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Part 2: On Battling Pride
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Part 3: The Spirit, and Spirits
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Part 4: The Role of Christian Women
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Part 5: On Seeking the Kingdom of God
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Part 9: The Silence of the Theotokos
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Part 10: On the Monastic Life
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Part 12: The Path to Healing and Salvation
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Part 13: Every Man Must Guard His Heart
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Part 14: Passions and the Struggle Against Them
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Part 15: Purity of Heart and Mind
Photo: azbyka.ru St. Seraphim (Leonid Mikhailovich Chichagov in the world) was born in 1856. He came from an old noble family, the great grandson of the famous Admiral V. Y. Chichagov (1726–1809), one of the first explorers of the Arctic Ocean, and the grandson of P. V. Chichagov (1767–1849), the Minister of the Russian Navy, who participated in the War of 1812.
Leonid Chichagov was distinguished by his deep religiosity from childhood. Following the family tradition, the young Leonid chose a military career.
In 1870, Leonid entered the Imperial Page Corps, where he received a brilliant education. Upon his graduation in 1875, he was promoted to Second Lieutenant and assigned to the horse artillery brigade of the Preobrazhensky Regiment.
Soon, the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) began in the Balkans, during which Leonid served in active duty. During the fighting, Second Lieutenant Chichagov showed exceptional bravery, courage, and dedication, for which he received many military awards, including the St. George’s Cross, and was promoted to Lieutenant of the Guard.
During the war, Leonid saw the bravery and heroism of the Russian soldiers and officers. Leonid later described his observations and reflections in literary and historical notes: Examples from the Previous War, A Description of Individual Soldiers’ Exploits, and Stories of the Exploits of Officers. These books revealed his talent as a writer-documentarian.
He also wrote a major historical work, Diary of the Tsar-Liberator’s Stay in the Danube Army in 1877, which has gone through several editions.
In 1879, Leonid married Natalia Nikolaevna Dokhturova, a relative of D. S. Dokhturov—a hero of the Patriotic War of 1812. Four daughters were born in their pious marriage.
It was during this time that Leonid met Archpriest John of Kronstadt. He was under spiritual obedience to the Righteous Fr. John for thirty years.
In 1891, Colonel Chichagov unexpectedly petitioned for retirement and announced to family and friends his desire to become a priest. It came as a real shock to them, especially to his aristocratic wife.
Having retired, Leonid moved his family to Moscow, where he diligently studied theology and prepared for the priesthood. The desire to help others led Leonid to also learn medicine. He developed his own system of treatment with herbal medicines, which is laid out in his fundamental work, Medical Conversations.
This period of his life ended with him receiving the priesthood. He was ordained in 1893 in the Holy Dormition Cathedral in the Kremlin and was assigned to the Kremlin Church of the Twelve Apostles. He was later appointed rector of the Moscow Church of St. Nicholas in Stary Vagankov.
In 1895, Fr. Leonid’s beloved wife, Matushka Natalia, unexpectedly died from diphtheria. Fr. Leonid buried her in the monastery cemetery at Diveyevo.
That same year, Fr. Leonid was numbered among the brethren of the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra, and in 1898, he was tonsured into the mantia with the name Seraphim.
Soon, Hieromonk Seraphim was appointed abbot of the St. Euthymius Monastery in Suzdal and elevated to the rank of archimandrite. The monastery was in a deplorable state, but during the years of Fr. Seraphim’s abbacy, it was completely revived. Following that, Archimandrite Seraphim was appointed dean of the monasteries of the Vladimir Diocese.
During this time, he compiled his Chronicle Sketch of the St. Zosima Hermitage of the Smolensk Mother of God, Vladimir Governorate, Alexander District, which was an affiliate of the Lavra. The book was reprinted several times.
Among the works of Metropolitan Seraphim, his treatise on the glorification of Elder Seraphim of Sarov holds a special place.
The Chronicles of Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery It began with the writing of the Chronicles of Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery, which fully and reliably described the history of the Sarov and Diveyevo Monasteries and the life of Elder Seraphim of Sarov.
The first edition of the Chronicles was published in 1896.
In order to speed up the process of glorifying Elder Seraphim of Sarov, Archimandrite Seraphim appealed directly to Emperor Nicholas II, presenting him with the Chronicles. Having read it, the Emperor passed a resolution to glorify Elder Seraphim immediately.
On January 29, 1903, an event occurred that many faithful children of the Russian Orthodox Church had eagerly awaited. The Holy Synod decided to canonize Elder Seraphim of Sarov.
Archimandrite Seraphim was entrusted with preparations for the celebrations. He participated in the examination of Venerable Seraphim’s relics and compiled his life. He also had to take on a large part of the organizational-administrative work.
The celebration of the canonization of St. Seraphim of Sarov occurred on July 17–19, 1903. It was a real spiritual triumph.
On July 19, 1903, the relics of St. Seraphim, the Sarov wonderworker, were solemnly opened, in the presence of Tsar Nicholas II and his family.
This wasn’t the end of the archimandrite’s labors related to the glorification of St. Seraphim of Sarov. He wrote A Brief Life of the Ever-Memorable Seraphim of Sarov; also, A Brief Chronicle of the Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery, and an akathist that is still read in churches today.
Upon returning to Suzdal, Archimandrite Seraphim began preparing for the 500th anniversary of the repose of St. Euthymius, Wonderworker of Suzdal, and compiled his life. The publication of this book contributed to the spiritual revival of the ancient monastery.
In 1905, in the Holy Dormition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, Archimandrite Seraphim was consecrated a bishop by Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) of Moscow and Kolomna with a host of bishops. Bishop Seraphim was appointed to the Sukhumi Diocese.
In the pre-revolutionary years, Bishop and then Archbishop Seraphim was the hierarch first of the Sukhumi diocese, then of Orel, Chișinău, and finally, Tver. Soon after his transfer to Chișinău, Vladyka Seraphim faced a difficult trial when Righteous St. John of Kronstadt reposed in December 1908.
Vladyka Seraphim worked tirelessly for the good of the Orthodox Church and the Russian people. In his diocese, he opened schools, libraries, and hospitals at the churches. Being a spiritual child of Righteous John of Kronstadt, Vladyka was especially concerned about the reverent celebration of the divine services.
Metropolitan Seraphim had a kind, truly Christian heart. He immediately responded to the needs of the people. He had many spiritual children.
Vladyka was distinguished by his many talents, which were used for the glory of God. He greatly loved Church singing, and he composed Church music and played the harmonium.
Vladyka Seraphim was a good artist and painted icons. In the Moscow Church of the Prophet Elijah on Obydensky Alley, you can see a wonderful image of the Savior in a white robe and the image of St. Seraphim praying on a rock, painted by St. Seraphim (Chichagov).
During the First World War, Vladyka Seraphim fervently prayed for the victory of the Russian army and strove with all his might to uphold the people’s spirit, delivering fiery sermons and participating in various events to help wounded soldiers and refugees.
Archbishop Seraphim didn’t hide his negative attitude towards the February Revolution of 1917. Later, after the Tsar’s abdication, contrary to the decision of the Synod, he didn’t support the provisional government and remained a staunch monarchist.
In October 1917, the socialist revolution occurred in Russia.
The activities of Vladyka Seraphim, a confessor of Orthodoxy, a patriot and a monarchist, had already aroused the hatred of the Bolsheviks. And when they came to power, Archbishop Seraphim’s life was in danger.
Wanting to protect the Holy Hierarch from the Bolshevik massacre, His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon appointed Vladyka Seraphim to the Diocese of Warsaw and Vistula, located on the territory of Poland, which was free from Bolshevik authority. However, the Soviet authorities didn’t allow the Holy Hierarch to leave for Poland.
The civil war and the Polish-Soviet War that then started made it absolutely impossible for Vladyka Seraphim to travel to the diocese entrusted to him. Vladyka remained in Russia and lived at the Chernigov Skete of the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra.
In May 1921, Vladyka was charged with counterrevolutionary activity. As a result, on June 24, 1921, the Holy Hierarch Seraphim was officially sentenced by the Cheka: “To imprison citizen Chichagov in the Arkhangelsk concentration camp for a term of two years.” However, Archbishop Seraphim remained free, under the supervision of the Cheka. He was arrested only on September 21, 1921, and placed in Taganka Prison.
On January 16, 1922, Vladyka Seraphim was released from prison thanks to the intercession of his daughters Natalia and Ekaterina, and due to his serious illness and old age.
In 1922, Vladyka Seraphim was arrested again and was sent to Arkhangelsk. He spent four years in exile.
In 1926, Vladyka returned from exile and settled in the St. Sergius Convent near the city of Shuya in the Vladimir Province.
In 1927, Vladyka Seraphim recognized the authority of Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky), and a year later he was appointed to the Diocese of Leningrad. In a diocese infected by the Renovationist schism, he had to work to strengthen Orthodoxy. He served there for five years.
In 1933, the seventy-seven-year-old St. Seraphim was retired and he moved to the Moscow region. He settled into a country dacha, not far from the Udelnaya Station of the Kazan rail line near Moscow.
In November 1937, the eighty-two-year-old, bedridden Vladyka Seraphim was arrested by NKVD officers. The Holy Hierarch was carried out of his house on a stretcher and taken to Taganka Prison in an ambulance, as it was impossible to transport him in a regular police car.
For several weeks, the seriously ill elder withstood the new persecutors of the Church with the dignity of the first Christian martyrs. He didn’t plead guilty to any of the charges against him.
On December 7, 1937, the NKVD troika for the Moscow Province adopted a resolution on the execution of Metropolitan Seraphim.
St. Seraphim completed his way of the Cross on December 11, 1937, at the NKVD Butovo firing range near Moscow.
In 1997, the Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church canonized Metropolitan Seraphim (Chichagov) as a hieromartyr.
On November 10, 1998, he was rehabilitated by the Russian government.
Prayer to Hieromartyr Seraphim
O God-loving Seraphim, great among hierarchs and glorious among martyrs! Beholding your fiery ascent to the Heavenly abodes, we are at a loss how to properly praise you, and even more so how to follow you, O glorious father. For we know you as a most valiant warrior, excellent in bravery and invincible in battles. We know you also as a gracious physician, unwavering in patience and outstanding in skill. You served the Church with the gift of painting and offered the talent of sweet singing to the Lord. Moreover, good shepherd, though you renounced the vanity of the world, you embraced all its burdens and sorrows in your magnanimous heart. The years do not suffice for us to recount, nor for our slothful minds to comprehend your ceaseless labors in chronicling holy monasteries, glorifying St. Seraphim, organizing church life, and healing bitter divisions. Again, in exiles and imprisonments, you shone forth as an example of magnanimity and utmost humility, O hierarch of God. Above all this, your martyr’s crown shines like the sun. You overcame all through Christ Who strengthened you. Therefore, united in your memory, we earnestly beseech you: do not abandon our wretchedness, strengthen us in the Lord to keep His commandments blamelessly, to deliver the Holy Church from the enemy’s temptations, to set our minds on things above, and to turn away from sin and vanity. For we know the great boldness you have acquired before God’s throne, our most holy father. In this we take comfort and commend ourselves to your prayerful intercession in the Lord, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
