THE LIFE OF Saint Paul of Obnora

THE LIFE OF
Saint Paul of Obnora
IN THE KOMEL FORESTS OF VOLOGDA1

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1 Condensed from the Historical Account of the Lives of Vologda Saints, Vologda, 1880; and Andrew Muraviev, The Russian Thebaid of the North, St. Petersburg, 1855.


Commemorated January 10

BORN IN A PIOUS noble family of Moscow in 1317, St. Paul even from childhood showed leanings toward the contemplative life of a true Orthodox Christian. He avoided noisy children's games and sweet foods, he fasted, gave to the poor everything he had, uven the clothes on his back, attended eagerly every church service, and spent whole nights in prayer. When at the age of 22 his parents decided to marry him off, he se cretly left his home and entered a distant monastery on the banks of the Volga river, where he received the monastic tonsure, surpassing everyone in ascetic fervor. When the good news of the great St. Sergius of Radonezh reached the shores of the Volga, St. Paul felt that his prayer had been answered in obtaining an experienced instructor; and he left his monastery for the Lavra of the Holy Trinity.

St. Sergius received him with love, and seeing that he was full of the fear of God, he made him his disciple. He entrusted him with various obediences: in the kitchen, in the bread-bakery. St. Paul gave up his own will to the God-bearing Abbot and in time acquired the gift of heartfelt feeling and abundance of tears. After several years St. Sergius blessed him to withdraw to a separate recluse's cell, where he spent fifteen years in silence. In this time the study of the Word of God so filled his soul that it began to flow out in a gift of teaching, and the brethren, once having discovered this, began to flock to him for edification – which only evoked in him a greater desire for silence. He began to beg St. Sergius to bless him for a life of desert-dwelling. Knowing the spiritual maturity of his disciple, St. Sergius blessed him, and bidding farewell with a prayer, he gave him an invincible weapon, a holy Cross. This copper Cross was to accompany the Saint his whole life long, and centuries afterwards it was preserved on the reliquary over the Saint's holy relics.


16th century Moscow Icon

ST. PAUL OF OBNORA

TROFARION. TONE 1

BEING INFLAMED from thy youth with divine love, O Saint Paul,+ and having come to hate all the attractions of the world,+ Christ alone didst thou come to love.+ For this reason thou didst settle in the inner wilderness+ to live with wild beasts, entirely for Christ.+ Wherefore, the All-seeing Eye having beheld thy labors+ did enrich thee even after thy repose with the gift of miracles.+ And so we sing to thee: pray unceasingly for us all+ who ever revere in hymns thine honorable memory.


St. Sergius blesses Paul to leave



St. Paul in his linden-tree hollow



The death of St. Sergius of Nurma



Fragments remaining after the fire of 1909, showing the bas-relief likeness of the face and hand of St. Paul, copied from the original portrait-icon of the Saint.


Having left St. Sergius monastery, St. Paul went north, deep into the forests beyond the Volga. and wandered for a while from place to place, visiting some of the monastic communities scattered throughout the Thebaid of the North. But the heart of the lover of desert-dwelling still thirsted for absolute silence, until finally he settled in a spot in the Komel forests overlooking the little river Griazovitsa, and chose for his abode the hollow of an old linden tree. Here the wondrous Paul spent three years, glorifying God together with the birds, for they alone seconded the hermit's singing in the desolate wilds where no man had yet penetrated. Here he could pray ceaselessly to God. Who can tell of the hardships he endured? Living on grass and roots and enduring all changes of weather, in silence he purified his mind by means of spiritual combat and divine vision.

But it was pleasing to God that St. Paul should serve for the salvation of others, instructing them by word and his ascetic life. And so, instructed by God, the Saint left his linden tree and went farther to the river Nurma, where the Obnora joins it, where he found a spot to his liking, built for himself a little but no larger than his abandoned linden hollow, and settled therein to spend his days and nights in vigil and prayer. For five days of the week he would remain without food or drink altogether, and only on Saturday and Sunday would he have some bread and water.

Meanwhile, three miles from St. Paul's hermitage, on the same wild banks of the Nurma, another anchorite was laboring: St. Sergius of Nurma, who had received the monastic tonsure on Mt. Athos. He had come from the East to the region of Moscow to seek enlightenment from the lamp of Radonezh. Having matured in spiritual life, the Athonite Sergius, with the blessing of the Russian Sergius, came to settle in this wilderness when the anchorite Paul was still living in his linden hollow, as a sparrow that bath found ber a home, and the swallow a nest for herself (Ps. 83:4). Twice thieves fell upon Sergius: the first time they beat him almost to death, but when they came again they were chased away by the power of his prayer. When as many as forty ascetics had gathered around Sergius, he built a wooden church in honor of the Lord's Transfiguration and established a c;nobitic monastery.

Having heard of the ascetic labors of Paul, Sergius went to him and saw in the forest a wondrous sight: A flock of birds surrounded the marvellous anchorite; little birds perched on the Elder's head and shoulders, and he fed them by hand. Nearby stood a bear, awaiting his food from the desert-dweller; foxes, rabbits and other beasts ran about, without any enmity among themselves and not fearing the bear. Behold the life of innocent Adam in Eden, the lordship of man over creation, which together with us groans because of our fall and thirsts to be delivered into the liberty of the children of God (Rom. 8:22).

With spiritual joy the two great ascetics became acquainted with each other; they practiced mutual counsel in all their spiritual undertakings and often visited each other, strengthening each other in advanced ascetic labors. Paul chose Sergius as his spiritual father, the latter having been ordained to the rank of presbyter while still on the Holy Mountain of Athos, and often Paul would receive communion from his holy hands of the Body and Blood of Christ in Sergius' monastery, confessing to him all his thoughts. But Sergius as well did not hide from Paul what was in his heart; for they were both close servants of the One God, and they helped each other in the tribulations of the wilderness.

It once happened that St. Paul left his cell and went about the wilderness; and when he returned he saw his cell razed to its foundation. Human fear suddenly overcame him and he ran to St. Sergius to tell him of his sorrow. But St. Sergius, more experienced in the spiritual work, realized that this had only been a demonic apparition, and he told St. Paul in the words of the psalm: "God is our refuge and strength (Ps. 45:2); go, my brother Paul, and you will find that your cell is not destroyed." The hermit believed his spiritual father and, returning, he indeed found his cell unharmed.

Whenever St. Sergius would visit his spiritual son, St. Paul, filled with deep reverence toward him, would accompany him for two-thirds of the distance to his monastery, and this place of parting was marked right up to the 20th century by a chapel, a witness of their mutual love.

When gradually the news spread of where St. Paul was living, people began to come to him: some just to look at the great ascetic and receive his blessing; others, who were troubled, for consolation: and yet others sought his spiritual instruction, begging him to allow them to settle near him and have him as their abbot, leading them to salvation. But the Saint, who all his life had sought silence and fled from people, refused. However, their insistent pleas caused him to wait for some indication of God's will, lest they perish and he be responsible for it. This indication was not long in coming.

One night while standing at prayer in his cell, St. Paul suddenly heard the ringing of bells in the forest thickets beyond the river Nurma. The same thing happened another time, and then it was repeated more and more often; and to the Elder's no little amazement, on week days there would be heard an ordinary ringing of smaller bells, while on feast days there would be a louder pealing; and the greater the feast day, according to the Church typicon, the more triumphant was the ringing.


"Behold the life of Innocent Adam in Eden"-St. Sergius coming from Nurma (left) seeing St. Paul amongst peaceful animals.



The blessed repose of St. Paul amidst his disciples.

ICONOGRAPHIC SCENES OF THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL from the Russian Pilgrim, 1910.



Holy Trinity Cathedral (back view) in the St. Paul of Obnora Monastery, Vologda region, as photographed at the turn of the century.



For a long time the Elder paid no attention to the ringing of the invisible bells, considering it a deceptive apparition and a trick of the devil; and he told no one about it. However, one circumstance convinced him that the opposite was true. The feast of Pascha came, and St. Paul began an all-night vigil the evening before, pouring out his soul before God in the most fervent and tearful prayer. Suddenly, just at midnight, he heard a triumphant ringing. An involuntary curiosity took hold of the Elder. He prayed and then opened the window of his cell and, looking downhill toward the Nurma, he saw an extraordinary light shining beyond the river in the forest on the very place where later was to stand the monastery church of the Holy Trinity. St. Paul felt peace and an inexpressible joy in his heart, and the whole night he spent in glorify. ing God and His Most Pure Mother. From the spiritual joy, peace, and calmness of his heart he concluded that what he had heard and seen was not a de ceptive apparition, and that on that place the Lord was pleased to glorify His Holy Name. When the Elder related his vision to the brethren who lived with his nearby, they all unanimously confirmed his opinion and begged him to undertake the building of a church and monastery; and the Saint himself saw that after such visions to hesitate to fulfill the will of God, which had been so clearly expressed, would be unforgivable, and he resolved to seek counsel about this from his spiritual father, St. Sergius. St. Sergius, taking this for an indication of God, prophesied that on this spot a monastery would be erected in the name of the Holy Trinity, and that many would find salvation in it. This was the last time the two Elders met in this life. St. Sergius, weighed down by age, began to prepare for his departure to the heavenly mansions, which oc curred on October 7, 1413, and St. Paul went to Moscow to receive a blessing for the foundation of a monastery and the building of a church in the name of the Holy Trinity.

When St. Paul arrived in Moscow, Metropolitan Photius paid no attention to his request and even received him quite harshly. When the Saint was about to leave, he told the Metropolitan: "Not as you say will all come to pass, but as it is pleasing to the Holy Trinity." The same night the hierarch saw a frightening vision and heard a voice accusing him for offending a man of God and telling him to do as the Elder wishes. Seized with fear, the bishop sent many people in the morning to seek out the Elder, who was found in one of the monasteries. His request was fulfilled by the Metropolitan, and he returned to build a church and found near it a cenobitic monastery with a typicon according to the ancient Holy Fathers, Sts. Pachomius the Great and Theodosius the Cenobiarch. St. Paul saw to it that everything was possessed in common; he demanded complete silence from the monks, whether in church or at meals or in the workshops. All monks were in absolute obedience to their elders, as in the ancient monastic tradition. St. Paul taught his monks to love the poor. His disciple Alexis was ordained priest and made abbot, while he himself, refusing to be abbot or to accept the priesthood, retreated into his former cell on the slope of the hill, coming out only for Divine services. And thus the sign given by the invisible bells was fulfilled.

For some time before his blessed repose at the age of 112, St. Paul began to spend even more time in silence and solitude, praying ceaselessly with fervor to God, diligently laboring, and cleansing the vision of his mind. In silence his mind was constantly in prayer and beedfulness toward God; gathering the light of Divine understanding in his heart, he beheld in purity the glory of the Lord, thereby becoming a chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit. On the day of the Theophany, when the brethren came to him before the Liturgy, he suddenly sighed deeply and wept. At the entreaty of the brethren the Elder disclosed the reason for his tears: "At this very hour the godless Tatars have taken the city of Kostroma, given it over to fire and the sword, and led many away captive because of the increase of our sins, for we have left the path of righteousness and walk in the will of our hearts and in fleshly wisdom." And indeed, on this very day Kostroma was laid waste by the Tatars, who later also laid waste the Elder's own monastery, but only after his repose.

Several days after this, blessed Paul, became completely feeble, and sensing the approach of death, he summoned all the brethren. With prayer he gave them as his testament to keep the tradition of the Fathers and the coenobitic rule. The good order of the monastery he entrusted to his disciple Alexis, and he promised that if the brethren were to keep his commandments by a God-pleasing life, and if he himself obtained grace with God, then he would pray that the monastery would flourish. "Have unfeigned love among your selves, keep the tradition, and may the God of peace be with you and confirm you in love." These were his farewell words. In the very hour of his depar ture he desired once more to receive the Divine Gifts; then, having blessed the brethren, he stretched out on his bed, signed himself with the sign of the Cross, and in quiet prayer gave up his holy soul to God. His face was bright, for God glorified His Saint. To funeral hymns the brethren carried his precious body across the waters of the wild Nurma and buried it near the church of the Life-giving Trinity, on the tenth day of January, 1429, in the fortieth year of the existence of his community.

AFTER THE SAINT'S REPOSE there were many miracles from his holy relics, and his monastery Bourished. Soon stone churches were erected in place of the original wooden ones. But then, under the Saint's fourth successor, Abbot Protasius, there came upon the monastery a great calamity: it was destroyed by the Kazan Tatars.

In January, 1538, the Tatar hordes reached the boundaries of Vologda, giving everything over to fire and the sword. Some monks from a nearby hermitage fled, wounded, to St. Paul's monastery to warn the brethren there of the approach of the Tatars. Many of the brethren fled, and the rest prepared for death. They gathered in one cell and spent the whole night in prayer, entreating God's mercy. Towards morning the Elder Ephraim, who had spent eighty years in monastic labors, in a light sleep saw before him St. Paul himself, who entered the cell and, taking him by the hand, told him: "My brother Ephraim, much sorrow awaits you from the godless barbarians. You yourself will be cut with the sword, and two others with you; but one of them, after being wounded, will recover, and others will be saved. Do not grieve over this, for this death will be for you unto eternal life; and your monastery, oven though it will be burned and pillaged, will later grow yet more and will be filled with many good things." Having said this, the Saint departed, and Ephraim sprang up and told the brethren what he had seen and heard. At this, the brothers who were able to do so, left the monastery, while the others awaited their certain death.

At the fourth hour of the day, as the monks were singing the Hours, the Tatars descended upon the monastery. The brethren, in fear, put on the Schema and bade farewell to each other. Like wild beasts the Tatars threw themselves on the monastery, destroying and killing; Ephraim and other monks thus met a martyr's death, but some survived their wounds, as the Saint had said they would. The barbarians set fire to the monastery and fled, and only the stone churches remained undestroyed.

Outside the monastery the Tatars met a monastery worker named John and, after severely wounding him, they left him unconscious in the snow. After five hours, he barely managed to reach a hut not far away, where he lay groaning, when suddenly he heard a voice from the window saying: "Go to your home, or else you will die here. Arise and pray to the Life-giving Trinity; call on St. Paul for help and he will help you; place a piece of paper on your wounds." Amazed, John miraculously found strength and did as the voice had told him. Lying severely ill at home, he prayed to St. Paul, and then he saw a splendid Elder who came to him with a knife in his hands and seemed to cut up his inward parts, saying, "I am taking away your affliction," Having finished, the Elder left, and John, completely healed, tried to follow him, but managed to see only how he ascended into the air toward the monastery of Obnora and then disappeared.

Eight years after this, Abbot Protasius decided to build a stone church dedicated to St. Paul, over his relics. When excavations were made for this chuch, six completely incorrupt relics of holy monks of the monastery were uncovered, and one sick brother was healed by touching them. Then the coffin of St. Paul himself was uncovered, and the Abbot, after consulting with the monastery elders, thought to open the coffin after prayer and fasting. But in a light sleep he saw St. Paul, who angrily told him: "Why do you think of examining my relics? Fire will come from them and burn you; command immediately that my coffin be enshrined." In terror the Abbot called an artisan who did as the Saint had commanded, and so the coffin was placed, closed, in the new church. From that time on the Saint appeared many times to the brethren, and many received healing of their afflictions.

The miracles of St. Paul continued right up to the destruction of the monastery by the new godless hordes of Communism. Since then his earthly testament has been covered with silence; but in heaven he remains an intercessor for the sinful race of Orthodox Christians.