Righteous Girls Vera and Lyubov of Shamordino

YOUNG SAINTS

Righteous Girls Vera and Lyubov of Shamordino

THE ACTUAL FOUNDRESSES OF THE RENOWNED SHAMORDINO CONVENT OF STARETZ AMBROSE1

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1 Lives of the Ascetics of the 18th and 19th Centuries, October volume, pp. 238-244 (in Russian). Concerning the confessing spirit of Shamordino Con- vent and its closure, see The Orthodox Word, 1972, no. 4 (45), p. 165.

 
THE RIGHTEOUS GIRLS VERA AND LYUBOV
Commemorated on June 4


About eight miles from Optina Monastery in the heart of Russia is the village of Shamordino. Less than a mile from it there lived in the mid-19th century an old man, a poor landowner named Basil Kalygin, together with his aged wife. Once he saw in a vision that on his property there was a church in the clouds. When he visited the Optina Skete, the Elder Ambrose persuaded him to sell his property to the monastery. The money for this purchase, with the Elder’s blessing, was given by a nun, Ambrosia Klyuchareva. At first the Elder was uncertain what to do with the land, but then, speaking with Mother Ambrosia, he told her: “Well, it looks as if it is your lot to have this property for yourself. You will live there as in a dacha, with your granddaughters; and perhaps,” he added in order to console her, “we also will come to visit you.”

 
STARETZ AMBROSE OF OPTINA


Mother Ambrosia had an only son who had been married. His first wife died shortly after giving birth to twin daughters, Vera and Lyubov. Their father married another woman, and these half-orphans remained in the care of their grandmother and lived with her. Their godfather, according to the wish of Mother Ambrosia, was the Elder Ambrose, who was extraordinarily concerned over them. In order to take care of her granddaughters in the future, Mother Ambrosia, with the blessing of the Elder, decided to leave them this property. Soon she moved there with her granddaughters and her household servants. This same summer of 1872 Staretz Ambrose came to visit her and look at the locality. At this time he blessed her to build a new building for herself and the sister-novices (her former serfs), of whom there were already quite a number; and at the same time he said: “We will have a monastery here.” Thereafter the Elder would visit this place with his cell-attendant once each summer. It is remarkable that the large living-room in the new house, by order of the Elder, occupied the east part of the building, while the cells for her granddaughters were on the north side, which displeased Mother Ambrosia. Later Elder Ambrose recalled: “She was building a house for the children, but what we needed was a church.” Soon other women began to join the community, under the influence of Mother Ambrosia’s piety, and the life even then was very similar to monastic life.

Mother Ambrosia was very concerned to give her granddaughters a good secular education. Thus, when the children had begun to grow up, she asked the Elder’s blessing to obtain for them a French governess and to give them better clothes. But to the distress of Mother Ambrosia, the Elder refused to give his blessing. Mother Ambrosia did not understand the Elder, but made a great effort to be obedient to his counsel.

The girls, however, were already leading an ascetic life. Their abstinence was such that they already refused to eat meat, and they ate it only at the order of the Elder. They prayed often. They loved very much the long Optina church services and knew the order of services so well that they themselves would celebrate the All-night Vigil together with the responses of the priest. When the grandmother expressed her concern about this, the Elder said: “Let them pray; they are in poor health.” She did not understand the Elder’s prevision. To others the Elder spoke openly: “Let them be; they know that they are preparing to go there.”

Mother Ambrosia, being concerned for the temporal future of her granddaughters, with the blessing and counsel of Staretz Ambrose, acquired near the new property yet another estate, Rudnovo, and then two more estates, without herself understanding the real purpose of the Elder — why he had advised her to buy forests adjoining the new estate from all sides, as if he were going to build a whole city. Mother Ambrosia also designated a large part of her own capital for her granddaughters, under the condition that in case of their unexpected death, a convent would be built on their estate, near the village of Shamordino, and the three other estates which had been acquired, together with the capital, would serve for the building of this community. This was done by her at the advice of the Elder, who had foreseen the approaching death of the children.

In 1881 Mother Ambrosia died, and her estates and capital went by inheritance to her two granddaughters, who were then ten years old. Together with their governesses and the novices, they continued to live as before in the same house.

Another year passed. The girls as before lived in simplicity. Quiet and meek, they loved each other dearly and were never parted. They never made noise like other children. They dressed simply. They loved to attend the long monastery services, and to live the quiet, solitary monastic life. From time to time they went for walks with their pious governesses, who now took the place of their own mother, and they occupied themselves less with learning than with preparation for the future life. The spark of Divine love burned ever more clearly in the hearts of the Elder’s goddaughters. They did not have long to live, but they did not fear death. Many times they said to their governesses: “We do not wish to live more than 12 years; what is there good in this life?”

It is believed that they had been forewarned by the Elder about their approaching death, and through his spiritual instructions they were being prepared for it ahead of time. But such a life did not please their father. He decided to place them in a boarding school. Staretz Ambrose did not oppose this. With his blessing the girls were placed in the Orlov boarding school, where the headmistress at that time was a certain kind-hearted, pious woman who was devoted to Staretz Ambrose. Having studied there for the winter, they were to leave the boarding school for the summer vacation. The father intended to take them into his own home so that he might begin to acquaint them with worldly life, and he had already rented an estate for them. But all this was not according to the heart of the piously-inclined children, and with all their soul they wished to be in Optina under the protection of their godfather, Staretz Ambrose, whom they dearly loved. And the All-good Lord heeded the desire of their hearts and so arranged it that, with the permission of their father, they went first to Optina to see the Elder. This was in the spring of 1883. After coming to Optina, on May 31, the girls suddenly became ill with diphtheria, first one and then the other. So that one might not become more infected by the other, they were separated, being placed in separate rooms. Both were given confession and communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, and the end was evidently at hand.

While they still had the strength, the girls often wrote little notes to the Elder, asking his holy prayers and his blessing. On June 4 Vera died. The novices who were looking after both the sick girls said nothing about this to Lyubov, who was still alive, fearing to disturb her and thus hasten the hour of her death. But Lyubov, who had been sleeping, suddenly awoke and asked the sister who was sitting next to her: “Did Vera die?” Vera’s nurse was going to say that she was still alive, but the girl quickly said: “How is she alive? My governess just told me that she has died.” But there was no governess here at all. And so she remained firm in her opinion.

On June 8 Lyubov herself left this present much-sorrowing life, joining her dear Vera, so that just as they had been born together and grown up together, so also they might stand together before the face of the heavenly Bridegroom Who loved them. Seven years before this Staretz Ambrose had told a certain Mrs. Shishkov about their approaching death.

By the terms of the last testament of the reposed Mother Ambrosia, a women’s monastic community was now to begin. All those who had been living with the girls, thirty people in all, constituted the first monastic settlers. In addition, Staretz Ambrose transferred some of his spiritual daughters there from the Belev Convent and named Sophia Mihailovna Astafieva as the first Abbess.

Thus it was immediately after the repose of the righteous girls Vera and Lyubov, long before the official opening of the Convent, that the community began to grow greatly. There were many widows, blind and deaf women, cripples and orphans who needed help, and Staretz Ambrose now was able to take in all these unfortunate ones. Before his death there were already fifty little girl orphans in the Convent’s orphanage, over a hundred cripples, and an old-age home for women in the monastery enclosure. By 1908 there was a hospital with free treatment, and a large pilgrims’ hospice. And there were over seven hundred nuns.

Years before, when Staretz Ambrose was visiting the Klyucharov estate for the first time, entering the house, he saw in the living-room a large Icon of the Kazan Mother of God. He stopped before it, looked at it for a long time, and finally said: “Your Kazan Mother of God Icon is undoubtedly a miracle-working one; pray to Her and cherish it.” The first house-church in the new Klyucharov estate was dedicated to this very Icon, and therefore the newly-opened Convent was likewise named in honor of the Kazan Icon.

Thus the righteous girls Vera and Lyubov, whose names in Russian signify two major Christian virtues, Faith and Love, brought forth an abundant fruit and solace to so many needy human souls.

Righteous Girls Vera and Lyubov, pray for us!

 
The greeting of Staretz Ambrose by the nuns upon his arrival

 
The main church of Staretz Ambrose's Shamordino Convent