Blessed Matrona (Matrona Dimitrievna Nikonova) was born in 1885 in the village of Sebino, Epifansky district, Tula region. Her parents, Dimitri and Natalia, peasants, were pious people, worked honestly, but lived poorly. The family had four children: two brothers - Ivan and Mikhail, and two sisters - Maria and Matrona. Matrona was the youngest.
Even before the girl was born, Matrona’s mother decided to send her unborn child to an orphanage, where the children of the poor were raised at the expense of benefactors, but she saw a prophetic dream. The unborn daughter appeared to Natalia in a dream in the form of a white bird with a human face and closed eyes and sat on her right hand. Taking the dream as a sign, the God-fearing woman gave up the idea of sending the child to an orphanage. The daughter was born blind, but the mother loved her “unfortunate child.”
At the baptism, when the priest lowered the child into the font, those present saw a column of fragrant light smoke above the baby. The priest, Father Vasily, whom the parishioners revered as righteous and blessed, was incredibly surprised: “I baptized a lot, but this is the first time I see this, and this baby will be holy.” Father Vasily also told Natalia: “If a girl asks for something, you will definitely contact me directly, go and say directly what is needed.”
Truly Matroa was God’s chosen one. The Lord taught her to fast even in infancy: her mother often complained to a friend: “What should I do? The girl doesn’t breastfeed on Wednesday and Friday, she sleeps for days on these days, it’s impossible to wake her up.” On the girl’s chest there was a bulge in the shape of a cross, a miraculous pectoral cross. Later, when she was already six years old, her mother once began to scold her: “Why are you taking off your cross?” “Mommy, I have my own cross on my chest,” the girl answered. “Dear daughter,” Natalia came to her senses, “forgive me!” And I keep scolding you..."
Other children often teased Matrona, even mocked her: the girls lashed her with nettles, knowing that she would not see who exactly was offending her. They put her in a hole and watched with curiosity as she groped her way out of there and wandered home. Matrona was not just blind - she had no eyes at all. The eye sockets were closed with tightly closed eyelids, like those of the white bird her mother had seen in her dream. But the Lord gave her spiritual sight. Even in infancy, at night, when her parents were sleeping, she would sneak into the holy corner, in some incomprehensible way take icons off the shelf, put them on the table and play with them in the silence of the night. Rejected by her peers, she found saints as companions in her childhood games.
From the age of seven or eight, Matrona discovered the gift of prediction and healing of the sick. One day the girl told her mother: “Mom, get ready, I’m going to have a wedding soon.” The mother was surprised and told the priest about this, he came and gave the girl communion. And suddenly, after a few days, one after another, carts began to drive up to their house, people were walking and walking with their troubles and sorrows, carrying the sick, and for some reason everyone was asking Matrona. She read prayers over them and healed many. “Matryushenka, what is this?” - asked her mother. And she answers: “I told you there will be a wedding.”
Thus, from an early age, the Lord noted Matrona with the gift of spiritual reasoning, insight and healing. The girl felt the approach of danger and foresaw natural and social disasters. Through her prayer, people received healing from illnesses and consolation in sorrows. They began to visit her more and more often from everywhere. Suffering people came to her not only from surrounding villages and hamlets, but also from distant lands; they even brought bedridden patients, whom the girl raised to their feet. Wanting to thank Matrona, they left food and gifts for her parents. So the girl, instead of becoming a burden to the family, became its main breadwinner.
The Nikonovs' house was located near the Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God. Matrona’s parents were distinguished by deep piety and loved to attend divine services together. Matrona literally grew up in church, going to services first with her mother, then alone, whenever possible. Not knowing where her daughter was, her mother usually found her in church. She had her usual place - on the left, behind the front door, where she stood motionless during the service. She knew church hymns well and often sang along with the singers. Apparently, even in childhood, Matrona acquired the gift of unceasing prayer.
When her mother, feeling sorry for her, said to Matronushka: “You are my unfortunate child!” - she was surprised: “Am I unhappy? You have Vanya, the unfortunate one, and Misha.” She foresaw the future departure of her brothers from God.
Despite her blindness, Matrona spoke about the world around her as if she saw it through her eyes. She once told her friend: “God once opened my eyes and showed me the world and His creation. And I saw the sun, and the stars in the sky, and everything on earth, the beauty of the earth: mountains, rivers, green grass, flowers, birds...”
But not only spiritually did Matrona want to visit distant lands. She really wanted to visit holy places, to venerate the shrines of the Russian land. The daughter of a local landowner, the pious and kind girl Lydia Yankova, helped her in this. She took Matrona with her on pilgrimages: to St. Petersburg, other cities and holy places of Russia. Once in St. Andrew's Cathedral in Kronstadt, at the end of the service, Father John of Kronstadt asked the people to make way for the 14-year-old Matrona approaching the salt and said publicly: “Matronushka, come, come to me. Here comes my shift - the eighth pillar of Russia.” Mother did not explain the meaning of these words to anyone, but her loved ones guessed that Father John foresaw a special service for Matrona to Russia and the Russian people, as happened during the persecution of the Church.
At the age of 17, Matrona lost the ability to walk: her legs suddenly became paralyzed. Mother herself pointed to the spiritual cause of the disease. She walked through the temple after communion and knew that a woman would approach her and take away her ability to walk. And so it happened. “I didn’t avoid it - it was God’s will.”
Until the end of her days she was “sedentary.” And her stay in different houses and apartments, where she found shelter, continued for another 50 years. She never grumbled because of her illness, but humbly bore this heavy cross given to her by God.
Even at an early age, Matrona predicted the revolution, how “they will rob, destroy churches and drive everyone away.” She figuratively showed how they would divide the land, grab plots of land greedily, just to grab more for themselves, and then everyone would abandon the land and run in all directions. Nobody will need the land.
One day Matrona asked her mother to tell the priest that in his library, in such and such a row, there was a book with the image of the icon “Recovery of the Lost.” Father was very surprised. They found an icon, and Matrona said: “Mom, I will write out such an icon.” The mother was sad: how can she pay for it? But Matrona said: “Mom, I keep dreaming about the icon “Recovery of the Dead.” The Mother of God asks to come to our church.” She blessed the women to collect money for the icon in all villages. People donated to the icon from the bottom of their hearts, with deep faith, only one man gave a ruble reluctantly, and his brother gave one kopeck to laugh. When the money was brought to Matronushka, she sorted through it, mysteriously found this ruble and a kopeck and said to her mother: “Mom, give it to them, they are ruining all my money.”
Matrona ordered the icon painter to repent of his sins, confess and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Then she asked: “Do you know for sure that you will paint this icon?” He answered in the affirmative and began to paint the icon, but nothing worked for him. Then Matrona pointed out to him that there was still a sin that he had not repented of, and helped him realize it. He was shocked, went to the priest again, repented, took communion again, and asked Matrona for forgiveness. “Go, now you will paint the icon of the Queen of Heaven,” she told him.
With the money collected from the villages, with the blessing of Matrona, another icon of the Mother of God “Seeking the Lost” was commissioned in Bogoroditsk. When it was ready, it was carried in a procession with banners from Bogoroditsk to the church in Sebino. This image of the Mother of God became the main local shrine and became famous for many miracles. When there was a drought, they took him out to a meadow in the middle of the village and served a prayer service. After it, people had not yet managed to reach their homes when it began to rain.
Throughout her life, Blessed Matrona was surrounded by icons. In the room where she lived for a particularly long time, there were three red corners, and in them there were icons from top to bottom, with lamps burning in front of them.
In an incomprehensible way, the Lord revealed to His chosen one, who had never learned to read and write, even knowledge that is taught only in schools and institutes, if it was needed to help others. One of her friends, Zinaida Zhdanova, who revered her very much and helped her a lot, urgently needed to defend an architectural project. The authorities did everything to prevent this defense from taking place. Zhdanova later said: “Mother listened to me and said: “Nothing, nothing, you’ll defend yourself! We’ll drink tea in the evening and talk!” I could barely wait for the evening, and then my mother said: “You and I will go to Italy, to Florence, to Rome, and see the works of the great masters...” And she began to list the streets and buildings! She stopped: “Here is Palazzo Pitti, here is another palace with arches, do the same as there - the three lower floors of the building with large masonry and two entrance arches.” I was shocked by her work. In the morning I ran to the institute, put tracing paper on the project and brown I made all the corrections with ink. At 10 o’clock the commission arrived. They looked at my project and said: “Well, the project turned out great, defend yourself!”
Many people came to Matrona with their illnesses and sorrows. Having intercession before God, she helped many. Matrona prayed for the people, asking Him for miraculous help for the sick. She read a prayer over the water and gave it to those who came to her. Those who drank the water and sprinkled it with it got rid of various misfortunes. Only a priest can bless water according to church rites. Of course, Blessed Matrona, for whom the canons and institutions of the Church were an immutable spiritual law, did not dare to do anything like that, but we know that not only the water consecrated in the temple has blessed healing properties, but also the water of some reservoirs, springs, wells blessed with prayer the life of holy people near them, the appearance of miraculous icons.
After the 1917 revolution, both Matrona's brothers, Mikhail and Ivan, joined the Bolshevik party, Mikhail becoming a rural activist. They were ashamed of their sister. The presence in their home of the blessed one, who received people all day long, taught them in deed and word to preserve the Orthodox faith, became unbearable for the brothers. They feared reprisals. Feeling sorry for them, mother moved to Moscow, where she lived until the end of her days. In this huge capital city there were many unfortunate, lost, fallen from the faith, spiritually sick people with a confused consciousness, a soul poisoned by the poison of atheism. Her spiritual and prayerful ministry turned many away from death and led to salvation.
The blessed one loved Moscow very much, she said that it was a holy city and the heart of Russia, although for Matrona herself, life in Moscow was a constant wandering around relatives and friends, in houses, apartments, basements... She became a homeless wanderer. Novices - hozhalki - lived with her and looked after her. Sometimes she had to live with people who were hostile to her. Housing in Moscow was difficult; there was no choice. Matrona left some places hastily, foreseeing impending troubles in spirit, always on the eve of the police coming to her, since she lived without registration. Times were hard, and people were afraid to register it. In this way she saved not only herself, but also the owners who sheltered her from arrests and repression.
Zinaida Zhdanova told what hardships the blessed one sometimes had to endure. One day in the late autumn, during the war, she came to a small plywood house where Matrona lived at that time. There was thick, damp and dank steam in the house from some kind of stove. The blessed one lay on the bed, facing the wall, and could not turn around, because her hair was frozen to the wall and was forcibly torn off. She did not agree to move to a more convenient place: “God did not order it, so that you would not regret it later.”
Matrona lived in Moscow in different places, but for the longest time (from 1942 to 1949) she lived on Arbat, in Starokonyushenny Lane, with her mother Zinaida Zhdanova.
Many times they wanted to arrest Matrona; Most often, on the eve of a possible arrest, she moved to another place, but one day, knowing that they were going to come for her, she stayed in the house. When the policeman came to take Matrona away, she told him: “Go, go quickly, there is misfortune in your house! But the blind woman can’t get away from you: I sit on the bed and don’t go anywhere.” He obeyed, went home, and there was a fire in his house, and his wife was badly burned. He managed to get her to the hospital, thanks to which she remained alive. The next day, when he came to work, he was asked: “Well, did you take the blind woman?” “I will never pick up a blind one,” he replied. “If the blind woman hadn’t told me, I would have lost my wife.”
Outwardly, her life flowed monotonously: during the day - receiving people, at night - prayer. Like the ancient ascetics, she never really went to bed, but dozed, lying on her side, on her fist. Years passed like this.
Somehow in 1939 or 1940, Matrona said: “Now you are all quarreling, dividing, but the war is about to begin. Of course, many people will die, but our Russian people will win.” “Victory will be ours,” she said at the beginning of 1941. - The enemy will not touch Moscow, it will only burn a little. There is no need to leave Moscow.”
Sometimes people could not understand the actions of the blessed one, but there was always some kind of spiritual meaning behind them. When the war began, mother asked everyone who came to her to bring willow branches. She broke them into sticks of equal length, peeled them from the bark and prayed. Her neighbors recalled that her fingers were covered in wounds. Matrona could be spiritually present in various places; for her spiritual gaze, space did not exist. She often said that she was invisible at the front, helping our soldiers. She told everyone that the Germans would not enter Tula. Her prophecy came true.
Matrona received up to 40 people a day. People came with their troubles, mental and physical pain. She refused to help anyone, except those who came with crafty intentions. Others saw in Mother a folk healer who had the power to remove damage or the evil eye, but after communicating with her they realized that this was a man of God, and they turned to the Church and its saving sacraments. Her help was selfless, she did not take anything from anyone, and everything that was brought to her was immediately given to those who lived next to her, and they distributed it to people. In fact, she had nothing of her own.
Mother always read her prayers loudly. Those who knew her closely say that these prayers were well-known, read in church and at home: “Our Father,” “May God rise again,” the ninetieth psalm, “Lord Almighty, God of hosts and all flesh” (from morning prayers) and others . She emphasized that it was not herself who helped, but God, through her prayers: “What, Matronushka is God, or what? God helps! - she said. Healing the sick, mother demanded that they believe in God and correct their sinful lives. “Do you believe,” she asked, “that the Lord is able to heal you?” She ordered everyone to wear a cross.
Sometimes, out of desperation to find help somewhere else, completely unbelieving people came to her. “I don’t know what it’s like to believe,” one woman told her. But mother helped everyone who was waiting for help, and through this their hearts warmed up and opened to faith and love for God. With her selfless service, the blessed one brought many souls to God.
One day, a believing woman who revered Matrona, on the way to her, met a general and his wife, who had just taken their daughter from a psychiatric hospital, but the doctors could not help her. Suddenly this girl (she was 18 years old) started barking. The woman said to her mother: “I feel sorry for you, let’s take our daughter to Matronushka...” This girl’s father, the general, at first didn’t want to hear anything, he said that it was all fiction. But his wife insisted, and they went to Matronushka. When the girl was brought to Matronushka, she was at first dumbfounded, then she began to spit on Matrona and struggled. “Leave her,” said Matrona, “now she won’t do anything.” The girl was released. She fell, began to thrash and spin around on the floor, and began vomiting blood. Then the girl fell asleep and slept for three days. They looked after her. When she woke up and saw her mother, she asked: “Mom, where are we?” “We, daughter, are with a visionary man,” she answered and told everything that happened to her. From that time on, the girl was completely healed.
Mother Matrona fought all her life for every soul that came to her. She never lamented or complained about the difficulties of her feat. “I can’t forgive myself for never feeling sorry for Mother, although I saw how difficult it was for her, how she was rooting for each of us,” Zinaida Zhdanova later recalled. - The light of those days still warms. In the house, lamps glowed in front of the images; mother’s love and her silence enveloped the soul. There was holiness, joy, peace, and gracious warmth in the house. There was a war going on, and we lived like in heaven.”
Matrona consoled, calmed the sick, stroked their heads, made the sign of the cross, sometimes joked, sometimes sternly rebuked and instructed. She was not strict, she was tolerant of human weaknesses, compassionate, warm, sympathetic, always joyful, and never complained about her illnesses and suffering. Mother did not preach, did not teach, she was generally taciturn. She gave specific advice on what to do in a given situation, prayed and blessed.
Matrona taught to surrender oneself to the will of God, to live with prayer, and to often make the sign of the cross on oneself and surrounding objects: “By the power of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross, save yourself and defend yourself!” She advised me to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ more often. She taught to love and forgive the old and infirm: “If the old, the sick, or those who have lost their minds say something unpleasant or offensive to you, then do not listen, but simply help them.” My mother did not dissuade me from seeking treatment from doctors; I even advised that it was necessary to undergo treatment. She said that the body is a house given by God, and if necessary, it needs to be repaired.
Mother said that when a person uses decorative cosmetics, he spoils and distorts the image of human nature, creates fake beauty, which leads to the corruption of the soul.
Matrona often confessed and received communion. Continuous prayer and communion helped the blessed one to bear the cross of serving people. Scolding the possessed, praying for everyone, sharing people’s sorrows in her soul, mother was so tired that by the end of the day she could not even talk to her loved ones and only moaned quietly, lying on her fist.
The inner, spiritual life of the blessed one remained a mystery even to those close to her. Like a true ascetic, the blessed one taught not with words, but with her whole life. Unable to walk, she taught and teaches people to follow the difficult path of salvation.
Matrona often repeated: “If a people loses faith in God, then disasters befall them, and if they do not repent, they perish and disappear from the face of the earth. How many peoples have disappeared, but Russia existed and will exist. Pray, ask, repent! The Lord will not leave you and will preserve our land!”
Matrona found her last earthly refuge in a house near the Skhodnya station near Moscow, where she settled with a distant relative. Only just before her death, mother, already quite weak, limited the reception, but people still came, and she could not refuse help to some. The time of her death was revealed to her by the Lord three days in advance, and she made all the necessary orders. She ordered no wreaths or plastic flowers to be brought to the funeral.
Before her death, a priest came to confess her. Matronushka looked excited. “Are you really afraid of death too?” - asked the priest. “I’m afraid,” mother answered, out of her humility, for she saw herself as an ordinary sinful person.
On May 2, 1952, she died. On May 3 at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, a note about the repose of the newly departed blessed Matrona was submitted for a memorial service. Among many others, she attracted the attention of the serving hieromonk. “Who submitted the note? - he asked excitedly. - What, she died? (many Moscow priests and inhabitants of the Lavra knew and revered Matrona well). The old woman and her daughter, who came from Moscow, confirmed: the day before mother died, and this evening the coffin with the body will be placed in the Moscow Church of the Deposition of the Robe on Donskaya Street. This is how the Lavra monks learned about the death of Matrona and were able to come to her burial.
On May 4, the Sunday of the Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women, the burial of Blessed Matrona took place in front of a large crowd of people. At her request, she was buried in the Danilovsky cemetery in order to “hear the service” (one of the few functioning Moscow churches was located there). The funeral service and burial of the blessed one were the beginning of her glorification among the people as a servant of God.
Before her death, the blessed one said: “Everyone, everyone, come to me and tell me, as if alive, about your sorrows, I will see you, and hear you, and help you.” People came to her grave at the Danilovskoye cemetery not only from all over Russia, but also from abroad with their troubles and illnesses.
The nature of the feat of Blessed Matrona is rooted in the centuries-old traditions of popular piety, therefore the help that people receive by prayerfully turning to the righteous woman brings spiritual fruits: people are confirmed in the Orthodox faith, filled with hope and love, and are introduced to everyday prayer life.
Matrona is known to hundreds of thousands of Orthodox people. “Matronushka” is how many affectionately call her. She, just like during her earthly life, helps people. This is felt by all those who with faith and love ask her for intercession and intercession before the Lord, towards whom the blessed old woman has great boldness.
On May 2, 1999, Blessed Elder Matrona was glorified as a locally revered saint, and in 2004 - for church-wide veneration. Her holy relics rest in the Intercession Convent in Moscow.
Based on materials from the book “Saints of the Russian Land”
In grief and sadness, for a request and advice, for help and simply to speak out, for many years now people from any town in Russia have been heading to the relics of the blessed Matrona. This saint is revered, and the flow of people to her relics does not stop. The longest queues for the shrine with relics are on the days of memory of the Matrona of Moscow. There are 3 such days a year and 2 more on the days of the Councils of Saints.
Before her death, Matrona bequeathed to come to her as if she were alive and talk about problems and ask for help. She helps. Even to those who do not ask, but believe, they say. Matrona of Moscow is very loved and revered by the people of Russia. The days of memory of this saint are marked by an increase in the endless flow of people towards her.
The second of May is celebrated as the day of remembrance of Matrona of Moscow in 2018, as usual since 1952. This is a fixed date. She is determined by the date of her death.
Interesting! This is one of several days of remembrance of the Saint. The blessed matron left this world precisely on May 2, 1950. She predicted the date of her departure three days in advance. And as usual, everything happened exactly as she said.
Matrona was buried at the Danilovsky cemetery in Moscow. She chose this place shortly before her death. Her wish was fulfilled.
Many years later she was canonized as locally revered. This happened in 1999. And in 2004, her church-wide canonization took place.
Remembrance day by date of birth of the saint
The second day of memory of Matrona of Moscow is considered the date of her birth - November 22. This date is called Angel Day. The matron was born into an ordinary peasant family, but her fate was destined for a completely extraordinary one. Enduring and putting up with the suffering that befell her, Matrona helped as best she could to everyone who asked and came to her.
Many miracles of healing are known. An example is one case when Matronushka raised a man who could not walk at all to his feet. She told him to crawl to her. He did it, although he had to travel a long distance. He walked away from the Holy House on his own feet.
Matrona helped many, those who asked and listened. The life of the most blissful one was not easy, full of trials. She was born in 1881. Her parents were ordinary peasants. From birth Matrona was blind and for this reason her mother and father wanted to send her to a boarding school. But my mother had a vision that one white, beautiful, but blind bird sat on her chest.
This vision was correctly assessed by the parents, and the girl remained in the family. Years passed, but from childhood Matrona began to show unusual abilities. Despite the fact that she could not see with her eyes, much was revealed to her. At the age of 17, Matrona lost her legs and could not move.
The blessed one had to move from the village to the capital. In Moscow she lived with relatives. Many people already knew about her unusual gift, and people came to her for help. They thanked her with food and clothes.
The old woman treated ailments and helped choose the right path. There are many known cases of its miraculous power. During the day she helped everyone who turned to her, and at night and in her free daytime hours she prayed to God.
Before her death, Matrona bequeathed to come to her even after death as if she were alive with appeals and requests. She promised to help and keeps her promise.
Days of the Councils of Saints and the date of the discovery of the relics
There are 3 more dates when the days of memory of Matrona of Moscow are celebrated. One of the days is March 8th. This is the day of the discovery of the relics of the Saint. By order of the patriarch, the relics of Matrona of Moscow were removed from her grave and sent to the Danilovsky Monastery, and then transported to the Intercession Monastery, where they remain to this day. Pilgrims come here with appeals, requests, and simply to speak out with the hope and faith that they will be heard.
In addition, Matrona is commemorated on September 2, on the day of the Council of Moscow Saints, and on October 5, on the day of the Council of Tula Saints.
Midsummer means half the period between the two greatest holidays - Easter and Trinity (Pentecost), celebrated on the 50th day after Easter. The name of the holiday is taken from the Gospel, which tells how Jesus Christ, in the third year of his preaching, at the half-time of the Old Testament Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), “entered the church and taught.”
This holiday, lasting eight days - one of the three great national Jewish holidays - was established in memory of the wanderings of the Jews in the desert, when tents (tabernacles) served as shelter for them, and especially in memory of the tabernacle shown on the mountain by God to Moses, in the image of which built a tabernacle where he placed the Ark of the Covenant. At the halfway point of this holiday, Jesus entered the Jerusalem Temple and preached there, and the Jews, hearing his preaching, “amazed, saying: How does he know the Scriptures without having studied?”
In memory of this, Midsummer has been a Christian holiday since ancient times: St. John Chrysostom mentioned it in the 4th century, gomons were dedicated to it in the 5th century by Anatoly of Constantinople, in the 7th century by St. Andrew of Crete, in the 8th century by St. John of Damascus, in the 9th year - St. Theophan the Confessor.
Remembering on this day the words of Christ, who compared his teaching with water, “giving life and wisdom to the sinner thirsting for salvation,” the church after the liturgy consecrates water in rivers, lakes, and wells, asking God to “give thirsty souls to drink the waters of piety.”
Blessed Matrona of Moscow
A girl from a poor peasant family from the village of Sebino, twenty miles from Kulikovo Field, was her parents’ fourth child, and she was also blind from birth. Her mother taught her early to church services, and Matrona Nikonova actually grew up in church: adults at home had no time for her, and the village children cruelly mocked the poor girl, knowing that the blind woman would not be able to complain - she did not see her offenders. And she felt good in the church - there she had her own place behind the front door, near the western wall, she knew church hymns well and often sang along with the singers.
Like many blind people, she felt danger approaching. Over time, visitors flocked to her, considering the girl God’s chosen one, and in gratitude they left food and gifts for her parents.
When she grew up, the daughter of a local landowner, Lydia Yankova, began to take Matrona with her on pilgrimages: to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and St. Petersburg. But at the age of seventeen, the girl suddenly lost her legs and for the rest of her life - another 50 years - she was doomed to remain “sedentary”.
All her life she received people who expected help from her as a prophetess and healer, but, according to eyewitnesses, this help had nothing to do with conspiracies, divination, so-called folk healing, extrasensory perception or magic. Matrona simply prayed for people, and through her prayers many received relief - the history of the church knows many such examples.
In 1925, Matrona moved to Moscow, where she lived until the end of her days - by that time both of her brothers had joined the party, and one even became a rural activist, and tolerated in her home the blessed one, who spent her days receiving people and teaching them to preserve the Orthodox faith, It became not only unbearable for the family, but also unsafe.
They began wandering around relatives and friends, in houses, apartments, basements. Matrona lived almost everywhere without registration, and miraculously escaped arrest several times. Voluntary assistants—"hozhalki"—lived with her and looked after her. Sometimes I had to live with people who were hostile to the blessed one: housing in Moscow was difficult, I had no choice.
They say that Matrona left some places hastily, anticipating trouble, always on the eve of the police coming to her - and thereby saved not only herself, but also the owners who sheltered her.
Outwardly, her life flowed monotonously: during the day - receiving people, at night - prayer. Like the ancient ascetics, she never really went to bed, but only dozed, lying on her side. Years passed like this.
The massive falling away of people from the church, militant atheism, growing alienation and anger, the rejection of traditional faith by millions and sinful life without repentance have led many to grave spiritual consequences. Matrona understood and felt this well.
The blessed one was taciturn, answered the questions of those who came briefly, tried not to judge anyone, taught to surrender oneself to the will of God, to live with prayer, to love and forgive the old and infirm. She taught not to be interested in priests and their lives, and advised those who wanted Christian perfection not to stand out among people outwardly, not to dress in black clothes, but rather to practice patience with sorrows. In general, there was nothing in Matrona’s instructions that would run counter to the teachings of the church.
Not knowing the spiritual life of the blessed one, people nevertheless did not doubt her holiness, that she was a true ascetic. Matrona's feat consisted of great patience, coming from purity of heart and ardent love for God. It is precisely this kind of patience that will save Christians in the last times that the holy fathers of the church prophesied. Like a true ascetic, the blessed one taught not with words, but with her whole life. Although physically blind, she possessed true spiritual vision.
Until the last days of her life, she confessed and received communion from the priests who came to her. The old lady died on May 2, 1952, and on May 3 at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra a note was submitted for the repose of the newly-deceased blessed Matrona. This is how the Lavra monks learned about the death of Matrona and were able to come to her burial. On May 4, the Week of the Myrrh-Bearing Women, in front of a large crowd of people, the blessed one was buried, at her request, at the Danilovsky cemetery in order to “hear the service” - one of the few functioning Moscow churches was located there.
The funeral service and burial marked the beginning of her glorification among the people - for more than thirty years, her grave was a place of pilgrimage, where people from all over Russia and from abroad came with their troubles and illnesses.
On the night of March 8, 1998, with the blessing of Patriarch Alexy II, the burial was opened and the relics of Matrona were found, which were first delivered to the Danilov Monastery, and then transferred to the Intercession Church on the territory of the Intercession Convent, built in 1635 by Tsar Mikhail Romanov on the site of the cemetery for homeless, vagrants and executed, ravaged by the French in 1812, rebuilt, became a center for training missionaries, closed, dilapidated and turned into a park of culture and recreation by the Bolsheviks and revived and restored in the 1990s.
On May 2, 1999, Blessed Matrona was canonized as a locally revered Moscow saint, and in 2004 her church-wide canonization took place.
Story
Marina Lev
According to the calendar it is spring. And it’s autumn outside. Damp, cloudy, spring snow lies matted, shaggy, covered with a crusty dirty crust. I'm going to Matrona. Either ask or thank. Don't know. The soul just demands that’s all. . The words of my mother, spoken, according to eyewitnesses, before her death, sank into my soul: “Everyone, everyone, come to me and tell me, as if alive, about your sorrows, I will see you, and hear you, and help you.” .Yes, that's probably what I come for. Talk it out. Not afraid to repent of your revelation; without fear of being judged, they will blab; They will not forgive weakness and will also betray you (a bad example is contagious!). Speaking out and being heard is a rare opportunity in our time of mobile communications. When you can “connect” with anyone, anytime, but have a heart-to-heart conversation with practically no one. I remember an expression from some book - probably a saying: “A friend only in good weather.” There are so many such “friends”. But today my soul is cloudy. So, we need to go to Mother Matrona... To talk it out. Find support and help. Even if it’s my fault a thousand times. Here the pointed bell tower soared upward like a cross. The line was longer than in winter. By summer, we'll probably be standing for two hours again. That is OK. I read the Akathist, and time flies by: “An angel in the flesh appeared on earth, the blessed Matrona, doing the will of God.”
In general, I like to read the akathist already inside, in the church, when I approach almost the very shrine with the relics: without going behind the twisted iron partition separating the left aisle, you can stand to the side - to the left of the line - and read. Many people do this. But I always start reading the akathist on the street, and in church I just finish reading it. To stay a little longer with my mother, but not to abuse this opportunity. Look how many people there are! Someone, like me, holds a thin book - an akathist to the saint - and carefully turns over the pages, trying not to wrinkle or drop the bouquet.
Eh, I forgot to buy flowers! I don’t know where this tradition came from, only every second person stands with a bouquet. The nuns bless the flowers on the relics and distribute them to everyone. How many times have I received as a gift either cut buds of roses and carnations, or branches of some plants. This time, for some reason, I really want to bring Matronushka flowers herself. But the line is moving quickly... I look around, wondering. I'm afraid I won't have time. Again I buried myself in the book: “Seeing the people and the priest, when you baptized you, blessed one, the wonderful pillar of cloud over your head and smelled a great fragrance...” I muttered mechanically: “fragrance,” and an annoying thought was spinning in my head: “Flowers, flowers, well, at least I wish I had one flower!” But then the line will have to take place from the very tail. How much time will I lose! Idea! I'll change places with someone now. I walk along the line and take a closer look: I want to choose someone who also needs it - to go through quickly. Here: in the middle of the line stands a young mother with her son. He happily agrees to my proposal. We're almost running. We made it - almost at the very entrance to the Intercession Church, where the relics rest. Now I’ll tell you in my new place that I’ll be leaving for a while. I remember: standing behind me is a young woman with a bouquet of pale cream roses. These are the only ones I remember. I'm running for flowers. They say Matronushka loves the field.
Intercession Monastery in Moscow |
So, red carnations or yellow chrysanthemums? I must say that I don’t like either one or the other flowers, but these are the only “field” flowers. I haven’t seen daisies in Moscow. But these chrysanthemums seem to be splashing with color: such small radiant suns on green stems. I really liked them. I’m running back. I can't find the queue. I didn’t remember the woman’s face at all. Only pale roses in her hands and a fluffy fur collar. Yeah, here it is. No. I was wrong. And suddenly: “You were standing here, here.” Well, thank God! I'm making my way. And suddenly I notice that my neighbor, it turns out, has two bouquets in her hands: in addition to those very pale roses, there are brighter and, in my opinion, prettier ones - light pink. How did I not notice them before! It’s curious, before this I often saw people in line with several bouquets - sometimes luxurious, sometimes modest. And I always wanted to ask: why two (three)? Like me, we couldn’t make a choice: chrysanthemums or carnations, red or pink? Or in gratitude based on the number of requests fulfilled? This time, when an irrational feeling drove me to buy flowers, I’ll still ask...
“They asked me to pass it on,” answered the neighbor. – A girl came up and gave the bouquet; Apparently she was in a hurry - she didn’t explain. She simply asked to be placed with the relics.
– She came up when I was buying flowers?
- Yes, right after you left...
Temple street icon of St. Blessed Matrona. There is always a very long line to see her, because it is to this icon that they bring their notes with a plea for help to the blessed Matronushka
An interesting coincidence! This time I really wanted to come to Matronushka with a bouquet, and then a girl with flowers came up to us in line. Had I hesitated another minute or two, and the bouquet, apparently, would have been handed to me. Against my will, I break into a smile. Here's how. When you really want something. From the heart. Something very good. It is coming true. Now it reads much more meaningfully: “Rejoice, fragrant flower, who makes us fragrant with the Holy Spirit; Rejoice, rock of faith, strengthening the faint-hearted in piety.”
It got warmer and the sun came out. So we went into the lower church of the Intercession Church. They sing. Only this is not an akathist! There is a service in the central aisle. How many times have I been to Matronushka’s, but I haven’t gotten to serve here. The patronal feast, it turns out, is in honor of St. Jonah. Anointing. I'll be on duty. I’ll finish reading the akathist later. I step aside so as not to disturb those who continue to move towards the shrine with the relics of the saint. The service takes a long time. I'm standing right next to the salt. A little away from the open doors of the altar. Beyond them is paradise, so they say. When the doors of the altar open, the heavens open. The cloud that has descended on the soul is gradually dissipating. They tell you to light a candle. And I have flowers in my hands. The petal rays are no longer so perky... They will wither by the time I get to Matronushka. Not good…
I really wanted to give a gift! Well, maybe we should put them in the nearest vase - next to the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God? Matronushka won’t be offended by me... I’ll bring it for her next time...
The service is over. I join the queue for the relics again. A woman stands nearby with a branch of luxurious tiger orchids! Wow!
- Thank you for something? – a tactless question involuntarily burst out.
- Yes! – the woman smiles happily. He turns away, then suddenly leans towards me and joyfully says:
“I helped, although I didn’t even ask.”
- Like this? - I ask.
- Well, I didn’t ask for myself. As always - for the family. Everyone has so many problems! You forget about yourself. And I coughed for a year and a half. Inexplicably. I’m tormented: medications don’t help, doctors don’t understand. I went to a homeopath, and only these “balls” saved me. And on the day when Matronushka was visiting, I ran out of medicine. And I only realized a day later, in the morning, that I had to go buy some. And suddenly I realize that there is no cough! It just happened by hand. That's how my mother helped me!
Her smile made my soul feel completely good. Helps! Even if you don't ask. Gives what is needed. You just need to have faith. Sincere and pure. And be grateful. Learn to give thanks. At least for all the good things. At first. And then – I’ve felt this before – we come to the temple, like to a supermarket: “Lord, I want this, this and this. And more. And quickly. Please!"
And there they see what we need most. And they probably give it to those who can understand and accept this gift. “Having from God the gift of insight from childhood, blessed mother, you have guided the hidden hearts of those who come to you, and the future, like the present one, has guided many people on the path of piety.”
Cancer with relics. Mother Matronushka, “with my soul standing in heaven before the Throne of God, my body resting on earth, and with the grace given from above, exuding various miracles. Look now with your merciful eye on us sinners..."
Here are these important words that I loved - above the shrine itself: “Everyone, everyone, come to me and tell me, as if alive, about your sorrows, I will see you, and hear you, and help you.”
And this time, more clearly than ever, I felt that you were “invisibly standing” and listening to us. Everyone... But after all the events of today, there was no desire left to stand on the sidelines and talk about what was painful. Let go. God bless!
I'm leaning over cancer. Mother, bless!..
And I hastily step aside - to the “flower girls” - that’s how I mentally dubbed the girls handing out the flowers consecrated at the relics of Matronushka... And in my hand there is a sprig of small yellow “suns”. Exactly like those radiant chrysanthemums that I liked so much in the store...
Thank you, Matronushka!
“Rejoice, reliever of our sorrows; Rejoice, comforter in sorrows..."
This is interesting:
If on average a beggar within a kilometer from the monastery earns about 20 thousand rubles a day, then how much money does a beggar earn near the walls of the monastery itself? This remains a big secret, since only selected professionals sit there, controlled by the owners. Who these owners are and with whom they share money for the right to occupy this most profitable place of “beggars” in all of Russia is unknown. The owners involuntarily think about collecting money from the monastery itself. Every day crowds of pilgrims come there, who not only order notes, buy candles, bottles for holy water, and in church shops - icons of St. blzh. Matrons and souvenirs, but also without fail donate money when they approach the main street icon of the saint.
There are guards everywhere on the territory of the monastery; no matter where you go, you can notice their close presence. CCTV cameras are installed everywhere, but pilgrims are strictly prohibited from taking photographs inside the monastery courtyard and near its gates. A security guard will immediately appear nearby and ask you to remove all filming equipment.
Actually, there is nothing new in this story even during the life of St. Matrona, many people visited her, they brought her food, clothes, candles, icons and other gifts, as well as flowers, which she loved very much, and of course money. All this goodness was in such quantities that the old woman gave everything to the people with whom she lived, while she herself made do with modest food and clothing. So Matronushka’s circle always lived very well and gradually grew richer from generous gifts.
It is not surprising that many other dioceses and monasteries are looking for the same bread saints as Matrona. They promote various kinds of projects in every possible way and literally promote “their” saints, encouraging believers to go to their relics on pilgrimage. They build monuments to them, write articles about them in magazines and on websites, make beautiful high-quality films, produce souvenirs with their theme, beautifully designed icons, organize pilgrimage tours, etc. But so far none of the saints feeds their surroundings as generously as St. Matron. And there is some kind of Providence from God in this. Maybe it’s true that God puts smart, beautiful, and successful people to shame, and grants grace to a blind, bedridden, uneducated woman who, during her lifetime, acquired grace-filled prayer and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
On May 2, the entire Orthodox world celebrates a big holiday in honor of Materena Nikonova, known as Mother Matrona. Matryona Dmitrievna is included in the register of Orthodox saints of the Russian Church.
Biography
She was born in 1881 in one of the villages of the Tula region, then still a province. Blessed Matrona of Moscow was born blind. The parents were in despair, the mother even decided to take her daughter to an orphanage, but came to her senses in time. It's all because of a dream the parent had. In a dream, the mother saw a bird of wondrous beauty, blind, but white and bright. The mother definitely took what she saw as a sign from above and did not give her daughter to the shelter.
Life of Saint Matrona
Saint Matrona acquired the gift at a very young age. According to information received, from the age of eight she was treating people and protecting them from bad events in life. But, as you know, trouble does not come alone. When the girl turned 18, she stopped walking. Even despite huge health problems, Matrona of Moscow moved to the capital in 1925 and periodically lived with her many friends, admirers and acquaintances.
Matrona and Stalin
According to one of the legends, the Generalissimo himself knew about Matrona’s gift. They say that just before the start of the war, Joseph Vissarionovich personally visited Matrona and was interested in the future of the country, in particular the outcome of the war. Unfortunately, apart from a beautiful legend, this story is no longer supported by anything. The saint willingly received not only the elect, but also ordinary mortals, to whom she told about the fates of her relatives who fought at the front.
Medicine
Matrona had an unearthly gift, but, nevertheless, she asked people not to neglect various forms of treatment. Find salvation from illnesses not only in prayers, but also in modern, secular medicine. The saint herself argued that the human body is a house created by God for the soul, therefore this very house must be kept in perfect order.
Death of Saint Matrona
Like many events in her life and the lives of others, the saint predicted her own death. She did this three days before her death, it happened on May 2, 1952, on the day when we celebrate the day of St. Matrona. She was buried at the Danilovsky cemetery, and since then this place has become holy for pilgrims.
Canonization
Matrona was officially included in the ranks of Orthodox saints in 1999. Since then, pilgrims from all over the world come to the Saint’s grave every year. Saint Matrona did not specifically teach anyone how to ask for help, so at her grave everyone turns to her as they wish. But the main thing is to ask her for health in your conversation with the Saint, affectionately calling her Matronushka.
