The Pskov-Pechersky Monastery is the only one in Russia that has never been closed, even during the years of the most fierce persecution of the church. Wonders? The monks explain this by the fact that the caves, from which the monastery began, were opened and built by God himself. And as proof of their innocence, they cite the fact: the bodies of the dead, buried here, do not emit a pernicious smell, on the contrary - they smell sweet!
Yeltsin in the ovens
In the mid-1990s, Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin visited the famous monastery near Pskov. The head of state was accompanied by the treasurer of the monastery, Archimandrite Nathanael. Little, thin, nimble Father Nathanael was considered the most harmful person in the monastery. In winter and summer, he wore worn-out boots and a washed-out cassock, and an old canvas sack was always dangling behind him.
Sharp-tongued and tight-fisted, the treasurer fought for every penny, suspecting everyone of squandering the monastic property. And this man was entrusted with an important mission - to accompany the distinguished guest and his retinue on a tour of the caves. Father Nathanael moved briskly through the labyrinths, illuminating the path for himself and his companions with a candle. Boris Nikolayevich followed the priest in silence until he realized that something strange was happening around him.
There was no smell of decay in the caves, despite the fact that the coffins with the deceased stood in open niches. It was not difficult, if necessary, to touch them and even open them - the coffins were not nailed down, but simply covered with a lid.
Boris Nikolaevich stopped the priest:
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- Listen, why is there no smell in the caves?
Father Nathanael replied:
- A miracle of God.
The President chuckled and walked on. However, the question apparently worried Yeltsin seriously, and he was determined to get an answer. But Father Nathanael was not a bastard and said how he cut it off:
- So the Lord arranged it.
The answer again did not satisfy the president; when leaving the caves, he leaned over to the little treasurer and whispered in his ear:
- Open the secret, what are you rubbing them with?
- Boris Nikolayevich, - the archimandrite was not taken aback, - are there any foul-smelling people among your entourage?
“Of course not,” Yeltsin said.
- So why do you think that someone in the environment of the Heavenly Father should smell bad ?!
THE PHENOMENON OF CAVES
This phenomenon has been known for a long time, but has not yet been solved. Many tried to find an explanation for him. And really, why, after the deceased is brought here, his remains immediately stop emitting a characteristic smell? Atheists were especially zealous in the Soviet years.
They put forward the most fantastic versions, starting with the one that later came to Yeltsin's mind: monks almost daily anoint the bodies of the dead with incense. But this can only be believed by those who have a poor idea of the size of the burials.
Another version is also popular: all smells are absorbed by local sandstones. It was this hypothesis that was voiced by secular guides to tourists in the Soviet years.
But the monks themselves consider both explanations to be foolish. The former abbot of the monastery, the famous archimandrite Alipy (Voronov), accompanying the delegations of distinguished guests to the caves, always took with him a handkerchief, abundantly moistened with vigorous Soviet cologne. And when visitors started talking about the unique properties of local sandy soils, he brought a handkerchief to each person's nose and asked them to explain why sandstones do not absorb this smell.
The confused guests did not know what to answer. And Alipy also asked to pay attention to the flowers at the coffins of the recently departed monks. Roses and gladioli were fragrant a mile away. Satisfied with the effect produced, Alipy always asked the same question:
- Aren't you ready to admit the fact that there are many things in the world that are beyond the control of our mind?
At one time, scientific research was carried out, and nearby caves were dug in the same rock, in which there was a similar temperature and air regime. They put vegetables and fruits in the freshly dug caves, but they all deteriorated over time and began to smell foul, but the same vegetables and fruits put in the monastery cave remained fresh.
CITY OF THE DEAD
About fourteen thousand people are buried in the underground cemetery. A day is not enough to visit all the graves! Monks, Pskov priests, military men - defenders of the monastery, benefactors, noblemen, among whom there are many famous ones, for example, from the family of Pushkins, Kutuzovs, Musorgsky, Rtishchevs. Moreover, each coffin stands where it belongs.
From the entrance there are seven underground galleries, the so-called streets, which at different times have lengthened and expanded. The leaders of the monastery are buried on a separate street. On the fifth and sixth streets, ordinary monks find their last refuge, therefore this part is called the fraternal cemetery. In other galleries, pilgrims, parishioners, and soldiers are buried.
Ceramides are installed in the walls of the caves - slabs with inscriptions telling about who, when and where rested. Ceramides are real works of art, made in different techniques: glazed stone with gilding, limestone, clay, ceramic, etc. At the end of the central street there is an eve - a special candlestick in the form of a small table, at which funeral services are performed. There is a large wooden cross behind the eve.
It has long been a tradition to bring coffins into caves and leave them in niches. Over time, the lower ones decay, shrinkage occurs and a new place is made on top for the next coffin. At the same time, the air in the caves is surprisingly clean and fresh. Breathes so easily, as if you are in the forest or on the seashore.
MIRACLES UNDER THE EARTH
They began to bury here in the 15th century. In the cave, which the monks had chosen for the burial of their comrade, an inscription on the wall suddenly opened: "God-made cave."
Since then, the monks believe that their abode is open and created by the Almighty himself. According to legend, one of the first burials was accompanied by a miracle. The coffin with the monk's body, buried in the ground, rose to the surface the next morning. Seeing this, the brothers decided that they had made some mistake during the funeral service or burial, and conducted the whole ceremony anew. However, the miracle repeated itself - the coffin "floated" to the surface again.
Miracles underground happen with enviable consistency. Once young monks got hold of the keys to the old brotherly cemetery. In that part of it, they have not been buried for many centuries. The entrance to this "street" was blocked by a heavy iron door. Monks
they opened it and, lighting their way with candles, went along the underground passage. In the niches stood old coffins, crumbling from time to time.
Some were so rotten that skeletons could be seen through the holes. Soon, the "pathfinders" stumbled upon a well-preserved coffin and, in thought, stopped in front of it. Curiosity got the better of it, and the monks carefully lifted the lid.
The hegumen lay in the coffin. The monk seemed to be asleep! No part of the body, including the face, was touched by decay! It seemed a little more, and he would open his eyes and look menacingly at the living. The monks were so scared that they quickly covered the coffin with a lid and rushed back. Then they realized that they had disturbed the rest of the saint …
Lyubov SHAROVA