“Why did all the holy apostles, every single one of them, accept the crown of martyrdom, die on crosses, were beheaded by the sword, and the Apostle John the Theologian lived to a ripe old age and died peacefully? - Father Alexy once asked, “because the Apostle John had such unparalleled, great, irresistible Christian love that even the tormentors submitted to its power, and she disarmed the persecutors, she extinguished their anger and turned it into love.” Father Alexy had just such a love for his neighbors, and all his instructions, sermons and words were about love. He was rich in this merciful love, and it seemed to everyone who came that Father Alexy loved him most of all.
Alexy Mechev born March 17, 1859 in Moscow in the pious family of the regent of the Chudovsky Cathedral Choir.
From birth, Father Alexy’s life is connected with the name of St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna. At one time, he saved Father’s father from death in the cold and, seeing God’s providence in this, he subsequently took care of the saved child, and subsequently of his family.
During the birth of Father Alexy (and the birth of his mother, Alexandra Dmitrievna, was difficult) he prayed together with Alexei Ivanovich Mechev for the successful release of his wife from the burden and predicted: “ A boy will be born, name him Alexy in honor of the saint we celebrate today. Alexy, man of God».
Alexy grew up in a family where there was a living faith in God, love, and a kind-hearted attitude towards people.
All his life, Father Alexy recalled with reverence the selfless act of his mother, who took in her sister and three children after the death of her husband, despite the fact that he himself was close to his three children - sons Alexei and Tikhon and daughter Varvara. We had to build a bed for the children.
Alexey was distinguished by a quiet, peace-loving character; he loved to cheer, console, and joke. But he retreated from the noisy fun, and in the midst of the games he suddenly became serious and ran away. For this they nicknamed him “blessed Alyoshenka.”
Alexy Mechev studied at the Zaikonospassky School, then at the Moscow Theological Seminary, after which he dreamed of going to university and becoming a doctor in order to serve people most fruitfully. But the mother opposed this: “ You're so small, why should you be a doctor? Be better off as a priest" It was hard for Alexy to leave his dream, but he did not go against the will of his beloved mother. Subsequently, he realized that he had found his true calling, and was very grateful to his mother.
After graduating from the seminary, Alexy was assigned to the Znamenskaya Church of the Prechistensky Forty. The rector of the church, Father George, was a tough and picky man. He demanded that the psalm-reader perform duties that were assigned to him, treated him rudely, and even beat him. But Alexy endured everything without complaint and made no complaints. Subsequently, he thanked the Lord for allowing him to go through such a school. Already being a priest, Father Alexy came to the funeral service of Father George, accompanying him to the grave with tears of gratitude and love.
« Such people should be loved as benefactors.“, he later taught his spiritual children. They point out shortcomings that we ourselves do not notice, and help us fight our “yes”. We have two enemies: “okayashka” and “yashka” - the priest called this self-love, the human “I”.
In 1884, Alexy Mechev married the daughter of a psalm-reader, 18-year-old Anna Petrovna Molchanova, and was ordained a deacon. Seminary suitors approached Anna, but she refused them all. But as soon as she met Alexy, she firmly told her widowed mother: “ I’ll go for this little one" His marriage was happy. Anna Petrovna had a “character” and in photographs of her early youth she looked out from under frowned eyebrows. But mutual love this character has noticeably improved. In further photographs, this look warmed up, the tension in the facial features smoothed out. Anna dearly loved her husband and deeply sympathized with him in everything. But she suffered from a serious heart disease, and her health became the subject of his constant concern. In his wife, Father Alexy saw a friend and first assistant on his path to Christ; he valued his wife’s friendly remarks and listened to them the way another listens to his elder; immediately sought to correct the shortcomings she noticed.
Children were born into the family: Alexandra (1888), Anna (1890), Alexey (1891), who died in the first year of his life, Sergei (1892) and Olga (1896).
On March 19, 1893, Deacon Alexy Mechev was ordained as a priest of the small one-person church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki Sretensky forty. Father Alexy introduced daily worship in his church, while usually in small Moscow churches it was performed only two or three times a week.
« For eight years I served the liturgy every day in an empty church., - the priest later said. - One archpriest told me: “No matter how much I pass by your church, everyone calls you. I went to church - it’s empty... Nothing will come of it, you’re calling in vain«».
But Father Alexy was not embarrassed by this and continued to serve. According to the then-current custom, Muscovites fasted once a year during Great Lent. In the St. Nicholas-Klenniki Church on Maroseyka Street one could confess and receive communion any day. Over time, this became known in Moscow.
Once, a policeman standing at his post seemed suspicious about the behavior of an unknown woman at a very early hour on the banks of the Moscow River. When he approached, he learned that the woman had become desperate from the hardships of life and wanted to drown herself. He convinced her to abandon this intention and go to Maroseyka to Father Alexy. After this incident, people grieving and burdened with the sorrows of life flocked to this temple. Father hurried to pay attention and comfort to everyone.
Small wooden house, in which the family of Fr. Alexia, was dilapidated, half-rotten; the apartment was always dark and damp. Soon Mother Anna Petrovna began to develop cardiac dropsy with edema and painful shortness of breath. She suffered so much that she began to ask her husband to stop begging her and died on August 29, 1902, on the day of the beheading of the head of the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, John.
Father Alexy was inconsolable. The light had faded for him and he did not want to go out to people. At that time, the holy righteous father John of Kronstadt arrived in Moscow. O. Alexey had a meeting with him. " Have you come to share my grief with me?"- Fr. asked him. Alexy. " I didn’t come to share your grief, but your joy, - answered Fr. John. — Leave your cell and go out to people; only from now on will you begin to live... Enter into someone else’s grief, take it upon yourself and then you will see that your misfortune is small, insignificant in comparison with the general grief, and it will become easier for you».
The grace of God, abundantly resting on the Kronstadt shepherd, illuminated in a new way life path O.Alexia. He entered upon the path of elderhood, for which he had already been prepared by many years of ascetic life.
Father Alexy greeted everyone who came with cordial friendliness, love and compassion. It seemed to everyone that they loved him the most, pitied him, and consoled him. Father never imposed the burden of heavy obedience, pointing out that first of all one should weigh one’s strengths and possibilities. But what you have already decided on, you must do at any cost, otherwise the goal will not be achieved.
« The path to salvation, - Father Alexy constantly repeated, - lies in love for God and neighbors" We need to oppress ourselves for the sake of the people close to us, rebuild our soul, break our character so that it is easy for our neighbors to live with us. " Be everyone's sunshine- he said.
Father Alexy is now never left alone, from morning to evening he gives himself to people; for them he is no longer only a shepherd, but a father and a caring mother. Soon all of Moscow was talking about the elder. The church can no longer accommodate everyone, “from early morning until late at night there is a crowd of people, among ordinary people, professors, doctors, teachers, writers, engineers, artists, performers appear.” At one time, Father Alexy began to visit the nearby Khitrov market, which was notorious. He held conversations there with regulars of the city bottom. But soon, due to the increasing workload, he had to give it up.
Extremely meager in funds, Father Alexy still did not ignore the needs and grief of his neighbor. Once on Christmas Eve, the priest, who himself had a large family, left the entire contents of his wallet with a sick woman whom he had come to give communion. Arriving home, he thought bitterly: “ There is poverty there, and there is poverty, there are half-starved children, and there are half-starved children - did I do the right thing, that I gave everything to others, and left nothing for my own?“The Lord miraculously resolved the bewilderment of the righteous man. Unexpectedly, a benefactor appeared who donated a sufficient amount to Father Alexy.
He was never offended by any rudeness towards himself. " Am I... am I poor..." - he used to say. The priest avoided showing signs of reverence and respect towards himself, avoided lavish services, and if he had to participate, he tried to stand behind everyone. He was burdened by awards, they burdened him, causing him deep, sincere sorrow.
The priest's sermons were simple, sincere, they were not distinguished by eloquence. Their main advantage was that they carried practical advice- how to be and what to do.
When asked how to improve the life of the parish, he answered: “ Pray!"He called on his spiritual children to pray during the funeral services: " Once again you will come into contact with the departed. When you appear before God, they will all raise their hands in prayer for you, and you will be saved».
Father did not approve when parents, rushing to church, left their children alone without supervision. Blessing the mother and child, and pointing to the baby, he impressively told her: “ Here are yours both Kyiv and Jerusalem».
In the lower residential floor of the temple, Father opened parochial school, established a shelter for orphans and the poor, for 13 years he taught the Law of God at the girls’ gymnasium E.V. Winkler; contributed to the revival of ancient Russian icon painting, which gave way to painting, by blessing his spiritual daughter Maria Nikolaevna Sokolova (later nun Juliania) to paint icons.
O. Alexy greatly revered the shrine of the temple, the miraculous Feodorovskaya icon Mother of God and often served prayers before her. One day, on the eve of the events of 1917, during a prayer service, he saw tears rolling down from the eyes of the Queen of Heaven. The pilgrims present also saw this. The priest was so shocked that he could not continue the service, and the priest who served had to end it.
Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki
Interior of the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki on Maroseyka
The number of worshipers in the temple increased. Especially after 1917, and among them there were many young people, students, disillusioned with revolutionary ideals. After the closure of the Kremlin, some of the parishioners and singers of the Chudov Monastery moved to the church of Father Alexy. Young educated priests began to serve in the church, helping Father Alexy in conducting lectures, conversations, and organizing courses on the study of divine services. Among them is the son of his father Alexy father Sergiy Mechev, ordained a priest on Maundy Thursday 1919, now also canonized as a hieromartyr.
In difficult years civil war and general devastation, many wanted to move to the grain-producing southern regions of the country, to Ukraine. Father Alexy did not give blessings for the moves, citing the words of the Lord spoken to the Jews through the prophet Jeremiah not to flee from Babylonian slavery to Egypt, where death awaits everyone. Those who remain will be shown God's mercy and deliverance.
Father Alexy created an amazing spiritual community in the world. One of the few, this community withstood the times of the most terrible persecution and raised a new generation of zealous servants of the Church and pious church people. The tradition of agape in the community deserves special attention. On the night from Saturday to Sunday (from about 1919), an all-night vigil was served, then a liturgy, and after it, a meal was held in one of the premises of the temple with communication on spiritual topics and the reading of psalms. The meals were called agapes. Initially, Father Alexei himself organized the conversations using agapes, but gradually he began to transfer the situation into the hands of those gathered.
« Here in advance, whoever could, brought some vegetables, bread, sugar or caramel sweets for tea. Tables, benches, chairs were placed; the clergy and the priest came. Father took part in the common meal and, as at conversations on Wednesdays in his apartment, said something, touching on the most pressing issues of life and relationships. Did anyone present speak out?».
O. Alexy also built interpersonal spiritual and emotional relationships. He began simply with an attentive, responsible, compassionate attitude towards his spiritual children, then he began to establish relationships between them, constantly working “to create a close spiritual family.” He sent one of the sisters to visit another who was ill; He gave her something edible to take away, and when they returned late, he blessed one sister to spend the night with the other. And I rejoiced when the evening was spent reading good spiritual literature, and always in joint prayer at night. I didn’t bless going to places where there were more stories about news and other chatter. He blessed us to periodically gather without him, indicating what to read and what to pay attention to. Gradually Fr. Alexy taught his spiritual children to serve each other in whatever way they could, to live in each other’s joys and sorrows.
Father Alexy's true spiritual friends were his contemporary Optina ascetics - the elder Hieroschemamonk Anatoly (Potapov) and the monastery leader, Abbot Theodosius (Pomortsev). They were amazed at the feat of the Moscow elder “in a city as in a desert.” Elder Nektarios told someone: “ Why are you coming to us? You have o. Alexy».
Archimandrite Arseny (Zhadanovsky) revered the priest as “a wise city elder, bringing no less benefit to people than any hermit”; and His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, always taking into account the recall of Father in cases of consecration.
Twice the priest was called for an interview at the OGPU. They were forbidden to receive people. The second time the conversation was short-lived, as they saw that he was seriously ill and suffered from very severe shortness of breath.
Bishop Arseny said: “ But if prayer invigorates and refreshes a person, then taking on the suffering of others crushes the shepherd’s heart and makes him physically sick" Father Alexy began to suffer from a heart disease from which he later died...
In the last days of May, Father Alexy left for Vereya, where he had rested the previous years. He had a presentiment that he was leaving forever. Before leaving, I served the last liturgy in my church, said goodbye to my spiritual children and to the church.
- Father, how hard it is to think that you will be gone.
- Stupid, I will always be with you...
Father Alexy died on Friday, June 9/22, 1923. Death occurred immediately as soon as he went to bed.
The liturgy and funeral service were performed by Archbishop Theodore (Pozdeevsky), which the priest himself asked him to do in a letter shortly before his death. Vladyka Theodore was then in prison; on June 7/20 he was released and was able to fulfill his wish. Easter hymns were sung all the way to the Lazarevskoye cemetery. His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, who had just been released from prison and was greeted with delight by the people, came to see Father Alexy off on his final journey. Father’s words came true: “ When I die, everyone will be happy».
Ten years later, due to the closure of the Lazarevskoye cemetery, the remains of Father Alexy and his wife were transferred to the Vvedenskie Gory cemetery, popularly called German. Over his grave stood a marble monument with a small cross above it. In its lower part are carved the words of the Apostle Paul, so close to the heart of Father Alexy: “ Bear each other's burdens and thus fulfill the law of Christ«.
Relics of the holy righteous Alexy Mechev
At the Jubilee Council of Bishops in 2000, Archpriest Alexy Mechev was canonized for church-wide veneration. Father Alexy was canonized simultaneously with his son, Hieromartyr Sergius, and with many new martyrs and confessors of Russia. In 2001, the relics of the holy righteous Alexy of Moscow were found and transferred to the Church of St. Nicholas. Currently the relics of the holy righteous Alexy Mechev are in the Moscow Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki.
Holy Righteous Alexy Mechev
Troparion, tone 5:
Help in troubles, comfort in sorrows, / good shepherd, Father Alexie. / By the feat of eldership you shone forth to the world, / you confessed the faith and love of Christ in the darkness of lawlessness, / your heart ached for all those who come to you // And now pray to God for us, who honors you with love.
Kontakion, voice 2:
You have undertaken great works of love and mercy, / the righteous elder Alexie, / from the holy shepherd of Kronstadt you have received a blessing to help the suffering, / you have placed the troubles and sorrows of people like chains on your frame. / We, leading you boldly to the Lord as a prayer book, call to you with tenderness: // pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.
From the spiritual teachings of Elder Alexy Mechev
“In times of sorrow, one must not grumble or argue with God, but rather pray to Him with gratitude. The Lord is not like men; People, if they suffer something from someone, try to repay, but the Lord tries to correct us even in sorrows. If we knew how others suffer, we would not complain.”
“With tears, I ask and pray you, be the suns that warm those around you, if not everyone, then the family in which the Lord made you a member.”
“Be warmth and light to those around you; first try to warm your family with yourself, work on this, and then these works will attract you so much that for you the family circle will already be narrow, and these warm rays will over time capture more and more new people, and the circle illuminated by you will gradually become more and more increase and increase; so be careful to keep your lamp burning brightly.”
“The Lord says: “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world,” by this He says that it is our duty to shine for others. Meanwhile, we ourselves walk in darkness, not only do we not shine for others, therefore we must turn to the Lord, ask Him for help, because no matter how strong we are, no matter what advantages we have, we are still without God is nothing; and then we have a great multitude of sins, and therefore we ourselves cannot achieve the goal of shining and warming others. And the Lord calls us to His Church and says: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Stop relying on your own self, seek help from Me. In such difficult times, can we say that death is far from us, no... to many of us [it] is very, very close. So hasten to fulfill your duty to which the Lord has called you, because, as He Himself said, when night comes, then no one can do; whatever we do, good or evil, is all over. Therefore, hasten to understand what your duty is, which we must fulfill with fear and trembling, what talent has been given to you from the Lord.
And I want to cry, and cry, and cry, seeing how many of you lived to see gray hair and did not see your duty, as if there was no grace, nothing touched them, as if they were blind from birth. You can’t abuse God’s mercy endlessly, spend your time in arrogance, anger, hatred, and enmity. The Lord is calling: come to Me while you are alive, and I will give you rest.”
“There are moments when you really want to help some person, this, undoubtedly, is the Lord’s heart for the salvation of another; just be pure vessels, so that He can act through you and have you as an instrument in His hands.”
“The Lord is not angry even from the Cross, he stretches out his hands to us and calls us. Although we all crucify Him, He is love and is ready to forgive us everything. With us, it is sometimes considered excusable when you get tired, get irritated or something else (allow yourself), but no matter what circumstances you find yourself in, no matter how tired or sick you are, you must do only as Christ commanded.”
God's Law. Holy Righteous Alexy Mechev
Holy Righteous Alexy (Mechev)
| Remembrance Day: June 9/22 Literature: "The Good Shepherd" The life and works of the Moscow elder Archpriest Alexei Mechev / Compiled by Sergei Fomin based on materials from the personal archive of Elena Apushkina. - M.: Pilgrim, 1997. 784 p. (B-ka "Russian Orthodoxy of the 20th century"). Elder Archpriest Alexy Mechev. Biography and testimonies for church glorification. Cases of clairvoyance, examples of lifetime and posthumous miracles, signs, and prayerful help of an elder. - M.: Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki, 2000. 79 p. Biography of the Moscow elder Father Alexei Mechev. Compiled by nun Juliana. M.: Church of St. Mitrofan of Voronezh. - 191 p. Moscow priest. Memories of Fr. Alexey Mechev. M: Svyato-Danilov Monastery, 1994. - 112 p. Father Alexey Mechev. Memoirs, sermons, letters. Ed. N. A. Struve. - Paris: YMCA-Press, 1989. - 391 p. Biography of the Hieromartyr Father Sergius Mechev, compiled by his spiritual children. // Nadezhda. Soulful reading. Issue 16. Basel-Moscow, 1993 Salt of the earth. Compiled by Sergei Fomin based on materials from the personal archive of Elena Apushkina. - M., 1998. - 335 p. Alexander Dobrovolsky. Stories about Elder Alexei Mechev, about the miracles he performed, and about other miracles. Alexander Solodovnikov. Poetry. - M.: Mega-Service, 1995. - 95 p. |
“Why did all the holy apostles, every single one of them, accept the crown of martyrdom, die on crosses, were beheaded by the sword, and the Apostle John the Theologian lived to a ripe old age and died peacefully? - Father Alexy once asked, - because the Apostle John had such unparalleled, great, irresistible Christian love that her tormentors submitted to her power, and she disarmed her persecutors, she extinguished their anger and turned it into love.” Father Alexy had just such a love for his neighbors, and all his instructions, sermons and words were about love. He was rich in this merciful love, and it seemed to everyone who came that Father Alexy loved him most of all.
Alexy Mechev born March 17, 1859 in Moscow in the pious family of the regent of the Chudovsky Cathedral Choir.
From birth, Father Alexy’s life is connected with the name of St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna. At one time, he saved Father’s father from death in the cold and, seeing God’s providence in this, he subsequently took care of the saved child, and subsequently of his family.
During the birth of Father Alexy (and the birth of his mother, Alexandra Dmitrievna, was difficult) he prayed together with Alexei Ivanovich Mechev for the successful delivery of his wife from the burden and predicted: “A boy will be born, name him Alexy in honor of the saint we celebrate today. Alexy, man of God."
Alexy grew up in a family where there was a living faith in God, love, and a kind-hearted attitude towards people.
All his life, Father Alexy recalled with reverence the selfless act of his mother, who took in her sister and three children after the death of her husband, despite the fact that he himself was close to his three children - sons Alexei and Tikhon and daughter Varvara. We had to build a bed for the children.
Alexey was distinguished by a quiet, peace-loving character; he loved to cheer, console, and joke. But he retreated from the noisy fun, and in the midst of the games he suddenly became serious and ran away. For this they nicknamed him “blessed Alyoshenka.”
Alexy Mechev studied at the Zaikonospassky School, then at the Moscow Theological Seminary, after which he dreamed of going to university and becoming a doctor in order to serve people most fruitfully. But the mother opposed this: “You are so small, where should you be a doctor, you’d better be a priest.” It was hard for Alexy to leave his dream, but he did not go against the will of his beloved mother. Subsequently, he realized that he had found his true calling, and was very grateful to his mother.
After graduating from the seminary, Alexy was assigned to the Znamenskaya Church of the Prechistensky Forty. The rector of the church, Father George, was a tough and picky man. He demanded that the psalm-reader perform duties that were assigned to him, treated him rudely, and even beat him. But Alexy endured everything without complaint and made no complaints. Subsequently, he thanked the Lord for allowing him to go through such a school. Already being a priest, Father Alexy came to the funeral service of Father George, accompanying him to the grave with tears of gratitude and love.
“Such people should be loved as benefactors”, he later taught his spiritual children. They point out shortcomings that we ourselves do not notice, and help us fight our “yes”. We have two enemies: “okayashka” and “yashka” - the priest called this self-love, the human “I”.
In 1884, Alexy Mechev married the daughter of a psalm-reader, 18-year-old Anna Petrovna Molchanova, and was ordained a deacon. Seminary suitors approached Anna, but she refused them all. But as soon as she met Alexy, she firmly told her widowed mother: “I’ll go for this little one.” His marriage was happy. Anna Petrovna had a “character” and in photographs of her early youth she looked out from under frowned eyebrows. But mutual love significantly improved this character. In further photographs, this look warmed up, the tension in the facial features smoothed out. Anna dearly loved her husband and deeply sympathized with him in everything. But she suffered from a serious heart disease, and her health became the subject of his constant concern. In his wife, Father Alexy saw a friend and first assistant on his path to Christ; he valued his wife’s friendly remarks and listened to them the way another listens to his elder; immediately sought to correct the shortcomings she noticed.
Children were born into the family: Alexandra (1888), Anna (1890), Alexey (1891), who died in the first year of his life, Sergei (1892) and Olga (1896).
On March 19, 1893, Deacon Alexy Mechev was ordained as a priest of the small one-person church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki Sretensky forty. Father Alexy introduced daily worship in his church, while usually in small Moscow churches it was performed only two or three times a week.
“For eight years I served the liturgy every day in an empty church,- the father later said. “One archpriest told me: “No matter how I pass by your church, everyone calls you. I went into the church - it’s empty... Nothing will come of it, you’re calling in vain.”
But Father Alexy was not embarrassed by this and continued to serve. According to the then-current custom, Muscovites fasted once a year during Great Lent. In the St. Nicholas-Klenniki Church on Maroseyka Street one could confess and receive communion any day. Over time, this became known in Moscow.
Once, a policeman standing at his post seemed suspicious about the behavior of an unknown woman at a very early hour on the banks of the Moscow River. When he approached, he learned that the woman had become desperate from the hardships of life and wanted to drown herself. He convinced her to abandon this intention and go to Maroseyka to Father Alexy. After this incident, people grieving and burdened with the sorrows of life flocked to this temple. Father hurried to pay attention and comfort to everyone.
A small wooden house in which Fr.’s family lived. Alexia, was dilapidated, half-rotten; the apartment was always dark and damp. Soon Mother Anna Petrovna began to develop cardiac dropsy with edema and painful shortness of breath. She suffered so much that she began to ask her husband to stop begging her and died on August 29, 1902, on the day of the beheading of the head of the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, John.
Father Alexy was inconsolable. The light had faded for him and he did not want to go out to people. At that time, the holy righteous father John of Kronstadt arrived in Moscow. O. Alexey had a meeting with him. “Have you come to share my grief with me?”- Fr. asked him. Alexy. “I did not come to share your grief, but your joy,- answered Fr. John. - Leave your cell and go out to people; only from now on will you begin to live... Enter into someone else’s grief, take it upon yourself and then you will see that your misfortune is small, insignificant in comparison with the general grief, and it will become easier for you.”
The grace of God, abundantly resting on the Kronstadt shepherd, illuminated the life path of Father Alexy in a new way. He entered upon the path of elderhood, for which he had already been prepared by many years of ascetic life.
Father Alexy greeted everyone who came with cordial friendliness, love and compassion. It seemed to everyone that they loved him the most, pitied him, and consoled him. Father never imposed the burden of heavy obedience, pointing out that first of all one should weigh one’s strengths and possibilities. But what you have already decided on, you must do at any cost, otherwise the goal will not be achieved.
“The path to salvation,” Father Alexy constantly repeated, - lies in love for God and neighbors.” We need to oppress ourselves for the sake of the people close to us, rebuild our soul, break our character so that it is easy for our neighbors to live with us. “Be the sunshine for everyone,” he said.
Father Alexy is now never left alone, from morning to evening he gives himself to people; for them he is no longer only a shepherd, but a father and a caring mother. Soon all of Moscow was talking about the elder. The church can no longer accommodate everyone, “from early morning until late at night there is a crowd of people, among ordinary people, professors, doctors, teachers, writers, engineers, artists, performers appear.” At one time, Father Alexy began to visit the nearby Khitrov market, which was notorious. He held conversations there with regulars of the city bottom. But soon, due to the increasing workload, he had to give it up.
Extremely meager in funds, Father Alexy still did not ignore the needs and grief of his neighbor. Once on Christmas Eve, the priest, who himself had a large family, left the entire contents of his wallet with a sick woman whom he had come to give communion. Arriving home, he thought bitterly: “Here is poverty, and here is poverty, there are half-starved children, and here are half-starved children - did I do the right thing, that I gave everything to others, and left nothing for my own?” The Lord miraculously resolved the bewilderment of the righteous man. Unexpectedly, a benefactor appeared who donated a sufficient amount to Father Alexy.
He was never offended by any rudeness towards himself. “Am I... am I wretched...”- he used to say. The priest avoided showing signs of reverence and respect towards himself, avoided lavish services, and if he had to participate, he tried to stand behind everyone. He was burdened by awards, they burdened him, causing him deep, sincere sorrow.
The priest's sermons were simple, sincere, they were not distinguished by eloquence. Their main advantage was that they carried practical instructions - how to be and what to do.
When asked how to improve the life of the parish, he answered: "Pray!" He called on his spiritual children to pray during the funeral services: “Once again you will come into contact with the departed. When you appear before God, they will all raise their hands in prayer for you, and you will be saved.”
Father did not approve when parents, rushing to church, left their children alone without supervision. Blessing the mother and child, and pointing to the baby, he impressively told her: “Here are your Kyiv and Jerusalem.”
In the lower residential floor of the temple, Father opened a parochial school, set up a shelter for orphans and the poor, and for 13 years taught the Law of God at the E.V. girls’ gymnasium. Winkler; contributed to the revival of ancient Russian icon painting, which gave way to painting, by blessing his spiritual daughter Maria Nikolaevna Sokolova (later nun Juliania) to paint icons.
Father Alexy greatly revered the shrine of the temple, the miraculous Theodore Icon of the Mother of God, and often served prayer services in front of it. One day, on the eve of the events of 1917, during a prayer service, he saw tears rolling down from the eyes of the Queen of Heaven. The pilgrims present also saw this. The priest was so shocked that he could not continue the service, and the priest who served had to end it.
The number of worshipers in the temple increased. Especially after 1917, and among them there were many young people, students, disillusioned with revolutionary ideals. After the closure of the Kremlin, some of the parishioners and singers of the Chudov Monastery moved to the church of Father Alexy. Young educated priests began to serve in the church, helping Father Alexy in conducting lectures, conversations, and organizing courses on the study of divine services. Among them is the son of his father Alexy father Sergiy Mechev, ordained a priest on Maundy Thursday 1919, now also canonized as a hieromartyr.
During the difficult years of the civil war and general devastation, many wanted to move to the grain-producing southern regions of the country, to Ukraine. Father Alexy did not give blessings for the moves, citing the words of the Lord spoken to the Jews through the prophet Jeremiah not to flee from Babylonian slavery to Egypt, where death awaits everyone. Those who remain will be shown God's mercy and deliverance.
Father Alexy created an amazing spiritual community in the world. One of the few, this community withstood the times of the most terrible persecution and raised a new generation of zealous servants of the Church and pious church people. The tradition of agape in the community deserves special attention. On the night from Saturday to Sunday (from about 1919), an all-night vigil was served, then a liturgy, and after it, a meal was held in one of the premises of the temple with communication on spiritual topics and the reading of psalms. The meals were called agapes. Initially, Father Alexei himself organized the conversations using agapes, but gradually he began to transfer the situation into the hands of those gathered.
“Here in advance, whoever could, brought some vegetables, bread, sugar or caramel sweets for tea. Tables, benches, chairs were placed; the clergy and the priest came. Father took part in the common meal and, as at conversations on Wednesdays in his apartment, said something, touching on the most pressing issues of life and relationships. Someone from those present spoke out.”
O. Alexy also built interpersonal spiritual and emotional relationships. He began simply with an attentive, responsible, compassionate attitude towards his spiritual children, then he began to establish relationships between them, constantly working “to create a close spiritual family.” He sent one of the sisters to visit another who was ill; He gave her something edible to take away, and when they returned late, he blessed one sister to spend the night with the other. And I rejoiced when the evening was spent reading good spiritual literature, and always in joint prayer at night. I didn’t bless going to places where there were more stories about news and other chatter. He blessed us to periodically gather without him, indicating what to read and what to pay attention to. Gradually Fr. Alexy taught his spiritual children to serve each other in whatever way they could, to live in each other’s joys and sorrows.
Father Alexy's true spiritual friends were his contemporary Optina ascetics - the elder Hieroschemamonk Anatoly (Potapov) and the monastery leader, Abbot Theodosius (Pomortsev). They were amazed at the feat of the Moscow elder “in a city as in a desert.” Elder Nektarios told someone: “Why are you coming to us? You have o. Alexy."
Archimandrite Arseny (Zhadanovsky) revered the priest as “a wise city elder, bringing no less benefit to people than any hermit”; and His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, always taking into account the recall of Father in cases of consecration.
Twice the priest was called for an interview at the OGPU. They were forbidden to receive people. The second time the conversation was short-lived, as they saw that he was seriously ill and suffered from very severe shortness of breath.
Bishop Arseny said: “But if prayer invigorates and refreshes a person, then taking on the suffering of others crushes the shepherd’s heart and makes him physically sick.” Father Alexy began to suffer from a heart disease from which he later died...
In the last days of May, Father Alexy left for Vereya, where he had rested the previous years. He had a presentiment that he was leaving forever. Before leaving, I served the last liturgy in my church, said goodbye to my spiritual children and to the church.
Father, how hard it is to think that you will be gone.
Silly, I will always be with you...
Died Fr. Alexy on Friday 9/22 June 1923. Death occurred immediately as soon as he went to bed.
The liturgy and funeral service were performed by Archbishop Theodore (Pozdeevsky), which the priest himself asked him to do in a letter shortly before his death. Vladyka Theodore was then in prison; on June 7/20 he was released and was able to fulfill his wish. Easter hymns were sung all the way to the Lazarevskoye cemetery. His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, who had just been released from prison and was greeted with delight by the people, came to see Father Alexy off on his final journey. Father’s words came true: “When I die, everyone will be happy.”
Ten years later, due to the closure of the Lazarevskoye cemetery, the remains of Father Alexy and his wife were transferred to the Vvedenskie Gory cemetery, popularly called German. Over his grave stood a marble monument with a small cross above it. In its lower part are carved the words of the Apostle Paul, so close to the heart of Father Alexy: “Bear one another’s burdens and thus fulfill the law of Christ.”
At the Jubilee Council of Bishops in 2000, Archpriest Alexy Mechev was canonized for church-wide veneration. Father Alexy was canonized simultaneously with his son, Hieromartyr Sergius, and with many new martyrs and confessors of Russia. In 2001, the relics of the holy righteous Alexy of Moscow were found and transferred to the Church of St. Nicholas. Currently the relics of the holy righteous Alexy Mechev are in the Moscow Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki.
From the spiritual teachings of Elder Alexy Mechev“In times of sorrow, one must not grumble or argue with God, but rather pray to Him with gratitude. The Lord is not like men; People, if they suffer something from someone, try to repay, but the Lord tries to correct us even in sorrows. If we knew how others suffer, we would not complain.”
“With tears, I ask and pray you, be the suns that warm those around you, if not everyone, then the family in which the Lord made you a member.”
“Be warmth and light to those around you; first try to warm your family with yourself, work on this, and then these works will attract you so much that for you the family circle will already be narrow, and these warm rays will over time capture more and more new people, and the circle illuminated by you will gradually become more and more increase and increase; so be careful to keep your lamp burning brightly.”
“The Lord says: “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world,” by this He says that it is our duty to shine for others. Meanwhile, we ourselves walk in darkness, not only do we not shine for others, therefore we must turn to the Lord, ask Him for help, because no matter how strong we are, no matter what advantages we have, we are still without God is nothing; and then we have a great multitude of sins, and therefore we ourselves cannot achieve the goal of shining and warming others. And the Lord calls us to His Church and says: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Stop relying on your own self, seek help from Me. In such difficult times, can we say that death is far from us, no... to many of us [it] is very, very close. So hasten to fulfill your duty to which the Lord has called you, because, as He Himself said, when night comes, then no one can do; whatever we do, good or evil, is all over. Therefore, hasten to understand what your duty is, which we must fulfill with fear and trembling, what talent has been given to you from the Lord.
And I want to cry, and cry, and cry, seeing how many of you lived to see gray hair and did not see your duty, as if there was no grace, nothing touched them, as if they were blind from birth. You can’t abuse God’s mercy endlessly, spend your time in arrogance, anger, hatred, and enmity. The Lord is calling: come to Me while you are alive, and I will give you rest.”
“There are moments when you really want to help some person, it is undoubtedly the Lord who disposes his heart to save another; just be pure vessels, so that He can act through you and have you as an instrument in His hands.”
“The Lord is not angry even from the Cross, he stretches out his hands to us and calls us. Although we all crucify Him, He is love and is ready to forgive us everything. In our country it is sometimes considered excusable when you get tired, get irritated or something else (allow yourself), but no matter what circumstances you find yourself in, no matter how tired or sick you are, you must do only as Christ commanded.”
Troparion, tone 5:
Help in troubles, comfort in sorrows, / good shepherd, Father Alexis. / By the feat of old age you shone forth to the world, / you confessed the faith and love of Christ in the darkness of lawlessness, / your heart ached for all those who come to you // And now pray to God for us, I honor love Whoa.
Kontakion, voice 2:
You have undertaken great works of love and mercy, / the righteous elder Alexie, / from the holy shepherd of Kronstadt the blessing to help the suffering has been received, / the troubles and sorrows of people put the chains on your frame. / We, leading you boldly to the Lord as a prayer book, call to you with tenderness: // pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.
Prayer to the holy righteous Alexy Mechev of Moscow:
Oh, our all-honorable and blessed Father Alexie, the wondrous Elder of Moscow and praise and joy to the entire Russian Church! Having great love for the Lord, unwaveringly fulfilling the covenants of the Gospel, you laid down your soul for your flock, grieving with a merciful heart for everyone who asks for your help. Accept this little prayer of ours, and as in your earthly life you wiped away every tear, eased every sorrow, so now, merciful prayer book and our intercessor, take away our burdens, illnesses and sorrows, fill our suffering hearts with joy, beg the Lover of Mankind God for forgiveness our countless sins, so that having cleansed our souls through repentance, let us begin to do good. To her, good elder, be a good shepherd for us, guiding us on the path of salvation, so that through your prayers we will immaculately cross the path of our life and find the Heavenly Fatherland, where you, with the angels and all the saints, stand before the Throne of the Holy Trinity, glorifying the Beginning Father with His Only Begotten Son and the Most Holy One , and His Good and Life-giving Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
The Moscow elder, in the world Father Alexy Mechev, was born on March 17, 1859 into the pious family of the regent of the Chudovsky Cathedral Choir.
His father, Alexey Ivanovich Mechev, the son of the archpriest of the Kolomna district, as a child was saved from death in the cold on a cold winter night by St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna. Among the boys from the families of the clergy of the Moscow diocese, selected according to the criterion of sufficient musicality, he was brought late in the evening to Trinity Lane at the metropolitan courtyard. When the children were having dinner, Vladyka Metropolitan suddenly became alarmed, quickly got dressed and went out to inspect the arriving convoy. In one sleigh he found a sleeping boy, left there due to an oversight. Seeing the Providence of God in this, Metropolitan Philaret paid special attention and care to the child he saved, constantly caring for him, and subsequently for his family.
The birth of Father Alexy occurred under significant circumstances. His mother, Alexandra Dmitrievna, felt unwell at the onset of childbirth. The birth was difficult, very long, and the lives of mother and child were in danger.
In great grief, Alexey Ivanovich went to pray at the Alekseevsky Monastery, where Metropolitan Philaret served on the occasion of the patronal feast day. Having walked into the altar, he quietly stood aside, but the grief of his beloved regent did not hide from the bishop’s gaze. “You’re so sad today, what’s wrong with you?” he asked. - “Your Eminence, my wife dies in childbirth.” The saint prayerfully made the sign of the cross. “Let’s pray together... God is merciful, everything will be fine,” he said; then he handed him a prosphora with the words: “A boy will be born, name him Alexei, in honor of Saint Alexis, the man of God, whom we celebrate today.”
Alexey Ivanovich was encouraged, defended the liturgy and, inspired by hope, went home. At the door he was greeted with joy: a boy was born.
In a two-room apartment on Troitsky Lane, in the family of the regent of the Chudovsky choir, a living faith in God reigned, warm hospitality and hospitality were shown; here they lived the joys and sorrows of everyone whom God brought to be in their home. It was always crowded, relatives and friends constantly stopped by, who knew that they would be helped and consoled.
All his life, Father Alexy recalled with reverence the selfless act of his mother, who took in her sister and three children after the death of her husband, despite the fact that he himself was close to his three children - sons Alexei and Tikhon and daughter Varvara. We had to build a bed for the children.
Among his siblings and siblings, Lenya, as Alexei was called in the family, stood out for his kindness and quiet, peace-loving character. He did not like quarrels, he wanted everyone to feel good; loved to cheer, console, joke. All this came out to him in a pious manner. Away, in the midst of games in children's rooms Lenya suddenly became serious, quickly walked away and hid, withdrawing into himself from the noisy fun. Those around him nicknamed him “blessed Alyoshenka” for this.
Alexey Mechev studied at the Zaikonospassky School, then at the Moscow Theological Seminary. He was diligent, efficient, ready for any service. When I graduated from the seminary, I still didn’t have my own corner, which was so necessary for studying. To prepare homework, I often had to get up at night.
Together with many of his classmates, Alexey Mechev had the desire to go to university and become a doctor. But his mother resolutely opposed this, wanting to have him as a prayer book. “You’re so small, why should you be a doctor? You’d better be a priest,” she said firmly.
It was hard for Alexey to give up his dream: the activity of a doctor seemed to him the most fruitful in serving people. He said goodbye to his friends with tears, but he could not go against the will of his mother, whom he respected and loved so much. Subsequently, the priest realized that he had found his true calling, and was very grateful to his mother.
After graduating from the seminary, Alexey Mechev was appointed on October 14, 1880 as a psalm-reader at the Znamenskaya Church of the Prechistensky Forty on Znamenka. Here he was destined to undergo a difficult test.
The rector of the temple was a man of tough character, unreasonably picky. He demanded that the psalm-reader perform such duties as were assigned to him, treated him rudely, even beat him, and sometimes waved him with a poker. younger brother Tikhon, visiting Alexei, often found him in tears. Sometimes the deacon stood up for the defenseless psalm-reader, and he endured everything resignedly, without expressing complaints, without asking to be transferred to another church. And subsequently he thanked the Lord for allowing him to go through such a school, and remembered the abbot, Father George, as his teacher.
Already a priest, Father Alexy, having heard about the death of Father George, came to the funeral service, accompanied him to the grave with tears of gratitude and love, to the surprise of those who knew the attitude of the deceased towards him.
Then Father Alexy said: when people point out shortcomings that we ourselves do not notice, they help us fight our “yashka”. We have two enemies: “okayashka” and “yashka” - this is what the priest called pride, the human “I”, which immediately declares its rights when someone, willy-nilly or not, hurts and infringes on it. “Such people must be loved as benefactors,” he later taught his spiritual children.
In 1884, Alexy Mechev married the daughter of a psalm-reader, eighteen-year-old Anna Petrovna Molchanova. That same year, on November 18, he was ordained as a deacon by Bishop Misail of Mozhaisk.
Having become a servant of the altar, Deacon Alexy experienced a fiery zeal for the Lord, and outwardly showed the greatest simplicity, humility and meekness. His marriage was happy. Anna loved her husband and sympathized with him in everything. But she suffered from a serious heart disease, and her health became the subject of his constant concern. In his wife, Father Alexy saw a friend and first assistant on his path to Christ; he valued his wife’s friendly remarks and listened to them the way another listens to his elder; immediately sought to correct the shortcomings she noticed.
Children were born into the family: Alexandra (1888), Anna (1890), Alexey (1891), who died in the first year of his life, Sergei (1892) and Olga (1896).
On March 19, 1893, Deacon Alexy Mechev was ordained by Bishop Nestor, administrator of the Moscow Novospassky Monastery, as a priest to the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki Sretensky Forty. The consecration took place at the Zaikonospassky Monastery. The Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki on Maroseyka was small, and its parish was very small. In the immediate vicinity there were large, well-attended temples.
Having become the rector of the single-staff Church of St. Nicholas, Father Alexy introduced daily services in his church, while usually in small Moscow churches they were performed only two or three times a week.
The priest came to the temple almost at five o’clock in the morning and unlocked it himself. Reverently venerating the miraculous Theodore Icon of the Mother of God and other images, he, without waiting for anyone from the clergy, prepared everything necessary for the Eucharist and performed proskomedia. When the appointed hour approached, he began Matins, during which he often read and sang; then followed the liturgy. “For eight years I served the liturgy every day in front of an empty church,” the priest later said. “One archpriest told me: “No matter how much I pass by your church, everyone calls you. I went into the church - it was empty... Nothing will come of it, you are calling in vain." But Father Alexy was not embarrassed by this and continued to serve. According to the then-current custom, Muscovites fasted once a year during Great Lent. In the St. Nicholas-Klenniki Church on Maroseyka Street one could confess and receive communion any day. Over time, this became known in Moscow. A case is described when a policeman standing at his post found the behavior of an unknown woman suspicious at a very early hour on the banks of the Moscow River. When he approached, he learned that the woman was in despair from the hardships of life and wanted to drown herself. He convinced her to abandon this intention and go to Maroseyka to Father Alexy. Grieving, burdened with the sorrows of life, dejected people flocked to this temple. From them a rumor spread about his good abbot.
The life of the clergy of numerous small parishes of that time was financially difficult, and living conditions were often poor. The small wooden house in which Alexy’s father’s family lived was dilapidated, half-rotten; standing closely adjacent two-story houses the windows were shaded. In rainy times, streams running down from Pokrovka and Maroseyka flowed into the temple courtyard and into the basement of the house; the apartment was always damp.
Mother Anna Petrovna was seriously ill. She developed cardiac dropsy with large edema and painful shortness of breath. Anna Petrovna died on August 29, 1902, on the day of the beheading of the head of the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John.
At that time, a merchant family very close to Father Alexy (Alexey and Claudia Belov) invited the righteous Father John of Kronstadt, who had come to Moscow, to their home, with whom they were in contact on matters of charity. This was done so that Father Alexy could meet him.
“Have you come to share my grief with me?” asked Father Alexy when Father John entered. “I didn’t come to share your grief, but your joy,” answered Father John. “The Lord is visiting you. Leave your cell and go out to people; only from now on will you begin to live. You rejoice in your sorrows and think: there is no more sorrow in the world.” yours... And you be with the people, enter into someone else’s grief, take it upon yourself, and then you will see that your misfortune is insignificant in comparison with the general grief, and it will become easier for you.”
The grace of God, abundantly resting on the Kronstadt shepherd, illuminated the life path of Father Alexy in a new way. He accepted what was indicated to him as obedience entrusted to him. He was undoubtedly prepared for the perception of the grace of old age by many years of truly ascetic life.
Holy Righteous Presbyter Alexy with his Life. Icon with Life, 2000. Author Irina Vatagina. Church of St. Nicholas in Kleniki on Maroseyka, Moscow
Father Alexy met those who were looking for help in the Maroseya church, broken by difficult circumstances, mutual hostility, mired in sins, who had forgotten about God, with heartfelt friendliness, love and compassion. The joy and peace of Christ were infused into their souls, hope was manifested in the mercy of God, in the possibility of soul renewal, the love shown towards them gave everyone the feeling that they were loved, pitied, and consoled more than anyone else.
Father Alexy received from God the gracious gift of clairvoyance. Those who came to him could see that he knew their whole life, both its external events and their spiritual aspirations and thoughts. He revealed himself to people to varying degrees. Out of deep humility, I always tried not to show the fullness of this gift. He usually spoke about any details, details of a situation still unknown to the interlocutor, not directly, but allegedly talking about a similar case that had recently taken place. The priest gave instructions on how to proceed in a specific matter only once. If the visitor objected, insisted on his own, then Father Alexy withdrew from further conversation, did not explain what the unreasonable desire would lead to, and did not even repeat what was originally said. He could sometimes give the blessing required from him. To those who came with a repentant feeling and full of trust, he provided prayerful assistance, interceding for them before the Lord for deliverance from difficulties and troubles.
Father Alexy became known as a kind father, whom one should turn to in difficult moments for the family. It was not in his rules to read instructions, denounce, or analyze someone’s bad deeds. He knew how to talk about the moral aspects of family situations without affecting the painful pride of the parties to the conflict. And he was invited to services at critical moments. Coming to a family that was ready to fall apart, the priest brought into it peace, love and an all-forgiving understanding of everyone. He did not blame anyone, did not reproach, but tried, by citing vivid cases of mistakes and delusions, to bring those listening to the consciousness of his guilt, to evoke in them a feeling of repentance. This dissipated the clouds of anger, and the guilty began to feel wrong in their actions. Proper understanding often did not come immediately, but later, when a person, remembering the words of Father Alexy and looking deeper into his softened soul, could finally see that his stories were directly related to him, and understand what new path he was charting for him.
In the lower residential floor of the temple, the priest opened an elementary parochial school, and also set up a shelter for orphans and children of poor parents. Children learned useful crafts there. For 13 years, Father Alexy taught children the Law of God at the private girls’ gymnasium E. V. Winkler.
Having blessed his spiritual daughter Maria, who came to his church as a teenage girl shortly after her father’s death, to paint icons, the priest contributed to the further revival of ancient Russian icon painting, which had been in oblivion for several centuries, giving way to painting.
At that time, Father Alexy began to perform divine services in the church not only in the morning, but also in the evening (vespers and matins).
The priest's sermons were simple, sincere, they were not distinguished by eloquence. What he said touched the heart with the depth of faith, truthfulness, and understanding of life. He did not use oratorical techniques, focusing the attention of his listeners on gospel events and the lives of saints, while remaining completely in the shadows.
Father Alexy's prayer never stopped. By his example, the priest showed that with the noise and bustle of life in the city, you can be far from everything earthly, have unceasing prayer, a pure heart, and stand before God while still here on earth.
When asked how to improve the life of the parish, he answered: “Pray!” He called on his spiritual children to pray during the funeral services: “Once again you will come into contact with the departed... When you appear before God, they will all raise their hands for you, and you will be saved.”
The number of worshipers in the temple increased. Especially after 1917, when those who left the Church, having experienced numerous troubles, rushed to churches in the hope of God’s help. After the closure of the Kremlin, part of the parishioners and singers of the Chudov Monastery moved, with the blessing of Bishop Arseny (Zhadanovsky), to the church of Father Alexy. Many young people appeared, students who saw that the revolution, instead of the promised benefits, brought new disasters, and now sought to comprehend the laws of spiritual life.
During these years, zealous young priests and deacons, who had received their education, began to serve on Maroseyka, including the son of Father Alexy, Father Sergius Mechev, who was ordained a priest on Holy Thursday 1919. They also helped in holding lectures, conversations, and organizing courses on the study of divine services. But the burden on Father Alexy was increasing. Too many wanted to receive his blessing on any matter, to listen to his advice. Father had previously had to receive some of those who came in his apartment in the clergyman’s house, built before the First World War by the famous publisher I. D. Sytin. Now one could see endless queues at the doors of the house; in the summer, visitors stayed overnight in the temple courtyard.
Great was the humility of Father Alexy. He was never offended by any rudeness towards himself. “What am I?.. I’m poor...” he used to say. Once, having forced his spiritual daughter to remember in confession that she spoke badly about her relative and did not attach any importance to it, he told her: “Remember, Lydia, that there is no one worse than you and me in the whole world.”
The priest avoided showing signs of reverence and respect towards himself, avoided lavish services, and if he had to participate, he tried to stand behind everyone. He was burdened by awards, they burdened him, causing him deep, sincere embarrassment.
Due to the efforts of the Chudov sisters, in 1920 His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon awarded the priest the right to wear a cross with decorations. Priests and parishioners gathered in the temple in the evening to congratulate him. Father Alexy, usually smiling and joyful, looked alarmed and upset. After a short prayer service, he turned to the people with contrition, speaking of his unworthiness, and, bursting into bitter tears, asked for forgiveness and bowed to the ground. Everyone saw that, accepting this award, he really felt unworthy of it.
The true spiritual friends of Father Alexy were the contemporary Optina ascetics - the elder Hieroschemamonk Anatoly (Potapov) and the monastery leader Abbot Theodosius. Father Anatoly directed Muscovites who came to him to see Father Alexy. Elder Nektarios said to someone: “Why are you coming to us? You have Father Alexy.”
Righteous Alexy Mechev
Father Theodosius, having once arrived in Moscow, visited the Maroseya temple. I was at the service, I saw how the lines of confessors walked, how earnestly and long the service went on, the commemoration was performed in detail, how many people were waiting to be received. And he said to Father Alexy: “For all this work that you are doing alone, we would need several people in Optina. This is beyond the strength of one person. The Lord is helping you.”
His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, who always took into account the recall of the priest in cases of consecration, invited him to take on the work of uniting the Moscow clergy. The meetings took place in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, but due to the conditions of that time they were soon discontinued. The attitude of the clergy towards the priest was very different. Many recognized his authority, some of the shepherds were his spiritual children and followers, but there were also many who criticized him.
In the last days of May according to the new style of 1923, Father Alexy went, as in previous years, to rest in Vereya, a remote town Moscow region, where he had a small house. Before leaving, he served his last liturgy in the Maroseya church, said goodbye to his spiritual children, and when he left, he said goodbye to the temple. Father Alexy died on Friday, June 9/22, 1923. The last evening he was joyful, affectionate with everyone, remembering those who were absent, especially his grandson Alyosha. Death occurred as soon as he lay down in bed, and was instantaneous.
The coffin with the body of Father Alexy was delivered to the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki on a horse on Wednesday, June 14/27 at nine o’clock in the morning. The church communities of Moscow, led by their pastors, came one after another to sing requiems and say goodbye to the deceased. This lasted until the very morning of the next day to give everyone who came the opportunity to pray. Two funeral vigils were served in the evening: one in the church and the other in the courtyard. The liturgy and funeral service were performed at the head of the host of clergy by Archbishop Theodore (Pozdeevsky), rector of the Danilov Monastery - Father Alexy requested this in his letter shortly before his death. Vladyka Theodore was then in prison, but on June 7/20 he was released and was able to fulfill the priest’s wish.
Easter chants were sung all the way to the cemetery. The confessor of Christ, His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, who had just been released from prison, arrived at the Lazarevskoye cemetery to see off Father Alexy on his final journey. He was enthusiastically received by crowds of people. The prophetic words of the priest came true: “When I die, there will be joy for everyone.” Lithium was served by Archimandrite Anempo-dist. His Holiness blessed the coffin being lowered into the grave and was the first to throw a handful of earth on it.
During his lifetime, Father Alexy told his spiritual children to come to his grave with all their difficulties, troubles, and needs. And many went to see him at the Lazarevskoye cemetery.
Ten years later, due to the closure of the Lazarevskoye cemetery, the remains of Father Alexy and his wife were transferred on September 15/28, 1933 to the Vvedenskie Gory cemetery, popularly called German. The body of Father Alexy was incorrupt at that time. Only on one of the legs the ankle joint was broken and the foot was separated.
All subsequent decades, the grave of Father Alexy was, according to the cemetery administration, the most visited. Thanks to stories about the help received, and later publications, many people learned about Father Alexy and, asking for his intercession in their troubles and difficult everyday circumstances, were consoled by the priest.
We regularly had to add more land to the grave mound, since those who resorted to the help of Father Alexy took it with them...
On the first anniversary of the death of Father Alexy, the Maroseya community invited everyone who wished to write about their meetings with the priest, to which many responded. These memories were unequal; but in some of them cases of clairvoyance, examples of miracles, signs and prayerful help of the elder are attested.
One woman from Tula lost her only son. There was no news from him for six months; the mother was in a difficult state. Someone advised her to contact Father Alexy. She arrived in Moscow, came straight to the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki, and at the end of the liturgy, along with everyone else, went to venerate the cross. Several more worshipers separated her from the priest, whom she saw for the first time, when he handed her a cross over the heads of those walking in front of her and said impressively: “Pray as if you were alive.” Confused by surprise, she became embarrassed and was embarrassed to approach again. Not having the strength to calm down, she turned to a priest who knew the priest well, and he brought her to his home. As soon as she entered the room and took the blessing, the priest, having not yet heard a single word from her, and she could not speak from excitement and the tears that were choking her, took her by the shoulder and looking into her eyes with love and affection, said: “Happy Mother, happy mother! Why are you crying? I’m telling you: he’s alive!” Then, going up to the desk, he began to sort through the paper icons lying on it, saying: “The other day, too, my mother visited me: she’s all worried about her son, but he’s calmly serving in Sofia at a tobacco factory. Well, God bless,” and With these words he blessed her with an icon. It was during Bright Week. At the end of September, she received a letter from her son from Bulgaria, where he said that he was working in Sofia at a tobacco factory.
Olga Serafimovna, a person from the upper strata of society, deeply religious and church-going, was the head of an orphanage, which was under the guardianship of Grand Duchess Elizaveta Fedorovna. She often visited the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki with Father Alexy. And he visited the shelter at her invitation.
One day a boy who had learned to steal was brought to his priest for a reception. Father, who opened the door himself and had not yet heard anything about him, sternly told him: “Why are you stealing? It’s not good to steal.”
One lady named Vera, who served in the church, received permission to see the priest during his illness. On the way to him, she kept thinking: “Lord! What should I do, after all, I have two sisters, both disabled, I support them, what will happen to them when I die?..” As soon as she entered the priest’s room, he met in her words: “Oh, you, Vera, you have no faith, and you also wear a headscarf, church sister. Why do you take everything upon yourself, and don’t want to leave anything to God? No, here’s what you say, leave all these doubts at the door and believe that God will protect your sisters better than you."
One woman came to ask the priest if she should get married. Her husband was captured by the Germans during the 1914 war. Almost 9 years have passed since then, and there is no news about him, but a very good man is wooing her. Instead of answering, the priest said: “Here, dear ones, are some cases: one woman came to me and said: “Father, bless me to get married, since my husband has been in captivity for many years and, apparently, he is no longer alive. And he really wants to marry me good man". I didn’t bless her, but she still got married. Just got married, after eight or nine days her husband returns from captivity. And so two husbands and their wife came to resolve the question of whose wife she is now. These are the types cases..." The questioner got scared and decided to wait, and a few days later her husband unexpectedly returned.
One Friday, after the end of the liturgy, two girls dressed in black approached the priest with a request to bless them to enter the monastery. He blessed one of them willingly and gave a large prosphora, and the other said: “You go back home, you are needed there, and I will not bless you for going to the monastery.” The girl walked away embarrassed and disappointed. People around were curious about who she lived with and under what conditions. The girl replied that she lives with a sick old mother who doesn’t want to hear about her daughter leaving for a monastery, because then she will be left completely alone.
After the prayer service on Wednesday, a woman approached the priest, fell at his feet and, sobbing, began to shout: “Father, help! Father, save me! I can’t live in the world anymore: my last son was killed in the war,” and began to beat her head on a candlestick that of the icon of St. Nicholas. Approaching, the priest addressed her with the following words: “What are you doing, is it possible to despair so much. Here is our great intercessor and prayer book before the Lord.” And, helping her get to her feet, he immediately began a prayer service to St. Nicholas, and said to her: “Make three prostrations. You don’t have time to stand for prayer. I’ll pray for you alone, and you go home quickly, great joy awaits you there.” And the woman, encouraged by the priest, ran home. The next day, during the early liturgy, which Father Alexy celebrated, yesterday’s visitor noisily ran in. She wished to see the priest as soon as possible, repeating in an excited voice: “Where is the father?” She said that when she came home yesterday, she found a telegram on the table from her son, which told her to immediately come to the station to meet him. he’s coming himself,” she pointed to the person who was entering at that moment young man. The priest was called from the altar. With a sob, the woman fell to her knees in front of him and asked to serve a prayer of thanks.
During Lent, after a prayer service, a woman comes up to Father Alexy: “Father, help, I’m completely tormented by grief. Before you have time to see off five, it’s already nine.” Father, looking intently into her face, asked: “How long have you taken communion?” Not expecting such a question, the woman became embarrassed and began to say confusedly: “Yes, recently, father, I was fasting...” - “How recently?” the father repeated the question, “will it be about four years old?” - “No, father, I’m just last year I missed it, but the year before last I was unwell." - "And before this year, were you in the village? Here you are, four years old." Realizing that the priest knew her whole life, she knelt before him, asking for forgiveness. "What are you asking of me? - the priest noted, - ask God, Whom you have forgotten. That is why sorrows overcame you."
Father Sergius Durylin, having become rector of the chapel of the Bogolyubskaya Icon of the Mother of God in the spring of 1921, continued to serve on Maroseyka on a certain day of the week. He said that on one of these days in 1922, a woman came to the temple, cried a lot and told about herself that she was from Siberia, from the city of Tobolsk. During the civil war, her son disappeared; she didn't know whether he was alive or dead. One day, after crying especially in prayer to St. Seraphim and, exhausted from tears, she saw the monk himself in a dream. He was chopping wood with an ax and, turning around, said: “Are you still crying? Go to Moscow to Maroseyka to see Father Alexy Mechev. Your son will be found.”
And so she, who had never been to Moscow, had never heard the name of Alexy’s father, decided on such a long and difficult path at that time. I had to travel either on a freight train or on a passenger train. God knows how she got there. She found Maroseyka, the church and the priest, whom the Monk Seraphim pointed out to her. Tears of joy and tenderness flowed down her face. After the death of the priest, it became known that this woman had then found her son.
There is plenty of evidence of grace-filled help in various needs through prayers to the elder. Many such cases were noted during the restoration of the temple on Maroseyka. On the days of the priest’s memory, help came unexpectedly several times with paperwork and urgent matters. repair work in the temple and church house; donations came in. It is known from experience that when in grief they turn to him: “Father Father Alexy, help,” help comes very quickly, Father Alexy acquired from the Lord the great grace to pray for those who turn to him.
At the Jubilee Council of Bishops in 2000, the elder in the world, Archpriest Alexy Mechev, was canonized as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church for general church veneration.
Currently, the relics of St. Alexy Mechev are located in Moscow in the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki.
Quoted from:
"Moscow Diocesan Gazette" No. 10, 2000
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Prayer to the righteous Alexy Mechev:
- Prayers to the righteous Alexy Mechev, presbyter of Moscow. After the death of his wife, St. came to Father Alexei. John of Kronstadt said: “...be with the people, enter into someone else’s grief, take it upon yourself, and then you will see that your misfortune is insignificant in comparison with the general grief, and it will become easier for you. From now on, Saint Alexy Mechev is this the kindest shepherd, in prayer and unceasing service to people, shared and now shares the grief, needs and illnesses of all those who come to him for prayerful help.
Akathist to the righteous Alexy Mechev:
Hagiographic and scientific-historical literature about the righteous Alexy Mechev:
- - Moscow Diocesan Gazette
- City elder(about righteous Alexy Mechev) - Deacon Seraphim Churakov
From birth, Father Alexy's life was connected with the name of St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna (November 19). Saint Philaret saved his father from death in the cold when he was a child. Seeing the Providence of God in this, the saint continued to take care of the saved child, and then of his family. During the birth of Father Alexy (his mother Alexandra Dmitrievna’s birth was difficult), Metropolitan Philaret prayed together with Alexei Ivanovich Mechev for the successful release of his wife from the burden and predicted: “A boy will be born, call him Alexy in honor of Saint Alexy, the man of God, who we celebrate today "
Alexy grew up in a family where there was a living faith in God, love, and a kind-hearted attitude towards people. He studied at the Zaikonospassky School, then at the Moscow Theological Seminary, after which he dreamed of going to university and becoming a doctor. However, his mother opposed, wanting to see her son as a priest. It was not easy for Alexy to give up his dream, but he did not go against the will of his beloved mother. Subsequently, Alexy Mechev realized that he had found his true calling.
After graduating from the seminary, Alexy served as a psalm-reader in the Znamenskaya Church of the Prechistensky Forty. Here he was destined to undergo a difficult test. The abbot demanded that the psalm-reader perform duties that lay on the watch, treated him rudely, swung a poker at him and even beat him. But Alexy endured everything without complaint, did not complain or ask to be transferred to another church. Subsequently, the saint thanked the Lord for allowing him to go through such a school. Already a priest, Father Alexy, having heard about the death of this man, came to the funeral service, accompanied him to the grave with tears of gratitude and love, to the surprise of those who knew the attitude of the deceased towards him.
Then Father Alexy said that when people point out shortcomings that we ourselves do not notice, they help us fight our “yashka”. (We have two enemies: “okayashka” and “yashka” - the priest called this self-love, the human “I”, which immediately declares its rights when someone, willy-nilly or not, touches and infringes on it.) “Such people must be loved as benefactors,” - he later taught spiritual children.
On November 18, 1884, he was ordained a deacon and began to serve in the Church of the Great Martyr George in Lubyansky Proezd. Father Alexy outwardly showed the greatest simplicity, but internally he experienced fiery zeal for the Lord.
In 1884, Alexy married the daughter of a psalm-reader, Anna Petrovna Molchanova. His marriage was very happy. But Anna Petrovna suffered from a serious heart disease, and her health became the subject of constant concern for her father Alexy. Children were born into the family: daughters Alexandra (1888) and Anna (1890), sons Alexey (1891), who died in the first year of his life, and Sergei (1892), as well as the youngest daughter Olga (1896).
On March 19, 1893, Deacon Alexy Mechev was ordained a priest at the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki. The ordination took place in the Zaikonospassky Monastery, it was performed by Bishop Nestor, who runs the Moscow Novospassky Monastery. The parish of this church was small, since there were large famous temples nearby. Although Father Alexy was preparing for shepherding in the village, having received a parish in the capital, he completely surrendered himself to the will of God and began to work, putting prayer and spiritual wakefulness as the basis.
Having introduced daily worship in his church, Saint Alexy served for eight years in an empty church, almost alone. Over time, mourning and burdened people flocked to this temple, and rumors spread from them about its kind abbot.
The life of the clergy of small parishes of that time was financially difficult, living conditions were poor. Mother Anna Petrovna was seriously ill; she developed dropsy, accompanied by large swelling and painful shortness of breath. She suffered so much that she began to beg her husband to stop begging her... On August 29, 1902, on the day of the Beheading of the Head of the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John, Anna Petrovna died.
Father Alexy was very sad. He locked himself in his room and poured out his soul before the Lord. At this time I came to Moscow righteous John Kronstadt. He was invited to their home by a merchant family very close to Father Alexy, who were connected with the Kronstadt shepherd in matters of charity. It was in this house that the inconsolable priest met him.To Alexy Mechev’s question: “Have you come to share my grief with me?” - Father John replied: “I did not come to share your grief, but your joy: the Lord is visiting you.” Subsequently, Father Alexy will say about himself: “The Lord visits our hearts with sorrows in order to reveal to us the hearts of other people.” Saint John advised him: “Be with the people, enter into someone else’s grief, take it upon yourself - and then you will see that your misfortune is small, insignificant in comparison with the general grief, and it will become easier for you.”
The grace of God, abundantly resting on the Kronstadt shepherd, illuminated the life path of Father Alexy in a new way. He accepted the call of Father John as obedience entrusted to him. He was undoubtedly prepared to receive the grace of old age by many years of truly ascetic life, when he devoted himself entirely to prayer and serving people. And now, in the words of one of his spiritual children, he “has become a faithful and unchangeable guard over the sorrowful heart of man.”
Father Alexy met everyone who came to the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki and sought help with cordial friendliness, love and compassion. The joy and peace of Christ were infused into their souls, hope appeared in the mercy of God, in the possibility of renewal of the soul. The love shown by the priest gave everyone the feeling that he was loved, pitied, and consoled more than anyone else. Saint Alexy was filled with love. He did not know the cruel word “punish”, but knew the merciful word “forgive”. “The path to salvation lies in love for God and neighbors,” said Father Alexy.
He did not impose the burden of heavy obedience on his children, and did not demand special feats from anyone. At the same time, emphasizing the need for even the smallest external feat, he pointed out that one must weigh one’s strengths and capabilities and carry out what one has decided on at all costs. Endowed with the grace-filled gift of clairvoyance, the saint, out of deep humility, tried not to show the fullness of this gift.
The priest gave instructions on what to do in a given case only once. If the visitor objected, Father Alexy withdrew from the subsequent conversation, without explaining what unreasonable behavior would lead to. To those who came with a repentant feeling and were filled with trust, he provided prayerful assistance, interceding for them before the Lord and bringing deliverance from difficulties and troubles.
In the lower residential floor of the temple, the priest opened a parish school, set up a shelter for orphans and the poor, and for 13 years he taught the law of God at the E.V. girls’ gymnasium. Winkler; contributed to the revival of ancient Russian icon painting, blessing his spiritual daughter Maria Nikolaevna Sokolova, later nun Juliana, to paint icons.
Father's sermons were simple, sincere, touching the heart with the depth of faith, truthfulness, and understanding of life. Saint Alexis's prayer never stopped. Filling the temple with herself, she instilled in those present the confidence that, despite all the bustle of life, one can be far from everything earthly, have unceasing prayer, a pure heart and stand before God here on earth. When the priest prayed, according to the reviews of those who saw him, he was passionate about prayer, he listened to every word of the prayer greedily, as if afraid to miss a moment of spiritual delight. The elder taught that personal prayer, conversation with the Lord and turning to Him are a reliable and saving means for strengthening one’s faith in God’s Providence.
Father Alexy greatly revered the shrine of the temple - the Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God (it is still located in the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki), and served prayers in front of it. One day, on the eve of the events of 1917, during a prayer service, he saw tears rolling down from the eyes of the Queen of Heaven. Everyone present saw this.
Great was the humility of Father Alexy. He was never offended by rudeness, avoided showing signs of deference and respect to himself, and avoided pompous services. “What am I? I’m wretched...” he used to say. Once, having forced his spiritual daughter to remember in confession that she spoke badly about her relative and did not attach any importance to it, he told her: “Remember, Lydia, that there is no one worse than you and me in the whole world.”
The true spiritual friends of Father Alexy were the Optina ascetics of his day: the elder Hieroschemamonk Anatoly (Potapov), now glorified as a venerable one (July 30), and the monastery leader, Abbot Theodosius. They were amazed at the feat of the Moscow elder, who lived “in a city like in the desert.” Father Anatoly directed Muscovites who came to him to see Father Alexy. Elder Nektarios said: “Why are you coming to us? You have Father Alexy.”
Holy Patriarch Tikhon always took into account the recall of the priest in cases of consecration and even invited him to take on the work of uniting the Moscow clergy.
Twice Father Alexy was summoned for an interview at the OGPU and was forbidden to receive people. The second time he was released immediately, because they saw that he was seriously ill.
In the last days of May 1923, Father Alexy left for Vereya, where he usually rested. He had a presentiment that he was leaving forever. Before leaving, I served the last liturgy in my church, said goodbye to my spiritual children, and when I left, I said goodbye to the church, shedding copious tears.
Saint Alexy died on June 9 (old style), 1923. The coffin with his body was taken to the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki. Until the very morning of the next day, Moscow church communities said goodbye to the deceased and served memorial services. The holy Patriarch Tikhon, who was released from prison that day, arrived at the Lazarevskoe cemetery to see Father Alexy off on his final journey. His Holiness served a litany for the deceased, lowered the coffin into the grave and was the first to throw a handful of earth into it.
Ten years later, due to the closure of the Lazarevskoye cemetery, the remains of the holy righteous Alexy and his wife were transferred to the Lefortovo Vvedenskoye cemetery. The priest's body was incorrupt.
Father Alexy Mechev is canonized as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church. His canonization took place on Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on August 20, 2000.
In 2001, on the feast of All Saints who shone in the Russian land, the relics of St. Alexis were found. When the lid of the coffin became visible, a wonderful fragrance filled the air, reminiscent of the aroma of holy myrrh.
Currently, the relics of the holy righteous Alexy Mechev are in the Moscow Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki.
There is plenty of evidence of grace-filled help in various needs through prayers to the elder. Many such cases were noted during the restoration of the temple where the saint served. It is known from experience that when in grief they turn to him: “Father Father Alexy, help!”, help comes very quickly, for the holy righteous Alexy acquired from the Lord the great grace to pray for those who turn to him.
Compiled by Hieromonk Macarius of Simonopetra,
adapted Russian translation - Sretensky Monastery Publishing House
