A few more Diveyevo stories and photos from the series “holy places of Russia”. In this post I will tell you about the main miracle of Diveyevo - the Holy Kanavka. Every year tens of thousands of pilgrims come here not only to visit Father Seraphim, but also to walk along the Holy Kanavka, cleanse their souls, and dare to ask for protection from the Most Pure Virgin Mary herself.
Quietly, slowly evening comes in Diveevo. The sun goes down imperceptibly, we go to the evening service and want to once again walk along the Holy Canal, for the sake of which and the relics St. Seraphim people flock to this earthly abode of the Mother of God herself.
Father Seraphim treated the Diveyevo sisters in an amazingly touching manner, affectionately calling them his orphans and this is what he said during his lifetime:
“If anyone offends my orphan girls, he will receive great things from the Lord, and whoever intercedes for them and protects and helps them in need, the great mercy of God from above will be poured out on him.” Whoever even sighs with his heart and takes pity on them, the Lord will reward him.”
Every evening after the meal, the Diveyevo sisters walk around Kanavka with the icon, and the pilgrims and I stand and wait to walk together through the holy place. There are a lot of pilgrims, they come with illnesses and injuries, to venerate the Relics of Seraphim of Sarov and, walking for a second, feel the Miracle, and not a single request goes unanswered by the elder and his prayerful consolation. Everyone receives the benefit for their soul and salvation.
We stand, wait, the sun peeks out and then disappears again behind the evening clouds. People are on the benches, near the church bench, talking and everyone is waiting, well, when, when? And so, they waited, they came out! We stand behind everyone in an orderly row and walk together with the sisters through the holy place, which cleanses both the soul and thoughts.
An amazing place in Diveevo - Holy Kanavka. Once a day, the Most Holy Theotokos walks along it, going around her earthly possessions. The Diveyevo sisters dug the ditch for several years, it is 777 meters in length, and after walking along it in slow steps, you need to read “Virgin, Mother of God, Rejoice” 150 times, and many problems and questions are resolved by themselves, leaving your head, giving way to a smile and joy.
It’s better to take your rosary with you right away, it’s easier to count, otherwise you might look around and lose count. And even if you come to Diveevo not for the sake of resolving some situations, the place itself is very prayerful and so strong in energy that it’s as if you find yourself in some other world, with high vibrations. It seems that the very air of the Holy Groove has a healing, cleansing effect: like the skin of an orange, it cleanses the soul of plaque, desires and passions, calms and carefully tunes, like a musician his favorite instrument.
And it’s so beautiful all around! Latest sun rays the domes are gilded and hundreds of rooks scream at sunset. It’s getting darker and the monastery courtyard is emptying, and with it we go to rest with our granny.
There are still many places we have not visited in Diveevo, these include miraculous springs, and the nearest monasteries and monasteries in the area. But it’s difficult to see everything at once; we came here to do a little work, which will be the subject of the last post.
I was also in Diveevo - but I took the text and photo from a friend - she was also there quite recently.
“I continue the story about the shrines that we visited in Diveevo.
The groove or belt of the Virgin Mary is one of the main shrines of Diveevo, we were lucky enough to walk along it twice, on Saturday evening, and early Sunday morning (I think from half past six to half past six). To feel everything that is felt there, you just need to come and walk there…….
The photo and text are not mine, I searched on the Internet, I wanted to compose the text in such a way that you would be inspired by this shrine the way I fell in love with it. At the end of the post I will give links to all the sources from which I compiled the text and took the photo.
“The Mother of God herself measured this groove with her belt...
Here the feet of the Mother of God passed...
Whoever walks through the canal with prayer and reads one and a half hundred “Theotokos”, Athos, Jerusalem, and Kyiv are all here” (Reverend Seraphim of Sarov).
People walk and walk along the ditch. In spring and summer, autumn and winter. Latest
Over the years, I began to walk barefoot more and more often (even in winter in the snow). The Russians are coming
Ukrainians, Moldovans, Georgians, Armenians, British, Germans, French,
Americans... Kanavka, Diveevo, knows St. Seraphim of Sarov
the whole world. The groove heals, the groove cleanses, the groove enlightens.
It’s not enough to just walk along Kanavka. Need more
have time to read one hundred and fifty prayers to the Mother of God. And this is not at all true
simple as it seems. Someone will pass quickly, and lo and behold, it’s already the end of the road,
but he hasn’t even read a hundred prayers... That means he’s not ready yet, hasn’t calmed down
through life, and I need to come here again. To make this whole thing different
way to go. Some walk slowly, slowly, in no hurry. These -
will be in time. Others are in a hurry; they never have time to pray. Groove - how
life: some set off earlier and arrive later than others. And others,
on the contrary, the early ones ran faster than everyone else and did not finish the journey on time.
Someone walks slowly, with gentle steps, as if floating on
Groove. Someone walks at a businesslike pace, looking forward. Lo and behold
there is nothing ahead. All! We've arrived... And only nuns walk along the groove
special verified steps. No rush, but no waddle either. These -
They will always be in time, no matter how they go. After all, their prayer is quick and fiery! A
experienced residents of this amazing village try to start their own paths
from Kanavka. In the morning they will walk along it, say as many prayers as they can, and
then all day long, wherever they go, they finish the prescribed remainder of the prayers. AND
All their paths are in conflict, because the path began with prayer! And such a sacrifice
The Queen of Heaven receives from them. And some walk along the Kanavka with
stops. They pray for the living, and then move on. Then they will stand again,
will remember the departed... And everyone - those in a hurry and those who are leisurely - will reach the end in
his own term, measured only by him.
Hieromartyr Seraphim, Bishop of Dmitrov (Zvezdinsky), who lived
at one time in the Diveyevo monastery, was honored on February 2, 1927
visions of the Mother of God walking along the Kanavka. His cell attendant Anna
testifies that Vladyka was in his cell after the evening service and
suddenly rushed to the window with incessant exclamations of prayer,
then to another window:
“The Most Pure Mother of God is walking along the Kanavka! I can't
behold her wonderful
beauty!– said Lord Seraphim with tears.
The Holy Canal was built by order of the Queen of Heaven Herself, as well as
all in Diveevo. The ditch with the shaft was supposed to surround the Mill community and
must have been dug by the hands of the sisters themselves. There should have been a groove
three arshins deep and three arshins wide were dug, the earth had to be thrown
inside the monastery to form a shaft also three arshins high. For
strengthening the rampart the Reverend ordered to plant gooseberries.
The sisters were slow to start digging because of the excessively heavy
work. And so, one day another sister came out of her cell at night and
sees that Father Seraphim in a white robe himself has begun to dig the Ditch.
In fear and joy, she runs into her cell and tells all the sisters this.
Everyone ran out to this place, and, seeing Father, bowed at his feet,
but, having risen, they no longer found him. Only a shovel and a hoe lay on
earth. The ditch had already been dug out, about a yard long. The other sister had visited the day before
Fathers to Sarov and spent the night in his hermitage. And in the morning he sends it:
“Come on, mother, tell the girls to start digging a ditch today, I
I was there and started it myself.” She walked and wondered how Father went to
Diveevo? She comes to the monastery, and there are sisters vying with her
They tell how they saw Father. And she told them her story. Sisters,
amazed by such a miracle, they began work without delay. They dug for three years and
finished for the holiday of the Nativity of Christ, and soon, on January 2 (15)
Saint Seraphim departed to the Lord.
After the closure of the Diveyevo Monastery in 1927, Holy Kanavka was
Many places were filled up, the shaft was leveled. Most damage Groove
suffered in the post-war years: in some places it was cut
various communications, and inside the entire southern part of the Kanavka was dug
sewer pipe. Despite numerous prohibitions and
danger, many who wished continued to walk and pray at the holy
Groove.
August 10/23, 1997, on the day of remembrance of the Holy Martyr Archdeacon
Lawrence, work began on restoring the first section of the holy
Grooves - from the start to the first turn.
The best time to walk along Kanavka is from three to four in the morning. At this time
The Queen of Heaven herself comes here and sometimes appears as a chosen one. One day
sexton Andrei, having walked the entire Kanavka after three o’clock in the morning, saw the Mother
God in the sky above Kanavka in a shining silver cloud.
It is not for nothing that the elders advise pilgrims to pray at night. Schema-abbot Jerome from
Sanaksar Monastery says:
- From three to five o'clock in the morning there is gold, from five to six - silver, from
six to seven - bronze.
In Diveyevo Mother of God every day with us. The Queen of Heaven herself talks about this
she said - through Father Seraphim. That is why the great Sarovsky commanded
elder, so that pilgrims must stay exactly one day in the monastery,
then they will not miss each other with Mother Theotokos... Many pilgrims
on the Holy Kanavka they feel the invisible blessed presence of the Lady -
Her scent! You go and go, it seems like nothing special is happening,
you pray, and suddenly it’s as if you are entering the fragrant Garden of Eden. Apparently
The Queen of Heaven passed by you...
Miraculous healings occur on Kanavka today. By faith they receive
deliverance from serious illnesses by many, many who have completely entrusted themselves
intercession Holy Mother of God and Saint Reverend Seraphim. So people flock to the Holy Kanavka in the Diveyevo Monastery. They ask
everyone does their own thing and gets what they ask for. Every word on the groove reaches the sky.
Father ordered the land of Kanavka to be taken by pilgrims for healing: “There will be
visitors will come, and glinka from Kanavka will be taken for healing, and
it will be instead of gold.” Knowing this Orthodox people collect earthen soil
bags, transport it like a precious treasure to all corners of the world, and
many, many healings come from this earth.”
Virgin Mary, rejoice,
Blessed Mary, the Lord is with you,
Blessed are You among women
and blessed is the fruit of Your womb,
for you gave birth to the Savior of our souls
Amen.
Before starting the story about the Holy Canal of the Most Holy Theotokos, I would like to say at least a few words about Diveevo itself.
This small village in the Nizhny Novgorod region is the spiritual center of Orthodox pilgrimage. The Seraphim-Diveevo Monastery was created with a special blessing. The Mother of God herself took this place under a special Protection, and after Iberia, Athos and Kyiv, Diveevo is the fourth inheritance of the Mother of God.
The history of the monastery is described by St. Seraphim Chichagov in the book “Chronicle of the Seraphim-Diveevsky Monastery”, and today we will not touch on this extensive topic. Let's talk about one of the attractions - the Canal of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Canal in Diveevo: history of creation
The history of the creation of the entire Diveyevo monastery is unique: absolutely everything was done here with God’s blessing. And Kanavka was no exception.
The confessor of the monastery had a vision of the Mother of God passing with prayer to Diveevo along a special path, and then he received instructions to dig a ditch with a shaft in this place. He conveyed the blessing to the sisters of the Diveyevo monastery, but they did not immediately take up the task that was incomprehensible to them. Nevertheless, with prayers and labors, the Holy Kanavka was actually completed by the beginning of 1833.
When they talk about the miracle of the Holy Kanavka, they almost always cite a verbatim excerpt from the book, because it perfectly conveys the very spirit of this place.
“Father Seraphim said a lot of wonderful things about this Kanavka. That this Groove is the piles of the Mother of God! Here the Queen of Heaven herself walked around her! This Groove is sky high! The Lady Most Pure Mother of God herself took this land as her inheritance! Here, father, I have Athos, Kyiv, and Jerusalem! And when the Antichrist comes, he will pass everywhere, but will not jump over this Ditch!”(Father Vasily Sadovsky).
But not always. Alas, even in pre-revolutionary times there was a period when the ditch was abandoned and carriages walked and passed through it. Fortunately, it didn't last long.
But the most difficult period occurred in the post-revolutionary godless time. Then the communist authorities tried to erase the very reminder of the holy place from the face of the earth.
It should be noted that the prophecy: And when the Antichrist comes, he will pass everywhere, but will not jump over this Ditch!”– the sisters of the Diveyevo monastery understood it literally, and were confident that Kanavka would protect them and not allow revolutionaries to reach them. But the Diveyevo Monastery, like thousands of others in Russia, was destroyed. The nuns were sent to camps, and the Kanavka was ordered to be filled with garbage and razed to the ground.
At the end of the 20th century, the Kanavka as such did not exist. People walked on flat ground, along a path preserved in the memory of the old residents of the village and the old nuns who lived until the collapse of the USSR. Old trees planted along the Kanavka served as landmarks.
With the beginning of the restoration of the monastery, they began to recreate Kanavka. Old maps and diagrams were found in the archives, the stories of old-timers were carefully analyzed, a group of architects from Moscow took measurements, made pits, and took soil tests. Thus, by the grace of God and the labors of people, the exact route of the Kanavka was restored, after which they began to dig it, just like a hundred years ago.
At the moment, this structure is a truly huge ditch, and has a length of 777 meters and a depth of human height. Its slopes are lined with turf and gooseberries. The shaft of the ditch itself, along which people walk, is paved with paving stones and surrounded by a fence.
So what is the Canal of the Virgin Mary in Diveevo?
It's special holy place, the only one in the world. Holy Land, along which the Most Holy Theotokos herself walks invisibly every morning. This is what people often call it: The Mother of God Canal.
The prayer rule read on Kanavka is called the Theotokos Rule. Anyone who wants to walk through the Holy Canal with prayer should know that the prayer “Rejoice to the Mother of God, Virgin, Rejoice” is read on it 150 times. For every 10 prayers, you need to read the “Our Father” prayer, pray for the living, or the deceased, or for some kind of misfortune. There is another option: when for every 10 prayers “O Theotokos, Virgin, Rejoice,” a troparion to one of the feasts of the Mother of God is remembered. A booklet with the Theotokos' rule can be bought at the church store.
How ? You should behave with dignity here. Even if you come to the Diveyevo Monastery on an excursion, are not accustomed to prayer and cannot be imbued with the holiness of this place, you should not disturb other people praying. The fact that Kanavka is located on the street misleads many people, and people start talking here. This shouldn't be done. The rules are simple, if you can’t pray, just walk this path in silence, with your phone turned off.
If you take the trouble to imbue yourself with the spirit of prayer, you will feel a completely different atmosphere of this holy place. Everything is sacred here: the earth, the plants, the air itself. A special place, from which prayer quickly reaches the sky.
You can pray on Kanavka for everything your soul asks for. But especially about healing from illnesses, about conceiving a child, about purchasing housing and successful completion exams. Someone will smile at the last point, but in vain. Students really get help here.
Procession along the Kanavka
The religious procession along the Kanavka in Diveevo is one of the most solemn events.
Every day, after the evening service in the warm season, and before the evening service in the cold season, part of the sisters of the monastery, (exact schedule), with the icon of “Tenderness”, led by the abbess (or the senior nun replacing her), leave the temple and walk with a prayer ruled the entire Kanavka. Everyone, including pilgrims, joins the sisters.
Thus, another day within the walls of the monastery is sanctified and ends with prayer.
But there are other religious processions - festive ones! They happen on all patronal feast days and on Easter. Like any festive religious procession, it is led by Christians with colorful banners, crosses and icons on poles. Behind them come priests, nuns, and after that - a sea of ordinary people. With church hymns, often with lit candles, people unite at this moment with a single impulse of prayer.
Sometimes there are so many people that when the first to enter the Kanavka are already leaving it, many are just beginning their religious procession. It turns out that Kanavka, as it were, closes people within itself. Since it is almost a circle, from the beginning of the Kanavka you can always see people finishing their prayer path along it. And on holiday it is an impressive sight.
When is the ditch in Diveevo decorated?
But a special religious procession takes place along the Kanavka on the Feast of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. And on this day the Holy Canal literally turns into a blooming carpet.
In the last article we talked, and today we’ll talk in more detail about prayer.
How to pray on Kanavka correctly?
In general, the word “right” is not entirely appropriate. On the one hand, there are some recommendations, on the other hand, prayer is a special state. And it manifests itself differently in each person.
First of all, we must remember that the Groove of the Mother of God is. Accordingly, one should behave here reverently, or with respect, regardless of religious beliefs. Do not disturb those praying, do not talk. For women, there is one more nuance: just like, Kanavka should not be visited during menstruation.
The groove should be walked with prayer. Usually they read the prayer “O Theotokos, Virgin, Rejoice” 150 times. And people often ask the question, how long does the prayer rule on Kanavka take?
It is impossible to answer this question unequivocally, and there is no time frame. The fact is that our individual rhythm of life is also manifested in prayer. There are slow people, they walk along the Kanavka like turtles, and sometimes they do not have time to fully read the prescribed prayers. And dynamic people pray completely sincerely, but at the same time they do not notice how, it turns out, they have already read everything, and they stand at the end of the Kanavka with a feeling of prayerful fulfillment. One spiritual person Someone once asked whether it’s worth consciously slowing down when you pray. To which he replied: “God created each person with his own temperament, and the fast cannot be slowed down, and the slow cannot be rushed.”
This important point, because you can hear opinions that you definitely need to walk along the Kanavka slowly. This is not entirely true. Of course, you shouldn’t run here, but you can read the prayer and walk at your usual pace.
Serious prayer on the Kanavka
Everyone knows the old proverb “Thunder will not strike, a man will not cross himself.” Alas, it so often happens in life that we turn to God when we have exhausted all material resources. Or when the size of trouble or need seems overwhelming to a person.
Many at such a moment turn to God, are ready to take on special prayer rules, observe fasts, and perform obediences. One of these prayer rules is the reading of akathists. And those who are not knowledgeable, coming to Diveevo, ask whether akathists are read on the Holy Kanavka?
Of course, if you decide to read an akathist on Kanavka, no one will forbid you from doing so, but there is no such practice here. In the monastery they try to fulfill the rule of the Mother of God, commanded. But if you have a serious need, you may be advised to go through the Holy Groove three times in a row. Each circle, walking with reverence and reading the prayer “Virgin, Mother of God, Rejoice” 150 times, at the end ask for what you need. Going to prayer so many times can seem like a difficult task, especially if you are not used to it. But, according to people who received God's help It is precisely after such a small “feat” that special circumstances require strong prayer.
Night prayer on the Kanavka of the Most Holy Theotokos
There is another type of prayer - night prayer. It is connected with the legend that it runs along its Kanavka.
It is not surprising that many believers, including pilgrims, having learned about this, strive to walk along the Kanavka with prayer at night. Someone, seeing the kilometer-long monastery fences, inside of which the Kanavka is also included, and remembering that the monastery is closed at night, will be surprised. Yes, indeed, the monastery’s opening hours are limited - from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. at night, after which all the gates are closed. But! Everyone in the monastery knows about this legend, and there is a blessing to let people into Kanavka even at night.
Once you say your cherished word to the guard at the gate that you want to pray on Kanavka at night, they will let you through. But only there! So don't tempt fate and try to get into dark time somewhere else. Monastics also need rest, like all other people.
At night on Kanavka they also read the Mother of God rule. Or they simply pray in their own words.
What happens if you walk along the Kanavka in Diveevo?
Let's try to summarize.
- First of all, it's not worth it. Prayer is communication with God, and the result is not always some kind of reward. After all, we communicate with our parents not for the sake of being given something, although, alas, this also happens. Likewise, God and the Mother of God should be approached with gratitude and reverence with filial feelings.
- Secondly, if you pray sincerely, you will still receive a reward. This is a feeling of special grace, quiet and bright, which settles in the soul for some time.
- Thirdly, prayer on the Canal of the Virgin Mary is powerful, especially if you pray especially at night, or walk this path with prayer three times. There are many recorded and orally transmitted miracles when, after intense prayer on the Kanavka, healings and successful outcomes of serious matters occurred.
- And fourthly. You can read the Mother of God rule at home every day. Wherever you live, in Diveevo, or in another city, the prayer “Rejoice, Virgin Mary”, read 150 times, will connect you with invisible threads to Diveevo and the Kanavka of the Most Holy Theotokos.
Tatyana Strakhova
From the story "Diveevo - Russian Promised Land."
It’s difficult to write about Diveevo. Before traveling here, I read different reviews about it and was always surprised by their ascetic style of storytelling. I love, and I myself have a penchant for, flowery presentation, for details and details, and such stinginess of words and feelings puzzled me. But now, having returned from this truly wondrous place, I myself don’t know where to start, or how to write about what we saw and felt there - it’s very difficult to find the right words. I'll try.
Diveevo is a special land. This is a special piece of our planet where a person has the opportunity to cleanse his soul.
Diveevo is not easy beautiful nature and a beautiful monastery. Diveevo is a very energetically strong place that strips the soul of everything unnecessary.
About the monastery: Our impressions. Our Lady's Groove.
The Seraphim-Diveevo Monastery itself occupies a fairly large area, but even that seems to be small - there are a lot of pilgrims and people who come here. In the monastery fence from Oktyabrskaya Street there are several entrances to the monastery. Quite by accident we went the right way - through the Bell Tower. Correct - because it turns out more solemnly, not just jump out somewhere to the side into the territory, namely go through the bell tower arch, see Trinity Cathedral light green through openwork cast-iron gates, a large paved area, bright flower beds, behind them a majestic Transfiguration Cathedral of boiling white color, almost a copy of the first one, only with more rounded shapes. The domes on this cathedral and bell tower do not just glow with gold, but shine dazzlingly, like full-fledged additional suns to the main luminary. There is a lot of gold in the sky. It's very beautiful.
On the territory of the monastery, for some reason it was clearly felt that Trinity Cathedral (where the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov are located) - masculine, and Preobrazhensky - female. Although, in reality, of course, there is no such division. Maybe it seems so based on their appearance: Troitsky is tall, slightly angular, green, steel-gray domes, and Preobrazhensky is slender, soft, whiter than snow and golden domes.
Diveevo. Trinity and Transfiguration Cathedrals
Diveevo. Trinity Cathedral
We went to the Trinity Cathedral. There was a service going on and there were a lot of people inside, so we stood around for a while, went out and began to walk around it. I saw a big queue on the left. She stood near the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov, to which there is a separate entrance. We didn't stand. I don’t know how to honestly explain why, let’s put it this way: we felt we had no right to contact him in the state we were in then. Of course, it’s very disappointing that things turned out so ridiculously for us. But on the other hand, his invisible presence in Diveevo is almost tangible. They say that nuns often meet the gray-bearded old man at the Holy Kanavka, and builders saw him in the temple, and children, whom he especially loved, often tell their parents about the kind grandfather who talked to them. In the Trinity Cathedral you can also see some things that belonged to Father Seraphim: a mantle, pectoral cross, stole, leather mittens, shoes and cast iron. This cathedral also houses Father Seraphim’s favorite icon, “The Mother of God of Tenderness.”
We walk around the territory, look closely, get our bearings, listen to the numerous guides leading groups. It is very interesting to listen, especially since we are not in a hurry, unlike tour groups, so we listen to several guides talk about the same thing, but in different ways. Behind the Trinity Cathedral there is a small necropolis. Here the abbess, several blessed elders from the monastery, and monks found their last refuge. We have never seen anything like this. I'll tell you about them below. The graves - velvety green mounds all covered in flowers - are considered holy places. People come here specifically to mentally communicate with the blessed ones and ask for their help.
Next we go to the Transfiguration Cathedral. There is also a queue inside to venerate the relics of the three blessed Diveyevo(I’ll also tell you about them separately). Here in the cathedral I learn about holy oil, about crackers from the saint’s cast iron, and about earth from the Kanavka (details will be below, I don’t want to get distracted now). But we have no time for that now. We leave the Cathedral and ask where Kanavka is. It starts right behind the Transfiguration Cathedral, a little to the right, and also ends approximately behind him, but to the left.
I prepared for it in advance. You can, of course, walk along Kanavka just like that, but I doubt that it will be possible. This is a very sacred and strong place, and when you go behind the forged gate, where it begins, and you step onto this high path on the crest of the shaft, and below you there is a high slope and a narrow ditch, it’s like moving from gravity to the absence of gravity. There is a completely different air here, even a completely different direction of thought - the old remains behind the gate.
Beginning of the Groove of the Blessed Virgin Mary
You must pass the Holy Canal while reading a prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos or the Archangel's greeting(with these words Archangel Gabriel greeted the Virgin Mary at the Annunciation): “Virgin Mother of God, Rejoice, Gracious Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are you among wives and blessed is the fruit of your womb, for you have given birth to the Savior of our souls.” Father Seraphim said this: “This groove is the piles of the Mother of God. Whoever walks the Kanavka with prayer and reads one and a half hundred “Mother of God”, everything is here: Mount Athos, Jerusalem, and Kyiv.”
Groove. We are starting our journey
I have rosary beads in my hands, however, I admit, they are Buddhist, souvenirs and there are 108 pea beads in them, and the prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary must be read 150 times, so at home I marked the required bead with a red ribbon. Rosary beads are very convenient to use; they are needed in order not to lose count. The people who walk along the Kanavka are, of course, all very different, and some are very, very unique. When someone loudly chants a prayer out loud, it is, of course, inconvenient, but tolerable, but there is also a bulletproof contingent in front of you casually and selflessly discussing “Nadya’s behavior with Lenka” - this is beyond my understanding.
Groove
The groove is very long, it has a broken trajectory, it is curved in different ways, surrounded by flowers. In the spring here on the slopes (I see) lilies of the valley bloom, in the summer - different flowers, there are even very well-kept vegetable gardens along it.
Almost finished
Walking around Kanavka, we saw a huge tree not far behind the monastery fence, which was decorated with something and caught our attention. Then we went there. It turned out - This huge larch of Tsarevich Alexei. This tree was planted in honor of the first anniversary of the birth of the Tsarevich - that is, in 1905. When cut, the bark of this larch has the color of dried blood, and so does the resin. No other similar trees have been found in nature. It is fenced with a small fence, there is a stand next to it, and his photograph hangs. Icons of the royal family are hung on the larch and fence, and prayer services are served. 
Larch of Tsarevich Alexei
Favorite icon of Seraphim of Sarov.
This is the Mother of God “Tenderness”. 
Father Seraphim always prayed before this image and died on his knees. 
The Mother of God is depicted without the baby Jesus, with her arms crossed on her chest and a gentle, barely noticeable smile. This icon depicts the moment of the Annunciation, when the Blessed Virgin answers the Archangel Gabriel to the news of the future birth of her son: “Behold the servant of the Lord, wake me according to your word.” Seraphim of Sarov loved this image very much and called it “Joy of all joys.” Nicholas II presented for this icon a very rich golden chasuble, decorated with jewels - a halo, in the form of shining rays, consists of precious stones and pearls. When the sun's rays fall on the icon, it shines in an unusual way: the face of the Mother of God became alive, the colors became delicate, and the decorations painted in oil were difficult to distinguish from real precious stones. Many copies were made from the icon, some of them also became miraculous. The list now hangs in the Trinity Cathedral in Diveevo, and the original is in Moscow, in the Patriarchate.
Father Seraphim left a commandment for the sisters of the monastery - on Sundays to perform a special prayer singing to the Most Holy Theotokos according to the charter of Mount Athos - Paraklis. “And if you fulfill this commandment of mine, then everything will be fine with you, and the Queen of Heaven will not leave you. If you don’t do it, then you will get into trouble without trouble.” This commandment is holyly fulfilled in the monastery.
What to bring from Diveevo.
Icons, of course.
And also butter and crackers of St. Seraphim, and earth from the Holy Canal.
The bags for them are small transparent ones - I highly recommend taking them with you. Otherwise, you will stand in a long line for them at the church shop at the entrance (narthex) to the Transfiguration Cathedral, and they may not be there yet. Oil bottles are also sold here. Opposite this bench there is a window where they will pour you butter consecrated on the relics of St. Seraphim, as well as on the relics of the blessed saints - the Diveyevo mothers.
Rusks (a handful) will be poured into a bag for you in the log chapel named after Father Seraphim(where the Holy Canal ends) - in the summer, or in the vestibule of the Preobrazhensky Sobo ra (where oil is poured) - in winter. It is believed that you need to literally drop a drop of this oil into a bottle of regular oil, and the entire oil will acquire beneficial properties.
Crackers - small pieces of rye bread. When I stood behind them in line at the chapel, I read on wooden board, that “in the Diveyevo monastery, after the death of the great elder, a tradition arose of distributing crackers in memory of the saint and as his blessing. Father Seraphim gave crackers to many who came to him as a blessing - some a handful, and some a large load. Nowadays, these crackers are blessed in the cast iron of Father Seraphim, in which the elder prepared meager food for himself, and then gave it to the Diveyevo sisters for church needs (coal was stored in it in the altar). Many pilgrims take these crackers to different countries and then they write about miraculous healings and unusual cases associated with them.” The nun gives out the crackers for free, but you can leave your reward of any size in the donation box nearby.
The chapel where crackers are distributed. And the crackers themselves from Diveevo
Land from the Holy Canal has the power to cleanse “premises and territory from demons.” A very small part of this earthen soil can be mixed with river sand or ordinary clean earth in any proportion, and this mixture will be fertile and retain all the properties of the earth from the Holy Canal. A whole mound of this earthen soil is located behind the chapel where crackers are distributed. This is the place where the very first monastery Mill used to stand. In the monastery they ask you to take a handful of it, no more, so that everyone gets it.
Here in the monastery they also sell a unique book “ Chronicle of the Seraphim-Diveevsky Monastery" Its author is Metropolitan Seraphim (Chichagov). We saw it, but didn't buy it because we didn't know anything about it. Only later did we read about Diveevo in books.
About the Diveyevo mothers.
When we entered the Nativity and Transfiguration Cathedrals, there were always queues inside them to see the relics of the blessed women of Diveyevo, and behind the first cathedral in the necropolis, guides lead groups to green velvet mounds and also tell about them. Who is this? It turns out that several blessed old women chose Diveevo as their place. Father Seraphim welcomed them with all his heart.
The Blessed are special people. Bliss is very difficult to explain in words to a materialistic person, because it is not an innate quality, but an acquired one. In the books they write that this is “one of the most difficult feats of Christianity,” that holy fools are “people who seemed to be deprived of reason.” For what? - To overcome pride, so that, speaking in allegorical language, to have a stronger impact on people whom ordinary words pass by.
But this is not a completely clear explanation: it turns out that any acting or any extravagance can also be called bliss. And this is a wrong understanding.
The blessed are half-asleep people. You and I also sleep and dream, and we know that a dream is always a different, different reality. This border is especially clearly felt when we wake up - where are we - there or here? Blessed people are more There than Here. But their other reality is always bright. There - they see God very closely. There - they talk with God, and not with dark entities. That's why they are clairvoyant, that's why they say the right things, although at the same time they behave differently- they play with dolls, imitate, figure things out figuratively, and there may also be snot, dirt, rags, i.e. the whole set that scares ordinary people and inspires (can inspire) fear, contempt, disgust. But the blessed do not care about the artificial rules of our everyday life. They are bright people, they are adult children. But here we are, ordinary normal people, having both a sober mind and a sound memory, being in this reality and speaking beautiful words, we often do terrible things.
Here is another interesting understanding of bliss: “ At some point in Rus' they began to believe that a holy fool is smart man pretending to be a fool. Humility of a proud mind may be a very great feat, but still, first of all, it is just a pretense. Real foolishness is by no means a pretense, not an imitation of stupidity, but genuine stupidity. Which, however, does not at all negate genuine intelligence. You simply fall into a state when the ordinary mind (the ability to navigate the conventions of the world) suddenly flies away, and something else comes in its place: wisdom, which no longer cares about stupid conventions».
And another strange thought came to mind (Diveevo, after all): the blessed are surprised people. Surprised by God.
In the necropolis (behind the Nativity Cathedral), in addition to other clergy, the blessed ones are buried - Pelagia(in the center), Paraskeva(right), Natalia(left).
Blessed Pelagia(Pelagia Ivanovna Serebryannikova, lived in the monastery until 1884) - “mad Palaga”, “fool” for some people and “great lamp of light”, “spiritual mother”, “second Seraphim” for the priest himself and others. She was married, gave birth to children, but her soul yearned for something else. Father Seraphim loved her very much. When Pelageya and her husband arrived in Sarov (in 1828), Seraphim talked with her for six hours alone. Seeing her off, he publicly bowed to the ground and told her to quickly go to the Diveyevo monastery.
Blessed Paraskeva - Pasha of Sarov(Paraskeva Ivanovna, lived in the monastery until 1915) - “the third Seraphim.” She had a very difficult fate. She is a serf. The landowner found fault with her, lied about her alleged “theft,” and gave her, an honest wife, to drunken soldiers. Paraskeva then went to the Kyiv Lavra and there accepted the schema, which is practically inaccessible for women. She lived in the forest for 30 years, there she was a beggar, she was also robbed by robbers, just like Saint Seraphim, and in addition they cut off her ear. She came to Diveevo, to the monastery and stayed here. Blessed Pasha lived in a small house-cell, which he called a “hermitage.” She played with dolls, hiding behind her changeable moods, allegorical conversations and actions highest love, humility and compassion. A line of people flowed towards her. She welcomed everyone and did not single out anyone by rank, regalia, or title. Only the blessed can do this. Nicholas II and his wife came to see her. And Pasha predicted everything to him: the revolution, the death of the dynasty... She even showed a boy’s doll and said: “This is yours.” But the Empress showed a misunderstanding: I don’t believe it. Then the blessed one handed her a piece of calico: “This is for your little son’s pants. When he is born, you will believe it.”
Here on the territory of the monastery there is her blue house, that very “hermitage”, and now it houses her museum and pilgrimage center.
Blessed Natalia(Natalya Dmitrievna, lived in the monastery until 1900). She also had the gift of advice.
Strange as it may sound, in Soviet times, at the site of their burial there was ... a beer stall. There, among the local drunks, these blessed old women - Pelageya, Pasha and Maria - often appeared and sat on a bench, whose place was trampled upon by the stall. The stallkeeper was especially embarrassed at the sight of these three blessed old women who had come from nowhere.
Entrance to the Transfiguration Cathedral
Where to eat in Diveevo.
…You can have a snack on the territory of the monastery. There, firstly, there is a large refectory. We even read somewhere that it is free for pilgrims. Then there there are several stalls selling very tasty monastery pies. And there's more There are tiny pancake cafes called “Monastery Refectory”. But there are much more people there, especially at lunchtime, than there are pancakes themselves. Therefore, you need to either be patient and stand in line, or go somewhere for a more substantial snack.
There are delicious pancakes here
We got to the pancake shop successfully; there were no people there, because the girls had gone for a new portion of pancakes. We waited only 5 minutes, there was already a tail behind us, and the pancakes somehow arrived quickly. Very tasty, with different fillings, but unusual. The dough is apparently short, so it’s a little rubbery.
Continuation in the story “Diveevo - Russian Promised Land»
