Shihigumen Savva (Ostapenko): biography, photos and interesting facts

One of the most famous elders staying onservice in the Pskov-Pechersky monastery, was the father of Savva Ostapenko. It was this man who became a beacon of hope. His connection with God and love of others attracted a lot of people who were looking for wise advice, support and just someone who would sincerely treat them.

In particular, these features were important in the twentieth century. It was during this period that people lost touch with the Almighty. The authorities punished such an initiative, but still the heart of a man demanded the presence of a spiritual blessing, which was more than handed out by schemer Sawa Ostapenko. Photos, interesting facts, the spiritual path and the uneasy life of a monk will be presented in this article.

Birth and childhood

Nikolay Mikhaylovich Ostapenko was born on November 11, 1898. Little Kolya was brought up in a Christian family. Parents (Michael and Catherine) from childhood told him about God and taught to pray.

People lived in perfect harmony, believed in God andsincerely prayed. In addition to Nikolai, seven more children grew up in the family. My mother was a very kind and unusually sincere person. Her love for people was boundless. An example of this is the fact that a woman could give the last meal to an asking elderly person. Such situations developed many times. But the woman sincerely believed that the Lord would help her children, and they would not remain hungry. Strangely enough, that's exactly what happened, the family was poor, but they did not have to starve. This was a real miracle.

The birth of a dream

When Nicholas was six years old, his parentsdecided to send the child to school in the church. Science was given easily, the boy had obvious abilities. Therefore, studies quickly dragged him, with every day the interest grew more and more. Already in the course of time, a little grown-up boy began to serve the priests in the church, and also to sing in the choir. All this was easy, because he had the ability and a great desire to do just that. These lessons gradually brought little Nicholas closer to God, he began to dream more and more about serving the Lord and did everything necessary to fulfill his little, but not a childhood dream.
It was no surprise to anyone that Kolyaconfessed that he dreams of being a monk. But such dreams were not his age, because Nikolai was then quite a boy. Such adult reason surprised parents, but they were happy for their child.

Fatal Case

Somehow in some of the cold winter days, Kolyawent to the river, where he fell into an ice hole. Naturally, the water was icy, and the boy was soaked to the skin. But, thank God, he was rescued and sent home as soon as possible. Unfortunately, it was not possible to avoid a cold. By the evening the temperature had risen, because of which it was not possible to fall asleep. In such a delirium, Nicholas saw a vision in which a man appeared to him in the guise of a priest, and within minutes he realized that this man was him. After this, the boy quickly recovered and was soon on his feet.

Education

Since the day of that vision, not one year has passed, but allstretched, but the cherished dream never came true. This greatly upset the young man, but he did not stop in his works. Ros spiritually, he prayed and continued to help people around him. All this in small steps led him to the cherished dream.

This young enough young man knew the Gospel by heart. In particular, he loved to read the Gospel of John, and in any free moment he took this book in his hands.

Already at the age of 13, Nikolai managed to finishcollege And at the age of 16 a young man was prematurely called to serve in the imperial army. If we take into account the track record, thanks to its chronology, you can find out that since 1917 Nikolai entered the service in the Red Army. After the end of the Civil War I decided to continue my military path and therefore I entered the military technical school. After graduating from college, Kolya acquired the title of military technician, and even went to work on his new specialty. In 1932, Nicholas decided to continue his studies, so he was enrolled in the Moscow Construction Institute, which also successfully graduated.

Work experience

He worked as a civil engineer, being in thispositions until 1945. Despite the fact that all these years, Nikolai lived in the world, the ordinary life of man, he did not forget about his own dream and faith in God. Not for a day did he stop praying, and with small steps he approached the cherished dream.

Soon Nikolai met withthe elder Hilarion. It was he who became an assistant, a mentor and just a family man at the beginning of the spiritual path of Nicholas. It was Illarion who helped make the dream a reality.

The fact is that the war brought a lot of grief. People died in every family. It was hard and painful. All these sorrows began to awaken faith in God in people.

The last steps to monasticism

At the age of 48, Nikolai takes for himselfAn incredibly important decision is to enter the seminary. There he became a true example. Diligence, hard work, sincere and kind heart - this is what helped Nicholas to become the best. Spiritual life reigned in him, and thanks to such inspiration, many considered him strange and even tried to joke. But in case of trouble, they always ran to him for help. And he never refused and did not hold offense to jokes.

At the end of the seminary, Nicholas was invited to serveto the temple, but the childhood dream took over, and he headed towards the monastery. Monasticism was a sensible decision, he wanted to pray for the world and for each person individually. For him it was important, necessary for the soul.

Finally he came to his dream: Nikolai Mikhailovich was received at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Initially, he was accepted for obedience, but this period was passed quickly and with success. Obedience was easy, although there were temptations and much more. But how can you betray the childhood dream? What went so long, about what the heart ached. That is why everything went in one breath, and people saw and understood it.

New Name - New Destiny

Soon he took the veil.

Got a new name, a new life. And now Nikolai could forget about his worldly name, he is Sawa. Oddly enough, little Kohl dreamed about this name, and the Lord heard his prayers. From that moment on, Sawa was in indissoluble union with God.

The life of the priest in the monastery was not easy. A huge number of trials, temptations and the like fell to his share. The priest led the construction of the temple, he had to take on the most difficult work. For such efforts and the desire to develop he was awarded another obedience, namely - to be the spiritual father of the pilgrims.

Father was very kind, sincerely worried aboutsurrounding people who did not understand what they were doing. He prayed daily for people in the world, asked the Lord to grant them the enlightenment of the mind. He tried to explain the truth of every sinful act, no, he did not scold, but tried to convey the truth with good.

Persecution

He soon became a hieromonk. The power of the priest’s prayer was incredible. Every day more and more people gathered around the temple who dreamed of blessing Sawa. He lovingly tried to hear everyone, to give advice in a difficult situation. So the fame of this incredible holy father diverged through the cities. This situation did not suit the authorities. They tried to threaten him, slandered him, and many troubles fell on his head. Subsequently, it was decided to send his father Sawa as far as possible. So Saint Sava Ostapenko and got into the Pskovo-Pechersk monastery.

But here there were people who did not understandpapa He had a hard time, a lot of suffering fell to his lot. He loved every man. But this love was special, to each his own. Thus, he treated the strongest with the utmost severity, trying to elevate their spirituality. But spiritually weak people Elder Savva Ostapenko treated as treated people affected by the disease.

Instructions

He didn’t like verbosity, and that was no good. Even the longest story can be told with a few sentences. That is what he demanded.
Sawa has written a huge number of bookswhich aim to help man come to God. The path is far from close, difficult and thorny, but still there is a correct loophole, and if you go without turning, you can go to a beautiful clearing where the Lord will meet his child. That is what he tried to prove by example. His path was incredibly difficult. He went through a lot and nevertheless remained faithful to the little childhood dream that created a miracle. Until the last days of his life, the priest remained with the authorities.

On July 27, 1980, Father Sawa passed away, about thisthe sad news of all the bell ringing. At this moment, his spiritual children, who knew how good the father was, were a kind and incredible person. With his hands the Lord worked wonders, everyone could feel it. This day turned out to be sorrowful for the brethren, but at the same time, having passed a whole series of trials and persecutions, Sawa deserved to rest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And his children still pray sincerely for his stay there.

A great legacy left behind SawaOstapenko. Quotes of the Holy Father still help many to find the right direction on the spiritual path. The father always asked for justice, honesty and disinterestedness. People he taught that you need to be strict to yourself, but indulgent to others. And if the anger covers, it is better to leave completely silently. A lot of teachings were given by the schiigumen Savva Ostapenko. The biography of the holy father was not simple, but these difficulties helped the saint not only to come to the Lord himself, but also to instruct others on the true path.