The greatest, truly, power and grace of the holy and angelic image of the monks...
Rejoice, virgins who are wise in the Lord, that you have been rewarded with such an angelic life on earth.
Elder Joseph of Athos

Taking vows of monasticism

Keeping the Lord's commandments is a narrow, thorny path to eternal life. Many obstacles stemming from the lust of the flesh, the lust of the hair and the pride of life (1 John 2:16) encounter a pious Christian here. For those who, on the path of faith, moral perfection and love, feel unable to overcome these obstacles, the Church offers special means for victory over passions. These means consist in the acceptance and fulfillment of vows, which in the Gospel are offered not as commandments, but as advice for those who wish to succeed in moral perfection.

Among such vows, according to our Lord, is virginity: “Not everyone can accept this word, but to whom it is given, for there are eunuchs who were born like this from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who are castrated from people; and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever can contain it, let him contain it” (Matthew 19: 11 - 12).

Voluntary poverty or lack of wealth was offered by the Lord to the rich young man, provided that he fulfills all ten sacred commandments: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your property and give it to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven; and come and follow Me” (Matthew 19:16-21). This also includes complete renunciation of one’s own will and obedience to the spiritual mentor (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23). “Then Jesus said to His disciples: If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me...” (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23).

Those who devote themselves to fulfilling these vows are called monks (from the Greek “monachos” - lonely, hermit) or monks.

Vows

A person taking monastic vows pronounces three vows aimed at his moral perfection: vows of virginity, obedience and poverty. The vow of virginity obliges us to the greatest purity, obedience to brotherhood - to honor each of the brethren as elders, and poverty - to firmly endure a harsh and full of hardships life.

Engagement

The small schema is the betrothal of the great schema. Clothes and lifestyle adopted by the small schema, in relation to the great schema, are a betrothal, or, as it were, some beginning and threshold to this great and angelic image, which has its own special succession.

What does it mean to feed the scissors three times?

He who is tonsured a monk three times, in honor of the Trinity, gives the abbot scissors, thereby expressing his firm and unyielding intention to fulfill the vows placed on him.

Monk tonsure

One who accepts the monastic rank is tonsured in the same way as everyone who is appointed to the rank of the church is tonsured; however, both in dignity and power, and in the name itself, both differ significantly from each other.

Monastic tonsure

A clergyman is tonsured by a bishop, and a monk is tonsured by a monk: the first tonsure elevates him to the position of a church minister and clergyman, and the second tonsure - to the monastic rank - only blesses the repentant and obliges him to the feats of repentance; the first tonsure, as Balsamon says in his interpretation of canon 36 of the sixth ecumenical council, is the episcopal seal, placed by the episcopal hand; the tonsured monk, as Simeon of Thessalonica says, “does not have the hand of the hierarch laid on him, since he does not accept consecration, but only has sacred prayers on his head” (chapter 272).

Therefore, the last tonsure is only a sign of acceptance of monastic life, why tonsure means the entire monastic life, and in a word, “to take tonsure” not only in ancient times, but also now means taking monastic vows.

The meaning of monastic tonsure St. Dionysius explains this way: “The cruciform seal means, in general, the inaction of all carnal lusts, and tonsuring the hair means a pure, unfeigned life, not adorning the true appearance of the soul with any fictitious covers, and elevating it to godlikeness not with human adornments, but only with special virtues.”

Saint Simeon of Thessalonica writes:

“Proclaiming vows in the hope of Christ’s help, the person accepting the monastic order undertakes to maintain them until the end of his life, since he voluntarily surrenders himself to Christ: then, the abbot cuts his hair in a cross shape in honor of the Trinity, since he is dedicated to the Trinity; the sign of the cross reveals his death to the world and his signification by the Lord Himself; through tonsure and removal of hair, he, as it were, brings to God the firstfruits of his body, since he is completely brought and dedicated to Christ, rejecting everything superfluous and worldly.”

Obedience and monasticism

“A great thing is tonsure into a holy angelic image. Great and mysterious is the power contained in his sacred act, directed towards a person becoming an angel in the image of his inner life, for angels are incorporeal and a material image cannot become like them,” says the spiritual daughter of St. right John of Kronstadt, founder and renewer of eight women's monasteries of the Ig. Taisiya (Solopova). This is like a second baptism, in which a person is reborn and renewed again. As a sign of this new birth, he forever puts off his worldly clothes, as his entire old man (Eph. 4:22), and before the holy Gospel, as from the hand of God Himself, he receives new clothes, putting on the new man (Eph. 4:24 ) about Christ Jesus.

When a sister just enters a monastery, she is a “candidate for novice,” that is, she is put on probation: she herself gets acquainted with monastic life, “tests” her strength, and the abbess and the sisters see if she has a sincere desire for monasticism and desires. whether she serves the one Lord with all her heart, or whether she just wants to hide in the monastery from everyday worries and sorrows, to receive only “shelter and care” in the monastery. The time of such a test is determined by the abbess in consultation with the confessor and the elder sisters of the monastery.

The wise, together with their lamps, took oil in their vessels

After the probationary period, when the applicant fully learns all the customs of the monastery, is convinced that she is able to follow them, and continues to express a desire to join the sisterhood, she is enrolled as a novice. For this purpose, special petitions are written to the diocesan bishop on behalf of the abbess and the sister herself (it should be noted that in general both enrollment in the monastery and all tonsures are performed only with the blessing of the ruling bishop).

After this, the sister puts on a cassock and half-apostolic habit and officially becomes a nun of the monastery.

The next step is tonsure into the ryassophore, or monasticism, which usually takes place no earlier than after the sister’s three-year stay in the monastery. However, in special cases, for example, in case of a fatal illness, the abbess can turn to the bishop with a request to tonsure a particular nun after a shorter period of her stay in the monastery.
Thus, the ryassophore is the “firstfruits of the holy image”; someone tonsured into the ryassophore is usually called a nun, but the names of a ryassophore nun or a ryassophore novice are also possible. Usually during this tonsure the name is changed to mark the beginning of a new life.

According to the immutable commandment of the Savior: Ask, and it shall be given you(Luke 11:9), the newly tonsured woman is given a special grace that promotes her salvation, and a new intercessor is also given - a saint, whose name she receives during tonsure.

“A living being is animated by blood, and a monk through asceticism will think about heavenly things...”

Abbess Anastasia (Mordmilovich)

Report by Abbess Anastasia (Mordmilovich), abbess of the Kazan Convent of the Kaluga Diocese at the round table “The Virtue of Obedience in Modern Monasteries: Practical Aspects” (Resurrection Novodevichy Convent of St. Petersburg, July 2-3, 2018)

On the shrine of St. Nektarios of Optina the words are imprinted on a scroll: “Man’s life is obedience to God on earth.”

From this thought it is clear that obedience has a universal, essential character for a person, that is, it is the law of a person’s life, which must embody God’s plan for him. Man is born to obey God.

Elder Ephraim of Katunak reasons: “Explore more deeply where obedience comes from. From the Trinitarian Deity. Christ says: “I came down... not to do My will, but the will of the Father who sent Me...” (John 6:38). This is where obedience begins. Therefore, whoever practices obedience becomes an imitator of Christ!”

This is the goal of monastic life - imitation of the Lord - God-likeness. The fulfillment of all monastic vows should contribute to this. But the path of obedience leads most quickly to this goal. “It was a miracle, truly incomprehensible and ineffable, that our humane-loving Lord created, that by one virtue, or, better yet, by one commandment one can immediately ascend to heaven, just as by one disobedience we descended and are descending into hell” (Rev. Gregory of Sinaite).

If we delve into the Holy Scriptures, we will see that the virtue of obedience lies at the basis of everything: “Obedience is an expression of the essence of the Holy Trinity itself, where we see that all the Persons of the Holy Trinity show the desire to fulfill the will of another, not their own, but the will of another,” - says Elder Sophrony (Sakharov).

The Heavenly Hierarchy is subject to the law of obedience: all Heavenly Powers, archangels and angels, live in joyful obedience to God.

How to acquire the virtue of obedience? The Lord says in the Gospel: If anyone loves me, he will keep my word (John 14:23). In order to keep the word of God, that is, to fulfill the commandments, one must enter into obedience to God. But how? If anyone wants to follow Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and come after Me, says the Lord (Matthew 16:24). Renunciation is the rule, the canon, the meaning of monastic life. To deny oneself does not first of all mean to deny one’s will, as the main obstacle to following the Lord?

He who loves God cannot help but hate his own will, which separates him from his beloved Lord. It is all the more important to fulfill the will of God for those who decide to “deny themselves” and follow the Lord, who was obedient to the Father even to the point of death, death on the cross (Phil. 2:8).

Adam fell through disobedience; through obedience to His Heavenly Father, Christ opens the way for us to restore our fallen nature. By obedience a person is healed, that is, his mind, feelings and will become whole.

Therefore, it is so important that the desire to know and fulfill the will of God is kindled in us, monks. When this understanding comes, cutting off your will becomes meaningful and joyful. Then the monk is afraid to create his will. “A true novice hates his own will and loves his spiritual father, and for this he receives the freedom to pray to God with a pure mind, and his soul freely, without thoughts, contemplates God and is at peace in Him. He soon comes into the love of God for the sake of his humility and for the prayers of his spiritual father,” writes the Monk Silouan of Athos.

The Holy Fathers place the virtue of obedience so highly that they call it life, and disobedience - death. “Obedience to God’s command usually bestows life and immortality, but disobedience gives death and corruption,” writes St. Neil of Sinai.

How difficult it is for us, modern monks, to enter into the sacrament of obedience; we want to find all sorts of loopholes in order to justify our self-will. But when the understanding comes that it is self-will that separates us from the loving Lord, that this is the same “brass wall” that the holy fathers (Abba Pimen) write about, then the desire to move this wall flares up, to hate our own will, and the path of obedience becomes simple and joyful.

Then crafty questions do not arise: can we know the will of God? What if the abbot, the mentor, is not spiritual enough? But will the Lord act through him? These questions were answered long ago by the holy fathers, who had experienced the path of obedience and tasted its fruits.

Many examples of the holy fathers suggest that if there is a sincere desire to fulfill the will of God and faith that the mentor is guided by the Lord, God, who loves novices, will never allow a mistake to happen.

This is what Abba Dorotheos writes: “True, if someone wants to truly, with all his heart, fulfill the will of God, then God will never leave him, but will instruct him in every possible way according to His will. Truly, if someone directs his heart according to the will of God, then God will enlighten the little child to tell him His will. If someone does not want to sincerely do the will of God, then even though he will go to the prophet, and God will put it on the prophet’s heart to answer him in accordance with his corrupted heart, as the Scripture says: “And if a prophet is deceived and speaks a word, the Lord has deceived that prophet.” ” (Ezek. 14:9). Therefore, we must direct ourselves with all our strength to the will of God and not believe our hearts.”

If circumstances, people, and everything that happens on our way is sent by the Lord, if without the will of God a hair does not fall from our heads, then all the more there can be no accident or error when we long to know the will of God and fulfill it. The Lord will certainly answer our desire through a mentor or through circumstances. This experience was beautifully described by Elder Sophrony in his book about Elder Silouan: “He gave absolutely exclusive attention to internal spiritual obedience to the abbot and confessor, considering it a Sacrament of the Church and a gift of grace. Turning to his confessor, he prayed that the Lord would have mercy on him and reveal to him His will and the path to salvation; and, knowing that the first thought that is born in the soul after prayer is an order from above, he caught the first word of the confessor, his first hint and did not continue his conversations. This is the wisdom and mystery of true obedience, the purpose of which is knowledge and fulfillment of the will of God, and not of man.”

A wonderful example is that of Bishop Vasily (Rodzianko), who so wanted to fulfill the monastic vow of obedience that he obeyed every request made to him, seeing in this the Providence of God. Saint Theophan writes: “True obedience is obeyed without seeing any reason and despite one’s reluctance. Such obedience is promised a special grace - the grace of preservation from all harm in the performance of obedience. When obedience is for the sake of the Lord, then the Lord takes into His care the one who obeys and watches over him.”

It seems that all doubts about the “spirituality of mentors” and in matters of obedience stem simply from a reluctance to fulfill the will of God, or, simply, to be in submission, that is, from a lack of faith that the Lord controls everything in our lives, and human will is allowed act towards us in accordance with the will of God, exactly as much as it is useful for our salvation. Of course, also from a lack of humility. Only our cunning, the insincerity of our desires, “deceives that prophet,” that is, it forces God not to directly reveal His will to us.

This is what the Venerable Simeon the New Theologian writes: “To surrender everything into the will of your spiritual father, as into the hand of God, is a matter of perfect faith.”

If a monk has trust in God in everything that happens to him, then how can he doubt that the Lord is guiding him through his mentor.

“He who has truly acquired faith in his father according to God, seeing him, imagines seeing Christ Himself, and being with him, or following him, believes undoubtedly to be with Christ and to follow Him... for what is better, or what is more useful, in the present and in the future life , in order to be with Christ? (Reverend Simeon the New Theologian).

But the modern confessor of many monasteries, the disciple of Elder Joseph the Hesychast, Elder Ephraim of Arizona, confesses the same experience: “When someone comes to become a novice, it is quite obvious that he does not come for the sake of the abbot or the monastery. It is clear that he comes for the love of Christ and the salvation of his soul. But since he will not see Christ in order to create obedience to Him, Christ leaves His representative - the abbot in the monastery, so that the obedience that he wants to show Christ can be shown to the abbot.”

“The living icon of Christ is carried within him by the confessor, to whom the novice is commanded to obey for the sake of the love of Christ alone. Not for the sake of the elder’s personality, for he may be a sinful man, he may also be worthy of hell, like me, but obedience has a completely different meaning: it relates directly to Christ. And since the love of Christ called us to come here for exploits and the salvation of our souls, we must in every possible way acquire this most fundamental virtue - obedience, which is multifaceted, for a good novice, of course, has not only obedience, but is surrounded by a wall of many other virtues and exploits." , writes Elder Ephraim in his work “Pearls of Ascetic Wisdom.”

He who obeys his fathers obeys the Lord, and he who obeys the Lord also obeys his fathers (Reverend Anthony the Great).

For a joyful life of obedience, love for the teacher is necessary. “Obedience is not discipline, obedience is love,” says Elder Sophrony (Sakharov). But it arises when a novice, guided by his spiritual mentor, moves in line with the will of God, thanks to which he approaches God, knows the love of God, and his love for his mentor multiplies. John Climacus puts the following words into the mouth of the abbot who was talking with him: “A soul, attached for the sake of Christ with love and faith to the shepherd, does not retreat from him even to the point of bleeding; especially if through him she received healing of her ulcers, remembering who said: neither angels, nor principalities, nor any other creature can separate us from the love of Christ (Rom. 8:38). If the soul is not attached in this way, is not established, is not attached: then I am surprised if such a person does not remain in this place in vain, being united with the shepherd by feigned and false obedience.”

True obedience makes the path to God easy and joyful. “If you carefully follow the books of the Holy Fathers, you will see that many of them achieved holiness as if with ease: their souls were sanctified without performing excessive labor, without extraordinary self-sacrifice, without performing extreme ascetic deeds. And why? They chose obedience,” writes Elder Ephraim of Katunak.

But at the same time, many holy fathers, who have learned from experience the difficulty of cutting off one’s will, compare the fulfillment of the vow of obedience with martyrdom. The Monk Theodore the Studite writes: “... Consider how small and how few labors it has been given to us to acquire the Kingdom of Heaven. We do not shed blood like martyrs; Our members are not cut off, our bones are not broken; but if we add to our light and not many labors the renunciation of our will, with the desire to please God and serve our brothers with love, then through this we become like the long-suffering martyrs, and even the Lord Himself, who endured crucifixion and death for us. Be grateful and work hard! Martyr’s crowns await you!” (word 20).

St. Simeon the New Theologian: “A good acquisition for you is the cutting off of your will: it will show you as a martyr in conscience.”

It is necessary to say something about the canonical requirement of remaining in obedience to the newly tonsured. “No one should be honored with the monastic image without the presence of a person who must accept him into obedience, and have authority over him and take care of his spiritual salvation. Let this be a God-loving man, the head of the monastery, and capable of saving the soul newly brought to Christ" (Two Council of 867)

According to the monastic rules of St. Basil the Great, a monk must show obedience to God, the abbot and each other; monastic vows require obedience not only to the abbot, but also to “all the brethren in Christ,” and this again reveals the universal nature of obedience as a fundamental virtue.

The Monk Theodore the Studite contains a teaching on obedience as the rule of monastic communal life: “A monk is one who, putting aside all disobedience and captivating every thought into the obedience of Christ, lives according to the general law of brotherhood and always has self-reproach.”

Self-will and disobedience also manifest themselves not only in relation to the abbot, but also rise to God: In the 113th rule of the Breviary, under the name of St. Basil the Great, it is indicated: “For the Great Basil says: if a certain monk with any speech opposes his abbot, or an elder, or to his spiritual father, turns out to be an opponent of God. For it is better to sin before God than to sin against one of these.”

It must also be said about the irreversibility of monastic vows. Vows are made to God and no one can cancel them. But it is self-will that is the main reason for their violation. If a monk lives in obedience, then no matter what thoughts the enemy brings to him about breaking his vows, their revelation destroys all his machinations. An obedient monk, keeping the grace of obedience covering him, will not do anything without the blessing of his elder. Only when this connection is broken, and disobedience breaks it, then the enemy can harm the monk as he wants. The elder, the mentor, is like a wall protecting the novice, if the novice comes out “from behind the wall,” that is, out of obedience, “the devil arranges his fall as he wishes” (Abba Dorotheos).

The fulfillment of the monastic vow of obedience places the one who fulfills it to an unattainable spiritual height: “Rarely does anyone know the secret of obedience,” writes the Monk Silouan of Athos. - The obedient is great before God. He is an imitator of Christ, who gave us in Himself the image of obedience. The Lord loves an obedient soul and gives it His peace, and then everything is fine, and it feels love for everyone.”

The Holy Fathers unanimously confess that without obedience it is impossible to obtain salvation. Saint John of Damascus writes: “The Word becomes obedient to the Father... healing our disobedience and becoming for us a model of obedience, without which it is impossible to receive salvation.”

The modern holy elder Paisius the Svyatogorets says the same thing: “No one has been healed himself, and no one will be saved without obedience. Obedience and natural simplicity lead to holiness in a short way.”

Fulfilling the vow of obedience protects the monk from all the machinations of the enemy, protects, supports, consoles and pleases throughout the entire journey along the narrow monastic path.

From everything said by the holy fathers, it is clearly clear that fulfilling the vow of obedience is the shortest path that makes our nature whole and leads to deification, likeness to God. “He who has acquired obedience is an imitator of Christ...” (Reverend Theodore the Studite).

I learned by chance a few months ago that hermit nuns still exist today. While sharing his childhood memories, my friend mentioned a relative who was a nun. Together with their mother, they occasionally went to visit her at the monastery. Their meetings always took place behind double bars, like in a prison. The aunt never came out to them, but only occasionally handed over gifts in the form of discarded malt, which the nuns baked for the needs of the church.

Even as an atheist, a pioneer and a Komsomol member, I had heard a lot about Orthodox heremits (men, as a rule). There are many references to the practice of seclusion in Russian literature. But the fact that it still exists in the Catholic Church was a revelation to me and extremely interesting. Bit by bit I began to collect information. As it turns out, there is very little of it. The Church does not really like to disclose information about its internal affairs.
This type of religious feat, renunciation from everything earthly, from society and dedicating one’s life exclusively to prayer, spread in Europe and Italy quite early. Already in the 2nd half of the 4th century, cells of hermits began to appear on the small islands surrounding Italy. Pope Gregory I Dvoeslov in his works of the 6th century speaks of the spread of heresy in the central part of Italy. In the late Middle Ages, female seclusion also appeared.
The first among the monastic orders to practice it were, it seems, the Clarisses. The order was founded in 1212 by Saint Clare of Assisi. In 1230, there were monasteries of the Clarissas in all major cities of Italy. And by the time of the death of Saint Clare (1253), there were 111 monasteries: 68 in Italy, 21 in Spain, 14 in France and 8 in the Holy Roman Empire.
At the end of the 13th and beginning of the 14th centuries, the church of St. Chiara (Clara) and the monastery appeared in Cagliari. The Clarisses existed there until the end of the 19th century. In 1943, the monastery was heavily destroyed by the bombing of the anti-Hitler coalition troops. Today, only the walls remain. Walking around the city recently, I discovered that restoration work had begun on the monastery. How will they restore it, will they just fix the walls or try to build it anew? Not yet known.

Remains of the monastery of Saint Chiara in Cagliari.

In the 16th century, in the heart of Cagliari, in its elite quarter of Castello, by order of Viceroy Antonio Cardona, the Church of St. Lucia with a monastery was erected. The monastery was donated to 12 Clarissa nuns who arrived in Cagliari from Barcelona at the request of Pope Paolo III. The facade of the church and the adjacent monastery is made in the Catalan Gothic style, without frills, there is nothing to catch the eye on. At the back, the building was built on the old Pisan fortifications and is striking in its power. From the side of Viale Regina Margherita, you can see the impregnable walls of the monastery, similar to prison casemates.
Not all Clarisses observed strict seclusion. Most of the nuns led an active social life. They were engaged in the upbringing and education of the daughters of the local nobility. At the end of the 19th century, the monastery was transferred to private ownership; after restoration, a kindergarten was opened in the building for children from poor families in the Castello quarter. The preschool is still in operation today.

Church of St. Lucia and former monastery.

So who are they, modern hermits? Why did they renounce communication with us by the laity, and it happens only through a lattice, symbolizing the barrier between worldly and reclusive life?
Hermit – contemplator, philosopher, sage. So, perhaps, we can determine the meaning of this word if we turn to the Eastern Christian religious tradition. The desire of the first ascetics for a more perfect way of life gave rise to the institution of monasticism in the Christian religion. In Orthodoxy, a person who wants to become a monk leaves the world to devote his life to prayers and God. All monastic vows he takes entail a lifelong obligation to fulfill them before God and cannot be given lightly, so they gradually increase from simple to more complex. The highest level of monasticism is schema monasticism. The Great Schema is complete alienation from the world in order to unite with Christ. Having accepted the schema, a monk is considered to have taken the path of the Angel. Not having the opportunity to settle in an area far from people, as was the case in ancient times, schemamonks living in an ordinary monastery went into seclusion and complete solitude in their own cell, thereby replacing hermitage. In Russian monasteries, the Great Schema Monasteries usually live separately from other brethren and do not engage in any obedience except unceasing prayer. Subsequently, seclusion ceased to be a mandatory vow for schemamonks. In modern practice of the Russian Orthodox Church, the great schema is a very rare phenomenon: as a rule, elderly or seriously ill monks who do not carry out the usual monastic obediences are tonsured into it.
Western monasticism was formed somewhat differently. From the moment of its inception, it followed its own path, different from the Eastern tradition. Eusebius of Caesarea testifies that although ascetic life was already present in the western part of the Roman Empire by the middle of the 3rd century, during the first centuries the Western Church lacked such a distinctive element of monasticism as withdrawal from the world. Of course, in the West there were ascetics who wanted to devote their lives to God, but they still preferred life in the community rather than complete hermitage away from the world. This initial feature had a direct impact on the further development of Western monasticism, and subsequent history showed that for the majority of male orders, and the overwhelming majority of female orders, social service, service to the world, became predominant. This difference became especially clear after the division of churches, with the emergence of a large number of Catholic monastic orders. For most of them, monasticism is not a departure, but a new assignment to bring Christian values ​​to the world, to share goodness and divine love with it.
But seclusion still remains, although not all monastic orders practice it. The main two are the Franciscan Order, from which the Clarisses actually originated, and the Carmelite Order. It is curious that complete confinement in the Catholic religion is used only for women. As in Orthodoxy, it is the highest level of monasticism; it can be achieved by going through all the initial stages. A nun who decides to become a recluse takes a renewed vow of chastity, non-covetousness and obedience, after which a wedding ring is placed on her finger. She becomes the wife of Christ. This is probably where the similarity with Orthodox practices ends. The nun enters the retreat and... takes a step into the unknown.

After the last vow of absolute obedience, the soul and body of the recluse now belong not only to God. Behind the heavy door of the monastery, the same nuns and... the authorities are waiting for her. Mother Superior! Now, if not everything, then a lot will depend on her. The life of nuns in retreat is strictly regulated. The rules were prescribed by Pope Urban IV in 1263. Here are just a few provisions from a very long list:
- nuns cannot leave the monastery under any pretext without the special permission of the cardinal, unless the matter involves danger to life, that is, fire, attack by enemies, etc.
- due to the fact that the life of those who have taken the retreat is full of trials, those who are too old and in poor health are not allowed to take the vow. Permission for the shutter is issued by the cardinal.
- hermits observe fasting on all days except Sundays and special holidays. The abbess can relax the fast or, on the contrary, tighten it.
- there is only one door for entering and exiting the monastery. It should be located as high as possible so that those entering and exiting use an additional folding ladder, chained, which is kept under strict supervision and used only when absolutely necessary.
- the key to the door is kept by one of the nuns, the most pious and age-appropriate. The door should never be opened without her permission. The second key is with the abbess.
- the window for communicating with visitors should be equipped with an iron grille with small holes. Nails should be driven in near the grille so that it cannot be knocked out or moved.

The life of nuns follows a strict schedule, which does not change even on holidays. Get up at 4.30. Prayer, morning service, hour for personal prayer and meditation, breakfast. After breakfast, putting things in order in the monastery, while cleaning - prayer. Lunch during which one of the nuns reads a prayer. After lunch, more prayers. Each of the hermits devotes 3-4 hours a day to work, since the monastery is obliged to support itself. This could be translations (many of the sisters have higher education), painting, or fine needlework. And again prayers, evening service, dinner, an hour for private prayer and meditation. At 10 pm - sleep. Very rarely do visitors interfere with the usual and monotonous course of life. Meetings with relatives occur only with the permission of the abbess. There are also just strangers, usually women-mothers, who at this moment in life need advice and spiritual support. It is necessary to say that nowadays nuns in seclusion can read newspapers, watch TV and even go online, but again under the strict control of the abbess. This constant control remains even after the death of the hermits. The body is not given to relatives, and is buried in a private church cemetery, which is often located right there, on the territory of the monastery.

It was always a great honor for a family to have a reclusive nun as a relative. According to the Catholic religion, her endless prayers for loved ones and for humanity brought the whole family a little closer to God, all past and future sins were atoned for. This constant prayer for all of us sinners is considered the divine purpose of hermits. They sacrifice themselves, their freedom and worldly life to us mere mortals. Without asking, however, whether we need this sacrifice.

They say that the most terrible punishment is not the death penalty, but life imprisonment. When your conscience and soul are left alone with God. Hermitage is also one on one. But it becomes the true path of the Angel only when they voluntarily go into seclusion, and there are no longer any abbots or cardinals around. Such renunciation of the world is the path to yourself, to your true self, and what it will be depends only on yourself, and not on clearly regulated prayers, on the good or bad character of those around you, on the timely signature of the cardinal. In other words, it’s a prison. This is probably why the headlines of news publications almost every year shout: “The reclusive nun jumped out of the monastery window!”, “The reclusive nun was found hanged in the monastery garden house!”.
And yet they sometimes come out! The reason for this must be very compelling: the death of a close relative or the need for medical care. From the memories of my friend: “One day my mother and I took my aunt to the hospital, she had to undergo a medical examination and take tests. I was 13-14 years old. She kept trying to hug me and kiss me, which was unpleasant for me as a teenage boy; I felt awkward and tried to avoid such a storm of emotions. Now, of course, I understand her behavior. It seemed strange at the time. It makes me feel ashamed, but I remember that I even pushed her away rather rudely. More than thirty years have passed, but I still remember her eyes, and how she looked at my mother and me and at our everyday life flashing outside the car window. It was a hungry look. Hunger for an unlived life.”

Monastery in Cagliari, which today houses hermit nuns


The church does not disclose how many recluses are in Cagliari today. They live in a monastery of Capuchin nuns. Adjacent to the monastery building is the Church of the Beata Vergine della Pieta (Our Lady of Mercy). The entire complex was built at the very beginning of the 18th century on the site where public executions were once held. Here, behind the thick walls of the monastery, hermits atone for my and your sins. I am a person far from religion, but for some reason I really wanted to pray for them and thank God for our everyday life, so varied and unpredictable, with its ups and downs. This is a real test, and real happiness!

After seventy years of persecution of the church in our country, not only churches, but also monasteries began to be revived. More and more people are turning to faith as the only means of finding peace of mind. And some of them choose spiritual achievement and monasticism, preferring the monastery cell to the bustle of life. In the ordinary understanding, a monk is a monk. But in the Orthodox, a person who only accepts monasticism. He is dressed like a monk, but can live outside the walls of the monastery and has not yet taken the monastic vow.

Degrees in Orthodox monasticism

Monks and nuns go through a number of stages throughout their lives - degrees of monasticism. Those who have not yet finally chosen the path of monasticism, but live and work in the monastery, are called laborers or laborers. A laborer who has received a blessing to wear a cassock and a scufa and has decided to remain in the monastery forever is called a novice. A cassock novice becomes one who has received the blessing to wear monastic clothes - a cassock, hood, kamilavka and rosary.

Then the ryassophore novice, who has made a firm decision to become a monk, takes monastic tonsure as a ryassophore. A monk is a monk who has undergone the ritual of symbolically cutting his hair and has been given a new name in honor of his heavenly patron. The next stage is the adoption of the small schema or small angelic image. At the same time, the monk undergoes the rite of monastic or mantle tonsure, takes vows of renunciation of the world and obedience, changing the name of the heavenly patron and blessing of monastic robes. The final rite of acceptance of the great angelic image or great schema includes the repetition of the same vows, a symbolic cutting of the hair, and another change in the name of the heavenly patron.

Monasticism as a degree of monasticism

“Monk” is a word that was formed from the Old Russian “in”, which means “alone, lonely, hermit.” This is what Chernets monks were called in Rus'. Currently, in the Orthodox Church, monks are not called monks who have already accepted the small or great schema, but monks who wear a cassock, those who are just awaiting tonsure, the final acceptance of all vows and the naming of a new name. Thus, here a monk is like a beginning monk, and monasticism is a preparatory stage before the tonsure of the mantle. According to the canons of the Orthodox Church, tonsure as a monk can only be done with the blessing of the bishop. Many nuns spend their entire lives in this monastic degree, without taking the next one.

Monk's vow

A person who takes monasticism makes special vows - obligations before God to fulfill and observe the Law of God, church canons and monastic rules for life. After passing the tests - temptations - the degrees of monasticism begin. They differ not only in monastic robes and different rules of behavior, but also in the number of vows that are given before God.

The three main ones that are given by ryassophore novices upon entering the monastic degree are the vows of obedience, non-covetousness and chastity.

The basis of monasticism, the great virtue, is obedience. A monk is obliged to renounce his thoughts and will and act only according to the instructions of his spiritual father. The vow of non-covetousness is an obligation to live according to God's commandments, endure all the difficulties of monastic life, and also renounce all earthly goods. Chastity, as the fullness of wisdom, represents not only the overcoming of carnal desires, but also spiritual perfection, their achievement, constant abiding of the mind and heart in God. The soul must be chaste for the sake of pure prayer and continuous abiding in Divine love.

A person who has embarked on the path of monasticism must renounce everything worldly in order to develop the power of spiritual life and fulfill the will of his mentors. Renunciation of the old name, renunciation of property, voluntary martyrdom, life in hardship and hard work far from the world - all these indispensable conditions must be met by the monk for the further acceptance of angelic images.

On February 23, at the morning service, the Abbot of the Valaam Monastery, Bishop Pankraty of Trinity, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, tonsured five monks of the monastery. It is very symbolic that the tonsure was performed precisely on the day of Defender of the Fatherland Day, because monks are truly warriors of Christ, guardians of the earthly and heavenly fatherland.

24.02.2018 Through the labors of the brethren of the monastery 4 790

The first week of Great Lent in the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam Monastery is marked by an important event: monastic tonsure. The word “monk” in Russia has come to mean the first, preparatory stage of monasticism for those who have already prepared to renounce the world (and sometimes receive a new name), but have not yet made the main monastic vows. And the word “monk” refers to the next level, tonsure into the minor schema with the taking of monastic vows. In the recently adopted “Regulations on monasteries and monastics” It says: “Before tonsure as a monk, a novice may undergo a sequence of putting on a cassock, which includes cutting his hair. This rank is called “ tonsure into the ryassophore ”. Here it should be clarified that the Valaam Monastery has its own tradition.Novice, over time, may become “Rassophoran”, with the right to wear a cassock and kamilavka. And the first tonsure is performed as a monk, who puts on a hood along with his cassock. In Ancient Rus', monks (chernets) were called the more familiar Slavic word “monk.” The word “monk” is a Slavic translation from Greek (“monk” from “in” - one, “monk” from “mono” - one). But language does not tolerate inaccuracy: there could not be two words calling the same thing. So over time, the meanings of the words diverged. The word “monk” in Russia has come to mean the first, preparatory stage of monasticism for those who have already prepared to renounce the world (and sometimes receive a new name), but have not yet made the main monastic vows. And the word “monk” refers to the next level, tonsure into the minor schema with the taking of monastic vows.

To be tonsured into monasticism presupposes that the candidate has successfully passed the novice test. Although the outcome of the end of the “probationary period” may be different. The “Regulations” provide recommendations for those who have passed the test to be tonsured either into monasticism or immediately into monasticism (the lesser schema). For those who have not passed the test, it is proposed to either extend the period for another year, two, five or ten, God knows best, or leave the monastery.

The two-time local council of the Church of Constantinople (861) defines the “standard” of monastic practice: “Do not grant anyone the monastic image before the three-year time given to them for testing reveals them capable and worthy of such a life.” The practice of the Valaam Monastery shows that the “standard“There are no stories. A three-year period is still considered the minimum period on Valaam for testing the intentions of candidates. For example, five brothers who took monastic vows today passed the novice test from five to ten years.

The abbot, on behalf of the Spiritual Council of the monastery, offers candidates monastic tonsure upon achieving a certain degree of spiritual purity and confidence, firmness in the monastic choice of the path of life. So the usual requirements in the world like a track record or an attractive resume do not matter here. The main thing is the spiritual success of the future monk, the removal of the old man.

It is important to understand that being tonsured into monasticism, the small or the Great Schema, does not mean the assignment of a special “honorable” status. The “Regulations on Monasteries and Monastics” specifically states: “Whoever accepts the minor schema should be aware that tonsure does not imply a privileged position in the monastery.” . The same applies to future monks. By making vows, a newly minted monk or monk becomes not a master, but a servant - to God and people. The vow of obedience consists in cutting off one’s own will and following the will of God, which is revealed through voluntary obedience to the Abbot and all the brethren.

The abbot of the Valaam Monastery, Bishop Pankratiy of Trinity, explains: “Read the rite of monastic tonsure: what does the Abbot tell the candidate? That he will now live in peace and prosperity, in spiritual comfort, that everyone will love him and take care of him? No, he's talking about something else. That will endure annoyance, reproach, reproach, sorrow. Monasticism is not the path of a comfortable community, where everyone is happy, everything is arranged. This is the path of voluntary martyrdom. Already at the stage of novitiate a person must understand this. On the other hand, the abbot of the monastery must treat the novice as his spiritual child or brother.”

Monastic tonsure as a sacrament of the CHURCH: Monastic tonsure, whether into the small or great schema, cannot be considered a simple rite. I am deeply convinced that tonsure is one of the Sacraments of the Church. This is exactly what he is called in the very texts of the sequence of tonsure into the Great and Lesser Schema, as well as the Areopagite Corpus and in the works of St. Gregory Palamas...

A special attitude towards monks and monks on the part of the laity can only be that “ monks who carefully fulfill their calling should be moral guidelines for Orthodox Christians and all people, and strive for this" The Monk Isaac the Syrian writes about this in more detail in “Words of the Ascetic”: “A monk in all his appearance and in all his deeds should be an edifying example for everyone who sees him, so that, due to his many virtues, shining like rays, enemies of the truth , looking at him, they even reluctantly admitted that Christians have a firm and unshakable hope of salvation, and from everywhere they flocked to him as to a real refuge, and so that the horn of the Church would be raised against her enemies.”

Following tonsure into monasticism instructs the Abbot to carefully question the candidate whether he voluntarily makes such a decision? Have you thought it through well? Are you ready to take responsibility? In stauropegial monasteries, the Higumen of which is His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', all those preparing for monastic and monastic tonsure must also undergo an interview with the Chairman of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism, Archbishop Feognost of Sergiev Posad, who on behalf of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church times checks readiness to make a decision.

So the first monastic vow for a future monk is the first truly responsible decision. From this moment on, the monk promises the Abbot of the monastery to stay here forever, until his death. And this is where the future monk’s likeness to Christ begins. Just as God humbled Himself, taking on the “form of a slave,” so a previously free person becomes a “slave of the monastery.” Moreover, he does this voluntarily. Without coercion or due to circumstances. A serious decision indeed!

In such “voluntary slavery” there is neither gloomy tragedy nor humiliation. A person, from a worldly point of view, does not renounce citizenship, personal freedom, individuality. Only these social and “humanistic” concepts lose their attractiveness for humans. By giving himself to Christ, the monk, instead of his own, personal, acquires the universal: “A monk is one who considers himself to exist with everyone and sees himself in everyone” (Reverend Nilus of Sinai, “A Word on Prayer”). In return for “individuality,” he receives according to the word of the Lord “ perfection".

“If anyone wants to come after Me, deny yourself, and take up your cross, and follow Me, for whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matt. 16, 24–25)

The Abbot of the Valaam Monastery, Bishop Pankratiy, also speaks about the cross: “Any monastery, any monastery, any monastic path is the path of the cross, the path to Golgotha. It doesn’t matter what kind of sorrow there will be. But the Lord does not leave if a person endures for His sake. When you have endured everything, “Rejoice,” says the Lord, “your reward is many in heaven” - this is what is said in the rite of monastic tonsure. But not only in Heaven, here a true monk already knows the grace of God, the inexpressible joy of God’s closeness. Otherwise, the monks would not have lived in monasteries and endured many temptations and sorrows for Christ’s sake.”.

Through the works of the brethren of the Valaam Monastery