Hermogenes Tobolsky, schmch. The key to understanding the revelation of John the theologian - Hermogenes of Tobolsk Conflict with the Synod and exile

• Tiflis Theological Seminary. Inspector, hieromonk. 1893-1898.
• Tiflis Theological Seminary. Rector, archimandrite. 1898-1901.
• Cathedral in honor of the Beheading of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John, Volsk. Bishop Volsky, vicar of the Saratov diocese. 1901-1903.
• Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Saratov. Bishop of Saratov and Tsaritsyn. 1903-1911.
• Assumption Cathedral in Tsaritsyn. Bishop of Saratov and Tsaritsyn. 1903-1912.
• Holy Dormition Zhirovitsky Monastery in Grodno province. Resident. 1912-1915
• Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery of the Moscow Diocese. Resident. 1915-1917
• Sophia-Assumption Cathedral in Tobolsk. Bishop of Tobolsk and Siberia. 1917-1918.

Saint Hermogenes (Dolganev),
Bishop of Tobolsk and Siberia

On January 14, 1901, in the Kazan Cathedral of St. Petersburg, the episcopal consecration of Archimandrite Hermogenes (Dolganev), appointed to the Volsky See, was performed. The rite of consecration was performed by Metropolitan of St. Petersburg Anthony (Vadkovsky), Metropolitan of Moscow Saint Vladimir (Epiphany), Bishop of Gdov Saint Benjamin (Kazan). Two of the bishops who performed the consecration, Vladimir and Benjamin, will share the tragic fate of Hermogenes, whom they ordained, and will be tortured by godless persecutors.

Bishop Hermogenes, in the world Georgy Efremovich Dolganev, was born in the Kherson province into the family of a Edinoverie priest on April 25, 1858. At the Novorossiysk University, located in Odessa, the future Volsky bishop graduated from the Faculty of Law and took a full course in the Faculty of Mathematics, while simultaneously attending lectures in the Faculty of History and Philology. In 1890, at the age of thirty-two, he, as a student at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, took monastic vows and two years later was ordained to the rank of hieromonk.

After graduating from the Theological Academy in 1893, Archimandrite Hermogenes was appointed inspector, and then in 1898, rector of the Tiflis Theological Academy. During the years of the rector of Hermogen Dolganev, this outlying educational institution acquired the spirit of strict churchliness, creative search, and Orthodox spirituality. Not limiting himself to the walls of the seminary, he created church schools and missionary brotherhoods throughout almost the entire Caucasus.

The foresight of Hermogenes, who sought to free the seminary from everything unusual for the spirit of Orthodoxy, was manifested in the expulsion of Joseph Dzhugashvili from its walls in 1899, the ominous fate of the executioner of Russia was foreseen.

In the State Archives of the Saratov Region, among the papers of Bishop Hermogenes, there is an explanatory note from seminary student Joseph Dzhugashvili, justifying his late attendance at classes after the holidays.

Bishop Hermogenes remained at the Volsk See for two years, and this time was associated with a significant revival of church life in Volsk. The tireless bishop develops broad missionary activity, attracting to it many lay people who have the education and abilities necessary for the work of spiritual enlightenment. The earnest, lengthy, reverent services that the Bishop performed in the Volsky churches attract many parishioners who have already forgotten the way to the temple. He organizes extra-liturgical readings and conversations, and develops Sunday school programs for children and adults.

On October 27, 1902, His Grace Hermogenes consecrated a house church in the name of the Archangel Michael of God at the Volsky Real School. The headman of this temple was the famous Volsky merchant Nikolai Stepanovich Menkov. Divine services for the realists were performed by the teacher of the law, priest Nikolai Rusanov, who later became one of the prominent renovationist hierarchs.

On September 16, 1901, classes began at the Second Saratov Diocesan School, opened in Volsk. Priest Nikolai Rusanov was appointed acting chairman of the school council.

The first academic year was spent in Melnikov’s private house, so cramped that it was not even possible to set up a house church. For Sunday liturgy, the pupils went to the parish Trinity Church located opposite. The all-night vigil took place right in the school apartment. He was usually served by the cemetery priest Nikolai Tikhomirov.

On August 24, 1903, His Grace Hermogenes served a prayer service at the foundation stone of the new building of the Diocesan School. Almost all the Volga clergy, secular authorities, representatives of the teachers' seminary and other educational institutions of the city arrived at the celebration. In the summer of 1905, 148 diocesan women moved into a beautiful three-story building with a house church. With the move to its new home, the school became a six-grade school, in 1909 the 7th pedagogical class was opened, and in 1915 another, 8th, pedagogical class.

Due to the outbreak of the First World War, the new school building was given to the military. Classes in 1915 - 1917 were held in two shifts, in the building of the parochial school at the Intercession Church. In September 1917, classes in the lower grades had to be postponed indefinitely. In December, the school treasury was completely empty. From the beginning of 1918, pupils began to be called only for consultations and exams. 1918 was the last academic year not only for Saratov diocesan schools. All theological schools in Russia ceased to exist.

In the last year of the administration of the Volsky Vicariate, Bishop Hermogen began the construction of a new building of the Volsky Theological School. A resolution on this matter was adopted by the diocesan authorities on October 17, 1902. The contract for construction, which began in the spring of 1903, was taken by Nikolai Stepanovich Menkov. Soon the Volsk Theological School, which had been crammed into a mansion built in Zlobin since 1847, moved to a spacious building on the outskirts of the city, in which a house church was built in the name of three Ecumenical Saints: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom. “Saratov Diocesan Gazette” in No. 18 for 1903 reported on the donation by Archpriest of the Volsky Cathedral School Matthew Vasiliev of silver-gilded liturgical vessels worth 153 rubles for the new Church of the Three Hierarchs.

The building of the Theological School has survived to this day. After the revolution, it was occupied by the Volsky Teachers' Institute, and currently it houses the Pedagogical School No. 2.

The Volskaya Annunciation Church keeps several icons brought by Bishop Hermogenes from Athos.

On March 21, 1903, His Eminence Hermogenes received a decree appointing him the ruling bishop of the Saratov diocese and ruled it during the most difficult years of the First Russian Revolution. During the revolutionary unrest of 1905, Bishop Hermogenes does everything possible to calm the disoriented population of Saratov. He performs almost daily services, during which he addresses the people with requests to move away from troublemakers and in no case use violence.

The Reverend Hermogenes invited the workers to gather with him to resolve issues of public life. The number of participants in these meetings constantly increased, and at one of them a decision was made to build a new temple.

Back in 1903, His Eminence Hermogenes founded the Nativity Brotherhood for mutual assistance of artisans and factory workers. Honorary members of this Brotherhood, in addition to Hermogenes himself, were the Right Reverend Paul, who retired in the Balashov Convent, Archpriest John Ilyich Sergiev (Kronstadt), Governor Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin, Vice-Governor D. G. Novikov.

The Nativity Brotherhood created a savings and loan bank, an intermediary bureau for finding work, and a consumer shop. The Spiritual and Educational Union organized by the Brotherhood was located at the Upper Bazaar.

Despite the fact that Saratov was at that time a large industrial center and a university city, the revolutionary unrest there very soon ceased.

At this time, Bishop Hermogenes established the newspapers “Orthodox Russian” and “Brotherly Listok”, in which he published many of his articles. “Saratov Diocesan Gazette” is turning into the weekly “Saratov Spiritual Bulletin”. “Orthodox Russian” and “Brotherly Messenger” were intended for the widest distribution among the common people. The editors of these publications sent out hundreds of sheets of each edition, asking deans for a symbolic fee of a penny per copy.

At the beginning of 1906, under the editorship of the “Brotherly Messenger,” His Grace Hermogenes established a committee to provide assistance to the hungry in the Saratov diocese, the chairman of which was priest Sergius Chetverikov. The consistory sent decrees to all deanery districts so that all churches of the diocese on all Sundays and holidays would make a special collection in favor of the hungry, preceded by the teaching of the priest.

His Eminence Hermogenes ardently supported the patriotic movements that began in the midst of popular life. In 1905, branches of the Orthodox All-Russian Fraternal Union of the Russian People were opened in Saratov and district towns of the province. One of the first chairmen of the Saratov branch was priest Matthew Karmanov.

In Volsk, the chairman of the local branch for a long time was the rector of the Cathedral, Archpriest Modest Belin. In addition to this Orthodox Fraternal Union, branches of the All-Russian Union of the Russian People worked in Saratov and district cities, whose members were not only Orthodox citizens, but also, for example, Old Believers.

Thus, in Volsk, the permanent chairman of the local branch of the Union of the Russian People was the Old Believer-beglopopov merchant Alexander Yakovlevich Solovyov.

During the stay of the Most Reverend Hermogenes at the Saratov See, the work of the Saratov diocesan care for the poor of the clergy was also revived. According to the charter of this guardianship, the following had the right to receive regular benefits: 1) virgin orphans before entering an educational institution for government support, before getting married and up to the age of 21; 2) boys up to the age of entering a religious school or up to 12 years of age; 3) widows and unemployed persons until they receive a regular position or until death, if their favorable behavior deserves it; 4) families and children of persons removed from their places or sent to a monastery for correction until their parents are identified or returned to their places.

Saratov Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Photo con. XIX century From SOMK funds

Bishop Hermogenes attached great importance to the educational activities of the Brotherhood of the Holy Cross, calling on the parish clergy to at least materially contribute to its work.

On March 1, 1905, the Consistory sent out a decree to all deanery districts of the diocese, which spoke about the proposal of the Right Reverend.

“In order to better familiarize the Orthodox population of our diocese with the activities of the renewed local Orthodox Brotherhood of the Holy Cross with its 3 branches and to attract Orthodox residents to active participation in fraternal activities, as well as to increase the funds of the Brotherhood, I propose that the Spiritual Consistory make an appropriate order on the annual production in all churches of the diocese of collecting donations in favor of the Brotherhood of the Holy Cross for two days - March 25 and September 14 during all services, while ordering the parish priests, before the start of the collection, to first familiarize parishioners with the activities of the Brotherhood in their sermons and invite them to join among the brother-members."

In the conditions of the rapid destruction of moral principles in the education of youth in secular educational institutions, His Grace Hermogenes attached special importance to the activities of church schools. At a solemn act held on June 13, 1904 and dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the transfer of zemstvo schools to the jurisdiction of the Church, it was decided to establish the Saratov Diocesan Society for Assistance to Teachers and Students in Church Schools of the Saratov Diocese named after Sovereign Emperor Alexander the Third.” It was decided to contribute 1,500 rubles from the interest of Zakharyin’s capital and a ruble from each church in the diocese to the initial fund of this society. Approving this decision, at the report of the Chairman of the Diocesan School Council, Archpriest Krechetov, Bishop Hermogen writes an order to the steward of the Bishop's House to contribute 400 rubles from the funds of the Cross Church, 200 rubles from the funds of Kinovia, 400 rubles from his own bishop's salary to the fund of the opening Society. In addition, the bishop asked the rector fathers not to limit themselves to the ruble contribution and to donate more to church schools, if possible.

As the ruling bishop of the Saratov diocese, His Grace Hermogenes did not forget his first cathedral city. He loved to visit Volsk and serve in the crowded Volsk churches. On June 16, 1912, Vladyka arrived in Volsk by ship along with the Miraculous Sedmiezern Icon of the Mother of God.

After the liturgy and prayer service before the holy image, served together with the Volsky vicar bishop Dositheus and the council of the city clergy, bishops Hermogenes and Dosifei went to Kazan and further to the Sedmiezernaya Hermitage, the permanent residence of the Miracle-Working Icon. The Right Reverend Hermogenes invited in advance all admirers of the Heavenly Queen to follow the image on the steamship “Udachny”, and the Volsky dean Alexander Znamensky specially inquired about the cost of travel to Kazan and back.

Bishop Hermogenes understood well that the Church was the only healthy moral force in the indignant Russian society. He tried to establish the authority of the Church with all his might. When in 1908 the Saratov Duma decided to name two elementary schools after L.N. Tolstoy (while the writer was still alive), Hermogenes turned to the governor with a request to cancel this decree, but was refused.

Defending his flock from the preaching of debauchery and godlessness that began to be heard from the theater stage, Bishop Hermogenes raised his voice against the staging of Leonid Andreev’s decadent anti-Christian, blasphemous plays “Anatema” and “Anfisa”, against the mediocre play “Black Crows” staged at the Saratov Theater in 1910 year and in the wrong sense exposed the Orthodox clergy.

“Speaking with a pastoral word against the play,” the bishop wrote, “I did not at all have in mind this or that literary value of it - and it is, admittedly, insignificant - I meant this play as an outrageous libel against Divine Providence and all dear and sacred objects of faith for every Christian..."

Those in power, fearing after 1905 to be branded as obscurantists and ignoramuses, did not take any action against the continued unbridled insult to the Church. The report of the Saratov bishop was met with the same silent indifference in the Holy Synod, who proposed, on the basis of canonical rules, to excommunicate several Russian writers from the Church, among whom were D. S. Merezhkovsky, V. V. Rozanov, L. Andreev.

The “advanced public” took cruel revenge on the bishop, calling the most educated clergyman an obscurantist and obscurantist, a persecutor of freedom and enlightenment, and a hater of the intelligentsia.

Hermogenes was accused of being the one who contributed to the resignation in 1910 of the Saratov governor, Count Sergei Sergeevich Tatishchev.

Having been initially fascinated by the folk truth of Grigory Rasputin, the Bishop of Saratov soon realizes what kind of adventurer is influencing the August Family and all Russian politics. The far-sighted Hermogenes clearly sees to what tragic end the pseudo-spiritual old man is bringing Russia closer. Bishop Hermogenes becomes an active opponent of Rasputin and uses all means available to him to expose the rogue and tramp.

The long arms of Grigory Efimovich turned out to be much more terrible than the entire “progressive community”, which fiercely hated Hermogenes. The Holy Synod was a toy in the hands of an unprincipled adventurer, and the ruler of Saratov felt this very soon.

At the regular session of the Synod at the end of 1911, Hermogen spoke out against the introduction into the Russian Orthodox Church of a previously unknown corporation of deaconesses and the rite of funeral service for non-Orthodox people. Not finding support from the permanent and temporary members of the Synod, he sent a telegram to the Emperor, who was seriously interested in what was happening in the highest body of church government.

Chief Prosecutor Vladimir Karlovich Sabler, who was entirely dependent on Rasputin, handled the matter in such a way that the Emperor saw in this quite ordinary defense of his opinion an attempt to discredit the Synod. On January 7, 1912, Hermogenes received the Highest Decree on his release from presence in the Synod and an order to immediately leave the capital. Hermogenes, feeling unwell, was in no hurry. Sabler reported to the Emperor about disobedience. As a result, on January 17, a new Imperial decree appeared on the dismissal of Hermogenes from the administration of the diocese and deportation to the Zhirovitsky Monastery in the Western Territory.

Could the Emperor have thought at that time that just six years later, he, now only citizen Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov, or the former Tsar, as the Bolsheviks would deliberately persistently call him, would accept the blessing of the Tobolsk Bishop Hermogenes.

In Zhirovitsy, the gift of foresight, which Hermogenes had discovered back in Tiflis, was rediscovered. Often, covering his face with his hands, he cried inconsolably and said with contrition:

“The ninth wave is coming, coming; will crush, sweep away all rot, all rags; a terrible, blood-chilling thing will happen - they will destroy the Tsar, they will destroy the Tsar, they will certainly destroy ... "

The last protopresbyter of the Russian army and navy, Georgy Shavelsky, who visited the disgraced bishop in 1915, left interesting memories of Bishop Hermogenes’ stay in Zhirovitsy and the oppression he experienced from the Grodno bishop and monastery brethren. “The situation of disgraced bishops imprisoned in monasteries has always been difficult. Diocesan bishops often did not spare the pride of their brethren who fell into disgrace. But the heaviest of all was the oppression of the abbots of the monasteries, often semi-literate archimandrites, who pettyly and rudely exercised their power and rights, not sparing the episcopal rank of prisoners. In this case, the bishop’s position was complicated by the fact that he was imprisoned in a monastery by order of the Highest. The local diocesan authorities clearly tried to show that they were strict with those whom the tsar did not favor. Bishop Hermogenes had a bad life in the monastery. And the Grodno Archbishop Mikhail, and the ignorant archimandrite rector, and even the very kind and meek vicar, Bishop Vladimir, each in his own way pressed the unfortunate prisoner...”

But even in Zhirovitsy, His Grace Hermogenes did not lose heart. His table was always littered with books, papers, newspapers, and medicines. For local peasants, the disgraced bishop prepared healing infusions and decoctions of medicinal herbs.

Many high-ranking persons and even members of the royal family spoke with sympathy about Hermogenes. The head of the police department, Stepan Petrovich Beletsky, wrote that while staying in Zhirovitsy, “the bishop humbly endured all hardships, served in the church in the cold winter, with broken frames, lived, denying himself everything, and with the money occasionally sent to him by his admirers, he supported a paramedic and pharmacy, helping the paramedic, and providing medical assistance to everyone who came for it, without distinction of nationality or religion.”

Due to the danger from the advancing German troops, at the request of the Commander-in-Chief, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, in August 1915, Bishop Hermogenes was transferred to the Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery near Moscow, where the revolution found him.

Hermogenes' prophecy came true. The ninth wave of the senseless and merciless Russian revolt swept away everything. But the Lord prepared a martyr’s crown for him himself.

In March 1917, the Holy Governing Synod dismissed Rasputin's protege, Bishop of Tobolsk Varnava (Nakropin). The meeting of laity and clergy of the Tobolsk diocese elected Bishop Hermogenes as its diocesan bishop. In September, Vladyka was already in Tobolsk.

“I sincerely, from the depths of my soul, thank the All-Merciful Lord for staying and setting me up in Tobolsk,” he wrote to Patriarch Tikhon, “this is truly a monastery city, shrouded in silence and tranquility, at least at the present time.”

As a representative of the Tobolsk diocese, His Grace Hermogenes was a delegate to the Local Council of 1917-1918. Here he worked as deputy chairman of one of the most important departments - the department of the Higher Church Administration.

Tobolsk calm did not last long. The Civil War also affected this city. Here the family of the last Emperor was imprisoned, and Nicholas, who was still allowed meetings with the clergy, asked the rector of the Cathedral, Archpriest Vladimir Khlystun, to convey a bow to Bishop Hermogenes and a request to forgive him for his removal from the Saratov see. The Bishop did not hold a grudge and he himself asked the Most August Prisoner for forgiveness.

In Tobolsk, Bishop Hermogenes organized the St. John-Dmitrievsky Orthodox Brotherhood, which aimed to work with soldiers who had returned from the front and were corrupted by Bolshevik propaganda.

The bishop's concern for front-line soldiers infuriated the Bolsheviks.

No less furious were aroused by numerous appeals calling on believers to defend the Church and church shrines, to spiritual resistance to atheism and violence, perseverance and patience. On April 15/28, 1918, the fearless Bishop Hermogenes led a procession of the cross, in which all the city clergy and thousands of laity participated. For several hours, the procession with singing walked through the streets of the city, inspiring everyone who cared about the Russian Church. Immediately after the religious procession ended, the bishop was arrested.

Fearing popular indignation, the authorities secretly took the bishop to Yekaterinburg, where, while in strict isolation, he nevertheless conveyed letters, from which it was clear that the spirit of the archpastor had not faded. From prison, His Eminence Hermogenes wrote a letter to Patriarch Tikhon outlining the history of his arrest and a humble request to leave him at the Tobolsk See, and consider his stay in prison as a continuation of his ministry.

A delegation of the Tobolsk clergy that arrived in Yekaterinburg began negotiations with the authorities about release on bail. The authorities, well aware that they could immediately arrest the bishop again when released on bail, demanded unimaginable sums.

When the money was collected and transferred, everyone who worked for the release of the bishop found himself under arrest. A few days later, the bishop’s brother, Archpriest Efrem Dolganev, priest Mikhail Makarov and attorney at law Konstantin Minyatov were shot.

A few days later, His Grace Hermogenes, along with other prisoners, was taken to Tyumen. On June 13/26, 1918, the prisoners brought to Tyumen were immediately taken from the station to the Ermak steamship. In the evening of the next day, the ship stopped at the village of Pokrovskoye and here everyone, with the exception of the bishop and the priest Peter Karelin who was with him, was transferred to the ship "Oka", then put ashore and shot.

According to the Bolsheviks, “Ermak”, in view of the upcoming clash with the troops of the Siberian government, was to turn into a real fortress. Dressed in a cassock and skufia, the physically exhausted bishop, showered with curses and beatings, carried logs and boards and built fortifications. His good spirits did not leave him; the crew of the ominous steamship heard the Bishop singing Easter chants all the time.

On the evening of June 15/28, the bishop and priest were transferred to the Oka. On this ship, the prisoners were put in a dirty and cramped hold; The steamer went down the Tura towards Tobolsk. Around midnight, the Bolsheviks dragged Peter Karelin's father onto the deck and, tying two granite stones to him, threw him into the river. Half an hour later Bishop Hermogenes was brought onto the deck. Until the last minute, the bishop said a prayer. When the murderers tied the stone, he meekly blessed them. The dark waters of Tura closed over the body of the bishop thrown into the abyss. His spirit returned to God.

The Lord glorified His saint. The honorable remains of the holy martyr did not remain in oblivion. Despite the granite stone, they were thrown ashore and on July 3rd they were found and buried by a peasant from the village of Usolskoye, Alexei Maryanov.

Soon after the Bolsheviks were thrown out of Tobolsk by the troops of Admiral Kolchak, the bishop's body was taken out of the ground and, with honors, was transported to Tobolsk on the Altai steamer.

For five days, the coffin with the body of the holy martyr, which showed no signs of decay, stood in the St. Sophia Cathedral. The Tobolsk flock said goodbye to their saint.

On August 2/15, Bishop Irinarchus, vicar of the Most Reverend Hermogenes, co-served with a host of clergy, performed the rite of burial. Hieromartyr Hermogenes was buried in a crypt built in the St. John Chrysostom chapel of the Cathedral, on the site where the first grave of St. Metropolitan John of Tobolsk was located.

On June 23, 1998, the Hieromartyr Hermogenes was glorified among the locally revered saints of the Tobolsk diocese, and on August 20, 2000, by the Act of the Jubilee Consecrated Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, his name was included in the Council of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia for church-wide veneration. By the same Act, those who suffered along with St. were canonized for church-wide veneration at the Council of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia. Hermogenes the Hieromartyrs Ephraim, Michael and Peter and the Martyr Constantine. In the summer of 2005, during the renovation of the St. Sophia Cathedral of Tobolsk, a crypt was discovered in which the earthly remains of the new martyr rested, and on September 2-3, 2005, celebrations took place in Tobolsk on the occasion of the discovery of the relics of the holy martyr Hermogenes, Bishop of Tobolsk and all Siberia.

When preparing the material the following were used:

1. Priest Mikhail Vorobyov. Volsky Vicariate in the 19th and 20th centuries. Electronic document.

Prepared by the Diocesan Commission for the Canonization of Ascetics of Piety of the Saratov Diocese. Cm.:

Hieromartyr
Bishop of Tobolsk and Siberia Hermogenes

(in the world Georgy Efremovich Dolganov, 25.IV.1858 - 16/29.VI.1918)

Hieromartyr Hermogenes was born into the family of a co-religionist priest of the Kherson diocese, who later became a monk. After graduating from the Theological School, he passed the matriculation exam at the classical gymnasium in the city of Ananyev, Kherson province, receiving the right to enter the university. Having graduated from the Novorossiysk University in Odessa with a degree in law, he nevertheless chose the path of serving God, which was greatly facilitated by Archbishop Nikanor (Brovkovich) of Kherson, and entered the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. In 1892, George took monastic vows, and on March 15, 1892, he was ordained hieromonk. After graduating from the academy in 1893, the young hieromonk was appointed first as an inspector and then as rector of the Tiflis Theological Seminary with elevation to the rank of archimandrite. He worked a lot in the Caucasus and in the field of missionary work. On January 14, 1901, in the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg, he was consecrated Bishop of Volsky Vicar of the Saratov Diocese, and already in 1903 he was appointed to an independent department, becoming Bishop of Saratov and Tsaritsyn. That same year he was appointed to attend the meetings of the Holy Synod.

Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt treated Vladyka with great love. He once said that he could die peacefully, knowing that Bishops Hermogenes and Seraphim (Chichagov) would continue his fight for Orthodoxy. Father John, predicting the martyrdom of the saint, wrote to him in 1906: “You are in a feat; the Lord opens heaven, like Archdeacon Stephen, and blesses you.”

With the beginning of the Troubles of 1905-1907. Bishop Hermogenes led an uncompromising struggle against revolutionary agitation and the connivance of local authorities towards liberals and socialists. He became one of the inspirers and active figures of the Black Hundred. By that time, the bishop had come to the conviction that “it is now necessary for us, the shepherds, to use not only the temple to guide our flock, but also public organizations.” Thanks to his firm and courageous position in defending his native foundations, Bishop Hermogenes became one of the main authorities among the Black Hundred monarchists. It is significant that the Third All-Russian Congress of Russian People in Kiev on October 1-7, 1906 sent welcoming telegrams to only five bishops: Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky), Archbishop Anthony (Khrapovitsky), Bishops Alexy (Molchanov), Nikon (Rozhdestvensky) and Hermogen (Dolganov) ). In a response telegram, the Saratov saint wrote: “May the Lord unite you firmly, mightily, and may he clothe you all with an indestructible robe out of fiery, invincible zeal to death for the defense of the Faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland.” The Bishop feared that the monarchist movement, carried away by the political struggle, would become mired in squabbles and fall apart. To prevent such a development of events, he sought to place the Black Hundred on the solid ground of the Orthodox worldview. To this end, in 1907, on his initiative, the Saratov department of the Union of the Russian People was transformed into the Orthodox All-Russian Fraternal Union of the Russian People. Speaking at the celebrations in connection with the opening of the Union, which took place on Spiritual Day, Bishop Hermogenes expressed confidence that “now, having placed the matter on the solid ground of religious and patriotic inspiration, enlightened by the light of the Christian faith, united in the living body of Christ - in the Holy Orthodox Church, “We can be sure that our work was conceived disinterestedly, executed sacredly and will stand firmly, on unshakable foundations.” The Charter of the Union, approved by Bishop Hermogenes on the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God on July 8, 1907, determined that the patron of the Union and its honorary chairman was the diocesan bishop. Among the requirements for members of the Union there was one point that distinguished the new organization from other monarchical unions and parties: members could be not just natural Russians, Orthodox, of both sexes, of any class and condition, but necessarily “leading a life in accordance with the teachings of the Orthodox Church.” In 1910 Bishop

Hermogenes opposed the staging of blasphemous plays in the Saratov theater, which caused him to have a conflict with the governor. Officials began to spread information about him as a quarrelsome person. By 1911, the saint’s relationship with G.E. had deteriorated. Rasputin, whom at first he actively supported, but then became one of the most implacable opponents of the friend of the Royal Family. Believing the accusations against Rasputin, he even tried on December 16, 1911 to force him to leave St. Petersburg. Having failed to achieve his goal, Bishop Hermogenes tried to win over the members of the Holy Synod. Having received a refusal from the bishops, he sent a letter to the Tsar, begging him to rid the Throne of the influence of Rasputin. At the same session of the Holy Synod, he had a conflict with Chief Prosecutor V.K. Sabler on another issue about the planned introduction of the institution of deaconesses. At the urgent request of the chief prosecutor, the Emperor dismissed Bishop Hermogenes from his presence in the Holy Synod and ordered him to go to his diocese. Citing illness, the bishop remained in St. Petersburg, despite the entreaties of Seraphim (Chichagov), Nikon (Rozhdestvensky) and other bishops. Then, on January 17, 1912, another royal decree followed: to dismiss His Eminence Hermogenes from the administration of the diocese and send him to retire to the Zhirovitsky Monastery. Chairman of the State Duma M.V., who then still enjoyed the confidence of the Tsar. Rodzianko recalled that in response to his question about the fate of Bishop Hermogenes, the Emperor replied: “I have nothing against Bishop Hermogenes. I consider him an honest, truthful archpastor, a straightforward person. He will soon be returned. But I could not help but subject him to punishment, since he openly refused to obey my command."

When the inscrutable ways of the Lord brought the bishop and the arrested Emperor together in Tobolsk, they asked each other for forgiveness and were reconciled, as befits true Christians. It was the Providence of God that destined Hermogenes to be a bishop in Tobolsk when the arrested Royal Family was transported there. Who would have thought in those days under what circumstances the reconciliation of the Tsar and the Bishop of Tobolsk would take place! While in custody, Nicholas II asked the rector of the cathedral to bow to the ground to the saint and asked for forgiveness for his removal from the pulpit. In response, the Bishop, in turn, asked for forgiveness and bowed to the ground. Who could have imagined then that it was the disgraced Bishop who would be the prayer support of the arrested Royal Family throughout their imprisonment in Tobolsk, passing prosphora and blessings through the priests. Concelebrating with Patriarch Tikhon during the Local Council of 1917-1918, Bishop Hermogenes asked him to remove particles from the prosphora for the Emperor and his Family. The particles brought by Bishop Hermogenes to Tobolsk, together with the news that the newly elected Patriarch was praying for the Royal Family, was one of the last consolations for Nicholas II, Alexandra Feodorovna and their children, who had just over six months to live. While in the Yekaterinburg prison, Vladyka conveyed to his confessor, with a request to announce to everyone, a written acknowledgment of his old guilt before Their Majesties, called the Royal Family “the long-suffering Holy Family” and begged everyone to be careful in condemning any person, and especially the Tsar.

Bishop Hermogenes was reconciled in his soul with Rasputin. B.N. told Rasputin’s son-in-law about this. The ruler himself told Solovyov in Tobolsk about the vision he had on the day of the murder of Grigory Efimovich.

During his stay in Zhirovitsy, the saint began to reveal the gift of clairvoyance, of which much evidence has been preserved. In August 1915, Bishop Hermogenes was transferred to the Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery of the Moscow Diocese. After the February coup, he was appointed to the Tobolsk See. From August to December 1917 he took part in the activities of the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. During the imprisonment of the Royal Family in the Tobolsk Governor's House, the Bishop secretly sent prosphora, prayers and blessings to the Royal Prisoners, maintained correspondence with Them, calling the August Passion-Bearers “the long-suffering Holy Family.”

The Bolsheviks who seized power began to look for a reason to arrest the bishop. A search was carried out in his chambers. In 1918, in the context of the beginning of the persecution of the Orthodox, His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon gave his blessing to hold processions of the cross throughout the country. Bishop Hermogenes, despite the ban from local authorities, decided to hold a religious procession in Tobolsk on Palm Sunday, April 15 (28). On April 12, the Sovereign, Empress and Grand Duchess Maria were taken to Yekaterinburg, and the next day the Bolsheviks tried to arrest Bishop Hermogenes. However, anticipating such an outcome, the bishop did not spend the night in his chambers. The Bolsheviks could not interfere with the religious procession; it took place. The archpastor was arrested immediately after its completion and, fearing popular outrage, was sent to Yekaterinburg at night. The chairman of the executive committee, Disler, openly told representatives of the diocese that the archpastor had been arrested as a “Black Hundred and pogromist” - they could not find any other reasons for the arrest. Bishop Hermogenes languished in the Yekaterinburg prison for a month and a half, and then was sent under escort to Tyumen, where he and some other prisoners were transferred to a ship that was supposedly heading to Tobolsk. On the night of June 15-16, the bishop and the priest Peter Karelin, who was with him, were taken onto the deck, tied up, stones tied to their necks, and thrown into the Tobol River. Before the murder, the fanatics mocked the saint, cut his hair, mocked him, and beat him. The holy relics of the holy martyr were carried ashore and discovered by peasants. After the arrival of the whites, the holy martyr was buried in the St. Sophia Assumption Cathedral in Tobolsk. The God-fighting Bolsheviks took revenge on the saint even after his death: when they again seized power, his burial place was filled with cement.

Bishop Hermogenes was canonized by the Jubilee Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church in August 2000.

RUSSIAN ORTHODOX PATRIOT
special issue October 2001

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Hieromartyr Hermogenes ,
Bishop of Tobolsk and Siberia

INTERPRETATION OF “RECORATION” JOHN THE BOGOSLOVA

Interpretation of "Revelation" ("Apocalypse") by St. The Apostle John the Theologian does not contain a detailed explanation for each verse, but the general meaning of each period, to what time the event belongs, because Revelation has mysterious pictures before the eyes of St. John, one after another in succession. We will try to briefly explain the meaning of each picture and what time it belongs to. So, pious reader, please read this interpretation carefully. You need to read each chapter of Revelation in advance, and then check it out - only in this order, with the help of God, can you understand and observe what is written. You just need to try with all your heart and soul, for God’s deeds and words are not as simple as human ones. You must read in order from beginning to end.

The first chapter contains the testimony of St. John to the reader what he saw and heard: “Blessed is he who reads and hears the words of this prophecy, and keeps what is written in it; for the time is at hand.”

The second chapter contains Jesus Christ's denunciation of the seven Churches; all these convictions were fulfilled, but the second chapter characterizes the behavior of a Christian in each of the times and places.

The third chapter contains a continuation of the second chapter. Each Church has a Bishop in one city under whose authority it was.

The fourth chapter contains a vision of St. John. He saw Thrones and those sitting on them and 24 elders, a glass sea, four living creatures, seven lamps burning in front of the Throne.

In the fifth chapter of St. John sees Him sitting on the throne, and in His right hand is a book sealed with seven seals. St. John laments that no one can open this book. Before the Nativity of Christ, this book was sealed, but after His death and Resurrection, the book began to gradually open and will continue to open until the end of the century; each seal reveals an event and change of life on earth.

In the sixth chapter of St. John sees the Lamb opening the seals, one after another, in sequence. After the first seal of St. John sees a white horse and a Horseman who has a bow, and a crown is given to Him and He goes out as Victorious. The white horse and Rider means: Jesus Christ Seated, as well as all the believers who conquered the world with the Gospel preaching, who are symbolized by the bow and crowned with glory.

The second horse is red, meaning the pagan world, which fell upon the Christian world with its hatred and shed a lot of blood. The red horse appears at all pores, precisely when Christianity enters the dark kingdoms with preaching. This is where the war begins, just as Christ Himself predicted that they would be divided in one house: father against son, son against father... One is a believer in Christ, and the other is not. This division has been observed throughout the existence of the Christian Church, until the end of time.

The third horse is black, which means when the rich, unbelieving class is drowning in luxury, in wickedness and in all sorts of pleasures, and the poor class is always in constraint, they are even ready to do any cheap labor just to feed themselves; and at the same time, the result is high cost, but not a complete hunger strike, which is indicated by: “Do not harm oil and wine”; oil means rich, tasty food with seasoning; wine means joy. This has always been manifested, as we see from history, it will also especially sharply in the last anti-Christian days. It should also be noted that true Christians were considered the poorest among all other poor people, because they voluntarily abandoned earthly goods, living conditions for Christians were more difficult, they were despised and hated, they were not given no civil rights and positions in a pagan society. Christians lived completely separately from the pagans; like them, Christians of the last times will live in anti-Christianity, but only to the full and highest degree.

The fourth horse - pale, means something that will appear especially in anti-Christian times, in the last days of the wicked society, which is called the Whore of Babylon (the kingdom of the Antichrist). Fifth seal. After the opening of the fifth seal of St. John sees the souls of those killed for the word of God under the altar in heaven, this is evidence that it is not in vain that Christians endure persecution on earth; they will receive a reward in heaven. Sixth seal. The opening of the sixth seal means a world revolution in Nature. It will be after the kingdom of the Antichrist, before the Coming of Christ to earth to judge the living and the dead, as the Lord Himself said (Matthew 24:29,30) that "... after the tribulation of those days... the powers of heaven will be shaken..." and people will see " Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven..."

The seventh chapter describes the preparatory moment, that is, that the anti-Christian kingdom will soon open on earth. For this event, the Lord needs to separate true Christians from the anti-Christian society or world under the image of the mysterious sealing of the chosen Christians. The seal will give them strength against the Antichrist persecution during all times of the Antichristian kingdom, including the very reign of the Antichrist (for 3.5 years). The anti-Christian kingdom will arise before the accession of the Antichrist himself and will last for an unknown number of years. It will prepare the way for the coming of the Antichrist, who will appear as the king and spokesman for his wickedness and lawlessness. The Anti-Christian kingdom is the end-time society under the image of the “Whore of Babylon.”

She does not have a permanent ruler; she herself rules both the people and the kingdoms under the leadership of Satan and the spirit of the Antichrist. This is the time of self-government. Society itself controls, and the spirit of the Antichrist dictates. But this is clear evidence because it (society) sits on the scarlet beast. (This is why Christians are sealed, in order to be separated from others by a seal.) True Christians will live completely separately, not subject to any open laws. In early times, Christians obeyed civil laws and pagan kings, such as Caesar, and revered their authority as authority from God. In the last anti-Christian time and during the days of the reign of the Antichrist, true Christians will not bear civil duties, because Satan himself will be in power and the Antichrist; they are cruel enemies of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is why the laws issued by them will be directed against God and the Church, and anyone who obeys them even with reluctance will be like an accomplice of the Antichrist and will be rejected from God.

Then St. John sees events relating to the last days of the Anti-Christian kingdom. In the previous chapters it is explained that St. John saw the general persecution of Christians of all times, in chapter 8 only the persecution (events) of the anti-Christian time is described, to which the seventh chapter clearly testifies as a preparatory moment for stopping the evil winds of the anti-Christian spirit until true Christians are sealed. In this chapter St. John sees them already glorified in heaven, together with all the martyrs of all times throughout the entire history of Christian existence on earth. Here are shown the general characteristics of the illustrious martyrs taken together. From the eighth chapter, he already begins to see the suffering of Christians only in anti-Christian times. Then we will see them glorified separately. Among the last true Christians, virgins stand out for their moral purity; they are also numbered 144 thousand, this number is round, mysterious, meaning that it is not one, not two, but a whole number; it is talked about in chapter 14. We will talk about this later.

From chapter 8, as we said, the plagues of the last times begin, in the area of ​​the physical world, during the period of anti-Christian time, but the anti-Christian world will not notice them. As is clear from the history of the Egyptian plagues through Moses, the Egyptians submitted to them; then there will be executions to the highest degree, but people will not notice and understand them and will remain stuck in their iniquities, as it is said in the Gospel of Luke (chapter 21), that there will be great earthquakes, famines, pestilences, plagues, especially terrible phenomena in nature and various signs in the sky in the Sun and Moon, and in the stars, and on earth the despondency of peoples and bewilderment; The sea is people, they will make noise and be outraged. This is 4 plagues. They will continue throughout all the days of the Anti-Christian kingdom until the end of the age: sometimes sequentially one after another, sometimes simultaneously. Collectively, they will be joined by 3 more, especially terrible plagues, which is expressed by the Angel’s proclamation: “Woe, woe, woe to those who live on earth from the rest of the trumpets...” Here it is revealed that if we were to limit ourselves to the first four plagues, then for the people of the anti-Christian world there would be If this were not enough, they need more sensitive measures to lead to repentance.

After the fifth trumpet of St. John sees: the abyss of Satan has opened. From this time on, the blessed Kingdom gradually ends, which was precisely expressed in the darkening of the Sun - Christ in the hearts of people because of hellish teaching and wickedness. Smoke means (black) hellish doctrine and lawless (godless) theory, and the emergence of locusts after the smoke means demons (atheists, communists, Komsomol members, etc.). And the people who accepted the teachings of hell are called Gogs and Magogs, and gradually through them the rest of the people who do not have the power (faith) to drive them away are stung. Only people of strong faith who are sealed with the seal of Christ can escape their effects of torment. Their torment will be expressed in a constant thirst for satiety, in a carnal lifestyle, in dissatisfaction, in the search for something better, and the human race will remain in eternal destruction. They will still have a presentiment of hellish torment here on earth, because complete hell will open in their hearts, and in the end they will fall under the wrath of God. To destroy the wicked people of the anti-Christian society there will be famine, sword (wars), pestilence and all sorts of other disasters. Then in these days people will begin to ask for death, but death will run away from them; they will think that after bodily death they will be calm, not suspecting that their souls, together with their body, will suffer forever and ever, endlessly; For them, mercy will die in repentance while still here on earth. When the wrath of God is revealed to destroy the anti-Christian society, then in these disastrous days many careless blinded Christians with the anti-Christian society will turn to God with repentance, but it will be too late, the doors of heaven will close, and they will not know that the Lord will not forgive them, they will to reassure themselves that God is merciful and forgives every sin while a person is on earth, they only later learn (after bodily death) that their repentance was useless.

Now let us explain why they will be aroused to repentance that they are associated with an ungodly society, that it is a sin to have communication with them. This is because when the Antichrist society greedily enjoyed a quiet life and did not think about its fate, in the midst of it also many reckless Christians did not think about their fate, lived and were carried away by the broad path and did not want to enter the path of sorrows, although they heard and saw, and others admonished them that they must abandon everything earthly and break ties with the wicked society, but they did not want to listen and even disdained those admonishing them. When righteous Noah spoke to his contemporaries, and also righteous Lot convinced people before the destruction of Sodom, people did not listen to them, even laughed at them, the same thing will happen in the last days before the disaster in the form of the world revolution and the last world war before the Antichrist. Now the Lord will expose them, during disasters they will recognize sin and break with society, and will put their hope in God, because they will see that the end of everything has come, there is no joy for anyone, they unwittingly found themselves on a narrow path and will begin to grieve and repent, but this the hope will be false, they will be as promised to eternal destruction with all the wicked. There was a time. The Lord endured and cried out to everyone who wished: “Come out from her (Babylon), my people, so that you do not participate in her sins and do not suffer her plagues; for her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities” (Rev. 18, 4). We will talk about this more in Chapter 18. So, we see that in the last days of the world the people of the anti-Christian kingdom will fall under unforgivable sin twice. The first time will be before the Antichrist in one specific place. And since they will surpass all nations, all kingdoms with their wickedness and lawlessness, they will be subjected to the wrath of God, like Sodom and Gomorrah. At this time, there will be no forgiveness for anyone who finds themselves in this society, as was the case during the time of the prophet Moses. Moses separated his community from Korah and said to the community (4 Books of Moses 16:26): “Get away from the tents of these wicked people, and do not touch anything that belongs to them, lest you perish in all their sins.” So it will be with an anti-Christian society. All other Kingdoms will see this and be surprised, although the same fate awaits them, but under the reign of the Antichrist (3.5 years). The second unforgivable sin will already occur throughout the world during the reign of the Antichrist, when some people will receive his sensitive seal on their forehead or right hand. After this seal there will be no forgiveness for anyone. God's wrath and all Nature will arm themselves, and they will suffer here on earth, as in hell. This will be discussed in the interpretation of the seven bowls of the wrath of God.

Sixth trumpet. At the sixth trumpet he sees St. John the same demonic power, only in a different form; it means that the first grief has ended and the second has come, that the demons, under the guise of locusts in the fifth trumpet, will receive freedom in the last days of the world and will not leave the scene of action all the time, and vice versa, they will become more and more intensified... Four Angels will be freed, who were tied up, and after their release it is clear that they will sting people from behind, as if with a tail, with their cunning policy, but also kill their bodies. In the fifth trumpet, the locusts stung not only souls, but at the same time deprived them of their bodies through military action. This will be at the end of the world revolution, as the final blow in the conquest of the Antichrist, at the very hour, day, month and year when the four Angels will be released. He will come as a great conqueror along with his army and reign in Jerusalem for 3.5 years.

In the tenth chapter of St. John sees an Angel who gave him the book and said to him, “Eat,” and he did. She was as sweet as honey in his mouth and bitter in his belly. Book means the Word of God, especially God's revelation. When a Christian receives the Word of God, he rejoices, as if he feels sweetness in his mouth, and when he begins to experience persecution and sorrow, he becomes bitter, as there is bitterness in the womb.

In 11 ch. it speaks of the measurement of the temple and of those who worship in it, and of the exclusion of the outer temple (court) as unworthy, then (it is said) of two witnesses. The temple means the whole world, and the outer court means the whole anti-Christian world. Lately this temple, i.e. the world will be divided into internal and external. True Christians will worship God in spirit and truth, like worthy children in the house of God, and those weak in Faith and piety will be trampled underfoot by the wicked. Then, as wickedness increases, the outer court (this world), instead of true shepherds, will give up its godless representatives, and according to the word of the Lord, uncalled representatives of human life, many false Christs and false prophets, will appear. This is the Antichrist and his servants. They will trample the outer court of those of little faith and weak in piety, humiliate everything holy and true in the hearts of people who, through unbelief and wickedness, will fall away from the true Church and will be deprived of the opportunity to receive its saving Sacraments and the leadership of true shepherds. The division of the Christian Church will begin before the reign of the Antichrist himself, which is precisely what is indicated that he was given to the pagans (the word given means the past tense). In the future, under the Antichrist, not only the outer courtyard will be trampled, but also the most holy Jerusalem (3.5 years), which will be the capital center of the WHOLE WORLD.

We do not notice such a complete division in history. Christians of the first centuries lived completely separately from the pagans, but not in the full sense of the word. Living their inner life, separate from others, Christians did not worship idols, did not participate in lawless shows, feasts, and refused all pleasures that were contrary to the spirit of Christ. As for public life, Christians complied with all civil laws approved by the authority of Caesar, which were binding on everyone. They carried out military service, participated in the state census, and accepted a civilian identity card. The Apostle Paul testifies to this, declaring to the centurion who arrested him that he is a Roman citizen, that he recognizes the judgment of Caesar, “where he should be judged” (Acts 22:25-28) and that, as a Roman subject, he fulfills civil laws . Christians knew well the Scriptures of God that they must be obedient in civil matters: to Caesar - the things that are Caesar's, and to God - the things that are God's. Christians recognized civil obligations, debt and honored the king, even the pagan Caesar. But in fact, they refused some duties, because cunning fakes interfered with them, for example: if a Christian was drafted into the army, then everyone must (had) to swear to the idol god. If a Christian refused to swear, he was executed on the spot as a criminal, and therefore many immediately refused to be drafted. They also did not go to the judges, because... Everyone had to first bow to the idol in the right corner, and then to the judge.

This was the spiritual and civil division in the early times of Christianity. As for the life of the last Christians in anti-Christian times, Chapter 11 indicates this - this is a special and complete division that has never happened in history. True end-time Christians will literally reject all civil laws and have no respect for authority. They will have only one internal affiliation with the Heavenly Fatherland, and will have the testimony of Jesus Christ, for whom they will shed their blood. In the first times, the whole point was idolatry, and laws and authority were revered. And in anti-Christian times power itself will take the place of idols and will demand to worship her without touching religion. Those who worship will be considered followers of the Antichrist. Then there will be a division, according to the will of God, of the good and the evil: the followers of Christ and the followers of the Antichrist. The Lord will separate the sheep from the goats. Then the life together of both will become impossible. True Christians who are faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ will be betrayed and tortured, but not as a religion, but as state criminals who do not obey the law.

Now let's explain who the two witnesses are? According to the teachings of the Church, these will be St. Prophet Elijah and Saint Enoch, who will appear to expose the Antichrist for 3.5 years, and will then be killed by him. Why will they come? Because death is inevitable; it is a law for every person; even the Savior God-Man Himself did not escape it. Can these two people who were taken alive to heaven avoid death? There is no way they can remain without bodily death. Even Christians who will meet the Coming of the Lord alive will be melted down by fiery lava; they will not die, but will be changed into a different form by fire as by suffering.

In chapter 12 of St. John sees a wife, the wife is Christ's Church, and the dragon is pursuing her. This has been the case throughout all the times of its existence on earth: it will be divided into two categories of Christian believers. The first are the chosen ones and those who are stronger in the Faith, called the WOMAN, and the others are weak, who are designated by her SEED. The former will always support the latter like children.

Lately, this dragon will especially let out of his mouth all kinds of persecutions and teachings in order to deceive her, but the shepherds will flee from the cities into the inner desert, closer to God, further from the world. They will hide from people, and many others will be imprisoned. Thus, desert means: wherever you are as a true Christian: in a city or prison, or in the middle of the world, you must endure, for for the devil, as for the spirit, places are available everywhere. Let us repeat once again that with the increase in wickedness, the unbelieving world will attack the Church through changes in church services, dogmas, and will act with flattery, deception and violence. From this time on, open True Worship and Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ with all the Sacraments will cease. Then open service to the Antichrist will begin, he will control unworthy Christians who will not suspect this for their negligence. But true Christians, who are called the SEED of the woman, will know the wiles of the Antichrist. They will live among the world, fulfill the commandments and have the testimony of Jesus Christ, and will not be associated with the anti-Christian society, only they will not reach that desert, close to God in their perfection, like the first ones, who are called WIFE, they are, as it were, invisible among the world and not stand out as sharply as the first ones. They, as people of the world, of worldly activity, can fall and sin, but they will rise and repent to God, and the Lord will forgive them, they will be like those seven thousand Israelites who, during the life of Elijah the prophet, did not worship Baal. At that time, many of the chosen ones were also killed, even St. Elijah thought that he was the only one of God’s faithful who remained alive. Because they always stand out sharply and the enemies attack them first, but the SEED remains for the time being and lives among the enemies unnoticed. And the great prophet Elijah did not notice them, and that they did not worship Baal (1 Kings 19). They only begin to be noticeable when people search for them when searching houses with a sword. From this time on, the battle (struggle) will begin for the SEED. This was the case in the history of the first centuries of Christianity. Many weak people took refuge in hidden places, in catacombs, underground, and also in other places. They walked among the pagans and secretly confessed Christ, so they were invisible to their enemies. But when a decree was issued to search, many were taken out of hidden places and brought to worship idols.

Many Christians could not resist and gave in, but many performed martyrdom and received crowns, along with the first ones, who were called WIFE. But this was in the first times of Christianity, and now we will explain how true Christians, who are called the SEED of the woman, will live in an anti-Christian society. A difficult time will come for the SEED of these Christians, because they will be deprived of pastors and teachers of the Church who would inflame their hearts and show miracles, as was the case before. In the early times, many Bishops hid in order to strengthen the weak SEED. They were with them, enflamed their hearts, showed many signs, cast out demons, because... there were great miracle workers. But in recent times, such teachers will hide their appearance from people and will not perform miracles before them. True Christians themselves will accept the fear of God from themselves and will please God as much as the first Christians did not, and will receive special crowns from God, and all the former righteous will be amazed at them and say: “How could you survive in such a difficult time on your own without leadership, without shepherds?"

Now let us explain whether the anti-Christian power will know those true Christians who, moving among the world, confess Christ secretly until they are put to death. In anti-Christian times it will be completely different, because the spirit of the Antichrist is not like the pagan kings. Those were people, they had a weak mind, and the anti-Christian government will have the mind of Satan. This power will act politically, without affecting religion or belief. He will give everyone equal rights for every faith and sect, but at the same time he will refute all religions and will openly propagate that they are all deception and superstition, that there is no God. It will act morally, with conviction, and mortally sting souls. But all believers will have the right to confess and openly perform services, provided that discipline and state laws are not violated. She will take all official places under her special control and will lead them, and will become the head instead of Christ, and people will serve not Jesus Christ, but the Antichrist.

Blind Christians will not see this, although even children can understand everything, how the authorities will mock openly and clearly. As for true Christians, the authorities will know them all, because they will put everyone under state control - they will give everyone an identity card, and they will be thoroughly checked. There will also be other events carried out by the anti-Christian authorities under control, so that the authorities will clearly know who is participating in what and who is not; but some will not be touched immediately due to freedom of conscience (freedom of religions). In the first case, they will act morally, but then, when everyone is driven to the fate of sinful Babylon and God’s wrath is already close, a special decree will be issued: to eradicate those who go against, but not as for religion, but as criminals of the people, because the people defiled.

We are only now seeing something similar in the French Republic, where such an order already existed in a small form after their revolution, and now these results have been worked out by Jewish Masonic revolutionaries, and all forces are preparing to overthrow the autocracy in Russia, and then for the whole world.

So now we will explain about the people of the Church that they will be divided into two classes on the occasion of great persecution. The first are strong, they cannot be deceived by the devil, because they are given two wings - the Great Eagle. These are two great covenants by which they are guided and rise from the sinful earth to the heights of the mental desert, as if to a quiet refuge. The anti-Christian government at all times, in all persecutions, was guided as predicted by God, but in recent times its dominance throughout the world will be especially strong for 3.5 years.

In chapter 13 of St. John sees the Antichrist emerging from the sea (world), and that one of the heads was wounded means the devil himself, when the Lord chained him for 1000 years. Healing him again means his release to freedom, and subsequently, as if by spirit, his incarnation into a real man - the Antichrist. And the second beast coming out of the earth means the Antichrist’s assistant, like a servant; they will appear simultaneously and will be valid for 3.5 years. Now let us explain why the first beast came out of the sea, the other from the land. The sea is people who are agitated incomprehensibly back and forth like waves; by the end of time they will choose the Antichrist, which means unsteady soil, and the second will constantly appear from solid ground. He will have great scientific knowledge and great abilities of an extensive mind. This was developed over a long time and secretly on the basis of materialistic teaching, and he will appear as an exponent and representative of this theory and will be an accomplice of the king-antichrist, this is what the exit from the earth means. By the last days of the world, the anti-Christian society will choose one king - the Antichrist - to rule all the peoples of the earth. And the science of materialism will also choose one great representative over all the false teachers and false prophets, and they will give great signs and wonders and deceive many, even the elect (the baptized).

Antichrist, as a ruler, will consult with his close assistant, who came out of the earth and will be his right hand, together they will give tasks to all scientists, of whom there will be many. They will spread throughout the whole earth among the nations, deceiving and deceiving. By that time, science will have reached its highest level of development, even an inanimate statue will speak. As for the name of the Antichrist - 666, when the time comes, true Christians will know his name; his name will be made up of these numbers from Slavic letters.

In chapter 14 of St. John sees 144 already glorified virgin Christians who have achieved true perfection. Virgins are Christians of the pure True Orthodox Faith, who have not been defiled with their wives (i.e. by heresies). The number 144 is mysterious, uncertain, i.e. great multitude. In the seventh chapter of St. John saw only those prepared for the suffering of the last times, their general glorification throughout history, but here he sees only 144 thousand who have already suffered from the Antichrist. Next comes the Angel’s denunciation of those who honor the Antichrist in deed and word, who together with him will burn in eternal fire. Then he sees the circumcision of the wicked, and how all their iniquity is thrown into the winepress, even wickedness poured down from above, so great is the iniquity.

The first five bowls mean that NATURE itself will arm itself against wicked people, therefore the suffering of people will be immeasurable. But maddened, blinded people will not see anything, will not know anything, that the Lord’s punishment has fallen on them. They will be angry at nature and at their suffering, but they will not understand their guilt and will not condemn themselves.

Sixth bowl. In the sixth cup of St. John sees that the water in the river has dried up. The power of this cup means that there is not really no water in the river, this must be understood in such a way that at the end of the world the evil spirit begins to act not immediately throughout the world, but will gradually deceive all nations and kingdoms until it leads to a single anti-Christian kingdom. The first manifestation of the evil spirit will begin with the appearance of locusts from the abyss along with the king - the devil in one specific place (country or countries). Some countries will resist the new anti-Christian system (the king), at the same time the earthly world will be divided into two opposing social systems; like two banks of a river, so there will be two systems. One will be anti-Christian, and the other will remain a historical system for some time. But since the kingdoms will not voluntarily surrender to a new order of life, then this evil spirit will strive, as shown in the Revelation of the sixth bowl, to gather all kings and peoples for battle, for a worldwide revolution (Armageddon). This will be the last world war between evil and good. Through this cunning revolution all nations and kingdoms will be brought to a single anti-Christian spirit. From now on there will be no two sides and no barrier, which is the river. East and West will unite into one. There will be no water - a river, a barrier to evil power. The river was and will be, and will flow, but there will be no barrier, the sixth bowl was poured out on this barrier, and there is no more barrier. The power of the evil spirit will increase enormously and, in addition, nature will arm itself, all five bowls poured out before will act. The amazing thing is that the sixth bowl only affects people, for through this bowl subsequent events occur among people and the actions of the evil spirit on them.

St. John sees a wife sitting on a scarlet beast, and the Angel explains that the wife is the end-time Antichrist society. There will be no king in this society. She herself says this: “I sit as a queen, I am not a widow, but I have many subjects.” She abandoned religion, sat on the devil and is controlled by the spirit of the Antichrist, by ten kings who sit on the beast, for 10 kings means that they will dictate to society; These kings, as representatives of the people, they are not kings, for kings are designated by heads, they are completely subordinate and obliged to another higher property and are seated and do not have, as it were, permanent control. The number 10 is indefinite, round, meaning many of them. They will be like the sand of the sea, these are Gog and Magog. They are secretly preparing the way for the Antichrist. They have one goal - to create an anti-Christian society, which will then be handed over to the power of the Antichrist. He will give them the positions of rulers for a very short time - 3.5 years. These 10 kings will hate their society and ruin it with fire and sword, destroy all its splendor with the goal that in the event of a world war they will rouse the peoples to revolution, in order to subjugate all the kingdoms in a short time, not being satisfied with the obedience of their subjects who were until now From now on in this society - Babylon, he will demand even higher obedience, so that all peoples will bear his evil seal on their foreheads and right hands - this is the highest egoism and pride of the spirit of the Antichrist, which these kings will also have. They are blinded and will not know that the Antichrist is leading them to their intended goal, but the spirit of the Antichrist, which is in them, will know everything and lead through them in spirit. They, blinded by their cunning policies, will not even regret destroying their own city to the ground. The destruction of the city will occur according to the will of God and the desire of the Antichrist. The beast has 7 heads - this is the Antichrist 666, and the mountain means the kingdoms in which the power of the devil operates. The Antichrist is, as it were, the heir to the iniquities of the seven kingdoms, from the beginning of human history. These kingdoms are as follows: 1) Median; 2) Persian; 3) Assyrian; 4) Babylonian; 5) Macedonian; 6) Roman; 7) German-Slavic, which will gradually transform into an anti-Christian kingdom and will surpass in its lawlessness all 7 past kingdoms and will sit on them. St. John sees that 5 kingdoms have already fallen; During his lifetime, the Roman state existed. Each state existed at different times, for example: the Roman one existed for 500 years, and the German-Slavic one exists at the present time and will exist until the coming of the Antichrist. When the seventh kingdom is completely destroyed, then the eighth kingdom will begin with the king - the Antichrist and will gradually spread to the whole world. When the seventh kingdom is destroyed, then he will appear and call himself king and father of all; he will be like a spokesman for this wicked kingdom, he will be like a man - the devil.

Chapter 18 contains a proclamation about the destruction of Babylon and the emergence of Christians from among it and the deliverance of true Christians from the sinful fate of Babylon. His sins reach Heaven and the Throne of God, God’s long-suffering has ended, the hour of retribution for sins has come. As Lot was told to come out of Sodom, so will the Christians of the last times be told, for people must flee from living together with those who grieve God. To reject the pleasant things that we had before, to distance ourselves from the anti-Christian society - this means the final separation of true Christians before the disaster of world war and revolution. The judgment will begin with the anti-Christian society of Babylon before other nations and kingdoms. It is destroyed even before the reign of the Antichrist, and after the Antichrist the world Babylon will be destroyed, because the anti-Christian society will feed all nations with its wickedness, starting with one state of the great last time.

The judgment of God will come upon them all equally, because the anti-Christian society, secretly called Babylon, does not mean one State, but many mixed nations and kingdoms with the same politics and law. There will be 10 kings of Gog and Magog according to the spirit of the Antichrist.

In chapter 19 it is announced that the Lord will soon appear on earth and that the Whore of Babylon will lose power and authority, and the Judgment of God is already ready for her. In heaven is the glory and Bride of Christ - the Church is prepared, for the marriage of the Lamb has come. Then St. John sees the Lord on a white horse with an army - the final defeat of the Antichrist and the coming Coming of the Lord to judge the living and the dead. The Antichrist and the false prophet will not be at the Judgment; they will go into the abyss alive.

In the twentieth chapter, the completion of the destruction of the same devilish power is revealed, only in a different form. Satan was chained for 1000 years. After the Passion of the Lord, the devil lost his power, idolatry, in which the devil dominated, faded. With the spread of Christianity he received, as it were, a mortal wound. In the anti-Christian days, he will appear and will no longer dominate idolatry, as before in idols, but in the very anti-Christian power of wicked people, as Chapter 20 clearly speaks of. He will gather many nations under his rule and will spread his devilish power, and subsequently, as a spirit, he will incarnate into the single personality of the Antichrist. Satan will have one goal - to gather all wicked people for a world war or revolution, to subjugate all nations to worship his power on earth, because he has little time on earth.

Goga is the boss, Magog is the helper, and in general - an anti-Christian society of the last time. They will secretly prepare the way for the Antichrist. The concept of 1000 years is an uncertain number for people, but defined by God it means that the righteous will reign with Christ for 1000 years. This kingdom begins from the first days of the creation of Christ’s Church on earth until the Second Coming of the Lord to judge the living and the dead, for the righteous living on earth first move to heaven, they die only physically, but their souls are resurrected and reign with Christ for 1000 years. They will receive this preliminary not yet complete bliss, the full Resurrection after the Last Judgment, but sinners die immediately, body and soul, and are not resurrected. They also previously suffer in hell for 1000 years, their complete torment will come after the Last Judgment, then for them it will be like a second death. And the fact that 1000 years of Satan’s binding ended means that when the devil was chained, i.e. The Church of Christ on earth lived quietly and calmly, and the heavens rejoiced with it, and in heaven there was silence and joy - the Kingdom with Christ; everything was calm.

But when Satan gained freedom in the last time, the peace and quiet was broken. The Church on earth has undergone great persecution and sorrow, and those in heaven also have compassion and sorrow for their members who are still on earth. So, with the Lord 1000 years are like one day, and one day is like 1000 years. The camp of saints must be understood that the Church of Christ of the last time will live throughout the Universe - Christians will form a kind of military camp (camp) and will fight with enemies, but not with military weapons, but with strong Faith and hope in God. They will live among the wicked nations, as if in their beloved city, completely separate from the anti-Christian world, which indicates that their weapon and place is the city, that is, that residence, wherever a Christian is, there will be his own beloved city, it lies within his heart. Amen.

* * *

Orthodox Christians!

Forgive us, unworthy servants of God, for the sake of Christ, for the audacity with which we dared to offer you, for the accessibility of understanding, the “Revelation” of the holy Apostle John the Theologian, the “Interpretation” of the Most Reverend Hermogenes. Forgive us for any possible mistakes, because it came to us in handwritten form. We only tried to make every good Christian understand the meaning of the entire history of Christianity.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Lord, save us sinners! Amen!

Nalchik, 1997

Hieromartyr Hermogenes (in the world Georgy Efremovich Dolganov), Bishop of Tobolsk and Siberia, was born on April 25, 1858 in the family of a co-religionist priest of the Kherson diocese, who later became a monk. He graduated from the full course of the Faculty of Law in Novorossiysk, and here he also took courses in the mathematical and historical-philological faculties. Then George enters the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, where he becomes a monk with the name Hermogenes. On March 15, 1892, he became a hieromonk.

In 1893, Hieromonk Hermogenes graduated from the Academy and was appointed inspector and then rector of the Tiflis Theological Seminary with elevation to the rank of archimandrite. Not wanting to contribute to the anti-church and materialistic spirit of the times, he encourages the spread of missionary work among the population of the Russian outskirts.

On January 14, 1901, in the Kazan Cathedral of St. Petersburg, Father Hermogenes was consecrated Bishop of Volsky, vicar of the Saratov diocese. In 1903, he was appointed Bishop of Saratov and was summoned to attend the Holy Synod.

The Bishop’s service was distinguished by undiminished fervor of spirit: missionary activity flourished through his labors, religious readings and extra-liturgical conversations were organized, the program for which was drawn up by the bishop himself and he led them.

Vladyka often toured the parishes of the diocese and served with such reverence, awe and a prayerful attitude that people really forgot whether they were in Heaven or on earth, many cried with tenderness and spiritual joy. During the political unrest of 1905, Vladyka successfully admonished the intoxicated rebels with his sermons.

The holy righteous John of Kronstadt treated Bishop Hermogenes with great love and respect, saying that he was calm for the fate of Orthodoxy and could die, knowing that Bishops Hermogenes and Seraphim (Chichagov, commemorated November 28) would continue his work. Predicting the martyrdom of the Saint, the priest wrote to him in 1906: “You are in a feat, the Lord opens Heaven, like Archdeacon Stephen, and blesses you.”

At the end of 1911, at the next meeting of the Holy Synod, Vladyka sharply disagreed with Chief Prosecutor V.K. Sabler, who, with the tacit consent of many bishops, hastily carried out some institutions and definitions of a directly anti-canonical nature (the corporation of deaconesses, permission to perform funeral services for non-Orthodox people).

On January 7, a decree signed by the Sovereign was announced to Eminence Hermogenes about his dismissal from presence in the Holy Synod and departure to his diocese until January 15. Unable to complete the allotted time due to illness, Vladyka was exiled to Belarus to the Zhirovitsky Monastery. One of the reasons for this exile was also the Vladyka’s sharply negative attitude towards G.E. Rasputin.

The position of the disgraced bishop in the monastery was difficult. He was not allowed to serve often, and when he was allowed, he was not given due honors to his episcopal rank. Sometimes Vladyka was even forbidden to leave the monastery.

The saint often grieved about the future of the Fatherland, and crying said: “The ninth wave is coming, coming; will crush, sweep away all rot, all rags; a terrible, blood-chilling thing will happen - they will destroy the Tsar, they will destroy the Tsar, they will certainly destroy.”

In August 1915, Vladyka was transferred to the Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery of the Moscow Diocese, and after the February Revolution of 1917 he was appointed to the department in Tobolsk. The Bishop’s special concern was the Russian soldiers returning from the front, intoxicated by Bolshevik propaganda, and he created a special soldiers’ department under the John-Dimitrievsky Brotherhood. The Bolsheviks, who tried to embitter the soldiers in order to more easily control them, were beside themselves when they saw the church care shown for the soldiers.

During this rebellious time, the Saint called on his flock “not to bend the knee before the idols of the revolution,” fighting against communism, denationalization and the distortion of the Russian people's soul.

While at the Tobolsk See during the time the Royal Martyrs were imprisoned there, he blessedly brought the Abalatskaya Icon of the Mother of God for consolation.

On December 25, 1917, in the Church of the Intercession in the city of Tobolsk, in the presence of the Royal Family, Deacon Evdokimov proclaimed many years to them - as it should be according to the Divine Service Charter. This was followed by the arrest of the rector and deacon. During interrogation, the rector of the church, Archpriest Vasiliev, stated that “he is not accountable to the crab and dog deputies,” and Deacon Evdokimov said: “Your kingdom is momentary, the Tsar’s protection will come soon. Wait a little longer, you’ll get yours in full.”

Bishop Hermogen responded to a request about this incident from the local body of the Bolshevik government in writing, refusing any personal communication: “Russia is not legally a republic, no one has declared it as such and has no authority to declare it, except the supposed Constituent Assembly. Secondly, according to the Holy Scriptures, state law, church canons, as well as according to history, former kings, tsars and emperors who are outside the control of their country are not deprived of their rank as such and their corresponding titles, and therefore in the actions of the clergy of Pokrovsky I didn’t see and don’t see anything reprehensible in the temple.”

At the Liturgy, the Bishop always took out pieces for the Royal Family, sacredly preserving his love for Her. There is information that during the Emperor’s stay in Tobolsk exile, Vladyka asked him for forgiveness for believing the slander against G.E. Rasputin, and the Tsar with a humble heart forgave him.

In January 1918, after the Bolsheviks adopted a decree on the separation of the Church from the state, which actually placed believers outside the law, the archpastor addressed the people with an appeal that ended with the words: “Stand up in defense of your faith and say with firm hope: “May God rise again and they will be scattered against Him."

The authorities began to intensively prepare for the arrest of the adamant bishop, but the Bishop, without embarrassment, scheduled a religious procession for Palm Sunday, April 15, 1918. He said: “I don’t expect mercy from them, they will kill me, moreover, they will torture me, I’m ready, ready even now. I’m not afraid for myself, I’m not grieving for myself, I’m afraid for the residents - what will they do to them?”

On the eve of the holiday, April 13, armed Red Army soldiers appeared in the bishop's chambers. Not finding the bishop, they searched his chambers and desecrated the altar of the house church. The religious procession gathered many believers. From the walls of the city Kremlin, the house where the Royal Family languished in prison was clearly visible. The Bishop, approaching the edge of the wall, raised the cross high and blessed the Most August Passion-Bearers, who were looking out of the windows at the Procession of the Cross.

Accompanied by foot and horse detachments of the police, the procession attracted many believers, but on the way back (the procession ended at half past four) the ranks of the people began to thin out, so the police easily (at first with the help of deception) dispersed the remaining ones with rifle butts and arrested the Bishop. The alarm sounded in the bell tower next to the bishop's house. The Bolsheviks fired the bell ringers from the bell tower. The rest of the protesters were also dispersed.

Vladyka was imprisoned in Yekaterinburg prison. While in captivity, he prayed a lot. In one of the letters that he managed to send to freedom, the saint wrote, addressing “the reverently beloved and unforgettable flock”: “Do not grieve for me because of my imprisonment. This is my spiritual school. Glory to God, who gives such wise and beneficial tests to me, who is in dire need of strict and extreme measures of influence on my inner spiritual world... From these shocks (between life and death), the saving fear of God intensifies and is confirmed in the soul...”

Having kept Vladyka in captivity for several months, the regional Council of People's Commissars demanded a ransom - at first one hundred thousand rubles, but, making sure that he could not collect such an amount, they reduced it to ten thousand rubles. When money donated by local businessman D.I. Polirushev, were brought by the clergy, the authorities gave a receipt for the required amount, but instead of releasing the bishop, they arrested three members of the delegation: Archpriest Efrem Dolganov, Priest Mikhail Makarov and Konstantin Minyatov, about whose further fate nothing else is known. Apparently, their martyrdom preceded the death of the Lord.

Soon the Saint was transported to Tyumen and taken by ship to the village of Pokrovskoye. All prisoners, with the exception of the bishop and priest of the church of the Kamensky plant, the dean of the second district of the Kamyshevsky district of the Yekaterinburg province, priest Peter Karelin, were shot. Vladyka and Father Peter were imprisoned in a dirty hold. The steamer headed towards Tobolsk. In the evening, June 15, when the holy martyrs were being transferred from one ship to another, Vladyka, approaching the gangway, quietly said to the pilot: “Tell, baptized slave, to the whole great world that they pray to God for me.”

Around midnight from June 15 to 16, the Bolsheviks first took Priest Peter Karelin onto the deck of the steamer Oka, tied two large granite stones to him and threw them into the waters of the Tura River. The same fate befell the Vladika (according to some information, the Vladika was tied to a steamship wheel, which was then set in motion. This wheel tore the Vladika’s living body to pieces).

The holy remains of the Saint were washed ashore on July 3 and discovered by peasants in the village of Usolskoye. The next day they were buried by the peasant Alexei Yegorovich Maryanov at the place where they were found. A stone was also placed in the grave.

Soon the city was liberated by the troops of the Siberian Government and the remains of the Saint were removed, dressed in bishop's robes, and solemnly buried in a crypt built in the St. John Chrysostom chapel on the site of the first grave of St. John, Metropolitan of Tobolsk.

The Hieromartyrs Hermogenes, Ephraim, Peter, Michael and the Martyr Constantine were canonized as Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia at the Jubilee Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church in August 2000 for church-wide veneration.

(Dolganev (Dolganov) Georgy Efremovich; 04/25/1858, locality of New Odessa, Kherson district and province - 06/29/1918, near the village of Karbany, Tobolsk province), schmch. (mem. June 16, August 20, in the Cathedral of Moscow Saints, in the Cathedral of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia and in the Cathedral of Saratov Saints), bishop. Tobolsk and Siberian. Son of Edinoverie Archpriest. Efrem Pavlovich Dolganev (later archimandrite of the Saratov Preobrazhensky Monastery Innocent; † 1906), brother of Archpriest. sschmch. Efrem Dolganev. E. entered the Nikolaev Naval School, but was soon assigned by his father to the Odessa DS, after which he began his studies at the Odessa DS. Then he left the seminary, choosing secular education. He entered the Novorossiysk University in Odessa, but was soon expelled as a former student. seminarian. Passed the matriculation exams at the Ananyev gymnasium for re-entry to Novorossiysk University. He studied historical-philological, physical-mathematical and legal facts. Attended the medical faculty of the University of Geneva. He repeatedly interrupted his studies, got a job, tried to engage in arable farming, and traveled. In a state of mental crisis, he subjected himself to self-castration.

The Odessa and Kherson Archbishop had a great influence on the life choice of Georgy Dolganev. Nikanor (Brovkovich), who advised him to complete his studies at the university and enter the DA. In 1889, Georgy was admitted to SPbDA. Studying at the academy was difficult. He placed first place not on academic sciences, but on spiritual self-education. During his years of study, he called Metropolitan. Isidore (Nikolsky) and the Athonite Hieroschim. Evgenia. 1 Dec. 1890, while studying in the 2nd year of the academy, he was tonsured a monk with the name Hermogenes in honor of the martyr. Hermogenes of Alexandria. 2 Dec. 1890 by the rector of St. Petersburg, Vyborg bishop. He was ordained a deacon by Anthony (Vadkovsky), and a priest on March 15, 1892.

E. graduated from SPbDA with a candidate of theology degree for the work: “Christian moral teaching in Orthodox worship.” 17 Sep. 1893 approved as inspector of the Tiflis DS. On July 11, 1898, he was appointed its rector and elevated to the rank of archimandrite. He proved himself to be an intelligent and fair, but at the same time strict mentor (among the seminarians expelled by the rector was Joseph Dzhugashvili, see Stalin I.V.). He provided special support to Georgian students. E. became the initiator of a number of innovations in the seminary: mandatory weekday services in the house church, regular preaching by seminarians on Sundays and holidays, the creation of a separate dormitory for “students with poor health,” and the teaching of music as an elective subject. Since 1898, chairman of the Georgian Diocesan School Council, member of the Georgian-Imereti Synodal Office, censor of sermons and editor of the magazine. "Spiritual messenger of the Georgian Exarchate." During his service in Tiflis, he studied the cargo. language, studied the history of cargo. Orthodoxy. Traveled a lot around the Caucasus, met Christ. shrines. With the blessing of the Exarch of Georgia, Archbishop. sschmch. Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) took an active part in the arrangement and spiritual nourishment of the Tiflis district Kolyuchaya Balka.

E.'s zealous attitude towards his duties was noticed in the Holy Synod. With the personal assistance of K.P. Pobedonostsev and V.K. Sabler, E. was elected as a candidate to replace the Volsky vicar department of the Saratov diocese. 12 Jan 1901 named Bishop of Volsky, vicar of the Saratov diocese. 14 Jan In the Kazan Cathedral of St. Petersburg, the consecration of E. took place, led by Metropolitans of St. Petersburg and Ladoga Anthony (Vadkovsky), Vladimir (Epiphany) of Moscow and Kolomna, Feognost (Lebedev) of Kiev and Galicia. E.'s residence was the Saratov Transfiguration Monastery, but the bishop immediately began setting up a bishop's house in Volsk, which was completed under bishop. Palladia (Dobronravov). During the years of E.'s service at the vicar department in Volsk, a women's diocesan school was opened (September 1901), and construction began on a new building for the Volsk men's school. The new house church was consecrated at the Volsky real school. In the fall of 1901, E. visited Khvalynsky district. and developed a plan for the founding of the Trinity Monastery here (opened in early 1903).

E. was the chairman of the Saratov diocesan school council. He took the initiative to establish a church-teacher seminary in the diocese and to build a complex of church and educational buildings in Saratov. He spoke out in favor of organizing non-liturgical interviews in Saratov and opening tea-canteens for the people. These measures were aimed at establishing faith and devotion to the Church among the urban population. E.'s active work in the vicar department was especially noticeable in comparison with the activities of the poor health of the Saratov and Tsaritsyn bishops. Joanna (Kratirova). E. temporarily ruled the diocese during the diocesan bishop's vacation in June-July 1901, as well as from the fall of 1902, when bishop. John was summoned to attend the Synod. After the highest approval on March 21, 1903 of the synodal report on the transfer of the Volsky vicar to an independent see, E. became Bishop of Saratov and Tsaritsyn.

While at the Saratov department, he paid great attention to the construction of churches. Under him, more than 50 churches were consecrated in the diocese, including in Saratov - the Kazan and Nativity churches on the working outskirts, one of the first churches in Russia in the name of St. Seraphim of Sarov. According to the design of P. M. Zybin, next to the bishop’s house in the city center, a church-chapel was built in 1906 in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Assuage my sorrows,” the architecture of which was reminiscent of the architecture of the Intercession Cathedral on Red Square. in Moscow. E. repeatedly raised the issue of reconstructing the Saratov Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, which could no longer accommodate the city’s population. Despite the bishop’s efforts, reconstruction never began. At the same time, under E., the construction of the city cathedral in Tsaritsyn (now Volgograd) was accelerated, the new St. Michael the Archangel Cathedral in Serdobsk was consecrated, and the cathedrals in Kuznetsk and Khvalynsk were repaired.

In the area of ​​organizing the life of the monasteries of the diocese, E. pursued the idea of ​​monasteries as missionary outposts, and was a supporter of monastic service to the world. Under E., new monasteries arose in the Saratov diocese: Serdob, Kazan, Sergiev-Aleksievskaya husband. empty; husband. mon-ry near the village. N. Lipovka Kuznetsk U., dedicated to the memory of John of Kronstadt; Holy Spirit Monastery in Tsaritsyn (which gained all-Russian fame thanks to the activities of its organizer, Hieronymus Iliodor (see S. M. Trufanov)); Talovsky Blagoveshchensk women. monastery of Atkarsky district with the 2nd temple in the name of St. Seraphim of Sarov. In addition, under E. new churches were consecrated for women. monasteries - Panovsky, Serdobsky district. and Kraishevsky Atkarsky district. To the main monastery of the diocese - the Saratov Transfiguration Man. mon-ry - E. invited monks from Athos, from Nov. Athos and from the Kyiv diocese. Through the efforts of E., special schools serving missionary purposes were opened in Khvalynsky district - anti-schismatic schools in the village. Pine Maza and anti-muslim. in the village Podlesnoye.

E. strove for asceticism. By general recognition of his contemporaries, he was a great man of prayer and fasting. His services were almost always statutory and lasted 5-6 hours or more. Vladyka served not only on Sundays, holidays and solemn days, but also regularly on weekdays. On Wednesdays, almost throughout his entire stay in Saratov, he served vespers with an akathist at the Trinity Cathedral. After everyday services, religious and moral interviews were held, which were attended not only by Saratov residents, but also by visitors.

E. paid great attention to the problems of theological education, not only solving practical problems of the Saratov DS under his jurisdiction, but also speaking out with theoretical considerations on the question of how a theological school can overcome the crisis, the essence of which is Ch. arr. in the aggravated contradiction between the tasks of this school and the desire of a significant number of its students to receive a secular education. E. considered it fundamentally important to strengthen the educational part in seminaries. The seminary authorities, in his opinion, should have had guarantees that the students would gather later. take holy orders.

E. was awarded the Order of St. Anna 3rd (1897), 2nd (1900) and 1st (1907) degrees, St. Vladimir 3rd (1902) and 2nd (1911) degrees.

E. was characterized by active social and political activity. In con. In 1904 he founded the diocesan gas. "Brotherly List" (in 1907-1908 "Russian"), immediately entered into controversy with local secular newspapers of various political trends. During periods of the rise of the worker and peasant movement, E. constantly called on the people for social peace, constantly preached himself and gave orders to the clergy to preach in modern language. topics, conducted solemn religious processions, and also blessed the publication of articles on current topics in the “Brotherly List”. In Oct. 1905 E. turned out to be practically the only representative of the authorities in Saratov who openly took the path of fighting the revolution. Contrary to the Bolshevik accusations of E.’s involvement in the Jews. pogroms in Saratov on October 19-20. 1905, the ruler was a determined opponent of pogrom actions and in the end. Oct. established a committee to help victims of pogroms. At the same time, E. was indeed characterized by an anti-Jewish sentiment, which he regularly openly declared.

E.'s political position was expressed in rejection not only of the revolution, but also of any positions and doctrines different from the monarchical one. In the fall of 1905, E. blessed the activities of the People's Monarchist Party created in Saratov. On March 27, 1906, it was transformed into the local department of the Union of the Russian People (RNR) party, in the work of which E. gradually took an increasing part. In April 1907, he sent to the Russian All-Russian Congress held in Moscow. people's appeal, in which he wrote about the need for the RNC to enter the church fold, that is, to equate the status of a right-wing political party with the status of a church brotherhood. The congress rejected such proposals, and the press organ of the RNC condemned the appeal of E., who then decided to create his own political party. Already in May 1907, he called in his sermons to become members of the Orthodox All-Russian Fraternal Union of the Russian People (PVBSRN). In the summer of the same year, the party was formalized organizationally. Only Orthodox Christians could become members of the party, and E., who in fact was the leader of the PVBSRN, was declared its honorary patron and chairman. Among the Saratov right-wingers, a split occurred between the “brothers” (members of the PVBSRN) and the “allies” (members of the local department of the RNC).

E. in most cases was present at the meetings of the PVBSRN, which were usually held in the hall of the Saratov Museum. school Often party meetings were combined with religious and moral readings, the initiator of the organization of which in Saratov was also E. In 1907-1911. E. and his closest employees, who were part of the PVBSRN, conducted several. major public protests against modern times. writers, theater figures and phenomena of social life, the most harsh criticism was subjected to the work of L. N. Tolstoy. In 1907, E. publicly opposed the staging of V. V. Protopopov’s plays “Black Crows” and F. Wedekind’s “Awakening of Spring” on the Saratov stage. As a result of pressure on the lips. the power of the members of the PVBSRN headed by E., as well as a petition sent by the bishop to the Holy Synod, the play “Black Crows” was removed from the theater repertoire by order of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers P. A. Stolypin. In 1909-1910 E. sought to ban the production of L. N. Andreev’s plays “Anatema” and “Anfisa” in Saratov. E. proposed to the Holy Synod to excommunicate a number of famous writers from the Church, and to ban their works. E.'s public speeches were extremely harsh and often violated the provisions of Russian legislation.

As the ruling bishop, E. proved himself to be an imperious and tough administrator, whose activities caused many criticisms. E. practiced moving clergy from urban parishes to rural ones for no apparent reason. Such transfers have repeatedly affected prominent priests who have served for decades in their parishes. Under E., diocesan office work, both administrative and financial, fell into disarray. Collections and expenses for diocesan needs were carried out carelessly, without proper accounting, which gave rise to abuses. Mn. The decrees of the Holy Synod were not transmitted to E. to the spiritual consistory and were not carried out. The role of the spiritual consistory in diocesan administration was practically reduced to zero. Due to E.'s intervention, there was a decline in the charitable activities of the Saratov Brotherhood of the Holy Cross. At the same time, E. founded the Nativity Brotherhood for mutual assistance of artisans and factory workers.

E. was inclined to trust and support such people as, for example, the priest known for his radical views and scandalous behavior. Iliodor (Trufanov), G. E. Rasputin. E.'s rejection of the formalism of higher church government and independent leadership style created tension in his relationship with the Synod. Secular authorities also expressed dissatisfaction with E.’s speeches against government intervention. officials in church activities. The conflict between E. and the Saratov governor S.S. Tatishchev reached its greatest severity over the priest. Iliodor, whose scandalous speeches undermined the prestige of power. Tatishchev's subsequent resignation in 1910 was associated with a conflict with the diocesan bishop.

In the fall of 1911, E. was summoned to attend the Holy Synod, which was obviously due to the desire of the authorities to remove the bishop from Saratov. E. resolutely opposed the projects discussed in the Synod to introduce the rank of deaconesses and the liturgical rite of funeral services for non-Orthodox people in the Russian Church. Not limiting himself to submitting a dissenting opinion on these projects at the meetings of the Synod, December 15. 1911 E. sent a telegram of protest to the imp. martyr Nicholas II.

At the same time, E.’s conflict with Rasputin intensified; the bishop changed his previously positive attitude towards him to the exact opposite. 16 Dec 1911 Rasputin was invited to E.’s chambers at the Yaroslavl Synodal Metochion. Present during the conversation was Hierom. Iliodor and the famous holy fool D. A. Znobishin (“Blessed Mitya”), as well as two priests from the Saratov diocese as witnesses. E. forbade Rasputin to communicate with the royal family and forced him to swear to this in front of the icon. The offended Rasputin sent a telegram to the Emperor and Empress, in which he wrote that E. and Iliodor allegedly tried to take his life.

E.'s dissatisfaction among the highest secular authorities, his direct conflict with members of the Synod and Rasputin largely determined the further development of events. 3 Jan In 1912, the resolution submitted by Chief Prosecutor V.K. Sabler to dismiss E. from his presence in the Holy Synod was highly satisfied. 7 Jan members of the Synod signed a corresponding decree, which was handed to E. on the same day. However, the bishop hesitated in leaving the capital for the diocese and gave interviews to journalists from the capital’s newspapers.

Members of the Synod and the highest secular authorities were outraged that the bishop brought the conflict to the public. 12 Jan The Synod, by a new decree, condemned E. for “unsubstantiated defamation before the Sovereign Emperor of the decrees and judgments of the Holy Synod.” 15 Jan Chief Prosecutor Sabler received a telegram from the emperor: “I hope that the Holy Synod will be able to insist on the immediate departure of Bishop Hermogenes and restore the disturbed order and calm.” Despite it being Sunday, the Chief Prosecutor urgently convened the members of the Synod, and they drew up a “campaign journal”, in which E. was prescribed no later than January 16. to leave St. Petersburg for the diocese entrusted to him together with the priest. Iliodor.

However, neither the decree of the Synod, nor the persuasion of the Poltava and Pereyaslavl archbishops who visited the Yaroslavl metochion. Nazariya (Kirillov), Vologda bishop. Nikon (Rozhdestvensky) and Chief Prosecutor Sabler did not force E. to submit to the highest spiritual authority.

17 Jan The members of the Synod decided to retire E. and assign him the Zhirovitsky Monastery (now a women's monastery) of the Grodno diocese in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary as his place of residence. It was decided to send the official P.V. Mudrolyubov to Saratov to audit the diocese. On the same day, the synodal decision was approved by the emperor. 22 Jan E. left St. Petersburg for Slonim, from where on January 24. went to the Zhirovitsky Monastery.

E.’s “case,” which was widely covered in the press, caused a resonance in Russian society. Separate discussions about E.’s “case” took place in the State. Duma in connection with the consideration of the budget of the Holy Synod. The decisions and actions of the Synod were criticized by representatives of almost all Duma political parties.

In the Zhirovitsky monastery, E. was given 2 rooms. One of them was later connected to the St. Nicholas Church, and a window was installed in its wall, through which one could listen to divine services in severe frosts. In Zhirovitsy, E. was engaged in healing and even set up a ward for patients who specially came to him. E. was regularly visited by Saratov admirers, who regretted his removal from the department. E. preached in the monastery church and traveled to nearby churches for this purpose.

In view of the approaching front, at the request of the commander-in-chief, he led. book Nikolai Nikolaevich, who provided E. with patronage, August 25. In 1915, his residence was assigned to Ugreshsky in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker husband monastery of the Moscow diocese. On Nov. 1916 E. left the Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery without permission for the Saratov diocese. The trip was related to the activities of the former. hierome Iliodora, who, after abdicating his rank in 1912, declared himself the founder of a new religion. Having learned about the activities of the defrocked monk, E. drew up a proclamation and went to the Saratov diocese to inform his ex. to the flock about the errors of Iliodor.

After the Synod dismissed Archbishop Tobolsk. Barnabas (Nakropina) March 8, 1917 E. was confirmed as Bishop of Tobolsk and Siberia. E. greeted the February Revolution of 1917 with caution. “I neither bless the revolution that has taken place,” he wrote, “nor do I celebrate the still imaginary “Easter” (or rather the most painful Golgotha) of our long-suffering Russia and the soul-scarred clergy and people, nor do I kiss the foggy and “stormy” face of the “revolution,” nor do I embrace friendship and I do not enter into unity with her, for I still do not clearly know who and what she is today and what she will give to our homeland, especially to the Church of God tomorrow.” The text of his “Commentary on the “Revelation” of John the Theologian,” written in Moscow and dated May 5, 1917, has been preserved.

In June, E. was present in Tobolsk at the celebrations in honor of the 1st anniversary of the glorification of St. John of Tobolsk, but spent most of 1917 outside his new diocese. He took part in the work of the 1st session of the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1917-1918. There was a deputy. chairman of the cathedral Department of Higher Church Administration. He advocated the participation of Council members in the Pre-Parliament, although he considered it “a painful, contradictory state institution.” He observed with his own eyes the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks in Moscow, which could not help but shape his negative attitude towards the new government. At the beginning of Dec. 1917 left Moscow for Tobolsk.

In the management of the Tobolsk diocese, E. turned to his own experience of organizing religious, moral and extra-liturgical conversations in Saratov in 1903-1911. 21 Dec In 1917, in the building of the Tobolsk Public Assembly, he held a reading on the need for church councils “as a means for streamlining church affairs that had fallen into disarray.” From the beginning In 1918, regular church conversations were organized in the city churches of Tobolsk, which were conducted by a preaching circle consisting not only of the clergy, but also of the laity. In addition, it was planned to organize lectures on church and social issues and even conduct a systematic series of lecture readings (in particular, on the history of the Russian Church). E. took an active part in the activities of the Tobolsk John-Dimitrievsky Brotherhood, paying special attention to the need to provide assistance to front-line soldiers. He reacted sharply to the decree on the separation of the Church from the state in January. 1918, addressing the people with an appeal that ended with a call to defend the faith.

E.'s episcopal service in Tobolsk coincided with his stay there in captivity by decision of the Provisional Government of the Emperor's family. Nicholas II. E. established a secret connection with the royal family and spiritually supported it. 25 Dec 1917, after the liturgy on the 1st day of Christmas, in the Intercession Church of Tobolsk in the presence of the royal family, he proclaimed many years with the title of the emperor and empress “majesties”, and the royal children - “highnesses”. Local authorities opened an investigation into this matter. Due to threats from revolutionary-minded soldiers to deal with the deacon and priest of the Intercession Church. E. sent them to the nearby Abalaksky monastery in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God “The Sign”.

In March 1918, the Tobolsk Council completely came under the control of the Bolsheviks, who tried to prove E.’s involvement in the “monarchist conspiracy.” 22 Apr In 1918, the extraordinary commissioner of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, K. A. Myachin, arrived in Tobolsk to transport the royal family to Yekaterinburg. At the request of the commissioner, a search was carried out in the bishop's chambers. Members of the council of the John-Dimitrievsky Brotherhood, who feared for the life of the bishop, invited E. to spend the night in the Tobolsk Znamensky Monastery, where the chambers of the vicar of the Tobolsk diocese, Bishop Berezovsky, were located. Irinarch (Sineokov-Andreevsky). Therefore, E. on the night of April 27. was not present during the search in the bishop's house, when the house church was desecrated. During the search, E.’s “correspondence” was found “with members of the imperial house,” which was a note signed: “Maria.” This note was said to belong to the imp. Maria Feodorovna, although its real author, a certain Maria, even indicated her home address.

27 Apr to the meeting of the Tobolsk Diocesan Council, chaired by Bishop. Irinarch, members of the Tobolsk executive committee, led by sailor Khokhryakov, came and demanded that E. be handed over to appear for interrogation, promising the bishop immunity.

On the morning of April 28 Vladyka served the liturgy in the Tobolsk Cathedral, after which he led the religious procession. From the Kremlin he moved to the foothills of Tobolsk. Prayers were served here “for the salvation of the perishing homeland.” Both bishops, all the city clergy and the mass of the people took part in the procession. They were accompanied by Red Guards. Immediately after the procession ended, E. was arrested and taken out of Tobolsk at night.

Since May 1, he was held in Yekaterinburg prison on charges of counter-revolutionary actions. Representatives of the Tobolsk Diocesan Administration arrived in Yekaterinburg, the Hieromartyrs Rev. Efrem Dolganev, priest. Mikhail Makarov and attorney at law martyr. Konstantin Minyatov. Their attempts to rescue E. from captivity were unsuccessful. After handing over the cash deposit collected at the request of the authorities for the release of the bishop, members of the delegation were arrested and soon shot. On June 24, the day of the Holy Spirit, the Red Army soldiers allowed E. to perform a prayer service in the cell. Almost all the prisoners prayed with him. The next day, E. and 8 or 9 prisoners (including the priest of the Tobolsk diocese, Sschmch. Peter Karelin) were taken to the station, from where they were sent by train under escort to Tyumen.

In Tyumen, the prisoners were put on the Ermak steamship. At the village Pokrovsky laymen were transferred to the ship "Oka" and were soon put ashore and shot. E. and priest. Karelin remained on Ermak. At this time, the Red Army soldiers were preparing for battles with the troops of the Provisional Siberian Government, so both clergymen were involved in the construction of fortifications. E. was physically exhausted, but even in these circumstances, good spirits did not leave him. Carrying earth and sawing boards, he sang Easter hymns. On the evening of June 28, E. and priest. Karelin was put in the hold of the steamship Oka, which was sailing down the river. Tobol towards Tobolsk, already occupied by the Whites. Soon St. Karelin was taken out of the hold and thrown into the water, with stones tied to his body. When "Oka" approached the village. Karbany, 173 versts from Tyumen, the ship “Maria” of the white flotilla appeared on the river ahead. The red steamer began to turn around. At 30 min. At midnight on June 29, E. was taken to the bow of the steamer, his hands were tied, a stone was attached to them, and he was pushed into the water. Until the very last moment, E. constantly prayed and blessed his executioners.

E.'s body was discovered by peasants from the village. Usalka and buried unidentified in a temporary grave. In August, during the search for E.’s body, the remains were examined by an investigative commission that arrived from Tobolsk and transported to the village. Pokrovskoe and temporarily buried in the church fence. Then E.’s body was dressed in bishop’s robes and sent to Tobolsk, where he was solemnly greeted with a procession of the cross from all the city churches. At E.'s tomb, installed in the Tobolsk Cathedral, funeral services and parastases were served, and believers applied veneration to the remains, which did not succumb to decay. Aug 15 1918 bishop Irinarch performed the funeral service. E. was buried in the St. John Chrysostom chapel of the cathedral in the place where the grave of St. was located before the discovery of the relics. John of Tobolsk. On June 23, 1998, E. was glorified by the Bishop of Tobolsk and Tyumen. Dimitri (Kapalin) among the locally revered saints of the Tobolsk diocese. By the Bishops' Jubilee Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000, E.'s name was included in the Council of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia. In the summer of 2005, during the renovation of the St. Sophia (formerly Assumption) Cathedral in Tobolsk, a crypt was discovered in which the remains of E. rested, September 2-3. In 2005, celebrations took place on the occasion of the finding of his saint. relics.

Arch.: GA Saratov region. F. 1132; GA Tobolsk. F. 156. Op. 15. D. 779. L. 638; RGIA. F. 796. Op. 194. D. 1102, 1119, 1120; F. 797. Op. 86. D. 49; F. 1101. Op. 1. D. 1111.

Works: To our young spiritual environment // DVGE. 1898. Part unofficial. No. 24. P. 2-10; Essay on the activities of the Diocesan Missionary Spiritual and Educational Brotherhood in Tiflis for two years of its existence (from October 19, 1897 to October 22, 1899) // Ibid. 1900. Part unofficial. No. 6. P. 7-23; The fight for the truth of our theological school: Review of the project for the new organization of this school // Saratov Spiritual Bulletin. 1908. No. 44. P. 3-10; Indignant condemnation of permitted blasphemy: (True depiction of Tolstoy's death). Saratov, ; From the “true” light into “utter darkness”: (Open letter to Russian people). Pg., 1916; Interpretation of the “Revelation” of John the Theologian // First and Last. M., 2003. No. 2(6).

Lit.: Leonidov K., priest. Ten years of service in the priesthood of the Most Reverend. Hermogenes, bishop Saratov and Tsaritsyn, in the Saratov diocese // Brotherly leaflet. Saratov, 1911. No. 10. P. 1-3; Mramornov A.P., priest. Ten years of service by Rev. Ep. Hermogenes to the Saratov flock // Ibid. No. 8. P. 1-2; E.I. Archpastor-Martyr // Tobolsk EV. 1918. No. 18/20. Dept. official pp. 138-139; S.I.F. Schmch. Hermogenes, bishop Tobolsk and Siberian // Ibid. pp. 256-265; Polish. Part 1. pp. 66-68; Manuel. Rus. hierarchs, 1893-1965. T. 2. P. 336-345; Gazizova O. St. Hermogenes, bishop Tobolsky // Orthodox. conversation. 1992. No. 8/9. pp. 27-31; Damascene. Book 2. P. 154-175; Regelson L. L. Tragedy Rus. Churches, 1917-1945. M., 1996. pp. 238-246; Those who suffered for Christ. Book 1. pp. 313-314; Vorobiev M., prot. Orthodox local history: Essays on the history of the Saratov region. M., 2002. P. 78-84; Ivanov S. M., Suprun V. I. Orthodoxy on Volgograd land: Dioceses and bishops. Volgograd, 2002. Part 1. pp. 107-110; Rozhkov V.S., prot. Church issues in the State. Duma. M., 2004. S. 287-298; Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Bishop of Tobolsk and Siberia // Siberian Orthodox Church. gas. 2005. No. 9; Finding the relics of Sschmch. Hermogene (Dolganova), bishop. Tobolsk and Siberian // Ibid; Mramornov A.I. Church and social-political. activities of bishop Hermogena (Dolganova, 1858-1918). Saratov, 2006.

A. I. Mramornov

Family

Born into the family of a priest, who later became a monk and was elevated to the rank of archimandrite in the Saratov Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery. From childhood he was a deeply religious person.

Education

He received his secondary education at a theological seminary and passed the matriculation exams at the classical gymnasium in the city of Ananyev, Kherson province. He graduated from the Faculty of Law of Novorossiysk University (1886), also took a course in the Faculty of Mathematics, and attended lectures at the Faculty of History and Philology of the university. He graduated from the St. Petersburg Theological Academy (1893) with a candidate's degree in theology.

Monk and teacher

He repeatedly interrupted his studies, got a job, tried to engage in arable farming, and traveled. In a state of mental crisis, he subjected himself to self-castration. In 1889 he was admitted to the St. Petersburg Theological Academy.

In 1890, he was tonsured a monk, ordained to the rank of hierodeacon, and on March 15, 1892 - to the rank of hieromonk.

Since 1893 - inspector, since 1898 - rector of the Tiflis Theological Seminary with elevation to the rank of archimandrite. At the same time, he was appointed a member of the Georgian-Imereti Synodal Office and chairman of the school diocesan council. He was the editor of the “Spiritual Bulletin of the Georgian Exarchate”.

During his period as rector of the seminary, Joseph Dzhugashvili was expelled from this educational institution, whom he personally expelled from the seminary for absenteeism and low academic performance.

Bishop

He launched a wide missionary activity, in which he also involved laymen. Organized extra-liturgical readings and conversations, developed programs for Sunday schools.

By his own example, as well as by frequent conversations with the diocesan clergy and special circulars, he called on the clergy to earnestly, unhurriedly and strictly in accordance with the regulations, performing church services. He paid considerable attention to the fight against sectarianism, within the framework of which he organized non-liturgical pastoral conversations. In Saratov, they were held under the leadership of the bishop on all Sundays and holidays, preceded by a short prayer service, alternated with spiritual chants performed by the bishop's choir, and ended with the singing of all those present. To promote Orthodox ideas, he transformed and expanded the diocesan printed organ - “Saratov Spiritual Messenger” and created the weekly “Brotherly List”, established weekly printed organs were established in Balashov, Kamyshin and Tsaritsyn. During his service at the Saratov See, over fifty churches were built, and the number of parochial schools increased significantly.

Political Views

One of the most conservative Russian bishops of the early 20th century. He sharply criticized contemporary trends in literature and theatrical life. Thus, he assessed Leonid Andreev’s play “Anatema” extremely negatively, in his sermon calling on the governor to protect Russian youth from dark and evil forces, and sent a petition to the Holy Synod to ban this play. Author of the brochure “Current Researchers of Anathema and Its Sedition.” The bishop’s public statements were “extremely harsh and often violated the provisions of Russian legislation.” He proposed excommunicating Leonid Andreev, Dmitry Merezhkovsky, and Vasily Rozanov. He canceled the memorial service scheduled for the famous actress V.F. Komissarzhevskaya at the cathedral and asked Tashkent (where she died during a tour from smallpox) what she was sick with, whether she was Orthodox and when she confessed.

Conflict with the Synod and exile

At a meeting of the Holy Synod at the end of 1911, Hermogen spoke out against the introduction of the rank of deaconesses in the Orthodox Church proposed by Moscow Metropolitan Vladimir (Epiphany) and Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. He appealed sharply on this issue to the emperor - he sent him a telegram in which he claimed that the Holy Synod was establishing in Moscow “a purely heretical corporation of deaconesses, a false forged institution instead of a true one.” Also in this telegram, he criticized the project to introduce a special rite of funeral prayer for non-Orthodox people, saying that this turns out to be “open connivance and unauthorized, disorderly indulgence towards opponents of the Orthodox Church.”

At the same time, the bishop came into conflict with Grigory Rasputin, whom he initially supported. For the sake of fighting the “lascivious old man,” he formed an alliance with the Black Hundred hieromonk Iliodor (Trufanov), who was initially supported by church and secular authorities, who saw him as a successful anti-revolutionary propagandist. At the bishop's apartment on December 16, 1911, Hermogenes, Iliodor, the holy fool Mitya, the writer Rodionov and others began to denounce Rasputin and, threatening him with a saber, forced him to kiss the cross. As a result, Rasputin was forced to swear that he would leave the Tsar's palace.

At the beginning of 1912, the Synod began the persecution of Iliodor and Hermogenes. The latter was dismissed by the emperor from attending the Synod on January 3; he was ordered to go to the diocese entrusted to him. Refusing to obey this order, the bishop gave interviews to newspapers in which he criticized the members of the Synod. As a result, on January 17, he was dismissed from the management of the diocese and sent to the Zhirovitsky Monastery. In August 1915 he was transferred to the Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery of the Moscow Diocese.

At the Tobolsk department

Since March 8, 1917 - Bishop of Tobolsk and Siberia; appointed to this post as a “victim of the old regime.” He retained his monarchical convictions and called on his flock to “remain faithful to the faith of their fathers, not to bend the knee to the idols of the revolution and their modern priests, who demand that the Orthodox Russian people weatherize, distort the Russian people’s soul with cosmopolitanism, internationalism, communism, open atheism and bestial vile depravity.” He sharply criticized the Decree on the Separation of Church and State. and the lives of the saints, prayed and sang church hymns.

The Tobolsk diocesan congress sent a delegation to Yekaterinburg, which asked to release the bishop on bail. The delegation included:

• Archpriest Efrem Dolganev, brother of Bishop Hermogenes;
• priest Mikhail Makarov;
• attorney at law Konstantin Aleksandrovich Minyatov.

The delegation paid the established bail of ten thousand rubles (initially the authorities demanded one hundred thousand), but the bishop was not released, and the members of the delegation were themselves arrested and soon shot.

In June 1918, the bishop and several other prisoners (priest of the village of Kamensky of the Yekaterinburg diocese Pyotr Karelin, former gendarmerie non-commissioned officer Nikolai Knyazev, high school student Mstislav Golubev, former chief of police of Yekaterinburg Heinrich Rushinsky and officer Ershov) were taken to Tyumen and delivered to the ship "Ermak" . All the prisoners, except the bishop and Fr. Peter were shot on the shore, near the village of Pokrovskoye. Bishop Hermogenes and Fr. Peter died a little later. At first they were forced to work on the construction of fortifications near Pokrovsky, then they were transferred to the steamer Oka, which headed to Tobolsk. On the way to this city, the clergy were on the orders of Pavel Khokhryakov with the inclusion of the Council of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia and the establishment of the memory of June 16.

In August 2000, by the Act of the Jubilee Consecrated Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, his name was included in the Council of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia for church-wide veneration. By the same Act, the victims along with St. were canonized for church-wide veneration at the Council of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia. Hermogenes, holy martyrs Efrem Dolganev, Mikhail Makarov, Peter Karelin and martyr Konstantin Minyatov.

On May 4, 2017, by decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, he was included in the council of “Fathers of the Local Council of the Russian Church 1917-1918.” (Comm. November 5/18).

Essays

• “To our young spiritual environment,” Spiritual Bulletin of the Georgian Exarchate, 1898, Part unofficial, No. 24, 2-10.
• "Essay on the activities of the Diocesan Missionary Spiritual-Educational Brotherhood in Tiflis for two years of its existence (from October 19, 1897 to October 22, 1899), "Spiritual Bulletin of the Georgian Exarchate, 1900, Part unofficial, No. 6 , 7-23.
• “The struggle for the truth of our theological school: Review of the project for the new organization of this school,” Saratov Spiritual Bulletin, 1908, No. 44, 3-10.
• "Indignant condemnation of permitted blasphemy: (The true image of Tolstoy's death), "Saratov, .
• “From the “true” light into “utter darkness”: (Open letter to Russian people), “Pg., 1916.
• "Interpretation of the "Revelation" of John the Theologian," First and Last, M., 2003, No. 2(6).

Awards

Notes

1. Orthodox encyclopedia “The ABC of Faith” - “Hieromartyr Hermogenes (Dolganev), Bishop of Tobolsk and Siberia.” Link.