The Ryazan Region, Kadom. Father Athanasius. Kadomsky Svyato-the-Gracious-Bogoroditsky Monastery

Mother Russia is rich in amazing places, visiting which you immediately feel the Motherland, or, if you can say so, you begin to hear the call of ancestors. The state is as if you were returning here after a long tiring journey, but here, in these small provincial towns, everything seemed to be frozen, and life flows as before, quietly, calmly and peacefully. One of these unique places was the town of Kadom (Ryazan Region), located in the picturesque places of the Moksha River. Most recently, he celebrated his 800th anniversary.

History of Kadoma

For the first time the settlement Kadom is mentioned in 1209 in Nikon's annals. True, it was founded much earlier. It should be noted that the Moksha River is a fairly large tributary of the Oka River, therefore Kadom settlement became the very important trading hub and defensive point in the beginning of the 13th century. The Ryazan region was then called the Ryazan principality.

The origin of the city's name is for certain unknown, there are many versions. One of them says that this word has Arabic roots "we walk" or "code", which is translated as "guardian". In the Middle Ages, this settlement was designated as an eastern fortress, conquered by the Slavs.

There were also defensive structures to repel raids by Tatars and Nogais. Some local settlers who belonged to the military class were called Cossacks. Their descendants still live in Kadoma. One of these is the priest of the Grace-Bogoroditsky Monastery, Father Mikhail, who promotes the revival of the Cossacks in the Cadet School, where along with other general and secular disciplines, the law of God and military training are studied.

Interesting facts about Kadoma

The hills on which the town stands, have their own mysterious and at the same time majestic history. On one hill there was still a church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, therefore it received an identical name in honor of the temple - Preobrazhensky.

And in the middle of the XIII century the entire Kadom region was under the Mongol-Tatar yoke. There is an opinion that in those ancient times the Orthodox and Muslim religions here existed quite peacefully. Even the cases were known when the Tatars became Christians. Ancient written sources indicate the fact that in the first half of the fourteenth century the Tatar prince Shirinsky Beklemish took faith in Christ. At the baptism he received the name of Michael, and in connection with this event on one of the previously mentioned hills, he built a wooden church in honor of the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord and there he baptized his soldiers. In the 18th century a white stone church was built on the same spot. It is known that the grandson of the prince - Yuri Fedorovich - became a real brave warrior and was a participant in the Kulikovo battle, fought on the side of Prince Dimitri Donskoi and courageously fell in a terrible secession.

Orthodoxy gradually grew stronger on Kadoma. In 1875, the priest Ivan Kobyakov wrote down the words that Kadom is a truly Orthodox city, all its inhabitants are devout and zealous in prayer. The pilgrims who come to these places do not ignore another unique place: in the forests under the oak tree there is a curative spring called Panic. According to the legend of the great-grandfathers, here was a chapel in honor of John the Baptist, where the hermit-hermits came and served the all-night vigil at night, and in the morning dispersed for a solitary prayer.

Creation of a monastery monastery

In 1997, in the town of Kadoma, the women's Kadom Holy-Gracious-Bogoroditsky monastery begins to rebuild. About its existence it was known since 1793. It all began with the fact that several girls from merchant and middle-class families decided to become nuns and live according to church regulations. To this end, they turned to the Ryazan Epiphany Monastery to abbot Evgenia, so that she could find a wise teacher. After a short time the Mother Superior sent them the daughter of a psalm-reader - Gorskaya Ekaterina, who had a good spiritual and monastic experience. She was able to establish a monastic life in the newly formed community according to the charter of the Sarov monastery, which the Sarov elders immediately began to take care of. There is even a tradition that the monastery was visited by the Monk Seraphim himself.

Thanks to a harmonious and skilful leadership and unanimity among the nuns, the community began to gradually develop. First, it was donated to the earth and some buildings, then the real construction began. In 1857, a summer temple was built in honor of the icon of the Mother of God, called "Merciful", then they began to build a second church and other buildings.

Devastation

On November 25, 1868, the community received the status of a monastery, in which a church school and a shelter for orphans were formed. Before the revolution, the monastery numbered 365 nuns, but in 1917 it was ravaged, the settlers were dispersed, the property was nationalized, and all the church utensils and icons were burnt.

Only now, by the grace of God and the labors of people, the monastery began to rebuild again. But the most important thing was that in Cyprus, in the Kikk monastery, an icon of the Mother of God "Gracious" was painted again specifically for the Kadoma monastery. On Ryazan land this event was met with great joy and marked by a great triumph.

Kad: Monastery, Father Athanasius

In the revival of the monastery participated the confessor and abbot of the monastery Archimandrite Athanasius, who invested in him a lot of his strength and work. This is another outstanding personality, which has always been famous for Kad. Father Athanasius (Kultinov) is an archimandrite and a silver-haired monk who looks at everything with a positive and always relies on the mercy of the Lord and the Mother of God.

Athanasius (Anatoly) was born in 1937 in Ryazanshchina, in the village of Bolshoye Lyakhovo (Yermishinsky district). His mother spent days working on housework. The closest temple from them was at 8 km, in the village of Savvtme. Although the family almost did not attend the temple because of the lack of opportunities to get there, and even no one prayed, but in the soul faith was always preserved.

As a child, the boy received instructions from his mother - not to join any Pioneer or Komsomol organizations. For this, Tolia was not oppressed, probably because it was a remote village, and here this case was not so strict.

The old man himself admitted that, however that may be, the people of that time were still morally purer. And after the Great Patriotic War, the grief affected almost every family, the people mourned and were compassionate to others. In their village only in 1956, they conducted electricity.

The road of life of the elder Afanasy

A lot of useful things can be learned from the memories of a wise old man who has seen a lot in his life, he has much to learn. He helped many to cope with some or other life difficulties and problems.

Over time, the eldership came to be known as Kad. Father Athanasius - one of those who are sought from different parts of Russia for advice and comfort. But more on that later.

When the war ended, he was 9 years old. In schools, because of a lack of money on the notebooks, many wrote on newspapers. On shoes, too, there was not enough money, so something was cut from the tree like a pad that was tied on ropes to old worn shoes.

Time was really hard and hungry, nobody practically saw the bread. Women collected sorrel, baked bread from potatoes, acorns and swans. However, the priest observes the paradox, which was that, with all these sufferings, people did not particularly get sick. Probably the whole thing was in ecology. Now, modern young people are much weaker than their parents and grandparents. Mother of Father Athanasios Zoya lived more than 90 years with heart disease.

Communion to the Church

When the son was 13 years old, she took him to the church in Savvatma, then her aunt Mariamna began to introduce Anatoly to the church and introduced him to the elder - father of Jacob, who had one eye. Once the Soviet government exiled him to exile, but the escorts, seeing the infirm old man, sent him home. The future father Athanasius confessed for the first time, and communicated, but told the priest that he would not drink vodka and wine for anything. The old man was surprised by these words and added that it is possible to drink vodka in a perfect way, and it is impossible to drink it imperfectly.

A little earlier, because of the urge to know God, Anatoly almost fell for the annoying Baptists. However, God saved him, and he began to go to the Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas. First, Father Vasily (Romanov) served in this temple, then Father Vladimir (Pravolyubov), and then the famous seer Father John (Krestyankin).

All of them became his spiritual mentors. Being still in the world, he was married and mastered the profession of the 2nd captain's assistant on the ship. But then he left this profession to become a priest.

Monasticism

Each of his spiritual children remembers what a pious priest told him at a meeting. Now it is worthwhile to note who was the father of Athanasius. Kadom, whose comments indicate that now Athanasius serves in the Milostovo-Bogoroditskiy Women's Monastery, has become a true Orthodox Mecca of the Ryazan Region.

But first the old man had to serve on Mount Athos, from there he brought the Cross with the relics. He accepted monasticism, already when he was over 50 years old. This happened in the cell of the holy ascetic Silouan Athos.

In the souls of people, Father Athanasus leaves a very bright trace, from him you can always hear wise advice. Visitors immediately feel the kindness and God's grace that comes from the perspicacious old man.

Perspicacious Elder

The priest is very intelligent and perspicacious, and it's easy enough to get to him. He serves in the monastery almost every day and accepts confessions. At the end of the service, he always takes out the Cross and applies his parishioners to the body and the sick places, then he anoints them with oil and talks. On services, people usually do not have much, because Kad is not very popular. Father Athanasius, however, is always fully armed, at any moment he is ready to listen to someone who will turn to him. He, like no other, understands how difficult it is for a modern man today to live in this wicked world, and that first and foremost one should always rely on the Lord's help.

City Kadom: Father Athanasius (perspicacious). How to get to it

Now Father Athanasius Kadomsky is sick a lot, he has problems with his legs, but he humbly endures his physical ailments and constantly prays for his flock and parishioners. Believers are always ready to share their impressions and tell us how his prayers are strengthened in faith and help to cope with bodily and mainly mental illnesses.

So who was and is Father Athanasius? Kadom, reviews of which are above all praise among visitors, is also known for the fact that pilgrims visiting the Holy Grace-Bogoroditsky Monastery speak enthusiastically about the state of the soul that comes after the conversation with the priest Athanasius. For all the suffering, the perspicacious elder is a real spiritual father.

Almost everyone who visits the Kad speaks about this blessed state. Father Athanasius, good-natured and smiling, like a gentle cloud, envelops every person. He also has a burning desire to ease the burden of the people. He prays for all God day and night.

In no case should you miss the opportunity to come to Kad to see Athanasius personally and get wise advice from this extraordinary man who has chosen for himself a very difficult road and purposefully walks along it to Eternity.

Contacts

To get to the monastery for an appointment with your father, it is more likely to turn to any pilgrimage center in Ryazan. There they will be able to answer any questions concerning the trip to the Grace-Bogoroditsky Monastery.

The address of the monastery: Kadom, per. Oktyabrsky, d. 1.

The phone of the monastery: +7 (49139) 5-13-49.

Phone of the pilgrimage center: 8 (915) 613-36-91.