On January 17, 1846, a son was born into Archpriest Alexei
Petrovitch Soloviev’s large family. At his Baptism, the infant was named
Fyodor, in honor of Great-martyr St. Theodore the Tyro. While Fyodor was still
quite young he lost his mother, Maria Fyodorovna, to a cholera epidemic in 1854.
From early youth, Fyodor was a serious person who strictly
observed the Fasts, avoided rowdy company, and sought out solitude. The
boy loved music very much. He learned to play the piano and to sing liturgical
music, and he sang in the church choir. It should be noted that Fr. Pavel
Smirnov, a deacon at the neighboring church who was later to become Fyodor’s
father-in-law, taught him to read and write. Having inherited his father’s
Christian love for God and man, the youth decided at an early age to dedicate
himself to serving the Lord.
Upon completing his studies at the St. Andrew’s religious
school, Fyodor enrolled at the Moscow Seminary. In 1866 he graduated from
the Seminary. Before he could be ordained to the diaconate, the youth had
to find himself a wife. He chose Anna, Fr. Pavel’s daughter. They
were married on February 12, 1867. On February 19, at the Chudov
Monastery, Fyodor was ordained a deacon. Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow
assigned him to serve in the
The editorial work awakened in Deacon Fyodor an interest in
literary activities. He had to read a lot of religious literature and to
write articles for the magazine. Many of those articles were later
published as separate brochures. At the same time, he taught Law of God
classes, pro bono, at an orphanage. He tried to avoid declining any
opportunity to help the needy. Not only did he distribute money daily to
those in need, but he would help the poor in every way he could: He would
invite them to his home and would feed and clothe them. On one occasion,
upon seeing a poor man shivering with cold on the street, the deacon took off
his outer riassa and gave it to him.
In May, 1895, Fyodor Alekseevitch left the St. Nicholas-Tolmachevsky
parish. He received an invitation from Metropolitan Sergius of Moscow to
become the presbyter of the Uspensky [Dormition] Cathedral in the Moscow
Kremlin. The Metropolitan of Moscow had decided to reinstitute ancient
banner chant at the Uspensky Cathedral; in such chant, instead of the usual
chanters, presbyters and deacons stand on the kliros and sing in unison.
For that reason, deacons with strong voices were sought out from throughout the
parishes of
On June 4, 1895, Deacon Fyodor was ordained to the
priesthood and assigned to the staff of
Of all the holy things belonging to the Cathedral, Fr.
Fyodor most revered and treasured the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, in
which the image of the Queen of Heaven is delineated with unusual spiritual
purity. Many years later, the Elder was to share some of his recollections
of that period:
“Sometimes you would come to the Cathedral at 3:00 AM to
serve Matins, and a pious trepidation would seize you... In the church’s
mystical semi-darkness all of
Through God’s providence, in 1898 Fr. Fyodor got his
wish, and was tonsured a monk at the St. Zosima Hermitage. On November 30,
1898 Fr. Herman, abbot of the Monastery, tonsured him a hieromonk and gave him
the name Alexei.
His first years of life at the Monastery were fraught with
great difficulties.
The number of people coming for Confession to Fr. Alexei
grew quickly. While at first only little old ladies would go to him for
Confession, soon many young monks became his spiritual children, and a few years
later Abbot Herman became his spiritual child as well. The Lord imparted
many gifts to Elder Alexei: prominent among them were the gift of the wisdom of
Eldership, humility, love, and clairvoyance. In 1906, after Elder Varnava
of Gethsemane Skete reposed, many of his spiritual children appealed to Elder
Alexei for help and support. Teachers and students from the
“I would often reflect on how an Elder of such advanced
age, someone who was infirm, someone who would give himself up for days at a
time to serving the people, could always be temperate and patient with everyone,
could always show an unflagging spirit... It seems to me that simply on account
of weakness, anyone else would be unable to treat us, those who had come last,
the same as he treated those who were first. But to batiushka it made no
difference. One could go to him at any time without fear, with the
conviction that his love and spiritual powers could not dissipate for anyone...
The Elder showed great condescension towards anyone truly seeking after
salvation. There was no sin that Fr. Alexei would not immediately forgive,
except the sin of spiritual pride. ‘I humbled myself, and the Lord saved
me,’ he would repeat. He would often say, ‘It is no surprise that you are
suffering; that is needed so that you can understand others’ suffering.
Be patient and endure; Christ, who was without sin, endured insults from [His]
creation, and who are you not to have to suffer? Are you aware that the
soul is cleansed through suffering? Are you aware that if Christ visits
sorrows upon you, He is remembering you? To choose your way of life yourself is
the most difficult thing of all. Entering into life, one must pray to the
Lord that He direct your path. He, the Most-high, gives each person a
Cross consonant with the disposition of the human heart...’
It would often happen that, with his gift of clairvoyance,
during Confessions the Elder would remind the penitent of one of his sins… The
Elder was quite clairvoyant. Sometimes he would tell in great detail what
was happening, and in what circumstances.”
“Whenever we, who lived in the St. Zosima Hermitage,
would lose our spiritual peace, we would come to Elder Fr. Alexei and would open
up our souls to him. The Elder would tell us that spiritual peace is most
often disturbed by our condemning our neighbors and by being dissatisfied with
our life. Whenever we would start to speak critically about someone, the
Elder would stop us: ‘We have nothing to do with others. Talk only about
yourself. The canons of the Holy Fathers direct that you must stop someone
confessing when he talks about others.’ And we, observing that rule,
were vigilant over ourselves, so as not to say anything about others. The
Elder also instructed us, ‘When the soul accuses itself in everything, God
loves it, and when God loves it, what more do we need?’ After Confession and
the reading of the prayer of absolution over us, we again would thirst after the
spiritual life, and peace would once again reside in our souls…”
Elder Alexei’s yearning for silence, his need to be alone
in order to focus on internal prayer, and his physical weakness forced him to
ask to go into seclusion. His request was satisfied in part in February
1916, when he went into “semi-seclusion.” He would admit people to
Confession in the church only on Saturdays and Sundays, but for the laity he was
already inaccessible. In June 1916 the 70-year-old Elder was permitted to
go into total seclusion.
In the summer of 1917, the Elder was forced to leave his
seclusion in order to take part in the All-Russian Local Council, at which it
was decided to restore the Patriarchate in
“Before the Divine Services had begun, in the Altar
Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev had written down on [pieces of] parchment the
names of the candidates for Patriarch, and put them in a special casket.
During the Liturgy, the Miraculous Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was
brought from the Uspensky Cathedral… Upon the conclusion of the Divine
Liturgy, Elder Alexei, who had been praying in the Altar, came out. Taking
his place before the Miraculous Icon, he began to pray fervently; occasionally
he made full prostrations… The solemn Moleben [prayer service] began…
At the conclusion of the Moleben, Metropolitan Vladimir approached the analogion,
took the container, blessed the people with it, and severed the cord with which
the container had been secured… Elder Alexei crossed himself thrice, and
without looking, removed a [piece of parchment] from the container…
Metropolitan
By God’s providence, Metropolitan Tikhon of Moscow became
the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia after a 214-year period in which the
government had administered the Russian Orthodox Church.
Although in the ensuing years, cruel persecution was
visited upon the Orthodox Church, life in the St. Zosima Hermitage continued for
a time as it had before. Elder Alexei once again would receive his
spiritual children every day. On February 28, 1919, Hieromonk Alexei was
tonsured into the schema.
In late 1920, the St. Zosima Hermitage was converted into
an agricultural workforce. The monks no longer fulfilled obediences, but instead
went to work. On May 6, 1923, the local authorities closed the Hermitage
and evicted all its residents. Elder Alexei and his cell attendant Fr.
Makary settled down in Sergiev Posad in a little cottage belonging to one of the
Elder’s spiritual daughters. The Elder’s spiritual children extended him as
much material help as they could. Whenever something was brought to him,
Elder Alexei would always bow and express his thanks, while saying, “I am now
after all one of the poor, living on alms.” The Elder possessed both
great humility and a great sense of thanksgiving. He would constantly
thank his cell attendant for the most insignificant service, and every day would
ask his forgiveness.
From the recollections of Abbot Vladimir, formerly a
hieromonk at the St. Zosima Hermitage:
“Over a year before his repose, when Fr. Alexei sensed
the worsening of his health, he began to commune of the Holy Gifts daily, for
fear of dying without Holy Communion… On September 19, 1928, as was his
practice, the Elder communed of the Holy Gifts at 8:00 AM. Despite his
extreme weakness, he himself read the prayer before Holy Communion... After
Communion, Fr. Makary gave him the wine mixed with hot water, while I held the
candle… Thereafter, he felt better, and peacefully reposed...
We wanted to have Fr. Alexei’s funeral and burial on the
third day, on September 21, but the ecclesiastical authorities put off the
burial until the 4th day. The people so loved Fr. Alexei that they stood
day and night at his coffin… No one wanted to be parted from the Elder...
Before his death, he would tell many people, “Whenever
you are in difficulties, come to my grave,” showing thereby that even after
death, love has great power. He was buried on September 22, 1928 at the
Elder Alexei Zosimovsky was entered into the rolls of holy
saints of God, and approved for veneration throughout the
Holy Father Alexei, pray to God for us!
People suffer from not understanding true self-denial for
the sake of the One Crucified for us… One sheds many tears with a contrite
heart in order to make himself capable of comforting others in the Lord.
One must go where spiritual stress so tortures someone that he is contemplating
suicide. This is no easy spiritual struggle, verging on true crucifixion
of one’s own sinfulness, for the only one who can successfully treat someone
who has despaired, is one who through the strength of his soul, can take upon
himself that spiritual suffering.
We must help those in need, must develop in ourselves compassion and love.