Saint Vitalius of Alexandria. The Life of the Monk Vitaly the Monk The Monk Vitaly

Venerable Martyr Vitaly was born on August 10, 1890 in the village of Dyakovo, Fedoseevsky volost, Staritsky district, Tver province, in the family of a peasant Ivan Kokorev. Among the peasants at that time a high idea of ​​serving God was still preserved; monasticism was considered among the highest forms of this ministry. And so the son of a peasant, after graduating from a rural school, directed his way to the Valaam Monastery, known at that time for its schemniks and elders. Here the young man lived for six months, and then, having settled in his determination to choose the monastic path, he returned to his homeland and entered in 1912 among the novices of the Nile Desert. After some time, he was accepted into the ranks of the brethren and tonsured a monk with the name Vitaly.

Monk Vitaly labored in the Nilova Hermitage until its closure in 1928. The monks, despite the closure of the monasteries and their destruction, and outside their walls tried to lead a prayerful way of life and live according to the monastic charter. For this purpose, they organized monastic communities. In one of these communities, which was called "God's work", the monk Vitaly continued to ascetic. But the authorities were not going to leave a shadow of Christianity on Russian soil, and a year later the community was closed, and the monks were arrested on charges of tax evasion. Monk Vitaly was sentenced to five years in a forced labor camp and exiled to the city of Nikolaevsk-on-Amur in the Far East.

He returned to the Tver region and his native places only in 1935. One of the priests who knew him advised him to get a job as a watchman in the church in the village of Khvoshnya, Penovsky District, and at the same time to carry out the obedience of a sexton in the church during divine services. He did just that: he got a job as a watchman in the temple, and lived in the village of Pustoshka, renting a room from the peasants.

In January 1937, the head of the Penovsky district branch of the NKVD began to call for interrogations the inhabitants of the district, members of the village council, the collective farm foreman and collective farmers, choosing those who were hostile to the Church and wished the temple to be closed as soon as possible.

They showed that the deacon of the Khvoshnya church, monk Vitaly, went to the houses of individual peasants and on the very day of the All-Union census, January 1, 1937, he visited some peasants; that believers, and in particular the monk Vitaly, gathered together and read the Gospel aloud, and also sang church hymns, that this happened during working hours, and the representative of the local authorities demanded that they disperse.

The "witnesses" - the collective farm foreman and the chairman of the village council - listed all the individual peasants who went to the temple, suggesting that the NKVD would arrest them and close the temple, and thus the religious issue in the village would be resolved.

On the very day of the feast of the Nativity of Christ, January 7, the head of the Penovsky branch of the NKVD interrogated the monk Vitaly.

- The investigation has evidence that you held illegal gatherings of believers in the village of Pustoshka of the Slautinsky village council, where you indoctrinated believers in an anti-Soviet direction, especially from individual farmers.

“I did not organize illegal gatherings of believers, I often visited believers in the village of Pustoshka... in October 1936, I alone prayed according to a prayer book... it was around ten o'clock in the evening, and, apparently, many learned about this prayer...

This information was not enough for an arrest - there was no decree on the arrest of all the clergy then, and the monk Vitaly was released after interrogation. Only at the end of July and the beginning of August, decrees on the destruction of the Russian Orthodox Church followed, and then already on August 4, monk Vitaly was arrested and imprisoned in the Ostashkov prison and interrogated on August 6.

- Tell me, do you plead guilty to anti-Soviet activities?

No, I don't plead guilty.

- The investigation established that you grouped individual peasants around you, among whom you conducted anti-Soviet agitation. Tell me, do you plead guilty to this?

- I visited the apartments of individual farmers ... and I myself live with an individual owner ... When visiting the apartments of individual farmers, I never had anti-Soviet conversations with them, so I don’t plead guilty to anti-Soviet agitation.

- Tell me, what goal did you pursue when visiting individual farmers?

- Visiting individual farmers, I did not pursue any selfish goal.

- When visiting individual farmers, what kind of conversations or conversations did you have with them?

I can't remember those conversations now.

Again the NKVD interrogated the "witnesses on duty". In particular, such an opponent of the church in the village as the chairman of the "Put' Lenina" collective farm was summoned. He said that the churchmen asked him to sell the old shed to fix the porch in the church, but he refused them. He also testified that he went into the church gatehouse, where at that time there were individual farmers. He demanded that they disperse. But the next time, when, at the denunciation of one of the collective farmers, he went into the church gatehouse, he found the peasants reading the Holy Scriptures and said:

“Aren’t you ashamed to gather during working hours!”

One of those present replied:

- And what does it matter to you that we have gathered here, you work on the collective farm, and we work on the side and buy bread in the cooperatives. He began to insist that everyone disperse.

“In my opinion,” the chairman concluded his testimony, “they have organized an anti-Soviet group...

After that, the monk Vitaly was again interrogated.

- What caused your departure from the Nile Desert?

“I left the Nile Hermitage because the monastery with all the monks was dispersed and a children's colony was organized instead of the monastery.
- How did you get a job as a deacon and at the same time a church watchman of the Khvoshnia church, who recommended you there?

- Upon my arrival from exile, one of the church ministers told me that a watchman was needed in the Khvoshnya church, and I went and was hired.

—How many times did you attend meetings of the Church Twenty during 1936 and 1937, and what issues were discussed there?

“I was at a church twenty meeting once when I was hired. I left other meetings, and I don't remember when I was there.

- Living with citizen Maria Vishnyakova, where individual farmers and believing collective farmers often gathered, what did you tell and inspire them?

- Whether or not believers gathered at Maria Vishnyakova, I don’t know, but I myself avoided meetings. Met with individuals.
- What kind of talk did you, the churchmen, have about the constitution, the loan and the situation on the collective farms?

- About the constitution, I heard that people are satisfied with the constitution. I spoke about the loan only with the authorized person when subscribing to the loan. There was talk about the collective farms, that now the harvest is good and the collective farmers are happy with it.

In order to persuade the accused to self-incrimination, the investigator arranged a confrontation between the monk Vitaly and the chairman of the collective farm, who said that in March 1936, having entered the building of the church gatehouse, he found a meeting of twenty here.

- Accused Kokorev, do you admit that in March 1936 there was an illegal gathering of churchmen in the gatehouse of the Khvoshnia church, at which you were present and conducted anti-Soviet propaganda? the investigator asked.

- In March 1936, there was no illegal gathering in the gatehouse of the church, I was not present at the meetings and did not engage in anti-Soviet agitation there.

- Witness, tell me, - the investigator turned to the chairman of the collective farm, - in August 1936, was Kokorev at an illegal gathering or not, what was discussed there?

- In August 1936, I went into the gatehouse and said in a raised tone: “Why did you gather during working hours?” Alexandrov, a former kulak, declared: “What do you care about us, there is nothing to go here, you work for workdays, but you get nothing, and we work where we want, and we will buy ourselves bread, trade is free.” I suggested that they disperse, as they gathered during working hours and distract the collective farmers; after a few minutes they dispersed.

- You, the accused Kokorev, were at a gathering in the gatehouse of the church in August 1936, where Aleksandrov spoke with anti-Soviet expressions, arguing with the chairman of the collective farm who entered?

- In August 1936, I have never been to an illegal gathering in the gatehouse of the church, and I don’t remember if there was such a meeting where Alexandrov and others were present and they were dispersed by the chairman of the collective farm.

Other witnesses were called, among them the headman of the temple, but they did not confirm the accusations made by the investigator. On September 9, the investigation was completed, and on October 3, the Troika of the NKVD sentenced the monk Vitaly to death. He was shot on October 7, 1937.

Ranked among the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia at the Jubilee Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in August 2000 for general church veneration.

Hegumen of Damascus. "Martyrs, confessors and ascetics of piety of the Russian Orthodox Church of the XX century". Tver, Bulat Publishing House, vol. 1 1992, vol. 2 1996, vol. 3 1999, vol. 4 2000, vol. 5 2001.

SAINT Vitaly was born in the second half of the 6th century. From his youth he entered the monastery of St. Serid near the city of Gaza in the Holy Land, and here for many years he led a strict monastic life. At the age of 60, Vitaly left his monastery and moved to Alexandria. At that time, the Alexandrian church was headed by a famous for his holy life Patriarch John, nicknamed the Merciful (609-620).

Saint, reaching old age (he was 60 years old) he dared to undertake an extraordinary feat: he wrote down all the harlots of Alexandria in his memorial and began to pray fervently for them. The monk worked from morning to evening and earned 12 copper coins every day. In the evening, the saint bought himself one bean, which he ate no earlier than sunset. He gave the rest of the money to one of the harlots, to whom he came at night and said: "I beg you, for this money, keep yourself clean this night, do not sin with anyone." Then the monk locked himself with the harlot in her room, and while the harlot slept, the elder prayed all night, reading psalms, and in the morning quietly left her. And so he did every day, visiting all the harlots in turn, and taking an oath from them that they would keep the purpose of his visits a secret.

The inhabitants of Alexandria, not knowing the truth, were indignant at the behavior of the monk, insulted him in every possible way, but he meekly endured all ridicule and only asked not to condemn others.

The holy prayers of St. Vitaly saved many fallen women. Women, accustomed to the fact that everyone perceived them only as a commodity and a tool to satisfy their own lust, were faced with a manifestation of genuine Christian love and holiness. Such a meeting could not but change the lives of at least some of them. In addition, the Monk Vitaly compiled a commemoration book in which he wrote down all the fallen women of Alexandria (one can imagine how long this list was, given the huge size of the city) and prayed fervently for them every day. Some of them went to monasteries, others got married, others began to work honestly. But they were afraid to talk about the reason for their correction and thereby remove the accusations against the Monk Vitaly - they were bound by an oath taken by the saint. When one of the women violated it and began to justify the monk, she fell into a frenzy. After this, the Alexandrians did not doubt the sinfulness of the saint.

Some clerics, seduced by the behavior of the monk, denounced him Holy Patriarch John the Merciful. But he did not believe the scammers and said: “Stop judging, especially the monks. Don’t you know what happened at the First Council of Nicaea? Some of the bishops and clerics brought written denunciations of blessed memory to Tsar Constantine the Great against each other. said: "If I saw with my own eyes a sinning bishop, or a priest, or a monk, I would cover such a person with my clothes so that no one would see his sin." Thus the wise saint shamed the slanderers.

The Monk Vitaly continued his difficult feat: appearing before people as a sinner and a fornicator, he led the erring to repentance.

Once, leaving the brothel, the monk met a young man walking there - a fornicator, who slapped him on the cheek with abuse and shouted that the monk dishonored the Name of Christ. The saint answered him: "Believe me, for me, the humble, and you will receive such a blow on the cheek that all of Alexandria will come running to your cry."

Some time later, the Monk Vitaly settled in a small cell and died there at night. At the same time, a terrible demon appeared in front of the young man who hit the old man, hit him on the cheek and shouted: "Here's a blow from monk Vitaly." The young man began to rage. He rolled on the ground in a frenzy, tore his clothes and shouted so loudly that he gathered a large crowd.

When a few hours later the young man came to his senses, he ran to the monk's cell, crying out: "Have mercy on me, servant of God, that I have sinned against you." At the door of the cell, he finally came to his senses and told the audience about his meeting with the Monk Vitaly. Then the young man knocked on the door of the cell, but received no answer. When the door was broken open, they saw that the monk had reposed to God, kneeling before the icon. In his hands was a scroll with the words: "Men of Alexandria, judge not before the time, until the Lord, the Righteous Judge, comes."

At this time, a possessed woman came, punished by the monk for violating the secret of his feat. Touching the body of the saint, she was healed and told the people about everything that had happened to her.

When the women he saved learned about the death of the Monk Vitaly, they gathered and told about the virtues and mercy of the saint.

Saint John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria.

Saint John the Merciful rejoiced that he did not believe the slanderers and did not condemn the righteous. Then, at the gathering of repentant women converted by the Monk Vitaly, the holy Patriarch solemnly carried his remains through the whole city and gave them an honorable burial. Since then, many Alexandrians have made a covenant not to condemn anyone.

Troparion to the monk, tone 8: In you, father, it is known that you have saved yourself in the image of accepting the cross, you followed Christ, and the deed taught you to despise the flesh, it comes more: diligently about souls, immortal things: the same with the Angels will rejoice, reverend Vitaly, your spirit.
Kontakion to the monk, tone 2: Divinely armed with purity of soul, and handing over unceasing prayers like a copy firmly, Thou hast the demonic militia Vitaly, pray unceasingly for all of us.
Praise to the Reverend: We bless you, Reverend Father Vitaly, and honor your holy memory, mentor of the monks and companion of the Angels.

Immortality is the state that every person dreams of, and it really exists. The source of immortality is the Resurrection of Christ. At the end of life's journey, after Christ's Resurrection, death no longer rules over a person who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christians are Christ-bearers, that is, the bearers and possessors of eternal life, which is given according to the measure of faith and the measure of holiness. Saints are ordinary people in flesh and blood, but the most perfect Christians, since they sanctified themselves by deeds in the name of the resurrected and eternal Christ the Savior.

Lives of the Saints

Since ancient times, the deeds of the saints, martyrs, saints were recorded and sacredly kept by the ascetics of piety. Gradually, many legends were accumulated, which are usually called "Lives of the Saints." In the article, we will consider the life of one amazing saint named Vitaliy.

This Saint Vitalius (saint) lived in the second half of the sixth century. His feat was one of a kind, as far as is known, neither before him nor after no one dared to repeat such actions, before they were unusual. But his example of spiritual holiness can teach a lot to any person, especially monks.

Life of St. Vitaly

The future Monk Vitaly from his youthful times labored in the monastery of the Monk Serid near the city of Gaza, near the Holy Land. Until the age of sixty, Vitaly (the saint) did not leave the walls of the monastery, but then he changed his life dramatically.

At an advanced age, the monk decides to leave the walls of the monastery and settles in the city of Alexandria. At that time, Alexandria was a huge city, as they say now, a metropolis, and the customs of its inhabitants were not distinguished by meekness and humility. In very extreme cases, the abbots of nearby monasteries blessed the monks to enter the city, and even the most spiritually strong monks were equipped for this feat, who would not succumb to temptation, would not fall into temptation.

And Saint Vitaly writes down all the harlots of this city in his commemoration book, and he himself settles in a private apartment. From the very morning, this saint works day labor, in the evening he buys himself some food (in his life it says "beans"), and he gives the rest of the money to one of the many harlots of Alexandria. That is, he buys a night with this woman. The inhabitants of the city, having learned about this, became so indignant that day and night they vilified the holy man, as soon as they called him names.

The feat of the monk

Usually people see in others the sins that they commit themselves, and they are pleased that they are not the only sinners. The inhabitants of Alexandria themselves were far from holiness, and for sure many of them used the services of priestesses of love, but they could not forgive this vice to the monk, who had previously reproached their conscience with his pure life. This case is also very indicative for modern people who are happy to blame the church and its ministers if they notice imperfection or vice in something.

As the inhabitants of the city later found out, monk Vitaly, a man of holy life, locking himself up with harlots, let these unfortunate women forget about their dirty work for at least one night, sleep, or pray to the Lord with him. He did not condemn, did not denounce anyone from those with whom he spent time, but only pitied. And many prostitutes have taken the righteous path. Some of them repented, got married, gave birth to children and became faithful wives, others went to the monastery and kept purity until their death.

Judgment is a sin

The Monk Vitaly prayed all night for these women, but he strictly forbade them to talk about himself. From each of them he took an oath that she would not tell the truth about him. The Reverend simply followed the Savior's words about the left hand not knowing what the right hand was doing. The Lord bequeathed to do good deeds in secret, so that through them we would not be conceited. St. Vitaly fulfilled this commandment to the end, he not only remained in secret, but also endured unrighteous reproach from sinful people. Saint Vitaly (whose icon is in any Orthodox church) helps everyone who turns to him with a request to save a loved one from vice or prays for himself a sinner.

His example shows that no one should be judged. Only God sees a person's heart, and He is his judge, while other people reason according to their own measure of sinfulness. The sin of one person before another is nothing compared to the sin that a person commits before the Lord.

Deed of John the Merciful

And although the monk hid his feat, this does not justify those who condemned him or openly reviled him. But still there was a man in the city who did not condemn the saint. It was the Patriarch of Alexandria John the Merciful. When rumors about the behavior of St. Vitalius reached him, John the Merciful refused to believe them and cited the example of Emperor Constantine the Great, who at the First Ecumenical Council, without reading it, burned written denunciations against certain bishops and priests, saying that it was not his job to judge the clergy. The emperor also added that if he saw with his own eyes a priest or a monk with a harlot, he would cover him with his own cloak so that no one would look.

Possessed youth and Vitaly (saint)

The Monk Vitaly the day before his death met a young man who was on his way to a house of depravity. This self-confident young man approached St. Vitalius and slapped him on the cheek because, in his opinion, the monk dishonored the name of Christ. The saint calmly accepted this, but said that the young man would receive such a slap in the face for this that all the townspeople would gather at his cry.

And so it happened: when the monk went to his cell and began to pray, he died after a while, and a demon appeared to the young man and, striking him on the cheek, declared that this was a slap in the face from the monk Vitaly. The young man from this fell into such a frenzy that he rolled on the ground and screamed frantically. People ran to his cry, and, recovering a little, he, together with everyone else, ran to the saint's house. There they saw a saint on his knees, and in his hands was a scroll with an inscription that said that the Alexandrians should not condemn anyone before the time, until the Lord, the righteous judge, comes.

The unfortunate young man was healed only after he had touched the saint, along with him, one of the harlots, who had violated the oath not to divulge the secrets of St. Vitaly, was healed. Other women, who knew the secret of the saint and were no longer bound by it, spoke about the saint and restored his honor.

John the Merciful with great honor carried the remains of the saint through the whole city. The whole city buried him. St. Vitaly's Day (Memorial Day) is celebrated according to the Orthodox calendar on May 5th.

Patrons of Vitaly

The name Vitaly in Latin means "life". In addition to the holy Monk Vitalius, there is also known the martyr Vitalius the Roman, who suffered a painful death for Christ along with his brothers and his mother, the holy martyr Felicity, who lived in Rome around the year 164.

Both Vitalius the Roman and Saint Vitalius of Alexandria, as the patron saints of Vitalius (any person baptized with this name), stand guard and come in difficult times, one has only to turn to them.

Musician Vitaly Efremochkin

In the musical circle, the story of a musician who turned to God and began to write music and songs dedicated to Him became known. This happened to Vitaliy Efremochkin, a Ukrainian musician and composer, vocalist, improviser and arranger. Vitaly Efremochkin believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and dedicated his work to him. “Holy King” is a composition that he wrote not so long ago, but it has become popular among believers.

Saint Vitaliy was born in the second half of the 6th century. From his youth, he entered the monastery of St. Serid near the city of Gaza in the Holy Land, and here for many years he led a strict monastic life. At the age of 60, Vitaly left the holy monastery and moved to Alexandria. At that time, the Church of Alexandria was headed by Patriarch John, known for his holy life, called the Merciful (609-620).

In Alexandria, Vitalius undertook a very unusual feat of saving the harlots of that city. Living in a private apartment, monk Vitaly worked as a day laborer, and in the evenings he visited houses of debauchery. Entering the room of this or that dissolute woman, he gave her the money he had earned and urged her to leave her vicious lifestyle. After that, Vitaly knelt down and prayed to God until the morning, while the woman was sleeping.

It often happened that a woman, touched by his words and seeing how fervently he prayed, came to a feeling of repentance and, too, kneeling down, began to pray. In the morning, before leaving for work, Vitaly took an oath from the women that they would keep the details of his visits secret. Vitaly had a little book where he entered the names of all the fallen women known to him. He constantly remembered them in his prayers.

Such an unusual way of life Vitaly lasted for several years. The inhabitants of the city were indignant at the unworthy, as it seemed to them, behavior of the monk and scolded him. Once, one indignant young man hit Vitaly on the neck, shouting: “You are a disgrace to the monastic rank and the Christian name! Saint Vitalius humbly endured all reproaches, ridicule and even blows, asking those who offended him not to condemn him. Finally, the clergy of Alexandria complained about Vitaly to Patriarch John and insisted that he take the necessary measures against Vitaly. But the patriarch left their petition unanswered.

Meanwhile, Vitaly's kind words, prayers and righteous life had a beneficial effect on many fallen women. Some went to the monastery, others got married, others began to work honestly.

When the Monk Vitaly died, he was found kneeling before the icon. In his hands he held a charter (a sheet of paper), on which was written: “Inhabitants of Alexandria! Do not judge your neighbor, no matter how sinful he may seem to you. Do not condemn anyone before the judgment of God." Before Vitaly's funeral, the women, who had been directed by him on a good path, gathered and told Patriarch John and many people about the virtuous life of monk Vitaly. Many felt ashamed that they offended a righteous man. Patriarch John himself buried the remains of St. Vitaly. During and after the funeral, many sick people were healed by touching the relics of St. Vitalius.

Thus, the extraordinary feat of St. Vitalius taught many not to hasten to condemn others. Indeed, we see only the appearance of a person, but we do not know what is in his heart. That is why it is said: "Judge not, lest we be judged."

Reverend Vitaly, a monk of the monastery of the Monk Serida, came to Alexandria under (Comm. 12 November) the Patriarch of Alexandria (609-620).

The saint, having reached old age (he was 60 years old), dared to take on an extraordinary feat: he wrote down all the harlots of Alexandria in his commemoration book and began to pray fervently for them. The monk worked from morning to evening and earned 12 copper coins every day. In the evening, the saint bought himself one bean, which he ate no earlier than sunset. He gave the rest of the money to one of the harlots, to whom he came at night and said: "I beg you, for this money, keep yourself clean this night, do not sin with anyone." Then the monk locked himself with the harlot in her room, and while the harlot slept, the elder prayed all night, reading psalms, and in the morning quietly left her. And so he did every day, visiting all the harlots in turn, and taking an oath from them that they would keep the purpose of his visits a secret. The inhabitants of Alexandria, not knowing the truth, were indignant at the behavior of the monk, insulted him in every possible way, but he meekly endured all ridicule and only asked not to condemn others.

The holy prayers of St. Vitaly saved many fallen women. Some of them went to monasteries, others got married, others began to work honestly. But they were afraid to talk about the reason for their correction and thereby remove the accusations against the Monk Vitaly - they were bound by an oath taken by the saint. When one of the women violated it and began to justify the monk, she fell into a frenzy. After this, the Alexandrians did not doubt the sinfulness of the saint.

Some clerics, seduced by the behavior of the monk, reported him to the holy Patriarch John the Merciful. But he did not believe the scammers and said: “Stop judging, especially the monks. Don’t you know what happened at the First Council of Nicaea? Some of the bishops and clerics brought written denunciations of blessed memory to Tsar Constantine the Great against each other. Without even reading the scriptures, he burned them and said: “If I saw with my own eyes a sinning bishop, or a priest, or a monk, I would cover such with my clothes so that no one would see his sin.” Thus the wise saint shamed the slanderers.

The Monk Vitaly continued his difficult feat: appearing before people as a sinner and a fornicator, he led the erring to repentance.

Once, leaving the brothel, the monk met a young man walking there - a fornicator, who slapped him on the cheek with abuse and shouted that the monk dishonored the Name of Christ. The monk answered him: "Believe me, what for me, the humble, and you will receive such a blow on the cheek that all of Alexandria will come running to your cry."

Some time later, the Monk Vitaly settled in a small cell and died there at night. At the same time, a terrible demon appeared in front of the young man who hit the elder, hit him on the cheek and shouted: “Here is a blow from monk Vitaly for you.” The young man began to rage. He rolled on the ground in a frenzy, tore his clothes and shouted so loudly that he gathered a large crowd.

When a few hours later the young man came to his senses, he ran to the monk's cell, crying out: "Have mercy on me, servant of God, that I have sinned against you." At the door of the cell, he finally came to his senses and told the audience about his meeting with the Monk Vitaly. Then the young man knocked on the door of the cell, but received no answer. When the door was broken open, they saw that the monk had reposed to God, kneeling before the icon. In his hands was a scroll with the words: "Men of Alexandria, judge not before the time, until the Lord, the Righteous Judge, comes."

At this time, a possessed woman came, punished by the monk for violating the secret of his feat. Touching the body of the saint, she was healed and told the people about everything that had happened to her.

When the women he saved learned about the death of the Monk Vitaly, they gathered and told about the virtues and mercy of the saint.

Saint John the Merciful rejoiced that he did not believe the slanderers and did not condemn the righteous. Then, at the gathering of repentant women converted by the Monk Vitaly, the holy Patriarch solemnly carried his remains through the whole city and gave them an honorable burial. Since then, many Alexandrians have made a covenant not to condemn anyone.