Be always joyful
On August 24, we honor the memory of the great elder, Archpriest Nikolai Guryanov (1909-2002). For more than 40 years, the elder served in the church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on the island of Talabsk (Zalit) of the Pskov diocese. Being a great old man himself, Archimandrite Ioann (Krestiankin) spoke about Archpriest Nikolai Guryanov, that he is “the only truly shrewd old man on the territory of the former USSR.”
advised:
“Man is born to converse with God”
“Be always joyful and in the most difficult days of your life do not forget to thank God: a grateful heart needs nothing.”
"Do not worry about visiting troubles: these are companions of life in our recovery."
“A believer, he should be loving with all that surrounds him. Lovingly! ”
"Man is born to talk with God."
"We must pity people and always pray:" Lord, deliver them from this enemy stupefaction. "
“After all, this is our guest, and then we’ll go home. But only, my precious, grief will be our home, if we were visiting, yes, we did something bad. ”
"To live as if you die tomorrow."
“Go and do good. Every love covers a multitude of sins. ”
Elder in the memoirs of contemporaries
Simplicity and love for people, animals, plants, everything created by God, distinguished him among others ... When Father Nikolay arrived on the island, there was an empty place near his house, on the contrary - a cemetery with a broken fence and not a single tree. And he so wanted to decorate everything! And he came from Kiev, Pochayev, Vilnius, Pyukhtits, gathered plants, roots of bushes and flowers, and planted them on the island. Batyushka was caring for trees with love. Then there was still no water supply, and the father wore water from the lake, 100-200 buckets each. I watered everything myself: bushes, flowers, and future trees. Near the house the father planted chrysanthemums, dahlias, gladioli. Now we see the fruits of his labors: thuja, fir, and larch have turned green everywhere. And where the greens, there are birds. How many of them filled their voices previously empty island! For them, for the little birds of God, Father Nikolai made a “dining room under the open sky.” With his pure soul, the priest was close to everything that was created by the right hand of God.
Father Nikolai was celibacy. In Vilnius, we all knew him and commemorated in his little notes as the holy Nicholas. I asked Nina (Batasheva; in the schema, Barbara), of Mother Abbess, about this, and this is what she told me. Father Nicholas said that if the Lord would please, he would take monastic vows. Mother Nina even kept the clothes that her sisters sewed for father Nicholas’s haircut. But during the war, when the convent was heavily bombed, Mother Abbess burned everything, including this clothing. Father Nicholas judged that there was no God's will for his monasticism, and he did not take the vestment. ”
All creation was the father of the heart. He always carefully watched so that neither the flower nor the tree was damaged.
Archpriest John Mironov Tied to a half-century-old spiritual friendship, said: “The courtyard of the modest father's house-cellia was like an illustration to the first chapters of Genesis: chestnuts, cypress trees and other trees, many pigeons on the branches and the roof sit tight, like chickens on the perch. Immediately sparrows and other small birds. And next to the chickens cats and doggie stroll peacefully. And all the father tried to pogolubit, entertain. My father Lypushka lived at the age of 28 for her, completely humanized. One day a raven was hit by someone with a stone, so the priest left it, cured it, and it became completely tame. Every morning, later met the father, croaked, flapping wings - hello. And everything around me — trees and flowers — everything on the island lived with fatherly care. Bees, midges, bugs - everything was not alien to him. Mosquito does not even hurt. All creation was the father of the heart. He always carefully watched so that neither the flower nor the tree would be damaged. ”
Vladyka Pavel (Ponomarev; now the Metropolitan of Minsk and Zaslavsky, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus; in 1988-1992 - the governor of the Pskovo-Pechersky Monastery) told the following story: “Mother George (Shchukin) came to us in Pechora. It turns out that she had a conversation with His Holiness the Patriarch about her possible direction to Jerusalem. And she had to consult with her confessor, Father Nikolai, a famous old man on the island of Zalit. But she failed to get to the island: the steamboats no longer go, but the ice has not yet risen ... And the housekeeper asks me: "So bless the helicopter?" ... They called the airport - it turned out to be quite accessible. After 40 minutes, the helicopter was already in the monastery. Arrived - and there is nowhere to land. Snow has just fallen good. They sat down somewhere in the garden. We see: Father Nikolai himself goes. And mothers are running, something is noisy. It turns out that after the service and the meal, everyone dispersed in their cells - and suddenly father Nikolai began to call everyone. “Come out,” she says. “Mothers, the guests are coming to us: Mother Abbess of Jerusalem, the vicar father with the brethren of the monastery.” They say: “Father, are you out of your mind? Who is going to us? Steamers do not go. Lie down, rest. ” And suddenly - a helicopter, noise. But then, not that cell phones, in general, there was no connection with the island. And after all, Father Nikolai already called Mother the Abbess of Jerusalem, although no one at all knew about her future ... ”
I was surprised by his insight. He foresaw much
Archpriest Oleg Theor He told about the elder: “I appreciated the father from the very first meeting and always revered him very much. I was surprised by his insight. He foresaw a lot and, if necessary, said what came true. For example, there was such a case. Father Nicholas always remembered death, about his preparation for her, often spoke on this subject and punished how to bury him. Once he promised one of his spiritual daughters that she would be at his funeral. The other, by the name of Antonina, immediately declared: “And I will, father. I will definitely come. ” And he is so close and says: "No, you will be at home." And it turned out that this Antonina died. And the one who was promised to attend the funeral was really there. And my father said to me that I would bury him. So it happened.
Now I also feel his prayer support. It happens that when I remember him, help comes to me. Father Nicholas had a gift of healing. His prayer was very effective. One of his spiritual daughter was so seriously ill, doctors recognized cancer. She felt very faint, her face was pale and transparent. She worked on hard work, where she had to deal with chemicals harmful to her health. Doctors recommended her to go to another job. But father Nikolai did not bless. The patient obeyed. Many years have passed, and she, through the prayers of the priest, recovered and lives to this day. When I became very sick, Father Nikolai also very firmly assured me that the Lord would heal. And indeed, I was healed.
Father Nicholas tried to instill the memory of death in his children
Father Nicholas tried to instill in his memory the memory of death. He said that if people knew what they were prepared for, they would have behaved differently. Often he showed the icon of the Last Judgment to the guests for clarification and clarity, explaining it and recalling the punishment for sins. He was very persuasive, with Gospel words and examples. He pointed to the image, where and for what sin a person will suffer. It was sobering to many and it made me think and always remember about the hour of death. ”
Archpriest George Ushakov he shared: “Often I saw that, even when the father spoke to a man, his lips were moving between the phrases between the phrases. I think he was an unceasing prayer book. This was where his vision and openness to the high world came from. During prayer, the Lord revealed to him the soul of man and His will for him. ”
Archpriest Vladimir Stepanov He said: “I lived in Pskov at that time and served as a deacon in the Trinity Cathedral. Next to the cathedral is the bell tower, in which the nun Archela lived in the 1970s. I go to visit my mother once. It was about father Nicholas. She tells me that it was very difficult for her, and she prayerfully addressed the priest: “Father Nikolai! Help me! Father Nicholas! Help me ... ”And so several times. The next morning, the priest comes to Pskov, comes to Mother Archelaus and from the threshold says to her: “Well, what are you asking me for: Father Nikolai, help me, Father Nikolai, help me ...”
The Lord rewarded the priest with quick faith and unceasing prayer. It was often noticeable that he was creating the Jesus prayer. I experienced the power of his prayer, and more than once. One example: I had a serious problem, and in the winter on foot from the bolshak I came across the lake to an old man. He listened to me, then got up and said: "Let's pray." The father kneels on his tiny kitchenette, I follow him too. A few minutes of prayer. Get up from his knees. Father Nikolai blesses me, and I clearly feel in my heart that my problem no longer exists. Thank God!"
Priest Alexy Likhachev He recalled: “Father, it seemed to me a bit naive: he still persuaded me to read the morning and evening prayers daily. And I was such an eager student that it seemed strange to me not to not read prayers - I and the Psalter read religiously. “Doesn't he know that I do it without any persuasion?” But then at the academy I found myself in a circle of young people, experts and adherents of the Greek tradition, who, making fun of our Russian piety, sneered: “Without reading this rule you can’t save yourself. ” So the priest strengthened me in advance so as not to succumb. And again: now, after ten years, I have become so burdened with the construction of the temple, as well as family difficulties and domestic problems, that I sometimes fall asleep without undressing. But the words of Father Nicholas sound today - as a reproach.
Batiushkin had to be able to understand the language. He revealed such deep things to people, and even in a few words, that they had to be wrapped in the form of images or symbols, which gradually became clear, as time passed, filled with new spiritual meanings and twists of fate. A certain novice, who came to the island with me, began to tell the priest about the disturbances in the monastery. He gently touched her neck: “Do you wear a cross?” She took the cross from her chest. "Here you are." (She had a mental breakdown a year later.)
And to the girl, Vale, who was interested in him, if she could engage in equestrian sports and dancing, Father Nikolay, with affection and a smile, says: . She, know, laughs. But he hinted to her on the mountain until gray hair. ”
Doctor Vladimir Alekseevich Nepomnyashchikh He told about the elder: “Outwardly, he seemed detached from all earthly things. It was felt that between us, sinners, and the old man there was an enormous distance. For many who came under the blessing, the father did not answer questions, but only anointed his forehead in silence with a cross of oil. At the same time, people felt that the need for questioning disappeared. However, father Nikolai talked with those who really needed it, answered questions and even invited people to their little house. He did not answer all questions, but selectively ... Of course, elder Nicholas knew the will of God and revealed it to the extent that he considered necessary. ”
Father Nicholas blessed me with a large cross and said: "You will neither drink nor smoke until the end of your life." So it happened
Andrey Lukin He recalled: “From my youth I became addicted to alcohol, and by the age of 26 I realized that I could not live without him for a long time. I began to look for a way out, tried to encode - it did not help, it only became worse ... I began to take vows. He promised before God, on the cross and the Gospel, in the presence of a priest about abstaining from alcohol, first for half a year, then for a year and a half. This went on for six years, but the trouble is that as soon as the end of the term of the vow came, literally that very day I started to drink again, because passion was rising and it was impossible to fight it. And in 1999, in the month of August, I came to the island of Zalit to visit Father Nikolai Guryanov. I approached him and said: “Father, bless me not to drink for three years and not to smoke for a year (to take vows)”. Father Nicholas blessed me with a large cross and said: "You will neither drink nor smoke until the end of your life." Seven years have passed since then, and during that time I didn’t even have a thought (thank God!) Neither to drink, nor to smoke. But I smoked for more than 20 years.
And two years before this wonderful event, my wife, along with her eldest daughter, went to Father Nicholas with the question of whether I should leave secular work and work entirely in church or not. The priest, not knowing my name, said to his wife: “I bow to Andryushenka and ask for your prayers.” What humility the father has, as he called me, an alcoholic ... And his wife replied: "You should not leave worldly work, but let him work as a regent." And so it happened: “I worked”, in half a year, less, I had to leave the regents. Another wife asked about her daughter: whether to study further, since her academic progress was unimportant, to which the elder said: “Learn, learn and learn. The three and the four are also good marks. ” Daughter graduated from school, secondary special institution, is now studying in higher, fourth year. Upon receipt for the main subject received five, for the other four. But at school I was studying for three! ”
Olga Kormuhina, famous singer, She shared: “I must say that at that time I had two serious problems: smoking (I could not stop smoking, although I really wanted to), and I also liked tasty alcoholic beverages. I could say, “kayfovala” from refined liqueurs, rums, wines and could not do anything with myself ... Here we come to the house, we see: people gathered around the old man in groups; we joined them. And he runs between people and asks: “Do you drink, smoke? Drink, smoke? Drink, smoke? ”But he doesn't ask me. I think: “After all, this is my problem. But he does not ask me. ” I want to say, but I can not. I feel that the demon has silenced my mouth. Just feel it naturally. My veins have swollen around my neck, but I cannot say a word. But I feel that if I don’t say it now, then I’m over. Just the end. And that's it! I tensed out of the last strength and prayed: “Lord! Help me! ”And then she screamed:“ Batyushka! I drink, I smoke! I hate myself for it! ”And he seemed to be waiting for it, ran up to me, crossed his mouth, and said:“ Everything. No more will. ” And indeed, it was July 19, 1997, since then I have not taken either alcohol or cigarettes.
One professor of mathematics, Russian, came with his English friend, also a professor of mathematics, a completely unbeliever. And the Russian prayed very much for him to believe. And the Englishman had a thought: "If this old man shows me a miracle, then I will believe." We arrived, the father met them, started in a cell, and immediately, from the first words, said: “What a miracle you, show you, son?” He went to the switch and started to click: “There’s a light, but there’s no light. There is light, but there is no light. Ha ha ha. They laughed, and Father Nicholas sent them home: "Go, sons, with God, while quietly." The Englishman also laughed: they say, what miracles can there be? After all, a learned man. They came back from the island to the mainland, and there the crowd of people, the police, the workers were pulling some wires. "And what happened, then?" - "So for three days already on the islands there is no light." And our scientist immediately turned the boat back. "
Anna Ivanovna Trusova recalled: “I came to the island with my nephew. He defended one person who was attacked by hooligans. As a result, an unfair accusation fell on him. The investigator gave him two articles. We went to old man Nicholas to ask for his holy prayers. The priest did not ask why, why, only I suddenly saw how his eyes had changed - I had never seen such eyes in anyone in my life. He went far, he was not present here among us. I really trembled from this father's eyes. I do not know how much he prayed. Five minutes or more, but only then he took a deep breath and said: “They will not judge. Justify. ” So in a few minutes the old man begged a man. ”
“Father, in such a cold! .. Why?” - Mothers were scared. “Name is,” the old man said quietly.
Lyudmila Ivanova, church photographer, recalled one case: “Father Nikolay once gathered on a late snowy evening to go somewhere in a strong snowstorm. “Father, in such a cold! .. Why?” - Mothers were scared. “Name is,” the elder said quietly. And, despite the entreaties of women, went into the darkness of the night. The wind howled like a fierce beast, the blizzard did not subside. Father did not return for a long time. Run, look - where? It remained to pray, trusting in the will of God. Father returned not one. Guy Frozen led. He got lost in a blizzard, began to lose the strength and even think about death. He prayed to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of God for fear, although he considered himself an unbeliever. Father Nicholas heard.
Hegumen Roman (Zagrebnev) He told how he and his friend came to the old man on the island. A friend who had no experience in dealing with elders became confused and did not ask the priest anything. And when they were about to leave, Father Nikolai himself stopped the young man: “Tell me, is this really the case? At home I wrote, wrote the charter with questions, put it in my pocket and, without resolving a single issue, you leave! Is this the case? Now you sit in the “Rocket” and float, and the questions in your pocket. Well, get it right now. But you will float to Pskov, you will accidentally slip your hand in your pocket, and the heart will eknet. That it was quiet, and the need is to resolve issues. Understood? ”“ My companion fell at the foot of my father, tears ran from my eyes, asking for forgiveness and patience for the resolution of written questions. ”
Emilian Lashin recalled: “The man with whom I had to go to the island of Zalita, recently came out of prison. He lost his mother early, and his stepmother abused him and his sister, and they both began to steal, and so it went until they put him in prison. He sat two or three times and when he came out, he was already very sick with tuberculosis. He had no work, no money, no registration, no housing, and he could not get a job in the hospital. Then they decided to go to father Nikolay. It was in September, at the end of the month - a difficult time for countdowns. I remember that on that day my father had a lot of very diverse people ... And my “ward” was standing outside the gate near a large stone and did not dare (or was no longer able to) enter. Batiushka barely glanced at him and immediately called out by name, himself went out of the gate and talked with this man for a long, long time about something. And then he blessed him three times and said loudly: "Everything will be fine." Needless to say, right after our return, this person was taken to the best clinic, as if suddenly forgetting about all the obstacles and arguments that the same people had found only a few days ago. In this clinic, he lay for more than six months, completely cured of the terrible disease. During this time, they registered a residence permit, and constantly in some miraculous way there were funds for medicines that cost a lot of money. ”
Alexey Belov, famous musician, He said: “We witnessed such a case. One day, a terrible storm arose on the island and suddenly instantly subsided. And when we came to the father’s cell, his cellist said that there was a tornado, the father went out, made the sign of the cross, and everything fell apart. And then it turned out that he saved the boy from death. This boy went fishing in a big boat, and during a tornado he could die, break on this boat.
Batyushka generally saved people from death more than once. So it was with our daughter. In infancy, she very hard endured high fever, she began to cramp. Then one day the cramps were so strong that she had a tongue and asphyxia started, she began to turn blue. Then I shouted to myself: “Father Nikolai, help me!” And the tongue returned to its place, she breathed evenly.
The monks we met on Athos had photos of an old man. He was all very honored. When we were at the evening service in Hilandar, in the Serbian monastery, the confessor accepted my confession. I decided to give him a photo of Father Nicholas, as I took a whole pack with me to give to people. He took a photo, looked at it and said: “Father Nikolai!” Then I learned that the confessors of some of the Athos monasteries, including Father Tikhon from Khilandar, came to the island to Father Nikolai. For me it was amazing. After all, the Holy Mountain has been a center of monastic experience for more than a thousand years. It can be said that this is the “institute of eldership”, many elders have grown up here, including modern ones. And from Athos the monks went to some distant island in Russia to see the saint ”.
Hieromonk (now Hegumen) Nestor (Kumysh), the spiritual child of the elder shared: “My deacon was predicted by him too. Before entering the seminary, I, as usual, came to the island, because then I already traveled regularly, I could not have done without it. I chatted with the elder, I decided everything I needed. In parting, he said to me: "Soon you will be a deacon." “When?” I ask. “Next summer,” answered the elder. So I left. But in my heart is bewilderment: what kind of deaconry, when I had not even entered the seminary? Joked, maybe, father? In fact, it all came out of his word. I, as a graduate, were enrolled in the seminary immediately in the second class ... At the end of the second class I was offered to move to the fourth, bypassing the third. Without giving any answer, I went out of town to my relatives until September of the next school year. And in early July, an unexpected call was received from the diocesan administration demanding that they immediately come to the city to pass protéginal exams and pass confession before consecration.
At full speed, I had an engine jammed, and the car became uncontrollable.
For the successful course of restoration work on the temple where I served, the benefactor who performed his restoration gave me a car. “Sell it immediately,” the elder categorically demanded of me when I told him about it. But I did not obey and decided to do it at the end of the restoration work ... At full speed I had an engine jammed, and the car became uncontrollable. After two or three terrible minutes, I found myself in a ditch with all four wheels up. By the grace of God, everything turned out well, and I got rid of fright. But since then he did not dare to violate or somehow alter the word spoken by the old man.
I had one sin that caused me a lot of grief and experience. Periodically, I suffered relapses of grim irritability and irascibility. It is difficult to live with this Christian, because nothing so much poisons the existence of others, and nothing so degrades human dignity as the loss of self-control. But the fight against this common ailment is not easy. And then one day after arriving on the island, I turned to the old man with a rather stupid question, which was not deprived of the same concealed vanity. I asked Father Nicholas what I could do in a special way for the greater favor to God. Without looking at me, the elder answered: “Do not scandal”. Wow, how painful it became to me from this word! I bounced off the father, as if I had been doused with boiling water. His words hit the spot and deeply hurt my feelings. But what to do? For our cure, sometimes we need not sweet pills, but bitter medicines, and Father Nikolai used them resolutely where it was needed. Subsequently - as I believe, not without the prayer of the priest - I discovered the main cause of the illness that was tormenting me and freed myself from it. ”
Archpriest Valerian Krechetov shared: “Batyushka kept saying:“ Everything is good, yes, everything is good. How happy we are, that we are in the Church, that we take communion ... ”The Elder was asked about Russia, and he replied:“ Russia did not die. Oh, how good it is with us. Glory to Thee, Lord. The Lord does not leave us. ”
Priest Alexy Likhachev recalled the last days of the old man’s life and the last meeting with him: “And here I am at the dearest person. Again, as in the first meeting, I sit beside my feet. Only father ... was already different. He was diminished, as the Lord once did. He was just like a baby. He kissed my hand: you, they say, are a priest, and I am nobody. When he gave him modest shrines as a gift, the priest childly asked: “What is this? A cross? ”And cried with emotion. I brought him a sponge, dipped in the world from the icon of the Tsar-martyr. He asked three times what kind of tip it was. I asked him to put a cross on the book with his poems. "Here? Here? ”- asked until I pointed. In obedience to me, father, for five minutes, tried with his weak hand to draw this cross, the hand trembled ... I also began to cry. All that soulful that I knew and what I was waiting for was no longer there. It was not FOREVER. It was clearly felt that the human in the priest was already leaving. Outwardly, the unnatural pallor of the face spoke of this: not a little blood! His flesh was kept only by the Spirit - for us, according to his love and mercy of God. And only the elder answered all the questions. He answered, closing his eyes and praying, and only in those seconds did I recognize “my father”. Even his tone was becoming firm and domineering. ”
Archpriest Boris Nikolaev recalled : “When the priest lay in the coffin, his right hand was so warm and alive that I thought about whether we were alive or not. The fact is that father Nikolai was close to the mountain world. The righteous at special moments, especially after Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, no longer feel the difference between the world of the high and the visible, can temporarily pass into another world. Father Valerian often in recent years communion with the priest and several times noticed that the old man seemed to be dying. Breathing stopped, but the pulse continued to beat. After a while, Fr Nikolai went out of his cell to an anxious father Valerian, the kelerites, and with a smile asked: “Well, what are you doing here?” ”.
"Do not Cry! Now Father Nikolai at the Throne of Heaven is praying for us. ”
Priest (now Archpriest) Alexy Nikolin recalled the funeral of the elder: “There were 40 priests serving, two masters: Archbishop of Pskov and Velikie Luki Eusebius and Nikon, Bishop of Yekaterinburg in peace ... At first, the priesthood was forgiven, then the laity went. The monks of the Pskov-Caves Monastery arrived, Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov) ... arrived with his choir. The choir of Sretensky monastery sang a funeral ... When the funeral was over, they lifted up the coffin, surrounded it with the canon “Wave of the Sea” and carried it to the cemetery ”.
Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) comforted the mourners: “Do not cry! Now Father Nikolai at the Throne of Heaven is praying for us. ”
By the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us!
13 years have passed since the death of the famous elder of the Mitrophoric Archpriest Nikolai Guryanov. He died at the age of 93 on August 24, 2002. Elder Nicholas confessed many gifts of the Holy Spirit, among them - the gifts of vision, healing, miracles. Believers in need of spiritual advice came to the elder from all over Russia to the island of Zalit.
Nikolay Guryanov - one of the most revered elders of the Russian Orthodox Church of the late XX - early XXI centuries. Numerous prophecies, spoken by him, came true during his lifetime - predictions about the overthrow of communism in Russia, the canonization of Nicholas II, the death of the Komsomolets and Kursk nuclear submarines, and many others that he witnessed during his lifetime.
The elder Nikolai Guryanov for his confession of faith endured oppression from the authorities, prison and camp sentences and exile. After he was expelled from the institute for speaking out against the closure of temples, he went to serve in the church and was arrested for this. At first there was a conclusion in "Kresty", then - a link to the camp near Kiev, and then - a settlement in Syktyvkar, laid the railway in the Polar region. He spent the war years in the Baltics. In the same place he accepted the priesthood, then he moved to the fishing island of Talabsk, where he spent the rest of his life.
Thanks to the elder’s prayers, people were retreating to diseases, musical earings appeared, the mind was enlightened in learning difficult subjects during study, professional skills were improved, everyday perplexities were arranged, and the further course of life was often determined.
Family and childhood
Nikolai Guryanov was born into a merchant family. His father, Alexey Ivanovich Guryanov, was regent of the church choir, died in 1914. His elder brother, Mikhail Alekseevich Guryanov, taught at the St. Petersburg Conservatory; younger brothers, Peter and Anatoly, also possessed musical abilities.
All three brothers died in the war. His mother, Ekaterina Stefanovna Guryanova, helped her son with his writings for many years, died on May 23, 1969, and was buried in the cemetery of Zalit Island.
Since childhood, Nicholas served in the altar in the temple of Michael the Archangel. In childhood, the parish was visited by Metropolitan Benjamin (Kazansky). Father Nicholas recalled this event in the following way: “ I was still a little boy. Vladyka served, and I kept the staff for him. Then he hugged me, kissed me and said: “How happy are you that you are with the Lord…“».
Teacher, prisoner, priest
Nikolai Guryanov graduated from the Gatchina Pedagogical College, studied at the Leningrad Pedagogical Institute, from which he was expelled for speaking out against the closure of one of the churches. In 1929-1931 he taught mathematics, physics and biology at school, served as a psalm reader in Tosno.
Then he was a psalm-reader in the St. Nicholas Church of the village of Remda in the Seredkinsky district of the Leningrad (now Pskov) region. He was arrested, was in the Leningrad prison "Kresty", was serving a sentence in a camp in Syktyvkar, Komi ASSR. After his release, he was unable to get a residence permit in Leningrad and taught in rural schools in the Tosno district of the Leningrad region.
During the Great Patriotic War, he was not mobilized into the Red Army, as he crippled his legs for hard work in the camps. Was in the occupied territory. On February 8, 1942, he was ordained (by celibacy, that is, in a celibate state) to the rank of deacon by Metropolitan Sergius (Voskresensky), who was under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate.
From February 15, 1942 - the priest. In 1942 he graduated from the theological courses, served as a priest in the Holy Trinity Convent in Riga (until April 28, 1942). Then, until May 16, 1943, he was a writer at the Holy Dukhovsky Monastery in Vilnius.
Ministry in Lithuania
In 1943–1958, he was rector of the church of St. Nicholas in the village of Gegobrosty of the Panevezysk Prosperity of the Vilno-Lithuanian Diocese. Since 1956 - Archpriest.
O. Nikolay was unusually committed to the church. Not being a monk, he lived more strictly than a monk, in everything - in food, and in relation to people and prayer. His way of life can be called truly Christian: people saw in him an example of selfless service to the Lord.
Archpriest Iosif Dzichkovsky believed that "such parishes are an oasis of Orthodox piety in Catholic Lithuania." In the official description issued to Archpriest Nikolai by Archbishop of Vilna and Lithuanian Alexy (Dekhterev) in 1958, it was said: " This is without doubt an outstanding priest. Although his arrival was small and poor (150 parishioners), but it was arranged in such a way that it can be a good example for many. Without receiving any allowance from the Diocese, he managed to find local funds for which he overhauled the temple and brought it to be a beautiful form. Rarely is the parish cemetery. In personal life - impeccable behavior. This shepherd is an ascetic and prayer book. Celibacy. He gave all his soul, all his strength, all his knowledge, his whole heart to the parish, and for this he was always loved not only by his parishioners, but also by all who came into contact with this good shepherd.»
During his service at the parish in Lithuania, Father Nikolai received a theological education in absentia at the Leningrad Theological Seminary and the Leningrad Theological Academy.
"Talabian elder"
Since 1958, Father Nikolai began to serve in the Pskov diocese, and was appointed abbot of the church of Sts. Nicholas on the island of Talabsk (Zalita) on the Pskov Lake, he remained permanently until his death.
In the 70s, people from all over the country began to come to Father Nikolai on the island - they began to read him like an old man. He was called "Talabsky" or "Zalitsky" (still the name of the island, which was renamed in Soviet times in memory of the Bolshevik activist Zalite) as an old man.
House father Nikolai Guryanov
Not only the church people were drawn to him, but also the fallen souls, feeling the warmth of his heart. Once forgotten by everyone, at times, he did not know a single moment of peace from visitors, and alien to worldly glory only slowly complained: “ Oh, if only you ran to church as you ran after me!". His spiritual gifts could not go unnoticed: he called strangers by name, opened forgotten sins, warned about possible dangers, instructed, helped change life, arrange it on Christian principles, beg for seriously ill patients.
There is a story that Father Nicholas asked: " Thousands of people came to you for your life, you looked attentively at their souls. Tell me what worries you most of all in the souls of modern people - what a sin, what a passion? What is the most dangerous for us now?". To this he replied: " Unbelief", And to the clarifying question -" Even christians" - answered: " Yes, even the Orthodox Christians. Who the Church is not the Mother, that God is not the Father". According to Father Nicholas, a believer should be loving with respect to everything that surrounds him.
There is evidence that, through the prayers of the priest, he discovered the fate of people missing. In the 90s. Known throughout the country Pechersk Starets - Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) testified to Father Nicholas, that he is "the only truly shrewd old man in the territory of the former USSR." He knew the will of God about man; he directed many along the shortest path leading to salvation.
In 1988, Archpriest Nikolai Guryanov was rewarded with a miter and the right to serve with the Tsar Gates open to the Cherubim. In 1992, he was awarded the right to serve the liturgy with the open Royal Doors up to “Our Father” - the highest church distinction for the archpriest (excluding the extremely rare rank of protopresbyter).
O. Nikolay enjoyed fame both in Russia and among Orthodox people abroad. Thus, in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, a monastery was founded on the shore of a forest lake with his blessing.
The elder also enjoyed fame and love among creative young people and intellectuals: Konstantin Kinchev, Olga Kormukhina, Alexey Belov, and many others came to him on the island for a blessing on creativity. In addition, the elder became the prototype of the hero of the film “The Island”, where the main role was played by the rock poet and musician Peter Mamonov.
More than 3 thousand Orthodox believers took part in the funeral of Fr. Nikolai on the island of Talabsk (Zalit). Many admirers visit the grave of the elder. The Society of the zealots of the memory of the righteous Nikolai of Pskovzersky (Nikolai Guryanov) was established.
The instructions of the archpriest Nikolai Guryanov
The father did not speak much at all, apparently he was naturally silent, therefore his rare statements were aphoristic - in one sentence there was a whole life program. That is why everything that was said by the elder was so vividly remembered.
1. “Our life is blessed ... The gift of God ... We have in ourselves a treasure - a soul. If we save her in this temporary world, where we came as strangers, we will follow Eternal Life. ”
2. “Look for purity. Do not listen to the thin and dirty about anyone... Do not dwell on evil thoughts ... Run wrong ... Never fear to speak the truth, only with prayer and, above all, ask the Lord for blessings. ”
3. "You need to live not only for yourself ... Try to quietly pray for everyone ... Do not push anyone away or humiliate them.»
4. “Our thoughts and words have great power on the world around us. Pray with tears for all - the sick, the weak, the sinners, for those about whom there is no one to pray. "
five. " Do not be too strict. Excessive rigor is dangerous.. It stops the soul only on the external feat, not giving depth. Be softer, do not chase the external rules. Mentally talk with the Lord and the saints. Try not to teach, but gently prompt each other, correct. Keep it simple and sincere. The world is such a God ... Look around - the whole creation thanks the Lord. And you live like this - in peace with God. "
6. " Obedience... It begins in early childhood. With obedience to parents. These are our first lessons from the Lord. ”
7. “Remember that all people are weak and unfair. Learn to forgive, do not be offended. It is better to move away from doing evil to you - you will not be forced by love ... Do not look for friends among people. Look for them in heaven - among the saints. They will never leave or betray. ”
8. Believe in the Lord no doubt. The Lord Himself lives in our hearts, and He need not be sought somewhere out there ... far away. ”
9. "Be always joyful, and in the most difficult days of your life do not forget to thank God: a grateful heart needs nothing. ”
ten. " Look for your peace of mindthere will be order in the world. ”
eleven. " Rely onmy dear to the will of God, and everything will be as you need. "
12. " Never remove the cross. Read the morning and evening prayers necessarily. "
13. "You can save yourself in the family and in the monastery, just live the holy peaceful life."
14. " Go to the temple and believe the Lord. To whom the Church is not the mother, God is not the father. Humility and prayer are paramount. One black dress is not yet humility».
Guryanov Nikolai Alekseevich was born in the village of Chudsky Zakhodtsy, St. Petersburg Province, on May 24, 1909. His father, Alexey Ivanovich, served as regent of the church choir. Mother, Ekaterina Stefanovna, a pious woman, was in charge of housework, helping her husband in raising children. After his death in 1914, the entire burden of responsibility for the family fell on her shoulders.
Nicholas was raised in childhood within the framework of Christian traditions. He happily served in the village of Kobylya Gorodishche village, he learned to pray, he loved to listen to church singing. From time to time, when local pilgrims gathered on pilgrimages to holy places, they took Nicholas with them.
As a child, he was honored to visit the island of Talabsk (years later this place became a place of asceticism for him). Around 1920, the rector of the church where Nikolai served as the priest took him to the city of Pskov. Their path lay on the surface of the lake. On the island of Talabsk they stopped and visited the local seer Michael. The seer, meeting the guests, gave the little shepherd, and Nikolai a large prosphora.
Upon reaching a more mature age, Nikolai entered the pedagogical college in Gatchina. After graduating from the technical school, he continued his education at the Leningrad Pedagogical Institute.
Nikolai was distinguished by a strong-willed character. In 1929, driven by jealousy about the Lord and a spiritual impulse, he publicly and sharply expressed indignation against the closure of one of the city’s temples. This courageous performance, contrary to the ideology and politics of the party, which was moving towards communism, caused discontent, and the institute leadership excluded N. Guryanova from among the students.
For a while, Nikolay taught physics, mathematics, and biology at a school in the city of Tosno, served as a psalm-reader in the church of the village of Remd.
Prisoner of truth and conscience
The persecutions of Christians launched by godless authorities did not pass by his side. In May 1930, he fell under the grind of a state repressive machine: Nikolai was accused of counter-revolutionary activities and expelled for two years from the territory of the RSFSR. Arriving in the Ukrainian SSR, in the village of Sidorovich, he again showed his religious activity - he settled down as a psalm-reader.
Soon there were "not indifferent" people who told "where it should be" that Nikolai Alekseevich leads unhealthy propaganda activities, corrupts people with tales about God, recruits young people to the church choir. These signals are not ignored. In March 1931, N. Guryanov was taken into custody in the "case of the kulaks."
During the trial it turned out that the accused Guryanov has no property, but only rheumatism. And the accused himself did not admit his guilt. Meanwhile, the property issue was not a priority, because the case concerned anti-Soviet propaganda.
In August 1931, Nikolai was sentenced to exile for three years in the Northern Territory. So he got to Syktyvkar, participated there in the construction of the railway track. Sometimes I had to work in icy water, causing prisoners to die. Working in these inhuman conditions, Nikolai undermined his health. In addition, he suffered leg damage when working with sleepers.
According to some reports, he was released in 1937, and according to others - in 1942. After his release, Nikolai Alekseevich, as having no right to live in Leningrad, was expelled outside the city. For a period he worked as a schoolteacher in the Tosno district.
Priestly way
During the Great Patriotic War, N. Guryanov, due to the disease of his legs, was not mobilized into the army. During the fascist occupation, he was forcibly sent to the Baltic States.
In February 1942, Metropolitan Sergius of Vilnius consecrated him to the rank of deacon, and a few days later - to the rank of priest.
In 1942 he was trained in theological courses in the city of Vilnius. Then for some time he served in the Riga Convent of the Holy Trinity-Sergius, and then in the Vilna Holy Spirit Monastery.
From July 1943, Fr Nikolai served as abbot of St. Nicholas Church, located in the village of Gegobrosty. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, the parishioners treated him with great respect; the shepherd himself treated them with great kindness, friendliness and responsiveness. It is noted that despite the poverty of the parish, it was distinguished by its livability. No matter how difficult it was to find the means necessary for the repair and maintenance of the temple, the help of God’s temple was magnificent.
From 1949 to 1951, Fr Nikolai studied by correspondence at the Leningrad Theological Seminary. After graduating from it, he continued his education at the Leningrad Theological Academy, but he studied only one year.
In 1956, the father. N. Guryanov was honored as an archpriest.
In 1958, by order of the church authorities, he was transferred to the ministry in the Pskov diocese. For reasons of ecclesiastical oikonomia and taking into account the personal desire of Father Nicholas, he was appointed abbot of St. Nicholas Church, located on the territory of the fishing island of Talabsk in Pskov Lake, the same place where the seer once gave him a large prosphora. On this island, the father spent several decades of his life.
Father Nicholas settled on the outskirts of the island in a tiny house, along with his mother, Ekaterina Stefanovna. The ascetic brothers died at the front, and he, as he could, smoothed maternal grief, and she, with what she could, helped her beloved son.
At first, Father Nicholas aroused suspicions among the unbelieving part of the islanders, but over time people saw him as a zealous and humble God-pleaser. He served alone, he baked prosphora, he repaired the church. It happened that he was a priest in an empty temple. It was difficult, and once, when he was tormented by intense experiences, a small child, as if having penetrated into the consciousness of a wise husband, asked him not to leave. Father Nicholas took these words as the voice of God and was encouraged.
Along with the execution of pastoral duties, the father tried to improve the island, planted seedlings, carefully watered them, dragging dozens of buckets of water from the lake.
Often, even without an invitation, he visited the homes of those who needed his pastoral comfort, word, and blessing. It happened that Father Nikolai looked after the old men, coddling with the children of the parishioners.
All this could not but affect people. When one of the residents wrote a slanderous denunciation to the father, the local fishermen, returning from fishing, contrary to the custom, did not give her any fish. So they expressed both their attitude towards the shepherd, and their attitude towards the scammer, shocked by their behavior.
Sample Orthodox eldership
Over time, the island of Talabsk, barely distinguishable on a geographic map, was secretly called the island of Orthodoxy. The fame of Father Nicholas and his activities spread far beyond the vicinity of the Pskov land.
In addition to jealousy and zeal, God rewarded the priest with the gift of vision. It is said that sometimes the old man even reported the fate of missing people.
In the seventies dozens of believers from different parts of the immense country began to flock to the father. It happened that because of the large influx of visitors, he could not find a moment to rest. True, he did not take all. Sometimes he could afford a strict question: why did you come (came)?
Among the spiritual children of Father Nicholas were laity, monks, priests. He is considered one of the most revered elders of the XX-XXI centuries.
On August 24, 2002, Father Nikolai Guryanov rested in the Lord. Death found him in the place of his exploits, the island of Talabsk.
