7/27/2023
Maria Tobolova
“I explain the severity of the disasters by retribution... for our attitude to the religious question and especially for the attitude of the Russian clergy towards their religious and social mission... Of course, I will never believe in the triumph of atheism among us Russians... Russian religious thought will find its way to revival.”
Fr. Photius was the first to send messages to the Tsar denouncing the wrong religious policies that Alexander I had pursued almost throughout his reign, and the Tsar heeded the archimandrite’s words.
Monk Photius fearlessly set about struggling against Freemasonry, whose representatives were the most influential figures of the Empire.
During the wedding ceremony, they drank from the shared cup to the last drop: wine mixed with water. In the Orthodox marriage sacrament, the wine in the cup symbolizes the joys of married life, while the water represents their shared sorrows, troubles, and pains. The newlyweds would have much joy in their future life, but even more sorrow and pain.
The Tsarevich wrote in his diary: “If they kill us, I only hope they won’t torture us for a long time...”
The Tsarevich had a very gentle and kind heart. He often exclaimed, ‘When I become the Tsar, there will be no poor and unhappy people. I want everyone to be happy.’”
Nun Maria spent almost half of her life—forty-four years—in seclusion and ended her days in the service of God in the angelic, that is, monastic rank.
All those whose destinies crossed the paths in life of the Royal Family unanimously testified to the moral purity of the eldest Princess, her kindness, modesty, sensitivity, and sense of justice.
Maria spoke to her mother about faith and the Church more often than the other children and shared her religious experiences with her.
“She was so cheerful and so able to drive away frowns from anyone who was out of sorts, that some of those around her called her ‘Sunbeam’, recalling the nickname given to her mother at the English.”
“She is a Grand Duchess from head to toe; how aristocratic and royal she is! I feel without words that there is a whole closed and original world inside her.”
Having inherited untold wealth, including mansions, lands, stud farms and money capital, she decided to spend her money on monasteries and churches—to be rich toward God.
At the sight of any great adversity that befell people she always hurried to prayerfully help the unfortunate.
The saintly ascetic Natalia bore all the hardships of camp life with humility, considering her fate as a cross sent to her that must be carried without complaint or tears in an atmosphere of foul language, fights, and mockery.
She prayed in such a way that it was obvious to me that the blind old woman saw the angelic realm as clearly as you and I see each other.
As an alumna of Leushino Monastery, Anna wrote to her relatives that she accepts her service to the Anointed of God as an obedience and will never leave her position of her own free will.
His family was displeased that their son chose the “lowborn” Eudoxia, but Mikhail remained adamant.
The name of St. Savva of Storozhev is associated with many miracles. We will tell you about one of them. It happened during the capture of Moscow by the French in 1812. The French general Eugène de Beauharnais, who headed a 20,000-strong division, occupied Zvenigorod and settled in the Storozhev Monastery.
Humility before God’s will, trust in the mercy of the Creator and fervent prayer helped Nun Ambrosia survive in exile. In the midst of severe trials, she preserved strong faith and love for God.
Setting to work, she wrote down in her diary: “I will treat everyone as my next of kin! Something great and holy awaits me!”
