The Baltic Exarchate and the Pskov Orthodox Mission. Pskov Orthodox Mission

Enemies of the Soviet government, who helped the population and prisoners of war to survive in the occupied territories
Vladimir Dergachev



For lifting morale Orthodox missionaries Exarch of the Baltic Sergius (Voskresensky) established the Order of the Pskov Mission of three degrees, which was awarded to the best.

After the collapse Soviet Union pseudo-historical and pseudo-Orthodox myths became widespread. Among them, the most common is the myth of the opening (restoration) of Orthodox churches closed (destroyed) by the Bolsheviks by the Soviet government under the wise leadership of Joseph Stalin.

Indeed, during the war, divine services were resumed in many Orthodox churches closed by the communist authorities, but ... mainly in the occupied territories. Where believers opened churches and monasteries, and the German occupation authorities did not interfere with this. So, for example, in the Kursk region, under the power of the Bolsheviks, there were 2 functioning churches, and during the occupation there were 282.

About 70 million Soviet citizens lived in the occupied territories, mostly old people, women and children. They only thought about how to survive.

A special role in the revival of religious life in the occupied territories belonged to Pskov Orthodox Mission (1941 - 1944). This pastoral and missionary institution, with its center in Pskov, set the task of reviving Orthodox church life in the north-west of the Russian territory occupied by the Wehrmacht. The mission was established in August 1941 with the assistance of the German administration Metropolitan Sergius (Voskresensky) of Vilna and Lithuania. The Metropolitan, arriving in the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate, condemned the cooperation of church hierarchs with the Soviet regime in the struggle against Germany. Father Sergius, taking up anti-communist positions, agreed to cooperate with the occupying forces. The mission operated in the occupied territories of Pskov, Leningrad and Novgorod regions. Here, under Soviet rule, most of the priests were repressed, and no more than ten churches remained active. In less than two and a half years, believers, with the support of the Orthodox Mission and the permission of the German administration, revived more than 300 parishes, including 200 in the Pskov region, where three churches remained before the war. The number of priests by the beginning of 1944 reached 175.

The missionaries carried out their activities in an anti-communist atmosphere. Most of them had no hidden sympathy for the Red Army.

The basis of the Pskov mission were Russian priests from the Riga and Narva diocese. Among them were graduates St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris. Several dozen priests returned to serving in open churches, having been forced to switch to civilian work in the pre-war years.

One of the missionaries, a graduate of the Theological Institute, protopresbyter (highest rank for white clergy) Alexy (Alexey) Ionov wrote in 1952 in his memoirs:

The vast region was turned by the Soviet authorities into a church desert. “The once beautiful temples were destroyed, desecrated, turned into warehouses, workshops, dance clubs, cinemas and archives. The repressed clergy, for the most part, perished in concentration camps in Siberia. Two or three survivors sub-Soviet priests, intimidated, mentally tired and unprepared, could not take upon themselves the work of organizing church life for a population of several hundred thousand people. And spiritual hunger, thirst for church prayer, the sacraments and preaching were keenly felt in these places.

The German authorities for a long time did not agree to the organization of the Pskov Mission; in the end, they gave their consent to the trip 15 Orthodox priests from the Baltic states to the country "behind the thistle (V.D. - Iron Curtain)".

“That the Germans are evil, none of us doubted. None of us, of course, had any sympathy for the conquerors of the "living space" of our homeland. Deep compassion and sympathy for the needy people, our brothers in faith and blood - that is what filled our hearts.
“In the twenty-eight months of our missionary work, I do not remember that any of sub-Soviet allowed people to say something insulting to us. As a rule, the attitude of the majority towards us was either benevolent or most correct.

The "conquerors" were not so polite. German soldiers often entered our churches wearing headdresses. Repeatedly I offered them to take off their caps or leave. When I was in the vestments, I simply ordered: "Out!" By the way, German soldiers were forbidden to attend our services. But the Germans, nevertheless, tried to prove themselves in church life.”

The German administration allowed church bells to be made, which were forbidden by the Soviet authorities in the thirties, and to make religious processions. The Mission published a monthly magazine, Orthodox Christian”, distributed in the occupied territories. The parish charity was revived. Missionary priests provided spiritual assistance to prisoners of war, and chapels were opened in a number of concentration camps. For orphans, through the efforts of parishioners, an orphanage was created at the church in Pskov. Weekly programs about the revival of church life were broadcast from Pskov.
The German occupation authorities handed over to the Pskov Orthodox Mission Tikhvin icon Mother of God , rescued in November 1941 from a burned-out temple in Tikhvin.

The icon, painted according to legend by the Evangelist Luke, was revered in the Russian Orthodox Church as miraculous and until 1941 was in the Tikhvin Museum. The Orthodox mission weekly on Sundays issued a priceless icon to the Trinity Cathedral of Pskov for worship. In the spring of 1944, the icon came to the Baltic States and further to the American zone of occupation of Germany. In 1950, the miraculous icon was transferred to the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Chicago, where the rector, Archbishop John of Riga, left a will to return the icon to its homeland when the Tikhvin Convent was revived. That hour came in 2004. The icon was solemnly returned to its historical place in the Tikhvin Mother of God Dormition Monastery.

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Orthodox missionaries had to work between two fires - under the control of the occupation authorities and Soviet partisans. The occupation regime in the Pskov region was milder than in Ukraine and the Baltic states, because the territory was under the jurisdiction of the military administration. But where partisans appeared, robberies began, and the local population found itself between two fires, involved in a brutal guerrilla war. The terrible truth was that people were just trying to survive, so the majority of the population perceived partisans as a great misfortune, and policemen from the local population were often perceived as defenders from the arbitrariness of the "people's avengers", and from the arbitrariness of German soldiers. Of course, when the Germans used policemen in punitive operations, they became criminals.

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Acute problems with the occupation authorities began with the exarch, Metropolitan Sergius (Voskresensky) in the autumn of 1943 after the main battle for the Heartland - the Battle of Stalingrad. The German administration demanded from the metropolitan non-recognition of the canonicity of the election Bishops' Cathedral Sergius (Stragorodsky) Patriarch in Moscow. But the exarch refused to dissociate himself from the Moscow Patriarchate. In connection with the offensive of the Soviet troops, the Mission ended its activities in the Pskov region in February 1944.

In April 1944, Metropolitan Sergius, along with his driver and two escorts, was killed on the road from Vilnius to Riga. The car was shot by armed men in German uniforms.

In the autumn of 1944, with the restoration of Soviet power in the Baltic states, repressions began against missionary priests of the Orthodox mission, they were accused of collaborating with the occupying forces.

The priests of the Pskov mission were repressed, among other things, for helping prisoners of war. According to Soviet propaganda, only traitors to the motherland could be captured. And if in Europe the French were in German captivity, the British were assisted by the Red Cross (help to the sick, help with food, spiritual nourishment), and the prisoners slept under white sheets and played volleyball, then in concentration camps in the East, the Red Army were kept in inhuman conditions.

The main task of the Pskov Mission was the revival of church life in the occupied territories. At the same time, the activity was not limited only to the walls of churches, their missionary service was no less important. The missionaries did educational work. Including lessons of Russian spiritual culture. This is the secret of the success of the Pskov Mission. On the other hand, the merit of the missionaries is that they helped the local population to survive, to survive physically and, especially, spiritually, there was a genuine spiritual revival of the Russian people. Over the years of the Pskov Mission's activity, the local population began to return to the cultural heritage and awareness of themselves as the Russian people. But the Soviet authorities could not forgive the missionaries for this.

Fearing the indignation of believers, the post-war trials were held behind closed doors. The defendants, who received from 10 to 20 years, were sent to the Gulag camps. The survivors returned to their homes and resumed their ministry. The last surviving priest of the Pskov Orthodox Mission died in Latvia in 2014 at the age of 100.

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There are not many successful Russian Orthodox missions. The Pskov Orthodox mission became at the same time one of the most tragic pages in Russian Orthodoxy and a spiritual feat of missionaries who revived Orthodoxy in the occupied Russian lands, where the Bolsheviks destroyed about 1,200 churches. Most of the members of the Pskov Orthodox Mission were consistent anti-communists. The Soviet authorities accused them of collaborationism and cooperation with the German occupation administration, and then hushed up.

Heroes in the war destroyed the enemy, and missionaries saved the souls of people. War heroes are honored and rewarded, spiritual shepherds went through arrests, prisons, camps and death, but the survivors remained faithful to their spiritual ministry. Many participants in the Pskov mission were young priests, and those who survived during the years of repression retained the feeling that “it was one of the most happy times in life".

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Pskov Orthodox Mission. Historians call this ambiguous fact from the history of the war little studied. Rather, the event is not poorly studied (there are enough materials to form an idea), but very delicate.

Who are they, hundreds of Orthodox priests? Ascetic missionaries who came "to help the people who have fallen into robbers" or traitors who collaborated with the occupation regime? Who wants to learn more about the "Pskov Orthodox Mission", I advise you to read

To understand the essence of the issue, I will focus only on the key points from the history of the mission. With the support of the German authorities, the Exarch of the Baltic States, Metropolitan Sergius, created the "Orthodox Mission in the Liberated Regions of Russia."

The first 14 missionaries (all emigrants, by the way) arrived from the Baltic states in Pskov in August 1941. The territory under the jurisdiction of the Mission included the southwestern part of the Leningrad region, part of the Kalinin region, Novgorod and Pskov regions, with a population of about 2 million people.
A year later, 221 churches operated on the territory of the mission, before the occupation there were only 5 churches, and the number of priests increased to 84.

The population of the occupied territories generally greeted the missionaries warmly. The people went to church. Temples did not accommodate all comers. In one of the temples of the Pskov region Sundays from 500 to 800 people received communion, up to 80 babies were baptized at the same time.

The missionaries were engaged not only in educational activities, but also, to the best of their ability and ability, helped the population. They opened schools, orphanages, published magazines, broadcast on the radio. In one of the cities of the Pskov region, the "Russian Red Cross" was created, which took over the care of one prisoner of war camp. They collected food, prepared meals for 200 people, who were brought to the camp twice a week. After that, the death rate in the camp markedly decreased. Assistance was also provided to needy residents of the city who found themselves without shelter and livelihood.

Outwardly, quite ordinary parish life in wartime conditions. The priests of the mission, as far as they could, distanced themselves from both the invaders and the partisans. But it was practically impossible.

On the one hand, the deeds of the missionaries-priests were supervised by the occupying authorities, and on the other, by the Soviet partisans. These constant contacts could not be ignored by the German leadership, which obliged, through the head of the mission, each priest to give written reports on all meetings with the partisans. It follows from the reports that the partisans treated the missionaries differently.

According to some priests, the partisans considered them enemies of the people, with whom they seek to deal with. According to others, the partisans tried to emphasize a tolerant, and even benevolent, attitude towards the Church and, in particular, towards the priests.

Probably, the partisans were different. From the report of the priest: "Near my parish, a detachment of partisans temporarily seized a village, while their leader encouraged the peasants to diligently attend the Church, saying that in Soviet Russia the Church was now given complete freedom and that the power of the communists was coming to an end."

After the liberation of the Pskov region, some of the missionaries left with the Germans, and those who remained were sent to camps for cooperation with the Germans.
Here, in general, and the whole story. How can it fit into a single textbook? Yes, no way. Any interpretation is harmful both for the authorities and for the ROC.

A number of church historians believe that the missionaries accomplished an "apostolic feat." The revival of religious life in the occupied territories is even called the "second baptism of Russia." And it doesn't matter who is in power. Fascists or Soviets. "All authority is from God." In this scenario, the ROC is absolutely right to support the Putin regime. But the authorities will never agree to such an assessment.

If we consider the missionaries as traitors, it means to admit that the Russian Orthodox Church denies the thesis "all power is from God." Wherever you throw it, everywhere is a wedge. Therefore, it only remains to delete this important event from history. There was none. No event, no problem for a single textbook.

One can only guess how many such events will cease to exist for a single history textbook.

And in the Middle Ages, as today, the Pskov land is a border land, and the establishment of contacts with the neighboring tribes of the Finns, Estonians (Chuds) was not least due to the successful mission of the Russian Orthodox Church. And the clash of interests of the Latin West in the person of the Order of the Sword with Orthodox Russia, starting from the XIII century on the borders of the Pskov land, showed the need for an Orthodox counter-mission. The Latin missionaries-knights strove "... both peacefully and through conquests to propagate their teaching among the Russian ... regions ...", not to mention the territories of the settlement of Finnish and Estonian tribes. This situation continued later. Only the Livonian knights from the West were replaced by the Reformation, a no less serious opponent of Orthodoxy, which had tremendous success in the Baltics.

And besides the external mission, i.e. directed to the non-Orthodox part of the neighboring lands, the need for an internal mission, relating to the Orthodox, to those who were already in the bosom of the church, is constantly visible. After all, in addition to ignorance and illiteracy, superstition and hidden paganism, the heresy of the Strigolniks appears inside Orthodoxy in the Pskov region. And later, a schism turned out to be an unhealed bloody wound on the body of the Russian Church. The north-west of the country, in particular the Pskov province, was especially strongly captured by the movement of the Old Believers. Thus, most of the efforts of Orthodox missionaries in Pskov in the 19th century were directed to work among schismatics.

What happened in the 20-30s of the 20th century throughout Russia could not bypass the Pskov diocese. The persecution of the church and believers began from the first years of Soviet power. Although in 1917-1918. churches were not closed, but even then the executions of bishops and priests began. In the period 1922–1924. men's and nunneries, ascribed and house churches. The years of collectivization were marked by the massive closure of parish churches (from 1929 to 1933, 30% were closed). In 1935 a new wave of purges directed against the so-called anti-Soviet element led to mass arrests and expulsions of the clergy. In 1936, the episcopal chair was abolished in Pskov. In 1937, the third and last onslaught begins. In 1939–1940 the last churches in Pskov and its surrounding districts (Porkhov, Ostrov, Svyatoye Gory) were closed. "By the time the German army arrived in this area, there was not a single church and not a single priest who would perform divine services." Here, only numbers can show the depth of the church devastation that reigned in the Pskov region. At the time of the October Revolution of 1917, there were 40 priests and 32 active churches in Pskov, and 52 more priests and 40 churches in the Pskov district. In the largest districts of the Pskov province, the picture was as follows:

county	churches	priests
Gdovsky	73	64
Porkhovskiy	56	79
Novorzhevsky	34	36
Opochetsky	35	45
Island and county	33	47

Of all this number, by the time of the occupation, nothing was preserved ...

The ideologists of the Soviet state could be proud of these results, albeit external ones. The fact that they were still external will be shown by the events and changes that have taken place in connection with the activities of the Orthodox mission. The expansion of the borders of the Soviet Union in 1939-1940 also increased the flock of the Russian Orthodox Church. As O.Yu. Vasiliev, in front of Met. Sergius (Patriarchal Locum Tenens) faces a difficult task - “to transfer to the clergy of the annexed regions the experience of working in a new environment for them social order» . In this regard, new appointments were made to the Kishinev department, to the western regions of Ukraine and Belarus, and to the Baltic states. By decree of the Moscow Patriarchate of February 24, 1941, an exarchate was established, i.e. a special metropolitan area, which included the Latvian and Estonian dioceses. Sergius (Voskresensky), who by that time was already the Metropolitan of Lithuania and Vilna, was appointed exarch of this region. All bishops of the exarchate, including former metropolitans Latvia and Estonia, found themselves in the position of bishops subordinate to the exarch.

Often, local residents considered the invited bishops "almost agents of the Cheka." To some extent, these fears could be justified: alertness and open hostility towards the patriarchal locum tenens, Met. Sergius after his 1927 Declaration of Loyalty to the Soviet Power were distributed among many Orthodox bishops and priests both in Soviet Russia and abroad.

The shadow of the coming persecution and reprisals came upon the church in the newly annexed regions of the Soviet state. She was in for the same rout that had already been produced in the late 1930s by the authorities in the former borders of the USSR, having bled the life of the Church. And just the beginning of the Great Patriotic War prevented a new wave of persecution and opened a new stage in relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Soviet state.

Exarch of the Baltic States, Met. Sergius (Voskresensky) was arrested in the first days of the occupation of Latvia by German troops. This happened, probably, not without the influence of some local bishops, who negatively perceived the “protege of Moscow” and were on hard nationalist positions, which, in fact, was a sore point even in the pre-war life of the Latvian Orthodox Church. Yes, Mr. Augustine, after the proclamation of the autocephalous Latvian Orthodox Church in 1936, “... pushed the Russian clergy out of the leadership of the church and began to carry out reforms to “Latvianize” the cult and church structure...”

However, Exarch Sergius was soon released. Moreover, with the knowledge of Berlin, both the exarchate and its canonical affiliation with the Moscow Patriarchate were preserved. But all this was guaranteed by the new authorities on the condition that the exarch created a “new church government under the auspices of the German authorities". Such a church institution was the "Orthodox Mission in the liberated regions of Russia."

The fact is that the German authorities hoped to make the Orthodox Church their main support in establishing the “new order” in the occupied territories. A similar role was assigned to the Pskov mission.

In fairness, it should be noted that in the question of the emergence of the Mission, there is no consensus about who was the initiator of the founding of the "Orthodox Mission in the Liberated Regions of Russia" in the summer of 1941. In addition to the above point of view, there are other indications.

For example, Olga Raevskaya-Hughes, one of the creators of the collection of sermons by Fr. George Benigsen, writes that it was Met. Sergius (Voskresensky) obtained "permission to open a mission of the Russian Orthodox Church in the occupied regions of Russia". The Mission participants themselves testify to this even more convincingly: “The need for the Pskov Mission was recognized by Met. Sergius, exarch of Latvia and Estonia, as soon as the first requests began to arrive from Pskov and other cities to send clergy to these places. And the German authorities are very reluctant, disagreeing for a long time, but nevertheless give their consent to the organization of the Mission. It turns out that it was not the occupying authorities, and not even specifically Exarch Sergius, who turned out to be, to one degree or another, the "instigators" of the missionary movement on Pskov land. No, this "instigator" was the common people. “These people convinced the Germans of the failure of Soviet anti-religious propaganda and education. They demanded churches, priests, worship. The Germans reluctantly had to give in.

Perhaps this sounds a bit unexpected. After all, the Soviet government turned the territory on which the activities of the Orthodox Mission unfolded, literally into a "church desert". Numerous Pskov churches were “destroyed, desecrated, turned into warehouses, workshops, dance clubs, cinemas and archives. The repressed clergy in their bulk perished in the concentration camps of Siberia. After that, it was difficult to imagine that ordinary people, Soviet citizens, would show such activity, the cause of which was "spiritual hunger, a thirst for church prayer, sacraments, preaching ..."

In parting words to the first missionaries before they were sent to Pskov, the exarch said: “Do not forget that you arrived in a country where for more than 20 years religion was poisoned and persecuted in the most ruthless way, where the people were frightened, humiliated, oppressed and impersonal. It will be necessary not only to establish church life, but also to awaken the people to a new life from long-term hibernation, explaining and pointing out to them the advantages and virtues of the new life opening up for them.

The messengers of the Mission expected that their eyes would be presented with "an empty field, in a religious sense." But as he wrote about Aleksey Ionov, “There we found such an intense spiritual life that they don’t know about abroad.” Many of those people who still lived in the Russian Empire of the Romanovs carefully carried their faith and hope through two terrible bloody decades. But a whole generation has already been born, whose representatives only now "... for the first time in their lives saw the figure of a priest, meeting her until then only on caricatures and caricatures of anti-religious publications", not to mention their participation in church life.

“For two decades, the authorities took away from him (the people) what was built and moved the state, moral and cultural life of his ancestors for a millennium.” And of course, this did not go unnoticed, and the spiritual recovery of the Russian people could not occur without the revival of church life, without evangelization, without the word of God. This is exactly what the missionaries who arrived in Pskov saw as the goal of their ministry - "to help the people who have fallen into robbers."

Metr. Sergius (Voskresensky), speaking about the Orthodox Mission and the Administration established under it, noted that this church organization is temporary and will operate “until direct ties with the Patriarchal Church are restored, when the highest church authority can either annex these areas to the exarchate, or reunite with the former dioceses".

Due to hostilities, the connection of Exarch Sergius with the bishops of neighboring dioceses was interrupted, and therefore the metropolitan could not include this territory in the exarchate without the consent of these bishops. However, “according to the existing canonical rules, the exarch had a completely legitimate right to accept the areas of other dioceses that temporarily lost their bishops under his spiritual guidance, since they belong to the same autocephalous church as he himself” . Moreover, it was the pastoral duty of Exarch Sergius, which he performed, and in this performance even the threat of death could not stop him. The only obstacle could arise with the exit of the exarchate from the Patriarchal Church and canonical independence from it. In this case, even the temporary administration of these dioceses would be illegal. At that moment, the highest ecclesiastical authority in the Russian Orthodox Church belonged to the locum tenens patriarchal throne to His Beatitude Sergius and the Bishops' Assembly with him.

But due to hostilities, Exarch Sergius loses "direct contact with the Patriarchal Church", finding himself in the rear of the German troops. And therefore, without leaving the Russian Orthodox Church, the exarch actually “enjoys autonomy, and therefore governs independently...” At the same time, Met. Sergius there was no need "to adjoin any other autocephalous church, which in the future, undoubtedly, would be considered a canonical crime." The prayers offered at the divine service for the locum tenens of the patriarchal throne, Sergius (Stragorodsky), served as evidence that “the integrity of the Orthodox Mother Church has been preserved,” although real connections there was no cooperation with Moscow, and the Moscow Patriarchate could not produce leadership.

The same evidence of the presence of the Orthodox Mission in the bosom of the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) is the fact that “in the newly opened churches, Metropolitan Alexy (Simansky) of Leningrad was commemorated, in whose diocese the Mission worked” . It also helped the missionaries gain the necessary confidence from the flock. Many of the believers well understood the canonical nuances and did not want to end up in a schism in the future, excommunicated from the Russian Orthodox Church.

Thus, another reason for the emergence of the Mission emerges - the need for nourishment Orthodox dioceses temporarily found themselves without bishops. And already within the boundaries of this formal reason, more specific tasks were set for the restoration of church life, such as the revival of parishes, enlightenment and evangelization. All this would not have been possible without missionary service which brings the first spark into the human soul and then transforms the whole world. This is exactly what Exarch Sergius spoke to the missionaries in the above quotation, emphasizing the importance of not only a formal church revival, but “the awakening of the people ..., explaining and pointing out to them the advantages and virtues of the new life opening up for them.”

The direct dispensation of the Orthodox Mission "is entirely the work and initiative of the Exarch himself, who, seeing and fully aware of the plight of the Church in the areas liberated by the German troops and bordering Estonia and Latvia ...", begins negotiations with representatives of the Nazi German army group "North » about sending the first missionaries to the indicated areas. Negotiations were started already at the beginning of July, i.е. as soon as the first cities and regions appeared, occupied by German troops and, accordingly, freed from the dominance of militant atheism and the red terror of Soviet power.

Negotiations were delayed due to the course of active hostilities. Finally, by mid-August, permission was received. The first 14 missionaries from the Baltic states arrived in Pskov on August 18, 1941, and this happened with the assistance of the SD. Apparently, the assistance consisted in providing documents and special permits for movement in the occupied territory. Here is how Sigmund Balewits writes about it: “In the early morning of August 18, 1941, a dark gray bus ... provided by the German command took the first Riga “missionaries” to Pskov, where the “mission” center was being created.

The day before, in the Riga Cathedral, after the Sunday service, Exarch Sergius addressed his flock from the pulpit with words of joy that “the Orthodox Church in Latvia led by him ... had a “great honor” to send the first group of missionaries to ... Russia.”

Father Aleksei Ionov, recalling those days, writes that the dispatch of the envoys itself was carried out quickly, without delay. The Metropolitan personally selected priests for this important service. Without preliminary conversations with them and questioning about personal consent, Exarch Sergius "ordered a number of priests, those who are younger, to go to Pskov."

Despite such an authoritarian, military-style strict decision taken “within the framework of church discipline, church obedience” decision, “no one refused to participate in the Mission, from church work in those places where the word of God had not been heard for years, there was no divine service where the people prayed only "to themselves, secretly." Moreover, the missionaries themselves perfectly imagined all the difficulties and dangers of martial law that awaited them on Pskov land. Probably, the point is not only in obedience to the bishop and the fulfillment of one's priestly duty, but in those deep personal experiences that are difficult to describe in earthly words: “We entered our native borders, standing on our feet, singing Easter hymns. We rejoiced at everything dear that we met on our way: the sky, the air, stunted trees, yellowed autumn grass.

I will hardly be mistaken in recognizing the great merit in the successful development of the Mission of outstanding personalities who formed the core of this church organization. The names of some are well known today: Protopr. Kirill Zaits, prot. Georgy Benigsen, prot. Livery Voronov. This in itself is evidence that these ministers of the Word of God are filled with the Holy Spirit...

For many missionaries, the words of Fr. Alexia Ionova: " Best time my shepherding - the time spent in the Pskov mission ... ".

Among those who actively helped the RSHD and RPSE was Protopres. Kirill Zaits, rector of the Riga Cathedral, and during the war years - head of the Orthodox Mission in Pskov. Father Kirill, even before his participation in the Mission, showed a vivid gift of missionary work. He knew and loved the word of God and could share this love with others. By the power of this love, Fr. Cyril sometimes returned entire parishes to the Orthodox mother church.

It is significant that the most active missionaries either studied in Paris or took some part in the activities of the RPSE. It was they who formed the attitude towards the Orthodox Mission both on the part of the population and on the part of the occupiers, which will be discussed in more detail later. And it was these people who organized the Directorate of the “Orthodox Mission in the Liberated Regions of Russia”, which directed the activities of the entire Mission, which operated on a vast territory inhabited by two million people and extended to the entire part of the Leningrad region occupied by German troops, to part of the Kalinin and Novgorod regions and entirely - to the Pskov region.

For the management of church life and the spiritual nourishment of the Christians of these regions, the Mission Office was formed. She revived the deanery districts. To coordinate "the relations of the Mission center with the regions subordinate to it and to supervise the work of the local clergy," deans were appointed by regions. In the Pskov region - St. N. Junda, in Ostrovsky - Fr. A. Ionov, in Novgorod - archpriest. V. Nikolaevsky, in Porkhovsky and Dnovsky - Fr. V. Rushanov, in Gdovskoye - Fr. I. Light and others.

The Office of the Mission in Pskov was directly subordinate only to Exarch Sergius, who was in Riga. It met at meetings and made a "decision on this or that important issue, which was then forwarded to the discretion of the exarch" .

The Directorate was headed by the Head of the Mission (the first Head of the Mission was Father Sergiy Efimov, from August 17 to October 1941; the second was Father Nikolai Kolibersky, who died in November 1941; the last was Father Kirill Zaits, from December 1, 1941. February 1944). He had his assistant and deputy for all matters relating to church life, the auditor. Judging by the lists of employees of the Orthodox Mission in June 1943, there were even two auditors under the Head of the Mission: the senior one was Prot. Nikolai Shenrok and the younger - Fr. Livery Voronov, as well as the secretary of the Mission Directorate - Andrey Perminov and translator Georgy Radetsky. In addition to the office of the Mission, which mainly consisted of the above persons, the Directorate included two tables or departments: a table for the development of Christian culture (headed by Rev. G. Benigsen) and an economic department headed by Ivan Obodnev and his assistant Konstantin Kravchenko. It is interesting to note that the Mission Directorate consisted not only of the clergy, but also of the secular people. It is characteristic of the Pskov Mission that, along with the missionaries-priests, lay missionaries worked in the "field of God".

The fruits of the work of the economic department, on the one hand, supported the financial condition of the Mission, along with ten percent deductions from the parishes, and, on the other hand, contributed to the main purpose and ministry of this church missionary organization.

The economic department of the Mission included: a candle factory located in the bell tower of the Pskov Cathedral, an icon-painting workshop located in Pskov on the territory of the Kremlin, and a church supplies store on the Main Street of Pskov.

The candle factory served most of the parishes in the Mission area. The products were of much higher quality than those produced by private entrepreneurs, and were the main source of income for the Mission.

The icon-painting workshop employed 20 people, among them the head of the workshop, master painters, gold embroiderers, apprentices and apprentices, an artel of wood carvers and carpenters. New icons were painted here and old ones were restored, banners, crosses, Calvary, shrouds, church vessels, up to entire iconostases were made. Basically, the workshop fulfilled orders from churches, often processing their own raw materials into finished products. Sometimes an artel of craftsmen went out at the request of one or another distant church and carried out the necessary work on the spot.

Products were produced in large quantities, but the production income barely covered the costs associated with the maintenance of the workshop. But of course, it was not income that was the main aspiration in the activities of the economic department of the Mission, but “the supply of churches with those necessary items that were plundered from churches in their time and without which the celebration of services and the interior appearance of churches would have lost a lot.” The point of distribution of these items was the store of items of church use. It fully provided for the needs of not only the residents of Pskov, but also visitors from other cities, villages and remote regions.

Prior to the start of the Mission, the problem of providing items Christian faith the people decided on their own, as far as the possibilities allowed. One of the missionaries recalls that there were craftsmen who made pectoral crosses from Soviet coins. And the crosses that came in from the newly organized Mission store were consecrated by the hundreds and then snapped up by the parishioners.

Thus, the activities of all enterprises of the economic table of the Mission Administration contributed to the restoration of churches, services and church life in general. Are objects of church art made in a workshop and sold in a church shop one of the means of Christian education and missionary work? As is known, Orthodox icon is the preaching of the Word of God in colors...

Revival of parish life

The first envoys of the Mission arrived in Pskov on the evening of August 18, 1941 and immediately got to the Trinity Cathedral for a divine service, which was performed under great holiday Transfiguration of the Lord. And the day before the arrival of the missionaries, the first liturgy was served in the main temple of Pskov after several years of silence and desolation. This service was performed by Fr. Sergiy Efimov, who, by the will and mercy of God, found himself in Pskov these days. Father Sergius, already an elderly priest, was arrested in Latvia shortly before the start of the war, survived the horrors of the NKVD torture chambers, and was preparing to be martyred. However, along with the retreat of the Soviet troops from the Baltic states, a group of arrested persons, in which Fr. Sergiy, was transferred to the Pskov region in the prison of the city of Ostrov. From there, he, along with other prisoners, was released by the soldiers of the German army and "was able to tell those who had hitherto been sitting in the darkness of Bolshevism about the mercy of our Savior for them."

Indeed, o. Sergiy Efimov turned out to be the first missionary who began the real work of restoring the church on the territory of the Pskov mission, which had not yet been established. On August 14, 1941, not far from the city of Ostrov, in the churchyard of Elina, he consecrated the first church and performed a liturgy "on Russian territory free from Bolshevism." According to Fr. Sergius at the end of the service, a car with German soldiers drove up to the Elinsky church. Without lengthy explanations, the priest "was taken directly from the church to the city of Pskov to perform divine services and processions there."

This service took place on the eve of the arrival of the missionaries from Latvia. It ended with a religious procession, poor in the number of holy icons and banners. “But it is unlikely that religious processions were ever made in the city in previous years with such a prayerful upsurge.”

With the arrival of the first group of priests, members of the Mission, “the real dispensation of church life began. The missionary shepherds took up their duties with zeal. The first days were devoted to bringing the main church of the city, the Trinity Cathedral, into proper shape. For the past few years, it has housed an atheistic museum and “traces of the work of blasphemers from the staff of the anti-religious museum were visible everywhere.” The remains of Pskov saints and other eminent people of Pskov were thrown out and desecrated from the basement temple-tomb by the "godless". All this was collected, cleaned, "put in its proper" place ". Many sacred objects, church utensils, holy icons, including miraculous ones, were transferred from the city museum (Pagankin's Chambers) to the cathedral: blgv. Prince Vsevolod, and the miraculous Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God was brought by the Germans from Tikhvin Monastery and was also given to the cathedral. The bells were returned to the bell tower.

After the restoration of the Trinity Cathedral, the revival of other temples of the city began. According to archival descriptions of church life, in December 1943, divine services were held in Pskov in eight churches: in the cathedral, in the Mikhailo-Arkhangelsk church, in Dmitrievskaya, in Alekseevskaya, Varlaamovskaya, Kazanskaya, Butyrskaya and irregularly in the St. John the Theological Church.

Less than a week had passed since the arrival of the missionaries from the Baltic states, when walkers from suburban churches, already restored by the efforts of believers, began to contact the Mission with a request to serve in their churches. Delegations from more remote areas also reached out - petitioners from priests for parishes. The news that churches were being restored in Pskov, divine services were being held, and “many priests had been brought in,” quickly spread farther and farther across the territory of the Pskov mission.

Most of the priests of the Mission went to the districts in order to "... prove themselves locally." But even there they did not sit, but moved to the most remote back streets, carrying joyful news in their hearts, everywhere they preached the Word of God, which had not been spoken openly for many long and languid years. Everywhere the missionaries quickly found mutual understanding with the population, delving into the needs, helping them with examples and advice, fulfilling the main task that Exarch Sergius set for them - establishing and streamlining parish life.

This task has been completed. In August 1942, 221 churches operated on the territory of the Mission, while on the eve of the war no prayer was heard in any church (with the exception of 5 churches in the territory of the Leningrad Region, which were under the jurisdiction of the Orthodox Mission).

It is clear that with all the activity of the missionaries, it was impossible to overcome such a titanic work on their own. Father Aleksey Ionov, who provided care for the city of Ostrov, Opochka and their surroundings, restored 15 churches. And everything was repaired by personal means and by the forces of the population. The necessary work was carried out quickly, accurately and carefully with great enthusiasm and enthusiasm.

Yes, oh Alexey recalls how in the city of Ostrov he was constantly helped in the restoration of churches by a young Soviet engineer N.N., and “it was impossible to doubt his faith, his sincerity.” That is, just as the Mission itself was a response to the spiritual movement and the requests of the believers of the occupied territories to revive church life, so the real restoration of specific cathedrals, churches, graveyards, chapels was completely carried out by the population, the bulk of which were children, the elderly, women and teenagers. Perhaps, at first glance, such activities of the members of the Mission, as the restoration and consecration of churches, cannot be of an educational missionary nature. However, it should be noted that without a restored church there will be no church sermon, no divine services will be performed. But it is precisely worship (not to mention preaching) that is one of the sources of church enlightenment. Feeding on this wealth, Christians have always penetrated into the theological fabric of Orthodoxy, learning spiritual wisdom and strengthening in faith. This was especially true for those times when “secret prayers” were read aloud, the service was in an understandable language and a full-blooded church sermon was delivered. In addition, the very process of restoring church life contributed to the rapprochement of the priest and his flock, made it possible for the silent preaching of faith, which radiated from the missionaries and ignited those who worked side by side and saw selflessness, sacrifice, readiness always and everywhere to serve the cause of "Christ's victory".

And when a group of young missionary priests walked through Pskov in those August days of 1941, it was also a mission to people who “for years have not seen “clergymen”, “enemies of the people” passing by so calmly, with dignity. Yesterday's Soviet citizens, and now just Russian people, carefully listen to their words, stop them right on the street, ask for blessings, ask questions, are surprised.

Serving in the parishes required inhuman efforts from the priests. Moreover, each of them had to minister to two or three parishes, in 1942 there were 84 clergymen for 221 churches of the Mission. Evidence of that time shows overcrowded churches, when sometimes not all believers could fit under the church vaults of small rural, provincial churches, and "... all the other hundreds stood during the service at the threshold on the porch and around, eagerly listening to every exclamation from the altar" .

The conditions of pastoral service in the city of Ostrov are vividly described in the memoirs of Fr. Alexy Ionov. On Sunday, the service began at 7 o'clock in the morning and ended for the rector almost in the evening - at 4 o'clock in the afternoon! Immediately after one liturgy, St. Secrets from 500 to 800 people. Them about. Alexey confessed - of course, at a general confession. “Up to 80 babies were baptized at the same time, 10 burials were made. They married three to five couples, as a rule, at the same time. To consecrate the temple, sometimes it was necessary to travel 40–50 km. And the entire region entrusted to Fr. Alexy, was located within a radius of 50–70 km. According to another missionary, Fr. Vladimir Tolstoukhov, who served in the district, covering the cities of Novorzhev, Opochka, Ostrov, the village of Mikhailovskoye, Pushkinskiye Gory, etc., for the period from August to December 1941, he made over 2 thousand "burials with absentee wires". The latest figures tell us also about the high mortality of the population of these regions in the first year of the war.

Even the tendentious research of Z. Balewicz confirms that the "missionaries" worked in the sweat of their brow: on the spot they recruited into the Mission a new generation of those who were more or less versed in church affairs ... ". Of course, without assistants, it was simply impossible for a priest all alone to fulfill all the duties and ministries. Ordinary people came to the rescue, parishioners of churches, many of whom were young people. Father Aleksey Ionov recalls, for example, that he attracted young men of 16–17 years old (recent Komsomol members) to read diptych notes on proskomedia, of which there were so many that the rector could not cope. In addition, some local priests also joined the Mission. The local newspaper "For the Motherland" was full of ads. inviting priests to work. However, all this could not solve for the Orthodox Mission the problem of an acute shortage of missionaries-priests, whose number grew to only 84 people during the year of the Mission.

Theological courses in Vilna

Then the leadership of the Mission takes a rather bold decision for a difficult wartime - to provide priestly personnel for the vast church territory, which Metr. Sergius (Voskresensky). In the autumn of 1942, the newspaper "Orthodox Christian", the printed organ of the Pskov Mission, published an order of the Mission Directorate on the opening of Orthodox theological courses in Vilna (Lithuania) "to prepare candidates for clergy and ministerial positions" . Perhaps this wording implied that the graduates of the courses would be not just clergymen, but missionary shepherds and catechists. After all, it was precisely such ministers that the Mission needed, proceeding from the task of reviving church life, awakening people from spiritual sleep. In a sense, the Theological Courses can be called a school of catechists, because catechesis, which will be discussed below, was one of the vital moments of pastoral ministry.

The courses provided for two years of study. Persons no younger than seventeen years old could become listeners. Moreover, those who graduated from secondary educational institutions were accepted for training without tests, and those who graduated from at least 6 classes of church educational institutions (or basic school) - with tests in general education subjects. All those who wished were invited to send to Pskov, to the Mission Directorate, an application for admission to the courses, a certificate of birth and baptism, education, and also “attach a review spiritual father or the dean, or the parish community.

There is a file in the Pskov archive, entirely composed of petitions received by the Orthodox Mission of Pskov. Of those who wanted to enter the pastoral courses, there were many children of priests, church elders, regents - they wanted to continue the work of their fathers and grandfathers, serving the Lord and neighbor. Among those who submitted the petition were highly educated people, for example, a teacher at the Leningrad state university, having a scientific title - Selivanov Grigory Dmitrievich, and ordinary peasant children. Some were turned down because of their age; so, one of the petitioners was only sixteen years old. And for someone, like, for example, G.I. Radetsky, who served as an interpreter in the Mission Directorate, was refused due to the fact that "a successor has not yet been found for him ...". Approved the lists of those accepted for courses directly by Metropolitan. Sergius.

Classes on the courses began on December 20, 1942. The office of the Mission sent a challenge and a certificate in German to the selected applicants, releasing them from work and allowing them to travel to Vilna.

By August 1943, 38 people were enrolled in the courses. The rector of this school was professor-protopresbyter Vasily Vinogradov. Thanks to the letters of the students of the courses, it is possible to form at least an incomplete picture of the life of seminarians. The school itself was located in Vilna, in Holy Spirit Monastery. The school day began with a prayer in the temple and was densely saturated with classes from the very morning. From three to five - free time, and then back to classes. After all, in a short time it was necessary to study the seminary course. The evening ended again with a common prayer in the temple.

All pupils were provided with bread cards and housing. Seminarians without means (there were the majority) lived, ate and studied completely free of charge.

It is known that already in 1943 several students of the Theological Courses were ordained Metropolitan. Sergius in the priesthood. And at the beginning of 1944, "thanks to the arrival of priests from other places in Russia, as well as thanks to numerous ordinations ... the number of priests increased to 175." But in order to "... fully satisfy the urgent need for priests experienced in the Mission area," this number had to be tripled. Although, of course, those hopes and plans that the leadership of the Orthodox Mission had in relation to this school of pastors could not be fully realized, because a full-fledged graduation was to take place on the eve of the Nativity of Christ, 1945, while the Pskov mission lasted until the spring of 1944. , almost until the last days, when the city of Pskov was actually on the front line and was almost completely destroyed.

Mission Publishing

Publishing has become one of the active areas of practical activity of the Pskov mission. There was a huge demand for printed publications of the Mission among the population. However, it was difficult to fully provide them for all the believers who are cared for by the "Orthodox Mission in the Liberated Regions of Russia". Despite some support from the Propaganda Department for the printing of missionary publications, this was a costly endeavor. Another difficulty was related to the transportation of already finished products, because the printing house was located in Riga for “technical reasons”. The editorial office of the printed organ of the Mission, a periodical magazine intended for the areas under the jurisdiction of the Orthodox Mission, was also located here. The executive editor of this publication was I.P. Chetverikov. The magazine had a fairly common name - "Orthodox Christian". Its publication began in August 1942, a year after the founding of the Pskov mission.

In the first year, five issues of the magazine were published, 30,000 copies each. In 1943, the number of issues increased to 14, although the circulation of some dropped from 30,000 to 20,000 copies. In addition to The Orthodox Christian, prayer books (100,000 copies) were printed, and on the eve of 1943, Orthodox calendar for this year (30 thousand), which was very popular.

Unfortunately, there is very little information about the publishing activities of the Mission, and therefore it is impossible to establish what else was published for the needs of Christian enlightenment. There is no doubt that missionary service and evangelism cannot be imagined without Holy Scripture. It was its publication and provision of it to believing Christians that should have become one of the main concerns of the Pskov mission, as it always was in the external mission, addressed to the non-Christian population of the outskirts of Russia or operating in other non-Christian countries.

Of course, the magazine "Orthodox Christian" played a significant role in missionary work. Despite the fact that the editorial office was located in Riga, often the collection, preparation of materials and often the writing of articles was carried out by members of the Mission, in particular, employees of the Mission Directorate. This is not at all accidental, since the magazine (as mentioned above) was essentially the printed organ of the Orthodox Mission. In it, the Office of the Mission published its circular orders, appeals to Orthodox Christians by Met. Sergius (Voskresensky), news concerning the life of the Orthodox Mission, information about new appointments and ordinations to the priesthood, holiday messages of the Mission to its flock. The publishers did not stop at this, so to speak, official part of the magazine, and its other content was of an educational nature and was no less important. The materials here were very diverse: the teachings of the holy fathers of the church, for example, St. “On the Necessity and Power of Repentance”, etc.; sermons of confessors of the faith and contemporary saints of the 20th century, such as Patriarch Tikhon “Thoughts on the Church”, archbishop. John of Riga (Pommer) "The Thirst for Immortality", ep. Ohridsky Nikolai (Velimirovich) from Serbia “To a Russian veteran who mourns his crucified Motherland” (all three are now canonized by various churches as saints - ed.); articles prepared by the editors of the journal and members of the Mission, for example, Fr. Kirill Zaits "The role of women in the struggle for the Church of Christ." Other materials were devoted to the doctrinal aspect: “The Cross (of Christ) of the Lord”, “Glory to the Mother of God in Her St. icons"; caritative direction: "Be closer to the person." An attempt was even made to figure out what was the reason for the severe trials that befell Russia, the Russian Church: “To the Russian patriot, the faithful son of St. Orthodox Church". Attention was paid to the feat of the confessors of faith, who laid down their lives for St. Church, for its flock. One of the issues published a circular order of the Mission on the restoration of the annals of parishes destroyed during the years of persecution, on the compilation of lists of dead clergymen and on detailed description parish life during times of persecution. These documents were to be sent to the Mission Directorate. This appeal of the Orthodox Mission testifies that the missionaries understood how important the history of the Russian Orthodox Church of the new, Soviet period was, they saw it as their Christian duty to restore the names of the new martyrs for the faith of Christ. This also tells us how seriously and responsibly the leaders of the Pskov mission treated their position, regardless of how long the Lord would allow them to serve on the wounded Russian land. A similar call to collect materials "on the martyrs for the faith" during the revolution, the civil war and the mass purges of the dictatorship of the proletariat was made even during the war by the Theological Institute in Paris. The call was then “ardently received by the archbishop. Latvian John (Pommer), who entrusted this matter to the deans ... ".

There was also a permanent column in the magazine "Scientists and faith in God." It was dedicated to Ampère and Bismarck, Pestalozzi and Pushkin, Pavlov and Leibniz. A place was also given to the classics of Russian literature. The works of A. Pleshcheev, A. Maikov, A. Remizov, F. Dostoevsky could be read in The Orthodox Christian. In one of the issues, memoirs of Fr. Sergiy Efimov about the beginning of his ministry in Pskov and about the first steps of the Orthodox Mission in Pskov in August 1941

The main thing that the publishers of The Orthodox Christian wanted to convey to their readers was an understanding of the patterns of the tragic events of the past 20 years. The Orthodox people, for the most part, turned their backs on God. Continuing to perform rituals, observing the external aspects of the cult, in fact, he moved further and further away from the “righteous and true ways of the King of Saints” (). Only repentance and revival of spiritual life could return him to the bosom of the Church.

Apparently, the training of missionary priests at the Theological Courses in Vilna took place in this direction. After all, both the training in the courses and the publication of the issues of the "Orthodox Christian" were actually carried out by the same people - members of the "Orthodox Mission in the Liberated Regions of Russia".

Mission, catechesis, Christian enlightenment

Fr. George Benigsen. He was in charge of the Christian culture development table at the Mission Office and devoted much of his energy to working with children and youth. So, in the fall of 1942, at the suggestion of the Pskov propaganda department, Fr. Georgy took over the management of the children's programs department of the Pskov radio center. To the preparation and direct release of programs about. George attracted pupils of the Church school (he, in fact, founded), as well as "the best artistic forces of the city." The success of the broadcasts led to the fact that the head of the Pskov radio center suggested Fr. George Benigsen "make weekly reports on religious topics". The names of some have come down to us: the first report "Scientists on Religion" was read on September 30, and a week later the missionary's speech was dedicated to the 550th anniversary of the death of St. Sergius of Radonezh - "Hegumen of All Russia". The programs were broadcast in the evening so that those who "do not have the opportunity or desire to visit the temple" could listen to them. Himself about. Georgy in his report to the head of the Mission emphasizes the great importance of the fact that “for the first time in Russia the word of the Church sounded on the air ...” And with the connection to the Pskov radio center and more remote areas (Ostrov, Porkhov, Dno), the possibilities of the Christian Mission on Pskov land increased many times. The young priest used all means, including modern ones, all means to bring the Word of God to people...

But apart from radio programs, Fr. George was much engaged in Christian education and works of mercy.

Pavel Zhadan, having arrived in Pskov in 1942 to organize the illegal work of the NTS, notes how actively the members of the Orthodox Mission for the Christian Enlightenment of Pskov worked under the most difficult conditions of the occupation.

On the territory of the Kremlin, where the Mission Directorate was located, in the bell tower of the cathedral, on the second floor, above the candle factory, there was one of the missionary centers - “... the youth put the premises in order for the gatherings of the younger ones and for the literary circle of the older ones. In the same place, discussions on religious topics were held with young people in groups. The main task of the literary circle is “education in a patriotic national and Orthodox spirit...” In this case, the preparation for life in the “new” Russia, and most importantly, for serving their Motherland, joined the catechetical work with children. Therefore, it is no coincidence, as P.V. Zhadan, "... work with the younger ones was in fact an underground scout work", in the organization of which the author of these lines, an active member of the NTS, played an important role. The slogan of this union read: "For Russia without the Germans and without the Bolsheviks." It was with this emphasis that the upbringing of children in these groups was carried out. However, such a scouting program, adopted in Russia as early as 1909 and developed in the national spirit in the 1930s in Yugoslavia, is mentioned only once in connection with classes on the territory of the Kremlin. In other cases, mission and evangelization are very closely intertwined with the caritative activity of missionary priests and Christians who contribute to the service of the Orthodox Mission. The acts of mercy themselves are sometimes more lively than speeches and speeches, and very often they are evidence of the work of Christ and the fulfillment of His commandment to love one's neighbor. Therefore, it is not always easy and correct to separate missionary and caritative, charitable activities. After all, both of them are those deeds without which our faith is dead, without which it is impossible to kindle the fire of Christ's love in the hearts of people.

In the autumn of 1942, the rector of the church of St. vmch. Demetrius of Thessalonica in Pskov George Benigsen, with the blessing of Exarch Sergius, opens an orphanage for 15 people upon his arrival. For this, the church house was repaired, where, in fact, the children lived. Father George addressed the flock with an appeal to help in establishing a shelter. The parish assembled all the necessary furnishings: beds, furniture, linens, tableware and kitchen utensils. The pupils of the orphanage were provided with food, which was purchased with funds donated by the parishioners, and partly brought by the parishioners themselves. At the same time, the rector noted the extreme responsiveness of Christians: thanks to their efforts, the opening of the shelter became possible in many respects. In general, the age of pupils ranged from 8 to 15 years. Some of them here, under the shadow of the Dmitrievsky church, became members of the Christian Church, were baptized by Fr. George. In addition to the fact that in the orphanage children were prepared for the sacrament of Baptism, they were instructed in Orthodox faith, was carried out, which is especially important, the preparation of adolescents 13-15 years old for missionary service, for "religious and educational work among children and youth" . It is no coincidence that I emphasize this point, for here I see features of the new in the missionary work of the Orthodox Church in Russia, features of the experience that Fr. George in communication with the leaders of the RSHD in Latvia in the 30s. Indeed, it is much easier for teenage missionaries and youth to understand and connect with their peers than it is for a missionary priest, who often simply does not have the experience of communicating and teaching teenage Christians. And finally, in such preparation I see the beginnings of the catechumenate in the Pskov mission. One of the indispensable conditions of the catechumenate is the presence of schools of catechists and missionaries. The prototype of such a school was the orphanage for orphans at the Dmitrievskaya Church, along with the Theological Courses in Vilna, the main task of which was to saturate the Pskov mission with priests and missionaries.

In addition, through the efforts of a tireless missionary, here, at the church of St. vmch. Dmitry, in October 1942 a church Kindergarten and church school. Preschoolers were admitted to the kindergarten, as expected, and children who had completed four grades of elementary school came to school, for the Dmitrievskaya church school replaced the inactive gymnasium.

In addition to this caritative and catechetical activity, deployed by Fr. George on the basis of the parish entrusted to him and lively help parishioners, he began teaching the Law of God at the Pskov Art School, which in 1942 had 60 students aged 17 to 22. The missionary himself reported this to the head of the Mission as follows: “...my first meeting with this youth, against all expectations, made an extremely gratifying impression on me. You can work with these young people, and the work can be fruitful and interesting.”

Despite the paucity of documents reflecting the activities of the Mission, the fruits of Fr. George Benigsen were visible. It is the pupils of the school who help their mentor in conducting Christian radio programs for children, and the field of activity that I have tried to describe indicates that Fr. George relied on the help of his assistants, most of whom, apparently, were still very young. It is known that the church school was very popular; in 1943, about 150 children studied there. However, at the end of the same year, the school was closed by the occupying authorities, since all children over 12 years of age were made liable for work. But the work of this shepherd was not in vain: during the evacuation of the Mission from Pskov in February 1944, together with Fr. George leaves thirteen of his pupils, who, following their mentor, have chosen the path of apostolic ministry.

Facts have also been preserved about the activities of other members of the Orthodox Mission. At the church of St. Varlaam Khutynsky, also located in Pskov, missionary Fr. Konstantin Shakhovskoy organized a school with 80 children. In the Pushkinogorsk region about. Vladimir Tolstoukhov founded 17 such schools, and 15 in the Krasnogorodsky district primary schools were under the care of the missionary priest Fyodor Yagodkin, who served in those places. He taught the Law of God and the fundamentals of church singing.

I think that the claims of Soviet historians, who accused the Orthodox Mission of subjugating the entire system of public education, were not justified. According to eyewitnesses, “Russian schools in Pskov were both city and church, and their programs, respectively, were different; no one forced the teaching of the Law of God.

At the same time, it is undeniable that the Orthodox Mission devoted a special place to educational work with children. Part of one of the orders of the Mission Directorate is dedicated to this, where the rectors of parish churches were charged “to teach, above all else, the children of their parishioners in the parish school, the Law of God, the correct understanding of church rites, reading, writing, and other subjects useful in the hostel ...” At the same time, it was strictly forbidden to charge pay tuition or use trained children in their work.

Father Aleksey Ionov conducted classes on the Law of God in the schools of Ostrov and its suburbs. And before that, he took part in the teacher's conference, which took place in 1942 on the eve of the start of the school year. It had the main goal of developing new program teaching in schools in the area. It's about. Aleksey was able to prove the need for Christian teaching at school and ensured that the teaching of the Law of God was adopted in the newly developed school curriculum. Although the matter was complicated by the lack of teachers of the law, Fr. Aleksey did not lose heart, and young Soviet teachers went to those villages where he could not physically reach to study with children, having received the blessing of the priest and the Gospel as a gift. It does not matter that some of them discovered the Word of God for the first time. “In the conditions of the front, complete ruin, poverty and hunger, such a “teaching system”, when the teacher himself, together with the children, studies the Scriptures and tries to live by them,” according to Fr. Alexei seemed quite possible.

The Ostrovsky Dean talked a lot with the children and recalls this in his “Notes”: “My best friends there were children in Russia. The work at the school was the most rewarding.”

But in addition to the school walls next to Fr. Alexei has always been children. He warmed them in his modest church house, where they sometimes lived for several months, escaping from starvation, prepared them for the sacrament of Baptism and baptized, for many becoming both a godfather and almost a father. After each baptism of his little wards, Fr. Alexei saw in their eyes such gratitude that he would never forget, and he wanted to repeat again and again: “What a joy it is to be a priest!” There were a great many children, and they relentlessly surrounded the priest, helped in the church service, “in the temple they always occupied the first places, patiently standing up for our long, such unchildish services.”

Having embarked on the revival of church parish life in the city of Ostrov, Fr. Aleksey Ionov very quickly improves relations with his large flock – Christians of the older generation, through whose efforts the desecrated churches were restored, and with those young people who knew little about the faith of Christ, had no experience of church life, and some were not even baptized. It was from them that the Evangelical circle was formed, in which the missionary held talks - "evangelism" - twice a week. Very quickly, the number of participants in this circle reached 40 people. "Among them were doctors, teachers, dressmakers and just housewives." O. Alexey writes: “If I made at least one announcement about our classes in the circle, then the number of members would multiply much more.” And only one thing stopped the priest in this - a huge amount of church work on the territory within a radius of 50-70 km. There was too little time and energy left to launch mass evangelism, the colossal need for which could not be overlooked.

Works of mercy. "Internal Mission"

Just as in the city of Gdov the voluntary "philanthropic" society "People's Help" was formed by the priest John Legkiy, the purpose of which was to support those in need, so in the city of Ostrov the local dean Fr. Alexei Ionov founds the Russian Red Cross. His activities were aimed at helping prisoners of war from the Red Army. In this about. Alexei was helped by those who attended the "evangelical" circle, and those who could not yet not only be called church people, but still not fully come to faith. So said a pupil of the Leningrad Pedagogical Institute. Herzen: “Although I do not believe in God, I do not renounce Him. Prove to me properly, and I will believe!...” The fact that such people, showing “selflessness, perseverance and genuine Christian mercy”, along with the Orthodox priest respected by them, did works of mercy, testifies that the path of truth is already narrower. was chosen, despite the fact that sacramentally they have not yet entered the church society of the faithful.

The Russian Red Cross took over the care of one POW camp. Volunteer helpers. Aleksey was pasted up appeals to collect food for Russian soldiers, prepared meals for 200 people, who were brought to the camp twice a week. After that, the death rate in the camp markedly decreased. Assistance was also provided to needy residents of the city who found themselves without shelter and livelihood.

Such caritative activity of enlightened Fr. Alexei and those who were just gaining faith in Christ, reminded me of a similar example from the time of the Christian church of the first millennium. Then the catechumens, i.e. those who prepared for the sacrament of Baptism necessarily participated in the works of mercy of the Christian community, into which they later joined, becoming, along with the rest of the brothers and sisters, faithful, or full Christians. Special luck about. Aleksey Ionov considered a special Easter service, which he performed in the spring of 1943 for Russian prisoners from the ward camp. The service was held in the temple with closed doors, which were guarded by armed guards. All the rest of the believers, except for the prisoners, had to leave, - such requirements were presented by the head of the camp. And yet, about three hundred people, at their own request, filled the island church. With great excitement, the priest-missionary performed a solemn service. He delivered a sermon in which he “urged them not to lose heart, to remember that their mothers are praying for them...” At the end of the Liturgy, Fr. Aleksey “giving everyone not one traditional, but four, five testicles - they were brought the day before by believers, - he greeted everyone ...: “Christ is risen!” And all as one answered: “Truly He is risen!”

This vivid example once again confirms the idea that it is often difficult to distinguish between missionary activity and works of mercy, which, however, together constitute one whole and indivisible work of Christ's love, the work of Christ's victory.

Help for Russian prisoners of war was organized by the Orthodox Mission throughout its territory. Head of Mission Rev. Kirill Zaits turned to the Orthodox Russian people with an appeal to help his brothers in captivity. A collection was announced for a voluntary donation of warm clothes for prisoners of war soldiers who were captured in the summer and therefore did not have winter clothes.

Donations were accepted at the parishes by priests, church elders, village foremen, and then transferred to the Orthodox Mission in Pskov. Warm clothes, shoes, linen, blankets were sent to the camp, which were collected in large quantities on the territory of the Mission.

It is impossible to ignore the missionary service among the Russian population, deported to forced labor in Latvia. The fact is that the second half of the war for the Pskov occupation is characterized by mass exports of the indigenous population to the Baltic states and Germany. Naturally, the shepherds could not leave their flocks in these difficult conditions of foreign land and lack of freedom, and the missionaries expanded their field of activity by leaving for Latvia.

The Pskov archive says almost nothing about this side of serving the Pskov mission, except for the mention in the letter of a Pskovite girl taken out for forced labor about how their hostel in Riga was visited by Orthodox priests from Pskov. Much more material on this issue is stored in the Latvian archives. This is understandable, since on the initiative and under the direct supervision of the archbishop. John of Latvia (Garklava) was “established ... an “Internal Mission” to serve prisoners of war and Russians displaced to Latvia” . After the evacuation of the Orthodox Mission from Pskov in the winter-spring of 1944, some missionaries joined the work of the "Internal Mission" in the territory of Latvia, continuing to carry out the apostolic feat until the last days ... It was Fr. Kirill Zaits becomes the head of the "Internal Mission" in Siauliai.

Under the diocesan council in Riga, a special commission for the affairs of the "Internal Mission" was created. This commission included Archpriests Sergiy Efimov (one of the pioneers of the "Orthodox Mission in the Liberated Regions of Russia"), Nikolai Smirnov and Fr. Nikolay Kravchenko. The main goal that the organizers of the "Internal Mission" saw was to strengthen the faith among the prisoners, "dissemination of church literature, icons, crosses, etc." With the consent of the occupying authorities, special services were organized for prisoners of war, for those in forced labor and for refugees. Such services were especially widely practiced in 1943-1944, when, as the front line approached, tens of thousands of Russian refugees moved from Pskov to the Baltic states. There are cases when, through the efforts of Orthodox priests, living conditions, maintenance, medical care in the camps of Russian settlers and prisoners of war actually improved. Especially much in this field was done by the Commissioner for the "Internal Mission" Fr. Vladimir Tolstoukhov, who traveled from Riga to the Kurzeme and Zemgale camps, as well as priests Viktor Permin and Yakov Nachis, who fed the camp near Shkirotava. All of them were members of the Orthodox Mission, which at that moment (1944) no longer existed, or rather, continued to operate in Latvia under the new conditions.

Internal problems of the Mission

Despite the unexpected success of the Mission and the inhuman activity of the missionaries-priests in terms of scale and intensity, it is naive to assume that the service of the Pskov mission passed without difficulties and internal problems, and the path of the missionaries was strewn with roses. Of course not. For in the communities founded by the apostles, as in every human society were imperfections, weakness and sin. If it had been otherwise, the apostolic epistles would not have been written.

It was all the more difficult for Orthodox pastors to carry the gospel in the occupied Russian land. The beginning of their ministry took place in exceptionally difficult conditions: hunger, lack of normal housing, household disorder. To this were added the consequences of atheistic propaganda: I had to face “a complete loss of faith”, and those who did not dare to “break with the past”, who remained aloof from the revival of the Church, treated “new conditions” with suspicion and distrust.

Yes, and those who were already under the protection of the Mother Church needed to be taught, instructed in the faith of Christ, to be freed from prejudices, misunderstandings and superstitions, which, perhaps, had been dragging into the church since the time of Imperial Russia. This is indicated by the corresponding sermons and articles in the journal "Orthodox Christian", as well as the circulars of the Office of the Mission to the deans and to all the clergy of the Pskov mission. In particular, in one of them the priests are instructed on how best to shepherd the "flock" entrusted to them by the Lord Himself. And the first place here is given to the fact that the pastor "will confirm the instruction in faith and piety as an example of his own pious life." In order to teach others, it is also necessary for the abbots themselves “first of all and most of all to apply ... to teaching themselves, exercising in reading the Word of God, the writings of the fathers and the writings of secular and spiritual writers, useful for instruction,“ hedgehog in truth "” () And besides this, a number of other qualities are indicated, without which missionary service is impossible: "Sobriety, chastity, God-fearing, meekness, patience, non-bilingualism, unpretentiousness, love of money, impartiality, tenderness and courtesy without hypocrisy and pretense." completely unselfish, priests were not allowed to charge fees or rewards for teaching children in parish schools, performing sacraments, prayer services, consecrations, etc. The above requirements may seem overly scrupulous and do not need such a persistent reminder, since we are talking about things obvious to the Christian mind.However, the problem of discipline and inconsistency of individual clergy with their pastoral, and even more so missionary service, was essential for the Orthodox Mission. This is also evidenced by the circulars of the Mission Directorate, and the reports of the deans about the situation in the districts entrusted to them. By the way, the monograph by Z. Balevits “Orthodox Clergy in Latvia 1920–1940” is largely devoted to this. Despite its tendentiousness, this work was written according to the archives of the Republic of Latvia. The author cites documents in it that reflect not just the negligent attitude of clergy to their duties, but more than that - their infection with vices and simply anti-ethical behavior. Perhaps this is a legacy of the costs of church life in Russia at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries. Since Latvia until the end of the 1930s existed independently of Soviet Russia and the tornado of the “dictatorship of the proletariat” bypassed both the Baltic States and the Orthodox Church located there, then the life of the Church within it developed largely according to the principles that developed in the 19th century. Accordingly, many characteristic ecclesiastical ailments, not without which the catastrophe of 1917 occurred, persisted in the Orthodox Church of Latvia. Therefore, it is not surprising that Exarch Sergius and the Office of the Mission paid such close attention and strict demands to the spiritual and moral qualities of missionary priests.

Among the latter there were those who could not stand the extreme conditions of life and service in the occupied territory and voluntarily abdicated responsibility for belonging to the Orthodox Mission.

There were, however, examples to the contrary, when in parishes services and rites were performed by “self-sanctifiers”, i.e. "persons who do not have episcopal consecration and, consequently, the right to serve as priests." Such cases were ordered to be reported to the deans or to the Mission Directorate. But even in addition to this kind of self-will or adventurism among the members of the Mission, one could see a decline in discipline, a manifestation of “extreme negligence ... and an unconscious attitude” towards the accomplishment of the work of God. Exarch Sergius persistently warned against this in his circular address to the deans. Father John the Light (one of the deans) pointed out that sometimes "the people ... stand above their shepherds." This concerned the attitude to worship, the sacraments, the requirements, and in general to their flock. One of the sad phenomena that the missionary mentions is the lack of proper preparation of the clergy for Divine Liturgy: “I had to see how the priests, in front of the eyes of the laity, before performing the liturgy at the wrong time, sat at the table with food and drink, took food and drinks, and then proceeded to the liturgy.” Father John notes that such neglect of the ministers of the church replaces Christian pastoral work with rude bureaucracy.

There is no doubt that all these diseases of the clergy were transferred to the parishioners. For example, it is known that on the territory of the Orthodox Mission a special norm was established for additional “issuance of food and textiles on the occasion of church marriage, baptism of children and burial of the dead”, which were certified by a special certificate from the priest. In this regard, cases of “blasphemous attitude to the sacraments of the Holy Mother Church” were noted, when for the sake of material benefits they could baptize the same child several times.

That is why it was so important to teach the people "the correct understanding of church rites." By a special order of the Office of the Mission, priests were reminded that those entering into marriage (or adults preparing for the sacrament of Baptism) should be “tested: do they know the faith, the Lord's Prayer and commandments; at baptism, minors and non-Christians should not be allowed, otherwise they should be encouraged that at least one of them be of age and Orthodox. This reminder shows the Mission's concern for the conscious and serious attitude of Christians to the holy sacraments. This was an attempt by the Orthodox Mission to emphasize the priorities of spiritual life and correct some of its negative phenomena accumulated in the Russian Church over the past centuries.

Relationships of the Mission with various segments of the population and external difficulties

At the beginning of the work, it was mentioned how, with tears in their eyes, with joy, gratitude and love, the missionaries-priests were received in the summer of 1941 by the believers of Pskov. It is through the efforts and labors ordinary people churches were repaired, things were collected for orphanages and schools, food and warm clothes for prisoners of war. Often, not only non-church people, but sometimes unbelievers, those who were just beginning their path to God, came to the aid of the missionaries. Soviet engineers and doctors, teachers and employees worked side by side with faithful Christians and their shepherds. They also restored churches, participated in the organization of orphanages, in works of mercy (helping the needy and prisoners of war). The feat and burning of the leaders of the Orthodox Mission did not leave indifferent those who are commonly called the Soviet intelligentsia. Through their participation in the affairs of the Mission, these people discovered for themselves a new being filled with love for their neighbor and love for the Creator. For many, this was a kind of pre-conciliation period, followed by their churching. “With these ‘party candidates’, I had the most best relationship, and... they helped me a lot...” – this is how Fr. Alexey Ionov. It would be unfair to keep silent about those who remained aloof from the religious upsurge, who could not so soon get rid of the burden of Soviet ideology. But even on the part of these citizens, the attitude towards the missionaries was “either the most benevolent, or the most correct,” and none of the “under-Soviet people” allowed themselves to say something insulting about them.

Relations between the Orthodox Mission and the conquerors of the Russian land were much more complicated. However, with all the complexity, I would like to note that on the part of the Orthodox clergy of the Pskov mission "... there was no praising of Hitler ... and the only thing related to the SD was that which was under his supervision." What eyewitnesses testify to does not fit in with the view of the Orthodox Mission as an accomplice of the German special services, which was established in the historical science of the Soviet period.

As very rightly pointed out by Fr. Aleksei Ionov, if the Mission had received any special instructions from the German authorities, let alone carried them out, then “our Mission is unlikely to have taken place” and would have been such a success. It would be naive to think that an Orthodox Russian person would not have sensed the falseness and insincerity emanating from the pastors, and would not have left them after that in the empty walls of churches. Of course, the German command had far-reaching plans for the Orthodox Church (O.Yu. Vasilyeva wrote about this in more detail in the article “The Lot of Metropolitan Sergius Voskresensky”), and thanks to this, Exarch Sergius was allowed to begin missionary work in the territory controlled by German troops . Indeed, at first some help from the new "Caesar" was provided to the Pskov missionaries: they were given special certificates and bread cards, they returned to churches from museums liturgical books, icons, church utensils, fuel, vegetables, bread cards were allocated for shelters by the city authorities. Gradually, however, this emphatically loyal attitude of the occupying authorities begins to change. Apparently, the Germans were frightened by the unprecedented scope of missionary work and, most importantly, by its fruits: the rallying of the Russian people under the protection of the Church, their firmness, courage and faith. The “new masters” of life did not count on this in any way, because “the Mission did not become an instrument of control over the Russian people, but, on the contrary, by returning them to the Church, it strengthened and supported them under the conditions of occupation.” Exarch Sergius and in general the leaders of the Mission, starting work in Pskov, in relation to the Germans were guided by the principle of "choose the lesser of two evils." And that the Germans are evil, none of the members of the Mission doubted. Making the most of the given opportunity to preach the Gospel, to return people to the Church, none of the missionaries had "any sympathy for the conquerors of the "living space" of our Motherland." This statement is by no means unfounded. For propaganda purposes, the German command staged a solemn transfer to the Pskov Cathedral of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, brought by the occupiers from Novgorod. On the cathedral square, with the confluence of all the Orthodox of the city of Pskov, in the presence of representatives of the German commandant's office, this celebration took place. It began with the word Fr. George Benigsen. With the boldness inherent in youth, he spoke of the feat of St. Alexander Nevsky, who liberated Pskov and Novgorod from foreign invasion, including from German knights from the Teutonic Order.

Already mentioned more than once. Alexei Ionov had to expel German soldiers from the church, who often came during worship in headdresses, to defend the right to worship at the division headquarters. julian calendar, contrary to a directive from the headquarters of Rosenberg, instructing the churches in the occupied territories to switch to the new style adopted in "Greater Germany".

During the funeral service for the Russian family burned alive, Fr. Alexei turned to the weeping people who had gathered around their shepherd in a bitter moment. He denounced the terrible crimes that were becoming the norm in the so-called "New Europe". "If we remain silent about these crimes, the stones will cry out to heaven!" “With such a Europe, we are not on the way!” - so finished Fr. Alexei his sermon "among the tears and sobs that filled the temple." These meager examples show that the missionaries were with their exhausted, long-suffering people to the end and in any situations, they did not “smoke incense, choking with delight”, seeking indulgence and loyalty from the German authorities.

The more successfully the activities of the Mission developed and the worse the position of the German army on the fronts developed, the more tense the relations between Exarch Sergius and the Pskov Mission with the German invaders became. The Germans intensified surveillance of the missionaries, not disdaining small acts of provocation. In the last months of the existence of the Pskov Mission, its situation worsened even more. So, in the Nikandrova Hermitage (near Pskov), the Germans killed its rector, Hieromonk Andrei Tishko, who was sent to the monastery through the Mission. Acts of desecration and destruction of churches by the German invaders date back to this time. And the assassination of Exarch Sergius in April 1944, according to the unanimous opinion of researchers, was prepared and carried out by Gestapo agents. Thus, the German secret services unwittingly confirmed the failure of their plans for cooperation with the Orthodox Mission. The physical elimination of the "intractable" metropolitan puts an end to the unsuccessful attempts of the German authorities to "tame" the Orthodox Church.

Nevertheless, despite these external difficulties in the service and life of the members of the Mission, there were no obstacles to missionary work, catechesis, evangelism on the part of the new authorities. Perhaps that is why, compared with the Soviet regime, the invaders were the "lesser" evil. There are surprising examples in the Mission's relations with the German authorities, perhaps somewhat contradictory to what was said above. We are talking about the gratitude that came to Exarch Sergius and the Office of the Mission from the authorities from different parts of the territory nourished by the Orthodox Mission. These epistles noted the selfless work of the missionaries to restore church affairs. Fr. John Legkiy in Gdov, Dean of Ostrov, Fr. Alexei Ionov, rector of the Peter and Paul Church, Fr. Alexey Asian. How could this happen? This can be explained if we remember that the Word of God is available to everyone, it is intended for everyone (even if this person is unpleasant to us or our enemy), and the Lord can call any person by revealing His own, i.e. Himself. I think this should never be forgotten.

The fact of such testified gratitude speaks of the fiery burning of the spirit of the ascetics of the Orthodox Mission, which could not leave indifferent even people far from Orthodoxy, from Russian culture, from the misfortunes of the poor and hungry people. The true Christian mission is the Sacred Mission. It is addressed to all creation, when there are no longer social, national, political barriers for its servants, when not the human laws of this world, but the grace of God, operate.

At the same time, one of the shortcomings in historical research should be noted, when human personality is lost behind general and convenient terminology and much is reduced to generalizations. I have already pointed out the heterogeneity of the priests of the Orthodox Mission, their sometimes different attitude to service, to the flock. Similarly, it is necessary to approach representatives of the occupation authorities, soldiers and officers. Each of them is unique (like any person), has its own advantages and disadvantages, its own measure of education, culture, ethical consciousness, and finally, spiritual qualities. In the memoirs of Alexei Ionov also speaks of the atrocious crimes of the Germans, and of those who sympathized with the missionaries, respecting the religious feelings of the Russian people, and if they did not provide obvious assistance, then they did not interfere with the church revival and did not aggravate the already difficult situation of the civilian population.

In the memoirs of Alexei Ionov also mentions the peculiar ecumenical contacts of the missionaries with the German pastors who arrived in Pskov in 1941 together with the army units of the Wehrmacht. These meetings were random. Pastor from Elba, dressed in military uniform, went to the Mission Office to get acquainted with the Pskov missionaries. It turned out that he had been interested for a long time. After a long conversation on religious topics, "he begged him to sing a few Orthodox hymns," and in response he sang "a series of old chorales." The missionaries met another pastor "in the Holy Trinity Cathedral, who watched with amazement the common confession of two hundred or three hundred people."

The reaction to the activities of the Orthodox Mission on the part of the partisans was also not unequivocal. There is a known case when a missionary was killed by partisans on the way from the region to Pskov. From the correspondence of the Orthodox Mission with the clergy, one can obtain information about how relations between missionaries and partisans developed in villages and villages. In one of the letters, the priest addresses the head of the Mission with a request to transfer him to another place, worrying for his life due to harassment and threats against him from the local partisan group.

"Unarmed, defenseless, guarded only by force Life-Giving Cross”, Orthodox missionaries went to serve in distant remote areas, realizing that a meeting with partisans did not promise good. “You can’t convince them that we are preaching Christ Crucified. We are on this side, which means we are enemies. People stabbed with the bayonets of the partisans, we buried more than once. This is how Fr. Aleksei Ionov's perception of the Mission by the partisan detachments in the district he sponsored... However, both in relations with the Germans and here there was no unambiguity. This was written by the head of the Mission, Fr. Kirill Zaits: “According to some, the partisans consider priests to be enemies of the people, whom they seek to deal with. According to others, the partisans are trying to emphasize a tolerant and even benevolent attitude towards the Church and, in particular, towards the priests. So, from the report about. Vladimir Tolstoukhov, it became known that the commander of one of the partisan detachments “encouraged the peasants to diligently attend church, saying that in Soviet Russia the church was now given complete freedom ...” Often the partisans “strictly monitored that there were no speeches in the sermons of the clergy against the Soviet power”, because it was precisely its representatives that the members of the partisan underground in the occupied territory perceived themselves to be.

Positive examples of such relations and even patronage by some underground groups of priests and their parishes were also possible thanks to the talent of missionary preachers, their selfless work and, finally, their closeness, care and love for the local population. Rectors of parishes often enjoyed great prestige and trust of their flock, mostly consisting of women, old people and children. This trust and respect for pastors may have been passed on to their fathers, brothers, husbands, those who participated in the local resistance movement. The contacts between the partisan underground and the civilian population are well known today. This explains the good knowledge of the partisans about what was happening in the occupied cities, villages, villages, including in the field of church life. Cases of loyal attitude of partisan detachments to the Orthodox Church in the occupied territory are not only a reflection of changes in the policy of the Soviet state towards the Russian Orthodox Church since 1941, but also the fruits of the apostolic feat of the Pskov mission. After all, the word of God is pronounced for everyone, and a response to it can be born in any heart. That is why the respect and trust that the members of the Orthodox Mission rightly earned by bringing the gospel of Christ to the world could arise among German soldiers, and among yesterday's Soviet materialists, and in partisan formations, and among children and youth. This is another confirmation of the undeniable success that the Orthodox Mission achieved in 1941-1944. On the other hand, surveillance, constant monitoring and everyday dangers that lay in wait for the missionaries both from the German occupiers and from the partisan underground testify to the "otherworldliness" of this Orthodox missionary movement. At all times, the world persecuted the true prophets and apostles, and some of them were killed, while others were expelled (). It highlights the true ecclesiastical character Pskov mission. She is a harbinger of the coming Kingdom of Heaven. With His advent, the Lord “will abolish all authority and all authority and power” (), and therefore, in serving the Word of Christ, it is reckless to lean on this “broken reed, which, if anyone leans on it, will enter his hand and pierce it” ().

This is how Orthodox missionaries treated the power of Caesar, regardless of what colors it was painted in (red or brown). In support of this, the words of Fr. George Benigsen: “We have long seen the impending collapse of Germany, but this did not concern us. We were the last to leave everywhere, doing our work to the end with unrelenting perseverance, knowing that our work is the work of Christ's victory.

Relations with the Moscow Patriarchy

One of the important, but less clarified questions in the history of the Orthodox Mission in the Liberated Regions of Russia is the attitude of the Moscow Patriarchate towards its activities. At the beginning of the work, it was noted that the organizer of the Pskov mission, Exarch Sergius, until the end of his life, did not leave the canonical subordination to the patriarchal locum tenens, Metropolitan. Sergius. And this was a kind of condition for the successful service of the Mission. However, very little is known about the reaction of Orthodox Moscow to the revival of church life in the occupied regions of northwestern Russia. So, in September 1942, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Met. Sergius (Stragorodsky) appealed to the hierarchs of the northwestern territories of the USSR, who found themselves in occupation, demanding "immediately take all measures to correct their deviation from the line of conduct that is mandatory for hierarchs who are under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate" . It is very difficult to comment on this document. What did the Patriarchate mean by “evasion”? It is clear that in the difficult conditions of wartime, when all ties between Moscow and the dioceses that found themselves on the other side of the front were lost, it is quite likely that the facts about the life of the Orthodox Mission, received by the patriarchal locum tenens, were very poorly known, and possibly even distorted. I can only guess what exactly could have influenced the Moscow Patriarchate's negative perception of the activities of Met. Sergius (Voskresensky). Perhaps such an irritating factor was the undisguised anti-communism of the exarch of the Baltic States and some members of the Mission, the researchers referred to this. These notes can be heard in the appeals of the Mission Directorate and the metropolitan himself. He emphasized that "first of all, it is necessary to overcome "Bolshevism" in the hearts of people." The leadership of the Pskov mission noted as an urgent task the destruction of the fruits and roots of communism. And the famous message of the patriarchal locum tenens to the Russian people dated June 22, 1941, according to Metropolitan. Sergius (Voskresensky) either did not sign it, or he signed it "under terrible threats, wanting to save the clergy entrusted to him from complete extermination." Nevertheless, Vladyka strongly recommended “reading this epistle in parishes thoughtfully and attentively...” In addition, the exarch emphasized that the church should not become an instrument of political and class struggle, and the Christian faith cannot be made dependent on this or that regime. This means that this anti-communism among the Orthodox missionaries was not their political or party orientation, but a concern for the awakening of the souls of the Russian people, largely poisoned by Bolshevik propaganda.

The Orthodox Mission, due to the lack of communications with the center, did not receive any help, and simply no support from the Moscow Patriarchate, while the Orthodox Churches in the Baltic States and Poland provided assistance to the Pskov missionaries. Books were sent from Poland, food, textbooks, liturgical books, church vestments came from Riga.

* * *

Summing up, it is impossible to omit the question of determining the type of Orthodox Mission. It is known that Christian mission is of two types - internal and external. The internal mission operates within the formal, official boundaries of the church. It is addressed to those who are members of the church by the fact of baptism, but without serious learning in the faith, without deep evangelization, remaining the so-called "babies in Christ" . This is especially true in the current church situation in Russia.

An external mission is any mission addressed to those outside the borders of the Orthodox Church, to all non-Orthodox, from an atheist and a pagan to a schismatic and a Christian of another confession, regardless of whether this mission is carried out inside or outside the Orthodox state. True, the term “Orthodox state” itself is no longer relevant for the post-Constantinian period in the history of the Christian church, and therefore a territorial interpretation of mission types is unjustified today. A good illustration of this is the history of the Pskov mission. The first missionaries, who arrived in Pskov in August 1941, found themselves in a situation somewhat reminiscent of the position of the envoys of the Orthodox Church who enlightened foreigners on the outskirts of the Russian Empire. You can’t call Soviet Russia a Christian state, because by the beginning of the war on Pskov land there was no sound church prayer, the words of the Christian sermon were not heard, the open confession of faith, as a rule, entailed persecution, arrests, martyrdom. It is clear that these conditions are characteristic of an external mission.

However, one should not completely forget that it was the inhabitants of Pskov who were among the first on Russian soil to hear the words of the Gospel of Christ. Before the October Revolution of 1917, Pskov, along with Novgorod, was the pearl of Orthodoxy: many ancient temples and rich monasteries, traditional national celebrations, solemn many-day religious processions, magnificent hierarchal services, an abundance of rites, customs of Orthodox life. All this glitter of treasures accumulated Orthodox tradition for the almost thousand-year history of Christianity in Russia, the now Soviet people of the older generation still remembered very well. They remembered, and some even hoped, that the gilding of the domes would sparkle again, the bells would sing, and the exclamation of the priest would sound in the temple. They continued to be members of the Church throughout the years of the Bolshevik hard times. It was they who greeted the members of the Mission with tears of joy and gratitude. Through the efforts of these Christians, churches were revived, parishes came to life, and they sometimes helped their pastors in missionary service and caritative activity. Therefore, the Christian mission during the occupation in Pskov also had an internal character, since it was addressed to faithful Christians who still survived in the conditions of an atheistic state. But even among those who looked forward to the revival of the Orthodox Church and immediately joined in the work of restoring it, there were different people. It is no secret that the problem of Christian enlightenment has been urgent for Russian Orthodoxy at all times. The issue of evangelism became even more acute during the years of the “Orthodox Mission in the Liberated Regions of Russia” with its center in Pskov. Evangelism is precisely integral part internal mission. So, the Pskov mission was both internal and external.

Metropolitan Sergius (Voskresensky), Exarch of the Baltic States, was the organizer of the Mission. He understood that, despite the devastation of the church, in this region the roots of spiritual life were preserved and, under favorable conditions, would give young shoots. Therefore, the main goal of the missionaries was to revive the once extinct church life.

Of course, church life is impossible without restored churches, without holy icons, candles, various church utensils, vestments (the production of these items Christian cult and their dissemination was handled by the economic department under the Mission Directorate), however, in the true revival of spiritual life, the main place is occupied by the preaching of the words of divine Truth, especially for those who have not yet met them. Hence, special emphasis was placed on missionary work with youth and children. These young members of the Church were to be the core of spiritual life in the new environment. Missionaries were prepared from them for Christian work among the youth. In addition, in order to fully provide the Orthodox Mission with cadres of missionary priests, theological courses were opened in Vilna. The special training of priests for the Mission and the education of cadres for missionary service from among adolescents and youth are the first sprouts of what, with the further development of the Mission, logically should have become a real Christian catechumenate. In addition, a new feature of the Orthodox Mission was the widespread use modern means in the work of preaching. For the first time in Russia, radio is used for this purpose, namely by a priest of the Pskov mission.

In addition, a huge work was carried out, requiring inhuman efforts: “We did everything we could. Hundreds of parishes were opened, tens of thousands of unbaptized children, adolescents and adults were christened. Church orphanages, kindergartens and parochial schools were opened. They carried out catechism on a huge scale, carried the preaching of the Gospel to every corner accessible to us ... organizing church unions, commonwealths, sisterhoods and brotherhoods.

We can recall only one example, described by Fr. Alexei Ionov, when several hundred people communed the Holy Mysteries of Christ during the liturgy he performed. Today, when the Orthodox Church in Pskov is in an incomparably better position than during the German occupation, this cannot be seen in any of the Pskov churches. The extraordinary spiritual upsurge caused by the activities of the Pskov mission in 1941-1944 was noted even by the Soviet historian Z. Balevits, although he explained this by the fact that the “churchmen” deftly used the extremely difficult situation of the people, dragging them into their networks. There is no doubt that the hardships of wartime could not but affect the state of the Russian people, and last but not least, their inner, spiritual state. I think that the previous years of Soviet power, filled with devastation, famine, terror, did not spoil the Soviet citizens well-fed, arranged life. Perhaps, thanks to this, in the hearts of people, despite the rampant atheism, hope and faith in the Lord are still preserved. This was also noted by the workers of the Mission. There is a certain regularity in this: often a peaceful, prosperous life lulls the soul of a person, extinguishes the burning of the Spirit in him, makes the creation forgetful and ungrateful to its Creator. Only "narrow gates" lead to the Heavenly Fatherland, and only upheavals of a personal nature or on a state, social scale can bring God's people out of spiritual hibernation. An entire book can be cited to support this. old testament- the book of Judges, which is largely built on this pattern. Then, perhaps, the spiritual upsurge in Pskov during the war years is hardly caused by the insidious cunning of the Orthodox clergy, but rather by the fact that the human soul is still “Christian by nature” and sooner or later, under certain conditions, this manifests itself.

It is no coincidence that the tone in the Pskov mission was set by missionaries who graduated from the St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris, and those who actively communicated with leaders of the Russian Christian student movement in the Baltics in the pre-war years and through this were enriched with new experience. The center of the Movement was also located in Paris, which was the center of the Russian Orthodox diaspora. It was a small fragment of the Russian Orthodox Church, which found itself in unique conditions - “free from persecution and from state handouts”, pressure from the “Caesar”, which the church experienced throughout the history of Christianity. The Russian émigré church in France saw as its goal not only the preservation of those spiritual values ​​that were destroyed in Soviet Russia, but also the acquisition of new values ​​- “spiritual freedom, appeal to the world, to spiritual issues that tear it apart, to culture, science, art, new life".

The Pskov mission operates in a similar situation, although conditions here were more difficult than in France in the 1920s and 1930s. Every step of the missionaries was under the close attention of the German secret services. However, there were no obstacles in preaching and catechesis, and therefore the Orthodox Mission could also use the experience that the Russian Church had already acquired in exile. Despite external difficulties, material constraints, sometimes limited physical freedom, the most active members of the Mission were true bearers of the spirit of freedom. Christ gives this spirit to His disciples, who fulfill His commandments (from the Apostle Paul to the Christians of the twentieth century), including the main one - about preaching the Gospel in the world. Thanks to the spirit of freedom, the rise of church life and the success of the Orthodox mission in northwestern Russia during the occupation became possible. Perhaps it was precisely this freedom that was so lacking in the Russian Orthodox Church of the synodal period, when “Christ's truth is replaced by countless rules, canons, traditions, external rites. Due to external growth and external splendor, inner life and achievement are diminished.

The success of the Pskov mission became possible precisely thanks to the intense inner life and the feat of the apostolic ministry of missionary priests. Some of the members of the Orthodox Mission, even after going abroad, continued to serve the Word, with all their hearts remaining with the Motherland, with the Russian people. For example, about. Georgy Benigsen for several years spoke on Radio Liberty with sermons for the people of Russia. And prot. Kirill Zaits, while in the Stalinist camp, in the distant Karaganda region, did not leave care for his spiritual children who remained in Pskov, supporting and instructing them in his letters. The experience of the Pskov mission, the spiritual hardening received in difficult military conditions, served as a powerful impetus for all subsequent years of the missionaries' lives. Those who remained in the Baltics were arrested, convicted and sent to camps. “These are the martyrs of the Mission. With their feat, they testify to the whole world that the Mission was doing a truly ecclesiastical work, for which some "... died from the bullets of Bolshevik agents, others were arrested by the Nazi Gestapo" .

I hope that the time will come when the names of the leaders of the Pskov mission will be known to the entire Orthodox Church, and not only to individual church historians. Church recognition of their apostolic feat (and hence our prayerful memory of them), the study of their experience of Christian enlightenment in Russia just today can be especially important and necessary for the disciples of Christ called to preach the Gospel.

AT recent times opened another holy page in the annals of the Great Patriotic War. It is connected with the Baltic and the Pskov land and, in particular, with the history of the ancient Pskov-Caves Monastery. Thanks to the efforts of many researchers, a very complete picture of the existence of the so-called Pskov Orthodox Mission in the years 1941-1944 has been restored. Particularly notable were the books of Sergei Fomin "Whiten with Blood", Mikhail Shkarovsky "The Church Testament to the Defense of the Motherland", as well as a separate issue of the St. Petersburg Diocesan Gazette. Today the greatest interest present research in this area, conducted by the remarkable Pskov historian Konstantin Obozny.

This phenomenon was truly amazing. Even if only because the Pskov Orthodox Mission was created simultaneously through the efforts of the chief ideologist of Nazism, Alfred Rosenberg, on the one hand, and Soviet intelligence, on the other. Taking advantage of the fact that not a single active parish remained on Pskov land during the Soviet period, Hitler and Rosenberg developed a plan to restore Orthodox life here so that the people in the occupied lands would not grumble against the invaders, but, on the contrary, would praise Hitler's power.

At the same time, Stalin and Beria developed their own plan, according to which Orthodox priests and monks in the occupied territories were to be involved in the fight against the fascist invaders. The main responsibility was assigned to the main organizer of reconnaissance and sabotage work in the occupied territories, Pavel Anatolyevich Sudoplatov.

Metropolitan Sergius (Voskresensky) of Vilna and all the Baltic states became the main character on both sides. When our troops left Riga, Sudoplatov, according to his personal recollections, hid the metropolitan so that the employees of the authorities would not take him along with the retreating. Further, the exarch was to act according to the plan developed by the NKVD. Remaining in Riga, he welcomed the entry of the Germans into the Baltic. He also became the organizer of the Pskov Orthodox Mission, which outwardly was the defender of the occupation authorities, but secretly supported reconnaissance and sabotage work.

Orthodox priests, on the one hand, were forced in their sermons to call on the people to humility and praise the Germans for helping to revive Christianity in the Pskov land. On the other hand, the same priests hid partisans, people wanted by the Gestapo, including Jews. There is evidence that in the Pskov-Caves Monastery people were hidden under domes. No one could have guessed that there could be someone hiding there. Everyone is used to the fact that there can be underground workers, and that there are also “underground workers”, could not come to mind! However, this topic is still waiting for its more detailed study.

At the same time, Orthodox priests accepted into their families or placed in the families of their parishioners numerous refugees, orphans, and children who suffered terrible trials. In 1943, thanks to the efforts of Metropolitan Sergius, children from the Salaspils concentration camp were released and given to Orthodox families and families of priests for education.

Beginning in 1942, Orthodox priests organized a constant fundraiser to support Soviet prisoners of war in Nazi concentration camps. It is impossible to read without tears the memories of how church services how the Easter liturgies were held. At the same time, the Nazis often confiscated food and things collected for prisoners and sent them to the front. This usually happened at the critical moments of the war for the Germans - after the defeat near Moscow, near Stalingrad and near Kursk. Subsequently, the state security agencies blamed the members of the Pskov Orthodox Mission for this, as the fact that they deliberately collected food and things for the fascist soldiers!

The fact that Orthodox priests actively agitated the people for Hitler was also blamed. But here, too, the Soviet punitive organs were in the vast majority of cases unfair. Yes, in the presence of the Germans, the priests had to say something in their defense. But most often they turned to the memory of Russian soldiers who fought for their Motherland, recalled the sacred images of Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy, Kuzma Minin, Dmitry Pozharsky, Fyodor Ushakov, Alexander Suvorov, Mikhail Kutuzov, instilled in the hearts of people confidence that these invaders sooner or late will be swept away from the face of the Russian land. In 1942, it was planned to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the Battle of the Ice. And at that time, the shores of Lake Peipus were held captive by the new dog-knights. But the Russian priests encouraged the parishioners, saying that the holy prince Alexander Nevsky would appear invisibly and win again. Members of the Pskov Orthodox Mission especially developed anti-Hitler propaganda after the Battle of Stalingrad.

During the existence of the Pskov Orthodox Mission, Pavel Sudoplatov carried out a plan for a special operation under the code name "Novices". AT Pskov-Pechersk monastery two agents of our special services were introduced. They posed as members of a secret community of underground priests acting against the Soviet regime. Allegedly, this anti-Soviet Orthodox underground is so strong that it can operate in Kuibyshev, which has become a “reserve capital” since the end of 1941. Radio communication was established with this "Orthodox underground", two imaginary novices received information from Kuibyshev and passed it on to the Germans. In fact, it was disinformation, which played its role back in 1942, but especially helped during the battle on the Kursk Bulge. The success of Operation Novices was praised by Stalin himself. Stalin spoke about him with his close associates on the eve of the adoption of the fateful decision to revive the patriarchate.

This is a great event in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church was reflected in the fate of the Pskov Orthodox mission.

Until a certain time, there were ambivalent relations between the Pskov Orthodox Mission and the Moscow Patriarchate. Undoubtedly, the Patriarchal Locum Tenens Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky) was aware of how and for whom the exarch of all the Baltics Sergius (Voskresensky) was working. Between them have long existed friendly relations. But at the same time, all the years of the war, both of them, let's say, under the terms of the game, were forced to clearly speak negatively about each other. Sergius (Stragorodsky) publicly censured Sergius Voskresensky for collaborating with Hitler, and Sergius (Voskresensky), in turn, publicly censured Sergius (Stragorodsky) for collaborating with Stalin. At the same time, it is especially important to emphasize that the Pskov Orthodox Mission remained in the bosom of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, and not the Church Abroad! And all the years of the war, at the services, the priests of the Pskov Orthodox Mission considered themselves under the omophorion of the Patriarchal Locum Tenens Sergius (Stragorodsky), prayed for his health.

When Sergius (Stragorodsky) was elected Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in Moscow, Hitler demanded that all Russian priests in the occupied territories anathematize him and condemn the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. Representatives of the Russian Church Abroad gathered in Vienna and carried out the will of Hitler. And Metropolitan Sergius (Voskresensky) gathered all the representatives of the Pskov Orthodox Mission, which was then led by Father Kirill Zaits, discussed the essence of the issue with them, and then a decision was unanimously made: no anathema and no condemnation! From now on, the Pskov Orthodox Mission considered itself subordinate to Patriarch Sergius (Stragorodsky). Thus, she consciously chose the path of martyrdom for herself. The Germans began to carry out repressions against Russian Orthodox priests in the Baltic and Pskov regions. However, they did not particularly succeed in this, since the Soviet army was advancing rapidly. At the beginning of 1944, the Pskov land was liberated from the invaders, and the Pskov Orthodox Mission ceased to exist.

The exarch of the Baltics himself turned out to be a martyr. In the spring of 1944, the Germans decided to destroy it. The Ostland police chief, SS Obergruppenführer Eckeln, was entrusted with the assassination attempt. On the road from Kaunas to Vilnius, the car in which Metropolitan Sergius was traveling was riddled with bullets.

Soon after the liberation of the Pskov land from the invaders, the NKVD began to arrest all members of the Pskov Orthodox Mission. Their sentences were severe - from ten to twenty years. Many did not return later from the camps. The head of the mission, Archpriest Kirill Zaits, who was arrested in Siauliai, received 20 years and ended his days in a Kazakhstani camp four years later. The head of the office of the Pskov mission, Archpriest Nikolai Zhunda, also received 20 years and died of tuberculosis in a camp in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Pechersk Bishop Peter (Pyakhkel) received 10 years and also perished in the camps. Such is the fate of many, many others who, like them, found their death behind the Soviet barbed wire.

But God gave many people the opportunity to return from their places of captivity. Archpriest Nikolai Shenrok, having received 20 years, was released 11 years later from the same Kazakhstani camp in which Kirill Zaits died. Archpriest Sergiy Efimov returned from the same camp. Priest Jacob Nachis, having received 10 years in the camps and having served them from start to finish, began to serve in the only active Orthodox church in the Komi Republic, then in the Murmansk region, in a church turned into a temple from a camp barracks.

Many of the priests of the Pskov Orthodox Mission emigrated during the offensive of the Soviet troops and ended their days abroad, some in Sweden, some in Germany, some in America. Such is the fate of Metropolitan Augustine (Peterson) of Riga, Archpriests Georgy Benigsen, Alexy Ionov, Vladimir Tolstoukhov, John the Lung and dozens of others. Who will turn his tongue to condemn them? ..

Among the members of the Pskov Orthodox Mission was the then young priest Nikolai Guryanov. He was ordained by Metropolitan Sergius (Voskresensky). In the future, Father Nikolai served on the island of Zalit on Lake Pskov and became famous as a blessed elder.

One of those who fed his flock in the occupied territory was, as is known, the priest Michael Ridiger, father of the unforgettable His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia. His Holiness has long been planning to rehabilitate those who, like his father, were forced to serve God under the Germans. With his blessing, in 2005, the Orthodox Encyclopedia Church Research Center asked me to create a literary basis for a film dedicated to the Pskov Orthodox Mission, and provided all the necessary materials. This is how my novel “Pop” appeared, published in 2007 with the blessing of Patriarch Alexy by the publishing house of the Moscow Sretensky Monastery. On the basis of this novel, together with the film director Vladimir Ivanovich Khotinenko, a believer and long-time churchman, we set about creating a script for a full-length feature film. At the same time, preparations were made for filming. His Holiness Patriarch closely followed our work. After reading the script, he approved it. With his approval, the actors for the main roles were also selected. As a result, Sergei Makovetsky was chosen for the role of priest Alexander Ionin, and Nina Usatova for the role of mother. Both he and she are also Orthodox church people. The Patriarchate has appointed the rector of the Moscow Church of the Holy Trinity in the Lists of Abbot Kirill (Korovin) as a consultant for the film. Priest Sergius Vishnevsky also gave a lot of good advice, he also presented the belt of Metropolitan Sergius (Voskresensky), which one of the parishioners of the exarch killed by the Nazis had given him.

Filming took place in Belarus and in the vicinity of the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery, and pavilions - at Mosfilm. Alas, during filming in Belarus, the sad news came about the death of the main customer of the film - our dear Patriarch Alexy. Moreover, which is significant, the episode of Easter, the Bright Resurrection of Christ in 1942, was just filmed.

When the film was edited, it was received by a commission headed by Archbishop Arseny of Istra, vicar of the Moscow diocese. The clergy and cultural figures highly appreciated the film. The music for it was written by the wonderful composer Alexei Rybnikov. The film is released in autumn 2009.

In many ways, this must be an unusual phenomenon in cinema. The main character is a village priest, who was forced to serve during the Nazi occupation. For the first time a feature film was shot under the auspices of the Moscow Patriarchy and under the direct supervision of the patriarch.

And besides, it will be an unusual film about love. Not the one we are used to seeing on the screen, most often rebellious. And about the love of two spouses - father and mother, priest and priest. About the love that these people carried through their whole lives until their death.

The Christian Church was born, grew and lives through the testimony of Christ, or mission. The problem of the Christian mission is especially acute today, when Russian is probably the most probably(that's exactly what happened!) Orthodox church finally got the opportunity of open wide preaching and deep learning in the faith of those who are thirsty for the Word.

The importance of missionary service in the church is not in doubt, however, there is not always enough experience of this service in maybe modern conditions. Often definitely gets up question: how should spiritual and educational work be carried out?

Therefore, the topic of the Pskov mission is relevant today not only as material on the history of the Russian Orthodox Church of the 20th century, as the affirmation of the church-wide prayerful memory of the martyrs and confessors of the faith, but also as a very valuable experience in missionary and catechetical activity. The history of the Pskov Orthodox mission remains one of the most mysterious pages of the Great Patriotic War. For many decades, for ideological reasons, it remained closed not only to ordinary people, but also to researchers. And only in last years a cloud of slander begins to dissipate over this host of martyrs, ascetics and victims.

Recently, another holy page has been opened in the annals of the Great Patriotic War. It is connected with the Baltic and the Pskov land and, in particular, with the history of the ancient Pskov-Caves Monastery.

Thanks to the efforts of many researchers a very complete picture of the existence of the so-called Pskov Orthodox Mission in the years 1941-1944 has been restored. Particularly notable were Sergey Fomin's "Blooded White", Mikhail Shkarovsky's "Church Covenant for the Defense of the Motherland", as well as a separate issue of the St. Petersburg Diocesan Gazette. Today is definitely the largest interest(source not specified) represent research in this area, conducted by the remarkable Pskov historian Konstantin Obozny.

This phenomenon was truly amazing. Even if only because the Pskov Orthodox Mission was created simultaneously through the efforts of the chief ideologist of Nazism, Alfred Rosenberg, on the one hand, and Soviet intelligence, on the other. Taking advantage of the fact that during the Soviet authorities there was not a single functioning parish left on Pskov land, Hitler and Rosenberg developed a plan to restore Orthodox life here so that the people in the occupied lands would not grumble against the invaders, but, on the contrary, would praise Hitler's power.

At the same time, Stalin and Beria developed their own plan, according to which Orthodox priests and monks in the occupied territories were to be involved in the fight against the fascist invaders. The main responsibility was assigned to the main organizer of reconnaissance and sabotage work in the occupied territories, Pavel Anatolyevich Sudoplatov.

Metropolitan of Vilna and all the Baltic States Sergius (Voskresensky) became the main character on both sides. When our troops left Riga, Sudoplatov, according to his personal recollections, hid the metropolitan so that the employees of the authorities would not take him along with the retreating. Further, the exarch was to act according to the plan developed by the NKVD. Remaining in Riga, he welcomed the entry of the Germans into the Baltic. He also became the organizer of the Pskov Orthodox Mission, which outwardly was the defender of the occupation authorities, but secretly supported reconnaissance and sabotage work.

Orthodox priests, on the one hand, were forced in their sermons to call on the people to humility and praise the Germans for helping to revive Christianity in the Pskov land. On the other hand, the same priests hid partisans, people wanted by the Gestapo, including Jews. There is evidence that in the Pskov-Caves Monastery people were hidden under domes. No one could have guessed that there could be someone hiding there. Everyone is used to the fact that there can be underground workers, and that there are also “underground workers”, could not come to mind! However, this topic is still waiting for its more detailed study.

Metropolitan Sergius (Voskresensk)

At the same time, Orthodox priests accepted into their families or placed in the families of their parishioners numerous refugees, orphans, and children who suffered terrible trials. In 1943, thanks to the efforts of Metropolitan Sergius, children from the Salaspils concentration camp were released and given to Orthodox families and families of priests for education.

Beginning in 1942, Orthodox priests organized a constant fundraiser to support Soviet prisoners of war in Nazi concentration camps. It is impossible to read without tears memories of how church services were held in such camps, how Easter liturgies were held. At the same time, the Nazis often confiscated food and things collected for prisoners and sent them to the front. This usually happened at the critical moments of the war for the Germans - after the defeat near Moscow, near Stalingrad and near Kursk. Subsequently, the state security agencies blamed the members of the Pskov Orthodox Mission for this, as the fact that they deliberately collected food and things for the fascist soldiers!

The Pskov Orthodox mission is one of the least studied and meaningful

The fact that Orthodox priests actively agitated the people for Hitler was also blamed. But here, too, the Soviet punitive organs were unfair in the vast majority of cases. Yes, in the presence of the Germans, the priests had to say something in their defense. But most often they turned to the memory of Russian soldiers who fought for their Motherland, recalled the sacred images of Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy, Kuzma Minin, Dmitry Pozharsky, Fyodor Ushakov, Alexander Suvorov, Mikhail Kutuzov, instilled in the hearts of people confidence that these invaders sooner or late will be swept away from the face of the Russian land. In 1942, it was planned to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the Battle of the Ice. And at that time, the shores of Lake Peipus were held captive by the new dog-knights. But the Russian priests encouraged the parishioners, saying that the holy prince Alexander Nevsky would appear invisibly and win again. Members of the Pskov Orthodox Mission especially developed anti-Hitler propaganda after the Battle of Stalingrad.

During the existence of the Pskov Orthodox Mission, Pavel Sudoplatov carried out a plan for a special operation under the code name "Novices". Two agents of our special services were introduced into the Pskov-Pechersk monastery. They pretended to be members of a secret community of underground priests acting against a supposedly Soviet authorities. Allegedly, this anti-Soviet Orthodox underground is so strong that it can operate in Kuibyshev, which has become a “reserve capital” since the end of 1941. Radio communication was established with this "Orthodox underground", two imaginary novices received information from Kuibyshev and passed it on to the Germans. In fact, it was disinformation, which played its role back in 1942, but especially helped during the battle on the Kursk Bulge. The success of Operation Novices was praised by Stalin himself. Stalin spoke about him with his close associates on the eve of the adoption of the fateful decision to revive the patriarchate.

This great event in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church was also reflected in the fate of the Pskov Orthodox Mission.

Until a certain time, there were ambivalent relations between the Pskov Orthodox Mission and the Moscow Patriarchate. Undoubtedly, the Patriarchal Locum Tenens Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky) was aware of how and for whom the exarch of all the Baltics Sergius (Voskresensky) was working. Between them for a long time there were most likely friendly relations. But at the same time, all the years of the war, both of them, let's say, under the terms of the game, were forced to clearly speak negatively about each other. Sergius (Stragorodsky) publicly censured Sergius Voskresensky for collaborating with Hitler, and Sergius (Voskresensky), in turn, publicly censured Sergius (Stragorodsky) for collaborating with Stalin. At the same time, it is especially important to emphasize that the Pskov Orthodox Mission remained in the bosom of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, and not the Church Abroad! And all the years of the war, at the services, the priests of the Pskov Orthodox Mission considered themselves under the omophorion of the Patriarchal Locum Tenens Sergius (Stragorodsky), prayed for his health.

Pskov Orthodox mission during the Great Patriotic War.

When Sergius (Stragorodsky) was elected Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in Moscow, Hitler demanded that all Russian priests in the occupied territories anathematize him and condemn the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. Representatives of the Russian Church Abroad gathered in Vienna and carried out the will of Hitler. And Metropolitan Sergius (Voskresensky) gathered all the representatives of the Pskov Orthodox Mission, which was then led by Father Kirill Zaits, discussed the essence of the issue with them, and then it was unanimously adopted solution: no anathema and no condemnation! From now on, the Pskov Orthodox Mission considered itself subordinate to Patriarch Sergius (Stragorodsky). Thus, she consciously chose the path of martyrdom for herself. The Germans began to carry out repressions against Russian Orthodox priests in the Baltic and Pskov regions. However, they did not particularly succeed in this, since the Soviet army was advancing rapidly. At the beginning of 1944, the Pskov land was liberated from the invaders, and the Pskov Orthodox Mission ceased to exist.

The exarch of the Baltics himself turned out to be a martyr. In the spring of 1944, the Germans decided to destroy it. The Ostland police chief, SS Obergruppenführer Eckeln, was entrusted with the assassination attempt. On the road from Kaunas to Vilnius, the car in which Metropolitan Sergius was traveling was riddled with bullets.

Soon after the liberation of the Pskov land from the invaders, the NKVD began to arrest all members of the Pskov Orthodox Mission. Their sentences were severe - from ten to twenty years. Many did not return later from the camps. The head of the mission, Archpriest Kirill Zaits, who was arrested in Siauliai, received 20 years and ended his days in a Kazakhstani camp four years later. The head of the office of the Pskov mission, Archpriest Nikolai Zhunda, also received 20 years and died of tuberculosis in a camp in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Pechersk Bishop Peter (Pyakhkel) received 10 years and also perished in the camps. Such is the fate of many, many others who decisively like them, found their death behind the Soviet barbed wire.

Kirill Zaits (Zakis), Head of the Pskov Orthodox Mission

But God has given many people the opportunity return(That's exactly what happened!) From the places of confinement. Archpriest Nikolai Shenrok, having received 20 years, was released 11 years later from the same Kazakhstani camp in which Kirill Zaits died. Archpriest Sergiy Efimov returned from the same camp. Priest Jacob Nachis, having received 10 years in the camps and having served them from start to finish, began to serve in the only functioning Orthodox church in the Komi Republic, then in the Murmansk region, in a church turned into a church from a camp barrack.

Many of the priests of the Pskov Orthodox Mission emigrated during the offensive of the Soviet troops and ended their days abroad, some in Sweden, some in Germany, some in America. Such is the fate of Metropolitan Augustine (Peterson) of Riga, Archpriests Georgy Benigsen, Alexy Ionov, Vladimir Tolstoukhov, John the Lung and dozens of others. Who will turn his tongue to condemn them? ..

Among the members of the Pskov Orthodox Mission was the then young priest Nikolai Guryanov. He was ordained by Metropolitan Sergius (Voskresensky). In the future, Father Nikolai served on the island of Zalit on Lake Pskov and became famous as a blessed elder.

One of those who fed his flock in the occupied territory was, as is known, the priest Michael Ridiger, father of the unforgettable His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia. His Holiness has long been planning to rehabilitate those who, like his father, were forced to serve God under the Germans. With his blessing, in 2005, the Orthodox Encyclopedia Church Research Center asked me to create a literary basis for a film dedicated to the Pskov Orthodox Mission, and provided all the necessary materials. This is how my novel “Pop” appeared, published in 2007 with the blessing of Patriarch Alexy by the publishing house of the Moscow Sretensky Monastery. On the basis of this novel, together with the film director Vladimir Ivanovich Khotinenko, a believer and long-time churchman, we set about creating a script for a full-length feature film. At the same time, preparations were made for filming. His Holiness the Patriarch closely followed our work. After reading the script, he approved it. With his approval, the actors for the main roles were also selected. As a result, Sergei Makovetsky was chosen for the role of priest Alexander Ionin, and Nina Usatova for the role of mother. Both he and she are also Orthodox church people. The Patriarchate has appointed the rector of the Moscow Church of the Holy Trinity in the Lists of Abbot Kirill (Korovin) as a consultant for the film. Priest Sergius Vishnevsky also gave a lot of good advice, he also presented the belt of Metropolitan Sergius (Voskresensky), which one of the parishioners of the exarch killed by the Nazis had given him.

Filming took place in Belarus and in the vicinity of the Pskov-Caves Monastery, and pavilions - at Mosfilm. Alas, during filming in Belarus, sad news came there about the death of the main customer of the film - our dear Patriarch Alexy. Moreover, which is significant, the episode of Easter, the Bright Resurrection of Christ in 1942, was just filmed.

When the film was edited, it was received by a commission headed by Archbishop Arseny of Istra, vicar of the Moscow diocese. The clergy and cultural figures highly appreciated the film. The music for it was written by the wonderful composer Alexei Rybnikov. The film is released in autumn 2009.

In most likely many relations this must be an unusual occurrence in cinema. The main character is a village priest, who was forced to serve during the Nazi occupation. For the first time a feature film was shot under the auspices of the Moscow Patriarchy and under the direct supervision of the patriarch.

And besides, it will be an unusual film about love. Not the one we are used to seeing on the screen, most often rebellious. And about the love of two spouses - father and mother, butt and priest. About the love that these people carried through their whole lives until their death.