The Complete Life of St. Anna (Kashinskaya). 2nd Half.
Such words did the pious Prince Vasily speak to his venerable mother with many tears, praying in his heart to God that the desire of his heart be fulfilled. The blessed and venerable Princess Anna, hearing such a plea from her son and seeing his faith, discerned that all this was not without God's providence. Since he was sent to her by God, she yielded to his plea and promised to move to her patrimony and remain there until the day of her departure to God. And she said to him: “Let it be, my beloved son, according to your will, and as God wills, so shall it be!”
Her pious son, hearing these words, was filled with great joy and glorified Almighty God for not disregarding his plea. Then the venerable and great Princess Anna summoned the nuns of the monastery and informed them of her departure. They, upon hearing the venerable one, were filled with tears and said: “Where are you going, our lady, and why do you wish to part from us? Have we angered you in some way, or acted unrighteously before you, or caused some sorrow to your indomitable and patient humility? Or are the townspeople driving you away from staying with us? Tell us, venerable mother, the reason for your departure.”
She replied: “Do not weep, my sisters! You see that my son has come from the city of Kashin, the pious Prince Vasily, and he urges and beseeches me with many tears to move from here to his city. I have long resisted, not wanting to part from your ascetic life. But he has not ceased to beseech me to go to the city of Kashin. I have reasoned within myself that this is not without God's providence, but he was sent by God to beseech my unworthiness to move from here. And by God's will and your fervent prayers, which help me for good, I wish to go to the city of Kashin to my son, the pious Prince Vasily. You, my sisters, remain here with God and remember my humility in your prayers.”
They said to her: “If you, our lady, leave us, whom shall we look to, and who will show us the path of humility, meekness, and silence? Who will give us instruction without you, so that we can overcome the wiles of the devil?”
The blessed one said to them: “May the good God by His grace preserve you from the many tangled snares of the enemy. I only beseech you: take care of your souls, keep the beauty of your virginity without any harm, and maintain the lamp of your good service unextinguished until the Bridegroom, Christ our God, comes. And if He finds us in our initial abstinence and good fulfillment of monastic life, then He will lead us to the wedding in His Heavenly Kingdom with all the saints. But if He does not find us so, He will surely say to us, as to the foolish virgins: ‘Depart from Me, for I do not know you!’ And then we will weep forever that we have wasted the labor of our monasticism. But it is fitting for us, with all humility and meekness of spirit, to pray to the merciful God, our Lord Jesus Christ, that He may deem us worthy to be heirs of His Heavenly Mansion with the wise virgins, and that He may keep us on the good path, innocent and blameless, for to Him belongs all glory forever. Amen.”
Hearing her instruction, they marveled at her immeasurable humility and said to her: “O, our lady, venerable mother! Who, having seen your boundless humility, love, obedience, patience, meekness, innocence, and mercy towards all, has not benefited their life and glorified the All-Merciful God! We, seeing your ascetic life, fasting, abstinence, and constant love for God, have benefited greatly in our own lives. Now, our lady, you are leaving us. How can we not grieve over being separated from you? And how can we not weep when we are deprived of what God has given us? But we beseech you, our lady, do not abandon us, your orphans, but stay with us!”
With these words, they tried to hold back the one who could not be held back, thinking she would listen to them and stay with them. But the blessed and venerable mother comforted them with sweet teachings: “Do not grieve,” she said, “my sisters and ladies! Although I am leaving you, you will still be with me, and I will be with you in spirit. And if the All-Good God has united us with a bond of spiritual love, how can we be separated or divided?”
And giving them peace, and kissing each one with a holy kiss, she went to the cathedral church and there prayed to God for a long time, that He would cover her with His loving-kindness wherever He willed her to be. She also bowed with many tears at the tomb of her husband, the passion-bearer of Christ, the pious Prince Michael, asking him to help her with his prayers. “For,” she said, “I have obtained in you a great intercessor to God and a prayerful advocate.” And having prayed and received the blessing from the bishop, she set out on her journey.
All the people wept over the departure of the venerable one, for they thought and said because of her departure: “God is angry with us! If we had not sinned before God, He would not have allowed the venerable one to leave our city.”
The pious Prince Vasily, giving the nuns who were there a large alms and providing them with sufficient food, and also giving a large alms to all the poor and needy in the city, and having received the blessing from the bishop, left for his city, taking with him his mother, the venerable and pious great Princess Anna, greatly glorifying in his heart the All-Merciful God and the Most Pure Theotokos, that his good desire had been fulfilled.
When they approached the city of Kashin, all the people of the city of Kashin, priests and monks, men and women, and elders with youths, came out to meet the venerable and blessed Anna. And, overtaking each other, they wanted to see the venerable one; some, touching the edges of her clothes, received sanctification, others were sanctified just by seeing her angelic face and glorified God and His Most Pure Mother, the Most Holy Theotokos, and proclaimed: “Receive, glorious city of Kashin, your praise and inalienable glory, and ever-blooming joy, which you have produced—God-given fruit and a pious branch, whom the All-Good God returns to you! And rejoice with an invincible joy from generation to generation, for no one will take away your joy from you!”
And so, by God's providence and His will, the venerable and blessed great Princess Anna, the wife of the great prince Michael of Tver, moved from the city of Tver to her patrimony, the glorious city of Kashin. And she began to strive there in greater labors and struggles, arming herself with constant fasting and prayer against the invisible enemy, and with all-night standing, she overcame the attacks of the demons. She so emaciated herself with fasting and much abstinence that her joints and bones could be seen. As the prophet says: “My bones cling to my flesh, and my knees are weak from fasting, and my flesh has changed because of oil.” And she fully subjected her flesh to the spirit, becoming a most holy dwelling of the Most Pure, Consubstantial, and Indivisible Trinity. For Christ came with the Father and the Holy Spirit and made His abode in her most holy soul, and so He loved the beauty and nobility of her purity that He preserved her holy body from decay even after death, as is now evident to all.
The blessed one loved silence and did not converse with anyone, but when her son, the pious Prince Vasily, came to her, she taught and instructed him on how to despise this visible world for the love of Christ and to regard the beauty of this age as nothing. She told him to love, fear, and honor the awesome and glorious All-Holy God, and to seek His eternal blessings through almsgiving and beneficence to the poor: “For nothing,” she said, “so enlightens a person and brings them to the Throne (of God) as almsgiving and remembrance of the hour of death. For, my beloved child, whether one is a king or a prince, rich or poor, slave or free, all are subject to death, and none remain on earth forever, but pass away quickly like a shadow, and wither like a flower. We must hold to righteousness, for righteousness endures forever. ‘The righteous,’ says the Proverbist, ‘shall live by faith, but the wicked shall perish in their place.’ But if you are humble, meek, merciful, and patient,” she said, “if you live so, you will have long life on earth, and no one will ever think evil of you, and you will be feared by your enemies, and you will be deemed worthy of eternal bliss from our Lord Jesus Christ and rest in Heaven.” And with these teachings, she instructed her son, the pious Prince Vasily, and sent him back to his home. She herself conversed with the One God in constant prayer and enlightened her soul with other God-inspired works.
The pious Prince Vasily, being taught and instructed by such teachings from his venerable mother, like a tree planted by streams of water and bearing fruit a hundredfold, never transgressed the instructions of the God-blessed one and diligently strove to follow in her footsteps.
The venerable Princess Anna lived for several years after coming from Tver to Kashin in labors and fasts, in abstinence and prayers. When she knew of her departure to God, she called her son, the pious Prince Vasily, to her and, after instructing him much about faith and almsgiving, spoke to him about her departure to God. He, hearing this, bitterly wept and said to the blessed one: “O, my venerable mother! To whom do you leave us, and from whom will I receive instruction after your departure? What is my life without your sweetest teaching and guidance? It is better for me to die with you than to be deprived of your angelic vision after your death.”
The great one said to him: “Do not weep, my beloved child, and do not grieve about this. For I entrust you and this entire city into the hands of the All-Merciful God and the Most Pure Theotokos. May He guide you in all truth and direct your steps to the fulfillment of His Divine commandments. Only, my beloved child, hold fast to what you have been taught and remain in it, and have unwavering faith in God, and may the God of peace be with you, and the prayers of your father, the great Prince Michael, the passion-bearer of Christ, and my blessing remain upon you forever.”
She also instructed his nobles to fear God with all their hearts, to do what pleases Him, to diligently observe His most holy commandments, and to be obedient in all things to her son, the pious Prince Vasily. She exhorted them to administer righteous judgment, not to wrong the weak, and to remember the six Gospel commandments. "In them," she said, "you will be tested by God; and if you keep them, you will be worthy of God's mercy and the inheritance of the Heavenly Kingdom."
After such instruction, the blessed and venerable great Princess Anna prayed for them and for the entire city. Then she lay down on her bed, covered herself with decorum, and said: “Master, Lord Jesus Christ, my God, the hope of the hopeless, the source of mercy, I have longed for You, the sweetest Light, and to You I surrender my soul. Receive it and rest it with all the saints.” And thus she gave her precious and glorious soul to the Lord, whom she had loved from her youth and constantly followed in His love for mankind, on the 2nd day of October in the year 6846.
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Her son, the pious Prince Vasily, seeing his mother, the venerable and blessed great Princess Anna, depart to God, fell upon her chest and cried with tears: “O, my venerable mother, the light of my eyes, the teacher and guide of my mind! Although you have finished your life, you have passed from the temporal to the eternal, from many labors to eternal rest. Yet do not depart from us, your children, in spirit, but pray to Christ our God for the preservation of my realm and the salvation of this city, in which you chose to live and surrender your soul to the Lord. Pray that we may be delivered from all visible and invisible enemies and that our souls may be saved.”
The news of the venerable one's passing spread throughout the city, and men and women with children, the poor and needy, hurried to come. The nobles wept, for she had been a true instructor and comforter of their lives. The poor and needy, orphans and widows, cried out, having lost their provider, strong helper, and invincible intercessor. And thus they laid the noble and hardworking body of the blessed and great Princess Anna on a bier and carried it with honor, with psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs, her son with the nobles to the cathedral church of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos, of her honorable and glorious Dormition. After singing the burial hymns, they buried her venerable body beneath the cathedral church with psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs, returning dust to dust, and with much weeping, they mourned that they had lost a good instructor and strong intercessor. However, they hoped that even after her departure to God, she would keep their memory in her prayers for her homeland. And so they all went to their homes, praising and thanking God.
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Such is the life of the venerable, such is the angelic life in the flesh on earth of the blessed and great Princess Anna, who from her youth began to serve God with good deeds and love Him with all her heart, preferring nothing visible and earthly over the love of God, and shunning the vanity of this world until the end. As she had strived for virtues before her marriage, so in marriage, she diligently kept the Divine commandments with all her soul. After the death of her husband, the great Prince Michael, she maintained her noble purity unblemished and engaged in the good struggle of monastic asceticism. Nothing could separate her from the love of God: neither the glory of this world, nor the beauty of this age, nor honors, nor the greatness of rank. She began to despise all these from her youth, and so she finished her life, considering them as rubbish and spitting on them, to gain Christ alone and eternally enjoy His beauty and Divine glory. Thus, Christ, the Son of God, loved her and crowned her holy head with the bright crown of righteousness, making her worthy of His Heavenly Mansion and numbering her among the wise virgins in His Heavenly Kingdom.
Her son, the pious great Prince Vasily, also led his life piously and peacefully and departed to the Lord in the same year, on the 24th day of June. For he was humble, meek, and merciful to the end, and in all things, he imitated the lives of his parents, who now pray and intercede for their homeland before God.
Here is a weaving of my words—O, venerable mother and God-blessed great Princess Anna! Accept it as a worthy gift of love! If it is fitting for your angelic life in the flesh to be grateful to God, for it is His gift and we bring all this from His beautiful Divinity and glory, like that poor widow who offered two mites to God and was commended more than those who gave much.
If there is anything that seems insufficient for your God-pleasing life, yet I have offered as much as I could by the grace of the Holy Spirit. For who can worthily describe your angelic life in the flesh, your many labors and fasts, your abstinence, tears, constant humility, meekness, and unfeigned love, so much so that even the angels marveled at your incorporeality. Pray, therefore, O venerable and God-blessed Princess Anna, for me, unworthy, to Christ our God, and make me worthy to be an heir of the Heavenly kingdom and to escape eternal condemnation. By your prayers, may I be preserved in this present life from the many wiles of the enemy by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with the Father and the Most Holy and Life-giving Spirit belongs all glory and might, honor and worship from all creation, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
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The Appearance of Our Venerable Mother, the Pious Great Princess Anna, and the Miracle of the Deacon Named Gerasim
Many years passed since the blessed and great Princess Anna's repose, approximately two hundred and forty-three years. The all-merciful God, in His goodness, revealed to us an inexhaustible source of miracles—the grave of the miracle-working mother and great princess. After this revelation, her holy grave had been forgotten and neglected due to the tumultuous times in the Russian state from the invasion of the detestable followers of the Latin heresy—the Lithuanians, as chronicled in historical books.
At that time, Vasily was reigning over the Moscow state, holding the lands of the Russian kingdom under his scepter. At that time, countless Lithuanian troops roamed around the Moscow state. Some prepared to take the capital city of Moscow, others seized, burned, and devastated other Russian cities. Many holy places and honorable monasteries were destroyed, and much Christian blood was shed by the accursed. From Moscow to Great Novgorod and the surrounding seas, their uncontrolled troops moved. God allowed this because of our sins, so that we might learn not to anger His love for mankind and not neglect His most holy commandments, but always strive to do what is pleasing to Him. For He Himself says through His prophet: “If you listen to Me, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword.”
As previously mentioned, like ravenous wolves, the Lithuanians mercilessly destroyed the sheep of Christ's flock, and there was no one to stop them or resist. Even Tsar Vasily himself was in great distress: both from the Lithuanian troops and from internal strife and unrest among his own people.
One day, the accursed Lithuanians swiftly and suddenly attacked the city of Kashin, when the people were unaware of their coming and unguarded. There was no fortification around the city at that time. They killed many who were found in the city, wounded others, and looted many houses; then they soon left the city. After the Lithuanians left, the citizens of Kashin gathered and built a strong fortification with a rampart and began to keep watch. After they built the fortification, the accursed Lithuanians came to Kashin not once, but twice and thrice, but they could do nothing and caused no harm, for God protected the city through the prayers of the pious Princess Anna. The people of the city, warriors, and commoners, seeing God's mercy, that the city was unharmed from the invasion of the followers of the Latin heresy, understood that it was not by their own strength that Kashin was preserved, but they did not know who was mysteriously helping and delivering them from captivity by the enemy, since all the surrounding cities were being taken by the invaders. Only then did the most merciful God wish to reveal His servant and show His people the healing source and true protector of the city, the venerable and pious great Princess Anna, in this way.
After the venerable one's departure to God, her most holy body was buried under the cathedral church of the honorable and glorious Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Many years later, that church fell into disrepair, the church floor collapsed to the ground and was ruined. Then the grave of the great Princess Anna appeared on the surface of the earth, and the military men guarding the city came to the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos to pray. Unknowingly, they laid their hats on the grave of the blessed one, some even sat on it, thinking it was an empty grave, not realizing that someone incorrupt was inside. The Lord God willed at that time to reveal His servant to His people so that His grace given to His servants would not remain in neglect but would shine like a lamp on a lampstand.
At that time—O, how marvelous are Your works, O Lord!—when the detestable and cursed Lithuanian hordes roamed everywhere, spilling Christian blood, and people were in great sorrow and fear, their hearts crushed, the Lord our Jesus Christ willed to reveal His servant.
The venerable and God-blessed great Princess Anna appeared, dressed in a great monastic habit, to the deacon of the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos, named Gerasim. He was then suffering from a severe illness and was near the gates of death, having completely despaired of remaining alive. By her appearance, she granted him healing and made him healthy. Then she revealed to him who she was. Reproaching them for their ignorance, she said: “Why do you treat my grave as nothing, and despise me, thinking that the grave is empty? Do you not see people coming, throwing their hats, and sitting on my grave, and none of you forbids them from doing so? I am utterly neglected and insulted by you, and there is no understanding among you. How long must I endure being trampled underfoot by you? Do you not know that I pray to the all-merciful God and to His Mother, the Most Holy Theotokos, to keep this city from falling into the hands of enemies, and I protect you from many calamities? Before, you did this in ignorance, but now, man, do not dare to disobey my words, lest you suffer worse. Go to the priest of this church and the whole clergy and tell them everything you have learned from me, so that from now on, my grave may be honored, and people be forbidden from sitting on it and laying their hats upon it. Light a lamp at my grave before the Icon Not Made by Hands of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Deacon Gerasim, coming to himself after the vision and feeling completely healthy with no trace of illness, was greatly astonished and glorified God, who had revealed the boundless richness of His goodness and raised him from the gates of death. The deacon praised the great Princess Anna tirelessly. Without delay, fearing the holy one’s threats, he quickly went to the priest and told him and the entire church clergy everything he had learned from the venerable one, how she had healed him from a severe and incurable illness, and how she had brought him back from the brink of death through her visitation. They, hearing this and knowing that he had been seriously ill, and seeing him suddenly healed, sang hymns of thanksgiving, glorifying the Almighty God and the Most Pure Theotokos for revealing to them an inexhaustible treasure and strong helper. They praised the blessed and great Princess Anna and spread the news to all people.
From that time, all the inhabitants of Kashin, having gained a strong protector and an invincible helper in battles, no longer suffered from the invasions of the godless followers of the Latin heresy, the vile and accursed Lithuanians, knowing that the venerable one would not allow her homeland to be handed over to the ungodly.
By the venerable one’s command, an unquenchable lamp was lit at her grave before the Icon Not Made by Hands of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. Many who came with faith to pray to the Most Holy Theotokos also venerated the grave of the God-blessed Anna, reverently and splendidly, as is fitting to venerate and honor saints. Some, suffering from various illnesses, touched her honorable grave and received the unfailing grace of the venerable one, returning home healed, glorifying and thanking Christ God and His Mother, the Most Holy Theotokos, and the pious and great Princess Anna, whose prayers healed them.
Although many miracles occurred at the venerable one's grave and much grace was poured out from the life-giving grave, in the simplicity of their minds, or perhaps as God willed, this lamp continued to remain under a bushel, as it were, until the appointed time when the most holy and incorrupt body of the God-blessed and great Princess Anna would be placed on a lampstand, so to speak, by revealing her relics for all to see the inexhaustible source. Such is fitting for saints and God's servants, fulfilling His will. The Lord does this according to His providence, to reveal the boundless riches of His ancient goodness, an inexhaustible source. But He does this in His own time, known only to the Lord.
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The Finding of the Honorable Relics of the Venerable and Pious Great Princess Anna
In the days of the pious and Christ-loving Tsar and Grand Prince Alexei Mikhailovich, sovereign of all Russia, and during the time of the Most Holy Patriarch Joseph, of Moscow and all Russia, the good and most gracious and all-merciful God, who has poured out the depths of His ineffable mercy with His bounties, granted us the inexhaustible wealth of His treasure, revealed to our last generations the lamp hidden under a bushel, provided an inexhaustible source of His ever-pouring goodness—the relics of the venerable and pious Princess Nun Anna. Although many years had passed since the blessed one's departure, He showed her relics entirely incorrupt. As previously mentioned, by the unfathomable judgments of the Lord of all, God, who performs glorious and incomprehensible miracles for the human race, the grave of the pious Princess Nun Anna appeared above the ground, and many supernatural miracles poured forth from it.
Seeing this, the priest of that church and the entire church clergy, as well as the other clergy, and all the people of the glorious city of Kashin, seeing such an inexhaustible source continually flowing and never diminishing, thought to themselves: “God by His grace has granted our city such an unfailing treasure, but during all this long time since the appearance of the venerable one's grave, no one among those who lived before us endeavored to openly reveal the relics of the venerable one. Now, before our eyes, grace is poured out from her honorable grave, saving all people. And clearly, through supernatural miracles, it is shown to us that although we are silent, many miracles plainly reveal the grace given to her, who loved Christ’s humility from her youth and bore His light yoke—the pious and great Princess Anna. How can such a divine vessel, full of heavenly myrrh, lie in the grave, hidden under a bushel, and be unknown to anyone? How long will our enemy and adversary the devil, the foe of the saints, insult us because of our negligence and carelessness? For all the saints have defeated his wiles and cunning, and their relics expose his schemes before us. Therefore, the evil one does not want any of their relics to be visible to people, as shown by the transfer of the relics of the first martyr, the first deacon apostle Stephen, from Jerusalem to Constantinople when the unclean spirits on the way cried out: ‘Woe to us, for the first martyr Stephen comes to torment us!’ And if the divine hand had not restrained their desires, the evil demons would never have allowed his relics to be exposed to all people. So it is written in the lives of other saints that all the wiles and cunning of the evil satan are defeated by the holy relics.”
Thinking this way, they were kindled with love to reach the capital city of Moscow and report to the Tsar and Grand Prince Alexei Mikhailovich, the autocrat of all Russia, about such and so many diverse miracles of the pious and great Princess Anna, so that the Tsar might order that such a lamp be placed on a stand and the beauty of the Church of God, His Mother, be restored.
Having resolved thus, they soon set to the task and reached the reigning mother of cities, Moscow. There they informed the Tsar and Grand Prince Alexei Mikhailovich, the autocrat of all Russia, together with the Most Holy Patriarch Joseph of Moscow and All Russia, about the inexhaustible source in their city—the grave of the pious and great Princess Nun Anna, the wife of the pious and great Prince and Passion-bearer of Christ, Michael of Tver, which lay above the ground, and about the many and various miracles that occurred from her grave by the prayers of the venerable one. They, speaking on behalf of the Church of God, His Mother, implored the pious Tsar, saying: “Grant, pious Tsar, my splendid beauty, my precious adornment, my inexhaustible treasure, my resplendent lamp, my inexhaustible source, my vessel full of divine myrrh, my cluster of the True Vine! Command that the grave of my beloved daughter be opened, and the relics of the venerable one be revealed to all who come. How long shall such a heavenly treasure remain hidden under a bushel? I cannot bear to see her confined in a grave, for as the rays of the visible sun are covered by a dark cloud, so the relics of my daughter, lying in the grave, are unknown to anyone! How long shall I bear reproach from all because of such negligence? For my Heavenly Bridegroom, who betrothed me to Himself as a bride, the Only Begotten Son of God, consubstantial with the Father and the Holy Spirit, the Brightness of the Father's glory, proclaims in His holy Gospel that a lit lamp should not be placed under a bushel but on a lampstand, so that it may give light to all in the house. If such a pure dwelling, a divine vessel, is revealed, then I shall be glorified and blessed by all, having received such a source, hidden for many years. Such is my glory, such is my adornment, such beauty and preciousness have adorned me, my Heavenly Bridegroom, and your Creator and Sovereign. Without such an adornment, that is, the relics of the saints and icons painted in their likeness, I become deprived of glory and remain like a dove in the wilderness.”
Hearing this, the pious and Christ-loving Tsar and Grand Prince Alexei Mikhailovich, the autocrat of all Russia, together with his spiritual father, the Most Holy Patriarch Joseph, were filled with great joy and sang hymns of thanksgiving to the All-Merciful God for revealing such a treasure of His goodness in the days of his pious reign. He soon sent his royal decree to the city of Tver, to Archbishop Jonah, ordering him to immediately go to the city of Kashin and, with great reverence, open the relics of the pious and great Princess Nun Anna, and not to hide such a heavenly treasure and an ever-flowing source but to place it on a lampstand, so that the children of the Church and the rational sheep of Christ's flock, seeing the relics of the blessed and great Princess Anna, may glorify God the Father and His Only Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Most Holy and Life-giving Spirit.
When this royal decree was brought to the city of Tver to Archbishop Jonah, he soon set out on his journey, taking with him the entire clergy of the cathedral church. Upon arriving in the city of Kashin, they sang hymns of thanksgiving to Christ God and the Most Pure Theotokos. Then there was an all-night vigil and morning praise in the Church of the Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, of her honorable and glorious Dormition, over the grave of the venerable and great Princess Nun Anna. After the Divine Liturgy, they sang funeral hymns over the God-blessed one, with psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs, with great tenderness and reverence.
When the great thanksgiving was concluded and all the people cried out, "Lord, have mercy!" the Most Reverend Archbishop Jonah, with archimandrites and abbots, and with many of the clergy, with their holy hands touched the most honorable casket and opened the ever-flowing source—the relics of the God-blessed and great Princess Nun Anna. They saw her like a lily shining in the valley and like a blooming date palm. O, how incomprehensible are Your judgments, Christ, Lord and King! The relics, which we did not expect, were found whole and incorrupt, and even her clothing was intact. Although a small part of the kin was given to the kin, glory to Almighty God and His Most Pure Mother, the Most Holy Theotokos, for so glorifying His servants! The air was filled with indescribable fragrance from the relics of the venerable one, delighting everyone and gladdening hearts, compelling thanksgiving and praise to God, who works wonders in His saints and performs such glorious miracles.
Then Archbishop Jonah, with the entire holy assembly, offered many thanksgivings to God, for revealing such a heavenly treasure, hidden for many years, incorrupt to His people in our last generations. He said: “Glory to You, my Lord Jesus Christ, for deeming me, unworthy, worthy to see the ever-flowing source, the treasure of Your ancient grace—the most honorable relics of the pious and great Princess Nun Anna! How can we, unworthy, repay Your incomprehensible and compassionate goodness, which You bestow on the human race through Your love for mankind! Great are You, Lord, and marvelous are Your works, and no word is worthy to praise Your wonders!”
Having given such thanks to Almighty God and lovingly kissing the holy relics of the venerable and God-blessed great Princess Nun Anna, and blessing each one in turn, he returned to his city of Tver, glorifying and thanking Christ our God and His Most Pure Mother, the Most Holy Theotokos, and their servant, the venerable and great Princess Nun Anna.
To our God be glory, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen!
From the Editor:
After the Nikonian reforms, the Old Believers, to confirm their correctness, pointed to the relics of Saint Anna of Kashin, whose right hand fingers were folded in the two-fingered sign of the cross, which anyone could see at any time by visiting the cathedral in the city of Kashin. This was a very strong and convincing argument in favor of Old Belief. In February 1677, by order of Patriarch Joachim, a commission was sent to Kashin to affirm the three-fingered sign of the cross. The commission declared Anna of Kashin to be non-saintly and her relics unworthy of veneration and kissing. The commission ordered the removal of all icons of Anna of Kashin from her relics’ shrine, as well as the destruction of all adornments associated with the shrine. The relics, which were openly displayed for veneration with the two-fingered sign, were buried underground, the grave was obliterated, and the site was sealed so that no trace remained. The stone cover from the tomb was hidden under the floor elsewhere. The church dedicated to her was closed by the commission.
The Small Church Synod in Moscow in 1677 confirmed all the commission’s actions, deciding not to venerate Anna as a saint, to consider her life and prayers false, to exclude her name from the saints’ calendar, and to rename the chapels and churches dedicated to her. The Great Synod of 1678, chaired by Patriarch Joachim and attended by five metropolitans, six archbishops, and many spiritual authorities, reaffirmed all previous decisions. It also forbade the veneration of Princess Anna of Kashin as a saint, ordered the renaming of her church in honor of All Saints, and mandated that memorial services (panikhidas) rather than intercessory prayers (molebens) be sung for her. The Synod of 1678 also anathematized her hagiography.
Only during the reign of Nicholas II, who sympathized with the Old Believers, did the clandestine preparation for the restoration of the church veneration of St. Anna in the new rite begin in 1899-1901. This included the renewal of recording healings and other miracles. In 1908, the Tsar gave his consent for her re-canonization. On April 11, 1909, the Synod declared June 12 (June 25, new style) as Anna’s feast day—the anniversary of the transfer of her relics in 1650.
The Old Believers, however, have always venerated and continue to venerate St. Anna as a saint. Unfortunately, before the Schism, her hagiography and services were not printed in the Menologion and existed only in manuscript form. In 1909, on the occasion of her second canonization, the Synod permitted the Typographia of the Edinoverie to print a small edition of her hagiography and services from the 17th-century manuscript.
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