What does a meal in a monastery consist of? What the monks of the Holy Mountain eat and live to a ripe old age: the secrets of Athos. Small home charter

“It is very important to learn Christian asceticism.
Asceticism is not life in a cave and constant fasting,
asceticism is the ability to regulate, among other things, your consumption of ideas and the state of your heart.
Asceticism is a person’s victory over lust, over passions, over instinct.”
© Patriarch Kirill
From the speech of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' live on the Ukrainian TV channel “Inter”

Nowadays, the Russian holy fathers of the Russian Orthodox Church, who are in monasticism (the black clergy), are the main determining and guiding force for the modernization of the entire great democratic Russia and the pious transformation of the spirituality of the wise and heroic Russian people.

Group photo of the faithful Supreme Teachers and Russian Reformers before the banquet in the Grand Kremlin Palace:

The monastic meal is a collective ritual. The monks ate twice a day: lunch and dinner, and on some days they ate only once (although this “once” could be quite long); for various reasons, it occasionally happened that meals were excluded altogether. The main thing was not the quantity of food, but the quality of the dishes: lean or fast, the role of the dish in rituals, and the time of meals.

Cold baked lean fish garnished with lean mayonnaise and chopped vegetables.

Sturgeon baked whole without skin
(before baking, carefully remove the skin from the fish from the base of the head to the tail).

Pike perch stuffed with mushrooms, avocado, potatoes (avocado and potatoes 1:1) and herbs and baked in the oven. The monks consider pike perch to be the leanest fish, because... it contains only 1.5% fat.
Additions of fat-rich avocados, olives and nuts to the monastic diet make it possible to compensate for the lack of fat on fasting days, on which, according to the monastic charter, meals are supposed to be eaten without oil.

An idea of ​​a monastic ceremonial dinner in the mid-19th century. allows us to compile a list of dishes that were served on November 27, 1850, the day of celebration of the memory of the founder of the monastery.

“The register of food on the holiday is holy. Jacob 1850 November 27th day
For a snack at the top
1. 3 kulebyaki with minced meat
2. 2 steamed pikes on two dishes
3. Jellied perch with minced meat on two dishes
4. Boiled crucian carp on two dishes
5. Fried bream on two dishes
In the brother's meal for lunch
1. Kulebyaka with porridge
2. Pressed caviar
3. Lightly salted beluga
4. Botvinya with salted fish
5. Cabbage soup with fried fish
6. Fish soup made from crucian carp and burbot
7. Pea sauce with fried fish
8. Fried cabbage
9. Dry bread with jam
10. Canpot made from apples
Snack for the white clergy
1. Caviar and white bread on 17 dishes
2. Cold golovizka with horseradish and cucumbers on 17 dishes"

Serving examples:

Setting the Lenten monastic table for dinner.
Slices of tomato with lean soy cheese, slices of lean fish sausage, fish and vegetable snacks, hot lean portioned dishes, various monastery drinks (kvass, fruit drink, freshly squeezed juices, mineral water), fruit plate, savory and sweet monastery pastries.

Monastic culinary recipes
St. Daniel's stauropegic monastery
How do lay people fundamentally differ from monks in nutrition - the former simply love to eat deliciously, the latter do the same, but with a deep, godly meaning and with lofty spiritual intentions. Of course, this great spiritual wisdom is little accessible to the understanding of ordinary lay people.

Accusing the atheistic Russian intelligentsia of his time, priest. Pavel Florensky said this about her attitude to food:
“The intellectual doesn’t know how to eat, much less taste, he doesn’t even know what it means to “eat”, what sacred food means: they don’t “eat” the gift of God, they don’t even eat food, but they “gobble up” chemical substances.”

Many people probably do not clearly understand the importance of food in the life of a Christian.

Modest monastic lunch:

Cold snacks:
- curly vegetable slices,
- painted stuffed pike perch
- tender salmon of our own special salting
Hot appetizer:
- julienne of fresh forest mushrooms baked with béchamel sauce
Salad:
- vegetable with shrimp “Sea Freshness”
First course:
- fish solyanka “monastic style”
Second course:
- salmon steak with tartar sauce
Dessert:
- ice cream with fruit.
Beverages:
- signature monastery fruit drink
- kvass
And, of course, for lunch they serve:
- freshly baked bread, honey cakes, various savory and sweet pastries to choose from.

Serving examples:

Monastic Lenten snacks for the common monastic table.

Salmon from the monastery's own special salting.
For squeezing lemon juice, monastery chefs recommend wrapping it in gauze to prevent lemon seeds from getting in.

Lenten fish solyanka with salmon.

Lenten fish solyanka made from sturgeon with rasstegaychik stuffed with burbot liver.

Steamed salmon with lean mayonnaise, tinted with saffron.

Lenten pilaf of rice, tinted with saffron, with slices of fish and various seafood, which God sent the monastic brethren for lunch today.

Fruit bouquet for the common monastic table.

Monastic Lenten chocolate-nut log.
Chocolate-nut masses of three colors (from dark chocolate, white chocolate and milk chocolate) are prepared as indicated in the previous recipe “Monastery Lenten truffle sweets”. Then they are poured layer by layer into a mold, previously carefully covered with plastic film.
The widespread use of various nuts and chocolate in monastic food makes it possible to make monastic food tasty and quite complete.

Monastic Lenten truffle sweets.
Ingredients: 100 g dark dark chocolate, 1 teaspoon olive oil (on days when oil is prohibited, do not add olive oil, but the candies will be slightly harder), 100 g peeled nuts, 1 teaspoon good cognac or rum, a little grated nutmeg.
Crush the nuts in a mortar, heat the chocolate with the addition of olive oil, stirring, in a water bath to 40 degrees. C, add crushed nuts, grated nutmeg and cognac, stir; Take the warm mass with a teaspoon and place it in a plate with cocoa powder (to taste, you can add powdered sugar to the cocoa powder) and, rolling in the cocoa powder, form balls the size of a walnut.

Let us remember that in monasteries meat is not consumed very often, in some it is not consumed at all. Therefore, the “spell” “Crucian crucian carp, crucian carp, turn into a piglet” does not work.

On great and patronal holidays, the brothers are blessed with “consolation” - a glass of red wine - French or, at worst, Chilean. And, of course, dishes are being prepared for a special holiday menu.

The breakfast menu of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' on one of the days in April 2011.
Patriarchal food menus are carefully developed and balanced by nutritionists to maintain in the patriarch the proper energy necessary for the tireless conduct of his enormous spiritual, organizational and representative work.
In the patriarchal menus, all raw materials and ready-made dishes undergo the same testing as in the Kremlin kitchen. All the dishes on the patriarchal table are the fruit of long analysis, discussions and endless culinary tastings top class, sanitary doctors and nutritionists.
For Patriarch Kirill’s indispensable faith in God’s mercy and protection is a high spiritual matter, and the work of the patriarchal guard from the FSO and the corresponding doctors and laboratories is an everyday earthly matter.

Cold dishes:
Sturgeon caviar with buckwheat pancakes.
Caspian sturgeon, smoked, with galantine from grapes and sweet pepper.
Salmon stroganina with parmesan cheese and avocado mousse.

Snacks:
Pheasant roll.
Calf jelly.
Hare pate.
Blue Crab Pancake Cake.

Hot appetizers:
Fried hazel grouse.
Duck liver in rhubarb sauce with fresh berries.

Hot fish dishes:
Rainbow trout poached in champagne.

Hot meat dishes:
Smoked duck strudel.
Roe deer back with lingonberry galantine.
Venison grilled on the grill.

Sweet foods:
White chocolate cake.
Fresh fruit with strawberry galantine.
Baskets with fresh berries in champagne jelly.

The monastic chef is happy to share his recipes for vegetable salad with shrimp and fish solyanka.

First of all, in order for everything to turn out tasty and pleasing to God, you need to start cooking by reading a prayer. Have you read it? Now let's get to work!

Serving examples:

Layered Lenten salad according to the monastery recipe.
Lay the salad in layers, each layer under lean mayonnaise, salt to taste.
1st layer - canned crab meat, finely chopped (or crab sticks),
2nd layer - boiled rice,
3rd layer - boiled or canned squid, finely chopped,
4th layer - finely chopped Chinese cabbage,
5th layer - steamed stellate sturgeon, finely chopped,
bth layer- boiled rice.
Garnish with lean mayonnaise, caviar, a leaf of greenery and serve to the monastic table.

Vinaigrette according to the monastery recipe.
The vinaigrette includes: baked whole in the oven, peeled and cut into cubes: potatoes, carrots, beets; canned green peas, onions, pickles, olive oil.
Sometimes monastery cooks prepare a vinaigrette with the addition of boiled beans and mushrooms (boiled or salted or pickled).
To taste, you can add finely chopped salted herring to the vinaigrette.

Lenten portioned dish of lobster boiled in vegetable kurt broth (dip a live lobster upside down into a boiling kurt broth of carrots, onions, herbs, salt and seasonings, boil the lobster for 40 minutes, then let it brew for 10 minutes under the lid) with a side dish of boiled rice, tinted with saffron, and vegetables with a lean flour sauce made from sturgeon broth, served separately in a cup, with the addition of onion, pureed through a sieve, poached until translucent (do not allow browning) and spices; garnish with a slice of lemon.

There is still a lot of interesting information about products, dishes and those who eat these dishes.

Weight loss report. Weight loss and diets. How to get rid of excess weight, lose weight after childbirth, choose suitable diet and communicate with those losing weight. Losing weight deliciously: the French diet teaches how a menu to taste can reduce weight.

I can eat anything, but I eat exclusively plant-based foods - this is my choice based on regular study of research. I help people switch to the same diet. I help them reduce their food intake with this food. What to eat during Lent? Diet of Athonite monks: do's and don'ts.

Lent and proper nutrition: what common? Is it possible to lose weight at this time? During fasting, you eat mainly carbohydrates. What to eat during Lent? Diet of Athonite monks: do's and don'ts. Lent traditionally attracts the attention of not only believers.

What to eat during Lent? Diet of Athonite monks: do's and don'ts. Lent and diet. What to eat during Lent? Do's and don'ts: foods for fasting and fasting days. Orthodox Christians have begun the Nativity fast.

There are 2 opinions about fasting in terms of food restrictions, and these opinions have both those who fast and those who do not. 1. If you cannot fast strictly, then you should try to at least limit yourself a little, although what should you eat during fasting? Diet of Athonite monks: do's and don'ts.

What to eat during Lent? Diet of Athonite monks: do's and don'ts. Remember that on fasting days you should limit the amount of food you eat as much as possible. But in secular educational institutions they do not serve meatless food. You must learn to fast peacefully, taking into account your own and others’ mistakes.

Weight loss and diets. How to get rid of excess weight, lose weight after childbirth, choose a suitable diet and communicate with Is it possible to please my son within the limits of my limited capabilities (about food)? What to eat during Lent? Diet of Athonite monks: do's and don'ts.

Weight loss and diets. How to get rid of excess weight, lose weight after childbirth, choose a suitable diet and communicate with those who are losing weight. Those. My weight loss will also include fasting. Is it possible to lose weight at this time? During fasting, you eat mainly carbohydrates.

What to eat during Lent? Diet of Athonite monks: do's and don'ts. The diet is unchanged. Monday, Wednesday and Friday are fast days, when animal proteins, wine and vegetable oil are excluded from the diet.

Weight loss and diets. How to get rid of excess weight, lose weight after childbirth, choose a suitable diet and communicate with those who are losing weight. What to eat during Lent? Do's and don'ts: foods for fasting and fasting days. Weight loss and the Athonite diet.

Girls, yesterday I took my mother for examinations - veins, joints, flat feet - as a result, her legs were swollen and it hurt to walk. The doctors said the first thing is to lose weight, my mother weighs 80-82 kg with a height of 156 cm. The fact is that she has long been concerned about this weight and eats almost nothing - she lives alone, drinks coffee, eats cheese, vegetables, and meat not every day. Doesn't eat dinner at night. BUT for some reason the weight is only +- 2 kg.. I’m thinking - if we go by our rules - do I need to force her to eat 4-5 times a day? She's lost the habit and can't do that much... And drink water? Or how to lose 10 kg in old age????

sanatorium of Belarus - weight loss program?. Losing weight after childbirth. Weight loss and diets. sanatorium in Belarus - weight loss program? I heard that everything there is quite inexpensive and effective, maybe someone knows which sanatorium to go to in order to start losing weight?

What to eat during Lent? Diet of Athonite monks: do's and don'ts. Lent traditionally attracts the attention of not only believers. Many are trying to time the next stage of weight loss to coincide with this time or try new diet based on vegetarian...

Weight loss and diets. How to get rid of excess weight, lose weight after childbirth, choose a sanatorium in Belarus - a weight loss program?. Losing weight with the diet of the monks of Mount Athos. Athonite diet: alternating Lenten and It turned out that Abkhazia is translated as “land of the soul”, before...

Nutrition of the monks of Mount Athos. The fundamental principle of the Athonite diet is the division of the days of the week into fasting and fasting, including the day of breaking the fast. What to eat during Lent? Diet of Athonite monks: do's and don'ts. Lent and diet.

Looking for a diet to lose weight? Nutrition of the monks of Mount Athos. The fundamental principle of the Athonite diet is the division of the days of the week into fasting and fasting, including the day. What to eat during fasting? Diet of Athonite monks: do's and don'ts. Lent and diet.

Diet of Athonite monks: do's and don'ts. Lent and diet. What to eat during Lent? Do's and don'ts: foods for fasting and fasting days. Completely physiological nutrition, unlike the Dukan diet with Atkins and a huge number of them. The survey, IMHO, is incorrect.

11.03.2014 Through the labors of the brethren of the monastery 27 056

Lent continues. Over the next 40 days, Orthodox Christians should not only abstain from food of animal origin and moderate entertainment, but also work on themselves, trying to cleanse their souls of all filth.

The spiritual component of Lent in monasteries is put in first place - the cult of food does not exist there. Maybe that’s why monks more often call Lenten time blessed, while laymen call it difficult.

And the main difficulty is gastronomic. It’s really not easy for many people to survive on pasta, cereals and vegetables, including fish (except for a few days of church holidays), it’s really not easy for many people to survive for almost two months...

“Every day we receive approximately 600 liters of milk and 600 - 700 eggs,” says Vladimir. - During non-Lenten times, most of these products go straight to the table - we send them to the Central Estate, to monasteries, make cottage cheese, sour cream, and cook cheese. During Lent, the picture changes: we send milk, cottage cheese, sour cream and eggs, as usual, only to the local kindergarten, a school and a military unit stationed on Valaam, and we also donate to local residents in need. Everything else goes for storage and processing - cheese production.

We begin making cottage cheese and sour cream for the needs of the monastery two weeks before Easter.

The monastery has potato, beet and carrot fields, gardens, and its own fishery. In addition, in summer and autumn, with the help of pilgrims who come to Valaam to work, we actively harvest forest gifts - mushrooms and berries. The monastery buys cereals and flour, as well as squid, which is allowed during Lent (they are neither fish nor meat). From such a variety of products you can prepare a lot of delicious healthy food. They don’t eat meat at all in the monastery, neither on fast days nor on fasting days. It is replaced by fish: during non-Lenten times fish soup is prepared from it, broth for vegetable soups, fried, steamed, boiled, smoked. But smoked fish is served only on holidays...

In the first three days of Lent, according to the rules, dry eating is prescribed. Later, vegetable oil is consumed on all days except Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

In order to somehow diversify the Lenten menu, we add squid dishes - soup, salad, gravy, or simply fry it - to vegetable dishes, porridges and everyone's favorite pancakes (in which a little flour and semolina are put instead of eggs). But before you prepare anything from squid meat, it must be properly processed.

I take the slightly thawed carcasses, but with ice, pour boiling water over them for half a minute, and drain. I repeat this procedure twice, and then rinse the carcasses under running cold water. Then I boil water, add some salt and cook the squid for about two minutes. Now he is ready to make soup from it, for example: I put potatoes, sautéed carrots and onions, salt, spices and, five minutes before the end, chopped squid into the pan. At the very last minute I add chopped herbs and just a little garlic for flavor.

It’s easy to make a salad from squid by mixing equal proportions of cooled and chopped meat and boiled rice. I also cut fresh cucumber and herbs into the salad, add olives and season with vegetable oil.

A tasty and nutritious dish is stuffed squid: I fry carrots and onions, add herbs, rice or mashed potatoes, mix everything and stuff the carcass. It is better to prick the wide part with a toothpick so that the filling does not come out. I don’t use all the sautéed carrots and onions for the filling – I leave a little, put it in a saucepan, put the stuffed squid there, add spices and cook for five to seven minutes. Before serving, sprinkle with herbs.

You can also prepare zrazy with mushrooms. To do this, you need to crush the boiled, well-drained potatoes (the puree should be a little dry), add about a tablespoon of semolina and flour to it and let the mixture cool slightly. Fry mushrooms with onions (thawed or soaked, if dried), add herbs and also wait until the mixture cools. Then small cakes are molded from the puree, and a small depression is made in the middle of each, into which the minced mushroom is placed. It needs to be completely covered with the edges of the flatbread - it will turn out something like a potato cutlet, only with filling. The cutlet should be rolled in breadcrumbs and fried in a frying pan on both sides.

We usually drink tea with honey, jam or mousse - this is healthy. The mousse is prepared very simply: defrost the berries, put them through a blender and add a little sugar. For dessert, you can bake a sweet gingerbread: take about 150 g of water, 100 g of honey, 100 g of sugar, cinnamon and vanilla to taste and heat to 75 degrees. On this basis, adding flour and vegetable oil, knead the dough to a consistency approximately like pancake dough. Heat the oven to 180 degrees, line a baking sheet with parchment, place the mixture on it and bake for 40 minutes. It turns out very tasty.

To spring the immune system people usually weaken, so during fasting we make sure that there are always dried fruits, honey, and nuts on the table.

Victoria Morozova,

Recently, I began to notice that when talking about products and dishes “monastic...”, or “like a monastery...”, people mean: “high-quality”, “real”, “delicious”. Honey, bread, lunch...

Observing this specifically, it struck me that this trend is not only expanding, but is already being used by various product manufacturers, conscientious and not so conscientious. Then the question arose: what is modern monastic food, monastic products? What is behind consumer recognition - traditional respect for the religious way of life, which excludes deception and laziness, or the absence of clear government quality guidelines, the same GOSTs, for example?

For answers to these questions, we turned to Father Micah, hieromonk of the St. Daniel Monastery. The path that led this wonderful man to the church was not easy.

Let's start with the fact that Father Mikhei was a paratrooper and knows the concept of a “hot spot” firsthand. Already, while in the monastery, Father Micah performed difficult obediences: establishing a monastery in the Ryazan region, organizing the monastery apiary, the duties of a cellarer in the St. Daniel Monastery itself, and many others that I do not know about.

As a result, we were able to draw a picture from the questions and answers of how a Russian Orthodox monastery lives today: what it produces, what it eats, who it feeds and how.

website:It is known that the absolute majority of monasteries in Rus' were self-sufficient in the production, storage and distribution of products. The monasteries owned gardens, fields, orchards, ponds and apiaries. Also, since ancient times, the tradition of feeding monastic products not only to the brethren, but also to workers, pilgrims, students, and guests has been preserved. Is this tradition alive in St. Daniel's Monastery now?

O. Micah: Since centuries in Rus', monasteries have been not only centers of spiritual life, but also economic ones. Not only did they feed themselves, but they also carried out breeding work, grew new varieties of plants, looked for and found new ways to store and preserve food. For many hundreds of years, monasteries not only fed themselves, but also widely helped those in need. Both in normal times and, especially, in war years, in lean periods, in times of epidemics.

It’s no different in the monastery: today the economy of the St. Daniel’s Monastery feeds up to 900 people every day. We have just over 80 brethren, almost 400 lay workers. And also pilgrims, guests of the monastery, those in need - every day the monastery kitchen, with God's help, provides food for all these people.

Most of the products we have are of our own production. This includes flour from monastery fields in the Ryazan region, vegetables, fruits, and honey. We mostly buy fish for now, but we want to dig ponds there, on the lands of the monastery, and start growing fish. We keep cows for butter, cottage cheese, milk. They don’t eat meat in the monastery.

website:How did the revival of the monastic economy begin?

O. Micah: The revival of the monastery economy began from the moment it was transferred to the Church in 1983. For five next years the monastery as a whole was restored, and the economy supporting it began to function. However, even now we are only moving towards a truly independent structure that produces, preserves and nourishes.

Until 1917, the monastery had extensive lands, arable lands, apiaries, and ponds. There were many and good products. The monastery sold a lot of things, incl. in their own shops and stores. People have always loved them - both Muscovites and pilgrims. Then everything was destroyed, literally - to the ground.

But over the past 17 years, of course, a lot of progress has been made. If you look back today, you see how much we, with God’s help, have achieved! And we ourselves grow wheat on the monastery lands, grind flour, and bake our famous baked goods. And we grow and preserve all the necessary vegetables: we can them, ferment them, and salt them.

And now the monastery has more than one apiary - in the Moscow region on the monastery farm, near Ryazan, near Anapa and from Altai, honey is also supplied from the apiaries of the Church of the Archangel Michael. The largest apiary is near Ryazan. Now we have about 300 hives here and during the season we manage to obtain more than 10 varieties of honey in our apiaries. These include sweet clover, linden, buckwheat, and honeys of forest and field herbs. Every new season Before the bees fly out, special prayers are performed to consecrate the apiary, and the beekeepers receive a blessing for the upcoming work.

Honey such a product is God's blessing. You need to treat him that way. After all, if you put an apiary, for example, near the road, there will be a lot of things coming out of the exhaust pipes: lead and all sorts of heavy metals. And the bees also collect all this and transfer it to honey. We are responsible before God for the fact that we have apiaries in good, environmentally friendly places, and so we offer pure honey to people.

We love our people and want people to be healthy and beautiful and for children to be born healthy. Beekeeping is a traditional Russian trade. Back in the 16th century they said: “Russia is a country where honey flows.” Honey was made in almost every home. It was also supplied abroad along with wax. All Russian people ate honey. This is a necessary product for every person.

It is now customary for us to eat honey only during illness. Only this is wrong. You should eat honey three times a day: a spoonful in the morning, in the afternoon and in the evening. Honey contains everything the body needs, including vitamins. After all, honey is a natural product that people have been eating for centuries to improve their health. Warriors of the past always carried honey with them on campaigns. By eating it, they increased their strength before the upcoming battle

They began to revive the tradition of monastery bread. People come for our baked goods from all over Moscow and even from the Moscow region. A variety of pies, prepared according to old monastery recipes, are very popular. Made with soul - and people like it!

Our parishioners and guests of the monastery really appreciate the fact that we use recipes not only from our monastery, but also from other holy places: for example, we have yeast-free bread baked according to Athonite recipes, and there is bread from the sisters from the Serpukhov convent.

website:And all this is managed by the small brethren of the St. Daniel Monastery?

O. Micah: Of course not! We are helped by both lay workers and voluntary assistants. There really are few monks, especially those who know how to work on earth. Many came to the monastery from cities, some are not able to do physical labor. But work in honey apiaries is called “sweet hard labor”...

Not everyone knows how much work one has to put in to ensure that good food ends up on the table of the monastery.

website:Please tell us about the monastery food system. What products and dishes make up the monastery table for the brethren?

O. Micah: We do not come to the monastery to eat deliciously - we come to achieve the Kingdom of Heaven through labor, prayer and obedience. The highest virtues are fasting, prayer, renunciation of worldly temptations and obedience.

By the way, according to the monastery charter, there are about 200 fasting days a year. Fasts are divided into multi-day (Great, Peter the Great, Dormition and Christmas) and one-day (Wednesday, Friday of each week). It was during the days of abstinence from fast food that thousands of original, simple dishes available to the population were developed in the monastery refectories.

The main difference between the monastic table and the secular one is that we do not eat meat. In the monastery they eat vegetables, cereals, dairy products, baked goods, fish, and mushrooms. The monastery's storerooms always stock a lot of sauerkraut, cucumbers, tomatoes, and mushrooms.

The cellarer monitors this, and both the monastic brothers and the lay workers do it. And it goes to everyone’s table without exception. According to the rules, monks eat only twice a day: lunch and dinner. The cellarer of the monastery especially makes sure that the meals are tasty, varied and maintain strength - after all, the interval before meals is long, and no one sits idly by, everyone has their own housework - obedience.

The weekday menu usually consists of fish soup, if allowed on that day, pickle soup, vegetable, mushroom or milk soup and fish with a side dish. For dessert - tea, compote or jelly, pies, cookies. The Sunday menu consists of fish borscht, fried fish with a side dish of mashed potatoes or rice with vegetables, fresh vegetables, sliced ​​fish and products from the monastery farmstead - cheese, sour cream and milk. On the holidays of Christmas and Easter, a festive menu is served at the meal.

We have Father Hermogenes - he was the cellarer of the monastery for more than 10 years, so he even wrote a book about the monastery meal, “The Kitchen of Father Hermogenes.” On this moment cellarer in the monastery of Fr. Theognostus. I was a cellarer for several years, and before that I carried out obedience in the construction of a skete, the restoration of the Church of the Archangel Michael, taking care of apiaries, a bakery...

Now I have obedience - I offer monastery products for Muscovites, in a honey shop and 2 monastery stores “Monastic Honey” and “Monastic Grocery Store”, where you can buy our products: honey, beekeeping products, honey jam, an assortment of fish, porridge, monastery baked goods - yeast-free bread, pies, health products: non-alcoholic balms, sbitn, teas, herbs.

I also have an obedience in the department of making posters of spiritual and patriotic content by modern and classical artists.

website:We thank you, Father Micah, for your attention and story. We wish you joy in your work!

PRAYERS BEFORE AND AFTER EATINGFOOD

BEFORE EATING

Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. The eyes of all trust in You, Lord, and You give them food in good season, You open Your generous hand and fulfill every animal’s good will.

AFTER EATING

We thank Thee, Christ our God, for Thou hast filled us with Thy earthly blessings; Do not deprive us of Your Heavenly Kingdom, but as You came among Your disciples, Savior, give them peace, come to us and save us.

SECRET PRAYER BEFORE EATING FOOD FOR IMMEDIATE DIET (prayer for weight loss)

I also pray to You, Lord, deliver me from satiety and lust and grant me in peace of mind to reverently accept Your generous gifts, so that by tasting them, I will receive strengthening of my mental and physical strength to serve You, Lord, in the short remainder of my life on Earth.

Editor's note

Dear readers!

On November 28, Orthodox Christians begin the Nativity Fast. This is one of four multi-day fasts in Orthodoxy, which prepares believers for the bright holiday of the Nativity of Christ. This fast is less strict than the Great and Dormition fasts, but even here questions arise: what can and cannot be eaten, what Orthodox holidays at this time every believer must know about, who is allowed indulgences, is there any benefit to the soul if you observe only physical fasting?. Micah. These days Fr. Micah. And then at the meeting you will receive comprehensive answers to them.

CHARTER OF THE HOLY POKROVSKY MONASTERY
SOUTH SAKHALIN AND KURIL DIOCESE

CONTENT

Introduction

Chapter 1. Structure of the monastery

Chapter 2. Monastery officials

Chapter 3. Conditions for admission to the monastery

Chapter 4. Behavior of new monks and monastics

Chapter 5. About Spiritual Guidance

Chapter 6. About church services

Chapter 7. About the brotherly meal

Chapter 8. About the ringing of bells

Chapter 9. About cell stay

Chapter 10. About external visitors and mutual visits to cells

Chapter 11. Conditions of absence from the monastery

Chapter 12. Spiritual Council

Chapter 13. Penance

Chapter 14. Conditions for removal from the monastery

Conclusion

INTRODUCTION

An Orthodox monastery is a Christian community that strictly lives according to the commandments of God, seeking spiritual perfection in the deeds of Christian life. The basis of the monastic spirit are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come and follow Me” (Matthew 19:21).

St. Basil the Great in one of his conversations gives a detailed description of monastic life. “A monk,” he says, “must, first of all, acquire a non-covetous life, physical solitude, a decent life, have a moderate voice and a modest speech, food and drink that does not cause rebellion, eat in silence, remain silent before elders, listen to the wise, to equals.” have love, give loving advice to those below; avoid worthless, carnal and vain people, think more and speak less, do not be bold in words, do not allow excesses in conversation, avoid laughter, adorn yourself with modesty, lower your gaze and lift up your soul to grief, do not respond to contradictions with contradictions, be submissive ; work with your own hands, always remember death, rejoice with hope, endure sorrow, pray unceasingly, give thanks for everything, be humble before everyone, hate arrogance, be sober and keep your heart from evil thoughts..., take care of the suffering, cry with them , to admonish the disorderly, to console the faint-hearted, to serve the sick..., to take care of brotherly love.”

A monk must more fully and completely strive to embody in his life one of the most important commandments of Christ - the commandment of love: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind; ...and love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39).

The monk creates love for God through unceasing prayers, talking with Him, confessing to Him his weaknesses, sins, and glorifying His goodness and mercy to everyone. A monk develops love for his neighbors in patience with their shortcomings, in constant prayer for them, in various types of help and mercy towards them.

While only single monks, the so-called anchorites, were saved according to the rules given to them by their fathers and their mentors, but with the advent of monasteries and a large brotherhood, a Charter was required that could regulate monastic life in them and contribute to a better development of the monastic spirit.

The Monk Pachomius the Great, an ascetic of the 4th century, received such a communal Rule from the Holy Angel, and it formed the basis of all other monastic Rules: St. Anthony the Great, St. Basil the Great, St. Savvas the Sanctified and St. Theodore the Studite (his Rule was subsequently adopted by St. Theodosius for Kiev-Pechersk Monastery and later became a model for all other Russian monasteries).

CHAPTER 1. SETUP OF THE MONASTERY

1. The Intercession Monastery of the Yuzhno-Sakhalin and Kuril Diocese is a cenobitic monastery. He is completely subordinate to the ruler
the bishop, who is the Holy Archimandrite of the monastery.

2. The names of His Holiness the Patriarch and the ruling bishop with their titles are raised daily during all monastic services.

3. The ruling bishop appoints the Vicar of the monastery, whose candidacy is approved by His Holiness the Patriarch and the Holy Synod .

4. The ruling bishop on the proposal of the Viceroy of the monastery:

a) appoints the main officials of the monastery - the assistant to the Viceroy,
confessor, treasurer, dean, steward, sacristan and some others;

b) gives a blessing for ordination to the rank of hierodeacon and hieromonk
worthy persons from the brethren, as well as a blessing for tonsure as a monk
novices ready for this;

c) honors the most well-behaved people with appropriate church awards
persons from among the monastics;

d) enlists among the brethren those whom the Viceroy represents; expels persons
who grossly violate monastic discipline and maliciously leave

obedience to those in authority, not wanting to heed the voice of admonition.

5. The ruling bishop carries out general supervision of the monastery. With him
blessings The Vicar leads all monastic life, including
economic

6. A Spiritual Council should be formed to assist the Viceroy.

7. The present Charter of the monastery provides for linking the spiritual structure
life not only with the achievement of one’s own goals - holiness and
the perfection of monks, but also the benefit they bring to the people around them in the world, i.e.
spiritual and educational activities, charity and mercy.

CHAPTER 2. OFFICIALS OF THE MONASTERY

GOVERNOR

1. The vicar carries out obedience in the monastery and conducts all monastic affairs
according to the blessing of his Superior, in connection with which he must know everything well
the needs of the monastery in order to have constant care for everything.

2. The responsibility of the Viceroy lies in every possible way to maintain high spiritual discipline and good order in the monastery; concern for the spiritual work and improvement of monks; observation of the splendor and regulations of worship in monastery churches; care for the household, the external condition of churches and other monastery buildings.

3. The vicar, as an official person and responsible for his monastery before the Rector-bishop, receives various visitors: pilgrims, foreign and domestic guests, church employees and government agencies, guided by the good intentions and prudence of the Church, which will serve for the good and benefit of his monastery.

4. The main concern of the Vicar is concern for the spiritual state of his brethren, their diligence in prayer, in the divine services of the monastery, their zeal in obedience and, especially, in the pursuit of purity and holiness of life. The vicar constantly keeps in touch with the confessors of the monastery and monitors how often the brethren approach the Sacrament of Holy Confession and communion of the Holy Gifts of the Body and Blood of Christ.

5. The vicar, if health permits, heads all Sunday and holiday monastery services, delivering teachings after them or entrusting them to others capable of this, those who have the priestly rank.

6. The viceroy, cultivating the will of the monks, instilling humility in them, checks the fulfillment of the obediences assigned to each of the members of the monastery, and, if necessary, in a fatherly manner makes comments, and even severe reprimands, even penance, in order to admonish and correct the sinning brother , prudently seeking from him recognition and repentance for the mistakes he has made.

7. In the event of absence, illness or death of the Vicar, the Spiritual Council of the monastery, headed by the Father Assistant to the Vicar, takes over the temporary administration of his duties.

ASSISTANT GOVERNOR

1. The duty of the Assistant Vicar is to provide comprehensive assistance to the Vicar of the monastery in the conduct of monastic affairs, and in the absence of the Vicar, to perform his duties in accordance with the blessing.

2. The Assistant to the Viceroy carries out the orders of the Viceroy to ensure the statutory life of the monastery and monitors the correct performance of their duties by officials.

3. All officials of the monastery are subordinate to him. He reports serious violations of their duties to the Viceroy.

4. The Assistant to the Viceroy has the right to communicate in matters related to the activities of the monastery with government departments, according to the blessing of the Viceroy.

CONFESSIONAL

1. The main responsibility of the confessor is pastoral care for the brethren of the monastery and their spiritual condition. By performing the Sacrament of Repentance for them, he spiritually guides their lives, putting them on the path to salvation of the soul. The confessor, caring for the brethren, in case of their painful condition or overload, can petition the Vicar for a change or simplification of obedience for individual monks.

2. The confessor ensures that all the inhabitants of the monastery undergo confession without fail and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. For monks, private conversations with a confessor will also be very useful, which will help them to better understand their monastic affairs.

3. The confessor visits his brethren, gets acquainted with the monks’ housing, and in case of illness, consoles and protects someone. In the field of vision of the confessor is every brother of the monastery, involved in obediences, exercising himself in reading spiritual books, in work and prayer, avoiding idleness, as the mother of all vices. The confessor must pay great attention to the obediences of the brethren of the monastery, observing and clarifying their spiritual attitude towards them.

4. If for some reason the confessor does not have time to care for all his spiritual children, an assistant may be assigned to him. In the case of monks evading obedience or a careless attitude towards them, the confessor takes into account this behavior and admonishes him at a time convenient for him.

5. The confessor ensures that each of the brethren of the monastery undergoes the Sacrament of Confession at least once a week, and if one of the brethren deviates from this, he informs the Vicar about this.

6. The confessor is the closest mentor to the new monks.

7. The fraternal confessor oversees the confession of the monastery’s pilgrims and directs their confessors.

8. The confessor helps his children in their assimilation of the Rules of the monastery, encourages them to submit and teaches them humility before the elder brethren and especially before the Viceroy, strengthening their authority in the monastery. In confession, he does not so much accept the complaints of the repentant monk against the brethren and the Vicar, but rather seeks to instruct him in patience and bearing his cross of life.

The circle of questions and answers between the confessor and the brethren is purely spiritual and it should not concern the external and administrative side of the monastery, which belongs to the Viceroy.

TREASURER

1. The duties of the treasurer include careful monitoring of the receipts and expenditures of the monastery treasury and maintaining receipts and expenditure books, in compliance with reporting rules. These books are annually presented by the Viceroy to higher spiritual authorities for review.

2. The treasurer also monitors the condition and movement of all other types of material assets of the monastery.

3. The treasurer maintains an archive of the most important monastic documents, both economic and financial.

4. The treasurer monitors the condition and storage of inventories of the monastery property and valuables entering the monastery.

5. The Treasurer, with the blessing of the Deputy Governor, gives advance money to the steward and other persons sent for purchases, and demands an account from them.

6. On the last days of the month or if the need arises, the treasurer, in the presence of the assistant to the Vicar or the dean and the accountant, opens the church circles, counts the money and enters the total amount in the cash book.

7. The keys to the monastery circles are kept in the treasury. The candle maker, shopkeeper, prosphora seller, librarian and accountant report to the treasurer.

RECENT

1. The responsibility of the dean is to supervise the brethren of the monastery, their discipline and their attitude towards their obediences, both in the church and in the monastery.

2. The dean ensures that complete silence and strict order are maintained in the church during the service. For this purpose he appoints monks to ensure discipline in the temple.

3. In the event of violations of discipline by any of the brethren, the dean gives instructions, admonishing him with fraternal words.

4. The dean has the right to enter the cells of the brethren in order to know their everyday needs, as well as to monitor the order and cleanliness in them.

5. In order to maintain monastic discipline, the dean must take care that there are no strangers in the cells of the monastery - even close relatives, meetings with whom can only be allowed in a reception room specially designated for this purpose, and then with the permission of the dean.

6. The dean accommodates monastery guests in the living rooms and takes care of them. The dean also takes care of the parishioners of the monastery. Through dedicated clergy it satisfies their spiritual needs.

7. The dean blesses those who arrive at the monastery to eat at the fraternal and common meals.

8. Subordinate to the dean are gatekeepers, janitors, church watchmen, sellers of candles and prosphora, and bell ringers.

9. The dean may have an assistant (with the blessing of the Viceroy), who, in his absence, performs the same functions.

10. The duties of the dean include constant monitoring of the correct reading of the liturgy, prayer services and memorial services of synodics and notes and memorials submitted by the laity.

11. Reports to the Viceroy about serious violations of discipline among the brethren.

SACRISTAN

1. The duties of the sacristan include the management of church utensils, vestments and all temple property, as well as their careful storage and use for their intended purpose.

2. The sacristan keeps an inventory of all church property and all sacristy items, especially newly received ones, establishing the inventory number, indicating the source of receipt, century, and price. If possible, the history of especially valuable temple relics, icons, and relics is included in the inventory. Valuables from the sacristy should be kept in a safe place. Without the blessing of the highest monastic authorities, THE DESCRIPTION IS NOT ISSUED TO ANYONE. Periodically introduce them for introduction to the Vicar of the monastery, the assistant to the Vicar or the treasurer.

3. The sacristan must keep the keys to the sacristy.

4. The sacristan issues vestments for the sacred service and ensures that things requiring repair or washing are promptly repaired and washed, and that church utensils are regularly cleaned and wiped down.

5. According to custom, the sacristan re-robes the altar, brings the holy Antimins, as well as the vessels into the Altar in vestments (epistrachelion, arm).

6. Vestments, covers, bedspreads, towels and others that have become unusable are destroyed upon review by the Viceroy or Treasurer, for which an act is drawn up.

7. The Sacristan monitors the lighting of the Altars and churches and, especially, the cleanliness and order in the Altar, starting with the Altar, the Altar and ending with the sexton’s place.

8. The sextons and monastery tailors are subordinate to the sacristan.

9. The Sacristan may have one or two assistants at his disposal, if necessary (with the blessing of the Viceroy).
The sacristan, with the blessing of the Viceroy, can purchase utensils with subsequent reporting to the treasurer.

ECONOMY

1. The duties of the housekeeper include management and supervision of the economic and construction parts of the monastery

2. Particularly cares about churches and chapels, as the first shrines of the monastery. Economic care extends to the fraternal buildings, as well as to all ancillary premises.

3. At the disposal of the steward are both monks engaged in monastic economic work and hired workers, whom the steward accepts and assigns at the right time to perform various types of work, coordinating their work plans with the Viceroy, with his blessing.

4. The distribution of time for the working brethren depends on the discretion of the Viceroy or the Vicegerent’s assistant, and the steward only makes sure that everyone is doing their work conscientiously at the appointed time.

5. The distribution of the time of hired workers depends on the discretion of the housekeeper himself, who assigns the necessary work, monitors the quality of their execution, and also pays for their labor, agreeing with the Viceroy.

6. Subordinate to the housekeeper are: the cellarer, the head of the workshops, the hotel manager, all the monks working in the economy, drivers, electricians, masons, painters, carpenters and others.

7. If the steward finds it necessary and useful to make any improvements in the monastic economy, then he is given the right to present his considerations to the Viceroy, and after approval and blessing he can begin to implement his plans.

The housekeeper has a special monastic obedience - to carry out construction and housekeeping work with minimal costs, protecting the monastery treasury, carefully guarding and using household materials.

8. The housekeeper, if desired and necessary, can have an assistant (with the blessing of the Viceroy).

9. The steward receives the right from the monastery to communicate in business matters with government departments, according to the blessing of the Viceroy.

10. Work in the monastery economy begins and ends according to the church - with prayer.

CELLARER

1. The duties of the cellarer are to purchase the necessary food products, as well as monitor their safety.

2. The monastery kitchen, food warehouses, prosphora and refectory are under the supervision of the cellarer, in which cleanliness and tidiness must be maintained.

5. The cellarer ensures that at the meal what is required according to the monastic Rules is always prepared, so that the food left on the tables does not go to waste.

4. Without the special blessing of the Viceroy, the cellarer should not release food into the monastic cells.

5. The cellarer takes care of the timely preparation of vegetables and fruits for the winter.

6. The following persons are subordinate to the cellarer: the refectory, the cook, the cellar and all kitchen workers.

7. In the absence of a cellarer, he is replaced in everything by his assistant - the refectory.

CHARTER

1. The duties of the charterer are to strictly monitor the order of all church services, so that they are performed in accordance with the typicon and local monastic customs.

2. The guide monitors the daily readers, their correct statutory administration of the hours, troparions, kontakia, kathismas and other readings, which must be performed without errors, reverently, clearly and artlessly.

3. The guide monitors the correct reading of the teachings in the temple and in the refectory and coordinates the book proposed for reading with the Viceroy.

4. The charterer must draw up a schedule of church services a month in advance, which must be submitted to the Vicar for approval in advance.

5. Beginners and readers who know little should be taught by the charterer correct church reading.

6. The charterer must monitor the condition of church liturgical books, and those that have fallen into disrepair must be promptly restored or, with the blessing of the Viceroy, destroyed if they cannot be repaired.

7. The following are under the obedience of the charter: the regent, the canonarch, the honorary readers and singers.

8. The Charterer may have an assistant (with the blessing of the Viceroy), to whom he must transfer his knowledge and experience.

REGENT

1. The duties of the regent are to manage the monastery choir and to establish exemplary order in the choir.

2. The choir must sing harmoniously and prayerfully, so that the singing touches, touches and brings spiritual benefit to all those praying.

3. Neither the regent nor the singers should allow jokes, laughter, quarrels, idle talk and noise in the choir.

4. The regent instructs the canonarch to review the texts of the stichera in advance so that he can canonize clearly and distinctly, making meaningful stops between phrases.

5. The director is obliged to systematically organize choir rehearsals, in which all singers must take part.

6. The regent submits to the charterer and coordinates all services with him.

7. The list of chants is submitted to the Viceroy for approval.

SEXTON

1. The duties of a sexton require a very attentive attitude towards oneself, since this obedience is associated with his presence in the Altar near the Holy See and Altar, in which idle talk, laughter, jokes and everything indecent to this holy place are unacceptable. The sexton must come to the Altar in advance to prepare it for the service.

2. The sexton is obliged to serve during the divine service, light the lamps and censer, prepare prosphora, wine, water, warmth and other things related to the divine service.

3. The sexton has the responsibility to look after the cleanliness of the Altar and the temple; clean the censer, candlesticks, remove dust and cobwebs from windows, icons, look after the carpets, pour water from the washbasin into a specially designated and arranged place, ventilate and sweep the Altar.

4. The sexton is subordinate to the sacristan.

5. At the end of the service, the sexton carefully checks the Altar for fire safety. Usually the side doors of the Altar are unlocked and locked by the sexton himself.

CLERK

1. The duties of the clerk are to conduct all the clerical work of the monastery.

2. All written files of the monastery, including archival ones, must always be in perfect order and properly registered.

3. Correspondence between the monastery and different organizations and by private individuals should be carried out carefully and not delayed.

4. The scribe accepts the monastic correspondence and presents it to the head of the chancellery. He also deals with issues of postal orders, parcels and processes them properly.

5. The scribe may have an assistant (with the blessing of the Viceroy), who delivers and receives all monastic correspondence at the post office.

BELL RINGER

1. The bell ringer, with the blessing of the dean, rings the bell for the divine service at the appointed time.

2. Blagovest or trezvon is carried out in accordance with the Charter. The nature of the ringing must correspond to the established traditions of church sounds.

3. The bell ringer should not allow unauthorized persons into the bell tower without special orders and need.

4. With the help of the housekeeper service, he monitors the condition of the entire belfry.

LIBRARIAN

1. The duties of the librarian include managing the monastery library, purchasing the necessary books, as well as other publications, compiling a catalog and card index.

2. The librarian issues books to the inhabitants of the monastery against receipt.

3. The position of a librarian requires a person experienced in spiritual work, who would issue books in accordance with the development and spiritual preparation of everyone who wants to borrow a book.

4. The librarian promptly sends damaged books for restoration.
Monitors the book depository, monitors its internal conditions and, especially, fire safety.

5. The video and audio library are part of the library, so turning on and viewing the video recorder and listening to the audio recorder is the responsibility of the librarian.

6. The librarian, through the Viceroy or his assistant, clarifies the time and procedure for the library’s work and agrees with him on the circle of persons who have the right to use the library.

PROSPHORE BOOK

1. The prosphora maker is responsible for the quality and timeliness of production of prosphoras,
especially liturgical ones.

2. Prosphora is baked from pure, fresh premium wheat flour.

3. The student of the prosphora must live in purity and reverence, being in prayer, especially while working in the prosphora, where outside conversations, laughter, and jokes are unacceptable, since bread is being baked for the Sacrament of the Divine Eucharist.

4. While baking the prosphora, everyone who takes part in the baking of the prosphora should take turns reading Psalm 50 aloud.

5. The prosfornik is subordinate to the steward, receives flour and everything he needs from the cellarer.

6. The prosphora room is kept in proper cleanliness and order. The steward of the monastery reports on repair work in the prosphora.

REPLACEMENT

1. The refector oversees the timely and high-quality preparation of food for the brethren in the cook’s room and keeps order during the meal.

2. While eating in the refectory, the lives of the saints, the prologue, or something from the writings of the holy fathers are usually read.

3. The refector ensures that the cleanliness of the premises, tables and utensils is always maintained in the refectory.

4. Sets the tables for the established meal times for the brethren and then removes the dishes.

HOSPITAL

1. The responsibilities of the sick leaver are to care for and supervise those undergoing treatment in the monastery isolation ward.

2. The sick person should be gentle, patient, compassionate and caring for the sick.

3 Sick leave provides the sick with food, drink and medicine at the appropriate times.

WORKSHOP HEAD

1. The responsibility of the head of any workshop (icon painting, sewing, carpentry, etc.) is to supervise the work carried out in it, as well as the workers.

2. Irregularities or abuses must be reported to the steward.

3. Tea drinking in workshops is prohibited.

HEAD OF THE OFFICE

1. The main responsibility of the head of the office is to diligently maintain the personal correspondence of the Viceroy.

2. He is obliged to promptly submit to the Viceroy personal letters that have come to him, and, with his blessing, respond to them, and respond to other correspondence through the clerk.

3. He is entrusted with maintaining the minutes of the meetings of the Spiritual Council, their correct execution and conservation.

4. Ensure that the monastics and novices of the monastery correspond only with a circle of people determined by the Vicar. In cases where he discovers a violation of correspondence, promptly report this to the Viceroy.

5. Clarify the agenda of the Spiritual Council in advance and systematize the issues proposed for consideration at it.

CHAPTER 3. CONDITIONS OF ACCEPTANCE INTO THE MONASTERY

1. Whoever, for the sake of God, renounces the world and enters monasticism, takes the path of spiritual life. A Christian’s motivation for it appears as a result of his faith and internal desire for spiritual perfection, which is based on the renunciation of evil and the passions of the world, as the first condition for the salvation of the soul.

2. No previous moral way of life in the world prevents a Christian from entering a monastery for the purpose of saving the soul, as stated in Canon 43 of the VI Ecumenical Council.

3. The following cannot be accepted into the monastery:

- persons under the age of majority;

- a husband with a living wife and a wife with a living husband; as well as parents with young children requiring their guardianship;

- monks who took monastic vows in another monastery or in the world;

Spouses sealed by church marriage can enter a monastery on the condition that they take a blessing from the bishop for a new way of life and at the same time each enter their own monastery.

4. Anyone entering the monastery must present a passport, a certificate of marital status, a military ID (or a certificate of exemption from military service), write an autobiography and submit a petition addressed to the Viceroy for admission to the monastery. It is advisable to provide a recommendation from a clergyman.

5. After submitting a petition to the brethren, the newcomer becomes acquainted with this Charter and undergoes a test for three years and, if he turns out to be worthy, according to the decision of the Spiritual Council, the Viceroy, with the blessing of the ruling bishop, tonsures him into the monastic rank.

6. The period of probation may be shortened depending on the moral stability and good behavior of the newcomer, as well as if the person being tonsured was known for his pious life before entering the monastery: these include seminary students, students of theological academies, widowed priests and others.

CHAPTER 4. CONDUCT OF NEW MONSKS AND MONSKS

1. The novice, first of all, must carefully read and assimilate the monastic Rules, so that during the very first steps of his stay in the monastery he does not violate the order and discipline established in it.

2. The newcomer gives a signature that he undertakes to sacredly fulfill everything set out in this Charter; in case of violation of the mentioned Charter, he is subject to appropriate punishment by the monastery administration for the purpose of admonition and repentance, and in case of persistent disobedience he may be removed from the monastery.

3. The novice must strive in every possible way for spiritual life, as the first goal of his calling, abandoning secular habits, remembering the instructions of St. Basil the Great to novice monks: “Have a modest gait, do not speak loudly, observe decorum in conversation, eat food and drink reverently, remain silent in front of elders, be attentive to the wise, obedient and in authority, have unfeigned love for equals and lesser ones, avoid the evil ones “, speak little, carefully collect knowledge, do not talk too much, do not be quick to laugh, adorn yourself with modesty.”

4. In relation to the Viceroy and the inhabitants of the monastery, the novice must show humble respect.

5. When meeting with the Viceroy, as well as with brothers in holy orders, the novice should take a blessing; To other inhabitants, greetings can be expressed with a bow from the waist.

6. You should enter someone else’s cell with the Jesus Prayer and only when the answer is received: “Amen.”

7. After the evening rule, all idle conversations and walks are prohibited, the brethren go to their cells in silence and prepare for bed, reading spiritual literature, as well as handicrafts, are allowed until 24.00.

8. The brethren are not allowed to independently establish a cell rule for themselves, or to do it at night.

9. It is appropriate to unquestioningly obey the Vicar, the rulers of the monastery, remembering that Christ Himself said about Himself: “For I came down from Heaven not to do My will, but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 6:38).

10. Diligent and diligent obedience for beginners is the key to their future spiritual growth and salvation.

11. Avoid self-will: do nothing without the blessing of your superiors, even if it is praiseworthy, so as not to fall into temptation, pride and delusion.

12. It is not customary for monastics to discuss or criticize the orders of the Vicar for the monastery, but, on the contrary, to carry them out with prayer and humility.

13. If a brother does not agree with the orders of his superiors, he may, with meekness and privately, express his opinion to the one who gave this order at his further discretion.

14. A novice and monastic must be in constant peace and love with all the brethren of the monastery, trying to be friendly and helpful to everyone.

15. No one should take into his cell any thing, even the most necessary, without the blessing of his elders, remembering that any such acquisition without a blessing is theft.

16. Monastics should not bring unnecessary things into their cells and fall into the sin of money-grubbing. The best decoration of a monastic cell are holy icons and books Holy Scripture, as well as the works of the holy fathers. The monk's cell contains the bare minimum of everything that cannot be done without. The cell should be red not by things, but by the spirit of faith and prayer of the monk living in it. Secular and purely worldly things and accessories should not have a place in the cell.

17. Monastics and novices are prohibited from drinking tea and eating in their cells, as well as bringing food to their cells.

16. The brethren are prohibited from having tape recorders, cameras, refrigerators, and musical instruments in their cells.

19. It is indecent for monastics or novices to talk loudly, laugh or behave freely.

20. Chastity or purity of the soul consists not only of keeping oneself from vicious deeds and actions, but also from unclean thoughts as the first reasons for sin.

21. Everywhere and always it is proper for a monk to refrain from idle talk, remembering the words of the Lord: “I tell you that for every idle word that people say, they will give an answer on the Day of Judgment: for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” ( Matthew 12:36).

22. Smoking, drinking alcoholic beverages and foul language in the monastery should not even be mentioned in it, that is, it is strictly prohibited, and violation of this ancient rule entails serious punishment, including expulsion from the monastery.

CHAPTER 5. ABOUT SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE

1. Every monastic and novice must be under special spiritual guidance - a fraternal confessor, to whom he must reveal his spiritual state- perplexities, doubts, difficulties, temptations and receive instructions and spiritual support from him.

2. Each of the brethren of the monastery should reveal his thoughts to the fraternal confessor as often as possible, but at least once a week.

3. For spiritual knowledge and growth, every monastic should, as a rule, read several chapters of Holy Scripture every day with great attention, and also diligently read the works of the holy fathers and other soul-helping literature, finding in it spiritual food and consolation.

4. An unspiritual monk must not undertake anything in the spiritual matter of salvation according to his own thoughts and will; for example, imposing on oneself a fast beyond what is prescribed by the Charter or something else, so as not to fall into delusion and harm one’s salvation.

5. If any misunderstanding or quarrel occurs between the brethren, it is necessary to hasten to extinguish them with mutual forgiveness and humility, and immediately restore peace and love, remembering the covenant of Holy Scripture: “Let not the sun go down on your anger” (Eph. 4:28 ).

6. A brother who violates monastic discipline may be subject to spiritual punishment through the imposition of penance, which should be viewed not as a punitive scourge, but as a necessary medicine that heals spiritual illnesses and infirmities.

7. If the sick consider doctors to be benefactors, although they give them bitter medicine, so a monk who sins should look at the penances that are given to him and accept them as good medicine and a sign of mercy for the salvation of the soul (St. Basil the Great, rule 52 ).

8. Each sinner is given penance in accordance with his spiritual dispensation and his weakness. Just as it is impossible to treat bodily illnesses with the same medicine, so spiritual forgiveness must be of a varied nature: “Just as there is no one healing for bodily illnesses, so there is no one for mental illnesses,” says St. Isaac the Syrian.

9. The following measures can be used as correction: removal from the fraternal meal for one or several days; fast all week; transfer from one obedience to another, more difficult one; bowing; excommunication for a certain period from communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ; removal of the hood and cassock; transfer from a cell to another, less convenient one, as well as others that the Viceroy deems necessary to apply.

CHAPTER 6. ABOUT CHURCH SERVICES

1. The most important point Church life is church services, general prayer vigils, and therefore participation in them should be the primary concern and aspiration of all those living in the monastery.

2. Evasion or careless attitude towards temple prayer, towards this most sacred matter, should be considered an important violation of the routine of the spiritual life of the monastery.

3. The purpose of frequent, lengthy prayer is to acquire the grace of the Holy Spirit in your heart by acquiring the skill of constant and living remembrance of God.

4. In order to ensure the splendid performance of divine services in the monastery, the dean, together with the charter director, draw up a schedule of church services a month in advance, indicating the names of the clergy, readers, sextons, canonarchs taking part in them, and notifying them of this obedience. All schedules for the temple and monastery are signed by the Viceroy. Unauthorized violation or change of the service schedule is not permitted.

5. Half an hour before the start of the morning service, the alarm clock goes around all the cells with a bell and wakes up the brethren for prayer.

6. Each of the monastics should try to come to church without delay, before the start of the service. No one should also leave the temple before the end of the service, unless there is an urgent matter of obedience. The dean reports to the Viceroy about the most malicious violators.

7. Weekly hieromonks and deacons arrive at the service early, no less than 15 minutes before the start, dress and prepare everything necessary for the service.

8. Some of the monks, due to their special obedience in the monastery, cannot attend divine services every day, for which they receive a blessing from the Viceroy. They are charged with such obedience in the same way as prayer in church.

9. Priests who read and sing in church must carry out their work with unflagging attention, without haste, “with fear and trembling” and without violating the monastic Rules.

10. On the way to and from church, one should not stop with strangers and enter into conversations with them, and if anyone is asked about anything, one should limit oneself to a short answer.

11. In church you cannot talk, look around, but be focused, listen to God, the service and yourself.

12. Due to the fact that monastery churches are visited not only by monastics, but also by pilgrims, special rites of worship and Sacraments can be performed for them - prayers, memorial services, akathists, unctions, but weddings should not be performed in the monastery.

13. In special cases, with the blessing of the Viceroy, the rite of Baptism may be performed.

14. Under no circumstances should clergy take money for their own needs, but give it to the monastery treasury.

15. On all days when the all-night vigil is celebrated, the brethren must be in the church in the prescribed clothes: monastics - in cassocks, robes and hoods (in warm weather, cassocks can be removed); monks - in robes and hoods; novices wear cassocks (if there is the blessing of the Viceroy to wear it). Cowls are removed only at designated moments of service.

16.Clothing should be clean and simple. The color of monastic clothing is always black and no other. For work, it can be gray, brown or something else, but not bright. Wearing clothes of a different color is allowed only to the Viceroy and the priest with the rank of abbot with the blessing of the Viceroy.

17. If one of the brethren falls ill and cannot come to the service, he must warn about this in advance through someone or himself, an assistant to the Viceroy or a dean.

18. Priests are allowed to sit in the Altar only during the reading of the Apostle, Parimius Ikathism. In all other cases, it is necessary to ask for the blessing of the Viceroy. Deacons can sit in the Altar only if they feel unwell with the permission of the Viceroy.

CHAPTER 7. ABOUT THE BRotherly MEAL

1. On simple days, the morning meal starts at 12.00. Before this, 5 minutes before this, the refectory rings the bell 12 times and the brethren gather in the refectory. The meal begins and ends with a prescribed prayer. In the absence of the Viceroy, the food is blessed by the weekly hieromonk.

2. B holidays, when the rite of “Panagia” is performed, the beginning of the fraternal meal immediately after the end of the service and the arrival of the brethren in the refectory, which also begins and ends with the established prayer. The food is blessed by the Viceroy; in his absence, by the Vicegerent’s assistant or the weekly hieromonk.

3. The evening meal begins immediately after the end of the service and the arrival of the brethren in the refectory. In the absence of the Viceroy, the food is blessed by the weekly hieromonk. 5 minutes before the end of the service, the bell ringer strikes the bell 12 times.

4. On the days when the all-night vigil is celebrated, the brethren arrive at the refectory in the prescribed clothing: monastics in robes and hoods, monks in cassocks.

5. The weekly hieromonk and hierodeacon always arrives at the refectory in a cassock, mantle and hood.

6. The meal in the monastery is a continuation of the divine service and is of a sacred nature and requires a sacred attitude from the monk.

7. It is forbidden to talk and laugh during the meal. If someone is missing something on the table, let him call for the meal-keeper with a gesture.

If the Viceroy needs to clarify something, then let the necessary brother quietly approach and give an answer to the Viceroy.

8. Late entry into or exit from the refectory before the end of the meal without the blessing of the Viceroy is considered a violation of discipline and worthy of reproach.

9. No one should take food in the cell, except for those who are allowed to do so by the Viceroy or the dean, as they cannot come to the common meal due to illness or for some valid reason.

10. A monastic must humbly eat the food served and not say: “This is not tasty, it is harmful to me.” He can then express his wishes and sorrows regarding this matter to his confessor or steward, without disseminating them further.

11. For special dietary meals, the monastic must take a blessing from the Vicar or confessor.

12. The brethren of the monastery are prohibited from eating food at the common meal, as well as being in it, if this is not related to his obedience.

13. The abbot of the monastery has the right to have a separate meal and a separate kitchen. He can invite to his table whoever he wants from the brethren, as well as arriving guests.

CHAPTER 8. ABOUT THE RINGING OF BELLS

1. The ringing of bells in the monastery takes place at the time specified by the Charter
and moments of service and is entrusted to the senior bell ringer who makes the ringing
either himself or through his assistants.

2. The ringing of bells is based on:

a) in the morning 15 minutes before the start of the service - 12 strikes on the small bell;

b) before the start of the refectory - 12 strikes on the small bell;

c) at the end of the morning meal on the eve of the all-night vigil, the bell is struck 12 times;

d) at the meeting of the Bishop - a festive ringing;

e) before the start of the liturgy and in all cases provided for by the Charter.

CHAPTER 9. ABOUT THE CELL STAY

1. The time remaining from church services and fulfillment of obedience should be spent by monastics in their cells very prudently and carefully, with the desire to acquire as much benefit as possible, and mainly spiritual, avoiding any indulgence of their passions,

2. Such useful cell activities can be:

a) cell rule according to the Rules and the blessing of the confessor;

b) reading spiritual books and extracting from them the most lively and edifying places for monks;

c) exercise in spiritual reading, study of the Church Slavonic language, Church Rules and preparation for church services;

d) needlework for the benefit of the monastery and for one’s own needs with the blessing of the confessor;

e) cleaning the cell, cleaning and repairing clothes, shoes, etc.

3. A monk’s favorite reference book should be the Holy Bible with its interpretations.

4. The cell clothes of the brethren should be clean, simple, without pretensions to luxury.

“From luxurious clothing comes vanity and bitterness,” says Isaac the Syrian.

5. In case of a serious illness, a monk can consult a doctor by leaving the monastery to see him, having previously taken a blessing for this from the authorities. The monk uses the medical service of the monastery hospital in case of sudden illness.

6. Cell prayer, reading the Psalter and especially the Holy Gospel - extinguish many passions of the soul and body.

7. Cell contemplation of God elevates, sanctifies the mind and purifies the heart, bringing peace to the soul.

8. The mind, according to the teaching of the holy fathers, should never be idle.

CHAPTER 10. ABOUT EXTERNAL VISITORS AND MUTUAL VISITATION TO CELLS

1. Reception of external visitors into the cells is allowed only with the blessing of the monastery authorities, and during daylight hours.

2. Females are not allowed in the cell under any circumstances. If it becomes necessary for a monastic to see close relatives, then they are received not in the cell, but in a specially designated reception room of the monastery (monastic hotel) with a blessing.

3. Without the blessing of the Viceroy, no one has the right to leave any stranger in his cell for the night, and also no one from the brethren has the right to spend the night in someone else’s cell of his monastery.

4. Monastics and novices do not have the right to enter into communication with visitors to the monastery and relatives without receiving the blessing of the Viceroy, his assistant or the dean.

5. Brothers, with the blessing of their confessor, can visit each other in their cells for spiritual conversation or to help the sick and elderly, but not for empty talk and fun.

6. After the evening rule, the monastic must remain in his cell, except for those special cases when he calls the spiritual authorities or needs to visit the sick, etc., having received the blessing of the assistant viceroy or dean.

CHAPTER 11. CONDITIONS OF EXCEPTION FROM THE MONASTERY

1. Leaving the monastery can be in two ways: by obedience, by official necessity, or by the desire of those who have a respectful personal need for it.

2. If any of the monastics needs to leave the monastery for a short time during the daytime (before the start of the evening service), then for this it is necessary to have the verbal permission of the Vicar, and in his absence, his assistant or dean. When traveling home, to other cities or villages, even for the smallest period, you must write a petition addressed to the Viceroy, indicating the reason, the exact address of your trip and the time of return.

3. Regular vacations do not correspond to the monastic way of life, therefore leaving the monastery for a long period is carried out only for urgent needs (for emergency treatment, illness or death of relatives and other cases), as well as for business trips. But in each individual case, the Viceroy has a special judgment on this, so that the time spent by the brother outside the walls of the monastery does not harm him spiritually.

4. Those sent for obedience to the city or other places outside the walls of the monastery due to special needs must immediately return to the monastery upon completion of this obedience.

5. Monks in holy orders who are released outside the walls of the monastery do not have the right to perform sacred functions without the permission of the ruling bishop of the area where they are going
arrived and where they wish to serve.

6. The brethren of the monastery are prohibited from visiting the monastery hotel without the blessing of the Viceroy, his assistant or the dean.

7. Monastics should in every possible way avoid leaving their monastery even for the shortest time, remembering that the walls and spirit of the monastery are best protection from various temptations and temptations. Every monk, having been in the world, returns to his cell spiritually worse than when he left it: this is what the holy ascetics teach.

8. Let us force ourselves, brothers, to acquire the good habit of patiently staying in the monastery, leaving it only when absolutely necessary. St. Anthony the Great once said about this: “Just as fish, remaining on land, die, so monks, staying with worldly people, outside the monastery, lose their disposition for silence. Just as a fish strives for the sea, so we must strive for our cells, so that, slowing down outside, we do not forget about internal storage” (Alphabetical Patericon).

CHAPTER 12. SPIRITUAL CATHEDRAL

1. To help the Viceroy, a Spiritual Council of the monastery should be formed,
which includes:

- Viceroy;

- Assistant to the Viceroy;

- confessor;

- treasurer;

- dean;

- economy;

- sacristan;

- cellarer;

- head of the office;

and also, if necessary, other persons of the monastery with the blessing of the Viceroy.

2. Having heard the opinion of the brethren, the Viceroy must discuss everything himself and do what he finds more useful.

3. The brethren must offer their opinions with all humble submission, not daring to insistently defend what they have come up with.

4. It is the will of the Viceroy to make the final decision, which he considers more salutary, and everyone must submit to him.

5. No one in the monastery should follow their own will or impudently enter into a dispute with the Viceroy regarding his orders for the monastery. Anyone who dares to do this must be subject to established corrective measures.

6. Let the Vicar himself do everything with the fear of God and in observance of truth, remembering that he will, of course, give an account of all his judgments to God, the Most Righteous Judge.

7. If it is necessary to do something minor for the benefit of the monastery, then the Vicar can use the advice of only the elder brothers, as it is written: “without advice do nothing, and when you do it, you will not repent” (Sir, 32, 21).

8. The head of the office clarifies issues submitted for decision by the Spiritual Council in advance through the Viceroy and reads them in an orderly manner before the Council.

9. The Spiritual Council meets as necessary, but at least 4 times a year, its decisions come into force after the approval of the minutes of the meeting by the Viceroy.

CHAPTER 13. PENANCE

1. Human weaknesses are so great that the most beneficial institutions for others remain fruitless, or are not always and not fruitful in everything. Sometimes due to weakening of attention, sometimes due to laziness, sometimes due to enemy temptation, falls often occur in violation of not only monastic rules, but also Divine commandments.

Therefore, it is necessary to use measures of correction and admonition, so that if the need arises to expel someone, expel him in the confidence that there is no longer any hope for his correction.

2. The rules that are applied to correct the fallen constitute the rules of punishment or penance.

3. The judge of all is the Viceroy of the monastery; he alone has the right to punish any of the brethren.

4. The remaining officials, who are prescribed by the Charter to monitor the brethren, must make comments to the sinner up to 3 times, and if he does not correct himself, then report this to the Viceroy.

5. If such officials do not care about the correction of the brethren and do not report violations to the Viceroy, then they themselves must be punished.

CHAPTER 14. CONDITIONS FOR REMOVAL FROM THE MONASTERY

1. Monks who betrayed their vows and began to live shamefully, defaming the Holy Church and their monastery, after repeated admonitions and disciplinary sanctions, are removed from the monastery as unfit for monastic life and as introducing temptation among the monastics.

2. A monk removed from the monastery leaves his monastic robes.

3. If any monk, removed from the monastery or voluntarily leaving it later, having realized his fall, returns and asks to return to the monastery, he can, after considering his case, be accepted, but in the category of new entrants.

4. From those removed or who left the monastery without permission and who wish to return to it again, a written promise should be required to henceforth lead a life in accordance with the Gospel and the monastic Rules.

5. In the event of the death of a monk, all his property, according to the inventory, is transferred to a warehouse and is the common property of the monastery.

CONCLUSION

This monastic Rule, as a guide for monastic life, must be carried out with prayer and diligence, to the best of one’s ability, for the sake of salvation and spiritual growth.

BY THE PRAYERS OF OUR HOLY FATHERS, LORD JESUS ​​CHRIST OUR GOD, HAVE MERCY ON US. AMEN.