was designed in the tradition characteristic of Western church architecture,” the same researcher clarifies. - This is emphasized by the completion of the bell tower, reminiscent of baroque forms.<...>

Most of the outer walls are faced with large blocks of local stone, similar to marble. Together with a number of architectural details - an open gallery along the second tier, sparsely spaced double Florentine windows, balustrades, elements of the order - this makes the cathedral similar to some secular buildings in Italy during the Renaissance... In the modest decoration of the facades, Shchurupov practically abandoned not only “ Russian,” but also from his favorite Romanesque style, preferring Renaissance motifs.”

In our opinion, such stylization of the architecture of St. Andrew's Cathedral after Italian models is not accidental. Anyone who is familiar with such a phenomenon in the church architecture of Siberia as the “Irkutsk baroque”, elements of which were often borrowed by wealthy Irkutsk residents in the construction of residential buildings, cannot but agree that it is the temple buildings that create the special and very unexpected beauty of this city for Siberia, which difficult to forget even for guests. It is unlikely that Innokenty Sibiryakov forgot her either. When drawing up the project for St. Andrew's Cathedral, M.A. Shchurupov could well have taken into account the personal wishes of Innokenty Mikhailovich regarding the appearance of the future temple, if it was established that Innokenty Sibiryakov was a parishioner of the Old Athos metochion already in 1891 and the benefactor at that time communicated with the famous architect.

And the point is not even that the cathedral could resemble I.M. Sibiryakov about his homeland. It is important that by means of architectural language a symbolic connection was created with the city where the heavenly patron, Fr. Innocent Saint Innocent of Irkutsk, who ruled the Siberian flock in that era when the fashion for examples of Italian architecture was brought to Irkutsk from the Russian capital.

“With seemingly relatively small linear dimensions (length 62.5 m, width 32 m, height of the central dome inside the cathedral 32 m), writes N.A. Yakovlev, - the cathedral inside is huge. Behind the massive bronze doors, a light-filled hall opens up. There is no other way to describe the beautifully illuminated huge room of the temple.” “When... through a massive bronze door you enter the main church, flooded with light through the spacious windows of the dome and walls, you cannot help but admire the beauty and scope of the architectural composition and, even more so, the monumentality of the iconostasis, executed by the best St. Petersburg masters at the end of the 19th century, - write modern pilgrims who visited Athos. - Silver, gold and gilding, colored stones and diamonds, wood carvings, precious embroidery and utensils filled the St. Andrew’s Church. We say “filled” because the temple was devastated in the years of timelessness, when the Russians were no longer here, and the Greeks had not yet taken it under control of Vatopedi.”

The desolation of the temple began about fifty years ago and lasted twenty years, but back in 1926, all its splendor was seen by the Athonite pilgrim emigrant writer Boris Zaitsev, who admiringly recalled “the mighty interior of the temple, the gold of the iconostasis, the grandeur of the columns and vaults.”

The cathedral was illuminated by ten chandeliers, “of which one is the largest with 176 candles and is elegant in appearance,” describes an Athonite pilgrim on the pages of a magazine published by the brethren of the St. Andrew’s monastery. To this it should be added that the interior of the temple has a carved gilded iconostasis, stained glass windows in the apse, a royal seat with the monogram of Alexander II, paintings in the “Vasnetsov” style, silver by F. Ovchinnikov. The Svyatogorsk pilgrim, who visited the St. Andrew's monastery in 1900, wrote that St. Andrew's Cathedral “undoubtedly, in size and splendor, currently occupies first place in all of Athos, where there are several hundred churches... The walls and iconostasis were painted by icon painters A. Tronin and Kortnev and make a very pleasant impression.” The icon painter Tronin painted the main and altar domes inside the cathedral. Among the six icons of the local row of the iconostasis was the image of St. Innocent of Irkutsk.

It is possible that Schemamonk Innokenty (Sibiryakov) could also have worked on the construction of St. Andrew’s Cathedral, since it is known that the construction of the temple was carried out not only by craftsmen hired in Constantinople, but also by “the entire monastic brethren, except for the sick and elderly.”

According to Athonite tradition, the dedication of the Cathedral of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called was complex. Along with the dedication of the chapels and the lower church to St. Alexander Nevsky, St. Mary Magdalene and St. Alexy of Moscow, the temple was also dedicated to St. Innocent of Irkutsk, St. David of Thessaloniki and Alexy the man of God.

Father Innocent was a witness and participant on June 16, 1900, at the consecration of the completed Cathedral of St. Andrew the First-Called - the “Kremlin of the East,” as this temple on Mount Athos is called. It was a great celebration, attended by four thousand people. Important officials and church officials arrived at the ceremony: the representative of Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich was the head of a separate detachment of military vessels on the Mediterranean Sea, Rear Admiral A.A. Biryulev (later “Minister of the Sea,” as he was called in common parlance), Ambassador Extraordinary of Russia in Constantinople I.A. Zinoviev with embassy staff, Consul General in Macedonia N.A. Ilarionov.

The consecration of the temple was performed at that time by the former Patriarch of Constantinople Joachim III, who was retired on the Holy Mountain, and Bishop Arseny (Stadnitsky) of Volokolamsk, rector of the Moscow Theological Academy, who arrived on Athos with a group of teachers and students of the Moscow Theological Academy.

Several descriptions of this celebration have been preserved with many details, from which it is known that among the clergy who arrived for the consecration were ten antiprosops of the Holy Protat - the monastic government of Athos. The consecration began with a procession from the Church of the Mother of God, which until that time had been a cathedral. The spectacle, according to eyewitnesses, was majestic. “Ahead of everyone were the banner bearers from the brethren, carrying 8 pairs of banners,” says one of the participants in the celebration, “behind them were St. icons and crosses; then followed the clergy, two in a row, numbering up to 120 people, in white shiny vestments; their ranks were closed by two Archpastors. They walked around the newly created temple three times...” Russian officers dressed in full dress uniform also took part in the consecration ceremony of St. Andrew's Cathedral, and five Russian warships stood in the Daphne roadstead.

The majesty of the Cathedral of St. Andrew the First-Called, dedicated to the Heavenly Patron of Russia, heralded not only the appearance on Athos of another temple of God for the cathedral prayers of the Svyatogorsk brethren. Its size, stunning for Athos, and for all the Balkans, proclaimed in the East, which at that time was still under Turkish rule, the greatness and power of the Orthodox Russian state - the hope of Orthodox countries oppressed by foreign yoke. This cathedral also expressed the great love of the Russian Athonite monks for their homeland. The Council of the Apostle Andrew was also the fruit of the love of Schemamonk Innocent (Sibiryakov) - love for God and His Church, for the Orthodox faith, for Russia, for the saints in Christ the Savior, for the land of Athos...

After the consecration of St. Andrew's Cathedral, Admiral Biryulev said with enthusiasm: “I received here... complete satisfaction, as a Christian and as a citizen. As a Christian I am satisfied with the splendor and splendor of the church service; as a citizen, I am satisfied that no matter where fate throws a Russian person, he remains Russian everywhere; everywhere he brings with him his characteristic energy and vitality; This is evidenced by the colossal building of the new temple, erected by a small group of people who are far from their homeland under the rule of a foreign government.”

Newspapers and magazines wrote a lot about this event, separate brochures and even books were published. But in these publications you cannot find a mention of one person - schemamonk Innocent (Sibiryakov), with extremely rare exceptions, and even then no more than one or two lines. And only after the death of the schema-monk, the brethren will often remember Father Innocent and his invaluable contribution to the creation of the monastery at their celebrations in the St. Andrew’s Skete. And even seven years later, Russia will remember the great gift of the benefactor Innokenty Sibiryakov to this Athos monastery. “Now the monastery is fully decorated and provided for, thanks to the million-dollar donations of the late rich man Sibiryakov, who died on Mount Athos in the monastic rank,” writes the magazine “Monastery” in 1908.

In the Cathedral of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, a late Liturgy was celebrated daily on the days prescribed by the charter. There were 13 existing churches in the monastery, and three more were under construction. In the monastery churches, four Liturgies were served daily.

In addition to St. Andrew's Cathedral, with the donations of Schemamonk Innocent, a new three-story hospital building with the Church of Innocent of Irkutsk and a small church at the hospital in honor of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary with two cells were built - for Schemamonk Innocent and Father David. The completion of the construction of the hospital complex with churches gave the St. Andrew's Monastery a finished look and special beauty, which was noted by all pilgrims.

This is what Father Innocent saw with his own eyes when he lived on Athos: “All the buildings of the monastic cells are high, 5-6 floors, with small ledges and picturesquely hanging balconies; located in the form of a regular quadrangle and surrounded by a stone wall. Ridges are visible around the monastery grape vines and Russian garden vegetables - cucumbers, cabbage, potatoes and others; in different directions there are long rows of olive, fig, apple, pear, peach and walnut trees and currant, gooseberry and raspberry bushes; Streams of cold spring water gurgle along the mountain slopes, flowing into large cisterns. Along the slope, in the greenery among the trees, there are up to 10 kalivas belonging to the monastery, inhabited by hermits.”

“All the buildings of the monastery,” another pilgrim echoes the first eyewitness, “... are built very firmly, in view of the earthquakes that occur here from time to time. In addition to 13 churches, there are many buildings for the brethren and for visitors, large workshops and other outbuildings. A huge building is also now being built for a new hospital, where patients from all over Athos will find shelter.” That's how it was - not only for the Andreev brothers, but also for the sick of the entire Athos, a hospital was built! How can we recognize in this testimony the inherent characteristics of the benefactor I.M. Sibiryakov’s scope, generosity and love, which even here, in places of severe monastic feat, covered all those who suffered.

On the day of the consecration of the Annunciation Church, September 26, 1901, Father Innocent fell ill and took to his bed. From that time on, suffering greatly, he began to noticeably weaken. He had one and a half months to live. Three days before his death, the rector of the monastery, Father Joseph, came to Schemamonk Innokenty. The schema-monk, lying on his sick bed, said with deep humility: “Father, forgive me, I cannot meet you properly; I can’t say anything except sins.” After this he was confessed and given oil.

It is no coincidence that one of the first biographers of Schemamonk Innokenty (Sibiryakov), monk Clement, a resident of the Athos St. Andrew’s monastery, wrote heartfelt lines about his brother-ascetic: “Even in childhood, reading the Chetyi-Minea, I admired the heroes of the Christian spirit, who, having previously lavished their property for good deeds, then fled from the world into wild deserts and spent a cruel life in them, full of hardships, illnesses and sorrows. I was surprised, amazed by the indifference and contempt with which they treated all the material blessings of the earth, everything that attracts the eye and captivates the heart of the people of the temporary age. And then I wanted to see and even touch such heroes in naive simplicity. This wish of mine eventually came true: I saw, even had the happiness of observing the life of one of these rare people, and the more I observed, the more my interest in him grew. Now, when 10 years have passed since the day this hero of spirit moved to a better world, every time I remember him, he stands before me as if alive. And I can’t help but admire him now, just as I once admired him during his life, as I once, in my childhood, admired the heroes of Chetiy-Minea.”

On November 6, 1901, after the Liturgy in St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Schemamonk Innokenty received the Holy Mysteries of Christ, “and at 3 o’clock in the afternoon he quietly ended his earthly life with the blessed death of a righteous man. Thus the great and wonderful follower of Christ faded away,” reports his contemporary. Schemamonk Innocent died at the age of forty-one, according to the brethren, from transient consumption. His mother Varvara Konstantinovna, who was forty years old, also died from the same disease. “Obviously he... is already ripe for the heavenly granary,” said Fr. Clement.

After his repose, Father Innocent was immediately dressed in schematic robes and transferred to the church of his heavenly patron Saint Innocent of Irkutsk. A memorial service was celebrated here, and then the body of Schemamonk Innokenty (Sibiryakov) was transferred to the cathedral. On November 8, on the day of the Archangel Michael, the solemn rite of burial of the humble schema-monk was performed by the Greek bishop Neophytos, co-served by 60 priests. The Church of St. Innocent of Irkutsk was consecrated twenty days after the death of the unforgettable Father Innocent.

Neither the schema-monk’s fiery love for Christ, nor his deep compassion for his neighbor escaped the eyes of the St. Andrew’s brethren, therefore they gave schema-monk Innocent (Sibiryakov) the honor that, according to Athos custom, was awarded only to the scions of the Byzantine imperial house and the founders of monasteries: he was not buried in the monastery cemetery , behind the fence of the monastery, and at west side St. Andrew's Cathedral next to the grave of the founder of the St. Andrew's Monastery, Hieromonk Vissarion. According to the dignity of the honors rendered at the funeral, the brethren also honored Schemamonk Innocent three years later, when they raised his amber-colored head from the ground.

The honest relics of Father Innocent finally convinced the inhabitants of Skete that the schemamonk was a saint of life. His bones acquired a characteristic honey-yellow color, which, according to Athonite legend, indicates the action of grace not only on the soul, but also on the flesh of the ascetic and indicates that he pleased God a lot. Of the one and a half thousand chapters currently collected in the ossuary of St. Andrew's Skete, most are white, and only a few of them are chapters of honey-yellow shades. Among them, three are especially highlighted: the founders of the monastery, hieroschemamonks Vissarion and Barsanuphius, and the ktitor-schemamonk Innocent (Sibiryakova).

Here it is necessary to make a digression and explain to readers unfamiliar with Athonite rules that on Holy Mount Athos the ancient custom of extracting (three years after burial) the skeletal remains of deceased monks is strictly observed. This is done to certify to the living brethren the quality of life of the deceased and the glory (or infamy) that he deserved from God. So, if the head (skull) of a deceased ascetic is white, then this is evidence that his soul is saved. If the head has a characteristic amber-honey color (the bone has a special density), then this is, according to Athos legend, an undoubted sign of holiness. The heads are white and amber-honey with the names of ascetics inscribed on their foreheads and are placed on shelves in the monastery ossuary - as a sign of conciliarity, the unity of the heavenly and earthly Church: the brethren of all times, living and deceased, are together.

As a rule, in Athonite ossuaries there is an inscription on the wall: “We were like you, and you will become like us.” Such an environment helps the living monks to ascend to one of the most important Christian virtues - remembrance of death, which has been commanded since ancient times: “In all your deeds remember your end, and you will never sin” (Sir. 7:39). This custom of the Holy Mount Athos is based on the Holy Scriptures and the patristic teaching about salvation. “Becoming like God as the goal of human existence has always been considered in Orthodoxy only inseparably from the transformation of human nature produced by the action of the Holy Spirit,” writes M.M. Dunaev. A similar tradition of burying and finding the remains of monks existed before in some monasteries in Russia, for example, in the Inkerman St. Clement Monastery near Sevastopol.

The inscription on the head of our schema-monk reads: “Schemonk Innokenty Sibiryakov. Ktitor R.A.O.S. Died on November 6, 1901." (R.A.O.S. - Russian St. Andrew's Hostel Skete). The head of Schemamonk Innocent, as a sign of special veneration, was placed in a separate luxurious icon case.

It is impossible not to note the special veneration of Schemamonk Innocent for his heavenly patron - St. Innocent, the first Bishop of Irkutsk. It is enough to list at least the famous churches and chapels built by the benefactor in honor of his namesake saint. This is the church at the hospital building in St. Andrew's Skete, and the chapel in the Cathedral of St. Andrew the First-Called on Mount Athos, and the chapel in the Church of Alexander Nevsky at the First Real School of St. Petersburg, and the Church of St. Innocent in the village of Omoloi on the Lena River, and the church in the name of Innocent of Irkutsk in the Holy Trinity St. Nicholas-Ussuri Monastery, and the cemetery church of St. Innocent in the Uglich Epiphany Monastery. I.M. left his dacha in Kauk-Jarve and a monetary donation of 10 thousand rubles. Siberians to the Lintul women's community with the condition that the sisters will also build a church in the name of Innocent of Irkutsk.

Without exaggeration, we can say that the news of the death of Father Innokenty (Sibiryakov) shook all of Russia. Obituaries and dedications to the outstanding philanthropist were published in more than twenty printed periodicals across the country. Many secular organizations ordered memorial services for Innocent Mikhailovich, notifying a wide range of people about the place and time of their service. This was the moment when Innokenty Sibiryakov united in a unanimous impulse people of different beliefs, who not only paid tribute to his memory, but also publicly recognized the philanthropist as an extraordinary person.

Of the many wonderful grateful words said and written about I.M. Sibiryakov in the days of memory of Fr. Innocent, let us quote the words of his fellow countrymen in St. Petersburg and Siberia. “Innokenty Mikhailovich was a comrade and friend of young people; she always found him necessary help, - we read in the obituary of the Society for Assistance to Siberian Students in St. Petersburg. -... The deceased was one of those convinced people who recognized it as a duty to use their knowledge, means and strength for the benefit of the homeland that nurtured and raised them... Innokenty Mikhailovich’s completely selfless... attitude towards the cause of helping students, which he loved, for whom he devoted his strength for five years, the Society will forever be remembered, and everyone who knew the deceased will sincerely say eternal memory to Innokenty Mikhailovich, whose whole life was a desire for the benefit of his homeland, for truth and peace of mind.”

Schemamonk Innokenty (Sibiryakov) died, having lived a short but bright life and illuminating the earthly path of many people with it. When you pass away, fulfill your summer duty(Wis. 4, 13) - with these biblical words they noted in their obituary the main result of the life of Fr. Innocent who revered him. 36 years of secular life of Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov turned out to be preparatory for a highly spiritual, albeit short - only five years - monastic feat. Following John the Merciful, this unmercenary could say: “I thank You, Lord my God, that You have vouchsafed me to bring Yours to You...”. The Lord evaluates a person’s charity not by donated millions and not by grandiose buildings. “Christ weighs only that power of love for Him and fiery zeal for God, which moves your beneficent hand and which is known only to Him alone, looking straight into your heart,” wrote Bishop Mikhail (Gribanovsky).

Hieromonk Seraphim (Kuznetsov), a well-known person in church circles, who visited the St. Andrew's monastery in 1908, recalls: “I visited the grave here near the new cathedral... of the modern ascetic ktitor of the monastery of the young schemamonk Innocent,... whose ashes were requested his sisters... were not taken from the earth, but rest in the grave. Having prayed at the grave of this great modern philanthropist and humble ascetic, I felt some kind of lightness and joy in my soul. It was as if a light and pleasant breeze cooled my heart. I thought: truly, here before my eyes the grave hid the ashes of a great man, who, according to the commandment of Christ, transferred his entire multimillion-dollar fortune to the heavenly treasuries and received an incorruptible crown in the heavenly abodes of paradise.”

Father Seraphim (Kuznetsov) is the first person to testify in writing to the holiness of Schemamonk Innokenty (Sibiryakov). It was he, Hieromonk Seraphim, who wrote in his travel notes that Fr. Innocent “for the love of God, he endured everything with joy, for which the Lord will glorify him both in heaven and on earth with eternal glory!.. As long as the world exists, its entire Christian population will be amazed at his high example of selfless love for God, and the memory about him will be unforgettable for generations and generations.”

It may seem to many that Father Seraphim allowed an exaggeration in his assessment of the feat of Schemamonk Innocent on the basis of his personal spiritual experience, to which others should not pay any attention. But Abbot Seraphim was not a lightweight man, as his further fate proves, and therefore one must listen to him. It was he, the rector of the Alekseevsky monastery of the Perm diocese, who in 1918 was entrusted by the Lord to accompany the bodies of the Alapaevsk martyrs Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna and her cell attendant Varvara, removed from the mine after their martyrdom. It was his lot that fell to transport the holy remains of the ascetics to Jerusalem, where the Grand Duchess, the blessed martyr Elizabeth, dreamed of being buried.

On the slopes of the Mount of Olives there is a place called the Little Galilee: the residence of the Patriarch of Jerusalem is located there. In the garden of the residence there are two shrines: the foundation of the house in which the Lord appeared to the disciples after His Resurrection and the chapel built on the spot where Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Mother of God and predicted Her imminent Dormition. Next to this chapel, with the blessing of Patriarch Damian, Abbot Seraphim built himself a hut and lived in it until his death, which followed at the age of 85. He was buried near his cell.

And in 1908, having experienced a spiritual touch of the heavenly world to his soul, Hieromonk Seraphim reflected in his notes on the fate of Schemamonk Innokenty (Sibiryakov), stating this: “This example is truly in our weak times, a wonderful and amazing example.” Therefore, it is not surprising that ten years after the death of Innokenty Sibiryakov, they did not forget about him in Russia, dedicating memorable articles to the benefactor, remembering him with a kind word. But the best monument to Innokenty Sibiryakov on earth is not so much the grateful lines of his contemporaries, but the fruits of his good deeds that are still visible today.

Schemamonk Innokenty (Sibiryakov) accomplished many useful deeds both in the world and in the monastery; he left behind many addresses of his charity. Some of them have developed into large cultural, scientific and educational centers, others are preserved in buildings built with donations from I.M. Sibiryakov, thirdly, they still serve God today... But, without a doubt, the best monument to Innocent Sibiryakov is the St. Andrew's Skete and the Cathedral of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called. Pilgrims have left and continue to leave enthusiastic words about this amazingly beautiful monastic fortress. Inspired by the love of the heart for God and neighbor, the beauty of St. Andrew's Skete was created throughout its entire Russian history, which in 1900 numbered fifty years. But the monastery flourished especially brightly and magnificently under the leadership of Archimandrite Joseph with donations from many nameless donors, among whom a special place belongs, of course, to Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov.

And perhaps that is why it is not easy to read descriptions of the modern desolation of the monastery (although its revival has already begun). “In the fall of 1997,” eyewitnesses write, “we entered the territory of St. Andrew’s monastery not from the front entrance, but from the service buildings of the western part of the monastery, which had long been provided destructive force time. The sight was as picturesque as it was terrifying. Powerful vines covered the gates, walls, stairs and bars with a continuous carpet, reaching the fourth and fifth floors of the magnificent monastic buildings built to last. The domes on the paraclises tilted, the gaping voids of the window openings showed desolation, dying and death.”

Recently, the outstanding Russian writer of our time, Valentin Grigorievich Rasputin, also visited Mount Athos as a pilgrim, who wrote a deep, bright and slightly sad essay about the Holy Mountain, published in the magazine “Siberia” (2005, No. 1). Let us also look through his eyes at the Athos island of Holy Rus', paying tribute to our God-bearing ancestors in good memory: “In front of the fortress fence, which was in no way inferior in strength to the walls of ancient buildings, they dismounted, got out of the car, hesitated, preparing for the meeting and looking around the endless snowy kingdom, and then then they went to the monastery courtyard. And immediately on the right stood in all its beauty and power the majestic cathedral, erected in honor of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, richly decorated, having received shrines and ceremonial vestments just a hundred years ago. Even here it is clear that Russia entered the 20th century, despite the revolutionary “bone in the throat”, with heroic steps (the same Trans-Siberian Railway to Pacific Ocean ten thousand kilometers away, the same resettlement of millions and millions from western to eastern lands, etc.). And on Athos - here it is, St. Andrew’s Cathedral, “the pillar and foundation of the truth,” an unshakable step to God...

And the cathedral, revived by new inhabitants, did not lose either its Russianness, nor its heroic stature and dignity. And within its walls there probably remained the memory of those who built it, sanctified it, and sought salvation and grace. The main shrine in the temple is the fragrant frontal bone of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called. The gold of the royal gates, eyes looking into the earthly and heavenly depths from the icon images of the old letter, a high celestial dome, mighty columns... And a Finn, diligently pronouncing Russian words, treating us to wine from a vineyard once planted by Russian monks.”

In the meantime, pilgrims from Russia are returning to Athos to see with their own eyes the saints of God, among whom is Schemamonk Innokenty (Sibiryakov). Now, on the territory of the St. Andrew's monastery, Greek monks are saved in spiritual feats. They have already begun restoration work, and there, perhaps, it is not far to the complete revival of the monastery. In the Cathedral of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, even if only a few times a year, Divine services are held. A great shrine is also kept there - the frontal part of the head of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called in a silver, gilded ark, made just in time for the consecration of St. Andrew's Cathedral with donations from schemamonk Innocent. And was it not for this selfless and selfless generosity of the benefactor and the desire to bring all the best to God that time did not erase the name of Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov from the pages of human history, just as it did not erase his deeds from the memory of many people?

It should be noted that today, thanks to Father Innokenty (Sibiryakov), “Russians who have forgotten their Rus' are beginning to remember it.” And the fact that this memory is found not only in modern Russia, but also comes to us from Athos, from Greece - an important fact: at the heart of the Russian spiritual revival, traditional and fruitful for us has always been the influence of the South, not the West. This was recently emphasized by Russian President V.V. Putin before his pilgrimage to Mount Athos: “As far as I can remember, in our country there has always been increased interest to Greece, and he was always very positive. Not in last resort It happened this way due to our spiritual connections.” 22 .

And although the life and example of Schemamonk Innocent is only a special case in our national history, it, nevertheless, allows us to look at the historical path of Russia not in its three-hundred-year, but in its thousand-year span, and notice in our modern reality the turn of the internal attitudes of many people towards the spiritual values ​​traditional for our Fatherland. The vertical spiritual axis north-south (and not west-east) is strengthening every day, and on the historical path “from the Varangians to the Greeks” it is becoming more lively, not only in a figurative sense.

Today they write a lot about Mount Athos in Russia and write well about it. About the St. Andrew's Monastery - and with admiration, and piercingly, and with bitterness... “Not far from the main entrance,” another of our compatriots shares his impressions, “we found a small arched opening in the wall with half-rotten wooden gate doors scattered in different directions. In the darkness under the arch, my gaze accidentally fell into the window of the guardhouse covered with cobwebs... and I was literally dumbfounded by what I saw. A ray of sun from another window facing the street suddenly clearly illuminated the gatekeeper’s dark closet, unexpectedly throwing me back 70 years.

It was as if I found myself in another dimension, in another era. There, behind the glass, in a world long gone into oblivion, there was a table by the window. A bronze candlestick with a melted end towered over a tattered psalter. An antique kerosene lamp hung from under a smoky ceiling beam; in the corner on a stool perched a small copper samovar with a pipe, on a tray there was a cracked cup. A turn-of-the-century brass washbasin gleamed dully with its galvanized finish, and a threadbare linen towel hung from a rusty nail. Opposite the table, near the once white wall, there was a huge forged chest with an open lid... and next to it on the floor was a pair of worn-out boots. The spectacle made an eerie impression - it seemed as if the gatekeeper had just, just a minute ago, left his gatekeeper... Meanwhile, many decades had passed. The earth was shaken terrible disasters; people were born and died; The gates and window frames in the gatekeeper's room have rotted, and everything in it has become covered with a thick gray layer of dust, but the gatekeeper, who knows nothing about this, is about to return to finish his tea from the cold samovar, which he inflated before leaving...”

This possibility of the return of the Athonite monk from the past to the present is realized in our days in the person of the schema-monk of the Holy Mountain Innokenty (Sibiryakov). It is no coincidence that the Lord of Russia reveals him today. Not him - the benefactor and the schema-monk - but we now need the memory of this wonderful man, we need the unique experience of his life, so that, turning to him, our lives - both wealthy people and those in need - will be filled with high meaning and content. The life of Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov and its crown instills in us, the laity, great hope for salvation in the world through deeds of charity, because without a doubt, it was precisely with such deeds that this good Russian man pleased God before he became a schema-monk.

Every year, not only on Mount Athos, but also in different parts of the world, there are more and more admirers of Father Innocent among those who had the opportunity to become acquainted with the works of his mercy and spiritual feat, as well as see the honest remains of the schema-monk. Much evidence indicates that Schemamonk Innocent has already been glorified by God, and this, as we know, does not depend on whether people on earth remember his deeds or not. Modern admirers of the unmercenary monk remember the schema-monk in their prayers and pray to him. And appeals to this righteous man for help do not go unanswered. The author of the study could write another chapter on this topic, but the time has not come yet...

Using the example of Innokenty Sibiryakov, we see how immutably, according to the secret spiritual law operating in us, the soul of a person is transformed when he comes to the aid of those who suffer and are in need. Charity and active mercy always lead to beneficial changes in the donor himself. His heart softens, good feelings begin to live in him, the spirit, guided by conscience, grows stronger and matures, and the person opens up to the spiritual Heaven, and Heaven touches his soul.

Instead of a conclusion

He did not live in the living soul, which is selfishness,

and into the life-giving spirit, which is love.

A.S. Khomyakov

The most important difference between Russia

from other powers of the world is that

that she has not only

material wealth,

but also spiritual.

F.M. Dostoevsky

The touching life and spiritual feat of Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov have not yet been explored in all its depth. The collected archival documents, literary sources and materials from periodicals allow us to get the first idea that made by Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov for Russia, as well as for the Ecumenical Orthodox Church as a philanthropist. There is information about the special spiritual path of this ascetic, but it is still insufficient, and therefore does not make it possible to reliably present in the necessary completeness the picture of the spiritual feat of Father Innocent (Sibiryakov). His extensive epistolary heritage, as well as letters from famous people to I.M., have not been studied. Sibiryakov, but he was familiar with a wide range of famous people of his time. These are government, church and public figures, scientists, writers, artists and architects, business people, philanthropists and philanthropists, abbots of monasteries, devotees of faith and piety...

Studying materials from that era will help present Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov not only as a famous philanthropist, but also as a public figure, a patriot of his Fatherland, a faithful son of the Orthodox Church. After all, “to lift the veil separating a person’s words and external actions from his innermost thoughts, secret heart movements and impulses” is necessary in order to “complete and reveal his complete image, the whole person.”

The materials already at our disposal today, collected in this book, make us think about many things. And above all, who are we? Why are we born into this world? Where are we going? What will we leave behind for our descendants? What happened to us and why? Why has wisdom and truth, kindness and love, loyalty and compassion, courage and strength decreased in our lives? Why are the concepts of human dignity and nobility not in demand in our reality?

What about righteousness? What about piety? What about holiness? What about perfection? How many people today have the correct understanding of them? And why, even exposed by the revolution (and more than one!), are we still moving further along the path of self-destruction? Who benefits from this? And why are we afraid to ask ourselves eternal questions? Why don’t we dare to look for answers to them?

Yes, because we know: the answers to them already exist! And moreover, we know for sure that they are available to everyone, you just have to reach out to the bookshelf, open the Gospel and return to your true spiritual roots.

And the greatness of the personality, the significance of the example of Innokenty Sibiryakov lies precisely in the fact that with his life he shows us the truth, known in Rus' for a thousand years, and indicates its exact address - Faith, the Orthodox Faith. There, in the treasury of the Spirit, which God left on earth for people, the answers to the most important questions are stored.

That's all today more people in Russia wants to live in a society consisting of moral people who commit moral actions in their own way internal prompted, not just under pressure external law, out of fear of judgment and punishment, since “the internal law supports the moral dignity of a person, constantly turning to his conscience, in it alone finding support and guarantee of his deeds.” And on this path we can no longer do without priceless church experience - the experience of our ancient homeland, which the Svyatogorsk schemamonk Innokenty reminded us of with such spiritual strength, and therefore let us apply to him the words once said about another of his remarkable compatriots: “He was the one , than it is desirable to see all Russian enlightened people - he was a man with ancient love to his faith and Church, with ancient zeal for the good of his Fatherland and with the wealth of new education. Both of them so happened, were reconciled and united in his spirit that his personality can be an example of a practical solution to a difficult problem, on the correct solution of which depends all the good, the entire future of our Fatherland, namely the preservation in modern Russian people of the ancient Russian religious and patriotic mood and combination with the true treasures of new education."

And a hundred years later, directly and simply, not in word, but in deed, Schemamonk Innokenty speaks to us about the most important thing: how to remain human in this world and not adopt the image of the beast? How to fill the emptiness of the soul in a constantly changing world, in which there is less and less human warmth and more and more loneliness? How to live in order to be holy?

Yes, and one can say about Innokenty Sibiryakov that he obtained the truth “with the blood of a heart hungry for truth.” And the truth obtained by the Russian Holy Mountain resident turns out to be necessary not only for Innokenty Sibiryakov, but also for each of us. After all, this truth is about ourselves, about who we are and why we come into this world; this truth about the meaning of our life, a meaning that cannot be replaced by anything...

Innokenty Sibiryakov invites us not only to look into our own soul, but also to think about the fate of the people, look back at our history and peer into the present - into our life, into its essence, into its image, into its spirit. And the bitter truth that will be revealed to us in comparison will make us feel uncomfortable, uncomfortable, because the truth is the shortest path to the heart, and it also stings the eyes. But that’s why it’s true, to wake us up, to help us recognize ourselves in our true essence, to give us a chance to understand what is most necessary, and to show the will to implement it, at least within the world of our own soul. But for this you need to return “home”. How Innokenty Sibiryakov returned, how Russian thinkers returned in the 19th century - the conscience of educated Russia - how the workers of God's truth on earth return today (some in the public eye, some in secret) - the living conscience of our time. That conscience that they don’t want to listen to, but which always turns out to be right. Because for disobedience to her, a person pays a high price: instead of the image of God, he receives internal ugliness, which no one can disguise.

In our opinion, the life and feat of Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov are good, albeit silent, advice:

for the young - to relentlessly seek in this life great meaning and in your search do not retreat to the end - until old age and death;

for the rich - not to be afraid of his wealth, because although it is difficult for the rich to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, it is not impossible if you manage it as God commands: to sacrifice, give gifts, do charity...

for the poor - not to envy wealth, because it does not bring happiness, but happiness is hidden in our heart, if our soul is pure and not evil;

for an educated person, remember that even geniuses, if they are immoral, are just intelligent slaves of their passions, and therefore the great and responsible task of educating (sculpting your own image and the image of your neighbor entrusted to your care) must be done not according to your own plans, but according to by heavenly standards;

for believers - not to stop only at external piety, but to constantly warm up their spirit and bring the light of Orthodoxy into the world, into everyday life, into life;

world rulers - to realize that the only justification for their existence in this capacity is life for their people - to the point of complete self-sacrifice.

AND main advice Innokenty Sibiryakov as a benefactor to all his compatriots - to compassion, to be merciful, to do good - to help his neighbor. After all, according to Slavophile thinkers, “no matter where fate takes us and no matter how circumstances separate us, we will all have a common goal: the good of the Fatherland...”.

For the sake of the prosperity of Russia, this book was also written - the first attempt at a biography of Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov. A more complete biography will allow us to compile new information that has yet to be found. Studying documents, diaries, memoirs, letters is a task for the future. And, undoubtedly, the life of Innokenty Sibiryakov will attract the attention of modern philanthropists, writers and journalists, admirers of our righteous men and ascetics, and domestic scientists, because “it all consists of a huge chain of acts of his material generosity and manifestations of his soft, responsive soul. This man, who gave everything to others and did a lot of real good, lived as an altruist and in this regard represents a bright light against the background of modern everyday life.”

This is what the contemporaries of Innokenty Sibiryakov thought at the beginning of the 20th century, and this is how we, a century later, perceive the instructive experience of his life. After all, both then and now, science, education, spiritual and secular culture of Russia need the favorable attention of not only the state, but also private entrepreneurs, the most important matter which is to follow the traditions of charity developed by the centuries-old efforts of the Russian merchants. You can find many examples in the past: Kokorev, Chizhov, Rukavishnikov, Mamontov, Tretyakov, Morozov... And among them is Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov.

These people remain in the historical memory of Russia not because they were large tax farmers, but solely because of their charitable activities. For their generosity and kindness, sacrifice and responsiveness, they remain in the memory of grateful descendants. Their heirs - modern entrepreneurs - will have to fulfill the covenant that was made a century ago in the words addressed to Schemamonk Innokenty (Sibiryakov) in the days of his memory: “Your broad charity, loving benefactor, will serve as a model for all capitalists to live for the benefit of those disadvantaged by fate and the enlightenment of Russia "

List of abbreviations

TSB - Great Soviet Encyclopedia

VSORGO - East Siberian Branch of the Russian Geographical Society

IRGO - Imperial Russian Geographical Society

RGALI - Russian State Archives literature and art

RGIA - Russian State Historical Archive

RO IRLI - Manuscript Department of the Institute of Russian Literature

Central State Historical Archives of St. Petersburg - Central State Historical Archive of St. Petersburg

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74. Report of the Society for Assistance to Siberian Students in St. Petersburg for 1884-1885. St. Petersburg, 1885.

75. Report on the activities of the Orthodox Brotherhood of St. Innocent, the First Bishop of Irkutsk, the Wonderworker, at the church of the St. Petersburg First Real School. (1896-1897). St. Petersburg, 1998.

76. Essay on ten years of activity of the Society for the Care of Primary Education in Barnaul. Barnaul, 1894.

77. Essay on the construction of the Irkutsk City Theater. 1890-1897. Irkutsk, 1897.

78. Pavlovsky A.A. A general illustrated guide to the monasteries and holy places of the Russian Empire and Mount Athos. N. Novgorod, 1907.

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80. In memory of Yuri Fedorovich Samarin // Orthodox Review. 1876. T. 1.

81. Correspondence between priest Pavel Alexandrovich Florensky and Mikhail Alexandrovich Novoselov, Tomsk, 1998.

82. Letter to I.M. Sibiryakova to V.I. Mezhov dated April 11th. With. 1893 from Nice. Institute of Russian Literature RAS. Handwriting department. F. 219. No. 40 (archive of V.I. Mezhov).

83. Letters to K.S. Aksakov to Gogol // Russian Archive. 1905. No. 5.

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87. Regulations on the capital of the name of the hereditary honorary citizen Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sibiryakov for issuing benefits to mine workers in the Yakut region. St. Petersburg, 1895.

88. Popov I. I. Forgotten Irkutsk pages. Editor's notes. Irkutsk, 1989.

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92. Coastal-Vitim Company // List of the most important Russian gold mining companies and firms. Compiled by M. Bisarnov. St. Petersburg, 1896.

93. Origin and foundation of the communal monastery in the name of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called...Odessa, 1885.

94. Petition of the exiled monks of Athonite to the All-Russian Congress of Clergy and Laity for an end to church persecution against them and for the restoration of their monastic rights from May 23, 1917 // Forgotten pages of Russian imyaslaviya. Collection of documents and publications on the Athos events of 1910-1913. and the name-glorification movement in 1910-1918. M., 2001.

95. “The Way-Road”: Scientific-lit. Sat. in favor of the Island to assist needy migrants. St. Petersburg, 1893.

96. Rabinovich G.Kh. Little-studied sources on the history of the bourgeoisie in Russia // Methodological and historiographical issues historical science. Tomsk, 1972. Issue. 7-8.

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101. RGIA. F. 857. Op. 1. D. 762. Letter from Anna Mikhailovna Sibiryakova to Alexander Sergeevich Zarudny dated July 2, 1911.

102. RGIA. F. 796. Op. 173. D. 3. L. 1.

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104. RGIA. F. 796. Op. 177. Units hr. 2288. On the strengthening of the real estate property donated by Innokenty Sibiryakov for the Lintul women's community. Started on November 30, 1896. Finished on March 10, 1897. On 9 sheets.

105. RO IRLI. F. 313. Op. 3. D. 289.

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111. Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth. Life. M., b. G.

112. Saint Theophan the Recluse. Letters on spiritual life. M., 1996.

113. Seraphim, hieromonk. Travel impressions. Trip to Jerusalem and Mount Athos in 1908. St. Petersburg, 1910.

114. Siberian portrait of the 18th - early 20th centuries in the collections of Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Kyakhta, Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Tyumen, Chita. St. Petersburg: ARS Publishing House, 1994.

115. Sibiryakov I.M. // Historical Bulletin. 1901. T. 86.

116. Solovyova B.A. Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov // Nature. 2001. No. 10.

117. Solovyova B.A. The Sibiryakov family and the book // Book business in Russia in the 19th - early 20th centuries. Collection of scientific papers. Vol. 12. St. Petersburg, 2004.

118. Strashun I.D. The main stages of development of the institute over half a century // 50 years of the First Leningrad Medical Institute named after. Academician I.P. Pavlova. L., 1947.

120. Schemamonk Innocent // Parish reading. 1910. No. 4.

121. Talalay M.G. Construction of M.A. Shchurupova on Mount Athos // Petersburg Readings-96. St. Petersburg, 1996.

122. Talalay M. Russian Athos. A Guide to Historical Essays. M., 2003.

123. Trinity leaves from the spiritual meadow. Stories about the manifestations of the power of God, collected in the monastery of St. Sergius. Edition of the Sretensky Monastery. M., 1996.

124. Troitsky P. St. Andrew's monastery and Russian cells on Mount Athos. M., 2002.

125. Turgenev I.S. Full collection op. and letters. Letters. T. 1. M., 1982.

126. Charter of the Society for Assistance to Needy Migrants // Report of the Society for Assistance to Needy Migrants from January 20, 1891 to April 4, 1893. Issue. 1.SPb., 1893.

127. Fatyanov P.D. Vladimir Sukachev. Irkutsk, 1990.

128. Khomyakov A.S. About old and new: Articles and essays. M., 1988.

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132. Central State Historical Archive St. Petersburg. F. 171. Op. 1. D. 5.

133. Church in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker at the St. Petersburg seventh gymnasium. The consecration ceremony of this temple took place on December 4, 1897. St. Petersburg, 1898.

134. The miraculous icon of the Mother of God, called “Consolation in sorrows and sorrows” // Instructions and consolations of St. Christian faith. 1898. No. 12.

135. Shorokhova T. Angel of Mercy // Orthodox chronicler of St. Petersburg. 2004. No. 20.

136. Yakovlev N.A. Mikhail Shchurupov. St. Petersburg, 2001.

Bibliography of researcher publications

about schemamonk Innocent (Sibiryakov)

Books

Shorokhova T.S.

Shorokhova T.S.

Shorokhova T.S.

Brochures

Shorokhova T.S.

Shorokhova T.S.

Publications of books and articles in chronological order

Shorokhova T. Millionaire who became a monk: Article // Russian Bulletin, newspaper (Moscow). 2003. December 4.

Shorokhova T. Innokenty Sibiryakov - a millionaire who became a monarch: Article // For Orthodoxy and Autocracy, newspaper (St. Petersburg). 2003. No. 8.

Shorokhova T. Angel of Mercy: Article // Orthodox chronicler of St. Petersburg, almanac. 2004. No. 20.

Shorokhova T. If the Lord calls: Article // Primorsky Blagovest, magazine (Vladivostok). 2004. No. 12 (114), etc.

Shorokhova T.S. Philanthropist Innokenty Sibiryakov: Biographical narratives. SPb.: St. Petersburg Publishing House State University, 2005. - 140 p.

Shorokhova T. Angel of Mercy: Article // St. Petersburg Techno Guide, magazine (with editorial changes not agreed with the author). 2005. No. 1-2.

Shorokhova T. By the providence of God: Article // For Orthodoxy and autocracy. 2005. No. 2-3.

Shorokhova T. Son of Siberia: Article // Siberia, magazine (Irkutsk). 2005. No. 314/5.

Shorokhova T. Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov - an outstanding son of Siberia: Article // Constellation of Friendship, magazine (Irkutsk). 2005. No. 1.

Shorokhova T. Gathering treasures in Heaven: Article // Russian House, magazine (Moscow). 2005. No. 10.

Shorokhova T. Mobile exhibition (6 large information sheets) dedicated to I.M. Sibiryakov. Prepared for the XIII International Congress “Problems of Charity in the Modern World”, dedicated to the 145th anniversary of I.M. Sibiryakov and organized by St. Petersburg. State University (November 22-24, 2005, St. Petersburg). St. Petersburg, 2005.

Shorokhova T.“Let it shine on everyone...”: About the righteous millionaire Innokenty Sibiryakov: Article // St. Petersburg Church Bulletin, magazine. 2006. January-February. No. 1-2 (73-74).

Shorokhova T. Capital Temple of Siberians: Article // Taltsy, magazine (Irkutsk). 2006. No. 1 (28).

Shorokhova T. Innokenty Sibiryakov: Through charity to holiness: Report // Annual Theological Conference of the Orthodox St. Tikhon's Humanitarian University (text): materials. T. 2: XVI. M.: PSTGU, 2006.

Shorokhova T. Feat of mercy: Article // Tavrida Orthodox. 2006. June. No. 12 (166). pp. 8-9.

Shorokhova T. The patron of the Athonite St. Andrew's skete, Schemamonk Innokenty (Sibiryakov), is an outstanding representative of the Russian merchants: Report // Third annual All-Russian scientific and theological conference “The Legacy of St. Seraphim of Sarov and the Fate of Russia.” Sergiev Posad - Sarov - Diveevo. June 28 - July 1, 2006": Materials.

Shorokhova T. St. Petersburg under the prayerful protection of St. Innocent of Irkutsk: Article // Orthodox chronicler of St. Petersburg. 2006. No. 26.

Shorokhova T. Innocent means innocent: Article // Tobolsk and all Siberia, almanac: Irkutsk. 2007. Number nine.

Shorokhova T.S. Feat of mercy: From a millionaire gold miner to a monk-schema; benefactor Innokenty (Sibiryakov). Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra (Pochaev, Ternopil region, Ukraine), 2007. - 48 p.

Shorokhova T.S. Angel of Mercy: Millionaire, benefactor, schema-monk Innokenty Sibiryakov. Tosno, 2008. - 32 p.

Shorokhova T. Knots for memory: Travel notes (separate pages of the book are dedicated to I.M. Sibiryakov). St. Petersburg, 2008.

Shorokhova T. Gold miner Innokenty Sibiryakov as a publisher: Article // Nevsky Bibliophile, magazine (St. Petersburg). 2008. (In the “Contents” the surname “Sibiryakov” is given as “Serebryakov” - p. 297).

Shorokhova T.S. Millionaire, philanthropist, schema-monger. Simferopol: Publication of the Simferopol and Crimean diocese, 2010. - 256 p.

Shorokhova T.S. Irkutsk resident of Svyatogorsk Innokenty (Sibiryakov). Irkutsk, 2014. - 174 p.

Shorokhova T. Creation of the Brotherhood of St. Innocent of Irkutsk in St. Petersburg: Report // Sibiryakov Readings: Materials of the All-Russian scientific-practical conference 2013-2014 Irkutsk, 2014.

Shorokhova T. Publisher-philanthropist I.M. Sibiryakov: Article // Bibliography and book science. 2015. No. 4.

Video publications of the researcher

Innokenty Sibiryakov: Gold miner, philanthropist, monk: Documentary film. (T.S. Shorokhova - text, video, dubbing). Tosno: Studio of the Parish Cultural Center of the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, 2010.

Oral publications by the researcher

about Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov

on radio and television

1. Programs dedicated to I.M. Sibiryakov on “Orthodox Radio of St. Petersburg” in 2003-2005.

2. Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov: through charity to holiness: Report // XIII International Congress “Problems of charity in the modern world.” November 22-24, 2005, St. Petersburg (for technical reasons, the report was not published in the conference materials).

3. A series of programs (four in 2005 and two in 2006) about I.M. Sibiryakov on the St. Petersburg radio “Grad Petrov”.

4. Broadcasts on the State Television and Radio Company “Crimea”: in 2006 on the occasion of the publication of the book “Benefactor Innokenty Sibiryakov”; in 2010 in connection with the publication of the book “Millionaire, Philanthropist, Schema Man.”

5. Speech in 2010 in the program “Let’s Keep the Faith” of the State Television and Radio Company “Crimea” in connection with the release of the book “Millionaire, Philanthropist, Schemanik.”

6. I.M. Two episodes of the program “Lessons of Orthodoxy” on the Soyuz TV channel (Ekaterinburg) are dedicated to Sibiryakov with the participation of the author of books about the philanthropist.

Publications with references to books about I.M. Sibiryakov

Gavrilova N. Congress dedicated to I.M. Sibiryakov // Irkutsk Land, magazine. 2006. No. 1 (29).

Vasilyeva N. When you help, it becomes easier for yourself // St. Petersburg Church Bulletin. 2006. January-February. No. 1-2 (73-74).

Kogonashvili G. Philanthropist Innokenty Sibiryakov // Literary Crimea. 2006. February 17.

Sagan N. Leaving everything for Christ: about the book by T.S. Shorokhova “Millionaire, philanthropist, schema monk” // Orthodox Book Review, magazine (M.). 2010, 2 (002). December.

Orthodox calendar for 2016 “Holy Mount Athos. Karulya. Biography of Schemamonk Innokenty (Sibiryakov).” Publication of the Orthodox Brotherhood named after. Innokenty (Sibiryakov) of Afonsky. M.-Holy Mount Athos, 2015.

Preface........................................................ ........................................................

Family traditions................................................ .......................................

During the years of “external” education................................................... ...........................

“Friend of Science and Literature”................................................ ...................................

Choice of the heart................................................... ...............................................

Exodus from the world........................................................ ...............................................

“Innocent” means “guiltless”.................................................. ....................

Behind the monastery walls......................................................... ...............................

According to Athos time................................................... ....................................

Instead of a conclusion................................................... ...........................

List of abbreviations................................................................... ...........................

List of sources and literature......................................................... ......................

Bibliography of researcher publications about I.M. Sibiryakov

Tatyana Shorokhova (Tatyana Sergeevna Chichkina)

Materials from B.A. were used in the work on the book. Solovyova.

Scientific publication

T. Shorokhova (T.S. Chichkina), text, 2016

Tatyana Shorokhova- poet, prose writer, independent researcher, member of the Union of Writers of Russia (St. Petersburg branch, Sevastopol branch), laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Crimea (2013). Poetic creativity was awarded the All-Russian Prizes: the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky (2006) and A.K. Tolstoy (2012). T. Shorokhova's contribution to Orthodox culture Rus was awarded the Order of the Holy Reverend Princess Anastasia of Kyiv by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (2012). Geography of published books: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Simferopol, Pochaev Holy Dormition Lavra (Ukraine), etc. Since 2002 he has been collecting materials about the life, charitable activities and spiritual feat of a native of Irkutsk, an outstanding Russian philanthropist and Athonite schema-monk Innocent (Sibiryakov).

Born in1956. in Lyubotin, Kharkov region. She lived in Crimea for 35 years, where she graduated from the history department of Simferopol State University (1982). In 2001-2013 she lived in the city of Tosno, Leningrad Region.

WITH2014. lives in Sevastopol. Author's email address: [email protected].

The canonarch is the director of church singing in monasteries.

“Each Divine service, according to the rules of the hostel, is certainly attended by all the brethren,” says the pilgrim, who concealed his name, “from the first to the last, and long services are patiently endured, usually starting at midnight and continuing without rest until 6 o’clock in the morning. It was very pleasant to see and hear the zealous commemoration in this monastery of all its patrons and benefactors. The rite of commemoration here is performed very well and carefully, under the strict supervision of the monastery authorities.”

According to numerous eyewitnesses, the archimandrites “put on a colored mantle, in the tablets of which they are depicted, among other things, by the first - Vch. Panteleimon, and the second - St. Apostle. Andrey, - they signify the people with an altar cross, and during sacred ceremonies they use ripids” (metal circles on long handles with the image of six-winged seraphim on them).

See article: Ulyanov O., Sveshnikova M.

It is interesting to compare this entry with the one left in the book of honorary guests of the Holy Kinot on Athos by President Vladimir Putin: “To all ascetics, servants of the Lord, all Christians of the Orthodox faith and guardians of Orthodox shrines with respect” (See article: Ulyanov O., Sveshnikova M. President of Russia on Holy Mount Athos // Church Bulletin. No. 18 (319). September, 2005. pp. 4, 5.).

“It should be noted,” writes Hieromonk Seraphim (Kuznetsov), “that on Mount Athos the custom of digging up the bones of the dead after death has been observed since ancient times. Those deceased whose bones turn out to be yellow and light like white or yellow wax, do not emit a stinking odor, and sometimes emit a fragrance - are recognized as people who pleased God - the righteous; these bones are not given over to decay in all future generations and generations. Those whose bones turn out to be white, rotten, decaying, are, according to believers, in the mercy of God and have received forgiveness of sins. There are also cases when the bones of the deceased become black and stinking; such remains are recognized as belonging to sinful people who have not received forgiveness of sins from God. For such they aggravate their prayers and ask God for mercy for their shortcomings and often implore God’s justice. Sometimes the bodies of the deceased are found completely undecayed, black and stinking, emitting a terrible unbearable stench, which are recognized as belonging to people bound by parents or spiritual fathers, that is, under an oath. Permissive prayers are read over such and the prayers are intensified, then they are buried again in the ground and after forty or more days they are pulled out again and the bones are found white, which means the mercy of God and the forgiveness of sins, as well as permission from the oath. The spiritual fathers read the prayer of permission, and if after this the body does not give in to decay, then they ask the bishop or, at the extreme, the patriarch to read the prayer of permission.”

The obituary is included in the report of the Society for Assistance to Siberian Students in St. Petersburg for 1900-1901, published in the capital in 1902.

Writer V.G. Rasputin, in a personal conversation, expressed regret to the author of this study that at the time of writing the essay, he did not know that St. Andrew’s Cathedral was rebuilt and decorated at the expense of his fellow countryman Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov.

According to the will of the founder of the monastery, schema-monk Vissarion, the St. Andrew's monastic monastery was founded exclusively for Great Russians. According to Athonite rules, they try not to violate the wills of the founders of the monasteries. And, maybe, again everything in St. Andrew’s monastery will return “to normal.”

See article: Ulyanov O. Sveshnikova M. President of Russia on Holy Mount Athos // Church Bulletin. No. 18 (319). September, 2005. pp. 4, 5.

This refers to the book “Philanthropist Innokenty Sibiryakov” (St. Petersburg, 2005), an abridged version of which you are reading.

Schemamonk Innokenty (Sibiryakov)

Historical reference

Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov was born on October 30 (old style) 1860 in Irkutsk (35) into a pious merchant family as the fifth child of Mikhail Alexandrovich (+1874) and Varvara Konstantinovna (+1870), nee Trapeznikova. The parents gave the newborn the name of the first bishop of Irkutsk, Saint Innocent. By this time, 60 years had passed since the canonization of the great hierarch and missionary Innocent, Metropolitan of Irkutsk. A special, spiritual, mysterious connection from birth existed between Innocent Sibiryakov and Saint Innocent. About what about. Innocent bore in his heart the image of the Holy Ascetic, as evidenced by the number of churches and temples he built during his life in the name of Innocent of Irkutsk. (5 churches and 1 church were built, and the Brotherhood of St. Innocent of Irkutsk was created.

The Sibiryakov family is one of the most ancient, rich and influential in Siberia, founded by Afanasy Sibiryakov, a native of the peasants of the Ustyug district of the Arkhangelsk province.

The large merchant family of the Sibiryakovs appeared in Irkutsk in early XVIII century. . (27, p. 46). God blessed the works of Mikhail Alexandrovich, the father of Innokenty Sibiryakov, an enterprising merchant, industrialist and generous philanthropist. He discovered large and rich gold deposits on the Bodaibo River. Gold mines subsequently became the main source of all the future wealth of the family, in which, however, they knew: “Even if wealth flows, don’t put your heart on it”(Ps. 61:11).

Thus, the funds received from entrepreneurship were generously distributed to those in need, immortalized in the churches built, and Innokenty Sibiryakov grew up and was educated on these examples of love for one’s neighbor.

Innokenty Sibiryakov's parents passed away when he was only 10 (14) years old. His siblings, Alexander, Olga, Konstantin, Antonina and Anna, were his only family. His father bequeathed to him and his other children a large gold mining farming. Upon entering adolescence, Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov received a huge fortune (74, p. 202).

In Irkutsk, he studied at a real gymnasium, transformed in the last year of his studies into a Technical School, and a few years later into an Industrial School (90, p. 92). In the mid-70s, I.M. Sibiryakov moved to St. Petersburg, where he entered the private gymnasium of F.F. Bychkov. Innocent studied at the gymnasium with interest. There is information that during his studies he showed a penchant for studying music and loved to read fiction. In the matriculation certificate I.M. Sibiryakov, it will be noted that he “discovered curiosity in his studies of history and Russian literature” (103).

It was within the walls of a private gymnasium, already at school, that Innokenty Sibiryakov began many years of charitable activities. In 1875, due to the difficult financial situation, the gymnasium had to close, but Innocent bought the building and became its owner. Thus, continuing the activities educational institution for many years. The building was immediately rebuilt and its area expanded significantly. (St. Petersburg, Ligovsky Prospekt, 1)

From the very first days, the resulting inheritance was used by Innokenty Mikhailovich for a good cause.

Subsequently, I.M. Sibiryakov avoided the usual seductions of wealth, remembering that it was given by God, belongs to Him, and only He gives the power to acquire it (Deut. 8, 18). Therefore, Sibiryakov regarded his gold mining business, founded by his father, as nothing other than God’s blessing to help his neighbor.

From the documents presented in the case it is clear that I.M. Sibiryakov, after graduating from the private gymnasium in St. Petersburg F.F. Bychkov, entered on August 31, 1880, the natural science department of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of St. Petersburg University. The Central State Historical Archive of St. Petersburg contains the “Case of the Imperial St. Petersburg University student Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov,” begun on August 13, 1880 and completed on November 5, 1885 (102).

It must be said that Innokenty Mikhailovich suffered from consumption (a closed form of tuberculosis) since childhood. His mother died of consumption at the age of 40, as well as his beloved sister. Periodically, the disease worsened for Innokenty Sibiryakov, especially since the St. Petersburg climate was not conducive to a healthy existence and acclimatization was very difficult. Six months later, he wrote a petition about the need to interrupt his studies due to an illness that required treatment in southern regions. In the fall of 1881, he again began studying in the same department, but again due to illness at the beginning of 1882 he was forced to interrupt the educational process. We must pay tribute to the determination and perseverance of the young person in achieving their goal. Despite his serious illness, he did not deviate from his intended path. This character trait - determination, will continue to amaze his contemporaries and his spiritual father - David (Mukhranov) throughout his life.

In October 1884, I.M. Sibiryakov again entered St. Petersburg University at the Faculty of Law and studied for the 1884/1885 academic year. From June 3 to August 20, 1885, he took a leave ticket to go on vacation to the Samara province and the Caucasus, where his middle brother K.M. Sibiryakov had rich estates.

On October 31, 1885, Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov was forced, due to health reasons, to decide to transfer to the category of volunteer students, and wrote a petition addressed to the rector of the Imperial St. Petersburg University indicating the courses that he would like to take (102). Thus, Sibiryakov studied for 9 months at the natural sciences department of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics and graduated from the first year Faculty of Law St. Petersburg University, and then transferred to the category of volunteer students. He made this decision, already having the fame of a person for whom public interest were like their own, and spared no expense in supporting scientific, educational and educational projects. Scientist and publicist N.M. Yadrintsev read I.M. Sibiryakov has a brilliant future in the field of social and charitable activities, characterizing him as a wonderful and sincere young man.

Innokenty Sibiryakov's sensitivity to human need was known to those around him. “Even while I was a student,” writes B.P. Nikonov, -...Innokenty Mikhailovich showed cordial responsiveness to his comrades and helped them a lot” (40, p. 960b-960c). It is known that he had about 70 scholarship students, whom he helped to get on their feet even after studying. He generously donated huge sums of money to organize schools, scientific, cultural and educational projects throughout Russia. (Due to the fact that the list of objects of charity is huge, see the appendix to the hagiographic material №1).

At the university, he not only goes through the school of Christian charity, but begins, on the one hand, to experience the full weight of the golden cross, and on the other, to receive the first lessons of humility. According to the testimony of Innokenty Mikhailovich’s contemporary S. Pozner, who attended P.F. Lesgaft’s lectures, another reason for the departure of I.M. Sibiryakova from the university had the following: “Feeling ill-prepared, (due to poor health) I.M. Sibiryakov wanted to work seriously and turned to some university professors with a request to privately help him. But the fee assigned by the professors reached colossal sizes, which... immediately repulsed Sibiryakov; It was not difficult for him to fulfill their demands, but the self-interest that flared up in the representatives of science, which was so disgusting to his... soul, pushed him away from both the professors and science” (63, p. 257). “All meetings, all relations with people and even with science were poisoned for him by money; money is everywhere, always and in everything; money put a boundary between him and all people, from his university comrades to professors inclusive” (63, p. 257).

I.M. Sibiryakov began to continue his education, attending home-based clubs in subjects that interested him - in physiology and pedagogy with P.F. Lesgaft, in history - with V.I. Semevsky. In 1893 he donates to P.F. Lesgaft 200 thousand rubles and his own house in St. Petersburg worth 150 thousand for the establishment of an educational institution known as the “Biological Laboratory”, a natural science museum and a printed organ (32, p. 10-11).

Innokenty Mikhailovich cared a lot not only about everyday life, but also about the leisure of the workers who mined gold in Russia. It is known that through his efforts and donations a library was founded and maintained at the Uspensky gold mine. He also attached considerable importance to the spiritual life of workers. At the Blagoveshchensky mine there was a beautifully decorated Orthodox church. Temples were built, as a rule, at all large mines, which received their names based on the patronal holidays of the churches located on their territory.

Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov spent his funds not only on educational, cultural and scientific projects, but allocated a significant amount for the construction and decoration of churches. So, thanks to him, a church was erected in Irkutsk in honor of the Monk Mikhail Klopsky in the almshouse named after his father - M.A. Sibiryakov, and also built the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, which was built over several years under the care of his elder brother Alexander.

Let us note that all the projects and works carried out by Sibiryakov were righteous, since his capital invested in charity did not disappear in the revolutionary and subsequent years, like many “capitalists”, but, embodied in churches, universities, museums, etc., was preserved by the Lord God to the present day .

In the late 80s of the 19th century, Innokenty Mikhailovich undertook an educational trip to Europe (93, p. 1038). From where he returned full of sadness and disappointment from the coldness of hearts and lack of faith of those with whom he had to encounter

This trip revealed to him all the vanity and lack of spirituality of the Western civilized world, the main goal of which was the insatiable acquisition of money, for the sake of which progress was carried out with all the achievements and wisdom of modern science. (94, p. 91). He seriously thought about the meaning of human life. “The lack of happiness in life,” he told close people, “oppresses my consciousness with an unaccountable feeling of sorrow, sorrow and despair. This is how I feel now, upon returning to Russia. Here, as everywhere in the world, I see only the suffering of people, only human torment, only worldly vanity. As if our whole life consists of this alone, as if the Lord God created us all for nothing but suffering in the world and there is no joy for man except the sad end - death... And I think that all this torture, all this torment , all sufferings are only things acquired by man, but not God’s heritage for us on earth. After all, the Kingdom of God is within us, but we neglected all this and fell into despair, into melancholy, into the hell of life. Yes, a person is weak, insignificant and cowardly in choosing his earthly goods, personal happiness” (12, p. 167) Innocent was once again convinced that human happiness and peace of mind do not depend on money, but are directly related to the name of Christ the Savior, to our actions sincere repentance.

In 1890, Sibiryakov settled in an apartment on Gorokhovaya Street, he was often seen in the capital's churches, and as a pilgrim in the surrounding monasteries (12, p. 167). He continued to donate to the construction and improvement of churches and monastic monasteries. According to the testimony of his contemporaries, he “began to live in the world as in the desert.”

Monk Clement wrote about this change in Innocent Mikhailovich Sibiryakov: “What a striking contrast! Hundreds of rich people travel abroad for pleasure, bring home a lot of luggage, having picked up fashionable thoughts, begin to sow unrest, godlessness, anarchism in their homeland, or try to increase their already large capital by exploiting the labor of others. Sibiryakov, traveling around the world, studies Christian philosophy, discovers the vanity of life, sees the suffering of honest people who love God, decides to go towards those who are destitute by fate and, both in this matter and in communication with God, in prayer, thinks to find consolation to his grieving spirit" (21, p. 513).

The desire to finally change my life grew stronger when I met in 1890 the rector of the Holy Athos Skete, St. Andrei Archimandrite David (Mukhranov), who served at the St. Petersburg courtyard. And from this moment his struggle for true spiritual values ​​begins. His entire previous life was preparation for the monastery, and he perceived the opportunity to become a resident of the monastery of “soldiers of Christ” as God’s gift, God’s mercy, and not as a manifestation of your dedication. Under the leadership of Fr. David, for 8 years, Innokenty Sibiryakov mastered the basics of spiritual work, visited Holy Mount Athos in the Russian St. Andrew's Skete. The future became clearer and clearer for him. Changes in the spiritual life of Innokenty Sibiryakov almost coincided with the arrival in St. Petersburg from Athos of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Consolation in Sorrows and Sorrows” - the main shrine of the Russian St. Andrew’s monastery. The image of the Mother of God “Consolation in Sorrow and Sorrow” became famous for its miracles back in the 60s of the 19th century, when Athonite monks brought the icon to Russia and made a missionary journey with it through the cities (105, p. 1109). After this, the miraculous icon was returned to Athos. But in connection with the opening of the St. Petersburg metochion of the Old Athos St. Andrew's Skete, the brethren decide to deliver the miraculous image of the Mother of God to the capital of the Russian Empire, leaving a copy of the icon in the St. Andrew's Skete . It was this miraculous image of the Mother of God that arrived in Russia that was decisive in the main choice of life of Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov. Archimandrite David in every possible way delayed the fulfillment of Innokenty Sibiryakov’s desire to become a monk, fearing his infirmity due to the “gentle” upbringing of a man who had never needed anything. But one day, he prayed in front of the miraculous image and received a revelation about Innocent’s future monasticism and informed him about it. (Currently, the icon is kept in the sacristy of the St. Nicholas Cathedral in St. Petersburg). Elder David becomes his spiritual father and teaches him the highest philosophy of Christianity - smart work.

By his nature, Innokenty Sibiryakov was a practical man, so he perceived the Gospel not as a sum of abstract ideas, but as a guide to active Christianity. An eyewitness who observed the life of Innokenty Mikhailovich tells the following about the generosity of the benefactor: “Who among the capital’s poor was not in his house on Gorokhovaya Street, who did not take advantage of his generous alms, monetary assistance that exceeded all expectations! His house became a place where the hungry and thirsty went. There was not a person whom he would release without a generous alms. There were people who before my eyes received hundreds of rubles in one-time assistance from Sibiryakov... How many students, for example, thanks to Sibiryakov, completed their higher education in St. Petersburg! How many poor girls who got married received a dowry here! How many people, thanks to Sibiryakov’s support, took up honest work!” (12, p. 167). The benefactor received piles of letters asking for financial assistance. Many of these requests were granted without verification. “Innokenty Mikhailovich had a period,” writes another contemporary of his, “when he reasoned like this: “If they ask, then it is necessary: ​​if you can give, that is, if you have the means, then you need to give without searching” (13, c. 1). He was not interested in why the neighbor asking for help was unhappy, why he found himself in need, what brought him to a disastrous state. He did not embark on research into motives if people living in prosperity came to him with a request. He hurried to help, and the “coin” did not fog up in his hand. Taught by family example from childhood, Innokenty Mikhailovich firmly grasped Christian Science: true charity must embrace one and all.

There were days when Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov received up to four hundred people, and no one “left his side.” He had almost no personal time left, and then he decided to organize a special bureau to provide financial assistance, through which he distributed millions of rubles to those in need (13, p. 1). Soft and kind heart Innokenty Mikhailovich sympathized and had compassion for every need and misfortune with which he came into contact. “Our life is bright only then,” he said, “when everything around us smiles... But if you feel poverty next to you, being rich yourself, then you somehow feel uneasy” (12, p. 167) .

THEM. Sibiryakov learned not only to give to everyone who asks, but also to give willingly. The zeal of a Christian was expressed in him by the richness of his heart. As a Christian, Innokenty Sibiryakov already understood that acts of mercy are assessed by God not by their apparent significance, not by the number of donations, but by the disposition of the heart with which they are done, by the purity of motives, and by the dignity of the means donated.

During this period, Innokenty Sibiryakov met the All-Russian pastor - Father John of Kronstadt (December 20, 1908), to whom he donated a huge amount of money and thereby covered many of Father John's needs. Following his example, Innokenty Sibiryakov establishes the “House of Diligence” in Barnaul. And together they become the founders of the “Orthodox Brotherhood of St. Innocent, the first Bishop of Irkutsk, the Wonderworker, at the Church of the St. Petersburg First Real School” and its honorary members, as well as trustees of the Lintul Convent. The year is 1894. At the age of 34, Innocent becomes a novice, renounces everything worldly, but does not stop charitable works, combining them with monastic labors.

He begins preparations, partly for the transfer, partly for the sale of his shares in gold mining companies and shipping companies to his brother Konstantin and sister Anna (79, p. 1). Innokenty Mikhailovich still continues to lead many projects, but it is already becoming noticeable that he is curtailing his public activities. It is surprising how nobly a generous benefactor draws a line under his old life, leaving considerable capital in the coffers of public organizations (42, p. 22), making his last large contributions to various secular institutions with which he collaborated for ten years.

Monk Clement writes: “Intense charity and fervent prayer gave Innokenty Mikhailovich peace of mind, but he still often remembered the gospel rich man to whom the Lord Jesus Christ said: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your property and give it to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven; and come and follow Me (Matthew 19:21). He took this call entirely to himself and could not rest until he carried his cross for Christ, as one from the poor. Finally, irrevocably, he decided to follow the call of the Gospel and began to squander his property with such haste through... Hieromonk David, as if he was trying to throw off I carry a heavy load, As soon as possible."

But no matter how generously Sibiryakov squandered his estates, there were still a lot of them left. In those years, his annual profit from gold mining production reached 220 thousand rubles - 30 mines brought 186 pounds of gold. And all this money went to charity. As they said in his time, “he grew rich in God.” Father David contributed to his prudent distribution and was not at all partial to money.

While those around him were discussing the actions of Innokenty Mikhailovich with bewilderment, he lived according to the Gospel, and therefore became strengthened in spirit and ascended “from strength to strength” (Ps. 83:8), ripening for the highest service - completely surrendering himself to the will of God. And on this path he was met with a severe test. When Innokenty Sibiryakov had already ceased to hide his love for monastic life, began to often talk with monks and nuns about spiritual life and himself had already openly expressed his desire to become a monk, some close people, with the support of the St. Petersburg mayor, accused him of madness with a desire to prevent him from becoming a monk and take custody of capital. The Christian charity of Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov was declared “reckless extravagance” and was charged against him. The “enlightened” society, left without the generous care of a benefactor, could not forgive him for this.

So, in the capital, a certain public opinion is beginning to take shape around the name of Innokenty Sibiryakov. The capital's moneybags were haunted by the behavior of Innokenty Mikhailovich for the reason that through the generous benefactors of I.M. Sibiryakov revealed their hostility to real, coming from the heart, sacrifice for the sake of Christ. No wonder the historian M.K. Sokolovsky, who became acquainted with Sibiryakov’s case “through the Office of the St. Petersburg City Government,” was forced to begin his description with the following digression: “Millions... The golden idol was from time immemorial the king of society. Anything and everything was sacrificed to the golden calf. Intrigue wove around the gold, gossip arose, the snake of envy was ready to stick out its sting, sometimes poison hissed in the retort and even the blade of a dagger was sharpened. Golden shower could buy everything, making shame and conscience silent, forgetting a good name, honor, family, homeland...” (47, p. 16).

M.K. Sokolovsky preserved for posterity a detailed description of the judicial examination of Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov, at which he was completely acquitted. Since the accusation of insanity against Innokenty Sibiryakov occupies one of the key places in his biography, we present the information available in the archives.

“There is a peculiar case regarding millions in the affairs of the Detective Police,” writes M.K. Sokolovsky, is a case caused by millions of the famous gold miner Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov. With a generous hand, he poured out handfuls of gold to help petitioners and for cultural purposes, and thereby gave rise to doubt about the normality of his mental abilities. He was still in full bloom - he was 33 years old - he was surrounded by millions, one might say, he was swimming in them and... he learned the futility of money. Denying himself personally, he settled in a small apartment and began handing out large sums of money left and right. Of course, it was peculiar. Society would not be surprised if he presented pearls and diamonds to dubious singers, if he built himself palaces in the style of the Alhambra, bought paintings, tapestries, Sevres and Saxons, or broke mirrors while drunk to provoke the hoarse laughter of the Harp women - all this was would normally. But Sibiryakov moved away from this and, prompted by spiritual inclinations, put into practice the rule - “give to the one who asks!” (47, p. 16-17).

The library of the St. Panteleimon Monastery on Athos contains the diary of Hieroschemamonk Vladimir, a contemporary of I.M. Sibiryakova. There is an interesting entry in this diary that rumors about the case of the millionaire Sibiryakov reached the tsar, and Alexander III wished to meet with Innocent Mikhailovich. During this meeting I.M. Sibiryakov “talked intelligently” with the tsar, and he ordered him to be released and not to be touched again (17).

The reason for the second charge of “insanity” against Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov was the following incident. “Once entering the Znamenskaya Church in St. Petersburg, he placed a silver ruble on the book of a nun standing on the porch,” reports B. Nikonov. - The nun must have been accustomed to receiving only the smallest alms; She was so amazed by this ruble that right there, in front of Sibiryakov, she fell to her knees in front of the icon and began to loudly thank God for such a generous gift. Sibiryakov was touched and asked the nun her address and what monastery she was from. And the very next day he appeared at her address in one of the capital’s farmsteads and gave the nun all his free money, namely 147 thousand rubles.

The nun was horrified by such a huge amount. She suspected something was wrong here and, after the departure of her extraordinary visitor, reported him to the police... The court case we mentioned arose... The court, however, recognized him (Sibiryakov) as acting in a state of full understanding and approved the poor Uglich women's monastery donated to her a huge amount" (40, p. 960c).

So, after donating 147 thousand rubles to the Uglich Epiphany Monastery, in 1894 the property of I.M. Sibiryakov was sealed, and he had to go through a humiliating examination procedure, the results of which were widely publicized. Innokenty Mikhailovich found himself almost under house arrest, and his relatives were required to give receipts for him. During this difficult time for the benefactor, when materials compromising Innokenty Sibiryakov were still being collected, Hieromonk Alexy (Oskolkov), unknown to him until then, visited Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov and planned to build a monastery in the Far East of Russia in the Primorsky Territory. This is how the venerable elder describes his first meeting with Innokenty Mikhailovich: “I arrived, I entered the courtyard, they showed me the front door of a stone house with 5 floors; I climb the dark stairs to the third floor - I call! The door opens and I ask if I.M. lives here. Sibiryakov? Here! Please. I enter - the hallway is cramped, in front of me is a small, neat man! I'm asking. Innokenty Mikhailovich at home? At home - please, sir - and he opens it, it turns out to be an office, in the middle there is a large desk; in the right wall, next to the window, there is a door, on the lock handle of which I see a wax seal hanging, the cord from which is attached to the other half of the door with a wax seal. Not seeing anyone in the office, I ask again: where is Ying himself? Mikhailovich? Then he says - It's me! And he asks me to sit on a chair at the table, and he sat down opposite me” (1, p. 29). Innokenty Mikhailovich confessed to a devotee of monastic feats: “I love monasticism and I myself want to be a monk.” Seeing in the visitor a brother in faith who sympathized with him, Sibiryakov frankly told Father Alexy about his plight. “Having started the story about doctors, experts and the police visiting him,” recalls Hieromonk Alexy, “and how they were trying to embarrass him, upset him, provoke him into an unpleasant argument, prove him wrong in everything, erroneousness, lack of soundness of mind, he said with tears: “What did you do?” Am I to them? Isn't this my property? After all, I’m not giving to robbers, but I’m sacrificing for the glory of God!” (1, p. 29).

Father Alexy took upon himself the trouble of helping Innokenty Mikhailovich, explaining to him the main spiritual meaning of what was happening to him. He played an important role in the life of Schemamonk Innocent and instilled hope in him: “I am very glad that the mercy of God has given me the consolation of meeting you, for in you I see God’s beloved - willing, but not able to love Him - a humble and meek servant. ... Believe that you will receive complete freedom. God bless you” (1, p. 30).

During his stay Fr. Alexy in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, where the future founder of the seaside monastery stayed, he accumulated three letters from Innokenty Sibiryakov. “I read the letter and thanked God,” reports the stingy, but important information O. Alexy, - the letter is written in beautiful, firm handwriting, on good paper, neatly folded, put in an uncrumpled envelope, with an address - also calmly, methodically firm, beautifully written. Where, I think, is the crazy one... And it happened in a short time that I collected three of his letters, all equally clean, written in excellent, firm handwriting, with the content not of idle chatter, but with the messages of a business man. These letters, testifying to the health and calmness of his mind, seemed to encourage me to become an active and energetic intercessor for him, Sibiryakov, to deliver him from the persecution of Val (the mayor). Trusting in God, I decided to present the three letters I had to Bishop Metropolitan Palladius and ask for his energetic assistance in freeing Sibiryakov from Valya’s persecution. The Metropolitan, having examined the letters and finding that the writer was quite smart and healthy, sent me straight to the Chief Prosecutor. The Chief Prosecutor, having read them with some joy, said - quite healthy, leave these letters to me. Eight days later, when he saw me at the Synod, he said from afar: ah! O. Alexy, hello, congratulations - your pet is free! And, going with me to the window, he said: in the evening, we: the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Internal Affairs and I discussed the Sibiryakov case and decided to completely release him, and forbade the Mayor to interfere in his affairs. I congratulate you and go to please him and congratulate him” (1, 32).

Meeting Fr. Alexia with Konstantin Pobedonostsev took place after June 13, 1894, when I.M. Sibiryakov was testified by the provincial government and by a majority vote declared him healthy. “This decision did not satisfy the mayor,” reports M.K. Sokolovsky, “and on June 30 he came with a presentation to the Minister of Internal Affairs, where he indicated that “Sibiryakov’s extravagance, in the absence of any caution, could lead to the transfer of large sums into the hands of persons pursuing political goals that disagree with the interests of the government" and asked for a new examination of Sibiryakov, which took place on January 30, 1895" (47, p. 17).

“By the majority of votes, Sibiryakov was also recognized as healthy,” writes M.K. Sokolovsky (47, p. 17). A “special opinion” was expressed at this meeting by “a member of the presence, Senator Likhachev.” “Logical harmony, elegance of presentation, humane gentleness - these are the qualities of this opinion,” states the researcher (47, p. 17). “Subtlely, consistently and without fuss, Likhachev examines the arguments that could give rise to the opinion of Sibiryakov’s supposed “boundless extravagance,” reports M.K. Sokolovsky. - “Since he has 220 thousand annual income and 10 million. state,” Likhachev said in his defense, “then ordinary standards cannot be applied to his expenses. For his unusual income, his expenses are unusual. He donated large capital to the fund of Siberian workers, since it was to their labor that he owed his enormous fortune; he donated 147 thousand to the nun for the church, since he considered this amount lost and returned to him by chance and beyond expectation; he gave the artist 28 thousand, since he wanted to set up a photo gallery and did not have any money. “All of Sibiryakov’s extraditions,” notes Likhachev, “relatively speaking, are more or less commensurate with the needs and needs of the persons to whom they were assigned.” Likhachev does not fail to note that Sibiryakov did not issue a single obligation, did not sign a single bill of exchange. Likhachev ends his opinion with a general outline of Sibiryakov’s life: “Having grown up in a rich merchant family, where he rarely encountered refusal to fulfill his desires, he early began the independent, completely free, independent life of a wealthy person. Having completed his education, Sibiryakov, free from the compulsory, for the sake of livelihood and work, is interested in chemistry and studies it with passion. Then he gives up chemistry and begins to study anatomy with the same fervor. But soon he gives up his anatomy studies, stops reading anything other than the Gospel, becomes engrossed in it and gets carried away by it, and with enthusiasm and passion tries to implement the Christian feelings of love and helping his neighbor. Maybe the period of religiosity will pass. But he is healthy...” (47, p. 18).

“So,” sums up M.K. Sokolovsky, - Sibiryakov was declared healthy twice. However, even here the mayor did not calm down and asked the Minister of Internal Affairs whether to give Sibiryakov capital that was prohibited, pointing out that “there is reason to assume that part of the money distributed by Sibiryakov may be directed to anti-government enterprises.”

However, the minister did not heed the voice of the mayor and his elusive hint about Sibiryakov’s unreliability, who ordered that all Sibiryakov’s capital be immediately handed over to him according to his ownership,” sums up M.K. Sokolovsky (47, p. 18). Great faith is also tested by a great test - this spiritual law was fully realized in the life of Innokenty Sibiryakov. The dishonor that the world inflicted on the compassionate actions of Innokenty Sibiryakov turned out to be for the good and finally strengthened his determination to go to the monastery.

Sibiryakov warmly accepts the call of Christ: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor; You will have treasure in heaven; and come and follow Me"(Matt. 19:21).

Relatives and friends of Innocent Mikhailovich tried to dissuade him from entering the monastery. Hiding from misunderstanding, he broke off communication with many people. Previously, people who had benefited from him insulted him and accused him of stinginess, especially when they learned that, while helping people, Sibiryakov did not make any distinction in their social status. As it turned out, an unknown employee, a commoner or a peasant who came to the city to earn money could receive from Sibiryakov the same money as a famous professor.

At this time, Innokenty Mikhailovich still does not abandon his charitable activities, but now he pays special attention to the spiritual enlightenment of Siberia - he sends books to libraries according to the list recommended by the Holy Synod. Innokenty Mikhailovich donates his house in Raivolo (now Roshchino) and a capital of 50 thousand rubles to establish an orphanage for girls at the Liteino-Tavrichesky circle of the Society for Benefiting Poor Women.

At the same time, according to contemporaries, Sibiryakov himself lived modestly, avoiding luxury and comfort, even denying himself many things. Wealth did not burden Innokenty Mikhailovich’s soul with pride. His attitude towards property was as if copied from patristic books. Everyone who knew I.M. Sibiryakov, noted his amazing modesty, desire to sit “in the last places” (Luke 14:10), and natural urge to behave as if others were better than him. For these Christian qualities of the soul, some often characterized Innokenty Mikhailovich as a timid and shy person, often putting a negative meaning into such an assessment.

In 1896, Innokenty Sibiryakov donated 10 thousand rubles to the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam Monastery for the construction of the Resurrection Skete on the site where the chapel in honor of St. stood. Apostle Andrew the First-Called. The built two-story Church of the Resurrection of Christ and all the buildings of the monastery have survived to this day, and now, after restoration, the temple has been completely restored and sparkles with its former grandeur and luxury of interior decoration.

It is known that the same amount was donated to the Konevetsky Monastery. Innokenty Mikhailovich transferred the rest of his capital of 2.4 million rubles to his confessor, Archimandrite David, so that the remaining funds would be spent on helping poor Russian monasteries, including on the establishment of the St. Petersburg metochion of the Russian St. Andrew's monastery on Athos, and on the construction of St. Andrew's Cathedral itself in St. Andrew's Skete.

From that time “life ended and living began.” Innokenty Sibiryakov began to live hopelessly on St. St. Andrew's Metochion in St. Petersburg, dreaming that soon his confessor would tonsure him into the new beginning of the angelic image. Father David had already sufficiently experienced Innocent's zeal for the ascetic life, and yielding to his requests, he actually tonsured him into the cassock on October 1, 1896. Innokenty Sibiryakov was then 35 years old. How touching it was to look at him when, having thrown off his worldly suit, trying it on, he put on a monastic cassock and said: “How good it is in these clothes! No pressure anywhere! God bless! “I’m so glad I dressed in it!” (21, p. 517). And further, the monk Clement reports that “having taken monastic vows, he immediately left for the Holy Mountain and settled in St. Andrew’s monastery” (21, p. 517).

Monk Innocent had to come twice after his spiritual father to St. Petersburg, until finally they settled on Holy Mount Athos (21, p. 518). There, not far from the walls of the St. Andrew's monastery, a small but cozy, two-story monastery was built with a church in the name of the Great Martyr Barbara, the Venerable Michael of Klops and the Venerable David of Thessalonica - the heavenly patrons of the parents of Innocent Sibiryakov and Archimandrite David. Brother Innocent settled in this place with his spiritual father - to live in strict monastic asceticism (34, p. 412). “As full of energy and strength,” the monk Clement reports about Innokenty’s (Sibiryakov) return from St. Petersburg to the Holy Mountain, “he was in a hurry not to rest, but for monastic deeds, which he aggravated...” (21, p. 518).

On November 28, 1898, Archimandrite David tonsured the monk Innocent into a mantle with the new name John in honor of the Prophet and Forerunner John - the Baptist of the Lord. According to Fr. Seraphim, “with the adoption of the angelic image, the monk John mentally mourned that he had spent a lot of time on vanity and studying the wisdom of this age” (87, p. 149). And less than a year later, following the Athos tradition and taking into account the serious illness of the monk, on August 14, 1899, monk John (Sibiryakov) was tonsured into the great angelic rank - the holy schema - with the name Innocent in honor of St. Innocent of Irkutsk (87, p. 148 -149).

Information about the monastic feat of Schemamonk Innocent convincingly reveals the true image of God's chosen one, who died once and for all for the world for the sake of Christ. A pilgrim who visited the St. Andrew’s monastery in 1900 and was puzzled by the question of whether there were outstanding ascetics on contemporary Mount Athos, writes: “Here, in one of the cells belonging to the St. Andrew’s monastery, lives Father Innocent (former millionaire, major Siberian gold miner And M. Sibiryakov), leading a remarkably ascetic lifestyle. In this cell five days a week are not allowed, there is no hot food, and oil and wine are consumed only on Saturdays and Sundays” (11, p. 159-160). Reveals the secret of spiritual feat Fr. Innocent (Sibiryakova) and monk Clement. “Having taken great monastic vows,” he writes, “Father Innocent led a strictly fasting and deeply silent ascetic life. One cannot help but be surprised how he, accustomed from childhood to exquisite dishes, ate coarse monastic food without harm to the stomach and, having also spent time since childhood in a cheerful secular society, now remained all the time in his cell alone, talking only with God in prayerful feats and enjoying reading spiritually beneficial books" (21, p. 518] According to the monk Clement, the young schema-monk showed the Svyatogorsk ascetics "an example of complete non-acquisitiveness and ascetic life" (21, p. 518). "The brethren are still remembered," Father Clement will write ten years later years after the death of Schemamonk Innocent, - and, probably, his brotherly love and genuine humility, which were manifested in all his actions, will be remembered for a long time” (21, p. 518).

Another testimony about Father Innocent was compiled by the pilgrim Hieromonk Seraphim from the words of the rector of the monastery, Archimandrite Joseph, and the brethren in 1908 - seven years after the death of the schema-monk: “He spent the days of his monastic life, taking advantage of the short rest, in strict fasting and fervent tearful prayer . In monasticism, he fully fulfilled the commandment of non-covetousness and unquestioning obedience and could quite boldly say with the apostle: “Behold, we have left everything and are dead in Your footsteps.”... With the acceptance of the holy schema, Father Innocent intensified his exploits; he was constantly in the thought of God, doing... the Jesus Prayer, and mortal memory did not leave him, but always remained with him, and he often shed streams of grace-filled tears of tenderness in his fiery prayer.” To this, apparently, it should be added that on Athos the most difficult cell rule exists for schema-monks, who must make 1,200 bows and 100 bows to the ground every day, and this does not count church services.

They repeatedly suggested Fr. Innocent to accept the rank of priesthood, but the humble monk did not agree, considering himself unworthy of such a great and responsible rank (87, p. 149). Is it any wonder that it was on schemamonk Innocent (Sibiryakov) that one of the Athonite prophecies was fulfilled? Back in 1868, Athos was visited by His Grace Alexander, Bishop of Poltava, a famous defender of the Solovetsky Monastery during the Crimean War. While on pilgrimage to Holy Mount Athos, he also visited the St. Andrew's Skete. The elders of the monastery asked the Bishop to build a temple in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God outside the monastery fence. But Bishop Alexander advised the brethren to build such a church in another place, and at this place to build a temple in the name of St. Innocent, the first bishop of Irkutsk. To the objections of the elders, he said that “God will send here from Siberia a benefactor named after this Saint, and that this benefactor will build a church and a hospital on this foundation” (21, p. 516).

By the time Innocent Sibiryakov appeared on Athos, in the St. Andrew's monastery there was a cathedral in the name of St. Andrew the First-Called and a hospital building with a church in the name of St. Innocent of Irkutsk, which had been under construction for twenty-five years, and remained barely raised above ground level. Through the care of Innocent Mikhailovich, the Holy Mountain received the wondrous power and beauty of St. Andrew’s Cathedral, the largest on Mount Athos, in Greece and in the Balkans, designed for 5 thousand worshipers (57, p. 32). The construction of this temple cost the St. Andrew's monastery almost 2 million rubles in the calculation of that time (11, p. 146). Three months after the death of Fr. Innocent, when the tenth anniversary of the abbotship of Archimandrite Joseph was solemnly celebrated, in a congratulatory speech addressed to the abbot, Hieromonk Vladimir said: “Before the construction of the cathedral began, you said more than once: “We just need to start the work with God’s help, and the Mother of God will help us.” And indeed, the Most Pure Helper of the helpless helped you by sending a man (schemamonk Innokenty Sibiryakov of blessed memory) who gave us the necessary funds for this godly work” (16, p. 16).

Many people were invited to the celebration of the consecration of St. Andrew's Cathedral, but the name of the ktitor was not mentioned anywhere. All earthly deeds were consigned to oblivion according to the word of the psalmist: “Not for me, Lord, not for me, but for Your name.”

“The brethren still remember his brotherly love and genuine humility, which were manifested in all his actions,” writes monk Clement in his memoirs about Sibiryakov (21, 516-517).

With the help of Innokenty Sibiryakov, not only the Cathedral of St. Andrew the First-Called was erected in St. Andrew's Skete, but also a hospital building with a church in the name of St. Innocent of Irkutsk and the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and a total of 12 buildings.

On the day of the consecration of the Church of the Annunciation, September 26, 1901, Father Innocent became seriously ill with transient consumption. Last days He spent it lying in his cell in the newly built hospital. His suffering continued for a month and a half. Three days before his death, the rector of St. Andrew's monastery, Archimandrite Joseph, visited the patient. The sufferer said with deep humility: “Father, forgive me, I cannot meet you properly; I can’t say anything except my sins.” After this, Father Innocent confessed, and the sacrament of unction was performed on him.

On November 6, 1901, after the liturgy in St. Andrew's Cathedral, Schemamonk Innocent received Holy Communion of Christ. “And at 3 o’clock in the afternoon he quietly ended his earthly life with the blessed death of a righteous man. Thus the great and wonderful follower of Christ faded away,” writes Hieromonk Seraphim from Athos. Father Innocent was only 41 years old.

On November 8, the body of Schemamonk Innocent was buried. Three years later, according to Athonite custom, the honest remains were found by the brethren of the monastery. They were dark yellow, waxy in color, which is a sign of the ascetic’s holiness on Athos. The head of schemamonk Innocent, according to custom, was placed in the monastery of the skete in a place of honor along with the heads of the holy ascetics, the elders of the founders of the skete - Barsanuphius and Vissarion, the first abbot of the skete. Out of respect from the brethren for Father Innocent and at the request of his sister, the body of schemamonk Innocent was left in the ground next to St. Andrew's Cathedral on the western side, next to the grave of the first abbot of the monastery. Nowadays the honorable head of schemamonk Innokenty (Sibiryakova) rests in the altar of St. Andrew’s Cathedral for special prayerful commemoration, on it next to his name and date of death is inscribed ktitor R.A.O.S.

The Chairman of the Board of the Regional Public Organization "Russian Athonite Society" I.B. Divinsky reports in writing that Archimandrite Ephraim, head of the St. Andrew's Skete, certifies that Schemamonk Innocent (Sibiryakov), on the day established by the monastery, is revered by the brethren of the monastery as ktitor of the Athonite St. Andrew's Skete. Translated from Greek word“ktitor” means builder, creator.

A researcher of the life of Russian Athos, writer Pavel Troitsky, in one of his publications “...And you will have treasure in heaven,” adds: “The charity of Schemamonk Innocent on Athos was not limited only to St. Andrew’s monastery. It is known that one of the best cells, in which the famous hermit Parthenius later labored, was built with his money.” The Lord preserved not only St. Andrew's Cathedral, but also all the addresses of Innocent Sibiryakov's charity on earth, and multiplied some of them. But the main thing is human memory and love. It is born from contact “with the heroes of the Christian spirit,” as the monk Clement called him, who left his memories of him in an essay dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the death of Schemamonk Innocent (21, 509-519).

Today the words spoken by the monk Clement about Innocent Sibiryakov have come true, that his loving heart will not disappear from the memory of people, that his broad charity will serve as an example for life for the benefit of the disadvantaged and in the name of enlightenment of Russia. And he will forever inherit the gratitude of his descendants and good memory from generation to generation! His entire bright life was captured by one impulse - towards personal perfection and personal non-covetousness for the sake of the good of his neighbors. He was a typical and most beautiful example of a conscientious Russian person who could not serenely rejoice and have fun at the feast of life when hundreds of thousands of people were in poverty next to him. And conscientiousness forced me to do what the evangelical rich young man who came to Christ did not dare to do: give away his property and devote himself to the search for truth in God. Today, both the rich and the poor have something to learn from schemamonk Innocent. The Lord placed his warm heart high on the candlestick in order to disperse the darkness and callousness of our hearts, to awaken love and mercy in them.

In his homeland, Sibiryakov was erased from people's memory for a long time, but today we are rediscovering him for ourselves. The name of Schemamonk Innocent (Sibiryakova) returns again to the pages of Russian history, his life inspires our contemporaries to deeds of mercy. Admirers of Schemamonk Innokenty created the Orthodox Educational Society named after Schemamonk Innokenty Sibiryakov in St. Petersburg, thereby attracting the attention of the general public to the life and deeds of this wonderful man. The website “Benefactor Innokenty Sibiryakov” is located on the Internet, where all the historical and archival information collected by enthusiastic researchers is available.

On the 145th anniversary of the death of Innokenty Sibiryakov, a Charity Congress was held within the walls of St. Petersburg University, where he once studied, dedicated to his memory, which brought together admirers of his name from different cities of Russia, including Irkutsk. A participant in this Congress was also a Russian Canadian, cleric of the Russian Church Abroad, rector of the Trinity Cathedral in Toronto, Archpriest Vladimir Malchenko, one of the first admirers of the memory of Innocent Mikhailovich Sibiryakov.

Filmed in 2008 documentary, dedicated to Schemamonk Innocent, as well as radio and television programs created and aired.

It is obvious that the life feat of the millionaire gold miner I.M. Sibiryakov, who became the Athonite schema-monk, the phenomenon of his spiritual transformation, is of invaluable importance for today's Russian Orthodox Church, for all of Russia, striving to restore lost traditions. Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov will forever remain in the history of our Fatherland as an example worthy of imitation, a connecting thread from generation to generation as a wonderful Russian person with a special gift charity, whom he served both people and God throughout his short life.

Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov is truly a philanthropist by the calling of his soul, and all his amazing life experience is necessary for us today, since he leads everyone who follows this path to the great miracle of spiritual transformation - from a person who owns the perishable wealth of the world to a person who has found incorruptible riches of the Kingdom of Heaven. We are called to comprehend this gospel lesson, realized in one human life, ourselves, in order to pass it on to our descendants as an invaluable heritage, as a living heritage of Russia.

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For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God.
(1 Cor. 3:19)

In 1867 in Geneva F.M. Dostoevsky began work on one of his most outstanding works, about which he wrote to his niece Sofya Ivanova: “The idea of ​​a novel is my old and beloved, but so difficult that I did not dare take on it for a long time... The main idea is to portray a positively beautiful person... It’s more difficult there is nothing like this in the world, especially now. There is only one positively beautiful Face in the world - Christ, so the appearance of this immeasurably, infinitely beautiful Face is, of course, an endless miracle. The whole Gospel of John is in this sense; he finds all the wonder in one incarnation, in one appearance of the beautiful.” The novel was called “The Idiot,” which translated from Greek means “separate, isolated person.”

A year and a half later, the work is published in the Russian Messenger magazine, and the world learns about the “poor knight” Prince Lev Myshkin. And a few years later, a funny story began in St. Petersburg. Secular gatherings were alarmed by outlandish rumors: a certain fifteen-year-old student entered one of the private gymnasiums with the rights of a state school, who in the same year bought it out and actually rebuilt it from scratch. As it turned out, the story actually happened: the classical gymnasium of State Councilor Fyodor Bychkov (at Ligovka, 1), due to the extreme financial difficulties that befell it, came into the possession of a young representative of an old merchant family from Irkutsk - he remained its owner for almost 20 years . During this time, in certain circles he gained fame as a madman, receiving the nickname “timid Irkutsk merchant.” Others revered him as a kind-hearted unmercenary and an “enlightened philanthropist.”

In any case, jokes about how he “wasted” money, using it for charity, circulated for a long time not only in secular apartments, but also in the outskirts of St. Petersburg society. His teacher, famous professor-physiologist P.F. Lesgaft, to whom he later bequeathed 350,000 rubles along with the gymnasium building, wrote the following about his ward: “In the same way, he did not want to spend a selfish life, surrounded by all earthly comforts and satisfactions; he lived under the most modest conditions, and as he became more familiar with life forms... he became stricter with himself and tried more and more to avoid all bodily entertainment and whims. Sensitive to everything around him, he began to believe in human needs and suffering and help everyone who turned to him.”

If you look closely at the behavior and actions young man, it is easy to notice that the “timid Irkutsk merchant” seems to have stepped out of the pages of F.M.’s novel. Dostoevsky's "Idiot". And even though, unlike the beggar prince, he was the richest heir of the Siberian gold miners, they had something completely different in common. The leitmotif of the life of the “enlightened philanthropist” became the main idea of ​​the novel, expressed by Myshkin himself: “Compassion is the most important and, perhaps, the only law of existence of all humanity.”

“If you feel poverty next to you, being rich yourself, then you somehow feel uneasy”

In the 1890s, a young Siberian rented a modest apartment on Gorokhovaya Street, did not start a carriage, used a cab, and literally gave money to everyone. At first, he regularly helped student friends, and over time, word of his unprecedented generosity spread throughout St. Petersburg, and huge queues of people of all feathers lined up at his apartment. Sometimes he received several hundred people a day, refused no one and gave everyone exactly as much as they asked of him. Among the walkers there were not only destitute poor people, beggars, widows and orphans, but also squandered gamblers, drunken hawkmoths and dishonest scoundrels. It happened that even young brides came to him for a dowry, and he did not refuse anyone. “Our life is bright only then,” he said, “when everything around us smiles... But if you feel poverty next to you, being rich yourself, then you somehow feel uneasy.”

In the words of , “piety does not consist of giving alms, but of heartfelt participation.” Therefore, in the hands of the “timid merchant,” money was nothing more than an instrument of love. And there is no doubt that if Myshkin had been wealthy, his funds would also have been distributed left and right. So Fyodor Mikhailovich had no need to bestow millions on his prince, and even without that his childish piety and all-encompassing “heartfelt sympathy” illuminate the entire plot of the novel.

As for the young Siberian, his compassion was not selective: “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you” (Matthew 5:42). He himself said: “If they ask, then it is necessary: ​​if you can give, that is, if you have the means, then you need to give without making a search.” Both heroes were given the opportunity to experience the world through love, through “heartfelt participation,” which F.M. wrote about in the novel. Dostoevsky: “By throwing your seed, throwing your “alms,” your good deed in any form, you give away part of your personality and accept part of another; you mutually join one another; a little more attention, and you will be rewarded with knowledge, the most unexpected discoveries.”

As often happens, among those in need and begging for a contribution from the generous benefactor, there were also those who could not resist the temptation of evil envy. The notorious “sorrow for the well-being of one’s neighbor,” “damage to life” and “desecration of nature,” as St. Basil the Great called this feeling, gave birth to slander in the souls of greedy spiteful critics, which spread in stinking streams throughout St. Petersburg. Captivated by the “shaking of minds” that was gaining strength in Russian society, populist students shamelessly reproached their benefactor for the lack of sacrifices for the common good, and the mayor Victor von Wahl himself, who had heard rumors about the generous millionaire, in turn suspected him of supporting secret revolutionary organizations.

One day in 1894, at the entrance to the Church of the Sign, a young man placed a silver ruble on the book of a nun standing on the porch. Accustomed to receiving small change, she was so amazed by the generosity of the unknown master that, falling on her knees in front of the icon, she began to thank God for her mercy in a loud voice for the entire church yard. Then the touched parishioner asked the nun her address and what monastery she was from, and the next day he came to her in one of the capital's courtyards and handed over a paper parcel. Inside there was cash in the amount of 147,000 rubles. After counting the money, the nun was horrified. Suspecting something was wrong, she hurried to the police station and reported on the young master.

A case was opened against him on suspicion of mental illness, as well as possible financing of revolutionary circles and meetings. During the investigation, the most interesting facts about his life were revealed. Already at the age of 25, a very strange young man, already at the age of 25, chose to be active as an honorary donor and member of a number of charitable and trustee societies over participation in the political underground. He spared no expense on educational and scientific projects, published a lot of textbooks, books and magazines, and allocated fabulous sums to open libraries throughout the Russian Empire.

Moreover, while still a student, he actively participated in the construction of St. Petersburg University, the first Women's Medical Institute and the Bestuzhev Higher Women's Courses. With his own money, the eccentric built dormitories for students and approved scholarships for them. At the age of 26, he personally supported 70 scholarship students studying in Russia and Europe. He paid special attention to fellow countrymen from Siberia and often supported projects related to his native land. Among his many initiatives are several ethnographic expeditions to Siberia and the Far East, the construction of one of the halls of the Russian Geographical Society, a theater in Irkutsk, a people's house in Barnaul and much more. In addition, he established a capital of 420,000 rubles for benefits and pensions for the workers of his gold mines. Fabulous sums, estimated in millions, were spent on the construction of shelters, almshouses, hospitals, churches and monasteries throughout Russia. The young man donated funds for the establishment of libraries in Ishim, Krasnoyarsk, Nerchinsk, Achinsk, and Kurgan. And this is not a complete list of his good deeds, which he did quietly. Fortunately, his income steadily increased.

When all these details emerged, they tried to accuse him of insanity and uncontrolled waste of funds, after which a psychiatric examination was ordered. How can one not recall the words of the Epanchins’ lackey, characterizing Lev Myshkin: “The prince is just a fool and has no ambitions...” And the Siberian “madman” himself reasoned in this way: “How empty a person is in his life, how insignificant are all his needs, conditioned by profit alone; How greedy is all humanity in its desire for wealth! But what does it bring us... One sad disappointment. Here I am a millionaire, my “happiness” should be completely complete. But am I happy? No. All my wealth in comparison with what my soul thirsts for is nothing, dust, dust...”

It is possible that such considerations prompted the court to subject him to a second psychiatric examination. Fortunately, in both cases, doctors testified that the young man was sane, and the case ended in the complete acquittal of the suspect. Moreover, the mayor received a strict ban on interfering in his affairs in the future. According to some sources, the chief prosecutor stood up for the “timid merchant” Holy Synod Konstantin Pobedonostsev, and according to others, Emperor Alexander III himself, who, shortly before his death, honored the Siberian philanthropist with a personal meeting.

Prompted by spiritual inclinations, he put into practice the rule: give to the one who asks - and became known as a madman

After some time, the chairman of the Petrograd provincial scientific archival commission, historian Mikhail Konstantinovich Sokolovsky, became acquainted with this trial, and this is how he assessed those events: “Society would not be surprised if he presented pearls and diamonds to dubious singers, if he built palaces for himself in taste of the Alhambra, bought paintings, tapestries, sevres and saxes, or broke mirrors while drunk to provoke the hoarse laughter of the Arf women - all this would have been normal. But he moved away from this and, prompted by spiritual inclinations, put into practice the rule: give to the one who asks.”

This man's name was Innokenty Sibiryakov, and he was one of the six scions of a famous and influential merchant dynasty. Born on October 30 - on the same day as Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, only with a difference of 39 years. Innokenty's father, Mikhail Alexandrovich, was known throughout Siberia as the richest gold miner, who discovered rich deposits in the Bodaibo River basin in 1863. Since then, the capital of Sibiryakov’s factories and companies has grown stronger, and after 40 years the settlement he founded received the status of a city, which still remains the most important center of the gold mining industry in Russia.

Dostoevsky created his famous hero in 1867, when Innocent was 7 years old. In the same year, misfortune befell his large family: mother Varvara Konstantinovna died. And after another seven, the father died, leaving three sons and three daughters orphans. Having inherited a huge fortune, which was regularly increased by income from gold mining partnerships, factories, trading enterprises and shipping companies, the children, one after another, moved to St. Petersburg. In the capital, wealthy brothers and sisters remained faithful to the family merchant traditions and launched extensive charitable activities in a variety of areas.

But only the youngest, Innokenty, gained fame as a madman on this basis. The young man might not have read Dostoevsky’s novel and know nothing about his main “poor knight.” The real person and the fictional character were related by the image of a Hero from a completely different Book, whose commandment became the meaning of life for both: “As I have loved you, so let you love one another” (John 13:34). Another important coincidence between the two “madmen” suggests that their love was gained through the Cross they had borne since childhood. Both suffered from chronic illness: Sibiryakov suffered from consumption, Myshkin from epilepsy, and both were treated in Europe.

You can wonder for a long time whose phrase this is: “The lack of happiness in life oppresses my consciousness with an unaccountable feeling of grief, grief and despair. This is how I feel now, upon returning to Russia. Here, as everywhere in the world, I see only the suffering of people, only human torment, only worldly vanity. As if our whole life consists of this alone, as if the Lord God created us all for nothing but suffering in the world and there is no joy for man except the sad end - death... And I think that all this torture, all this torment, all sufferings are only things acquired by man, but not God’s heritage for us on earth. After all, the Kingdom of God is within us, but we neglected all this and fell into despair, into melancholy, into the hell of life. Yes, a person is weak, insignificant and cowardly in choosing his earthly goods, personal happiness.” Wasn’t this the secret the great writer was trying to reveal? But these words belong to Sibiryakov.

And Prince Myshkin in the novel seems to continue this idea: “The essence of religious feeling does not fit under any reasoning, under any atheism; there is something wrong here, and it will always be wrong; there’s something here that atheisms will always slip over and people will always talk about the wrong thing”; “Russian atheists and Russian Jesuits do not come from vanity alone, not all from bad, vain feelings alone, but also from spiritual pain, from spiritual thirst, from longing for a higher cause, for a strong shore, for a homeland in which they have ceased to believe, because they never knew her!”

The last words of Schemamonk Innocent were: “Forgive me, I can’t say anything except sins...”

As a result, none of our heroes stayed long in St. Petersburg. In a calculating, pragmatic world, they remained misunderstood guests and crazy heroes, which the “poor knight” Lev Myshkin predicted in advance: “I’m superfluous in society.” After the death of Nastasya Filippovna, his mental illness worsened to an extreme degree, and he was again taken abroad for treatment. About the same thing was said about the “timid merchant” Innokenty Sibiryakov, who in reality gave away all his millions and went to heal his “madness” in a monastery on Holy Mount Athos. There, at his expense, the largest Cathedral of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called in Greece was erected.

According to the testimony of his fellow members of St. Andrew’s Skete, “he spent the days of his monastic life, taking advantage of little rest, in strict fasting and fervent tearful prayer. In monasticism, he fully fulfilled the commandment of non-covetousness and unquestioning obedience and could quite boldly say with the apostle: “Behold, we have left everything and have died after You.”

Schemamonk Innocent ended his earthly days at the age of 41: consumption worsened. His last words were addressed to the abbot who was entering his cell: “Father, forgive me, I can’t meet you properly; I can’t say anything except sins.”

Currently, the Russian Orthodox Church is considering the issue of canonization of Innokenty Sibiryakov.

July 5th is the day of all the reverend fathers of the Holy Mountain. Now documents have been submitted for the canonization of Schemamonk Innokenty (Sibiryakov), a former millionaire merchant who donated his fortune to good causes and went to Mount Athos. Our story is about him.

Life, as we know, is a struggle. Some struggle with bad habits, others with harmful neighbors. A gold miner at the turn of the 19th - 20th centuries and a locally revered Athonite saint (the issue of his canonization in the Russian Orthodox Church is now being considered), Innokenty Sibiryakov spent his entire life struggling... with wealth. Having started the struggle as a 14-year-old boy, having gone through slander (often from people who had benefited from him) and psychiatric examinations, he ended it only shortly before his early death - as a schema monk. He won.

Enlightened benefactor

Innokenty was born in 1860 into the family of Irkutsk merchant and gold miner Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sibiryakov. Born at a good time and in a good place. “In Irkutsk, both elements happily united: the bureaucracy and the bourgeoisie. The authorities here are disciplined by public opinion... There is a wonderful bourgeoisie here. They don't recognize pennies; they give in hundreds of thousands...” - contemporaries wrote. Innocent's father did good, and his older brothers did good; It is not surprising that he also treated patronage and charity as something completely natural. And then personal scores with wealth appeared.

At the age of seven, he lost his mother, and at fourteen, his father; together with five brothers and sisters, he found himself the heir to a huge fortune (he, in particular, owned four mines, which, for example, yielded more than 184 pounds of gold in 1894 - more than three tons ). In the mid-70s, a wealthy young man arrived in St. Petersburg and entered a private gymnasium (there he was taught literature and ancient languages ​​by the poet Innokenty Annensky), and already in 1875 he bought the house where the gymnasium was located and made serious reconstruction and improvement of it. . He joined many charitable and trustee societies and donated large sums to educational and scientific enterprises. Innocent lived in the family of his brother Konstantin, who was close to the creative community, thanks to which he met Turgenev and corresponded with Tolstoy. And again he gave money - for the education of children of writers, for the publication of the magazines "Slovo" and " Russian wealth”, for the publication of books at an affordable price for the people, for the opening of libraries throughout the country. “If you happen to find out that some rural school needs textbooks and books for reading outside of school, then keep in mind that I can send the books you want... I will send books at half price, subscribe to all newspapers and magazines to all public teachers provided with your recommendation,” wrote Innokenty Mikhailovich in 1884 N M. Martyanov, a public figure in Siberia, founder of the Minusinsk Museum and Library. Without the financial assistance of Innokenty Sibiryakov, not a single public library or local history museum would have been opened in the cities of the Yenisei province at that time. Sibiryakov spent more than 600 thousand rubles “to support those non-income-generating publications that are of great scientific or social importance, but cannot count on wide distribution in the public,” financed and even organized scientific and research projects, ethnographic expeditions. At the age of 26, he supported more than 70 personal scholarship students who were educated both in Russia and in Europe, especially from among the Siberians.

It would seem that all this should have attracted people to him, but... “All meetings, all relations with people and even with science were poisoned for him by money; money put a line between him and all people, from university comrades to professors inclusive,” Selima Posner, a classmate of the teacher and physiologist Lesgaft, wrote about him.

Unlucky millionaire

The first bell rang while still at university. “Feeling ill-prepared, I. M. Sibiryakov wanted to work seriously and turned to some university professors with a request to privately help him. But the fee assigned by the professors reached colossal sizes, which... immediately repulsed Sibiryakov; It was not difficult for him to fulfill their demands, but the self-interest that flared up in the representatives of science, which was so disgusting to his... soul, pushed him away from both professors and science,” Posner recalled.

Disappointment grew, and by the age of 30, Sibiryakov was already able to formulate it: “How greedy is all of humanity in its quest for wealth. But what does it bring us? Here I am - a millionaire, my happiness should be completely complete. But am I happy? No. All my wealth in comparison with what my soul thirsts for is nothing, dust, dust... And yet all of humanity strives precisely to achieve wealth.

With the help of my money I saw the world of God - but what did all this add to my own happiness in life? Absolutely nothing. The same emptiness in the heart, the same consciousness of dissatisfaction, the same languor of spirit... How did it happen, I thought, that such funds had accumulated in my hands that could feed thousands of people? Isn't this the property of other people, artificially transferred into my hands? And I found that this is exactly the case, that my millions are the result of the labor of others, and I feel wrong in taking possession of their labors.” “Help, I’m terribly rich,” he writes to Leo Tolstoy, whose publications he also sponsored at the suggestion of his brother Konstantin. “The more I give out, the more comes to me!” - after all, gold was mined in its own way.

From that time on, Sibiryakov began to prefer pilgrimages to voyages, to give more money to churches, and the flow of petitioners in his apartment (very ascetic: address books of St. Petersburg indicate that he rented apartments intended for people of average income) became a flood: there were days when Innokenty Mikhailovich received up to four hundred people, he had almost no personal time left, and had to organize a special bureau, through which he distributed millions of rubles to those in need.

An eyewitness recalls: “Who among the capital’s poor was not in his house on Gorokhovaya Street, who did not benefit from his generous alms, monetary assistance that exceeded all expectations! His house became a place where the hungry and thirsty went. There was not a person whom he would release without a generous alms. There were people who before my eyes received hundreds of rubles in one-time assistance from Sibiryakov... How many students, for example, thanks to Sibiryakov, completed their higher education in St. Petersburg! How many poor girls who got married received a dowry here! How many people, thanks to Sibiryakov’s support, took up honest work!” “Innokenty Mikhailovich had a period,” writes another contemporary of his, “when he reasoned like this: “If they ask, then it is necessary: ​​if you can give, that is, if you have the means, then you need to give without making a search.” “A man of extraordinary kindness, he refused to support anyone, and due to his exceptional modesty, many of those who benefited from him did not know who came to their aid,” those who worked next to him testify about the benefactor. And again - what they didn’t say about him behind his back! The revolutionary intelligentsia believed that he fell into mysticism because he understood the “inadequacy” of his sacrifices for the people’s good, and the St. Petersburg mayor Val reported to the top that by distributing money uncontrollably, he could support the revolutionaries; he was accused of stinginess, extravagance, and religious exaltation; The ethnographer Yadrintsev, whose publications and expeditions Sibiryakov had financed several years earlier, did not skimp on caustic epithets - and everyone agreed that Sibiryakov could not act independently, he was constantly under the influence of others.

The situation finally escalated when in 1894 Sibiryakov donated all his available cash - 147 thousand rubles - to a nun who was collecting funds for the benefit of the Uglich Epiphany Monastery. The frightened mother reported the incredible amount to the police, and mayor Victor von Wahl gave the order to seal the millionaire’s property and begin proceedings about his legal capacity.

From “crazy people” to monks

The nun let Sibiryakov down, but the monk helped him out. Hieromonk Alexy (Oskolkov), who decided to build a monastery in the Primorsky Territory, went to ask for money from a famous capital benefactor. Arriving at the address and ringing the doorbell, he was let in by a man whom he mistook for a servant. Imagine his surprise when he realized that it was Sibiryakov himself! However, he could not help: the safe was sealed, and for every expense it was necessary to obtain a receipt from relatives. “Having started the story of doctors, experts and the police visiting him,” recalls Hieromonk Alexy, “and how they were trying to embarrass him, upset him, provoke him into an unpleasant argument, prove in everything that he was wrong, erroneous, unsound, he said with tears: “What have I done?” them? Isn't this my property? After all, I’m not giving to robbers, but I’m sacrificing for the glory of God!”

Father Alexy took an active part in the fate of Sibiryakov, through the clergy he reached the chief prosecutor; in parallel, Sibiryakov was examined (and found healthy) by the provincial assembly; there is unconfirmed information about a personal meeting between the benefactor and Emperor Alexander III. As a result, the case was dropped. Von Wahl aroused him again, appealing, in addition to the already known fears that revolutionaries could take advantage of Sibiryakov’s generosity, and to the episode of “the breaking of the bust of Mephistopheles depicting the triumphant devil” ( we're talking about about a copy of Antokolsky’s sculpture “Mephistopheles”. Researchers differ on the details: some say that the statue belonged to Sibiryakov, others that the episode happened in Moscow at an exhibition), but Innokenty Mikhailovich was again declared legally competent.

Apparently, at this time Sibiryakov’s desire to become a monk finally matured - he admitted this to Fr. Alexy even at the first meeting. Having found himself a confessor - the rector of the St. Petersburg metochion of the Old Athos St. Andrew's monastery, Hieromonk David (Mukhranov), later a prominent figure in the name-glorious events - Sibiryakov began, under his guidance, to undergo the required two-year probation before the final decision to become a monk. At the same time, he is engaged in the final liquidation of property: he transfers two and a half million rubles to Father David at different times (he distributed them to churches and charities); the rights to the works of Gleb Uspensky and Fyodor Reshetnikov, who had died by that time, which belonged to him as a publisher, transfers them to their relatives, sells the rights to Turgenev’s poems to the publishing house of A. Marx; gives away two dachas: one to a charitable society for an orphanage, and the other to a women’s community for a monastery, creates a number of other charitable institutions (for example, a capital named after his father for issuing pensions and benefits to gold mine workers), donates 200 thousand to his teacher Pyotr Lesgaft. and a house (the building of the same private gymnasium that he acquired when he arrived in the capital as a 14-year-old youth) - in it Pyotr Frantsevich created a biological laboratory, now the Lesgaft Academy of Physical Culture is located there. Finally, with Sibiryakov’s funds, a grandiose temple was built, the largest in the Balkans - St. Andrew’s Cathedral on Athos, founded 33 years earlier by Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich. When Innocent took monastic vows, for himself and his spiritual father he built a two-story monastery with a house church in the name of the Great Martyr Barbara, St. Michael of Clops and St. David of Thessalonica - the heavenly patrons of his parents and Archimandrite David, then he was tonsured into the mantle with the name John and, finally, into the schema again with the name Innocent. According to his first biographer, he showed “an example of complete non-covetousness and ascetic life” (he did not eat hot food five days a week, and consumed butter and wine only on Saturdays and Sundays), lived “mentally mourning that he spent a lot of time on vanity and the study of the wisdom of this age,” for three years and on November 6, 1901, died at the age of forty-one, apparently from consumption, which he suffered from his youth.

Axios!

In 1910, the Russian magazine “Parish Reading” wrote about him: “...He did so much good that the memory of him... will remain with a million Siberians” - and was deeply mistaken in the forecast: this name was firmly forgotten in Russia. Apparently, it wasn’t just censorship that had an effect Soviet period, which did not need an “example for capitalists” (as his confessor called him), but also the property human psyche to displace from consciousness the incomprehensible, which does not fit into familiar patterns. At least, this name began to be “forgotten” long before the revolution: for example, brochures and even books were published about the consecration of St. Andrew’s Cathedral... but Sibiryakov was not mentioned in them. As a result, in Greece they know and love him more than in Russia, and on Athos they have long been revered as a saint - the ascetic’s bones, dug up according to Athos custom, turned out to be amber-honey in color, which Athosites consider a sign of holiness. God willing, memory will return to us too: with the help of the Foundation named after St. Petersburg. Innokenty Sibiryakova in May 2009, the Commission for Canonization of the St. Petersburg Diocese transferred documents for canonization to the Holy Synod.

At the beginning of June 2013 His Holiness Patriarch Kirill visited St. Andrew's Skete during his visit to the Holy Mountain. Speaking about the history of this holy place, the Primate of the Russian Church especially recalled the role of Schemamonk Innocent in it, who donated his fortune to the creation of the majestic cathedral.

In preparing the article, we used the study by T. S. Shorokhova “Philanthropist Innokenty Sibiryakov” (St. Petersburg, 2005) and materials from the site “Mercy. ru »

I read about an interesting person on Konstantin An’s website - “Russia and Orthodoxy”. To my great regret, this is the first time I’ve heard about Innokenty Sibiryakov, and how little we know of such people.

CRAZY?

Not long ago, Forbes magazine again published a list of the richest Russians. And again we read about planes and yachts, about how Abramovich spent $9 million in just one evening entertaining friends.
Against this background, the figure of gold miner Innokenty Sibiryakov, one of the richest people, looks unique pre-revolutionary Russia. He distributed his huge capital to those in need. During his short earthly life, this wealthy gold miner spent more than 34 million rubles on charitable purposes. I. Sibiryakov financially supported scholarship recipients and many students, and built shelters for orphans and street children. Many churches and chapels in St. Petersburg and Siberia were built at the expense of a benefactor.

In Soviet times, they preferred to keep quiet about Sibiryakov (1860-1901), because he was a “wrong” capitalist. Having the opportunity to live in a luxurious mansion, he rented a small apartment. Didn't start the carriage using a cab. Every day, several hundred applicants crowded into his reception room: beggars, fire victims, widows, dowry-free women, poor students... He refused no one. Once they reproached him: “A bankrupt landowner comes to you and asks for money for lunch in a restaurant. And you give, although you yourself live modestly!”
This story, like others associated with the name of Sibiryakov, is recorded in the police records of that time. The fact is that the rich circles of St. Petersburg received Sibiryakov with hostility: few people were going to follow his example, handing out handfuls of money to the poor, but they also didn’t want to look like stingy people. A solution was found: to declare the millionaire crazy. The party of persecutors of Sibiryakov was led by the mayor of St. Petersburg von Wahl. In 1894, during the trial, Innokenty Mikhailovich was placed under house arrest, and his property was sealed. Historian Tatyana Shorokhova, who wrote a book about Sibiryakov, says: “If Sibiryakov, who was 33 years old, had given pearls and diamonds to dubious singers, built palaces for himself, or been rowdy in restaurants, society would have accepted this with understanding. But Sibiryakov put into practice the gospel rule - “to the one who asks, give!” And, alas, many did not understand this.”

St. Andrew's Cathedral is the largest on Mount Athos, accommodates 5 thousand people, built at the expense of Sibiryakov. Now it is being restored. At the beginning of the twentieth century. for its grandiose size it was called the “Kremlin of the East”.

“At the age of 15, Innocent inherited 800 thousand rubles and became the owner of shares in gold mining and shipping companies. However, 18 years later, when they decided to declare Sibiryakov crazy, his arrested fortune was already estimated at 10 million rubles, continues Shorokhova. - This increase in capital looks surprising considering that over the same years Sibiryakov gave millions of rubles to charity. Through his example, the spiritual law came true: let the hand of the giver never fail. He opened free canteens and libraries at his mines. He gave almost half a million rubles to the fund he created for pensions and benefits for thousands of workers who worked in gold mining. By the way, the current “golden capital” of Russia, where they still mine most Russian gold - the city of Bodaibo in the Irkutsk region. - founded by the father of our hero, merchant Mikhail Sibiryakov. It was his search party that discovered famous gold deposits in the tributaries of the Lena River.
The family of a gold miner lived in Irkutsk, and Innokenty was born here in 1860. At the age of 15, left an orphan after the death of his parents, he moved to St. Petersburg, where he graduated from the Bychkov private gymnasium, famous throughout the capital. Then I studied at the university. During this time, he helps scientists, sponsors expeditions, and opens free libraries and museums. Sibiryakov donated huge funds to the famous physiologist and teacher Lesgaft, thanks to which the modern Academy of Physical Culture was founded. Lesgafta. At the age of 26, Sibiryakov had 70 personal scholarship recipients, whom he trained in Russia and abroad, and then helped to get on their feet. With the money of the millionaire and his sister Anna, the Bestuzhev Courses functioned (the first higher educational institution for women in Russia. - Ed.). With his participation, the first women's medical institute was founded in St. Petersburg. At that time, Sibiryakov relied on science and education, believing that this was the way to change the world for the better.

The millionaire donated this dacha to the convent. In 1941-45 the building was destroyed.

An internal spiritual change occurs in a gold miner after a long trip to Europe. He returned home disappointed, complaining that the spirit of profit and the worship of the golden calf reigned in Europe. Then he is confirmed in the thought: in order to change the world, you must first of all change yourself. The Gospel becomes a millionaire's reference book. He turns to Orthodoxy, travels to monasteries. According to others, he performs eccentricities. For example, he gives a footman 25 thousand rubles, passing by a nun collecting donations for the monastery, puts a silver ruble on the collection mug, and seeing her joy, asks for the address where she is staying, and the next day brings her all his free cash - 147 thousand rubles. Sibiryakov often recalled the gospel rich man to whom the Lord Jesus Christ said: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your property and give it to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven; and come and follow Me” (Matthew 19:21). He attributed this call entirely to himself; the desire to go to a monastery was already ripening in his soul. He said: “I often ask myself: how did I accumulate funds in my hands that could feed thousands of people? My millions are the result of the work of others, and I feel wrong.” Sibiryakov perceived the humiliating trial, where he was examined twice, as a spiritual test. Only once did he exclaim: “I’m giving away my own money, not other people’s!” Fortunately, he was acquitted, thereby justifying his name - Innokenty, which means “innocent”.

“HOW AM I GLAD!”

"In two next year Sibiryakov is giving away 10 million rubles. (translated from royal gold rubles to current ones, it turns out to be at least 10 billion!), as well as numerous real estate - dachas and estates - go to orphanages and Orthodox communities, says T. Shorokhova. - I did not set out to find in the archives all the financial documents confirming Sibiryakov’s assistance to organizations and people, but nevertheless I counted about 5 million rubles.

Photo from the archive of T. Shorokhova

After being tonsured, putting on a monastic cassock, the 36-year-old ex-millionaire exclaimed: “It’s so good in these clothes... Thank God! How glad I am that I dressed in it!” He took on the mantle with the name John, and a year later he was tonsured into the great schema (the highest angelic rank among monks) with the return of his former name Innocent (in honor of his heavenly patron Innocent of Irkutsk). The monastic path led Sibiryakov to the holy Mount Athos in Greece, to the Russian monastery of St. Andrew, where he lived in asceticism and prayerful labors for 4 years. At the age of 41, Schemamonk Innokenty fell ill with consumption. When three days before his death the rector entered his cell, the schemamonk, lying on his bed, said: “Father, forgive me, I cannot meet you properly; I can’t say anything except sins.”
60 priests performed the funeral service for Schemamonk Innocent. Having discovered the honest relics of Father Innocent three years later, the inhabitants saw that the bone of his head had acquired an amber-yellow color, which, according to the centuries-old experience of Athonite, indicates holiness. The head of schemamonk Innocent today is in a place of honor in the ossuary of St. Andrew's monastery.
Innokenty Sibiryakov went through a great temptation - wealth. Undeservedly forgotten for almost a hundred years, he returns to historical memory Russia, setting an example of a conscientious Russian man who could not have fun at the feast of life when hundreds of thousands of people around him were in poverty. When asked how to defeat evil in this world, he gave himself the answer: “Evil must be defeated, first of all, in oneself.” I went this way.