Schemamonk Zosima (Verkhovsky) On October 24/November 6, the Russian Orthodox Church commemorates the holy schemamonk Zosima (Verkhovsky). The kontakion to the saint briefly describes his ascetic labors: “O chosen one of God and wise elder, our mentor Zosima, who from thy youth didst walk the path of fasting, thou didst clothe thyself in the raiment of meekness and patience; whereby, having obtained the gift of the Holy Spirit, thou didst betroth many souls to Christ and establish holy monasteries. Now thou makest glad among the host of venerable fathers in Heaven, praying unceasingly for those who honor thy holy memory.” Let us examine his life in more detail.
The future saint was born in 1768 into a noble family in the Smolensk governorate. Shortly before his son’s birth, during a night prayer, his father heard a voice saying: “A son shall be born to you; do not teach him worldly sciences, but only the Law of God.” According to the calendar of saints, the boy was named Zachariah. He was the youngest in a large family. In childhood, he loved listening to his mother read the Lives of the saints. He possessed a meek, affectionate, and gentle disposition, and was soft-spoken and approachable. His parents hired a tutor for him, but academic subjects proved difficult for him, with the sole exception of the Law of God.
In his adolescence, he and his brothers were assigned to the Lifeguard Preobrazhensky (“Transfiguration”) Regiment in St. Petersburg. His father passed away, leaving Zachariah a portion of the inheritance. Soon after, his mother also died. The young man was briefly tempted by the lure of material gain and even considered marrying. But one day, as he was riding a horse past a church, he heard a voice: “You yourself shall become a monk.” “Suddenly, it was exactly as if someone’s hand had pushed me in the chest—and so forcefully that I seemed to stagger on my horse,” the elder later recalled of this incident.
Selling his share of the inheritance and requesting his discharge, Lieutenant Zachariah set off for the Bryansk forests to join the local hermits. He wished to submit himself in obedience to one of them, Hieromonk Adrian (Blinsky), whom he had known before. However, the future ascetic did not find the elder in the forests, as the latter had left to become the abbot of a monastery in the North. Zachariah then asked to become a novice under another hermit, St. Basilisk (Gavrilov; feast: December 29/January 11). The hermit, however, sent the young man to the cenobitic monastery on Konevets Island,1 following Fr. Adrian.
In 1789, the future ascetic arrived at the Konevets Monastery. There, he began serving as a sexton and baking prosphora. The monastery lived according to the Athonite tradition and the rules of St. Paisius (Velichkovsky), which the young novice eagerly absorbed. In time, he was tonsured with the name Zosima. With his elder’s blessing, he began learning the mysteries of the Jesus Prayer from another monk of the monastery, Hieromonk Sylvester, who lived in seclusion. Concurrently, Monk Zosima became acquainted with the Philokalia and the writings of Sts. Nilus of Sora and Isaac the Syrian. He began to feel drawn to solitude, following the example of the desert fathers.
Three years later, St. Basilisk arrived at the monastery. The abbot blessed Elder Basilisk and Novice Zosima to settle at a distance from the monastery, building two cells for them. He placed Zosima under the spiritual guidance of St. Basilisk. They lived near each other in silence, in a union of humble and holy love. A historical account of the Konevets Monastery from 1822 offers a noteworthy description of these hermits’ lives: “The hermit’s diet is meager and strictly disciplined, and his clothing is exceedingly sparse; everything the hermit needs is supplied by the Monastery, and so in his free time, he labors both for himself and for the Monastery. His affairs are arranged such that prayer, psalmody, reading, and handicrafts are assigned their own specific times and hours. But since this life of single-handed spiritual warfare requires exceptional courage and patience, only those monks are permitted to enter it who possess a mind enlightened by grace and a heart not subject to the passions—most especially anger, envy, despondency, vainglory, and pride; rather, they must be inflamed with love for God and desire an even greater union with Him, from which flows an ineffable, grace-filled delight in their souls. Such is the brief description of the solitary life! In our days, such lovers of solitude here were: Monk Basilisk, Monk Zosima (Verkhovsky), and Hieromonk Sylvester.”
Thus lived Monk Zosima, perfecting himself in prayer and obedience, and overcoming temptations that did not leave him in solitude. He also wore a coarse hairshirt, thereby mortifying his flesh.
The Holy Gospel says: Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid (Mt. 5:14). And indeed, people gradually began to flock to the hermits—some for a blessing, others for guidance. The fame and attention weighed heavily on the holy ascetics, and they asked the abbot for permission to leave the island where they had struggled for ten years. They wished to depart for Holy Mount Athos or the Moldavian forests. The abbot, however, blessed them to go wherever the Lord would guide them. Three times the ascetics attempted to reach Mt. Athos, but encountered obstacles. Recognizing this as the will of God, they abandoned their intention. In search of a new place for solitude, they finally reached Siberia and settled near the city of Kuznetsk (modern-day Novokuznetsk in the Kemerovo region).
The men of prayer lived in the Siberian forests for twenty-four years. Having struggled alongside St. Basilisk for so long, St. Zosima composed the elder’s Life after his repose. St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) spoke of it as follows: “The Life of Basilisk is according to the Gospel; his wisdom is of the Gospel, purified, and enlightened.” Over time, a female monastic community gathered around Fr. Zosima. In 1822, having obtained the blessing of Metropolitan Philaret (Drozdov) of Moscow and Kolomna, he secured the reopening of the once-dissolved Turinsk Convent in the Tobolsk Governorate,2 which the sisterhood then made their home. The elder wrote a rule for the convent similar to that of St. Basil the Great.
In the Holy Governing Synod, St. Zosima was offered ordination to the priesthood, but out of his profound humility, he declined. Gradually, several dozen sisters gathered at the convent. However, the enemy of mankind does not tolerate well-being and peace among those seeking salvation, and strives to destroy it in every possible way through human passions. A turmoil was stirred up against the elder by a couple of sisters, and he was removed from the leadership of the convent, to such an extent that he was even forbidden to appear there. Grieved, the elder came to Moscow to seek consolation from St. Philaret, who gave him lodging at the Chudov Monastery. The sisters who remained faithful to the elder followed him. In time, with the blessing of Metropolitan Philaret, the Convent of the Smolensk Icon (later the Holy Trinity-Hodegetria Convent of St. Zosima) was opened near Moscow,3 where the elder and the sisters relocated.
St. Zosima’s Convent in the early days of its existence. Photo: zosimapustin.ru
At first, some of the ascetics began to murmur, as the place where they had arrived turned out to be damp, marshy, and gloomy. But the elder addressed them with these words: “Beloved sisters, look, is it not the most silent and secluded life that the Lord God is granting us? Although, of course, labors, scarcity, and hardships lie ahead here, what stillness and solitude there are instead! Let us give thanks to the Lord, beloved ones, and He will help us in everything—both in spiritual and material matters—and He will glorify His name, and show His wondrous mercy toward us, unworthy ones.”
Gradually, the convent began to flourish through the labors of the nuns and the elder, who did not shy away from hard physical work. At the site of the new convent, a spring of pure, cold water was discovered, bringing comfort to the sisters. Under the guidance of Elder Zosima, the sisters engaged in prayerful labor, handicrafts, and the reading of spiritual books, living in accordance with the words of the Litany of Fervent Supplication, which call for Christians: “That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” The elder instructed the sisters: “Let us acquire the true monastic wealth—that is, let us cultivate within ourselves meekness, humility of mind, freedom from anger, patience, mercy, reliance not on anything temporal but on the Living God, inner joy in God, steadfast faith, simplicity of heart, compassion, and pure love for all.” The elder appointed his niece Varvara (in monasticism, Vera) abbess. He named the convent in honor of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God the “Hodegetria”, which was so dear to his heart.
Not far from the convent, Elder Zosima set up a cell for himself, where he sought to devote his time to prayerful labors in solitude. His earthly lifespan, ordained by God, was drawing to a close. The elder took the great schema. Sensing his approaching end, he gathered the sisters and said, “Do not disperse after my passing—the Lord will grant that you shall have a church, and the convent will be well established. The Mother of God, into Whose hands I have commended you and the entire convent, will glorify Her name in this place and manifest Her wondrous mercy upon you.” In October 1833, he peacefully fell asleep in the Lord. The elder was buried, as he had previously wished, “beside the chapel, so that the rain from the roof, under which is the Crucifix of the Savior, might water the grave.”
St. Ambrose of Optina wrote regarding the relics of Elder Zosima in one of his letters: “Recently, at St. Zosima’s Convent, it was noticed that the coffin of its founder was in water because the ground was damp. They hewed a coffin out of a single piece of stone and made a new wooden coffin. During the exhumation, they saw that the elder’s entire body was incorrupt, though his feet had succumbed to decay.” Soon after, by decision of the Holy Governing Synod, a church was built at the convent over the elder’s burial site. His relics are currently lost. After long decades of desolation in the twentieth century, the convent was restored. In 2004, Venerable Basilisk of Siberia and Elder Zosima (Verkhovsky) were canonized for Churchwide veneration.
Let us now partake of some of the spiritual instructions of Elder Zosima.
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Whoever does not possess feelings of love in the Lord and friendly, spiritual harmony, should condemn and grieve over himself for this, humble himself in every possible way and pray earnestly for it, begging the Lord to grant him this gift of grace; for this gift is the highest of all—higher than prophecy, martyrdom, and the rest. And how could it not be the highest? Because it proceeds from God Himself and unites with God, for God is love (1 Jn. 4:16)... Without love, it is impossible to dwell in the Heavenly Kingdom, where God Himself is love, and all the angels and all the saints live and rejoice in God and in love forever.
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Love is the very nature of God, and he who is a stranger to love is a stranger to God.
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He who possesses humility is pleasing both to God and to men; everyone treats him with peace and friendliness. But the proud and disdainful man is inaccessible and burdensome to all, and can never build a sincere friendship with anyone. His self-loving, haughty heart cannot feel any pure, heartfelt consolation.
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Be humble, and heaven and earth will submit to you. Without love and humility, from fasting and vigil alone, you might turn into a demon.
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Without abstinence, fasting, and prayer, it is impossible to rid yourself of demonic passions.
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The labor of enduring sorrows, offenses, and reproaches is greater than any chains or hairshirts. For Jesus Christ did not give us a commandment regarding chains and hairshirts, but commanded us to endure offenses, to love those who offend us, and to pray for them. And truly, we should regard them even as our benefactors, because to the detriment of their own souls, they work out our salvation.
Holy Trinity-Hodegetria Convent of St. Zosima
If the Lord gives gold, honor, carriages, houses, rich gardens, and all sweetness and amusements to His enemies—that is, to heretics, apostates, atheists, blasphemers, and mockers—then what will He not give to His friends? It is not earthly happiness, but Heavenly bliss that He has prepared for them—a bliss incomparably more excellent than that of this world.
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A man may seem to be silent, but in his heart he judges others; such a person speaks unceasingly. Another speaks from morning till night, and yet maintains silence, because he says nothing without spiritual profit.
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If something is pleasing to God, it will certainly come to pass; but if it is not pleasing to God, then I have no need for it.
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Hatred and malice are above all repulsive to the Lord; He accepts no prayer, no sacrifice from a hostile heart; and there is no dwelling place for Him where there is no peace and love.
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From the union of the soul with God, there come joy, fear, love, the sweetness of consolation, enlightenment, awe, compunction, tears, and a complete forgetting of yourself and of everything earthly—which is impossible even to describe…
Let us pray to St. Zosima with the words of the troparion to him: “Zealous for the teachings of the Fathers, fairest blossom of The Siberian wilderness, vigilant ascetic of action and contemplation, lover of stillness and founder of the convent of the brides of Christ, O vessel of the Spirit, Venerable Zosima, pray to Christ God that He may enlighten our souls.”
Bibliography:
St. Zosima (Verkhovsky): Life, Memories, Sermons, and Instructions. 3rd edition, revised and expanded. (Moscow: Sofiyskaya Naberezhnaya, 2008).
Alexei Beglov, “A Commonwealth Indestructible by Eternity: Pages of Nineteenth-Century Russian Eldership—Venerable Zosima (Verkhovsky) and His Spiritual Family in 1818–1825” Alfa i Omega, 2001. No. 3 (29).
Life of the Reposed Blessed Elder Schemamonk Zosima (Moscow: A. Fedotov Printing House, 1860).
