Melety Archbishop of Kharkov

GREAT ORTHODOX HIERARCHS OF THE 19TH & 20TH CENTURIES

THE RIGHTEOUS MELETY
ARCHBISHOP OF KHARKOV, FORMERLY OF IRKUTSK

1784—1840

By Archbishop John Maximovich
Translated by Daniel Olsen

A brief account of the life of an undoubted candidate for canonization, written to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his death, by a fellow-countryman, himself a holy man whose own life and personal traits strikingly resemble those of the hierarch about whom he writes.




ARCHBISHOP MELETY was born in the poor family of Leontovich in the Ekaterinoslav region and at baptism was named Michael. His father died when he was very young. His preliminary education he received at home, and then he was sent to Kiev, where he attended first the Seminary Preparatory School, then the Seminary, and finally the Theological Academy.

The students of the Seminary Preparatory School at that time were living in great poverty, just as were their instructors. Simultaneously with their studies they had to provide for themselves as well as their teachers by singing in churches, at weddings, funerals and other such services, and by going to people's homes where they sang spiritual songs and virshi – Ukrainian religious songs – for which they would receive victuals. Having finished the Seminary, Michael Leontovich entered the Theological Academy, from which had already come canonized hierarchs, among them the three Siberian Wonderworkers – St. John of Tobolsk, and Sts. Innocent and Sophrony of Irkutsk, also natives of Little Russia.

Michael's mother began to look for a bride for her son, and with this aim during his vacations she visited with him a whole line of families, by which she hoped to make a choice. But it so happened that when they would arrive, the young ladies would be absent, and the mother was compelled to let her son go back to the School, not having found a bride for him. Soon she received from her son a letter in which he wrote, "Do not labor to find a bride for me. I have already found for myself a bride – the Church of Christ." His mother began to weep, realizing that her son had decided to become a monk. And having become convinced of the steadfastness of his decision, she agreed to bless him for monasticism.

Shortly after this, Michael Leontovich was tonsured and received the name of Melety and began to go through all the monastic obediences with great fervor. First he was ordained hierodeacon and shortly afterwards hieromonk. Having graduated from the Academy, he remained for some time teaching theology in schools. Afterwards he was appointed Rector of the Mogilev Seminary and Abbot of one of the monasteries in that diocese.

He led an examplary monastic life and, being quite strict with himself, he at the same time showed great love to the students and was for them not so much their leader as he was their father and pastor... Having become beloved by all and gained everyone's respect, he again was returned to Kiev as the Abbot of St. Michael's Monastery with the rank of bishop, a vicar of the Kievan Metropolitanate. His consecration took place in Kiev. He was a vicar bishop for several years, leading a very strict monastic life, and he labored much in the preaching of the Word of God. After that he was appointed Bishop of Perm and he parted with Holy Kiev and its pious inhabitants with great sorrow. In Perm with even greater degree his spiritual powers disclosed themselves and he was for the city a living vessel of Christ's teaching and of Orthodoxy, until he was transferred to Irkutsk.

Having arrived in Irkutsk, he first of all went to the monastery where rested the holy relics of St. Innocent, and having prayed to his glorious predecessor with great reverence, he entered the city and took charge of his diocese, imitating St. Innocent in his spiritual feats. Not long, however, was he to remain on the Cathedra that had already been sanctified by Sts. Innocent and Sophrony. His frailty did not allow him to remain in a region of such severe climate, and therefore he was transferred to Kharkov as Bishop of Sloboda-Ukraine, replacing Bishop Innocent, who was sent in his place to Irkutsk.

Kharkov, which was the see of the diocese of Sloboda-Ukraine, was the last place for his preparation for eternal life. In Kharkov he lived already as if he were not on this earth. His cell-prayer continued for several hours, and he attained almost a complete abstinence from food, especially during the Great Fast. He was known to have great love for the poor, in many ways helping them and sometimes giving dinners for them in a big yard adjacent to the episcopal residence. The righteous Melety almost never appeared in society, but the people of Kharkov felt that their arch pastor had great power of grace and saw in him a great man of God. Nevertheless, in spite of the fact that the righteous Melety in all his ascetic feats managed to fulfill all his duties, there was a man subordinate to him who complained to the Synod that he was very slow in performing his ecclesiastical duties. The righteous hierarch summoned the complainer to him in his cell, and the latter after a short talk understood that he had slandered an innocent and holy man and repented with bitter tears. That happened not long before the hierarch's death.

During the harsh winter of 1840 he became seriously ill. Feeling that he would soon die, he prepared to meet death by prayer and reception of the Holy Mysteries. On February 29, 1840, he gave his soul to the Lord God and was buried in the basement church of the Kharkov Monastery of the Protection of the Theotokos, which also served as the diocesan headquarters.

Soon many miracles began to take place at the grave of the righteous Melety. When the church was being remodeled the incorruptibility of his relics was discovered, which prompted the removal of his coffin out of the ground and its placement above ground in the new Archiepiscopal Sepulchre. And there it remained until recent times, being placed in a niche near the altar of the basement church behind a small wooden grating. The wall around the coffin was painted with frescos depicting St. Melety, Bishop of Antioch, and the deceased one himself, and over his head there burned a vigil lamp, from which after a panikhida over the righteous one the priest would anoint with oil the faithful who prostrated themselves and kissed his sarcophagus.

The day of the repose of blessed Melety is the 29th of February; therefore, instead of the day of repose, the main day of his commemoration was his name's day, February 12, when the Holy Church glorifies St. Melety of Antioch. On that day a solemn pontifical panikhida was served over che sarcophagus of the righteous Melety in the presence of a great number of faithful. In the course of the whole day continuous panikhidas were served at individual request, and an uninterrupted flow of believers came to the coffin in order to offer their prayers for the reposed hierarch, at the same time asking in their prayers for his intercession. In the courtyard of the diocesan residence there was a dinner offered to the poorpeople just as was done during his lifetime. Great numbers of peo ple used to come on the 28th of February, when the day of his death was commemorated if it was not a leap year.

There was an exceptionally remarkable case of a healing at the sarcophagus of the righteous Melety in June, 1918. One physician of Kharkov, after performing an operation, had slight cuts which became infected and he became seriously ill; his whole body was covered with sores and he was gripped by fever, and from great suffering he could neither sleep nor eat. The doctors who were treating him did not see any hope for his recovery. Somebody suggested to the wife of the sick man to take her husband to the monastery and bring him to the sarcophagus of the righteous Melety. His wife seized upon this advice as a drowning man grasps at a straw, and the sick man agreed so as not to anger her, although he did not believe that he could be healed. With great difficulty, causing even greater suffering to the sick man, he was taken to a carriage, and from there after the arrival at the monastery he was carried to the basement church where the relics of the holy hierarch lay. The sick man kneeled at the sarcophagus, bowing low over the railing, and the priest began to serve a panikhida. During the panikhida, as he himself later recalled, strong faith began to burn in him and he began to pray. After the panikhida, he could already get up by himself, although he was supported by others, and he could walk to the carriage. Having arrived home, he fell into a deep sleep. When he awoke after three hours, he asked to be given some food; his pain ceased and he felt quite well. The doctors who came to visit him could only say, "This is a miracle." In a day the healed man could already walk himself to the ruling bishop of the diocese in order to request that a moleben of thanksgiving be served. When we found out from Bishop Neophit of Starobelsk, who was then ruling the diocese of Kharkov, that the blessed Melety had not yet been canonized, and that molebens could not be served, the physician asked then that a solemn panikhida be served, which was performed by the bishop himself in the presence of a great number of faithful. After the panikhida, the miraculously healed physician informed all of the people present what had happened to him, praising aloud the blessed Melety for his healing. After this incident the inhabitants of Kharkov sent to the ruling Metropolitan of Kiev, Anthony (Khrapovitsky), who had just recently been transferred from Kharkov to Kiev, a request asking for the canonization of Melety as a true saint of God.

At that time all of Russia was gripped in the difficult time of war, which prevented this from being brought into reality, but the faith in the sanctity of Archbishop Melety was so well confirmed in the hearts of believers that it became a rule to end a panikhida with these words at the dismissal, And by his prayers have mercy on us, O Lord, and save us, for Thou art good and the lover of mankind. And after the completion of the panikhida it became a rule to anoint people with oil from the vigil lamp which burned over the sarcophagus of the holy hierarch, and to sing, We magnify thee, Holy Father Hierarch Melety, and we honor thy holy memory, for thou art praying for us to Christ our God.

Shanghai, February 12, 1940

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From the above account and from other sources (mentioned below) the many similarities between Archbishop Melety and our own Archbishop John Maximovitch may be readily seen. Both were sons of noble families of the Poltava region. Both were short in stature and frail, with weak chests and soft voices. Both were strict fasters, spending the whole of Passion Week without food. Both attended every Church service and spent long hours in cell-prayer (Archbishop Melety's rule of prayer lasted from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. every day). Both were known as Archbishop-ascetics and were met everywhere with great joy as true fathers and holy men. And after their deaths their sarcophagi were exposed above ground in sepulchres which became centers of pilgrimage and sources of miracles.

The following brief incidents are extracts from Archbishop Melety's biography in E. Poselyanin's Lives of Podvizhniki (Ascetics) of the 18th and 19th Centuries and Bishop Nikodim's 14-volume study with the same title.


Concerning his feats of all-night prayer and his warfare against the flesh, there is the following incident. Once when he was visiting his diocese, the Most Reverend Melety stopped for the night in a village called Preobrazhensk, of the Zmievsky region. The local priest was informed about this beforehand and, wishing to provide the maximum comfort and peace for his Archbishop, prepared his lodging at his house in special quarters with a comfortable bed and soft bedding. The Archbishop, after the usual greeting and having completed the all-night vigil in this house, retired soon after into the room that had been prepared for him. But, as it later turned out, he retired not for physical rest, but for the rest of his spirit, whose rest is in prayerful conversation with God. It so happened that in the door to this room there was a fairly large opening through which by the flickering vigil lamp one could see inside all the objects in the room. The priest, who could not fall asleep for quite some time, heard a slight rustling in the neighboring room where the Archbishop was staying. With great caution he approached the door with silent steps and began to look into the room. He saw the Archbishop with hands raised upwards, kneeling in his cassock with uncovered head, fervently praying. After having observed this scene for quite a long time, the priest finally stepped away and lay down; but some unexplainable awe prevented him from sleeping. Some time later he again approached the door and saw the same scene the prayerful conversation of the hierarch with God continued; and so passed almost the entire night. Only towards morning the saintly hierarch got up, folded his cassock to serve as a headrest, turned to his side, and in such a manner fell asleep, leaving the bed only slightly disturbed in order to assure others that he had slept on it. As the priest woke up at dawn, he immediately hurried to the door and saw again the holy man in the former kneeling position at prayer.

One young man with a devout soul was amazed once when Arch bishop Melety was serving by the reverence and prayerful spirit with which the Archbishop celebrated the Divine Liturgy, offering the bloodless sacrifice. Mentally he deemed him to be a great righteous man, and thought at the same time how fortunate must be people who are found worthy to serve with such a saintly man. After the Divine Liturgy a monk approached him and asked him, in the Archbishop's name, to follow him. He was amazed but automatically followed. The monk led him into the Archbishop's reception room and departed. Soon Melety himself entered. He greeted the bashful youth with great love, and having asked him many questions suddenly offered him to be his cell-attendant. The young man was shocked at the Archbishop's clairvoyance, fell to his feet and with joy accepted his proposal. Later he became a very good monk and remembered with great gratitude this incident which changed his life.

The righteous Melety during the sickness before his death was so weak that he had no strength to pray in a standing position, and he performed his rule of prayer seated in bed, supported by pillows from all sides, with an open book in front of him. In such a condition, tormented by insomnia, he spent quite often night after night. Once, three days before his death, Vladika, seated in such a position, unexpectedly requested his cell-attendant to spend the night in his room. The latter, as he himself later related, felt an unusual awe due to which he could not fall asleep. Vladika noticed it and offered to cover him with his cassock, adding, "Now you will not be afraid, and probably soon you will fall asleep." And indeed the cell-attendant fell asleep instantly. In his sleep he saw a heavenly vision of the quickly approaching blessed repose of Vladika... When the vision ceased, the cell-attendant felt a strong quaking in his whole body and instantly awoke. He saw in front of him the reclining Archbishop with eyes raised toward heaven, his face shining with unearthly joy, and the room itself was illuminated with beams of light. Melety beckoned the awakened cell-attendant and in a soft voice informed him that in three days his death would ensue, about which he asked him to be silent until then. The repose of Melety occurred in exactly three days, soon after he had received the Holy Mysteries, and was most quiet and peaceful.

The relics of Archbishop Melety have been preserved. They have been transferred from the Protection Monastery to the Annunciation Cathedral of Kharkov, and they are venerated in the left wing.