Father Vasily Vasilkovsky brief biography. Greetings, Volunteer ·

"Lancers and Dragoons" - First appeared in France in the mid-16th centuries. Dragoons and lancers. Lancers. Progress of the study. Conclusions. Excursion to the costume shop of the Draguny Drama Theatre. "...So forward, blue lancers! Purpose of the study. What did the military uniform of the participants in the Battle of Borodino look like? The helmets were black with hair combs.

“War with Napoleon 1812” - A wonderful lot. On the wings of fear. Battle of Borodino. Poetic chronicle. History in stories. It’s not for nothing that all of Russia remembers Borodin’s Day. Davydov about Napoleon. Sacred memory of 1812. The image of Kutuzov in the work of Leonty Rakovsky. The liberation of Europe and the glory of Alexander the First. The smoke of the battle fled away, the sound of swords was not heard.

“The War of 1812 in Russia” - Mikhail Bogdanovich Barclay de Tolly. Lesson topic: "The beginning of the Patriotic War of 1812." The first ended in Friedland and Tilsit. Smart, smart! In battles he was distinguished by his courage and composure. Participation in the Battle of Borodino by soldiers from Bashkortostan. Map of military operations. The location of the Russian armies at the beginning of the war.

"Patriotic War of 1812" - Alexander I was forced to begin negotiations with Napoleon. Kutuzov was the commander-in-chief of the Russian army. Durova Nadezhda Andreevna. Partisan movement. Barclay de Tolly Mikhail Bogdanovich. Quotes. Nadezhda Andreevna Durova. Coat of arms of the Princes of Barclay de Tolly-Weimarn. Denis Davydov. M.I.Kutuzov on the Borodino field.

“The Great War of 1812” - The battle took place on October 12, 1812. Vasily Vasilyevich Vereshchagin. Russian anthem. Among the many museums in Moscow is the "Battle of Borodino" panorama. On June 12, 1812, the French army crossed the borders of the Russian Empire. Name the author of the lyrics of the song. Personalities of the Patriotic War. Napoleon Bonaparte.

"Patriotic War of 1812" - Expulsion of Napoleon's army from Russia. In 1812 - Minister of War and commander of the 1st Western Army, General. Guerrilla warfare. Medal in honor of victory in the War of 1812. M.I. Kutuzov - commander-in-chief of the Russian army (1745-1813). Purpose of the lesson: What consequences did Kutuzov have in mind when he surrendered Moscow without a fight? What are the main reasons for the massive French losses in Russia?

He was born in 1778, graduated from the Sevsk Seminary and in 1804, at the age of 26, was ordained a priest and served in the Ilyinsky Church in the city of Sumy. However, his wife soon died and father Vasily was left with his young son Simeon in his arms. The boy was about four years old. At first, Father Vasily and his son moved to the Old Kharkov Monastery to live. But soon the Lord showed him the path of difficult, dangerous and responsible service. On June 15, 1810, Father Vasily was appointed priest of the 19th Jaeger Regiment. Within six months, the chief of the regiment, Colonel T.D. Zagorsky in the “List on the behavior of the regimental priest,” dated January 5, 1811, noted the decency, prudence and excellent mastery of the art of eloquence of Father Vasily, as well as his education - knowledge of mathematics, physics, geography and history, knowledge of foreign languages ​​- Latin, Greek , German and French. Father Vasily enjoyed well-deserved respect in the regiment, with which he met the Patriotic War of 1812. Both active battalions of the 19th Jaeger Regiment were in the Jaeger Brigade of the 24th Infantry Division of the 6th Corps of the 1st Western Army.

After the 1st Western Army retreated to the Drissa camp, Napoleon decided to bypass it and cut off its path to Moscow, for which he sent troops to Polotsk and Vitebsk. Realizing the danger of the current situation, Emperor Alexander I ordered the commander-in-chief of the 1st Western Army, Infantry General M.B. Barclay de Tolly to leave the Drissa camp and go to Vitebsk to get closer to the troops of the 2nd Western Army of the Infantry General Prince P.I. Bagration. On July 11, 1812, the 1st Army approached Vitebsk. In order to delay the enemy’s advance until news of the condition of the 2nd Army was received, Barclay sent a covering detachment to the town of Ostrovno, in front of Vitebsk, which on July 12 entered into battle with the advanced units of the Great Army. The next day a fierce battle broke out.

On July 14, the rearguard of the 1st Army continued the battle near the village of Kakuvechina near Vitebsk, but was forced to retreat to the village of Dobreika, located 8 versts from Vitebsk. On July 15, the composition of the rearguard was changed. Along with other units, it included the 19th Jaeger Regiment under the command of Colonel N.V. Vuicha. At this time, Barclay received news from Bagration about his desire to unite with the troops of the 1st Army at Smolensk. Having ordered the rearguard to detain the enemy, Barclay moved with his main forces towards Smolensk. From the early morning of July 15 until almost 5 p.m., the rearguard held back the superior enemy. The battalions of the 19th Jaeger Regiment distinguished themselves in the battle on the banks of Luchesa, and with them Father Vasily.

Reporting on July 18 on the actions of the regiment, Colonel Vuich noted the fearlessness of the regimental priest, who inspired the rangers and supported their morale in the battle, despite the fact that he was wounded and then shell-shocked from a bullet hitting his pectoral cross. This cypress cross in a silver and gilded chasuble was kept for many years in the church of the 19th Jaeger Regiment, and then in the church of the Volga Infantry Regiment formed on its basis. It was about 30 centimeters high. On its front side was engraved the year the regiment was formed - “1797”. There was a crack on the back of its handle, held together by a screw. An enemy bullet, which split it in battle in battle, was attached to the lower front part of the cross, and on the reverse side there was an inscription: “Wounded in the battle of July 15, 1812 near Vitebsk,” continued on the sides of the cross, “with the little finger of priest Vasily Vasilkovsky being beaten off.” “Father Vasily Vasilkovsky was also wounded in the leg in July 1812 (in the battle of Vitebsk), but continued to perform his duties as a priest,” says A.A. Vasiliev. Having recovered soon after the shell shock and injury, Father Vasily returned to the regiment.

On August 18, 1812, the head of the 24th Infantry Division, Major General P.G. Likhachev addressed the member of the Holy Synod, His Very Reverend Chief Priest of the Army and Navy, Archpriest and Knight of the Order of St. Anne, 1st degree I.S. Derzhavin with a request for a worthy reward for Father Vasily for his courage in the battle near Vitebsk: “In the division entrusted to me of the 19th Jaeger Regiment, priest Vasily Vasilkovsky, during the battle that took place on July 15, 1812 near the city of Vitebsk, due to his sincere zeal, was at the beginning of it in front with a cross, he blessed the regiment, then in the hottest fire, encouraging everyone to defeat the enemy, and confessed the seriously wounded, where he received a wound on his left cheek from the rebound of a cannonball with earth, but he was still in battle with it, until he received the cross a second time, was on his chest, hit by a bullet and from it a severe concussion in the chest; It is my duty to inform your Reverence of this excellence of priest Vasilkovsky and to humbly ask for his zeal for the faith and benefit of the Monarchs to apply for a decent reward, which he in all fairness deserves.” At the request of Likhachev, the regimental priest Vasilkovsky was nominated for the “Kamilavka” award, as a badge of honor for the white clergy.

The Battle of Borodino and the rearguard battles, the fire of Moscow and the Tarutino camp were left behind. On October 7, Napoleon set out from Moscow for Kaluga, Kutuzov decided to block his path through Maloyaroslavets. The first to arrive at the city on October 12th was the 6th Infantry Corps of Infantry General D.S. Dokhturov. “Understanding the importance of holding Maloyaroslavets until the main forces of Kutuzov’s army arrived, General Dokhturov sent the 19th Jaeger Regiment to the city,” writes A.A. Vasiliev... “Together with the officers and soldiers of the 19th Jaeger Regiment, its regimental priest, Father Vasily Vasilkovsky, took an active part in the battle for Maloyaroslavets, who, with a cross in his hand, inspired the Jaegers going into the attack.” On October 31, 1812, Dokhturov, petitioning for Vasilkovsky’s award, reported to the Commander-in-Chief, Field Marshal His Serene Highness Prince M.I. Golenishchev-Kutuzov that “in this battle the priest Vasilkovsky was all the time with a cross in his hand in front of the regiment and with his instructions and example of courage he encouraged the soldiers to stand firmly for the Faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland and courageously defeat the enemies, and he himself was wounded in the head.”

Kutuzov supported Dokhturov’s petition, turning to Emperor Alexander I with a report in which he wrote that Father Vasily “walked ahead of the regiment with the holy cross and, by example of his courage, encouraged the soldiers to defeat the enemy, in which he received a bullet wound to the head; Moreover, he distinguished himself by a similar act in the battle of Vitebsk, where he was also wounded in the leg.”

On March 12, 1813, Kutuzov in the city of Kalisz, where the main quarters of the Russian troops who began the foreign campaign were then located, signed order for the armies No. 53, one of the points of which read: “The 19th Jaeger Regiment, priest Vasilkovsky in the battle of Maly Yaroslavets, being in front of the shooters with a cross, prudent instructions and personal courage encouraged the lower ranks to fight without fear for the Faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland; and he was brutally wounded in the head by a bullet. In the battle of Vitebsk he showed the same courage, where he received a bullet wound in the leg. I presented the initial testimony about such excellent actions, undaunted in battle, and zealous service of Vasilkovsky to the Sovereign Emperor, and His Majesty deigned to award him with the Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George, 4th class.” This was the first time in the history of the order and the Orthodox clergy that a military priest was awarded the Order of St. George. On March 17, 1813, the order was presented to Father Vasily. About such an extraordinary event, Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Governing Synod, Prince A.N. On March 27, 1818, Golitsyn notified I.S. Derzhavin with a special letter: “Adjutant General Prince Volkonsky (Petr Mikhailovich - A.S.) informed me that the Sovereign Emperor, on the recommendation of Mr. General Field Marshal Prince Mikhail Larionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov-Smolensky, has most graciously deigned to grant the Order of St. Great Martyr George, 4th class priest of the 19th Jaeger Regiment Vasily Vasilkovsky for the fact that, while in the battle of Maloyaroslavets, he walked ahead of the regiment and, by example of his courage, encouraged the soldiers to quickly defeat the enemy, in which he received a bullet wound to the head. Moreover, he distinguished himself by a similar act in the battle of the city of Vitebsk, where he was also wounded in the leg.”

The newspaper “Moskovskie Vedomosti” could not ignore this historical event, which reported: “St. Petersburg, April 2 (1813 - A.S.). His Imperial Majesty, on the recommendation of Field Marshal Prince Golenishchev-Kutuzov-Smolensky, most graciously deigned to bestow the Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George, 4th class, on priest Vasilkovsky, who is stationed at the 19th Jaeger Regiment in the corps of General Dokhturov.”

On the anniversary of this memorable award on March 11, 1836, the newspaper “Russian Invalid or Military Vedomosti” reminded its readers: “The heroic courage of Priest Vasilkovsky, who was with the 19th Jaeger Regiment, ... deserves the gratitude of his compatriots. This worthy and zealous altar server during the battles of Maly Yaroslavets and Vitebsk, carrying the holy cross before the army, instilled prophetic courage in the soldiers by his personal example, encouraged them to fight righteously with full confidence that under the shade of the honest and life-giving cross they would be glorified in victory over enemies. In the first of these battles, priest Vasilkovsky was wounded by a bullet in the head, and in the second - in the leg.”

In 1842, V.S.’s book was published. Glinka, the son of a participant, contemporary and witness of the events of 1812 S.N. Glinka, brother of F.N. Glinka, “Maloyaroslavets in 1812, where the fate of Napoleon’s large army was decided.” I deliberately focus on the author’s family ties only to emphasize under whose influence the heroic events on the pages of this book are told. Here is how the feat of Father Vasily is described in it:

“The enemy rushed in, crushed our regiments and recaptured the city. But here comes a column of our recovered troops and in front of its ranks, in front of the banner of the 19th Jaeger Regiment (an error, in 1812 the Jaeger regiments were not entitled to banners and they did not have them - A.S.) is Priest Vasilkovsky..., walking along with to die as their spiritual children for their faith and fatherland. The high raised golden Cross shines in his hands, and behind this holy sign the whole regiment rushes together, climbs over the corpses of the enemy, chases him and for a long time disputes the square in front of the monastery...” It was this moment that artist A.Yu. captured on his canvas. Averyanov.

What was the further fate of Father Vasily? On the cross described above it is indicated that the priest died on December 24, 1812, but when he was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th class, Vasilkovsky was alive. April 3, 1813 I.S. Derzhavin asked him to send a copy of the highest rescript on the award. A.A. Vasiliev wrote that Father Vasily “died of his wounds in 1814.” Perhaps this happened before April 25, 1814, because the request was dated by this date. O. commander of the 19th Jaeger Regiment on the appointment of a new priest to replace the deceased Father Vasily Vasilkovsky. E.V. Sergeeva supports the opinion of Protopresbyter A.A. Zhelobovsky, who headed the military clergy in 1888-1910, and Protopresbyter G.I. Shavelsky, the last head of the military clergy of the armed forces of the Russian Empire in 1911-1917, that Father Vasily died on November 24, 1813. L.A. Bublik and I.A. Kalashnikov also wrote about the death of Vasilkovsky at the end of 1813. However, the author of the encyclopedic article “Military Clergy” wrote that Archpriest Vasilkovsky “died of his wounds during a campaign in France.” In other words, there is no consensus among researchers, because documents have not yet been found that would allow us to give an unambiguous answer about the time of Father Vasily’s death.

We do not know where the grave of the first priest, a holder of the Order of St. George, was lost, but his name has not been lost and his feat lives on in the memory of generations.

The mystery remains: why was the name of Vasily Vasilkovsky not and is not on the memorial plaques of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow? His name is not in the lists of the St. George Knights of 1812-1814. on the marble plaques of the St. George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace. And again the question arises - why? But hardly anyone will doubt that the awards of the 19th Jaeger Regiment include signs on the shako “For Distinction” and silver trumpets with the inscription “For courage against the French at Craon and Laon”, shown in 1812-1814. , considerable merit of the selfless shepherd Vasily Vasilkovsky. For it is said by Christ the Savior:

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

) - Russian military regimental priest.

The first military priest in the history of the Orthodox clergy to be awarded the Order of St. George.

Biography

The commander of the 24th Infantry Division, Major General Likhachev, in his address to the member of the Holy Synod, Chief Priest of the Army and Navy, Archpriest I. S. Derzhavin, wrote about Vasilkovsky:

“In the division of the 19th Jaeger Regiment entrusted to me, priest Vasily Vasilkovsky, during the battle that took place on July 15, 1812 near the city of Vitebsk, due to his sincere zeal, was at the beginning of it in front with a cross, blessed the regiment, then in the hottest fire, encouraging everyone to win the enemy, and confessed to the seriously wounded, where he received a wound in his left cheek from the rebound of a cannonball with earth, but he was still in battle with it, until he received a second blow from a bullet in the cross that was on his chest and from it a severe concussion in the chest; It is my duty to inform your Reverence of this excellence of priest Vasilkovsky and to humbly ask for his zeal for the faith and benefit of the Monarchs to apply for a decent reward, which he in all fairness deserves.”

Soon Vasilkovsky was awarded the purple kamilavka.

It is known about the further fate of Father Vasily that he, together with his regiment, participated in a foreign campaign and died there from his wounds, presumably on November 24, 1813.

02/11/2012 - 20:44

Introduction

St. George in Rus' has long been considered the patron saint of warriors. The idea of ​​​​creating a military order named after St. George belonged to Peter the Great, but it was established only during the reign of Catherine II on November 27, 1769.

This order could only be awarded to military ranks, and it was emphasized that “neither high family, nor previous merits, nor wounds received in battles are accepted as respect when awarded the Order of St. George for military exploits; the one who not only fulfilled his duties in all respects according to oath, honor and duty, but in addition to this, marked himself for the benefit and glory of Russian weapons with a special distinction, is awarded it.” Therefore, earning this order became the highest honor for officers and generals.

It is worth noting that in Russia all those awarded orders were called knights; this rule did not apply only to clergy. The law established that “persons of clergy... according to the decency of their rank, without being called cavaliers, are ranked among orders.” Since 1796, clergy granted orders were called Knights of the Imperial Order. Since 1821, clergy granted orders were called by law not knights, but “assigned” to the order. In reality, this did not change their class, social, financial or other status at all. In practice, a “recipient” of the order was no different from someone “assigned” to the order.

In the official, but not intended for publication, correspondence regarding the Military Department, clergy granted by orders were called “cavaliers” right up to the revolution. On the monument to the hero of the Crimean War, priest John Pyatibokov, erected in 1897 in VILNO, it was written: “Knight of the Order of St. George."

Orders were issued to clergy from the Royal Chapter.

At the same time, the priests received all the benefits granted to those awarded in full, including promotion to hereditary nobles.

Priests who committed life-threatening feats in wartime were awarded a gold pectoral cross on the St. George Ribbon. The St. George's pectoral cross became the second (by the time of its establishment) St. George's award in Russia. This was not only a very honorable, but also a relatively rare military award; Before the Russo-Japanese War, only 111 people were awarded it.

These were real heroes who showed the Russian army an example of selfless service to the Fatherland on the battlefields. They uncomplainingly endured the hardships of life on the march, with a cross in hand they went in the front ranks of soldiers to storm fortresses and attack, fearlessly advised the sick and dying under enemy fire, endured wounds, imprisonment and death itself. The story is about some heroic shepherds, holders of the Order of St. George the Victorious.

Path to the Priesthood

Vasily Vasilkovsky was born in 1778. His early years were spent in the small provincial town of Sevsk. In those years, Sevsk, although it was just a district town in the Belgorod province, was already the center of a diocese with its own bishop. In the year of Vasily’s birth in 1778, under the Reverend Ambrose (Podobedov), the Theological Seminary was opened in Sevsk, where our hero was to receive an education.

There were 7 classes at the Sevsk Seminary. The students of the lower classes were called “elementorians”, the middle ones - “rhetorians and pyites”, the older ones were called “theologians and philosophers”. At the same time as Vasilkovsky, the future Metropolitan of Kiev Philaret (Amphiteatrov) (1779-1857) studied at the seminary, who graduated from the seminary in 1797. The high level of education at the Sevsk Seminary is evidenced by the fact that A. I. Galich (1783 - 1848), the future literature teacher of the young Pushkin, graduated from this seminary. Lyceum students loved Galich very much for his fun and lively lessons. In his poem “Feasting Students” Pushkin writes:

"Apostle of bliss
and cool,
My good Galich,
wale!

The poet and writer S. E. Raich (1795 - 1855), the future mentor of F. I. Tyutchev and from 1827 to 1831 a teacher of Russian literature at the noble boarding school, where M. Yu. Lermontov studied with him, will graduate from the Sevsk Seminary. Therefore, it is not surprising that Colonel T.D. Zagorsky in the “List on the behavior of the regimental priest,” dated January 5, 1811, notes in Vasilkovsky not only such qualities as decency, prudence, but also mastery of the art of eloquence, knowledge of mathematics, physics, geography and history, knowledge of foreign languages ​​- Latin , Greek, German and French.

After graduating from the seminary, Vasilkovsky married, choosing for himself the path of a modest parish priest. In 1804, at the age of 26, he was ordained as a priest and assigned to serve in the Elias Church in the city of Sumy. There was a school at the church, and this allows us to assume that the reason for Vasilkovsky’s appointment to the clergy of the Elias Church was the need for a competent priest to teach children.

Vasilkovsky did not live long in Sumy. His wife dies and the young widowed priest leaves the parish ministry. He, along with his young son Simeon, who was barely four years old, goes to live in the Starokharkov monastery, apparently to heal his spiritual wounds.

The Transfiguration Starokharkov Monastery was located in a picturesque area near Kharkov on the way to Kyiv. This place was considered holy and healing, because near the monastery, surrounded by gardens and oak forests, three springs bubbled out of the ground. One source was called “eye water,” the second was for internal ailments, and the third was “women’s water.”

A famous Little Russian writer and playwright, Grigory Fedorovich Kvitka (1778-1843), who was the same age as Father Vasily, lived on obedience in the Starokharkov Monastery. Kvitka was blind from infancy, but at the age of six he was healed from the “eye” source. This made him a very religious person, and at the age of 23 he entered the Starokharkov Monastery as a novice. He stayed here from 1801-1805, but even after leaving the monastery he led a semi-monastic life, visiting the monastery by chat. Here at the monastery, Kvitka undoubtedly met with Father Vasily.

On July 15, 1810, Father Vasily’s quiet life at the monastery ended and another began, filled with anxiety and excitement in campaigns and military labors. Father Vasily was appointed priest of the 19th Jaeger Regiment. During the campaign of 1812, the 19th Jaeger Regiment took part in almost all major battles with the enemy waged by the 1st Western and then the United Armies. And in all these major battles, priest Vasily Vasilkovsky showed extraordinary courage and amazing courage, for which he was awarded the honor of becoming the first priest in history to be awarded the Order of St. George the Victorious.

Battle of Vitebsk

The Patriotic War was the first war in which the 19th Jaeger Regiment had the opportunity to participate since its formation in 1797. Starting from June 14, 1812, the regiment was in the rearguard of the 1st Russian Army and only on June 20 joined its main forces. On June 29, the regiment crossed the Dvina River along the bridge at Drissa and stood near the village of Prudniki, to the left of the fortified camp. Throughout the entire retreat route the enemy pursued rather weakly. Yu.M. spoke well about the feelings of soldiers during the constant retreat of the army. Lermontov:

We retreated silently for a long time,
It was a shame, we were waiting for a fight,
The old people grumbled:
“What are we? for winter apartments?
Don't you dare, commanders?
Aliens tear up their uniforms
About Russian bayonets?

Similar sentiments reigned in the 19th Jaeger Regiment, and therefore the regimental priest, Father Vasily, had many spiritual concerns. The spirit of despondency in the army can cause damage to the army no less than a lost battle. And here the work of a priest is more important than ever. A participant in this march, artillery officer N.E. Mitarevsky wrote about him in his memoirs: “We walked almost day and night, despite the rain and mud, without regular distribution of rests, cooked food when it happened, and spent a rare night on the spot. In general, the march of our corps from Lida to the Dvina was the most irregular... It happened that soldiers, while walking, forgot themselves and fell, which was especially noticeable in the infantry. One falls and hits another, who again hits two, three, etc. dozens of them fell with guns with bayonets, but there were never any accidents.” Father Vasily not only himself steadfastly endured all the hardships of the military campaign, but also with his prayer, blessing and kind pastoral word he supported the faint-hearted and humbled the impatient.

The 1st Russian Army, led by Barclay de Tolly, which included the 19th Jaeger Regiment, fought back to Vitebsk to join the 2nd Western Army under the command of Bagration. Napoleon, who had long been looking for a general battle with the Russian army, also rushed to Vitebsk. The French managed to cut off the road to Vitebsk for the 2nd Army and Bagration decided to move to Smolensk. Not knowing about this and retreating from Polotsk, Barclay de Tolly reached Vitebsk on July 23 (13 in the Old Style) and began to wait for Bagration. Napoleon with his main forces was already approaching Vitebsk. Barclay was faced with a choice: either retreat further to Smolensk, or remain in place and, to the best of his ability, delay the advance of the French until Bagration approached. Barclay decided, if possible, without engaging in a general battle, to delay time with private battles, taking advantage of the wooded and rugged terrain. This decision was facilitated by the fragmentation of Napoleon's forces, whose corps marched on a scattered front and experienced great difficulties in supply.

The largest and bloodiest battle took place on July 15 near the village of Ostrovno, twenty kilometers from Vitebsk. The 19th Jaeger Regiment also took part in this battle.

Before the start of the battle, the priest of the 19th Jaeger Regiment, Vasily Vasilkovsky, sprinkled the battle flags, then the soldiers standing in the battalion columns, and when the call of the battle trumpet was heard, he moved with them towards the enemy.

The French watched in amazement as the black cassock of a priest, raising a silver cross high above him, flashed among the white pantopons of the rangers attacking them. Father Vasily had long ago lost his skuf, his cassock was torn in several places, his face was blackened from gunpowder smoke. With his face blackened by gunpowder smoke and his cassock torn in several places, Father Vasily paid almost no attention to the whistle of bullets and the roar of cannonballs. When another huntsman of his regiment fell to the ground, knocked down by a bullet or a fragment of a cannonball, the priest hurried to him. If he succeeded, he managed to give communion to the dying man by reading a short prayer over him; if not, he closed the dead man’s eyes and, crossing himself, whispered: “The Kingdom of Heaven and eternal peace,” and then again hurried into the thick of the battle.

When a cannonball crashed into the ground with a squeal next to Father Vasily, his faces burned like fire. The ricochet of small sharp stones injured the priest's left cheek. He wiped the dust from his eyes with his hand, smearing the blood across his face and, raising the cross, again rushed to the front line, dragging the rangers of the 19th regiment with him. Father Vasily felt a sharp pain in his arm and a blow to his chest at the same time. The bullet intended for the priest hit the cross and, splitting its lower part, got stuck in the cypress tree. At the same time, Father Vasily’s little finger was torn off. It became impossible to breathe, his vision went dark and the priest fell to the ground. The rangers carried their shell-shocked shepherd unconscious from the battlefield.

The battle lasted from early morning until almost 5 o'clock in the evening. The regiment's losses in the battle amounted to 250 people, almost a fifth of the entire composition. But the 19th Jaeger Regiment, as part of the rearguard of the 1st Army, completed its main task - it delayed Napoleon’s army and allowed the 1st and 2nd armies to unite near Smolensk.

On July 27, at 1 o'clock in the afternoon, Barclay's 1st Army silently moved in three columns to Smolensk, which the French had no idea about. The wooded area hid the retreat of the Russian army, which Napoleon learned about only the next morning. The French could not understand where the Russian army had gone. They couldn't pursue her either.

The head of the 24th Infantry Division, Major General Likhachev, in his address to a member of the Holy Synod, His Very Reverend Chief Priest of the Army and Navy, Archpriest I.S. Derzhavin, wrote about Vasilkovsky: “In the division of the 19th Jaeger Regiment entrusted to me, priest Vasily Vasilkovsky, during the battle that took place on July 15, 1812 near the city of Vitebsk, due to his sincere zeal, was at the beginning of it in front with a cross, blessed the regiment, then in the very hot fire, encouraging everyone to defeat the enemy, and confessed to the seriously wounded, where from the rebound of a cannonball with earth he received a wound on his left cheek, but he was still in battle with it, until he received a second blow from a bullet in the cross that was on his chest and from severe contusion to the chest; It is my duty to inform your Reverence of this excellence of priest Vasilkovsky and to humbly ask for his zeal for the faith and benefit of the Monarchs to apply for a decent reward, which he in all fairness deserves.”

Thanks to the petition of Major General Likhachev, Father Vasily was awarded the kamilavka. The cypress cross in a silver and gilded chasuble, which saved priest Vasilkovsky from imminent death, was then kept for many years in the church of the 19th Jaeger Regiment. It was about 30 centimeters high. On its front side was engraved the year the regiment was formed - “1797”. There was a crack on the back of its handle, held together by a screw. An enemy bullet, which split it in battle in battle, was attached to the lower front part of the cross, and on the reverse side there was an inscription: “Wounded in the battle of July 15, 1812 near the city of Vitebsk,” continued on the sides of the cross, “with the little finger of priest Vasily Vasilkovsky being beaten off.”

Borodino

After the battle near Vitebsk, the 19th Jaeger Regiment more than once participated in bloody skirmishes with the French near Smolensk and, finally, on August 24, arrived at the position occupied by our troops near the village of Borodina. The regiment settled down in the ravines near Raevsky's battery.

The entire day of August 25th was preparation for battle. The miraculous icon of the Smolensk Mother of God was carried along the front of the Russian troops. Prince Kutuzov, having met the icon, bowed to the ground. The night of August 26 was damp and cold. Silence and silence reigned in the Russian camp; bivouac fires were reluctantly lit. Among the French, on the contrary, jubilation was heard and huge fires were burning.

At around 6 o'clock in the morning the battle began with artillery fire. The French attacked the village of Borodino, which lies across the Kolocha River and was occupied by the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment.

The French poured large forces into capturing Raevsky’s battery; this was one of the hottest sections of the Battle of Borodino. The 19th Jaeger Regiment had a particularly hard time at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, when in the attack of the French cavalry of Grouchy, supported by fresh infantry, the main blow fell on it. The ranks of the regiment were broken by an attack by the French carabiniers of the Defrance division. The regiment was rescued by the 2nd Division of the 2nd Guards Horse Battery, which covered the field with the corpses of the enemy who had broken through the ranks of the rangers, and the Cavalry Guard and Life Guards Cavalry Regiments, which with their attacks helped the entire 3rd Brigade of the division to finally recover.

The Battle of Borodino lasted 12 hours, all this time the regimental priest Vasily Vasilkovsky was on the front line of the battle. He confessed and gave communion to the wounded, and also encouraged the soldiers of the regiment, urging them to serve the Tsar, the Fatherland and the faith without sparing their lives.

At 6 pm the battle stopped. The losses on both sides were enormous. Prince Kutuzov, not wanting to lose our last troops, ordered a retreat to Moscow at night.

Near Maloyaroslavets

The Battle of Borodino and the rearguard battles and the fire of Moscow were left behind. On October 7, Napoleon set out from Moscow for Kaluga, but Kutuzov decided to block his path through Maloyaroslavets in order to prevent Napoleon’s army from capturing Kaluga, but to direct him along the route he had destroyed to Smolensk. The first to arrive at the city on October 12th was the 6th Infantry Corps of Infantry General D.S. Dokhturov. Realizing the importance of holding Maloyaroslavets until the main forces of Kutuzov’s army arrived, General Dokhturov sent the 19th Jaeger Regiment to the city. The battle of Maloyaroslavets lasted 18 hours, and the losses in killed and wounded extended to 6,000 people on each side.

The city of Maloyarslavets passed from the French to the Russians eight times. The 19th Jaeger Regiment was in battle from 6 o'clock in the morning until approximately 5 o'clock in the evening, that is, about 11 o'clock. Once again, as at Vitebsk, the regimental priest Vasily Vasilkovsky showed unprecedented heroism in this battle. He fearlessly walked with a cross in the front ranks of the rangers of his regiment and was seriously wounded by a bullet in the head.

In his memo to Kutuzov, General Dokhturov petitioned for the award of Father Vasily with the following words: “Priest Vasilkovsky in this battle was always with a cross in his hand in front of the regiment and with his instructions and example of courage he encouraged the soldiers to stand firmly for the Faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland and courageously hit enemies, and he himself was wounded in the head.” Kutuzov, who highly appreciated the feat of the regimental priest, turned to the Emperor with a report in which he wrote about the feat of Father Vasily. And on March 12, 1813, the commander-in-chief of the Russian armies Kutuzov in Kalisz, where the Main Apartment was located, signed army order No. 53, one of the points of which read: “The 19th Jaeger Regiment priest Vasilkovsky in the battle of Maly Yaroslavets, being in front of the riflemen with a cross , with prudent instructions and personal courage, he encouraged the lower ranks to fight without fear for the Faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland, and was cruelly wounded in the head by a bullet. In the battle of Vitebsk he showed the same courage, where he received a bullet wound in the leg. I presented the initial testimony of such excellent actions, fearless in battle, and zealous service of Vasilkovsky to the Emperor, and His Majesty deigned to award him the Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George, 4th class.” This was the first time in the history of the order and the Orthodox clergy that a military priest was awarded the Order of St. George. The order was presented to Father Vasily on March 17, 1813.

Epilogue

The only thing known about the further fate of Father Vasily is that he, along with his regiment, participated in a foreign campaign and died there from his wounds on November 24, 1813 at the age of 35.

The feat of Father Vasily will become an example for the regimental priests for all subsequent years. But for the sake of fairness, it must be said that the feat demonstrated by Vasilkovsky in the Patriotic War of 1812 was not the only one. Many regimental priests behaved in a similar way, for example, the priest of the Moscow Grenadier Regiment, Archpriest Miron of Orleans, walked under heavy cannon fire in front of the grenadier column in the Battle of Borodino and was wounded.

Archpriest of the Life Guards Horse-Jager Regiment Feodor Raevsky took an active part with the regiment in 1807, 1809, 1812 and 1813; in 1814 in France he was everywhere with the Akhtyrsky Hussar Regiment continuously in all battles, general battles and even attacks. Riding a horse, with a cross in his hands and a monstrance on his chest, Fr. Raevsky “encouraged the regiment with the help of the Almighty and the blessed weapons of God, promoting our MONARCH, and reminded the military ranks of the importance of the oath they gave to the Holy Church, the Throne and the Fatherland.” For the selfless fulfillment of his pastoral duty under enemy fire, priest Raevsky was elevated to the rank of archpriest and awarded the Order of St. Anne, 3rd degree with swords, as well as a golden cross on the St. George ribbon and a kamilavka.

The priest of the 34th Jaeger Regiment, Father Firs Nikiforovsky, a participant in the war with the French in 1812, behaved undauntedly on August 24 and 16 in the Battle of Borodino. During the Battle of Borodino, the horse under him was killed, he himself was wounded in the left leg and taken from the battlefield to the hospital. In June, on the 15th of the same year, in the battle of Vitebsk, during a farewell to the wounded on the field of action, Father Firs was captured, but made a bold escape and joined his regiment near Smolensk.

The absence of the name of priest Vasily Vasilkovsky on the memorial plaques of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow and in the lists of St. George Knights of 1812-1814 causes sad bewilderment. on the marble plaques of the St. George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace. We know that “the memory of the righteous is with praise” from God, but we should not forget the heroes who gave their lives for the Faith and the Fatherland.

During the Patriotic War of 1812, the insignia of the Military Order (St. George's Cross) was awarded to sexton Smiryagin, who, at the head of a detachment of peasants, recaptured the battle flag from the French in one of the battles.

After the expulsion of Napoleonic troops from Russia, the priest of the Cavalry Regiment, Mikhail Gratinsky, was awarded the golden cross on the St. George Ribbon. A participant in the Battle of Borodino, he did not have time to leave Moscow during the retreat of the Russian army. In the capital captured by the enemy, he began to fight the invaders with the means available to him. Almost every day in the surviving Moscow churches, Father Mikhail held services and called for war against the invaders. The rumor about the priest quickly spread among the remaining residents of the capital, and people always gathered to attend his sermons, despite the mortal danger. Even surrounded by enemies, the regimental priest continued to fulfill his pastoral duty.

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1. The Seva Diocese was formed in 1764 as a suffragan of the Moscow Diocese
2. Rearguard (French arriere-garde - rear guard), a marching security body designed to protect troops retreating or marching from the front to the rear.